s in 51 regular-season and three playoff games. [url=

Five Quick Thoughts for a Wednesday: 1. KAWHI LEONARD & DANNY GREEN (Spurs): 44 points combined on 17-21 shooting in Game 3. Both were very assertive and set the tone in the first quarter. Brilliant! When these guys are playing the two-way game, the Spurs are a force. Wow. 2. D-WADE & LEBRON (Heat): Combined for 44 points but 12 turnovers combined is not going to cut it. Wade, in particular, was ineffective in the first half, leading to the Spurs blow out. LeBron was terrific in the first and faded after that. They need lots more support, yet these guys are capable of being more impactful and in particular more efficient. Their sloppy/careless play fed the Spurs rout. They need better than that. 3. DEREK FISHER (Knicks): Not surprised by his aftermath of Steve Kerr going to the Warriors. Hell have Phil Jacksons full support. Now its about fixing the roster and figuring out Carmelo Anthonys status. My one recommendation would be to hire experienced pro coaches who can help him in the transition from player to head coach. Phil Jackson was always smart to have veteran guys like Tex Winter and Johnny Bach with him. Job is tougher than it looks. Having older guys with lots of wisdom that arent angling for your job really helps when times get tough. Need folks that tell you what you need to hear. 4. BORIS DIAW (Spurs): Great move to start him in Game 3. Tony Parker looks like hes playing hurt and doesnt have the same pop/burst in his game right now. Need more play making and a guy that moves the ball quickly to teammates. Diaws numbers are respectable at nine points and five rebounds along with three assists, yet he had lots of Gretzky Passes -- the critical pass that leads to THE pass (assist). Hes a wonderful passer with off-the-charts basketball IQ and when you put him out there its like having a second point guard on the floor. 5. HEAT DEFENCE: Frist half was poor and overall giving up 111 points on 59 per cent shooting is a huge concern. Game 2 defense was sound but major slippage. Energy level was inept. Perimeter D and communication was surprisingly off kilter. Not typical of the Heat. Help and recovery and shot contests have to elevate. A shockingly poor performance for such a big stage. Lots to clean up. Ball pressure and compete level has to be back to form. Not as good a defensive team as past years yet not this bad. Expect to see much more focused group on Thursday. If not, theyre in huge trouble. Pick it way up. Anthony Tolliver Jersey . The Toronto Blue Jays star won his second consecutive Hank Aaron Award as the most outstanding offensive performer in the AL on Monday after votes by fans and a panel of Hall of Famers were tallied. Cheap Timberwolves Jerseys . He did one better Sunday by holing out a pitching wedge from 142 yards for eagle, capping a remarkable 28 on the back nine to win The Championship at Laguna National. http://www.cheaptimberwolvesjerseys.com/ . Hes still nowhere close to throwing yet. The four-time MVP was in good spirits when he made his first public appearance on the field since having neck surgery Sept. Tyus Jones Jersey . The team announced the moves before Sundays game against Houston. Shaw was 1-4 with a 4.26 ERA in 43 games for the Diamondbacks. Bergesen was claimed off waivers from Baltimore on Friday. Taj Gibson Jersey . Advancing to the Champions League quarterfinals should be a formality after Lionel Messi scored a penalty and Dani Alves added a late second to secure a commanding 2-0 advantage over City in the round of 16 on Tuesday.Its a big week for NCAA college players. The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) ruled that a group of Northwestern college football players, led by quarterback Kain Colter, are employees and have the right to form a union and bargain collectively. The NLRB is a U.S. government agency that deals with labor law. This matters because as a bargaining unit, players as a group can now start to ask for more - a lot more. Think about how baseball was changed when the players unionized and fought for their rights. So this decision will potentially have a major impact on college sports and force the NCAA to change how it does business. For decades, the NCAA has offered scholarships in exchange for athletic services. However, the NLRB says that falls short, and with this ruling, threatens to tear down the very foundation of the NCAA and its billion dollar business model. Control Control Control In concluding that players were entitled to employee status, NLRB director Peter Ohr focused on the level of control that Northwestern exercised over its student athletes. That level of control, he said, moved players from being primarily students to being athletes that have earned the right to unionize. If they were primarily students, they couldnt unionize. In ruling that Northwestern players were athletes first (and students second), he relied on a bunch of factors to demonstrate control over the players that no longer made them primarily students (like others on campus) and effectively turned them into employees. Here are a few of these factors: (a) The NCAA limits athletic activities to 20 hours per week during the season and 8 hours during the offseason. Despite that, Northwestern players dedicated 50 to 60 hours a week on football during training camp, and another 40 to 50 hours a week during the football season. While the workouts that would take players beyond the 20 hour cap were deemed "voluntary", players knew if they didnt show up there would be serious consequences. Some days players had to engage in football related activities from 5:45am to 10:30pm. Devoting so many hours a week to football was a massive consideration for the NLRB. The players basically had a second job: football. (b) Players allege they were steered away from certain courses because they conflicted with football. Colter wanted to go to medical school but was discouraged from taking a pre-med course because it conflicted with his football schedule. He ultimately ended up transferring to psychology. (c) Players have to abide by restrictive social media policies, and cant refuse a friend request on Facebook from a coach. They have to let the coach know the type of car they drive. As well, players are subject to alcohol and drug policies, as well as anti-gambling and anti-hazing policies. A violation of these policies can result in serious sanctions, including suspensions and revocation of scholarships. (d) If a player wants to get a job off campus, he needs permmission.dddddddddddd Hes required to live on campus while a freshman and sophomore. He also cant do interviews without the coachs approval. (e) The player cant profit off his own likeness and image; thats reserved for the university and the NCAA. (f) A player is prohibited from swearing in public, and if a player "embarrasses" the team, he can be suspended for one game. A second offense can result in a 1 year suspension. Players who transfer to another school to play football must sit out a year before they can compete for the new school. (g) During the regular season, the players must wear a suit to home games. (h) Players are required to remain within a six-hour radius of campus prior to football games. These are just some of the factors that Ohr relied on when he concluded that the university was exercising a level of control that converted the students into employees. Also important was that Northwestern was providing compensation in the form of scholarships in return for services that had nothing to do with academics. All The Benchmarks of an Employment Relationship So when it all shakes out, Ohr believed that this case had all the standard benchmarks of an employer/employee relationship, including controlling the employees schedule, the discretion to hire, fire or suspend the employee and evidence of compensation. What Do the Players Want They want to negotiate limits on practice time and medical benefits. Thats their starting point. They will probably also ask for a stipend to reflect cost of attendance. Remember that scholarships cover a lot – living expenses, tuition, room and board and book fees – but not everything. At some point, players may ask to be paid. The NCAA is big business. The media deal for NCAA football is a $7.3 billion/10 year deal, while the March Madness deal is valued at $10.8 billion over 14 years. Northwestern generated $235 million in revenue between 2003 and 2012 off things like ticket sales, television contracts, merchandise sales and licensing agreements. In 2012-2013 alone, the program generated $30.1 million in revenue, while spending about $5 million on scholarships. The university also says that its expenses add up to about $22 million all in for the football program. In theory, the players as employees could also be entitled to disability insurance, workers compensation and maybe even a pension. They could also be taxed on non-scholarship income they receive. Next Steps: Appeal Central As for next steps, the players will hold a vote to form a union, while Northwestern appeals the decision to the next level at the NLRB. If Northwestern is unsuccessful on appeal, they will probably refuse to bargain with the students and take the matter to federal court. So we could still be years away from a final decision. That being said, this was a potentially historic win for the players and a step closer toward sharing in the billion dollar pie that is the NCAA. 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