sports504 MAGA

ZINE

504 in the zone VOLUME 1 ISSUE 1

W W W . 5 0 4 s p o r t s m a g . C o m

DrewBREES504 sports magazine Bring to youDrew Brees

Featured Interviews:Drew Brees Anthony DavisLarry FitzgeraldDwright howraderic hillAustin Rivers

504 SPORTS MAGAZINEComing Soon to local TV

504 in the zone sits with nBa #1 Draft pick anthony Davis

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2013 SUPERBOWL COMING TO

NEW ORLEANS L0UISIANA

“GO SAINTS”

breaks Unitas’ record

504 SportsmagcONTENTS

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Up close with Drew Brees

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5Dwright Howard Traded to LA Lakers

14Eric Hill formal NFL star is doing great in NOLA

16R-Kal Truluck Inside the Trences

20NOLA #1 Draft PickAnthony Davis

30 Drew Brees Stays with Saints

36Barkley Thinks Lebaron Can Be Better Than Jordan

42New Orleans is in for a big surprise with Draft pick Austin Rivers

36

20

42

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5 0 4 M A G A Z I N E 4

THE NEW NEW ORLEANS“This magazine is dedicated toward building the New NEW ORLEANS”

- Doc Jones -

All cONTENT AND phOTOGrAph MATErIAl ArE cOpyrIGhTED TO ThEIr rESpEcTED OwNErS. TO cONTAcT OUr EDITOrIAl TEAM plEASE EMAIl US AT publish@504mag.com

Eric Hill

Bill Summers

NBA #1 Draft Pick 2012

Labron James

5 0 4 M A G A Z I N E 5

32Tom Benson Make Deal to buy Honets

504 The most effective way that Dwight Howard can return the Los Angeles Lakers to the summit of NBA basketball is with his remarkable defen-se. There’s a good chan-ce that Howard could win his fourth defensive player of the year award next season, which would tie him with Ben Walla-ce and Dikembe Mutombo for the most all-time. Former Lakers center Andrew Bynum, who was part of the Howard trade this summer, was a good defender but doesn’t have an-ywhere near the athleticism that Howard does.

Howard will be able to give Los Angeles the league’s best inte-rior defense and force players to think twice before entering the paint and having to face him and power forward Pau Gasol. Howard blocked 116 shots last season, which was the same total as Bynum, although the former Magic star played in six fewer games. Howard is always one of the league’s pre-mier rebounders, and grabbed 14.5 of them per game last year, while Bynum led the Lakers

with 11.8 rebounds per game. Howard is going to prevent the Lakers from having to defend multiple pos-sessions at a time be-cause he will domina-te the defensive glass and help the Lakers’ fast break get started. The Lakers were 15th in opponents’ points per game last season and ranked ninth in

opponents’ field-goal percenta-ge. Howard will help the Lakers improve in both of these areas next year.

Los Angeles wasn’t able to de-fend well enough in the paint during its second-round se-ries loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder in the 2012 NBA pla-yoffs. Since many of the top teams in the NBA are very athletic, such as the Thunder, Boston Celtics and Miami Heat, the Lakers needed a more athletic center like Howard to have a stronger chance to beat these teams in the playoffs. De-fense will ultimately determi-ne how much better Howard makes the purple and gold in the 2012-13 season. His offen-sive contributions will still be important, but his defense could make the difference for the Lakers next spring.

DwrIGhT hOwArD NOw A lAkEr

504 Sportsmag Interviews New LA

LakerDwright Howrad It’s finally done

5 0 4 M A G A Z I N E 5

NBA fans have wondered when Los Angeles Lakers star Dwight Howard would be ready to play after having season-ending back surgery last year. The latest report from Yahoo! Sports’ Adrian Wojnarowski has the center targeting opening night as his return date. The Lakers open the sea-son against the Dallas Mavericks on Oct. 30 at the Staples Center, and nothing would sell the start of their new year like an appearance and start from their newest acquisition. The rationale for the Lak-ers essentially trading

Andrew Bynum for Dwight Howard remains simple. “We got the best,” Lakers General Manager Mitch Kupchak said this offseason.But there’s also an-other issue. The Lakers may have had a healthy Bynum, but they rid themselves the risk in absorb-ing another one of his long-term injuries. To do so, the Lakers took the short-term hit that they may play without

