NBA Teams – Page 1703 – NBA Blog

Miami Heat players will probably work out together soon

With the awful NBA lockout continuing to destroy humanity, players are likely to start gathering together with friends or teammates to train and keep each other on top of their games. It makes sense for players, sitting around bored, to round teammates up and make up for what they may miss if NBA preseason gets partially or fully wiped out.

Here’s the Associated Press reporting on Chris Bosh and the Miami Heat:

Chris Bosh enjoyed just about every second of his jampacked offseason.

Nonetheless, he’s ready to go back to work.

Bosh said Saturday that he expects the Miami Heat to reconvene sometime soon, even though the NBA lockout has entered its third month with no apparent ending in sight. This would ordinarily be the time of year where most players start ramping up workouts anyway, and Bosh said he will be ready whether training camps begin on time or not.

“We’re going to make some plans. We’re going to plan to do something,” Bosh said in a telephone interview from Los Angeles. “I think just getting around each other, I think it’s important as far as team-building is concerned and just getting something going. We’re pretty much still in the process of doing that.”

I would think that by late September, captains/leaders of most NBA teams should step up and make this happen.

New Philadelphia 76ers ownership group chooses a CEO

Though the immediate future of the NBA is being played out in a Manhattan hotel as owners and players try to iron out a new collective bargaining agreement, some business must carry on.

The 76ers’ new ownership group, headed by leveraged buyout specialist Joshua Harris, has hired noted travel industry executive Adam M. Aron as the team’s chief executive officer, the Daily News learned yesterday.

Aron, 56, and Harris have history. Aron is a senior operating partner at Apollo Global Management, which Harris co-founded. Aron was born in Philadelphia and attended Abington High (class of 1972). Harris grew up here.

Aron previously was CEO of Vail Resorts, the second-largest ski resort operator worldwide, and president and CEO of Norwegian Cruise Line, then the fourth-largest cruise company in the world. He also was senior vice president for marketing for United Airlines and for the Hyatt Hotels Corp. After Abington, Aron attended Harvard, where he graduated cum laude with a bachelor’s degree in government and earned an MBA with distinction from the Business School.

— Reported by Bob Cooney of the Philadelphia Daily News

Former NBA, MSU player Jay Vincent sentenced to prison

Former NBA player and Michigan State star Jay Vincent was sentenced Friday to more than five years in prison and ordered to pay more than $110,000 to the Internal Revenue Service for his part in a fraud case involving thousands of people who paid to become certified home inspectors.

Prosecutors say Vincent and an associate defrauded 20,000 people out of more than $1 million by charging them to become inspectors through a business called Foreclosure Bank Inspection. No inspectors were hired, and the business had no contracts with banks, according to the government.

Vincent, 52, pleaded guilty to fraud and tax charges nearly a year ago. He apologized Friday in federal court in Grand Rapids, Mich., for his actions. U.S. District Judge Robert Jonker sentenced Vincent to 5 1/2 years on a mail fraud charge involving the victims and three years on a tax fraud charge. The sentences are to run concurrently. Vincent could be eligible for time off for good behavior that could slightly reduce his sentence.

— Reported by the Associated Press

Knicks players schedule October minicamp workouts

If the NBA and NBPA can’t come to an agreement in time to preserve the regularly-scheduled training camp, Amar’e Stoudemire has organized a minicamp at the IMG Basketball facility in Bradenton, Fla. The camp is scheduled to run from Oct. 19 to Nov. 6.

According to several players, the Knicks’ captain sent out emails about the plan to all 10 players under contract for 2011-12, plus draft picks Iman Shumpert (who is already working out at IMG) and Josh Harrellson and a few free agents from the 2010-11 roster. Center Jerome Jordan signed with a team in Slovenia (with an NBA out), so he will likely not be available to attend a workout unless the lockout is resolved.

Anthony, looking muscular and well-conditioned, poured in 27 points in the Melo-Goodman game and declared himself “back”. He had been dealing with an elbow injury last season.

Speaking of back, Stoudemire recently said his feels “much better.”

— Reported by Alan Hahn of New York Newsday

Rockets rookie Chandler Parsons will play basketball in France

Houston Rockets rookie forward Chandler Parsons will reportedly play in France during the NBA lockout.

According to Sam Amick of Sports Illustrated (via Twitter), “Houston rookie forward Chandler Parsons will be signing with Cholet in France, according to his agent, Mark Bartelstein. The 38th pick out of Florida had reportedly turned down a chance to play in France just three weeks ago. Parsons’ deal is guaranteed for two months, with an opt-out that starts on October 3 in case the NBA lockout ends.”

Per Amick: “They’re a really good team (with) terrific history,” Parsons’ agent Mark Bartelstein said. “They’ve won the French League the last couple years and are trying to qualify for the Euroleague right now.”

Parsons is a 6-10, 220-pound forward who went to college at Florida.

DeJuan Blair will play basketball in Russia

San Antonio Spurs forward DeJuan Blair has signed to play with Russia’s Krasnye Krylya Samara for the 2011-12 season, his agent told Yahoo! Sports on Friday.

