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OAKLAND, Calif. Ben Roethlisberger Womens Jersey . -- At the beginning of training camp, Andrew Bogut set a goal to play all 82 regular-season games and regain his place among the NBAs best centres. Hes on pace to come awfully close. With his health no longer holding him back, Bogut has been a force in the middle for the Golden State Warriors (29-19) entering Tuesday nights home game against the Charlotte Bobcats. He ranks near the top of the league in blocks, rebounds and defensive ratings, and he has begun to silence the chatter that hes a player who is always hurt. "I havent felt this great in while," Bogut said after Mondays practice, then quickly asking not to jinx his good fortune. "Touch wood," he said. The 7-footer from Australia, who has a well-documented history of injuries, has played in 47 of 48 games -- with his lone absence stemming from a suspension handed down by the NBA for his role in a scrum against Portland. Bogut had played in only 44 games the past two seasons combined. Boguts presence has been especially big considering his primary backups, Jermaine ONeal and Festus Ezeli, have been out most of the season. "Hes been spectacular, protecting the paint, setting screens, rebounding the basketball, being a leader, being durable," Warriors coach Mark Jackson said. "If hes not here, youre asking basically a power forward to be a (centre), and to do it for a lengthy period of time is a recipe for disaster. But hes been awesome, and certainly should be in the discussion for Defensive Player of the Year." The Warriors took a big risk by signing Bogut to a three-year, $36 million extension in October that could be worth up to about $42 million with incentives. They also took a gamble when they acquired Bogut in a trade-deadline deal in March 2012 that sent guard Monta Ellis to Milwaukee. Bogut did not play for Golden State that season while recovering from a fractured left ankle. Bogut battled back and knee injuries while averaging a career-low 5.8 points to go with 7.7 rebounds last season, but he was at his best in the playoffs, making a major difference on defence to help the Warriors advance to the second round. Bogut missed the end of the 2009-10 season with the Bucks when he dislocated his right elbow, sprained his right wrist and broke his right hand in a hard fall to the floor. He also missed significant time with an injured lower back in the 2008-09 season. Bogut has repeatedly called both injuries "freak accidents." "People that label me injury-prone, its fair enough, I understand it," Bogut said. "But to say that theyre chronic injuries, those people are idiots. Two injuries that have hurt my career and probably shortened the length of my career and probably a little bit of my playing ability are completely out of my control." Even still, the setbacks have taken a toll -- physically and mentally. At one point while rehabbing his ankle last season, Bogut said he was in a "dark place" and even considered retirement. Instead, Golden States surprising playoff run -- and his big role in it -- left him rejuvenated. He lost about 15 pounds this off-season, and the only real injury scare cost him some practice time in January after he strained his right knee. Bogut is averaging 10.6 rebounds and two blocks per game, and he has the NBAs third-best defensive rating -- which is calculated by how many points are given up per 100 possessions while a player is on the floor. Offence is still something that has eluded Bogut since his elbow injury, though on a Golden State team stacked with shooters, hes not asked to score much. Bogut is averaging 8.2 points, which is sixth on the team, but he leads the Warriors with 64 per cent shooting -- with most of his points coming on pick-and-roll dunks or put-back rebounds. Hes also rediscovering his passing ability -- once considered among the best for NBAs centres -- lately, including tying his season high with five assists in Fridays win at Utah. "Hes talented, man," point guard Stephen Curry said. "Its not often you see a big man get the rebound, push in transition, change directions a couple times, read the defence and make behind-the-back passes and one-handed passes for a backdoor cut. That creativity he has, Ive rarely seen it for a guy his size." Bogut, now 29, has concentrated on becoming a more versatile defender. Hes not just guarding centres near the rim, but often going out against power forwards, including holding down All-Star starter Blake Griffin in a win over the Clippers last week. Bogut believes hes "close" to playing the best defence of his career, and hes making a strong case to be on the first or second All-NBA Defensive teams. The only time Bogut could remember playing this well was before his injury in the 2009-10 season, when he finished second behind Orlandos Dwight Howard in blocks per game but didnt even get a vote for the defensive teams that season. "Hopefully, I can make up for that this season," Bogut said. "But awards are predicated on how the team is, how the success of the team is, so if we go to the playoffs and make some noise, I think all that stuff will take care of itself." Steelers Jersey .J. -- Seven games into a disappointing season, New York Giants defensive catalyst Jason Pierre-Paul is getting the feeling hes back. Bud Dupree Womens Jersey . The 20-year-old Pelicans big man glanced up and smiled widely at the well-wishers -- a fitting end to a day he wont soon forget. Davis responded to his selection earlier in the day as a Western Conference All-Star with 26 points and 10 rebounds, and the New Orleans Pelicans overcame a 10-point fourth-quarter deficit to defeat the Minnesota Timberwolves 98-91 on Friday