Howard to open the season as he rehabs his surgi-cally repaired back. Considering he’s only missed seven games in his eight-year career prior to his back injury last March, it’s understandable the Lak-ers expect this won’t be a long-term issue. No one should fret because Howard won’t play in the pre-season opener Oct. 7 against Golden State (except for Lakers fans attending the actual Wojnarowski reports that Howard is saying privately that his progress has been outstanding so far, claiming “his back has returned to

85 percent strength.” Los Angeles hasn’t said much about Howard’s timetable, but it is safe to say the organization will be playing this situation close to the vest in hopes of protecting its huge investment. With so many new pieces in place, it is impera-tive that the team gets as many games together as possible so they can build an early rapport. If the Lakers want a chance at NBA championship glory, they need Howard to get healthy and stay that way all season. The 26-year-old star had surgery on a herniated disc in April, and he missed the remain-der of the regular season and Orlando’s run into the playoffs. Howard was traded to the Lakers after one of the worst contract disputes in NBA history.

Dwight Howard Reportedly Prepar-ing to Play in Lakers Opener

The Super Bowl is the annual championship

game of the National Football League (NFL), the high-

est level of professional American football in the United

States, culminating a season that begins in the late sum-

mer of the previous calendar year. The Super Bowl uses

Roman numerals to identify each game, rather than the

year in which it is held. For example, Super Bowl I was

played on January 15, 1967, following the 1966 regular

season, while Super Bowl XLVII, which will determine the

champion of the current 2012 season, will be played on

February 3, 2013.

The game was created as part of a merger agreement

between the NFL and its then-rival league, the American

Football League (AFL). It was agreed that the two leagues’

champion teams would play in an AFL–NFL World

Championship Game until the merger was to officially

begin in 1970. After the merger, each league was redesig-

nated as a “conference”, and the game was then played

between the conference champions. Currently, the NFC

leads the series with 25 wins to 21 wins for the AFC.

The day on which the Super Bowl is played, now consid-

ered by some a de facto American national holiday,[1][2]

is called “Super Bowl Sunday”. It is the second-largest

day for U.S. food consumption, after Thanksgiving Day.

[3] In addition, the Super Bowl has frequently been the

most watched American television broadcast of the

year. Super Bowl XLV, played in 20o association football

(soccer)’s UEFA Champions League final as the most

watched annual sporting event worldwide.

Because of its high viewership, commercial airtime during

the Super Bowl broadcast is the most expensive of the

year. Due to the high cost of investing in advertising on

the Super Bowl, companies regularly develop their most

expensive advertisements for this broadcast. As a result,

watching and discussing the broadcast’s commercials has

become a significant aspect of the event.[6] In addition,

many popular singers and musicians have performed

during the event’s pre-game and halftime ceremonies

because of the exposure. For four decades after its 1920

inception, the NFL successfully fended off several rival

leagues. However, in 1960, it encountered its most serious

competitor when the American Football League (AFL)

was formed. The AFL vied heavily with the NFL for both

players and fans, but by the middle of the decade the

strain of competition led to serious merger talks between

the two leagues. Prior to the 1966 season, the NFL and

AFL reached a merger agreement that was to take effect

for the 1970 season. As part of the merger, the champions

of the two leagues agreed to meet in a “world” champi-

onship game for professional American football until the

merger was effected.

WE HAVE A LOT OF WORK AHEAD, BUT DON’T COUNT US OUT!

WE HAVE A LOT OF WORK AHEAD, BUT DON’T COUNT US OUT!

5 0 4 M A G A Z I N E 1 5

Eric Hill Nissan is your new Nissan dealer-ship in New Orleans, Louisiana. Located

at 13050 I-10 Service Road, Eric Hill Nissan is centrally located and ready to serve the New Orleans and sur-rounding communities; including Slidell, Metairie, Kenner and Baton Rouge. Search our new Nissan ve-hicle inventory online, Build your Nissan online, or come in today, browse our huge in-ventory, and take a test drive with one of our experienced salespeople. Eric Hill Nissan also maintains a huge inven-tory of pre-owned vehicles. We have an amazing Nissan Service Department to meet all your service and parts needs - we carry genuine Nissan Parts. That new Nissan is waiting for you, and we work with a vast array of lending sources to make sure you will get the most com-plete and comprehensive financial

