Danny Ferry returning to Spurs front office

Mike Monroe of the San Antonio Express-News reports:

Danny Ferry, who earned championship rings both as a Spurs player and a member of the team’s basketball operations department, will return to the franchise to try and help the club position for another title run.

Ferry, who resigned as general manager of the Cleveland Cavaliers ahead of LeBron James’ free agency defection in July, officially will be announced as a member of the Spurs’ front office by week’s end…

Ferry will re-join R.C. Buford, president of sports franchises for Spurs Sports and Entertainment, and vice-president and assistant general manager Dennis Lindsey in the club’s front office. Lindsey was hired in 2007 after Sam Presti left the club to become general manager of the then-Seattle SuperSonics.

InsideHoops.com editor quick-take: The Spurs front office almost always makes perfect decisions. That they want Ferry back says a lot about Ferry.

Chicago Bulls adding Scottie Pippen statue

NEW YORK - SEPTEMBER 22:  Former NBA player Scottie Pippen attends the 23rd Annual Great Sports Legends Dinner to Cure Paralysis at the Waldorf Astoria on September 22, 2008 in New York City.  (Photo by Brad Barket/Getty Images for The Miami Project)

The Chicago Bulls announced today plans to unveil a bronze statue of Hall of Famer Scottie Pippen that will be displayed permanently in the United Center by the end of the 2010-11 season.

“Not only is Scottie Pippen one of the greatest players to ever wear a Bulls uniform, but he’s among the best players in history of the league to play the game,” said Bulls Chairman Jerry Reinsdorf. “He had a tremendous impact in bringing six world championships to Chicago and there is no better way to pay tribute to him than with a permanent statue that honors his inspirational career.”

The statue will be crafted by Omri and Julie Rotblatt-Amrany of Highland Park, Ill., who also sculpted the famous Michael Jordan statue which was unveiled in January 1994 in conjunction with Jordan’s No. 23 jersey retirement.

“Words really can’t express my feelings,” Pippen said. “It’s an unbelievable honor and truly amazing. It’s something you dream of as a kid growing up, but you can never foresee those childhood fantasies becoming reality. You see statues of individuals who have done great things and made their mark on history, but as a basketball player, you never really think about arriving at this point. It’s an amazing honor for the Chicago Bulls to do this for me.”

Pippen was informed of the news the same week that he was enshrined in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. In his first year of eligibility, Pippen was inducted on Aug. 13 as an individual player and as a member of the 1992 Dream Team which won the gold medal in the Barcelona Summer Olympics.

In July, the Bulls named Pippen as an ambassador for the organization. In this capacity, he will attend a majority of Bulls home games and spend time with fans and sponsors. Additionally, Pippen will also participate in a variety of team related events throughout the year, write a monthly column on Bulls.com and make appearances on BullsTV via Bulls.com.

“Being back in Chicago is a great feeling,” said Pippen. “To be among the fans who made my career so special is a fitting next step for me. I’m ready to be a regular at the United Center again as I get back into basketball. I can’t wait to bring my kids around the game. I look forward to working with the younger generation of players, too. Hopefully getting on the court and sharing my knowledge and experience with them will help.”

Pippen was a seven-time NBA All-Star (1990, 1992-97) and a member of six NBA championship teams with the Chicago Bulls. He was a three-time All-NBA first team honoree and was voted to the NBA All-Defensive first team from 1992-99. Pippen won two Olympic gold medals as a member of the 1992 USA Basketball “Dream Team” and returned to help lead the USA to gold at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta. He also won NBA All-Star MVP honors in 1994.

Is Shaq marrying Hoopz from the VH1 Flavor of Love show?

I will assume this gossip story is NOT TRUE until proven otherwise, but check out what some blogs are reporting about Shaq and Nicole “Hoopz” Alexander:

The Clutch Blog on MTV.com reports:

Is Shaq marrying Hoopz from Flava of Love?

Remember Hoopz, the girl who won Flava Flav’s heart on the first season of “Flava of Love”? Apparently she’s marrying Shaq! We knew they were dating, but the St. Louis Post Dispatch says that things are about to get much more serious. According to the paper, they were together at a St. Louis restaurant when Shaq “brought a chair into the middle of the dance floor and he put a ring on her finger.” Sounds like a proposal to us.

And Blog.VH1.com reports:

Adding fuel to these (very speculative!) fires is a story on the (pretty reputable) sports website Sports By Brooks that says, and we quote, the site “has also been informed that O’Neal has spent much of his summer in Alexander’s hometown of Maryville, TN. In fact, the current Celtic now has a home with Alexander in Maryville’s Royal Oaks golf community.”

UPDATE: Mike Wise (Washington Post) wrote the following on Twitter (thanks to Howard Beck of the New York Times for spotting this): “The Daddy not engaged to Hoops. Shaquille O’Neal’s text message reply to my congrats: “What engagement dnt believe dat.”


Celebs enjoy the festivities during the gala opening of the Casino Club At The Greenbrier in West Sulfur Springs, West Virginia on July 2, 2010. Restriction applies: NO NEW YORK NEWSPAPERS  Fame Pictures, Inc