HoopsHype.com Rumors

Alex Kennedy: "Paul Allen, Peter Holt, Wyc Grousbeck, Robert Sarver and Dan Gilbert are all hardliners. They are stopping the progress," said NBPA source. Twitter

Boston Celtics, Cleveland Cavaliers, Phoenix Suns, Portland Trail Blazers, San Antonio Spurs, Paul Allen, CBA, Dan Gilbert, Wyc Grousbeck, David Stern, Lockout, Billy Hunter, Robert Sarver, NBPA, Peter Holt 

It’s also interesting to learn from sources that the Celtic leader may not be quite the hardliner portrayed in some accounts. “He’s been pretty quiet,” said someone who’s been involved in the meetings. “Put it this way, he’s certainly not as involved verbally as he was in previous years.” Boston Herald

Boston Celtics, CBA, Wyc Grousbeck, David Stern, Lockout, Billy Hunter, NBPA 

Howard Beck: Eight owners from labor committee here (all but Dolan, Cuban, Grousbeck), plus Micky Arison. Twitter

CBA, Mark Cuban, James Dolan, Wyc Grousbeck, Micky Arison, David Stern, Lockout, Billy Hunter, NBPA 

J. Michael Falgoust: Grousbeck, who was here yesterday too, isnt here today. w/owners committee. Cuban not here for 2nd day in a row #nbalockout #knicks #celtics Twitter

CBA, Mark Cuban, Wyc Grousbeck, David Stern, Lockout, Billy Hunter, NBPA 

The owners believe they have more tolerance than the players, believe that pain comes with missed checks in November and December and perhaps, finally, a complete cave with time to rush a shortened 50-game regular season and playoffs. Back in the labor talks of 2005, Celtics owner Wyc Grousbeck would say over and over in the negotiating sessions: The lockout is an investment. Yahoo! Sports

Boston Celtics, CBA, Wyc Grousbeck, David Stern, Lockout, Billy Hunter, NBPA 

The NBA owners' planning committee is meeting by conference call Monday to tackle one of the most significant sticking points that have kept the league's imperiled labor negotiations from progressing toward any chance of a deal: revenue sharing. The committee, led by chairman Wyc Grousbeck of the Celtics, had been scheduled to meet last Friday in conjunction with a full-blown bargaining session with players, but the session was rescheduled. CBSSports.com

Boston Celtics, CBA, Wyc Grousbeck, David Stern, Lockout, Billy Hunter, NBPA 

Today's NBA is filled with owners who paid through the nose for their teams, and have years of red ink in front of them before they ever see a return on their investment. The list includes Joe Lacob and Peter Guber (Golden State, purchased in 2010 for $450 million), Robert Sarver (Phoenix, 2005, $400 million), Dan Gilbert (Cleveland, 2005, $375 million), Wyc Grousbeck and Steve Pagluica (Boston, 2002, $360 million), Ted Leonsis (Washington, 2010, $300 million -- an estimated price that does not include another $250 million in debt on Verizon Center and the Wizards that Leonsis also has to assume) and Mikhail Prokhorov (New Jersey, 2009, $200 million for 80 percent of the team and 45 percent of the new Barclays Center in Brooklyn in which the Nets will play beginning in 2013). NBA.com

Boston Celtics, Cleveland Cavaliers, Golden State Warriors, New Jersey Nets, Phoenix Suns, Washington Wizards, Dan Gilbert, Mikhail Prokhorov, Wyc Grousbeck, Robert Sarver, Joe Lacob, Ted Leonsis, Owners, Peter Guber 

Wyc Grousbeck on needs for this upcoming season: "We ought to look to keep these guys together, and add two or three more pieces if we can, aggressively. Whether we can spend more money than other people … that's what we've done before, hit people over the head with the wallet club. The $60M to Pierce, the $100M to Garnett, $40M to Ray Allen, extending Rondo, extending Doc. We basically say, 'come here, we're a big market team. that's the way we run this thing.' If we can hit some people over the head again this summer, we'll do it." CSNNE.com

Boston Celtics, Paul Pierce, Ray Allen, Wyc Grousbeck, Kevin Garnett 

Wyc Grousbeck on breaking up the Big 4: "I love the Big 3, the Big 4. I love those guys. I think the fans love seeing them together. I haven't heard anything from Doc or Danny or anybody else about anything we're planning to do." CSNNE.com

Boston Celtics, Paul Pierce, Ray Allen, Wyc Grousbeck, Kevin Garnett 

Wyc Grousbeck on the Kendrick Perkins trade: "I love Perk, but I don't think our issue was guarding the 5-spot. Our issue was guarding their 2, 3, 4. So not only did we need Jeff Green, we needed about 3 more of him." CSNNE.com

Boston Celtics, Oklahoma City Thunder, Trade, Kendrick Perkins, Wyc Grousbeck, Jeff Green 

Grousbeck just mentioned the deal in this owners session, having been asked by ESPN’s Bill Simmons whether he was the brains behind “the Perkins trade.” Grousbeck quickly corrected him. “No, I did the Green acquisition,” he replied. NBA Confidential

