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The Impact player roster list, showing the players that will participate in the Impact Las Vegas Basketball League: Competitive Training Series, is now available.
It’s mostly NBA players, and a couple of true gems like John Wall, Stephen Curry, Stephen Jackson, Zach Randolph and more, and there are a few non-pros in there as well.
Read it here.
Reuters reports:
Armed, masked law enforcement officers on Thursday raided a bank part-owned by Mikhail Prokhorov, a billionaire Russian magnate who is leading a political party into a December parliamentary election, officials and lawyers said.
The head of the International Finance Club bank, known by its Russian acronym MFK, said the evening raid on the bank’s office in central Moscow had nothing to do with Prokhorov’s Right Cause party or even with the bank’s operations.
“Investigative actions were conducted in relation to one of our borrowers. This has nothing to with Right Cause or Onexim,” the bank’s chief, Oksana Lifar, told Reuters by telephone. Onexim is Prokhorov’s investment vehicle.
But the raid raised eyebrows in a country where critics of the authorities face harassment and law enforcement officers are sometimes employed to put pressure on opponents in business disputes.
A small meeting between a few top representatives of NBA owners and players took place Thursday in New York City. The discussion reportedly lasted over five hours.
First, here are comments from David Stern on the owners side of the fence:
According to Howard Beck of the New York Times via Twitter, “Stern says talks will resume Tues in NY, with full committees from both sides. Won’t say whether that’s an indication of anything. Adam Silver also, somewhat testily, refutes suggestion that no new proposals have been exchanged since June.”
According to Ken Berger of CBS Sports, “League and union agreed to bring full committees to New York for larger meeting on Tuesday, David Stern said. Stern said there is nothing formal to present to larger committees. Time was right to see if there will “be a deal or shouldn’t be a deal.” Stern: “We think it’s getting to be an important time and it was a good idea to have larger committees.” Stern: “I don’t really know that it’s positive or negative. I just think it’s time to bring the parties to the room.” Board of Governors scheduled to meet Thursday. Asked what he hopes to tell full board, Stern said, “I’ll tell you on Thursday.” Deputy commish Adam Silver disputed notion of no new proposals since June 30. Nothing formal or complete, but “ideas” and “concepts.” Stern said sense or urgency comes “more because of the calendar” than progress in talks. Decisions must be made “eventually,” he said.”
And, according to David Aldridge of Turner Sports, “League, players to meet again in NYC next Tuesday, with full committees on both sides. Stern says “it’s time” to have more people in room. Stern says calendar dictates expansion of meetings. Stern also said no vote authorizing cancellation of games and/or training camps will be taken at next Thursday’s Board of Governors meeting.”
As for what representatives of the NBA players union said today:
According to Ken Berger: “Derek Fisher: Union officials will meet with players in Las Vegas next week to get feedback on what’s been negotiated so far. A few dozen players already scheduled to be in Vegas for Impact Basketball league. All players invited to meeting, Fisher said. Players’ meeting on Sept. 15 in Vegas coincides with owners’ meeting the same day in Dallas.”
And according to David Aldridge: “Fisher; I wouldn’t read into full committees meeting next week “that we’re on the verge of making a deal.” Fisher said 2 sides “are trying to respect each other’s positions” during meeting. Fisher re: Roger Mason’s Tweet; “roger knows we’re no closer now to a deal than we were before, questioned whether it was actually Mason’s. Union will meet w/players @ Impact workouts in Vegas next Thursday. About 40-50 players currently expected to take part.”
And the NBA lockout continues, for now.
FIBA Europe reports:
Ricky Rubio is comfortable with his role in a Spain team that many wondered if he would make this summer.
The playmaker should make his much anticipated debut in the NBA this coming season with the Minnesota Timberwolves if the lockout ends and he’s hoping it will be a breath of fresh air because there were some tough times at Barcelona.
Rubio doesn’t possess a great jump shot but passes extremely well and plays as good a defense as any player at the EuroBasket.
