In this edition of the NBA PM: The Atlantic Yards project can move forward…Marcus Thornton tearing it up in New Orleans…Abe Pollin passes…Dwight Howards wins Community Assist…HOOPSWORLD chats.
Nets Future Back on Track? The Atlantic Yards development project in Brooklyn, the development effort planned by New Jersey Nets owner Bruce Ratner that would include a new home for the Nets across the river, overcame a significant obstacle to its progress today.
The New York Court of Appeals dismissed a challenge to the use of eminent domain by the state on behalf of Ratner to obtain the land desired for the project, according to Charles V. Bagli of The New York Times.
"Once again the courts have made it clear that this project represents a significant public benefit for the people of Brooklyn and the entire city," Mr. Ratner said. "Our commitment to the entire project is as strong today as when we started six years ago. Today, however, this project is even more important given the need for jobs and economic development."
Construction is expected to commence in the coming weeks.
However, there is still significant opposition to the project locally and despite the court's ruling the opposition vows to plow ahead.
"The fight against the Atlantic Yards project is far from over," said Daniel Goldstein, a spokesman for Develop Don't Destroy Brooklyn, a community group that opposes the project. "The community has four outstanding lawsuits against the project and, meanwhile, the arena bond financing clock ticks louder and louder for Ratner. While this is a terrible day for taxpaying homeowners in New York, this is not the end of our fight to keep the government from stealing our homes and businesses."
How this specifically affects the Nets is the initial deal for Russian billionaire Mikhail Prokhorov to buy the franchise from Ratner was dependent on groundbreaking to happen on the project by the end of the year. Part of the money to use for the project's development was to come from Prokhorov.
New Yorkers – how do you feel about the ruling? Leave your thoughts in the comments below!
Thornton Fills the Bill: Here's something that will probably surprise just about everyone… Marcus Thornton, the shooting guard for the New Orleans Hornets, could be the most valuable rookie this season.
Shocked? Yeah, I was too. How could he be considered more valuable than Sacramento's Tyreke Evans or Milwaukee's Brandon Jennings? The key is in what Thornton produces given his minutes.
If you take a look at John Hollinger's Rookie PER (Player Efficiency Rating) rankings over on ESPN you will see that Thornton now holds the top spot over Jennings my a smidge – 22.83 to 22.03. (A player is considered average with a PER of 15.00.)
It's not intuitive for sure, mostly because Jennings plays 34.6 minutes per night (second among all rookies to Evans) and Thornton plays only 18.7 (with no starts). However, that's part of what PER compensates for, to level the playing field when comparing players.
Check out their raw numbers:
Jennings: 34.6 minutes, 24.2 points, 5.7 assists, 4.3 rebounds, 1.00 steals, 47.5% 3FG%, 46.2% FG%
Thornton: 18.7 minutes, 13.0 points, 2.0 rebounds, 0.8 assists, 0.90 steals, 39.0% 3FG%, 46.6% FG%
Regardless of whether or not you totally buy PER, it is widely acknowledged as a decent calculation of a player's value to a team. And while it's probably still difficult to accept Thornton being rated higher than Jennings, which shouldn't be difficult to acknowledge is that Thornton might just be the answer the Hornets have been looking for.
After playing nine minutes with five DNP-CDs in the first seven games, Thornton has blossomed by scoring in double figures in the last six, scoring 20 or more three times.
And yes, this and Byron Scott's firing as a head coach do have a direct correlation to the Hornets winning three of the past four. Those six games? All following Jeff Bower replacing Scott as the head man.
Abe Pollin Passes: Washington Wizards owner Abe Pollin passed away Thursday. Details were not released but Pollin had been fighting a brain disorder called progressive supranuclear palsy.
"With Abe Pollin's passing, the NBA family has lost its most revered member, whose stewardship of the Wizards franchise, together with his wife Irene, has been a study in unparalleled dedication to the city of Washington," said NBA Commissioner David Stern in a statement. "During his illness he fought with a determination and valor that will remain an inspiration to all. We extend our deepest sympathies to Irene and his two sons, to whom he was so very devoted, and to the entire Pollin family."
