LAS VEGAS -- Chris Paul has already seemingly done the impossible by turning the long-languishing Los Angeles Clippers into a force in the Western Conference. Now hes taken on another big task -- rebuilding the reeling NBA players association. Paul was elected president of the players union Wednesday, replacing Derek Fisher and giving an organization cloaked in turmoil some much-needed star power at the top. The vote by NBA player representatives came six months after the union fired Billy Hunter as executive director, a position that remains vacant and follows about 18 months of in-fighting and drama that occurred during the negotiations for the latest collective bargaining agreement. Hunter countered with a wrongful-termination lawsuit in May, accusing Fisher of conspiring with NBA officials during the 2011 lockout. "Its not about me as president or the first vice-president, its about the players as a whole," Paul said in a conference call Wednesday night. One of Pauls greatest gifts on the court is an ability to get everyone involved and make his teammates better. Now hell try to do the same thing with the union. After the lockout ended and the lawsuits started to take hold, there was a feeling among many players and observers that putting a big name in the big chair would help galvanize the group and get star players interested in participating again. That once was commonplace, with marquee players Bob Cousy, Oscar Robertson, Alex English and Isiah Thomas all serving as union presidents. But Paul, a six-time All-Star who is widely regarded as the best point guard in the league, is the first big star to hold the top spot since Patrick Ewings run ended in 2001. Role players Michael Curry, Antonio Davis and Fisher, who had been in charge since 2006, followed Ewing. "That wasnt a requirement, but I think it gives us a little more oomph, I guess, having somebody like him wanting to step up and take on that role," Charlotte Bobcats forward Anthony Tolliver said in a phone interview. "It means a lot." Paul served as a vice-president for the last four years, so he has intimate knowledge of the inner workings of the union, and the trouble that engulfed it recently. "It was something I saw as a challenge, something I knew Id be able to handle," Paul said. "Its an unbelievable opportunity, a lot of responsibility comes with this position but Im very fortunate to have an outstanding of committee guys. The past couple of days have been outstanding, the dialogue weve had as an executive committee also with the players that have come in town, it was amazing." The decision to appoint a new executive director to replace Hunter will come at a later date. "We definitely discussed (hiring an executive director), but theres no rush," Paul said. "For us, its all about getting our house in order and making sure that everything moves right in that direction." In meetings at the Venetian Hotel, Roger Mason Jr. was elected first vice-president. He replaced Jerry Stackhouse, who resigned from the office and is expected to take a position within the union. There are several issues that the league has been waiting to discuss with the union while they searched for new leadership, most notably the possible implementation of testing for HGH. Commissioner David Stern, who is retiring in February and handing the reins over to deputy commissioner Adam Silver, has said multiple times this summer that testing for HGH was a priority. "Chris is an All-Star player and person and we look forward to working with him," Silver said in a statement. Tolliver, who has long been one of the most devoted player representatives in the league, and Steve Blake were elected vice-presidents, filling the executive committee positions vacated by Paul and Mason. "This is not a position thats about me or one person," Paul said. "Its about the collective group and the players and I think from my experience ... its about growing the game and expanding our brand and continue to get our players involved as we can and make sure our voice is heard. The guys here just understand its our union, theres no one person that is bigger than the group." Paul said the union needed a "rebuild," and he was looking forward to rolling up his sleeves and getting to work. Tolliver agreed, saying it was time for a "fresh start" after a messy time in the unions history. "We want to make sure that nothing remotely close that has gone on in the union in the past 12 months or so will ever happen again," Tolliver said. "Its a huge job. Its a huge responsibility. Im glad to be a part of that." Pauls ascension could pave the way for more involvement from the biggest names in the game. LeBron James considered running for the job before deciding against it, and Paul is an All-NBA first team player who has been tight with James for years. "Since Ive been in the NBA the superstars have come to a few meetings here and there, every once in a while, but not very often," Tolliver said. "The fact that (James) even considered doing that lets me know that hes going to be more involved in the future. ... Especially him being the face of our game, we want to have him involved as much as possible. Not only him, we want all the guys that carry our brand to be a part of this."
Air Max 95 Baratas . Thats 14 consecutive losses to the two-time defending champs, and most of them were over before they even began. Result notwithstanding, Sundays game had a very different feel to it.
