September 2011 – Page 4 – NBA Blog

Kyrie Irving and Baron Davis in a budding friendship

Tom Reed of the Cleveland Plain Dealer reports:

While some might view Kyrie Irving as a threat to Baron Davis’ starting role with the Cavaliers, the 32-year-old point guard seems to be embracing the youngster. They met this spring in Cleveland at Irving’s predraft workout and have remained in touch during the NBA lockout.

“[I’m] really looking forward to playing with, and mentoring, Kyrie,” said Davis in an e-mail. “He’s so talented, creative, smart, has so much potential and could become a great cornerstone of the Cavaliers’ franchise for many years to come. I’ve been talking to him a lot this summer about NBA life, and in Cleveland, he’s going to learn so much from coach [Byron] Scott, who will be a great mentor as well.”

Davis, who’s taking classes at UCLA, had a decent finish to last season after the Los Angeles Clippers shipped him and a first-round pick to the Cavaliers for Mo Williams and Jamario Moon on Feb. 24. The draft pick was the lottery winner the Cavs used to select Irving.

The two-time NBA All-Star could help shepherd the teen through his first season. Davis has played and clashed with the demanding Scott during their days together in New Orleans (2004-05), but he has gained perspective on the relationship.

Kevin Durant undecided on going overseas

Darnell Mayberry of the Oklahoman reports:

Durant had previously stated his intentions to make a decision by Oct. 1. The erratic nature of negotiations for a ratified collective bargaining agreement, however, has thrown off Durant’s timeline.

“I’ve thought about it before and I really was close to making a decision about doing that,” Durant said of possibly signing overseas. “But I kind of stopped a little bit once I heard things were kind of moving a little better with the lockout. But one day it’s good and one day it’s bad. You never know.”

With the start of the season approaching and no imminent deal anywhere in sight, the NBA announced Friday it has postponed training camps indefinitely and cancelled 43 preseason games league-wide. The Thunder lost two of its seven scheduled preseason games.

“I was shocked. The lockout is starting to be for real now,” Durant said. “Now that they’ve canceled some preseason games and postponed training camps, people are starting to really think (a lost season) can really happen.”

Michael Jordan Steak House opens in Chicago InterContinental Hotel

Luis Gomez of the Chicago Tribune reports:

There was a Superman sighting of a different kind in downtown Chicago on Thursday.

Michael Jordan attended the grand opening of his new restaurant in the InterContinental Hotel, Michael Jordan’s Steak House, less than a mile from where “Man of Steel” recently filmed in the city. It was Jordan’s third visit to the River North restaurant since it opened in late August.

The Bulls legend was greeted by a large crowd on the sidewalk outside of the restaurant as well as fans who packed the median separating north and southbound traffic on Michigan Avenue. Once inside the private event, Jordan took a seat in a security-protected booth in the corner of the restaurant. He was later joined by his former Bulls teammate, Scottie Pippen, and Pippen’s wife and “Real Housewives of Miami” cast member, Larsa.

Kyrie Irving won’t play overseas, foot still healing

Jason LLoyd of the Akron Beacon Journal reports (via blog):

Maybe a lengthy lockout isn’t so bad for the Cavaliers after all. If nothing else, it will give rookie Kyrie Irving’s injured foot enough time to fully heal.

Irving said at his youth basketball camp Saturday that his foot feels “150 percent,” but that doctors told him it will be another few months before the foot is completely healed. NBA training camps were expected to open in about a week, but the league postponed everything following the latest breakdown in negotiations.

“My foot is not going to fully heal for a full year and it’s only been six or seven months,” Irving said. “I still feel 150 percent healthy, but my foot, in terms of healing properly, is going to take about another three months.”

By that timetable, Irving’s foot would be totally healed around Christmas. Many agents and various personnel around the league don’t believe a season will start before January, anyhow.

“It hasn’t hurt for almost seven months,” Irving said. “It’s feeling good.”

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Orlando likely faces December deadline as 2012 NBA All-Star host

Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel reports (via blog):

If past NBA lockout history is any guidepost to the present, the city of Orlando should know around mid-December whether the 2012 all-star game will be played at Amway Center — or cancelled.

In the last lockout, the league cancelled the Feb. 14 1999 all-star game scheduled in Philadelphia on Dec. 9, 1998.

This year’s game is set a little later — Feb. 26 at the Amway Center in downtown Orlando.

