FIVE QUICK NBA THOUGHTS 1. wholesale jerseys . KYLE LOWRY (Raptors): This is great news for Raps fans. He was in a nice spot with demand from other teams and he cashed in quite well. Bottom line, market value sets the price point and its the cost of doing business. Hes the heart and soul of their team and was an important guy to keep, mission accomplished. This is an important point to consider - the fact that he makes more money doesnt mean hes going to be an even better player than he was last year. Its a tough thing for players who sign big deals; they feel they need to live up to the money and contract. Realistically, if he can provide them what he did last season on a consistent basis and stay healthy the next three to four years - where do I sign up? Good get even if the money is a tad bit high but again its all about right place and right time for Lowry and for the Raptors. Its a deal that makes both good basketball and organizational sense. I love the addition of Patrick Patterson as a restricted free agent to the mix as well. Hes a good young player whose best days lie ahead for him. His perimeter shooting, defence, rebounding and overall toughness are a good piece for this group. Obviously, he ended up being for the Raps what Andrea Bargnani was supposed to be yet at a much more reasonable price. Good deal. Hopefully Greivis Vasquez gets done soon as well. Fingers crossed. Off to a nice start though. Masai Ujiris surely has planned his work and is working his plan. 2. BEN GORDON (Magic): What a Country! I cant believe he got a two-year deal, even if whole money amount isnt guaranteed. Im sure if former Detroit Pistons president, Joe Dumars is walking on a beach this summer thinking about the moves that cost him his job; this guy and Charlie Villaneuvas deals are right at the top of the list. He gets another chance to resuscitate his career with Magic but Im skeptical of this one. 3. SHAUN LIVINGSTON (Warriors): Im happy for him. Hes battled back from major injury in his career and hes not the player he once was in his early Clippers days, but he has reinvented himself and thats a testament to his work ethic and character. Hes a dependable pro and plays the game hard and right. Hell be a nice mature addition to Coach Steve Kerrs locker room. 4 LeBRON JAMES (Heat): Pat Rileys has to be sweating a bit here. So far no luck attracting the other pieces to compliment the King and hes evaluating his options as he should. He is legitimate by the contract he and the heat negotiated in good faith. Who knows how it will all work out with him and even a guy like Carmelo Anthony. Bottom line, guys want to get paid at the highest level as well as the mid and lower tier players. Your sales pitch as a team beyond winning is still how much cap space do you have and what percentage of it am I getting? 5. NO STATE INCOME TAX: You hear this all the time about states like Texas and Florida, that their free agent pitches have a built in competitive advantage. Heres my question; in cap-centric leagues like the NBA, NHL and NFL, I wonder why this loophole wouldnt be closed. In my opinion, the cap is set up to level the playing field and teams in states that have a distinct advantage with the net income equation have the upper hand. Not sure if this has ever been considered but my thought is based upon this advantage - why dont the leagues set the cap based upon what the money means on the back end in net income per team, so its equal. In 98 per cent of the cases youre dealing with players that are in the highest taxable tax bracket in their state or Country, so why not do the research and base the cap number (which is equal) to the after tax value in each market and even the cap that way. Again, Im not sure if its ever been discussed or if it even makes any sense, Im just thinking out loud. Its probably too complicated an issue to work on but for the life of me I cant tell you why those teams in tax friendly states gain a major advantage. Its an issue for minds much greater than mine (not saying much there!) to figure out. Probably a wasted thought but thats what Im here for! Have a GREAT weekend! Cheap Sacramento Kings Jerseys . Kane returned to score a goal and added an assist, leading the Winnipeg Jets to a 3-2 victory over the Columbus Blue Jackets on Monday night. Cheap Bolton Wanderers Jerseys . - Golden State Warriors owner Joe Lacob says the team is pushing back plans to build an arena on the San Francisco