Thursday, July 21, 2011
Pistons tab Lawrence Frank
The Detroit Pistons have chosen Lawrence Frank to be their new head coach, according to sources with knowledge of the team's thinking.
The Pistons have selected Frank over former Detroit assistant Mike Woodson, with sources telling ESPN.com that the decision signals the growing influence in the organization of former New York Knicks executive Dave Checketts.
Yahoo! Sports first reported that Frank's hiring is imminent. The Associated Press reported that Frank will have a formal contract offer from Detroit within the next two days.
ESPN.com reported last week that the Pistons had narrowed their search down to Frank and Woodson and that Frank had made a strong impression on the Pistons' new ownership. That nudged the Boston Celtics assistant coach ahead of Woodson, who sources said was the preferred choice of longtime Pistons president of basketball operations Joe Dumars.
As ESPN.com reported last month, Checketts was installed as a team consultant by Pistons owner Tom Gores when Gores finally completed his purchase of the team. Strong meetings with Gores and Checketts, sources said, enabled Frank to win out over a field that also included three assistant coaches with no NBA head-coaching experience (Kelvin Sampson, Bill Laimbeer and Patrick Ewing).
Since the search began after the long-anticipated firing of John Kuester on June 5, Woodson was widely considered the favorite for the post in NBA coaching circles, thanks largely to Woodson's good working relationship with Dumars and the fact that Detroit would know exactly what it's getting after Woodson's work under Larry Brown during the Pistons' 2004 title run.
But Frank has apparently convinced the Pistons that a season working under Boston Celtics coach Doc Rivers enhanced his ability to relate to players, which is a priority in Detroit after two seasons filled with locker-room tension during Kuester's reign and similar strained player-coach relations during the brief stint of Kuester predecessor Michael Curry.
Dumars continues to serve as Detroit's lead basketball decision-maker, with Gores announced when he officially took control of the franchise that "we're going to lean on (Dumars) pretty heavily."
But the hiring of Frank is another indication that Checketts' voice is also being heard. Sources said that the decision to interview Ewing, an Orlando Magic assistant, likewise originated with Checketts.
Frank was 225-241 in parts of seven seasons coaching the New Jersey Nets before joining Rivers' staff in Boston this past season, replacing Tom Thibodeau, who was hired to coach the Chicago Bulls.
Woodson, who interviewed for Minnesota's coaching vacancy earlier this week, elected to take the Atlanta Hawks' job before Brown's final season in Detroit instead of waiting to see how long it would take to inherit the job from Brown. He posted a record of 206-286 in six seasons in Atlanta, advancing to the second round of the playoffs twice.
Checketts' consulting and investment firm for sports teams, SCP Worldwide, currently owns Real Salt Lake in Major League Soccer and is trying to sell the NHL's St. Louis Blues.
The Pistons have selected Frank over former Detroit assistant Mike Woodson, with sources telling ESPN.com that the decision signals the growing influence in the organization of former New York Knicks executive Dave Checketts.
Yahoo! Sports first reported that Frank's hiring is imminent. The Associated Press reported that Frank will have a formal contract offer from Detroit within the next two days.
ESPN.com reported last week that the Pistons had narrowed their search down to Frank and Woodson and that Frank had made a strong impression on the Pistons' new ownership. That nudged the Boston Celtics assistant coach ahead of Woodson, who sources said was the preferred choice of longtime Pistons president of basketball operations Joe Dumars.
As ESPN.com reported last month, Checketts was installed as a team consultant by Pistons owner Tom Gores when Gores finally completed his purchase of the team. Strong meetings with Gores and Checketts, sources said, enabled Frank to win out over a field that also included three assistant coaches with no NBA head-coaching experience (Kelvin Sampson, Bill Laimbeer and Patrick Ewing).
Since the search began after the long-anticipated firing of John Kuester on June 5, Woodson was widely considered the favorite for the post in NBA coaching circles, thanks largely to Woodson's good working relationship with Dumars and the fact that Detroit would know exactly what it's getting after Woodson's work under Larry Brown during the Pistons' 2004 title run.