Pollin was the longest-tenured owner in the NBA, having bought the then-Baltimore Bullets in 1964 for the price of $1.1 million. In the 2008 Forbes franchise valuations the Wizards were valued at $353 million.
HOOPSWORLD wishes the best to Pollin's family and the Washington Wizards family as a whole.
Ted Leonsis - who bought the NHL's Washington Capitals and WNBA's Washington Mystics from Pollin in 1999 and 2005, respectively – has the right of first refusal to buy the rest of Pollin's sports empire (the Wizards, the Verizon Center, and Washington-Baltimore Ticketmaster – all currently owned by Pollin's Washington Sports and Entertainment).
For more on the life of Pollin, click here.
Dwight Howard Wins Community Assist: Orlando Magic center Dwight Howard was named the recipient of the NBA's Community Assist Award for October for outstanding work off the court. Here is the league's press release:
The NBA has named Orlando Magic center Dwight Howard as the recipient of the NBA Cares Community Assist Award for October in recognition of his outstanding efforts in the community and for his ongoing philanthropic and charitable work.
Howard is being honored in part for his commitment to helping create a state-of-the-art game room designed especially for teenagers at the Florida Hospital for Children in Orlando. Having made numerous visits to the hospital in past years, Howard recently decided that he wanted to make a larger, lasting impact. As part of his new "Dwight Howard's Big Change for Kids" program, Howard provided an initial $30,000 to fund the new room, which will feature the latest in videogame technology, movies, board games, and education resources to provide young patients undergoing difficult medical treatment with a place to relax and have fun. He plans to continually support the project through fundraising efforts at local businesses, schools, and places of worship.
"God blessed me with more than I could ever imagine," said Howard. "Being able to give back to these kids and to people who really need help is very important to me."
Howard and his parents, Dwight, Sr. and Sheryl Howard, began their efforts to empower young people across America to reach their highest potential when they established the Dwight D. Howard Foundation in 2004. In late October, the foundation hosted "Community Spirit Week," a five-day celebration that featured leadership seminars, educational programming, and fun for Orlando-area youth. Over the past five years, the foundation has also helped students by granting them scholarships to attend Howard's alma mater, Southwest Atlanta Christian Academy, and has provided financial assistance to Central Florida schools Lovell Elementary and Memorial Middle.
This award marks Howard's third NBA Cares Community Assist Award. Following his first award in July 2007, Howard earned his second in January 2009 in part for his support of the Parramore Kidz Zone Teen Shack at Orlando's Downtown Recreation Complex. Howard continues to support a number of other charitable efforts focused on local youth, including the Blessings in a Backpack program, a national nonprofit initiative that tipped off in October 2008 and supports low-income children and their families. Through the program, Howard helps provide students at Orlando's Lake Como Elementary School with six take-home meals each weekend in an effort to ensure that they receive the nutrition they need to help them learn and grow.
In addition, Howard is an integral part of the Magic's community service initiatives throughout the season and recently participated in the NBA's Basketball without Borders program, traveling with a group of other players and coaches to South Africa for a week of basketball and community development activities.
As the October NBA Cares Community Assist Award recipient, Howard will receive the David Robinson Plaque with the inscription, "Following the standard set by NBA Legend David Robinson who improved the community piece by piece." In addition, a $5,000 donation will be given by the NBA to Howard's Big Change for Kids program.
The league presents the NBA Cares Community Assist Award monthly to recognize players for their charitable efforts. The award honors the NBA player who best reflects the passion that the league and its players have for giving back to their communities.
HOOPSWORLD Chats: Publisher Steve Kyler, you go-to source for all the hottest NBA rumors, is next up on the chat schedule Wednesday morning at 10am Eastern Time. Steve will be followed by IMG Coach Mike Moreau at noon Eastern Time – Coach isn't the rumors guy, but no one can break a team down and diagnose problems better than he can. Tommy Beer, based in New York covering the Knicks and also our Fantasy editor, finishes the day off at 8pm Eastern Time. Remember - get your questions in early for the best shot at getting them answered! For all the complete chat wraps and upcoming schedule, click here!
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