He didn’t score in the 77-68 win over Germany on Wednesday and frankly, he doesn’t care.
“Little by little, I’m getting better as the tournament goes on,” he says.
“I feel more comfortable, although I still have to improve in shooting.
“I think I’ve done well in other facets of the game and that boosts my confidence.
“I know my limitations and my strengths and I have to take advantage of those.
“My strength is defending and hopefully I will see my shots go in but it does not worry me.”
Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun reports:
For the first time, Canada has failed to qualify for three straight Olympic basketball tournaments and as a result, head coach Leo Rautins has resigned.
Canada’s senior men dropped a stunning 91-89 decision to struggling Panama on Thursday at the FIBA Americas tournament in Argentina.
Panama had been 1-6 at the tournament coming in, dropping its previous three games by an average of 30 points.
It was a bitter pill to swallow for a program trying to reach the Olympics for the first time since 2000 in Sydney, though Rautins said he did not feel pressure from his bosses to leave.
“A lot of good things have happened unless you’re close to this program you’re not going to see,” Rautins said on a conference call.
“To continue the things that need to be done, I’ve made a decision that this team needs a new voice in the locker room.”
On November 11, 2011, Washington D.C. will host the first ever “Xtreme Basketball Xhibition” (XBX) event at “DMV’s” basketball mecca, the Capital Sports Complex. XBX, featuring 100 amateur basketball players, including Hugh Jones a.k.a. “Baby Shaq” (Washington, D.C.), Grayson Boucher a.k.a. “The Professor” (Keizer, Ore.), Corey Williams a.k.a. “Homicide” (N.Y., N.Y.) and Taurion Fontenette a.k.a. “Mr. 720” (Hitchcock, Texas), will showcase never before seen extreme individual and team basketball competitions.
The newly created Xtreme Basketball Xhibition will give amateur basketball players the opportunity to display their talents, while being ranked and awarded prizes by a select committee of talent judges from the worlds of sports and entertainment. Players competing in XBX will have their skills tested in dunking, shooting, ball handling, one-on-one and three-on-three competitions – each having a unique style and elevated level of difficulty, unlike standard skills challenges. The event will also include “ringer” events and exhibition games. The event will run from Fri., Nov. 11 through Sun., Nov. 13.
Players interested in participating in the Xtreme Basketball Xhibition’s kickoff event on Nov. 11 can enter a qualifier on October 15 at the Capital Sports Complex. Players interested in registering for the qualifier can go to www.theXBX.com. The competition is open to basketball players, male and female, of all ages, except for college age/athletic scholarship eligible athletes.
The event expects to draw basketball players from across the country and thousands of basketball enthusiasts 10 to 40 years of age. In addition to the competition and exhibition on the hardwood, XBX will feature an “Expo” where related global brands and local businesses will showcase and sell merchandise.
The Xtreme Basketball Xhibition was created by Georgetown Hoya alum Lonnie “Prime Objective” Harrell, a former professional basketball player (New Jersey Nets, Orlando Magic and the And1 Mix Tour).
The Timberwolves Dancers will tour southern China over the next two weeks, bringing the Timberwolves brand to one of the fastest-growing NBA markets in the world. The trip is part of the Guangdong Mobile Tour, an eight-weekend event co-sponsored by the NBA and the China Mobile Communications Corporation that will feature interactive basketball activities and performances from NBA dance teams, local DJs and freestyle streetball performers.
“This is a tremendous honor for our team,” Timberwolves Dancers Director Natalie Alvarado said. “The girls are incredibly excited to represent the Timberwolves organization and the NBA in front of the great basketball fans in China.”
The Guangdong Mobile Tour will travel throughout the Guangdong province in southern China for eight weeks beginning this Friday, Sept 9, with the Timberwolves Dancers performing for four days in the capital city of Guangzhou. The team will then travel to Zhuhai for two more performances the following weekend.
