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Thursday, September 17

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Chris Sheridan: NBA refs say lockout imminent after talks broke off today. Say they gave back $1M more today.Sticking point still thing that enraged DStern. Twitter.com

After rejecting the league's latest offer by a vote of 57-0 at their meeting in Chicago on Wednesday night, the union offered counterproposals Thursday in which it claimed to have made $1 million in additional financial concessions. But the sides remained at an impasse, lead union negotiator Lamell McMorris said, over the same retirement benefits issue that caused commissioner David Stern to abruptly end a formal bargaining session nine days earlier. "It looks like a lockout is both imminent and unavoidable," McMorris said. "We have suspended dialogue again today. We've been in constant communication, but it's not going to happen." ESPN.com

With talks at an impasse, McMorris and the referees gathered at an airport hotel outside Chicago on Wednesday and Thursday to discuss strategy and attempt to move the process forward. But the talks collapsed by mid-afternoon and the referees were sent home. "There are some changes that they would make that would drastically change the scope and nature of certain benefits to the referees in the NBA," McMorris said. "Our fight is for all of the officials, not for a certain segment of them, not for a certain age, etcetera, and these folks are willing to stand up for everyone to receive certain benefits that have been a part of this job, which is like no other job in the world, for some time now." ESPN.com

Just as the Kings looked content to start their season with 13 players on their roster, they have instead added an affordable and athletic talent to the mix. Nine-year veteran Desmond Mason is expected to be signed to a one-year deal for the league minimum of $1.18 million today, according to sources with knowledge of the situation. The Associated Press first reported the story of the addition of Mason. Sacramento Bee

I dislike rumors, especially those written in Serbian, but this website claims that Marcin Gortat told Nenad Krstic at the Euros that he thinks he’ll be traded to Oklahoma City. Crude translation: “From Gortat I heard that the current combination. He asked me that in Oklahoma, because there is a possibility that it could be. In this case, as I said, the two of us to be” combined “positions of four five”, Krstic told Serbian journalists in Poland. DailyThunder.com

Yi Jianlian could be wearing a different uniform when his New Jersey Nets play their season-opening game, Yahoo! Sports has learned. Yi has committed to playing basketball for his native Guandong in the National Games of the People’s Republic of China from Oct. 16-28. The Nets, however, have three preseason games and also their Oct. 28 season opener at Minnesota scheduled during China’s National Games. Travel, practices and recovery time could cause Yi to miss even more time with the Nets. Yahoo! Sports

For now, the Nets are backing Yi’s decision to participate and are working to determine an acceptable timetable for his absence. Yi’s agent, Dan Fegan, could not be reached for comment. “We’re looking at it very closely,” Nets general manager Kiki Vandeweghe told Yahoo! Sports. “We’re trying to make a good decision, make sure we abide by the rules and make sure we are always accommodating in supporting our players and their home countries.” Yahoo! Sports

After auditioning a handful of experienced big men, the Trail Blazers on Thursday signed veteran power forward Juwan Howard to a one-year contract. Howard, 36, is a 15-year veteran who will be leaned on to provide knowledge, experience and perspective to one of the youngest teams in the NBA. Plus, the Blazers feel the 6-foot-9 Howard can still play. Oregonian

Two sources have confirmed that Sean Singletary, a star guard from Virginia who attended Penn Charter, Haverford School and Perkiomen School, will be in training camp with the 76ers. Philadelphia Daily News

Allen said earlier today at the team’s Shamrock Foundation Golf Tournament that many players have been practicing informally at HealthPoint for the past couple of weeks and that Wallace has been a key to his success in ruling the pickup games. “We played a couple of days ago and a couple of people were mad at me because they think that I cheated,” he said. “That’s typical for us because we always get in arguments about who’s doing what and how. But a couple of guys think that I stacked the team in my favor. But, I mean, who wouldn’t do that? MetroWest Daily News

“I would come off a pick-and-roll and throw it right back to him. You’ve got to help on me and Rasheed is wide open. So he just knocked them down. He’s backpeddling down the floor saying: ‘Somebody better get out on me! I’m hot.’ “It was great because, as competitive as we all are, you see that when we work and we play.” MetroWest Daily News

