AP News Articles

CHICAGO (AP) — Bulls center Andre Drummond missed Chicago's game Friday night against the Los Angeles Lakers after he posted on Twitter that he was deleting his social media apps to focus on his mental health.

Drummond was ruled out because of personal reasons, according to the Bulls. Coach Billy Donovan said he is hopeful about the possibility of Drummond traveling with the team ahead of Friday night's game at Charlotte.

“As we come here and play games there's also a human side, a personal side to all these guys,” Donovan said, “and you feel bad when anybody's going through something like that. I think you try to give as much support as you can.”

The 29-year-old Drummond is in his first year with Chicago and his 11th season in the NBA overall. The two-time All-Star posted on Tuesday that he was deleting his apps and changing his number.

“Time to focus on my mental health,” Drummond wrote. “If you too are struggling with your mental health, you are not alone ... it’s okay to ask for help.”

Drummond is averaging 6.1 points and 6.7 rebounds in 62 games for the Bulls in a reserve role. He had 11 points and eight rebounds during Monday night's 124-112 loss at the Los Angeles Clippers.

“Sometimes when people look at these guys and they see them play and they see these NBA players, stars, all this other stuff, and all the stuff that comes with it that gosh, their lives must be just absolutely perfect,” Donovan said, “and they're not. We're all flawed. We all have challenges. We all have issues and things we all have to deal with.”

Bulls star DeMar DeRozan, who has been open about his own battle with depression and mental health issues, said he plans to give Drummond his space while also letting him know that he is there for him.

“We love this game. We play this game. This game's been good to us all,” DeRozan said. “But at the end you got to worry about and care for yourself first and foremost.”

DeRozan's honesty about his issues has led to frequent encounters with people who have expressed their gratitude about his openness with his mental health. Donovan said he was approached by a man in Toronto this season who wanted to thank DeRozan, and the player then spent some time with the man.

“Moments like that to me is bigger than playing a basketball game, a paycheck, I mean, you name it, man,” DeRozan said. “There's just something about it that speaks volumes when someone's story can help someone else and when I actually see it, it touched me in a different type of light. It's nothing but appreciation and it just shows a different type of empathy that I wish we all had.”

___

Follow Jay Cohen at https://twitter.com/jcohenap

___

AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

CHICAGO (AP) — Chicago Bulls center Andre Drummond missed the team's game against the Los Angeles Lakers on Wednesday night after he posted on Twitter that he was deleting his social media apps to focus on his mental health.

Drummond was ruled out because of personal reasons, according to the Bulls. Coach Billy Donovan said he is hopeful about the possibility of Drummond traveling with the team ahead of Friday night's game at Charlotte.

“As we come here and play games there's also a human side, a personal side to all these guys,” Donovan said, “and you feel bad when anybody's going through something like that. I think you try to give as much support as you can.”

The 29-year-old Drummond is in his first year with Chicago and his 11th season in the NBA overall. The two-time All-Star posted on Tuesday that he was deleting his apps and changing his number.

“Time to focus on my mental health,” Drummond wrote. “If you too are struggling with your mental health, you are not alone ... it’s okay to ask for help.”

Drummond is averaging 6.1 points and 6.7 rebounds in 62 games for the Bulls in a reserve role. He had 11 points and eight rebounds during Monday night's 124-112 loss at the Los Angeles Clippers.

“Sometimes when people look at these guys and they see them play and they see these NBA players, stars, all this other stuff, and all the stuff that comes with it that gosh, their lives must be just absolutely perfect,” Donovan said, “and they're not. We're all flawed. We all have challenges. We all have issues and things we all have to deal with.”

Bulls star DeMar DeRozan, who has been open about his own battle with depression and mental health issues, said he plans to give Drummond his space while also letting him know that he is there for him.

“We love this game. We play this game. This game's been good to us all,” DeRozan said. “But at the end you got to worry about and care for yourself first and foremost.”

