A side-by-side look at jerseys for the Charlotte Bobcats (left) and Hornets. (Dan Lippitt & Andy Hayt / Getty Images & NBA E)

Charlotte Bobcats owner Michael Jordan announced Tuesday that the franchise has officially submitted paperwork to the NBA to change its name to the “Hornets” for the 2014-15 season.

“Let’s bring the buzz back,” Jordan said at a press conference, noting that “overwhelming” fan support for the switch influenced the organization’s decision.

The franchise also launched BackBuzzCity.com to celebrate the re-branding and manage interest from fans interested in season tickets.

“The Charlotte Hornets name has been a mainstay throughout the region for many years, and we are excited to announce our intention to re-establish this historic brand,” Jordan wrote in a letter to fans. “We believe that its return will galvanize our fan base by unifying our loyal Bobcats fans with those who have strong memories of our city’s NBA predecessor.”

Jordan also said that his organization will begin a “year-long process” to select the team’s colors and design the team’s logo and uniforms.

Multiple reports in the past week indicated plans were underway to bring the “Hornets” nickname back to Charlotte after the original Hornets relocated to New Orleans in 2002. The New Orleans Hornets unveiled a re-branding in January and took on the “Pelicans” moniker immediately following the conclusion of the 2012-13 regular season, freeing up the Hornets nickname.

Continue Reading

The Clippers have reportedly dumped coach Vinny Del Negro. (Harry How/Getty Images)

The Clippers announced Tuesday that coach Vinny Del Negro, whose contract was set to expire, will not be retained after guiding his team to its winningest season in franchise history.

“We would like to thank Vinny for everything he did during his three years with the organization,” Clippers VP of basketball operations Gary Sacks said in a statement. “Vinny helped this team win a Pacific Division title and we greatly appreciate all that he and his staff helped us accomplish. This was a difficult decision, but we feel this is the best decision for our franchise moving forward.”

Yahoo! Sports, who first reported the news, noted that Del Negro will not return in 2013-14 because franchise point guard Chris Paul “wanted a different coach.” CBSSports.com reported that Paul was “not a fan” of Del Negro and that lack of support was “among the biggest reasons” the Clippers chose to move on.

L.A. claimed its first ever division title after winning 56 games this season, the most in a franchise history that dates back to 1970-71. However, the Clippers were eliminated by the Grizzlies in six games in their first-round Western Conference playoff series. That result represented a step back from their Western Conference semifinals appearance in 2012.

Continue Reading

Kevin Durant has played in Oklahoma City for five years. (Layne Murdoch/Getty Images)

Thunder All-Star forward Kevin Durant donated $1 million Tuesday to the American Red Cross through his family foundation to assist with disaster relief efforts in the wake of a tornado that swept through Oklahoma on Monday, killing at least 24 people and injuring hundreds of others.

“The Red Cross relies on its donors to perform its mission in relieving human suffering following disasters,” Janienne Bella, Red Cross’s regional CEO said in a statement. “Mr. Durant’s gift and support to Oklahoma comes at a time of great need and we’re forever thankful for his generosity.”

Later Tuesday, the Thunder organization also pledged a $1 million donation.

“Our hearts go out to all those affected by the devastation that has occurred within our community this week,” Thunder chairman Clay Bennett said in a statement. “We are focusing Thunder resources to help where we can in the relief efforts and to support the organizations that are on the ground assisting those affected by this week’s storms. Even with so much loss, the strength and resiliency of this community have once again been on display, and we will continue to work together as our community and state recover from this disaster.”

The NBA and the National Basketball Players Association also pledged $1 million on Tuesday.

Durant tweeted a message of support to storm victims on Monday.

“Praying for the victims of the Tornadoes in OKC these last few days,” he wrote. “Everybody stay safe!”

Thunder center Kendrick Perkins sent Durant a message of thanks for the donation on Tuesday.

“Love it bro,” he wrote. “That’s how you keep it real. That’s a good thing bro. One million dollars is a blessing for the community.”

Continue Reading

The Magic and Bobcats finished with the two worst regular-season records. (Fernando Medina/NBAE via Getty Images)

As a prelude to Game 2 of the Western Conference finals on Tuesday, the NBA will hold the draft lottery (8:30 p.m. ET, ESPN) — that fateful unveiling of the league’s formal drafting order, as decided randomly by a flurry of bouncing ping pong balls. Teams that have endured months of hard losses for the sake of improving their odds at the No. 1 pick will see those efforts either validated or negated by cold probabilities.

It’s worth noting that even the team with the worst record has but a 25 percent chance of scoring the top pick. All 14 teams in the lottery have some chance — however remote — of selecting first in the draft.

Draft-lottery odds | MANNIX: Draft combine winners/losers | No. 1 picks in lottery era

What might each team look for in a potential pick? Below is a catalogue of the needs of every lottery team, listed in order from worst regular-season record record to best — or, correspondingly, from the highest lottery odds to the lowest.

Orlando Magic
Odds of landing No. 1 pick: 25 percent
Biggest needs: Foundation-level talent at every position

Orlando enters the lottery with the best chance of nabbing the top pick. Nikola Vucevic, Andrew Nicholson, Tobias Harris and Maurice Harkless give general manager Rob Hennigan some interesting components as he goes about a patient rebuild, but none among them is so promising as to be above replacement. If the odds strike in Orlando’s favor, the Magic will survey the field and take the best prospect available — likely Kentucky big man Nerlens Noel — without much concern for how he’ll fit with a core that’s very much under construction. The Magic could also use a point guard or a solid wing type.

Continue Reading

Blazers guard Damian Lillard won the 2013 Rookie of the Year. (Sam Forencich/Getty Images)

Two brothers are alleging that associates of Damian Lillard beat them up early Saturday morning in a dispute over a photograph.

KGW.com reports that the two men, who have been identified as Jermaine and Phil Ulinwa, claim that the 2013 Rookie of the Year took exception to having his photograph taken and that served as the trigger point of a fight.

One brother told KGW the beating happened as a result of a picture that he snapped with his cell phone after he spotted the basketball star walking toward a parking lot with several other people.

“And his entourage just turned around too and they’re like ‘Did you just take a picture of Damian Lillard?’ And I was like … ‘Yeah, I did.’ And so I saw that he was clearly upset, they were upset and I was like, ‘Can I apologize to him? Like I’ll go up right now and apologize to him,’” the brother said.

Within minutes, he says the discussion became an all-out fight which did not involve Lillard but did involve others that the brothers believe were part of Lillard’s group. When the second brother stepped in to help his brother, he says he was punched and kicked repeatedly, enough to break his nose and require stitches in his lip.

A Portland Police spokesman has confirmed that the incident is being investigated but stated Monday that the Blazers guard is not a suspect and that it has not yet been determined whether the suspects “are or are not” associated with Lillard, according to The Oregonian.

Continue Reading