charlotte

Knight has been huge for Bobcats

2006-06-12T11:41:00.000-07:00

ORLANDO, Fla. - If Brevin Knight is on his way out -- and it's at least even money that he will be traded this summer -- then let's pause a minute to appreciate what the little guy did for the Charlotte Bobcats.
It's easy to fixate on Knight's flaws because they're so obvious: He's short for the NBA at 5-foot-10, he doesn't have much of a jump shot, and he's hurt a lot. But none of that outweighs what he did for the team in its first two seasons.
He has pluck and mental toughness and he isn't afraid to say the hard things that made him and his teammates accountable. When the Bobcats stunk, he acknowledged it. When teammate Kareem Rush fell short on accountability, he endorsed the team's decision to cut Rush.
In other words, Knight was never a go-along-to-get-along guy, and people of his nature are rare these days in the NBA. While others mumbled clichés, Knight told the truth, even when those around him didn't want to hear it.
It's no coincidence the Bobcats played so hard their first two seasons. Knight held them to that standard. His intensity rubbed off on Gerald Wallace and Emeka Okafor, and the hope has to be that after he's gone, that effect won't dissipate.
Having said all that, I can't blame the Bobcats if they're looking to move him. By the end of the season, Raymond Felton was the second-best rookie in the league, behind Chris Paul. Taking the ball out of Felton's hands is counter-productive to building a playoff team.
Knight has handled Felton's emergence well, but I can't imagine him happy as a bit player here. Knight can still play, and he belongs on a playoff team where 20 minutes a night as a backup would count for something.
If the Bobcats can move him in that direction and get a draft pick or a young player in return, maybe everyone is better off.
But if you think Knight won't be missed in the Bobcats locker room, you haven't been paying attention.
Around the League
• Bizarre scene of the week was watching the Knicks' top basketball officials try to avoid each other at the pre-draft camp.
Coach Larry Brown would arrive an hour before the first morning drill and take a seat at mid-court to watch prospects. Later in the morning, Knicks general manager Isiah Thomas would arrive and climb high into the stands, as far as he could be from Brown and still see the games.
While it's true that team personnel don't always sit together at these things, the effort these two made to avoid each other was apparent to everyone. The Knicks are looking to embarrass Brown into a buy-out of his contract, and Brown is digging in, too.
He has worked for so many different teams, Brown had a rotating support group around him. Indiana's Donnie Walsh one day ... Philadelphia's Billy King the next ... and then he was gone mid-day Thursday, a day before the camp games ended.
Don't know exactly how this thing ends, but it's destined to end badly.
• Ten years ago, obvious lottery picks skipped pre-draft camp games. Five years ago, obvious first-round picks skipped the games. Now it has reached a point where you're surprised if two or three kids who played here slip into the top 30 picks.
South Carolina forward Renaldo Balkman and UCLA point guard Jordan Farmar figure to be those two guys. Balkman's energy and pursuit of the ball were all over the court here, and Farmar proved he can keep a pro team organized. That makes them worth two-year guaranteed contracts.

NBA: BOBCATS: Morrison Highlights Monday Workout

2006-06-07T10:26:00.000-07:00

Player workouts for the 2006 NBA Draft continued Monday at the Presbyterian Hospital Training Center at Charlotte Bobcats Arena with Gonzaga’s Adam Morrison, Memphis’ Rodney Carney and South Carolina’s Tarence Kinsey all in town.Both Morrison and Carney are being touted in the media as lottery picks in the upcoming draft, with Morrison currently projected by most outlets to go somewhere in the Top Five picks.

Kinsey is looking to leave a lasting impression and have the chance of being drafted in the second round or sign on somewhere as an undrafted free agent.
After three seasons at Gonzaga, Morrison is ready to enter the NBA and is projected to be one of the first names on draft day.

The 2006 NCAA Division I scoring champion averaged 28.1 points while leading the Bulldogs to a 29-4 overall record, tying the school record for wins, and a berth in the NCAA Sweet 16.

Morrison racked up the accolades his junior season at Gonzaga and was named the 2006 Wooden Award runner up, the 2006 Chevrolet Player of the Year as selected by CBS Sports, the 2006 WCC Player of the Year, a First Team All-American by the Associated Press, NABC, and NCBWA, and was a 2006 James Naismith Player of the Year finalist. The 6-8, 205-pound forward also chipped in 5.5 rebounds and 1.8 assists while leading his squad in three-point percentage (.428) and setting single-season records for points (926), field goals made (306) and free throws made (240).Carney is coming off a career-year at Memphis after averaging 17.2 points, 4.3 rebounds, 1.3 assists, 1.3 steals and shooting 43.6 percent from the field, including 39.1 percent from three-point range in 37 games his senior season. The 2006 Wooden Award candidate was named 2006 Conference USA Player of the Year, as well as earning spots on the 2006 All-Conference USA First Team and 2006 Conference USA All-Tournament Team.

The 6-7, 205-pound forward ranked second in the conference in scoring, thing in three-point field goals made (2.8) and fifth in three-point percentage while setting a school record for three-pointers made (95) and leading the Tigers to a Conference USA title and a No. 1 seed in the 2006 NCAA Tournament.Touted by many as perhaps the most complete guard in the 2006 NBA Draft, Roy averaged a career-best 20.2 points, 5.6 rebounds, 4.1 assists and 1.4 steals in his senior season at Washington while shooting 50.8 percent from the field and 81.0 percent from the free throw line.

