The “Seattle Post-Intelligencer” reported Monday that former Seattle SuperSonics point guard Gary Payton believes that the NBA will have a team back in the “Emerald City” by 2011. Payton also said that he had no desire for the Oklahoma City Thunder to retire his uniform number. The Glove said “I think I made that clear, I didn’t play in Oklahoma, so it wouldn’t be anything that I’m looking forward to because I didn’t play for the Oklahoma Thunder. don’t think that Oklahoma should get the benefits of seeing me raise my number. I think these people here are the people who have seen me and made me who I am.”

Payton also said that according to his sources “I’m inside with the NBA a little bit, I think before 2011 a team will be here. A lot of teams want to move and I think Seattle’s got a good shot at it.”

© Copyright 2008 thesackattack.net

Apparently even professional sports leagues are not immune to the sagging economy as according to the Associated Press, the NBA is eliminating 80 jobs in the US - the first professional sports league to announce layoffs due to the recent financial turmoil.  NBA commissioner David Stern announced the layoffs to the AP last month, in anticipation of the economical downturn; he said on Sunday that the 80 eliminated jobs would equal to about 9% of the league positions in the US.  The league confirmed the number of jobs Monday (today).

Despite the eliminated jobs, the NBA continues to hire in other countries as it seeks to increase brand awareness internationally; Stern also stated that the league is hitting its business targets, adding,

“My guess is that by the time we tip off in a week or so, we will be down modestly in season tickets. … We think we’ll be up in revenue, but I just can’t say for sure whether we’ll be up or down in attendance because it’s just so touch-and-go, because sports tickets are very much disposable income.  So, we’re not going to see a huge impact, but I dare say we will see some impact.”

In what can be perceived as an effort to increase brand awareness in China, according to the Associated Press, the NBA and Anschultz Entertainment Group (AEG) have formed a joint venture to design and develop about a dozen multi-purpose arenas in several Chinese cities; the project was announced this past Sunday at the O2 Arena in London, England, where the New Jersey Nets and Miami Heat had played a preseason game.  Not coincidentally, AEG happens to run the O2 Arena and the NBA and AEG will have equal ownership of the proposed venture.

NBA commissioner David Stern did not mention when the project would start or where in mainland China the buildings would be located; however, he did add,

“We weren’t going to start construction in the next couple of weeks.  We anticipate that in a relatively short order we will have laid out a road map of a dozen buildings or so throughout China.”

AEG president and CEO Timothy J. Leiweke, in a joint news conference with Stern making the venture announcement, added that it could possibly take decades for the project to be completed.  Stern also mentioned that he was hoping that the recent financial meltdown would not affect the progress of the proposed project. 

The proposed project is a strong indication that Stern would like to see more NBA games played outside of the US and Canada; besides basketball events, the new facilities will be designed with other amenities in mind (shopping, restaurants, hotels, residential, etc.).

When you own the team, you make the rules, even if the people you hired to run the team do not agree. In a situation that has shocked many Association observers, Golden State Warriors Team Owner Chris Cohan has decided to suspend guard Monta Ellis 30 games without pay. The suspension stems from an incident this Summer, as Ellis got seriously injured in a moped accident, then lied about how he was hurt.

The Associated Press has reported that Warriors Team President Robert Rowell acting on Cohan’s wishes issued the suspension. Ellis signed a six year deal with the Warriors before the accident, reported to be worth $66 million. Ellis originally told the team he was playing in a pick-up game in his home town when he tore a ligament in his ankle requiring surgery. However the abrasions on his leg were not conducive to an accident on the hard wood. Ellis told the truth a few days later, and admitted violating his contract by riding the moped.

Warriors General Manager Chris Mullin and head coach Don Nelson were against the suspension on the player they hope will eventually become the team’s starting point guard. Former Warriors guard Baron Davis signed as a free agent with the Los Angeles Clippers. Rowell told reporters “Chris Mullin made it perfectly clear to both Mr. Cohan and myself that he didn’t think this was a big deal at the beginning, and we happen to think it’s a very big deal. We happen to think that it’s a big deal for our fans, it’s a big deal for our season ticket-holders, it’s a big deal for our business partners, it’s a big deal for the Warriors organization.”

Mullin and Nelson are of the mind-set that the suspension may alienate a player that they are looking at as a core piece for the next six years. Cohan’s mind-set is that Ellis should have realized the ramifications of his actions, before he violated his contract. The subsequent lying about the incident, only hardened the Team Owner’s decision that Ellis must be punished.

Both sides have valid arguments. As important as team chemistry is in all professional team sports, with only five players on the floor it has a heightened signifigance in the NBA. And above all you want your point guard, your quarterback, to be a leader on the floor. If he is an unhappy camper, that will not happen.

