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NBA Rookie Transition Program postponed

The NBA Rookie Transition Program, scheduled for August 9-11, has been postponed. The program, which provides first-year players with the skills and information necessary for a successful transition to the NBA, is run jointly by the NBA and the Players Association.

“Without a new collective bargaining agreement between the league and the players’ union, we will be unable to hold RTP as originally scheduled,” NBA Deputy Commissioner Adam Silver said. “This is an important educational program for our incoming players, and it will be rescheduled once the parties agree on a CBA.”

Ex-UCLA center Carl Kraushaar dies

The AP reports:

Carl Kraushaar, starting center for the late John Wooden’s first two years as coach of UCLA, has died, the school said Saturday.

Kraushaar died of natural causes surrounded by his family in Newport Beach on Thursday, UCLA spokesman Marc Dellins said in a statement. He was 84.

Transferring from Compton College the same year the coach later known as the Wizard of Westwood arrived from Indiana State for the first of his 27 seasons, Kraushaar began what was to become a storied spot — center at UCLA under Wooden. The position would later be filled by Bill Walton and Lew Alcindor, later Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.

Some NBA players still receive paychecks during a lockout

Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today reports:

Los Angeles Clippers forward Al-Farouq Aminu wants to play basketball next season. But if he doesn’t, he isn’t overly concerned about his financial situation.

Aminu, a rookie last season, is one of four clients of agent Raymond Brothers who spread their 2010-11 NBA salaries over 18 or 24 months to continue receiving paychecks if the league-imposed lockout forces the cancellation of games.

Memphis Grizzlies forward Zach Randolph, Dallas Mavericks forward Caron Butler and Detroit Pistons guard Ben Gordon, all Brothers clients, have similar setups.

If games in 2011-12 are lost, “They will not know financially that they’re in a lockout,” Brothers said. “If there is a lockout, you’ll able to pay your bills. And you’re already used to a certain way of living because your paychecks will be consistent.”

Players normally receive bi-weekly paychecks from Nov. 15 to May 1, although some opt for a November to November schedule. But Aminu will receive payments from last season until Nov. 1, 2012. Randolph will be paid through May 1, 2012.

InsideHoops.com editor says: I am happy to announce that I will continue to pay myself during the lockout as well.

Dirk Nowitzki and Chris Kaman will play for German National Team

Sportando reports:

Dirk Nowitzki and Chris Kaman announced that they will play with German National Team at Eurobasket 2011 in Lithuania.

Both players will join soon the team coached by Dirk Bauermann.

TalkBasket.net reports:

Both players are expected to be ready to play for the Germany NT in the BEKO-Supercup tournament in Bamberg (together with Turkey, Greece, Belgium), during August 19-21.

Dirk was pleased with his decision and said: “The rest was short but I would like to help the young German NT to gain success in Eurobasket. I will do everything to keep fit and I’m looking forward to spending time with the guys”.

Chris Kaman stated: “Playing for Germany in 2008 was a lot of fun, I think I can help the team and we can achieve things”.

InsideHoops.com editor says: I’ve heard that Nowitzki and Kaman were a package deal for Team Germany. Meaning, they or their representatives were in touch with each other and either both were going to play, or neither one was. I haven’t actually confirmed this, though. But don’t be surprised if you read something about this in the near future.

Billy Hunter tells InsideHoops that NBA lockout meetings may not resume until August

By Jeff Lenchiner

Wednesday evening in New York City I paid a visit to Dyckman Park for some streetball action. It was a big matchup of some top teams that has been anticipated for weeks, so the park was packed. Included in the crowd were rapper Jadakiss, Denver Nuggets forward Al Harrington, and the head of the NBA Players Union, Billy Hunter, among others.

Before the game, Hunter, bravely attempting to communicate as some top-notch rap music blasted from the park’s booming speakers at full volume, gave InsideHoops.com a very quick update on the current NBA lockout situation:

InsideHoops.com: What’s the latest?

Billy Hunter: We’re trying to find some way to re-open the negotiations. We’re not making very much progress. It looks like we’re going to be where we are, I would assume probably [until] August before we actually end up getting back together.

InsideHoops.com: How long might the lockout last?

Hunter: It’s unpredictable. It’s hard to say how long it’s going to go.

It sounds like NBA fans should not hold their breath waiting for positive developments just yet.

Union plans player meetings as NBA lockout drags on with no progress

Sam Amick of Sports Illustrated reports:

There will be labor-related meetings in the near future.

They just aren’t the kind that typically lead to collective bargaining progress.

According to sources close to the situation, the National Basketball Players Association is planning a series of player sessions in as many as six cities over “the next month or so,” as a way to help with its planning during the lockout and update players on the state of negotiations with the NBA. Unless things unexpectedly change, there won’t be much to report on that front.