Along with LSU’s Tyrus Thomas, the 6-5, 195-pound guard saw his stock in the upcoming draft skyrocket after a solid 2005-06 season and impressing in NCAA Tournament play. Unfortunately, he was unable to finish his workout with the Bobcats on Friday after falling ill, but hopes to reschedule the workout in the next few days.Kinsey led the Gamecocks in scoring (15.8 points), field goal percentage (.453) and three-point percentage (.378) and tallied a team-high 29 double-figure games while leading his team to the 2006 NIT title.
He also added 4.6 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.6 steals in his senior season with South Carolina.

The 6-6, 189-pound guard was named to the NIT All-Tournament Team, the 2006 AP All-SEC Third Team and the 2006 Coaches All-SEC Second Team.
BobcatsBasketball.com visited with Bobcats General Manager & Head Coach Bernie Bickerstaff, Morrison, Carney and Kinsey after the workouts:BOBCATS GENERAL MANAGER & HEAD COACH BERNIE BICKERSTAFF(On the workout) Very competitive -- three competitive young men. They all can score. They’ll all be in the mix one way or the other -- probably two guys that are definitely lottery picks, Carney and Morrison. And the kid from South Carolina did a good job, Kinsey, he just needs more exposure and he’ll probably get there.(On Morrison) He can put the ball in the basket. And he can get his shot -- very clever -- I think that’s very important.
And obviously there’s no problem with him scoring, that’s what he does. And the guy competes, that’s what made the real session good. We had three guys who really competed, so he’s very competitive.(On what he learns about the players from the workouts) Well, whether they can get through them, that’s number one. We’ve had all the drills set up, we do it different for the wingmen and the guards and the big people, and different looks to see if they can catch and shoot -- see how they can put the ball on the floor, how they compete.
We watch the tapes prior to the workouts, like we had tapes on the guys this morning. We watched those and we looked for what they say their weaknesses are. We want to confirm them for ourselves.(On if he talked with Morrison about his diabetes) No, we did not talk about his diabetes. I imagine that’s an obligatory question.
That’s our doctor’s call, and we’ve had our trainer talk to Chris Dudley and Mike Saunders, who was in NY when Chris played. So we are interested in the basketball aspect of it -- the doctors will make that (health) call.(On where he thinks Morrison fits in the draft) He was probably linked to first three or four picks. I think it will be very difficult for Toronto to pass up on him (at No. 1), if he continues to workout.
I think this is his first workout, but it’s going to be difficult to pass on him. He’s a good player.(On the criticism of his defense) Well that’s a knock on the NBA, so he’s a kindred spirit.(On the Bobcats selling their program vs. the players selling themselves to the program) Oh, we pay well (laughs). If you talk to guys that are here with us, they want to be here.

We have a nice core group -- a nice group of young men. It’s a nice state-of-the-art facility, and like I said the salary is still the same, minutes -- you can get and you will know your role. It’s a pretty good environment to be in.(On Morrison being able to play the three) The way we play, you can go three or two because it’s basically the same.
He can handle a basketball and put the ball on the floor. I’ve seen him bring it. But I have to say, guys are so good in the NBA that’s it’s very difficult to defend one-on-one, so that’s why the team concept comes in -- defensively.(On his shooting at the end of the workout) They all have the ability -- they reached down. That’s why we do the drills the way we do them, to see who can persevere when things get tough. And he did. He’ll be fine in another year.

ADAM MORRISON • 6-8 • 205 LBS. • FORWARD • GONZAGA • JUNIOR(On the workout) It’s fun getting my first workout under my belt. It’s a dream come true to be in this type of situation, so I had a good time. I knew coming in it was going to be hard physically and they would put you through tests -- but rightfully so. Whoever gets picked will be paid a lot of money, so you have to earn it, so it’s fun.
(On if he’d like to play in Charlotte) Yeah, it would be a great place to play. I know they have a lot of young collegiate guys, which hopefully fits my mold. They are building a good program and they are already on the rise, so I would love to play here. And it’s a great city from what I’ve seen so far.(On the his workout) I have been conditioning a lot during this process and preparing for the season and the draft process, but if you look at the great players in the NBA, such as Rip Hamilton, and those guys workout as hard as they can and then they go shoot.

So they want to see where your conditioning is at and how hard you’ve worked, so I thought I was prepared for it. I did not shoot as well as I would have liked, but I think they’ve seen me play and they know I can shoot the ball, so hopefully they understand that.(On being touted as a top draft pick) During the season, I didn’t pay too much attention to the NBA, but like you said, I’ve heard some things. It’s all about these workouts, how much you prepare yourself and what the team needs -- a lot can happen between now and June 28.
And if you watched the football draft, you can see anything can happen on draft day, so I’m going to come into all of these workouts with the right frame of mind and know that I have to show my best effort. I’m going to go against whoever they put me against, I don’t care who it is.

