Gordon, Villanueva Agree To Terms With Pistons

Though free agents can’t officialy sign contracts with teams until July 8, the Detroit Pistons apparently want to get a head start. According to sources, the Pistons have agreed to terms with Ben Gordon and Charlie Villanueva. Prior reports indicated that both were likely to sign with the Pistons, and now things are close to becoming official.

Detroit is desperate to rebuild after a disappointing and tumultous season. Just three games into the season, the team traded star point guard Chauncey Billups for Allen Iverson. It was a move that was not well liked by the fans and most importantly the players. Iverson and shooting guard Rip Hamilton struggled to coexist in the starting lineup, and as a result head coach Michael Curry decided to bench Hamilton. It was another move that was not liked by players in the locker room, according to reports. When Iverson went down with a back injury, the team got things together again and were able to make the playoffs, only to be swept by the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Team president Joe Dumars came under much criticism, and the Pistons now have to make moves in order to please the fan base. The first move came earlier this week, when the team fired Curry after just one season. The Pistons — with Iverson and Rasheed Wallace’s contracts off the books — have tons of cap room, and they are looking to deal.

Gordon and Villanueva are important signings for the team. Gordon is a pure scorer, and his ability was fully on display in the first round of the playoffs against the Celtics. Villanueva will be a solid presence down low. Details of the deals appear in the report:

The Detroit Pistons made the biggest early splash in free agency on Wednesday, agreeing to terms with Ben Gordon and Charlie Villanueva.

Former Bulls guard Gordon will receive a five-year, $55 million deal, while former Bucks forward Villanueva gets a five-year deal for $40 million, sources told ESPN.com’s Chris Broussard.

Gordon rejected deals from Chicago in excess of $50 million each of the past two seasons. Milwaukee elected to let the 24-year-old Villanueva become an unrestricted free agent earlier this week, after the Bucks determined that matching any restricted free-agent offers would move the team closer to the luxury tax threshold and limit changing the roster.

The Associated Press first reported the Villanueva signing.

Free agents can’t officially sign with new teams until July 8.

Bryant Staying With The Lakers

Was there ever any doubt that Kobe Bryant would stay with the Los Angeles Lakers? The Lakers are the team with which he has won four NBA championships. It’s where he has played his entire career and built his incredible resume and legacy. Plus, when asked about whether he would be leaving any time soon at the Lakers championship parade, he said he wasn’t leaving.

Despite all of those indications, some still believed that Bryant would exercise the early termination option in his contract and seek big money from the Lakers or another team. Instead, Bryant has decided not to opt out, but to try and work on an extension with the team at a later date. By not opting out, Bryant is giving the Lakers what he hopes to be the ability to resign Trevor Ariza and Lamar Odom, both of whom are unrestricted free agents. Odom and Ariza were key contributors on the Lakers last season, and they should receive big contracts. Both have indicated that they want to remain with the Lakers, with Odom even going so far as to say that he is willing to take a paycut in order to remain in L.A. Because of Bryant’s decision not to opt out, the Lakers should have more money to devote to the pair. More from ESPN.com:

Kobe Bryant has chosen not to terminate the final two years of his contract and will remain with the Los Angeles Lakers.

Team spokesman John Black on Wednesday confirmed Bryant’s decision. The MVP of the NBA Finals had until Tuesday to become an unrestricted free agent.

Now the Lakers and Bryant’s agent will negotiate a contract extension. He has spent his entire 13-year career with the team, winning four NBA championships.

On June 19, Bryant said, “I’m not going anywhere. I know I ain’t going nowhere, so it’s just a waste of our breaths just talking about it.”

Bryant is scheduled to make $23 million next season.

The Los Angeles Times reported late Tuesday that Bryant will sign a three-year extension with the Lakers sometime this month. Bryant could make $47.8 million over the next two years and another $86 million to $91 million with the extension, with the difference depending on the future salary cap, the newspaper reported.

NHL Free Agency: Hossa To The Blackhawks

NHL free agency began in the wee hours of the morning, and unlike NBA free agency, teams can immediately sign players. Taking advantage of that, the Chicago Blackhawks signed forward Marian Hossa to a 12-year contract today. Terms of the deal were not reported. Hossa, who played just one season for Detroit, is one of the best players in the league. Chicago was a very good team last season, and the addition of Hossa make them that much better. Yahoo! Sports:

The Chicago Blackhawks dipped deep into the NHL free-agent market by signing star forward Marian Hossa away from the Detroit Red Wings on Wednesday with a 12-year contract.

Hossa, who surprisingly took a one-year deal with the defending champion Red Wings last summer, cashed in this time. The four-time All-Star and 11-year NHL veteran has played on the Stanley Cup runner-up the last two seasons. The Blackhawks are his fourth team since 2008.

Chicago also signed center Tomas Kopecky, who, like Hossa, played last season with the Red Wings. He was knocked out of the playoffs after sustained injuries to his face during a fight with Anaheim Ducks defensemanFrancois Beauchemin in the second round.

“To add Marian, an elite and world-class player, and Tomas, a Stanley Cup champion, to our exciting young core reinforces our commitment to try to win the Stanley Cup,” general manager Dale Tallon said.

