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| With the Dallas Mavericks taking the NBA Championship on Sunday night, another year of on-court business came to a conclusion. And, while it will be a difficult task to eclipse last off-seasons "Decision" drama, the plotlines that could unfold this summer have the potential to impact the entire league and not just the South Beach fans. The elephant in the room is, of course, the looming threat of a work stoppage. With the leagues collective bargaining agreement set to expire on June 30, some off-season activity and perhaps the season itself may have to be put on hold for some time. The league avoided a work stoppage in 2005 by agreeing to the current six-year pact. The decision seemed like an easy one at the time after both sides had witnessed an entire NHL season put down due to labour negotiations. This time around, however, the motivation may not be quite so obvious. The NFL has been embroiled in an off-and-on lockout since the previous CBA expired on March 3 and has seen that battle waged in the courts, the press and even on the draft floor between the fans and the commissioner. The key to resolving the lockout appears to be the disparity between the leagues reported earnings and record viewer numbers for the Associations games on television. Interest in the game appears to be at an all-time high thanks to a pair of big threes as well as emerging superstars waking up previously slumbering markets such as Oklahoma City, Memphis and, to a lesser extent, Chicago. As of last report, the two sides were nowhere close to an agreement. Both sides would like to avoid a work stoppage of any kind, be it a lockout similar to the one the NBA suffered through in 1998-99 that shortened the season to 50 games, or one like the aforementioned NHL stoppage that cost the league and the game a whole season. If neither side budges and an agreement cant be reached, part of the off-season and possibly a chunk of the season itself may have to suffer. But some business will still go ahead as planned, and that all begins on June 23 on TSN, with the draft in New Jersey. The Cleveland Cavaliers got the karmic bounce theyd hoped for after LeBron James left town and not only scored the first overall pick thanks to a strange draft lottery and a huge assist from the Los Angeles Clippers, but also own the fourth overall pick in the draft. Rebuilding their team in the post-King James era will likely begin with them selecting consensus number-one selection Kyrie Irving, but from there on, its anyones guess as to how the draft will shake down. One team watching the draft closely will, of course, be the Toronto Raptors. The team is still looking to rebuild its core after years of leaning on established pieces like Chris Bosh and Andrea Bargnani, as well as poaching European free agents to compete. With the team already receiving solid contributions from their two previous top picks, DeMar DeRozan and Ed Davis, the Raps will be looking to build the teams depth and potentially nab a future star at the number five draft spot. Players possibly on the Raptors radar include highly-touted Europeans Enes Kanter, Jonas Valanciunas, and Jan Veseley, as well as a pair of top-end point guards in Kentuckys Brandon Knight and Final Four Most Outstanding Player Kemba Walker of Connecticut. The Raptors rebuild wont end there, however, since the club is still on the lookout for a head coach to replace Jay Triano, who was recently re-assigned within the organization. Various reports have that search narrowed down to two men: Dallas Mavericks assistant Dwane Casey and Boston Celtics assistant Lawrence Frank. Between the draft, a new head coach and tweaking the existing roster, the Raps could have a fresh look heading into the new year. The team currently has just over $45 million committed to 11 players for next year, with the top end of that going to the $9-million-plus salaries of Jose Calderon and Andrea Bargnani. After tinkering with the line-up in previous off-seasons and seeing limited success it will be interesting to see what approach general manager Bryan Colangelo takes to this off-season. Last off-seasons big splash was off-loading previous free-agent coup Hedo Turkoglu for Leandro Barbosa and signing Linas Kleiza. But with a look towards the future, one wonders how active the Raptors will be in the trade market and if they might be willing to unload current roster pieces in an effort to get younger and improve on their 2011 finish – at 22-60, the second-worst in franchise history. In terms of the free agent market there wont be many of the headline-grabbers that dominated last summers activity. This years class is highlighted by Atlanta shooting guard Jamal Crawford and recently-resurrected Dallas centre Tyson Chandler. In following recent NBA trends, some of the biggest free agents to watch will be those that arent even on the market yet. Orlandos "Superman" Dwight Howard has already come out and asked the team to get serious in building a contender or he may walk after this coming season. Another name who could hit the market in 2012 is New Orleans guard Chris Paul, and in the post-Melo era, its become commonplace to watch superstars before they hit the open market to see what the teams that risk losing players for nothing do to maximize their own clubs futures. Outside of free agents, teams will now look at the model of the champion Dallas Mavericks and do their best to add the pieces necessary to get to that level. The Bulls will look to build on the best record in the NBA this year. While they have a bona fide superstar to build around in MVP Derrick Rose, the team must face the reality that, in order to compete in the Eastern Conference, they must be better than the Miami Heat. The team has a lot of money tied up in Rose, Joakim Noah and last years big addition, Carlos Boozer, but depending on the new cap number, may be poised to add depth. The Heat will simply be left with their ever-growing list of what went wrong? discussions as their top players managed to implode in the NBA Finals. How the team negotiates the rest of their roster with