76ers CEO Adam Aron said on his Twitter account Thursday, "Sixers fans, a few days after season end, I wanted to reach out and THANK YOU once more for your embracing new owners and team this year. Another thank you to all our sixers players this year. Some incredible highs, and lows, in a roller coaster but fun exciting season." He continued, "So much progress was made this year. Winning record in regular season. 'One and done' in the playoffs No More! Sixers fanbase growing. … NBA rules do not allow me to talk about our interest in players by name, but work well underway to think about draft, trades, free agency. Far from easy in NBA to land right free agent or consummate great trade. It will be interesting to see how much progress is made offseason" (PHILLY.com, 6/1).
BIG PLANS: In Phoenix, Bob McManaman reports Coyotes GM Don Maloney plans to sit down next week with prospective team Owner Greg Jamison "to discuss the team's budget for next season, its future operating plans, and to map out a strategy for re-signing key players and coaches." Jamison and Glendale city officials "are in the midst of finalizing paperwork on a new building management agreement." Jamison has told NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman that once that agreement is in place he will "ramp up the remainder of his equity funding and be ready to close on the purchase of the team" (ARIZONA REPUBLIC, 6/1).
OUT OF THE WOODS: On Long Island, Anthony DeStefano notes the legal battle between the Mets ownership group and the trustee in the Bernard Madoff case "ended Thursday when a Manhattan federal judge signed off on a settlement that had been hammered out in March on the eve of the trial." Under the terms of the settlement approved by Judge Jed Rakoff, trustee Irving Picard "agreed to drop" his $303M lawsuit against Mets Owner Fred Wilpon, team President Saul Katz and their partners in Sterling Equities "in exchange for their paying back" $162M in profits received though Madoff's Ponzi scheme (NEWSDAY, 6/1).
LEAGUE OF NATIONS: In Dallas, Jeff Mosier reported a Japanese youth baseball team this summer "will get a close look" at the MLB Rangers as they "will fly to the U.S., attend a Rangers game and tour the field and dugout at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington." The trip is part of the '12 Japan-America Grassroots Summit. The cultural exchange event "alternates each year between the two countries and is being held in North Texas for the first time." The team's trip is funded by the Texas Rangers Baseball Foundation, P Yu Darvish and Japanese mobile gaming company gloops. The Rangers also announced Tuesday that the summit will open Aug. 28 with "Japan America Friendship Night" at Rangers Ballpark at Arlington. The event "runs through Sept. 3" (DALLAS MORNING NEWS, 5/30).