package available in New Orleans, LA. Our Eric Hill Nissan service depart-ment strives for 100% customer sat-isfaction. From general maintenance such as oil changes to major repairs, let Eric Hill Nissan service your ve-hicle. Our dealership is one of the pre-mier dealership’s in the country. Our commitment to customer service is second to none. We offer one of the

most comprehensive parts and service departments in the automotive indus-try.Our primary concern is the satis-faction of our customers. Our online dealership was created to enhance the buying experience for each and every

one of our internet customers. If you have any questions, please feel free to call us at (866) 621-5785.

ErIc hIll fOrMEr prO fOOTBAll plAyEr

5 0 4 M A G A Z I N E 1 4

Eric Hill scores a touchdown in New Orleans

Eric Hill (born November 14, 1966 in Blytheville, Ar-kansas) is a former profes-sional American football

linebacker who played for eleven seasons in the National Football League. He is current-ly owner of Eric Hill Nissan in Eastern New Orleans. After Hurricane Katrina, Eric Hill purchased a Nissan dealership and became the 1st dealer in New Orleans to completely rebuild after the Hurricane hit. Alexey and Bill Summers has a seating capacity of 200 plus and is equipped with one of the best sound systems available to lounge/night club venues. They have been featured in several noteiud magazines, such as, Essence, Travel & Leisure, USA Today, and now 504Maga-zine. Sweet Lorraine’s jazz Club is known as one of the top 10 Jazz clubs in the country.

5 0 4 M A G A Z I N E 1 5

ErIc hIll fOrMEr prO fOOTBAll plAyEr

Truluck attended Spring Valley High School, where he let-tered in football three

times and was an all-state and all-County linebacker in his senior year. He spent his high school years grow-ing up at the Lakeside Family & Chil-dren’s Center in Rockland County, New York, a group foster home that he still visits in the off-season. Truluck attended SUNY-Cortland, where he played in 35 career games with 27 starts. He recorded 238 tackles, 121 solo tack-les, 21 sacks, two forced fumbles, two fumble re-coveries and seven passes defensed. As sophomore, Truluck recorded 64 tackles, six sacks, seven tackles-for-losses and two blocked field goal attempts in 10 games as a defensive end. As a ju-nior, he started 10 games at outside linebacker and recorded 105 tack-les, 6.5 sacks, five tackles-for-losses and two blocked field goal attempts. He was a Division III All-America second-team selection and named an ECAC Upstate New York All-Star. As a senior, he recorded 64 tackles, nine sacks, three tackles for loss and four blocked field goal attempts while earning second-team All-East honors. He was also was named an ECAC Up-state New York All-Star in addition to being named team MVP by his team-mates and coaches. Truluck gradu-ated with a degree in health sciences. After playing at Division III SUNY-

Cortland, Truluck was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Washing-ton Redskins of the National Football League. He signed on to the team’s practice squad but was released in Oc-tober 1997. In April 1998, he signed with the Saskatchewan Roughrid-ers of the Canadian Football League, where he played from 1998 until 2000. In his rookie year there, Truluck

recorded nine tackles and three sacks, winning the Defensive Player of the Week award for his debut. His season was cut short after four games due to post-concussion syndrome Truluck signed with the AFL’s Detroit Fury, where he played from 2001 to 2002. In 2001 Truluck amassed 9.5 sacks and becoming the “Rookie of the Year,” following that season in 2002 Tru-luck became Arena Football’s “Line-man of the Year” with 10.5 sacks. Truluck became well known for his speed, strength and quickness many scouts began to make comparisons of Truluck’s ability to late great Der-rick Thomas. Which conicidentally,

landed Truluck a return to the NFL to play with the Kansas City Chiefs (2002–2004). In fourteen games of the 2003 season, Truluck recorded 17 tackles and six sacks. He was traded to the Green Bay Packers for a fifth- and a sixth-round draft choice during the 2004 preseason. Over the course of the season, he played in 10 games, recording 12 tackles and 2.5 sacks. He

was released by the Packers and signed with the Ari-zona Cardinals before the 2005 season. In 10 games with the Cardinals, he re-corded three tackles before returning to the CFL for the 2006-2007 seasons, which he spent with the Montreal Alouettes. In 2008 Truluck returned to the Arena Foot-ball league through a dis-persal draft, being selected by the Georgia Force, dur-ing that season he amassed

