By Ray Bennett
Monday July 25, 2011
When NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and NFLPA Executive DeMaurice Smith took the podium outside of NFLPA headquarters in Washington D.C., both men were smiling at the fact that both sides finally reached a labor agreement that took them over 4 months to complete. The look of happiness and relief was echoed by select player representatives that attended the meeting.
The Collective Bargaining Agreement, first approved by NFL owners last Thursday, solved the core issues that were brought up when discussions began after last season ended. The rookie wage scale, that assures that drafted and undrafted players have to earn the money that veteran players make, a fair 52-48 revenue split in favor of the owners, added retirement benefits and leaving the current 16-game regular season untouched were far from easily solved.
After the finishing touches were ironed out, players, owners and fans of the NFL will not have to worry about labor issues for another decade.
Now that the labor agreement is in place, along with the fact that the preseason begins in just a few weeks, the league has to make up for over four months of lost time. The lockout has forced league general managers to wait to negotiate and sign with free agents, rookies and current players that they want to keep around.
The guidelines that the league handed out after the CBA was agreed upon for off-season transactions will make the next couple weeks for front office members and players the most quick, torrid and raggid time that the NFL has ever seen.
On Tuesday, a day after the league allowed teams a look into a huge free agency pool, that includes players like former Raiders CB Nnamdi Asomugha and Seahawks QB Matt Hasselbeck, and an extension of team rosters to 90 men, teams can begin discussions with unrestricted free agents, however, they cannot sign them until Friday. Teams can also begin trading players, like disgruntled Eagles backup QB Kevin Kolb, and sign drafted and undrafted rookies, along with players team's would want to keep. On Thursday, teams can free up salary cap space by releasing players that are owed large sums of money that drain a team's payroll.
If the movement of players wasn't enough to get teams discombobulated, current contracted players can enter team facilities and report to camp on Wednesday. The pattern of teams entering training camp will be based on how long until a team's first preseason game. 10 teams on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday will enter training camp 15 days before their first preseason game. The New York Jets and Houston Texans will be the final two teams to start camp on Sunday.
Even though the league and players union have agreed to a new CBA, the NFLPA has until August 4th to recertify as a union. This means that all players must write in and send their union card to union head Smith in order to finish the CBA process. Once everything is settled by the first preseason games on August 11th, the league can return to normal business.
The quick pace and the eventual stress that is involved in squeezing over four months of off-season activity in less than two weeks will indeed be frantic for every member of every rank in the NFL. Although all the movement may seem exciting for fans, every move that is made until August 11th will have a major domino effect on every team and every free agent. For example, if Asomugha signs a huge deal worth over $60-$70 million, it will dictate how much money Antonio Cromartie and Jonathan Joesph will make. Every free agent player will be affected by who signs with what team for how much money they are given.
The next two weeks in the NFL will be the most craziest time the league will ever see in it's 80+ year history. Brace yourself for a lot of player movement in only a few days time.
Monday, July 25, 2011
Friday, July 8, 2011
Reports: Rockets C Yao Ming, 30, to retire due to lingering foot & ankle injuires
By Ray Bennett
Friday July 8, 2011
In his eight seasons in the NBA, Yao Ming extended the league's global reach to Asia and beyond. However, in his past few seasons, lingering injuries have put an end to his short NBA career.
Multiple league sources are reporting that the Houston Rockets 30-year-old Chinese-born center has decided to retire from playing basketball due to recurring foot and ankle injuries. The 7-foot, 6-inch Yao only played in 5 games this past season averaging 10.2 points and 5.4 rebounds. In his short time in the NBA, Yao left a lasting impact on the game and it's global presence.
Yao's playing career began in his early teens for the Shanghai Sharks junior team of the Chinese Basketball Association. With his seven-foot plus height, he managed to work his way up to the main team at the age of 17. In his first season on the Sharks main squad, Yao averaged 10 points and 8 rebounds in 21 games.
After missing his second season with a broken foot, Yao came back to lead the Sharks to to the first of three consecutive appearances in the CBA Finals, losing the first two to the Bayi Rockets. Yao led the Sharks to the CBA title in their third straight appearance, averaging 38 points and 20 rebounds in the playoffs. This was enough for Yao to take his game overseas to America.
