ekansekans's blog: "df"

EL SEGUNDO, Calif. Ray Nitschke Jersey . -- Kobe Bryant has missed the last week of practice with an injury. His teammates still dont know their new offence. And the Los Angeles Lakers just finished the first winless preseason in franchise history. Ready or not -- and most signs point to not -- the Lakers regular season has arrived. Bryant sat out Monday while his teammates went through a lengthy workout ahead of Tuesday nights opener against Dallas. Its the first of four games in six days for a star-studded club with championship aspirations, but plenty of work ahead. "I think all of us are ready (for) the popcorn and the lights to come on tomorrow," said Dwight Howard, who played in just two preseason games while returning deliberately from back surgery. "Its not going to come overnight. We all understand that. We just have to stay patient through the whole process. We have to keep working, and well be fine." Bryant might not be fine for a bit longer. The fifth-leading scorer in NBA history is resting his right foot, which was bruised and strained last week, and the Lakers wont decide whether hell play against the Mavericks until game time. He showed up at the Lakers training complex Monday for treatment and practice, yelling at his teammates from the sideline while Jodie Meeks ran with the Los Angeles starters. "Weve got to worry about that when it comes, but I can see him playing tomorrow, definitely," Metta World Peace said of Bryant. "When Kobe is hurt, whether its the preseason or the playoffs, he plays. ... Kobe has never been afraid to be hurt and play. I think his mind is different from other people." Indeed, Bryant has played through all manner of injuries in his career, particularly in the past few seasons, so his absence from practice concerns coach Mike Brown. Bryants leadership and court sense is particularly valuable while the Lakers integrate two new starters and a revamped bench into a new offence, but Kobe hasnt been available for significant stretches of camp. "If there is one guy thats capable of sitting out and then playing in a game, its Kobe," Brown said. "Theres concern there, because you want him to be healthy, but thats why were a team. He has bounced back from a lot of stuff. You know it had to be serious if hes been out this long." At least Brown had good news on other injuries Monday: Howard is good to go for the Lakers season-opening back-to-back games and beyond, with no limitations on his minutes, while backup big man Jordan Hill also is expected to play after taking the day off from practice. While his players heal, the coach is still waiting for his club to grasp the intricacies of its new Princeton-inflected offence. Brown deliberately installed the new schemes slowly, but the absences of Howard and Bryant from several preseason games set back the teams development. "It obviously gets in the way of our growth when we dont have a full lineup, especially two key guys," said Steve Nash, who played sparingly in his first preseason with Los Angeles. "I think in the long run, well get plenty of time. Its just a matter of how quickly we can get some chemistry and some success." But the losses couldnt have helped the Lakers confidence in that offence, either. Los Angeles went 0-8 for the first time, blowing late leads and getting blown out with equal ineptitude. Brown doesnt believe the preseason reveals anything about his starting lineups progress or the depth of a bench that hasnt played well at all in October, and he sees the offence as the biggest problem for his defence so far. With more turnovers resulting from poor execution of the offence, Los Angeles theoretically sturdy defence in front of the dominant Howard has been giving up transition points in bunches. Yet even amid all of the losses and injuries, the Lakers know theyve got the chance for a remarkable season. Theyve largely avoided commenting on Oklahoma Citys trade of James Harden to Houston, ostensibly weakening the defending Western Conference champions and opening the door for Los Angeles a bit wider. Until the Lakers get a few wins in their own column, they wont be thinking about other teams losses. "I see it, I feel it, and I know its going to be great for us later on," Pau Gasol said. "We just have to stay with it and be persistent." John Kuhn Jersey . Now, Sinclair will lead the entire Canadian Olympic Team at the finale of the Games. The Canadian Olympic Committee has announced that Sinclair will carry the maple leaf into the London 2012 Olympic Games Closing Ceremony. Mason Crosby Jersey . Athletic director Jeff Hammond announced in a statement released by the school that Johnson would not return after a miserable 0-12 season that ended with a loss to Memphis on