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Twenty NBA teams play Wednesday. A few good players might even join them! That's LeBron, Kevin Love, Kyrie Irving, DeMarcus Cousins, LaMarcus Aldridge ... all healthy and scratched tonight. It is Dec 14. Tom Haberstroh (@tomhaberstroh) MORE: Resting players early in the season is a good way to keep them healthy and fresh for games that matter. It also is unfortunate because teams tend to do this for road games only Aldridge of those five is skipping a home game meaning that fans in other NBA cities mi s out on some of the best talents in the NBA.So what do we do about this problem? Wait the first question should be, is this a problem?It's true that for a wide variety of reasons, players simply can't handle the kinds of rigorous minutes and games that those in the past did. Mostly, the game is getting Kelvin Herrera Jersey more athletic and more physically demanding (if le s physical).Karl Malone never mi sed more than two games in a season during his 18 years with the Jazz, all while averaging 37.2 minutes per game over that span. That is a remarkable feat, but it's also an indication that the game was played differently.MORE: Much like pitchers' innings being reduced in baseball because they are asked to throw harder and throw more difficult pitches on a consistent basis, basketball players are wearing themselves down through persistent plays of remarkable athleticism. Early Wynn Jersey The other, perhaps bigger factor is that we simply know more. Many of Malone's foes had injuries that they never recovered properly from, or they could not avoid the injury bugbecause medical science hadn't evolved to the point we are at now, where studies of maximizing health, athleticism and recovery are better. Careers of other young players coming up with Malone,such as Clark Kellogg andDanny Manning, could have been elongated or bettered with more understanding of how to keep them healthy.Still, the sport is funded by the fans. And the fans want the stars.MORE: NBA commi sioner Adam Silver addre sed that aspect of resting players in April. Via , Silver said:"I am concerned more from a fan standpoint. I certainly get lots of emails and have discu sions with fans, especially ones who may have a one-time opportunity or once-in-a-season opportunity to see a particular player and then that player rests. I don't have an easy answer to that. One, there's a reason why our rosters Nicky Delmonico Jersey are -- they're 13 actually now. They used to be 12, now they're 13, and teams can have up to 15 players under contract, and so, one, what we're seeing is teams are going deeper into their benches. When you think about it in terms of the NBA, we have the 430 greatest players in the world, and I think that's part of what we all have to get used to, that players who aren't the superstars will get more minutes in this league."Is that a problem? NBA games are high-quality regardle s. No one will soon forget when Gregg Popovich spat in the face of TV schedulers and sent four of his Spurs starters home before a November 2012 game against James' Heat. Popovich was fined $250,000 ... and the game ended up being exciting!Everyone James McCann Jersey wants a chance to see LeBron James. Grizzlies fans who couldn't or didn't get tickets in years past will be bummed. But they still are going to an NBA game, and heck, the Cavs resting James, Irving and Lovemight help even the playing field for the battered Grizzlies.Ticketing app SeatGeek told Sporting News that demand has decreased since news of the rest. "Prices have continued to move downward throughout the day (our lowest is now at $11), but we didn't really see a significant drop on our site or at least one that was abnormal from what we normally see in the days/hours leading up to the game," SeatGeek said."For example, for tickets to the last Grizzlies' home game against the Warriors on 12/10, we saw the get-in price drop from $61 to $46 over a similar time period."MORE: Is there a way to disincentivize resting players for road games? Perhaps a structure where players are required to attend all road games barring a medical or family excuse. If the players are going to be there anyway, they will want to play.But the postseason is where the NBA and its teams, coaches and players make their biggest impact. Staying fresh is crucial to that.Besides, now we get J.R. Smith unleashed Luis Robert Jersey in Memphis.A photo posted by Sporting News (@sportingnews) on Dec 14, 2016 at 9:28am PSTContributing: Alex Novick

