rpb is wrong. Phil McCracken is useful.

RPB is right. You suck.

Sources: Greg Oden plans to return

Nearly a year removed from his latest knee surgery, former No. 1 overall pick Greg Oden has decided to resume his playing career but is not planning to return to the NBA before the 2013-14 season, according to sources close to the situation.

Sources told ESPN.com that multiple teams have already expressed interest in signing Oden to a multi-year deal before the end of this season that would allow him to continue his rehab until he can get back on the court in training camp next fall.

The Miami Heat are at the front of the line in pursuing Oden, two sources said, and have been keeping tabs as he recovers while also taking classes at Ohio State.

Sources say that the Heat, though, are not alone in their pursuit of the former No. 1 overall pick.

The Heat potentially could have two roster spots available this season, one of which Oden could slide into as he continues to rehab. Team president Pat Riley is known to like gambling on long shots, especially when it comes to big men.

One concern for the Heat, though, is they already are committed to more than $80 million in salaries for next season and very likely will have a final payroll coming close to $90 million in a year when the new, more harsh luxury tax kicks in. Oden would potentially be a costly gamble even on a minimum-level contract. The Heat are also currently about $14 million over the luxury-tax line for this season.

Oden had his third microfracture surgery, this one in his left knee, last February. He has not played since Dec. 5, 2009, and appeared in just 82 games with the Portland Trail Blazers as he's suffered a series of knee injuries.

In attempting another comeback, Oden's camp is planning to take a very conservative approach. So the plan is for him to sit out the rest of this season and summer league to make sure he allows himself the best chance of finally getting healthy.

The Heat, who have been on the lookout for a center for three years, were interested in Oden before the start of last season when he was a restricted free agent. But he ended up taking a one-year, $8.9 million deal with the Blazers. After a setback in his recovery, the contract was reduced to $1.5 million and he later had the microfracture procedure.

Oden averaged 9.4 points and 7.3 rebounds in parts of two seasons in Portland.

I am not a legal expert, how many times do I have to say it?

sad

I am not a legal expert, how many times do I have to say it?

Bulls should try to sign him.

I am not a legal expert, how many times do I have to say it?

Shaqtin' A Fool was hilarious last night. Trust me:


http://www.nba.com/video/channels/tnt_overtime/2013/01/11/20130110-shaqtin-a-fool.nba/index.html

I am not a legal expert, how many times do I have to say it?

NBA Teams Struggle to Fill Arenas, Even When ‘Cheap Seats’ Are $1 – or Free

If you’re in the market for a quiet evening on the town with minimal excitement and lots of room to relax and spread out, an NBA game in Detroit or Charlotte might be just the ticket.

The Detroit News recently ran a story about how the hometown Pistons are second-to-last in the NBA in terms of average league attendance. Only the Sacramento Kings, which are expected to leave northern California for Seattle after the season ends, attract fewer fans per game.

According to ESPN statistics, the Pistons are averaging 13,272 tickets sold per home game, and they play in the 21,000-seat Palace arena. Some of these “sold” tickets are given away free, and many more ticketholders simply don’t show up. The net result is a sea of unoccupied seats in the Palace, as fans who watch the games on TV can attest.

Essentially the same scene is being played out at several NBA arenas this season. The Pistons are hardly the only team finding it difficult to attract fans. To boost attendance, the Milwaukee Bucks (fourth-worst in league attendance) have been hosting promotions like “Buck Night,” when tickets for kids 14 and under are $1, and hot dogs sell for just $1 as well. (Naturally, the event took place when the Bucks were playing the Pistons.)

The Charlotte Bobcats, which are owned by all-time great Michael Jordan and ended last season with the worst record in the NBA (7-59 during the shortened season), have struggled to fill seats for quite some time now. On secondary ticket-sales markets like StubHub—where tickets to Nets games cost 11¢ a couple seasons back—seats at Bobcats’ home games are currently going for as little as $1 (versus the Washington Wizards and, yet again, the Pistons) plus fees.

There have been plenty of discounts on officially sold Bobcat tickets as well. Toward the end of last season, the Charlotte Bobcats offered an entire season’s worth of tickets for as little as $1 apiece. To try to boost fan interest after a dismal season, the Bobcats got creative, offering 500 upper-deck season tickets at very special prices. Normally, these seats go for $8 each, or $344 for the season. But with a “Pay-the-Pick” promotion, fans agreed to pay $1 per ticket if the Bobcats got the No. 1 pick in the NBA lottery ($43 total for the season), $2 each with the No. 2 pick, and so on, up to $4 apiece with the No. 4 pick. The 500 customers who opted in wound up paying $2 each, when the Bobcats received the No. 2 overall pick.

Charlotte also ran a Kmart-like buy one, get one free season ticket deal, in which seats for the 2013-2014 were included at no charge for customers buying 2012-2013 season tickets in certain sections.

Meanwhile, the Phoenix Suns demonstrated a different kind of creativity to boost ticket sales earlier this season. For a game against the Dallas Mavericks in early December, the Suns offered a money-back guarantee on tickets, promising that fans could get a refund if they weren’t satisfied with the team’s performance, or even if the beer in the arena was flat.

As for the Pistons, team ownership is stating that it is trying to avoid giving away as many free tickets as it has in the past. Dennis Mannion, president of the company that oversees the Pistons, told the Detroit News:

“We still give out free tickets, but mainly strategically, to those who help other people … There’s a dramatic difference between the way business had been done and the way we’re doing it now, and one aspect of that is a lot fewer free tickets.”
When teams give away tickets, you see, the no-show rate is very high. What do they care when they’ve paid $0 out of pocket? Fans who do show up with complimentary tickets tend to arrive late, leave early, and spend little on parking and concessions.

Instead of handing out loads of freebies, the Pistons have kept ticket prices flat, and thrown in free parking and discounts on concessions with season ticket packages. They’ve included perks on certain ticket packages too, including access to golf outings with former players and coaches.

I am not a legal expert, how many times do I have to say it?

1st
Adrian Wojnarowski said VDN is doing a good job...so fuck you all
2nd
Farve Fan ..the Grizzlies are sellers ...so you will never be the SPORTS POSTER OF THE YEAR....cause as rock beats paper ..troll beats idiot

What the fuck are you talking about Walt? This isn't baseball, there are no buyers or sellers unless there's an unhappy superstar involved. The Grizzlies trying to trade Gay's bad contract doesn't make them sellers. It would appear that you are the idiot also.

You're right Kid. Discretion was never my strong suit though.

Walt, you still think the Lakers might be better than the Grizzlies?

Did Cuban say the Mavericks are acquiring players????? He is opening his wallet???? So wouldn't that make him a buyer????

No ....do you think the Grizzlies are the best team in the NBA? ...what an asshole

The Thunder probably are. I think the Grizzlies are right there with the Thunder, Spurs, Clips, and Heat though. I think a good case can be made for any of those 5 being the best.

I think "The Grizzlies might be the best team in the NBA" is a lot more logical than "The Lakers might be better than the Grizzlies". So you should probably just stop bringing up the Grizzlies thing unless they lose like 15 straight games.

and FF I said the Lakers might be better than them in the division so you and OKC discuss basketball because you both don't know shit

Stop lying. 2nd page of the Clippers thread. You said Clips, Thunder, and Spurs were better, and the Warriors and Lakers might be better than the Grizzlies.

Memphis and LA aren't even in the same division.

Yes, you said the Lakers might be better than the Grizzlies. Thank you for confirming this.

you and OKC discuss basketball because you both don't know shit

Hi Walt

read these two assholes ..if this is the best of the board OMG

I bet you're a good looking man Walt. Is that you in your avatar?