Tag: In the News

Mahinmi takes verbal potshot at Kobe

And we just thought the rivalry between the World Champion Dallas Mavericks and the former champions, the Los Angeles Lakers, was simmering.

First, we had the dust-up late in the regular season between Jason Terry and Matt Barnes.

Throw in Andrew Bynum’s clothesline and resulting suspension for waylaying J.J. Barea at the end of Game 4 in Dallas’ four-game sweep in the Western Conference semifinals.

And now, even backup Dallas center Ian Mahinmi is getting into the act of throwing dirt on the old champs.

Despite the tumbling reputation of Miami’s LeBron James, Mahinmi told  (hat tip to Hoops Hype.com) that the Lakers’ Kobe Bryant remains in a class by himself as the NBA’s most arrogant player.

“Kobe is super arrogant but everybody loves him,” Mahinmi said. “To me, Kobe is more arrogant (than LeBron James).”

Something tells me those comments will be relayed to Bryant between now and the end of the lockout.

And it will just make that first game between the Lakers and Mavericks that much more intriguing and highly anticipated once it ends.

Lorbek reportedly wants to join Spurs

Back on draft night, the average Spurs fan rode a roller coaster of emotions. They grieved for the trading of George Hill to Indiana, wondered about the untapped potential of Kawhi Leonard and even giggled when somebody saddled the newly acquired Davis Bertans with the too-comical nickname “The Latvian Durant.”

Few gave much thought to the third player to hit the Spurs’ coffers in the deal. What happened on draft night 2011, however, apparently meant a lot to Erazem Lorbek.

According to a Spanish website, having his rights transferred from Indiana to San Antonio has caused

“With this change, it’s much more interesting to me,” Lorbek, who is currently employed by FC Barcelona, told Mundo Deportivo (). “My hope is to cross the Atlantic to play in the strongest league in the world.”

Lorbek, 27, is a 6-foot-10 forward drafted 46th overall  by the Pacers in 2005.  By this point, his internal clock is ticking. If he’s going to join the NBA, time is running short. Lorbek has an opt-out in his contract in Spain which would pave the way for him to make a move.

Apparently, Lorbek is serious about this. According to the report above, he has already informed the Slovenian national team he has no intention of playing in this year’s Eurobasket tournament, angering the Slovenian coach.

Of course, Lorbek’s timing couldn’t be worse. The NBA, as you might have heard, is embroiled in a bitter labor dispute that could threaten some or all of the 2011-12 season. In a reversal of the traditional talent pipeline, some NBA players — notably New Jersey All-Star Deron Williams — are contemplating playing overseas for as long as America’s top professional basketball league remains shuttered.

Until the lockout is resolved and the NBA resumes business as usual, it will be difficult to handicap Lorbek’s chances of joining the Spurs next season.  It is safe to say, however, that the Spurs traded for Lorbek for a reason and, at age 27, time is running out on his opportunity to make an NBA impact.

It seems like he would at least be in the conversation for the Spurs’ roster at some point in the near term.

Spurs/ARAMARK donating hot dogs and pretzels to Haven for Hope

By Guillermo X. Garcia
ggarcia@express-news.net

Hot dogs and pretzels left unsold after Spurs and Silver Stars basketball and Rampage hockey home games and most special events at the ATT Center are helping feed the homeless at Haven for Hope.

The team concessionaire, ARAMARK, began donating the food last month as part of the Spurs’ contribution to the NBA’s Green Week initiative, the league-wide effort promoting community involvement and recycling, according to Spurs spokeswoman Stacey Mitch.

Unsold food had been thrown away before the arrangement was made, said Shanna Salazar, executive director of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul, which operates St. Vinnys Bistro at Haven’s Prospects Courtyard.

She estimated that the value of the donation from ARAMARK and Spurs Sports and Entertainment, the corporate entity that owns the sports teams, will average about $1,000 per event.

Spurs officials said the ATT Center hosted 135 events last year, which includes all Spurs, Silver Stars and Rampage home games, as well as concerts and family-themed entertainment.

“With 135 events per year, that would mean $135,000 worth of food that we would be getting from them, which is huge for us,” Salazar said.

Under the recently inked agreement, the concessionaire wraps and packs the leftover food for pickup by the society’s vehicle after the events.

The agreement requires that the food be served the following day.

The donation helps meet the current demand for 1,800 meals a day at the bistro, Salazar said, and comes as the society is laying plans to increase that number to 2,500 a day.

“Without their donation, as well as from several other local restaurants, we would simply not be able to do what we do,” Salazar said. “With the summer heating up, our meal counts at Prospects Courtyard are increasing.

“We are feeding approximately 600 people three meals per day from a kitchen designed only to accommodate one-sixth of that amount.

“We will be expanding in the coming months, but until then, ARAMARK and Spurs Sports Entertainment are our saving graces.

“Their donations really help as we adapt to the increasing need,” Salazar said.

In a news release, Tim Witkowski, ARAMARK’s general manager at the center, said his firm is “proud to play a role in the fight against poverty, and this is an opportunity for us to provide food for a lot of people who are hungry.”

Mitch said the only ATT Center event not included in the food donation is the annual San Antonio Stock Show and Rodeo, which takes over the center during its annual two-week run.

The society’s bistro provides meals of 3,200 calories per day per person. A higher caloric and carbohydrate intake helps decrease a person’s craving for alcohol, she said.

Salazar said the society gets surplus food from other local eateries.

Apart from its Haven presence, it provides 1.37 million meals at 75 sites in South Texas, most in San Antonio, under its Operation Food Pantry, with partners like Daily Bread Ministries and Meeting the Need.

Among other local donors, Starbucks provides unsold scones and other pastries, Longhorn Steak House provides potatoes and sweet potatoes and Olive Garden donates what Salazar calls the Haven crowd favorite, minestrone soup.