NBA commissioner David Stern attends an NBA preseason game between the Minnesota Timberwolves and the New York Knicks in Paris on October 6, 2010. The Timberwolves won the contest, part of the annual NBA Europe Live tour, by the score of 106-100. UPI/David Silpa
David Stern visited Bill Simmons’ podcast on Monday and discussed a wide-ranging set of issues, including a potential lockout and the possibility that the Hornets are contracted.
Whether the NBA will try to prevent locked-out players such as Kobe Bryant and Dirk Nowitzki, while still under contract to their NBA teams, from playing abroad during a potential work stoppage
“If, in fact, there’s a lockout, then the player is free during the course of the lockout to do what he wants to do if his contract is in effect. I don’t want to play that game with anybody. … If we have a collective bargaining arrangement with the union and there’s a lockout, then last time around [in 1998] players were free to do what they’re going to do, because they’ve been locked out.”
Conspiracy theories suggesting that one of the league’s motivations in buying the Hornets was to give itself the ability to easily contract one team for leverage in upcoming labor negotiations
“Well, I guess all I would say to that is that wouldn’t be a conspiracy. I know that there are some owners who might share that view. … Anything that we do gets done by a majority of the owners. All you’re stating is a potential third option. But right now we are steaming full speed ahead with every single possible [intent] to make that team successful in New Orleans, and I think we’re going to succeed. So we’re going to make it unattractive to move it or contract it.”
New York Knicks Timofey Mozgov and Danilo Gallinari react in the final seconds the fourth quarter against the Detroit Pistons at Madison Square Garden in New York City on January 30, 2011. The Knicks defeated the Pistons 124-106. UPI/John Angelillo
The Nuggets, according to a source, are asking for three starters – including Danilo Gallinari and Raymond Felton – plus Eddy Curry’s expiring contract and at least one first-round pick. In that proposed deal, Anthony and veteran point guard Chauncey Billups would be coming to the Knicks.
The third starter could be Landry Fields, Wilson Chandler or even Timofey Mozgov, though it should be noted that the tradeonlyworks as it stands with Mozgov included. More salary (Al Harrington?) would be needed from Denver’s end to balance things out if Chandler or Fields were included. One would think that the Nuggets would want to include Harrington in any deal, but I can’t imagine the Knicks are eager to take him back.
I suspect the Knicks would be most willing to give up Chandler and/or Gallinari, since Carmelo would be replacing a lot of their minutes on the wing. At this point, it would be tougher to part ways with Fields given his excellent all-around play this season as a rookie and cult status amongst the Knicks faithful. Felton is an interesting inclusion seeing that the Nuggets already have a point guard in Ty Lawson that is capable of becoming a good starter, but Felton probably has more long-term value than Billups at this point, so why not?
Denver Nuggets Carmelo Anthony (R) and Chauncey Billups watch the scoreboard during the fourth quarter against the Los Angeles Lakers at the Pepsi Center in Denver on January 21, 2011. The Lakers beat the Nuggets 107-97. UPI/Gary C. Caskey
“I think it takes a strong-willed person, a strong-minded person, to deal with the stuff that I deal with and still go out there and go to work every day and perform on a nightly basis,” the Denver forward said about trade rumors that have swirled all season as the Feb. 24 trade deadline approaches. “I take my hat off to myself for dealing with all this stuff that’s going on and still be able to go out there and play at the high level that I can play at. I really don’t think an average person can walk in my shoes. I don’t think that.”
This guy…
If Carmelo didn’t want to deal with swirling trade rumors in February of 2011, then he should have signed the Nuggets’ three-year extension that has been on the table for the last six-plus months or demand that the team trade him before the season started back in October.
What a strong-minded individual he is, to perform well in the bad situation that he created.
His numbers are hovering around his career averages, which is admirable, but the Nuggets are just 31-25 (.554) after compiling a winning percentage of .638 over the last three years. According to the Nuggets’ performance over that span, they should have four or five more wins right now, especially since the roster has suffered no significant injuries and is getting a career season from Most Improved Player candidate Arron Afflalo.
So why the extra losses? Well, the trade clouds have been looming over Denver all season and it’s clearly taking its toll on the team. If the Nuggets were sitting with 35 or 36 wins and were in the #3 or #4 spot in the West, I could see Carmelo giving himself some credit. But considering he’s the source of all the drama in Denver this season, I don’t think it’s wise for him to break his arm patting himself on the back.
Kings rookie forward DeMarcus Cousins was removed from team plane bound for Phoenix after an altercation with teammate Donte Greene on Saturday night, according to two sources close to the organization.
The incident, which was first reported by FanHouse, immediately followed a loss to Oklahoma City. Cousins, who had overcome early-season struggles of the performance and personality variety recently, is expected to be suspended for at least one game.
According to the sources, Cousins (whose postgame interview can be seen here) was furious at the last play in which Tyreke Evans missed a three-pointer in the final seconds of regulation that would have won the game. Cousins, who had been calling for the ball in the post in the final possession, watched angrily as Greene in-bounded the ball to Evans for the final shot.
After the buzzer, Cousins let his opinion be known to Greene as he blew by him in the tunnel leading into the locker room. According to the sources, Greene and Cousins began exchanging words inside the locker room. The situation then escalated when Cousins accused Greene of being too “scared” of making what Cousins thought was the right play and with both players taking swings at each other before they were separated.
Here’s the play in question. Watch as Green inbounds the ball to Evans instead of Cousins, and then watch Cousins’ reaction after the game ends.
FanHouse looks at the bigger picture:
There is certainly a bigger picture to consider for the Kings, though, as their volatile 20-year-old who was taken fifth overall in the June draft clearly has no plans to keep quiet about what ails the team. The situation has become nothing short of a power struggle between the rookie and the reigning Rookie of the Year, with Cousins’ improved play of late giving him the gumption to question the way in which Evans is so often given carte blanche control of scenarios such as these.
This is not how the Kings wanted this to go, but when a team is 13-38, the frustration is going to pile up. Sacramento was hoping that Evans and Cousins would make a great 1-2 punch, and they still may, but clearly Cousins isn’t afraid to vent his frustration when he isn’t being utilized in late-game situations.
One thing I noticed about the video is that Cousins didn’t react negatively until the play was over. He didn’t snap his hand down in frustration (like Kobe does ALL THE TIME) when Greene didn’t pass him the ball and he fought for the rebound until the buzzer sounded.
In the game, Cousins was 5-of-14 for 14 points, while Evans was 11-for-22 with 30 points, so this may not be the battle that Cousins needs to fight. Evans was 0-for-2 from long range before he missed the potential game winner, so maybe he should have instead taken the ball into the paint to try to tie the game up at home.
Over the last 10 games, Cousins is averaging 18.1 points and 9.8 rebounds, and is shooting 48% from the field, so he has it in him to be great. But, fair or not, with his reputation he’s under a microscope and he can’t be getting into physical altercations with teammates after a loss. He needs to channel that frustration into getting better — if he does, he could become one of the all-time greats. He’s that good.
