Ed (dfjmed)

Chris_Broussard Chris Broussard In addition to Chi & Wash, Bos, NJ, Den, NO, SA & ATL have had multiple conversations with reps for Josh Howard, sources say.

Chris Paul's agent has told the New Orleans Hornets that Paul will not sign a contract extension and wants to be traded to the New York Knicks, according to league sources, Yahoo! Sports reported. But Hornets general manager Dell Demps, who has heard several trade overtures for the All-Star point guard, wants to meet with Paul and hear that from him, once lockout-related restrictions on front office contact with players are lifted, according to the report. For his part, Paul, working out with his current teammates on Thursday, said his focus is with the Hornets. Thursday was the first day NBA players were permitted to use team facilities for voluntary workouts since an agreement was reached to end the lockout. "I've got to be the happiest person in the world right now just to be back in the gym, getting a chance to work out with a couple of my teammates," Paul said. Paul, who has been the object of rampant trade talk because he can opt out of his contract after this season, joined Trevor Ariza and Quincy Pondexter at the team's suburban training center. They were working out with Paul's personal trainer because they cannot work with team staff until the new labor agreement is ratified. "I don't think about it, to tell you the truth," Paul said of the trade rumors. "I'm just ready to get out here and compete and hoop. This is what I do. I love it. "I have a very tight circle and they know this whole lockout thing's been driving me nuts, so I'm just happy to get out on the court and compete. This is the way that I express myself, by playing basketball, so I can't wait to get out there." New Orleans has only five players under contract. Emeka Okafor and Jarrett Jack have not arrived yet.

Most likely amnesty cut: None How likely not to use amnesty this season? Jump ball Amnesty candidate: Richard Jefferson Analysis: The Spurs, remember, led the push for an amnesty clause that could be "pocketed" for later use in any offseason during the life of the CBA. That should be a pretty strong hint about their plans. Jefferson, by all accounts, will get one more season to make it work in San Antonio, in spite of the $9.3 million, $10.2 million and $11 million he's scheduled to earn over the next three seasons. It makes sense that the Spurs want to keep fielding the strongest team possible before Tim Duncan's window shuts for real, but bear in mind that even one more year of RJ is going to be expensive. The Spurs' payroll would still be above $65 million in 2011-12 if they did release him.

The NBA relaxed the lockout rules and permitted teams to contact players' agents beginning at 8 a.m. CT. Those that quickly expressed interest in the 6-foot-7 Butler are the San Antonio Spurs, Miami Heat, Los Angeles Lakers, Los Angeles Clippers, New Jersey Nets and Chicago Bulls.

According to an SI.com report, Celtics general manager Danny Ainge is "highly motivated" to land Paul. The report says the Hornets don't appear interested in a two-team deal in which Rondo and Paul would switch places. So Ainge has been trying to find a third team to get involved. It's so nice to have the lockout over! We can get back to pipe dreams like this!

Negotiations aimed at ending the NBA lockout resumed Tuesday with a specific goal at the heart of the talks -- to end the 146-day impasse in time for games to begin on Christmas, The New York Times reports. The newspaper cited two people close to the talks in its report Wednesday. Yahoo! Sports also is reporting on the talks, which are continuing Wednesday. According to The Times, the talks are taking place through lawyers representing both sides because of pending litigation -- different groups of players filed separate lawsuits in California and Minnesota last week. NBA owners locked out the players on July 1, and the labor strife has forced games to be canceled through Dec. 15. The NBA said Wednesday that "it remains in favor of a negotiated resolution (to the lockout)." The league declined to further comment. Christmas games generally are considered the launching pad for the NBA's national TV schedule. There are three games on the Dec. 25 schedule: the Boston Celtics at New York Knicks at noon ET on ESPN, and an ABC doubleheader featuring an NBA Finals rematch between the Miami Heat at the Dallas Mavericks (2:30 p.m.) and the Chicago Bulls visiting the Los Angeles Lakers (5 p.m.).