Barbosa is expected to return to Phoenix in the middle of next week. His Brazilian national team is meeting Brazil's president, Luis Inacio Lula da Silva, after capturing the gold medal at the FIBA Americas Championship earlier this month. Arizona Republic

Kobe Bryant will go one-on-one with Carmelo Anthony on Friday in a game that will test each players’ shooting, defending and fingers. The two NBA stars go head on in a video game competition in the soon-to-be released NBA 2K10 and they will be playing in front of a virtual community of fans through a webcast. Fans will not only be able to watch Kobe and Carmelo go at it, but interact with celebrities and fellow fans before, during and after the event. But you got to sign up. Orange County Register

The update on Dragic's left knee is that he suffered a medial collateral ligament sprain and should return for Slovenia's European Championship quarterfinal against Croatia on Friday, according to David Griffin, the Suns senior vice president of basketball operations. Griffin said Suns team physician, Dr. Thomas Carter, checked the MRI and concurred with the Slovenia team doctor's diagnosis. Dragic sat out a second consecutive group game Wednesday as a precaution. Arizona Republic

The Clippers are set to hire John Lucas, the former NBA player and coach, as an assistant on Mike Dunleavy's staff. Los Angeles Times

Russia's richest man Mikhail Prokhorov is preparing an offer to help the New Jersey Nets build a new arena and sources close to him say he could own a large stake in the NBA club as part of the $700 million deal. Russian billionaires, dubbed the oligarchs, have splashed out on yachts, mansions and sports clubs as commodity prices soared in recent years. In the highest-profile deal, Roman Abramovich bought London soccer club Chelsea in 2003. Reuters

"As we have said before, we have received interest from potential investors in the team," Nets CEO Brett Yormark said in a statement. "That interest is growing as it is clear that we are moving to Brooklyn." Officials with the National Basketball Association were not immediately available to comment. Developer Bruce Ratner owns the Nets, which Forbes magazine in December ranked as the 26th most valuable of the 30 NBA teams with an estimated value of $295 million. Reuters

At the sponsorship deal announcement Wednesday, Suns General Manager Steve Kerr said how lucky the Suns are to have a coach who understands the integration between the basketball side and the marketing side of the Suns business. Gentry then took his turn at the podium, joking (or half-joking) that they "don't understand the reason we do this. The more money we can get, the more players we can get." Arizona Republic

The referees' union voted 57-0 Wednesday night to reject the league's latest proposal, but discussions between the referees, who are hunkered down in Chicago, and the league in New York continued Thursday morning, with the union making a counteroffer to the league, according to Lamell McMorris, the union's attorney. "We've locked ourselves in (a hotel) at O'Hare Airport," McMorris said Thursday afternoon, before heading into more negotiations with the league. "We're attempting to demonstrate to the league that we want to get a deal done, and we just need the league to work with us." NBA.com

Asked if the overall monetary concessions or the non-economic issues were a greater impediment to a deal, McMorris said Thursday, "we're having some challenges reconciling some of the systemic changes. Money always comes into play with all of this, but it's more the systemic changes -- which have economic challenges as well." The referees have agreed to some reduction in their annual compensation, including a wage freeze for this year and cuts in their travel budget and per diems, but the union says the league is seeking more, pointing out that the current recession has led to massive financial losses in the last year. NBA.com

The Miami Heat will retire former guard Tim Hardaway's No. 10 jersey in a ceremony Oct. 28, immediately prior to the season-opener against the New York Knicks. It will be the second jersey retired in Heat history: Alonzo Mourning's No. 33 went to the rafters last season. Heat president Pat Riley said Hardaway is part of the "taproot and foundation for what we hope to be a long tradition of success here in Miami." ESPN.com

Asked if he was optimistic about an upcoming contract negotiation, Rondo replied: "Not really. I'm just playing it out, trying to get better every day." A league source said the Celtics plan to hold talks with Rondo before the start of training camp later this month. Rondo has one year and an option remaining on his contract. Boston Globe

Alan Hahn: Boozer-for-Lee scenario "not happening" according to a source. Another says it hasn't been anything new on that "in weeks". Twitter.com

