Two days after the tragic death of Bobby Phills, the
Hornets postponed tonight's game against the Knicks,
according to John Delong of the WINSTON-SALEM JOURNAL, who
writes, "In a strange twist of scheduling, the Hornets will
play at New York on Saturday night." Delong adds that the
Hornets "will wear a black patch" on their uniforms with a
white No. 13, Phills' number, for the remainder of the
season. The team also plans to retire Phills' number before
its game against the Cavaliers on February 9. Phills played
for the Cavs for six years before signing with the Hornets
in '97 (WINSTON-SALEM JOURNAL, 1/14). In N.Y., Mike Wise
cites NBA Deputy Commissioner Russ Granik as saying the NBA
reached a decision at 10:00pm ET last night after Hornets C
Elden Campbell "telephoned league officials and expressed
reservations about the team playing two hours after
attending a memorial service" for Phills this afternoon.
Granik: "Elden's point to us, once they knew the memorial
service was going to be held late in the afternoon, [was
that] it was going to be too emotional for everyone. After
talking about that, they just didn't see how they could
play" (N.Y. TIMES, 1/14). In Charlotte, Tom Sorensen:
"Despite the logistical problems a postponed game can
create, the league shouldn't presume to tell the Hornets
when to return. It should ask" (CHARLOTTE OBSERVER, 1/14).
In N.Y., Mitch Lawrence reports that Phills "had complete
salary protection" in the event of his death, which ensures
that his widow and two children "will receive the remaining"
$22.12M of his contract. An NBA source said that 30-35% of
the league's players -- "as many as" 140 -- "are not
protected in the event of death" (N.Y. DAILY NEWS, 1/14).
