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by John Morse

Will the Sacramento Kings be Called the Anaheim Kings Next Season?

NBA to Cancel Summer League Play?

NBA spokesman Tim Frank told ESPN.com that “No decision has been made on summer leagues,” regarding an imposing lockout that would begin on July 1st.  Frank declined to give additional comments on the time frame to make a decision on the Las Vegas summer league.

The topic arose amidst a New York Daily News report that indicated the NBA had cancelled its summer leagues along with traditional college internship programs. However, the report cannot be confirmed given that it was released with unnamed sources.

The NBA board of governors is slated to meet this week in New York and the expiring CBA will be a major topic of discussion.

The NBA has stated that there have been plans to utilize a hard salary cap that includes shorter contracts and no guaranteed deals. The league has reported that more than half of its teams are not profiting and CBA talks have been in limbo for the past few months.

Get the latest on the NBA lockout here.

NFL 1st Round Draft Picks to take a Salary Hit

1st round picks in 2010 were the beneficiaries of more than $525 million in guaranteed money. In recent drafts, 1st round quarterback selections such as JaMarcus Russell, Joey Harrington, Matt Leinart, and David Carr have reeled in $367 in guaranteed money despite their highly disappointing careers.

The NFL’s proposal would take around $300 million of guaranteed money given to 1st round picks and transfer it into veteran salaries and player benefit funds.  This offer would free up $1.2 billion by 2016 and would slow the rate at which 1st rounders get paid. 1st round salaries have gone up an unfathomable 233 % since 2000.

Owners and players addressed the holdout scenario for rookies and veterans while trying to reach a new CBA. The league proposed to lower the maximum salary for a rookie who remains unsigned when training camp starts and suggested putting an end to renegotiating a player’s contract if a hold out ensued in the preseason.

Read more on about the proposed modifications for the NFL here.

NFL Lockout to Effect Washington’s Capers Amongst Others

Selvish Capers is one of many players bracing for the worst amidst the NFL labor negotiations. The 6’4, 325 pound Washington offensive tackle is one of many players who could be hit hard from a lockout. Capers is ineligible for the NFLPA lockout fund because he was on the team’s practice squad last season. He made $53,000 last season during his 20 weeks on the practice squad along with a $29,500 signing bonus.

As Capers would have begun partaking in off-season workouts starting in mid-March, he would be receiving workout bonuses between the amount of $750 to $850 for every two weeks as long as he attended at least 85% of the training sessions. Capers acknowledged this to be a far less amount than most players who have a roster spot in the NFL, but also indicated how handy that money would be.

“That’s chump change compared to a lot of guys’ contracts,” said Capers “But would it have helped me? Heck yeah!”

Capers has adjusted some of his typical habits such as cooking more in his own home to avoid spending money eating out.   

Washington’s representative with the NFLPA said the players association will do everything it can to help those who don’t apply for the lockout fund, but Capers isn’t counting on it.

While Capers isn’t receiving any money at the moment he contends that he will be okay if the lockout were to end soon as he would receive workout money. If the lockout continues he indicated he may take out a loan.

Capers is doing his best to stay in shape while working out with a personal trainer and he continues to remain conscious of his spending.

Read his story here.

Sports Fan Pic of the Day:

Sports Blog of the Day: On Frozen Blog

The NHL playoffs began last night and “On Frozen Blog” has got it all covered for you.

This Day in Sports History: On April 14th, 1910 William Taft threw out the first pitch to Washington Senators pitcher Walter Johnson. This began a trend that lasted until 1972, where every President would throw out the first pitch at least once at a Senators home game.

John Morse is serving as an SFC Sportswriter Fellow based in New Hampshire. He is finshing up a degree in Print Journalism at Hofstra University. John is a very passionate sports fan and the Red Sox, Patriots, Celtics and Bruins are his favorite teams.

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