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NBA preparing Twitter guidelines
By Marc J. Spears
September 6, 2009
NBA commissioner David Stern told Yahoo! Sports on Thursday the league will soon follow the NFL in announcing Twitter guidelines and other social media restrictions for its players and coaches.
“Obviously, there is a happy medium between tweeting before the game and tweeting from our bench during the game,” Stern said by phone. “You want to make sure that pop culture doesn’t intrude on what brought us here, which is the game, and that we show the right respect for the game.”
The NFL announced its own guidelines on Monday by restricting players, coaches and football operations personnel – or anyone representing them – from using social media networks like Twitter and Facebook from 90 minutes before kickoff to the end of traditional media interviews after games. NFL game officials are banned from using social media at all times.
Stern described the NBA’s guidelines as “nothing too serious.”
“We just need to make sure when it’s OK to Tweet and when it’s not OK to Tweet so it at least focuses around the game,” he said. “It would look unusual for a guy sitting on the bench to pick up his cell phone, and I think we can agree that he probably shouldn’t be writing e-mails. It’s not about Twitter; it’s about the line of communication. That’s what we’re focusing on.
“We’re happy to let it play out to see if it merits all the attention that it’s getting. We don’t want to overreact.”
National Basketball Players Association spokesperson Dan Wasserman said the union would reserve comment until the league officially introduces its guidelines. But Wasserman did express concern that individual teams also could issue their own restrictions, which could conflict with those of the league.
One Western Conference executive said his team already planned to give its players a set of guidelines upon their arrival at training camp later this month.
“We’ve had discussions regarding the development of a team policy that would not interfere with a player’s ability to dialogue with fans via social networking, but would deter or prohibit such dialogue from taking place during ‘business hours’ at and around the workplace, time surrounding games, practice, team-related events, etc.,” the executive said. “We would also attempt to address the matter of our players utilizing social network vehicles to release team-related news and business information.”
Detroit Pistons forward Charlie Villanueva made headlines last season while playing for the Milwaukee Bucks when he tweeted at halftime of a game. Bucks coach Scott Skiles ordered Villanueva not to do it again. Cleveland Cavaliers center Shaquille O’Neal used his Twitter account to give away tickets in Phoenix last season – and take shots at Orlando Magic coach Stan Van Gundy. O’Neal now has more than 2.1 million followers on his Twitter account.
Minnesota Timberwolves forward Kevin Love announced the firing of coach Kevin McHale on Twitter. The NBA has its own Twitter account with more than 1 million followers.
Still, the rapid escalation of social networking among players has some team executives concerned. Boston Celtics free-agent guard Stephon Marbury(notes) recently hosted a bizarre 24-hour live webcast in which, among other things, he admitted to smoking marijuana. Miami Heat forward Michael Beasley also recently posted a picture that contained a couple of suspicious-looking baggies, then tweeted, “Feelin like it’s not worth livin!!!!!!! I’m done.” The incident preceded news that Beasley had been admitted to a Houston rehabilitation facility.
Stern said the Beasley and Marbury incidents concerned him, but he also admitted the league can’t issue a blanket restriction on how players use social media networking when they’re away from their teams.
“You can’t stop them,” Stern said. “It may not be the smartest thing they ever did. But league-wide we have to place a line in what they can and cannot do. We’re looking for the things not to regulate.
“People are going to do unwise things. You might not like what you see, but that doesn’t mean you can go around telling people they can’t engage in the activities that yield [those posts]. Players do videos, players are on YouTube, players are instant messaging, players are tweeting, players are on Facebook. They are just like everyone else. They are allowed to do that. The question is judgment and discretion.
You can’t legislate that.”
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Reports: Wolves sign Ramon Sessions; Knicks to sign David Lee
September 6, 2009
If unidentified sources and officials are to be believed, we can go ahead and check two more names off of our "Summer Blah, Blah, Blah" team above. I can't tell you how happy this makes me.
Restricted free-agent Ramon Sessions and the Minnesota Timberwolves have agreed to four-year, $16.4 million offer sheet, according to the Associated Press. The fourth season will be a player option.
Of course, the Milwaukee Bucks have seven days to match the offer, but it's highly unlikely they'll even pick up a pen. As Gerry Woelfel of The Journal Times pointed out this morning, the Bucks are just $1.6 million under the NBA's luxury tax threshold and already have three point guards on the roster (Brandon Jennings, Luke Ridnour and Roko Ukic. He's all yours, Minny.
The other big news, courtesy of Andrew Marchand of ESPN: David Lee is expected to sign a one-year contract (in the $6 million-to-$8 million range) with the New York Knicks shortly after Labor Day.
"Knicks president Donnie Walsh said he doesn't think a Lee sign-and-trade is possible. Even though the Knicks like Lee, Walsh said he is not interested in signing the forward to a long-term contract at this point; he wants to maintain as much payroll flexibility for next summer, when LeBron James, Chris Bosh and other prominent players will be free agents."
The report goes on to say that there's a good chance Nate Robinson will return to the Knicks on a one-year deal as well, so if we can just get Allen Iverson to make up his damn mind, well, we can finally get this long weekend party started! Pass the rum!
