NBA Capsules: Iverson voted in; Nash, Duncan get All-Star spots
NEW YORK — Allen Iverson was voted to start in the All-Star game Thursday, while Steve Nash and Tim Duncan made late moves to claim starting spots for the Western Conference.
Nash passed the inactive Tracy McGrady as the second guard, while Duncan disappointed Dallas fans hoping to see Dirk Nowitzki start by rallying past the Mavericks forward.
LeBron James was the leading vote-getter for the Feb. 14 game at Cowboys Stadium, becoming the first player to earn at least 2.5 million votes three times. He will make his sixth All-Star appearance, all as a starter.
"The fans still love and see what I do every night and they appreciate it, and I appreciate them for electing me as an All-Star starter," James said before the Cavaliers hosted the Los Angeles Lakers. "It’s still special."
Joining James and Iverson as East starters were Miami guard Dwyane Wade, Orlando center Dwight Howard and Boston forward Kevin Garnett.
Lakers guard Kobe Bryant was picked in the West along with Phoenix center Amare Stoudemire and Denver forward Carmelo Anthony.
Starters were decided by fan balloting at NBA arenas and electronically. The reserves will be chosen by votes by the head coaches in each conference and will be announced next Thursday.
The fans still love Iverson, even though he’s played only 19 games during the worst season of his career. He appeared on the West ballot since he began the season in Memphis, but he and the Grizzlies parted ways following only three games.
Iverson’s votes counted in the East since he rejoined the Philadelphia 76ers, his longtime team. He is averaging only 14.8 points with the 76ers, but will get a shot at earning a third All-Star game MVP award if he chooses to play.
Bothered by a sore knee, Iverson previously said he would consider his health before deciding whether to play in the All-Star game for the 10th time. He’s been an All-Star for 11 straight seasons, but missed the 2007 game because of injury.
"I just want to thank everybody for their support this season and it’s an honor that the fans have voted me into the All-Star game as a starter," Iverson said in a statement. "The fans are who make us and make the NBA so popular. This year is even more special because I’ll be representing a city and fans that I love and a team that has been such a big part of my life throughout my career."
A McGrady election would have been a bigger embarrassment for the NBA, since he has played sparingly in only six games for the Houston Rockets. The team gave him permission to leave the team and work out on his own while trying to find a trade, yet McGrady still was second among West guards when the most recent update was released on Jan. 7.
That sparked some criticisms of the voting process, but Nash and New Orleans’ Chris Paul both moved ahead of McGrady in the final days of voting.
Duncan’s late surge gives him a 12th All-Star appearance. Bryant, who claimed his third All-Star game MVP last year when he shared it with Shaquille O’Neal in Phoenix, also will be appearing for the 12th time.
Garnett’s selection was his 13th, trailing only O’Neal (15) among active players.
The NBA expects more than 80,000 fans, which would be the largest crowd ever to witness a live basketball game.
It’s a return to Dallas for Nash, who spent six seasons with the Mavericks before signing with the Suns in 2004. He and Stoudemire give Phoenix two starters in an All-Star game for only the second time, joining Charles Barkley and Dan Majerle in 1995.
LeBron leads Cavaliers over Kobe and Lakers 93-87
CLEVELAND — As chants of "M-V-P" filled the electrified air, LeBron James locked his thumbs under his maroon jersey and made it pop off his chest.
The Cavaliers had beaten the NBA champions again, and James soaked in every second.
"This," he said, "is what I live for."
Cleveland showed its Christmas Day win over Los Angeles was no gift as James scored 37 points, including 12 straight down the stretch, and the Cavs, playing their first game without injured Mo Williams, beat Kobe Bryant and the Lakers 93-87 on Thursday night.
J.J. Hickson grabbed a career-high 14 rebounds and Anderson Varejao made three free throws in the final 20 seconds as Cleveland swept the season series between the league's top two teams. That could give the Cavs home-court advantage if they meet the Lakers in June's finals.
A lot can happen between now and then, but the win gave Cleveland confidence it might be able to survive despite losing Williams, their All-Star point guard, who will miss at least one month with a shoulder sprain. Williams scored a team-high 28 in Cleveland's Dec. 25 win at Staples Center.
Williams will be missed. But with James around, the Cavs have little to fear.
"He willed this win for us," Cavs coach Mike Brown said of his star. "He has been doing that for us down the stretch, no matter who our opponent is."