Venta De Air Max 95 . Martin Reway and David Griger both recorded four points with a goal and three assists each. Mario Lunter, Daniel Gachulinec and Stanislav Horansky also scored for Slovakia (1-0). Dominik Kahun had both goals for Germany (0-2), who lost its opening match to Canada 7-2 on Thursday.
http://www.airmax95baratas.es/ . Wearing bib No. 1, Maze skied through the gates cleanly to defend her big first-run lead and finish 0.07 seconds ahead of Anna Fenninger of Austria. Defending champion Viktoria Rebensburg of Germany was third, trailing 0.
Comprar Air Max 95 Baratas . -- Michael Phelps is 0 for 1 in his comeback to the pool.
Air Max 95 Outlet España .com) - Troy Brouwer scored the game-winning goal with just 12.The Oklahoma City Thunder received a huge boost from a returning Serge Ibaka in Game 3 of the Western Conference finals against the San Antonio Spurs and will try to even the series Tuesday night in Game 4 at Chesapeake Energy Arena. Watch the game live on TSN and TSN GO at 9pm et/6pm pt. The Thunder earned their first win of the set with Sundays 106-97 victory and Ibaka played a big role. After suffering a left calf strain against the Los Angeles Clippers in the previous round, Ibaka was ruled out for the remainder of the postseason. He missed the first two games of the conference finals in San Antonio, but word changed on Friday that the big man had improved tremendously and was considered day-to-day. Ibaka started Game 3 and dominated early, going 4-for-4 from the floor in first quarter. He finished with 15 points, seven rebounds and four blocks in just under 30 grueling, limping minutes. "I was so emotional, but you couldnt really tell because I was on the court," Ibaka said. "I just want to thank my teammates, thank Russell, he tried to get me going early in the game. Kevin (Durant), (Kendrick) Perkins, Reggie (Jackson). I will never stop thanking them for tonight. I will never forget that. It was very special tonight." Without Ibaka, the Thunder allowed the Spurs to shoot at least 50 percent in the first two tilts and San Antonio won them by a combined 52 points. The Spurs shot just 39.6 percent (36-of-91) from the floor in Game 3. Westbrook finished 8-of-19 from the field after missing seven of his first eight shots, netting 26 points to go with eight rebounds and seven assists. Durant added 25 points and 10 boards for the Thunder, who held a commanding 52-36 advantage on the glass. Reggie Jackson, who was inserted into the starting lineup for Thabo Sefolosha, also had 15 in the win. Manu Ginobili nailed six 3-pointers and scored 23 points for San Antonio, which hass dropped eight straight to the Thunder in OKC, including the postseason.dddddddddddd. Tim Duncan added 16 and Kawhi Leonard chipped in 10 in the loss. "I was very disappointed that we didnt come out with more of a foot in the neck sort of an attitude," admitted Spurs coach Gregg Popovich. "They killed us on the board, they beat us on 50/50 balls, and thats very disappointing to me. Thats not the way you approach a game." Ibaka carried OKC in the first quarter, but San Antonio led by one after the first 12 minutes. Westbrook nailed a pair of pull-up triples in the final 30 seconds of the half, including one at the buzzer to give the Thunder a 57-53 cushion heading into the break. Two Perkins free throws at the 8:36 mark of the third capped a 10-2 burst and gave the Thunder a 67-57 cushion. His bonus shots provided OKC its first points not supplied by either Durant or Westbrook since a Jackson floater with 4:01 to play in the second. Ginobili nailed a left wing trey to pull San Antonio within 75-71 with 2:46 to go in the period, but the Thunder extended the margin to 83-76 at the conclusion of the third and then put the game away early in the fourth. Oklahoma Citys lead grew to as many as 20 and the Spurs couldnt get it into single digits. "I think the biggest thing that changed was the intensity on the defensive end," said Durant. "We still turned the ball over more than we should have, but I think we always had great intentions and we moved the ball from side to side tonight." In league history, 94 percent of teams to open a seven-game set 2-0 have gone on to advance. The Spurs sadly know all about the six percent. San Antonio held this exact margin in the 2012 Western Conference finals against Oklahoma City, only to lose the next four and watch the Thunder lose to the Miami Heat in the NBA Finals. Game 5 will be Thursday night in San Antonio. ' ' '
