Decks » quadriceps in Wednesday nights loss to Eastern Conf

Michele Roberts has watched basketball for as long as she can remember. It was an easy choice growing up in a home with one TV and two older brothers. When she saw an interview last year with an NBA player and noticed how passionately he talked about trying to improve his embattled union, she wanted to be more than a fan. She wanted to be involved. Now the Washington trial lawyer is the first woman to lead a North American pro sports union. Roberts was elected Tuesday as executive director of the National Basketball Players Association, and shes eager to provide the leadership it needs after a few difficult years. "They were looking for, not a man, not a woman, they were looking for a personality," Roberts said in a phone interview. "I think Im that personality and I intend to be what I have been in my entire practice, singularly devoted to this union. And thats what they were looking for. "Someone, whether it be a boy or a girl, who understood that this was their union, and they intended to run it, and they were looking for someone who appreciated that and was not going to deviate from that." Roberts received 32 of 36 votes at a meeting of players in Las Vegas, defeating tech industry CEO Dean Garfield and Dallas Mavericks CEO Terdema Ussery in the final vote. It capped a long and arduous process to replace Billy Hunter, who was ousted in February 2013. Roberts was one of the finalists initially offered to the rank-and-file during All-Star weekend in February, but the process was re-opened under another search committee at the urging of some players and agents. More than 100 players reconvened in Las Vegas this week, and after some tense moments leading up to the vote, Roberts emerged as the winner. "Obviously, I wouldve preferred that it happen sooner rather than later, but I completely understood when there were questions raised about the process," Roberts said. "Frankly, I would not have wanted them to ignore those questions and not affirmatively address those concerns. I wanted the job in February, but I wanted the job where there would be no questions about the fairness or the process, so I completely endorsed the executive committee to address these questions, and they did and now best I can tell theyre very pleased." The players considered more than 300 candidates during their 17-month search before picking Roberts, who has been called the finest trial lawyer in Washington by "Washingtonian Magazine." She said her new job will feature straight, honest talk, just like she delivers to a jury, and the strategizing that made her such a successful lawyer. The search to replace Hunter, who led the NBPA from 1996 until a review of the union was critical of his business practices, leaves players with less than two years to prepare for the next potential collective bargaining talks. Either the union or the league can opt out of the current agreement in 2017. The union has struggled for years with in-fighting and a lack of organization, and the players took a significant cut in their guarantee of basketball-related income -- 57 per cent to about 50 per cent, a drop of hundreds of millions annually in salary costs -- in the contentious lockout in 2011. League revenues are on the rise, a new TV contract is set to be negotiated in 2016 and franchise valuations are skyrocketing. "As far as Im concerned, preparations for CBA negotiations started yesterday," Roberts said. "Its at the top of my list of things that Ive been instructed to begin the process of preparing for, and sure its a lot to do, but Ive never been shy about hard work and long hours, so well get it done. Well be ready." NBA Commissioner Adam Silver congratulated Roberts in a statement, saying he looked forward to working with her "to ensure the continued health and growth of our game." "The partnership between our players and teams is the backbone of the league, and we are eager to continue working with the Players Association to build this relationship," Silver said. The fallout from the lockout and the Hunter ouster left the union reeling. But it also made Roberts want to get involved, which will bring the New York native back home. "The more I thought about it," she said, "the more I thought that would be a great opportunity to do something really important." Adidas Superstar Cheapest Price .ca. The NHL Play of the Year showdown kicks off with some slick moves going head-to-head with a combination of soft hands and endless patience. Cheap Adidas Gazelles Uk . This week, topics cover the World Series champion Red