waterfront at least one year.AUGUSTA, Ga. - Young and old. Even without Tiger Woods, this Masters has a little bit of everything. Twenty-year-old Jordan Spieth is making quite a bid to become golfs youngest major champion in more than 80 years with three straight sub-par rounds in his Augusta National debut. Hell have to fend off 50-year-old Miguel Angel Jimenez and 54-year-old Fred Couples, both hoping to become the sports oldest major champion. And lets not forget Bubba Watson, who stumbled a bit on moving day but will go for his second green jacket in three years from the final group. Spieth, who last year became the youngest PGA tour winner since the Depression at age 19, shot a 2-under 70 on Saturday to share the lead with Watson. "This is the place Ive always dreamt about," said Spieth, who was 5 under for the tournament. "I thought it was a good fit for my game. So far, so good." He has a shot at becoming the youngest major winner since Tom Creavey, just a few months younger when he won the PGA Championship in 1931. Watson had four bogeys on the front side Saturday — twice as many as he had in the first two rounds combined — and slid back to an emboldened group of challengers with a 74. Hell go out in the last group with Spieth on Sunday. "Were pretty good friends," Watson said. "Its going to be fun. It will be interesting, but be fun. Hopefully one of us wins, if not me hopefully him." Matt Kuchar (68) and Jonax Blixt (71) were one shot back at 212. Jimenez (66) and Ricky Fowler (67) were another shot behind. Watson, the 2012 Masters champion, posted two rounds in the 60s to start the tournament, giving him a three-stroke lead and the largest 36-hole edge since Chad Campbell in 2006. By the time he made the turn in front of the historic clubhouse and that big oak tree, the edge was gone. He got it back with a birdie at the 10th, but a three-putt par at the par-5 13th kept things close, another par at the par-5 15th was a disappointment, and a bogey at the 16th left him staggering to the finish. It shaped up to be a wide-open Sunday with Woods on the sideline for the first time in his career, recovering from back surgery. Lee Westwood (70), Jim Furyk (72) and Thomas BBjorn (73) were all in the mix. Cheap Toronto Maple Leafs Jerseys. And Couples did enough to hang around, managing a 73 that kept him within five strokes of the lead. Watson bogeyed the first hole, then struck a brilliant approach shot that rolled up about 5 feet from the flag to set up an eagle 3 at the second. That would be one of his few highlights. Jimenez posted the best round of the tournament thus far and matched the lowest score ever for a senior golfer at Augusta National. Ben Hogan was 54 when he shot 66 during the third round of the 1967 tournament, and Couples matched it at age 50 during the opening round in 2010. The Spaniard known as "The Mechanic" finished up with a par at the 18th about the time Watson was teeing off at the adjacent first hole, having sliced into a 10-shot deficit by taking advantage of warm, sunny conditions. There was barely a hint of the swirling breezes that can make Augusta so treacherous. Jimenez has never won a major championship but hes been a perennial contender, capturing a new generation of fans with his unique stretching routine before each round, his red ponytail, and his fondness for wine and cigars. "Just because you are 50 does not mean you cannot play golf," said Jimenez, one of six 50-and-older golfers to make the Masters cut. "Im still flexible. I hit the ball longer than ever." His wasnt the only new entry in the Masters record book. Gary Woodland matched the lowest score ever on the front nine with a 6-under 30, and actually got his score to 7 under with another birdie at the 10th. But the 29-year-old American couldnt keep it going through Amen Corner, where a bogey at the 11th and a double bogey on 12 stifled his momentum. Woodland struggled down the stretch and settled for a 69, which left him at 216. Mike Weir of Brights Grove, Ont., also struggled to a 79 and was well back at 8-over-par 224. Defending champion Adam Scott couldnt get anything going, his chances of becoming only the fourth back-to-back winner in Masters history fading away with an ugly 40 on the front side. He faced a six-stroke deficit heading to Sunday, a daunting challenge with so many players in between him and the lead. But plenty of others were ready to seize the spotlight. cheap jerseys wholesale jerseys ' ' '