BEIJING -- NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said discussions will resume on the collective bargaining agreement next week after he returns from China, with two months left before a key deadline.Speaking before the NBAs second preseason game in China on Wednesday, Silver said he planned to hold meetings next week in an ongoing process that will include several team owners, National Basketball Players Association executive director Michele Roberts and Los Angeles Clippers guard Chris Paul, the players association president.Silver spoke to Roberts during a recent league visit to Spain, and said hell continue to discuss a resolution with the players association that avoids a lockout or any loss of games.Both sides have been very engaged and eager to get a deal done, he said. When we return home, well pick up where we left off.The current agreement between the league and players runs through June 2021, but both sides have until Dec. 15 to express intent to opt out in 2017.While player salaries have skyrocketed and new TV deals coming into effect have driven up league revenue, there has been optimism that the league and players could reach an agreement and head off a work stoppage.Silver also announced the NBA would open development academies in three Chinese cities, with coaches and training staff overseeing elite travel teams. The academies are spread out over the country: the eastern cities of Jinan and Hangzhou, and the northwestern city of Urumqi. They are the beginning of a planned effort by the NBA to improve basketball training and competition in various countries.Since the retirement of Yao Ming, inducted this year into the Basketball Hall of Fame, no Chinese player has reached his level of success in the NBA. Silver said he hopes the academies will create more elite Chinese players and NBA prospects. Blue Jays Jerseys 2019 . The team also announced Tuesday that the Braves will wear a commemorative patch on the right sleeve during the season. The patch, shaped like home plate, carries the number 715, Aarons autograph and a "40th Anniversary" banner. Toronto Blue Jays Store . -- Adam Snyder returned to the San Francisco 49ers this season because the offensive lineman thought it was his best opportunity to win a championship. https://www.cheapbluejays.com/ . He just needed to be his best twisting, turning acrobatic self. "I didnt need to be anybody else, I just needed to be myself and be aggressive," said Burks, who scored a career-high 34 points to spark the Utah Jazz to a 118-103 victory over the Denver Nuggets on Monday night. Fake Blue Jays Jerseys . Speaking Thursday on TSN 1050 Thursday, the Leafs GM also touched on the questions surrounding the teams leadership and the struggles of his big-name free-agent signing. “Its not from lack of effort from the coaching staff. Blue Jays Jerseys 2020 . -- Edmontons Val Sweeting is two wins away from a trip to Winnipeg to play in Canadas Road of the Rings in December.DENVER -- The Colorado Avalanche are rounding up the old crew to restore the downtrodden franchise. First, Joe Sakic was given more responsibility in the front office. And now Hall of Fame goalie Patrick Roy is rejoining the Avs as head coach. Colorado reached an agreement in principle Thursday with Roy to lead the team and also serve as vice-president of hockey operations. Roy will join forces with Sakic, who was recently promoted to executive vice-president of hockey operations. The Avalanche won two Stanley Cup titles with the duo on the ice and the organization is hoping they can help turn around a struggling franchise. Pull this off and it just might be Roys biggest save yet. The Avs finished a year theyd rather forget, winding up last in the Western Conference and sitting out of the playoffs for a third straight season. The dismal season led to the dismissal of coach Joe Sacco late last month. However, the team does have the No. 1 pick in the upcoming draft. They also have one of the winningest goalies of all time, a fiery competitor during his playing days who will bring that sort of intensity to the bench. The 47-year-old Roy becomes the sixth coach in Avalanche history and the 14th in franchise history; the team began as the Quebec Nordiques and moved to Denver before the 1995-96 season. The Avs captured the first of two Stanley Cup titles that season, with Roy in net. Although he has no NHL coaching experience, Roy did spend the last eight seasons as coach and general manager of the Quebec Remparts of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, winning the 2006 Memorial Cup. He also is a part-owner of the QMJHL franchise. "This is an unbelievable day for me," Roy said. "Its a new and exciting challenge that I am really looking forward to. Almost 10 years to the day that I announced my retirement as a player I am back in Denver and hope the fans are as excited as I am." Roys younger brother, Stephane Roy, let the secret out of the bag earlier this week, posting a Facebook note saying his brother would be the new coach. That left fans in the Mile High City eager all week, hoping two of the most beloved players in team history would team up again. "This is a very exciting day for our fans and a significant moment in our organizations history," team president Josh Kroenke said. Following the season, the Avalanchhe shook up their front office, naming Kroenke as their team president as he took over for longtime executive Pierre Lacroix, who was instrumental in assembling the squads that won championships in 1996 and 2001.dddddddddddd Kroenkes first task was giving Sakic more of a say in every day hockey decisions. He also allowed Sakic to seek out the next coach. Naturally, he turned to someone he knows quite well. "All along Patrick was our top candidate and we are thrilled that he has decided to accept this offer," Sakic said. "Patrick has a great hockey mind, is a tremendous coach and there is no one more passionate about this game. He will bring that winning attitude to our dressing room to help this young team grow." Roy was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2006. He retired with the most regular-season wins in NHL history (551), since passed by New Jerseys Martin Brodeur. Roy also won two Stanley Cups with Montreal and remains the winningest goalie in Stanley Cup history with 151 postseason victories. "Patricks passion for the game of hockey both as a player and as a coach defines who he is as a person," Kroenke said. "He is a winner and is coming back to Denver, where he created numerous special moments on and off the ice while helping lead us to two Stanley Cup championships." Roy won three Vezina Trophies (1989, 1990, 1992) and was selected to the NHL All-Star team six times. The excitable Roy started his career with Montreal, winning two Stanley Cup trophies for the Canadiens. But a rift grew with the team after a game against Detroit on Dec. 2, 1995, when Roy allowed nine goals before he was finally taken out in the second period. Upset, Roy told Montreal it was his last game for the team. A few days later, he was in Colorado, helping the Avs win their first Stanley Cup title. To this day, Roy sweaters permeate the Pepsi Center on game days. Hes that revered. Roy had his number retired by the Avs a decade ago and a banner to commemorate the achievement now hangs from the arenas rafters, alongside those of Peter Forsberg (21), Ray Bourque (77) and his new partner in turning around this franchise, Sakic (19). The team has quite a bit to build around, too, especially since the Avs have a young nucleus in place with Matt Duchene, Ryan OReilly and captain Gabriel Landeskog all under 23. ' ' '