Following yesterday's sudden death of Hornets G Bobby
Phills in a car accident in Charlotte, Knicks C and NBPA
President Patrick Ewing "was surprised the [NBA] decided to
carry on" last night, according to Selena Roberts of the
N.Y. TIMES, who notes that last night's Bulls-Hornets game
was the only game postponed. Ewing, on the NBPA: "Our power
is limited. All the power rests with the N.B.A." Several
Knicks said that they "believed the league was insensitive
in handling" Phills' death with its "business-as-usual
mentality." Knicks F/C Marcus Camby: "If it had been a
bigger name guy, they would have shut it down tonight. But
that's just the way they do things." The Hornets host the
Knicks tomorrow (N.Y. TIMES, 1/13). In Charlotte, Dyer,
Suchetka & Wright report that the Hornets' home game
tomorrow "could" also be postponed. Hornets Exec VP Bob
Bass: "We're going to have to talk and see how everyone
feels and see where we go from here. No one knows. To the
best of my knowledge, no player has ever died during the
season. There is no precedent" (CHARLOTTE OBSERVER, 1/13).
In Charlotte, Scott Fowler writes that the Hornets should
postpone Friday's game and Saturday's game in N.Y.: "Trying
to work out a schedule where games are interspersed with
funerals and memorial services over the next few days does
no one any favors" (CHARLOTTE OBSERVER, 1/13).
CHARITABLE CONTRIBUTION: In Winston-Salem, John Delong
notes that Phills was one of four finalists for the NBA's
Sportsmanship award last year for his charitable work.
Phills was co-spokesperson for the Hornets' work with the
Fannie Mae Foundation, and he "participated in several other
of the team's community-relations projects." Phills also
established the Bobby Phills Educational Foundation for
teen-agers in Baton Rouge, LA (WINSTON-SALEM JOURNAL, 1/13).
