The AP reports:
With the NBA lockout less than two weeks old, at least two NBA teams have begun cutting staff. One of the first to resort to layoffs: Michael Jordan’s Charlotte Bobcats.
Radio play-by-play announcer Scott Lauer was one of at least seven employees let go by the Bobcats in the past week.
A person familiar with the situation says the Detroit Pistons fired 15 people two weeks ago. The person, who wasn’t authorized to speak about the team’s moves, spoke to The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity.
The job losses come as NBA owners have locked out the players after failing to reach a new collective bargaining agreement, shutting down the league for what could be a protracted work stoppage that threatens the start of the 2011-12 season.
Jordan, the Hall of Famer and six-time NBA champion who became the first ex-player to own a team, axed Lauer, director of corporate communications Michael Thompson, manager of community relations Kim Beal and others in sales and business operations.