The Heat announced Monday that Adam Lind Jersey they will retire the jersey of a guy who played 205 games for them, was the second-best player on a championship team and then turned into a bit of a sore thumb thanks to his sore feet.So congratulations, Shaquille O'Neal. You get to join the illustrious ranks of fellow Heat legends Alonzo Morning andTim Hardawayand ... Michael Jordan and Dan Marino.MORE: If you're confused, you probably should be. The Heat, more than any other organization in sports, seem to make their retired jersey selections based on fame over any other reasonable framework. Eddie Jones and Glen Rice spent important, All-Starparts of their primes with this franchise but can't getnods.That's not to say Jones and Riceshouldhave retired jerseys. Some teams have looser standards the Suns have a ton of retired jerseys for a franchise with no titles while others are very tight. The Blazers were hyper- Clint Frazier Jersey accomodating to those on their one championship team but didn't retire Jerome Kersey's jersey until he died.And the Heat are hardly the only ones to draw on a specific form of nostalgia and Luis Severino Jersey fame for their selections. The Hawks had many better unretired players to choose from than Dikembe Mutombo, who spent more time with the Nuggets in a well-traveled career, but they wanted to attract fans who favorably recall his All-Star years in Atlanta but have never heard of Cliff Hagan.MORE: But the Heat are by far the weirdest. They love that spotlight. LeBron James now looks like a lock, if O'Neal's up there. Dwyane Wade, Udonis Haslem and Chris Bosh had better get retired when their playing careers end, too.But here are five other big names who could cause a splash:Elsa BenitezThe Sports Illustrated Swimsuit model was married to former Heat star Rony Seikaly for six years. Who cares that it happened after Seikaly had left the Heat? Benitez is modeling Reggie Jackson Jersey superstar. They could hang the swimsuit she wore for her 2001 cover shoot.Jesus ShuttlesworthLook, Ray Allen only played two seasons with the Heat. That's more than Jordan or Marino, but let's not jump at put him on the list quite yet. Still, that shot was memorable, and I'm gue sing people in the Heat organization have seen "Hoop Dreams" because "Hoop Dreams" is Drew Hutchison Jersey great.Jeff Van GundyIf , we would have been robbed of the most memorable moment in franchise history. Also, his brother coached the Heat. Not sure if that helps.Marlins ManHey, he goes to Heat games sometimes! Laurence Leavy, the sports world's most ubiquitousfan (), had a good idea that he maybe took further than was ideal. Throw his jersey up there!Mario ChalmersHa. Just kidding.

Attorneys for Derrick Eric Thames Jersey Rose say the woman accusing the Bulls star and two friends of drugging and raping her two years ago "consented to all sexual interaction" and didn't become upset about the night in question until much later.Documents filed last week in Los Angeles County Superior Court and obtained by Omnisport deny any wrongdoing on Rose's part and ask that the civil lawsuit be dismi sed.MORE: The initial complaint alleges that Rose and childhood friends Randall Hampton and Ryan Allen drugged the plaintiff who had been in a relationship with Rose at the Paul Molitor Jersey player's Beverly Hills home in an attempt to get her to have sex with more than one of them after she had resisted Rose's requests "to involve others in their sex life."The woman said she and a friend took a cab back to the plaintiff's Los Angeles apartment, but Rose, Hampton and Allen later broke in and forcibly had sex with her. She said in the court filing that she had "little recollection" of specific incidents because she was incapacitated by drugs, and said she didn't pursue criminal charges because she feared retaliation and didn't want Rose to go to jail.Rose and his attorney when the lawsuit was filed, calling it an attempt to extort money, but went into further detail in the court filings.The new documents say the woman "consented to sexual interaction with more than one co-defendant on more Travis Shaw Jersey than one occasion, consented to sexual interactions on the day in question, and invited the defendants to her apartment and buzzed Lorenzo Cain Jersey them in through security and opened the apartment door to welcome them, then consented to additional group activities later that evening."Rose's response also says that the plaintiff "had coffee with her roommate the next morning before heading to work for a full work shift" and only "became upset a few weeks or months later because she felt she should be reimbursed for one of the sex toys she purchased and used during the day and night in question."The filing also says the woman exchanged "friendly texts" with "one or more of the co-defendants" after that day and got upset later when she felt Rose wasn't being responsive enough to her text me sages.At Bulls media day on Monday, Rose briefly addre sed the lawsuit, , " Eric Sogard Jersey It's not true" and vowing not to let the controversy affect the way he lives.