Because he’s under contract with the Spurs, Blair’s deal has an out clause that allows him to return to the NBA this season should the league-imposed lockout ends, said his agent, Happy Walters…

Krasnye Krylya’s roster for the 2011-12 season includes two former NBA players, Jarvis Hayes and Joe Alexander.

— Reported by Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports

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Tony Ronzone out as Minnesota Timberwolves assistant GM

With the NBA lockout ongoing, the main official NBA news revolves around overseas signings or NBA team front office changes.

The latest management moves comes out of Minnesota.

Jerry Zgoda of the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports:

Timberwolves assistant general manager Tony Ronzone has left the organization.

Known for his international-scouting connections, he was hired in spring 2010 just about the time Fred Hoiberg was headed for Iowa State’s head-coaching job and had a voice in personnel moves that included drafting Wes Johnson and Derrick Williams as well as trading away Al Jefferson, acquiring Michael Beasley and re-signing center Darko Milicic.

The Wolves, through a spokesman, said they and Ronzone mutually have agreed to part ways and wished him good luck.

Ronzone coordinated workouts and was the franchise’s public face in preparations for the June draft.

The Timberwolves had the worst record in the NBA last season, finishing with 17 wins and 65 losses.

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Ron Artest guarantees Lakers will win 2012 NBA championship

Earlier today, I guaranteed to myself that I would walk across the street and buy two bagels and an iced coffee.

And, I did it.

Some guarantees are easier to fulfill than others.

Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Times blog reports:

Ron Artest guaranteed to ESPN Los Angeles’ Stephen A. Smith in a 40-minute interview Wednesday that the Lakers will again pop the champagne bottles after winning the 2012 NBA title. Assuming there’s a season of course.

“Win it all,” Artest said when asked what will the Lakers do in the 2011-2012 season. “Win the whole thing. That’s a guarantee.”

Artest didn’t sound as confident about guaranteeing that he and his dance partner, Peta Murgatroyd, would win in “Dancing with the Stars,” admitting “that’s going to be a problem.

The Lakers definitely still seem like a title contender. Although they got smoked by the eventual title-winner Dallas Mavericks in last year’s playoffs, on paper the Lakers continue to be as good as anyone out West.

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Exhibition basketball games coming to Salt Lake City and Provo in September

The state of Utah has some basketball fun coming later in September thanks to a couple of NBA players setting up a pair of exhibition game battles.

Brian T. Smith of the Salt Lake Tribune reports:

Jimmer Fredette and Kemba Walker matched up against each other June 15 during a pre-draft workout for the Jazz in Salt Lake City. Now, the duo will team up for two charity events based in Utah while the NBA is stuck in a lockout.

Walker was confirmed Wednesday to participate in two exhibition games hosted by Fredette. Walker, a rookie guard and former Connecticut standout, was selected by the Charlotte Bobcats with the ninth overall pick during the 2011 NBA Draft. Fredette was taken No. 10 by the Sacramento Kings.

“I have always been a big fan and have a lot of respect for Kemba,” Fredette said in a press release. “We had the chance to work out together before the draft and have become friends.”

The charity games will be held Sept. 21 (Salt Lake City) and 22 (Provo). Other participating players will be announced during the coming weeks.

Hey Jazz fans: Go hit the games! It may be the best basketball you catch in the near future.

Hakim Warrick trying to set up Philly vs Baltimore basketball game

As NBA players realize that sitting around bored is no way to spend the summer, some really fun exhibition games loosely pitting city against city have emerged. Wish there were more of these games? Same here.

If Hakim Warrick gets his way, another good one should come soon.

Marc Stein of ESPN reports:

After watching Carmelo Anthony host some of the game’s biggest names for a glitzy summer-league game in his hometown, Phoenix Suns forward and Philadelphia native Hakim Warrick is trying to arrange a Philly-versus-Baltimore showdown against Anthony’s crew.

Warrick told ESPN.com that he and Anthony, former college teammates at Syracuse, spoke Wednesday and have tentatively arranged to stage an exhibition game in Philadelphia before the end of September.

“I was trying to do a Philly and Baltimore game awhile ago,” Warrick said. “Then when I saw Drew League vs. Goodman League and Team Melo vs. Goodman [on Tuesday night], I was like, ‘Man, let me go ahead and set this up.’

“I told [Anthony] that we want to play them next and they have to come up to Philly. And he said he’s with it.”

Warrick says he’ll try to recruit Philadelphia-reared stalwarts such as Sacramento’s Tyreke Evans, Orlando’s Jameer Nelson and Detroit’s Richard Hamilton to play on the Philly squad. Other players Warrick expects to play include Houston’s Kyle Lowry, Sacramento’s John Salmons, Minnesota’s Wayne Ellington, Charlotte’s Gerald Henderson, veteran NBA guard Ronald Murray (who finished last season in Turkey) and recent draftees Markieff and Marcus Morris, who were selected in the first round in June by Phoenix and Houston, respectively.

In the ideal world, we’d have a game like this every week, all summer long.

Of course, in an even more ideal world, there’d be no lockout, and we’d be previewing the upcoming season.

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