BATON ROUGE, La. -- LSU coach Johnny Jones might need the Tigers to considerably exceed expectations if he wants to keep his so-called dream job much longer.Jones doesnt deny that failing to make the NCAA Tournament last season was a disappointment in light of the fact that the Tigers roster featured the NBAs top 2016 draft choice , Ben Simmons.But Jones also stresses injuries to key contributors, including guard Keith Hornsby, which in the short-term undermined LSUs ability to win, allowed a number of young players gain experience in high-pressure situations. Jones hope is that with maturity and the chance to assert themselves more following Simmons departure, LSUs top returning players might develop into a cohesive, balanced and highly competitive force in the Southeastern Conference.When you talk about last years team, you talk about guys who played in (Simmons) shadow, Jones said. I thought it was healthy for them to play in the environment that they did last year because of -- No. 1 -- what we got from other teams; Every team that we played last year, we took their best shot.We did that with a lot of guys who didnt have a great deal of experience, Jones added. So from that and the pressure and everything they played under last year, they should have an opportunity to improve and play extremely well this year.Simmons averaged 19.2 points and 11.2 rebounds last season, but LSU lacked the depth of talent to consistently make opponents pay for running multiple defenders at Simmons in an effort to contain him.This season, Jones promises, Well be different. Well look for different scoring opportunities.It remains to be seen how good those opportunities will be. With Simmons gone, LSU was picked to finish 12th in the 14-team SEC when the conference released its preseason coaches poll.Jones expects perimeter scoring from Antonio Blakeney, as well as sophomores Brandon Sampson and Jalyn Patterson. Inside theyll rely again on junior Craig Victor, as well as 6-foot-10 junior college transfer Duop Reath, who grew up in Australia after his family fled war in Sudan.We know that we have some areas that were certainly going to have to grow, Jones said. Were going to do that by committee.Some other things to know about LSU:GETTING DEFENSIVE: While Jones doesnt plan on abandoning the up-tempo style he prefers, he said LSUs defense was deficient last season and he has emphasized a need to improve on that end.We feel that chemistry will play a big part of that, Jones said. You cant be selfish now on the defensive end of the floor. You have to play as a team, and thats a commitment that we have to make as a group.HELP INSIDE: Reath is no Ben Simmons, but hes the same height and LSU coaches suggest he has the potential to influence outcomes on both ends of the court with his raw athleticism. He transferred from Lee College (Texas), where he averaged 14.6 points and 8.4 rebounds last season.Hes done a great job of filling in and filling something that we feel like we missed from last year -- a rim protector, Jones said, adding that Reaths ability to run and shoot gives him an opportunity to stretch opposing defenses.BLAKENEYS SLATE: During his final 11 games last season, Blakeney averaged about 18 points -- all against SEC competition. If he can sustain that this season, hell be in the mix for an All-SEC selection. An All-SEC freshman last year, Blakeney is also expected to emerge as a locker room leader.SAMPSONS CHALLENGE: Coaches have praised Sampson for working hard this summer and looking like a player who can contribute consistently after failing to live up to his recruiting hype as a freshman. LSU wants Sampson, one of its best ball-handlers, to be the type of dynamic scorer who is as likely to pull up from outside as drive to the hoop.NEWCOMERS: LSU is hoping two freshmen from Baton Rouge -- guards Skylar Mays and Wayde Sims -- will contribute this season. More help could come if Branden Jenkins, a transfer who averaged 15.6 points and made 50 steals in junior college last year, recovers from arthroscopic knee surgery in time for the second half of the season.---Online: www.collegebasketball.ap.org Puma Womens Shoes Rihanna . This should be celebrated because it will not always be this way. 