DALLAS -- The Dallas Mavericks again will seek major upgrades in free agency, a year after DeAndre Jordans jolting change of heart ruined their plans.Theyre going after another center, too.Miamis Hassan Whiteside is expected to be among the top targets for Dallas, along with Memphis point guard Mike Conley. And those pursuits are likely to jeopardize Chandler Parsons future in Dallas after knee injuries sidelined the versatile forward during the playoffs in both his seasons after Houston declined to match owner Mark Cubans offer sheet in 2014.Parsons opted out of the final year of his contract, along with star forward Dirk Nowitzki and point guard Deron Williams, who played one season with his hometown team after taking a buyout from Brooklyn. Nowitzki is almost certain to return for a 19th season in Dallas, while a second for Williams seems unlikely.This much is set when free agency opens at midnight Eastern time Thursday: For the fifth straight year, the Mavericks are trying to reshape their roster without significant help from the draft. And they dont have a playoff series victory to show for the effort since Cuban chose financial flexibility over bringing back key pieces of the franchises only championship in 2011.Were always looking to have maximum impact in terms of talent, president of basketball operations Donnie Nelson said. Itll be the same.The Mavericks chose a center -- Purdues A.J. Hammons -- with their only pick in the NBA draft last week. The 7-footer went in the middle of the second round at No. 46 overall and may or may not be a rotation player depending on what happens at center in free agency.That position is deep and includes Houstons Dwight Howard, who was at the top of Dallas wish list in 2013 -- a year after Williams chose the Nets over coming home. The litany of misses was its most painful for the Mavericks last summer, when Jordan initially said he would join them before changing his mind and staying with the Los Angeles Clippers.While pursuing Jordan, the Mavericks lost Tyson Chandler to Phoenix, the second time he has left in free agency since helping them win the title. But Dallas believes it has two promising centers in Dwight Powell and Salah Mejri, a 7-foot-2 Tunisian who turned 30 after his rookie season.I dont think theres any relation to what our strategy is going to become on July 1, Nelson said after the draft. You can never have enough talent in your center bullpen and given the guys that we have right now, weve got shot blocking, weve got athleticism. A.J. gives us a low-post presence, a guy thats got a thicker body.If Parsons and Williams go elsewhere, the Mavericks will be looking for three new starters for the fifth straight year. Assuming Nowitzki comes back, the other returning starter is shooting guard Wesley Matthews, a free agent who got bumped up to a max contract with Dallas last year when Jordan changed his mind.The one constant amid the turnover has been coach Rick Carlisle, who has made the playoffs in all but one of his eight seasons in Dallas.Im always excited this time of year for a lot of reasons, Carlisle said. Well just go full bore into this summer and into this period, and build this team back up.And maybe put the bad memory of Jordans reversal behind them for good.Were optimistic, Nelson said. I think its an exciting time and ... (drafting Hammons) was a good first step to what hopefully will be a great summer for the Mavericks. Kanken Classic Backpack Cheap . The formidable trio of Canadian receivers -- individually known as Chris Getzlaf, Rob Bagg and Andy Fantuz -- will share the field at Mosaic Stadium one more time on Sunday. Kanken Backpack Mini Cheap . The visitors took a deserved lead in the 16th minute with midfielder Yohan Cabaye curling the ball beyond Adrian from inside the penalty area. http://www.kankenbackpackuk.com/ . 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. Kanken Backpack Grey Cheap . Ronaldo produced a spectacular individual performance on Tuesday, scoring all three goals and guiding Portugal into the next years World Cup in Brazil with a 3-2 victory in Sweden. The Real Madrid forward has scored 66 goals in 2013, but the last three may be the boost he needs to upstage Messi after FIFA unexpectedly extended the voting period for the Ballon dOr to Nov. Kanken Classic Backpack Uk . There are some early surprises in the race for the Hart Trophy, but two of the contenders are the leagues biggest stars over the past decade. There are many more players in contention for the awards than just the three that Ive named, and a good or bad week can easily alter the landscape, but through the first 20 or so games of the NHL season, this is how the awards races look to me. Sometimes its okay to just watch them run, to strip away all the folderol that has nothing to do with