Bryant finished with 31 points but was only 4-of-15 in the second half as the Lakers lost the opener of an eight-game road trip. Pau Gasol scored 13 for Los Angeles, which shot just 33 percent in the final three quarters.
Bryant surpassed 25,000 career points, but he was unable to match James in the fourth quarter as both teams turned to their superstars. Earlier, Bryant was looking forward to a physical game and was eager to see how the Lakers would respond to playing "smashmouth" basketball against Eastern Conference squads like Cleveland and Boston.
Afterward, he wasn't so sure the Lakers are rough enough.
"The mentality has to change a little bit playing against these teams," Bryant said. "These teams are physical, tough-minded, hard-nosed types of teams. That's not part of our DNA. We have to step up and match that and still play skillful basketball."
James was careful not to put too much stock into Cleveland's win. He knows the regular-season sweep will mean nothing if the Cavs can't win it all.
"You don't want to look too far into beating one team twice," he said. "The championship still goes through L.A. It doesn't matter if you beat the team four times, you still have to beat them in the finals to take that trophy away from them."
With the score tied 80-all, James hit a 3-pointer from the left side, and after a miss by Bryant, James dropped another jumper to put Cleveland ahead by five. James then hit an 18-foot jumper to make it 87-80 with 2:48 left and the Cavs looked to be in control.
But Ron Artest hit a big 3 for the Lakers and Bryant made two free throws and a quick jumper to tie it 87-87 with 1:32 remaining.
James then blasted down the left side for a layup with 40.5 seconds to go, sending the raucous Quicken Loans crowd into a frenzy. After Gasol missed two free throws that would have tied it, James was fouled and missed the second of two free throws. But the ever-hustling Varejao was fouled by Artest as they battled in the key for the loose ball. Varejao, a 66 percent shooter from the line, made both attempts for a 92-87 Cavs lead with 20.7 seconds left.
"I'm glad he's on my side," James said of his frenetic teammate. "I have no idea how he does it at the right time."
Lakers coach Phil Jackson didn't agree with the call against Artest.
"I didn't like that," he said. "I thought it was Varejao's foul. When he blew the whistle, I thought he was going to call Varejao for coming over the back. But they called the foul on Ron for grabbing him. A rebound situation foul like that at the end of the game, to make that call is kind of weird."
Bryant then misfired on an off-balance 3-point attempt and James saved the long rebound, flying into Cleveland's bench after swatting the ball back.
"It's a huge win," James said. "I can't sit here and say it's just a normal game because it's not."
Bryant went just 11 of 25 from the floor, not much of an improvement from his 11 of 33 effort against Cleveland last month. He was guarded in the fourth by Delonte West, who started in place of Williams.
Shaquille O'Neal scored 13 and Hickson, who had just two points in the first meeting with L.A., had 11 and was the difference inside as he outworked Gasol and Andrew Bynum.
While media members, fans and even the league have pushed to portray the Cavaliers and Lakers as a budding rivalry, Bryant isn't buying it — not yet anyway.
"No," he said coldly when asked if the team's were adversaries before the game. "Not at all."
He may now be warming up to the idea.
NOTES: Bryant is the 15th player to surpass 25,000 points. ... Cleveland has won 14 of 15 at home. ... The Cavs are 15-5 against the West and 8-0 against Pacific Division teams. ... Lakers G Jordan Farmar won $1,200 from his teammates in a half-court shooting contest at the conclusion of the morning shootaround.
-- Tom Withers
Wizards face more uncertainty and 2nd half begins
WASHINGTON — The Washington Wizards have taken what seems like eons to play just 41 games, just half the NBA season.
"For me, it felt like about 86 games," guard Randy Foye said Thursday.
That's how it feels when a team has been losing, chemistry and discipline have faltered, and its star player has been to court for playing with guns in the locker room.
The tougher news? The second half could be even longer.
The status of the indefinitely suspended Gilbert Arenas remains in limbo, pending final judgments by the NBA and the courts following his guilty plea for felony gun possession.
His teammate Javaris Crittenton also remains under investigation. Prosecutors have said the charge against Arenas came from a dispute with another player over a card game. Authorities have not identified the player but investigators searched Crittenton's apartment for a gun. He has not been charged.
And the trade deadline is looming in February, when a team that is substantially over the luxury tax might want to unload some assets.
On top of it all, the franchise is being sold following the death of owner Abe Pollin.