Alan Hahn: Let's clarify: Jazz were interested in July. Knix prefer to keep Lee and, no, don't view him as a 1-year rental. He'll get his $ next yr. Twitter.com

Haslem suggested Tuesday that he would have jumped at the opportunity to tack another season or two onto his contract with the Heat. But there was only one problem. The offer never came. Not even minimal discussions about one. Heat president Pat Riley has long planned to maximize salary cap space for a potential blockbuster summer of free agency in 2010, so the relative silence with Haslem was expected. Miami Herald

"Coach Riley has an obligation to do what's best for the team," said Haslem, who will earn about $7 million in the final year of his contract. "Obviously, if he's kept me here, then he feels this is the best situation. I love Miami. I love being here and I want to be here. This is an exciting year for everybody. I'll have the ability to see the free agent market. I'm looking forward to it as well." Miami Herald

"With so much trade buzz going on about me, I've got to believe that other teams want me," Haslem said Monday during a promotional event to donate computers and supplies to a Miami Beach middle school. "So maybe I will look forward to the free agency market, too." Miami Herald

On the eve of what will be his 15th NBA season, Stackhouse is a free agent and open to the idea of exploring his options here and elsewhere. Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Stackhouse has been drawing raves from players in attendance for not only his veteran savvy but also his still explosive game, on both ends of the floor. There are no official stats kept at the JBBI, but if someone were keeping track Stackhouse would be leading pack in blocks and defensive takeaways. “The thing that you notice is that he’s still got it,” Smith said. “You can’t hide on this floor, so if Stack is in your neighborhood he’s coming after you and you better be ready to go because he’s not giving you an inch.” Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Brandt Andersen to Stephon Marbury: I am the owner of the Utah Flash NBA dleague team. Why not come play for us this season. Fans would love having u. Twitter.com

Singletary went on to play in the NBA summer league with the Detroit Pistons, where he finally got some minutes. In 16.4 minutes per game, Singletary averaged 7.4 points, 3.6 assists, 2.6 rebounds and 1.2 steals. His play in the summer league, plus his performance in practice, Singletary said, finally raised some eyebrows. “A lot of teams saw that,” Singletary said, “and that’s why a lot of teams offered me conditional deals.” One of those teams was Philadelphia. After working extensively with Curtis on shooting and core work, among other things, Singletary will head home this season. So, will he make it as a contributing pro? Singletary, of course, thinks he will. CavalierDaily.com

Pooh Jeter is close to an agreement with Unicaja. La Opinion de Malaga

At the same function Wednesday, Ben Wallace said it was nice to be back in Detroit. Wallace noted he's been stopped numerous times by fans welcoming him back. "Likewise, I'm happy to be back to a place to call home," he said. Wallace said he's met several of his new, young teammates. "We have a nice group of young guys that are eager to learn," he said. "They're in the gym every day and they want to learn. That's going to help the team." Detroit News

Tracy McGrady came all the way to Chicago to seek redemption. The seven-time all star has been in town for several months after having micro-fracture knee surgery earlier in the year. He spends most of his days rehabbing at ATTACK Athletics on the West Side and is convinced all the extra work he's put in this summer will turn him back into the player he once was. The ironic thing is that it took a lot of people to get McGrady to finally give the rehab facility in the Windy City a try. His former teammate Luther Head tried to get the 30-year-old to give Tim Grover and his staff a chance, but he was unsuccessful, McGrady was too loyal to his trainer of 11 years, Wayne Hall. "[Tracy] asks me now, [saying], 'You should have put a gun to my head and made me come,'" Head said during a training session last month. ESPN.com

McGrady has been working with Grover and physical therapist David Reavy for weeks trying to get himself back into playing shape. Reavy is so convinced of the progress that he suggested recently that the Rockets superstar could be ready to go by October 1 and back in the lineup when the season starts, a recovery plan that would have him healthy weeks in advance of the average patient. Reavy and company have been working on a plan to even McGrady's body out again. ESPN.com