But Frank has apparently convinced the Pistons that a season working under Boston Celtics coach Doc Rivers enhanced his ability to relate to players, which is a priority in Detroit after two seasons filled with locker-room tension during Kuester's reign and similar strained player-coach relations during the brief stint of Kuester predecessor Michael Curry.
Dumars continues to serve as Detroit's lead basketball decision-maker, with Gores announced when he officially took control of the franchise that "we're going to lean on (Dumars) pretty heavily."
But the hiring of Frank is another indication that Checketts' voice is also being heard. Sources said that the decision to interview Ewing, an Orlando Magic assistant, likewise originated with Checketts.
Frank was 225-241 in parts of seven seasons coaching the New Jersey Nets before joining Rivers' staff in Boston this past season, replacing Tom Thibodeau, who was hired to coach the Chicago Bulls.
Woodson, who interviewed for Minnesota's coaching vacancy earlier this week, elected to take the Atlanta Hawks' job before Brown's final season in Detroit instead of waiting to see how long it would take to inherit the job from Brown. He posted a record of 206-286 in six seasons in Atlanta, advancing to the second round of the playoffs twice.
Checketts' consulting and investment firm for sports teams, SCP Worldwide, currently owns Real Salt Lake in Major League Soccer and is trying to sell the NHL's St. Louis Blues.
Highlights Of Proposed CBA
Details of the proposed collective bargaining agreement that would need to be ratified by NFL players:
• Ten-year deal, through the 2020 season
• New league year would begin on Wednesday
• Players receive 48 percent of revenue in first portion of deal
• $120 million salary cap; team minimum 89 percent ($106.8M) as long as league spends 99 percent ($3.8B)
• Veterans earn free agency after fourth season
• Four-year rookie contracts, with team option for fifth year
• Lower rookie salaries, with cap on team spending for rookies
• Later training camps, no more full-contact, two-a-day practices
• Offseason team activities (OTAs) reduced from 14 to nine
• Ten-year deal, through the 2020 season
• New league year would begin on Wednesday
• Players receive 48 percent of revenue in first portion of deal
• $120 million salary cap; team minimum 89 percent ($106.8M) as long as league spends 99 percent ($3.8B)
• Veterans earn free agency after fourth season
• Four-year rookie contracts, with team option for fifth year
• Lower rookie salaries, with cap on team spending for rookies
• Later training camps, no more full-contact, two-a-day practices
• Offseason team activities (OTAs) reduced from 14 to nine
Owners approve proposed labor deal
About Time!!!!!! Finally life can return back to normal with some good old fashion football.. Can't say the same for Basketball.... ARE YOU READY FOR SOME FOOTBALL!!!!!!!! (Monday night football voice)
Monday, July 18, 2011
Report: Besiktas not after Kobe Bryant
The Turkish team that recently reached an agreement to sign All-Star guard Deron Williams if the NBA lockout drags on has placed its pursuit of Los Angeles Lakers star Kobe Bryant on hold, according to an overseas report.
Turkey's NTV Spor reported Monday that Besiktas' basketball funds have been tied up by the match-fixing scandal that has ripped through the Turkish soccer world, forcing Besiktas to search for outside funding to help with the further pursuit of NBA players.
According to NTV Spor, Besiktas was initially prepared to offer Bryant a monthly salary of $500,000. But Bryant, according to the report, is seeking a monthly salary of $1 million to join Williams. Sources told ESPN The Magazine's Chris Broussard earlier this month that Williams' overall deal with Besiktas is worth $5 million.
DraftExpress.com first reported over the weekend that Besiktas and Bryant's camp were exchanging financial figures before the growing soccer crisis intervened.
Any further Besiktas basketball moves, according to the NTV Spor report, will depend on finding a wealthy outside sponsor. It remains to be seen, though, whether Bryant's own endorsement deal with Turkish Airlines can eventually help him land a deal with Besiktas or another Turkish club to give him a temporary new home should the lockout extend into October.