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With MJ leading, '09 group moves to head of the Hall class
By John Schuhmann
September 6, 2009
You could induct Michael Jordan into The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame with Oliver Robinson and John Stroeder and the group would deserve some consideration as the best Hall of Fame class ever. So when you induct him with fellow Dream Teamers David Robinson and John Stockton, along with coach Jerry Sloan, you have to wonder if there ever will be a class as good as this one.
That's no easy claim to make. It's impossible to compare players of different eras. Only one player in the NBA's inaugural season of 1946-47 averaged more than 20 points per game. The league had only 10 teams in the mid-'60s. The 3-point shot wasn't instituted until 1979 and international players didn't start making an impact until recently.
In his prime, Robinson probably would have schooled a young George Mikan in a game of one-on-one. But Mikan was the league's first star, after all, and Robinson can't compete with "GEOMIKAN v/s KNICKS" on the Madison Square Garden marquee. Jordan was the greatest player ever, but he may not have been the showman that he was had it not been for the influence of Julius Erving. And though Stockton and Derrick Rose aren't that far apart in the basketball timeline, their games have few similarities.
When it comes to making an impact, though, it's hard to argue that this class stands alone. Other classes have scored more points or won more championships. None has had Michael Jordan lead them into the hall.
Simply, Jordan is the gold standard for anyone who has ever laced 'em up. He's the originator of Kobe Bryant's on-court mannerisms, the reason LeBron James wears No. 23, the predecessor to Tiger Woods' marketing dominance and he's why this year's induction ceremony was moved from the Hall of Fame to Symphony Hall in downtown Springfield, allowing for an additional 1,500 fans to attend.
Some players are naturally gifted and some work their tails off to make the most of the ability they have. Some players are athletic and some are cerebral. Some players are sizzle and some are steak. Some players sell and some win.
Jordan did it all. His impact on the way the game is played, on the way it's marketed and on how many people watch it now is immeasurable. He is easily the most popular player the NBA has seen and arguably a more accomplished winner than anyone in the league's history.
Bill Russell and the Celtics of the '60s won more rings but competed against half as many teams as Jordan's Bulls. From 1991 to 1998, whenever Jordan played a full season, Chicago won the NBA championship. And several Hall of Famers from his era will forever wear the "never won a title" tag because of him.
One of those guys is Stockton, whose Jazz were the only team the Bulls beat twice in The Finals. The all-time leader in assists and steals, Stockton was everything you could want in a point guard. The 15,806 assists tell you how much of a distributor he was, but he also had the ability to score in the paint or on the perimeter (his series-winning three in the '97 conference finals was easily the biggest shot in Jazz history) and he was tough as nails.
Stockton had microfracture surgery at the age of 35 and went on to play six seasons afterward. This is someone who missed a total of 22 games over his 19-year career, with his recovery from the surgery accounting for 18 of the 22.
"John Stockton is the perfect point guard," Charles Barkley said recently. "There has never been a pure point guard who made better basketball decisions with the ball, ever."
Robinson is a unique player in NBA history. He was drafted No. 1 by the Spurs in 1987 but didn't begin his career until after he served a two-year commitment to the Navy, entering the league at 24. He played a position that has been manned by several of the greatest players in league history, but played it with a new level of athleticism and skill.
"He could do things that you didn't associate with that position, and he could do them at the highest possible level," NBA commissioner David Stern told NBA.com. "We were always wondering whether they would start him at guard in the All-Star Game."
And while he needed Tim Duncan to win his two rings, Robinson was doing pretty well before Duncan came to the league. He earned MVP honors in 1994-95, was named one of the 50 Greatest Players in 1996 and had been an All-Star seven times by the time Duncan left Wake Forest. In April of 2004, Robinson became the first player in more than 16 years to score 70 points or more in a game.
Robinson and Stockton, of course, were not the global marketing forces that Jordan was. But each had a tremendous impact on the franchise he played for, and neither ever left that organization.
When Robinson arrived in San Antonio, the Spurs were coming off the worst season in franchise history. He immediately led them to a 35-game turnaround in the standings and to the conference semifinals for the first time in seven years.
"Before he got there, the team was not in great shape at all financially," Stern said. "It was struggling in a small market in a series of buildings that were not really suitable. He was the glue that kept that franchise together, but also cemented its value as a community asset."
When Robinson left, the Spurs had two championships and were well on their way to becoming the benchmark for how an NBA franchise should be run. And with his Carver Academy for underprivileged children, Robinson's influence on the city of San Antonio goes well beyond the games he won with the Spurs.
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The Classiest Classes
Hall of Fame classes with three of 50 Greatest Players
Year Enshrinees
1980 Jerry Lucas, Oscar Robertson, Jerry West
1982 Hal Greer, John Havlicek, Willis Reed
1987 Rick Barry, Walt Frazier, Pete Maravich
1990 Dave Bing, Elvin Hayes, Earl Monroe
2009 Michael Jordan, David Robinson, John Stockton
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When Stockton arrived in Utah, the Jazz had made the Playoffs for the first time in franchise history. And when he left, Utah had become a postseason staple for 20 straight years. Along with Karl Malone and fellow 2009 enshrinee Sloan, Stockton created a winning atmosphere in Salt Lake City that survived a few years after his departure.
