Filed under: Grizzlies, NBA Referees, USA Basketball, The WorksIn The Works today: guest writer Rob Peterson (@ShotDrJr) considers Brandon Jennings' Nike-USA Basketball conspiracy and Kobe's Q Score "win," while Ziller wonders if all the league's veteran referees will retire a year from now.
But first, resolution for Xavier Henry ... and judgment for Michael Heisley.
If You Can't Take the Heat: As it turns out, it takes a franchise stronger than the Memphis Grizzlies to change the status quo in the NBA. Grizz owner Michael Heisley took a stand against agents and players by demanding performance-based incentives be included in the contracts of first-round picks Xavier Henry and Greivis Vasquez, despite the fact that's a seldom-used tool in franchises' arsenal.
Basically, one team -- the San Antonio Spurs, a franchise with four championships in the last 12 years -- has played this brand of hardball in recent times. Heisley thought the Grizzlies ought to, too. Henry's agent Arn Tellem refused. And ... stand-off.
It has now been resolved, almost three months and gallons of angst later, with Heisley abandoning his position completely. According to Jonathan Abrams of the New York Times, Tellem told the newspaper that if the Grizzlies didn't concede and sign Henry to a standard first-round contract, the agent himself would pay Henry's $2 million salary. Shortly thereafter, Heisley told the Memphis Commercial-Appeal he'd drop his hardline stance and sign the rookies. Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments
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