Category: News (Page 34 of 199)

      If L.A. builds a stadium, some team will come.

      January 28, 2011 /

      NFL Facts & Rumors (a CBSSports.com blog) is reporting that AEG president Tim Leiweke is willing to invest heavily into a stadium in downtown Los Angeles.

      He recently presented to a LA City Council panel the plans for a $1 billion, retractable-roof stadium that would require no public funding and could be built near the AEG-owned Staples Center and L.A. Live.

      “Zygi (Wilf, the Vikings owner) came down and looked at LA Live,” Leiweke said. “I think Zygi really wants to figure this out in Minnesota. I personally think he will. … I think this is the year they’re going to do it and I think he’s pretty committed to keeping that team and that brand a part of the culture in Minnesota.

      “Because we have roots there and we manage the Target Center, that’s not one that we get all excited about. We would prefer and hope that he solves his problem there and that still leaves us with another half-dozen teams that, I think, [are not] going to solve their problem in their current local marketplace.

      I’ve lived in Southern California for 10 years now and I’m still amazed that L.A. doesn’t have a football team. There are too many transplants and there are too many other things to do to support two teams, which I believe was the root problem when the Rams and Raiders were both here. L.A. can certainly support one team, assuming of course that the team is good. (Southern Californians are notoriously front-running when it comes to sports teams.)

      If they can find a spot downtown for the stadium, it will be a pretty good fit, though traffic will be even more nightmarish than it already is. The fact that most home games will be on Sundays should make things easier. Hopefully, they’ll take the Metro and Metrolink train routes into account when picking a location. I for one enjoy catching the Metro train in Long Beach when I go up to Laker or Clipper games at Staples.

      Los Angeles Chargers doesn’t have a bad ring to it, though it really doesn’t matter. If there’s a brand new stadium built in downtown L.A., some franchise will eventually decide to come. There’s just too much opportunity to pass up playing in such a huge market.

      External Sports, Fantasy Football, News, NFL

      Key factors in the NFL CBA negotiations

      January 26, 2011 /

      I’m in Las Vegas at the Fantasy Sports Trade Association conference and one of the panels yesterday featured former Packer VP Andrew Brandt (current president of the National Football Post) and sports agent Blake Baratz discussing the ongoing collective bargaining agreement negotiations between the NFL and the Players’ Association.

      Here are the key points of contention:

      1. Share of revenue.
      The players currently get 59% of the pie and the owners would like to see that share reduced. This is obviously a contentious issue.

      2. An 18-game season.
      The NFL wants to expand the regular season by two games while eliminating two preseason games. This would be a boon for the owners since regular season games bring in more revenue than preseason games. For the players, this is a health and safety issue and one concession that the owners could make might be in the area of health benefits and post-career pensions.

      3. Guaranteed salaries.
      This is not a big deal with regard to established players like Peyton Manning, who is in the midst of negotiating a contract that would make him the highest paid player…ever. Baratz believes that the main issue is with the Top 10 players in the draft. There is a ridiculous amount of money being thrown at unproven players and everyone (outside of the ten young men who will be drafted that early) would like to see that amount of money reduced. Baratz believes that there isn’t much of a difference between an early first round player and a late first round player, yet the monetary difference is huge, and those fat contracts (think JaMarcus Russell or Ryan Leaf) can hamstring a franchise for years if that player doesn’t pan out. However, the two sides won’t necessarily agree on what to do with the money. The veteran players would like to see it spread around the rest of the league while the owners might just want to cut that cost out completely.

      4. Health benefits.
      This is more important to the rank and file players than the stars who make far more money, but as of March 3, NFL players will have no health benefits. Brandt mentioned a story where one player asked another if he and his wife should plan to induce labor so that the delivery is covered by insurance.

      5. Salary cap.
      When we headed into the 2010 season without a salary cap, many pundits were worried about how out-of-control owners would spend, spend and spend some more. Instead, we’ve seen the opposite, with teams slashing salary and going under the salary cap floor. The Players’ Association needs that salary floor to keep players’ salaries up, so they’ll no doubt agree to a similar salary cap structure that was found in the previous CBA.

      Both men are optimistic about a deal getting done relatively soon, and place the chances of something getting done before training camp at around 90-95%.

      External Sports, Fantasy Football, News, NFL

      Ricky Rubio doesn’t want to play for the T-Wolves?

      January 24, 2011 /

      Barring some sort of language barrier or misquote, “a senior member of Rubio’s camp” seems to have confirmed to the New York Times what we all pretty much knew — Ricky Rubio does not want to play for the Minnesota Timberwolves.

      The Timberwolves continue to push him toward the N.B.A. as soon as possible, contending privately that they have a commitment from him for next season. But Rubio’s camp does not appear to be convinced.

