Knicks' Mason: Owners, players still far apart

NEW YORK -- Knicks shooting guard and NBA Players' Association vice president Roger Mason considers himself an optimist. But he is not certain that a new collective bargaining agreement with the league will be in place by July 1.

"I'm hopeful," Mason said, "but right now the gap is pretty wide as far as the league and the latest proposal that they gave us, and what we're willing to do as players."

Talks between the owners and the players' union were to resume Thursday in Dallas.

“

We understand the landscape has changed since the last deal, so we're willing to make concessions, but I think what the owners are asking right now is just way too much, and it's above and beyond [the money] they're losing.

” -- Players' union VP Roger Mason

Mason pointed to two major disagreements that the players' union has with the owners' recent proposal: The owners' desire for a hard salary cap and their proposed split of the league's basketball-related income between owners and players.

The two sides are so far apart, Mason said, that cap numbers and revenue sharing percentages aren't being considered. He said the league and the union are only talking through the two main issues and haven't yet addressed other concerns, including health benefits and the possibility of contraction.

Mason acknowledged that at the end of the day, the players' union will have to loosen its grip on the proceedings in order for a new CBA to be finalized.

"We've got to understand we're going to have to take some skin of the game, just because the forecast in America right now is not great," Mason said. "We understand the landscape has changed since the last deal, so we're willing to make concessions, but I think what the owners are asking right now is just way too much, and it's above and beyond [the money] they're losing.

"Obviously they claim a [financial] loss and we have sympathy for that and are willing as players to sacrifice something. But right now that gap is pretty wide as far as what that something is," he said.

Mason was a high school senior during the 1998-99 NBA lockout. While he didn't understand the NBA's inner workings at the time, he remembers feeling very disappointed that a deal couldn't be worked out sooner.

Not only does he feel the same way now, but he's now fully aware of the league's business side -- and doesn't want history to repeat itself.

"Sometimes there are circumstances where you just can't make decisions that are going to harm the future for our league," Mason said. "I wouldn't feel good about leaving the league five, six, seven years from now and youngsters coming in with this type of agreement. I would feel horrible if I left the game that way myself."

 

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Sources: Cheeks candidate for Raptors' opening

Lawrence Frank and Dwane Casey are on the Toronto Raptors' list of coaching candidates, but sources say there is a strong third candidate: Oklahoma City Thunder assistant coach Maurice Cheeks.

The Raptors are not expected to make a decision on their coach until GM Bryan Colangelo returns from a scouting trip in Europe. They are also expected to wait until they can interview Mavericks assistant coach Casey, after the NBA Finals.

Cheeks, 54, has a career record of 284-286 as a head coach over six-plus seasons, splitting time between the Portland Trail Blazers and Philadelphia 76ers. He last coached the Sixers in 2008 before joining the Thunder under coach Scottie Brooks.

Cheeks also played 15 seasons, winning a championship with the Sixers in 1983 as their starting point guard.

Ric Bucher reports on the NBA for ESPN The Magazine.

 

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Iverson eyes comeback, end to career in NBA

PHILADELPHIA -- Allen Iverson wants to keep his passport at home.

Ten years after he became an MVP who led the Philadelphia 76ers to the Finals, Iverson has his eyes on a comeback. He is determined to end a career in the NBA, a career that is possibly destined for the Hall of Fame, and not in some faraway country where brief YouTube clips are the only way to stay updated on the four-time scoring champion.

Iverson, who turned 36 this week, played only 10 games in an injury-filled stint in Turkey after a lack of NBA interest forced him to seek employment elsewhere. In his most recent NBA season, in 2009-10, Iverson left the Sixers in February.

That's not a lot of basketball for an aging veteran.

AP Photo/Ibrahim UstaAllen Iverson, who played only 10 games in Turkey last season, hopes to return to the NBA.

So what gives Iverson confidence he can still play anywhere near his former elite level next season?

"It's me," he said, laughing. "That's what gives me confidence. I know what I can do. Everybody in the world knows what I can do. Everybody knows what I can do on the basketball court."

