fens.UTRGV: The winless Vaqueros have struggled to find consi

PORTLAND, Ore. -- Damian Lillard has big plans for the 2016-17 NBA season -- for himself and the Portland Trail Blazers.I want to get to the Western Conference finals and give ourselves a chance to get to the (NBA) Finals, said Lillard, who leads the Trail Blazers into action Tuesday night against the Utah Jazz at the Moda Center in the regular-season opener for both teams. I think its possible.Lillards personal goal entering the season?MVP, he said. I want to be the MVP. If we come out and do the things were capable of doing as a team, if we win games, that means my performance will be at the level of an MVP.There are people in high places who arent scoffing at the possibility. In Oakland, Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr was asked about Kevin Durants chances to claim the MVP Award in his first season with the Warriors.I think K.D. is kind of like Gary Johnson -- a third-party guy who is going to come in and take a few votes from Steph (Curry), takes some from LeBron (James), and then Damian Lillard wins the election, Kerr told Bay Area reporters. Thats my forecast.Lillard, 26, had his best season in 2015-16, gaining second-team All-NBA honors for the first time. The two-time All-Star point guard finished eighth in MVP balloting, joining James, Curry and Russell Westbrook as the only players to place among the leagues top 10 in scoring (25.1, sixth) and assists (6.8, eighth) during the regular season.After finishing fourth in the Western Conference with a 44-38 record and advancing to the second round of the playoffs before being eliminated by the Warriors, the Blazers have reason to believe they can make a deeper run this season.Except for reserve guard Gerald Henderson, they retain all the key components of the 2015-16 team. And they have added free-agent Evan Turner, who finished fifth in the NBAs Sixth Man of the Year Award balloting while with the Boston Celtics a year ago.Portland has one of the NBAs deepest rosters. Lillard and CJ McCollum will start in the backcourt, flanked by Moe Harkless, Al-Farouq Aminu and Mason Plumlee on the front line. The rotation to start the season is expected to include Turner, forward Meyers Leonard and swing man Allen Crabbe, plus perhaps forward Noah Vonleh and/or point guard Shabazz Napier.Utah expects to show improvement, too, after barely missing the playoffs last season, finishing ninth in the West with a 40-42 record. The Jazz made three veteran offseason acquisitions -- point guard George Hill, swingman Joe Johnson and power forward Boris Diaw -- to a young nucleus that includes front-liners Gordon Hayward, Derrick Favors and Rudy Gobert.We get something from all three, shooting guard Rodney Hood told the Deseret News. With Boris, his passing ability, his knowledge of the game. Hes always teaching us little things here and there to make things easier. With George, pushing the pace, being a leader ... youre always hearing his voice. With Joe, hes always in my ear telling me little things I can do to make the game easier. All three have helped a lot. Its more than just the physical things.The Jazz come to Portland with a decidedly short cast. Hayward, their best player, will miss the game with a left ring finger that was broken three weeks ago. Reserve guard Alec Burks, and probably Favors, will miss the game with knee issues.That means Diaw and Johnson will likely team with Gobert on the front line in a Utah starting lineup that will include Hill and Hood in the backcourt.Utah has being forecast to finish as high as fifth in the West.Were a little bit of a fashionable pick, third-year coach Quin Snyder said. But that was with Gordon and Derrick and Alec.Guards Dante Exum and Shelvin Mack and forwards Trey Lyles and Joe Ingles are among those who will come off the bench for the Jazz. Ian Cole Jersey . Anthony Calvillo, through 20 CFL seasons, was frequently invincible and largely stoic in the heat of competition. But underneath the professional exterior he was, and is, compellingly human. Gabriel Landeskog Jersey . 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. http://www.hockeyavalanche.com/authentic-nikita-zadorov-avalanche-jersey/ . It was hard for Luck to pull off another comeback, or even get into the end zone, while standing on the sideline. Rivers threw a 22-yard touchdown pass to rookie Keenan Allen and Nick Novak kicked four field goals to give the Chargers a 19-9 victory against the Colts on Monday night. Paul Kariya Jersey . PETERSBURG, Fla. Matt Nieto Jersey . The Brazilian goalkeeper signed a loan deal with the Major League Soccer club on Friday as he looks to get playing time ahead of this summers World Cup in his home country. IOWA CITY, Iowa -- Peter Jok scored 20 of his 27 points in the first half and Iowa cruised to a 95-67 win over Texas Rio Grande Valley on Sunday.Tyler Cook scored 15 points and Isaiah Moss had a career-high 14 for the Hawkeyes (3-1), who shot 51 percent from the field and scored 41 points off 26 Vaqueros turnovers.Iowa went on a 26-7 run in the middle of the game to pull away from UTRGV -- including a faster start to the second half that coach Fran McCaffery has wanted from his young team.McCaffery watched his Hawkeyes turn a two-point halftime lead into a 53-47 deficit in Thursdays loss against Seton Hall -- an eight-point swing in 4 1/2 minutes. On Sunday, Iowa pushed a 46-33 lead at the break to 20 points in just a few minutes.Im really proud of how aggressively our team came out during the second half and executed, said forward Nicholas Baer, who had eight points and seven rebounds. I think thats something weve been struggling with.Jok, Iowas top scorer and lone returning starter from last season, left a few minutes into the second half after a knee-to-knee collision with a defender during a drive to the rim.Jok -- who 9-of-13 shooting, including 5-of-8 3-pointers, in 19 minutes -- stayed in to shoot his two free throws, but didnt play after that as a precaution. Jok wanted to go back in the game to test his knee, but McCaffery wasnt having it.The last thing I wanted to do was put him back in there and have something happen to him, McCaffery said.Antonio Green scored 17 points to lead UTRGV (0-4), which out-rebounded Iowa 43-38.Iowas Brady Ellingson scored 11 points.BIG PICTUREIowa:: The Hawkeyes needed this pick-me-up after Thursdays tough loss to Seton Hall.dddddddddddd Iowa still struggled from the foul line, hitting 20 of 30 attempts. Its an area the Hawkeyes need to clean up as the competition stiffens.UTRGV: The winless Vaqueros have struggled to find consistent offense this season. Turnovers are a big reason why. UTRGV has averaged 24.3 turnovers in its last three games, including a season-high tying 26 against the Hawkeyes.HIGHLIGHT REELCook, a freshman, continues to show off his athleticism and leaping ability, finishing four big dunks in the first half.During one stretch late in the half, Dom Uhl drove the lane and tossed an alley-oop to Cook for the two-handed slam. Less than a minute later, Christian Williams passed back to Cook in transition for an easy, wide-open dunk.INJURIESIowas Dale Jones did not play after suffering a fractured wrist in Thursdays game against Seton Hall. The backup forward is expected to miss 8-9 weeks.Jones, a senior co-captain who transferred to Iowa from junior college in 2015, played in only six games last year before a knee injury ended his season. He was expected to add depth to the teams frontcourt rotation this season.UP NEXTIowa faces a huge challenge in No. 8 Virginia on Friday in the Emerald Coast Classic in Florida. The Hawkeyes will play either Providence or Memphis on Saturday to wrap up the tournament.UTRGV goes for its first win of the season against Southeast Missouri State on Tuesday. ' ' '