The financial wranglings could take weeks or months, but, barring an unexpected development, Pollin's longtime minority partner Ted Leonsis will eventually assume control of the franchise and begin making his own changes.
On the postivie side, the Wizards have had a few good games since Arenas was suspended on Jan. 6. So, despite a 14-27 record, they are only 4½ games out of a playoff berth amid a big batch of mediocre teams in the Eastern Conference.
"Why wouldn't I be optimistic? It's January," center Brendan Haywood said. "You've got to continue to believe in yourself and your teammates. I believe in myself and I believe in those guys in that locker room, and we believe that we can get it done."
"If we were in the Western Conference, uh," he added with a shrug, "it might be a little different story."
The coach and players can't be faulted for clinging to hope. They're not allowed to cancel the season, and, as Antawn Jamison has pointed out, the Wizards would turn into a feel-good story if they made a playoff run, a classic case of a team overcoming adversity and proving the naysayers wrong.
"We're just trying to find a cure," Jamison said, "and the only cure we can find right now is to win."
Of course, as one of the Wizards' most marketable players, Jamison might not be around much longer, win or lose.
Trying to keep a handle on it all is team president Ernie Grunfeld. Despite his impressive title, Grunfeld is hardly in the best shape to predict the franchise's immediate future — because it depends on factors out of his control.
Will Arenas play for the Wizards again? Will the team try to void the remainder of his six-year, $111 million contract? .
There's no use committing to any action on those fronts until Arenas is sentenced on March 26, and until NBA commissioner David Stern announces how long Arenas will be off the court. All Grunfeld can do now is order almost every morsel of Arenas' existence be removed from the Verizon Center, leaving the impression that there are no plans whatsoever for Arenas to wear a Wizards jersey again.
And Crittenton? No gun was found is the search and all the Wizards can do is excuse him from practice during the investigation. He was injured and wasn't playing anyway.
Grunfeld also doesn't know who his new bosses will be. Even though Leonsis is the presumptive owner of the team, he's not calling the shots yet. Grunfeld still answers to Pollin's family until the team is officially sold.
Where Grunfeld retains a firm grasp is the trade market.
If the Wizards become realistic playoff contenders, he'll have to decide whether to keep the roster together or that it is time to move on, dispensing of longtime stalwarts such as Jamison and Caron Butler.
"I think in the last five, six games, the guys have pulled together," Grunfeld said. "We've had some nice wins and some real nice efforts, and hopefully that can continue. You always look to see if you can improve your team in some way, and we'll just keep track of everything and a see how everything flows and how the team comes together here in the next month or so. ... The players and the results will tell which direction we really have to go."
Rebuilding the franchise's reputation will be as tough as rebuilding the roster.
The atmosphere had become such that at least one player — and allegedly two — felt comfortable bringing guns into the locker room. Several other players saw nothing wrong with making light of the whole Arenas situation with their antics on the court before a game in Philadelphia.
Four players were fined for that, but the Wizards have otherwise treated the Arenas saga as an isolated act by a rogue athlete that couldn't have been predicted — even though Arenas had been suspended once before by the NBA over a gun-related matter.
Asked if there's anything he wishes he had done differently, Grunfeld chose not to dwell on the past.
"We're looking forward," he said. "A lot of people felt we had a good team in place. Most people picked us to be among the top four or five teams. It just hasn't worked out like that. I think our team's started to come together a little bit."
-- Joseph White
Captain Jack guiding Bobcats to unforeseen heights
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Stephen Jackson’s demand to be traded from Golden State came with a declaration that he wanted to play for a winner. So there was plenty of chuckling around the NBA when Jackson was finally dealt in November.
He was headed to the Charlotte Bobcats, a 6-year-old franchise that had never come close to reaching the playoffs.
Two months later, Jackson’s swagger has spread to his new teammates, and Charlotte is one of the league’s biggest surprises. With six straight wins and an NBA-best 9-1 mark since the new year, the Bobcats (21-19) have jumped to fifth place in the Eastern Conference and appear to be a legitimate playoff contender.
Along the way, the franchise has taken on the personality of the quirky, confident and talented Captain Jack.
"I knew this was a place where I could be myself," Jackson said Thursday. "I’m with some guys who play hard and want to win, and that’s what I wanted to be a part of. I didn’t want to be a part of an organization that was going young and worried about being good in three years and not now."