However Cohan and Rowley believe that the responsibility lies with Ellis, that he was foolish to put himself in a situation that he could, and did get hurt. And to make matters worse, he then tried to cover it up. If you do not punish him, it sends a bad message to other players on your team and in the Association.

The suspension will end in late December, Ellis was not expected to play before then as he undergoes rehab. But now he will not be paid for those games. The biggest question may be is if this will lead to Mullin exploring other options. And if he does, was taking the stand Cohan did was worth it?

© Copyright 2008 thesackattack.net

The Indianapolis Pacers announced Friday on the team website that they have traded controversial forward Shawne Williams to the Dallas Mavericks. The Pacers received veteran Eddie Jones, two future second-round draft picks and cash considerations in return for Williams.

Pacers Team President Larry Bird said he had given the matter a lot of thought. Bird said “It was something we’ve been talking about for a couple of months and I was very reluctant to do it because of talent but when it came right down to it, we get a couple of second-round picks, get some money (off of the team’s salary cap) next year. I was at a crossroads whether we were going to pick up his option for next year and if we didn’t do that, we figured it might not be a good season for him. So it’s probably best to go ahead and do the deal and move on.”

Williams may have sealed his fate back in July when he was pulled over by police and a passenger in his car was for possession of marijuana. Williams and his passenger Darrell Smith Jr. were pulled over in Carmel, a northern suburb of Indianapolis. Smith a friend of Williams from his home town of Memphis, Tennessee was arrested after officers found him in possession of a small amount of marijuana. The 21 year old Smith was charged with a misdemeanor and is not in police custody. Williams was written up for a seat belt and window tint violation, but was not arrested.

Bird was extremely upset by the incident. He had earlier said that Williams was on “thin ice” with the Pacers, and this latest incident, did not help the player who recently completed his second year in the Association. Bird released a statement through the team that stated “While Shawne Williams was not involved in any arrest or any criminal wrongdoing, we are extremely upset and hugely disappointed he once again has put himself in a position that jeopardizes Shawne’s future as a member of the Indiana Pacers.”

 © Copyright 2008 thesackattack.net

The “Associated Press” has reported that Portland Trail Blazers forward Martell Webster has suffered a stress fracture of his left foot. The injury occurred Tuesday night as Portland defeated the Sacramento Kings in their first preseason game.  Ironically Webster was the leading scorer for the Blazers during the victory.  X-Rays taken after the game revealed a fracture of the fifth metatarsal in his left foot. The team does not know what plan of action they are taking on treating the injury. They have also declined to come with a time line of his return to action. Webster had by far his best season of his three year career last season in the Association. He averaged 10.7 points, 3.9 rebounds per game.

© Copyright 2008 thesackattack.net

The “Los Angeles Times“ reported Wednesday that Elgin Baylor is out as Vice President of Basketball Operations for the Los Angeles Clippers. Baylor had been with the team since 1986, head coach Mike Dunleavy will assume Baylor’s General Manager duties. Speculation is that the position that Baylor held will not be filled.

Although the Clippers are saying that Baylor left on his own impetus, the reports are that Baylor told the paper that might not be the case. The member of the Basketball Hall Of Fame said “There is a dispute, and on the advice of my attorney they did not want me to discuss it. That’s all I can say.”

© Copyright 2008 thesackattack.net

The “Associated Press” reported Wednesday that Washington Wizards center Brendan Haywood will need surgery on his right wrist, to repair a torn ligament. There has been no speculation at how much time that he will miss. Haywood is coming off his strongest season in the Association, having averaged 10.6 points, 7.2 boards per game last season. Wizards coach Eddie Jordan anticipates the surgery to take place in about a week. He told reporters that the loss of Haywood leaves a huge void in the middle for the Wizards. Jordan said “It’s a huge blow. A huge blow. He’s coming off a career year, and he anchored our defense really well last year. Very vocal. So, you miss that.”

© Copyright 2008 thesackattack.net

In what is a first in NBA history, TNT announced on Wednesday, that the trio of Charles Barkley, Reggie Miller and Marv Albert will serve as game-side announcers for the AutoTrader.com Open outdoor NBA preseason game on Saturday, October 11 featuring the Denver Nuggets and Phoenix Suns from the Indian Wells Tennis Garden in Indian Wells, CA.  This preseason game would be the first-ever outdoor NBA game to be played in the USA; it will be televised by cable network TNT.

Pregame coverage will commence at 10 PM ET, hosted by David Aldridge along with Barkley and Miller; game coverage will follow tht tip-off show with the aforementioned trio of Barkley, Miller and Albert, with Cheryl Miller as the sideline reporter.