(On his other workouts) I have three more and maybe more. But like I said, I’m going to go into everyone with the right frame of mind and work a hard as I can and let the chips fall where they may. My goal is to get drafted, you know, I’m not worried about the number and all that stuff. I just want to play in the NBA.(On if he is tired of hearing about the his health issue) Yeah I’m tired of it a little bit, but if you are going to pay people this amount of money, they have a right to know. And that’s the beauty of the questions that they ask, they are just trying to educate themselves.
I’m happy to answer the questions and I think last year I proved that I could play a high number of minutes at a high level, dealing with the diabetes. And I think playing at the next level, I will have the financial abilities to be even healthier -- to have a cook and a nutritionist to be there to make sure I’m eating right.
I might be better in the NBA, knowing the fact I can take better care of myself.(On what his doctors say about his diabetes) The biggest thing is to make sure you are getting enough rest, sleeping and eating right. The thing I say to that -- Chris Dudley played for 14 years in the NBA, and he was a type one diabetic, Bobby Clark played hall of fame hockey for 10 plus years, so it’s been done in every major sport at every level. It’s just that the only difference is that I have to take care of myself more than anyone else, making sure that I’m going to bed at night and not going out and messing around, and that’s the only difference.
If you take care of yourself, you can do anything anyone else can.(On if he’s ever had any scary health moments) Not really, the only thing that has happened to me was when I was a sophomore in high school. I didn’t have good control (of the diabetes) and finally met up with a nutritionist, and that was it. It’s well documented. I check myself on the bench, eat the same meal every gameday and make sure I do the right things.
So if you do that, with diabetes you can live a normal life like anyone else, even though I play on a professional level, so I will make sure I do that.(On if he thinks he will fall in the draft because of being a diabetic) No, I don’t think it will cause me to fall because the teams are educating themselves and it was a non-issue on the college level, so I just have to prove that it will not be a non-issue on the professional level. But I also have a good team of doctors back home who can answer the right questions and are going to make sure they do the right amount of educating themselves to make the right decision.(On what position he sees himself playing) I feel I can play the two or the three -- I can play on the next level.
I showed in college that I can shoot the outside shot, can put the ball on the floor and have mid-range game. I’m working on my strength to play both positions on the next level.

RODNEY CARNEY • 6-7 • 205 LBS. • FORWARD • MEMPHIS • SENIOR(On the workout) I think it went well. I shot the ball pretty well and did well defensively in one-on-one drills. I think all around it was a pretty good workout for me.(On his mentality coming into the Bobcats workout) I came in here expecting to work hard, and it wasn’t easy at all.
I’m in great shape and wasn’t winded at all and felt good afterwards.(On his workouts thus far) This is my fourth one, but as I progress I seem to be getting better. I think that this was one of my better workouts.
I’ve been to the (New Orleans/Oklahoma City) Hornets, (Golden State) Warriors, Houston (Rockets), and here, which was a very hard workout. I have Orlando coming up with the team and the predraft camp and then the (Minnesota) Timberwolves. After that, it gets a little fuzzy.(On covering his bases because he doesn’t know where he’ll end up) They’re projecting me to be a lottery pick, so the way it’s going, we’re going to continue to workout for the lottery teams that make sense for me to come to. The No. 1 team (Toronto) probably isn’t going to take me, but for teams that need maybe a two or a three, things will hopefully work out for me.
(On his matchup with Adam Morrison) It was a good matchup. A lot of people say, “Oh, Adam can’t go one-on-one.” Adam can go one-on-one. He is a very fierce competitor. He will make shots and is a very offensive-minded guy and will get down and score on you. I have nothing but good things to say about Adam. We went at it today, had fun and both had great workouts.(On how it helps his stock to have a good workout against Morrison) It helps me a lot, really.
We were kind of tit-for-tat today, scoring on each other and making great defensive plays.

Some people here said there’s not really a big separation between us – maybe it helped my stock, maybe it didn’t. I just love playing with him. He’s a great player.

TARENCE KINSEY • 6-6 • 189 LBS. • GUARD • SOUTH CAROLINA • SENIOR(On working out against the other players) We had two of the best players in the draft here, and I just tried to hold my own with these guys. I think I had a good workout.
(On Bernie saying all he needs is more exposure) Yeah, I can see that. I really think I can compete with the best of them, but like he said you need to have the exposure plus the game to be in the top in the draft.
(On self-evaluations) I think all three of us have different games. Morrison can shoot anything -- he has a power. Carney has more of an athletic game.
And I have more of a mid-range game.
But overall I think I could match up with these guys, and like I said, it is a privilege to have the chance to go up against these guys.
(On the workout) It was very tough.
Usually you workout with four guys, but since there was only three, I think they sped things up a little. And they test your endurance and your mental statee, but overall it was a really good body workout.
(On the draft) Like you said, I don’t have that much exposure, so people really don’t talk about me being drafted.
On the Internet it says undrafted, but every season you have a Cinderella team or a Cinderella player -- hopefully I can be that player and get my named called on June 28.

