DieBruderschaft.com

Larry Bird has been trying to mold the Indiana Pacers into a faster, sleeker unit under new coach Nate McMillan.He also knows the value of having a reliable offensive threat in the post to get buckets when the game inevitably slows down, and thats where Al Jefferson comes in.The Pacers agreed to terms with Jefferson on a three-year deal worth $30 million, a person with knowledge of the situation told The Associated Press on Friday. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the contract cannot be signed until July 7.In a league that has steadily gotten smaller and more versatile, the 31-year-old Jefferson is a throwback to the crafty, dominant post players of Birds era. And Big Al has Celtics green all over his game.Jefferson started his career with Birds old team before being traded to Minnesota, where he was tutored by Birds former teammate and Celtics Hall of Famer Kevin McHale, one of the best post players to ever play. Jefferson has exhibited some of the same trickery and creativity on the block that McHale made famous for those title-winning Celtics teams, and his unique skill set has helped keep him in demand as he has weathered some significant injuries.The 31-year-old missed significant time for the Charlotte Hornets last season with a knee injury and also had to sit out five games for violating the leagues substance abuse policy.He averaged 12.0 points and 6.4 rebounds in 47 games for the Hornets, who also lost Jeremy Lin in free agency on Friday.Jefferson joined the Hornets three years ago and was named third-team All-NBA in his first season under coach Steve Clifford.He was plagued by foot injures the next two seasons.After the Hornets lost in Game 7 of the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs, Jefferson said he wanted to return to Charlotte to finish his career.There is nowhere I would rather be, Jefferson said on May 2. The things that we have done with this franchise the last three years have been amazing and I want to continue to see it through. But there is a business side to it, but I would like to end my career here.Clearly things changed when the market opened on Friday. But in a dizzying 12 hours that have seen some eye-popping contracts handed out, paying $10 million per year to a proven low-post scorer whose game should age well was by no means a stretch.The Pacers have already added point guard Jeff Teague and forward Thaddeus Young via trades to bring some of that quickness and versatility that the modern game demands.Now Jefferson will bring some of the muscle and toughness that could prove valuable come playoff time.---AP Sports Writer Steve Reed in Charlotte contributed to this report. Cheap Air Max 1 Mens . -- Catcher Brett Hayes has agreed to a $630,000, one-year contract with the Kansas City Royals, avoiding salary arbitration. Cheap Air Max 97 From China . 1 position. The Mustangs (6-0), who beat Queens 50-31 last weekend, earned 17 first-place votes and 287 points in voting by the Football Reporters of Canada. Western was last ranked first in the country in October 2011. http://www.airmaxsneakersonsale.com/cheap-air-max-tn.html . Pence singled in the winning run with no outs in the ninth inning to give the Giants a 7-6 victory over the San Diego Padres on Sunday. Fake Air Max 200 . -- Whether Jeremy Hill deserves a prominent role in LSUs offence this early in the season is a matter for debate. Cheap Air Max 90 Mens . 10 Texas A&Ms offence dominated as usual against SMU. NORTON, Mass. -- Ryan Moore cant remember the last time he played six straight weeks on the PGA Tour.Its working so well, he might consider doing it more often.Everyone knew that golf was going to be loaded with big events at the end of the year, so Moore decided to pace himself and play often during the end of the year. He wasnt in the Olympics. Hes not even thinking about the Ryder Cup.This is all about the FedEx Cup, and Moore said he could think of 10 million reasons why hed like to win it.The $10 million payoff is still 11 rounds away spread over the next 23 days in three states. Even so, Moore had another reason to believe he was trending in the right direction. He opened with a bogey-free round of 6-under 65 and shared the lead with James Hahn in the Deutsche Bank Championship.Saturday typically is known as moving day on the PGA Tour, except at the TPC Boston. With the traditional Labor Day finish, Saturday could be the end of the season for several players.THE CUT: The top 70 in the FedEx Cup after this week advance to the BMW Championship at Crooked Stick, the third playoff event.Anyone outside the top 70 -- or near the top 70 -- is most likely done for the season if they miss the cut.Two players getting the most attention are Jim Furyk (No. 84) and Steve Stricker (No. 97). Both opened with a 4-under 67 and were two shots out of the lead, and they would appear to be safe to make the cut. That would be the first step. Then, they would need a high finish to advance.Thats still better off than Patton Kizzire, who opened with a 78; K.J. Choi, who shot 74; or Jason Bohn, who shot 72. All of them are outside the cut line, and all are outside the top 70 in the FedEx Cup.THE LEADERS: Moore had been trending in the right direction. Hahn has not.Hahn missed the cut eighth straight times before he won the Wells Fargo Championship. Since then, Hahn has failed to crack the top 40 in seven straight events, and he missed the cut in his last two tournaments.I accomplished my goal. I won another PGA Touur event, I made it to the playoffs, I kept my job for next year, Hahn said.dddddddddddd Theres a lot of positives that come out of this depending on who you ask.Moore, meanwhile, won the John Deere Classic three weeks ago and tied for seventh in The Barclays. He is No. 11 in the FedEx Cup, and a good performance this week would earn him a trip to East Lake for the Tour Championship.PHILS FOLLIES: Phil Mickelson talked passionately about his desire to finish strong in the FedEx Cup playoffs, particularly because he was leading the PGA Tour in adjusted scoring average. If he could keep that lead over the next three weeks, he would win the Vardon Trophy for the first time in his career.Jason Day is right behind him. So is Dustin Johnson.Mickelson didnt help his cause when he opened with a 75, due largely to one hole -- and one decision. He missed the green left on the par-4 sixth, the ball in deep grass inside a water hazard. Mickelson tried to get it out -- not once, but twice -- and the grass was too thick. He then took a penalty drop and made a quadruple-bogey 8.EYE ON THE RYDER CUP: U.S. captain Davis Love III will make three picks for his Ryder Cup team on Sept. 12, and he said every American at the Deutsche Bank is on his radar. Then again, Mickelson said it was obvious without naming names who three of the picks would be.So does form matter?J.B. Holmes sure hopes so. He finished 10th in the standings -- the top eight made the team -- and opened with a 67. So did Jim Furyk, an assistant captain who is 15th in the standings despite missing four months of the season recovering from wrist surgery.DAY SCARE: Jason Day opened with a 70, and then came the real stress. He learned his wife and two children were involved in a traffic incident when their car was struck by a bus. Ellie Day was taken to the hospital as a precaution, though he reported everyone was doing fine. ' ' '