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If you’ve logged on to nba.tv recently you may have noticed some changes. And one of them seems kind of cool.

For about £4 a month, you can subscribe to the international version of NBA TV. The network has live games, studio shows, classic games and other programming (for instance, as of this writing it’s showing the D-League All-Star Game). And all the shows are also on demand. Well worth it if you’re a hoops fan.

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Good scoop from Mark Woods at MVP who reports Charlotte Bobcats centre Byron Mullens is to join Team GB for the London Olympics.

Woods writes:

With his mother hailing from Middlesex, the 23-year-old is understood to have completed the formalities of acquiring his British passport.

And he looks a certainty to be included in GB coach Chris Finch’s initial squad that will begin its preparations with training camp in Houston in June.

I know these types of stories always come with the pre-requisite hand-wringing about this kind of thing, but given the stakes surrounding the Olympics, British Basketball and whatever impact the former may have upon the latter, putting the strongest team out in London seems kind of essential. But what do you think? What comes first? A strong national team sparking interest in the game? Or having British born and bred players making up the national side?

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Around this time last year Deron Williams was traded to the New Jersey Nets and then was told he’d be headed to London for his new team’s games against the Toronto Raptors (aahh memories).

Anyway, last night he went off, scoring 57 points in the Nets’ win over the Charlotte Bobcats and new Brit Byron Mullens. And here’s video of all his made field goals (you’ll have to imagine his 21 free throws). Hopefully, it helped his boss Mikhail Prokhorov get over his disappointment from earlier in the day.

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Standing in the Milwaukee Bucks locker room after a 97-93 victory over the high flying Philadelphia 76ers, was the quiet figure of Shaun Livingston. I watched as he entered the room by himself, sat at his locker completely uninterrupted by the pack of media stationed in the middle of the floor and set about getting dressed. Moments later, the same door opened and this time a towel covered Brandon Jennings, the Milwaukee Bucks star starting point guard, strutted in. The contrast between two players who share the same position and are locker room neighbours, could not have been more stark.

One was engulfed by the media with questions machine-gunned at him about the win and his personal performance of 33 and 7, while barely two feet away the other sat in silence, completely unaffected by the party nearby. For the quiet Shaun Livingston, it appeared to be a case of ‘new toy-old toy’ with Livingston playing the role of Woody to Jennings’ Buzz Lightyear.

At one stage though, it was the former fourth pick in the 2004 draft, Shaun Livingston, who was the object of the media’s desire having grown into the game at NBA level by his third year. But THAT devastating knee injury robbed him of the opportunity to fulfil his potential and now all he can do is stand back and watch as Jennings enjoys an NBA career that could so easily have been Livingston’s. But if you thought that such a scenario would create jealousy in the 6′7 Livingston, you would be mistaken.

“I’m so happy for Brandon,” Livingston told me as he talked about Jennings enjoying what he had missed out on. “I never feel frustrated or disappointed based off of someone else’s success.”

“You can live your life with that attitude or you’ll always be searching for more. I’m definitely thankful for being able to play again and the life that I have. I’m definitely blessed.”

There was an overwhelming sense of gratitude on Livingston’s behalf when he spoke, which is hard to imagine him feeling when you remember that he was once touted as being ‘the next Magic Johnson’. But I guess when you endure what he has, it gives you a different perspective on life.

“It feels good (to be back) man, just an opportunity to get back in the NBA and play, just to showcase my skills in front of teams and fans, family every night is a dream come true. It’s my passion and I’m definitely blessed and thankful.”

In much the same way as a recovering alcoholic takes one day at a time - a deliberate choice made to prevent them from becoming complacent during their rehabilitation, knowing that a slip on their behalf could lead them back into the world of pain they came from - Livingston ensures he punctuates every sentence with gratitude and thanks.

“I feel healthy, the knee’s holding up, I’m definitely thankful for that. Really, I’m just continuing to stay healthy.”

Whether he fills in at shooting guard (”I’m a point guard at heart”) or continues to give support from the bench, he isn’t concerned. Because for Livingston, each day healthy is another day won.

