Abstimmungen » streak of 33 makes. ... LaMarcus Aldridge (rest) got the

I get the feeling the negotiations between the players and the AFL over the next collective bargaining agreement (CBA) are far more important than any of us truly understand right now.My other sport, the NFL, is currently seeing some ugly contractual disputes between players and their teams. Right now, there are a handful of superstars in the NFL publicly moaning and groaning about their own contract situations.DeAndre Hopkins, Antonio Brown, Rob Gronkowski and Michael Bennett are a quartet of Pro-Bowlers who are all eyeing a new contract as the pre-season begins. In Hopkins case, he sent tremors through the Houston Texans when he decided to skip day one of training camp only to show up on day two, saying I let them do the negotiating. Hopkins clearly expects a new deal imminently. (For those wondering, his decision to sit out day one of training camp cost him $US40,000).At the heart of the players displeasure with the current state of NFL contracts, which arent guaranteed, is the landscape taking shape in a rival code. NBA wages have soared ahead of the 2016-17 season with a new TV rights deal in effect - the salary cap will eclipse $US90 million for the first time.Aussie Matthew Dellavedova is just one player benefiting from this wage spike - rewarded for his hustle with a four-deal worth a guaranteed $AU51 million. Dellys dollars might have raised a few eyebrows, but no one in their right mind expected Memphis guard Mike Conley to receive the richest deal in the history of the NBA.However, the NBA business is soaring and I believe the players deserve to reap the rewards for their hard work.Having just signed a record $2.5 billion broadcast deal, the AFL finds itself in a similar position and its the players view that we should share in the money that weve helped generate.I say the two most important shareholders in our game are the players and the fans - particularly the paid-up members. Those two groups are essential to the future prosperity of the game. Without the players, we have no game and without the fans, no one cares.We dont expect to be paid like Delly, but we want a deal with the AFL that recognises the significant contribution we make to what is an incredible product. With the average wage of an AFL footballer approximately $280,000, its easy to label our demands as greedy, but anyone suggesting so should look a little deeper.When AFL Players Association boss Paul Marsh and his team came to visit the Adelaide Crows, one statistic they shared demonstrated why the current payment model is redundant.Under the current CBA, the AFL forecasts its revenue and the players are paid accordingly. Sure, this gives the league and the clubs budget certainty, but its also ripping the players off. Heres why:Over the past decade the difference between the AFLs forecast and actual revenue is a whopping $246 million. Yes, thats almost a quarter of a billion dollars of revenue that the players have missed out on sharing in. Throw in revenue from the 18 clubs and that figure could easily be double.Its written into the AFL rules that players will receive a proportion of industry revenue, but theres clearly an issue when theres a significant difference between what the AFL is conservatively predicting and the actual figures.Under the current model theres no way for the AFLPA, on behalf of the players, to get that money back - money we helped generate. This is something our proposed percentage share model will rectify.A percentage sharing model is the only realistic and fair outcome I can see. When the game improves, the players will benefit. When the game declines, the players take a hit too. Its common sense!A pay rise for the players doesnt mean less for grassroots footy. We all accept and understand that certain things must be done to ensure the future of our sport. Kids deserve the opportunity to pursue their chosen passion, be it footy or otherwise. The AFL has a sensational, realistic, affordable pathway for boys and girls to become the next Patrick Dangerfield or the next Daisy Pearce.But if we want to keep attracting the very best athletes to football to ensure it remains the premier sport in this country, then the players and the AFL need to work together in partnership.Greater media access to players is one way we can contribute to the growth of the game and ensure the next broadcast deal is as big as the previous. A couple of months ago, I wrote that there was currently a huge gap between the media and fans access to players. The new CBA should go some way to rectifying that situation with more and more access for supporters.We, the players, understand the greater good of the game and NFL-style holdouts arent on the horizon but we do deserve fair recognition for the role weve played in making our game