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HOUSTON — Adios, Billy Hunter.
Today, after the players’ union’s annual All-Star meeting, Derek Fisher announced that the National Basketball Players Association has terminated the employment of Hunter.
Additionally, the union has elected new leadership.
With so much attention on the Los Angeles Lakers and the Boston Celtics recent struggles, Dwight Howard’s impending free agency, Rajon Rondo’s torn ACL, All-Star snubs and surprises, and the hopeful return of Derrick Rose, it seems a major point of contention has gone under the radar.
Denver Nuggets forward Danilo Gallinari is not unaware.
So it’s finally happening: the NBA will punish players for the act of flopping. Will the rule change help clean up the game? Only time will tell, but it’s a start to help distinguish the difference between basketball players and those that may wish to pursue a career in acting. Some will surely be unhappy with the idea of losing money over such a subjective issue – the NBPA is already taking action – but others are quite happy with the change of rule (it should be music to the ears of Rasheed Wallace).
Be sure to understand the details of the new rules by reading up on Chris Bernucca’s report.
And now, it’s time to catch up on news around the league from Wednesday:
Wallace detailed a conversation he had with Mike Woodson over the summer, from The Associated Press: ”Out of the blue, coach Woody called me like, `Young fella, what are you doing?”‘ Wallace said of Mike Woodson. ”I’m like, `Uh, you know, just down here enjoying life, enjoying the summer, down here with my mom, taking it easy,”‘ Wallace recalled. “That’s all I was doing pretty much.” Woodson had something else in mind. The Knicks coach wanted depth in his frontcourt and remembered the success he and Wallace had in Detroit on Larry Brown’s 2004 NBA championship team. So they were back together Wednesday – an older, mellowed Wallace ending a two-year retirement to sign with the Knicks. ”We have a good history coming from Detroit,” Wallace said. “We won one together, so he asked me if I still want to play. I said, `I’ll come up there and see what I can do for you.”‘
Shaquille O’Neal demonstrated just how much he pays attention to the league by saying he’d take Robin Lopez, who he thinks is interchangeable with Brook Lopez, over Dwight Howard: “We as players, we always watch people before us. When I came in it was Patrick Ewing and Hakeem Olajuwon, guys who played like true centers who played inside. What we have now are centers that are going to the European style, which is a lot of pick-and-roll. Dwight Howard, who’s a pick-and-roll player, some people say he’s the best center in the league, but me being an old-school center, I’m going to go with Robin Lopez and Andrew Bynum because they play with their back to the basket.” O’Neal is later asked if he meant Brook Lopez, not his twin brother, Robin. ”Brook. Same thing. They’re brothers.” For the record, Brook Lopez has averaged 17.4 points per game during his career. As for Robin? 5.8 points per game.
Speaking of Howard, he may be healthy enough to hopefully play some preseason games, according to Elliott Teaford of Daily News Los Angeles: “Howard did everything his teammates did during an almost four-hour opening session. The 6-foot-11 center hasn’t been cleared to participate in a full-contact scrimmage, and the Lakers didn’t conduct one Tuesday. Later, after looking winded during a five-on-zero drill in which the starting five went through various plays, Howard said he was hopeful of playing in “some preseason games” because “I think we’re going to need it for chemistry and all that stuff.” ”Today was really good, so I’m happy,” he added. Last week, the Lakers ruled him out of Sunday’s exhibition opener. The team has not announced a timetable for his return, however.”
Mike Woodson said the starting point guard job is Raymond Felton’s to lose, from Steve Popper of The Record: “Raymond probably will be the starting point guard right now,” Woodson said. “He’s going to get first crack at it. I think he’s had opportunities over the years to run teams and he’s done a great job at it. At the end of the day, it’s still about team. I don’t think anybody else on this team is going to care who starts, but Raymond will probably be our starter.” It’s a risk handing the job to a player who endured a nightmarish season last year in Portland, not only reporting overweight and out of shape, but also absorbing blame for his part in getting head coach Nate McMillan fired.”
Danilo Gallinari worked on his shot over the summer and is ready to be more productive in the upcoming season, according to Benjamin Hochman of The Denver Post: “And now, summer’s over, and Gallinari is back in Nuggets camp, refreshed and refocused, healthy and hungry. ”I think I can improve some stats and definitely I want to improve my 3-point percentage,” the starting small forward said Tuesday after the Nuggets’ first workout of training camp. “I’ve been working a lot on my shot.”
If Adam Morrison can’t make the Blazers roster, he just may retire from the NBA, according to Chris Haynes of CSNNE: “I’m going to finish school and start coaching (If he didn’t make the Trail Blazers roster)…I did the Europe thing and it just wasn’t for me,” Morrison told CSNNW.com. “Not saying the (Europe) culture or anything like that, (or) the people, it just wasn’t for me. So, yeah, if it doesn’t work out, I’m willing to look myself in the mirror and say, ‘I gave it a honest shot’ and turn the page. Do something else.”
