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Building something that lasts in the NBA is hard. Even teams on top live in fear of one butterfly flap that might undo everything -- one injury, one trade gone bad, one unhappy player or even a blip of bad timing in the way contracts are staggered.Its amazing how fast things spin out of control, and how long it can take a team to find its bearings again. Teams crave control. They hoard draft picks to decide who gets to wear their uniform and craft five-year plans that make them feel and act as if they are a step ahead. Sometimes they really are! Play a couple of things wrong, and suddenly youre reactive and desperate, flailing one move behind everyone else.The Dallas Mavericks busting up their 2011 title team to chase free agents wasnt on its own a mistake. Those dudes were mostly fogies, and Tyson Chandler, the one core guy at the outer edge of his prime, has been up and down since signing with the Knicks. You cant control a free agents choice, especially when incumbent teams can outbid you, but it wasnt nuts to think some big name would take the Mavs money -- particularly given Mark Cubans cozy relationship with power agent Dan Fegan.But the Mavs have mishandled most of the things they do control. They traded down in drafts to save money, traded out of them and whiffed on most of the picks they did make. Donnie Nelson, the teams GM, begged Cuban to draft Giannis Antetokounmpo at No. 13 in 2013, but the Mavs instead traded down five spots to open up a few hundred thousand bucks in extra cap space for Dwight Howard. They ended up drafting Shane Larkin at No. 18 as part of a deal that sent away their first-round pick from the year before.Fewer teams had cap room then, but the Mavs could have picked 13th and found other ways to dump money in a pinch.Team building is hard, and it requires major luck somewhere along the way. Most picks below the lottery yield back-of-the-rotation guys or total busts. But to sustain success, you eventually have to hit on a few of them. Roddy Beaubois, the No. 25 pick in 2009, might have turned into a hit had foot injuries not ruined his career. Justin Anderson, the 21st pick last year, looks like a hoppy and versatile wing perfect for the modern NBA. The hits dont have to be Kawhi Leonard at No. 15, or Draymond Green in the second round. One or two Jae Crowders will do.The Mavs had the real Jae Crowder, and included him (plus this years pick) in their ill-fated gamble for Rajon Rondo. Boston got Brandan Wright in that deal, too. Crowder and Wright will earn $12 million combined next season, about 60 percent of Kent Bazemores likely salary. Dallas was brilliant to snag Al-Farouq Aminu on a minimum salary in 2014-15, but then let him walk to Portland to carve out max cap space for DeAndre Jordan.Dallas sacrificed a lot of good under-27 players in the pursuit of great ones, and the odds got worse when the cap boom gave everyone space.?Chandler Parsons is the latest such casualty. He went from bro-in-chief to outcast in record time, and no one will say exactly why. His knee issues certainly frustrated the Mavs, especially given the timing of flare-ups; Parsons appeared in just one of Dallas 10 playoff games over the past two seasons.The Mavs decision that Parsons is no longer a max player offended him, and the market has proved Parsons right; Memphis has offered him a max contract pending a physical that promises to be one of the most suspenseful moments of this free-agency period.Parsons didnt find a groove in Dallas until January, and hes a minus defender. But hes a high-IQ guy who shot 39 percent from deep in Dallas and can shoot, pass and dribble across both forward spots. Hes never made an All-Star team, and hes not a foundational piece. No one knows how his right knee will hold up going forwardBut Parsons is good, and the Mavs cant afford to let good 27-year-olds walk away without a Plan B. Their Plan A appears to have been a double-barreled signing of Mike Conley and Hassan Whiteside, but that left them once again at the mercy of variables they cannot control. Stud free agents want to see players with whom they can grow, but the Mavs have mostly punted on such players to pursue stud free agents.We know by now what Plan B is: Dallas has a list of canny veteran free agents they can nab after everyone has picked over the market, and they will mesh better than any of us expect. Dirk Nowitzki is a rising tide on