Its been a while, gang. Brandon Spikes Jersey . Glad were back, talking about stuff on the court, and not that off the court stuff, which is about as interesting to basketball fans as married couples talking about their toddlers to single people. Theres only so much you can take. If you missed it, we churned out a monster NBA season preview to get you ready for the mega opening Christmas day slate. The story that pretty much held us up was the happenings with Chris Paul. In a super-shortened off-season, Paul was rumoured to be going to the Lakers, then in fact dealt to the Lakers, then vetoed from joining the Lakers, then he was supposedly going to the Clippers, then the framework to go the Clippers was completed, then the deal was axed, needing to be reworked. Finally, the league-owned Hornets accepted a reworked deal that cost the Clippers a budding star in Eric Gordon (among other assets), and finally Paul landed in Los Angeles. While he didnt get to go to one of the NBAs glamour franchises, he did land in one of the leagues premier destinations. Which begs the question: what is it about NBA players and their desire to play in major markets? Think about it: the Blue Jays have never had any problems attracting marquee free agents, or retaining some of their own home grown talent. On the other hand, Toronto is an outpost in the NBA. Its bad enough that everyone knew Chris Bosh was leaving in the 2010 Summer of LeBron free agency period. Whats worse is their fans knew they wouldnt be in play for any other of the other big fish switching teams. There are probably few memorable situations in the NFL where a player refused to play for a certain city: Stanford pivot John Elway not wanting to play for the team that drafted him, Baltimore. He forced a trade to Denver. Similarly, Ole Miss QB Eli Manning told the Chargers not to take him with the first overall pick. He eventually landed with the New York Giants. Eric Lindros refused to play for the Nordiques when he was drafted by them first overall, but for the most part, NHL players dont usually complain about where they land, or force their way out of a city - except for remarkable circumstances. Think Pat Roy getting lit up by the Red Wings and basically telling management the drubbing would be his last game in Montreal. These days, more and more NBA players are forcing their way into major markets. If they dont exit via free agency (think Bron, Bosh, Amare) and leave their teams with nothing to show for it, they let it be known that getting re-signed to a long term deal for max money isnt a slam dunk (think Carmelo, Paul, Deron Williams and Dwight Howard), forcing their team to trade them or be left with a bigger rebuilding project. Unless your franchise has a Tim Duncan or Kevin Durant - unassuming superstars who dont crave that mega stardom - theres a good chance your top players will seek greener pastures. It was one of the biggest concerns heading into the lockout, and judging how the league handled the Paul trade, they are still trying to figure out a way to deter that movement. But its not going to change anytime soon, because NBA players are the furthest along in the battle between players and management in any professional league. Unlike the NFL, where players can be cut at any moment - along with their salaries - NBA players have guaranteed contracts and they know their value. Its an absolute star-driven league. The 2004 Pistons are about the only title team that has won without a true superstar on their roster. So the star is the key to any successful NBA franchise, whereas a baseball team or hockey team relies on far more parts to find success. They also have the benefit of recognition. No other major sport offers the kind of face time NBA players get. You can literally see the joy, the intensity, fatigue, frustration, and in some cases, the unraveling of a player in key situations (insert LeBron jokes here). Its the reason basketball players can talk about their brand. They are the faces of ad campaigns, and are probably the most recognizable players worldwide. With that that type of power, they can also see what their management team has done during their tenure, and use it as an indicator of what things will be like going forward. Look at the LeBron and Bosh situations again. Cavaliers management surrounded James with no impact player during his entire stay in Cleveland. Despite the tremendous team success, coupled with James star play, they were never built to withstand more complete teams come playoff time. A lot like what Derrick Rose faced in the playoffs last year. As for Bosh, Bryan Colangelo was more proactive, constantly trying to bring in some star help for his star forward. Unfortunately, none of those moves - trading for Jermaine ONeal or Shawn Marion, in particular - created a winner. He also had the luxury of a first overall pick during that period, albeit in a weak draft year. Those situations alone are enough for a player to take less money somewhere else. And with that star leverage, come the star perks. Ive read so many comments from frustrated fans at how arrogant and entitled players are. And theyre right. Lots of readers wanted these spoiled players to try to walk a day in their shoes, to know how good they in fact have it. So, lets turn the argument around: if you had the means to put yourself into the best position possible, what would you want as a young, single, rich 20-something kid? Well, if that were me, Id like the chance to compete, and play where I wanted to play. Sorry Utah or Milwaukee, but Los Angeles and Miami just happen to be more appealing. Unfortunately, its not their fault. Theyve earned it. The players before them fought hard for those rights, so players today are able to exercise that power. And its that reason why the new agreement wont last the full 10 years. You can