Pacific Notes: Kings, Bryant, Clippers
With Andrew Bynum conceding the fact that he is not a sneaker guy while also making demands for the ball late in the game, let's take a look around the rest of the Pacific Division to see what else is going on:
- The city of Sacramento and the NBA continue to make progress toward reaching a financing deal for a new arena, reports Ryan Lillis of The Sacramento Bee. The topic of discussion for today has been agreeing on what the Maloof family, the owners of the Kings, should be contributing monetarily to the project. While Saturday's talks have extended beyond the expected two hour meeting and delayed a press conference on the arena discussions, USA Today's J. Michael Falgoust reports (via Twitter) that the Kings are going to be asked to provide between $70MM and $90MM to help fund the arena.
- After skipping out on Friday's All-Star media availability due to illness, Lakers star Kobe Bryant met with the press on Saturday and discussed Dwight Howard's uncertain future. Bryant conceded that there has been a sense of awkwardness surrounding Howard's situation during All-Star Weekend in Orlando, but also empathized with how he perceives Howard must be feeling, writes Ben Golliver of CBSSports.com. "He just wants his team [to win]… with players, sometimes there's a certain level of frustration when we don't feel like we're moving in the right direction."
- The Clippers' trade to acquire All-Star point guard Chris Paul just prior to the start of the season has done wonders for the franchise both on and off the court, says Ben Bolch of the Los Angeles Times. Not only does the team occupy the top spot in the Pacific, the Clippers are also selling out all of their home games, have doubled their regional television ratings and seen merchandise sales sky-rocket since Paul's arrival.
Odds & Ends: Lakers, Paul, Aldridge, Durant
Here's a look at links from around the league as we look ahead to All-Star Saturday night..
- Vincent Goodwill of the Detroit News doesn't like the current look of the Lakers and places the blame on the shoulders of VP Jim Buss. Goodwill writes that he doesn't seem willing or able to put the necessary resources into making them a real threat in the postseason.
- Recent All-Star weekends have been dominated by talk of where star players could be dealt, writes Peter Kerasotis of the New York Times. Last year, Carmelo Anthony was the focus just before the Nuggets sent him to the Knicks.
- Since acquiring Chris Paul, the Clippers' turnover percentage has improved dramatically, writes Justin Kubatko of the New York Times.
- Meanwhile, John Reid of the Times Picayune writes that Paul is happy in Los Angeles and confident that the club can sustain the talent level.
- Jeff McDonald of the Express-News wonders what could have been at the University of Texas if LaMarcus Aldridge hadn't declared early for the draft in 2006 and instead teamed up with incoming freshman Kevin Durant.
Chris Paul Commits To Player Option
Chris Paul appeared on Jim Rome's radio show recently and stated that he intends to stay with the Clippers for the 2012/13 season, Matt Moore of CBSSports.com reports. Paul has the ability to opt out of his contract this summer and become an unrestricted free agent, but this possibility has not been discussed much recently because the Clippers traded for him in December assuming he would not do so. Thus, it comes as no surprise that he told Rome he plans to stay in Los Angeles at least through next season. However, hearing it directly out of Paul's mouth is encouraging for the Clippers organization and fans.
David Stern Talks Hornets, Chris Paul, Kings
NBA commissioner David Stern sat down with TNT's David Aldridge for an interview that touched upon the state of some of the league's franchises, free agency, Stern's future, and much more. It's worth watching the whole conversation at NBA.com, but here are a few of the highlights:
- The list of prospective buyers for the Hornets has been narrowed to two, with "one in the lead." Stern hopes to finalize a deal within the next couple weeks.
- An agreement with the state of Louisiana on the team and arena is close, and Stern says he expects to get a "very fair" contribution from the state on the lease, which won't have an out clause.
- Stern defended his preseason decision on Chris Paul by explaining that he was acting as the Hornets owner rather than as the NBA commissioner when he decided not to sign off on the trade that would've sent Paul to the Lakers. He says he'll continue to operate in the same way until a new owner is in place.
- The Kings have agreed to put money toward the financing plan for Sacramento's new arena, though Stern didn't specify how much. He added that any contribution by AEG, the probable arena operator, would be seen as a team contribution as well.