If McGrady's recent workouts are any indication, it would be easy to assume that his game will have all of its dimensions back this season. "I think he's gonna be a player like he used to be in his younger days, because his body is balanced now," Reavy says confidently. "He's using all his muscles properly and everything's absorbing a force and creating a force versus just the knee." ESPN.com

You've heard all the doubters saying that they don't know if you can make it back to being the player you used to be. Is the pain you're enduring during rehab all the motivation you need and do you feel confident that all the work you've put in here can get you back to the same level you were at? T-Mac: I'm not necessarily worried about the doubters saying anything. If they feel like I can't back to the player I once was I don't care about that. That's not gonna motivate me. What motivates me is I'm not finished. I got some unfinished business left on the court. I'm not happy the way last season went, so that's motivation in itself. I know what I'm gonna do and what I'm gonna get back to, so I know where I'm gonna be. Once I leave this place and I'm healthy, I'm gonna be ready because I'm not satisfied the way last season went. ESPN.com

Do you feel like the treatment here is adding more years onto the back end of your career as we speak? T-Mac: Yeah. I definitely feel that. Even now, I feel my body waking up in the morning, just feels a lot better. I used to be sluggish waking up in the morning, like, "Damn, I gotta go work out today?" I actually feel good waking up every morning so this is not a ... there's not been a morning since I've been here, waking up and feeling sluggish. My body feels a lot younger. ESPN.com

Creating is not a particular strength of Brooks. He is a scorer. But as any middle schooler called into the principal's office would do — we were in Dr. José Covarrubia's office — Brooks defended himself. “Passing's not my strongest suit — I mean, my scoring ranks higher — but I wouldn't say passing is a weakness,” he said. “My first year, I could relax, throw the ball to Tracy or Yao, and sit in the corner waiting for 3s. It was very simple. It wasn't my team. Now I'm in a different role.” Houston Chronicle

"I get put in a category, but I'm much more than a utility player," said Haslem, who has averaged 10 points and 8.1 rebounds over six seasons. "If I wanted to score 20, trust me, I could. I've settled for a lesser role to help my team win because I'm all about winning. Make no mistake about it. The thing that makes me special is that I can do other things without the ball. Whether other people respect that or not, that's a skill in this league. A lot of players, you take the ball out of their hands and they're non-existent." Miami Herald

Andrea Bargnani: “From a certain point of view, I have to get better, because I grew up with Ettore Messina, so I’ve always been used to do what the coach told me, to operate as a machine, it is not like I was afraid of something, to decide or anything, it was only that I did what he told me to do, like a soldier. I’m not the kind of player who goes to a team-mate and shouts at him ‘pass me the ball’, or ‘I have to take more shots’. Over there (in the NBA) I do that a little more, over here I don’t know why I don’t do it, so this is definitely a facet that I have to improve: if I don’t have someone behind me, such as a coach, who has a strong presence, then I’m certainly a little lost. Is the answer clear, or not?” RaptorsRepublic

If you put Dudley through NBA pre-draft workouts, "in the combine portion, he'd come out undraftable," David Griffin, the Suns senior vice president of basketball operations, said smiling. "But in the Wonderlic category? He's a lottery pick." Arizona Republic

"Everybody's blessed with different talents," Dudley, 24, said. "Like early on in college, I wasn't someone who could shoot the ball really well. I was good at other things and I focused on those." Arizona Republic

Although some players treat practices like they are merely auditing them, Dudley is a true student of the game. Since joining the Suns midseason in the trade that sent Raja Bell and Boris Diaw to Charlotte, he has studied the best traits of his teammates so he can both emulate and complement their play. He marvels at Steve Nash's mastery of the pick-and-roll and the guard's high shooting percentage from the field and free-throw line. He notes Grant Hill's ability to stay in top shape and is in awe of the player's diet and weight-room approach. And he pays attention to Stoudemire's work ethic, a trait for which he believes the star forward doesn't receive enough credit. "He lifts all the time," Dudley said. "Then he comes back at night and gets his shots done." Arizona Republic

Menk Bateer, the first Chinese to start an NBA game, has urged his injured countryman Yao Ming not to rush back into action, advising the star Houston Rockets centre to skip the 2009-2010 season. "He is higher and heavier than most of the NBA players and has more duties during the off-season. It's better for him to take a rest next season," he told the Oriental Sports Daily. AFP