Sox, John Farrell and what to look forward to this off-season. http://www.yeezytrainersuk.com/ . Leave it to Matt Niskanen, the newly proclaimed Eddie Haskell of the Washington Capitals. Adidas y-3 Store Uk . THE MICHAEL JORDAN FLU GAME First this famous basketball moment. The story goes like this. “Game 5, known as "The Flu Game", was one of Michael Jordans most memorable. Adidas Yeezy For Sale Near Me . -- Jerome Verrier scored once and set up two more as the Drummondville Voltigeurs downed the visiting Chicoutimi Sagueneens 5-1 on Friday in Quebec Major Junior Hockey League play.AUBURN HILLS, Mich. - LeBron James took a look at the stat sheet after three quarters and liked what he saw. There was a lot to like. James had 17 points, 12 assists and 10 rebounds to help the Miami Heat build a big lead, and then rested in the fourth quarter of a 110-78 victory against the Detroit Pistons on Friday night. It was James first triple-double of the season and No. 37 for his career. "That thing has been pretty elusive, hasnt it?" James asked. "Im just glad it came in a win. That is the important thing about getting those. It is only special if you win the game." James had a triple-double without needing a point, assist or rebound in the final quarter for the fourth time in his career. His last triple-double through three quarters was Jan. 27, 2009, for Cleveland against Sacramento, according to STATS. "Nothing LeBron James does should surprise us," Pistons coach John Loyer said. "Hes the best player in the game, or pretty close to it. He orchestrates for everybody." The banged-up Heat had little trouble with the Pistons even though they were without Dwyane Wade, Mario Chalmers, Ray Allen and Greg Oden. "At this point, theres somebody out every night," James lamented. The Heat had plenty of players make up for the losses. Udonis Haslem scored 12 of his 17 points in the first quarter, when James already had seven assists. Chris Bosh scored 15, Chris Andersen had 13 points, Norris Cole scored 12 and James Jones added 10 for Miami. "This was one of those games where we had to have different guys step up," Miami coach Erik Spoelstra said. "You cant make excuses about lineups and injuries in this league. Weve got to win games with the guys you can put on the floor every night." Greg Monroe and Will Bynum each had 12 points and Kyle Singler scored 11 for the Pistons, who honoured their 1989 championship team at halftime. Detroits Andre Drummond had 12 points and eight rebounds while Josh Smith was held to nine points on 4-of-14 shootinng.dddddddddddd The Bad Boys didnt seem to inspire the current players, whose lack of effort was "mind-boggling" to Loyer. "We didnt lay it on the line," Loyer said. Detroit was competitive for about a quarter. The Heat led 28-23 after the opening period before outscoring the Pistons by 10 in the second quarter and by 17 in the third. "They punched us in the mouth and we never got back up," Loyer said. "We didnt have any energy in the second half. "They play hard no matter who they play or no matter who they have playing in the game." Both teams scored 18 in the final quarter, but that was when James was on the bench and so relaxed that he smiled for pictures taken by fans during a timeout. Wade said he couldnt play because his right hamstring was bothering him, adding that hes day to day. Wade has played in 51 of 71 games this season, sitting out many by design because the two-time defending NBA champions want to rest his sore knees to make sure hes ready for the playoffs. Chalmers injured his right quadriceps in Wednesday nights loss to Eastern Conference-leading Indiana. Chalmers said hes day to day. Allen missed his second straight game because of the flu, and Spoelstra said he kept Oden out to rest his back. NOTES: James said before the game he was wowed by slugger Miguel Cabrera getting a $292 million 10-year contract from the Detroit Tigers, saying he wished the NBA didnt have a salary cap. James has six-year contract worth roughly $110 million. ... Pistons president of basketball operations and Hall of Fame player Joe Dumars declined to be interviewed before the game and did not address the crowd when the Bad Boys were honoured at halftime. Dumars job seems to be in jeopardy with the franchise likely to miss the playoffs for a fifth straight year. Hall of Famer Isiah Thomas spoke for his teammates during the short ceremony and thanked the fans during his brief remarks. "There were a lot of obstacles that we had to overcome through the years, and we couldnt have done it without your love and support," Thomas said. ' ' '