30 tackles and 5.5 sacks. Truluck host’s his own live internet show with VoiceAmerica Sports call Inside the Trenches in Arizona. Don’t believe me, here are some recent commen-taries

R-Kal TRlucK FoRmeR NFl editor’s choice

5 0 4 M A G A Z I N E 1 6

R-Kal TRlucK FoRmeR NFl editor’s choiceR-Kal Trluck

504 SPORTS MAG A NEW NEW ORLEANS WAY TO ENJOY YOUR SPORTS NEWS

WWW.504MAG.COM

New Orleans Own’s

504 SPORTS MAG A NEW NEW ORLEANS WAY TO ENJOY YOUR SPORTS NEWS

PhOTO By SANDRiNe Lee

The New Orleans Hornets are set to reap the ben-

efits this season from Anthony Davis’ time with

Team USA. Instead of lifting weights and running

suicide drills this summer, the No. 1 overall pick

had the luxury of playing with and against the

greatest basketball players in the world. Davis

didn’t see a ton of action in London, but he gave

the world a little taste of everything in his arsenal.

He showed off the range on his jumper by nailing a

three in an exhibition game against the Dominican

Republic. He blocked a few shots here and there.

He showed off his athleticism by being on the re-

ceiving end of some nice lobs from Chris Paul and

Deron Williams. The former Kentucky Wildcat’s

best game came against Tunisia. He hit every shot

he took, going 5-for-5 from the field and 2-for-2

from the line. He finished with 12 points and added

three rebounds. He also displayed his defensive

prowess by blocking a shot and coming up with a

steal. However, the thing that Davis gained that

will be the most beneficial to the Hornets won’t be

found on a stat sheet. In an interview with NOLA.

com, Davis said that playing on Team USA did

wonders for his confidence. “Those guys on the

Olympic team treated me like I belonged and it

boosted my confidence. When I got in games, I felt

more confidence. They talked to me and told me

what to do, so it definitely was great.” Davis said.

“A lot of them shared their perspective on the game

and the whole team took me under their wings and

showed me the ropes.” he continued.

Anthony Davis, Jr. (born March 11, 1993)

is an American professional basketball player for the

New Orleans Hornets of the National Basketball As-

sociation (NBA). He played as a power forward for

the University of Kentucky as a freshman before being

selected first overall in the 2012 NBA Draft by New Or-

leans. He plays power forward and center. He was a 2012

NCAA Unanimous First team All-American and was the

2011–12 NCAA Division I men's basketball season blocks

leader. He established Southeastern Conference single-

season blocked shots and NCAA Division I freshman

blocked shots records. He has also earned the national

Freshman, Defensive Player and Big Man awards. In

addition, he has been named the 2012 National Player

of the Year by various organizations, earning the Oscar

Robertson Trophy, the Adolph Rupp Trophy, the Associ-

ated Press Player of the Year, Naismith Award, Sporting

News Player of the Year and John R. Wooden Award. He

was the Southeastern Conference's player, freshman and

defensive player of the year. He helped lead Kentucky

to a undefeated 2011–12 Southeastern Conference men's

basketball season and was the NCAA Tournament Most

Outstanding Player when Kentucky won the 2012 NCAA

Men's Division I Basketball Tournament.

As a high school basketball player for Chicago's Perspec-

tives Charter School, he was unknown nationally and

locally after three seasons of play in the lightly regarded

Blue Division of the Chicago Public High School League.

A "late bloomer", he emerged into prominence in April

2010 (the spring of his junior year) after a growth spurt

and exposure on an Amateur Athletic Union (AAU)

traveling team made him a blue chip prospect. Within

months, he was the top-rated player in the national class

of 2011 by Scout.com and ESPN.com and the num-

ber two player by Rivals.com. He was a high school

All-American by every major selector (ESPN, Jordan,

McDonald's, Parade, USA Today) and earned Co-MVP

honors at the 2011 Jordan Brand Classic.

