NEU » with a 2.08 ERA and 14 saves in 46

It was a summer the NBA wont soon forget.It went from Kevin Durant leaving Oklahoma City for Western Conference rival Golden State, to Tim Duncan deciding to join Kobe Bryant in retirement, to an assortment of high-profile coaching changes, to the U.S. taking home an Olympic gold in Rio.And we havent even mentioned the infusion of talent the June draft added to the league, as Ben Simmons (Philadelphia 76ers), Brandon Ingram (Los Angeles Lakers), Jaylen Brown (Boston Celtics), Dragan Bender (Phoenix Suns) and Kris Dunn (Minnesota Timberwolves) comprised the top five picks.Indeed, theres a lot to digest as we prepare for another season.The good news is theres never been a better time to play fantasy hoops at ESPN, as the August release of the all-in-one ESPN Fantasy Sports app now enables you to participate in mock drafts and real drafts for the first time ever.Here are some of the main takeaways from the updated rankings heading into the 2016-17 NBA season:The Durant factor: Durants move to the Warriors might hurt his fantasy value only slightly -- after all, he had already been playing alongside Russell Westbrook all these years -- but his impact is significant on the rest of the Warriors stars. Stephen Curry would have been the sure-fire No. 1 pick had Durant stayed with the Thunder, but Currys usage rate, shot attempts and minutes are all likely to go down with KD on the roster.That elevates Westbrook to No. 1 as he now carries the load for the Thunder as the teams lone superstar. Curry (4) and Durant (5) slip behind not only Westbrook but also James Harden (2) and Karl-Anthony Towns (3). Meanwhile, fellow Warriors Draymond Green (17) and Klay Thompson (27) slide down about 10 spots from where they would have been without Durant.Big risers: Aside from Towns, who put up ridiculously good numbers (18.3 PPG, 10.5 RPG, 2 APG, 1.7 BPG, 54.2 FG%, 81.1 FT%, 34.1 3PT%) on his way to Rookie of the Year honors last season, a number of other emerging stars move up the rankings. Rangy Milwaukee swingman Giannis Antetokounmpo (14) is now a good bet to be an early second-rounder, while Isaiah Thomas (22), C.J. McCollum (26), Victor Oladipo (28), Khris Middleton (33), Kristaps Porzingis (36) and Nikola Jokic (47) are others who rank much higher than theyve been previously.Where art Brow??If Anthony Davis could stay healthy, hed be right there in the discussion with Westbrook and Harden for the top overall pick this season. Problem is, the 23-year-old big man has yet to play more than 68 games in any of his first four NBA seasons and was limited to a career-low 61 games last season. As great as he is and as much as he stuffs the box score each night, hes a major risk with these durability issues. He drops to No. 9 in the rankings, behind not only Westbrook and Harden but also Towns, Curry, Durant,?Chris Paul (6), Kawhi Leonard (7) and LeBron James (8).Rookie impact: Simmons (76), Ingram (113), Dunn (133), Jamal Murray (156) and Bender (177) are the top-ranked rookies, but you can probably count on Simmons and Ingram to be drafted higher because of the buzz that comes with their arrival to the league.The DAntoni influence: The fast pace that new Houston Rockets coach Mike DAntoni has his teams play always provides a nice fantasy boost, which not only helps Harden but also every other player in the teams rotation. Trevor Ariza (51), Ryan Anderson (75), Eric Gordon (137), Clint Capela (140), Patrick Beverley (150), Michael Beasley (173) and Josh Smith (185) are all worth a closer look this season with DAntoni onboard.Other new faces in Philly: Simmons isnt the only big-name rookie to join the 76ers this season. Versatile center Joel Embiid, the third overall pick in 2014, and 6-foot-10 forward Dario Saric, the 12th overall pick in 2014, are two others you cant forget about. Weve ranked them back-to-back, 131 and 132, and they are both intriguing talents who offer upside in the later rounds.Wheres Bosh??One of the toughest decisions to make in the rankings was where to put Miami power forward Chris Bosh, who missed parts of the past two seasons with blood clots. If he manages to stay healthy and repair his relationship with the Heat, the 32-year-old Bosh is undoubtedly a top-50 fantasy player. At this stage, though, the risk outweighs the upside, and that is reflected by his ranking (120) as a late 10th-round pick in 12-team drafts.Other observations: Devin Booker (78) finished last season looking like one of the brightest young stars in the league, so why is he ranked so low? Because Eric Bledsoe (24) and Brandon Knight (56) are both back in the fold, and unless one is traded, the same opportunities might not be there for the up-and-coming shooting guard. ... In Minnesota, the early returns indicate that Dunn is expected to be one of the favorites for Rookie of the Year this season. If thats the case, you can count on him taking away some of Ricky Rubios playing time, which is why Rubio is ranked down at 79. ... Harrison Barnes (94) has never been a very strong fantasy player, as his game revolves around mostly scoring, 3-pointers and rebounding, but hes now on a max contract on a new team in Dallas and will be a more prominent part of the offense than he ever was in Golden State. He enters his fifth NBA season and is still only 24. Kerryon Johnson Jersey .ca! Hi Kerry, Heres an interesting one. I know its common knowledge that all players are responsible for their sticks. We witnessed that when Zack Kassian hit Edmontons Sam Gagner in the face after a missed check. Jarrad Davis Womens Jersey . Pierce was ejected in the third quarter of Indianas 103-86 win Monday. George Hill stole a bad pass and was going in for a layup, and Pierce hustled back and appeared to be trying to wrap him