NBA Thread

[Gates]

I really wish Toronto would have drafted Aldridge instead of Bargnani. I believe it was down to the two of them and Bosh was lobbying for Aldridge to come to Toronto...might have lost him to Free Agency, but it would have been nice...

Still, he's going beast on the Rockets.

[Justin]

This playoff series is proving that Paul George is not yet the elite player that analysts tabbed him to be early in the season, nor the player his team needs him to be.  The series is also revealing the major weakness of the Pacers which is their lack of a true point guard.  Without that true floor general they will never make it to the finals.

[GM Franchise]

The Hawks can win this series. The point guard issue is going to hurt them big time and the Hawks are playing really well right now.

[Gates]

It doesn't help that Hibbert is (at least he was down the stretch) a shadow of what he was to start the season. That might have changed in the playoffs, but with no true PG, a center who isn't as dominant as he was and a future elite player in George...its a team making strides, but not fully there.

[Jon]

The Pacers have lost their smile.

[GM Franchise]

Warriors seek name-change input

http://espn.go.com/nba/playoffs/2014/story/_/id/10836440/golden-state-warriors-want-input-likely-name-change

OAKLAND, Calif. -- The Golden State Warriors say they will be seeking input from fans on whether they should change their name after announcing earlier this week they'd purchased a 12-acre property in the Mission Bay district of San Francisco that they plan to use for a new arena.

The franchise will keep the Warriors moniker they've used since they were founded in Philadelphia in 1946 but could readopt the name for which they were known when they played in San Francisco from 1962-71 -- the San Francisco Warriors.

"We're very curious what our fans think of that," Warriors president and CEO Rick Welts told ESPN.com. "I couldn't imagine making that decision in the very near future, but we definitely want to see what our fans prefer."

While the name change and move out of Oracle Arena in Oakland to a state-of-the-art venue before the 2018-19 season might seem a bit jarring to the blue-collar identity of the franchise, Welts said that it's important to the franchise to preserve as much about what makes Oracle Arena one of the best home courts in the NBA.

"We're spending a lot of time with the facility itself to do everything possible to replicate what we think is a really special atmosphere for our games at Oracle," Welts said.

"The first assignment we gave the architects was to make sure that every seat in the new building is as close or closer than the comparable seat at Oracle. We're doing that by actually making the building smaller. We're going from 19,000 seats to 18,000 seats."

Welts said that the Warriors have also guaranteed that every employee at Oracle will have a chance to transfer their job to the new building, which is eight miles away, across the San Francisco Bay. They've guaranteed seats to their season-ticket holders in the new arena.

"Oracle Arena is the oldest arena in the NBA, and it's served great for 50 years," Welts said. "But there comes a point in time where if we're going to be the franchise that we aspire to be, we're going to need a new playing facility. And in our view, San Francisco is the right place to be if you have the same aspirations we have, to be truly one of the great franchises in sports."

Welts said he didn't think the franchise's fans in the East Bay would abandon them, since the new site is so close to Oakland, and accessible by the Bay Area's Rapid Transit (BART) system.

Welts added pushing to keep the team in Oakland was further complicated by governmental concerns.

"I think we're very cognizant also that Oakland and Alameda counties have some very serious issues to prioritize," Welts said. "And we're very understanding that the Golden State Warriors, in terms of an investment of public money, isn't one of the places that those in charge of the future of Oakland feel like is the most needy in terms of the issues and problems that the people are trying to address here."

When the Warriors purchased the 12-acre private property from Salesforce.com on Saturday, it essentially confirmed they'd scrapped plans to move to a waterfront site on Piers 30-32 near the San Francisco Giants' ballpark.

Welts said the regulatory hoops they'd have to jump through to get that project approved became too burdensome and "there came a point in time where certainty just became the most important thing."

While the new arena won't sit on the piers with striking views of the Bay Bridge, Welts said the new property will also have unobstructed views of the San Francisco Bay. The only thing standing between the new arena, which will also include a practice facility and team offices, will be a five-acre park.

The project, which is entirely privately financed, is expected to cost upwards of $1 billion, although it's impossible to project a new estimate until new architectural plans are drawn. Welts said the regulatory process at the Mission Bay site is far simpler than what the team experienced at the waterfront site to the north.

"There's a master development Mission Bay plan that was adopted 15 years ago that governs all the development here, so it operates under its own set of rules," Welts said. "And because of that, we don't have the regulatory process that we had at the other site.

"There's no federal jurisdiction, which we had with the Army Corps of Engineers, there's no regional jurisdiction, which we had with the BCDC (Bay Conservation and Development Commission). This is private lands, so we don't have port commission oversight. So it just simplifies the regulatory process, we just have to follow the Mission Bay development plan which has been in place for a long time, and what we're constructing will fit in the constructs of that development plan."

[T-Bonizzle]

Golden State is a cooler moniker than San Fran.

[GM Franchise]

L.A. Clippers Owner to GF:Don't Bring Black People to My Games ...Including Magic Johnson

4/25/2014 10:00 PM PDT BY TMZ STAFF

http://www.tmz.com/2014/04/26/donald-sterling-clippers-owner-black-people-racist-audio-magic-johnson/

L.A. Clippers owner Donald Sterling told his GF he does NOT want her bringing black people to his games ... including Magic Johnson ... and it's ALL on tape.

TMZ Sports has obtained audio of Sterling making the racist declaration during a heated argument on April 9th with V. Stiviano ... after she posted a photo on Instagram posing with Magic.

