PALM BEACH, Fla. -- NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman says theres significant opposition among team owners to continuing participation in the Winter Olympics, and the league is running out of time on negotiations to take part in the 2018 Games.Following a meeting of the leagues Board of Governors on Thursday, Bettman said no decision was made regarding Olympics participation in 2018 in South Korea.I think its fair to say that there is some strong negative sentiment in the room, Bettman said. But nothing was decided today.NHL players have competed in the past five Winter Olympics dating to 1998 and want to continue taking part, but owners are concerned about the midseason interruption and injury risk.Bettman said his recent proposal to the NHL Players Association regarding an extension of the collective bargaining agreement in return for Olympic participation was part of a larger discussion about hockeys international calendar.That discussion morphed into, `Maybe we should be talking about a long-term international schedule with predictability, Bettman said. If you look at the calendar and you play it out in the logical sequences of the way these events get played, we said if you look at the calendar and get rid of the (CBA) reopeners and you extend by three years, that gets you two Olympics, two World Cups and two Ryder Cups.Such an agreement would ensure nine years of labor peace, but players rejected the proposal.In other matters, the league gave owners a range for next seasons salary cap. Bettman projected it would remain flat or increase by about $2 million.The NHL does not intend to reconsider the name or logo of the Las Vegas expansion franchise after U.S. patent authorities denied the clubs trademark request, deputy commissioner Bill Daly said.Its much ado about nothing, Daly said. The franchise will go forward with that name and that logo. We have every expectation well ultimately get that registration.Bettman has said a decision regarding the Olympics needs to be made by early January, giving the league time to create its 2017-18 schedule with or without a two-plus week break for the Olympics.The Board of Governors meetings conclude Friday. Mattias Ekholm Jersey . What general manager Dave Nonis called "short and productive" negotiations ended with Kessel signing a US$64-million, eight-year contract on Tuesday. Youth Predators Jerseys . By having more great seasons. Manning was the only unanimous choice for the 2013 Associated Press NFL All-Pro team Friday. http://www.cheappredatorsjerseyschina.com/colton-sissons-jersey/ .875,000, avoiding arbitration. Clippards deal Monday means all eight Nationals players who filed for arbitration wound up settling before a hearing. Pekka Rinne Jersey . Malkin got tangled up with Detroits Luke Glendening early in the third period and his left skate took the brunt of collision with the boards behind Pittsburghs net. Predators Jerseys From China . The third-ranked Ivanovic, who won the event in 2008 and 10, served five aces and broke Wickmayer, also a former winner in 2009, five times. "The result looked easier than it really was," Ivanovic said. The 2016-2017 college basketball season will be the Year of the Freshmen, featuring what could be the best class weve ever seen. Over the next two weeks, we will get familiar with the best of the best, examining who they are and where each of the top 10 prospects in the 2016 ESPN 100 came from.Read more: No. 10 Dukes Frank Jackson | No. 9 Kentuckys Malik Monk No. 8 Michigan States Miles Bridges | No. 7 Washingtons Markelle Fultz No. 6 Kentuckys DeAaron Fox | No. 5 Kentuckys Bam Adebayo No. 4 UCLAs Lonzo Ball | No. 3 Dukes Jayson Tatum No. 2 Kansas Josh Jackson | No. 1 Dukes Harry GilesLOS ANGELES -- Its imprudent to measure any player by his or her highlights.In 2016, a few spliced clips can go viral and make someone who was thought to be an average talent draw bizarre comparisons.But near the 2:25 mark of Lonzo Balls official ballislife.com reel, UCLAs five-star freshman shakes a defender with a crossover at last years City of Palms tournament in Fort Myers, Florida. The opponents defense, which looks more like an accidental Running Man dance, throws him backward to the floor, where he seems confused by a blocking foul call.Ball stares at the defender for a few seconds, and then he extends his hand to help him up. He does not yell or scream -- even as fans yell and scream around him. He only offers his hand before he turns toward midcourt, undeterred by the teenage heap he left behind.He was stone-cold, stone-faced the whole time, said Darren Moore, Balls personal trainer, who attended the game. Im laughing. Everybody else is going crazy, and hes like, Theres still work to be done.Those on the West Coast never announce their swag. They dont have to. You can feel their carefree vibe when they enter a room. From the Red Hot Chili Peppers to Snoop Dogg to Zack Morris, Californias coolest all seem weightless. Thats the first thing you notice about?Ball?when you meet him.Im doing yoga for the first time, he said. I basically just do a bunch of stretching and downward dog and stuff like that, stuff Ive never heard of. But its cool.The baby afro, soft tone and blunt answers to tough questions all punctuate the persona of a 6-foot-6 former high school point guard and projected lottery pick who led Chino Hills High School in the Los Angeles suburbs to a perfect 35-0 record his senior year. If his near triple-double (14 points, 10 rebounds, six assists) in last weeks exhibition victory over The Masters University means anything, its clear that Ball could help UCLA forget its subpar season from a year ago too.I think you saw a little bit of how much Lonzo can impact the game in every single way, UCLA guard?Bryce Alford?told reporters after the win.Ball is now charged with redeeming the West Coasts most accomplished program after a 15-17 campaign -- just the fourth losing season in the post-John Wooden era -- prompted angry fans to fly banners over the UCLA campus demanding fourth-year coach Steve Alfords dismissal.But Ball said he is not concerned with the pressure -- only the mission.I think we have all the pieces now, he said. Weve got enough talent. Weve got enough older guys to help us out along the way. I think were going to make a lot of noise this year. As far as pressure goes, I dont really look at it like its a big thing. Its just the game of basketball. I think I should be fine.He changed UCLAs future long before he arrived. Balls brothers,?Li Angelo?