Oh What A Tangled Web We Weave When It’s All Being Done In Order To Deceive

If you’re not with us then you’re most certainly against us ! That seems to be the message being sent that’s meant to be heard loud and clear by all business entities seeking licensing agreements with the NFL . And that’ll enable them to do business with the sport’s governing body .

The NFL logo , the long standing feeling is that the governing body of professional football . Is in part a sole business entity that represents the interests of the 32 teams that constitutes the makeup of the NFL and league. However at the crux of the hearing that will take place infront the US Supreme Court is whether or not the league is one or in part 32 separate business entities that makes up the league as a whole. Therein lies the argument being posed by American Needle, Inc. The judgement when rendered could cause have serious implications and ramifications for not only the league. But also for the whole landscape of professional and collegiate sports. And the way the very entities conduct business with their licensees.

It may well have escaped your notice of a legal action now taking place that’ll be heard by the Justices of the US Supreme Court . So much so that the very decision may well alter the landscape not just for the NFL. But also for the governing bodies of the other three major professional sports .

The Justices of the US Supreme Court who’ll be hearing oral arguments being presented to them by the NFL and American Needle Inc. picture appears courtesy of afp/photo/ Martin Jordan ……

And in essence what we have going on at present is a challenge to the very essence of what it is that we strive to stave off the excess that is essentially depriving another of conducting their business livelihood. The NFL having already won an argument in a lower court. It now looks to make sure that it has a water tight situation when it comes to dealing with all parties in pursuant of a marketing and licensing deal with the NFL as a business entity. It’s being solely from the aspect that it has an arbitrary right to state whom they may deem fit to produce and market any product that bears the NFL brand name and logo.

New England Pats’ shirt. That of Tom Brady quarterback of the team. It is in the field of apparel manufacturing and sales where there’s a great deal of money to be made. The revenue that’s created runs into a multi-billion dollar business each year for the licensees of the NFL. picture appears courtesy of sportsfanoutlet.com …. @ copyrighted material All rights reserved.

And at the crux of the matter is the challenge and the parties involved. On the one side you have the mighty Reebok International who’ve been deemed the defendants in a the joint action with the NFL and as a plaintiff you have American Needle, Inc.

Reebok logo. The company is a fully fledged subsidiary of the German sports apparel manufacturer Adidas AG . The company itself is the second largest sport’s apparel and product manufacturer in the world in terms of volume and revenues. Atop of the list is Beaverton, Oregon, based Nike Inc.

Cowboys’ owner Jerry Jones seen inset here alongside the team’s coach Wade Phillips and Jones’ son Steve who’s also the GM and CEO of the Dallas Cowboys. Jones has gone out and negotiated his own marketing deals with separate entities outside the league’s jurisdiction when it comes to certain deals. picture appears courtesy of afp/ Martin Hodges …………

The plaintiff wishes to challenge the agreement between Reebok and the NFL when it comes to the said entity being the sole supplier of apparel to the consumer as well as that of all parties associated directly with the NFL. That being the 32 teams that make up the NFL as a professional business entity and sports franchisor.

American Needle Inc seeks to challenge the NFL’s sole exclusivity agreement with Reebok as to the production of sport’s apparel that’s sold to the teams that constitute the NFL as well products that are also marketed and sold to the consumer (public). Their’s is the belief that this agreement contravenes the Federal government’s anti-trust exemption when it comes to the league’s agreement. If they’re in-fact entering into agreement with Reebok as one entity or as dual entity in terms of the actions being brought about at their behest and that of the teams they’re said to represent.

It adds to the fact that teams have also been able to go out on their own and enter into agreement with not only apparel makers but a slew of different business entities to reproduce various items that are supposedly licensed properties of the teams and or the NFL. So clearly in large part here there seems to be a conflict of interests. Especially when it comes to the overall reasoning of the league and what they deem to be appropriate business conduct on their part.

Teams such as the Dallas Cowboys and the Washington Redskins have in part gone out and negotiated on their own behalf with regard to licensing agreements that’ve benefited themselves and the league jointly.

Whatever the outcome no longer can the NFL or any other governing body of professional sport. Much less collegiate sports think that they ride rough shod or even blind side a business by dictating completely who they will and will not consider to do business with. The essence after all is to have a competitive marketplace and not one that’s merely ran by vast corporate monoliths that eschew competition from others .

Washington Redskins’ owner Daniel Synder. A man who’s not averse to making and cutting deals that are of benefit to the Washington Redskins. picture appears courtesy of ap/photo/ Richard Marshall …………..

The law we’re led to believe is meant to be impartial and as such meant to weigh the balances of justice . And those who hear the argruments being put forth have to adjudicate with the appropriate knowledge gleaned from the evidence presented. It’d would appear that all the NFL wants to do in this case is to set about dictating who it is prepared to conduct its business with . And that’s without taking into account the appropriate conduct deemed paramount between parties.

Apart from there now being members of Congress now willing to readdress the league’s antitrust exemption status. It can be said that there’s more at stake for both parties than most are quite prepared to acknowledge.