lingzi
1454 posts
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LONDON —Dwight Howard held some of the championship trophies in the Los
Angeles Lakers facility Friday, the first act of the next phase of his NBA
career. Torrey Smith Jersey Elite . “Making some
wishes,” Howard said. One of his wishes has finally come true. At long last, hes
out of Orlando. It took four teams, 11 other players, five draft picks and
countless rounds of talks over many months, but the Orlando Magic decided the
time was right to start over without the NBAs best centre and end a saga that
has dogged the franchise for what seems like an eternity. Howard is off to play
alongside Kobe Bryant in Los Angeles, after a megadeal involving the Lakers,
Magic, Philadelphia and Denver was worked out Thursday and completed Friday
after the NBA reviewed and approved the particulars. “It was just a very tough
situation for everybody to let go,” Howard said. “Im finally glad that its over
with. Myself and the Magic organization, we can all start over and begin a new
career. Today is a fresh new start for all of us.” As far as the other
headliners involved, Andrew Bynum leaves the Lakers for Philadelphia and
Andre Iguodala is heading to Denver. “Are we taking a step back? Absolutely, we
are,” Magic general manager Rob Hennigan said. “But were taking a step back with
a vision.” Even while otherwise busy at the London Olympics, Bryant quickly
proclaimed that the Lakers are “locked and loaded to bring back the title.” He
spoke with Howard on Friday morning, and interrupted his pursuit of a gold medal
—the Americans will play for another of those Sunday—to talk about how the
Lakers look very much like a major contender for another NBA title. “Ill
probably play two or three more years. Then the team is his,” Bryant said. “Im
excited for the franchise because now they have a player that can carry the
franchise well after Im gone. This should be his and he should want to accept
that challenge.” Time will tell. Howard, who may not be ready for the start of
the season while continuing to recover from back surgery that he had performed
in Los Angeles four months ago, plans to become a free agent next July. He could
stay with the Lakers. He could end up in Dallas, which should have oodles of cap
space. Maybe the Brooklyn Nets—one of Howards preferred destinations
throughout this saga—find a way into the mix again. “I told him this is a
great place for him,” Bryant said. “You talk about all the great centres this
team has had. Now hes the next in line.” Bryant said the Lakers should be poised
to win now. The Magic, they might not be saying that for years. After an
off-season when the Magic fired coach Stan Van Gundy and general manager Otis
Smith, theyre now truly beginning anew. In 1996, the Magic watched
Shaquille ONeal sign as a free agent with the Lakers. At least this time, when
they lost someone with the “Superman” nickname, they got something back. “Next
season, and really subsequent seasons, are going to be about getting better
every day,” Hennigan said. Orlando got guard Arron Afflalo and forward
Al Harrington from Denver, forward Moe Harkless and centre Nikola Vucevic from
Philadelphia, and forward Josh McRoberts and guard Christian Eyenga from the
Lakers. The Lakers acquired Howard, guard Chris Duhon and forward Earl Clark
from Orlando. The Magic also traded guard Jason Richardson to Philadelphia.
Orlando also gets five draft picks over five years. “There will be no panic,”
Magic coach Jacque Vaughn said. “There will be no chaos.” The Lakers pulled off
the deal and somehow kept Pau Gasol in the process—something many didnt
expect when the Los Angeles first started getting mentioned in the Howard trade
mix. “It makes the NBA that much more exciting,” Knicks forward and U.S.
Olympian Carmelo Anthony said. Not everyone shared that sentiment. “I really
dont care,” Thunder star Kevin Durant said. The trade was announced during the
Spain-Russia semifinal matchup at the Olympics. Gasol scored 16 points, helping
the Spanish team reach the gold medal game with a 67-59 win. Afterward, that
seemed secondary. He was still with the Lakers, and now has the games most
dominant big man alongside him. For a moment, gold-medal talk was pushed aside
for NBA title chatter. “I think its something that puts us in a position of
being an extremely powerful team and a team with all the chances of going for
the ring again,” Gasol said. The 76ers got involved in trade talks about a month
ago, first reaching out to the Magic to inquire about landing Howard themselves.
Not long after realizing that wouldnt happen, the talks grew. And when Denver
got involved, the pieces fell into place, although Lakers general manager Mitch
Kupchak said he wasnt sure a deal would happen 48 hours before things actually
got done. “One of the things we needed to do was we needed to get a post
presence, a guy who can score on the low block, give us size, rebounding,
defence,” said 76ers coach Doug Collins, in London working with NBC as an
analyst for Olympic basketball. “We think that Andrew is one of the top two NBA
centres in the league, so were thrilled about doing that. And were sad to lose
Andre. He helped us win a lot of games and in the two years that Ive been with
him.” Collins wont wait long to see Iguodala in another uniform: The Nuggets
open the season in Philadelphia on Oct. 31. Philadelphia believes it would have
a chance to keep Bynum long-term, noting that hes a native of neighbouring New
Jersey. “Weve gotten bigger, weve gotten stronger and weve gotten more athletic
than we were at this time last year,” 76ers President Rod Thorn said. “Andrew is
the best centre in the East. Anytime you have the best centre, its a real plus.
