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| Friday, 3-Jun-2011 01:46 |
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Billionaire Tom Gores Pays $325 Million For Detroit Pistons
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The other day the NBA approved the sale of Palace Sports & Entertainment, which includes the Detroit Pistons, the Palace of Auburn Hills, DTE Energy Music Theatre and the operating rights to the Meadow Brook Music Festival, by Karen Davidson to Platinum Equity CEO Tom Gores.
After adjusting for the minority stake that Davidson is expected to retain and the non-basketball assets, the billionaire’s purchase valued the Pistons at about $325 million. Although that enterprise value is $35 million less than we valued the basketball team in January and $125 million less than what was paid for the Golden State Warriors in November, I still view the deal as a bullish sign for the NBA.
The Pistons are going for $25 million more than the $300 million Robert Johnson paid for the Charlotte Bobcats in 2003, the league’s most recent expansion team, despite Detroit having among the worst economies in the country. And ticket sales have fallen sharply for the Pistons the past couple of years. The deal shows a smart guy like Gores believes in the NBA and, perhaps more important, the city of Detroit.
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| Friday, 6-May-2011 08:18 |
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Broncos' plans for working out depend on NFL lockout ruling Rea
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Broncos players are awaiting a St. Louis courtroom ruling on whether the NFL lockout will continue before they go forward with tentative plans to gather as a group for workout sessions.
The ruling is expected today.
If the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals decides to uphold Minnesota Judge Susan Nelson's earlier ruling to end the NFL lockout, the Broncos players likely would reconvene for organized team activity (OTA) workouts at Dove Valley in the next week or so.
If the St. Louis appellate judges decide Nelson's lockout-lifting ruling should be "stayed" until the league's appeal on whether it can enforce a lockout can be formally heard June 3, Broncos co-captain Brian Dawkins can enact his preliminary plans for a large group of Broncos players to gather for three or four days of workouts.
The workouts would be conditioning-based and not the typical practices in which players would work on plays or blocking and tackling drills.
"Our situation is different from that of the Saints," Dawkins said.
New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees has organized self-run practices this week for 37 players at Tulane Stadium. Brees and many Saints players have been executing the plays of Saints coach Sean Payton for the past five years.
Broncos players, though, have not run through a play designed by coach John Fox, who was hired in January. Players did receive Fox's new playbook for the first time last Friday, when the lockout was lifted for about 10 hours. But the players have not had coaches teach them how to run those plays.
So instead of 7-on-7 pass drills or something resembling a minicamp session, the Broncos player workouts likely would be supervised by trainer Loren Landow, the director of sports performance for the Steadman Hawkins Clinic. The Broncos players could hold their workouts at the sports bubble, which the Broncos don't own but use for practices during inclement weather.
"If we did get a group together, I would work on all the athletic demands associated with the sport," Landow said. "Everything from the acceleration, top-end speed, deceleration. And I'd also work on the metabolic conditioning demands. If they were to flip and go to an OTA next week, these guys have to get some sort of metabolic training under them that allows them to run a series, series and a half."
Several current and former Broncos and locally raised NFL players already are working out with Landow. Broncos quarterback Kyle Orton, center J.D. Walton, left guard Zane Beadles and receiver Eric Decker trained Thursday with Landow.
"All of us are training, all of us are working, so in a sense if we do come together, nothing would change as far as what we're doing now," Dawkins said. "But we would be able to build camaraderie by working out together."
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| Saturday, 30-Apr-2011 03:06 |
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NFL: Lockout back, effective 'immediately'
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The NFL lockout is back.
The league announced the news late Friday, hours after an appeals court victory. League spokesman Greg Aiello tells The Associated Press that teams "have been told that the prior lockout rules are reinstated effective immediately."
Earlier Friday, the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in St. Louis granted the NFL's request for a temporary stay of the injunction lifting the 45-day lockout. Arguments will be heard on whether that order from a federal judge in Minnesota should be overturned altogether.
