New Orleans Pelicans Blog – Page 61 – NBA Blog

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.”

Alonzo Mourning cited for leaving scene of traffic crash

Sometimes, typically well-meaning people do something wrong.

Such is the case here.

The AP reports:

Former NBA star Alonzo Mourning is being cited by police for leaving the scene of a traffic crash in Miami Beach last week.

The Florida Highway Patrol issued a report Monday saying Mourning is being issued a notice to appear in court for the second-degree misdemeanor of leaving the scene of an accident with property damage. Mourning was also issued a citation for failure to leave information at the scene.

Obey the law, kids.

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

Chris Paul is open to playing basketball overseas

Jimmy Smith of the New Orleans Times-Picayune reports:

Already accustomed to international basketball, thanks to his 2008 Beijing Olympic experience, New Orleans Hornets guard Chris Paul this weekend is heading to the Philippines for a two-game exhibition series, and said Wednesday he’s keeping his options open about playing overseas this fall if the NBA lockout persists.

Paul is joining fellow Olympian Kobe Bryant, along with players such as Los Angeles Lakers guard Derek Fisher, Oklahoma Thunder forward Kevin Durant and reigning league Most Valuable Player Derrick Rose of the Chicago Bulls, for two games in Quezon City’s Araneta Coliseum that will benefit the MVP Sports Foundation, a group committed to aiding youth sports.

“The (foundation) over there is all about giving back and helping out kids,” Paul said Wednesday, adding he committed to the event just in the past week. “That’s something I feel strongly about also. I’m going over there with a few other guys, and we’re going to play. I found out about this through D-Fish (Fisher). He let me know about it.”

The timing of the event coincides with the recent flurry of NBA players such as Paul’s close friend, New Jersey Nets guard Deron Williams, signing on with European teams because of the lockout that began July 1. Several of Paul’s former Hornets teammates, including Hilton Armstrong, Darius Songaila and David Andersen, also are heading overseas to play this fall.

InsideHoops.com editor says: One by one, NBA players, when asked about it, will mostly say that yes, they are “open” to playing overseas. It simply makes no sense for most guys to flat-out reject the possibility. I’d say that players who are on the NBA fringe and maybe in trouble of falling out of the league might be the only ones to maybe say they won’t go overseas, but that’s because if they do, they might not be able to get back into the league. But for all the players who know they have a place in the NBA for years to come, there’s no reason to absolutely, firmly reject global possibilities.

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.

NBA says NYTimes.com blog was based on inaccurate info

The following is an official release from the NBA:

The information from Forbes that serves as the basis for this article is inaccurate and we do not know how they do their calculations. Forbes does not have the financial data for our teams and the magazine’s estimates do not reflect reality.

Precisely to avoid this issue, the NBA and its teams shared their complete league and team audited financials as well as our state and Federal tax returns with the Players Union. Those financials demonstrate the substantial and indisputable losses the league has incurred over the past several years.

The analysis that was posted this afternoon has several significant factual inaccuracies, including:

“(The NBA) is a fundamentally healthy and profitable business”

• The league lost money every year of the just expiring CBA. During these years, the league has never had positive Net Income, EBITDA or Operating Income.

“Many of the purported losses result from an unusual accounting treatment related to depreciation and amortization when a team is sold.”

• We use the conventional and generally accepted accounting (GAAP) approach and include in our financial reporting the depreciation of the capital expenditures made in the normal course of business by the teams as they are a substantial and necessary cost of doing business.

We do not include purchase price amortization from when a team is sold or under any circumstances in any of our reported losses. Put simply, none of the league losses are related to team purchase or sale accounting.

“Another trick…moving income from the team’s balance sheet to that of a related business like a cable network…”

• All revenues included in Basketball Related Income (“BRI”) and reported in our financial statements have been audited by an accounting firm jointly engaged by the players’ union and the league. They include basketball revenues reported on related entities’ books.

“Ticket revenues… are up 22% compared to 1999-2000 season”

• Ticket revenues have increased 12% over the 10 year period, not the 22% reported.

“17 teams lost money according to Forbes … Most of these losses were small…”

• Forbes’ claim is inaccurate. In 2009-10, 23 teams had net income losses. The losses were in no way “small” as 11 teams lost more than $20M each on a net income basis.

“The profits made by the Knicks, Bulls and Lakers alone would be enough to cover the losses of all 17 unprofitable teams.”

• The Knicks, Bulls and Lakers combined net income for 2009-10 does not cover the losses of the 23 unprofitable teams. Our net loss for that year, including the gains from the seven profitable teams, was -$340 million.