It is one of the defining moments of Michael Jordan’s career. Chicago was down 100-99 to Cleveland with three seconds left in a deciding Game 5 (it was a best-of-five playoff series back then). The Cavs were ahead because of Craig Ehlo — Chicago had forgot to defend him on the last play and he had hit a layup before Jordan could recover. The Bulls had just three seconds to score, miss and they go home. Ehlo was defending Jordan and was on the wrong end of history, something he talked about with CSNChicago.com. "I was in a dead run, so I flew right by him with my hand in his face," Ehlo said. "People always say that I played good defense because I had a hand in his face. He was able to hang in the air for a longer period of time than I was, and let me fly by… The rest is history." Now 22 years later, Ehlo is philosophical about the play for which he is most remembered. "Everybody has a great signature moment," says Ehlo. "My signature moment came on a bad side, but I still consider it a great signature moment." I thought this might be a nice NON-lockout related fanshot. I've always thought Ehlo was one of the better un-sung reserves in league history. He was a great contributor to those late 80s/early 90s Cavs teams that could never make it out of the East.

The NBA formally notified teams Tuesday that it has canceled games through Dec. 15, a source told ESPN The Magazine's Chris Broussard. The news comes one day after the the players' union rejected the owners' latest offer and announced its intention to disband and file an antitrust lawsuit against the league. [cont'd] Nothing much to see here. Slow news day.

NBA Players Association executive director Billy Hunter says the union will not accept the owners' proposed collective bargaining agreement and will seek to decertify. The union, whose members have been locked out since July 1st, also plans to pursue an antitrust lawsuit against the NBA. And it's come to this. Officially.

NEW YORK -- Joined by superstars Kobe Bryant and Carmelo Anthony, player representatives from NBA teams gathered to meet Monday to discuss the league's proposal for a new labor deal. If the player reps endorse it, it would go to a vote of all players. If approved by players and then ratified by owners, the lockout would end, and a 72-game season would start Dec. 15. [cont'd] This is the one time I am rooting for Kobe to come through.

Dallas Mavericks player representative Jason Terry said that if the new proposal is not a substantial improvement from the league's prior offers, players will be prepared to walk away, even if it threatens the season. "For us to take a bad deal at this point, as players, would be not good for the game of basketball and it won't be good for the players going on into the future," Terry said Friday morning during an appearance on the "Ben and Skin Show" on 103.3 FM ESPN in Dallas. "In life and society there are three classes: There's the upper class, the middle class and lower class," Terry said. "And what the owners are trying to do right now, what their proposal is, get rid of the middle class so you have one or two guys on each team making 'X' and the rest of the guys crunched down at a smaller number and then no middle ground." [cont'd] Of course they wouldn't accept the deal! Why would they?! Why even have a season at all??! * pulls hair out *

The NBA and the NBA Players Association negotiated Wednesday for eight hours past the league's stated 5 p.m. ET deadline for a deal and made sufficient-enough progress to schedule another round of talks for Thursday. Officials on both sides spoke modestly about what was achieved during a session that lasted 12 hours in total and cautioned against getting swept up in the latest wave of optimism around the league that a deal to finally end this 133-day lockout is near. "There was enough give and take on both sides to merit us both coming back tomorrow," union executive director Billy Hunter said late Wednesday. [cont'd]

A meeting Wednesday between the NBA's owners and its locked-out players got under way at 1 p.m. ET in New York, sources told ESPN The Magazine's Chris Broussard. The NBA Players Association rejected the league's latest labor proposal Tuesday but had asked for one more bargaining session before a 5 p.m. ET deadline Wednesday that, according to commissioner David Stern, will cause the offer to vanish if there's no agreement. Wednesday is the 132nd day of the second lockout in NBA history to bleed into the regular season. Flanked by the player representatives from 29 teams and roughly 15 more players who showed up for Tuesday's union meeting in New York, union executive director Billy Hunter and president Derek Fisher announced that the player reps backed their recommendation to reject the NBA's offer made last weekend. Stern says it will be replaced by a far less appetizing offer if the sides can't reach an accord by the stated deadline. Sources said that the union did not conduct a formal vote of the players assembled in the room Tuesday, opting instead for an informal "everyone agrees" consensus that authorizes Hunter and Fisher to accept a 50/50 split of basketball-related income in future negotiations as long as the league makes some concessions on some of the remaining system issues. But sources briefed on the owners' thinking insisted to ESPN.com that there will be no further budging from the owners, no matter how close a deal might appear on paper. The league's offer last weekend calls for players to receive between 49 percent and 51 percent of annual BRI. Union officials argue that it would be nearly impossible for the league to generate sufficient revenue in any given season to earn the players more than 50.2 percent, but Hunter and Fisher now have the go-ahead for the first time all summer to go that low on BRI if the owners will agree to relax some of the various limits they want to impose on teams that stray into luxury-tax territory. The tax penalties and other rules for tax-paying teams, one source told ESPN The Magazine's Ric Bucher, are where the two sides remain at complete odds. Cleveland Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert has been one of the faces of the so-called "hardline" owners during the protracted talks. He's long been one of the certified "hawks" -- the aggressive and hungry faction that was known to be seeking radical change. However, multiple sources have confirmed to ESPN.com that Gilbert has adjusted his position in recent days and moved into a more moderate mode, voting with fellow owners who are willing to accept a 50/50 share of BRI.

