Month: September 2011

Canadian basketball head coach Leo Rautins resigns after qualifying letdown

Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun reports:

For the first time, Canada has failed to qualify for three straight Olympic basketball tournaments and as a result, head coach Leo Rautins has resigned.

Canada’s senior men dropped a stunning 91-89 decision to struggling Panama on Thursday at the FIBA Americas tournament in Argentina.

Panama had been 1-6 at the tournament coming in, dropping its previous three games by an average of 30 points.

It was a bitter pill to swallow for a program trying to reach the Olympics for the first time since 2000 in Sydney, though Rautins said he did not feel pressure from his bosses to leave.

“A lot of good things have happened unless you’re close to this program you’re not going to see,” Rautins said on a conference call.

“To continue the things that need to be done, I’ve made a decision that this team needs a new voice in the locker room.”

Xtreme Basketball Xhibition (XBX) coming to Washington DC

On November 11, 2011, Washington D.C. will host the first ever “Xtreme Basketball Xhibition” (XBX) event at “DMV’s” basketball mecca, the Capital Sports Complex. XBX, featuring 100 amateur basketball players, including Hugh Jones a.k.a. “Baby Shaq” (Washington, D.C.), Grayson Boucher a.k.a. “The Professor” (Keizer, Ore.), Corey Williams a.k.a. “Homicide” (N.Y., N.Y.) and Taurion Fontenette a.k.a. “Mr. 720” (Hitchcock, Texas), will showcase never before seen extreme individual and team basketball competitions.

The newly created Xtreme Basketball Xhibition will give amateur basketball players the opportunity to display their talents, while being ranked and awarded prizes by a select committee of talent judges from the worlds of sports and entertainment. Players competing in XBX will have their skills tested in dunking, shooting, ball handling, one-on-one and three-on-three competitions – each having a unique style and elevated level of difficulty, unlike standard skills challenges. The event will also include “ringer” events and exhibition games. The event will run from Fri., Nov. 11 through Sun., Nov. 13.

Players interested in participating in the Xtreme Basketball Xhibition’s kickoff event on Nov. 11 can enter a qualifier on October 15 at the Capital Sports Complex. Players interested in registering for the qualifier can go to www.theXBX.com. The competition is open to basketball players, male and female, of all ages, except for college age/athletic scholarship eligible athletes.

The event expects to draw basketball players from across the country and thousands of basketball enthusiasts 10 to 40 years of age. In addition to the competition and exhibition on the hardwood, XBX will feature an “Expo” where related global brands and local businesses will showcase and sell merchandise.

The Xtreme Basketball Xhibition was created by Georgetown Hoya alum Lonnie “Prime Objective” Harrell, a former professional basketball player (New Jersey Nets, Orlando Magic and the And1 Mix Tour).

Timberwolves Dancers to tour southern China

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The Timberwolves Dancers will tour southern China over the next two weeks, bringing the Timberwolves brand to one of the fastest-growing NBA markets in the world. The trip is part of the Guangdong Mobile Tour, an eight-weekend event co-sponsored by the NBA and the China Mobile Communications Corporation that will feature interactive basketball activities and performances from NBA dance teams, local DJs and freestyle streetball performers.

“This is a tremendous honor for our team,” Timberwolves Dancers Director Natalie Alvarado said. “The girls are incredibly excited to represent the Timberwolves organization and the NBA in front of the great basketball fans in China.”

The Guangdong Mobile Tour will travel throughout the Guangdong province in southern China for eight weeks beginning this Friday, Sept 9, with the Timberwolves Dancers performing for four days in the capital city of Guangzhou. The team will then travel to Zhuhai for two more performances the following weekend.

This year’s tour marks the Timberwolves Dancers’ third international trip in recent years, and second visit to China. The team also performed as part of the NBA’s Jam Van Asian Tour in 2006, making stops in Shanghai and Nanjing. The dancers also accompanied the Wolves to France last fall as part of the league’s NBA Europe Live preseason schedule that saw the Wolves take on the New York Knicks in Paris.

Jazz center Mehmet Okur signs with basketball team in Turkey

Mehmet Okur

There have been rumblings during the summer that Utah Jazz center Mehmet Okur might head to his native Turkey to play basketball during the NBA lockout. This has now reportedly become a reality.

According to Jody Genessy of the Deseret News:

The Utah Jazz center signed a contract today to play for Turk Telekom Ankara and will begin participating with the team from his country immediately, Okur’s agent Marc Fleisher told the Deseret News.

