period and was sent to

MINNEAPOLIS -- Throughout most of last season, Minnesota Timberwolves president of basketball operations Flip Saunders and owner Glen Taylor remained steadfast in their stance that they would not consider trading Kevin Love. Cheap Jerseys For Sale . They were determined instead to convince the All-Star forward that he should sign an extension to remain after next season. With the NBA draft lottery coming up this week and an increasing concern that Love will leave for another team after next year, that stance has softened, two people with knowledge of the situation told The Associated Press. The Timberwolves are now open to the idea of trading Love if the right deal comes along. The people requested anonymity because the team has not made any final decisions on Loves future in Minnesota. Love just finished the second year of a four-year deal that includes an option for him to opt-out in the summer of 2015. The contract terms were the first signs of strife for Love and the organization when former basketball boss David Kahn declined to give him the full five-year maximum deal that Love wanted. Kahn was fired in 2013 and Saunders has worked tirelessly to try to convince Love that he should stay in Minnesota where he can make about $26.5 million more than he can anywhere else. But the Wolves have not made the playoffs in 10 years, including all six of Loves seasons with the team, a lack of success that has one of the best power forwards in the game growing more and more impatient. Neither Love nor his representatives have gone so far as to ask for a trade, but as the NBA draft lottery approaches on Tuesday, the trade market figures to heat up. The Timberwolves are slotted to pick 13th in the first round. But they are holding out hope that they get lucky for the first time in franchise history in the lottery and jump up. Getting one of the top three picks in a strong draft could be an encouraging sign for Love. If that doesnt happen, the Wolves could look at making a trade if they felt it had a chance to make them better in the long run. Love has made three All-Star teams and helped Team USA win the gold medal at the London Olympics. He averaged 26.1 points, 12.5 rebounds and 4.4 assists last season, but the Wolves finished a disappointing 40-42 and missed the playoffs in the Western Conference. While there remains some question whether Love can be the best player on a championship-calibre team, there figures to be a long list of suitors to line up for his services via trade this summer or free agency next year. But Love would likely have to give any team that makes the Wolves an offer some kind of indication that he is open to signing an extension, much the way Chris Paul did when he was dealt from New Orleans to the Los Angeles Clippers in 2011. The uncertainty surrounding Love has also complicated the Wolves pursuit of a coach to replace Rick Adelman, who retired after the season. Saunders has been in the market for a proven, experienced head coach who can come and command respect right away while also handling what most assuredly would be a difficult season filled with constant questions about Loves status. Not surprisingly, most of the names near the top of Saunders list have been reluctant to entertain the idea of taking the job without knowing what is going to happen with Love. Some luck on lottery night could also make the job more attractive for an incoming coach. In the absence of any long-shot lottery luck, the Wolves will ramp up their coaching search after their draft position solidifies on Tuesday night. Names such as Lionel Hollins, Sam Mitchell and Scott Skiles will all get consideration. And return runs at Michigan States Tom Izzo, Floridas Billy Donovan or Iowa States Fred Hoiberg arent out of the question after all three gave them a tepid response early in the process. China Jerseys For Sale . Snedekers best result so far this year is a tie for eighth place at the Arnold Palmer Invitational in March. He sits 113th in FedEx Cup standings and has dropped to 31st in world rankings — not the results expected from a player ranked fourth in the world only two years ago. Jerseys For Sale . The team let Keaton Ellerby, James Wright and Matt Halischuk become unrestricted free agents after declining to make them qualifying offers. Ellerby, 25, appeared in 51 games for the Jets last season and had