While mid-level staffers from both sides met on Friday to finalize the numbers related to basketball-related income (BRI) for the 2010-11 season, no negotiating sessions involving commissioner David Stern or NBPA executive director Billy Hunter have been scheduled. Sources said the BRI numbers were not finalized Friday and more similar sessions are forthcoming to that end, but the union is focused on fortifying from within rather than exchanging proposals with the owners, who are pushing for a hard salary cap as part of a drastic overhaul to the current system.

InsideHoops.com editor says: Basically, the two sides are considering their various options and possible proposal changes, amongst themselves. There’s no way of knowing if either side plans to make any changes the next time they make offers to each other, when they do eventually meet again. I’m just guessing here but it sounds like the earliest the NBA lockout could even possibly end is early August. But that’s not expected, because it sounds like both sides remain pretty far apart.

Lakers rookie Ater Majok plays streetball in EBC at Rucker Park in NYC

Los Angeles Lakers rookie forward Ater Majok was in New York City Monday to play for the D.C. Power streetball team in the Entertainers Basketball Classic at Rucker Park. InsideHoops.com was at the park and watched the whole game.

Majok blocked plenty of shots, mostly as a help defender, but didn’t really stand out in other aspects, missing plenty of shots to finish with seven points and committing a fair amount of turnovers. He was solid as a rebounder as well, though simply by watching it was tough to say he really stood out on the glass.

But, this was not one of the better games, even by streetball standards, so of course it makes little sense to put much stock into Ater’s skills and future potential in the NBA based on one game in the park.

There weren’t many game highlights involving Majok worth showing, but here are two InsideHoops.com video clips.

Majok is No.12 in orange, with the mini-mohawk. Here he is blocking a shot, then rushing out to to defend a jumpshot (which misses) from the right baseline:

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Here, in the game’s final seconds, Majok gets to toss down an open dunk:

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Read NBA fan reaction and discuss your own opinion in this forum topic.

Joe Bryant wins debut as L.A. Sparks coach

The AP reports:

The Los Angeles Sparks wasted no time in getting Joe Bryant a victory in his debut as their new coach.

Ticha Penicheiro scored 18 points and Los Angeles snapped a five-game losing streak with an 84-74 win over the San Antonio Silver Stars on Tuesday night…

Bryant, Kobe’s father, took over as coach of the Sparks (5-6) on Sunday after Jennifer Gillom was fired. Los Angeles had lost the first five games on their seven-game road trip, which ends Friday at Tulsa.

This is Bryant’s second stint as coach of the Sparks. He previously coached them from August 2005 until the end of the 2006 season.

He showed some fire early on, getting a technical in the second quarter for a non-call.

“If I don’t get them, they’ll get them, and that’ll throw them off their game,” he said.

Elton Brand to co-produce Tupac movie

The Philadelphia Daily News reports:

Elton Brand won’t accept failure.

Even if it has the propensity to lighten his already deep pockets.

That’s probably why the Sixers forward is trying his luck in the movie industry again, this time signing on as a co-producer for the upcoming film “Tupac,” a biopic on the life and death of the West Coast hip-hop artist.

This isn’t Brand’s first venture into the movie game. While in Los Angeles as a Clipper, Brand co-founded a small production company called Gibraltar Entertainment. According to a 2006 report from the Los Angeles Times, Brand’s outfit was hit with four separate lawsuits in a year span. Though none alleged any wrongdoing by Brand specifically, the report also claimed Brand dropped $250,000 out of his own pocket to settle a lawsuit.

However, with “Tupac,” Brand is merging with powerhouse Morgan Creek Productions. And the flick is being directed by Antoine Fuqua, of the Oscar-winning film “Training Day,” and Afeni Shakur-Davis, Tupac’s mother, will serve as executive producer. The film has not been rated, but production is under way in Los Angeles, New York, Georgia and Las Vegas.

Read fan reaction and share your own opinion in this forum topic.

Los Angeles Sparks name Joe Bryant new head coach

The Los Angeles Times reports:

The Sparks have fired Jennifer Gillom as coach and replaced her with assistant coach Joe Bryant, the team announced Sunday.

The coaching change was made after the Sparks fell to fifth place in the six-team Western Conference with a record of 4-6. They have lost five games in a row, their worst skid since 2007. Three of those losses have come after 2008 WNBA most valuable player Candace Parker suffered a knee injury in a June 26 game; she is expected to be out about six weeks. Parker played in just 10 games last season after needing surgery on a dislocated left shoulder.

“This was a very difficult decision, but I felt it was necessary to take the team in a different direction at this point in the season,” Sparks General Manager Penny Toler said in a statement.

Bryant, a former NBA player, was first hired by the team as an assistant under Henry Bibby in 2005. Bibby was fired with five games remaining in the season, and Bryant took over as coach. He went 4-1 and the Sparks finished with a 17-17 record.