Pro Bowl again before Super Bowl in 2011
NEW YORK, March 2 (UPI) -- Next year's Pro Bowl will again be played before the Super Bowl but not in the same stadium as the NFL title game, league officials said Tuesday.
The schedule for the Pro Bowl was changed for the 2010 version of the NFL's all-star game, putting it on the Sunday between the conference title game and the Super Bowl. From 1980-2009 the game was played in Honolulu the week after the Super Bowl,
Television ratings for the new schedule were much better than recent average viewership for the Pro Bowl, leading the NFL to put the next Pro Bowl on Jan. 31, 2011, a week before Super Bowl XLV in Arlington, Texas.
"Playing the Pro Bowl before the Super Bowl generated more excitement and interest in the event and also kicked off Super Bowl week in an innovative new way," said NFL Senior Vice President of Events Frank Supovitz.
However, unlike this year in which the Pro Bowl was played on the same field as the Super Bowl, the game will return to Hawaii for at least the next two years.
Iverson won't return this season
PHILADELPHIA, March 2 (UPI) -- Allen Iverson won't return to the Philadelphia 76ers this season, the NBA team announced Tuesday.
Iverson missed the last four games and a series of contests before the NBA's All-Star break to be with his sick 4-year-old daughter.
"After discussing the situation with Allen, we have come to the conclusion that he will not return to the Sixers for the remainder of the season, as he no longer wishes to be a distraction to the organization and teammates that he loves very deeply," said Sixers President Ed Stefanski. "It has been very difficult for Allen and the team to maintain any consistency as he tries to balance his career with his personal life."
Iverson signed a one-year contract to rejoin the Sixers in December. He appeared in 25 games for Philadelphia, averaging 13.9 points a game.
He spent the first 10 seasons of his 14-year NBA career with the Sixers, who made him the first overall selection of the 1996 draft. He was voted the NBA rookie of the year in 1997 and took the league most valuable player honor in 2001, when he helped Philadelphia reach the NBA finals.
Iverson averaged 26.7 points over 914 NBA games.
Kings' Nocioni suspended two games
NEW YORK, March 2 (UPI) -- Sacramento forward Andres Nocioni was suspended Tuesday by the NBA for two games following a no contest plea to a drunken driving charge.
Nocioni entered his plea Monday and was sentenced to two days of community service, ordered to pay a $480 fine, attend a three-month alcohol class and serve three years probation. The NBA handed down its disciplinary action Tuesday.
It is expected Nocioni will miss the Kings' games Tuesday at Oklahoma City and Wednesday at Houston.
Nocioni was charged with driving under the influence following a 2 a.m. Nov. 5 incident in which he was stopped for allegedly weaving in his lane while driving. The police officer who stopped him at the time reported smelling alcohol.
Nocioni averaged 8.6 points and 2.9 rebounds over 56 games for the Kings this season.
Ellis, Biedrins miss Warriors' trip east
OAKLAND, Calif., March 2 (UPI) -- Golden State leading scorer Monta Ellis and leading rebounder Andris Biedrins will likely miss the Warriors' upcoming five-game road trip, the NBA team said.
Neither player traveled with the team Monday as the Warriors headed for Miami for a game Tuesday against the Heat. In addition to the stop in Miami, the Warriors visit Orlando, Fla.; Atlanta; Charlotte, N.C.; and New Orleans over the next week.
Ellis is sixth in the NBA with a 25.7 points-per-game average. He also leads the Warriors in assists and steals. He underwent magnetic resonance imaging, which determined he had a lower back strain.
Biedrins is to meet with a specialist on sports hernias following a right groin injury suffered Saturday. He leads Golden State with 7.8 rebounds per game and averages 5 points and 1.3 blocks.
The Warriors added Reggie Williams to help fill out their roster. Williams signed a10-day contract and moved up from the NBA Developmental League.
