Norm Van Lier, one of the most popular players in Chicago Bulls history and one of the NBA's top defensive players in the 1970s, was found dead in his home just blocks away from the team's arena Thursday. He was 61.
The cause of death was not immediately known, authorities said.
Van Lier's death was discovered on the same day that former Bulls coach Johnny "Red" Kerr died.
Kerr, 76, coached the Bulls to the playoffs in their inaugural 1966-67 season and spent more than 30 years calling their games on local broadcast outlets.
Van Lier, who most recently worked for Comcast SportsNet Chicago, had been scheduled as a pre- and post-game analyst for Wednesday night's Bulls game with the New Jersey Nets.
Comcast officials became concerned when Van Lier did not show up for work and could not be reached Thursday. An employee was sent to his apartment near the United Center on the city's near West Side, said Jim Corno, president of Comcast SportsNet Chicago. The employee tried unsuccessfully to get inside.
Authorities responded to a subsequent well-being check and found Van Lier unresponsive shortly before 1 p.m. He was pronounced dead at the scene, Chicago Fire Department spokesman Quention Curtis said.
The Cook County Medical Examiner's office confirmed Van Lier's death but said a cause was not immediately known.
"Norm Van Lier was one of the all-time greats ever to put on a Chicago Bulls uniform," team chairman Jerry Reinsdorf said in a statement. "Along with Jerry Sloan, he set a standard for Bulls defense and toughness which we will never forget and which we will always strive to replicate."
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Johnny "Red" Kerr, the former Chicago Bulls coach who spent more than three decades as a broadcaster for the team, died Thursday. He was 76.
Kerr died at his home after a battle with prostate cancer, Bulls spokesman Tim Hallam said.
"His name was synonymous with basketball, both here in Chicago, and throughout the entire NBA," Bulls chairman Jerry Reinsdorf said. "Those that were fortunate enough to have known Johnny were touched by both his tremendous compassion for people, and his lifelong passion for the game of basketball. We will miss him greatly."
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NBA Bailout Plan???
The NBA has lined up $200 million to distribute to teams interested in additional cash, which the league considers a sign it remains strong in a slumping economy.
Between $13 million and $20 million will be available to each of 12 teams that have expressed interest in the funds, commissioner David Stern said Thursday. The money can be used for any purpose, including helping teams deal with operating losses incurred because of the economy.
It should not, Stern said, be construed as a bailout. At a time when credit markets have been frozen, investors saw the NBA as a safe bet.
"It's exactly the opposite" of a bailout, Stern told The Associated Press "This was a show of strength in the creditworthiness of the NBA's teams."
The NBA declined to name the teams interested in the money.
The league has an existing $1.7 billion credit facility, essentially a line of credit established by lenders from which teams can borrow. The league had been interested in growing the facility when the credit markets seized up last fall.
"They told us there's no chance of any additional funds being raised for any sports league, and indeed, the credit facilities that had come up for other leagues were being termed out rather than renewed," Stern said.
JPMorgan Chase and Bank of America recently approached the league to say $150 million might be available, a figure that eventually grew to $200 million.
"It's a great sign of confidence in us and that's wonderful that the market is opening up, so we'll take it," Stern said. "And we turned to our teams and said, 'OK, we've got this much more to distribute under the facility for those of you who want it now.'"
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Just Manny Being Manny....
Manny Ramirez has rejected yet another offer from the Los Angeles Dodgers.
The Dodgers announced Thursday night the star outfielder's agent Scott Boras had declined a $25 million, one-year contract with a $20 million player option for 2010. It was the club's fourth offer to Ramirez this offseason."We want Manny back, but we feel we are negotiating against ourselves," Dodgers owner Frank McCourt said in a statement. "When his agent finds those 'serious offers' from other clubs, we'll be happy to restart the negotiations."
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Mike Vick Update...
Imprisoned NFL star Michael Vick will be allowed to serve the last two months of his sentence under home confinement because there is no room at a halfway house for him, a government official told The Associated Press Thursday.
Vick is serving a 23-month sentence at the federal penitentiary in Leavenworth, Kan., after pleading guilty to bankrolling a dogfighting operation at a home he owned in eastern Virginia's Surry County. He also admitted to participating in the killing of several underperforming dogs.Vick's lawyers have said they expected him to be moved any day into a halfway house in Newport News. But because of a lack of space, Vick will be released instead to his home in nearby Hampton at some point on or after May 21, said the official, who has knowledge of the case but requested anonymity because the individual was not authorized to discuss the matter publicly.
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Yankees Address A-Rod Issue...
Alex Rodriguez was told by the New York Yankees to keep his cousin away from the team.
The message was given to the star third baseman on Thursday, said a person familiar with the situation, speaking on condition of anonymity because the team did not make an announcement. The message applied both to spring training and the regular season, the person said.
Rodriguez was also told the cousin should not be anywhere the team congregates, which presumably includes the team's hotel when it travels and the ballpark.
Speaking at Steinbrenner Field in Tampa, Fla., general manager Brian Cashman said only that the matter of Rodriguez being picked up from his spring training opener Wednesday by his cousin "has been handled."
Rodriguez took a similar tone following New York's 5-1 victory on Thursday over the Tampa Bay Rays.
"It's been addressed," he said. "And, no further comment."
A day earlier in Dunedin, Rodriguez homered and walked twice before getting into a SUV driven by Yuri Sucart. He's been identified as the cousin who provided Rodriguez with performance-enhancing drugs obtained in the Dominican Republic. Rodriguez admitted using them while playing for the Texas Rangers from 2001-03.
Rodriguez acknowledged to the Yankees that having the cousin meet him at the ballpark in Dunedin was a mistake, the person who told The Associated Press about the situation said.
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Via: ESPN
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