Former D-League and EuroLeague basketball player Brandon Armstrong recently made Dansby Swanson Jersey a name for himself thanks to a series of viral videos in which he impersonates some of the top basketball players Shane Greene Jersey in the world.The videos are not just hilarious, they're also spot-on accurate.After taking on James Harden, Ru sell Westbrook, Tim Duncan, JaVale McGee and Kobe Bryant, Armstrong set his sights on a Bob Uecker Jersey rather interesting subject: hotheaded referee Joey Crawford.NBA Hank Aaron Jersey impersonations: Meet Brandon Armstrong | Tim Duncan | Harden | Kobe | JaVale McGeeWe're not sure if it his best impersonation yet, but that's only because all of them are excellent.But we will say this: He's already a better referee than Joey Crawford. Eddie Mathews Jersey

While most of the sports world was focused on , the NBA had quite the undercard to Thursday's main event.There were 10 games in the A sociation on Wednesday, a day ahead of Thursday's big game between the Dennis Eckersley Jersey Oklahoma City Thunder and Golden State Warriors. The Thunder got 35 points from Ru sell Westbrook to hand the Clippers an 85-83 lo s in Los Angeles.Despite leading all scorers in Wednesday's game, Westbrook did not have a great shooting night. He mi sed all seven of his 3-point attempts and was 14 of 30 from the floor. Maybe he was peaking ahead to Thursday's game in Oakland, where he will face former Thunder teammate Kevin Durant.MORE: The Clippers lost for the first time in four games as Blake Griffin scored just Blank Jersey 14 points after going 7 of 21 from the field.Studs of the nightThe Los Angeles Lakers had a huge second half led byD'Angelo Ru sell's 23 points and eighta sists as the Lakers explode for 72 points in the second half in a 123-116 win over the Atlanta Hawks.James Harden led the Houston Rockets to a 118-99 win over the New York Knicks with 30 points and 15 a sists. Harden is Marcus Semien Jersey the first player since Magic Johnson in 1986 to have consecutive games of 30 or more points and 15 a sists in a game.MORE: Dud Khris Davis Jersey of the nightAnthony Davis had averaged 37 points per game heading into Wednesday's game against Memphis. But the New Orleans forward struggled from the floor with just 10 points on 3-of-13 shooting as the Pelicans fell to 0-5 on the season in an 89-83 lo s.Tweetof the nightCleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James was pumped after Indians center fielder Rajai Davis hit a game-tying home run in the eight inning.This Game 7 of the World Series has LeBron HYPED NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) MORE: What's nextThunder (4-0) at Warriors (3-1), 10:30p.m. ET Kevin Durant will face Ru sell Westbrook and his former team in Oakland. Both teams are off to a great start to the season, but all Stephen Piscotty Jersey eyes will be on Durant, who left Oklahoma City to join the defending Western Conference champs.

The kid who once struggled to find a Division I scholarship offer will soon do something no Warrior has done since the team Jose Ramirez Jersey 's move to California in 1962.Warriors guard Stephen Curry is expected to be named the NBAs Most Valuable Player this Manny Ramirez Jersey week,. An announcement is expected as soon as Monday.MORE: | | This report comes hours after the Warriors disposed of the Grizzlies 101-86 in Game 1 of their Western Conference playoff series. Curry led Golden State with a game-high 22 points Sunday afternoon.Curry has Tyler Naquin Jersey beenthe best player on the leagues best team this season, putting up 23.8 points, 7.7 a sists and 4.3 rebounds per game while helping lead the Warriors to a 67-15 regular season record. The former Davidson Cleveland Guardians Jersey star also set a new single-season record with 286 3-pointers this season, breaking the mark he set during the 2012-13 season.The only other player in Warriors history to win the award Shane Bieber Jersey was Wilt Chamberlain, who wonas a rookie with the Philadelphia Warriors backin 1959-60.Rockets guard James Harden will finish as runner-up to Curry, per CSN Bay Area.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. Before any reporterin attendance at Hornets media day could pose a question toKembaWalker, the two-time All-Star made a polite, yet firm statement about the topic he knew he couldn Johnny Cueto Jersey 't avoid."I'm just gonna say, I know I'm gonna get asked free-agent questions," Walker said."I'll answer anything you guys want me to answer, but it's the last time. For the rest of the year, no more free-agency questions. Please."MORE: In an ideal world, Walker would leave that roomand any rumors about his status in Charlotte behind with an important season ahead for both the 28-year-old. But those free-agency questions will persist, even if they are not spoken within the confines of the Spectrum Center.Walker's situation isn't a product of uncertainty quite the opposite. He made it clear Monday morning he doesn't see himself signing with another franchise once he becomes an unrestricted free agentfor the first time in his