(a three-star prospect in UCLAs No. 2 2017 recruiting class) and LaMelo Ball (a 5-foot-10 point guard in the 2019 class), have committed to the Bruins too. If they develop into the talents their father, LaVar Ball, projects -- Every one of my boys is going to be one-and-done, he said -- then the Ball family could create a legacy at UCLA.But Lonzo Ball is here now. This season, his arrival will likely prompt Bryce Alfords move to the wing. Ball was the point guard in the three-guard lineup (Ball, Alford and?Isaac Hamilton) Steve Alford started in last weeks exhibition contest.Basically, [Steve Alford]s gonna let me play, Lonzo Ball said. Thats what I like. Im not trying to have nobody put no restrictions on me. Basically, [coach Alford] said when I come here, I can play my game and help them win basketball games. Thats good for me. Were gonna play an up-tempo style of play. Thats better for my game too. Just all those things together made my decision easier.Last season, Bryce Alford played point guard and led the team with 16.1 points and 5.2 assists per game. He also finished 409th in KenPom.coms offensive efficiency ratings, made 40 percent of his attempts inside the arc and committed turnovers on 13.6 percent of his possessions. Those numbers ignited frustrated fans who hoped for a switch at point guard, especially after Ball signed with the program.I think people say that because of Bryces last name, Steve Alford said. If his name was Jones, people would be saying a lot different, [better] things about him. But its good to geet him off the ball with what Lonzo brings.ddddddddddddIts not a hostile development for a UCLA team with more top-to-bottom talent than perhaps any other team on the West Coast. That was evident last week but also apparent prior to the season. Bryce Alford said he enjoyed his time in the backcourt with Ball during the teams exhibition tour of Australia in August.?In the Bruins first exhibition game last week, Alford led the team in scoring (22 points), while Ball led in assists.I think thats where Im best, Alford said of the Australia trip. I think we really played well together. That dude can pass the heck out of the ball, so I dont mind playing with him.Throughout the trip, however, Lonzo Ball struggled. He finished 9-for-36 from the field (3-for-18 from the 3-point line) in three games against one collegiate team and two pro squads. He accrued 14 assists and eight turnovers while the team posted a 2-1 record.The Naismith national prep player of the year in 2015-16 hadnt lost a game since his junior year of high school. He also came to campus as a potential savior for a program desperate for a reboot. Cheers of Lonzo! Lonzo! Lonzo! Down Under?only confirmed the optimism of a fan base that has demonstrated its fury by avoiding Pauley Pavilion. The building has not seen an average of 10,000 or more fans during Alfords tenure. Its a burden, even for the players who believe theyre ready for it.Once the team returned from the trip, Alford visited Ball at his familys home in Chino Hills, California. Alford understands Balls position. As a New Castle, Indiana, product, he?earned his states Mr. Basketball award in high school and led Bob Knights Hoosiers to the 1987 national title.Staying home comes with perks -- and pitfalls -- he told him.I think that was the positive of Australia: He felt a lot of that for the first time, he said. Its been a long time, but I used to be a player that was hyped at Indiana. There comes a lot of hype. ... I just told him to be who you are.Lonzo Ball wont bend. LaVar Ball wont let him. The freshmans father has enough confidence for his eldest son, the entire UCLA squad and half of Los Angeles, if they need it.Since Lonzo was a baby, I was always telling him that someone had to be better than Michael Jordan, LaVar Ball said. Why not you?LaVar Ball speaks in homilies about destiny, missions and the future. Sometimes, his predictions seem improbable or even impossible -- but only if you dont know about the Ball brothers.Lonzo Ball was 2 years old when his father placed him on a table and dared him to jump to the ground and land on a mushy mat. When LaVar Ball trained young basketball players -- he played at Washington State and Cal State-Los Angeles -- his son got involved too.When LaVar was teaching me how to catch lobs, Lonzo would throw me the lobs, Moore said. He was never nervous. Hes always had that special thing. He was 7 years old then.LaVar Ball created the Big Ballers NXT AAU program, which Lonzo Ball and his younger brothers anchored. LaVar Ball kept his sons off the major AAU circuits, an unorthodox move for a rising star such as Lonzo. He preferred to play them together against players four, five or even six years older. They turned Chino Hills into a national prep powerhouse that captured the CIF Open Division state title in 2016, earned the nations top ranking and averaged 97.3 PPG.He dont say nothing, LaVar Ball said of his sons demeanor. I say, Entertain these people. ... I tell people, UCLA is gonna win the national championship. He wants to change the culture.Lonzo Ball just wins. Its all he knows. His father shipped his youth trophies to relatives so he and his brothers would expect victory instead of celebrating each achievement. Their bond on the court also showed the UCLA star the value of fighting for the team.His missteps in Australia obscured some of the teams gains with the freshman running point.?Aaron Holiday?(10.3 PPG) blossomed and looked the part of a Pac-12 all-conference performer.?Thomas Welsh and elite recruits?TJ Leaf?and Ike Anigbogu, who could miss the first six weeks with a knee injury,?comprise one of the nations most promising frontcourts. Bryce Alford, now playing off the ball, made 60 percent of his 3-pointers and did not commit a turnover in a two-game stretch on the teams international tour.Thats not Division I basketball, though. Thats not the Pac-12, which enters the season with two other top-25 programs. And its not the NCAA tournament, which UCLA must reach and advance through if the school intends to avoid the flop label.But the Bruins can conquer those tasks, many agree, if the West Coast prodigy peaks and matches the buzz that has swirled for years.Weve got UCLA across our chest, Ball said. Were playing for more than ourselves. Weve gotta bring that history back.Why not? Stitched Jerseys Cheap Jerseys Cheap Jerseys Store Wholesale Authentic Jerseys China NFL Hoodies Jerseys From China Wholesale NFL Womens Jerseys ' ' '