League Notes

Stern Among NBA Reps Helping Rebuild New Orleans

The NBA’s annual three-day sales & marketing meetings concludes today in New Orleans, and “dozens of NBA representatives and volunteers,” including Commissioner David Stern, on Sunday helped rebuild a single mother’s home that was devastated by Hurricane Katrina as part of the Habitat For Humanity program. NBA reps also helped build a playground at Lake Forest Elementary Charter School (New Orleans TIMES-PICAYUNE, 1/8). In New Orleans, John DeShazier writes Stern is “working for New Orleans, doing what he can ... to help put back together the city where one of his league’s franchises will return next season and to ensure the healthy return of that franchise.” Stern said of efforts to keep pro sports in the city, “Let’s have this conversation again in 2012. I hope there’ll be a football team and a basketball team here. But let’s see how this develops. I think right now, we’re all trying to do our part to help this city recover” (TIMES-PICAYUNE, 1/9).

AFL/CFL: The CFL is “investigating the nature of its relationship” with the AFL after the AFL Rattlers signed QB Ryan Dinwiddie, who is still “officially under contract” with the CFL Blue Bombers. Blue Bombers GM Brendan Taman said, “Since it is actually a CFL contract he has signed, I’m leaving it up to the league to sort it out” (WINNIPEG SUN, 1/9).

NHL REALIGNMENT: The CP’s Pierre LeBrun cites sources saying that if the NHL’s realignment proposal “ever sees the light of day,” the Thrashers and Blue Jackets “will no longer be switching conferences.” Two other options include going “back to the format the league had before the lockout,” while another is to “drop the divisional games from eight to seven and play 14 against the other conference” (CP, 1/7).