The yellow-beaked mascot of the Atlanta Hawks was pulled over by police for a traffic violation while on his way to a children's hospital to deliver toys on Christmas Eve.
The Atlanta crowd pleaser, Harry the Hawk, was riding in a sled pulled by reindeer when he was stopped by cops— with cruiser lights flashing and sirens wailing— for the flagrant foul on an Atlanta street Saturday.
These Grinch-like officers obviously have some issues with the NBA lockout.
On the eve of the jolliest day of the year—the long-awaited opening day of the NBA season—cops let the angry mascot know that riding in a sled filled with toys pulled by reindeer is only allowed by one special guy in a red suit in Atlanta.
Harry, after a little squawking, was finally allowed back on his way and—along with several Hawks players—made it to the hospital to hand out toys to the children.
No traffic tickets were issued but I bet the cop was tempted to say 'And this one's for making us wait two months for Charles Barkley on TNT.'
Maybe not.
Tampilkan postingan dengan label NBA. Tampilkan semua postingan
Tampilkan postingan dengan label NBA. Tampilkan semua postingan
Minggu, 25 Desember 2011
Selasa, 25 Oktober 2011
NBA To Drop Two More Weeks From Season Schedule
Things are looking slimmer than Kevin Durant's arms that the start of NBA season will ever begin soon and, according to the New York Daily News, the league will cancel at least two more weeks of its season.
The New York Daily News reported that a source—familiar with the NBA's plans—said the league will make the announcement today.
The NBA Players Association has yet to be officially notified of the axed games, but it looks like the the league will be putting additional games on ice.
The NBA has already cancelled the first two weeks of the season and the expected cancellations will lop another 102 games from the 2011-12 schedule. These cancellations will run through Nov. 28 and would include Thanksgiving.
Commissioner David Stern told a radio audience last week that if a deal was not reached between players and owners by last Tuesday, Christmas Day games could be eliminated as well.
Stern was expected to make the announcement yesterday but just returned from being out with the flu which delayed pulling the trigger.
The NBA's first cancellations of 100 games had already pushed the Nov. 1 season opener to Nov. 14.
The talks have continued to break down and both parties are miles apart on "major" system issues, but there is some optimism that—even with both sides refusing to give in right now—a deal can be attainable at the bargaining table and Christmas games could be saved—includes the Knicks-Celtics annual match-up.
According to NBA players, they want to resume bargaining but they will not give in to the owner's precondition of accepting a 50-50 revenues split.
"I will call them to see if they want to get back together," player's rep Billy Hunter told ESPN. "But if they still say there they'll only meet if I accept their 50-50 [proposal], to me that's a nonstarter. I can't agree to meet if I don't know what's going to happen on the other issues. That is intolerable."
The "system" issues—which have put the talks at a standstill—include deals which involve a new harder salary cap preferred by the owners and the preservation of a softer cap by the players..
Stern claims it will take at least a month to put the new bargaining agreement in writing. He said the extra delay would hasten free-agency deals for up to 150 players and there would be a shortened training camp and preseason.
Optimistically, Stern said the league might be able to cut the start-up date to 28 days and give teams a 68-70 game season.
The Knicks have already filled in scheduled November home date with a Jay-Z concert.
The New York Daily News reported that a source—familiar with the NBA's plans—said the league will make the announcement today.
The NBA Players Association has yet to be officially notified of the axed games, but it looks like the the league will be putting additional games on ice.
The NBA has already cancelled the first two weeks of the season and the expected cancellations will lop another 102 games from the 2011-12 schedule. These cancellations will run through Nov. 28 and would include Thanksgiving.
Commissioner David Stern told a radio audience last week that if a deal was not reached between players and owners by last Tuesday, Christmas Day games could be eliminated as well.
Stern was expected to make the announcement yesterday but just returned from being out with the flu which delayed pulling the trigger.
The NBA's first cancellations of 100 games had already pushed the Nov. 1 season opener to Nov. 14.
The talks have continued to break down and both parties are miles apart on "major" system issues, but there is some optimism that—even with both sides refusing to give in right now—a deal can be attainable at the bargaining table and Christmas games could be saved—includes the Knicks-Celtics annual match-up.
According to NBA players, they want to resume bargaining but they will not give in to the owner's precondition of accepting a 50-50 revenues split.
"I will call them to see if they want to get back together," player's rep Billy Hunter told ESPN. "But if they still say there they'll only meet if I accept their 50-50 [proposal], to me that's a nonstarter. I can't agree to meet if I don't know what's going to happen on the other issues. That is intolerable."