two goals and four assists.PITTSBURGH -- Tyler Ennis took the inbounds pass with 4.4 seconds left and dribbled up court, weaving through Pitts defence. He had the option of shooting or passing to Trevor Cooney. The Syracuse freshman guard decided to shoot. It was the right decision. Ennis made the 35-footer at the buzzer and No. 1 Syracuse remained unbeaten with a 58-56 victory over No. 25 Pitt on Wednesday night. "I saw someone ran over to Trevor and I just had to beat one guy," Ennis said. "I knew they werent going to let Trevor get it. I just had to get some space. I knew I could get open for a second." Syracuse (24-0, 11-0 ACC) and Wichita State are the lone undefeated teams in Division I. Talib Zanna, who led Pitt (20-5, 8-4) with 16 points and 14 rebounds, hit two free throws after being fouled on a layup attempt to give the Panthers a 56-55 lead before Ennis winner. Pitt coach Jamie Dixon called a timeout after the free throws to set his defence. That also allowed Syracuse to draw up a play designed for its fearless freshman. "We guarded it about as well as you could guard it," Dixon said. "He made about a 40-footer. We did what we were supposed to do. If we had to do it again. ... We did the right things. "They were going to get a shot off. He made it, and he made a tough one. We knew hed have the ball and would be the guy. We had two guys on him. He hit the shot. Our guys defended, and he hit a shot." It was Pitts first loss at home to a top-five team in the 12-year history of the Petersen Events Center. The Panthers (20-5, 8-4) had been 9-0 against top-five teams and 13-1 against teaams ranked in the top 10. Authentic Jerseys For Sale . . C.J. Fair led Syracuse with 14 points. Pitt had a 54-48 lead with less than 2 minutes remaining, but Fair made a 3-pointer with 1:40 to go. He then hit a jumper to make it 54-53 with 51 seconds left. After Pitt missed on the other end, Ennis made two free throws with 10 seconds left to give the Orange the lead. "C.J. hadnt hit a 3 all game. He hadnt hit the rim, and he makes a 3 and then he hits a pretty tough pull-up to give us a chance," Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim said. "Those were big plays and you have to be a special player to make those plays." Pitt led 27-24 at halftime and built its lead to nine in the early stages of the second half when Lamar Patterson made a 3-pointer to make it 37-28 with 15 minutes remaining. Syracuse stormed back with a 17-8 run and tied it on Trevor Cooneys 3-pointer with 6:53 to go, but Pitt regained control after Zanna converted a three-point play and freshman Jamel Artis sank two free throws for a 50-45 lead. But it was all Syracuse after that. Pitts only points in the final 1:59 came from Zannas two free throws, and the Panthers were outscored 10-3 in the final 1:59. Syracuse had to play without backup centre Baye Moussa Keita, who sat out with a sprained knee. That forced sophomore forward Jerami Grant into duty as the backup centre behind Rakeem Christmas. Pitt had injury issues of its own. Senior forward and leading scorer Lamar Patterson had the thumb on his right hand wrapped for a second consecutive game. After going 1 for 9 in his previous outing against Virginia Tech, Patterson scored 13 points. ' ' '

(SportsNetwork. Pedro Castellano Jersey .com) - The sizzling New York Islanders will try to complete a home-and-home sweep of the Washington Capitals when the Metropolitan Division rivals meet Friday at the Verizon Center. The Islanders picked up their fifth straight win on Wednesday, taking the opener of this series with a 3-2 overtime victory against the visiting Capitals. It also was the 10th victory in the past 11 games for New York, which enters today tied with the Pittsburgh Penguins for first place in the division. Another victory on Friday would give the Isles their first six-game winning streak since Feb. 12-21, 2008. John Tavares notched a power-play goal with 24 seconds remaining in OT to help the Isles beat Washington for only the second time in the past six meetings. New York does own a 3-1-2 mark over the last six encounters in D.C. Washingtons Alex Ovechkin tied the game at 2-2 with a power-play tally late in the second period and the score stayed that way until Tavares ended the contest late in the extra session. The Isles went on the power play after Nicklas Backstrom was sent off for holding the