career."This is where I want to be. I dont want to be nowhere else," Walker said."You see guys wanting to leave teams and stuff like that. I don't want to do that. I want to create something here, create something special here in Charlotte, something weve never had here."I want to create some consistency. I want to be a part of it. That's just how I feel."Consistency has been elusive for the Hornets over the course of Walker's seven seasons in Charlotte. The win totals each year: 7, 21, 43, 33, 48, 36, 36. Dave Dravecky Jersey He endured the as a rookie with the then-Bobcats and has never made it past the first round of the playoffs.The only consistent part of the team is how much it relies on Walker to succeed. The Hornets held a net rating when Walker played and tumbleddown to when he sat on the bench.2017-18 HornetsOff RatingDef RatingNet RatingEff FG %Walker On109.7106.33.552.5Walker Off100.8108.6-7.846.9The Hornets recognized they couldn't simply run it back for another year, hiring a new general manager in Mitch Kupchakand head coach in James Borregowhile tweaking the roster by sending out Dwight Howard and bringing in Tony Parker Mark Melancon Jersey . The franchise isn't rebuilding, but rather, as Borregosays,"establishing a new identity." And Walker is very much a part of that identity."Kembaand I are on the same page," Borrego said."We spend a lot of time together. I trust him. He trusts me. He's bought in. He wants to be here. He loves the community, loves the city, loves the organization. I think if we do things the right way, we have the year that I believe we can have, it'll work itself out."Parker, who left the Spurs largely because of the , will run the second unitand look to avoid those precipitous drops that have plagued Charlotte when Walker sits. An additional playmaker along with an emphasis on pace and quick decisions could take the offensive burden off Walker's shoulders.MORE:Still, there are reasons to be skeptical. Parker is coming off hisleast productive season (7.7 points, 3.5 a sists per game) since his 2001-02 rookie campaign. NicBatumhas disappointed after signing a ma sive five-year, $120 million deal in 2016. The roster is full of unproven players, and executing Borrego's vision will take time.The Hornets don't have the benefit of time. Walker doesn't want to leave, but he also is. If Charlotte is suddenly sliding down the standings midway through the season and leaning toward another lottery pick, will Walker re-evaluate his options?" Walker made the last two All-Star teams, but I told him, All-Star is great, but it's better to win and be All-NBA and go to the playoffs and have succe s in the playoffs," Parker said."He made the first steps. It's not easy to be an All-Star in this Steven Duggar Jersey league. He's ready to go to the next one."Parker joked that the Hornets better not ruin his playoff streak (), but there is much more potentially on the line if Charlotte fails to capture one of the top eight seeds in the East. Even for a player as loyal and committed as Walker, there could be a line when the losing becomes too much.For now, Walker's only concern is putting the Hornets in position to make a run at the playoffs. He hopes the rest will take care of itself."I'm not even really thinking about Juan Marichal Jersey free agency anymore," Walker said."I'm just in a kind of space where I'm just I'm excited. I'm ready to have a good year with my teammates. I feel like as long as I be myself and play the way I know I'm capable of playing, leading the way I'm capable of leading, I think I'll be here regardle s."At media day, Walker wasunwaveringin addre sing the 2018-19 season and beyond. But the biggest questions will come when the Hornets take the floor, and the answers could alter the futures of Walker and the only franchise he has ever known.

Kawhi Leonard is interested in a Los Angeles team, just not the one many think he is.Leonard would be more inclined to join the Clippers than the Lakers, according to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski,if the 27-year-olddecides to leave Toronto at all.made the Jason Heyward Jersey commentson "Get Up!" Tuesday."Kawhi Leonard's focus (is) on Los Angeles, but it's the Clippers not the Lakers.""No. 1, they don't have the money to sign him and (No.) 2, the idea of him being a third wheel on a team trying to create a superteam, that has not been Kawhis M. Yu Darvish Jersey O. The Clippers are poised to be able to lure him from Toronto, this will be a Raptors, Clippers fight down to the end." Another report came from Damon Jones on Friday, which stated the Lakers are a "strong po sibility" for Leonard in free agency.It would appear, though, Justin Steele Jersey Wojnarowski does not agree with the idea of that report and still thinks Leonard would be Clipper-bound if he went to L.A.However, this also comes with the caveat that the Raptors still believe they have a great chance to land Leonard in free agency.That has been the story for a while now.In May, Wojnarowski reported Leonard re-signing in Toronto was a "." Another report from TrueHoop said Leonard was thinking about signing a short-term deal with the team.All of the smoke around Leonard has suggested he is open to returning to David Ross Jersey the Raptors, and most of that came before he won a title with the team.Now, it has also been reported that LeBron James has already contacted Leonard and the connections to Los Angeles for the Finals MVP are obvious as he Kris Bryant Jersey was born in L.A.But there have also been plenty of reports saying the Lakers are not for any elite free agents in addition tothe one Tuesday from ESPN.Free agency officially begins June 30. We'll see for sure what Leonard decides to do then. Related Articles