offense, and Rick Carlisle is one of the greatest coaches in NBA history.It is hard, and perhaps impossible, to bottom out when you have someone as great as Nowitzki. Maybe it is time to try, one way or another. Before the Jordan hostage situation a year ago, Cuban said he had planned to tank had Jordan spurned Dallas. Its unclear how hed have done so without ordering Nowitzki to have some long-overdue surgery, but perhaps its time to do it now.Like it or not, that is a tried-and-true path you can control: lose a lot of games and take a shot at drafting a superstar. That is why Sam Hinkie scorched the earth in Philadelphia -- to eliminate as many of those noisy variables as possible, and draft over and over in the spots with the best chance of turning out a Nowitzki.You can get superstars without doing that, of course. The Mavs drafted Nowitzki at No. 9. The Spurs turned George Hill, the No. 26 pick, into Leonard, and leveraged Leonard into pole position for LaMarcus Aldridge. (Still: Ground zero of the Spurs dynasty was a blatant tank job that netted one of the half-dozen greatest players who ever lived). The Rockets transitioned from Yao Ming to James Harden while fighting for the playoffs every year.But that middle road is hard, and it requires maximizing every asset --- drafting well and keeping the cupboard stocked for deals. Its why Sam Presti in Oklahoma City keeps turning outgoing stars into younger players and extra draft picks. He knows he cant afford to be left with stars and nothing else. He wants things he can control -- draft picks, younger players on rookie contracts, matching rights. They are hedges against the unknown, a future he can sell to Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook.The Mavs dont have that, and they are running out of time for Nowitzki. Set emotion aside and its probably best for them to part now. Nowitzki can chase one last ring, and the Mavs can bottom out ahead of a loaded draft in a year when everyone else is trying to win. It probably wont happen -- city and player care for each other too deeply -- but it would be the quickest path to a new foundation.The Knicks have their foundation, Kristaps Porzingis, and maybe that is all that matters. For now, Carmelo Anthony is almost their own, younger version of Nowitzki. Hes so good, they cant properly rebuild. Provide Anthony an average supporting cast and youll be around .500. Fail to do so, and all you have is a miserable superstar.The Knicks and Anthony are stuck with each other. The deal he signed in 2014 has a no-trade clause, and a suitor both acceptable to Anthony and stocked with assets the Knicks want just hasnt emerged. There was some internal hope the Cavs might become that team, but then they won the whole stinking thing.Even had the Knicks wanted to trade Anthony before re-signing him, the timing never broke right. Two years before the expiration of his deal in 2014, the Knicks won 54 games and snagged the No. 2 seed; no team would ever trade its star during a season like that. New York predictably slipped the next season, 2013-14, but Anthony was on an expiring contract by then, torpedoing his trade value.And so he were are, in 2016, with the Knicks building a team designed to make the 2012 conference finals. Theyve made a choice: as long as Anthony is in New York, they are going to try to at least be competitive. The Knicks dont really even see another choice. They might feel differently had they not traded so many picks and players in previous win-now moves, including the disastrous Andrea Bargnani deal. They dont have a lot of tools beyond money and a big city.Each of this summers moves is defensible on its own. They flipped Robin Lopez and Jerian Grant for Derrick Rose because the organization needed a galvanizing spark, and because the free-agent market is thick with centers to replace Lopez -- and thin on point guards better than Rose. OK, fine. If things go badly, the Knicks let Rose walk.Theyre about to sign Joakim Noah to a four-year, $72 million deal despite knee and shoulder injuries that have cramped Noahs game since a magical 2013-14 season in which he finished fourth in MVP voting.Again, fine. The Knicks need leadership and defense, and they are not really getting those things from any of their veterans. Noah is a beloved teammate, and he will help a defense that has been wretched almost every season since the Jeff Van Gundy era ended. He can spare Porzingis the brutality of