Tag: NBA lockout (Page 3 of 8)

Man beaten in Zach Randolph’s home

Memphis Grizzlies forward Zach Randolph (R) tries to work against the defense of Oklahoma City Thunder forward Nick Collison (L) in the second half of Game 7 of their second round Western Conference NBA basketball playoffs in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma May 15, 2011. REUTERS/Bill Waugh (UNITED STATES – Tags: SPORT BASKETBALL)

A bizarre story out of Oregon…

A man who went to the Oregon home of Memphis Grizzlies forward Zach Randolph to sell marijuana said he was beaten with a pool cue in a dispute over the price of pot.

The man told sheriff’s deputies at least three men assaulted him but Randolph was not among them. No arrests have been made, and authorities said none were expected on Monday.

Clackamas County Sheriff’s Sgt. James Rhodes said Randolph was in his home outside Portland when the beating occurred early Saturday. The victim was treated for head and face injuries and released from a hospital later that afternoon, when he called police, Rhodes said.

Officers served a search warrant early Sunday. They spoke with 10 people in the home at the time and recovered pool cues and blood evidence. They did not find drugs in the home.

Randolph just signed a mega-extension from the Grizzlies and has been a pretty good citizen while in Memphis. Yet here’s a guy who just got his ass whooped in Randolph’s home and the victim alleges it was over the price of pot.

Perhaps Randolph is looking to moonlight while the NBA lockout is in effect.

Kevin Love: “…we’re going to miss games.”

Minnesota Timberwolves forward Kevin Love smiles during a timeout in the second half of their NBA basketball game against the Toronto Raptors in the Target Center in Minneapolis January 29, 2011. Love scored 21 points, and the Timberwolves won over the Raptors. REUTERS/Eric Miller (UNITED STATES – Tags: SPORT BASKETBALL)

Kevin Love commented on the recent NBA/NBAPA meetings, per ESPN…

The consensus coming out of an NBA players regional meeting attended by nearly 60 players Tuesday was that the current offer from the owners is unacceptable, especially the call for a hard salary cap.

“I want to play basketball,” Love said. “I want us — the players — to sign a great deal. I want us to make a compromise with the owners but not sign what they’re proposing. We’ll play hardball if we have to. I want there to be an NBA season but it’s also apparent that we’re going to miss games.”

Love said the players don’t want to see years cut off guaranteed contracts and are not pleased with a proposal that they could lose money if not playing up to their contracts. He also said that the proposed revenue split (50-50, rather than the 57-43 split in favor of players) is unacceptable.

Love said the main issue was the proposed hard cap of $62 million. Love called it a poor idea that would cause mayhem because only a few players would get a high salary, with everyone else getting the lower end of the wage scale or the league minimum.

Okay, so the players don’t want a hard cap (which works great in the NFL) or non-guaranteed salaries (which means players will lose money if they underperform — unacceptable!), and a more even revenue split isn’t going to work.

Sigh.

Will the Lakers keep Kobe?

Los Angeles Lakers Kobe Bryant walks off the court after Game 4 of the NBA Western Conference semi-final basketball playoff against the Dallas Mavericks in Dallas, Texas May 8, 2011. REUTERS/Mike Stone (UNITED STATES – Tags: SPORT BASKETBALL)

There’s an excellent overview by Henry Abbott on TrueHoop about the Lakers’ quandary once a new CBA is agreed upon.

Although new CBA rules will likely come with a phase-in period, and rollbacks of existing salaries may provide some relief to the team, there is no scenario on the table in the CBA talks where the Lakers will be able to keep outspending rivals as they have. A stated league goal is to level the competitive playing field, which can only be achieved by tweaking the market to permit less talent on teams like the Lakers, and more talent on teams like the Kings. Tough choices loom, complicated by the fact that though he continues to play like a star, Bryant, is poised to become so overpaid as to flirt with “bad contract” status.

The piece goes into detail about Kobe’s recent performance, the mileage on his knees, and how his contract will negatively impact the Lakers in the short term.

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