"Take your time, don't hurry. There is nothing more important than your health. I don't want to see Yao on the court until he really feels ready for the game." AFP

The Celtics are looking forward to the return of Kevin Garnett. And Garnett is progressing in his recovery from knee surgery, according to president of basketball operations Danny Ainge. "Kevin looks good, he's in here working out every day," Ainge said today from the team's practice facility in Waltham. "He's doing his training but he's not playing fullcourt basketball, yet. We're taking it as slow and as cautious as we can with him. He's anxious and he has a ton of energy, but I think he gets it. We don't have bodyguards on him to keep him from working too hard. He's on the program with the staff. We don't have timetables on this. We are going week to week and we'll make a decision on where he is." Boston Globe

Hawks forward Josh Smith needed seven stitches to close a gash on his left hand between his index and middle fingers. He suffered the injury on the Hawks’ practice court Tuesday while playing in a pickup game with several of his Hawks teammates and other pros in town working out in anticipation of training camp. Smith said he’ll be fine for the start of training camp Sept. 29, but he’ll spend the days leading up to that with his left hand heavily wrapped. “It was a nasty gash,” Smith said Wednesday. “It was bad. I could see all the way through there. It was split open, like somebody took some scissors and just cut it right open. But it looked a lot worse than it really is. I’ve got to keep it wrapped up for the next 10 days and then I’m good to go.” Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Nothing sounds worse than getting food poisoning in Poland, yet that's supposedly what's been keeping Kosta Koufos out of action with Greece at the European championships. Koufos missed his second consecutive game as Greece lost to France, with what was described earlier as stomach flu being revised to food poisoning. Salt Lake Tribune

Karen Davidson is gradually easing into her new position as owner of the Pistons. "I've been to Vegas -- but it wasn't for fun, it was for business," Davidson said Wednesday of the Pistons' summer league. "I've been to ownership meetings. It's a different world for someone who has an economic interest in it, (from) someone who is just sitting there next to the one with the economic interest." Detroit News

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As the shockwaves from last season's financial meltdown slam the NBA - the teams were insulated to a certain degree because season tickets and sponsorships had mostly been sold before the September crash - the Cavaliers find themselves cautiously above water. The team is doing relatively well financially and officials are saying it is not planning any layoffs or salary reductions. In fact, over the past year the Cavs have been adding to their staff. "We have been very fortunate, our fans have continued to show us tremendous support," said Len Komoroski, the president of the Cavaliers and The Q. "We have seen it in many different levels from record ticket sales, television ratings and Web hits." Cleveland Plain Dealer

Last season, according to league sources, the Cavs just about broke even operationally. This was despite having a payroll that exceeded $100 million including luxury taxes, the highest in team history. It was more than offset by selling out 37 regular-season games and seven playoff games, and huge apparel sales that led to record revenue. The Cavs were then helped by getting a $6 million check as part of the salary rebate from the players. Cleveland Plain Dealer

However, the franchise is watching expenses. Former CEO Mark Stornes was not replaced after he resigned last year. Assistant coach John Kuester was not replaced after leaving to become head coach of the Detroit Pistons. Responsibilities of each were spread to other executives and coaches. In addition, the Cavs will scale back the printing of media guides this year and will look to increase efficiency in other areas. Cleveland Plain Dealer

Going against an economy that is taking its toll on efforts to sell tickets in many NBA cities and competing with the Tracy McGrady/Yao Ming injury factors, the Rockets are ahead of their usual ticket sales pace. Success in NBA season-ticket sales, however, is largely determined from Labor Day to Thanksgiving, making the weeks to come the key to the Rockets' hopes of claiming a business victory. “We are not only ahead of where would previously be (in mid-September), we have sold more tickets to date than any other year we have been in Toyota Center, more full-season tickets,” Rockets chief executive officer Tad Brown said. “Certainly, our momentum began toward the end of the season and ran through the playoffs, but it hasn't slowed. ” Houston Chronicle