Bobcats' problems start at top

2006-06-02T07:48:00.000-07:00

Ed Tapscott's going away party was Wednesday night. He didn't want to leave, and few wanted him to. He is the rare executive in or out of sports everybody likes.
Tapscott was the first Charlotte Bobcats hire. Although the team is like a vapor, floating above Charlotte without really being part of it, Tapscott dug in. He was in the restaurants, on the boards, at the function and the meeting and the charity gala. He returned telephone calls and he lived in Charlotte.
The president and chief executive officer, Tapscott resigned nine days ago when Bob Johnson, the Bob in Bobcat, demoted him. Demoting meant firing. Johnson knew Tapscott would walk.
The organization's problems, however, will not go with him. Morale is low, turnover extraordinarily high and almost certain to become higher.
The Bobcats are a testament to mismanagement and somebody has to be blamed and one of the neat things about being owner is you can assign the blame the way you would assign somebody to pick up your lunch.
Every week seems to bring a surprise. Many employees have not been properly compensated for the extra hours they've put in, and the team has paid thousands of dollars in retroactive overtime.
Season-ticket sales, the lifeblood of any franchise, have declined by about 3,000 since the team's inception. The number is staggering when you consider that the Bobcats played their first season in dank, discredited Charlotte Coliseum, and their second in gleaming new Charlotte Bobcats Arena.
The arena generated excitement. But the excitement was more than offset by a whopping increase in ticket prices.
C-SET, the digital cable network Johnson began and, to his credit, abandoned, is the gift that keeps on taking. It married the Bobcats to Time-Warner Cable, which limited the team's exposure and the millions of dollars that exposure could generate.
Any local guy would have vetoed the network, and any sensible owner would have listened. The Bobcats desperately need a Charlotte presence.
The folks that run the organization come from the big city, and I'm sure our ways seem quaint. Our ways are quaint. But Charlotte does business the way most mid-sized cities do.
We kind of like the owner to walk among us. Johnson does own a place in downtown Charlotte, but he lives in the District of Columbia. The perception is that he takes in a game on the way to Aruba or Cancun or dinner with Mike (Jordan).
Can you run a fledgling business from a distance of 400 miles? If you're not known for delegating, can you make an organization a success when hands on means hands on a cell phone?
Johnson was not available for comment Thursday and hasn't been since Tapscott was jettisoned.
Is Johnson selling the team? I don't think so. I also don't think that's the question.
The question is, are we buying?
And the answer, thus far, is no.

Bobcats' shuffle hints at NBA return for Jordan

2006-05-29T10:12:00.000-07:00

Rival teams were shocked by the news Wednesday that the well-regarded Ed Tapscott had been forced out as president of the Charlotte Bobcats. Does this surprising move mean that bigger changes are on the way?
Adding to the intrigue is the sighting about three weeks ago of Charlotte owner Robert Johnson and Michael Jordan dining together in the Washington, D.C., restaurant Café Milano.
I'm told that the Bobcats lost money this season in spite of having the league's smallest player payroll ($33 million) and newest arena. As a result, people around the league who study such things say they would not be surprised if Johnson sold the franchise, especially after the collapse of his original plan to build the regional sports network C-SET around the Bobcats. C-SET died in its first year.
Jordan has been looking to buy an NBA team since he was fired as president of the Wizards three years ago. Not only could he take over the struggling Bobcats at a relatively cheap price, but Jordan's good name and his roots in North Carolina -- he helped lead the Tar Heels to the 1982 NCAA title -- could give the franchise a realistic shot at succeeding at the cash register. When Jordan was running the Wizards, he moved their training camp to his hometown of Wilmington, N.C., so there is no doubt that he would feel comfortable about returning home to Carolina.
Do I know for a fact that Jordan is negotiating to buy the Bobcats? No. And I'll be the first to point out that it was not unusual for Johnson and Jordan to be seen together in that particular restaurant.
The key question is whether the team is for sale.
There has to be something afoot to explain the mysterious departure of Tapscott, who had been running the Bobcats since their inception. With a month left on his contract, he was suddenly asked to accept a demotion -- even though his work had been applauded both inside and outside the organization. It's hard to believe that a frugal owner like Johnson would actually be planning to increase the size of his front office, as a team source suggested to the Charlotte Observer while explaining that Tapscott had been overworked.
Is Johnson now head-hunting for several managers to take over Tapscott's vacant headquarters, or is the owner making room for a certain someone to take the franchise off his hands entirely? If it's true that Johnson is looking to sell, it's obvious that the first potential buyer on his list would be Jordan.

