We knew things would get ugly when Derek Fisher and the NBPA looked to oust Billy Hunter from his position after the lockout debacle. The ugliness is now in full motion with Hunter suing Fisher and his former employer for a large sum of money, with a bit of a twist in his story telling. Find that, the latest update on Kobe Bryant and much more below.
STORY OF THE DAY:
Billy Hunter is reportedly suing Derek Fisher, his business manager and the NBPA for $10.5 million. He also claims that a person named “Black Mamba” called him about a month before a deal was struck to salvage the 2011-2012 NBA season, telling him to settle for a 50-50 deal. From that phone call, Hunter concludes and accuses Fisher of making a deal with the owners behind his back. Ken Berger of CBSSports details this bizarre story below:
But the most interesting series of events outlined by Hunter were those linking Bryant and Pelinka (who also represents Fisher) to the surprising collapse of negotiations at the Waldorf Astoria in New York on Oct. 28, 2011 — about a month before a new labor deal finally was struck, salvaging a 66-game season and reordering the financial and competitive landscape of the sport.
“Late in the evening before the Waldorf Astoria meeting, I was already in bed for the night when my phone rang,” Hunter wrote in the court filing. “The caller identified himself as the ‘Black Mamba.’ I knew it was Kobe Bryant, a superstar player for the Los Angeles Lakers and the highest paid player in the NBA.”
Bryant informed Hunter that his agent, Pelinka also was on the phone.
At that point, Hunter said that Bryant urged him to accept a 50-50 split of revenue in the meeting the following day and “put this thing to bed. … Do the deal.”
Hunter said Bryant also told him, “I got your back.”
[…]
Hunter then makes a leap in his declaration to the court, characterizing Bryant’s phone call as evidence that Fisher had cut a 50-50 deal with the owners without Hunter’s knowledge or authority.
“What Bryant and Pelinka were telling me is that a 50-50 deal had already been completed behind my back,” Hunter wrote.
That’s quite the accusation from Hunter, but certainly doesn’t appear to be anything he can actually prove in court. It’s a mess of a situation for all parties involved, and it will be quite interesting to see who wins this unusual battle from within.
DWIGHT HOWARD FINED:
Howard was being heckled by fans throughout the night during a contest between the Houston Rockets and Dallas Mavericks on Wednesday. With the game winding down, he had apparently heard enough and threw the ball softly at a fan in the stands:
For this, he picked up a technical foul and a $25,000 fine from the league, reported by the NBAPR.
BAD BREAK FOR THE LOS ANGELES CLIPPERS:
The Clippers look like a formidable team this season, but the lack of production from their bench is a growing concern. Things won’t get any easier for the next few weeks with key reserve Matt Barnes needing eye surgery to repair a retinal tear. Adi Joseph of USA Today has details:
Los Angeles Clippers forward Matt Barnes needs surgery to repair a retinal tear in his left eye and will miss at least two weeks, the team announced Thursday night.
Barnes injured the eye during Monday’s game against the Memphis Grizzlies. He did not play during Wednesday’s win against the Minnesota Timberwolves.
A DAY OFF FOR KOBE:
No panic necessary for Lakers Nation: Kobe Bryant took the day off on Thursday due to soreness in his left foot. That’s to be expected as he gets used to playing again, and he will look to resume all activities after a day of rest, from Dave McMenamin of ESPN LA:
Kobe Bryant did not practice Thursday, missing the Los Angeles Lakers’ first team session since returning to basketball activities last weekend after seven months off following Achilles surgery.
Coach Mike D’Antoni would not call Bryant’s decision to use Thursday for treatment a “setback,” characterizing it more as a reminder of the process the 35-year-old still must go through before making the leap from practices to suiting up for a game.
“He had a hard two days and just took the day off, and he’ll either ramp it up [Friday] or the next day,” D’Antoni said.
Bryant was experiencing “a little bit of soreness” in his left foot, according to a team spokesman, and D’Antoni stressed that rest is necessary for the 18-year veteran along the comeback trail.
“I think it’s just precautionary,” D’Antoni said. “I know everybody is eager, but it’s going to be a little bit of a process and [we will] make sure he is healthy when he comes back.”
NOTABLE QUOTES:
– Jordan Hill has been a monster on the boards this season, averaging 8.4 rebounds in just 21 minutes of play. His total rebounds percentage – a percentage of available rebounds grabbed while he was on the floor – is 20.8%, bested only by Dwight Howard’s 21.9% among qualified players. He is one of the best rebounders in the league and knows all about it, from Mike Trudell of Lakers.com:
“Nobody can keep me off the boards.”
No argument there.
– J.R. Smith does not like what’s going on with his team. In fact, the guard says he is already in panic mode, from Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN NY:
“We’re frustrated,” Smith said of where the team is mentally, despite most saying it’s too early to panic. “Like you say, it’s too early to panic, but me, personally, I’m panicking. I don’t like this.
“I don’t want to play 3-8 basketball,” Smith continued, in regard to the Knicks’ record. “I don’t want to play 50-50 basketball. If we’re going to be a championship-caliber team and call ourselves that, then we’ve gotta play like that. It can’t be no other way.”
Smith is shooting 31 percent from the field in six games since returning from his five-game suspension, and the team has compiled a record of 1-5 during that stretch.
VIDEO OF THE DAY:
When it comes to Washington Wizards point guard John Wall, the biggest issue usually discussed is his offense – the jump shot, in particular. How about his defense, though? You may find some surprising issues on that end of the floor, as explained by coach Nick of Bballbreakdown:
HE SPEAKS!: