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Pistons scout Maury Hanks hospitalized due to coronavirus

The coronavirus bad news continues, and has now put a Pistons scout in the hospital. Here’s the Detroit Free Press reporting:

A Detroit Pistons scout has been hospitalized with COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus, a person with knowledge of the situation told the Free Press early Thursday.

“One of our scouts, who works out of his home office in another state, has been hospitalized with COVID-19 in that state,” the source said. “We do not have any information as to the potential vector of exposure.”

The source spoke on condition of anonymity because of health privacy rules. East Tennessee State basketball coach Steve Forbes tweeted Wednesday that the scout’s name is Maury Hanks, a college scout in the Pistons organization since 2014.

We wish all the best to Hanks.

Will the Heat and Jae Crowder stick together?

Here’s the Miami Herald reporting on the Heat (41-24) and forward Jae Crowder, who has been playing for the Grizzlies before being traded to Miami:

Considering the uncertainty surrounding the NBA’s coronavirus shutdown, it’s possible that forward Jae Crowder has played his final game in a Miami Heat uniform.

The league is still hopeful it will be able to resume the season at some point, but there’s the fear that this season could be completely lost. With Crowder set to become an unrestricted free agent this offseason, that leaves his future with the organization in question.

However, this is certain: Crowder hopes the Heat keeps him past this season.

“I’m just very happy to be a part of this organization because I’ve always envisioned that, but I never knew if it could come true,” said Crowder, who has averaged 11.9 points while shooting 39.3 percent on threes, 5.8 rebounds, two assists and 1.5 steals in 13 games since he was traded to the Heat in February. “But I always wanted to play for this city.”

Crowder brings defense and energy, and there’s every reason the team would want to bring him back.

Hopefully we get more basketball, whether regular season or playoffs, in the 2019-20 season. But for now, everything is on hold.

Clippers owner Steve Ballmer will buy the LA Forum and build new arena near it

Big moves that Clippers ownership have focused on for a while now have taken a major step forward. Here’s the OC Register:

The owners of the Los Angeles Clippers will buy The Forum concert venue in Inglewood for $400 million as part of a settlement agreement with Madison Square Garden Co..

The agreement ends years of legal battles that threatened the feasibility of a proposed $1.2 billion Clippers arena in the city that soon will be home to an adjacent $5 billion NFL stadium for the Los Angeles Rams and Chargers. That 18,000-seat arena just south of the new NFL stadium will still move forward.

Here is info straight from the Clippers:

CAPSS LLC has reached an agreement with The Madison Square Garden Company (NYSE: MSG) to purchase The Forum in Inglewood, which will continue to operate as one of the premier live-music venues in the United States. The formation of CAPSS LLC and the acquisition of the Forum were driven by L.A. Clippers Chairman Steve Ballmer and L.A. Clippers Vice Chairman Dennis Wong.

By reaching an agreement with MSG, CAPSS LLC will acquire the Inglewood venue, simultaneously resolving litigation surrounding plans for the new NBA arena. As part of the agreement, all of MSG’s current Forum employees will be extended employment offers by the new owner.

This transaction, which remains subject to Hart-Scott-Rodino and other customary closing conditions, is expected to close during the second calendar quarter of 2020. CAPSS LLC is purchasing The Forum for $400 million in cash.

The new Clippers arena project would be a privately financed, state-of-the-art, 18,000-seat basketball arena, team headquarters complex and community center located on West Century Boulevard between South Prairie Avenue and South Yukon Avenue. The project is currently undergoing an environmental review by the City of Inglewood. Public hearings to approve the project are expected to be held later this summer.

“This is an unprecedented time, but we believe in our collective future,” said Ballmer. “We are committed to our investment in the City of Inglewood, which will be good for the community, the Clippers, and our fans.”

Having The Forum and the new Clippers arena under the same ownership will allow for coordinated programming between the two venues, improving traffic congestion around basketball games and concerts.

More from the Register:

Madison Square Garden Co., which bought The Forum for $23.5 million in 2012 and invested $100 million in renovations, has waged an all-out war to try to stop the Clippers from coming to the city. MSG sued Inglewood and its mayor, James T. Butts Jr., in 2018, alleging he tricked the company’s executives into giving up their rights to the land needed for the proposed arena.

The Forum’s owners claimed their fight was not about stopping the competition and instead was an attempt to protect Inglewood residents from a project that would “inflict severe traffic congestion, pollution and many other harms” on the city.

And, the Los Angeles Times reporting:

The deal is expected to close during the 2020 second quarter. The new ownership group has no plans to tear down the Forum, which was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2014, and will keep it operating as a concert venue…

The Clippers’ billion-dollar arena would sit less than two miles away from the Forum on West Century Boulevard, and be part of a larger Inglewood Basketball and Entertainment Complex that would house team offices, a practice facility and public outdoor spaces.

Stan Van Gundy discusses Nets and Knicks coaching jobs

Here’s the New York Post reporting what veteran coach Stan Van Gundy has to say about coaching opportunities with the two teams:

Both the Knicks and the Nets have head coaching vacancies. And between the two open spots, Stan Van Gundy – a big-name coach on the market – says the more attractive gig is the one in Brooklyn.

And it’s not even close.

“Of the two the Nets are the better job. There’s no question about that right now,” Van Gundy said on ESPN Radio. “The organization has been more stable. They’ve won more games. They have more talent.”

The Knicks will be spending this offseason figuring out which young players to hang onto, while chasing free agents. The Nets already have a crop of stars, and must figure out what the supporting cast should look like.

