NBA commissioner David Stern believes he could have a new owner before the year ends and his old referees before the season starts.
“I’m hopeful with respect to both and optimistic with respect to both,” Stern said on Thursday.
The commissioner said that Mikhail Prokhorov, who has a deal to buy 80 percent of the New Jersey Nets, had a positive introduction with NBA owners during their two-day Board of Governors meetings.
Prokhorov’s application is under review and the sale must be approved by three-fourths of the league’s owners. The league is performing background checks of Russia’s richest man, and Stern stressed that the process was still in an early stage.
“The review process is incomplete and the documents are not finalized,” Stern said. “That said, we haven’t surfaced anything that has caused us to have a negative opinion of him. We’re not finished.”
But Stern said: “We’re looking forward to the completion of that transaction.”
The commissioner also said owners voted to give the league office emergency powers to determine what happens if teams can’t field the minimum eight players because of illness.
Prokhorov’s proposed deal with Nets owner Bruce Ratner to become the NBA’s first non-North American owner would also give him nearly half of a project to build a new arena in Brooklyn. The agreement was made a month ago, and this was Prokhorov’s first chance since to meet his potential future fellow owners.
Prokhorov introduced himself as “Mike” and told owners of his interests in business and basketball — he owns a share of CSKA Moscow. With an estimated US$9.5 billion through his banking and metals businesses, he has the worth to absorb some of the Nets’ huge debt and perhaps help make the team’s Brooklyn plans a reality.
Ratner faces a December deadline to break ground in Brooklyn or lose access to financing from tax-free bonds, so Stern said there will be a desire on both sides to get the Nets’ sale completed by then.
“That’s our target,” Stern said.
Stern rejoined the negotiations with the referees’ union this week and a tentative agreement was reached. The union was scheduled to vote yesterday, and if they approve the new two-year contract, the officials would have a training camp beginning today and be on the floor in time for Tuesday’s opener.
But the league thought a deal was completed once before and it fell through when the refs rejected it, so Stern would only say it’s “our hope that they approve it, but there’s no guarantees.”
Four-time NBA all-star DeMarcus Cousins arrived in Taiwan with his family early yesterday to finish his renewed contract with the Taiwan Beer Leopards in the T1 League. Cousins initially played a four-game contract with the Leopards in January. On March 18, the Taoyuan-based team announced that Cousins had renewed his contract. “Hi what’s up Leopard fans, I’m back. I’m excited to be back and can’t wait to join the team,” Cousins said in a video posted on the Leopard’s Facebook page. “Most of all, can’t wait to see you guys, the fans, next weekend. So make sure you come out and support the Beer
Revelations of positive doping tests for nearly two dozen Chinese swimmers that went unpunished sparked an intense flurry of accusations and legal threats between the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) and the head of the US drug-fighting organization, who has long been one of WADA’s fiercest critics. WADA on Saturday said it was turning to legal counsel to address a statement released by US Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) CEO Travis Tygart, who said WADA and anti-doping authorities in China swept positive tests “under the carpet by failing to fairly and evenly follow the global rules that apply to everyone else in the world.” The
Taiwanese judoka Yang Yung-wei on Saturday won silver in the men’s under-60kg category at the Asian Judo Championships in Hong Kong. Nicknamed the “judo heartthrob” in Taiwan, the Olympic silver-medalist missed out on his first Asian Championships gold when he lost to Japanese judoka Taiki Nakamura in the finals. Yang defeated three opponents on Saturday to reach the final after receiving a bye through the round of 32. He first topped Laotian Soukphaxay Sithisane in the round of 16 with two seoi nage (over-the-shoulder throws), then ousted Indian Vijay Kumar Yadav in the quarter-finals with his signature ude hishigi sankaku gatame (triangular armlock). He
Rafael Nadal on Wednesday said the upcoming French Open would be the moment to “give everything and die” on the court after his comeback from injury in Barcelona was curtailed by Alex de Minaur. The 22-time Grand Slam title winner, back playing this week after three months on the sidelines, battled well, but eventually crumbled 7-5, 6-1 against the world No. 11 from Australia in the second round. Nadal, 37, who missed virtually all of last season, is hoping to compete at the French Open next month where he is the record 14-time champion. The Spaniard said the clash with De Minaur was