playing center full time, cede the position to him for 10 or 15 minutes per game, and slide into a backup role whenever Porzingis is ready to start in the middle.Noah can facilitate from the elbows and resume setting nasty screens for his old Chicago point guard. He started looking like his snarling, rebound-munching self again in the month before his shoulder gave out last season. He even made some layups. Noah is hungry to prove he can rediscover his peak form, and even 85 percent of that player is damned good.None of these players is ancient, either. If Porzingis makes a leap in Year 2 or 3, the start of his prime might overlap with the very end of those of some other New York players.But zoom out and the vision is murky. Are the Knicks going to run any triangle with Rose, a non-triangle point guard, spotting up in the corner? Are they a fast-break team? Even if they sign another wing shooter -- Courtney Lee, Eric Gordon -- can they provide Melo enough space to rampage on the block with Noah and Rose clogging things up?If they do end up with Gordon, the collective health risk between Rose, Noah, and Gordon is enough to induce some panic dry-heaving.When the Knicks flipped Lopez for Rose, fans crowed about how much cap space New York could open for next summers insane free-agency class. But Lopez turned into Noah on a richer long-term deal, and if the Knicks commit $30 million combined in 2017-18 salary to Noah and Shooting Guard X, they might have only between $30 million and $35 million in cap space next summer -- enough for one mega-max but not for the dream scenario of two.That estimate includes $0 for Rose. He is a risk-free flier primed for a contract year, but thats exactly why Chicago traded him: to avoid the temptation of investing more in Roses knees after one good season.There is a lot of uncertainty between now and next July. The cap for 2017-18 probably will come in higher than the projected $107 million. New York could off-load Kyle OQuinn, Langston Galloway?and any free agent it signs now.But in the bigger picture, the Knicks are using equity to get these guys: a good center on a value contract (Lopez), a semi-interesting point guard prospect (Grant) and cap flexibility. They havent boxed themselves in, but they have exhausted assets they could have used in gain-an-inch moves that might have primed them for something bigger -- something that better fit Porzingis timetable.With Anthony around, they are not going to wait for Porzingis. But there were better ways to straddle the middle ground while still gathering goodies on the fringes that could pay off down the line.Again: Maybe all that matters is that they drafted Porzingis. Any team hoping to get anywhere needs to find a young star somehow. The Knicks have one. The Mavs barely have anyone young. Even for smart teams with good intentions, the NBA can be a hard place. Зарегистрируйтесь, чтобы увидеть ссылку! .  Breaking three of his own world records on his way to winning in Paris, Chan silenced the critics and left the audiences standing in appreciation and awe. Зарегистрируйтесь, чтобы увидеть ссылку! . Aduriz headed home Markel Susaetas cross in the sixth minute to open the scoring at San Mames Stadium. He bettered that with a long-range blast that went in off the goal frame in the 18th, and converted a penalty in the 72nd after Diego Mainz was sent off for fouling Aduriz with only the goalkeeper to beat. Зарегистрируйтесь, чтобы увидеть ссылку! .J. -- Marty Brodeur beat the Pittsburgh Penguins yet again. Зарегистрируйтесь, чтобы увидеть ссылку! . -- Charlie Graham stopped 67 shots as the Belleville Bulls edged the visiting Guelph Storm 6-5 on Saturday in Ontario Hockey League action. Зарегистрируйтесь, чтобы увидеть ссылку! . -- Jonathan Drouin gave Halifax the boost it needed to edge host Sherbrooke Phoenix 3-2 in a shootout in Quebec Major Junior Hockey League action. AUBURN, Ala. - The No. 18 Kentucky volleyball team scored the final three points of the match to cap a rally from a 2-0 deficit to take down Auburn in a five-set thriller, 23-25, 22-25, 26-24, 30-28, 15-12.UK improves to 18-5 overall and 11-1 in the Southeastern Conference. Auburn drops to 13-12 overall and 7-5 in league play. The Wildcats will return home for a match with Missouri at Noon ET in Memorial Coliseum on Sunday.This game showed our never-die attitude and I think this team is unfazed by situations, head coach Craig Skinner said. We will continue