This year’s tour marks the Timberwolves Dancers’ third international trip in recent years, and second visit to China. The team also performed as part of the NBA’s Jam Van Asian Tour in 2006, making stops in Shanghai and Nanjing. The dancers also accompanied the Wolves to France last fall as part of the league’s NBA Europe Live preseason schedule that saw the Wolves take on the New York Knicks in Paris.
There have been rumblings during the summer that Utah Jazz center Mehmet Okur might head to his native Turkey to play basketball during the NBA lockout. This has now reportedly become a reality.
According to Jody Genessy of the Deseret News:
The Utah Jazz center signed a contract today to play for Turk Telekom Ankara and will begin participating with the team from his country immediately, Okur’s agent Marc Fleisher told the Deseret News.
Okur’s contract includes a provision that will allow him to leave the Turkish team to return to the Jazz when and if the NBA lockout ends this season.
Fleisher said Okur, who is under contract with Utah through the end of the 2011-12 season, has recovered from his back issue and the left Achilles tendon injury that limited his court time last year.
“He’s healthy enough to play now,” Fleisher said.
And Brian T. Smith of the Salt Lake Tribune (blog) reports:
“He didn’t feel that the option to go play in pick-up games are what he needed,” said Fleisher, who stated that Okur is close to 100-percent health and will be insured while playing overseas. “He choose this and it’s a good team. He knows the league very well and it’s a good opportunity for him to play at a high level. And when the lockout ends, he’ll come back and be rearing to go.”
Okur must first handle a minor visa issue before joining Turk Telekom, and could meet up with ex-Jazz guard Deron Williams while in Turkey.
Okur played just 13 games last season for the Jazz and was barely a factor on the court, averaging 4.9 points and 2.3 rebounds in 12.9 minutes per game. But perhaps, as his agent says above, Okur has regained full health. In which case he might as well go play some basketball and enjoy his home country a bit longer.
Read NBA fan opinion or share your views in this basketball forum topic.
The AP reports:
Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson and former Washington, D.C., schools chancellor Michelle Rhee were married over the weekend in a private ceremony in Tennessee.
The wedding came almost a year to the day after the couple’s originally scheduled wedding date. Johnson’s office announced Tuesday that the ceremony was held Saturday at Blackberry Farm near Knoxville.
“We had a small ceremony with an intimate group of family and friends and are thrilled to be starting our lives together,” Johnson said in a statement.
The former NBA star and the education reform advocate had planned to marry on Sept. 4, 2010, in a much larger ceremony in Sacramento, but they rescheduled the nuptials after a wave of intense public interest.
The NBA Draft seems long enough, but owners may want it expanded
By Jeff Lenchiner
One of the less important season-destroying issues in the ongoing collective bargaining agreement discussions that have currently left the basketball world in the midst of an off-season NBA lockout is the Draft.
Generally, most people in the league are OK with NBA Draft basics: Two rounds, first round picks are guaranteed to receive a contract, while second rounders are not. There is room to discuss the amount of years rookie contracts should be, how they’re guaranteed, and of course the amount of money players who get drafted will be paid, but the basic framework is pretty simple and fairly agreeable.
On the one hand, a team that was going to finish in the ballpark of the 15th best/worst record in the league would probably have to consider the benefit of losing a couple of games to make sure they have a bottom-15 record. Not that I would ever accuse a team of tanking, of course. But I have to assume a team would consider every possible course of action available to them, especially if just a couple bad shots here and there would potentially lead to a possibly significant draft benefit.
But, teams make a lot of money with each home playoff game they play. Teams with the 15th best record are probably right on the playoff bubble. Would an owner want to lose out on certain financial gains just to get better draft picks? Doubtful, especially if the picks were only going to be in the mid-teens and then late 20’s. The real gems in the draft tend to be the guys selected up top, of course. Usually.
I don’t think the NBA draft needs a third round anytime soon. It would only make sense if the D-League was expanded and/or the NBA had a complete (and good) minor league system.
But I do like the idea of shaking things up and helping bad teams speed up the rebuilding process. Only if it makes sense and is fair to the league as a whole, though.
Read NBA fan reaction or share your opinion in this basketball forum topic.