NEW YORK (AP)—NBA players made it clear Tuesday: No deal. No fear of Commissioner David Stern’s ultimatum, either. "The current offer on the table from the NBA is one that we cannot accept," players’ association president Derek Fisher(notes) said. Instead, the players said they will ask for another meeting with owners before Stern’s Wednesday afternoon deadline—and sound willing to agree to a 50-50 split of revenues under the right circumstances—in an attempt to end the lockout and save the season. [cont'd]

Ryan DeGama, CelticsHub: Richard Jefferson. On a team with good ball movement, one that can get him the ball in his spots, Jefferson can still make shots (he hit 47 percent from the field and 44 percent on 3s last season). But he's on a four-year productivity slide, so make it a one-year deal. Graydon Gordian, 48 Minutes of Hell: Richard Jefferson. Jefferson has underachieved during his time in San Antonio, but he still has a lot to offer. If the Spurs let him go, any team in need of a strong wing who consistently attacks the rim and can help on the boards should look to sign him. Jared Wade, 8 Points, 9 Seconds: Richard Jefferson. Gregg Popovich has humbled RJ back into knowing he is nothing more than a role player. His game still disappoints, given the promise young Jefferson showed next to Jason Kidd in New Jersey, but there aren't many holes in his game. He will not turn the tide of a franchise, but he could be a nice finishing piece for a title contender. Jovan Buha, ClipperBlog: Richard Jefferson. If the amnesty clause was based purely on skill, Jefferson would not be a candidate. While his across-the-board production has dropped off significantly in San Antonio (including his once-respectable playmaking skills), Jefferson still shot 44 percent from beyond the arc last season and posted a ridiculous 61.2 true shooting percentage. Nick Friedell, ESPN Chicago: Richard Jefferson. He can still shoot and made almost half his shots from the field last season. He'll find a way to be a contributor on a winning team in 2011-12.

SAN ANTONIO SPURS Most likely amnesty cut: Richard Jefferson How likely to use amnesty this season? Jump ball Other amnesty candidates: None Analysis: The Spurs, as ESPN.com reported Friday, are leading the push for an amnesty clause that can be "pocketed" for later use. Which helps explain the loud rumblings in circulation about the Spurs hoping that they can avoid casting Jefferson aside in spite of the $9.3 million, $10.2 million and $11 million that RJ's scheduled to earn over the next three seasons. It makes sense that the Spurs want to keep fielding the strongest team possible before Tim Duncan's window shuts for real, but their hand could well be forced. If the new luxury-tax scale in the next labor deal is super punitive, keeping Jefferson is to going to be financially crippling for a team with a payroll that would still be above $65 million in 2011-12 without him.

