Other News

Michael Beasley ‘Agrees’ With Coming off the Bench

CHN — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 08:01:12 -0700

Well, sort of: “Erik Spoelstra said after consulting with assistant coach Ron Rothstein and then meeting with Beasley before Saturday’s victory over the Washington Wizards, it was decided to maintain Beasley’s role as a sixth man…’The bench has been playing well, and we didn’t want to make two changes,’ Spoelstra said after Monday’s practice at AmericanAirlines Arena. ‘He actually agreed.’ Beasley would not go that far, but said playing behind fill-in starter Yakhouba Diawara is not an issue. ‘He obviously knows more than me,’ the No. 2 pick in last June’s draft said. ‘It was respecting the elder.’”

Optimism in Indiana

CHN — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 07:31:19 -0700

Sometimes, you just gotta have faith: “The record isn’t close to anything Larry Bird and Jim O’Brien desired. The playoffs? They’re not going to happen for these Indiana Pacers. They may be mathematically alive — barely — but coach O’Brien has been conceding for weeks now that the playoffs are a pipe dream beyond rational consideration. And yet … It has been a good season. A productive season. A season of significant growth. Seriously. What? You were expecting a snide comment? For the first time in a long time, there is the sense the Pacers are building toward something, that next year’s playoffs are easily within their grasp if only they add bodies, stay healthy and learn how to play a lick of defense.”

A Look at the Nets’ Financial Woes

CHN — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 07:01:22 -0700

With operating losses for the year at close to $30 million, it’s not a pretty picture: “In a sign that the recession has already eaten away at the bottom line in sports, revenue for the New Jersey Nets’ operating company dipped sharply in fiscal 2009, the last five months of which coincided with the economy’s contraction. Many observers have suggested that because teams’ selling season for suites, season tickets and sponsorships finished before the economy cratered, sports would only begin to feel a bottom-line hurt as this year progressed. Revenue for Nets Sports & Entertainment, however, fell 8 percent in the 12-month period that ended Jan. 31. The financial results mark the first public snapshot of a Big Four sports club since the economy unraveled. The results are broken out in the annual financial filing of Forest City Enterprises, which owns 23 percent of the team.”

Andrew Bynum Returns This Week

CHN — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 07:01:21 -0700

That’s the plan, anyway: “After today’s practice went well, Andrew Bynum said he plans to play Sunday against the Memphis Grizzlies and April 14 against the Utah Jazz. Those are the Lakers’ final regular-season games. Bynum has said all along that he hoped to play in a couple of regular-season games before rejoining the active roster for the playoffs…’I just have to get my timing back,’ said Bynum, who did not travel with the team for Tuesday night’s game against the Kings in Sacramento. ‘Other than that, I’m ready to go.’”

Turkoglu and Okur: Keys to Solid U.S.-Turkey Relations

CHN — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 06:31:23 -0700

Naturally: “Everybody knows that President Obama is a hoops fan. He references Hedo Turkoglu and Mehmet Okur in his speech today to the Turkish Parliament. ‘The ties among our people have deepened as well, and more and more Americans of Turkish origin live and work and succeed within our borders,’ NBC First Read reports. ‘As a basketball fan, I’ve even noticed that Hedo Turkoglu and Mehmet Okur have got some pretty good game.’”

Should the Heat Retire Tim Hardaway’s Jersey?

CHN — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 06:01:18 -0700

Tim sure thinks so: “With Alonzo Mourning’s Heat number retired, Tim Hardaway said, ‘I deserve to be up there’ too. Hardaway attributes his inability to get an NBA job to his 2007 ‘I don’t like gay people’ comment — despite his apologies. ‘I thought we were supposed to forgive and forget but it’s not happening.’”

Marcus Jordan Commits to Central Florida

CHN — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 14:24:23 -0700

Sorry Illinois fans, at least the winters will be nicer for MJ Jr. at UCF: “He made his decision based on two criteria,” said Tyrone Slaughter, Jordan’s coach at Whitney Young High in the Chicago area. “One was the ability to go in and make an immediate impact. He wanted to go in and have an opportunity to play right away at the collegiate level. Secondly, if it was a place that he went to on a visit that would immediately appeal to him. He immediately felt comfortable during his visit to UCF.”

‘You Can’t Say Josh Howard Doesn’t Care’

CHN — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 13:02:10 -0700

Then again, everyone looks good when you score 81 points by halftime. From the Morning News blog: “He’s playing with a lot of emotion. A little too much emotion after what he thought should have been an and one, getting T’d up for showing up the ref. But you can’t complain about Josh Howard’s game today. He has 18 points on 8-14 shooting despite playing on an ankle that will require postseason surgery and a wrist that might need to be operated on, too.”

It’s Official: Arizona Will Have a Coach Next Season

CHN — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 11:53:46 -0700

Talk about a change of heart. The former Xavier head coach allegedly accepted a seven-year deal worth about $18 million with a $1 million dollar signing bonus. Why the Wildcats targeted USC coach Tim Floyd before Miller doesn’t make sense, but ‘Zona got the best possible hire in the end.

Hall Announces Class of 2009

CHN — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 08:52:35 -0700

It’s hard to image the selection committee arguing over the five to be inducted this year: “[Michael] Jordan was elected to the class of 2009 Monday with David Robinson, John Stockton, Utah Jazz coach Jerry Sloan and Rutgers women’s coach C. Vivian Stringer. The announcement was made in Detroit, site of the men’s Final Four. Induction is Sept. 10-12 in Springfield, Mass., home of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.”