Month: June 2012

Seattle mayor meets with David Stern

Mayor Mike McGinn met with NBA Commissioner David Stern in New York City on Monday to tell him Seattle wants to bring back professional basketball.

“We met so the mayor could show his commitment to bringing an NBA team back to Seattle,” wrote McGinn spokesman Aaron Pickus in an email.

The visit came as a surprise to local representatives of Chris Hansen, the San Francisco hedge-fund manager who is proposing to spend up to $800 million to partially finance a new arena and buy an NBA team.

Rollin Fatland, a spokesman for Hansen, said he didn’t know anything about the meeting.

“What the hell is that about?” Fatland said, adding that the mayor may have contacted others about the meeting. “I’m not aware that anyone asked him to do it.”

— Reported by the Seattle Times

Ray Allen having ankle surgery Wednesday

ray allen

Ray Allen vowed to take care of his problematic right ankle quickly, and the Celtics guard was as good as his word.

Allen will have surgery to remove bone spurs from the ankle at 6 a.m. on Wednesday at New England Baptist Hospital, according to a source.

The problem, which first surfaced during in Los Angeles during the C’s’ eight-game road trip in mid-March, eventually forced Allen to miss 15 regular-season games as well as the first two games of the Celtics’ first-round playoff series against Atlanta.

By Allen’s own admission, the ankle had a serious impact on his ability to cut, plant and rise for his fabled jump shot. It even affected his free throw form.

— Reported by Mark Murphy of the Boston Herald

Mike Miller denies that he will soon retire

mike miller

The text message was swift and to the point, only minutes after ESPN reported that he had said these NBA Finals could be the final two weeks of his career.

“What!!!!” was the text message reply from Miami Heat forward Mike Miller to the Sun Sentinel.

A few minutes later, after he had the chance to get to others who had made him aware of the report, came a phone call.

“I’m not retiring,” he told the Sun Sentinel. “I don’t know what I’m doing.” …

Should Miller, 32, retire, he would forgo $18.8 million over the next three seasons.

— Reported by Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel

Sixers seeking replacement for Rod Thorn

Whether the Sixers need wholesale changes or a tweak here or there this offseason, the first change appears to be with the man charged with making those moves.

The Sixers are currently interviewing potential replacements for president of basketball operations Rod Thorn, team sources told the Daily News on Monday.

The team has received permission to talk with personnel executives from some teams, a source said. The Sixers also have been turned down by some organizations.

Potential candidates, according to league sources, include San Antonio vice president of operations Danny Ferry; Spurs assistant GM Dennis Lindsey; Jeff Bower, who was a general manager for the New Orleans Hornets; Oklahoma City assistant GM Troy Weaver; Atlanta GM Rick Sund, whose contract expires at the end of June; and Milwaukee GM John Hammond, who has a year remaining on his deal. Hammond, who was denied permission to talk to Portland last month, was an assistant coach for Doug Collins with Detroit.

— Reported by Bob Cooney of the Philadelphia Daily News

Vanessa and Kobe Bryant divorce is off

kobe bryant

Vanessa Bryant will NOT sign documents to make her divorce final … at least for now … because TMZ has learned, she and Kobe are working on a full reconciliation.

We’ve learned Kobe and Vanessa are trying to work out the issues that caused her to file for divorce back in December. They spend a lot of time together but he has not officially moved back in with her.

Under California law, Vanessa has to wait 6 months before she can file final docs making the divorce official. The 6-month mark hits this weekend, so Vanessa could end the marriage as early as Monday … but we know she won’t.

— Reported by TMZ

Obama passes on making NBA Finals prediction

Asked by a television reporter from Reno, Nev., to predict a winner on Monday Obama demurred.

Obama, an avid basketball fan, said, quoting: “Both teams look terrific and I am looking forward to a good series. Hopefully, it will go to seven games. But I can’t make a prediction right now. They both look pretty tough.”

— Reported by the Associated Press

Spoelstra not saying if Chris Bosh will start Finals Game 1

Coach Erik Spoelstra isn’t saying whether he’ll put All-Star forward Chris Bosh back into the starting lineup or keep bringing him off the bench now that the Miami Heat are in the NBA finals.

Bosh started every game he played during the regular season and until he suffered an abdominal injury during the Eastern Conference playoffs, but played as a reserve in the final three games of the conference finals.

Spoelstra wouldn’t divulge his starting lineup for Game 1 on Tuesday night.

”I’ll consider everything by tomorrow night,” Spoelstra said on Monday. ‘

— Reported by Jeff Latzke of the Associated Press

Heat must contain Russell Westbrook in NBA Finals

The Miami Heat know there’s another All-Star point guard standing between them and the championship after surviving a steady threat of Rajon Rondo triple-doubles to reach the NBA finals.

Russell Westbrook poses a different kind of triple threat with his blazing speed, defensive intensity and often-deadly shooting. He brings the Oklahoma City Thunder into the finals playing some of the best basketball of his young career.

During the postseason, he’s added better decision-making to his already dangerous arsenal, cutting down on his turnovers while upping his assist totals slightly.

— Reported by Jeff Latzke of the Associated Press

LeBron and Durant ready to rumble in Finals

LeBron James and Kevin Durant are dismissing the widely held perception that whoever wins the NBA Finals and earns their first championship ring will be hailed as the best player.

The best-of-seven series between the Miami Heat and Oklahoma City Thunder beginning Tuesday could feature the most enticing personal duel since Hall of Famers Larry Bird and Magic Johnson.

But the players involved insist it is all about winning the National Basketball Association (NBA) title.

“Everybody is going to make the most out of the matchup or me versus LeBron, but it’s the Thunder versus the Heat,” said the Oklahoma City’s Durant, the NBA’s reigning three-time leading scorer. “It’s not going to be a one-on-one matchup to win the series, it’s going to be all about the team. It’s going to be fun.”

James is a three-time league Most Valuable Player and widely considered as the NBA’s premier player. But he is still looking for his first ring, while players like Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant has five of them.

— Reported by Reuters