But the Bobcats? This is an expansion team that hadn’t won more than 35 games in any of its previous five seasons. Hall of Fame coach Larry Brown brought instant credibility when he was hired before last season, but the Bobcats were still a long way from being in playoff discussions.
They started this season as the NBA’s lowest scoring team despite dynamic forward Gerald Wallace. Looking for another scorer, general manager Rod Higgins brought up Jackson’s name to Brown and managing partner Michael Jordan. Higgins knew the 31-year-old Jackson from his stint in the Warriors’ front office.
"Rod was so positive about his talent," Brown said. "Even though people have this perception of him, Rod said he’s a great teammate and wants to win."
Jackson carried baggage dating to his lengthy suspension for his role in the infamous Pacers-Pistons brawl in 2004. There were other legal issues, too, then his feud with Warriors coach Don Nelson.
Jackson was upset with Golden State’s decline after reaching the second round of the 2007 playoffs. The NBA fined him $25,000 for publicly demanding a trade. He then got into a spat with Nelson during an exhibition game, leading to a two-game suspension and the loss of his captain title.
Before agreeing to a deal that sent Raja Bell and Vladimir Radmanovic to Golden State, Brown made calls to his friends. San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich had nothing but praise for Jackson, who was on the Spurs’ 2003 championship team.
"All the guys I spoke to liked him and thought he was really talented in a lot of ways most people wouldn’t imagine," Brown said. "The fact that he could pass and he could defend, he’s a really good rebounder.
"But to say I expected this, that would be stretching it."
That would be Charlotte’s transformation with Jackson. After losing their first three games following his Nov. 16 acquisition to drop to 3-9, the Bobcats have gone 18-10. They’re averaging 97.7 points after managing only 82.4 without him, while maintaining their status as the league’s stingiest defensive team.
Jackson, averaging 20.9 points in Charlotte, is helping his teammates’ numbers, too. Wallace has gone from 13.7 points a game to 20 since Jackson opened up the offense.
"He’s very confident as he comes out on the court," Wallace said of Jackson. "I think that rubs off on guys."
Jackson and Wallace, two athletic wings, present opponents with a tough choice.
"Either you’re going to put your best defender on me, whether he’s big or small, and let Gerald have a good night," Jackson said, "or just double (Wallace) and let us get open shots all night."
Jackson scored a career- and franchise-best 43 points in a win over Houston last week, then surpassed 10,000 career points two games later against Phoenix on the way to being voted Eastern Conference player of the week. Wallace is a candidate for his first All-Star game.
The two are constantly needling each other and holding shooting competitions after practice. At the end of Thursday’s workout, Jackson jokingly said he would only do an interview if Wallace was with him.
So it took a little begging for Jackson to answer a serious question. Did he really expect to be a part of possible playoff team in Charlotte?
"I knew the first game," Jackson insisted. "We played Orlando and I didn’t know any plays, first time playing with any of these guys and we had a chance to win against one of the best teams in the East. That day, alone, let me know that we could be a good team.
"I was just worried about how long it was going to take for us to click and gel. And it didn’t take that long."
-- Mike Cranston
Miami Heat season filled with ups and downs
MIAMI — So far, this week has been a perfect microcosm of the Miami Heat season. Blowout winners Tuesday night against Indiana, blowout losers 24 hours later in Charlotte.
And even the Heat can’t understand why it’s happening.
At 21-20, Miami has reached the midway point of its season without having spent a single day under .500, and entered Thursday sixth in the Eastern Conference. But it’s almost like the Heat are merely fighting to stay above water these days, having lost by at least 18 points three times since Jan. 11.
And after Wednesday’s 39-point drilling at Charlotte — one of the worst offensive showings in franchise history, one night after beating Indiana 113-83 — Miami is a lowly 1-6 on the second night of back-to-back games. It had coach Erik Spoelstra choosing his words carefully in the moments that followed.
"We have a very ... very ... very ugly side to us," Spoelstra said Wednesday night.
That’s troubling to a team that entered the year convinced it would improve on last year’s 43-39 mark.
"It’s in our heads," second-year forward Michael Beasley said this week. "It’s just the willingness to do it. Some games we want to, some games we don’t. Some games we’ve got all the energy in the world. Some games, we just don’t. I think if we stay consistent, there’s no limit on how far we can go this season."
Optimism may still reign, but exactly who are the Heat anyway?
