Good morning. Is the optimism I expressed early this week when I launched this site starting to spread? In a nutshell, here is today’s news: The next big day in the work stoppage comes Tuesday, when the owners’ labor committee and players’ executive board meet for the first time since June. Then, on Thursday, the NBA Board of Governors meets in Dallas, and the union will brief several dozen players in Las Vegas on the status of negotiations. Here are today’s links from the NBA
Prediction: 75 to 80 percent chance NBA season starts Nov. 1
By Chris Sheridan I made that prediction on the air yesterday afternoon in Los Angeles (early this morning in Lithuania) on the Mason and Ireland radio show, and the reason behind it comes down to two words: Common sense. Here is the link, and you can go have a listen yourself to hear more of my reasoning.
Eurobasket: Dancer of the Day
This is Julia of the Red Foxes dance team, which is performing at EuroBasket. She is 24, from Odessa, Ukraine, and her favorite basketball player is Tony Parker.
Bo McCalebb, American PG, leads Macedonia
By Chris Sheridan VILNIUS, Lithuania — The second-leading scorer remaining at EuroBasket is an American with a Macedonian passport, a player whose home in New Orleans was destroyed by Hurricane Katrina, a point guard who never once got off the bench during the entire 2008 NBA summer league in Las Vegas when he was trying out for the Sacramento Kings. “He’s the best point guard in Europe right now,” said his agent, Eric Fleisher, “and the entire NBA ignored him, which was a huge
Lockout Update: Checks totaling $161 million being paid to players by NBA
By Chris Sheridan Any day now, Kobe Bryant will receive a check in the mail for $1,984,400, courtesy of the NBA. Rashard Lewis’ check is for $1,565,817. Even oversized and overpaid Eddy Curry, whose name has come up in lockout talks as the symbol of what is fundamentally wrong with the NBA’s salary structure, is getting another windfall: $927,746. The money represents the 8 percent of each player’s salary that was withheld from their paychecks last season under the NBA’s escrow tax system, which was
Sockless Sabonis sighting
By Chris Sheridan VILNIUS, Lithuania — I tweeted this, so I might as well post it, too. (If you are not following me on Twitter, please do @sheridanhoops). I ran into Arvydas Sabonis tonight, and congratulated him on nearly breaking Jim O’Connell’s record for the shortest Hall of Fame induction speech ever. He liked that. I also noticed that he was wearing a business suit, no socks, and low-cut blue Chuck Taylors. One of my tweeps, @stephensonmc, replied: He’s not my vydas or your vydas, he’s
Eurobasket: Rubio struggling offensively, not defensively
By Chris Sheridan VILNIUS, Lithuania – Ricky Rubio didn’t score a single point Wednesday in a 77-68 victory over Germany, going 0-for-2 from the field to leave him stuck on just nine points — total — through Spain’s first six games. He is shooting 4-for-18 for the tournament, he is 0-for-8 on 3s … and he is unapologetic. “The team has many scorers,” Rubio said. “Sometimes they need a guy who passes well to them, and I try to do my job, what I do
Eurobasket: Dancer of the Day
This is Egle, who is 19 and from Vilnius. She is performing with the Lietuva Rytas dance team here at Eurobasket, and her favorite basketball player is Marc Gasol.