DeRozan's honesty about his issues has led to frequent encounters with people who have expressed their gratitude about his openness with his mental health. Donovan said he was approached by a man in Toronto this season who wanted to thank DeRozan, and the player then spent some time with the man.

“Moments like that to me is bigger than playing a basketball game, a paycheck, I mean, you name it, man,” DeRozan said. “There's just something about it that speaks volumes when someone's story can help someone else and when I actually see it, it touched me in a different type of light. It's nothing but appreciation and it just shows a different type of empathy that I wish we all had.”

___

Follow Jay Cohen at https://twitter.com/jcohenap

___

AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Washington Wizards shooting guard Bradley Beal is facing a possible misdemeanor charge in central Florida after a fan accused the NBA All-Star of hitting him during an argument after a game against the Orlando Magic.

Probable cause exists to charge Beal with simple battery for the March 21 confrontation, an Orlando police case report said.

Beal had not been arrested or charged as of Wednesday.

The report said the case would be filed with the local State Attorney’s Office, but prosecutors said they didn’t have a record of the case late Tuesday.

The Wizards acknowledged they knew about the situation with Beal in Orlando but declined to comment.

According to the police report, Beal was walking down a tunnel at Amway Center to the Wizards’ locker room following the team’s 122-112 loss to the Magic. A fan swore at Beal and accused him of causing the fan to lose $1,300 from a bet.

Beal walked back toward the fan and his friends, and began to exchange words, investigators said. At some point, Beal swatted a hat off the head of the heckler’s friend, police said, allegedly hitting the friend’s head.

The friend contacted police the next day to report the alleged assault and provided police with video of the confrontation.

A spokesman for the Magic said the team has never had a similar incident but is discussing potentially adding security in that general seating area.

Beal, 29, was the third overall pick in the 2012 draft by the Wizards. He was selected in the 2013 All-Rookie First Team and is a three-time All-Star.

___

AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Washington Wizards shooting guard Bradley Beal is facing a possible misdemeanor charge in central Florida after a fan accused the NBA All-Star of hitting him during an argument after a game against the Orlando Magic.

Probable cause exists to charge Beal with simple battery for the March 21 confrontation, an Orlando police case report said.

Beal has not been arrested or charged as of Wednesday.

The report said the case would be filed with the local State Attorney’s Office, but prosecutors said they didn’t have a record of the case late Tuesday.

The Wizards acknowledged they knew about the situation with Beal in Orlando but declined to comment.

According to the police report, Beal was walking down a tunnel at the Amway Center to the Wizards’ locker room following the team’s 122-112 loss to the Magic. A fan swore at Beal and accused him of causing the fan to lose $1,300 from a bet.

Beal walked back toward the fan and his friends, and began to exchange words, investigators said. At some point, Beal swatted a hat off the head of the heckler’s friend, police said, allegedly hitting the friend’s head.

The friend contacted police the next day to report the alleged assault and provided police with video of the confrontation.

Beal, 29, was the third overall pick in the 2012 NBA draft by the Washington Wizards. He was selected in the 2013 NBA All-Rookie First Team and is a three-time NBA All-Star.

NEW YORK (AP) — NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said Wednesday he is hopeful that a new collective bargaining agreement between the league and its players can get done by the end of this week, though he stopped short of predicting that a deal would actually get struck.

“I think everyone understands what's at stake," Silver said.

The league and the National Basketball Players Association face a midnight Friday deadline for either side to decide that they will opt out of the deal and end the current CBA on June 30. That opt-out deadline already has been extended twice, and Silver said the NBA's current plan is to exercise that option if there is no deal by Friday night.

“I certainly can foresee one getting done and I hope we do get one done,” Silver said at the conclusion of a two-day meeting of the league's Board of Governors. “It's just because, honestly, I’m only one side of the negotiation, it’s difficult for me to place odds on whether or not that’s going to happen.”

NBPA Executive Director Tamika Tremaglio said the players do not intend to opt out if Friday's deadline passes without a deal.