Williams tweeted a picture Friday of his signed Besiktas contract. There has been no indication yet that the financial problems suddenly confronting Besiktas because of the soccer scandal will impact Williams' deal with the Istanbul club, which has faced FIBA sanctions as recently as the 2009-10 season for not paying American players (Lonny Baxter and Kevin Fletcher) on time.
The deals Besiktas has offered Williams and Bryant include an out clause permitting the players to return immediately to the NBA once the lockout is lifted.
Turkey's NTV Spor reported Monday that Besiktas' basketball funds have been tied up by the match-fixing scandal that has ripped through the Turkish soccer world, forcing Besiktas to search for outside funding to help with the further pursuit of NBA players.
According to NTV Spor, Besiktas was initially prepared to offer Bryant a monthly salary of $500,000. But Bryant, according to the report, is seeking a monthly salary of $1 million to join Williams. Sources told ESPN The Magazine's Chris Broussard earlier this month that Williams' overall deal with Besiktas is worth $5 million.
DraftExpress.com first reported over the weekend that Besiktas and Bryant's camp were exchanging financial figures before the growing soccer crisis intervened.
Any further Besiktas basketball moves, according to the NTV Spor report, will depend on finding a wealthy outside sponsor. It remains to be seen, though, whether Bryant's own endorsement deal with Turkish Airlines can eventually help him land a deal with Besiktas or another Turkish club to give him a temporary new home should the lockout extend into October.
Williams tweeted a picture Friday of his signed Besiktas contract. There has been no indication yet that the financial problems suddenly confronting Besiktas because of the soccer scandal will impact Williams' deal with the Istanbul club, which has faced FIBA sanctions as recently as the 2009-10 season for not paying American players (Lonny Baxter and Kevin Fletcher) on time.
The deals Besiktas has offered Williams and Bryant include an out clause permitting the players to return immediately to the NBA once the lockout is lifted.
Bader admits to tough times after Tito fight
Right around the same time Tito Ortiz was accepting a main event fight against Rashad Evans at UFC 133, Ryan Bader was finishing up an hour-long session of pad work with Xtreme Couture boxing coach Gil Martinez.
The panic button hasn’t been hit just yet for the 28-year-old -- but just about. After back-to-back stoppage losses to Jon Jones and a massive underdog in Ortiz, Bader’s stock in the light heavyweight division has gone from the ceiling to the gutter.
“On Twitter, I hear a few things,” Bader told ESPN.com. “I haven’t had to deal with many negative things in my career. Now, I see, ‘You suck. You lost to Tito.’
“You try to just take it with a grain of salt. It’s whatever. I still have support from the fans who have followed me for awhile.”
In most cases, there’s no shame in losing to former UFC light heavyweight champion unless that former champ hasn’t won a fight in five years and appears on the verge of retirement.
It was a well-known fact Ortiz’s job was on the line when he met Bader as a 5-to-1 underdog at UFC 132 earlier this month. No one, it seemed, expected the fight to go the way it did a first-round submission win for Ortiz -- including Dana White.
“I’ll be honest, I thought that was going to be Tito’s last fight,” White said, during a national media call Thursday. “I thought Bader was going to win that fight and I thought Tito was going to retire.”
Bader (12-2) isn’t making any excuses for the performance. He credits Ortiz for the win and doesn’t count him out in any of his future fights, but admits, “It’s been a tough loss. I should have gone out and beat him as that big of a favorite.”
The one positive of it all is Bader believes that even though the fight lasted just 146 seconds, it’s clearly shown him the areas of his game that need to improve.
Although Ortiz ended the fight with a guillotine choke, the real difference was a straight right that dropped Bader. Coming from his wrestling background at Arizona State University, Bader says he’s learned how to throw punches but never fully embraced the finer aspects of boxing, which would have helped him avoid that right.