Are they the team that started the year 6-1 and has already won at tough places like Orlando, Portland, Phoenix and Houston? Or the team that has the NBA’s third-worst record on the second night of back-to-backs (behind Memphis and woeful New Jersey), ranks 28th in the 30-team league in scoring since Jan. 1 despite having Dwyane Wade and dropped seven games by 15 points or more?
No one knows, least of all Spoelstra, who even went as far as to question the Heat’s professionalism after the 104-65 loss in Charlotte.
"There’s a good side to us and there’s this very ugly side that we need to do something about," Spoelstra said. "This is not acceptable and this trend of what we’ve done on back-to-backs, we’ve got to look at everything from A to Z and see what changes we have to make."
Like all coaches, Spoelstra has buzz words that he uses after nearly every practice and game.
He’s talked lately about the "purity" of the Heat effort, adding that to what’s always been the cornerstones of the Miami organization since Pat Riley’s arrival in the mid-1990s — defense, focus and execution.
Some nights it works. Some nights it doesn’t. There usually isn’t any in-between.
Through Wednesday, Miami was one of only three teams in the league to have at least 11 wins by double-digits and 11 losses by double-digits. Typically, it’s one or the other (for example, Cleveland entered Thursday 18-3 in double-digit games, while New Jersey was 0-27), but the Heat have taken on a distinctive Jekyll and Hyde feel through the season’s first half.
"We have to evaluate where we are, what we need to improve, what we need to get more consistent at to take the next step as a team," Spoelstra said this week. "It comes down to this with us, it really does — when we are committed wholeheartedly to defend and to do it with energy and consistency, we’re a very good basketball team. And we’ve proven that."
Sure enough, the numbers bear that out.
Miami is 6-15 when teams score 100 points, 15-5 when teams score 99 or less.
"We get drilled on that," Beasley said.
Off on Thursday, the Heat have another back-to-back Friday and Saturday, first in Washington before returning home to face Sacramento. Now having lost, at least temporarily, the No. 5 spot in the East to surging Charlotte, and with a slew of teams nipping at their heels for No. 6, Miami knows this is a critical time for playoff positioning.
"We have to bounce back," Spoelstra said. "We’ve done this before. So we move on."
-- Tim Reynolds
Cavs’ Mo Williams out 1 month with shoulder injury
CLEVELAND — Cavaliers starting point guard Mo Williams will miss at least one month with a sprained left shoulder, a major blow to the Eastern Conference’s top team.
An MRI revealed the sprain and the Cavs said that Williams, who has played in 124 of a possible 125 games since joining Cleveland before last season, is projected to be out for the "next four to six weeks" — a timetable that could keep him out until the first week in March.
Williams is the club’s second-leading scorer and top playmaker other than LeBron James. His loss figures to test the Cavs like nothing else so far this season.
"It’s huge," James said before Thursday’s showdown with the Los Angeles Lakers. "The last two years a lot of the reason for the success we’ve had as a team is because Mo has been our point guard. He has been the guy that has kept us under wraps and played in almost every single game. When you lose an All-Star point guard it hurts. It hurts a lot.
"Guys got to step up. Guys have no choice but to step up."
Williams injured his shoulder in Tuesday night’s win over Toronto when he reached for a steal in the third quarter and banged into a few Raptors players. He was taken to the locker room for an examination and treatment before returning to the floor and making a key 3-pointer in the fourth quarter.
Cleveland coach Mike Brown said it is his understanding that rest should take care of Williams’ injury. It’s not likely he will need surgery.
On Tuesday, the Cavs initially said Williams had sustained a strain, but changed the diagnosis to a sprain, which indicates there is a tear in the shoulder.
Williams, who was an All-Star last season — his first with Cleveland — scored a team-high 28 points in the Cavaliers’ Christmas Day win over the Lakers.
Delonte West, who is more of a shooting guard, will start in place of Williams and Daniel Gibson will return to the rotation after having his minutes reduced in recent weeks. West will be making his first start this season.
"It’s tough," Brown said. "But we feel like we have a deep team. It’s unfortunate Mo got hurt because he was playing really well for us and was in a rhythm. We have to see if we can hold the fort down until he’s able to come back."
Losing Williams will hurt the Cavs in a variety of ways. He is one of the NBA’s best three-throw (90 percent) and 3-point shooters (43 percent).
Cleveland (32-11) entered Thursday’s game against the Lakers with a 3½-game lead over Boston for the East’s best record.
-- Tom Withers
Kobe Bryant takes a pass on slam dunk contest
CLEVELAND — Kobe Bryant is taking a pass on the slam dunk contest, no matter what Shaquille O’Neal has in mind.