“The March 31st deadline is an important benchmark, and we are doing everything in our power to reach an agreement with the league," Tremaglio said. “If we don’t have a deal and the league decides to opt out, it will be disappointing considering all the work both sides have put into the negotiations, and the fair nature of our requests. As far as our fans are concerned, it will be business as usual. Games will continue uninterrupted."

Both sides have said throughout this process — and in past labor talks — that they do not intend to negotiate or discuss specifics publicly.

The sides have been talking about a new CBA for more than a year, and Silver said he expected negotiations to resume Wednesday night. And if Friday passes without a deal, it wouldn't be dire immediately because the sides still will have three months to get something done before the current CBA expires.

The opt-outs were put in place to avoid the drama of having talks go right up until the end of a deal, which would increase the odds of a work stoppage.

“Still a lot to go in the next few days. There’s just something about collective bargaining where deadlines are necessary and seemingly sides tend to hold their best positions until the very end,” Silver said. “So, my sense is this will go down to the very end.”

The league has made clear that it wants some changes to the current CBA and has been in discussions with the union on matters such as an upper spending limit, returning to a plan where players can jump to the draft directly from high school and enacting a minimum number of games played in order to be qualified for season-ending awards.

“Every issue seemingly seems related to every other issue,” Silver said. “If you line up these 10 issues, you sort of go 80% of the way there on each issue and everybody’s holding their last move to say: ‘Well, OK, maybe I’m willing to do that, but I’m going wait to see what you’re going to do on those three issues. And if you make those moves on those three issues, then I’ll feel a little bit more comfortable.’ I mean, people are constantly trading things."

The current CBA, which took effect July 1, 2017, came with a mutual option for either the NBA or the NBPA to opt out after six seasons — June 30 of this year.

The sides originally had a Dec. 15 deadline to announce an intention to exercise the opt-out, then pushed it back to Feb. 8, then to Friday.

A lockout would be damaging on many levels — well beyond the obvious part of how a league that is coming off a season of record revenue (it topped $10 billion for the first time last season and basketball-related income reached $8.9 billion, another record) would see that momentum interrupted. It could also interfere with the makeup of teams for this summer's World Cup in the Philippines, with NBA players expected to fill the U.S. and other rosters (and three NBA coaches set to be part of the U.S. coaching staff).

It could also disrupt plans for an NBA Summer League in Las Vegas this July that figures to feature presumed No. 1 draft pick Victor Wembanyama in what would be a global spectacle, as the French phenom begins his NBA career.

“I think for both sides in various categories we acknowledge we’ve come closer together,” Silver said. “There still is a gap between where we feel we need to be in order to get a deal done. I’d say throughout the discussions have had a very positive tenor and continued the strong sense of partnership that we have with our players and the players association.”

___

AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

NEW YORK (AP) — NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said Wednesday he is hopeful that a new collective bargaining agreement between the league and its players can get done by the end of this week, though he stopped short of predicting that a deal would actually get struck.

The league and the National Basketball Players Association face a Friday deadline for either side to decide that they will opt out of the deal and end the current CBA on June 30. That opt-out deadline already has been extended twice, and Silver said the NBA's current plan is to exercise that option if there is no deal by Friday night.

“I hope we do get one done,” Silver said at the conclusion of a two-day meeting of the league's Board of Governors. “Because, honestly, I’m only one side of the negotiation, it’s difficult for me to place odds on whether or not that’s going to happen.”

The NBPA did not have any immediate reaction to Silver’s comments. Both sides have said throughout this process — and past labor talks — that they do not intend to negotiate or discuss specifics publicly.

The sides have been talking about a new CBA for more than a year, and Silver said he expected negotiations to resume Wednesday night. And if Friday passes without a deal, it wouldn't be dire immediately since the sides still will have three months to get something done before the current CBA expires.

“There’s just something about collective bargaining where deadlines are necessary and seemingly sides tend to hold their best positions until the very end,” Silver said. “So my sense is this will go down to the very end.”

The current CBA, which took effect July 1, 2017, came with a mutual option for either the NBA or the NBPA to opt out after six seasons — June 30 of this year.