The "system" issues—which have put the talks at a standstill—include deals which involve a new harder salary cap preferred by the owners and the preservation of a softer cap by the players..
Stern claims it will take at least a month to put the new bargaining agreement in writing. He said the extra delay would hasten free-agency deals for up to 150 players and there would be a shortened training camp and preseason.
Optimistically, Stern said the league might be able to cut the start-up date to 28 days and give teams a 68-70 game season.
The Knicks have already filled in scheduled November home date with a Jay-Z concert.
Rabu, 19 Oktober 2011
Shaq Wants To Keep An NBA Team In Newark
The city of Newark still has the New Jersey Nets for another year before they move across a few rivers into their new home in Brooklyn but, if Shaquille O'Neal has his wish, an NBA team will once again slam dunk in front of the empty seats in the Prudential Center.
Did anyone tell Shaq that wishes are only the legend of bad movies? Kazaam!
The lame duck New Jersey Nets, who--sadly-- are lately better known for one of their players becoming a Kardashian, will be packing up their gear and head for the state-of-the-art Barclays Center with their new first-name-- Brooklyn-- in 2012. It's a good possibility that most of the few hundred fans in Newark will probably notice or care.
O'Neal, who was raised in Newark, has talked about wanting to own a team in the past and responded to that question in a wide-ranging interview in Tuesday's New York Times about his desire to bring one back to Newark.
"Yes, And I'm looking forward to bringing a team to Newark," he said. "I haven't spoken to Mayor Booker about it yet, but I'm working on it. I know Newark can support an NBA team. And I'm going to be one of those guys that's going to bring a team here."
The former NBA star has talked about owning an NBA team in the past and originally had his eyes set on moving the Nets to his home town back in 2009, when the Nets were still playing in the Meadowlands, and the new Prudential Center was without an NBA team.
"If I was a general manager or owner of that team, I'd be playing in Newark right now," he said back then.
That was before the team did move to Newark's Prudential Center and played before empty seats-- some selling for .43 cents on the Internet-- and empty promises to the city as well.
Now, Shaq is pushing to get an NBA team back in Newark, but it could be an uphill battle.
O'Neal has the star power and the NBA pedigree to possibly broker a deal and move one of the other struggling NBA teams to Newark-- look what the Nets minority-owner Jay-Z did-- and there are sure to be a couple of teams on the verge of collapse if the NBA lockout ever ends. Did I hear someone say Newark Timberwolves?
But, putting a third NBA team in the New York metro area would be risky-- considering that the Nets could barely draw fans when the only other local team was the Knicks.
O'Neal, and his development company have been involved in many community projects in the city of Newark, but this is one wish that even a blue genie couldn't grant. Kazaam!
Did anyone tell Shaq that wishes are only the legend of bad movies? Kazaam!
The lame duck New Jersey Nets, who--sadly-- are lately better known for one of their players becoming a Kardashian, will be packing up their gear and head for the state-of-the-art Barclays Center with their new first-name-- Brooklyn-- in 2012. It's a good possibility that most of the few hundred fans in Newark will probably notice or care.
O'Neal, who was raised in Newark, has talked about wanting to own a team in the past and responded to that question in a wide-ranging interview in Tuesday's New York Times about his desire to bring one back to Newark.
"Yes, And I'm looking forward to bringing a team to Newark," he said. "I haven't spoken to Mayor Booker about it yet, but I'm working on it. I know Newark can support an NBA team. And I'm going to be one of those guys that's going to bring a team here."
The former NBA star has talked about owning an NBA team in the past and originally had his eyes set on moving the Nets to his home town back in 2009, when the Nets were still playing in the Meadowlands, and the new Prudential Center was without an NBA team.
"If I was a general manager or owner of that team, I'd be playing in Newark right now," he said back then.
That was before the team did move to Newark's Prudential Center and played before empty seats-- some selling for .43 cents on the Internet-- and empty promises to the city as well.
Now, Shaq is pushing to get an NBA team back in Newark, but it could be an uphill battle.
O'Neal has the star power and the NBA pedigree to possibly broker a deal and move one of the other struggling NBA teams to Newark-- look what the Nets minority-owner Jay-Z did-- and there are sure to be a couple of teams on the verge of collapse if the NBA lockout ever ends. Did I hear someone say Newark Timberwolves?
But, putting a third NBA team in the New York metro area would be risky-- considering that the Nets could barely draw fans when the only other local team was the Knicks.
O'Neal, and his development company have been involved in many community projects in the city of Newark, but this is one wish that even a blue genie couldn't grant. Kazaam!