NBA Draft Lottery Winners and Losers

2006-05-25T09:23:00.000-07:00

By Mike Rothman
WagerWeb.com Contributing Writer
For the third consecutive year, the team with the worst record in basketball did not win the NBA Draft Lottery. Despite a record of 21-61, the Portland Trail Blazers slipped to the fourth selection for the 2006 draft. This was not a huge surprise, given Portland only had a 25% chance of winning the top pick.
Trail Blazers President Steve Patterson did not seem shaken by his team's drop in the order, hinting to the fact that last year’s fourth selection, Wake Forest point guard Chris Paul, was the overwhelming NBA Rookie of the Year for the Hornets.
"You may find a player with as big an impact at No. 4 or even No. 6 as you may at No. 1," Patterson said.
Meanwhile, the team that did beat the odds and claimed the first overall pick was the Toronto Raptors, despite only an 8.8% chance of winning. General Manager Bryan Colangelo, recently hired away from the Phoenix Suns, was excited about the first pick and said it is a sign of things to come for the downtrodden Raptors.
"For us to have this kind of luck is a symbol of a reversal of fortune going forward," Colangelo said. "We have our work cut out. This will help."
The biggest loser in the lottery had to be a team that wasn't in it: the New York Knicks. After posting their worst record (23-59) in 20 years, the Knicks weren't a factor Tuesday night. Why? Because in the 2005 off season, Isiah Thomas dealt the rights to New York's No. 1 pick in 2006 to the Chicago Bulls for underachieving center Eddy Curry.
The 6’-11” Curry had been diagnosed with heart problems, which is why the Bulls were looking to deal him. In New York, Curry averaged fewer than 26 minutes per game in 2005-06, and less than one block and six rebounds per outing. He also was rarely on the court during crunch time due to his weak defense.
Thus, the lottery's biggest winners had to be the young, up-and-coming Bulls, who ended up with the second overall pick. The Bulls were 41-41 this season and earned the seventh seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs, where they pushed the second-seeded Heat to the limit in the opening round. The Bulls already have one of the best young backcourts in the league with Ben Gordon and Kirk Hinrich, and will look to add a front-court impact player in this year’s draft.
"We made the deal, and we're lucky we got in the lottery," said John Paxson, the Bulls' Executive Vice President.
As for the players vying for to be taken No. 1 overall, there does not appear to be a clear-cut choice. Gonzaga forward Adam Morrison, Texas power forward/center LaMarcus Aldridge, LSU forward Tyrus Thomas and Italian power forward Andrea Bargnani are considered the top candidates.
Aldridge, who reaffirmed his stock in the NCAA Tournament’s Sweet 16 with a 26-point, 13-rebound performance against West Virginia, could be the slight favorite for the Raptors. Toronto also likes Bargnani, who is considered a prospect in the mold of Dirk Nowitzki.
The Raptors' Colangelo would not comment on which way the team is leaning.
"Right now we've got a month to go, and we'll see what comes our way and see what we can dig up," Colangelo said. "I think there are about five or six names that could be there. We need a one [point guard] or a five [center]."
This year’s draft may be as much about the players not in it as those who are available. With the NBA's new collective bargaining agreement, this will be the first year that high school seniors won't be eligible for the draft. That eliminated Greg Oden, a 7-foot prep phenom bound for Ohio State this fall, who would have been a lock for the first pick.
Another big man who will not be on the draft board this year is Joakim Noah, the Most Outstanding Player of the 2006 NCAA Final Four. Noah led the Florida Gators to a surprise NCAA title, but decided not to strike while the iron was hot and come back to Gainesville for a run at another championship.
Those are two names most GMs would have rated at the top of their boards this year.
So maybe there is no true big winner of the 2006 lottery. The big winner in the NBA could be the team with that lucky ping-pong ball in 2007.

Pay or Punish. Just Do Something

2006-05-22T11:28:00.000-07:00

By Mike RothmanWagerWeb.com Contributing Writer
Let me paint a picture for you. It is this past Monday night; you have just opened another beer and are toasting with your friends. Why? Being the smart gambler that you are, you placed a significant wager on the San Antonio Spurs over the Dallas Mavericks, and the Spurs are up 111-109 with 15 seconds to go in the fourth quarter. Even more important, by betting on the Spurs, the Sportsbook gave you 4.5 points because the game is in Dallas. No need to worry about that now because the Spurs look like a lock to win outright.
“This game’s over. Finley’s three-pointer sealed the game,” your friend says.
Dallas comes out of their timeout and predictably feeds the basketball to their star, Dirk Nowitzki. You are counting down the seconds, waiting for the final shot and the game to end, 15, 14, 13, 12, 11, 10, 9, 8. Dirk is simply backing down in the paint and covered by San Antonio’s defensive stopper, Bruce Bowen. All of a sudden, a whistle blows, but nothing really happened. Did Dallas call a timeout? Nope. The referee calls a personal foul on Bruce Bowen, and the Spurs are over the foul limit.
“WHAT, are you serious?” you start to scream. “Nothing happened!”
A little bead of sweat begins to form on your brow, and you crouch about five inches from the television. Nowitzki calmly makes the first free throw. You cannot believe this is happening. Nowitzki calmly makes the second free throw. Duncan misses a last second shot, and the game goes into overtime. You still have the spread, but of course, the Mavericks end up winning the game, 123-118. Your money is gone. In the span of a second, you went from euphoria to depression. Why? Did you pick the game wrong or celebrate too early?
No, poor officiating once again ruined another close game in another crucial situation. Why is the officiating so bad? There are two reasons. First, the salaries are too low, considering the power that these officials possess. For NBA refs, salaries can be as low as $90,000 per year. This may seem high, but it is not when compared to what players and coaches make. Furthermore, these officials are human, and there has to be some resentment that these guys control million dollar players, but make less than $100,000. This contributes to bad calls, consciously or unconsciously.
Pay these guys. Put them on the same level as the players or at least the coaches. Level the playing field and better results will follow. I am not saying that refs should be paid millions of dollars, but they should at least receive more than they are making now. Some of these guys just do not care, and why should they?
The other factor is the lack of punishment from the League Office. After game four in Dallas, multiple suspensions and fines should have come down on those officials, but basically, nothing happened. It was not just the last play of regulation that was called poorly, but rather, the entire game. On a team, if a player is not producing, he is benched. Why not do the same for professional officials? There needs to be a possible punishment in the mind of the official to ensure his full effort.
Punish these guys. Again, try to level the ground and put the officials in the players’ shoes. Professional sports needs to put an end to the whole referee vs. player war and make a joint effort to create fair contests. This will result in classic games where the right team actually wins the game.
I will leave you with one of the greatest current examples of poor officiating, Super Bowl XL. This game was atrocious. Actually, the game never seemed to start but was completely dominated by the officials. The TV ratings were the lowest for a Super Bowl in recent years, and anytime a great play was made, it was simply reversed by the refs. Why did this happen? This happened for the same reasons I stated above. NFL referees make as little as $25,000 a year and are considered part-time employees. Lonely sports writers make more than that. In addition, there was not really any severe punishment. This was the Super Bowl, one of the biggest sporting events of the year. People, we need to make a change across the board. If not, we are going to be left with these part-time employees controlling the fate of the biggest sporting events, and like it or not, our money is at stake.

