LINCOLNSHIRE, Ill.
Casey Hayward Jersey . -- There were some emotional moments and some funny stories as Joakim Noah accepted the NBAs Defensive Player of the Year award on Monday, like this one. The Chicago Bulls centre recalled a grueling workout with coach Tom Thibodeau. "I told Thibs, If we werent winning games, I would really, really hate you," he said. "And he said, Trust me, Jo, I feel the same way about you." Noah laughed. So did Thibodeau. With their drive and desire, those two are in many ways a perfect match. And when it came to this years award, it was no contest. Noah got 100 of a possible 125 first-place votes from a panel of sportswriters and broadcasters and wound up with 555 points. Indianas Roy Hibbert (166 points, eight first-place votes) and the Los Angeles Clippers DeAndre Jordan (121 points, eight first-place votes) came in second and third, respectively. "This is very humbling to be in this situation right now," Noah said as his famous father Yannick, his mom, his sisters and brother all watched from the front row. He told coach Tom Thibodeau: "Without your system, this wouldnt be possible." The only other Bulls player to win the award was Michael Jordan in 1988. Besides joining the greatest player in franchise history, Noahs name gets added to an impressive list of centres to take the honour. It includes stars such as Hakeem Olajuwon, Dikembe Mutombo, Alonzo Mourning, David Robinson, Dwight Howard. And now, Noah. The recognition comes after Noah helped Chicago win 48 games and earn home-court advantage in the first round of the playoffs despite losing Derrick Rose to a season-ending knee injury and trading away Luol Deng. The Bulls won more games than any other Eastern Conference team after New Years Eve before stumbling in the post-season opener against Washington. Game 2 is Tuesday, another test for a team and a player who have passed their share. Noah had some issues with teammates and coaches after he was drafted out of Florida in 2007. But theres little question who the teams most valuable player was this season. When the Bulls looked like they might fall apart, Noah kept them together. The irony is the defensive player award comes at a time when hes getting as much praise for his ability on offence, a weakness his first few years in the league. Noah averaged career highs of 12.6 points, 11.3 rebounds and 5.4 assists. Hes a focal point on offence and one of the leagues best passing big men, with the ball often being funneled through him. He also remains their anchor on defence with his ability to cover ground and rotate onto smaller players in pick-and-roll situations creates havoc for opponents. He averaged 1.5 blocks. "Its been really fun for all of his to watch him and his game evolve and grow over the years," general manager Gar Forman said. "Hes a competitor. Hes passionate. Hes intelligent and hes a leader. But along with that, what Joakim probably is is the best teammate that Ive had a chance to witness in the 16 years that Ive been with the Chicago Bulls." The recognition comes at a difficult time for Noah, whose youth basketball mentor and second father figure Tyrone Green recently died. He dedicated the award to him, recalled sleeping on his couch in the summer as a teenager and forgoing trips with his mom and sister to work on his game. Green believed he could make Noah into an NBA player even if his own father had doubts. "We were watching a game," said Yannick Noah, the former tennis star. "(Joakim) was 15 or 16 years old. Mr. Green told me, Ill get him there, well get him there. I said, Where are you gonna get him -- to the next tournament or the ABCD camp or something? And he said, No, were gonna get him there to the NBA, and I never believed that." Why not? "He was too skinny, couldnt shoot," Yannick Noah said. "He couldnt jump, couldnt do a lot of things. The only thing I knew he had was his drive." Look where it got him.
Brandon Mebane Jersey . 42 sitting next to the bench. The 57-year-old with greying hair couldnt box out or grab a rebound, but owner Ted Leonsis waved his red towel and egged on a cheering crowd that chanted "Free Nene!" The Wizards did just fine without the suspended Brazilian forward.