Saturday. http://www.nflpackersgearshop.com/randall-cobb-jersey/ . Garza hasnt pitched since he felt stiffness in his right elbow in a July 21 start at St. Louis. An MRI of his elbow showed some irritation at the tip of a bone in what is being characterized a "stress reaction. C.J. Wilson Jersey . For Abel, of Laval, Que., and Heymans, of St-Lambert , Que., near-perfection was necessary in the womens synchronized 3-metre competition, as the Canadians managed to edge Australia to the top of the podium by just 4.8 points. Abel and Heymans finished with a total of 323. Packers Hats . Minutes and developing chemistry are the important things, especially for the revamped Utah Jazz.CLEVELAND -- New Cleveland owner Jimmy Haslam III wants the greatest Browns player of them all to have a role with his team. Haslam spent an hour Saturday night meeting with Hall of Famer Jim Brown, who had been estranged from the Browns for more than two years after he was relieved of his duties as a senior adviser under outgoing owner Randy Lerner. While having dinner together along with their wives, Haslam and Brown connected and came away agreeing to stay in touch. "Jim and I both agreed that it makes total sense for him to be involved with the Browns, and we both agreed it didnt make sense to rush into anything," Haslam said Sunday before the Browns were beaten 24-14 by the Buffalo Bills. "We agreed to talk on an as-needed basis and get together at some to-be-determined time in the future. He travels a lot and we travel a lot and hopefully well find a time to get together. "But I had a really enjoyable visit. Besides being a great football player, hes a great man." Brown, too, came away feeling positive. "We had a fantastic meeting from my point of view," the 76-year-old Brown said. "Very special, very insightful, very open. No trickery, just straight-out honesty. Hes willing to learn, understand certain principles, done a lot of homework on a lot of individuals. It couldnt have been a better meeting for me." Brown had stayed away from team functions for two years. In 2010, he boycotted a ceremony when he and 16 Browns Hall of Famers were inducted into a ring of honour at the stadium. But after weekend of seeing former teammates and old friends, Brown was glad to be back in Cleveland, his NFL home for nine seasons. "People said welcome back, and that was a very nice thing to hear," Brown said. "Because ultimately theres nothing I can be but a Brown. I didnt play for anybody else, I didnt set any records anywhere else, I didnt win any championships anywhere else. So Im stuck with you guys, whether you want me or not. Theres nothing you can do. This is my home." At halftime, Brown was on the field as former teammate Ernie Green was inducted into the Browns legends club along with former safety Clarence Scott. Limited Clay Matthews Jersey. During the weekend, Brown also met with Browns president Mike Holmgren. It was Holmgren who had offered Brown a reduced position with the team in 2010, leading to the franchise rushing leaders split with the team. "It was positive," Brown said of his talk with Holmgren. "The interesting thing is that all parties seem to be on the same page from the standpoint of the position that were in. The team has been sold. It becomes official sometime next month and were all fighting for the same thing, which is to win. "So Mike was very gracious in his conversation with me and the interesting thing is what Im most interested in is to be a part of winning. It was so funny because we were talking about a lot of things and the thing came up about well whatever we talk about or whatever great ideas we have, were gonna have to win." Following Sundays game, Brown finally got a chance to speak in person to rookie running back Trent Richardson. Before the Browns drafted the former Alabama star, Brown created controversy by calling Richardson "ordinary." Brown has since said his words were meant to motivate the 22-year-old. Richardson was thrilled to have the chance to speak with arguably the best running back in NFL history. "It was a shaking moment for me," said Richardson, who was overwhelmed that Brown wanted to meet with him. "He said, Youre going in the right direction. Just seeing him, I was real nervous. I didnt know how the outcome was gonna be, but at the same time, its Jim Brown." Richardson said Browns words inspired him. "Hes a person that loves people and loves being around people," said Richardson, who was held to 27 yards on 12 carries by the Bills. "Hes the type of guy thats an icon, always been an icon, always been a fighter, always been a winner. So one of the powerful things he said to me is keep trying no matter what. Dont get to the point where youre settling for anything. Dont give up. Keep going no matter what. Keep striving." ' ' '