Losing to Tito Ortiz has proven to be a learning experience for Ryan Bader.
“I’ve got to work on my defense and my movement,” Bader said. “That’s one of my problems. I don’t move my feet. Those mistakes cost me the fight.”
Bader is confident that spending time with Martinez, who’s known for improving the hands of Randy Couture and Gray Maynard, will be a big step in his evolution as a fighter.
Admittedly, he probably got too comfortable at his home gym Power MMA in Arizona -- both with coaches and sparring partners.
“I need to get out of my comfort zone. I want to be nervous because I’m sparring with a new guy,” Bader said. “I’m going to be getting different looks. I really can’t work any harder because I was already going so hard, but I can change things.”
Bader may have helped Ortiz breathe new life into his career but there’s reason to believe the loss might do the same for his own. Following the loss to Jones in February, there wasn’t as much pressure to change his approach as there is now.
“I lose three in a row, that’s tough man,” Bader said. “You see guys get cut for that. So yeah, I do feel that pressure.
“I’m not calling anybody out. I’m not saying anything. I’m not even in position to say when I’d like to be back. I’m just waiting to see what they want me to do and it’s actually nice, because I’ll just get better in the meantime.”
The panic button hasn’t been hit just yet for the 28-year-old -- but just about. After back-to-back stoppage losses to Jon Jones and a massive underdog in Ortiz, Bader’s stock in the light heavyweight division has gone from the ceiling to the gutter.
“On Twitter, I hear a few things,” Bader told ESPN.com. “I haven’t had to deal with many negative things in my career. Now, I see, ‘You suck. You lost to Tito.’
“You try to just take it with a grain of salt. It’s whatever. I still have support from the fans who have followed me for awhile.”
In most cases, there’s no shame in losing to former UFC light heavyweight champion unless that former champ hasn’t won a fight in five years and appears on the verge of retirement.
It was a well-known fact Ortiz’s job was on the line when he met Bader as a 5-to-1 underdog at UFC 132 earlier this month. No one, it seemed, expected the fight to go the way it did a first-round submission win for Ortiz -- including Dana White.
“I’ll be honest, I thought that was going to be Tito’s last fight,” White said, during a national media call Thursday. “I thought Bader was going to win that fight and I thought Tito was going to retire.”
Bader (12-2) isn’t making any excuses for the performance. He credits Ortiz for the win and doesn’t count him out in any of his future fights, but admits, “It’s been a tough loss. I should have gone out and beat him as that big of a favorite.”
The one positive of it all is Bader believes that even though the fight lasted just 146 seconds, it’s clearly shown him the areas of his game that need to improve.
Although Ortiz ended the fight with a guillotine choke, the real difference was a straight right that dropped Bader. Coming from his wrestling background at Arizona State University, Bader says he’s learned how to throw punches but never fully embraced the finer aspects of boxing, which would have helped him avoid that right.
Losing to Tito Ortiz has proven to be a learning experience for Ryan Bader.
“I’ve got to work on my defense and my movement,” Bader said. “That’s one of my problems. I don’t move my feet. Those mistakes cost me the fight.”
Bader is confident that spending time with Martinez, who’s known for improving the hands of Randy Couture and Gray Maynard, will be a big step in his evolution as a fighter.
Admittedly, he probably got too comfortable at his home gym Power MMA in Arizona -- both with coaches and sparring partners.
“I need to get out of my comfort zone. I want to be nervous because I’m sparring with a new guy,” Bader said. “I’m going to be getting different looks. I really can’t work any harder because I was already going so hard, but I can change things.”
Bader may have helped Ortiz breathe new life into his career but there’s reason to believe the loss might do the same for his own. Following the loss to Jones in February, there wasn’t as much pressure to change his approach as there is now.
“I lose three in a row, that’s tough man,” Bader said. “You see guys get cut for that. So yeah, I do feel that pressure.