Yao was the first ever internationally-born player without any American-college experience to be selected number one overall in the 2002 NBA Draft by the Houston Rockets. After getting off to a slow start in his NBA-rookie season, Yao averaged 13.5 points and 8.2 rebounds in all 82 regular season games and finished second in Rookie of the Year voting. He started every game in his sophomore season, averaging 17.5 points and 9 rebounds per game to lead the Rockets to his first playoff appearance, losing in a five-game series to the Los Angeles Lakers.
The next season, after the Rockets acquired Tracy McGrady from Orlando, Yao led them back to the playoffs only to exit the first round again, this time at the hands of the Dallas Mavericks. He also made the Western Conference All-Star team for the third straight year, breaking the record for all-star votes that was previously held by Michael Jordan with over 2.5 million fan votes.
However, by the 2005-2006 NBA season, Yao's injuries began to mount up. In that season, he ended up missing 21 games after having surgery on his big left toe. When he came back, he averaged 25.7 points and 11.6 rebounds in a 25 game span. He ended the season averaging a double-double for the first time in his NBA career with 22.3 points and 10.2 rebounds in 57 games. With his team out of the playoff picture, he ended up breaking his left foot near the end of the season that required surgery.
The next season, he was well on his way to the best season of his career averaging nearly 27 points and 10 rebounds per game before breaking his right knee in a game two days before Christmas. He ended up missing 34 games, including what would have been his fifth career All-Star game. When he returned, he helped lead the Rockets back to the playoffs, only to lose in the first round again, this time to the Utah Jazz in seven games.
The 2007-2008 season saw Yao and the Rockets start a huge winning streak that reached 12 games in mid to late February. However, it was reported that Yao had a stress-fracture in his left foot and would have to miss the rest of the season. After Yao was shut down, the Rockets won ten straight games, stretching their winning streak to 22 games, the second longest in NBA history. His recovery time was long enough for him to play for his native China in the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing.
The following season in 2008-2009 had Yao playing in his first full year since 2004-2005, playing and starting in 77 games, almost averaging a double-double with 19.7 points and 9.9 rebounds. The Rockets made it back to the playoffs and finally got past the first round, beating the Portland Trail Blazers in six games. Houston lost in seven games to the Lakers in the Western Conference Semi-finals, with Yao suffering a hairline fracture in his left foot in Game 3, missing the rest of the series.
The injury forced Yao to undergo another operation on his left foot and resulted him to sit out the entire 2009-2010 season. When he came back the following season, the Rockets tried to limit his playing time to 24 minutes a game and to not play him in consecutive games in order to keep him healthy. However, midway through the month of December, the Rockets announced that Yao suffered a stress fracture in his left ankle, forcing him to end his season and his career in the process.
In his eight NBA seasons, Yao averaged 19 points, 9.2 rebounds and 2 blocks in 486 career games. He was also voted a starting All-Star in all of his eight seasons, only playing in five. In 28 career playoff games, Yao averaged 19.8 points and 9.3 rebounds. He also won three FIBA Asian Championship Gold Medals for China in 2001, 2003 and 2005.
When Yao first broke onto the NBA scene, he opened the door for other Chinese-born players to enter the league. In 2007, a game that featured Yao's Rockets and fellow country-man Yi Jilanlian playing for the Milwaukee Bucks was broadcasted on 19 different networks in China and viewed by over 200 Million people. This made it one of the most viewed regular season games ever in NBA history on an international level. His outreach has helped the NBA grow their influence in Asia and made Yao the most popular athlete in his native country.
Friday July 8, 2011
In his eight seasons in the NBA, Yao Ming extended the league's global reach to Asia and beyond. However, in his past few seasons, lingering injuries have put an end to his short NBA career.
Multiple league sources are reporting that the Houston Rockets 30-year-old Chinese-born center has decided to retire from playing basketball due to recurring foot and ankle injuries. The 7-foot, 6-inch Yao only played in 5 games this past season averaging 10.2 points and 5.4 rebounds. In his short time in the NBA, Yao left a lasting impact on the game and it's global presence.