stick at 2:38 of OT. As time wound down in the advantage, Ryan Strome circled on the left wing from the goal line back into the circle and dished across to the New York captain. Tavares waited until a Capitals defenseman slid, then moved towards the hashmarks before scoring on a wrister. It kind of just skipped up and I saw the guy coming at me so I just tried to make a fake on him and freeze him, said Tavares. I got around him and saw the far side there low and just tried to hit the spot. Anders Lee and Travis Hamonic supplied additional offense for New York, with Strome chipping in two assists. Jaroslav Halak came up with 25 saves for the win. Halak improved his career record against the Capitals to 4-4-0 and he could get the start again tonight. He also owns a lifetime 2.76 goals against average versus Washington. Halak had a brief tenure with the Capitals, suiting up in 12 games for Washington last season after coming over in a trade with Buffalo. Ovechkin picked up both scores for the Capitals, giving the four-time Rocket Richard Trophy winner 11 goals on the season. The Russian superstar played in his 700th NHL game on Wednesday and has 433 goals and 401 assists in his standout career. Braden Holtby played well in defeat, making 32 stops, and Backstrom added a pair of assists. The start wasnt great, but after that I thought we went toe-to-toe with them, said Capitals coach Barry Trotz. Holtby is 5-1-1 with a 2.07 GAA in seven career games against the Isles. Both the Capitals and Isles will be in action tomorrow, with Washington visiting Toronto and New York returning home to face the New Jersey Devils. Bryan Shaw Jersey . "Weve given ourselves now a tougher task," said Carlyle after the Friday practice, the Toronto head coach notably chipper and upbeat throughout. "But the bottom line is we just have to win our share of games [and] not worry about what anybody else is doing. Kyle Freeland Jersey . - The Detroit Lions have placed tight end Brandon Pettigrew on injured reserve, ending his season.ST. LOUIS - Willie McGee, Jim Edmonds, Mike Shannon and the late Marty Marion were inducted into the St. Louis Cardinals Hall of Fame on Saturday. The four players represent the initial group to be selected for induction by a voting process that included input from fans and a panel of baseball experts. St. Louis opened its Hall of Fame and Museum in April, and the first 22 players to be enshrined earned automatic entry because they were in the National Baseball Hall of Fame as Cardinals or had their number retired by the club. "I was flattered. I thought it was a really special deal," Edmonds said. "When they told me I was getting a red jacket, I had to step back a little bit. I think this red jacket symbolizes much more than a plaque on the wall. We all are not in the Hall of Fame and our numbers arent retired but we get to wear the red jacket. Its humbling." All Cardinals Hall of Famers are given a bright red sports coat to wear at team functions. Now, members of the Cardinals Hall will get the same coat. Edmonds hit .285 and averaged 30 homers a year in eight years with the Cardinals. He won six consecutive Gold Gloves in centre field and played on six post-season clubs. Dante Bichette Jersey . . He ranks fourth in franchise history with 241 home runs. A fan favourite, McGee spent 13 of his 18 seasons in St. Louis and was the 1985 NL MVP. The centre fielder played a big role in the Cardinals winning their ninth championship in 1982. "It means a lot," McGee said. "After all the sacrifices you made, this is a reward for the hard work and dedication and discipline. Im a testament that with hard work and listening, you can be the best you can be." Shannon is better known as a broadcaster but he was a good player, too. He helped win two World Series titles during his nine-year career with the Cardinals. He is now in his 43rd season calling Cardinals games on the radio. "This is fantastic," Shannon said. "Look at how many of the Hall of Famers showed up here for this. You know what that means to a guy like me? It means a lot. They take pride in this organization." Marion, a shortstop, played with the St. Louis Cardinals for the majority of his career. Marion was the MVP in 1944. He managed the Cardinals in 1951 and then ended his career with the St. Louis Browns as a player-manager. ' ' '