With talks between the NBA's locked-out players and owners breaking off, commissioner David Stern will announce the cancellation of more games Friday, sources told ESPN The Magazine's Chris Broussard. While the two sides made major progress on the "system" issues during talks Friday, the split of basketball-related income is still holding up a deal, sources close to the situation told Broussard. Both sides are holding firm at their positions, with the owners still seeking a 50-50 split of BRI and the players demanding a 52 percent share, sources said. Players were guaranteed 57 percent in the previous collective bargaining agreement. After two days of making some progress on salary-cap issues, the two sides turned their attention back to the revenue split Friday, the 120th day of the lockout. Talks broke down last week over that issue, and they had not attempted to deal with it since. The sides met for 7½ hours Thursday following a 15-hour marathon the previous day. Though no specifics have been offered, they both said there had been some compromise on system issues. That created optimism that the lockout could be nearing an end, though that was believed possible a couple of times earlier this month, only to be followed by a setback. Sources told Broussard that union executive director Billy Hunter spoke to players earlier Thursday and reiterated the union's stance that players want at least a 52-48 split of basketball-related income.

STEIN_LINE_HQ Marc Stein RT @Chris_Broussard: Talks btwn players/owners just ended. BRI split still issue. Neither side budging. Players still at 52, owners at 50 16 minutes ago LarryCoon Larry Coon I was guarded. RT @eman83: all that Optimism for nothing 15 minutes ago LarryCoon Larry Coon RT @Mlazarofsky: So I guess Kessler just made it to the room. 14 minutes ago NBAonESPN The NBA on ESPN RT @Chris_Broussard: Talks btwn the players & owners just ended. Split of BRI is still the issue. Neither side budging. Players still at ... 13 minutes ago

* "It’s moved to a very good place," one source briefed on Thursday’s 7½-hour bargaining session told Yahoo! Sports. "There’s a strong expectation [within the negotiations] that hands will shake [Friday]." * "I think we’re within reach – and within striking distance of getting a deal," Players Association executive director Billy Hunter said. "It’s just how receptive the NBA is, and whether they want to do a deal." NBA commissioner David Stern declared it will be a "failure" for the league’s owners and players if a new labor agreement isn’t finished within the next few days.

The NBA plans to cancel two more weeks of its regular season, a source told the New York Daily News. This would be the third time commissioner David Stern has postponed games as the league's lockout of the players continues. The NBA had previously canceled the preseason and the first two weeks of its regular season which was set to begin on Nov. 1. According to the Daily News' source, this latest cancellation would total at least 102 games and run through Nov. 28. The source told the Daily News that the NBA will announced the latest cancellation of games on Tuesday. At present, the league's annual slate of Christmas Day games remain a possibility, however no new talks between the owners and players union are scheduled. No words. Well plenty of words, but I'd probably get banned.

In ESPN Insider's "What if they played now?" series, we'll translate the statistics of stars of the '80s and '90s to the present-day environment to give an idea of how they might have stacked up to their new contemporaries. Each season's stat line is compared to league average at the time, then projected using the current NBA averages. The latest subject is three-time MVP Moses Malone. Center is no longer the marquee position in the NBA that it once was. Dwight Howard of the Orlando Magic is the only real throwback to an era when 7-footers dominated the paint at both ends and served as their team's first option on offense in the post. Howard suffers in part from the lack of a true rival. Whereas Bill Russell had Wilt Chamberlain and Hakeem Olajuwon had David Robinson and Patrick Ewing, Howard has no equivalent center to test him. So let's give him one. Few centers ruled below the rim as effectively as Moses Malone, who won three MVPs from 1979 through 1983 and helped lead the Philadelphia 76ers to the 1983 championship. Like Howard, Malone went pro straight out of high school, and he played all the way to the verge of his 40th birthday. In our scenario, we'll imagine that he was part of the same high school class as Amare Stoudemire. Had Malone been able to spend two years in a rival league like the ABA, he would have reached the NBA in 2004-05, just as Howard was beginning his career, and would now be in his prime. Because the NBA did not yet track turnovers in 1977-78, we can't translate Malone's stat line for that season, so we'll begin with his first MVP campaign -- 2005-06, in our vision. Here are his statistics updated to modern times. [I don't have 'Insider', but any thoughts? Discuss!]

"It’s very sad, but everybody knows it’s not our fault," the Chicago Bulls point guard and reigning NBA most valuable player said Saturday. "If it was up to us we’d be out there playing. I think that is wrong and I know they could easily take care of it."