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| Monday, 25-Apr-2011 07:04 |
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Cleveland Cavaliers Add a Big Body in Derrick Williams
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As was predicted by many, this past season was a rebuilding one for the Cleveland Cavaliers. The team struggled due to LeBron James's departure and was without a leader for most of the season. Still, despite finishing last in the Eastern Conference, the Cavs managed to acquire Baron Davis from the Los Angeles Clippers at the trade deadline.
Davis is a true leader, but all he is missing in Cleveland is a good young big man to get the ball to in middle. Given this need and the inconsistency of J.J. Hickson, the right man for the job is Derrick Williams.
Williams is something of an enigma. He played his college ball at Arizona, a system that generally favors guards. Yet, he is a big man/defensive type and was the star on that team, averaging 19.5 points and 8.3 rebounds.
With both Antawn Jamison and Anderson Varejao coming back from injuries, power forward is a bit crowded in Cleveland. Yet, if some sort of trade can be pulled off, Williams should see plenty of minutes in his new home.
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| Friday, 22-Apr-2011 08:01 |
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2011 NFL Draft Coverage: Baltimore Ravens Seven Round Mock Draft
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The Ravens are one of the NFL’s elite football teams and should be near the top of the standings again in 2011. The Ravens fell short of their goals of an AFC North crown, but know that with just one or two pieces they can get over the Pittsburgh hump.
The Ravens were exposed at cornerback last season, yet still had one of the most dominant defenses statistically. The Ravens need to draft a cornerback that can step in immediately and contribute on the defensive side of the ball, likely they will strike early as the caliber of cornerback severely drops after the second round.
The Ravens also have some confusion on the offensive line. Michael Oher wasn’t great at left tackle last season, but the Ravens should give him another chance to prove he was worthy of their first round selection.
Right tackle is a position of need for the Ravens. Last year Michael Yanda stepped in and played right guard with moderate success, but the Ravens and Yanda are better off when he is at his regular position at right guard.
The Ravens' needs will dictate their draft. In the beginning rounds you will see them draft an offensive tackle and a cornerback, leaving the end of their draft to find quality depth for a thin offensive line and defensive line.
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| Thursday, 21-Apr-2011 03:18 |
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Goodell updates Giants fans about NFL labor situation
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In a conference call with Giants season ticket-holders, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said that the owners and players are still in mediation and that the league hopes to begin play on time despite the lockout.
"We're planning on starting the season on time, playing a full season, and we're going to negotiate as hard as we can to get that done," Goodell said in a break from a mediation session with players in Minnesota. "Shutting your business down has a dramatic effect on your business, and there will be a tremendous amount of lost revenue to the teams and the players. "A strike or a lockout has significant financial impact to all parties. That is why people usually get serious and resolve their differences."
The conference call was part of a 30-minute teleconference with Giants season ticket-holders, who could call into a telephone number and enter a pin number to listen to the interview. Certain fans were selected to ask Goodell questions, mostly about the NFL lockout, the possibility of replacement players being used, the potential increased regular season from 16 to 18 games and the issue of players injuries.
Goodell said that the NFL had no intention of using replacement players as they did during the strike in 1987. He also said he has not been given any timetable about when Judge Susan Nelson will make a ruling on the lifting of the lockout.
"She will make that ruling when she is prepared to do it, and we will respect the ruling and hopefully get back to negotiating," he said. "That is what we are trying to do, come to a fair resolution for all parties."
Goodell said that the league is still seeking to increase the regular-season schedule, while reducing the exhibition games from four to two.
"I think the player health and injury issues the players have raised are legitimate and have to be addressed," he said. "We would make significant changes in the offseason training camp period and into the regular season to reduce the exposure to injuries."
Goodell said he believes any new collective bargaining agreement will need a salary cap.
"Both sides have indicated an interest in having some sort of salary cap system," he said. "It has been beneficial to the game. The discussions have been about what the appropriate salary cap level would be, and how would it grow."
