Three added to All-star player pool
NEW YORK — Toronto forward Pascal Siakam, Minnesota guard Anthony Edwards and Sacramento guard De'aaron Fox have been added to the player pool for the All-star Game as injury replacements.
Commissioner Adam Silver's office announced the picks Friday, after they were first reported by ESPN.
Siakam, Edwards and Fox replace Golden State's Stephen Curry, New Orleans' Zion Williamson and Phoenix's Kevin Durant — all of whom are injured and will be unable to play in the Feb. 19 game at Salt Lake City.
It's the second All-star selection for Siakam, and the first for Edwards and Fox.
Curry, Williamson and Durant were all selected as starters for the game.
Those starting spots will now go to Philadelphia's Joel Embiid, Utah's Lauri Markkanen and Memphis' Ja Morant, the NBA said.
All-star starters are chosen in a weighted vote that takes into account fan, media and player balloting. All-star reserves are chosen by NBA coaches. Injury replacements are selected by Silver.
The rosters for the game will be chosen by captains Lebron James of the Los Angeles Lakers and Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Milwaukee Bucks shortly before tip-off.
This is the sixth year that the NBA has used the captain-draft format for the game, but the first time that those selections will be made on game day.
Browns owners eye Bucks’ stake
Cleveland Browns owners Dee and Jimmy Haslam are taking another shot at the NBA.
Looking to expand their professional sports portfolio outside of Ohio, the Haslams are in talks to buy a minority stake in the Milwaukee Bucks, a person familiar with the negotiations told The Associated Press on Friday.
The Haslams have explored buying other pro teams, including the Minnesota Timberwolves in the past, and now are seeking the 25 percent share currently held by Bucks co-owner Marc Lasry, according to the person who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the situation.
There is no timeline for an agreement or sale, the person said. Sportico was first to report the Haslam Sports Group's interest in the Bucks.
Lasry and Wesley Edens, both New York investment firm executives, bought the Bucks from former U.S. Sen. Herb Kohl for about $550 million in 2014 with pledges to keep the team in Milwaukee.
The Haslams purchased the Browns in 2012 from Randy Lerner for $1.05 billion. They also own the Columbus Crew of Major League Soccer and manage the stadiums for both of those franchises.
The Haslams' tenure as NFL owners has been defined by losing and change. Cleveland has gone 60-119-1 and had one playoff appearance in the past 11 seasons. The team has also had six full-time coaches in that span.