NBA Commissioner Adam Silver on Friday said that he "erred by holding a basketball clinic in Cuba" last week before consulting with the Heat. Silver: "I can confirm that they were miffed. I have had multiple conversations with those who were miffed since the miffing took place. Our bad. We made a mistake. We didn’t appropriately consult the Miami Heat before agreeing with the state department to take that trip. A rookie error on my part" (MIAMI HERALD, 4/25).
CHARLOTTE'S WEB: In Charlotte, Rick Bonnell noted Hornets "are trying to project" how a big increase in NBA payrolls in the coming seasons "will change competitive balance between the league’s small and large markets." Hornets Vice Chair Curtis Polk said, "We are really assessing the other players around the league who will be free agents in the next couple of years" (CHARLOTTE OBSERVER, 4/26). Polk: "Your long-range planning is going to have a lot more competitors than you once had (when you were) just managing the cap growing marginally year to year. We have to look at it and say everybody is going to be in the same situation, so the marketplace for free agents could be much more difficult than we perceived it to be with this approach several years ago" (CHARLOTTE OBSERVER, 4/26).
ALL-IN ALLEN: In Portland, Jason Quick noted Trail Blazers Owner Paul Allen on Saturday after the team's loss to the Grizzlies in Game 3 left Moda Center "without a word, his head drooped." Quick: "I've never seen him walk so slowly, or with such a dejection." Since his Seahawks "have become the class of the NFL, it has indirectly put the Blazers on the hot seat." Allen has "always been known as a demanding, hands-on owner with a willingness to open his checkbook," but that "comes with a high bar of expectations" (Portland OREGONIAN, 4/26).
FRESH START: ESPN L.A.'s Arash Markazi noted the Clippers under former Owner Donald Sterling "were more of a pit stop than a destination," but coach Doc Rivers "has taken it upon himself to try to change that." The Clippers have "begun the process of reaching out to former players, coaches and front-office members that previously wanted nothing to do with the team after leaving." Former Clippers GM Elgin Baylor and his wife last Tuesday "were invited guests and sat courtside." Baylor "had not attended a Clippers game" since '08. Sources said that in addition to "rebranding the team in the offseason with a new logo and new uniforms," the Clippers also are "looking at ways to connect with their Buffalo Braves past" (ESPNLA.com, 4/25).