Goodell said that owners are willing to increase pension contributions for players who played before 1993. He also said that if the regular-season schedule was increased to 18 games, he liked the idea of playing the Super Bowl during President's Day weekend.
"Having the Super Bowl on a three-day weekend is very attractive to fans, we have heard that consistently from them," Goodell said.
The Giants also announced a draft day party from 7:30-10:30 p.m. April 28.
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| Wednesday, 20-Apr-2011 07:20 |
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Washington Redskins in Mix for Ryan Mallett?
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Michael Lombardi from the NFL Network predicts that Arkansas quarterback Ryan Mallett will be drafted in the first round, by the 20th pick at the latest. He even says the Redskins could be considering him with their 10th pick.
"I talked to a source close to the team," Lombardi said. "He said, 'Don't rule out Ryan Mallett.'''
Count Brian Baldinger among the naysayers, though.
"I don't see Ryan Mallett fitting into the Redskins' offense," he says. "Mike Shanahan's legacy will be in doubt if he has problems with Mallett."
Can't get any juicier than that, folks. If you thought drafting Jake Locker would create a stir, or trading up for Blaine Gabbert, forget it. This would blow all that away.
Here you've got a kid with tremendous talent who's been criticized heavily for his character. That was discussed in depth in this fantastic read.
On one hand, I can see Shanahan's logic. Mallett's been used to a pro-style offense since high school, has put up numbers in the nation's best conference and has a cannon for an arm. If you compare his technique and style, Mallett is very similar in some ways to Chicago Bears quarterback Jay Cutler, who Shanahan drafted in Denver.
Neither are really mobile but both can sit back in the pocket and carve up defenses when given the time.
Let's address the character stuff real quickly. It would be great if every player were a choir boy who could ace the wonderlic like Greg McElroy basically did. This has the feel of a Dez Bryant type deal for Washington: Both have tremendous talent but they're boneheads when it comes to decision-making.
I have a hunch Mallett won't be dropping thousands though for a bunch of ice.
What I do know is if he stays focused, the talent will take care of itself. I've never questioned it since I saw him in person back at the U.S. Army All-American Bowl.
It's a game for the who's-who of the nation's best recruits. That day Mallett took on Jimmy Clausen, last year's starter for the Carolina Panthers. They were the two premiere quarterbacks there and both looked impressive throughout the game. I asked some coaching friends later if they had to pick who would they take as their starting quarterback.
Kid you not: Eight out of 10 said Mallett.
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| Tuesday, 19-Apr-2011 03:04 |
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Lions president Tom Lewand optimistic bargaining will resolve NF
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NFL owners and players are scheduled to resume mediated negotiations Tuesday in Minneapolis. Meanwhile, U.S. District Judge Susan Nelson could rule as early as this week in the federal antitrust lawsuit brought by players seeking an injunction that would keep owners from locking them out.
Lions president Tom Lewand would not discuss specific issues concerning the labor situation. But even before Nelson appointed a magistrate to serve as a mediator between owners and players last week, Lewand was hopeful both sides would engage in productive negotiations that would lead to a resolution.
"I can't comment on it under strong suggestion of the league; a suggestion I'm happy to take," Lewand said recently. "But from our standpoint, the process is going to play itself out. We haven't changed our opinion, and that is that the parties ought to be talking and this is going to be settled through a negotiation. I've felt that way for a long time. Personally, I think we feel that way as a league."
If a mediated negotiation does not work and Nelson is forced to rule, the losing side likely will file for an appeal with the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. And that ruling likely will lead to the endgame, according to Gary Roberts, a prominent sports and antitrust legal expert and dean of the School of Law at Indiana University-Indianapolis.
"We will then know after the 8th Circuit rules whether or not the league can continue with their shutdown," Roberts told the Free Press recently. "If they can, then a lot of bargaining leverage shifts to the owners.