“I’m not calling anybody out. I’m not saying anything. I’m not even in position to say when I’d like to be back. I’m just waiting to see what they want me to do and it’s actually nice, because I’ll just get better in the meantime.”
Three judges banned by state
The fallout from the controversial decision in the Paul Williams-Erislandy Lara junior middleweight bout continued Wednesday when the New Jersey State Athletic Control Board took the highly unusual action of indefinitely suspending the three judges who worked the 12-round bout.
Williams was given a heavily criticized majority decision victory Saturday night as judges Hilton Whitaker (115-114) and Don Givens (116-114) scored for him, while Al Bennett (114-114) had the HBO-televised main event at Boardwalk Hall's Adrian Phillips Ballroom a draw.
Lara, a former Cuban amateur star in his first major professional fight, however, landed his left hand at will. He appeared to win in the eyes of reporters covering the fight, all of HBO's commentators, HBO unofficial judge Harold Lederman and the pro-Williams crowd, which booed the decision. An overwhelming number of television viewers also took to Twitter and boxing message boards to voice their outrage over the decision.
CompuBox statistics were also telling: Williams was credited with landing 200 of 1,047 punches, 19 percent, while Lara was credited with landing 224 of 530 punches (42 percent). The official judges, who sit on different sides of the ring from each other, do not have access to CompuBox statistics during the fight.
In a letter obtained by ESPN.com, New Jersey commissioner Aaron M. Davis wrote to Lara promoter Dave Itskowitch of Golden Boy Promotions and Williams' promoter Dan Goossen informing them of the decision, which came after a video review of the fight with the judges.
"The New Jersey State Athletic Control Board was responsible for assigning all three judges who scored this contest and decided the outcome," Davis wrote in the letter. "At the conclusion of the contest, this agency had concerns about the final scores. Due to these concerns we decided to conduct a full review of the scoring.
"As part of this review, the NJSACB called in all three judges to our Trenton offices and conducted a full analysis of the scoring of each round."
Davis said that the review of the fight was complete and the NJSACB "has not found any evidence of bias, fraud, corruption or incapacity on the part of any of the judges. However, we remain unsatisfied with the scoring of the contest even after hearing the explanations from the judges.
"The NJSACB does not have the legal authority under these circumstances to invalidate the official result. This is due to the fact that all scoring is a matter of subjective judgment. In a similar fashion we cannot mandate a rematch. However, our opinion is that a rematch may be warranted.
"This agency has placed all three judges on indefinite suspension. Further, all three judges will be required to undergo additional training prior to their return to professional boxing judging."
Davis went further in apologizing for the lackluster judging.
"Any contestant who enters a ring or cage in our state deserves the best officiating that we can provide," Davis wrote. "While we do not mean to diminish Mr. Williams' competitive spirit and exciting style, we feel that we did not provide our best officiating on July 9. Because we have a rich history of boxing and combat sports in New Jersey, we aspire to consistently improve in our officiating and strive to learn from this situation. We have no further comment on this matter at the current time."
Williams (40-2, 27 KOs), a former two-time welterweight titlist, was returning to the ring for the first time since being brutally knocked out in the second round by middleweight champion Sergio Martinez in November.
After the fight, Lara (15-1-1, 10 KOs) and his team were upset, believing Lara had won.
"We've been saying since the fight that we thought Lara won and Lara thought he won," Itskowitch told ESPN.com. "This helps to validate what we've been saying."
Although Lara would like a rematch, Goossen has not shown any interest, mainly because of the continuing difficulty Williams has when fighting a left-hander. Both of his official losses were to southpaws. He also won a controversial majority decision against Martinez in their first fight in addition to the hard time he had with Lara.
As for New Jersey suspending the judges, Goossen told ESPN.com, "The only thoughts I've had are what I've had from the beginning, which is what I said after the fight, that it could have gone either way. I've heard people say there was corruption in the decision, but we've got a good sport. There is no corruption here. It was a tough fight that could have gone either way.
