Beatlefield » ballot under changes made Saturday.

LeBron James reportedly decided to opt out of his contract with the Miami Heat on Tuesday. Heres a few quick thoughts of what this Decision means to me. 1. CONTROL: Hes the best player by far on the planet so its his contractual right to exercise this clause and I agree with him. Old-timers and traditionalists might not like it but its the reality of pro sports in the 21st century. Great actors/actresses set the tone and select what movies/plays they want to perform in and who they want to work with and for and LeBron is at that level in the "sports/entertainment industry" that former NBA commissioner David Stern created with the emphasis on stars over teams. This is a creation of that. Right, wrong or indifferent - it is what it is. Hes negotiated and earned the right to reconsider and re-explore what hed like to do with his career. The man is serious about his game and is a student of the game and wants/needs some space here to evaluate. 2. MIAMI HEAT: We all saw them with our own eyes in the NBA Finals vs. the Spurs. The reality is that the current team as constructed needs major improvements or they wont challenge against the superior Western Conference teams for an NBA title. In addition, if an Eastern team like the Chicago Bulls gets back a healthy Derrick Rose and is able to acquire Kevin Love and/or Carmelo Anthony who is to say that theyre even the No. 1 contender in the East anymore? Do you honestly believe that Dwyane Wade is going to give you 70-75+ regular season games and four playoff rounds at a high level at $20 million per year? Is Chris Bosh still committed to playing in all areas of the game rather than just becoming a jump shooter? If Im LeBron I have my doubts. A few smart tweaks with Wade and Bosh sacrificing some money opens up the possibility of it all working again...yet its far from a sure thing. 3. CLEVELAND CAVALIERS: Owner Dan Gilbert blasted LeBron on the way out the door after "The Decision". Does LeBron forgive and forget? Does new GM David Griffin have the wherewithal/pedigree to pull off such a heist? He and Kyrie Irving together - not bad. They have the No. 1 Pick and some talented young guys they can package to move to Minnesota for Kevin Love. How does Irving, Love and LeBron sound to you? It would be a better Big Three at this point that the Miami version even though both Love and Irving have put up "numbers", yet still havent shown me yet that theyre truly special. What a return this would be. 4. OTHER SUITORS (Chicago, Houston, LA Lakers): Youll hear about all three and more in the hunt for the King. Needless to say, you put him on the Bulls or Rockets and theyre in the hunt for a title. The Lakers? Kobe and LeBron would be an interesting pairing but what does the rest of the roster look like? How long does Kobe hold up? Lots more questions than answers in LA. The rumour mill will surely be filled with gossip from all three of these spots. 5. TORONTO RAPTORS: Not saying this because its wishful thinking on my part. Seriously, why not? They desperately need a starting small forward. You put him with a re-signed Kyle Lowry, Demar DeRozan, a re-signed Patrick Patterson and Jonas Valanciunas with a re-signed Greivis Vasquez, Terrence Ross and Amir Johnson and Ill take my chances with anyone in the East. On a league-wide scale Im not scared by anyone with that crew on my side. You want hoops to grow in Toronto and across the country - go for it. Nothing to lose. Realistic? Maybe not but honestly thats not a bad eight-man core whatsoever. Obviously, the salary cap/luxury tax always comes into play but for a player of this magnitude you explore every possibility. It would actually be a very good team if it ever happened. Why not Toronto? Its about time we stick our chests out and go for it. I like the style of GM Masai Ujiri and CEO Tim Leiweke and this fits them if its a reasonable pursuit. ETwaun Moore Jersey . And though his comeback night didnt quite go to script, Bryant couldnt help reflecting on the work necessary to get back on that court -- and all the months of steady labour ahead to reclaim his game. Bryant had nine points and eight rebounds in his season debut, but Amir Johnson scored a career-high 32 points in the trade-depleted Toronto Raptors 106-94 victory over Los Angeles on Sunday night. Cheap Pelicans Jerseys Authentic . That still leaves a big hole.You dont replace the leadership, defensive co-ordinator Billy Davis said. You just dont. Leadership is something that is earned over time. http://www.cheappelicansjerseys.com/ .S. President Barack Obama saluted the Stanley Cup winning Chicago Blackhawks at the White House on Monday -- a rare moment for a president