March 2011 Basketball Wiretap

Report: Wade Yelled At Stern While Making Pointed Remarks

Sep 30, 2011 8:30 PM

Dwyane Wade reportedly yelled at David Stern while making 'pointed remarks' during Friday's labor meeting, sources tell ESPN.

Sources say Stern pointed at Wade, which was taken as a sign of disrespect and that triggered the outburst.

Wade was quoted this week of saying that players like him would be worth upwards of $50 million if there were no salary restrictions.

Chris Broussard/ESPN

Tags: Dwyane Wade, Miami Heat, NBA, NBA Misc Rumor, NBA CBA

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Kobe To Italy Talks Ongoing, Partnership Described As 'Complex'

Sep 30, 2011 5:52 PM

Kobe Bryant remains in talks with Virtus Bologna, the Italian team interested in signing him during the NBA lockout.

The burgeoning relationship between Bryant, Virtus Bologna and the Italian league has been described as "complex".

Sources say Bryant has a strong desire to play in Italy and wants an arrangement where the entire league benefits financially.

Adrian Wojnarowski/Yahoo! Sports (via Twitter)

Tags: Kobe Bryant, Los Angeles Lakers, NBA, NBA Signing Rumor, NBA Misc Rumor, International, International Signing Rumor

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Curry Comfortable With Warriors But Wouldn't Be Opposed To Playing For Charlotte

Sep 30, 2011 3:54 PM

Stephen Curry bought a home in Weddington, North Carolina, which is near Charlotte, and continues to rent in San Francisco.

"Of course I'd like to play here - it's home and I know a lot of people. But that doesn't mean I'm trying to get out of Golden State,'' Curry said Thursday in a wide-ranging interview with the Observer.

"There's no reason I would not want to play in Charlotte. Maybe the pressure of being around family all the time would affect some people, but I wouldn't be opposed to any of that.''

Curry said he's excited about the Warriors' recent change in ownership and new coach Mark Jackson.

"I think the Warriors are headed in a good direction, and I want to be a part of that,'' Curry said.

Curry wrote on Twitter to clarify the comments he made to the Charlotte Observer.

"I'm #GSW for life and ready for the long haul," wrote Curry. "Just answering a question about the pressure of family in my hometown."

Charlotte Observer

Tags: Stephen Curry, Charlotte Hornets, Golden State Warriors, NBA, NBA Misc Rumor

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Parker To Make Decision About Playing Abroad Next Week

Sep 30, 2011 1:42 PM

According to Liberation.fr, Tony Parker is expected to announce whether he will play in France for his team ASVEL or wait out the lockout.

Parker serves as ASVEL's Director of Operations and will pay the expense of his insurance with his own money.

Project Spurs

Tags: Tony Parker, San Antonio Spurs, ASVEL Basket, French Jeep Elite, NBA, NBA Signing Rumor, NBA Misc Rumor, International, International Signing Rumor, International Teams, International League, International Misc Rumor

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Zydrunas Ilgauskas To Retire

Sep 30, 2011 11:57 AM

Zydrunas Ilgauskas has told the Cleveland Plain-Dealer that he will retire.

Ilgauskas spent the 10-11 NBA season with the Miami Heat after playing for the Cavaliers since 1997.

Ilgauskas was an All-Star in 2003 and 2005 after fighting back from foot injuries early in his career that limited him to 29 games over three seasons.

"Personal tip of cap to Zydrunas Ilgauskas for going 13 years with those feet," wrote former Cavaliers' beat writer Brian Windhorst. "You can't believe what he went through behind scenes to play."

Cleveland Plan-Dealer (via Twitter)

Tags: Zydrunas Ilgauskas, Cleveland Cavaliers, Miami Heat, NBA, NBA Misc Rumor

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Wade Believes He Would See $50M Annually On True Open Market

Sep 30, 2011 11:51 AM

Dwyane Wade was asked this week what he believes he would receive annually if there was no maximum contract.

“I’m sure it would get to $50 million,” Wade said.

Jerry Buss has reportedly told people that Bryant is worth perhaps $70 million per year to the Lakers because of his talent and marketability. Many people i

“In terms of driving revenue, if the NBA had no cap, the compensation would be totally different,” Wade said. “Like baseball, where they have no cap, you see the players that they feel fill arenas, that people come out to see, A-Rod, those kind of guys, look at how much money they make on their deals.

“You’ve got guys – starting with Michael Jordan, Shaquille O’Neal(notes), and Kobe and LeBron – all players that individually people wanted to come to see. And wanted to just have a glimpse, just one glimpse, to be able to say that I’ve seen that person play. For what they’ve done for the game, what they’ve done for organizations, I don’t think you can really put a dollar amount on it.”

A report from RealGM in May of 2010 that surveyed the opinions of multiple agents and basketball insiders indicated LeBron James could easily receive a deal over four or five years worth $50 million annually.

George Andrews, former agent to Magic Johnson, spoke with RealGM about the concept of leaving the NBA's superstars uncapped.

"I have always been an advocate that the top guys should not have a cap," Andrews said. "The league is a superstar league. The top handful of teams and top 10 or 11 players drive the economy of the league."

