Meister der Farbe » more than to see a good front-court

Wales number eight Taulupe Faletau will return for Bath in the Aviva Premiership clash with Bristol at the Recreation Ground on Friday night.Faletaus participation will put him into contention for the Test against South Africa on November 26. The 25-year-old has not featured for his club since the opening weekend of the season in early September when he suffered a knee injury on his debut against Northampton.Despite his ongoing rehabilitation, Faletau, capped 61 times for Wales, was included in the autumn internationals squad.After being released to train with Bath for the crunch match against local rivals Bristol, Faletau is scheduled to return to the Wales squad at the start of next week in the build-up to the Test against the Springboks in Cardiff.Albeit possibly shortlived, Bath will go top of the Premiership table with victory over a Bristol side which finally gained their first win of the season when they beat Sale Sharks in the Anglo-Welsh Cup last week.Baths Max Clark will return at outside centre following his injury lay-off, while Australian Ben Tapuai has been named on the bench following his arrival from Super Rugby side Western Force.Bath director of rugby Todd Blackadder said: It is great to have Taulupe Faletau and Max Clark back amongst the mix. We have actually had a bit of a selection headache this week, which was an interesting change for us.We have got to pick ourselves back up after the disappointing start to the Anglo-Welsh Cup campaign and get back on the horse for this next block of crucial Aviva Premiership games.We know how much this game means to our supporters, and we are going to do all we can to make sure they leave the Rec with a smile on their face tomorrow night.Bristol will head into a first Premiership game since rugby director Andy Robinson departed the club. Despite having lost all seven league games so far, acting head coach Mark Tainton is remaining upbeat.The guys are in positive spirits following last weekends victory, but we have to back that up with a performance against Bath in the Premiership, he said. These are the sort of games that players relish; a local derby in front of a full house and live, so it will be a fantastic atmosphere.Fridays other matches see Northampton take on struggling Worcester at Sixways, while Newcastle host Exeter. Falcons director of rugby Dean Richards wants his players to remain focused at Kingston Park, which looks set for a biggest home crowd of the season, with Northumbria University to play Hartpury College beforehand.Richards said: An atmosphere like that is amazing, and it does get inside the players heads. As a coach you almost have to check yourself and distance yourself from it, you have to remain focused when its game time, but there is no doubting the fact that a full, loud stadium is a massive advantage for us.Wholesale Pistons Jerseys . -- The Sacramento Kings are set to become the first major professional sports franchise to accept Bitcoin virtual currency for ticket and merchandise purchases. 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Carlesimos fate in Brooklyn, the re-emergence of Andrew Bogut, the impact of MVP LeBron James as we all as his playoff predictions for the second round. 1. P.J. CARLESIMO (Nets): Not surprised that he wasnt given the job on a full-time basis. When they give you the interim title, they want to take a good look at you and youve got lots to prove before they remove the label. Ive known P.J. for close to 30 years and have a great deal of respect for him, both as a coach and a person. Bottom line, they absolutely needed to win the series against the injury-riddled Chicago Bulls and didnt. The Nets are a strange mix of players and when I watch them, the expectations dont fit what the final result is. They play with minimal passion and dont look like a together group whatsoever. P.J. did a very nice job righting the ship and pointing it in the right direction after taking over for Avery Johnson in the regular season but youve got to win a playoff series (maybe even two) to keep a job like this. All the big names will be mentioned for this job due to the dollars involved. In order to get the big name type they want (Phil Jackson, Jeff Van Gundy or Stan Van Gundy), GM Billy King might have to be willing to take more of a back seat in order to allow the vision of the coach they recruit to do his thing. None of those guys are showing up just to coach and I highly doubt Jackson comes as a coach anyway. 2. EASTERN CONFERENCE PREDICTIONS: Day late and a dollar short. My picks are the following: Miami vs. Chicago - Heat in 6 games. Really physical/intense series coming up. Bulls are a mess physically but theyre as tough a team as youll find. Theyll find a way to steal two games in this series by mucking it up yet dont have the weapons on the perimeter to keep up with the Elite Heat. Knicks vs. Pacers - Knicks in 7 games. Knicks havent looked real good in the past few games vs. Celtics and Game #1 vs. Pacers. I feel both JR Smith and Carmelo Anthony will adjust to the physical style and defence of the Pacers and settle into a groove. I love the resiliency of Indiana, and Paul George is emerging day by day. They play as a team and every game will be a highly contested one. If the Knicks follow their proven formula of taking care of the ball and making 3-point shots, the gamee will open up and the talent level will win out.dddddddddddd 3. WESTERN CONFERENCE PREDICTIONS: Here are my West picks. San Antonio vs. Golden State - Spurs in 6 games. Wonderful run by the Warriors vs. Denver. The injury to David Lee forced them to play small-ball and it worked out beautifully for them. The tempo/pace of this series will have to be monitored properly for the Spurs to play at the rate that makes them most effective. Love the Steph Curry vs. Tony Parker matchup. Experience, savvy and coaching win out in this one. Oklahoma City vs. Memphis - Grizzlies in 7 games. From what I saw Sunday and during the regular season (particularly now without Russell Westbrook), this is a pick em series. Obviously, the best player between these teams is Kevin Durant and we saw why again Sunday; sensational. My gut tells me that the Grizzlies are in a good playoff mindset and their talented front court will wear down the overwhelmed Thunder front court as it progresses. The Grizzlies team defence will tighten and will find a way to make Durant work a little harder for his points. The Griz caught a break with Blake Griffins injury and the issue with Westbrook will help them again. 4. ANDREW BOGUT (Warriors): When Ive seen him play in person twice this season, I must admit, I had my doubts if he could get it back to his pre-injury days with the Bucks. I still have my reservations as to whether he can hold up and be consistently good over the long haul but I must say he was terrific in the final game vs. Denver with 14 points and 21 rebounds along with four blocks and three assists. He was moving well and had the second/third effort that seems to have abandoned him these past few years. Would like nothing more than to see a good front-court matchup in this series between him and Hall Of Famer Tim Duncan. 5. LEBRON JAMES (Heat): Congrats on the MVP award. In my mind, NO doubt. By far, the best player in the game today. Impacts the game in every category and does it at an improved level each year. When you talk about an athlete being in that ideal zone, their professional sweet spot, hes currently in it. You never know how long it lasts so you enjoy it while you get the lucky chance to witness it. Hes playing at that level that the true great ones play at right now. A joy to watch. ' ' '