NBA News Blog – Page 1202 – NBA Blog

Kevin Durant says players will not back down

The AP reports:

Kevin Durant made his points on the court and off it Saturday, throwing down several thunderous alley-oops during a charity pickup game and saying afterward that the players will not give in to the owner’s demands in the ongoing NBA labor negotiations.

Durant, John Wall and other NBA players headlined the “Clash of the Superstars” at Coolidge High School in Washington, D.C.

“I think we’re going to stand up and stick to what we want,” Durant said. “I don’t think we’re just going to give in to a deal just because we want the season to start.

“I know fans may not want to hear that, but it’s kind of tough to put us in that position, but hopefully, like I said, everything gets resolved.”

Several hundred people watched the glorified scrimmage, one of numerous games players have organized across the country to reach out to fans and keep their skills sharp while they wait for the union and the league to reach a new collective bargaining agreement.

Former Celtics president Dave Gavitt dies at 73

The AP reports:

Dave Gavitt had an impact on the world of basketball. From a career as a successful coach to changing the face of college sports to introducing the Olympics to a Dream Team, Gavitt’s touch was everywhere.

His death Friday night after a long illness was confirmed by his family Saturday. He died in a hospital near his hometown of Rumford, R.I. He was 73.

Gavitt coached Providence to the NCAA tournament five times, including the Final Four in 1973. He was the driving force behind the formation of the Big East Conference and was its first commissioner. He was selected to coach the U.S. Olympic team in 1980, but the United States boycotted the Moscow Games. Gavitt was president of USA Basketball and oversaw the introduction of NBA players onto the U.S. Olympic roster, including the Dream Team at the 1992 Games.

“He was not only a great basketball coach and organizer of the Big East but he was a great, great statesman for basketball, college and international,” former St. John’s coach and fellow Naismith Hall of Famer Lou Carnesecca said Saturday.

Spain and France advance to EuroBasket championship game

The AP reports:

Defending champion Spain and first-time finalist France will compete for the European basketball title on Sunday and have qualified for next year’s Olympics in London.

Juan Carlos Navarro scored 35 points in a performance his coach called a “masterpiece” as Spain beat Macedonia 92-80 in the first semifinal on Friday.

France got 22 points from Tony Parker to beat Russia 79-71 in the late game. Nicolas Batum added 19 points for France, which reached the championship game for the first time.

“I’ve been chasing this for 11 years and I’m very happy that I can finally say I’m going to the Olympics,” Parker said.

France won a silver medal in 1949 but the tournament was played in a different format and did not have a final.

France went on a 10-2 to finish the third quarter and pull away. Going into the fourth, the run was 16-4, with eight points coming from Ali Traore.

Pau Gasol had 22 points and 17 rebounds for Spain.

Navarro scored 19 points in the third quarter to break open a close game. Spain coach Sergio Scariolo did not hold back in praising his point guard.

Joe Barry Carroll loses Atlanta bar discrimination claim

The AP reports:

A federal jury on Friday found that an upscale Atlanta restaurant did not violate the civil rights of an ex-NBA All Star and a friend who claimed they were expelled from the bar because they were black.

A panel of nine white members and three black deliberated just 15 minutes before deciding that Joe Barry Carroll and Joseph Shaw were not subject to racial discrimination. Their attorney Jeffrey Bramlett had been seeking at least $3 million in damages for the humiliation and embarrassment he claims his clients suffered when a security guard escorted them from the Tavern at Phipps in August 2006 after they refused to give up their seats to two white women.

Defense lawyer Ernest Greer said the establishment was following a longstanding policy rooted in Southern hospitality, in which men routinely give up their bar seats for women when the bar becomes crowded. Over the past 20 years, thousands of men, from stars like Michael Jordan to several sitting at the bar that night, have complied with the “good manners” policy, Greer said.

It was Carroll and Shaw who injected race into the exchange, he said.

“This incident didn’t happen because they were black,” Greer said. “This incident happened because Mr. Carroll and Mr. Shaw wanted to be treated better than anyone else that evening.”

