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NBA players are pushing for more money in the next collective bargaining agreement -- for the players who came before them.Cleveland Cavaliers superstar LeBron James, vice president of the NBPAs executive committee, told The Associated Press on Thursday the union has made getting aid for retired players a priority in their talks with NBA owners on a new deal.The NBA and its players have agreed that the next CBA will include new league-funded programs to help retired players with education and medical expenses, four people with knowledge of the situation told the AP. The people spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because talks are ongoing.In exchange for those programs, and pending full approval from both sides, the split of basketball-related income would remain the same 50-50 deal as it is in the current agreement.Deciding on how to divvy up the revenue pie was the biggest obstacle that led to the ugly lockout five years ago. But with that issue essentially taken care of this time around, negotiations have gone much smoother as both sides look to reach an agreement on a new deal before the Dec. 15 deadline to opt out.For James, NBPA President Chris Paul and the rest of the union, taking care of those who are no longer playing is a worthy compromise for trying to recoup any of the financial ground lost during the 2011 labor dispute.We got a group of guys that are in there that know the negotiations, so any way to give back and try to help our former teammates and help former players and things of that nature, James said. Because weve all built this league together. No matter how big of a guy you were or if you were the 15th guy on the bench, we all built this league into what it is today. But its not just my idea. Im not taking any credit for that. But its all part of the process.Mike Glenn, a 10-year NBA veteran and a member of the National Basketball Retired Players Associations board of directors, said the CBA has dominated conversations among retirees for more than a year.Were very thankful to Chris Paul, LeBron and others who have provided the leadership to include us in the negotiations, and have the foresight to see that theyll be us in a couple of years, said Glenn, currently an Atlanta Hawks analyst for Fox Sports Southeast. There are so many guys with medical issues, who have had hip and knee replacements. With the cost of health care going up, it would be the biggest thing thats happened for retirees in 10 years.That process will resume next week when the league and the union meet ahead of the NBA Board of Governors meeting in New York, which begins on Oct. 20. NBA Commissioner Adam Silver and union head Michele Roberts met in Spain earlier this month when the league had a preseason game there and they -- along with other members of the negotiating committee -- are preparing to return to the bargaining table with both sides in deal-making mode.During the bitter negotiations of 2011 that resulted in the loss of 16 games for each team off of the schedule, the players ultimately accepted a decrease from 57 percent of basketball-related income to a band between 49 and 51 percent depending on a variety of economic factors for each particular season. After the league secured a new $24 billion television contract, franchise values skyrocketed. There was talk of the players opting out of the 10-year deal and seeking givebacks from the owners.But the talks between the owners and players this time around have been much more cordial. And there is a trust level that was absent from previous talks, a factor that was only strengthened when the owners agreed to the new programs that will help players after their careers come to an end.James stressed that the medical and education programs benefiting retirees were not his idea alone, but a collective decision from the union to seek help for the players that helped make the league what it is today. Now, with so much revenue flooding the system to the benefit of both sides, the dialogue appears to be centered on the greater good over dollars and cents.I just want to see the league continue to grow, thats all that matters to me, James said. The players are a huge, huge piece but we also know the owners have great minds as well, our commissioner is great, but our league, our logo, the Jerry West logo is probably the most well sought-out, admired logo in the world and weve got to figure out a way to keep it going, keep raising the bar. Thats my only concern.The new agreement is expected to include several other new elements as well, said the people with knowledge of the discussions.They said owners are pushing to give their teams more options to keep homegrown players in their organizations, a topic that came to the forefront after Kevin Durant left the Oklahoma City Thunder to form a new super team in Golden State. One of the proposals, the people said, includes the possibility of adding a second five-year maximum contract. Currently, teams can only offer one five-year max contract, which can make it more difficult for teams to keep multiple stars happy.The people told AP new elements also include an increase in the rookie salary scale to fall more in line with the surging salary cap, which was first reported by Yahoo Sports. The people also say two-way contracts that would pay players less when they are in the NBDL and more when they are with their NBA teams -- a structure that has worked well in hockey for some time -- will be a part of the deal.