      “The bottom line is, why would he want to play in Minnesota?” a senior member of Rubio’s camp said this month. “He’ll continue to say all the diplomatic things, and Minnesota needs to keep his value up for trade purposes, but the family’s preference is to be on the East Coast, specifically New York, Miami or Boston. He wouldn’t be troubled if he has to stay another year.”

      But the Timberwolves have leverage. They hold his exclusive draft rights, meaning they are the only N.B.A. team with whom he can negotiate. Their latest strategy in trying to persuade Rubio to sign may center on the possible N.B.A. lockout of players after the collective bargaining agreement expires June 30. The terms of the new agreement will probably be significantly less favorable for rookies.

      New York, Miami or Boston…hmmm. Well, Boston is probably out because Rajon Rondo is already there, and he’s one of the best point guards in the NBA. It’s not like Rubio’s recent play has been so awe-inspiring that the C’s would give up on a bird in the hand like Rondo. Some are even wondering if Rubio’s development has stalled.

      Miami would be an interesting landing spot from a how-are-they-going-to-make-this-work standpoint, but Rubio is not a good fit. LeBron and Dwyane Wade handle the ball so much that it would be a waste of Rubio’s playmaking talents. LeBron and Wade need to play with a point guard who can space the floor with good three-point shooting, and that’s not Rubio’s game. At all.

      The Knicks are a possibility, and Rubio’s freewheeling, pass-first style would be fun to watch in Mike D’Antoni’s up-tempo system, but Raymond Felton is averaging 17.5 points and 8.7 assists, and is a better scorer than Rubio at this point. Felton is only under contract for one more season, so if the Knicks see Rubio as a better point guard of the future, they have a few assets that might appeal to the Timberwolves.

      The article goes on to discuss how the new CBA might not be as favorable to rookies, and that might encourage Rubio to sign before June 30. But right now it looks like he’s willing to play in Spain for another season and try to force the T-Wolves to trade his rights to an East Coast team.

      It’s amazing — T-Wolves GM David Kahn took three point guards (Rubio, Jonny Flynn, Ty Lawson) in what was considered to be a great draft for that position and still doesn’t have his PG of the future. He passed on Brandon Jennings and Stephen Curry to take Rubio and Flynn, and ended up trading Lawson away (for a draft pick that turned into a trade for Martell Webster). Darren Collison was also available when the T-Wolves took Lawson.

      External Sports, Fantasy Basketball, NBA, News, Rumors & Gossip

      Jazz mascot vs. Cavs fan — who wins? [video]

      January 20, 2011 /

      Check out this video from a recent Jazz/Cavs game in Utah. There’s a Cavs fan there holding up a sign that reads “Jazz Stink” — that gets a 10/10 for creativity, by the way — and the Jazz mascot comes down and holds up a sign that reads “I’m a Loser” behind the Cavs fan’s back. Hilarity ensues. (Be sure to watch the whole video.)

      External Sports, Fantasy Basketball, NBA, News, Video

      Chris Sheridan predicts the end of the Carmelo saga

      January 20, 2011 /
      Denver Nuggets forward Carmelo Anthony (L) moves against the New York Knicks guard/forward Landry Fields during the first quarter at the Pepsi Center in Denver on November 16, 2010. UPI/Gary C. Caskey

      The ESPN writer says that the Knicks are not a shoe-in to land Carmelo, but still thinks that he’ll land in New York.

      The guess here is that if the Knicks acquire Anthony, they will give up Chandler or Gallinari (not both), Fields, Walker, Anthony Randolph (or a No. 1 obtained through a Randolph trade), Eddy Curry, plus an additional No. 1 pick (perhaps New York’s own 2014 pick), with the Knicks getting back an additional big body — something they’ve been scouring the league for throughout December and the first half of January. And I’m not necessarily saying the Nuggets would be taking on all those pieces, because a three-team trade might make it easier for everyone to walk away satisfied.

      Sheridan also mentions the possibility that Nuggets owner Stan Kroenke, who is reportedly still irked about Chris Paul’s now-infamous toast at Carmelo’s wedding last summer, may be stubborn enough to not trade Anthony, and leave the three-year extension on the table until June 30 to see if Carmelo is really willing to leave all that money on the table. Anthony is up against the clock — if he doesn’t sign this extension with the Nuggets (or the Knicks or the Nets, or any other team), he stands to walk away from an estimated $83 million in guaranteed money, and it might result in a contract under the new CBA that is $30-$40 million less. The kicker is that he has to be traded by Feb. 24 to re-up with a new team. Otherwise, he’ll be under contract with the Nuggets.

      Is he willing to sacrifice all that money to play for the Knicks instead of the Nets (or the Nuggets)?

      We may find out.

      External Sports, Fantasy Basketball, NBA, News, Rumors & Gossip

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