THE GREAT LARRY FIZGERALD

Fitzgerald left the University of Pittsburgh after a

tremendous sophomore year in which he caught 92

passes for 1,672 yards and 22 touchdowns. He was

drafted third overall in the 2004 NFL Draft by the

Arizona Cardinals, whose then coach, Dennis Green,

knew Fitzgerald from his time as a Vikings ball boy.

In 2004, Fitzgerald had 58 receptions for 780 yards

and 8 touchdowns. On December 12, 2004, Fitzgerald

became the youngest player at 21 years and 110 days,

to record at least 2 touchdown receptions in a single

game. In 2005 he led the NFL with 103 receptions for

1,409 yards and 10 touchdowns and was named to

his first Pro Bowl. Fitzgerald teamed with Anquan

Boldin to create one of the most dangerous wide

receiver tandems in the NFL. In 2005, they became

only the third duo from the same team to each catch

over 100 passes and also the third pair of teammates

to top the 1,400-yard mark.

In 2006, Fitzgerald was injured and missed part of

the season but still produced 69 receptions for 946

yards and 6 touchdowns. As part of his 2007 Pro

Bowl season, he caught 100 receptions for 1,409

yards and 10 touchdowns. Following the 2007 season

Fitzgerald signed a four-year, $40 million contract

extension with Arizona. While still under contract

at the time, performance bonuses forced the team’s

hand into a massive extension.[7] Fitzgerald’s num-

bers earned him the nickname “Sticky Fingers” and

“The Best Hands in the NFL” in local media.[8]

During the NFC Championship for the 2008 NFL sea-

son, Fitzgerald tied an NFL record with three touch-

down receptions in a playoff game. His three touch-

down catches occurred in the first half; he became

the first player in NFL history to accomplish that feat

in a conference championship game.[9] Fitzgerald

also set a single postseason record with 546 receiving

yards, 30 receptions, and 7 touchdown receptions,

surpassing Jerry Rice’s records of the 1988–89 NFL

playoffs. He and the Cardinals represented the NFC

in Super Bowl XLIII.[10][11] During Super Bowl

XLIII, Fitzgerald caught two touchdown passes in the

Cardinals 27–23 loss to the Steelers.[12] Fitzgerald

followed up this performance by catching two more

touchdown passes in the 2009 Pro Bowl, earning him

MVP honors.[13] After the Pro Bowl was over it was

revealed that Fitzgerald had been playing at least the

whole postseason with a broken left thumb as well

as torn cartilage in the same hand. It is speculated

that Fitzgerald has had this injury since November 5,

2008, when he showed up on the injury report with

an injured thumb.[14] After his record-breaking post-

season, capped by his Pro Bowl MVP award, many

analysts, including NFL Network’s Jamie Dukes,

regarded Fitzgerald as one of the best receivers in the

NFL.[15][16]

Despite having about 300 yards less than the year

before, he set a personal record with 13 touchdowns

in 2009. He added two more touchdown catches in

the Wild Card game against the Green Bay Packers in

a 51–45 win. However, the Cardinals were eliminated

the next week, beaten 45–14 by the New Orleans

Saints.

The 2010 season for the Cardinals was a major let

down from the previous two years, as the retiring of

Kurt Warner greatly affected their offense. Despite

this, Fitzgerald was still able to catch 90 passes for

1,137 yards, and 6 touchdowns. After the season he

was named to his 5th Pro Bowl, and his 4th in a row.

On August 20, 2011, Fitzgerald signed an 8-year $120

million deal with the Arizona Cardinals, tying him

with Richard Seymour as the 5th highest paid player

in the NFL. Fitzgerald would reward the Cardinals

by having another stellar season, catching 80 passes

for 1,411 yards and 8 touchdowns and setting a

personal record of 17.6 yards per catch. Fitzgerald’s

accomplishments were recognized by an All-Pro

second team selection as well as his 6th Pro Bowl

selection.

New Orleans, LA —

Drew Brees broke a 52-year-old record in the first

quarter and then orchestrated a 10-point come-

back in the second half as the New Orleans Saints

downed the San Diego Chargers, 31-24, on Sunday.

