New York Knicks Blog – Page 131 – NBA Blog

Report: Mike D’Antoni will not be with Team USA this summer due to back issue

ESPN.com reports:

New York Knicks coach Mike D’Antoni will not accompany Team USA to the World Championships in Turkey later this summer so he can fully treat an increasingly troublesome back, according to Team USA sources.

Sources told ESPN.com that D’Antoni is not expected to need surgery but has been advised to forsake the considerable international travel Team USA has scheduled this summer. D’Antoni will undergo treatment and rehabilitation to prevent the condition from worsening before the start of NBA training camp in late September.

D’Antoni, sources said, will be with Team USA throughout its next round of practices next week in New York — which will be capped by an Aug. 15 exhibition against France at Madison Square Garden — but then stay behind when the Kevin Durant-led squad heads to Europe for exhibitions in Spain and Greece before the World Championships begin Aug. 28.

Amare Stoudemire visiting Israel to trace Jewish roots

The AP reports:

Amare Stoudemire in Israel to trace Hebrew roots

NBA star Amare Stoudemire says he has come to Israel to explore whether he has Jewish heritage.

He tells The Associated Press on Friday that he believes he has “Hebrew roots” through his mother, Carrie.

The five-time All-Star who recently signed with the New York Knicks is on a weeklong visit to learn about Israel, its language and religions.

The New York Post reports:

Two weeks ago, new Knicks power forward Amar’e Stoudemire arrived in Vegas for Knicks summer league with a tattoo of the “Star of David” on his arm.

“What’s that?,” he was asked by The Post.

“What does it look like?” Stoudemire replied.

When asked if that means he is Jewish, Stoudemire replied flatly: “Yes.”

The New York Post reports:

However, Stoudemire posted on his Twitter account yesterday: “To clear everything up: I’m studying history & want to learn about all religions. I think I might have some Hebrew Roots and I’m researching it.”

Another arrest warrant issued for Eddy Curry

Samuel Goldsmith of the New York Daily News reports:

A Chicago judge has issued an arrest warrant for the troubled New York Knicks center for the second time since June, it was reported yesterday.

The judge signed the warrant after learning the ballplayer hasn’t finished paying a $660,000 payout for sex with an underage girl, the Chicago Sun Times said.

The payout stems from a 2001 case in which Curry, then 18, was sued for having sex with a 14-year-old girl. He agreed to settlement in 2007, but still owes nearly $200,000.

Stephon Marbury to China for 3 years

The AP reports:

Former NBA All-Star Stephon Marbury has agreed to three more years with a Chinese basketball team, whose owners will set up a company to produce and sell his line of athletic apparel and shoes, the team said Thursday.

Marbury played 15 games last season with Shanxi Zhongyu of the Chinese Basketball Association. The point guard was a fan favorite in the rustbelt city of Taiyuan, showing none of the defiant personality that had alienated management, teammates and fans in the U.S.

Marbury, 33, will play two more years and may be asked to become an assistant coach in the third, Shanxi said in an announcement on its website.

Madison Square Garden, Anheuser-Busch extend their partnership

Press Release — Madison Square Garden and Anheuser-Busch announced today a long-term extension of their longstanding marketing partnership. The new marketing deal makes Anheuser-Busch a “Signature Partner” of Madison Square Garden with exposure across MSG’s unrivaled set of assets, including its professional sports teams (New York Knicks and New York Rangers), television networks (MSG and MSG Plus), digital platforms, in-arena signage and an expanded presence in the transformed Madison Square Garden.

The renewed marketing partnership keeps MSG in Anheuser-Busch’s stable of industry-leading sports and entertainment sponsorship properties and is highlighted by the entitlement of the Budweiser Fan Deck to be developed in the transformed Madison Square Garden. The Budweiser Fan Deck is a 10,000-square foot space that will be located in the upper bowl and serve as a unique gathering space for fans with direct views into the arena bowl.

With Budweiser and Bud Light continuing as the official beer sponsor of the Knicks and Rangers respectively, the agreement provides for additional fan focused initiatives, including brand-sponsored Knicks and Rangers viewing parties.

“Our relationship with Madison Square Garden represents one of the longest tenured partnerships in our portfolio,” said Mark Wright, vice president of media, sports and entertainment marketing, Anheuser-Busch, Inc. “Budweiser and Bud Light’s renewed support of the Knicks and Rangers is symbolic of a larger and continued investment in sports and we look forward to expanding our presence in The World’s Most Famous Arena as the transformation is completed.”

“We are proud to continue our longstanding relationship with Anheuser-Busch, and make them a ‘Signature Partner’ with an integrated presence across our sports and media properties,” said Hank Ratner, president and CEO, Madison Square Garden. “One of the exciting new cornerstone elements of the partnership is their expanded presence in the transformed Madison Square Garden with our new fan deck. The Budweiser Fan Deck will provide fans with a unique new space in the arena to socialize and experience games and concerts, truly enhancing the fan experience.”

Added Scott O’Neil, president, MSG Sports: “There is no brand more fitting for The World’s Most Famous Arena than the King of Beers. Anheuser-Busch and Madison Square Garden are storied companies each with well over a century old connection to New York City. This is an exciting new era of our partnership and on behalf of the millions of fans that attend our more than 400 events annually – we look forward to building on the great history our companies have together.”

Karl Malone surprise Hall of Fame presenter pick is Willis Reed

Jody Genessy of the Deseret News reports:

You can bet John Stockton and Jerry Sloan will be at the Hall of Fame enshrinement ceremony next month when Karl Malone and the original Dream Team are among the inductees.

