.In the series of moves, the Rangers also recalled right-hander Shawn TTolleson from the minors and put him on the 60-day DL, creating a spot for left-hander Derek Holland to return from the DL and s

OAKLAND, Calif. -- Kevin Durant took a moments break from his own shooting work and glimpsed over at the adjoining court as Stephen Curry ran around the 3-point arc launching long jumpers as part of his regular post-practice routine.Two of the brightest young faces of the NBA teamed up for the first time together Tuesday night, when the Golden State Warriors began another championship quest with huge expectations and Durant the new star in the middle of it all.KD knew it was going to be a little strange -- and he wasnt talking about his new No. 35 uniform or debut with the Warriors this time. When he looked to the opposite bench Tuesday night, Tim Duncan wouldnt be there . Not for tipoff at midcourt, either.He was like a security blanket for everybody. Even if things went awry, Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. He was like the center of the universe and everybody knew how to act around that. With that pivotal guy gone, well have to wait and see who accepts that role.When the Lakers come to town, no Kobe. Kevin Garnett is long gone, too.Three of the leagues best over recent decades retired after last season, and now Durant, LeBron James, two-time reigning MVP Curry, Russell Westbrook, two-time defending Defensive Player of the Year Kawhi Leonard and others must continue to carry the NBA going forward.Leonard and San Antonio opened the season without Duncan against the defending Western Conference champions at sold-out Oracle Arena.Its going to be weird not seeing him, KG, Kobe out there on the court -- pioneers of my era of basketball, I guess, Durant said after Tuesdays shootaround. His basketball spirit always looms over top of the Spurs. His DNA is always engrained in that culture. You can appreciate what hes done, but its definitely going to be weird not seeing 21 on the court for them.Durant, who will face his former Oklahoma City team next week, couldnt wait to finally get going in games that matter. He and the Thunder beat the Spurs in the Western Conference semifinals before squandering a 3-1 lead to the Warriors in the West finals.This summer, Durant shined while playing at Oracle with the U.S. team ahead of the Rio Olympics. He did so again for his preseason home debut against the Clippers on Oct. 4.I dont really think of it as an opening moment, Durant said. Its just another game to me. Its easy for me to approach it that way if its just another chance to step between the lines and do what I love. Not put too much pressure on myself to go out there and be great. I put the work in, I prepared the right way. Ill let that stuff take over. Ive got to get out of my own mind and just play, and thats what Ive been doing.Golden State dealt with its own disappointment in giving up a 3-1 advantage in the finals and losing Game 7 at home against the Cavaliers .Not that Curry is afraid to talk about that disappointment.In fact, on Tuesday morning he discussed his new Under Armour advertisement that faces head-on the missed championship -- thats fresh, Curry notes in the video.It goes on with: 73-9. ... Missed championship. ... Make That Old.The first unanimous MVP selection last season, Curry said he had a say in the theme focused on pushing on from defeat because theres no perfect journey in any situation, so you try to sweep stuff under the rug or try to paint a picture thats not 100 percent accurate, I think its doing whoevers following our journey a disservice.Theres a powerful story in it, a relevancy to it, whats going on right now, Curry said. A look into the mindset I have going into this year ... to see certain chapters weve gone through -- good and bad. With every opportunity you have to look forward about what youre going to do next. Its pretty empowering. Im excited about the opportunity thats in front of me individually and us as a team. Jimmy Conzelman Jersey . -- Stanfords Kevin Danser knelt on one knee and hardly moved on the sideline as Michigan State celebrated its Rose Bowl victory and his Cardinal teammates made their way to the locker room. Anthony Miller Jersey .ca! Kerry, Two nights after the Scott-Eriksson incident in Buffalo, the Bruins returned home to play San Jose. In that game, Zdeno Chara put a check on Tommy Wingels that clearly targeted his head. http://www.custombearsjersey.com/custom-joel-iyiegbuniwe-jersey-large-2776t.html . Terms of the deal were not immediately available. The 26-year-old finished last season with Clevelands Triple-A affiliate in Columbus after signing with the Indians in August. Steve Fuller Jersey . According the Toronto Star, a knee injury will keep Sundin out of the lineup, which includes former teammates Gary Roberts, Darcy Tucker, Tie Domi and Curtis Joseph. Bill Wade Jersey . Louis Blues teammates who would also be participating in the Olympics, Alex Pietrangelo felt right at home, no different in some ways to the travel experience of any old road trip – save for the length of the journey, that is. The Texas Rangers?placed injury-plagued outfielder Josh Hamilton on unconditional release waivers Tuesday, while leaving open the possibility of the former MVP rejoining the team on a minor league deal in 2017.Hamilton underwent season-ending surgery in June to repair torn cartilage in his left knee, and he said in late July that he?expects to be fully healthy and ready in time for spring training.The 35-year-old outfielder was activated off the 60-day disabled list and then placed on waivers. The move, which was expected, affords Hamilton the opportunity to return to the Rangers for spring training on a non-roster deal. If the Rangers hadnt placed him on waivers by the end of August, Hamilton wouldnt have been able to play for them until after May 15, 2017, per Major League Baseballs contract rules.Rangers general manager Jon Daniels told reporters in a conference call that he had discussed the move with Hamilton, most recently on Tuesday.Im hopeful that if hes healthy and our roster is in a spot where wed still like to have him back, we can work it out, Daniels said. But thats still a few steps down the line.Weve talked about it for a period of time, and he understands why we did it.In the series of moves, the Rangers also recalled right-hander Shawn TTolleson from the minors and put him on the 60-day DL, creating a spot for left-hander Derek Holland to return from the DL and start against the Cincinnati Reds on Tuesday night.ddddddddddddHamilton had surgery June 8 to reconstruct his ACL, and he also had repairs done to his meniscus and lateral cartilage in the knee.That was Hamiltons third surgery on the knee since September, along with cortisone shots and a stem cell and platelet-rich plasma injection during spring training that may have led to more damage.Hamilton was a five-time All-Star and the 2010 AL MVP in his five seasons with the Rangers from 2008 to 12. He left in free agency and signed a $125 million, five-year contract with the AL West rival Los Angeles Angels.The Angels traded Hamilton back to Texas last year when he was coming back from shoulder surgery, and agreed to pay the Rangers for all of his $24 million salary this season and $22 million of the $24 million the outfielder is due in 2017, the last year of that contract. Hamilton played only 50 games last season, hitting .253 with eight homers and 25 RBIs.The Associated Press contributed to this report. ' ' '