duncan228
12-25-2007, 10:11 AM
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2007/basketball/nba/12/24/bc.bkn.bobcats.odyssey.ap/index.html
Bobcats take the long way
Road trip to Milwaukee takes more than 10 hours
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) -- For those faced with long lines, canceled flights and numbing delays trying to get home for the holidays, the Charlotte Bobcats feel your pain.
The Bobcats' weekend excursion to Milwaukee lasted more than 10 hours and included stops at two airports, hours circling two more and finally a long bus ride that brought them to the arena less than an hour before tipoff.
It ended with a loss to the Bucks and then an extra night in Milwaukee for good measure, a trip players were still talking about at practice Monday.
"It was horrible," guard Jeff McInnis said. "I took 100 naps and we were still in the air."
As is custom in the NBA, the Bobcats planned to fly to Milwaukee for Saturday night's game immediately after Friday's home win over the New York Knicks. But after learning that Milwaukee's airport was closed due to fog, players were told to meet at the Charlotte airport at 7:30 Saturday morning.
After a few hours sleep, players boarded the team's private jet and took off at 9 a.m. With Milwaukee still fogged in due to unseasonably warm weather, they planned to fly to Madison, and then bus 80 miles to Milwaukee.
As the plane neared Madison, the fog hit there, too. They circled the airport but there was no break in the clouds. The pilot then diverted the plane to Minneapolis to refuel.
Trainer Joe Sharpe, who doubles as the travel coordinator, tried to arrange to get food to the hungry players, who had gone through everything on the plane.
"Then they bring us cold sandwiches and yogurt," McInnis said, cringing.
Soon the Bobcats took off again. Now they hoped to fly to Green Bay and bus 120 miles to Milwaukee. Sharpe arranged for buses to meet them.
You guessed it, Green Bay's airport was fogged in just as the plane got close. This time, the Bobcats spent more than an hour circling that airport.
All the while, Sharpe was in touch with Bobcats general manager Rod Higgins, who was relaying information to nervous NBA officials in New York. The league hates to postpone games, and Milwaukee was expecting about 16,000 fans.
"Missing that game was not an option," coach Sam Vincent said. "We knew that via the league office."
Chicago's airports had also been affected by the weather, but with a break at the city's Midway Airport, the Bobcats decided to stop circling Wisconsin and head south. They landed in Chicago at 4 p.m. local time, eight hours after they left Charlotte.
Players and staff scurried onto buses for the 90-mile ride to Milwaukee. They got on the road at 4:30, three hours before tipoff. Faced with holiday traffic, the ride took two hours.
At about 6 p.m., Sharpe got a call from the NBA: they would have 60 minutes to warm up once they got there. So when the Bobcats arrived, tipoff was pushed back 10 minutes.
After wolfing down some food in the locker room, the Bobcats tried to get their bodies ready in about half the time they would normally take. Sharpe quickly put on his trainer's hat and tried to help players get loose.
"When you pull up to the game and you've got 40 minutes on the clock, that's putting a lot of rush into your routine," forward Gerald Wallace said.
The Bobcats came in with a 1-8 road record, so after the day they had, things looked bleak.
Charlotte fell behind by 11 at halftime, but rallied late before losing 103-99. Jason Richardson seemed least affected, scoring a season-high 30 points.
"Guys have routines. Guys like to get their naps in. Guys like to eat at certain times. None of that existed," Vincent said. "But I think it showed the guys that you can do things that you don't realize you can do."
Still, McInnis aggravated a foot injury, convinced the lack of warm-up time caused it.
Because their pilot had spent all day flying, rules didn't allow him to fly again until Sunday, so the Bobcats were going to bus to Chicago and spend the night.
Only they couldn't find enough hotel rooms. The Bobcats stayed in Milwaukee, then bused in the snow to Chicago Sunday morning.
Alas, they left as scheduled, arriving in Charlotte early Sunday afternoon.
The weekend left McInnis reminiscing about long bus rides and day-of-game travel when he played in the minor leagues. It certainly was nothing like the pampered travel NBA players are used to today.
"It felt like the old CBA days again," McInnis said. "So for me it wasn't that bad. But for some of the prima donnas..."
McInnis broke into a laugh and didn't finish the sentence. Notes:@ McInnis did not practice Monday, but said there's a chance he'll play Wednesday against Washington. ... C Ryan Hollins returned to the team after missing Saturday's game following a death in the family.