Yao's playing career began in his early teens for the Shanghai Sharks junior team of the Chinese Basketball Association. With his seven-foot plus height, he managed to work his way up to the main team at the age of 17. In his first season on the Sharks main squad, Yao averaged 10 points and 8 rebounds in 21 games.
After missing his second season with a broken foot, Yao came back to lead the Sharks to to the first of three consecutive appearances in the CBA Finals, losing the first two to the Bayi Rockets. Yao led the Sharks to the CBA title in their third straight appearance, averaging 38 points and 20 rebounds in the playoffs. This was enough for Yao to take his game overseas to America.
Yao was the first ever internationally-born player without any American-college experience to be selected number one overall in the 2002 NBA Draft by the Houston Rockets. After getting off to a slow start in his NBA-rookie season, Yao averaged 13.5 points and 8.2 rebounds in all 82 regular season games and finished second in Rookie of the Year voting. He started every game in his sophomore season, averaging 17.5 points and 9 rebounds per game to lead the Rockets to his first playoff appearance, losing in a five-game series to the Los Angeles Lakers.
The next season, after the Rockets acquired Tracy McGrady from Orlando, Yao led them back to the playoffs only to exit the first round again, this time at the hands of the Dallas Mavericks. He also made the Western Conference All-Star team for the third straight year, breaking the record for all-star votes that was previously held by Michael Jordan with over 2.5 million fan votes.
However, by the 2005-2006 NBA season, Yao's injuries began to mount up. In that season, he ended up missing 21 games after having surgery on his big left toe. When he came back, he averaged 25.7 points and 11.6 rebounds in a 25 game span. He ended the season averaging a double-double for the first time in his NBA career with 22.3 points and 10.2 rebounds in 57 games. With his team out of the playoff picture, he ended up breaking his left foot near the end of the season that required surgery.
The next season, he was well on his way to the best season of his career averaging nearly 27 points and 10 rebounds per game before breaking his right knee in a game two days before Christmas. He ended up missing 34 games, including what would have been his fifth career All-Star game. When he returned, he helped lead the Rockets back to the playoffs, only to lose in the first round again, this time to the Utah Jazz in seven games.
The 2007-2008 season saw Yao and the Rockets start a huge winning streak that reached 12 games in mid to late February. However, it was reported that Yao had a stress-fracture in his left foot and would have to miss the rest of the season. After Yao was shut down, the Rockets won ten straight games, stretching their winning streak to 22 games, the second longest in NBA history. His recovery time was long enough for him to play for his native China in the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing.
The following season in 2008-2009 had Yao playing in his first full year since 2004-2005, playing and starting in 77 games, almost averaging a double-double with 19.7 points and 9.9 rebounds. The Rockets made it back to the playoffs and finally got past the first round, beating the Portland Trail Blazers in six games. Houston lost in seven games to the Lakers in the Western Conference Semi-finals, with Yao suffering a hairline fracture in his left foot in Game 3, missing the rest of the series.
The injury forced Yao to undergo another operation on his left foot and resulted him to sit out the entire 2009-2010 season. When he came back the following season, the Rockets tried to limit his playing time to 24 minutes a game and to not play him in consecutive games in order to keep him healthy. However, midway through the month of December, the Rockets announced that Yao suffered a stress fracture in his left ankle, forcing him to end his season and his career in the process.
In his eight NBA seasons, Yao averaged 19 points, 9.2 rebounds and 2 blocks in 486 career games. He was also voted a starting All-Star in all of his eight seasons, only playing in five. In 28 career playoff games, Yao averaged 19.8 points and 9.3 rebounds. He also won three FIBA Asian Championship Gold Medals for China in 2001, 2003 and 2005.
When Yao first broke onto the NBA scene, he opened the door for other Chinese-born players to enter the league. In 2007, a game that featured Yao's Rockets and fellow country-man Yi Jilanlian playing for the Milwaukee Bucks was broadcasted on 19 different networks in China and viewed by over 200 Million people. This made it one of the most viewed regular season games ever in NBA history on an international level. His outreach has helped the NBA grow their influence in Asia and made Yao the most popular athlete in his native country.
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