Atlanta Hawks Blog – Page 62 – NBA Blog

Dr. J was almost an Atlanta Hawk

In an article on the Atlanta Hawks website, Jon Newberry tells the story of how one of the greatest players in basketball history almost played for Atlanta.

In the summer of 1972, Dr. J was looking to make a move to the NBA from the Virginia Squires of the American Basketball Association (ABA) and the Hawks were looking to facilitate that move. This is where the problems begin.

In a nutshell, Dr. J secretly signed a contract with Atlanta but was drafted by the Milwaukee Bucks that same summer. A legal battle ensued which eventually barred Dr. J from playing for any team but the Virginia Squires.

— Reported by CSN Philly. The full NBA.com report is here.

Atlanta Hawks will not be sold to Alex Meruelo or anyone

The Atlanta Hawks will not be sold to California developer and pizza chain owner Alex Meruelo.

In fact, the NBA team is no longer on the market.

The Hawks’ ownership group, headed by Bruce Levenson and Michael Gearon Jr., said Friday that the agreement for Meruelo to buy the team had been mutually terminated by both sides. Just last week, there were reports the NBA was delaying approval of sale because of concerns about Meruelo’s finances, though he insisted he had enough money to purchase the team and run it in a first-class manner.

Meruelo, the son of Cuban immigrants, was poised to become the NBA’s first Hispanic team owner and acquire operating rights to Philips Arena, with Levenson and Gearon remaining in a minority role.

Instead, the group known as Atlanta Spirit will remain in charge of the team it has owned since 2004, when it acquired the Hawks and the NHL Thrashers from Time Warner. The group stepped in after a proposed deal with Dallas businessman David McDavid fell through.

“The Atlanta Hawks are no longer for sale,” Levenson said in a statement issued by the Hawks. “We’re excited to remain as owners of the Hawks and are committed to building on our string of four straight playoff appearances.”

— Reported by Paul Newberry of the Associated Press

Sale of Atlanta Hawks hits snag with NBA

The proposed sale of the Atlanta Hawks to Los Angeles businessman Alex Meruelo has hit a significant snag in the NBA approval process, according to people familiar with the situation.

It not clear at the moment whether the deal, announced Aug. 7 subject to NBA approval, will get completed.

“I have more than ample resources to purchase and operate the Hawks in a first-class manner,” Meruelo said in a statement provided to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution tonight.

— Reported by Tim Tucker of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Maurice Evans completed college degree while trying to help resolve NBA labor dispute

As a vice president with the National Basketball Players Association, Maurice Evans had made getting the players a new, fair collective bargaining agreement his primary goal since the season ended. The players’ union and the NBA owners have yet to meet that objective without losing regular season games, but Evans can still feel a sense of accomplishment about this offseason.

Because in the midst of attending numerous bargaining sessions in New York, running regional players meetings in Chicago and Las Vegas, and going over strategies with union president Derek Fisher and executive director Billy Hunter, Evans managed to finally get his degree in education from the University of Texas.

“I was very proud of that,” Evans said this week. “Unfortunately, that doesn’t make as much news as the bargaining sessions, but I’ve had a great and productive summer.”

Evans, 32, left Texas after his junior season in 2001, hoping to be drafted in the first round but wound up going undrafted. He scrapped his way into a NBA and has outlasted 12 first-rounders from that draft, but he always felt the void of not having his degree. “I know I’m a leader on and off the court and before you can commence in anything, you have to finish stages and that was the stage left open due to me continuing my NBA career,” Evans said. “Once I had a break due to this lockout, I was able to find the time.”

— Reported by Michael Lee of the Washington Post Blog

Hawks center Zaza Pachulia signs in Turkey

Days after qualifying for the Turkish Airlines Euroleague Regular Season, newcomer Galatasaray of Turkey announced on Friday the return of big man Zaza Pachulia to Europe’s top competition. Pachulia (2.10 meters, 27 years old) arrives from the Atlanta Hawks of the NBA, where last season he averaged 4.4 points and 4.2 rebounds in 79 appearances. Pachulia made his Euroleague debut during the 2001-02 season playing with Ulker Istanbul, where he stayed for two years.

