NBA sets date for draft
The NBA has firmed up the schedule for what will be a hectic time for teams this fall, deciding on Oct. 16 as the date for this year’s draft and saying clubs can begin talking to free agents two days later.
The annual moratorium will begin at 12:01 a.m. EDT on Oct. 19 and continue through noon on Oct. 23, the league told teams on Saturday.
As was the case last season, teams and free agents can begin negotiating six hours before the moratorium – so 6 p.m. EDT on Oct. 18.
It could be a wildly busy few days in October for the NBA. If the schedule for the restarted season at the ESPN Wide World of Sports complex at the Disney campus near Orlando, Florida, goes as planned, Game 7 of the NBA Finals could be held on Oct. 13, followed by the draft three days later and then free agency almost immediately following.
By setting the draft date, the NBA also firmed up Aug. 17 as the early entry deadline and Oct. 6 as the early entry withdrawal dates.
PARALYMPICS
Italian race car champion-turned-Paralympic gold medalist Alex Zanardi was in a medically induced coma and remained in serious condition a day after crashing his handbike into a truck and smashing his face.
The 53-year-old Zanardi – who lost both of his legs in a race-car crash nearly 20 years ago – was hooked up to a ventilator and had “stable” blood flow while his neurological status “remains serious,” the Santa Maria alle Scotte hospital in Siena, Italy, said Saturday in a medical bulletin.
The truck driver, who was placed under investigation, tested negative for alcohol and drugs.
“The truck didn’t make a mistake. Alex made the mistake,” said national team coach Mario Valentini, who was following the race.
NFL
Jim Kiick, the versatile running back who helped the Miami Dolphins achieve the NFL’s only perfect season in 1972, has died. He was 73. The team announced the death Saturday. Kiick battled memory issues in recent years and lived in an assisted living home.
The former University of Wyoming star was part of a formidable backfield that included his best friend, Pro Football Hall of Fame fullback Larry Csonka. They earned the nicknames Butch and Sundance, inspired by the popular 1969 movie “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.”
Kiick (“Butch”) made the American Football League All-Star team in his first two seasons and played for the Dolphins’ back-to-back Super Bowl championship teams in 1972-73. Kiick had two touchdowns for the ’72 Dolphins in the AFC championship game, and also scored in the Super Bowl victory that capped their 17-0 season under Pro Football Hall of Fame coach Don Shula.
HOCKEY
The Toronto Maple Leafs will not comment on reports that star player Auston Matthews has tested positive for the coronavirus.
The Leafs said a player’s medical information is private.
Toronto is deferring to the NHL’s policy on handling test results, with the league providing updates on testing totals and positive tests without disclosing the identities of affected clubs or players.
Matthews had 47 goals and 33 assists in 70 games before the suspension of the season on March 12.
From Journal Sentinel wire reports
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