Sterling rails on Stiviano -- who ironically is black and Mexican -- for putting herself out in public with a black person (she has since taken the pic down).  But it doesn't end there.  You have to listen to the audio to fully grasp the magnitude of Sterling's racist worldview. Among the comments:

-- "It bothers me a lot that you want to broadcast that you're associating with black people. Do you have to?" (3:30)

-- "You can sleep with [black people]. You can bring them in, you can do whatever you want.  The little I ask you is not to promote it on that ... and not to bring them to my games." (5:15)

-- "I'm just saying, in your lousy f******* Instagrams, you don't have to have yourself with, walking with black people." (7:45)

-- "...Don't put him [Magic] on an Instagram for the world to have to see so they have to call me.  And don't bring him to my games." (9:13)

Sterling has a documented history of allegedly racist behavior -- he's been sued twice by the federal government for allegedly refusing to rent apartments to Blacks and Latinos.

He was also sued by former Clippers exec Elgin Baylor for racial discrimination -- though a jury was ultimately not convinced and shot down Baylor's case. 

Sterling has been separated from his wife Shelly for years.  She remains a key player in running the team and sources tell us she's "mortified" by Sterling's comments.

We have made several calls to Sterling and his people ... so far, no word back.


Read more: http://www.tmz.com/2014/04/26/donald-sterling-clippers-owner-black-people-racist-audio-magic-johnson/#ixzz2zySUtnnD

[J-Reb]

Sterling just can't get it right.  After years of being basketball purgatory, they have finally put together a team capable of winning, and he goes on a racist rant, which was recorded.

Unbelievable.

[¿PapaPancho?]

ADAM SILVER PLEASE FORCE DONALD STERLING TO SELL THE TEAM ... DO IT ... CLIPPERS NATION WILL REJOICE!!

[jagilki]

L.A. Clippers Owner to GF:Don't Bring Black People to My Games ...Including Magic Johnson

Not sure if NBA News story or FBL Gen News.

[GM Franchise]

ADAM SILVER PLEASE FORCE DONALD STERLING TO SELL THE TEAM ... DO IT ... CLIPPERS NATION WILL REJOICE!!

Agreed

[GM Franchise]

Keith Olbermann:Clippers Should REFUSE TO PLAY Until NBA Punishes Sterling

4/26/2014 6:15 AM PDT BY TMZ STAFF



http://www.tmz.com/2014/04/26/keith-olbermann-clippers-should-refuse-to-play-until-nba-punishes-sterling/

The L.A.. Clippers should BOYCOTT the playoffs ... and refuse to step on the court until the NBA takes action against Donald Sterling ... so says Keith Olbermann.

Olbermann went to Twitter this morning -- after TMZ Sports posted audio of the Clippers owner telling his GF not to bring black people to his games -- and railed against Sterling.

"time for #Clippers players to step up. Refuse to play till NBA moves against this racist jackass #Sterling. NBA can't defend him.'

Olbermann also notes, "I was banned by the #Clippers for criticism of the front office - in 1986. This made me the envy of every other LA sports media person."

Read more: http://www.tmz.com/2014/04/26/keith-olbermann-clippers-should-refuse-to-play-until-nba-punishes-sterling/#ixzz300kqKzfz

[Justin]

I cant stand ignorance. I hope DeAndre Jordan clotheslines him.

[GM Franchise]

NBA investigating audio recording

http://espn.go.com/nba/playoffs/2014/story/_/id/10843525/nba-investigating-offensive-audio-recording-allegedly-los-angeles-clippers-owner-donald-sterling

An audio recording purportedly of Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling making racist remarks to his girlfriend is being investigated by the National Basketball Association.

In the recording, the man believed to be Sterling questions his girlfriend, V. Stiviano, about her association with minorities. TMZ reports that Stiviano, who is black and Mexican, posted a picture of her with Magic Johnson on Instagram, a photo that has since been removed.

"It bothers me a lot that you want to broadcast that you're associating with black people. Do you have to?" the man believed to be Sterling says. He continues, "You can sleep with [black people]. You can bring them in, you can do whatever you want. The little I ask you is not to promote it on that ... and not to bring them to my games."

NBA spokesman Mike Bass issued the following statement to ESPN: "We are in the process of conducting a full investigation into the audio recording obtained by TMZ. The remarks heard on the recording are disturbing and offensive, but at this time we have no further information."

The Los Angeles Daily News reports that Clipper players held a team meeting regarding the audio, according to a source. The Clippers have not commented yet.

Players around the league began reacting as news of the investigation spread.

One player on a Western Conference playoff team, preferring to remain anonymous until more details about the validity of the recording surface, told ESPN he and his teammates were "pissed" when they first got wind of the story.

"We're waiting to see what is said [by the league] or how it's handled," said the player. "If roles were reversed, you know people wouldn't let it ride."

Former Clipper Baron Davis took to Twitter to express his thoughts about Sterling.

Last month, CBS reported that Rochelle Sterling, Sterling's wife, filed a lawsuit against Stiviano, alleging she had a sexual affair with her husband. The suit, which states Sterling and Stiviano began their relationship after meeting at the Super Bowl in 2010, asks for a return of all cash, land cars and other items that under California law are the community property of the Sterlings.

Information from ESPNLosAngeles.com's Arash Markazi and Dave McMenamin was used in this report.