The Houston Rockets and Clutch City Sports & Entertainment and Continental Airlines announced on September 16 the signing of a corporate partnership making Continental the "Official and Exclusive Commercial Airline of the Houston Rockets and Toyota Center." FinChannel.com

Brandt Andersen (Utah Flash owner): Even though I love it, I believe Twitter is one of the worst things to happen to pro athletes in recent memory. If I were a pro athlete I would shut my twitter account down right now. Although an argument could be made that it is a great way to increase your potential fan base and that it gives you the ability to reach out on a personal level, those things are not necessary for a professional athlete to be successful. Athletes do not need to sell millions of albums and they do not need us to go to their newly released movie. If you want to succeed and you want acceptance we just need you to play well. If you do your talking on the court we will love you and respect you, even forgive a few sins. If you don't play great it really doesn't matter how entertaining you are off the court, or how many followers you have on twitter. Utah Flash Owner's Blog

NBA referees voted 57-0 Wednesday night to reject a new labor agreement offer, saying they planned to present a counterproposal to the league Thursday. The vote came about an hour before midnight CT at a meeting of the referees outside Chicago. Their labor pact expired Sept. 1, and the prospect of a lockout looms if a new agreement is not in place prior to the start of exhibition games Oct. 1. "We are still meeting, we've been here since 4 p.m. and they [the referees] have decided to lock themselves in. They're not leaving, and they've empowered us to get on the phone with the league in the morning to try to make a deal and work something out," lead negotiator Lamell McMorris said. ESPN.com

McMorris said the referees planned to work into the early hours of the morning formulating their counterproposal. The sides are facing a deadline of sorts this weekend, with the annual referees' training camp scheduled to begin Sunday in New Jersey. "We're going to try to re-open negotiations in the morning, if possible," McMorris said. ESPN.com

LeBron James is often regarded in dramatic tones. And now, he'll have the opportunity to show just how dramatic he can be. Sorry, this story requires that I lead with the most obnoxiously cliche sentence possible. It's an unwritten law of sports writing. On the heels of More Than a Game, a documentary about his high school years hitting theaters next month, James is now set to star in another movie titled Fantasy Basketball Camp from Universal Pictures and Imagine Entertainment, Variety reports. FanHouse.com

The plot details are sketchy at this point, but apparently it revolves around the campers pulling LeBron into their personal lives. The premise sounds like "City Slickers" meets "Celtic Pride," although hopefully not in a way that makes us want to gouge our eyes out. This is a pretty big step for LeBron as he tries to rehab his image after the handshakegate and MVPshirtgate and dunkgate and all the other gates he's been in this summer. It also illustrates that as a cultural icon, LeBron really has arrived. To transcend to mainstream media in a different format is to venture into territory only few have accessed. I for one am hoping we see LeBron James, Adrian Peterson, and Albert Pujols into a ProStars 2010 TV show. FanHouse.com

There is no hesitation in David Stern's voice when it comes to Mel Simon's impact on the city of Indianapolis. The NBA commissioner knows Simon's value. He and his brother saved the franchise for Indianapolis and ran it in a first-class manner for 26 years. They purchased the Pacers, which were on the brink of moving to Sacramento, in 1983. Then they built Conseco Fieldhouse, which opened in 1999 and is one of the premier venues in the NBA. "To keep (the Pacers) and to move from Market Square Arena to Conseco Fieldhouse, it was their determination that everything about the basketball team and the NBA in Indianapolis was going to be first-class because Indianapolis deserves it," Stern said. Indianapolis Star

"You're talking about a pioneer and trendsetter," former Pacer Jermaine O'Neal said. "This is a guy who wrote the blueprint on how to do things in a classy way. He is a juggernaut in our business world." Indianapolis Star

Myles Brand, the former Indiana University president who fired basketball coach Bob Knight and later went on to lead the NCAA, died Wednesday from pancreatic cancer. He was 67. As the first university president to ever run college sports' largest governing body, Brand worked to change the perception that wins supersede academics in college sports. "Myles Brand was a tremendous leader at Indiana University and an active change agent in spotlighting academic improvement as the NCAA president," said Big Ten commissioner James E. Delany. Detroit Free Press

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