Every fan knows how the 25-year-old Iverson could dazzle on the court. Like in the 2001 NBA Finals, when he buried a jumper over Tyronn Lue, then highstepped over the fallen Los Angeles Lakers defender in Game 1. The iconic moment ranked slightly behind his rookie year crossover vs. Michael Jordan as the most memorable of his 14-year career.

Iverson's added few plays to that list the past few years. He played for four teams in his last two NBA seasons, then left the Turkish club Besiktas with a leg injury.

A painful calcium mass developed on his right calf and he returned home opting for rest instead of surgery. Iverson's manager, Gary Moore, said Iverson has yet to receive the green light from Dr. James Andrews to resume contact drills. Iverson was not expected to get cleared until mid-July.

"Just give me a training camp," he said. "Maybe I've rubbed people the wrong way as far as saying the things I've said in my life and in my career. But if any team needs me to help try and win a championship in any capacity, I'm waiting."

He might have a long wait. Throw in a possible work stoppage with NBA owners and players far apart on a new labor deal, and Iverson might again be forced to look outside the NBA for a team. He signed a $4 million, two-year contract with Besiktas. But Iverson, who also has played for Denver, Detroit and Memphis, made it clear in a phone interview late Wednesday night, his first priority is the NBA.

"If that doesn't happen, I just want to play basketball, so I've got to weigh my options and do what's best for me and my career," he said. "If that doesn't happen, I don't want to not play basketball. I don't have any more years to be wasting."

Iverson has been dogged by rumors of personal problems -- his wife filed for divorce and a daughter battled serious health problems -- but he said his life these days is great.

All that's missing is basketball.

"The only thing that I give a damn about is that the people that care about me know that I'm all right," he said. "All I want is my real fans to know I'm fine, my wife is fine, my kids are fine. I'm fine and I'm looking forward to getting back on a team and being productive like I have been my whole career."

Iverson insisted he enjoyed his stay in Turkey.

"It was one of the greatest experiences I've ever had in my life," he said. "They were great to me. They embraced me like I would never think. Everything was great as far as that experiment."

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.

 

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Lions' Suh attends his 1st player-organized drills

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LA stadium planner: Talks had with 5 NFL teams

Updated: June 10, 2011, 9:01 PM

LOS ANGELES -- The head of the sports and entertainment firm that wants to build an NFL stadium in downtown Los Angeles has been in talks with officials from five teams about the proposed venue, a company official said Friday.

Anschutz Entertainment Group President and CEO Tim Leiweke has spoken with representatives from the Minnesota Vikings, San Diego Chargers, Oakland Raiders, St. Louis Rams and Jacksonville Jaguars, company spokesman Michael Roth told The Associated Press.

Leiweke said all those teams are "in the mix," but conceded, "We're not packing any (moving) vans right now," according to the Orange County Register, which was first to report on the talks.

The most recent discussion took place a week ago, said Leiweke, who didn't specify which team was involved.

Leiweke also told the Register that AEG owner Philip Anschutz was prepared to acquire a majority stake in an NFL team that would play at the proposed venue and that the company was willing to pay for a team to get out of its current lease.

AEG's $1 billion plan for a 72,000-seat stadium on part of the city's convention center campus is one of two competing proposals that aim to bring pro football back to Los Angeles 15 years after the Rams and Raiders left the nation's second-largest market within months of one another.

Warehouse magnate Ed Roski has permits in place to build a separate 75,000-seat stadium about 15 miles east of Los Angeles, in the city of Industry, but has also not secured a team.

Chargers spokesman Mark Fabiani told the AP that the team is in frequent contact with Leiweke concerning unrelated business, but that a move to Los Angeles has not been discussed.

He stressed that Chargers owner Alex Spanos and his family were not interested in relinquishing a majority stake of the team.

The family recently terminated an agreement with Goldman Sachs Group Inc. to shop around a stake in the team they considered selling to reduce the 87-year-old Spanos' estate tax liability upon his death, Fabiani said.

"So if AEG is seeking a majority stake in a team, it would probably be best for AEG to cross the Chargers off its wish list," he said.

Raiders CEO Amy Trask said in a statement through spokesman John Herrera that the franchise would remain with the family of owner Al Davis.

"The team is not for sale," Trask said.

Herrera had no comment on whether a move would be contemplated if Davis retained ownership.

