Tim Duncan and Kobe Bryant. Dwyane Wade and Kevin Durant. Derrick Rose and Joakim Noah.Players synonymous with their cities and their franchises are now gone in a summer of upheaval the NBA has rarely seen before, and the teams left behind begin their searches for new identities after saying the hardest of goodbyes.You never wouldve been able to convince me a couple years back that Wade wouldnt finish his career in Miami or Durant would have moved on in his prime from that great Oklahoma City team, or Rose after his MVP year, four years later hes not in Chicago anymore, ABC analyst Jeff Van Gundy said. It just shows you. Its a hard league. Its hard to keep your group together. And when it is able to stay together, stay relevant, stay competitive, youre very, very fortunate.Count the San Antonio Spurs among the chosen few. Duncan fell in their lap when the Spurs won the draft lottery in 1997, and coach Gregg Popovich has long credited that bit of luck for the franchises unprecedented run of success.Five championships, two MVPs for Duncan, the most enduring success story in American sports.Leadership can come from many different areas, but when your best player is the best leader, its amazing how everybody else falls in line, said Timberwolves GM Scott Layden, who was an assistant GM with the Spurs for the previous four seasons. The other thing is how hes done it with such humility and modesty. Not looking for any attention and accolades. Its more of what is good for the team. ... Both on and off the court, he set the tone day-in and day-out.Bryant beat Duncan out of the door by a couple of months, ending 20 colorful seasons with the Lakers with a 60-point outburst in his final game. The consistency wasnt the same as Duncans, but the Lakers captured five titles as well during Bryants time and vaulted back into the leagues hierarchy.Wade left the Heat for his hometown Bulls after 13 brilliant seasons and is perhaps the biggest sports hero in Miami history, having delivered three championships to South Beach and serving as an ambassador for the glitzy city by the bay.Moments like this, it sucks, Wade said on Saturday after taking a two-year, $47 million deal from the Bulls over Miamis offer of two years and $40 million. The business side of the sport, sometimes it just sucks. Thats what were dealing with.Durant stunned the NBA by leaving his beloved Oklahoma City for the juggernaut in Golden State, ending a nine-year love affair between the low-key superstar and a city he and Russell Westbrook put on the basketball map.Kevin was a part of the renaissance, Oklahoma City mayor Mick Cornett told ESPN last week. This city has come so far, so fast, probably further, faster than any city in American history. Kevin was right there along with us. Theres a slight sense of panic.And finally, the Bulls traded Rose, a former MVP and one of the citys favorite sons, to the New York Knicks. Noah followed his friend to the Big Apple in free agency, meaning two of the players who embodied the franchises grit and determination are now elsewhere.The departures came under different circumstances and by different means, but they have served to upend the NBA. Player movement is one of the leagues hallmarks, but Dwyane Wade in a Bulls jersey?All players see their careers end eventually. But Kobe and Timmy in the same summer?Injuries to Rose and Noah no doubt forced Chicagos hand. But both of the proud fighters wearing blue and orange?It will take some getting used to for everyone involved, and it stands to have a major impact on the playoff chases in both conferences.Duncan may not have been the force of nature he was for the Spurs in his earlier days, and he may have passed the torch to Kawhi Leonard and LaMarcus Aldridge last season. But his loss in the locker room, and in the paint, will be hard for the Spurs to overcome.With Leonard, Aldridge, Tony Parker, Manu Ginobili and now Pau Gasol in the fold, the Spurs should still be able to hang near the top of the Western Conference. Without No. 21 in the middle to keep things calm, it wont be easy.I think it goes way beyond the championships and the winning, said Hawks coach Mike Budenholzer, a longtime Spurs assistant. I think the culture that really, hes kind of the pillar its been built around. It is almost impossible to quantify.In some ways, things have only gotten easier for the Warriors and Cleveland Cavaliers, who have met in the NBA Finals the last two seasons.Durants move to Golden State gutted the Warriors chief rival in the West and assembled perhaps the most potent starting lineup in league history in the Bay Area.Wades move to Chicago weakened a challenger to LeBron in the East.Maybe the only question left to answer going into next season is not who will be there in the end, but how each of these proud franchises will handle their new beginnings. cheapjerseysforsale .net . Toronto has dropped games to Indiana and Miami since a five-game winning streak and closed out a three-game road trip at 1-2. www.cheapjerseys forsale .net .com) - The Montreal Canadiens will try to halt their longest losing streak of the season when they host the struggling New York Islanders in tonights clash at the Bell Centre. http://www.cheapjerseysforsale.net/ . However, he did make them miss him a little less. Cundiff, who had the unenviable job of replacing Dawson last season, agreed Thursday to a one-year, $1. www.cheapjerseysforsale.net . "Four now," Carl Gunnarsson told the Leaf Report proudly following a 5-2 victory over New York on Tuesday night, the clubs fifth straight at home. cheapjerseysforsale.net . According to a report from the Winnipeg Free Press, the Bombers will name Acting GM Kyle Walters to the post full time. Here are some things to watch in the Atlantic Coast Conference for Week 10:GAME OF THE WEEK: No. 23 Virginia Tech at Duke. This Coastal Division matchup might be the best of a weekend that includes seven league games but none of the ACCs five Top 25 teams facing each other. The Hokies (6-2, 5-1) can take another step closer to an ACC title game berth with a victory while the desperate Blue Devils (3-5, 0-4) are trying to save their season. Plus, history would suggest a close game because the last three meetings in Durham have been decided by a total of 13 points. I dont think we are done seeing interesting outcomes, Tech coach Justin Fuente said.BEST MATCHUP: Louisvilles offense vs. Boston Colleges defense. The fifth-ranked Cardinals have the nations second-most productive offense, with their 603.3-yard average only a fraction of a yard behind Texas Tech. Next up is what, statistically, is the ACCs best defense, with BC giving up less than half of Louisvilles per-game average. Plus, the Eagles may have gained a measure of confidence after beating N.C. State for their first ACC win since 2014. The challenge, BC coach Steve Addazio said, is formidable.INSIDE THE NUMBERS: ACC games coouldnt have been much closer than they were last week.dddddddddddd Those seven games were decided by an average of 4.9 points. In four of them, the margin of victory was merely a field goal.UPSET WATCH: Maybe N.C. State can find a way to keep it close against No. 19 Florida State. The Wolfpack, 5-point underdogs, might be due for a bounce back after they came under heavy scrutiny for their 21-14 loss to previously winless-in-the-ACC Boston College last week, and need to pull an upset somewhere to earn a bowl berth. Its fair to wonder how much the Seminoles have in their emotional tank after a tight loss to No. 3 Clemson.IMPACT PLAYER: Keep an eye on Georgia Tech QB Justin Thomas. The triggerman of the triple-option offense is facing a North Carolina defense that statistically is the ACCs worst against the run. Thomas is coming off a career-best day against Duke in which he had 459 total yards and accounted for four TDs.---Compiled by AP Sports Writer Joedy McCreary in Raleigh, North Carolina.---OnlineMore AP college football: www.collegefootball.ap.org Wholesale Jerseys Wholesale Jerseys cheap jerseys Cheap Jersyes Cheap Basketball Jerseys Cheap NHL Jerseys cheap jerseys Cheap Jerseys Cheap Jerseys Cheap Jerseys From China Cheap NFL Jerseys ' ' '