NBA news from CNN and Beagle comments

[snoopy1@xxxxxxx]

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/basketball/nba/2003/all_star/news/2003/02/08/as_stern_ap/

I've inserted a few choice comments along the way as you read this.  Have fun!


ATLANTA (AP) -- NBA commissioner David Stern delivered two pieces of news 
Saturday night, announcing that Darko Milicic of Yugoslavia will be 
eligible for the 2003 draft and that the first round of the playoffs will 
be changed from best-of-5 to best-of-7 this season.

Both agreements came after talks with the NBA players' union, whose 
director, Billy Hunter, joined Stern on the dais for his annual All-Star 
Weekend news conference.

The owners and players also agreed to meet this summer to begin discussing 
an extension of the collective bargaining agreement that will expire after 
the 2003-04 or 2004-05 season.

"We are feeling pretty good about the state of the NBA in a very difficult 
economic time and in a very turbulent world," Stern said.


BEAGLE-Only the NBA could look at imposing a "luxury tax" in the millions 
to distribute to teams like Atlanta (where they count the number of fans at 
a Hawks game by counting on fingers and toes), rookie bench warmers make 
six figure salaries, and any venue more than five years old is "hopelessly 
out of date" so they can demand a new one for a team that doesn't exist 
yet, and refer to it as a "difficult economic time". *sigh*


The change in draft eligibility rules will allow international players to 
declare for the draft in the same year in which they turn 18. Previously, 
the league said a player needed to turn 18 before the draft application 
deadline, which comes 45 days before the draft.

Eligibility rules for American players will not be changed.

Milicic, 17, has been projected as the possible No. 2 pick in next June's 
draft after high school phenom LeBron James.  "He's thrilled. He's going to 
get a chance to live out his dream," said Marc Cornstein, the U.S.-based 
agent for Milicic.


BEAGLE-I'll be thrilled at anyone that ISN'T LeBron.  He's getting more 
prevalent--and more annoying--than so-called "reality television".


The union agreed to expand the first round of the playoffs in exchange for 
an increase in postseason bonus money and some additional time off for 
veterans at the start of training camps.


BEAGLE-Yeah, we all know how cash-strapped those NBA players are.  Now 
they're gonna have to buy Helicopters to get to practice just so LeBron 
won't show them up.


A source within the league with knowledge of the agreement, speaking on 
condition of anonymity, outlined the terms of the deal to the AP:


BEAGLE-One of these days, Stern's going to have to own up to that big mouth 
of his...  :>))


The playoff pool, to be divided among players on teams that qualify for the 
postseason, will rise by $750,000 to $8.75 million this season. It will go 
to $8.875 million in 2003-04 and $9 million in 2004-05.

Veterans with at least four years of experience will not be required to 
report for the first three days of training camp next season, and the first 
five days of training camp in the two subsequent seasons.


BEAGLE-Yes, the example of how much better Shaq played by missing training 
sure must be galvanizing them in the NBA.  If they want more time off, how 
about eliminating some of those pointless exhibition games?


Teams will be prohibited from holding two-a-day practices after the 10th 
day of training camp.

Previous talks between the league and the union failed to produce an 
agreement on expanding the first round of the playoffs, which have been 
best-of-5 since 1984.

The change means that all four rounds of the NBA playoffs now will be 
best-of-7.

BEAGLE-I agree.  This has been a long time coming.  Now, let's also 
re-institute the first round bye for the Division winners.

The agreement still must be approved by the 29 NBA owners, but that is 
considered a formality.


BEAGLE-In other words, the check cleared.


Stern also disclosed that the league will open the 2003-04 season with two 
games in Japan after exhibition games are played during the preseason in 
Spain, France, Mexico, Puerto Rico and China.

BEAGLE-OK, let me see--you don't have to go to practice, but you DO have to 
travel to at least one of  six countries ranging from next door neighbors 
to the other side of the planet--BEFORE the season STARTS?  AAUGH!  After 
all the carping about how players from last summer's World Championships 
were too tired, etc., and how they supposedly want to focus on the next 
Worlds--and the Olympics--you'd think maybe there'd be someone in the NBA's 
scheduling department who can read a map, but Noooooooo...


Stern also warned that he's had enough of the griping and complaining about 
referees, and that this season's somewhat heavy-handed penalties to Utah 
coach Jerry Sloan and Portland's Rasheed Wallace for their run-ins with 
officials would continue to be levied if similar instances occur.

"We have got to stop the whining, stop the complaining and play the game. 
And that applies to everybody -- commissioners, coaches, team executives, 
players and referees," Stern said. "Everybody has been sort of forewarned 
here at the All-Star Break, and we're anticipating a very elegant second 
half of the season."

BEAGLE-Yo, Davey--field some competent officials and the complaints will 
dwindle.  Violet Palmer, Ken Maurer, Scott Wall, and Sean Corbin all need 
to be fired ASAP.  Maurer, Wall and Corbin conspired to cause Paul Pierce 
to need nine hours of dental surgery.  Violet is the single most 
incompetent official I've ever seen at the NBA level.

If you want an "elegant season", let's see some of those hard fouls on 
Pierce called as flagrant.  Let's also see if they can call things both 
ways.  I've seen guys get literally taken down at one end with no call, 
while a hand check at the other end gets two shots at the line.

Tell ya what, Davey--you let Amare Stoudemire body slam YOUR face into the 
court the way Pierce got hit, then walk away with absolutely NO comment or 
complaint.  Do that, and I'll back you on not complaining about the 
refs.  Until then, I hope Tommy Heinsohn, Pat Riley and Mark Cuban give you 
hell every night.  And if you DO somehow manage to suspend Tommy, I will 
SOMEHOW scrape together the money to get to what ever game he doesn't call, 
and I'll spend the game screaming bloody murder about the poor officiating 
and the equally poor response by you and the so-called "leadership" of the NBA.

The "somewhat heavy-handed" penalties weren't due to someone saying "the 
officiating sucked": they were due to verbal and physical confrontations 
between the refs and others.  Rasheed Wallace draws trouble like a forest 
fire draws moths.  Jerry Sloan is normally not one to try shoving people 
around to get his point.  You got lucky, Davey.  If Celtics players--not to 
mention their fans-- weren't pretty well behaved, Ken Maurer wouldn't have 
left the building intact and Scott Wall would have needed rectal 
reconstruction after the whistle was removed.

Get some perspective.  The complaints have reached unprecedented 
proportions because there are officials out there who are SO inept, there's 
at least THREE games this season that should probably be called a draw or 
replayed.  At least two more should have the results nullified and reversed.

Sooner or later, the refs are going to lose control again.  And 
somebody--coach, player, fan--somebody will lose it and people will end up 
getting hurt because their emotions overruled their reason and they just 
couldn't take the aggravation of paying hundreds of dollars to see the ref 
essentially decide which team wins the game.

There's a huge need for PUBLIC oversight of the officials, not this back 
room mumbo-jumbo that never sees the light of day.  When people have a 
beef, they shouldn't get socked for ridiculous fines--and six figures IS 
ridiculous, even if you can afford it--just for speaking their mind.  No 
one--yet--has accused the refs of criminal behavior, just 
incompetence.  You want people to stop complaining?  Then LISTEN and refute 
their complaints with FACTS, not fines.  If you CAN'T refute them, then you 
should shut up and fix the problem.

But hey, you'll never change, Davey.  You're so blessedly predictable that 
we can set the clock by you.  We have to set it BACKWARDS, but at least 
you're consistent.

Snoopy the Celtics Beagle
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