up. http://www.authenticnfllionslockroom.com/Youth-Calvin-Johnson-Elite-Jersey/ .C. -- Manny Malhotra had two goals and an assist, leading the Carolina Hurricanes to a 6-3 win over the Ottawa Senators on Saturday. T.J. Hockenson Womens Jersey . Supported by three-run homers from Jayson Werth and Wilson Ramos, the young right-hander went seven strong innings in the Washington Nationals 8-4 victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks on Friday night. Barry Sanders Womens Jersey . Hazard cut in from the left and scored with a swerving right-footed shot for ninth goal of the season, which proved to be enough for the victory despite Chelseas forwards again lacking a cutting edge up front.In the playoff mix for a second straight year, the Baltimore Orioles made the biggest move on a quiet trade-deadline day, acquiring Bud Norris to keep pace with the Boston Red Sox. Hoping to catch the NL West-leading Dodgers, the Arizona Diamondbacks filled a hole in their bullpen Wednesday by sending struggling 20-game winner Ian Kennedy to San Diego for lefty reliever Joe Thatcher. Boston put the pressure on Baltimore by picking up 2007 NL Cy Young Award winner Jake Peavy from the Chicago White Sox less than 24 hours earlier in a three-team trade. The deal was finalized quickly in part because the Detroit Tigers were eager to protect themselves in case shortstop Jhonny Peralta is suspended for his involvement in the Biogenesis performance-enhancing drugs scandal. "The frank reality is that I do not know what is going to happen with Jhonny, but with this move, we now feel well protected if there is a long suspension," Tigers general manager David Dombrowski said. With all eyes on the Yankees because of Alex Rodriguezs likely suspension by Major League Baseball for his role in the wide-ranging drug case, New York never could work out a deal with the Phillies for corner infielder Michael Young, who is staying -- for now -- with Philadelphia. San Francisco also held onto left-hander Javier Lopez and the Los Angeles Angels kept second baseman Howie Kendrick after sending Alberto Callaspo to Oakland late Monday. Other than a few other minor swaps Wednesday, baseballs executives did much of their work in the weeks leading up to the 4 p.m. EDT non-waiver trade cutoff. "In general I just think everybody was dealing with a relative level of frustration knowing that the strength wasnt there, the bona fide help, per se, across the board was going to be very tough to fulfill their needs," Giants general manager Brian Sabean said after the deadline passed. The busy Cubs sent Alfonso Soriano to the Yankees, Matt Garza to Texas, Scott Feldman to Baltimore and Carlos Marmol to the Dodgers. Francisco Rodriguez, Marc Rzepczynski, Callaspo, Scott Downs and Jesse Crain also switched teams this month. The NL Central-leading Pittsburgh Pirates, St. Louis Cardinals and the struggling World Series champion Giants were among several teams that chose to stand pat Wednesday in a tepid market. In the midst of a revival that has an entire city brimming with Bucs fever, Pirates general manager Neal Huntington reluctantly held back from making any deals. "We talk a lot about, we dont want to do something stupid," Huntington said. "We were willing to do something stupid, we just diddnt want to do anything insane.dddddddddddd." Teams can make trades for the rest of the season, but it gets riskier. Players must first pass through waivers, meaning they can be claimed by another club before a deal takes place. For a player to be eligible for the postseason with his new team, swaps must be completed before Aug. 31. On Wednesday, Houston also sent outfielder Justin Maxwell to Kansas City and the Dodgers picked up backup catcher Drew Butera from Minnesota and sent him to the minors. Also, Seattle traded minor league infielder Robert Andino to the Pirates for a player to be named or cash. The young Astros, with the worst record in baseball at 35-70, dealt reliever Jose Veras -- to Detroit on Monday. Norris only had to walk down the hall to join his new team with Houston in Baltimore. Outfielder L.J. Hoes, one of two prospects sent to Houston, was initially in the Orioles lineup but ended up getting the start for the Astros. Class-A left-hander Josh Hader was the other player in the deal. A 28-year-old right-hander, Norris helps fortify a rotation that will be without injured Jason Hammel for at least the next two weeks. In his fifth big league season, Norris is 6-9 with a 3.93 ERA in 21 starts this year. He has a lifetime record of 34-46 and is under team control through 2015. "Im excited for the future," Norris said. "I pitched my way into this situation to be traded and help out a team. This (Baltimore) team is a young club, they know how to contend. They had an amazing year last year. I just want to be any piece of the puzzle I can to help this team keep pushing to the World Series." Baltimore began Wednesday five games back of Boston in the AL East and in the second wild-card position. The Diamondbacks have fallen 3 1/2 games behind the surging Dodgers and needed lefty relief help. Thatcher is 3-1 with a 2.10 ERA in 50 games this season. He has limited left-handed batters to a .215 average. "Its exciting to get traded. Its a big deal. It brings excitement to be in a pennant race," Thatcher said. "That is all you ask for, is to win. Im looking forward to getting over there and helping out and doing whatever they need from me." The Diamondbacks also got 23-year-old right-hander Matt Stites, who is 2-2 with a 2.08 ERA and 14 saves in 46 games with Double-A San Antonio. Kennedy, 21-4 two seasons ago, is 3-8 with a 5.23 ERA in 21 starts and hasnt won a game in two months. Hes expected to start Sunday at Petco Park ag with a 2.08 ERA and 14 saves in 46ys[/url] Wholesale Baseball Jerseys ' ' '