Dein erstes Forum » its way to becoming what it once was

NEW YORK -- Carmelo Anthony thinks the NBA should rebrand the D-League and invest more in developing our own players in the next collective bargaining agreement.If I had it my way, Id rebrand the whole D-League, Anthony told ESPN. Id rebrand it so its not seen as a punishment.As vice president of the National Basketball Players Association, Anthony said he has been pushing for a major investment in and overhaul of the D-League to create more jobs for young players and strengthen the NBAs player development system.ESPNs Ian Begley and Dave McMenamin reported Sunday that there is rising optimism on both sides that a new CBA can be agreed upon well in advance of the unions Dec. 15 opt-out deadline, and possibly as soon as the end of this month.Anthony said a major issue he has been emphasizing in collective bargaining talks is increasing the number of two-way contracts that allow players to play for both D-League and NBA teams, thereby creating 44-60 more jobs. He said he also has been addressing increasing pay for D-League players to make it as lucrative to play domestically as abroad, and language that will encourage all 30 NBA teams to have a D-League affiliate.The D-League will grow from 19 to 22 teams this year, but the players eventually would like to see all 30 teams with their own affiliate, Anthony said.Im a big advocate of developing our own players. If you look at soccer, for example, a lot of those clubs have top-notch academies, said Anthony, who co-owns a professional team in Puerto Rico. By me being in soccer now, Ive started to understand the dynamics of developing your own players. Weve got to keep our players here. We dont want them to have to go overseas. Custom Packers Jersey China . The move comes after the Canadiens were approached by the Buffalo Sabres for permission to speak to Dudley - a former Sabres player and head coach. 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Custom Rashan Gary Jersey .com) - The Calgary Flames aim to bounce back from their first regulation home loss of the campaign on Friday night when they host a Detroit Red Wings club that they swept in three meetings a season ago. Cheap Custom Packers Jersey . The 19-year-old Olsen played 34 games with the Kelowna Rockets of the WHL this season. In that time, hes recorded 17 goals and 17 assists with 36 penalty minutes. ATLANTA -- With a new stadium nearing completion right across the street, R.A. Dickey chuckled at the idea of not being the Atlanta Braves oldest starting pitcher next season.A mere 42, Dickey will be ceding that honor to 43-year-old Bartolo Colon.I gave myself the nickname Little Ugly, Dickey quipped Friday after formally introduced by the Braves in an office tower overlooking SunTrust Park. Big Sexy and Little Ugly are going to be leading it on.All kidding aside the Braves insist their unorthodox moves show how serious they are about contending again for a postseason spot.The major hole in their massive rebuilding plan was the starting rotation. Thats where Colon and Dickey come in, giving the Braves two guys who can eat up innings, mentor the younger pitchers and not require the sort of long-term commitment that might block the path of several top prospects who are still a year or two away.Colon and Dickey both agreed to one-year contracts with a team option for 2018.These arent four- or five-year deals. These wont, theoretically, block any of our kids, said general manager John Coppolella. It will just give them a little more time. Guys that may have been force-fed up here now have a little more time to get their sea legs under them as they turn into really good big league pitchers.In a way, the signings of Dickey and Colon show that the Braves timetable for a return to postseason contention has been pushed up a bit, coinciding neatly with the move from Turner Field to a $622 million suburban stadium that anchors a massive complex of retail shops, restaurants, office space, residential areas and a hotel.It was impossible to miss the symbolism of introducing Dickey from an eighth-floor suite that provided an ideal view of SunTrust Park and the furious construction activity going on below.This is a franchise that has undergone a major overhhaul, on and off the field.ddddddddddddIts a real honor for me to be a part of a very storied franchise that looks like its on its way to becoming what it once was, Dickey said. Im happy to be a part of that growth and hoping that I can add to what they did at the end of the year.Despite another 90-plus-loss season and bringing up the rear in the NL East, Atlantas strong finish indicated that better times arent too far away. The trade for slugger Matt Kemp and the emergence of players such as Dansby Swanson, Ender Inciarte and Adonis Garcia helped the Braves win 50 of their last 97 games, including a 12-2 spurt to close out the year.Our starting eight is really good, manager Brian Snitker said. Everybody feels very confident in what weve got going on, and rightly so.The Braves are still in talks to add another pitcher, perhaps even a top-of-rotation starter such as Chris Sale of the Chicago White Sox.But, for now, Colon and Dickey provide an aging insurance policy.Colon is coming off an All-Star season with the New York Mets, going 15-8 with a 3.43 and memorably becoming the oldest player to hit his first career homer. Dickey is more of a gamble, slumping down the stretch and getting dropped from Torontos rotation, but he still had more wins (going 10-15 with a 4.46 ERA) than anyone on the Braves.We didnt give up any players. It didnt cost us a draft pick, Coppolella said. Weve been in trade talks for players -- pitcher and non-pitchers -- but the price of doing business is really expensive right now. So for us to be able to add somebody where its only money is really important.---Follow Paul Newberry on Twitter at www.twitter.com/pnewberry1963 . His work can be found at http://bigstory.ap.org/content/paul-newberry ' ' '