NCAA sends out warning

2006-05-10T13:32:00.000-07:00

The NCAA is trimming the gray area from eligibility rules for underclassmen entering the NBA draft.
However, player-agent Bill Neff said that's a futile exercise, with many in his profession cutting under-the-table deals with players.
The NCAA recently distributed a four-page memo, reminding schools what underclassmen can and cannot do to test their NBA marketability. The memo warns underclassmen not to accept travel expenses from NBA basketball teams, though that's been common practice in the past.
One of the authors of that memo said its purpose is heading off trouble and, potentially, holding rule-breakers accountable.
"It's fair to say we've had multiple student-athletes facing possible violations of NCAA rules," said Rachel Newman Baker, the NCAA's director of agent, gambling and amateurism activities. "We're trying to avoid (those problems), so we're not dealing with it next semester."
The NCAA now requires underclassmen in the draft to sign forms, stating they know the rules and understand the risk to their eligibility.
"We want it very clear up front," Newman Baker said, "if we do get into investigating a case, the `I-didn't-know' answer will not work."
The NCAA dealt with messy situations the past few years, involving former Connecticut forward Charlie Villanueva and current Kentucky center Randolph Morris. Each turned pro and had contact with an agent, only to pull out of the draft and seek to play college basketball.
In both cases, the NCAA ultimately granted eligibility.
The situation is complex. For instance, the NCAA allows the NBA to cover expenses for an underclassman to attend the pre-draft camp. But an individual NBA team cannot pay to fly in an underclassman for a workout without jeopardizing that player's eligibility.
Charlotte Bobcats coach-general manager Bernie Bickerstaff didn't know the NCAA draws that distinction. Jon Fagg, assistant athletics director for compliance services at N.C. State, said that rule is frequently disregarded, similar to how people absent-mindedly exceed the speed limit.
"If you drive to work, I guarantee there's a place where you speed a little every day," Fagg said of athletes accepting expenses they shouldn't. "Do you drive to the police station and turn yourself in? No."
That's why Fagg is glad the NCAA distributed this memo, eliminating any gray areas for underclassmen looking to preserve eligibility. N.C. State has already used it to guide sophomore center Cedric Simmons through the process.

The only Constant in Life is Change

2006-05-03T10:22:00.000-07:00

By Michael Rothman
WagerWeb.com Contributing Writer

Well, this counts for everything but the National Basketball Association. The first problem we had this post-season was the division rule, which will leave the Spurs to play the Mavericks in the second round, all due to a technicality of being in the same division. This rule alone should constitute uproar from the fans and needs to be addressed immediately. Now, we have another significance issue.

We have the fact that the MVP Award is announced and decided before the NBA playoffs are over. It is decided on before the first round is even over! What’s the result? It was announced Wednesday that Steve Nash will win his second straight MVP Award.

Now I am not arguing that Nash is not worthy of his second MVP. Actually Nash supporters are going to say that he had a better statistical year this season than last season, when he was the clear choice for MVP. Sure, Nash upped his points from 15.5 per game last year to 18.8 per this year, but last year was last year. More importantly, Kobe Bryant and Lebron James were not in the playoffs last year and did not come even close to the caliber of seasons they each had this year. What I am arguing is that other players are just more deserving of the award.

On Wednesday night, Nash got posterized like no one has ever seen before. Who was the player that abused Nash so horribly, you ask? Oh it was Kobe Bryant, another top candidate for MVP and someone more worthy of the honor than Nash. More than just making Nash look like a fool on national television, Bryant’s dunk in the fourth quarter sealed the victory for the Lakers over the Suns. This now leads us back to our issue at hand.

The Suns might not make it out of the first round of the playoffs. After the Lakers’ 93-90 victory Wednesday night, the series is even at one game a piece. Now, the Lakers are heading back to Los Angeles with home-court advantage and control of the series. By the way the Lakers are 27-14 at home this year and we all know Kobe is going to turn it up a notch for the home crowd. If this round is the last stop for the Suns, where does that leave Nash? At home with his MVP trophy, even after he couldn’t beat the seventh-seeded Lakers in the opening round. Remember way back when Charles Barkley was actually one of the first MVPs not to win the NBA Championship? That was in 1993 and seems like ages ago now. Back then the MVP committee got things right, and even more ironic is that Barkley won the award while playing for the Suns, Nash’s current team.

More over, if the Suns do in fact lose to the Lakers in the first round, the case grows even stronger that Kobe is the MVP. Do I have to read the laundry list of accomplishments to you? The man scored 35 points per game during the regular season, not to mention getting an overachieving Lakers team back into the playoffs with a record of 45-37. And now he might get them into the second round as a seventh seed. Without Kobe, this team would already be planning for the Draft Lottery.

And what about Lebron James? The Cleveland Cavs are the fourth seed in the East. Let me repeat, the Cleveland Cavs are the fourth seed in the East. Don’t forget that the Cavs also won 50 games this year. This is an achievement in itself. Let’s not forget Lebron’s playoff debut; he only scored a triple double against the Wizards. This is exactly why the playoffs have to count toward the MVP voting, because the playoffs are where legends are made.