Bryant nearly burst out laughing Thursday when asked about O’Neal’s idea that the Lakers superstar should appear in next month’s All-Star weekend dunk event with LeBron James and Vince Carter.
O’Neal suggested the star-studded field as a way of luring James, who is skipping the dunkathon after initially saying he was in.
Bryant won the dunking crown when he was a rookie. He says players should not feel a responsibility toward entering the contest as a way of giving back to the league. James has been criticized for backing out. Bryant would like to see the MVP take part.
"Responsibility? No," Bryant said following the Lakers’ shootaround. "People want to see it, so it’s good to do it at least one time in your career. It’s fun."
The contest is Feb. 13 in Dallas, and Bryant has been giving tips to Los Angeles teammate Shannon Brown. Does Bryant think James would win?
"I think he would come in a close second behind Shannon Brown," he said.
-- Tom Withers
Lakers star Kobe Bryant tops 25,000 career points
CLEVELAND — Los Angeles Lakers superstar Kobe Bryant is the 15th player in NBA history to reach 25,000 career points and the youngest to hit the milestone.
Bryant reached the mark by making one free throw late in the second quarter of Thursday night’s showdown against the Cleveland Cavaliers.
At 31 years, 151 days, Bryant got to 25,000 in 35 fewer days than Wilt Chamberlain, who finished his career with 31,419 points.
Earlier, Bryant was voted into his 12th All-Star game.
Next on the list for Bryant is Lakers legend Jerry West (25,192) and former Pacers guard Reggie Miller (25,279).
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is the NBA’s career leader with 38,387 points.
Davis fined for inappropriate language toward fan
NEW YORK — Boston Celtics forward Glen "Big Baby" Davis has been fined $25,000 for directing inappropriate language at a fan.
NBA executive vice president of operations Stu Jackson announced the fine Thursday.
David was fined for language he used when addressing a fan during the second quarter of Boston’s 92-86 loss to the Detroit Pistons at the Palace of Auburn Hills on Wednesday.
It was the second fine Jackson has handed down to a Celtics player is as many days. Boston forward Rasheed Wallace was fined $35,000 on Wednesday for publicly criticizing officials.
Bennett agrees to pay former Sonics fans $1.6M
SEATTLE — The owners of the Oklahoma City Thunder, formerly the Seattle SuperSonics, have agreed to pay former Sonics season-ticket holders $1.6 million to settle a class-action lawsuit.
Clay Bennett and his Professional Basketball Club, the ownership group that moved the Sonics to Oklahoma less than two years ago, reached the settlement agreement last month. It is awaiting approval from a federal judge in Seattle.
About 1,000 former season-ticket holders complained that when the Sonics moved, the team reneged on a deal to let them renew their tickets at 2006-07 prices through 2010.
The fans argued that if they had been allowed to transfer their tickets to Oklahoma City’s Ford Center, where the team is now known as the Thunder, they could have then resold them at higher prices.
Bennett declined to comment Thursday.
Thunder’s White out 6-8 weeks after thumb surgery
OKLAHOMA CITY — Oklahoma City Thunder forward D.J. White is expected to miss six to eight weeks following surgery to repair a fractured right thumb.
The Thunder say White had successful surgery Thursday. White was injured in practice Tuesday.
White is averaging 4.8 points and 1.9 rebounds in eight games this season. He had not played in a Thunder game for over a month, and spent about two weeks in the NBA Development League during that time.
White, a first-round draft pick out of Indiana in 2008, missed most of his rookie year following surgery to remove a benign growth from his jaw.
Hall of Fame moves enshrinement to Aug. 13
SPRINGFIELD, Mass. — The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame is moving its enshrinement ceremony to Aug. 13, avoiding a conflict with the world championships.
The Hall expects to welcome its second straight decorated class, with the 1992 U.S. men’s Olympic "Dream Team" nominated for induction. Karl Malone and Scottie Pippen also are expected to be inducted. Both played on that famed team along with Michael Jordan, Larry Bird and Magic Johnson.
The enshrinement ceremonies usually take place in early to mid-September. The world championships will be held from Aug. 28-Sept. 12 in Turkey.
Jerry Colangelo, chairman of the Hall board and USA Basketball, says the change in date is for the "foreseeable future."
The finalists for the class of 2010 will be announced on Feb. 12.