Brees completed 29-of-45 passes for 370 yards with

four touchdowns and an interception. He has now

thrown a touchdown pass in 48 straight games,

snapping Hall of Fame quarterback Johnny Unitas’

mark of 47 that had held since 1960. “You really

couldn’t have written a better script for tonight,”

Brees remarked. “To break the record, to get the

win, in the fashion in which we won, it was really a

complete effort all the way around. Marques Colston

caught nine balls for 131 yards and three scores,

while Devery Henderson had eight receptions for

123 yards and a score for the Saints (1-4), who avoid-

ed their first 0-5 start in 16 years. Philip Rivers went

27-for-42 through the air for 354 yards with two

touchdowns and an interception for San Diego (3-2),

which was looking to go 3-0 on the road this season.

Ryan Mathews carried the ball 12 times for 80 yards

and a score, and added 59 yards on six receptions in

defeat. The Saints received the ball to start the

the third quarter trailing 17-14, but Quentin Jammer was

able to intercept a tipped Brees pass on the third play from

scrimmage and return it to the New Orleans 25, resulting

in Mathews’ 13- yard touchdown run off the left side. San

Diego seemed to have increased its lead late in the third when

Demorrio Williams intercepted a Brees pass and returned it

for a touchdown, but Melvin Ingram was called for a rough-

ing the passer penalty on the play to give the ball back to New

Orleans.

The Saints took the ball back at their own 10-yard line follow-

ing a San Diego three-and-out, and Brees led a 9-play drive

that saw just one third down to take the lead, connecting with

Colston on a 5-yard jump ball on the left side of the end zone

with 8:50 remaining in the game. Faced with a 3rd-and-18 at

their own 41-yard line on the Chargers ensuing drive, Roman

Harper settled under a deflected Rivers pass and returned it 41

yards down to the San Diego 23. New Orleans would manage

just one first down, though, and were held to a 26- yard field

goal by Garrett Hartley to keep it a one-possession game with

2:56 left. The Chargers quickly moved the ball past midfield

on their next possession before a sack and a couple of offen-

sive holding penalties put the team in a 2nd-and-37 hole. The

Saints bailed San Diego out with an illegal use of hands pen-

alty that resulted in a fresh set of downs, and Rivers connected

on four straight passes to move the ball to the New Orleans

33-yard line. But Rivers then had the ball slapped out of his

hands during a sack by Martez Wilson, who recovered the ball

with 14 seconds left to seal the victory. “They are outstanding

offensively and they made plays when they had to,” Chargers

coach Norv Turner said of the Saints. “We had a couple errors

on our penalties that cost us obviously a great deal late in the

game. You can’t make those kinds of errors and we’ll learn

from them.” The Chargers struck first on their second posses-

sion of the game as Rivers twice found Malcom Floyd down

the right sideline for gains of 39 and 32 yards to move the ball

deep into Saints’ territory before Robert Meachem stole the

ball away from a defender during a 15-yard touchdown grab

on the left side of the end zone. New Orleans answered with

Brees’ record-breaking score to knot the game at 7-7.

dssds

Tom Benson bought New Orleans Hon-ets

Tom BensonMakes Deal NBA SALE OF NEW ORLEANS HORNETS TO TOM BENSON IS FINALIZED

Native New Orleanian Tom Benson is officially new owner June 15, 2012

The purchase of the New Orleans Hornets by Tom Benson was completed today after ha-ving been approved by the National Basketball Association’s Board of Governors. Per league policy, the terms of the transaction were not released. Tom Benson is now officially the new owner of the New Orleans Hornets.

In conjunction with the finalization of the ow-nership transaction, the Hornets’ lease exten-sion with the State has been approved by Gover-nor Bobby Jindal and the Louisiana legislature. The extension will keep the Hornets in New Or-leans long term, as well as provide funding for upgrades to the New Orleans Arena. The agree-ment also included the elimination of all exit options, attendance benchmarks, and financial inducements.

The announcement of the finalization of the sale comes on the heels of the Hornets receiving the #1 pick, as well as the #10 pick, in the 2012 NBA Draft on June 28. In April, it was announced that New Orleans will be the host city for the 2014 NBA All-Star Game.

“I’m thrilled to have become the owner of the

Hornets,” Benson said. “There is a lot of excite-ment in the region about the franchise, especia-lly after winning the #1 pick in the upcoming NBA draft. We have been successful with the Saints and I know we can translate that success to our NBA team as well. We have the best, most dedicated fans in the world and will need them along the way as we work as an organization to make them proud. Championship performance is tied to fan support and the passion of the New Orleans sports fan is second to none. We look forward to joining up with all of our valued cu-rrent fans and also introducing this great team game to many more residents of our city and region.