MINNEAPOLIS -- The New England Patriots took full advantage of Adrian Petersons absence, though he might not have made much of a difference. Cheap NHL Jerseys . Six sacks, four interceptions from Matt Cassel and a blocked field goal for a touchdown doomed the Minnesota Vikings Sunday, as the Patriots breezed to a 30-7 win, coach Bill Belichicks 200th. "I certainly never got into coaching expecting that to ever happen," Belichick said, "so it is very gratifying to reach that milestone. But what it really says is I had a lot of really good players." Tom Brady went 15 for 22 for 149 yards, one touchdown and no turnovers, and Cassels first start against his close friend and former mentor was a dud. Devin McCourty, Darrelle Revis, Logan Ryan and Dominique Easley all picked him off, setting up 17 points for the Patriots and prompting chants from the crowd for rookie Teddy Bridgewater. Cassel finished 19 for 36 for 202 yards. New England defensive end Chandler Jones had two sacks and returned a field goal he blocked for a touchdown right before halftime. This was Bradys 149th win as a starter, pushing him past John Elway into third place on the all-time list behind Brett Favre and Peyton Manning. "I dont think about those things too much, but Im glad we won and hopefully we can do better next week," Brady said. Matt Asiata had only 36 yards on 13 carries in place of Peterson, who was deactivated after being charged with child abuse Friday in Texas. The Patriots let Miami rush for 191 yards last week in a season-opening loss, but they held the Vikings to 54 yards on 19 attempts without Peterson. "I wouldve liked to have seen it against him, but at the same time we cant control that. Im very proud of our team and how we responded," Patriots defensive tackle Vince Wilfork said. The pass-run ratio last week for the Patriots was 60-20 in a shaky loss at Miami, but they established a much better balance here. Stevan Ridley carried 25 times for 101 yards, and Vikings cornerback Xavier Rhodes wasnt able to keep up with Julian Edelman, who finished six catches for 81 yards and a touchdown. Under Belichick, the sixth coach to reach 200 NFL victories, the Patriots have consistently been able to avoid consecutive losses. The last time the Patriots lost the first two games of the season was 2001, when they went on to win their first of three Super Bowl titles. The Vikings started strong with a 25-yard touchdown pass from Cassel to a wide-open Asiata, followed by the defence forcing a three-and-out. But one bad throw by Bradys former backup shifted the momentum. Cassels heave to Jarius Wright hung in the air long enough for McCourty to snag it and return it 60 yards to the 1 yard line. Ridley scored two plays later. Revis had Greg Jennings smothered all game, and the five-time Pro Bowl pick grabbed an errant pass by Cassel early in the second quarter to set up Edelmans score. Then, after the Vikings set up a 48-yard kick by Blair Walsh that wouldve pulled them within seven points, Jones powered through the line, stretched his arms out and batted down the ball. He picked it up in stride and headed for the end zone, effectively quashing hope for a second-half comeback. Coach Mike Zimmer said Cassel would start next week at New Orleans. "I take full responsibility for not taking care of the football today," Cassel said. "Ive got to do a better job, and I will." That will be tougher without Peterson. "Its just part of life," Zimmer said, after dismissing several questions from reporters about Petersons absence and status. "Would we have liked to have him? Sure." NOTES: The Patriots beat the Vikings 31-7 on Oct. 30, 2006, their last visit to Minnesota. Theyre 8-4 in the series, with four wins in a row. ... Ryan, replacing injured starter Alfonzo Dennard, helped hold Vikings WR Cordarrelle Patterson to four catches for 56 yards. He was targeted seven times and had his TD streak stopped at six straight games. NHL Jerseys 2020 .com) - It may just be the right place and the right opponent for the Detroit Red Wings to snap their longest losing streak of the season. Authentic NHL Jerseys . The team said they will announce a corresponding roster move prior to their series opener on Tuesday night in Kansas City.NAPA, Calif. - Bae Sang-moon ran off five straight birdies early in the third round Saturday at the Frys.com Open, and that was a lot of fun.His big finish was more important.Right when it looked as