hungry to see more victorious teams from his hometown. Tony Carr Jersey . LOUIS - The St. Julius Randle Jersey .Y. -- Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, Sammy Sosa and Mark McGwire will have less time to remain eligible for the Hall of Fame ballot under changes made Saturday.ANAHEIM, Calif. -- Ryan Getzlaf spent the final seconds of the Anaheim Ducks playoff opener in the dressing room with a large ice bag pressed to a nasty cut on his left cheek. Playoff success usually requires a little discomfort, and the Ducks got a good taste of both in their opener. Getzlaf had a goal and an assist, Frederik Andersen made 32 saves to win his NHL playoff debut, and the Ducks held on for a 4-3 victory over the Dallas Stars on Wednesday night. Getzlaf, Kyle Palmieri and Mathieu Perreault scored in a dominant first period for the top-seeded Ducks, who began their playoff run on a dead sprint. Anaheim led 4-0 midway through the second period before Dallas got rolling in its first playoff game since 2008. Captain Jamie Benn and Colton Sceviour had power-play goals, and Tyler Seguin scored with 6:07 left to trim the Ducks lead to one. Anaheim hung on with a handful of big saves from Andersen, a 24-year-old Danish rookie. "We knew they were going to push," Palmieri said. "No team is going to go away, especially in the playoffs. We weathered the storm, and itll help us going forward." Game 2 is Friday. Anaheim is the Western Conferences No. 1 seed for the first time after the best regular season in franchise history, setting new marks for victories (54), points (116) and goals (263) while winning its second straight Pacific Division title. The Ducks won their opener for the second straight year, but they lost in seven games to seventh-seeded Detroit last spring. They didnt even get 60 minutes into their post-season return without drama, nearly blowing a four-goal lead while losing two of their top-line forwards to injury. "Im sure we didnt put the fear of God in them tonight, and they probably gained some confidence," coach Bruce Boudreau said. "We didnt play that good. We gave the puck away too many times tonight, but well go back to the drawing board." Matt Beleskey had a goal and an assist before incurring a lower-body injury in the third period. Getzlaf then got hit in the face with the puck with 16 seconds left, sending him to the dressing room early. Beleskey has struggled with a similar injury in recent weeks, and Boudreau wasnt sure of its new severrity.dddddddddddd. Boudreau doesnt think Getzlaf has a broken bone in his face, but will know more Thursday when the Ducks reconvene to figure out what to fix from Game 1. Benn and Sceviour scored in their post-season NHL debuts, but the Stars couldnt escape their early hole despite an impressive game from their high-scoring top line of Benn, Seguin and Valeri Nichushkin, which accounted for 14 shots. "The way we finished was how we want to play the full game," said Seguin, who infamously scored just one goal in 22 playoff games for Boston last season. "I definitely liked our no-quit attitude out there and performance." Kari Lehtonen stopped 31 shots for the wild-card Stars, who ended their five-year playoff drought thanks to new coach Lindy Ruff and seven Stanley Cup winners on their roster. "I thought at times we had them on their heels, and we gave them a good push," Ruff said. Andersen, who went 20-5 in his first NHL season, got the start over veteran Jonas Hiller, who has fallen out of favour with coach Bruce Boudreau after a handful of poor starts. After a raucous pregame reception from their orange towel-waving fans, the Ducks wasted no time. Nick Bonino lifted an exceptional pass over diving defenceman Aaron Rome to Palmieri for a backhand goal just 1:53 in. Getzlaf converted a rebound of Beleskeys shot off Lehtonens mask, and Perreault put Anaheim up 3-0 with a power-play goal on exceptional passes from Patrick Maroon and Getzlaf. Beleskey got credit for the Ducks second power-play goal when Francois Beauchemins long shot deflected off his leg. But Dallas got a 5-on-3 advantage for 56 seconds late in the period, and both Benn and Sceviour capitalized. NOTES: Stephane Robidas faced his former teammates for the first time since Dallas traded the veteran defenceman to Anaheim last month. ... Anaheims long-struggling power play hadnt scored multiple goals in a game since Jan. 15, when the Ducks got six against Vancouver. ... LW Ray Whitney returned to the Stars lineup after missing the last six games with a lower-body injury. ... Nichushkin, who turned 19 last month, made his NHL playoff debut two months after playing in his first Olympics for Russia. 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