Vikings spokesman Lester Bagley acknowledged that the franchise had been approached by AEG and Roski's group about the possibility of becoming a Southern California team, but said the franchise had no immediate interest in a move.

He said the Vikings hoped state legislators would approve funding to subsidize a new stadium in the Twin Cities when they convene a special session to hash out a budget resolution.

"We believe we're in a position to resolve our stadium issue in Minnesota this year," he said.

Messages left with the Rams and Jaguars were not returned.

NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy declined to comment on whether the league was aware of team discussions with AEG.

"Teams are permitted to talk to third parties," McCarthy said in a statement.

Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press

 

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Ex-Clips GM Dunleavy gets $13.5M from arbiter

Updated: June 11, 2011, 1:29 AM ETBy Ramona Shelburne
ESPNLosAngeles.com
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An arbitrator has ruled that the Los Angeles Clippers must pay former coach and general manager Mike Dunleavy $13,517,000 in compensation.

Although the case was heard several months ago before the Arbitration and Mediation Services in Santa Monica, the parties in the case were formally notified Friday.

The Los Angeles Times first reported the decision on its website Friday afternoon.

The Clippers, through their general counsel Robert Platt, indicated they did not agree with the decision and intended to "review the decision carefully and explore the team's various options."

Dunleavy's lawyer, Miles Clements, hailed it as a long-expected victory over the franchise, which had ceased paying Dunleavy in March 2010 after firing him as general manager. Clements added that since it was a binding arbitration case, there is no room for the team to challenge the ruling.

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"They've got no place to run," Clements said in a telephone interview with ESPNLosAngeles.com. "This was a binding arbitration. Any lawyer who litigates will tell you that the grounds for challenging an arbitration award are exceedingly narrow and would not apply here.

"An attack on the award would really be an attack on the arbitrator and there's nothing at all to justify such an attack. That doesn't mean they might not make it, they might see it as a free shot. But there's nothing that would justify it."

The key issue in the case was whether Dunleavy breached his contract by resigning as coach of the Clippers in February 2010.

At the time, it was announced as a mutual decision. But in testimony presented to the arbitrator, several witnesses said Dunleavy had been forced to resign, Clements said.

"Their position was that Mike resigned from his coaching duties and refused to coach and therefore was in material breach of his contract," Clements said.

"Mike always wanted to coach the Clippers and never wanted to give up the duties. They gave him no option."

The witnesses who testified before the arbitrator included owner Donald Sterling, Dunleavy, Clippers president Andy Roeser, current general manager Neil Olshey and Michael Goldberg of the NBA Coaches Association.

Clements also argued since the Clippers paid Dunleavy in full during the month he was acting only as the team's general manager, it signified the team did not regard him as breaching his contract by resigning as coach.

"There's a principle of law that intent of the parties to a contract are determined by their conduct before a dispute," Clements said.

"They continued to pay Mike a full salary due under the contract for a month, then out of the blue they fired him, never gave him any explanation and didn't pay him a penny.

"If he had resigned as they said, then why did they continue to pay him if they didn't owe him? It was just nonsensical."

In the release announcing Dunleavy was relinquishing his duties as coach, a statement attributed to Dunleavy reads: "I've had several conversations with our owner (Sterling) concerning what we think is best for the team overall. We have discussed the possibility of my concentrating only on basketball operations. That option has always been available to me.

"I've come to the conclusion that this is the ideal time for me to direct my efforts toward the many personnel opportunities that lie before us, such as the trade market, the draft and the free-agent process. We fully expect to be active and productive on all those fronts."

However in sworn testimony before the arbitrator, Dunleavy and several other witnesses said he had been given no choice but to resign as coach.

When asked why Dunleavy would issue a public statement indicating the decision was mutual, Clements said, "That was a media spin to try and put the cloak of professionalism on this and suggest mutuality. It was in everyone's interest. Mike was going to be the general manager, it would undermine his position if they said, we're not going to let him be coach anymore.

"It was what made sense for everybody. But it came out in the testimony that they did not give Mike the option to continue to coach."

Dunleavy was fired in the fourth year of a five-year, $22-million contract. The award reflects both the money that remained due on the contract, money that had been deferred, and interest on the money Dunleavy would've collected had the Clippers been paying him since March 2010. The arbitrator ordered that it be paid immediately.