Adrian Wojnarowski/Yahoo! Sports

Tags: Dwyane Wade, LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, Los Angeles Lakers, Miami Heat, NBA, NBA Misc Rumor, NBA CBA

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Delfino Receives Offer From Siena

Sep 30, 2011 11:42 AM

Carlos Delfino received an offer from Siena 10 days ago that includes an NBA out clause.

The financial offer was less than what Delfino is prepared to accept.

Ole

Tags: Carlos Delfino, Milwaukee Bucks, NBA, NBA Signing Rumor, NBA Misc Rumor

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Virtus Bologna's Plea To Host Kobe Games In Big Arenas Denied

Sep 30, 2011 10:55 AM

Legabasket rejected Virtus Bologna's proposal to make special changes to its schedule in the event of signing Kobe Bryant.

Virtus wanted to play as many of Bryant's games as possible in its biggest arena.

The other Italian teams refused the request made by Virtus and now the deal between Bologna and Bryant is on the verge of collapse.

Sportando

Tags: Kobe Bryant, Los Angeles Lakers, NBA, NBA Signing Rumor, NBA Misc Rumor, International, International Signing Rumor

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Kobe Reaches Economic Deal With Virtus Bologna

Sep 30, 2011 10:50 AM

Kobe Bryant has reached a verbal agreement to sign with Virtus Bologna, according to the team's president.

"We have reached an economic deal," Virtus president Claudio Sabatini told a local radio station. "There's still some things to arrange but at this point I'm very optimistic. I would say it's 95 percent done."

The two sides have settled on a $3 million contract for the opening 40 days of the Italian league season.

A source close to talks warns Adrian Wojarowski that no agreement is imminent.

Associated Press

Tags: Kobe Bryant, Los Angeles Lakers, NBA, NBA Signing Rumor, NBA Misc Rumor, International, International Signing Rumor

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Adelman 'Not Much Truth' To Rumors Of Dislike Of Kahn

Sep 29, 2011 1:37 PM

Unnamed sources claimed Rick Adelman dislikes his new boss David Kahn, general manager of the Timberwolves.

"It just was written -- and I don't know where he came from, and the way he wrote it -- about despising Kahn, or however he put it, it's just not true," said Adelman. "David is the one who actually contacted me and we had numerous conversations about the job. He just said, 'It's going to be a tough job.' Why would you jump into a job like that where you don't get along with the person? I don't know where it came from. I understand things happen, but the fact that I'm here should tell people that there's not that much truth to it."

Adelman talked about how much input he will have in terms of player personnel.

"I think it's going to be good. We talked about that when I talked to David about the job. I talked to Glen [Taylor, the Timberwolves owner], and I talked to David, and I'm pretty assured that I'm going to have a lot of input on the decisions we make. I think that's the way it should be, and that's the way Geoff [Petrie, Kings basketball president] and I worked, too. You have to talk things through, and we were very good at doing that, at listening to each other. And I think from a players' standpoint that you have to see that the front office and ownership and the coach, that everybody is one.

"I'm sure I'm going to have input, but I also understand that my biggest challenge with this job is going to be coaching the team, coaching the players that I have. I certainly would like to have input on all the changes, but I can't get caught up in that when I'm not coaching the team."

Sam Amick/SI.com

Tags: Minnesota Timberwolves, NBA, NBA Misc Rumor

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Owners Seek 5-10 Percent Reduction Of Salary Over Next Three Seasons

Marc Stein/ESPN

Larger CBA Meeting Scheduled For Friday

Adrian Wojnarowski/Yahoo! Sports (via Twitter)

Sixers Hire Capel Sr. As Assistant Coach

Philadelphia Daily News

Rose Open To Playing Overseas

Chicago Tribune

Hunter Summons Players For Internal Friday Meeting

Chris Broussard/ESPN

Playing In Italy 'Very Possible' For Kobe

ESPN

Diaw Signs With JSA Bordeaux

Sportando

Clark Leaves China, Food Possibly To Blame

Sportando

Owners Make Concession On Hard Cap

Adrian Wojnarowski/Yahoo! Sports

LeBron Showed More Post Offense In Exhibition

Ira Winderman/South Florida Sun-Sentinel

Sides Exit Tuesday's Meeting With Hints Of Optimism

Ken Berger/CBS Sports

Report: Kobe Seeks $15M From Virtus Bologna

BolognaBasket.it

Miami Big Three Hosting Oct. 8th Game

Chris Broussard/ESPN

Randolph Prepared To Join Gasol's Team Abroad

Commercial Appeal

Bologna's Offer To Kobe Worth $5M For Season

Los Angeles Times

Derek Fisher Calls For Unity, Patience

ESPN.com

Dorsey To Sign With Caja Laboral

Adrian Wojnarowski/Yahoo! Sports

Bargaining Session Being Scheduled For Tuesday

Ken Berger/CBS Sports

Jay-Z Confirms Team Will Be Called Brooklyn Nets

Reuters

Diaw Close To Signing With JSA Bordeaux

Sportando