Thursday, September 10, 2009

   There's going to be a lot more interest than usual in the Jazz's Oct. 1 preseason opener against Denver if the NBA does in fact have to use replacement referees for the game. Talks between the league and the referees union have broken down, with the union bracing for a lockout. Here's a link to today's ESPN.com story about the impasse: http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=4463154. The NBA is pushing for a 10 percent cut in the referee budget and could turn to D-League referees as potential replacements. The Jazz/Nuggets game is the first preseason game scheduled for this season.

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    For all those interested, ESPN and NBA TV will be providing coverage of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame induction ceremonies Friday evening in Springfield, Mass., involving John Stockton and Jerry Sloan. Also, ESPNEWS will be carrying press conferences from the Hall live at 8 a.m. MDT and NBA TV has some kind of red-carpet pre show before the actual ceremony begins. Part of me really, really, really wants to see Sloan interviewed on a red carpet by the likes of Craig Sager and David Aldridge.

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    I had the chance to catch up with Kosta Koufos this morning (this evening in Poland) as he plays with the Greek national team at the European championships. Greece is 3-0 and will carry two victories into the second round of group play beginning Friday against Germany. He professed to be working hard, playing well and enjoying himself. The story is at http://www.sltrib.com/sports/ci_13308302.

    --Ross Siler