DON’T know where recent report came from that outgoing Grizzlies owner Michael Heisley, a Chicago native, intends to buy the Bucks next season and hire Jerry West when his Memphis contract expires in May.
From what I’m told, there’s no truth to that story whatsoever. It might be a delayed/distorted offshoot of a sly move by Heisley a while back when he offered to swap franchises with Herb Kohl.
Both billionaires, whose teams have lost mountains of millions over the years (Heisley dropped $40M last season alone), have long since exhausted their tax-write-off benefits.
As for West, the pending sale of the Grizzlies to a group organized by former Duke teammates, Brian Davis and Christian Laettner, caused a wide scope of speculation. At first, Memphis media had The Logo on the verge of being fired. Shortly afterward, hearsay went 180 degrees with West supposedly in line for a 10-year extension.
The reality is, West has decided (no backsies, no change of mind, not this time, emphasizes a source) to retire after this season and head for the hills, Appalachians, actually, of West Virginia, where he built his dream escape lean-to.
No formal announcement is expected to be made within the foreseeable future. Therefore, ESPN can feel free to quote me (or not) when it chooses the right time to steal the story and call it its very own.
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Friday night’s home win by the Knicks over the Nets – playing without Vince Carter, Jason Kidd and Joe DePre – may only have temporarily raised expectations, but it allowed James Dolan to raise ticket prices permanently.
Clippers owner Donald Sterling again shut up critics when he put up major money Friday in hopes of enticing Chris Kaman to extend long-term. We’ll know exactly how much loot by how fast agent Rob Pelinka accepts or rejects an offer that’s said to be in line with market value of other young centers – Samuel Dalembert and Tyson Chandler-who’ve re-enlisted within the last two years.
It’s club policy throughout professional sports not to publicly divulge the length or value a contract.
So, Washington’s media must’ve been fairly startled that owner Abe Pollin revealed he added four years (unsolicited, mind you) to the two remaining on team president Ernie Grunfeld’s current deal.
Chris Bosh is Chris Bosh, and Andrea Bargnani is demonstrating why he was plucked No. 1 overall in last June’s draft and why the Raptors felt comfortable eliminating the forward competition by trading Charlie Villanueva.
Still, Toronto’s most impressive player to date is the fundamentally pure Horge Garbjosa, out of Spain. At 6-9 and 245, the 29-year-old (Dec. 19) can pick-and-pop, flaunts outpost accuracy and can’t be punked.
Hot topic of conversation at Bulls camp involves Ben Wallace, whose two-handed shove of Ron Artest and subsequent chucked articles (head band and towel) at the Pacer laid the groundwork for The Malice at the Palace. “What made you so angry?” Wallace was asked. “He told me he was going to foul me hard and he did.” Ben’s beast of a brother, David, got banned from The Palace as a result of his sleazy attack on peacemaker Fred Jones. Meanwhile, observers testify the Detroit disgrace was supposedly child’s play compared to the battle that ensued at Ben’s D.C. wedding a few years back in which family members got into a brutal brawl with a splinter group. Film of the bachelor party at 11.
The Nuggets have verbally committed to re-sign DerMarr Johnson, but don’t intend to make it official until Julius Hodge’s $1.3M guarantee can be pawned off. The second option is to create roster space, if not cap room, by releasing the New Yorker, who’s still rehabilitating from gunshot wounds suffered last season.
Last year at this time I got on Mike Bibby for showing up top heavy at Kings camp looking like he’d spent most of his summer in the weight room instead of on the court.
Slowed to a crawl, his offense was erratic and his defense was often defective.
This camp Bibby showed up looking lean, mean and moving his feet like a bad motor scooter.
During the summer, Warriors VP Chris Mullin invited Jayson Williams out to Golden State to beat up on his young big men. His former St. John’s disciple hopped the next plane to the coast … at his own expense. Upon arriving and settling into a hotel – at his own expense – Mullin was nowhere to be found.
Repeated phone calls went unanswered. Twenty-four hours later, Williams returned east. Not until four days later did Mullin get in touch, blaming his discourtesy on the “craziness of the NBA.” Shaquille O’Neal is inconsolable Greg Osterslap is no longer around to abuse. His old Jazz archenemy has retired. … In Jeff Van Gundy’s studied eye, Tracy McGrady’s best attribute is his ability to create shots for others because his size, vision and basketball IQ. How far the Rockets go may depend on whether McGrady is buying what Van Gundy is selling.
… Pat Riley turned a cliché rather nicely when someone asked if Stan Van Gundy would be around the Heat much this season.
“He’d rather be heard than seen,” Riley reasoned. Or would ruled be more accurate?
In case you missed it, the Orlando Magic allegedly were caught paying a political observer and supposed tax watchdog 200-large not to oppose the team’s plan for a new arena.
The chump change, reputedly given to a solid citizen named Doug Guetzloe, was done through the team’s law firm and uncovered by the state attorney’s office. It came as a $100G increment in ’01 and a similar figure earlier in ’06.
Magic officials maintain it was just part of a “Say No to a West Side Stadium” campaign.
The team referred all future comments to their new director of integrity, Bob Ney.
Liberal radio network Air America filed for Chapter 11 … one chapter for each of its listeners. About the only shot Jeanine Pirro has to come from behind is if she runs against Billy Wagner.
It’s 3 a.m. Do you know where Stephen Jackson is?