J.R. Giddens signs in Greece

Euroleague.net reports:

PAOK Thessaloniki added some scoring punch by signing swingman J.R. Giddens for the season. Giddens (1.96 meters, 26 years old) made his Turkish Airlines Euroleague debut last season with Asseco Prokom, for whom he averaged 9 points on 47.4% three-point shooting and 5.2 rebounds in 10 games. His best game was his very first: 20 points on 9-for-9 two-point shooting and 10 rebounds in a losing effort against Khimki Moscow Region. Later in the season Giddens briefly joined Valencia Basket in Spain, but left before ever appearing in a game for the Spanish club.

Xavier Silas signs in France

Euroleague.net reports:

BCM Gravelines made a change at the shooting guard spot with the addition of rookie Xavier Silas and the release of Osiris Eldridge, who had signed for the club last month. Silas (1.95 meters, 23 years old) comes from Northern Illinois University, where he spent the past two seasons. He earned All-Mid-American Conference First Team honors last season. Silas was the conference’s leading scorer and ranked seventh in all of college basketball with 22.3 points per game. Before joining the Huskies, he played two seasons of college basketball at Colorado University.

Steve Javie retiring as NBA referee

Ric Bucher of ESPN the Magazine reports:

Although NBA referees, after agreeing to a new five-year contract earlier this week, are assured of returning whenever the league resumes play, veteran Steve Javie will not be among them.

Javie, rated as one of the league’s top officials during the past 15 years, is retiring because of an arthritic right knee.

The injury forced him to miss the end of the 2009-2010 season, but he returned last fall with the hope of making it to the 25-year mark as an NBA referee.

He accomplished that, but filed his retirement papers when the pain in his right knee and his doctors convinced him a 26th year was not realistic.

An NBA referee must submit his papers within 30 days of the last Finals game if he does not plan to return.

Javaris Crittenton back in Atlanta to face murder charge

The AP reports:

Former Washington Wizards guard Javaris Crittenton is back in Atlanta to face a murder charge in the shooting death of a woman.

Crittenton is charged in the death of 22-year-old Julian Jones, a mother of four who was hit by gunfire during a drive-by shooting. Police say the shots apparently were aimed at someone walking with her.

Fulton County sheriff’s office spokeswoman Tracy Flanagan says Crittenton arrived Thursday night from Los Angeles. He’s being held at the county jail.

Christian Laettner and Brian Davis could face jail time

The St. Paul Pioneer Press reports:

Former Timberwolves Christian Laettner and Brian Davis have been ordered to a Washington courtroom today to explain to a judge why they shouldn’t be held in contempt.

If their answers don’t satisfy the judge, the former Duke University stars could be sent to jail – an outcome few could have predicted four years ago when they were basking in the success of their West Village development in downtown Durham, N.C.

Even now, as Laettner and Davis try to fend off angry creditors, West Village remains the jewel in their crumbling real estate empire. Its mixture of apartments, restaurants and offices continues to thrive, making it attractive to investors and to those angry creditors determined to pursue Laettner and Davis’ assets.

Today’s court hearing relates to a $671,309 judgment awarded to California investors J.D. Holdings in June.

Players stress unity after Las Vegas meeting

The AP reports:

NBA players will remain unified and calm in what could be a lengthy pursuit of a labor agreement, union president Derek Fisher vowed Thursday.

About 40 players got an update on collective bargaining talks from Fisher and executive director Billy Hunter in what Fisher described as “a very colorful and engaging meeting” at a casino. NFLPA executive director DeMaurice Smith also spoke to the players, who were mostly in town to play in an Impact Basketball academy league.

“There is not the fracture and the separation amongst our group that in some ways has been reported,” said Fisher, the Los Angeles Lakers point guard. “We just want to continue to reiterate that point.”

The players echoed their leaders’ stance, promising they won’t allow the union to splinter when the players start missing paychecks in a few weeks. NBPA members have been educated for several years about the steps necessary to survive a long lockout, and Fisher said the union will continue to protect the rights of players who sign overseas this fall.

“I’ve never seen this union as strong as we are collectively right now,” said Boston Celtics center Jermaine O’Neal, among the few remaining players who participated in the 1998-99 labor dispute. “A lot of our young guys are wide-eyed when they see the numbers at first, but now they’re educated. We don’t need to make a temporary, emotional decision. We need to make a long-term decision for a bigger purpose.”