great.In the quest for fairness in what is ultimately a crucial outcome for all, I approached the AFL for comment on writing this article. In response they chose to take their consistent approach of not providing ongoing and open detailed commentary, other than to say they want the players to be fairly rewarded, financially viable clubs and the next generation of stars to be nurtured.As DeAndre Hopkins said: I let them do the negotiating. Hopefully a deal is close. Jim Kelly Jersey . Toronto has dropped games to Indiana and Miami since a five-game winning streak and closed out a three-game road trip at 1-2. Zay Jones Youth Jersey . Anthony Calvillo, through 20 CFL seasons, was frequently invincible and largely stoic in the heat of competition. But underneath the professional exterior he was, and is, compellingly human. http://www.authenticbillsfanaticfootball.com/authentic-tre-davious-white-bills-jersey/ . It is a cliché dragged out by fans and pundits regularly when discussions take place around which teams are better than others. Custom Buffalo Bills Jerseys . JOHNS, N. Frank Gore Jersey . The Islanders dealt Thomas Vanek to the Montreal Canadiens after less than a year on Long Island. Meanwhile, the Oilers dealt long-time sniper Ales hemsky to the Ottawa Senators on Wednesday for a fifth-round pick in 2014 and a third-rounder in 2015. MIAMI -- Kawhi Leonard was getting a cut under his right eye fussed with, and out of his left one he could see the Miami Heat take their first lead since the opening minutes.He wasnt worried.When Leonard returned, order was restored for San Antonio. Bandaged up but otherwise unbothered, Leonard scored 14 of his 27 points in the final 6:04 -- including the last 12 for the Spurs, who beat Miami 106-99 on Sunday night to remain unbeaten at 4-0.It wasnt anything with my eye or retina or anything, said Leonard, who didnt need stitches. Just under my eye, I got a little cut.Pau Gasol had 20 points and 11 rebounds for the Spurs, who wasted a 16-point first-half lead and trailed by one when Leonard returned with 6:48 remaining after the Spurs needed only a couple minutes to patch him up. Patty Mills added 18 for San Antonio, who won at Miami for the fifth consecutive time.I thought we hung in there tough on the road, Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. That was the best part of the game. We didnt give in.Hassan Whiteside made his final seven shots and tied a career high with 27 points for Miami, also grabbing 15 rebounds. Goran Dragic scored 25 points and Justise Winslow added 18 for the Heat. Miami took the lead on a layup by Dragic right before Leonard returned, yet only held that lead for 18 seconds.Leonard found Mills for a 3-pointer on his first possession back, then drove down a wide-open lane for a dunk on the next San Antonio trip. The Spurs didnt trail again.They made some tough shots, Dragic said. But I feel like we defended well.When the Spurs last visited on Feb. 9, both teams used 11 players. Of those 22, only seven played Sunday -- four for the Spurs, three for the Heat.That game was the last Chris Bosh played for Miami. He was diagnosed with a blood clot in Tooronto two nights later, pulled out of All-Star weekend and hasnt been cleared to play since.ddddddddddddSo the Heat remain in transition. But even with changes themselves, the Spurs remain the Spurs.You absolutely respect and enjoy how San Antonio just finds a way to stay ahead of the curve, continue to reinvent and be incredibly efficient, Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said.TIP-INSSpurs: Leonard made his first five free throws, then missed to end a season-opening streak of 33 makes. ... LaMarcus Aldridge (rest) got the night off. ... Danny Green (left quad strain) was on the trip, though isnt expected to play for a couple more weeks.Heat: Whiteside wore a sleeve to protect his stitched-up left elbow, cut in Fridays loss to Charlotte. ... Winslow missed his first five shots, airballing the last. He made his next seven. ... Spoelstra said Josh Richardson (knee) is doing more rehab, but hasnt fully practiced yet.SHORT NIGHT, LONG WEEKThe Spurs played at home Saturday night, then landed in Miami at 2:30 a.m. -- and faced the Heat at 6 p.m.Good news for the Spurs: This trip is one of only two instances this season when theyll deal with such a long flight on a back-to-back.Bad news for the Spurs: The other is later this week. San Antonio plays Friday in Utah, then flies 1,100 miles to host the Clippers on Saturday.BENCH FACTORSan Antonios reserves outscored Miamis bench 43-14. So far this season, the Spurs have a 174-81 edge in bench scoring.UP NEXTSpurs: San Antonio hosts Utah on Tuesday. The Spurs have won their last 10 at home against the Jazz.Heat: Miami hosts Sacramento on Tuesday. The Heat have won their last 14 at home against the Kings. ' ' '