UPDATE: No salary reductions for Sixers at-will employees

UPDATE: STATEMENT FROM JOSH HARRIS, FOUNDER OF HARRIS BLITZER SPORTS & ENTERTAINMENT

“Our commitment has been to do our best to keep all of our employees working through this very difficult situation. As part of an effort to do that we asked salaried employees to take a temporary 20% pay cut while preserving everyone’s full benefits — and keeping our 1500 hourly workers paid throughout the regular season. After listening to our staff and players, it’s clear that was the wrong decision. We have reversed it and will be paying these employees their full salaries. This is an extraordinary time in our world – unlike any most of us have ever lived through before – and ordinary business decisions are not enough to meet the moment. To our staff and fans, I apologize for getting this wrong.”

ORIGINAL POST BELOW. THE UPDATE IS ABOVE

Sports leagues are on hold. It’s an adjustment for the entire leagues, including individual teams, and of course the people they employ.

Here’s Philly Voice with an update:

At-will employees making over $50,000 for the Sixers and Devils have been asked to take salary reductions of up to 20 percent as a result of the COVID-19 outbreak, a team source confirmed to PhillyVoice on Monday evening. Marc Stein of The New York Times was the first to report the news.

Those employees include employees in marketing, sales, communications, and a variety of different members of business and sports operations for both franchises, a team source told PhillyVoice. The change will apply to the period through the end of the Sixers’ fiscal year on June 30th.

The Sixers will not have layoffs and there will not be any changes to health insurance or 401k as a result of the move, a team source told PhillyVoice, which was part of the internal discussion about such a move being made.

The fallout from coronavirus continues.

Pacers salary cap situation looks to be in good shape

When the NBA season paused, the Pacers were 39-26, which ties them with the Sixers for the 5th best record in the Eastern conference. Impressive, especially considering guard Victor Oladipo had just recently returned to action, and in 13 games played wasn’t up to his usual standards just yet.

Here’s the Indianapolis Star reporting on their salary cap situation:

No one knows where the NBA is heading because of the COVID-19 pandemic, but what’s clear is the projected $115 million salary cap could shift downward as teams are preparing for the worst-case scenarios. The Indiana Pacers, who have the 27th highest payroll of the league’s 30 teams, are expected to drop to the league’s lowest payroll.

That’s because the Pacers have received $10 million insurance on Victor Oladipo, a league source tells IndyStar. Oladipo tore his right quad knee tendon in January 2019 and missed most of the season. He returned this season past the midway point to appear in 13 games.

The Pacers’ cap number is $114.6 million for 2019-20 and they’re positioned to come in at $104.6 million due to Oladipo’s injury, well below the current 30th payroll of the Atlanta Hawks ($112.3 million).

There is no reason to expect the NBA to resume play anytime soon, as the world focuses on fighting coronavirus. Hopefully in the coming weeks, that view may begin to change.

Charles Barkley tests negative for coronavirus

Good news. Charles Barkley has tested negative for coronavirus.

As most of you presumably know, “testing negative” for a bad thing is good. It means the person does not have that bad thing.

Here’s the New York Post:

Charles Barkley has tested negative for COVID-19, Turner Sports announced on Monday.

Barkley, 57, made the fact that he was taking the test public after the NBA suspended its season. Barkley said he hadn’t been feeling well on “Inside The NBA” and took the test out of caution on March 12. He had been feeling better, but just got the results on Monday.

All everybody needs to be doing right now, these next few weeks, is to stay home.

Utah Jazz arena employees to receive financial relief

As the coronavirus pandemic continues, some good news is emerging out of Salt Lake City.

The Desert News reports:

Thanks to generous donations and creative collaboration, the vast Vivint Arena workforce, suddenly off the clock since games and events there were recently postponed, will soon receive financial relief and temporary employment opportunities, multiple sources have told the Deseret News.

A little more than 1,000 part-time arena employees — who make things click for games, concerts and other events — will have extra funds placed in their next paycheck thanks to donations from Gail Miller, the Miller family and Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert, according to sources.

The economic assistance will be distributed equally — an undisclosed amount — to employees in light of the arena’s temporary closure and workers being furloughed because of the coronavirus pandemic, which has led to a suspension of the NBA season and a postponement of scheduled entertainment.

Rough waters remain ahead. But this is a very generous gesture being made to people who help make events at the arena a success.

Pacers reportedly taking measured approach to coronavirus

The coronavirus updates continue, now with the Pacers. The team hasn’t issued a statement. They have no reason to, yet.

Here’s the Indianapolis Star:

Boston Celtics guard Marcus Smart revealed Thursday night that he has tested positive the coronavirus, or COVID-19. The Indiana Pacers’ last regular-season game before the league suspended operations was a March 3 home loss to the Celtics.

But the Indiana Pacers aren’t getting their players tested unless they have symptoms, a league source tells IndyStar, given the limited number of tests available.

The team had been giving daily checkups to players since the outbreak but they’ve dispersed during the hiatus.

The players are probably under self-quarantine, in which case it is perfectly responsible for them to stay at home and avoid contact with others, while hopefully not experiencing any symptoms.

Here’s to hoping the number of players, and of course people everywhere, begins to level off.

LeBron James shares insight on pivotal time with the Miami Heat

LeBron James chatted on social media yesterday and revealed some interesting insight on his days with the Miami Heat. Here’s ESPN.com‘s summary:

However, James did speak about his 2012 Game 6 performance for the Miami Heat against the Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference finals, which stands as one of his greatest games. Facing elimination on the road and a second consecutive season with no title for the heralded “Big 3” in Miami, James scored 45 points with 15 rebounds to turn the tide and begin a streak that led him to his first title.

James said if he’d lost the game, he believed the Heat could have traded him or teammates Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh.

“My mentality was if we lose, [Heat president] Pat Riley may break us all up. And I [didn’t] want that,” James said. “It might be the quickest breakup in basketball history.”

Fortunately for LeBron and the Heat, things worked out.