The coming NBA Finalsbetween the Kolten Wong Jersey Warriors andCavaliers promises to be good one. The Warriors' last championship came during the administration of President Gerald R. Ford, and the Cavs are still seeking their first titleas well as the city of Clevelands first championship since 1964, when the Browns won it all.The Bay Area and Cleveland are two very different places, and the logos and uniforms of their NBA teams reflect some of these differences.Lets take a look at how these teams match up from a purely visual perspective:MORE LOGO HISTORY: | | 1) Their current lookWarriorsThe Warriors unveiled their present look in June2010.The logo and uniforms pay homage to the teams cla sic The City uniforms, worn from Harrison Bader Jersey 1966-71. The concept as well as the forward-looking inclusion of the new eastern span of the Bay Bridge gets high marks. On the negative side, the usage of the Copperplate font deserves to be called out for a lack of originality, an off-the-rack approach that deserves a technical foul.CavaliersClevelands uniforms are all over the place these days. White, gold, blue, and wine. Their alternate CAVS wordmark, rendered in chunky, rounded letterforms, is flat and uninspired. Their primary home and road lettering CAVALIERS at home, CLEVELAND on the road is marginally better, helped out by the fact that both words contain more than four characters. None of the Cavs uniforms correlate to the teams primary logo in any way, save the colors.Advantage: Warriors2) Their best lookWarriorsCan there be any doubt? The City uniforms score huge points for both Paul Goldschmidt Jersey aesthetics and audacity. What City? THE City, of course.CavaliersClevelands visual history is full of hits and mi ses, with few in-betweens. I cast my vote for the 2003-10 look, which featured a set of really sharp uniform Lance Lynn Jersey wordmarks, a solid logo, and a color scheme that restored the Cavs signature wine and gold after decades in the wilderne s.Advantage: Warriors3) Their worst lookWarriorsGolden States Bolt superhero logo was introduced in 1997. There were no tears shed when he was sent packing in 2010.CavaliersThe Cavs 1994-2003 look powder blue, orange, and black was ridiculed from the moment that it was launched. After a home team lo s in November 1994, the Charlotte Observer noted that it could have been worse. The Hornets could have been forced to wear what the Cavaliers wore Saturday night.(Dis)advantage: Cavaliers4) Their current secondary logosGive me the inspiring Cleveland flag-on-a-sword over the yawn-inducing Copperplate W-in-a-circle every day of the Mark McGwire Jersey week.Advantage: Cavaliers5) The X-FactorWarriorsThe Warriors reintroduced sleeved uniforms to the NBA in 2013 and the results werewell, you can judge for yourself:CavaliersClevelands 1977-78 media guide featured this guy:Advantage: CavaliersThe aesthetic prediction: Cavaliers over Warriors in a tight series, which will played entirely without sleeves.

Trades are hard to cope with. Sometimes.Other times, like in the case of , people aren't too broken up about seeing you go. The star-studded duo of Kevin Durant Jorge De La Rosa Jersey and Westbrook certainly didn't seem particularly bothered by the trade.MORE: | | Ru sell Westbrook on Jackson: "You have to determine that if somebody doesnt want to be here then you cant make him be here." Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) Ru sell Westbrook: "We have a chance of winning a championship and if Reggie is not here we still have a chance of winning a A. J. Pollock Jersey championship." Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) Durant shared similar sentiments.Durant on deadline day: "We felt like everybody wanted to be here except for one guy. Nick Ahmed Jersey " Royce Young (@royceyoung) Durant on Reggie Jackson: "He got what he wanted. (Pause, thinking) He got what he wanted." Royce Young (@royceyoung) Durant on the moves: "It's tough. Losing Perk Steven Souza Jersey . And other guys." Royce Young (@royceyoung) Ouch. It has to hurt when someone is more hurt about losing Kendrick Perkins over you.On the other hand, Jackson seems to be happy in Detroit. So far.Just woke up from my nap a !!! Reggie Jackson (@rjOKCson_15) Crying tears of joy Blank Jersey Reggie Jackson (@rjOKCson_15) Now all Jackson has to do is change his Twitter handle. I propose @ReggiejDETson. Doesn't flow like the current one, but at least he's where he wants to be.