Okur’s contract includes a provision that will allow him to leave the Turkish team to return to the Jazz when and if the NBA lockout ends this season.

Fleisher said Okur, who is under contract with Utah through the end of the 2011-12 season, has recovered from his back issue and the left Achilles tendon injury that limited his court time last year.

“He’s healthy enough to play now,” Fleisher said.

And Brian T. Smith of the Salt Lake Tribune (blog) reports:

“He didn’t feel that the option to go play in pick-up games are what he needed,” said Fleisher, who stated that Okur is close to 100-percent health and will be insured while playing overseas. “He choose this and it’s a good team. He knows the league very well and it’s a good opportunity for him to play at a high level. And when the lockout ends, he’ll come back and be rearing to go.”

Okur must first handle a minor visa issue before joining Turk Telekom, and could meet up with ex-Jazz guard Deron Williams while in Turkey.

Okur played just 13 games last season for the Jazz and was barely a factor on the court, averaging 4.9 points and 2.3 rebounds in 12.9 minutes per game. But perhaps, as his agent says above, Okur has regained full health. In which case he might as well go play some basketball and enjoy his home country a bit longer.

Read NBA fan opinion or share your views in this basketball forum topic.

Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson gets married

The AP reports:

Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson and former Washington, D.C., schools chancellor Michelle Rhee were married over the weekend in a private ceremony in Tennessee.

The wedding came almost a year to the day after the couple’s originally scheduled wedding date. Johnson’s office announced Tuesday that the ceremony was held Saturday at Blackberry Farm near Knoxville.

“We had a small ceremony with an intimate group of family and friends and are thrilled to be starting our lives together,” Johnson said in a statement.

The former NBA star and the education reform advocate had planned to marry on Sept. 4, 2010, in a much larger ceremony in Sacramento, but they rescheduled the nuptials after a wave of intense public interest.

Team owners reportedly want third round added to NBA Draft

Morris twins in NBA draft

The NBA Draft seems long enough, but owners may want it expanded

By Jeff Lenchiner

One of the less important season-destroying issues in the ongoing collective bargaining agreement discussions that have currently left the basketball world in the midst of an off-season NBA lockout is the Draft.

Generally, most people in the league are OK with NBA Draft basics: Two rounds, first round picks are guaranteed to receive a contract, while second rounders are not. There is room to discuss the amount of years rookie contracts should be, how they’re guaranteed, and of course the amount of money players who get drafted will be paid, but the basic framework is pretty simple and fairly agreeable.

On the one hand, a team that was going to finish in the ballpark of the 15th best/worst record in the league would probably have to consider the benefit of losing a couple of games to make sure they have a bottom-15 record. Not that I would ever accuse a team of tanking, of course. But I have to assume a team would consider every possible course of action available to them, especially if just a couple bad shots here and there would potentially lead to a possibly significant draft benefit.

But, teams make a lot of money with each home playoff game they play. Teams with the 15th best record are probably right on the playoff bubble. Would an owner want to lose out on certain financial gains just to get better draft picks? Doubtful, especially if the picks were only going to be in the mid-teens and then late 20’s. The real gems in the draft tend to be the guys selected up top, of course. Usually.

I don’t think the NBA draft needs a third round anytime soon. It would only make sense if the D-League was expanded and/or the NBA had a complete (and good) minor league system.

But I do like the idea of shaking things up and helping bad teams speed up the rebuilding process. Only if it makes sense and is fair to the league as a whole, though.

Read NBA fan reaction or share your opinion in this basketball forum topic.

Knicks guard Andy Rautins suffers broken nose, concussion playing for Canada

Rautins

At this point, the Canadian men’s basketball team can only cling to hope. They have to simply believe, and not give into the evidence that is mounting against them.

They have to believe that they are more the team that upset the Dominican Republic last week than the one that lost a winnable game against Venezuela. They have to believe they are more the club that blitzed Puerto Rico 20-5 to start the fourth quarter on Tuesday than the one that lost the rest of the game by 20 points.

And they have to believe they can win their final two games in order to give themselves an outside shot at qualifying for the last-chance tournament next summer to make the London Olympics.

…

Andy Rautins, who led Canada with 18 points, suffered a broken nose and a slight concussion, and his status is up in the air.

— Reported by Eric Koreen of the National Post.