Don’t get me wrong, Nash is a nice player who had a nice season. But aren’t MVPs supposed to be spectacular players who have spectacular seasons. Before you answer that question, answer this one. If you take Kobe away from the Lakers and Nash away from the Suns, which team suffers more? The answer to that is your 2006 MVP. I’ll give you a little hint. It’s not Steve Nash.

http://www.wagerweb.com/sportsbook/betting-odds/basketball.html

Next week on TV (5-1/5-7)

2006-05-02T11:20:00.000-07:00

By Daniel Kline
WagerWeb.com Contributing Writer

Both the NBA and the NHL close out the first round of their playoffs. In baseball, you’ve got the Orioles and the Blue Jays, matching up in what has to be one of the biggest questions of the baseball season. One of these teams might hang on to challenge the Yankees and Red Sox, but probably not both, making this early season tilt a little more interesting.

*All times Eastern.

Monday, May 1
NFL Europe, Berlin at Rhein (3 p.m., NFL Network)
Stop arguing about who your team drafted and check in on the sport’s minor league with this mid-afternoon match-up. Though NFL Europe might not get the attention of its big brother, the league offers a good chance to figure out which back-up players might break through come the fall.

Tuesday, May 2
Yankees at Red Sox (7:05 p.m., DirecTV, regional)
Every Yankees versus Red Sox match-up gets covered like a playoff game in Boston and New York, so expect tempers to flare in this tilt. The Sox have had the early season advantage, but that’s nothing new, as the Sox always have a division lead in the Summer – the question is whether they can hold it in the Fall.

Wednesday, May 3
Boxing (9 p.m. ESPN2)
Sharmba Mitchell takes on Jose Luis Cruz in a 10-round welterweight tilt. Cruz plays the role of the fighter on the way up, taking on former two-time champion Mitchell, who wants one more shot at the gold. Mitchell was knocked out in the sixth round in his last fight, but that was against Floyd Mayweather – one of the best in the division – so he’s aiming to prove that was a fluke and knock Cruz off the ladder of contention.

Thursday, May 4
Wachovia Open (4 p.m., USA)
A Tiger-less field should leave this one pretty wide open. Vijay Singh attempts to repeat as champion, a title he took last year in a three-way playoff with Sergio Garcia and Jim Furyk.

Friday, May 5
College Volleyball (Midnight, ESPN2)
Catch the men’s semifinal of the NCAA men’s volleyball tournament. This might be your last chance to see some of your favorite players before they turn pro and head out on the lucrative men’s volleyball tour.

Saturday, May 6
Kentucky Derby (6 p.m., NBC)
Horse racing only matters three times a year to the average fan, but the Kentucky captures the best of the sport. Because it’s the first Triple Crown race, every Derby winner stands the chance of being the first horse to bring home racing’s most elusive prize since Affirmed in 1978.

Sunday, May 7
Premier League Soccer (5 p.m., FOXESP)
Two of the big powers in the Premiership face off as Newcastle battles Chelsea in an attempt to cut into Chelsea’s overall lead in the standings. Chelsea did just fall in the FA Cup semifinal, but their big lead in the regular season standings makes clinching the title almost inevitable.

Daniel Kline’s book “50 Things Every Guy Should Know How To Do” is available in bookstores nationwide. He can be reached at dan@notastep.com.

http://www.wagerweb.com/sportsbook/

Bobcats, Hawks will rebuild on a budget - NBA

2006-04-28T11:45:00.000-07:00

Everything seems to cost more in New York, including a last-place team. It is much pricier there than in Charlotte or Atlanta.
The New York Knicks, who had the worst record in the Eastern Conference championship at 23-59, had the NBA's highest player payroll at $128.8 million.
The Charlotte Bobcats and Atlanta Hawks, who finished three games ahead of the Knicks with 26-56 records, had the two lowest payrolls at $35.6 million and $46.9 million, respectively.
That makes the teams in North Carolina and Georgia more attractive fixer-uppers. The Hawks' and Bobcats' frugal spending comes under the $49.5 million league salary cap and positions them to add free agents.
The Knicks' big-spending habits make personnel changes needed to move out of the basement in the foreseeable future difficult.

NBA: Bobcats go into offseason with focus on sales

2006-04-25T10:53:00.000-07:00

The Charlotte Bobcats basketball team spent much of the franchise's first season in the new uptown arena correcting past missteps. Now, after shuttering a regional sports network and slashing season ticket prices for next season by 14%, local investors such as Nelson Schwab believe the organization is poised for significant sales gains in the months ahead.
"There were things we needed to correct," says Schwab, an investment banker and one of the key players in convincing the NBA championship tournament to put a second expansion franchise in Charlotte after the Hornets relocated to Louisiana. "We're doing that. The good news is we have an owner in Bob Johnson who is willing to make adjustments. Nothing is sacred here."