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Tickets for the July 19 pre-Olympic warm-up between the USA and Team GB in Manchester are now on sale through Ticketmaster.

And its proving to be a popular, as 1,200 were sold in the first 30 minutes. Again, this is a brilliant opportunity to see some of the biggest stars in the game, especially if you missed out on Olympic tickets.

Also, if you buy tickets for the men’s game you’ll get a special offer for the women’s game the night before.

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Could the NBA be the first North American sports league to consider the hitherto taboo issue of sponsorship on jerseys?

Well, it’s a subject that’s definitely being considered, reports the SportsBusiness Journal.

It says shirt sponsorship will be discussed when the board of governors convene next month.

The story says:

A study released last year by Horizon Media calculated that a brand logo across the middle of an NBA team’s jersey occupying 3.5% of the TV screen would produce .18 million in exposure value.

However, the study did not factor in ancillary exposure on highlights and news shows, nor did it account for any online exposure.

“Jersey ads are one of the last pieces of inventory that club marketers haven’t been able to sell, and for a local sponsor they could be a real boon, since it would give them exposure with a team at home and away,” said Michael Neuman, managing partner of Horizon’s Scout Sports and Entertainment.

The impact on some of the NBA’s more tradition-bound logos, and the disparity between potential revenue in various markets, are other factors to consider.

“Still, it’s hard to imagine a club marketer voting against the proposal, especially if would be their inventory.

“Obviously, it’s a league decision, but as someone who spent seven years at NASCAR, I know the value of putting a brand on the playing field and the uniform, so it is certainly something I would support,” said New Jersey Nets CEO Brett Yormark.

“”You can monetize this in ways you can’t monetize any other kind of marketing inventory. And, of course, we’re in the No. 1 market in the country, so …”

But other team executives are more hesitant about blending team marks with a company logo as they address questions such as size and placement on the uniform.

“It is something we are wrestling with,” said an NBA team executive from a large market. “There are challenges, and the question is whether there is a way to do it differently.”

Given that the last labour dispute centred so much around the owners crying poor, it makes sense that they’d mine every potential revenue stream possible. That said, even though there are sponsors on the shirts of Europe’s top clubs, it’s really difficult to imagine a corporate logo on a Knicks/Celtics/Lakers/Bulls jersey.

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As the tickets went on sale for Team GB’s pre-Olympic showdowns with the US this summer, the Manchester games got a boost from an NBA legend.

Clyde “The Glide” Drexler was joined by British players Drew Sullivan and Lauren Thomas-Johnson as well as GB basketball legend and 1948 Olympian Lionel Price at a special press conference today in Manchester for the announcement.

Drexler said: “I am thrilled to be here in Manchester representing USA Basketball.

“Fans in the UK are in for a real treat when some of the world’s best basketball players take to the court.”

The games on July 18 and 19 at the Manchester Arena will see American stars like Sue Bird, Diana Taurasi, Kobe Bryant, Lebron James and Derrick Rose as they prepare to defend their gold medals in London later this summer.

It will also give the British teams, which will include players like Jo Leedham, Joel Freeland and NBA All-Star Luol Deng, a chance to prove themselves against the world’s best ahead of the Olympics

Councillor Michael Amesbury, executive member for culture and sport added: “Manchester is proud to be welcoming the U.S. and Great Britain national teams in what are sure to be enthralling encounters when the men and women face off in July.

“The Manchester Arena will be the place to be as we once again host top level sports here in the city.”

The Great Britain men’s and women’s basketball teams play the USA at the Manchester Arena on July 18 and 19. For tickets visit www.ticketmaster.co.uk or call +44 (0)844 847 8000

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Milwaukee Bucks Head Coach Scott Skiles talks about his young point guard and leadership.

The loss of Australian Centre Andrew Bogut to a fractured left ankle sustained against the Houston Rockets has been a big loss for the Milwaukee Bucks and not just in a physical sense.