night. http://www.shoptheofficialsteelers.com/Elite-Senquez-Golson-Steelers-Jersey/ . Louis Rams wide receiver Stedman Bailey last Sunday. The fine is the fourth this season for Goldson. He was fined $30,000 for a hit on the New York Jets Jeff Cumberland in Week 1. KITCHENER, Ont. -- John Morris Kelowna, B.C., rink and Renee Sonnenberg, of Grande Prairie, Alta., were the first two teams to advance to the Roar of the Rings Canadian Curling Trials at the Road to the Roar pre-trials on Saturday. Morris, along with his squad of Jim Cotter, Tyrel Griffith and Rick Sawatsky, drew to the button in the 10th end to edge Sault Ste. Marie, Ont.s Brad Jacobs 5-4 to be the first of four teams -- two from the mens side and two from the womens -- to head to the Olympic trials in Winnipeg. The event runs from Dec. 1 to 8. Sonnenberg and her team of Lawnie MacDonald, Cary-Anne McTaggart and Rona Pasika, shook off an early defeat at the hands of Kelly Scott and beat the previously undefeated Kelowna foursome 12-4 in the womens A final to advance. Morris team went undefeated during the week, but the skip says they didnt play to their potential in the final. He says his foursome played a patient game and didnt want to be too aggressive. "This game wasnt our best and I dont think it was Jacobs best," Morris said. "It was a bit of cat and mouse. When the games that tight, no one really has to push the envelope too much. You just have to manage. "But we hung tough. Thats one of the first major championship big games weve really been in all year. Im proud of the guys for hanging tough and Jim made some key shots late that really picked us up." Both teams traded points starting in the second end, with each scratching back from one-point deficits before heading into the final end tied 4-4. Jacobs had two guards protecting his rock in the eight-foot ring, but Cotter, the fourth on Morris team, slid a shot gently between both rocks for the win. Jacobs didnt mince words about his teams performance with a chance at the Olympic trials on the line. "That was, quite frankly, terrible curling and quite embarrassing, some of the shot-making that we had in that last game," said Jacobs, the reigning Brier champion, who quickly stripped out of his curling jacket after the match and headed for the door. "No one was out there shooting the lights out like I thought we might be. No one went for the jugular. Everyone took their misses out there on both sides, thats why it was 4-4 game. Otherwise, if they would have been on, they probably would have clobbered us." Jacobs added: "Flat out, if were going to curl like that, were not going to come out of this thing. We need to bounce back and come back with a much better performance in our next one." Despite the loss, Jacobs gets another shot to make the finals tomorrow night when he faces the winner of the morning match between 2006 Olympic gold medallist Brad Gushue and 2003 world junior champion Steve Laycock, of Saskatoon. "Us losing that game is very ttypical of our team . Le Veon Bell Steelers Jersey. . and weve always bounced back," Jacobs said. "Im really hoping that tomorrow well show a lot of resilience and play a lot better." Morris will go up against former skip Kevin Martin. Despite winning a world championship in 2008 and Olympic gold in 2010 with Martin, Morris had a fiery relationship with his fourth, and left the team after gaining an automatic berth in Winnipeg. "Is he in that bonspiel?" Morris joked. "Im sure well have a great match against Kev. Well both be gunning for each other and that was a tough break at the end of last year, but it had to happen. Im sure were going to have a barnburner." Though the mens final had some drama to the last shot, Sonnenberg erased any chance of that in the sixth end with three of her rocks surrounding one of Scotts. She used the hammer to squeeze the stone out of the cluster to score four for a 7-3 lead. Despite Scott getting one back in the seventh end, Sonnenberg added three in the eighth and two in the ninth before Scott conceded. Sonnenberg acknowledged that the sixth end started the inevitable end of the match. "That made a huge difference for our team, but at that point we werent going to let up one inch. Weve seen a million comebacks this week," Sonnenberg said. She added that in her earlier loss to Scott she wasnt comfortable with the ice and never really got used to it how "swingy" it was. This time, the ice swung her way. "It may have been an advantage that we played the B final there. We knew what side was a little straighter and the other side swung a whole bunch. But the girls played great and we put our rocks in good position today." Scott on the other hand, admitted she was baffled by the sheet and her rocks, and was never comfortable during the game. "We did not enjoy that performance on our behalf," Scott said. "We had moments of looking at what we are doing out there, but there wasnt really one end where we put all eight shots together." Scott gets a second chance at an Olympic trial spot tomorrow afternoon against Edmontons Val Sweeting, who staved off elimination by beating 2010 Olympic silver medallist Cheryl Bernard 9-7 Saturday morning. "We know the Sweeting team is very good," Scott said. "They are a young and up and coming team and (we are) going to have to be sharp tomorrow. "We bounce (back) pretty good. We said that coming into our game, that regardless of the outcome of tonights game, lets not let it rattle us. Given the outcome of our performance, I think thats one we just want to park." Sonnenberg, on the other hand, cant wait to get back out west for the trials. "I just love curling in Winnipeg," she said. cheap nfl jerseys cheap jerseys cheap jerseys cheap jerseys cheap nfl jerseys wholesale jerseys ' ' '