to believe in each other and fight for each other. Tonight was a great match to show that.Auburn pushed UK to the limit, taking the first two sets from the Wildcats and forced the third and fourth set past 25 points. The Wildcats were down 27-26 in the fourth set facing elimination, but an incredible dig from junior Ashley Dusek helped UK survive two free balls to earn a point on an attack error.Dusek tied her season-best with 27 digs during the five-set win, and hit the 1,000 dig mark for her career. Dusek sits fifth in school history during the 25-point rally scoring era with 1,025 digs. Five Wildcats - freshman Leah Edmond, senior Anni Thomasson, sophomore Olivia Dailey, sophomore McKenzie Watson and Dusek - all had double-digit digs during the contestEdmond hit the double-digit mark for kills for the 19th time this season and led the squad with 20 kills. The Lexington, Kentucky native picked up her seventh double-double of the season, a team-high with 12 digs and the 20 kills.Dailey earned another double-double as she registered 45 assists and 10 scoops in the win. The double-double is her third of the season.Junior Kaz Brown was fantastic at the net as she picked up nine block assists and one block solo, which tied her season-best at 10 blocks. The Waterloo, Iowa native also added nine kills and two digs in the contest. Classmate Darian Mack chipped in with nine kills and six blocks. Junior Emily Franklin had seven kills and a trio of blocks, while senior Sharay Barnes contributed five kills and two blocks.Serving errors played a major role in the contest. The two teams combined for 42 errors during the contest, and Auburn committed 25 of those.Set 1 Auburn picked up the five of the first six points in the match and put the pressure on UK early. Auburn went up 9-3 and forced a UK timeout. After the timeout, Kentucky regrouped and got a point back on block from Brown and Mack. After the Tigers answered, UK rattled off three-straight points to cut the lead to 10-7. The set went back--and-forth until Auburn earned a 16-11 lead.dddddddddddd UK went on another 3-0 run which was capped by a Franklin kill to make the set 16-14. Edmond was able to get the set tied at 18-18, and no team could get above a one-point lead until Auburn took set point, 25-23. Dusek had six digs in the set and reached the 1,000 milestone in her career.Set 2 Kentucky started with the sets first point and the squads went back-and-forth early on. UK gained some space on Auburn at 7-3 from a block by Mack and Brown. When UK had an 8-5 advantage, Auburn rattled off four-straight points to gain a 9-8 lead. Kentucky would retake the lead at 11-10 from an Edmond kill and hold it until Auburn took a 17-16 lead. The match would go seesaw until Auburn pulled ahead, 24-21. Brown earned a kill to cut the lead to two, but Auburn would win the set 25-22.Set 3 Franklin started the set with a kill. Much like the first two sets, neither team could find separation. Up 7-5, UK rattled off three-straight points, capped by a Dailey service ace, to take a 9-5 lead. The Tigers would respond with a 5-0 run of its own which forced a UK timeout. Out of the timeout, Kentucky picked up a kill from Edmond and an attack error to retake the lead at 13-12. The two teams would trade points until the score was 18-18. The Tigers scored two-straight and UK would answer with three straight. Auburn was able tie the set at 24-24 before kills from Edmond and Thomasson gave UK the third set.Set 4 Every set was close, and the fourth set was no different. No team took more than a two-point lead in the stanza. Auburn took the lead at 25-24, and Kentucky responded with a Mack kill. UK took the lead with an attack error. The Tigers responded with two points of their own to retake the lead, 27-26. After Dusek saved the match with a dig, Kentucky won the set 30-28 with an Edmond kill.Set 5 UK started the final set on a 3-0 run capped by an Auburn attacking error. The set went back-and-forth until Kentucky took the final four points of the set. Edmond, Brown and Mack all picked up kills to make the set 14-12 and Edmond won the match on a service ace.BY THE NUMBERS 1,025 - Career digs from junior Ashley Dusek who matched a season high with 27 scoops 20 - Match-high kills from freshman Leah Edmond 10 - Blocks from junior Kaz Brown, matching a season best 3 - Double-doubles on the year for sophomore setter Olivia Dailey 2 - Sets the Wildcats overcame to win the match.? ' ' '