The Bucks have been missing 7ft Bogut’s output since January 25th and with his name recently being floated into trade talk leading up to the mid-March trade deadline, it could be that Milwaukee is looking to move away from their oft-injured big man, opening the door for a replacement franchise player. If the last three games were an open try-out for the role of leader and go-to scorer, then the 94 total points, including 33 in the win over the Philadelphia 76ers on Monday from Brandon Jennings, were the perfect audition.

Bucks head coach Scott Skiles, a former point guard himself during his playing days, said on Jennings’ recent performances:

“He’s been more aggressive and the ball has just gone in for him. He’s a young player, he’s still working on how to affect the game if the ball isn’t going in for him, he can affect it in other ways - he’s still working on that. But his shot has gone in, he’s been aggressive and his shot has gone in the last couple of games.”

Losing Bogut for 21 games has meant mean more than simply losing box score numbers, as the former number 1 overall draft picks leadership has been sorely missed as well. Veteran forward Drew Gooden, has stepped into that role in the interim but in a game where point guards dictate the play, responsibility for the team often falls to the man making the on court decisions and for Milwaukee that means Brandon Jennings. But Coach Skiles is as yet unconvinced by the 22 year olds credentials as leader, understanding that age plays a factor in role assignment:

“We’re trying to not burden him (Jennings) with that (leadership role) right now, just trying to get him to relax and play his game. You can’t make people leaders, most people are born that way.”

“Brandon should be a senior in College. He’s trying to develop in all areas of the game.”

Whoever the Bucks turn to in times of difficulty and whoever they look to in times of need, they need to get their season back on track if they are to reach the Eastern Conference play-offs for the second time in three seasons. With a record of 15-23, the Bucks currently sit three games behind the number eight seed (the last spot for entry into the play-offs) but with this weeks visit of divisional rivals, the Chicago Bulls and conference companions, the New York Knicks, now is the perfect time to make a move in the standings with only two months of the regular season remaining.

“We dug ourselves a hole at the beginning of the season” a candid Skiles said. “We were 4-9 and 0-8 on the road. The only thing you can do when you dig yourself a hole is, you’ve got to fight harder and you got to try to get out of it.

“It’s an important week for us, for sure. All three (76ers, Bulls and Knicks) at home and then we go, right after, and play two teams (Toronto, New jersey) who are under us in the standings on the road.

“Time is running out - we’ve got 28 games left, we’ve got to make a move, we’ve got these games against very good opponents but it’s time for us to make a move now.”

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Ryan Howard is attempting to recover from Achilles tendon surgery. However, the slugging first baseman for the Philadelphia Phillies had a setback recently when it was discovered that his foot was infected at the surgical site.

The good news for Howard is that the Achilles tendon wasn’t damaged by the infection. To treat the infection, his doctors cleaned the area and put him on antibiotics.

Scott Sheridan, the trainer for the Phillies, says that such setbacks aren’t cause for alarm.

Said Sheridan: “I think it’s common for the skin behind the Achilles to have trouble healing. I don’t know that it’s common for the infection to occur. But I do know that the area is a tough area to heal.”

Howard is expected to miss at least the first month of the season while he recovers. This setback may alter that time frame, however.

Ryan Howard has an infection (Image: TSN.ca)

Post from: EveryJoe

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Ryan Howard is attempting to recover from Achilles tendon surgery. However, the slugging first baseman for the Philadelphia Phillies had a setback recently when it was discovered that his foot was infected at the surgical site.

The good news for Howard is that the Achilles tendon wasn’t damaged by the infection. To treat the infection, his doctors cleaned the area and put him on antibiotics.

Scott Sheridan, the trainer for the Phillies, says that such setbacks aren’t cause for alarm.

Said Sheridan: “I think it’s common for the skin behind the Achilles to have trouble healing. I don’t know that it’s common for the infection to occur. But I do know that the area is a tough area to heal.”

Howard is expected to miss at least the first month of the season while he recovers. This setback may alter that time frame, however.

Ryan Howard has an infection (Image: TSN.ca)

Post from: EveryJoe

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