The sides originally had a Dec. 15 deadline to announce an intention to exercise the opt-out, then pushed it back to Feb. 8, then to Friday.

A lockout would be damaging on many levels — well beyond the obvious part of how a league that is coming off a season of record revenue would see that momentum interrupted. It could interfere with this summer's World Cup in the Philippines, with NBA players expected to fill the U.S. and other rosters (and three NBA coaches set to be part of the U.S. coaching staff).

It could also disrupt plans for an NBA Summer League in Las Vegas that figures to feature presumed No. 1 draft pick Victor Wembanyama in what would be a global spectacle, as the French phenom begins his NBA career.

___

AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

NEW YORK (AP) — NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said Wednesday he is hopeful that a new collective bargaining agreement between the league and its players can get done by the end of this week, though he stopped short of predicting that a deal would actually get struck.

“I think everyone understands what's at stake," Silver said.

The league and the National Basketball Players Association face a midnight Friday deadline for either side to decide that they will opt out of the deal and end the current CBA on June 30. That opt-out deadline already has been extended twice, and Silver said the NBA's current plan is to exercise that option if there is no deal by Friday night.

“I certainly can foresee one getting done and I hope we do get one done,” Silver said at the conclusion of a two-day meeting of the league's Board of Governors. “It's just because, honestly, I’m only one side of the negotiation, it’s difficult for me to place odds on whether or not that’s going to happen.”

The NBPA did not have any immediate reaction to Silver’s comments. Both sides have said throughout this process — and in past labor talks — that they do not intend to negotiate or discuss specifics publicly.

The sides have been talking about a new CBA for more than a year, and Silver said he expected negotiations to resume Wednesday night. And if Friday passes without a deal, it wouldn't be dire immediately because the sides still will have three months to get something done before the current CBA expires.

The opt-outs were put in place to avoid the drama of having talks go right up until the end of a deal, which would increase the odds of a work stoppage.

“Still a lot to go in the next few days. There’s just something about collective bargaining where deadlines are necessary and seemingly sides tend to hold their best positions until the very end,” Silver said. “So, my sense is this will go down to the very end.”

The league has made clear that it wants some changes to the current CBA and has been in discussions with the union on matters such as an upper spending limit, returning to a plan where players can jump to the draft directly from high school and enacting a minimum number of games played in order to be qualified for season-ending awards.

“Every issue seemingly seems related to every other issue,” Silver said. “If you line up these 10 issues, you sort of go 80% of the way there on each issue and everybody’s holding their last move to say: ‘Well, OK, maybe I’m willing to do that, but I’m going wait to see what you’re going to do on those three issues. And if you make those moves on those three issues, then I’ll feel a little bit more comfortable.’ I mean, people are constantly trading things."

The current CBA, which took effect July 1, 2017, came with a mutual option for either the NBA or the NBPA to opt out after six seasons — June 30 of this year.

The sides originally had a Dec. 15 deadline to announce an intention to exercise the opt-out, then pushed it back to Feb. 8, then to Friday.

A lockout would be damaging on many levels — well beyond the obvious part of how a league that is coming off a season of record revenue (it topped $10 billion for the first time last season and basketball-related income reached $8.9 billion, another record) would see that momentum interrupted. It could also interfere with the makeup of teams for this summer's World Cup in the Philippines, with NBA players expected to fill the U.S. and other rosters (and three NBA coaches set to be part of the U.S. coaching staff).

It could also disrupt plans for an NBA Summer League in Las Vegas this July that figures to feature presumed No. 1 draft pick Victor Wembanyama in what would be a global spectacle, as the French phenom begins his NBA career.

“I think for both sides in various categories we acknowledge we’ve come closer together,” Silver said. “There still is a gap between where we feel we need to be in order to get a deal done. I’d say throughout the discussions have had a very positive tenor and continued the strong sense of partnership that we have with our players and the players association.”

___

AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

___

___

___

___

___

___

___

___

___

___

___

___

___