the heart of the matter and simply enjoy the sight of a remarkable Thoroughbred in action.It happened that way with Tom Fool on Oct. 24, 1953, when he faced just two in the Pimlico Special, the final start of his career. There was no betting on the race -- I mean, whats the point? -- and Tom Fool already had secured his Horse of the Year title with nine straight wins. But the 18,965 fans were there to see the big horse run, as well as gamble on eight other races, and Tom Fool did not disappoint. He won by eight in track-record time.The New York fans who gathered at Aqueduct on Sept. 22, 1965, had no way of knowing that the featured Stymie Handicap would be Kelsos last moment in the sun. Yes, he was 8 years old, but he was also a force of nature who had been Horse of the Year at 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7. The sight of Kelso entering the stretch in splendid isolation that day moved the crowd to applaud in cadence with his every stride --- a rare tribute usually saved for Olympians and opera divas -- as he drew off to win by eight.And what if a tree falls in a forest and no ones there to bet which way it lands? Foregos followers found out on May 23, 1977, when a parimutuel clerks strike shut down wagering at Belmont Park. They ran the races anyway, for the benefit of OTB. But save a place in the racing fans Hall of Fame for the 7,514 who showed up to watch the three-time Horse of the Year in the flesh win a seven-furlong allowance race that set him up to take the Met Mile one week later.The 5,023 fans who filled tiny Los Alamitos on Saturday afternoon to watch California Chrome strut his considerable stuff were a far cry from the 164,906 who jammed into Churchill Downs for his 2014 Kentucky Derby victory, or even the 72,811 who witnessed his donnybrook with Arrogate in last months Breeders Cup Classic at Santa Anita.never have five thousand souls been more thoroughly entertained. This was Springsteen playing the local club, Picasso fingerpainting in day care, Fred Astaire dancing at a father-daughter ball. Last Saturdays Winter Challenge was a fitting thank you to the neighborhood that has played host to racings latest Cinderella story.Ive loved having California Chrome here, said Dr. Ed Allred, owner of Los Alamitos. But Ill have to admit I wont be sorry to see him go.The message was clear. California Chromes evolution from a promising 3-year-old to an international star with a rippe stallion career on the horizon has put his every move under a microscope, with pressure increased accordingly.dddddddddddd Even a setup like the Winter Challenge could not be taken lightly.To tell you the truth, Im a little nauseous, confessed Art Sherman an hour before California Chromes race.Good for him. Trainers should have butterflies every time they send a horse into battle, no matter whats at stake. Anyone who believes that any race is routine has not been paying attention. The Winter Challenge was serious because there were nine others in the field, purse money was offered -- along with scaled-back gambling opportunities -- and California Chrome would be asked to uncork a fast one in ongoing preparation for his final start in the Pegasus World Cup next month.If nothing else, California Chromes track-record win by a dozen lengths served to file a little bit of the edge off a horse who was spoiling for a fight. That morning, as the stallion was leaving the track after a routine jog, he went up on his hind legs right in front of his trainer.It seemed like forever, but it was probably for about 10 yards, Sherman said. I wouldve got a nosebleed if Id been on him.Hes been doing some crazy things with me lately. Thats why its very important with this horse to get a race into him. He gets bored with all the workouts. He knows his routine, and he knows when its not for real.A mile and one-sixteenth in 1:40.03 is real enough under any circumstances, even over a track that had been sealed tight a few days earlier because of heavy rain. California Chrome returned to the Los Alamitos winners circle to a house full of standing fans, waves of cheering, and a Chrome-Chrome-Chrome chant that had his ears twitching in appreciation.The last time a horse got this kind of reception here was more than 40 years ago, said Brad McKinzie, who runs the Los Alamitos Thoroughbred meet for Allred. His name was Kaweah Bar.Known as the Palomino Express, Kaweah Bar was a beer-drinking, crowd-pleasing Quarter Horse legend who was twice voted World Champion, in 1968 and 1970. California Chrome, Horse of the Year in 2014, is favored to receive a similar honor of non-consecutive titles in the Eclipse Award voting that commenced this week. McKinzie is not alone in thinking it should be a done deal.This race ought to just about clinch it for him, he said. Dont you think? ' ' '