Surprisingly, though, neither of them will be presenting The Mailman on his big night.

Per Malone’s request, that honor has been bestowed upon a fellow Louisiana legend.

“Willis Reed is presenting me at the Hall of Fame, which I think is pretty cool,” Malone said Friday night while visiting with Utah media at his auto dealership.

Though many people thought either Stockton or Sloan would be chosen as his presenter — a privilege only current Hall of Famers are allowed to do — Malone went back to his youth to make the selection.

Reed, who’s 21 years older than the 47-year-old birthday boy Malone, grew up in the town of Bernice, La.

Derrick Rose thinks Tracy McGrady would help Bulls

The Chicago Sun-Times reports:

With the recent addition of Kurt Thomas, the Bulls have 11 players locked up and will be looking to add one more player — preferably a guard — to the roster in the next week or so.

Derrick Rose made it clear Friday he hopes that player is Tracy McGrady.

”I think that if he comes along he can help our team,” Rose said after the Team USA workout at the Cox Pavilion on the UNLV campus. ”A player like him, with his experience and how he plays, I think he’ll help us.”

That depends on the health of McGrady, who has had multiple surgeries on his left knee, including microfracture surgery about a year and a half ago.

David Lee out six weeks with finger injury

Golden State Warriors forward David Lee, who suffered an injury to the middle (long) finger on his right hand during practice with USA Basketball yesterday in Las Vegas, was examined today by Dr. Bill Green in San Francisco.

The exam indicated that Lee suffered a “mallet finger” injury. He is expected to wear a splint for six (6) weeks and is expected to make a complete recovery prior to the start of training camp in late September.

Suns name Lon Babby President of Basketball Operations

The Phoenix Suns today named distinguished sports attorney Lon Babby the club’s president of basketball operations.

“Our organization is fortunate to have someone of Lon’s experience and talent to head-up our basketball staff,” said Suns Managing Partner Robert Sarver. “He brings with him a unique set of skills and a great reputation in the business.”

With almost 35 years as a practicing attorney with Washington, DC-based Williams & Connolly, LLP, Babby brings a wealth of experience as an industry leader in sports and contract negotiations. Identified as one of “Washington’s Top Lawyers” for media and sports law by Washingtonian magazine, one of the “20 Most Influential Agents” in the nation by Sports Business Journal and one of the 100 most powerful in sports by The Sporting News, Babby joins one of the NBA’s most storied franchises, which owns the league’s fourth-highest winning percentage all-time (.561), and becomes only the fourth basketball president in the team’s 43-year history.

One of the industry’s most successful and well-regarded player agents, Babby brings his unique perspective of having represented players for 16 years to the management side. Babby entered player representation in 1994 when he was retained by current Suns forward Grant Hill. Together the pair devised a new model of player representation based on charging players on an hourly basis, rather than the traditional contract percentage. His principled approach became an alternative that appealed to the elite “good guy” athletes and his stable of clients grew to include some of the NBA’s most respected sportsmen, including Boston’s Ray Allen, San Antonio’s Tim Duncan, Houston’s Shane Battier and Hill, a three-time winner of the NBA Sportsmanship Award. Babby also represented marquee Major League Baseball players and the WNBA’s Tamika Catchings.

Babby began his career in sports representing first the NFL’s Washington Redskins (1977-80) and then MLB’s Baltimore Orioles (1979-94). For the Orioles, he was intimately involved in the senior management of the club. He first served as club counsel and then general counsel, overseeing player contract negotiations, advertising and marketing contracts, labor issues and general business matters, including the construction of Oriole Park at Camden Yards.

A graduate of Lehigh University and Yale Law School and former editor of Yale Law Journal, Babby has served as an adjunct professor of law at George Washington University Law School. He began his career as a litigator and handled several high-profile cases including the defense of John Hinckley, Jr., who shot President Reagan. He is a member of the Board of Trustees of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame and in 2007 was elected to the Greater Washington, DC Jewish Sports Hall of Fame.

The 59 year-old Babby was born in Brooklyn, N.Y. and grew up in Valley Stream, N.Y. He and wife Ellen met at summer camp at age 16 and have been married for 37 years. The couple has a son, Ken (30), who is a senior executive at The Washington Post Company, and a daughter, Heather (26), who is a marketing specialist at Saks Fifth Avenue in New York.

Celtics re-sign Nate Robinson

The Boston Celtics announced today that they have re-signed guard Nate Robinson. Per team policy, terms of the deal were not disclosed.

“It is great to have Nate back and we think that he can contribute more significantly this upcoming season after a full training camp with the team,” said Celtics President of Basketball Operations, Danny Ainge. “He helped us win some crucial playoff games this past postseason and we believe that we will see great things from him this coming season.”

Robinson, a 5’9″ guard, averaged 10.1 points, 2.9 assists and shot 39.0% from three-point distance last season between the Celtics and the New York Knicks. After joining the Celtics, Robinson shot 41.4% from beyond the arc in the 26 contests he played for the C’s. The former Washington Husky netted a season-high 41 points against Atlanta on January 1 and scored 20 or more points seven times in his combined 56 games last season. Originally drafted by the Phoenix Suns with the 21st pick in the 2005 Draft, he was acquired by the Celtics on February 18 along with Marcus Landry from the Knicks in exchange for Eddie House, J.R. Giddens and Bill Walker.