Kellen Winslow Jersey . -- The Denver Broncos retired John Elways No.
http://www.authenticchargersnflfansmall.com/c-17-chargers-jahleel-addae-jersey.aspx .Y. -- Syracuse guard Trevor Cooney was mired in a shooting slump, and his woes coincided with a late-season swoon by the Orange.SAINT-ETIENNE, France -- Because of dopings ravages on cycling, its natural for suspicion to fall on Vincenzo Nibali, who led the Tour de France on Thursday for a 10th time in 12 stages. But Nibali says the sport has changed, doping cases have become rare, and "this theme belongs to the past." The Italian has had a praiseworthy, almost unbreakable lock on the yellow jersey, yet he will be looking over his shoulder more on Friday. The great race enters two days in the Alps that feature uphill finishes, starting with the hardest climb that the peloton has faced so far. Off the roads, Nibali said he expected questions about doping, a scourge of much of the last generation, for whom performance-enhancers such as blood-booster EPO or human growth hormone, and methods like blood-doping were common. Many cycling experts say the sport has greatly cleaned up its act. On Thursday, the Sky team, which has won the last two Tours, sacked British cyclist Jonathan Tiernan-Locke after he was banned for an irregular biological passport. He was not a Tour rider, but few would say the Tour peloton was totally clean. Dopings shadow remains at the Tour, among team staffers, and even a rider or two. Nibalis team, Astana, was kicked out of the 2007 Tour after its star rider Alexandre Vinokourov tested positive for banned blood transfusions. He served his ban, returned to racing, and won gold at the London Olympics. Vinokourov is now Astanas general manager. Rider Michele Scarponi who, like Nibali, won the Giro dItalia and was racing in this Tour, was given a three-month ban in 2012 for seeing banned physician Michele Ferrari, a longtime adviser of Lance Armstrong. Nibali says Astana has changed. "Ive chosen Astana for the possibility to build a group that I can trust to bring me at a competitive level for important races like the Giro, the Tour and the (Spanish) Vuelta," he said. "There have been many mistakes in cycling in the past, by many riders, but they belong to the past," Nibali said. "We now have a biological passport, out-of-compettition controls, controls at home .
Custom Los Angeles Chargers Jerseys. . "Nobody can say that cycling hasnt changed. Nowadays, there is an isolated case. Theres always the possibility that an idiot does something stupid ..." Nibali, a native of Messina, Sicily, nicknamed the "Shark of the Strait" after the Strait of Messina, is trying to become only the sixth rider in history to win all three Grand Tours of France, Italy and Spain. He would also be the first Italian to win the Tour since Marco Pantani in 1998. The late Pantani was convicted in Italy of doping offences during his career. Giuseppe Martinelli, a cycling guru who worked with Pantani for years before they fell out, is an Astana manager. "Thanks to him," Nibali said of Martinelli through a translator, "I became closer to the Astana team that has invested a lot in an Italian group in order to regain credibility." To succeed Pantani, Nibali is keeping an eye out on other race contenders: Richie Porte of Australia trails by 2 minutes, 23 seconds, and Alejandro Valverde of Spain was third, 2:47 back. The mostly flat 185.5-kilometre (115.5-mile) course from Bourg-en-Bresse to Saint-Etienne in southeastern France was well suited for a possible sprint finish and thats how it was won by Alexander Kristoff, a Norwegian specialist with Katusha. American rider Andrew Talansky pulled out before the stage due to back pain from two previous crashes. A day earlier, the Garmin-Sharp leader rode for hours and finished last. Stage 13 will put riders legs under the most strain yet. The 197.5-kilometre (123-mile) trek begins in Saint-Etienne and will crescendo: It first covers a mid-sized climb and the Category 1 Palaquit pass, and finally an 18-kilometre (12-mile) ascent to Chamrousse -- one of cyclings hardest climbs. "Im sure our rivals will try to attack but on the other hand, if I can gain some seconds, Ill go for it," the race leader said. "Ill have to evaluate the strength of my adversaries and consider every race situation." The race has 10 more days.
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