Bobcats take the long way
Road trip to Milwaukee takes more than 10 hours
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) -- For those faced with long lines, canceled flights and numbing delays trying to get home for the holidays, the Charlotte Bobcats feel your pain.
The Bobcats' weekend excursion to Milwaukee lasted more than 10 hours and included stops at two airports, hours circling two more and finally a long bus ride that brought them to the arena less than an hour before tipoff.
It ended with a loss to the Bucks and then an extra night in Milwaukee for good measure, a trip players were still talking about at practice Monday.
"It was horrible," guard Jeff McInnis said. "I took 100 naps and we were still in the air."
As is custom in the NBA, the Bobcats planned to fly to Milwaukee for Saturday night's game immediately after Friday's home win over the New York Knicks. But after learning that Milwaukee's airport was closed due to fog, players were told to meet at the Charlotte airport at 7:30 Saturday morning.
After a few hours sleep, players boarded the team's private jet and took off at 9 a.m. With Milwaukee still fogged in due to unseasonably warm weather, they planned to fly to Madison, and then bus 80 miles to Milwaukee.
As the plane neared Madison, the fog hit there, too. They circled the airport but there was no break in the clouds. The pilot then diverted the plane to Minneapolis to refuel.
Trainer Joe Sharpe, who doubles as the travel coordinator, tried to arrange to get food to the hungry players, who had gone through everything on the plane.
"Then they bring us cold sandwiches and yogurt," McInnis said, cringing.
Soon the Bobcats took off again. Now they hoped to fly to Green Bay and bus 120 miles to Milwaukee. Sharpe arranged for buses to meet them.
You guessed it, Green Bay's airport was fogged in just as the plane got close. This time, the Bobcats spent more than an hour circling that airport.
All the while, Sharpe was in touch with Bobcats general manager Rod Higgins, who was relaying information to nervous NBA officials in New York. The league hates to postpone games, and Milwaukee was expecting about 16,000 fans.
"Missing that game was not an option," coach Sam Vincent said. "We knew that via the league office."
Chicago's airports had also been affected by the weather, but with a break at the city's Midway Airport, the Bobcats decided to stop circling Wisconsin and head south. They landed in Chicago at 4 p.m. local time, eight hours after they left Charlotte.
Players and staff scurried onto buses for the 90-mile ride to Milwaukee. They got on the road at 4:30, three hours before tipoff. Faced with holiday traffic, the ride took two hours.
At about 6 p.m., Sharpe got a call from the NBA: they would have 60 minutes to warm up once they got there. So when the Bobcats arrived, tipoff was pushed back 10 minutes.
After wolfing down some food in the locker room, the Bobcats tried to get their bodies ready in about half the time they would normally take. Sharpe quickly put on his trainer's hat and tried to help players get loose.
"When you pull up to the game and you've got 40 minutes on the clock, that's putting a lot of rush into your routine," forward Gerald Wallace said.
The Bobcats came in with a 1-8 road record, so after the day they had, things looked bleak.
Charlotte fell behind by 11 at halftime, but rallied late before losing 103-99. Jason Richardson seemed least affected, scoring a season-high 30 points.
"Guys have routines. Guys like to get their naps in. Guys like to eat at certain times. None of that existed," Vincent said. "But I think it showed the guys that you can do things that you don't realize you can do."
Still, McInnis aggravated a foot injury, convinced the lack of warm-up time caused it.
Because their pilot had spent all day flying, rules didn't allow him to fly again until Sunday, so the Bobcats were going to bus to Chicago and spend the night.
Only they couldn't find enough hotel rooms. The Bobcats stayed in Milwaukee, then bused in the snow to Chicago Sunday morning.
Alas, they left as scheduled, arriving in Charlotte early Sunday afternoon.
The weekend left McInnis reminiscing about long bus rides and day-of-game travel when he played in the minor leagues. It certainly was nothing like the pampered travel NBA players are used to today.
"It felt like the old CBA days again," McInnis said. "So for me it wasn't that bad. But for some of the prima donnas..."
McInnis broke into a laugh and didn't finish the sentence. Notes:@ McInnis did not practice Monday, but said there's a chance he'll play Wednesday against Washington. ... C Ryan Hollins returned to the team after missing Saturday's game following a death in the family.