"If an injunction is issued, ordering the league to start operations again, then an incredible amount of bargaining leverage shifts to the players. At that point, I think the sides will start negotiating again, because then they will understand what their risks and bargaining leverage is."
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| Monday, 18-Apr-2011 09:47 |
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World Football - Japan face player crisis for Copa America
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Germany's Borussia Dortmund said they were against midfielder Shinji Kagawa travelling to Argentina for the July 1-24 Copa America, at which Japan are a guest team.
Schalke 04 full-back Atsuto Uchida and VfB Stuttgart striker Shinji Okazaki have also been told they will not be able to go to South America.
Japan's domestic J-League clubs are also unable to release players with the season postponed following last month's deadly earthquake and tsunami.
"The agreement we reached with the Japan Football Association is that the J-League would release seven or eight young players," the J-League's Hisao Shuto said on Monday.
"The rest of the 22 players would come from Europe. The understanding was the South American federation was to negotiate with FIFA for the release of the other 14 or 15.
"We have a league to play and those were the conditions agreed. We can't change the schedule of the J-League again."
Japan last week reversed its decision to pull out of the Copa America after the deadly March 11 earthquake and tsunami which devastated much of the country's north-eastern coast.
But despite assurances from CONMEBOL to help with the release of players at European clubs, FIFA have refused to bend the rules to ease Japan's problems.
"We have to play our league games," said Urawa Reds media officer Daisuke Maruyama. "That's our top priority."
Soccer, as all sports across Japan, was left in chaos following last month's disaster which left 28,000 people dead or missing and triggered a nuclear crisis at a power plant north of Tokyo.
Stadiums suffered damage while the J-League have been forced to cram a month's worth of games into three weeks in the stifling July heat to make up the backlog of lost matches.
Borussia Dortmund became the latest European club to frown on Japan's trip to the Copa America on Sunday, saying their injured midfielder Shinji Kagawa needs a proper training camp this summer ahead of what will be his second Bundesliga season.
"Shinji is coming off a serious injury, and it's necessary for him to prepare with the team before the new season," Dortmund's sports director Michael Zorc said.
"That would be the best decision in his interests. We have a very good relationship with the Japan Football Association. We talked to them when they came over to Germany for January, and we will certainly speak with them again this time."
Kagawa, who has become a key member of a new-look Japan side under Italian coach Alberto Zaccheroni, has been sidelined since breaking a metatarsal at the Asian Cup in January.
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| Monday, 14-Mar-2011 01:04 |
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Wales quicker to realise need for new game plan
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RUGBY: For over an hour I felt we were still going to win despite not playing well, but around the 65-minute mark Wales completely altered their system of play, writes BOB CASEY
PERSONALLY, I don’t think the pre-game management of referees makes any real difference in the lead up to games but after Saturday’s debacle, leading to Mike Phillips’ try, the much-maligned officials in our game remain under the spotlight.
Warren Gatland certainly made an attempt to influence matters last week when he supported Scotland coach Andy Robinson’s assertion that Ireland are illegally slowing down opposition ball.
The “I’m sure we will get the cooperation from Mr Kaplan” line only serves to annoy the opposition, especially considering he neglected to highlight the 39 penalties Wales had given up in their previous three matches.
The Irish lads have been heavily criticised for coughing up penalties at the breakdown this, and last, season but I could see they were desperately keen not to present Wales with kicks at goal.
Okay, they were penalised for three dull penalties, leading to nine points, in the first half but the benefit of the doubt always tends to go with the attacking team and that is a good thing.
They endeavoured to increase their levels of communication with Jonathan Kaplan. Guys asking “Am I okay, ref?” and more pronounced hand gestures to indicate the removal of a body. It led to five turnovers through Mike Ross, Donncha O’Callaghan, Paul O’Connell and the backrow. I know from my time in the squad this was due to what defence coach Les Kiss calls “choking the ball”. It is when two men hold up the man in possession. At best, it presents a turnover but at worst it commits five or six opponents to the ruck to retrieve their own possession, thereby slowing the attacking momentum.