Paul Pierce contemplated moving on from the Boston Celtics over the summer, from CSNNE: “It was difficult not only losing, but not understanding what was next,” Pierce said. “A lot of that went in my head after we lost. It was like is [Kevin Garnett] gonna retire? Are we gonna rebuild? Am I gonna be playing somewhere else? A lot of things went through my head.” Pierce said they weren’t passing thoughts, either. The questions and doubts lingered, and the Celtics captain wondered if his time in Boston might be over. ”It really did cross my mind,” Pierce said. “The way last year went with the trade rumors, the possibility of me being traded the possibility of us rebuilding, it was hard not to think about it, sometimes it wears on you mentally because you can’t know what your future is gonna be or what’s gonna be your next step. ”I’m in a position to where I really didn’t wanna be part of being in a rebuilding situation, especially after playing over the last five years on teams that were capable of winning a championship. At this point of my career, I only have a few years left, you want to maximize those years.”
Mario Chalmers hopes his teammates will tone down on yelling at him during games. LeBron James will try to oblige, according to Ethan J. Skolnick: “Teammates have not been shy about ripping Mario Chalmers on the court, whenever they believe the point guard has made a mistake. At media day, Mario Chalmers said he hoped they would “tone it down.” When he heard that, LeBron James’ ears perked up. “If he’s grown up in the last year, then it will tone down,” James said, laughing. “It’s that simple. If he doesn’t want that type of reaction from me or—” He paused. “Yeah, I could do a better job of that as well,” James said. “I understand. I could do a better job of that. But I don’t do it just to do it. He messes up sometimes. But he comes through for me, though.”
Anthony Davis thinks the Hornets may struggle after finding out that there is not a single All Star on his team, from Jimmy Smith of The Times-Picayune: “It was a bit of a jolt, Davis admitted, from going to an Olympic Team roster that featured league MVPs past and present, as well as All-Stars at every position to a rebuilt roster devoid of recognizable headliners. ”In the Olympics,” Davis said, “you have the best of the best. Here – and I didn’t know this – we don’t have one player who’s played in the All-Star game. It’s going to be tough for us. Most teams have that superstar or that All-Star. We really don’t have that here We’re going to have to work harder than everyone else.”
Tyson Chandler thinks the Knicks can be a top-5 defensive team in the league, from Ian Begley of ESPN New York: “Now, the Knicks expect to get stops. In fact, Chandler thinks they will end up as a top-5 defensive team this season. ”We should be in the top 5,” Chandler said on Tuesday. “If you’re in the top 10 in the league you’re doing a good job. … But our goals should be bigger than that. This team, with the unit that we have, the talent, the athleticism and plus the knowledge, we should be in the top 5.” The Knicks finished last season ranked 11th in points allowed (94.7) and 10th in opponent field goal percentage (44.2%). They ranked fifth in defensive efficiency, a measurement of points allowed per 100 possessions.”
Important players often express displeasure of the team’s progress if they’re not so good. LaMarcus Aldridge isn’t one of those players, according to Ben Golliver of Blazersedge: “Asked by Blazersedge whether he remembered that particular conversation with Stotts, Aldridge chuckled, shook his head and said, “No, there have been so many.” He then went on to confirm Stotts’ characterization of the conversation. ”I’m fine with it,” Aldridge said of the rebuilding cycle. “We have some guys who are really, really good. They’re young. Give them one or two years and we should be good to go.” Early conversations between coach and player, Aldridge said, have been positive and focused on ways for the 2012 All-Star to improve. ”I’m here,” he said. “I’m trying to get better every game. I’m trying to make myself better, this team better. We’ve talked about how he’s going to use me. That’s been big for us. I think we’ve had really good communication so far.”
Rockets assistant coach Kelvin Sampson shared his thoughts about Jeremy Lin and where he needs to improve, from Jason Friedman of Rockets.com: “I was watching tape on him yesterday – I watched New York and Dallas – and Jeremy had such incredible freedom; he was their offense when he was on the floor. They put him in pick-and-rolls, they’d screen him and then re-screen him. He would attack the rim and if he could get to the rim he did, and if not he’d kick out and they’d play. With us, we’re going to give him some freedom because obviously he’s good at that, but we’re also going to have rules in our transition offense that he’s going to have to learn so it’s going to be interesting to see how he picks those things up. I think the biggest challenge for Jeremy is going to be taking care of the ball and being able to defend bigger, stronger, quicker, more athletic point guards. He’s got to get tougher in those areas. So Jeremy’s got some work to do but the thing I love about him is you look forward to coming in every day with him. Some guys will work grudgingly but Jeremy is a willing worker. He’s been tremendous to work with.”Kobe says current Lakers are the most talented team he has been on
NEW YORK – Former NBA Deputy Commissioner and Players Association executive director Simon Gourdine has passed away at the age of 72.
Gourdine joined the NBA in 1970, and was named deputy commissioner in 1974, becoming the highest ranking African- American executive in sports at the time.
In 1976, Gourdine was part of the landmark collective bargaining negotiations that created the NBA’s first free agency system, an agreement that also saw the NBA absorb four ABA franchises — the Spurs, Pacers, Nuggets and Nets.
NBA commissioner David Stern issued a statement on Gourdine’s passing:
“Simon Gourdine made an extraordinary impact on the National Basketball Association over his nearly 20 years of service with our league. As both the NBA’s Deputy Commissioner and Executive Director of the Players Association, Simon brought the same zeal, integrity and excellence that he exhibited from his days as an Assistant U.S. Attorney.
“The NBA family has lost an innovator and a great friend. On behalf of the league, I want to express my condolences to Pat, their children, David, Peter and Laura and the entire Gourdine family during this time. Simon will always be remembered by his friends at the NBA.”