— Reported by Euroleague.net

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Zaza Pachulia likely signing in Turkey

According to the Sportando blog, Zaza Pachulia reached an agreement with Turkish team Galatasaray Istanbul, where he will be playing until the end of the NBA lockout. Pachulia spent the last eight seasons in the NBA averaging 6.8 ppg and 5.1 rpg in 579 games. He’s played with the Atlanta Hawks since the 2005-06 season.

Spirou Charleroi tried to sign him as well, but Pachulia preferred to pen a deal in Istanbul, the city where he grew up.

The deal will be official soon.

— Reported by Sportando

Lynx take 2-0 series lead in WNBA Finals

Seimone Augustus scored 36 points to lead Minnesota’s second-half surge, and the Lynx moved within one win of their first WNBA title by beating the Atlanta Dream, 101-95, in Game 2 of the league championship series on Wednesday night.

Jessica Adair added 13 points in 18 minutes in a reserve role for the Lynx, who took a commanding two-games-to-none lead by overcoming 38 points by the Dream’s Angel McCoughtry. Game 3 in the best-of-five matchup is set for Friday night in Atlanta.

McCoughtry had 24 points in the first half, but she shot just 2 for 13 after halftime.

With veteran center Taj McWilliams-Franklin on the bench with a sprained right knee suffered late in the third quarter, WNBA rookie of the year Maya Moore sitting for most of the game in foul trouble, and fellow all-star Rebekkah Brunson having a quiet game, Augustus took over.

— Reported by the Associated Press

WNBA Finals Game 1: Lynx beat Dream 88-74

More than 15,000 fans walked into Target Center on Sunday night, hoping that the Minnesota Lynx could give them a little relief from the sports abyss the Twin Cities sit in at the moment.

They waved white pom-poms and hollered at the top of their lungs, and Rebekkah Brunson and Co. made sure they didn’t go home disappointed.

Brunson had 26 points and 11 rebounds and Seimone Augustus added 22 points to lead the Lynx to an 88-74 victory over the Atlanta Dream in Game 1 of the WNBA finals…

Lindsay Whalen added 15 points and six assists and the Lynx turned a close game into a runaway with a 13-0 run to open the fourth quarter. Taj McWilliams-Franklin added eight points and 10 boards while battling an illness.

Angel McCoughtry scored 19 of her 33 points in the third quarter and Lindsey Harding scored 20 points for the Dream.

— Reported by the AP

Georgia judge frees Javaris Crittenton on bond in murder case

The AP reports:

A judge granted bond Tuesday to ex-NBA player Javaris Crittenton, charged with murder in an August drive-by shooting in Atlanta.

Fulton County Magistrate Judge Karen Woodson allowed Crittenton to go free on $230,000 bond after hearing hours of testimony from the player’s friends and coaches. She also ordered former Georgia Tech coach Paul Hewitt and others who testified on his behalf to co-sign the bond.

Woodson rejected a motion to dismiss the charges against Crittenton in the shooting of 22-year-old Julian Jones, who was killed as she walked along an Atlanta street. Police have said the shots were aimed at someone walking with Jones.

Defense attorney Brian Steel said his client is not guilty and the charges are based on faulty eyewitness testimony. Crittenton has denied any involvement and his attorney said he will be exonerated.

NBA postpones training camps, cancels October 9-15 preseason games

The NBA announced today that player training camps for the 2011-12 season have been postponed indefinitely because a new collective bargaining agreement has not been reached with the National Basketball Players Association. Training camps were scheduled to open on October 3.

In addition, the league canceled all preseason games scheduled from October 9 through October 15.

“We have regretfully reached the point on the calendar where we are not able to open training camps on time and need to cancel the first week of preseason games,” said NBA Deputy Commissioner Adam Silver. “We will make further decisions as warranted.”

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