"My difference of opinion that I argue is against those who thought Lara won by such a wide margin. Lara did an excellent job and so did Paul. As far as I'm concerned, if New Jersey felt this was appropriate, they're a good commission, and there's nothing more for me to say on it."
Williams was given a heavily criticized majority decision victory Saturday night as judges Hilton Whitaker (115-114) and Don Givens (116-114) scored for him, while Al Bennett (114-114) had the HBO-televised main event at Boardwalk Hall's Adrian Phillips Ballroom a draw.
Lara, a former Cuban amateur star in his first major professional fight, however, landed his left hand at will. He appeared to win in the eyes of reporters covering the fight, all of HBO's commentators, HBO unofficial judge Harold Lederman and the pro-Williams crowd, which booed the decision. An overwhelming number of television viewers also took to Twitter and boxing message boards to voice their outrage over the decision.
CompuBox statistics were also telling: Williams was credited with landing 200 of 1,047 punches, 19 percent, while Lara was credited with landing 224 of 530 punches (42 percent). The official judges, who sit on different sides of the ring from each other, do not have access to CompuBox statistics during the fight.
In a letter obtained by ESPN.com, New Jersey commissioner Aaron M. Davis wrote to Lara promoter Dave Itskowitch of Golden Boy Promotions and Williams' promoter Dan Goossen informing them of the decision, which came after a video review of the fight with the judges.
"The New Jersey State Athletic Control Board was responsible for assigning all three judges who scored this contest and decided the outcome," Davis wrote in the letter. "At the conclusion of the contest, this agency had concerns about the final scores. Due to these concerns we decided to conduct a full review of the scoring.
"As part of this review, the NJSACB called in all three judges to our Trenton offices and conducted a full analysis of the scoring of each round."
Davis said that the review of the fight was complete and the NJSACB "has not found any evidence of bias, fraud, corruption or incapacity on the part of any of the judges. However, we remain unsatisfied with the scoring of the contest even after hearing the explanations from the judges.
"The NJSACB does not have the legal authority under these circumstances to invalidate the official result. This is due to the fact that all scoring is a matter of subjective judgment. In a similar fashion we cannot mandate a rematch. However, our opinion is that a rematch may be warranted.
"This agency has placed all three judges on indefinite suspension. Further, all three judges will be required to undergo additional training prior to their return to professional boxing judging."
Davis went further in apologizing for the lackluster judging.
"Any contestant who enters a ring or cage in our state deserves the best officiating that we can provide," Davis wrote. "While we do not mean to diminish Mr. Williams' competitive spirit and exciting style, we feel that we did not provide our best officiating on July 9. Because we have a rich history of boxing and combat sports in New Jersey, we aspire to consistently improve in our officiating and strive to learn from this situation. We have no further comment on this matter at the current time."
Williams (40-2, 27 KOs), a former two-time welterweight titlist, was returning to the ring for the first time since being brutally knocked out in the second round by middleweight champion Sergio Martinez in November.
After the fight, Lara (15-1-1, 10 KOs) and his team were upset, believing Lara had won.
"We've been saying since the fight that we thought Lara won and Lara thought he won," Itskowitch told ESPN.com. "This helps to validate what we've been saying."
Although Lara would like a rematch, Goossen has not shown any interest, mainly because of the continuing difficulty Williams has when fighting a left-hander. Both of his official losses were to southpaws. He also won a controversial majority decision against Martinez in their first fight in addition to the hard time he had with Lara.
As for New Jersey suspending the judges, Goossen told ESPN.com, "The only thoughts I've had are what I've had from the beginning, which is what I said after the fight, that it could have gone either way. I've heard people say there was corruption in the decision, but we've got a good sport. There is no corruption here. It was a tough fight that could have gone either way.
"My difference of opinion that I argue is against those who thought Lara won by such a wide margin. Lara did an excellent job and so did Paul. As far as I'm concerned, if New Jersey felt this was appropriate, they're a good commission, and there's nothing more for me to say on it."
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