bet one side will use its opt-out clause in six years. You can already bet which side that will be. On to this weeks matchups. And just want to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and happy holiday season! Celtics at Knicks (TSN), Sunday at Noon et/9am ptRematch of the first round playoff series a year ago, where the Celtics broomed the Knicks out of the postseason. Plenty of attitude on New Yorks front line to answer notorious big-man meanie Kevin Garnett. Probably be getting into the Christmas cookies by the time this one tips off. Heat at Mavericks (TSN), Sunday at 2:30pm et/11:30am ptRematch of the NBA Finals. How cool that the start of the season drops on Christmas day, forcing LeBron and company to watch the Championship banner get raised in Dallas? Also very interested to see if LeBron will cover Dirk in crunch time (didnt happen in the Finals) and if Dwyane Wade and James will work in tandem in crunch time. Should be into the Christmas bevvies by then. Bulls at Lakers (TSN2), Sunday at 5pm et/2pm ptMega tilt taking the early evening time slot. Kobe and company are Odom-less, and for the first four contests of this year, Bynum-less. The Lakers will also stash the vaunted triangle for a Mike Brown offence. Can you say downgrade? Interesting to see how Rip Hamilton looks as a running mate to Derrick Rose in the clutch. Turkey with all the fixings should be ready to go at this point. Magic at Thunder (TSN2), Sunday at 8pm et/5pm ptOur first look at the sexy pick to take home the NBA title this year. Only, no NBA team wins young. Save for Magic Johnson, title teams rosters are usually dotted with battle-tested veterans. This might just be the exception. Lets see if Kevin Durant and Russ Westbrook worked out their pecking order, and lets see Dwight Howards body language throughout this game, and for the rest of the year. How close will he resemble the Walking Dead zombies in the barn? Top button of pants should be unbuttoned, if not into the jogging pants at this point. Clippers at Warriors (TSN2), Sunday at 10:30pm et/7:30pm ptWas considered a fun throw in game to cap off the Christmas day slate. Now? Were getting our first look at a legitimate title contender and the ultra-explosive version of Stockton-Malone. Golden State is geographically fortunate to be part of the festivities, really. What team do you think feels most slighted by not playing on Christmas? The Hawks? the Spurs? The loudest noises coming out of Warriors camp this offseason were the Monta Ellis stories. Joy. Pass the Ferrero Rocher. Dessert time. Andre Reed Jersey . Although hes not the most talkative guy wearing their black jersey, he has no desire to leave town in a much-rumoured trade. A dynamic hat trick against the struggling Chicago Blackhawks made Browns point quite clearly. Leodis McKelvin Jersey . Ernests Gulbis of Latvia upset defending champion Del Potro 6-3, 6-4. . The Argentine is recovering from a wrist injury and it wasnt clear whether it may have been bothering him. He took a medical time-out after the first set, but decided to continue.ARLINGTON, Texas -- Rangers ace Yu Darvish could get back in the Texas rotation without making a rehabilitation start after he is eligible to come off the disabled list. General manager Jon Daniels said before Mondays season opener that Darvish "appears to be healthy and strong" after consecutive days of throwing over the weekend. Darvish was scheduled to start the opener against Philadelphia until neck stiffness during training camp about two weeks ago. "Very, very encouraged," manager Ron Washington said. "The report I got, it was just as good as it was before he got hurt." The Rangers put Darvish on the disabled list Sunday while setting their 25-man roster, but the move was retroactive to March 21. He would be eligible to return Saturday. Daniels said the Rangers havent committed to when Darvish will return to the rotation. But the GM also said Darvish wouldnt necessarily have to pitch in a rehab game before making his season debut. "I think well probably accomplish a lot of that on the side, extended bullpen so to speak," Daniels said. "Were going to sit down and meet before we lay out a plan." Darvish last faced hitters March 16 in a spring training game. He threw a 32-pitch bullpen session Sunday, a day after throwing off flat ground. He will throw again Tuesday. Darvish finished second in the AL Cy Young Award voting last season when he led the majors with 277 strikkeouts. Jerry Hughes Bills Jersey. . The Rangers are also without left-handers Matt Harrison (back) and Derek Holland (left knee). Harrison could be return before the end of the April. Colby Lewis, who missed all of last season recovering from elbow surgery and then having hip surgery, is making a minor league start Tuesday after a solid spring. "We are going to get a few of these guys back pretty soon," Daniels said. "Its an opportunity for other guys to step up, and when were healthy and we get Colby and Yu back in a week or whatever it is, and get Matt back two weeks after that, I think youll look up and be like weve got some tough calls to make with other guys who have stepped up, and have stepped up and seized that opportunity. I dont buy into all the doom and gloom stuff," he said. Tanner Scheppers made his first career start for Texas on opening day, and is to be followed by Martin Perez, Robbie Ross and Joe Saunders. None were in the Rangers rotation at the start of last season -- Scheppers and Ross were relievers. The fifth starter is expected to be right-hander Nick Martinez, a right-hander who has never pitched about Double-A and isnt yet on the 25-man roster. The Rangers have said Martinez is the scheduled starter Saturday night at Tampa Bay. "Just because Darvish comes off on the fifth doesnt mean Martinez is going to get kicked out," Washington said. ' ' '