This is still a game that big men are very, very important in.” For the Lakers
to get Howard, they needed to give up the All-Star centre—Bynum—theyve
nurtured since he was a 17-year-old draft pick. After two straight second-round
exits from the playoffs, the Lakers tore apart a very good team this summer in
an attempt to build a great one—a team that can give Bryant, a five-time NBA
champion who turns 34 next week, the chance to match Michael Jordans six rings
next year. “Andrew is a bright, hard-working man whos going to have a very
successful and productive NBA career. And we wish him well in Philadelphia,”
Kupchak said. The Lakers already made one splash in this off-season, getting
Steve Nash from Phoenix. So they got better at point guard, and did the same at
centre. Now the Lakers may have a roster that would rival the NBA champion Miami
Heat, Western Conference champ Oklahoma City and the rest of the NBAs best. “Its
crazy. It hasnt really hit me yet,” Howard said. “Im just happy to be here and
Im going to make the best out of it.” The Lakers starting lineup now includes
five former All-Stars with three MVP awards and four defensive
player-of-the-year awards. “Unreal!” Bryant said. Denver was thrilled to add
Iguodala, who said in turn said he was excited for whats next. “Its not often
you get the opportunity to improve your team by adding an All-Star player like
Andre Iguodala,” Nuggets executive vice-president of basketball operations Masai
Ujiri said. “Hes an Olympian, a great defender and a great all-around player.”
The Magic get a second-round draft pick from Denver next year, a first-round
pick from either Denver or New York in 2014, a conditional first-round pick from
Philadelphia and a conditional second-round pick from the Lakers in 2015, and a
conditional first-round pick from the Lakers in 2017. Orlando also will have a
$17.8 million trade exception to use over the next year. Howard averaged 20.6
points and 14.5 rebounds in 54 regular-season games for Orlando last season. In
eight seasons with the Magic, he averaged 18.4 points and 13.0 rebounds. He
entered last year as the subject of trade rumours, especially since he could
have opted out of his deal at seasons end and become a free agent. He decided
that he would not exercise that option, then found himself in another mess in
April when Van Gundy said team officials told him that Howard wanted him fired.
Howard denied it. Ultimately, it didnt matter. Van Gundys gone, Smith is gone,
and now so is Howard. “Sometimes, things dont work out the way everyone hopes,
and I think that was the case here,” Hennigan said. “We tried to establish a
relationship with Dwight that was built on interpersonal exchanges. We always
felt like that may evolve in one direction or another.” Turns out, that
direction was west. Howard said part of his rehab after back surgery was walking
around Beverly Hills, and hed routinely meet the same woman along the route.
“She would say, Come to the Lakers, come to the Lakers,” Howard said. “If shes
watching, Im here. Your wish came true.” Torrey Smith Womens Jersey . Romero (8-3)
gave up 11 hits, three walks and eight runs in six-plus innings as the Kansas
City Royals defeated Toronto 11-3 on Monday. Vonta Leach Jersey . “I didnt know until
(Maryland radio play-play announcer) Johnny Holiday told me while he was
interviewing me,” said Vasquez about scoring a triple-double. “Its a blessing
and Im thankful. I dont have any words to describe this feeling right now. http://www.ravensproshop.com/jimmy-smith-jersey
. Parmentier won 74 per cent of her first serves in the match and will next face
Heather Watson of Britain. Watson beat sixth-seeded Anabel Medina Garrigues of
Spain 6-7 (4), 6-2, 6-3. Ed Reed Jersey .C. —Yani Tseng and Na Yeon
Choi were feeling right at home in Vancouver during Thursdays opening round of
the Canadian Womens Open. Lardarius Webb Jersey . For six games, he
insisted that the Bruins could crack Tampa Bay’s passive forecheck system with a
particular play. In the third period of Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals,
he ran the play and it resulted in a goal by Nathan Horton, the only goal in
Boston’s series-clinching 1-0 victory at TD Garden.SARASOTA, Fla. —
Dontrelle Willis and the Baltimore Orioles have agreed to a minor league
contract. The 30-year-old lefty, who won 22 games in 2005, was released by the
Philadelphia Phillies on March 16. A two-time All-Star with the Florida Marlins,
Willis has pitched for four teams in nine seasons—all primarily as a starter.
The Phillies signed him to a non—guaranteed contract in December. Joe
Flacco Jersey. Willis, who was 1-6 with a 5.00 ERA in 13 starts
with Cincinnati last season, will report to the Orioles on Wednesday. He has a
career record of 72-69 with a 4.17 ERA, but is just 4-15 since 2008. In three
appearances this spring, Willis allowed five earned runs on five hits and four
walks in 2 2-3 innings. ’ ’ ’
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golu
262 posts
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