Manu Ginobili. Number 18 in #NBArank, and number 1 in #RecklessPenetrationsRank, as well as in #BatBusterRank. Thu Oct 13 18:12:20 via Mobile Web @NBAonESPN Manu Ginobili: Most underrated draft pick EVER. Will go into the Hall of Fame as the lowest pick. #unbreakablerecords #NBArank #NBArank Tim Duncan at 19 at age 35 and still the most fundamental big man in the game. #NBArank feels like Tim Duncan at 19 is a lifetime achievement award ... Thu Oct 13 18:07:44 via web I will credit Tim Duncan for being the anti-Ewing at the end of his career. He has sacrificed his numbers and touches for the team. #NBArank #NBArank First an All-Star Game, now top 20 in NBArank? Tim Duncan keeps getting these lifetime achievement awards.

Despite meeting with players for seven hours Monday, the NBA has cancelled the first two weeks of the regular season. Commissioner David Stern made the announcement after meeting with the players' association in a last-ditch attempt to end the lockout and begin the 2011 season on time. - sigh - It's official.

While the Memphis Grizzlies are likely to retain restricted free-agent center Marc Gasol(notes) when a new collective bargaining agreement is delivered, the Memphis Commercial Appeal doesn't think small forward Shane Battier(notes) will be back. The team is "very interested in re-signing Battier," the paper reports, but "this deal will come down to nothing but dollars and cents." The paper has heard that Battier would like a contract that pays him around $5 million annually, but also heard that "the Griz aren't willing to pay that" to Battier. The 33-year-old, two-time NBA all-defensive team member averaged 7.6 points, 4.5 rebounds and 2.3 assists last season.

The NBA is expected to announce Friday it will postpone of the start of training camp and the opening slate of exhibition games after a negotiating session Thursday in New York between the players union director Billy Hunter and commissioner David Stern ended without a labor agreement or progress toward one soon, league sources said. [cont'd] ...and it continues...

Last Season: Best team in the NBA until the last night of the season. Signature wins over every contending team. A renaissance year from Manu Ginobili, a return to good for Tony Parker, a quiet vintage year from Tim Duncan. Yes, it was a wonderful year for the Spurs. Right up until the playoffs started. Then it threw itself into the trash can, vomited, and fell asleep in its own wretch. The Spurs were a regular season beast that wilted in the playoffs. It was like the bizarro Spurs. There were signs, though, of the impending collapse. The Spurs’ defense wasn’t their strength, it was their offense that saw them through. And just as San Antonio showed so many teams in their prime, it’s defense that does in those regular season behemoths. The Spurs fell to Memphis in a flurry of interior scoring from Randolph and Gasol, and with Manu Ginobili not at full strength, they couldn’t overcome. Embarrassing, dispiriting, and ominous. So yeah, didn’t exactly end on a high note. [cont'd]

4. Over/Under: 55 wins for the Spurs next season. Rob Peterson, Hardwood Paroxysm: Under. Though, every time I think the Spurs will slide, they prove me wrong. Last season, they proved everyone wrong. I don't think they have another 55-win campaign in them. No one manages his players' minutes as well as Gregg Popovich, but not even he can make Tim Duncan or Manu Ginobili young again. They've had their time. Chris Palmer, ESPN The Magazine: Under. I think it's officially over in San Antonio. The way they got bounced in the first round by Memphis was demoralizing. Age, injuries and now apathy will finally do them in. They may creep to 50 wins but I'm seeing another first-round exit in their very near future, too. Andrew McNeil, 48 Minutes of Hell: Tough call, I'm going to say under. A lot of things went right for the Spurs last season up until the latter stages of the regular season, and then a lot of things went wrong. The type of players the Spurs want to bring in won't help them win games in the regular season. Graydon Gordian, 48 Minutes of Hell: Push. Fifty-five wins sounds about right for a team that, although no longer a contender, will still be formidable. With the Spurs locked into a few big contracts that no one else will want, they have no choice but to make one more title push. They'll fall short of their goals, but along the way they'll manage to win 55. Justin DeFeo, Nets Are Scorching: Under. That slam you heard? That was the sound of the Spurs' title window closing. With the core of Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker getting older by the day, the Spurs are at the tail end of a dynasty.