“Forbes’s estimates — a $183 million profit for the NBA in 2009-10, and those issued by the league, which claim a $370M loss…”

• Forbes’s data is inaccurate. Our losses for 2009-10 were -$340 million, not -$370 million as the article states.

“The leaked financial statements for one team, the New Orleans Hornets, closely matched the Forbes data…”

• This is not an accurate statement as operating income in the latest Forbes data (2009-10) is $5M greater than what is reported in the Hornets audited financials.

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

New Orleans Hornets extend qualifying offer to Marco Belinelli

The New Orleans Hornets announced today that the team has extended a qualifying offer to guard Marco Belinelli for the 2011-12 season, making him a restricted free agent. Per team policy, financial details were not disclosed.

“We were very pleased with the performances of both Marco and Jason Smith as each of them had their best professional season and it was fun to watch them grow and contribute to our success,” said Hornets General Manager Dell Demps. “We know both players will continue to improve and hope to have each of them back for the 2011-12 season.”

Belinelli averaged career-highs of 10.4 points, 1.9 rebounds and 24.5 minutes in 80 games, 69 of which were starts (both career-highs). He shot 43.7% from the field and a career-best 41.1% from beyond the arc. Belinelli registered four 20-point performances for the Hornets last season.

NBA suspends Charlie Bell, Jarrett Jack one game each

Charlie Bell of the Golden State Warriors and Jarrett Jack of the New Orleans Hornets have each been suspended without pay for one game for separate violations of the law, the NBA announced today.

Bell has been suspended for pleading no contest to reckless driving, in violation of the law of the State of California. Jack has been suspended for pleading nolo contendre to reckless driving, in violation of the law of the State of Georgia.

Both Bell and Jack will each be suspended for their team’s first game of the 2011-12 NBA regular season for which they are eligible and physically able to play.

David West opts out of New Orleans Hornets contract, becomes free agent

The New Orleans Hornets announced today that forward David West has declined his player option for the 2011-12 season and opted out of his contract to become an unrestricted free agent. West had until June 30 to notify the Hornets if he was taking his player option for next season.

“David has been a tremendous player and person for us on and off the court during his eight-years with the Hornets,” General Manager Dell Demps said. “We have had open communication with David this entire season about his option and knew with either decision that our intention is to pursue David so he can finish his career as a Hornet.”

“After many months of talking with the people around me, this is the best decision for myself as a player and my future,” West said. “I love the city of New Orleans and have spent my whole career with the Hornets and am fortunate to be with such a supportive organization. I am continuing my rehab to get back on the court as soon as I can and look forward to conversations with the Hornets about my future and potentially continuing my career in New Orleans.”

West sustained a torn MCL on March 24 against Utah that ended his season. His rehab time timetable was set at 6 to 8 months and he is currently rehabbing at home in Raleigh, NC. David averaged a team-high 18.9 points to go along with 7.6 rebounds in 70 games (all starts) last season.

“David’s rehab is progressing very well and he is excited about his return to the court next season,” West’s agent Lance Young said. “David is a very smart person and this decision was well thought out. We feel this is best for David’s career and we want to thank the Hornets for being behind David 100%.”

Selected by New Orleans with the 18th pick in the 2003 NBA Draft, West has spent all eight seasons of his professional career in a Hornets uniform. The two-time All-Star holds career averages of 16.4 points and 7.3 rebounds over 530 games (438 starts). The 30-year-old West’s career totals rank him in the top five in franchise history in a number of categories, including: games played (530, 3rd), minutes played (17,160, 4th), points scored (8,690, 2nd), total rebounds (3,853, 2nd) and blocks (435, 3rd).

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

Hornets forward David West still undecided about his opt-out decision

Jimmy Smith of the New Orleans Times-Picayune reports:

With less than one week remaining before a deadline to decide whether to opt out of the final year of his contract, New Orleans Hornets forward David West said Friday he still hasn’t decided to stay or go.

West, who tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee on March 24 and had reconstructive surgery on April 12, can walk away from $7.5 million next season and test the free-agent market. He must decide by June 30.

“I’m going to talk to (the Hornets) later in the day,” West, a two-time All-Star, said Friday morning. “I just want to make sure I make the clearest decision possible as to what the next step in my career will be. I’ll talk to them later, maybe throw some ideas around.

“I never really intended. . . . even before I got hurt, my whole intention was to wait and make sure the decision I made was a clear-headed one.”
West did not indicate which way he was leaning. Conventional thinking, following the injury, was that West would likely choose to remain with the Hornets and play next season – if there is one considering the impending labor unrest – because his value on the open market would have been diminished by the injury.