Magic Johnson had a chance to run the Knicks starting around Christmas in 2003, declined the Garden’s offer and instead put in a strong recommendation for his good friend, Isiah Thomas. Long before Phil Jackson ever thought he’d be running the Knicks, the Cheap Discount Jerseys Garden was always looking to make the big splash and took Magic’s advice. They went after Thomas.

“Seven minutes after it was announced. Yeah, they were not happy,” Griffin told ESPN.com about getting a call from the league office. “I feel bad for the league. I really do. But it is what it is for us from an injury standpoint. We literally had one guy rest tonight and everybody else was reasonably injured. I don’t feel like we did anything terribly egregious.”

The Warriors and Spurs have also rested star players this season, most notably in a primetime head-to-head matchup on ABC earlier this month.

ESPN addressed the issue Monday in a statement about teams resting their star players during nationally televised games.

“As always, our aim is to serve NBA fans with the best matchups Cheap Dream Team Jerseys involving the league’s top stars and we share the fans’ disappointment,” the statement said. “We understand this is a complex issue and we’re working closely with the NBA to best address it going forward from a media partnership standpoint.”

Carmelo Anthony still expects the Knicks to trade him to the Rockets, but New York’s new brain trust — president Steve Mills and GM Scott Perry — is finding that Phil Jackson’s prolonged negativity about the 10-time All-Star has lessened Cheap Chelsea Jerseys his value, ESPN.com reported, citing unidentified league sources.

Mills’ promotion to Jackson’s old job and Perry’s hiring from the Kings this week put any trade talks on hold, but Anthony, 33, continues to keep his focus on waiving his no-trade clause to join Chris Paul and James Harden in Houston.

Besides just convenience, Nets GM Sean Marks, an 11-year-old NBA veteran, said players have more consequences now than ever before. It takes just one Snapchat to cost an NBA player millions.

“You don’t get away with things anymore,” Marks said. “Guys are too into their brand to risk it. Corporate sponsors won’t tolerate that.”

Haberstroh’s entire piece appeared in ESPN The Magazine. Read it in full here.

Thomas finished with 20 points, on 6-for-17 shooting. He connected on 3 of 10 3-point attempts. Noted for his 3-point shooting and defensive ability, Carroll, who signed a four-year, $60-million deal with the Raptors in 2015, added Cheap Custom Hockey Jerseys six points in 28 minutes of action.

Thomas might not be very tall, but he isn’t taking any shorts.

Kyrie Irving committed a flagrant foul about a minute into Friday night’s game against the 76ers when he shoved forward Justin Anderson into the Philadelphia bench.

It looked intentional — and Irving later admitted it definitely was intentional, payback for a play moments earlier when Anderson appeared to knock LeBron James to the court near the free-throw line.

“Whether it was malicious or not … I kinda saw Justin kinda lower his shoulder and knock down Bron,” Irving told reporters after the game. “I was like … I gotta do something, I’ve got to protect my brother. A lot of late hits on Bron, a lot of guys trying to get one over on him. It’s over for that, it’s over for that.”

At the moment, New Jersey won an appeal from the Supreme Court to legalize sports betting in the state, further proving Silver’s case.

He also has not been that secretive in finding a constructive way to legalize betting, as was evident in the piece he wrote for the New York Times in 2014.

Silver was with fellow commissioners Roger Goodell, Rob Manfred and Gary Bettman for a panel in New York when the topic came up. Like Silver, Manfred has also been outspoken on finding a constructive way to legalize sports betting.

“There’s a difference between someone betting on whether the next ball is a strike or betting on the outcome of a game,” he said.

With both the NFL and NHL now having teams in Las Vegas (the Raiders and Golden Knights) it will be interesting to see how that affects sports betting in those sports.

The NFL has long been opposed to sports betting, but NBA Jerseys For Sale since the NHL has a smaller fanbase in the U.S., Bettman said New Vikings Jerseys Cheap he’s not worried “about fixing games.”

The Knicks will not buy out Carmelo Anthony. Executive President Steve Mills made that clear when speaking to reporters Monday (via the New York Daily News).

When asked if buying out Anthony’s contract is a US Cheap Jerseys Club possibility, Mills responded sternly. “No,” he said, without elaborating.

The problem: Without buying out Anthony, the Knicks are going to have a very hard time trading him. The team is focused on developing its young core of Kristaps Porzingis, Tim Hardaway Jr., Frank Ntilikina and Willy Hernangomez, and the front office doesn’t have Anthony in its long-term plans. But without buying him out, the team may have to hold onto him for two more years.

Despite putting up MVP-like numbers, many have still criticized Westbrook for poor shooting performances and high turnover numbers. He has been more efficient lately, though.

With nine games left in the regular season, Westbrook has a great chance at breaking Robertson’s record of 41 triple-doubles.

DeMar DeRozan helped the Raptors beat the Magic 131-112 by scoring 36 points with three assists. DeRozan has been a bit rocky this month, but he Victor Cruz Cheap Jerseys has scored at least 35 points in three of his last four games.