---AP Sports Writer Tom Withers in Independence, Ohio, contributed to this report.Drew Brees Youth Jersey . -- Running backs Darren McFadden and Rashad Jennings were back at practice for the Oakland Raiders on Wednesday despite being hampered by hamstring injuries. Marcus Davenport Youth Jersey . Once again Jordan Cieciwa (@FitCityJordan) and I (@LynchOnSports) go head to head in our picks. Last weekend at UFC Fight Night 32 my #TeamLynch got the best of #TeamJC by a score of 9-6. Let us know which side youre on for UFC 167 use the hashtag #TeamLynch or #TeamJC on Twitter. http://www.saintsrookiestore.com/Saints-Thomas-Morstead-Jersey/ . Dukurs winning time was 1 minute, 45.76 seconds, a quarter-second better than Russias Alexander Tretiakov. 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Just as Montreal was settling into the first full working week of a new year, the Impact announced the appointment of their new head coach.BATON ROUGE, La. -- Any doubt?LSU star running back Leonard Fournette had about playing against?Florida on Saturday apparently evaporated during a pregame skirmish between the Gators and some of his teammates.Fournettes gimpy left ankle prevented him from making an impact, but his No. 16 Tigers (6-4, 4-3 SEC) appreciated the gesture by their star junior who likely made his final home appearance in the 16-10 loss to the No. 23 Gators (8-2, 6-2; No. 21 AP).He, I dont think, was anticipating playing so much, fullback J.D. Moore said of Fournette, who ran 12 times for 40 yards before giving way to backup Derrius Guice for much of the second half. I think thats a testament to his character that he wanted to be out there fighting with us despite personal injury. Im all for him being out there and was glad to see him get to play in his last time in Tiger Stadium.Fournette was dressed in sweats and a baseball cap and was watching teammates warm up when the shoving match broke out following an argument between freshmen cornerbacks Chauncey Gardner (Florida) and Saivion Smith (LSU).Fournette was among the participants, twice shoving Florida defensive backs coach Torrian Gray before the groups were separated.Multiple reports had indicated that Fournette would be out vs. Florida due to soreness from a nagging left ankle injury, but LSU interim coach Ed Orgeron confirmed after the game that Fournette came to him in the locker room after the incident and asked to play.He didnt say [it was because of the fight] to me, Orgeron said. He just came to me before the game in the dressing room and said, Coach I want to play.Fournette was not made available to talk to reporters after the game.When the Tigers returned to the field, Fournette was dressed in full pads, intent on trying to play despite the preseason ankle injury that robbed him of three games this season and limited his effectiveness in several others.After the game, LSU receiver D.J. Chark said he never expected Fournette to play Saturday when the team arrived at Tiger Stadium.No, not at all, Chark said.?Leonard is a competitor and I feel like all that commotion brought out the competitive side in him and he wanted to give it all.Unfortunately, hes not healthy, but just to see that type of fight in a guy to know hes not healthy and come into the game saying, Im not going to play and still strap on his pads and go out there, you dont find too many guys like that.Guice, who lost a fumble iinside the Florida 10 to halt LSUs second possession, finished with 112 total yards (83 rushing, 29 receiving) and a touchdown against Florida, but LSU certainly missed a healthy Fournette at crucial points.dddddddddddd thought that was the difference in the game right there -- one of the turning points in the game, Orgeron said of Guices fumble. Up 7-3, go up 14-3 with the great defense we have, we could do some things to move the football to take care of the clock. We just didnt get it done.On his final carry of the game, Fournette was unable to run through Caleb Brantleys tackle attempt at the Florida 1, falling for a 1-yard loss early in the third quarter. LSU then settled for a field goal try that failed when holder Josh Growden could not handle the snap and instead floated an incomplete pass into the end zone.LSU lost the lead on the very next play when Florida quarterback Austin Appleby completed a 98-yard touchdown pass to Tyrie Cleveland to give the Gators a 10-7 lead.Fournettes absence was most painful at the end of the game, however. Florida stuffed Moore at the 1 on the second-to-last play and then stopped a diving Guice short of the end zone to end the game as the Gators secured the SEC East title and a spot in the conference championship game against No. 1?Alabama.Even worse, Guice ran the wrong way on the play before cutting back toward the left and attempting to dive over the pile.We had a little short toss called and the back went the wrong way, although he made a good effort, Orgeron said. But it just wasnt executed right.A healthy Fournette might have made the difference there, but that has been a persistent storyline throughout the season for the Tigers. Fournettes heart and mind were willing, but his body refused to cooperate.As a result, a team that entered the season as a potential College Football Playoff contender just suffered its fourth loss of the season -- with its star watching helplessly from the sideline as a potential game-winning drive fell just short.Saturdays contest was a makeup from the originally scheduled Oct. 8 game in Gainesville, Florida, that was postponed because of Hurricane Matthew.The game was moved to Baton Rouge, Louisiana, as part of the agreement to reschedule, which was a contentious negotiation that included multiple threats to cancel the matchup. ' ' '