though Bae would be lucky to keep the lead, he closed with three big putts — one for par, another for eagle, the last one for birdie — to finished off a 7-under 65 and turn a tight battle into a four-shot lead going into the final round at Silverado.Its a good score, Bae said. Four-shot lead makes me a little comfortable for Sunday, but I dont think about a win.He was at 16-under 200 for his first 54-hole lead on tour. Bae will play in the final round with PGA Tour rookie Zach Blair, who had a 69.The way the third round ended, anything can happen.The final three holes feature a pair of par 5s that can be reached in two by only the big hitters, sandwiched around a par 4 that played only 292 yards with the tees moved forward, with trees on left and an elevated green.They changed the entire dynamic of the final round.That stretch enabled Matt Kuchar and Brooks Koepka to get back into the hunter, but only briefly because of the great finish by Bae.The 28-year-old South Korean was on the verge of making a sloppy bogey on the par-5 16th hole when he pulled his second shot into a hazard, played out of the ditch and then muffed the chip with his fourth shot. The ball barely got onto the fringe. Bae made that 15-footer for par, and then hit the perfect drive on the 17th to just inside 6 feet for an eagle putt that gave him some breathing room.He capped it off with another 15-foot birdie putt on the par-5 18th to seize control.Kuchar shot 31 on the back nine and played the last three holes in 3 under, just like Bae, only he got there differently. Kuchar birdied the 16th, and then hit driver to about 5 feet on the 17th for eagle and missed a short birdie attempt on the 18th.To be in contention on Sunday, golf gets fun. Golf gets exciting, Kuchar said after a 66. The first tournament of the year and having a chance on a golf course that I think is a lot of fun ... Im excited for tomorrow.He was tied at 11-under 205 with Koepka (67), Scott Langley (69) and Martin Laird (71).Koepka had a birdie-birdie-birdie finish — with his power, he only needed a 3-wood on the 17th to get on the greeen to 20 feet. NHL Jerseys . Today was kind of boring until the last three holes, Koepka said. Just stayed patient and it worked out.As much as the final few holes provide opportunity, they also can take away.Hideki Matsuyama of Japan was one shot out of the lead when he pulled his tee shot on the 17th into the trees, and had to play a running chip through the trees and to the back of the green into gnarly rough. He wound up with a bogey, and then dropped another critical shot on the 18th when he drove into a tough spot in the fairway bunker. Instead of staying close to Bae, his bogey-bogey finish dropped him to a 69 and he was six shots behind.The final stretch for Bae might not have meant as much if not for his hot start.Five birdies in a row was a lot of fun, he said. I read every break on the green. It was a really easy game.Starting with his tee shot into 3 feet on the par-3 second hole, Bae ran off five straight bogeys to build a three-shot lead. The streak ended with a three-putt bogey, and he didnt make another birdie until a 12-foot putt on the par-3 15th.But the final three holes gave him a cushion.Baes only victory on the PGA Tour was last year at the Byron Nelson Championship, and it meant so much to him that he got an apartment in the Dallas area so he could practice at the TPC Four Seasons.While he has control of the tournament, he wasnt sure how he would approach the final round.So many good players behind me, he said. PGA Tour is always competitive every day, so I dont play just safe sometimes and aggressive sometimes. I need a really, really good combination. I putted really good this week, so it will be good tomorrow, too.Hunter Mahan had a 68 and was with Matsuyama at 206, along with Retief Goosen (66) and David Lingmerth (70). Mahan is among four players in the field who were in the Ryder Cup in Scotland two weeks ago. Kuchar and Mahan had the best chance to win.The Frys.com Open is the opening event in the new PGA Tour season, though it sure doesnt feel that way to Mahan. Including the Ryder Cup, he has competed 10 times in the last 13 weeks and is looking forward to break.I feel like Im trying to finish this last one off and start the off-season and get some rest, he said. It feels weird. But Im here and Im committed to this week. ' ' '