The Cavaliers: Months of injuries and “resting” starters has really come back to bite Cleveland. The Cavs were dismantled 103-74 at San Antonio on Monday. LeBron James was the team’s leading scorer with just 17 points, while Kevin Love (nine) and Kyrie Irving (eight) combined to score 17 points.

Boston also passed Cleveland for the top spot in the Eastern Conference.

Warriors (59-14) at Rockets (51-22), 8 p.m. ET — The Eastern Conference is up for grabs, and Kevin Durant’s injury has clouded the West a bit, too. Houston may not have the depth to make a championship run, but it can win this game led by James Harden and Lou Williams.

James Dolan, who’s been hands-off as promised during Jackson’s tenure, finally got wise and recognized that the team was heading nowhere in Cheap Team Baseball Jerseys particular. Jackson had given the Knicks no clear direction. So Dolan agreed to buy out the remaining two years of Jackson’s contract.

It’s unusual for an organization to part ways with its primary decision-maker three days ahead of the start of free agency, but conversations with players and agents over the last two weeks have shown that Jackson’s presence would only have hurt the Knicks’ chances on the free-agent market. Potential free-agent targets have already rankled at Jackson’s open criticism of star forward Carmelo Anthony, which has been seen as disrespectful to Anthony, who remains popular among his fellow players.

Grab a football and a pair of trash cans. Place them 70 yards apart. Take turns scrambling around and launching football toward the cans. Three points if you sink one;one if your partner has to tip it into the can. Play to 21 or until you need rotator cuff surgery.

Once a winner is determined, winners may refer to the losers exclusively as the “Detroit Lions.”

Poe is one of the biggest players in the NFL at 6’3, 346 pounds. He’s shown us how athletic he is by throwing a touchdown pass last season. And if there’s a player in the league who could probably put a dent in a hot dog eating contest, it’s him.

Why he’s here: The past two seasons made it look like Machado would be a perennial MVP candidate, which is why his start to the year has been so puzzling. He was bothered by a wrist injury early in June, and it’s possible that it’s still affecting him, but that doesn’t explain away his struggles in April and May. Whatever the reason, Machado’s first half might be the most disappointing in either league.

Bartolo Colon was bad again Wednesday night. This wasn’t a surprise because Colon has been bad for most of the season. It’s almost as if an overweight 44-year-old with more than 3,230 career innings pitched just doesn’t have anything left.

The Braves apparently agree, and Thursday they Cheap Soccer Jerseys For Sale designated Colon for assignment.

But there was no great mystery behind Colon’s struggles. He’s just old. Father Time, as they say, remains undefeated.

Since then, of course, he has gone on to great success; LeMahieu was an All-Star in 2015, and he won the National League batting title last season. In the first game of the series in Chicago last month, he hit a three-run homer in the second inning against Jon Lester, driving in the deciding runs of the game. But even in that circumstance, crushing a decisive blast in his old ballpark and against one of the National League’s best pitchers, LeMahieu doesn’t see reason to treat it as anything special anymore.

“It was just a big home run because it put us up a couple of runs,” LeMahieu said. “I don’t hit too many home runs, so it felt good to hit one in that situation.”

For every LeMahieu, there are many players who fill smaller roles, and their departures don’t always carry the same weight in the memories of the fanbase.

Those players, though, don’t forget what it felt like Cheap Spirit Jerseys to be that close to history and miss out.

“I grew up a Cubs fan. That might have been one of the toughest parts. This was my favorite team,” said Padres starting pitcher Clayton Richard, who joined the Cubs in 2015 but was released last August. “Growing up, putting on the game in the afternoon in the summer, watching Ryno and Mark Grace and all those guys. [Being released] was kind of my childhood dream coming to an end.”

The prospect of playing time — whether it was injury-driven or managerial decisions — was something foreign to Smoak, and the importance of getting regular hacks was reaffirmed by his Blue Jays teammates.

“It’s just him getting the opportunity to play every single day, getting consistent at-bats,” Blue Jays catcher Russell Martin told SN. “I know that he wasn’t playing regularly at first base (last season), he wasn’t playing every day. It’s tough. It’s tough to be consistent when you’re not getting consistent playing time.

“Now, it’s just him making the best of the opportunity. What we’re really just seeing, how much talent, how consistent he really is. It’s like every at-bat he’s hitting the ball hard. And that’s impressive. It’s hard work.”

It is far too early to make projections on a team-by-team basis for next summer, but it could be dramatic if the Bulls, 76ers, Kings, Nets or Knicks take on salary for future seasons either by signing free agents or acquiring undesirable contracts in exchange for assets. Remember that 2018 looks like a fascinating free agent class, potentially including Paul George, DeMarcus Cousins, Isaiah Thomas, Carmelo Anthony, LaMarcus Aldridge, Avery Bradley and Derrick Favors, plus possible restricted free Cheap Quality NBA Jerseys agency for Jabari Parker, Aaron Gordon, Zach LaVine and Rodney Hood.

That list does not even include Russell Westbrook, the newly Cheap Reversible Jerseys crowned MVP, who could singlehandedly change the league landscape if he refuses to agree to another extension with the Thunder in the next few weeks.

