Category: NBA News Blog

NBA news blog

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.

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.

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.

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.

Two Lakers players test positive for coronavirus

STATEMENT FROM LAKERS

Following four Brooklyn Nets players testing positive for COVID-19, because Los Angeles Lakers’ players were exposed to them during our game against the Nets on March 10, our team physicians and public health officials recommended coronavirus testing for the players.

We learned today that two Lakers players have tested positive. Both players are currently asymptomatic, in quarantine and under the care of the team’s physician.

All players and members of the Lakers staff are being asked to continue to observe self-quarantine and shelter at home guidelines, closely monitor their health, consult with their personal physicians and maintain constant communication with the team.

The health and well-being of our players, our organization, our fans, and all those potentially impacted by this situation is paramount. As always, we appreciate the support of our fans, family and friends, and wish everyone affected by this virus a speedy recovery.

Boston Celtics player tests positive for coronavirus

A Boston Celtics player has tested positive for COVID-19, according to the team, who did not name the player, but shortly after the announcement, guard Marcus Smart confirmed it’s him.

Smart says he feels okay, and is in self-quarantine.

Testing was initiated because of exposure to a known positive case, the Celtics say.

The Celtics player, who is not exhibiting symptoms, has been in isolation for several days and will continue to do so while being monitored by team medical staff.

The team is awaiting further testing results.

Per the Celtics, “taking steps to maintain the health and safety of everyone in our organization and across the NBA remains our top priority, and we will continue to work closely with health officials and the league in addressing this situation.”

Three members of Sixers organization test positive for coronavirus

The Philadelphia 76ers, in consultation with medical experts and the NBA, received the recommendation that certain individuals from the organization, including players, coaches and specific basketball operations support staff, be tested for COVID-19. The tests were secured and processed privately.

Three individuals from the Sixers organization have received positive test results for COVID-19. All other tests results are currently negative. The team says they have reported this information to state and local health authorities as required.

Pursuant to CDC guidelines, the members of the 76ers organization who tested positive for coronavirus are in self-isolation and will be monitored closely by medical professionals.

The Sixers also say that “the health of our players, staff, fans and community is paramount, and we continue to be guided by medical experts at this time. We extend our gratitude and appreciation to the public health and medical communities for their tireless efforts during these challenging times, as well as to our fans and partners for their support.”

Member of Denver Nuggets tests positive for coronavirus

The Denver Nuggets today released a statement that on Thursday, March 19th, a member of the organization tested positive for COVID-19. The person was tested after experiencing symptoms consistent with COVID-19 on March 16th and is currently under the care of team medical staff and in self-isolation.

It’s not known if the person is a player or not.

The testing was undertaken following guidance from state public health officials and team physicians.

The Nuggets say they “will continue to work in coordination with team physicians, public health officials and infectious disease experts, while focusing on the health and safety of everyone in our community.”

There are now seven NBA players that have tested positive for coronavirus, not including this member of the Nuggets, who may or may not be a player.