So it could be that if this lockout continues, eating up regular-season games, the league likely will cancel Orlando’s game around Dec. 15.

The NBA salvaged a 50-game season in 1998-99, with games beginning in early February.

Ex-NBA Player Tate George Charged in $2 Million Ponzi Scheme

Bloomberg News reports:

Tate George, a former player for the National Basketball Association’s New Jersey Nets and Milwaukee Bucks, was charged with running a $2 million Ponzi scheme that targeted ex-professional athletes.

George, 43, raised more than $2 million for his company, The George Group, after telling investors his real-estate development portfolio was worth $500 million, according to a Federal Bureau of Investigation complaint accusing him of wire fraud.

“In reality, The George Group had virtually no income generating operations,” U.S. Attorney Paul Fishman in Newark, New Jersey, said in a statement today.

George used the money he raised to pay early investors in his company and to fund living expenses such as mortgage and child-support payments, restaurant meals, clothing and gas, according to the FBI complaint. George faces as long as 20 years in prison for the scheme, which prosecutors said began in 2005.

He surrendered to the FBI today and appeared in federal court in Newark, wearing a light-green suit and handcuffs.

NBA postpones training camps, cancels October 9-15 preseason games

The NBA announced today that player training camps for the 2011-12 season have been postponed indefinitely because a new collective bargaining agreement has not been reached with the National Basketball Players Association. Training camps were scheduled to open on October 3.

In addition, the league canceled all preseason games scheduled from October 9 through October 15.

“We have regretfully reached the point on the calendar where we are not able to open training camps on time and need to cancel the first week of preseason games,” said NBA Deputy Commissioner Adam Silver. “We will make further decisions as warranted.”

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Marcus Camby arrested on marijuana charge

The AP reports:

Former Knicks forward Marcus Camby is free on bond after police in suburban Houston arrested him on a charge of marijuana possession.

Camby was in a Porsche pulled over Monday for what police called an equipment violation. Pearland police Lt. Onesimo Lopez says an officer detected the odor of marijuana coming from the vehicle and they found less than two ounces of the drug inside.

Camby and another person inside, Kendal Johnson, were arrested and charged with misdemeanor possession of marijuana in a drug-free zone because the arrest occurred near a school. Both were released on individual $2,000 bonds.

Springfield Armor holding open tryouts in October

The Springfield Armor, the official NBA Development League affiliate of the New Jersey Nets, today announced that the team will hold open tryouts for the 2011-12 season on Saturday and Sunday, Oct. 22-23 at Springfield College located at 263 Alden St. in Springfield, MA. The local tryouts will be limited to the first 125 registrants.

Open tryouts present an opportunity for players to showcase their talents and be evaluated by the Armor coaching staff while they compete to earn a spot in the Armor’s training camp in November. The Armor have a strong track record of discovering players who have made the team through open tryouts. Tre Whitted, who made the team through the 2009 open tryout, is the second leading scorer in franchise history. Five players have made the Armor’s opening night roster through open tryouts in the team’s two seasons.

“I am really looking forward to our open tryouts on October 22 and 23 in Springfield,” said Armor Head Coach Bob MacKinnon, Jr. “Each player will have two days of drills and scrimmaging to show us their abilities. We utilized this format previously and have been able to find players out of our camps that gained roster spots and furthered their careers in the league.”

Registration and check-in on Saturday begin at 8:00 a.m. with the first session set to begin at 9:00 a.m. Check-in for the second session on Sunday begins at 9:00 a.m. with the second session set to begin at 9:30 a.m.

Applicants must be eligible to play in the NBA D-League and must submit the official registration, release, disclosure and background check forms. A pre-registration fee of $150 is due prior to 5:00 p.m. on Wed. Oct. 19. After Oct. 19 or on the day of the tryouts, the registration fee is $200. Tryout forms are available online (armorhoops.com) or at the Armor office (One Monarch Place, Suite 220 Springfield, MA).

Kenyon Martin to sign largest contract in Chinese league history

Benjamin Hochman of the Denver Post reports:

Longtime Nuggets forward Kenyon Martin will sign a contract to play with Xingiang Guanghui in the Chinese Basketball Association.

Martin’s contract will be the the biggest in CBA history.

“It’s a great opportunity for him to stay in shape and stay fresh,” said Andy Miller, Martin’s agent. “And it also gives him an opportunity to expand his name globally.”