My other concern is the paltry 17 penalties Ireland had been awarded before the weekend, especially in contrast to Italy who had amassed an astonishing 46. Something is simply not right there.
This supports the theory that there are preconceived notions of Ireland in the eyes of officials but a top referee should not let himself be influenced by newspapers or TV pundits leading up to a Test match.
The really good refs, and that’s the majority of those refereeing Ireland games, like Kaplan, are like all the best players in that they referee what is in front of them and react as matters unfold.That doesn’t mean teams don’t attempt plenty of ploys leading up to kick-off. When the referee enters the dressingroom for the usual pre-game stuff – checking studs and a chat with the captain and frontrow – a lap-top will be produced with video clips of concerns about the opposition and queries about what will be tolerated.
Alan Lewis, in an interview with BBC Sport, spoke last week about his 13 years as a rugby referee. Some coaches don’t bother talking to him, others come with a smile and a lap top of examples. Sometimes there are phone calls in the week leading up to games.
Other more subtle methods are used to plant a seed of doubt in a referee’s mind about the other team. It is almost subliminal. And certainly sneaky.
On his arrival into a team environment pre-game, the ref will be met by a wall of carefully-highlighted posters about the opposition being the most penalised in the competition at the breakdown or scrum. I did say it doesn’t make that much of a difference but I’ve always taken up the opportunity to speak with referees. I do it for my own piece of mind. I will be armed with two or three suggestions or questions about the lineout. Maybe just asking him to watch out for taking out jumpers in the air or two-man pull downs; little things I know the other team has gotten away with in the past.
It is just another piece of the jigsaw in most teams’ overall game plan.
Now, when playing against a Shaun Edwards-coached side your tactics must also cater for the rushing four-up defence. That has always been the Edwards way and Ireland knew this.There are really only two ways to deal with it – go over it or go through it, because it is really difficult to get around it. That means some chips and crossfield kicking must be employed or the forwards control matters with around-the-corner carries until a chink appears.
Ireland tried to kick over the blitz in the early stages. You could see it in the way Ronan O’Gara went looking for Tommy Bowe on the right touchline not long after Brian O’Driscoll’s try. Unfortunately, it led to a Welsh penalty and three points.
A game plan becomes fairly irrelevant, however, if the execution is not there. Some early chips didn’t go to hand either and the running threat out of their 22 from restarts didn’t yield the required result. But they were merely implementing the most effective game plan. It was a risk/reward strategy that seemed like the smartest ploy against the Welsh, who always leave four in the back field. With Lee Byrne and Shane Williams back there, why give them free ball to run? Ireland were aware of this and hence they sought other methods to break them down.
They had done their homework but when the rain came the Edwards defensive system was only ever going to become more effective as the players’ ball skills were stretched by the slippery ball.When conditions change, a team must adapt as well. We have been guilty at London Irish of sticking rigidly to our pre-planned tactics for 80 minutes, even when the rewards are not coming. After 20 minutes the decision makers in a team should always reassess things. Nothing should be set in stone because there will always be the development of games within the game. It isn’t easy for a rugby player to alter his programmed mentality in the heat of battle.
Both teams’ game plans were fairly transparent on Saturday. Jamie Roberts and Jonathan Davies came flooding down the 10 channel forcing Tommy Bowe off his wing to provide additional cover. They may have foreseen this as an opportunity to create space out wide. For over an hour I felt we were still going to win despite not playing well. The lineout and scrum were providing enough decent possession to keep probing the Welsh defence but around the 65-minute mark Wales completely altered their game plan. They began to pick and go around the fringes followed by decent front-foot kicking that ate into the clock. It was not pretty but it was a momentum changer. No one wanted to lose but Wales caught on quicker to what they needed to do to win.
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