NBA: Playoffs are Bobcats' key to this city

2006-04-20T09:48:00.000-07:00

You could tell it was going to be a good night for the home team. When the Charlotte Bobcats greet fans before the game, the players are outnumbered.
Fan Appreciation Night always is a nice touch. The fans who walk into NBA Charlotte Bobcats Arena for the team's last game of the season Wednesday are handed a T-shirt, and the fans who show up early are handed that T-shirt from a player.
The players also offer an autograph or a handshake, a what's up or a nod. A very good steel drum band offers very good steel drum music and coach and general manager Bernie Bickerstaff offers a warm thank you.
Bickerstaff picks up a microphone at courtside before tip-off and tells fans, "We want to prove worthy of you."
But it's not about being worthy. It's about convincing a city to care. And after two seasons in town, one in the new building, the Bobcats have yet to do that.
This doesn't mean Charlotte is a bad sports town or the Bobcats are a bad organization. The organization has begun to figure out Charlotte and the team is better than those of us who follow the NBA expected.

Wallace rescues Bobcats

2006-04-10T13:00:00.000-07:00

You keep playing until the whistle blows.
That's a simple imperative basketball players learn in middle school, except it didn't register on the Toronto Raptors on Sunday. They were down two, at home, in the last minute against the Charlotte Bobcats and looking to halt play just long enough to compose themselves.
Composure never arrived, but Gerald Wallace sure did. The NBA steals leader intercepted a pass from Raptors point guard Mike James, setting up an 8-2 game-ending run for a 94-88 Bobcats victory at Air Canada Centre.
"There was a little confusion on the timeout," said Bobcats coach Bernie Bickerstaff, "and Gerald didn't stop playing."
He never does. If the Bobcats (22-55) avoid the NBA's worst record, Wallace is the single biggest reason. He finished with 11 points, 14 rebounds, three steals and two blocks.
Shorthanded as the Bobcats are - they recently lost Bernard Robinson (broken finger) for the rest of the season - Wallace says there's never an excuse for complacency.
"We know we're the Bobcats," Wallace said. "Unless we're up 50, the game isn't over. We can never stop playing."
That persistence separated them from the Raptors. Toronto star Chris Bosh is out with a thumb injury, and in his absence, the Raptors don't have a true first option in their offense. They were outscored 14-4 in the last 3 1/2 minutes, and no play was bigger that James' turnover with 36 seconds left.
The Raptors were told to call timeout immediately after basketball player Brevin Knight's layup gave the Bobcats a two-point lead with 42 seconds left. Instead, the ball was in-bounded to James, who tried to get it across mid-court before calling timeout.
"If there's a double-team, then somebody's open," said James (32 points,10 assists), "but everybody was up the court."
Everybody except Wallace, who stole the ball and missed a layup, but teammate Jumaine Jones (17 points, 11 rebounds) was there for a put-back. Knight added four free throws, and the victory was secure.
This win, at least temporarily, gave the Bobcats NBA's team one more victory than New York or Portland. Does avoiding the cellar matter that much?
"Sure it matters," Knight said. "We feel we're not the worst team and none of us want to be seen that way. The only way to avoid that is to avoid the worst record."

NBA: Cleveland 101, Charlotte 97

2006-04-03T10:20:00.000-07:00

LeBron James scored 35 points Sunday as Eastern Conference playoff chase. NBA's Cleveland ran its all-time record against Charlotte to 7-0.
Raymond Felton scored 20 points, four assists and four steals; Jumaine Jones had 18 points, eight rebounds and two assists; and Gerald Wallace added 17 points, nine rebounds, three assists and two steals for the Bobcats (20-54).

Pistons unimpressive in win over Bobcats

2006-03-20T14:25:00.000-08:00

3/18/2006 10:17:54 PM
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) - The Detroit Pistons needed a lucky basket and an iffy call to avoid their first back-to-back losses of the season.
Clinging to a two-point lead, Tayshaun Prince drove the ball toward the basket and tossed up a running jumper just as he was fouled. The ball went in with 4.9 seconds to play, Prince made the ensuing free throw and the Pistons wrapped up a 108-103 win over the Charlotte Bobcats on Saturday night.
''They were just trying to foul, so the common sense thing to do is throw it up at the basket,'' Prince said. ''As long as you don't dribble no more, it's a continuation.''
But Brevin Knight, who was called for the foul, vehemently disagreed and said after he's tired of calls constantly going against the Bobcats.
''It's becoming a joke - it really is,'' Knight fumed. ''Especially when the other team comes out and they're just laughing at it like they can't believe that it happened. We're used to it. We just kind of roll with the punches.''
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Richard Hamilton scored 23 points to help the Pistons, who lost 105-103 to the New York Knicks on Friday night and needed a strong second half to hold off the Bobcats.
Detroit trailed for much of the game before taking the lead late in the third quarter. The Pistons went up by as many as 10 points midway through the fourth, but couldn't put the Bobcats away.
Charlotte used an 8-2 run to cut its deficit to 102-98 - getting two pretty dunks from Gerald Wallace in the spurt - but both teams went cold shortly after. Chauncey Billups hit a three with 3:43 to play to make it 105-98, and Bernard Robinson scored on a running layup right after for the Bobcats.
Then neither team could find the basket. Ben Wallace missed four consecutive free throws for Detroit, then Billups missed a three and Rasheed Wallace was off on an 18-footer as the Pistons went over three minutes without a point.
The Bobcats weren't any better, managing only a free throw from Brevin Knight during Detroit's drought.
''The biggest thing that I was impressed with was the last three or four minutes, our defence was (good),'' Saunders said. ''It we played like that for 48 (minutes), we'd make things a lot easier for ourselves.''