After agreeing to purchase the New Orleans Hornets back in April, Tom Benson officially became the team’s new owner on Friday, June 15. The NBA board of governors approved of David Stern’s decision to sell the Hornets to Benson. The $338 million sale also came with money for New Orleans Arena improvements and a lease extension through 2024.

Tom Benson

Now that he owns the Hornets and the New Or-leans Saints, Tom Benson has become the most powerful sports figure in the city’s history. In the past, Benson also owned our arena team the Voodoo and even a now-defunct minor league hockey team known as the Brass. By the way, if Benson does change the Hornets team name, look for them to become the Brass.

NBA Draft Lottery

One of my chief pleasures as a Yahoo! Contri-butor Network writer is seeing how good news for New Orleans aggravates the city’s detractors who live elsewhere. Never was this more in evidence than when the Hornets won the 2012 NBA Draft Lottery. Instantly, commenters lit up Yahoo! Sports articles with claims of foul play because the NBA still technically owned the Hornets.

The fact that the team with the most ping pong balls in the hopper almost never wins the NBA Draft Lottery didn’t stop conspiracy theorists from making ridiculous claims. If you look at the odds, the first place and fourth place teams are only separated by about 12 percentage points. I’ll never forget that night, seeing Tom Benson come on stage as I was jumping up and down celebrating.

Hornets staying in New Orleans

The best news about Tom Benson purchasing the Hornets is that they will be in New Orleans long term. Now maybe the national media will stop staying the Hornets should move to Seattle. If nothing else, I’ll get to hear Colin Cowherd whine about coming to New Orleans in 2014 for NBA All-Star Weekend.

Final note

By: Vince Beiser

5 0 4 M A G A Z I N E 4 8

Native New Orleanian Tom Benson is officially new owner of Honets...

NEW YORK -- Charles Barkley thinks LeBron

James can be better than Michael Jordan. Jordan is

considered by many the best player in NBA his-

tory, but Barkley believes his teammate with the

Dream Team can be surpassed by James. “I do

think he can be better than Michael,” Barkley said.

“I thought I would never compare somebody to

Michael Jordan. But this guy, LeBron James, he

does everything well. Michael did everything well.

LeBron James is just bigger, stronger, faster. That’s

the only difference. ”Barkley makes his comments

on the first episode of NBA TV’s “Open Court,” to

debut Tuesday at 11 p.m. ET. The series features a

round-table discussion of NBA TV and TNT com-

mentators. They include Shaquille O’Neal, Reggie

Miller, Kenny Smith, Steve Smith, Chris Webber,

Steve Kerr and Ernie Johnson. James won his first

NBA title and third MVP award last season, join-

ing Jordan as the only players to win the NBA

title, regular-season MVP, NBA Finals MVP and

Olympic gold medal in the same year. Jordan won

six championships during his Hall of Fame career.

“Unfortunately for LeBron, now that the monkey

is off his back, he is going to be compared to two

people: Kobe Bryant and Michael Jordan,” O’Neal

said. “So now the question is how many champion-

ships can he get? We all know he is a competitor.”

Barkley: LeBron better than Jordan?

Few players taken in the 2012 NBA Draft are as

polarizing as Austin Rivers. Fans seem to pile

up on either side of the love/hate spectrum with

regard to Rivers, be it because he went to Duke,

because he plays with a demonstrable swagger or

simply because he has what some would consider

a punchable face.

The basketball world appears to be similarly di-

vided with regard to Rivers’ pro potential. Rivers is

at times lauded for his ball-handling and shooting

skills and at others derided for being too small or

lacking the athleticism to be a force on the wing.

He is praised for shot creation, yet also criticized

for hogging the ball, particularly among those who

have him pegged for the point as a pro. However

Rivers moves the needle going forward, the New

Orleans Hornets can only hope that he does so in a

positive direction.

Chances are, they wouldn’t have made him the

10th pick in the draft, and the presumptive “Side-

kick of the Future” for rookie sensation Anthony

Davis, if they didn’t think he would.

Scouting Report, Analysis and Predictions for Hornets Rookie Austin Rivers

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