Indy Pro-Am vs Goodman League basketball game at Butler University

The majority of the high-profile events have been based on the East Coast, but the Midwest will finally get a taste of spotlight later this month. On Sept. 24, Indianapolis’ Butler University will host an affair pitting the Indy Pro-Am against the Washington, D.C.-based Goodman League — the same outfit that took on both the Los Angeles-based Drew League and a Baltimore-based “Melo League” squad featuring LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony and Chris Paul — last month, CSNChicago.com confirmed with Indy Pro-Am founder Carlos Knox.

Knox said he expects Indy Pro-Am participants such as Grizzlies forward Zach Randolph, former Butler star and Jazz swingman Gordon Hayward, Jazz first-round draft pick Alec Burks, Pacers guard Lance Stephenson, Pacers guard and Indianapolis native George Hill and Wizards draft pick Shelvin Mack, another recent Butler product, to participate. On the Goodman end, reigning two-time NBA scoring champion and Thunder superstar Kevin Durant, a Washington native, and Wizards star John Wall are the reported headliners.

Being that Indianapolis is only an approximately three-hour drive away, it might be the closest Chicago will get to a high-profile exhibition — even without labor negotiations as of yet resolved, look for several of these events to crop up this month, before the official opening of NBA training camps officially open in October — this offseason, for the time being.

— Reported by Aggrey Sam of CSN Chicago.

Dennis Mannion named President of Detroit Pistons

Detroit Pistons vs. New York Knicks (November 21, 2007)

The Detroit Pistons and Palace Sports & Entertainment announced today that Dennis Mannion has been appointed President, effective immediately.

Mannion, 52, will oversee all Detroit Pistons and Palace Sports & Entertainment business operations, including sales, marketing, finance and administration.  Detroit Pistons President of Basketball Operations Joe Dumars will continue to oversee all basketball operations.

Mannion brings a broad and unique perspective, having spent 29 seasons working in four major professional sports, including two years managing business operations for the NBA’s Denver Nuggets and the NHL’s Colorado Avalanche from 1998 to 1999. Mannion most recently served as President of the Los Angeles Dodgers where he worked from 2007 to 2010. He also previously worked for the Baltimore Ravens from 1999 to 2007, and for the Philadelphia Phillies from 1982 to 1997.

“Dennis is very well qualified and will bring a fresh perspective to the organization,” said Detroit Pistons and Palace Sports & Entertainment owner Tom Gores.  “He is an innovative guy and he shares our vision of creating the best possible experience for our fans.   He also shares our core values of hard work and commitment to the community.  Dennis knows what it takes to succeed at a high level and we are excited to have him on board.”

Throughout his career Mannion has led operations during 12 post-season runs, including two World Series, an NHL conference championship and a Super Bowl.

“Detroit is an incredible sports and entertainment town and I am honored by this opportunity,” said Mannion.  “I look forward to working with the Detroit Pistons and Palace Sports & Entertainment team, our corporate partners and the community to build on the legacy of this great organization.  We will do everything we can to provide the best, most exciting experience possible for everyone that comes out to see a game or a show.”

In Los Angeles, Mannion’s marketing initiatives and efforts to improve the game day experience helped the Dodgers lead Major League Baseball in paid attendance in 2009 for the first time since 1986.  He also created the Dodgers Sports Lab, an in-house production facility and staff that generates content for all of the team’s game broadcasts, motion graphics and video, online content and printed materials.

Mannion joined the Dodgers in 2007 following eight seasons with the NFL’s Baltimore Ravens where he was Senior Vice President of Business Ventures. In that role, Mannion oversaw all revenue streams, image, and brand-generating properties. He led and coordinated the development of more than 60 Ravens sub-brands, 12 season-long Ravens television and radio shows, and annual events such as Spring Football Festival, Ravens Kickoff Week, State of the Ravens, and the Ravens All Community Team.

Prior to joining the Ravens in 1999, Mannion spent three years as Senior Vice President at Ascent Sports, owner of the Denver Nuggets, the Colorado Avalanche and the Pepsi Center. Mannion managed all business operations for both teams and the arena.

Mannion spent 16 years with the Philadelphia Phillies from 1982-1997, serving as Vice President of Marketing and Sales for his last eight seasons. He was noted for enhancing the fan experience at Veterans Stadium during his tenure and was instrumental in securing and the staging the 1996 MLB All-Star Game in Philadelphia.

Mannion is a native of New York and graduated from the University of Massachusetts in 1981 with a bachelor’s degree in business and sports management.