Kamis, 04 Agustus 2011
NBA Union Boss Predicts 2011-12 NBA Season Will Be Cancelled
NBA Players Association chief, Billy Hunter, said chances of a agreement in the NBA labor talks look bleak and, that NBA owners and players are so far apart in the talks, the entire 2011-12 NBA season will be cancelled.
According to "The Sporting News," that prediction is from Hunter, who said the entire season will be shut down due to the lockout "if he had to bet on it."
"We're $800 million apart per year," Hunter said at an American Bar Association in Baltimore yesterday-- two days after the players and owners met for three hours and failed to make any progress on a new collective bargaining agreement.
Hunter thinks that a new group of hard-line owners is making it difficult for David Stern to make a deal. This group of newer owners wants to get a bigger return for their investments.
"In the last six or seven years, there is a new group of owners to come in who paid a premium for their franchises," claims Hunter. "And what they're doing is kind of holding his [Stern's] feet to the fire."
"If I had to bet on it at this moment, I would probably say no," said Hunter after he was asked if fans can count on the 2011-12 season.
The two sides will meet again this month, but they have not scheduled a date.
The league had no comment to Hunter's remarks.
Hunter has been the Executive Director of NBPA since 1996. He served as chief negotiator during the 1999 collective bargaining agreement between the NBA owners and the players.
During the 1998-99 lockout, the NBA played 50 games and the league did not start to cancel games until the middle of October.
The countdown starts now-- with ten weeks to go.
According to "The Sporting News," that prediction is from Hunter, who said the entire season will be shut down due to the lockout "if he had to bet on it."
Hunter thinks that a new group of hard-line owners is making it difficult for David Stern to make a deal. This group of newer owners wants to get a bigger return for their investments.
"In the last six or seven years, there is a new group of owners to come in who paid a premium for their franchises," claims Hunter. "And what they're doing is kind of holding his [Stern's] feet to the fire."
"If I had to bet on it at this moment, I would probably say no," said Hunter after he was asked if fans can count on the 2011-12 season.
The two sides will meet again this month, but they have not scheduled a date.
The league had no comment to Hunter's remarks.
Hunter has been the Executive Director of NBPA since 1996. He served as chief negotiator during the 1999 collective bargaining agreement between the NBA owners and the players.
During the 1998-99 lockout, the NBA played 50 games and the league did not start to cancel games until the middle of October.
The countdown starts now-- with ten weeks to go.
Rabu, 03 Agustus 2011
Lingerie League Puts 'Fun' into Fundamental Basketball
If the looming NBA lockout has bred anything but thoughts of NBA stars playing overseas, watching games live on ESPN at 3 a.m. and long winter nights yearning for a Blake Griffin dunk highlight, you're wrong. No Lakers, no problem. Mix a little Kobe Bryant and Kardashian sisters and you get the Lingerie Basketball League. Only from the beaches of California could an idea like this make you forget about David Stern. It's similar to Lingerie Football-- only with even less padding.
The professional women's basketball league debuted July 23 and, as the league's slogan says it's, "Where Beauty Meets the Hardwood."
The players wear little more than brightly-colored panties, garters and sports bras. Even a flagrant foul is pretty easy on the eyes and 'driving the lane' just got a whole new meaning.
The Los Angeles-based league has four teams: The Beauties, The Divas, The Glam and The Starlets-- and the girls can play. See for yourself:
The league uses most of the same rules as traditional women's basketball. There is a 35-second clock, two 20-minute halves, but uses a high-school 3-point line. A held ball results in a jump ball between the Amazonian beauties and the "Red Light Special" gives a player 60 seconds to score bonus points.
Trash talking is rampant although there hasn't been a dunk yet. That's OK, because the fans are there to see good, fundamental basketball skills.
Some women's rights groups have already condemned the league-- so what else is new-- but the league has shown to be gaining popularity pretty fast.
How the LBL expects to gain fans around the country when all four teams are based in L.A. is a mystery--oh yeah, they play in their underwear.
Still can't see the WNBA following suit.
The professional women's basketball league debuted July 23 and, as the league's slogan says it's, "Where Beauty Meets the Hardwood."
The players wear little more than brightly-colored panties, garters and sports bras. Even a flagrant foul is pretty easy on the eyes and 'driving the lane' just got a whole new meaning.
The Los Angeles-based league has four teams: The Beauties, The Divas, The Glam and The Starlets-- and the girls can play. See for yourself:
The league uses most of the same rules as traditional women's basketball. There is a 35-second clock, two 20-minute halves, but uses a high-school 3-point line. A held ball results in a jump ball between the Amazonian beauties and the "Red Light Special" gives a player 60 seconds to score bonus points.