LeBron, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh all locked up long-term is interesting enough without questioning how they play on the court. If the trio cant put it together when it counts, padding their top end with outside talent may prove difficult. The Los Angeles Lakers will attempt to adjust to their first taste of life without Phil Jackson. Replacing a man with 11 rings would be difficult enough in any market, but in the hardwood fishbowl that is Los Angeles, theres little room for error. The Lakers are turning to former Cavs coach Mike Brown to run the show, and hes already gotten behind Kobe Bryant as the force that will drive his teams offence. How hell re-shape a team that got swept for the first time since 1999 is another matter entirely. And the San Antonio Spurs will look to recover from a shocking first-round defeat, despite finishing atop the Western Conference. The team is locked in with its big three of Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili, so the team may have to live and die with them or shake the foundation by trying to move a player like Parker. There are also valid concerns over how much basketball is left in Duncan, so this years early exit could very easily be fuel for some soul searching on several levels of the Spurs organization. But all these questions hinge around the resolution of a new CBA. There are many storylines that could unfold between now and October, but if one of them is not an end to the associations labour dispute, the rest could easily remain unresolved for months to come. Kedric Golston Womens Jersey .Y. -- Defensive lineman Jarius Wynn has another chance to prove himself after the journeyman free agent signed with the Buffalo Bills on Tuesday. Bashaud Breeland Jersey . Smart was selected with the sixth overall pick in June. The Oklahoma State guard was a two-time All-Big 12 First-Team selection and finished his two-year collegiate career with 189 steals, the second-most in school history. http://www.shopjerseyredskinsofficial.com/women-chris-chester-redskins-jersey-sale/.When Schultz does have a rare shot to score, the defenceman enjoys the chance to cash in.It must be nice to be a goal scorer, he said. Dashon Goldson Youth Jersey . Louis Blues had 111 points in the 2013-2014 season, the second-most in franchise history and most since 1999-2000, yet a first-round playoff elimination leaves obvious room for improvement. Spencer Long Youth Jersey . He trained, prepared himself for his first home start of the season and got rid of some overdue baggage, finally shaving off his overgrown beard.PORTLAND, OREGON – Uruguayan midfielder Sebastian Fernandez scored his first goal of the preseason as Vancouver Whitecaps FC and Portland Timbers played to a hard-fought 1-1 draw Saturday at Providence Park. After the host Timbers opened the scoring in the third minute, Fernandez smashed home a late second-half penalty to salvage Whitecaps FCs undefeated record at the Rose City Invitational. The Caps finish the tournament as the top team with a 2W-0L-1D record and enter next weekends season opener undefeated in four preseason matches. Vancouvers squad on Saturday looked similar to the one that defeated Portmore United 5-1 last weekend, though there were a few changes. Right back Ethen Sampson and striker Kenny Miller came in to replace Steven Beitashour and Darren Mattocks, who are both away on international duty. Midfielder Gershon Koffie also drew into the starting lineup, which moved Russell Teibert up to the right wing. And goalkeeper David Ousted made his first appearance of the tournament. Saturdays contest got off to a physical start at Providence Park, which is often the norm in meetings between these Cascadia rivals. In fact, there were a total of 16 fouls committed in the first half alone. Unfortunately for the Blue and White, however, an early foul led to Portlands first goal of the match – a Will Johnson free kick from 25 yards in the third minute. The Caps nearly equalized a few minutes later when Fernandez let loose a curling strike from distance, but Timbers goalkeeper Donovan Ricketts tipped it just over the goal. Aside from the early marker, there wasnt much between Vancouver and Portland in the opening 45 minutes. The host Timbers came oon in spurts, but the Caps back line anchored by Jay DeMerit and Andy OBrien kept them at bay.dddddddddddd For Whitecaps FC, Uruguayan midfielder Nicolas Mezquida looked particularly dangerous. The 22-year-old showed great vision on a throughball to Miller in the 18th minute and some nifty footwork in midfield a few minutes later. The Caps couldnt connect in the final third, however, and it just about cost them . Portland had a great chance to double their lead in the 35th minute, as Maximilano Urruti slipped behind the Caps defence only to float his ensuing effort over the crossbar. They came close again just after the break, when Darlington Nagbe found some space in the middle of the park before letting loose a heavy strike from 20 yards that went just wide. At the other end of the park, Whitecaps FC showed some attacking flair again in the second half. And they received a boost just after the hour-mark, when local lad Erik Hurtado and Argentine midfielder came Matias Laba into the match – followed shortly by winger/striker Kekuta Manneh. And the trio combined to set up Vancouvers equalizer in the 79th minute. After a receiving a pass from Laba in midfield, Hurtado took a touch and released Manneh into the box before the Gambian was hauled down by Timbers defender Jack Jewsbury. Then Fernandez smashed home the ensuing penalty kick to level the score at 1-1. Manneh had a pair of half-chances in the dying stages of the match, but in the end the Cascadia rivals battled to a hard-fought 1-1 draw – just as they did in each of their three regular season meetings in 2013. With the draw, Whitecaps FC conclude the preseason with 4W-2L-1D record. cheap nfl jerseys authentic jerseys nfl wholesale wholesale jerseys cheap jerseys wholesale jerseys ' ' ' |
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posted on: 11/10/2015 03:32:16 AM
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