Boston Celtics, Trade, Kendrick Perkins, Wyc Grousbeck, Jeff Green 

John Hollinger: Wyc Grousbeck taunts @Bill Simmons for hating on Doc in the early yrs...said they had a plan to get a top-50 all time player. Twitter

Boston Celtics, Wyc Grousbeck, Bill Simmons 

Since earlier this week we highlighted the best and worst owners in the National Football League and Major League Baseball, based on a survey of SportsBusiness Daily/SportsBusiness Journal readers, let's not forget the National Basketball Association. The most effective team owner in the NBA, according to 1,065 respondents in the survey, is Jerry Buss of the Los Angeles Lakers with 37.0% of the vote. Mark Cuban of the Dallas Mavericks was next with 19.0%, followed by Micky Arison of the Miami Heat (15.1%) and Wyc Grousbeck of the Boston Celtics (7.2%). Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel

Boston Celtics, Dallas Mavericks, Los Angeles Lakers, Miami Heat, Mark Cuban, Wyc Grousbeck, Jerry Buss, Micky Arison, Owners 

Wyc Grousbek o the absence of Rondo’s headband: “He’s not going to have it on. He used to wear it upside-down, as a real connoisseur would know and I’m sure you noticed, he had an upside-down logo, turning the NBA upside-down. And they won’t let him do it anymore. They said they were going to fine him for that. So he said, ‘To heck with you, I’m not going to fine it at all.’ That’s the Rondo headband situation for you connoisseurs of men’s accessories.” WEEI.com

Boston Celtics, Rajon Rondo, Wyc Grousbeck 

Boston owner Wyc Grousbeck said the Celtics decided to pursue O'Neal after Bryant's playful remark after the Los Angeles Lakers' Game 7 victory over Boston in June in the NBA Finals. Bryant laughed about having one more championship ring than O'Neal, his former teammate with the Lakers. "I'm not at all surprised by it, because [Grousbeck] is a competitor too," said Pierce, the 2008 Finals MVP. "Even though he's not on the court with us, when we win, he wins, and when we lose, he loses, because he feels it just as much as we do." ESPN.com

Boston Celtics, Los Angeles Lakers, Paul Pierce, Shaquille O'Neal, Wyc Grousbeck 

With little regard for the dollar-for-dollar luxury tax, ownership again exceeded the limit and has committed more than $78 million in salaries for one more chance (or maybe two) to sip championship champagne before it is time to rebuild. “When you are leading a Game 7 and then you lose, I think everybody on that team naturally wants to come back together, try to get back to the mountaintop,’’ said principal owner Wyc Grousbeck. “So I was not that worried about bringing the guys back together. “I thought that the guys would want to come back. I thought that Doc would want to come back. So I played the hand that way.’’ Boston Globe

Boston Celtics, Wyc Grousbeck 

Shaquille O’Neal made it no secret, even in his whisper-quiet voice, that Boston was his preferred sixth NBA destination. And after a flirtation with Kwame Brown, Celtics president Danny Ainge agreed with Grousbeck that O’Neal would be an appropriate fit. “The minute I heard Kobe [Bryant] say he had one more ring than Shaq, I said to Danny, ‘Let’s go get Shaq,’ and it happened,’’ said Grousbeck. Boston Globe

Boston Celtics, Wyc Grousbeck 

And then . . . the Miami Heat reloaded with what might be the most devastating 1-2-3 punch the NBA has seen in years, adding LeBron James and Chris Bosh to perennial all-star Dwyane Wade. "We were already going to try and get better, get tougher," Grousbeck told CSNNE.com. "But then the Miami thing just took it to a new level." Since then, Boston has gone from a team that clearly struggled on the boards, to one having arguably the deepest frontcourt in the league which will be led by Kevin Garnett, Jermaine O'Neal, Shaquille O'Neal and Glen Davis. The moves made by Boston to strengthen its frontcourt seem to be a direct attack at what appears to be the biggest weakness among the C's fellow title contenders. "I don't have an assessment of other guys, but I do know that we needed size and now we're the biggest team in the league," Grousbeck said. "With [rookie] Semih Erden, we added three, 7-footers." CSNNE.com

Boston Celtics, Miami Heat, Wyc Grousbeck 

After the game, Finals MVP Kobe Bryant talked glowingly about how important it was for him to have one more championship ring than Shaquille O'Neal. "The minute I heard Kobe's remarks about having one more ring than Shaq," Grousbeck said, "I said to Danny, 'Go get Shaq!' . . . and here it is." CSNNE.com

Boston Celtics, Kobe Bryant, Shaquille O'Neal, Wyc Grousbeck 

If Lacob was an underdog, associates say, he was a formidable one — a low-profile but prosperous investor who has helped build many startups into successes, among them Sportsline, which was acquired by CBS, and Align Technology, known for its "Invisalign" orthodonture product. "This is not an investment for Joe. It's a dream," said Wyc Grousbeck, managing director of the Boston Celtics, where Lacob has a minority stake. Grousbeck is a former venture capitalist who recruited him into the group that acquired the Celtics in 2002. The group was dubbed "Banner 17," signalling its goal to lead the storied but then downtrodden franchise to its 17th championship, a goal achieved in 2008. "He's a smart, competitive, successful basketball junkie," Grousbeck said. San Jose Mercury-News