"They put an exclamation mark on the proposition that a small-market team can not only survive, but can thrive and compete if it makes good choices," Stern said. "And in the case of the Jazz, those choices were Stockton, Sloan and Malone."
Of course, when you talk about making an impact across the world, you have to start with the 1992 U.S. Olympic Team, of which Jordan, Robinson and Stockton all were members. It was the greatest team ever assembled. Eight of the 12 members of the Dream Team are now Hall of Famers, with another two (Malone and Scottie Pippen) sure things to be enshrined next year.
With their dominance in Barcelona, they changed the basketball world forever, influencing young players from Argentina to China. He didn't know it at the time, but Jordan opened the eyes of a 12-year-old Pau Gasol, who would eventually make him really regret his selection of Kwame Brown in the 2001 Draft. And Robinson helped motivate a 15-year-old Manu Ginobili, who as a teammate on the Spurs eventually would help him leave the game on top.
"[The Olympics] was the event that was the catalyst for the accelerated growth of basketball on a global scale," Stern said. "It was as though you brought these people together to be appreciated for their talent, what they contributed to the game and their place in the game."
The Hall of Fame class of 1980, featuring Jerry Lucas, Oscar Robertson and Jerry West, can make a strong argument for the best-class-ever distinction. Including this year, 47 of the 50 Greatest Players (as deemed in 1996) have been enshrined in the Hall of Fame, but no more than three have entered the Hall at once.
This class, of course, is more than three-deep. C. Vivian Stringer is the third winningest coach in women's college basketball history, won a gold medal as the coach of the 2004 U.S. Women's Olympic Team and has help develop several women into WNBA players. Sloan is the fourth winningest coach in NBA history and the only one to win 1,000 games with one team.
Whether it be on individual franchises or on the game as a whole, the four NBA representatives in this year's Hall of Fame class have made a boundless impact. The cities of San Antonio and Salt Lake City would not be the same if Robinson, Stockton and Sloan had never called them home. And the NBA audience wouldn't be nearly the size that it is today had Jordan quit the game when he was cut from the varsity squad as a high school sophomore.
So on Sept. 11, the basketball world will celebrate more than some great career. It will celebrate the growth of the game.
"They represent a very exciting era," Stern said, "a time when basketball was climbing to the place on the ladder that it finds itself now."
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Spain favored to win European basketball title
Associated Press
September 6, 2009
WARSAW, Poland — The European basketball championship opens Monday with Spain once again starting out as the clear favorite.
The Spaniards enter the tournament with a squad laden with NBA talent and the desire to finally win a European title after losing in the final at home two years ago.
L.A. Lakers center Pau Gasol leads the team, which lost to the United States 118-107 in a close gold medal game at last year's Beijing Olympics. Gasol is joined by Portland Trail Blazers guard Rudy Fernandez and Memphis Grizzlies forward Marc Gasol.
Spain, which won the world title in 2006, hopes that its talent and international experience will finally result in a European title.
But the Spaniards, who have been runner-up six times, are wary of being tabbed the tournament favorite in Poland. Spain hosted the 2007 edition of the competition, only to be upset by Russia 60-59 in the final.
"Two years ago we were also favorites and we know what happened," coach Sergio Scariolo said. "Winning titles isn't so easy."
Spain's chances shouldn't be hampered by a minor injury to Pau Gasol. The Lakers' center had minor surgery on his left index finger last month after injuring it in practice, and should be ready to lead the team when it opens play in Group C against Serbia on Monday.
"It's not exactly what we wished for, but instead of feeling sorry for ourselves over what happened, we've tried to find the right solution," Scariolo said. "Our idea is that Marc (Gasol) and Felipe (Reyes) can't limit themselves to believing they're just substitutes for Pau."
Defending champion Russia begins its title defense against Latvia in Group B, but without Utah Jazz forward Andrei Kirilenko, who averaged 18 points per game and earned tournament MVP honors in 2007.
In what could have been an intriguing matchup, France opens against Germany in the other half of Group B. San Antonio Spurs point guard Tony Parker leads France, which will look to get back on the podium after dropping to eighth place two years ago.
Germany, however, will be without its NBA star, Dirk Nowitzki. The Dallas Mavericks forward led all scorers at the 2007 championships with 24 points per game, but Mavericks owner Mark Cuban has refused to allow him to play in the tournament.
Greece, the 2005 champion, opens the tournament against Macedonia in Group A, where Croatia also takes on Israel.
In Group D, traditional power Lithuania opens against host Poland, and Turkey takes on Bulgaria.
The top three teams from each group advance to two six-team qualifying-round groups. The top four teams from each group -- taking into account results from the preliminary rounds -- advance to the quarterfinals. The final will be played in Katowice on Sept. 20.
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