Ramona Shelburne is a reporter and columnist for ESPNLosAngeles.com.

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Two-hit day puts Jeter within 7 hits of 3K mark

NEW YORK -- Seven hundred feet of outs later, Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter was still stuck on 2,991 hits.

But with another one of his classic Jeterian swings, Jeter moved closer to baseball immortality.

The 36-year-old Captain, who will turn 37 exactly two weeks from now (June 26), inside-outed a 2-1 fastball from Cleveland Indians starter Josh Tomlin into right field in the bottom of the fifth inning, driving in Brett Gardner from second and giving the Yankees a 2-0 lead. He later delivered a seeing-eye RBI single up the middle past a drawn-in infield off reliever Chad Durbin in the eighth to make it 7-1, and now stands just seven hits away from becoming the 28th player in baseball history to reach the illustrious 3,000-hit club.

"It's impossible for it not be in your head, because I get asked that question all the time," said Jeter, who recorded his 2,992nd and 2,993rd hits in the Yankees' 9-1 rout of the Indians on Sunday afternoon in front of 46,791 onlookers at Yankee Stadium. "I'd love to do it here (at home), but all I can control is having good at-bats and trying to hit the ball hard and find some holes. We have a few more games left, so we'll see what happens."

Jeter, who is batting just .259 and in the midst of the worst offensive season of his 16-year career, has four games left on the Yankees' homestand to make it happen, and according to baseball-reference.com, he's only had as many as seven hits over a four-game stretch eight times this season. But based on how impeccable his timing has been throughout his future Hall of Fame career, it wouldn't surprise anyone if "Captain Clutch" is able to pull it off.

"Derek's meant championships to this organization and he's meant professionalism," manager Joe Girardi said before Sunday's game. "He plays the game the right way. He's meant a lot to this franchise. ... Derek's got a lot of heart and plays the game to win. I think it comes down to his heart, the way he plays the game. Derek's got a lot of heart and he plays the game to win."

Jeter has five championship rings and a World Series MVP award to show for it. But he's just as well-known for his intangibles, the little things he does that don't show up in the box score. And his afternoon at the plate on Sunday was just the latest example of that.

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After driving a ball to deep center that Michael Brantley caught just in front of the warning track to lead off the game, Jeter advanced Gardner to third with a line drive to right in his second at-bat. Gardner later scored.

The Yankees were leading just 1-0 when Jeter stepped in against Tomlin in the fifth with Gardner at second. Jeter's goal in his third at-bat was just to hit the ball to the right side and get Gardner over -- another productive out.

Instead, he managed to dunk the ball in front of right fielder Shin-Soo Choo to plate Gardner and give his team a two-run edge.

"My second and third at-bats my job was to move the guy over, so I was just trying to get a pitch that I could hit the other way," said Jeter, who has a chance to become one of the fastest to ever reach the 3,000-hit club. Ty Cobb was the youngest (34 years, 244 days), while Hank Aaron (36 years, 101 days) and Robin Yount (36 years, 359 days) also reached the milestone before their 37th birthdays. "We're still trying to win games here, that's first and foremost."

Still, his teammates want to see him accomplish the feat -- and become just the 11th player in history to get all 3,000 of his career hits with the same team -- at home.

"I hope he gets on a roll and gets it at home. I really want him to do it here," said designated hitter Jorge Posada, who has been Jeter's Yankee teammate since 1995 when they came up from the minors together.

Added first baseman Mark Teixeira: "We'd love to have him get it done here, and I know the fans would love it as well. But Derek's not going to put too much pressure on himself. He knows exactly what he's doing."

Jeter is already the franchise's all-time hits leader. He broke Lou Gehrig's record of 2,771 hits when he drilled his 2,772 career hit on Sept. 11, 2009.

But this -- becoming the first Yankee to ever reach 3,000 -- is a different animal.

"Everyone's talking about it when I'm on deck," Jeter, who went 2-for-5 on Sunday afternoon with two RBIs and a run scored, said. "So I'd be lying to you if I said I wasn't thinking about it."

Mike Mazzeo is a regular contributor to ESPNNewYork.com.

 

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