After years of anticipation, the 2016 spending bonanza is now behind us, and the league is already feeling the far-reaching ramifications of those contracts. This summer will be the first in a series of summers reflecting a new economic reality, and the front offices that most quickly adjust to that new paradigm will reap those rewards.

The offensive line can make or break a team, and in just a year, the Bengals went from allowing the ninth-fewest sacks in 2015 (32) to the seventh-most (41) in 2016. The trend could get worse with last year’s top pass blocker (Andrew Whitworth) and top run blocker (Kevin Zeitler) no longer with the Bengals. Left tackle and team leader Whitworth joined the Rams and right guard Zeitler signed with the in-state rival Browns.

Despite the lack of depth, the team did little so far this offseason to bolster the line, aside from bringing back veteran Andre Smith and drafting Utah’s J.J. Dielman. Instead, the Bengals are banking on some of the younger guys who have struggled so far in the NFL, like Cedric Ogbuehi and Jake Fisher, to finally put it together. The two have earned early praise this offseason but will Cheap Pittsburgh Penguins Jerseys have to prove themselves once the pads come on.

The 2017 OL draft class wasn’t as strong as in recent years, and the Bengals only added Dielman in the fifth round. Dielman was a center for the Utes and a team captain. The rookie will give the team a little depth, even as a backup, at center and right tackle. By bringing in at least one future anchor for the offensive line, the Bengals can continue to strengthen the group over the next few draft classes.

Instead of loading the roster with young linemen this year, the team focused on surrounding Dalton with skill players. Not only will these players help Dalton, but with the Cheap Qld Reds Jerseys quickness of Ross and Malone, Dalton won’t need as much time in the pocket. Last season, the quarterback had the second-highest drop in completion percentage when under pressure:

While Clay figures to enter the season as Buffalo’s No. 1 tight end, the team hopes Nick O’Leary can become an adequate No. 2. Also worth watching is the development of Logan Thomas, who was signed as a converted quarterback. (Taylor, after all, has thrown touchdown passes to Thomas in the past.)

LaVar Ball may be taking his antics from the basketball court to the wrestling ring.

The father of Lakers rookie Lonzo Ball is in negotiations with WWE Cheap Donegal Gaa Jerseys to appear on next week’s episode of “Monday Night Raw” at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, Pro Wrestling Sheet’s Ryan Satin reported.

According to the report, the two sides are “in talks” to reach an agreement and “things are looking good” to move forward. However, Satin notes the show’s plans are subject to change at any given time.

Lonzo, a Los Angeles native, was selected by the Lakers with the No. 2 overall pick in the 2017 NBA Draft on Thursday.

Florida eked out a 4-3 win in Game 1 on Monday, thanks to a dominant performance from ace pitcher Brady Singer, who pitched a career-high and College World Series-record 12 strikeouts in seven innings against LSU. A few timely defensive plays from the Gators helped them seal a Game 1 victory.

Tyler Dyson (3-0, 3.55 ERA) will take over as Florida’s starter in Game 2. He’ll take the mound opposite of LSU’s Jared Poche (12-3, 3.33 ERA), who will go for his 40th career win against the Gators. Florida will be the home team in Game 2.

A 4-12 season in 2015 landed the Cowboys the fourth-overall pick, which they used on Elliott. It’s a risk taking a running back that high nowadays, but Elliott is a special player.

He accounted for nearly 2,000 yards from scrimmage, leading the league with 1,631 rushing yards. Elliott was also was third in the NFL last season for scoring behind only LeGarrette Blount Cheap Elite NFL Jerseys and Jordan Howard. His 2016 performance even earned him six votes for the NFL’s MVP award.

The Yankees placed second baseman Starlin Castro on the 10-day disabled Tuesday after he left Monday night’s game with a hamstring injury.

Castro pulled up lame running to first base in a 6-5 win against the White Sox. There is no word on the severity of the injury, but Castro stated Monday that he doesn’t believe he suffered a muscle tear.

Castro heads to the shelf batting .313 with 12 home runs and 45 RBIs this season. Ronald Torreyes is starting in his place Tuesday night.

The Yankees also signed and selected infield prospect Tyler Wade to take Castro’s spot on the roster.

Of course, the Spurs end up with the top player on the board. White has a top-20 grade on our board, as a three-level scorer that can also really pass it and play both guard positions. He’s not an elite athlete, but he’s cerebral, and Gregg Popovich will love getting a chance to develop him further.

The Lakers end up with Josh Hart, a guy they likely would have picked at 28 had they stayed there. Hart helps their depleted wing position a ton. He’s tough, can knock down shots and will be able to play sooner rather than later. The Lakers should end up with a rotation wing here.

The Hornets have moved this pick to the Pelicans, who will take Jackson. New Orleans traded Tim Frazier this past week, and will likely try to develop Jackson to take over that Cheap China Jerseys role Cheap Blank Hockey Jerseys behind Jrue Holiday, who the Pelicans hope to re-sign. It’s a good pickup for minimal value.

The Suns certainly could use more help on the wing, and Reed will provide a 3-and-D weapon for Phoenix. It’s a bit of a reach, especially with others who were on the board, but he has a shot to stick.