Trash talking is rampant although there hasn't been a dunk yet. That's OK, because the fans are there to see good, fundamental basketball skills.
Some women's rights groups have already condemned the league-- so what else is new-- but the league has shown to be gaining popularity pretty fast.
How the LBL expects to gain fans around the country when all four teams are based in L.A. is a mystery--oh yeah, they play in their underwear.
Still can't see the WNBA following suit.
Senin, 09 Mei 2011
NFL Players Asking For Lower Alimony Payments; NBA Watching Closely
While NFL players lose paychecks, and the lockout continues to be stuck at a stand-still, the repercussions of a trickle-down effect could reach the littlest and most innocent of victims--player's children. Out of work NFL players have now reached out to lawyers in hope of having their alimony and child-support payments modified to lower amounts. The NBA, with their contract expiring in two months, must be watching this scenario closely.
According a report in the Bloomberg Business Report, a number of unidentified NFL players are preparing for the worst and looking into modifications of financial support if the dead lock between the NFLPA and team owners shuts down the 2011 season, leaving many players with no income.
The report said if the NFL players are unable to reach a collective bargaining agreement with their union, many more players will be looking for modifications in their support requirements.
The poster-child for child support, New York Jets defensive back Antonio Cromartie, already has his 2 year-old son's mother a little nervous and she is probably not alone. Cromartie is reported to have sired nine children with eight different women.
Tina Julien, a 33 year-old nurse from California, said she is worried about being able to afford child-care for Cromartie's son if the NFLPA and team owners don't shake hands.
"The money I get from him [Cromartie] is definitely important," she stressed. "Something would have to give."
Julien did not disclose how much support she receives from Cromartie. The Jets defensive back made $1.7 million last season.
Raoul Felder, the well-known divorce lawyer with a history of famous clients, said it is not uncommon for the unemployed to make support modifications to ease their situation. He said many Wall Street executives made the same moves during the recent crash.
"The NFL is an industry, and the industry is in trouble," said Felder. "The men can't meet their obligations."
NFL players earn an average of about $1.8 million a year. NBA players earn close to $6 million and are expecting a lockout when their basketball contract expires on June 30.
Judges usually allow modifications for child support during times of financial stress but, only after checking the athlete's outside income and selling off of assets including real estate, autos and even championship rings. The players are not covered by their teams during the lockout and must now pay the added expense of up to $2000 a month for health insurance.
Most pro-athletes can usually afford the hit on their lifestyles during a loss of income, but it is their children's mothers and ex-wives who get clobbered when offered financial modifications.
The players are surrounded by an army of lawyers and agents bent on spreading butter on their own bread, while the women are left holding the licked clean knife unless they cut back or sell their self-esteem to some tawdry reality show.
Even if the NFLPA and team owners hug it out with an agreement, the players won't get their first paychecks until September.
According a report in the Bloomberg Business Report, a number of unidentified NFL players are preparing for the worst and looking into modifications of financial support if the dead lock between the NFLPA and team owners shuts down the 2011 season, leaving many players with no income.
The report said if the NFL players are unable to reach a collective bargaining agreement with their union, many more players will be looking for modifications in their support requirements.
Tina Julien, a 33 year-old nurse from California, said she is worried about being able to afford child-care for Cromartie's son if the NFLPA and team owners don't shake hands.
"The money I get from him [Cromartie] is definitely important," she stressed. "Something would have to give."
Julien did not disclose how much support she receives from Cromartie. The Jets defensive back made $1.7 million last season.
Raoul Felder, the well-known divorce lawyer with a history of famous clients, said it is not uncommon for the unemployed to make support modifications to ease their situation. He said many Wall Street executives made the same moves during the recent crash.
"The NFL is an industry, and the industry is in trouble," said Felder. "The men can't meet their obligations."
NFL players earn an average of about $1.8 million a year. NBA players earn close to $6 million and are expecting a lockout when their basketball contract expires on June 30.
Judges usually allow modifications for child support during times of financial stress but, only after checking the athlete's outside income and selling off of assets including real estate, autos and even championship rings. The players are not covered by their teams during the lockout and must now pay the added expense of up to $2000 a month for health insurance.
Most pro-athletes can usually afford the hit on their lifestyles during a loss of income, but it is their children's mothers and ex-wives who get clobbered when offered financial modifications.
The players are surrounded by an army of lawyers and agents bent on spreading butter on their own bread, while the women are left holding the licked clean knife unless they cut back or sell their self-esteem to some tawdry reality show.
Even if the NFLPA and team owners hug it out with an agreement, the players won't get their first paychecks until September.
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