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Quinn was with the San Antonio Spurs, and can still see Tim Duncan sacrificing his body and diving out of bounds in a spectacular effort to keep a ball in play.It wasnt in a game.That story was from a practice.Moments like those that no one saw, moments like the five NBA championships that the world saw and countless other memories from Duncans 19 seasons with the Spurs were shared by plenty around the game Monday, the reactions coming in swiftly after the 15-time All-Star announced in a simple news release that he is retiring.He didnt always wear his emotions on his sleeve like other guys, said Quinn, now a Miami Heat assistant. So it can get lost how ultra-competitive he is. No matter what we were doing as a team, whether it was a playoff game or a drill in practice, he was trying to win and he was going to do anything in his power to help his team win.And Duncan won a lot. Five championships, two MVP awards, three Finals MVP awards and well over 1,000 games in Spurs colors. Hes widely considered the best power forward ever, even though the debate will surely still rage as to whether he was a forward or a center (as coach Gregg Popovich insisted he was).Those are just details now. Power forward, center, agree to disagree.On Duncans greatness, there is no debate.Say it aint so!!! wrote Dallas Dirk Nowitzki, who went head-to-head against Duncan a staggering 90 times. Greatest power forward ever!Added Spurs forward LaMarcus Aldridge, who was with San Antonio for what became Duncans final season: The best PF ever! Thanks for the memories old man. A great player and teammate.Greatest was the word that so many of Duncans playing colleagues in the game used, the list there including the likes of Dwyane Wade, DeMarcus Cousins, Paul Millsap and Austin Rivers.Even opposing franchises -- just about all of them, it seemed -- felt it was appropriate to tip their caps. The New Orleans Pelicans called Duncan one of the NBAs all-time greats. The Miami Heat, the team Duncan faced in his last two NBA Finals trips in 2013 and 2014, called his career amazing. And the Boston Celtics, knowing that Duncan will one day be honored at the nearby Basketball Hall of Fame, said See you in Springfield.Congrats on your incredible career, Tim Duncan, the Orlando Magic posted on their Twitter account. We thankk you for all that youve done for the game.dddddddddddd.The tributes are certain to keep coming. Spurs coach Gregg Popovich is scheduled to talk about Duncans decision and career on Tuesday in what will likely become an emotional event.Probably a top 5 all time player, Golden State coach and former Spurs guard Steve Kerr wrote on Twitter, and undoubtedly a top 5 all time teammate. Wow, what a career.Duncan joins John Stockton and Kobe Bryant as the only players to spend their entire career of 19 years or more with one team. Duncans longevity was such that when he came into the league Vancouver, Seattle and New Jersey all had teams and Washingtons team was called the Bullets. His success was such that the Spurs celebratory trips to the White House after title years saw them meet with three different U.S. Presidents.The ultimate teammate, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said.In a game where players get as much attention sometimes for style off the court as they do for flash on it, Duncan was different. He mastered the bank shot, one of the many ways he played a simple brand of game exceptionally well. He didnt don super-expensive suits, always preferring the comfort of jeans and casual shirts.And yet hes still inspiring the generation that follows.I wear No. 21 because of him, said Philadelphias Joel Embiid, who was 3 when Duncan made his NBA debut.On Facebook, longtime NBA forward Etan Thomas shared a story from long ago -- it happened somewhere between 2002 and 2005 -- about a night that he went up against Duncan and got an education.Literally, Duncan tried teaching him things. During the game.So were playing the Spurs and I get the ball on the post, Thomas wrote . I inside pivot and sweep to the middle for my jump hook and he blocks it. So as we are running down the court he says to me `That was a good move but you have to get more into my body so you can either draw the foul or I cant block it.Confused, Thomas wasnt sure if Duncan was being helpful or snarky. A few players later, he tried the move again and made the adjustment that Duncan had recommended.This time, Duncan couldnt block the shot. Thomas missed anyway, but a lesson was learned.He looked at me, Thomas wrote, and said much better. Cheap NFL Jerseys Wholesale Jerseys Wholesale NFL Jerseys Jerseys From China Wholesale NFL Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys Cheap Jerseys ' ' '