LONDON -- While critical of Dennis Rodmans trips to North Korea, incoming NBA commissioner Adam Silver says the former all-star also helped raise awareness of leader Kim Jong Uns "repressive regime. [url=http://www.footballpantherspro.com/panthers-christian-mccaffrey-blu e-jersey/]Christian McCaf

LONDON -- While critical of Dennis Rodmans trips to North Korea, incoming NBA commissioner Adam Silver says the former all-star also helped raise awareness of leader Kim Jong Uns "repressive regime. -jersey/" target="_blank">Christian McCaffrey Jersey ." Rodman took a group of retired NBA players to the pariah state this month to play a game as a gift for Kim, a move criticized by some members of the U.S. Congress, human rights groups and the NBA. Rodman, the highest-profile American to meet Kim, has stressed he is not a statesman and is only seeking to build cultural ties between Pyongyang and Washington through basketball. But the 52-year-old Rodman has been denounced for not trying to use his influence with Kim to secure the release of Kenneth Bae, an American missionary with health problems who is being held in North Korea on charges of "anti-state" crimes. Although Rodman has been accused of becoming a public relations tool for North Koreas government, Silver regards the publicity from the trips helping to shine a light on a country with a poor human rights record. "As negative as that trip was in so many ways it also brought attention to a critical issue in North Korea that ... most Americans hadnt focused on at all in terms of a repressive regime," Silver said on Thursday in London ahead of a game between the Brooklyn Nets and the Atlanta Hawks. At the start of the Jan. 8 game in Pyongyang, Rodman sang "Happy Birthday" to Kim, who was seated at the stadium, and bowed deeply as North Korean players clapped. Silver, who succeeds David Stern as commissioner on Feb. 1, said the NBA persuaded some former players not to participate in the game. "We did talk directly with certain other players who decided not to go," Silver said after appearing at a meeting organized by the Sport Industry Group. "In terms of any damage done to the NBA, we dont think there was any damage done to the NBA ... the fact basketball happens to be very popular in North Korea I dont think is a negative for our league. "And it just demonstrates that its not just basketball but all sports bring tremendous opportunities." And, with the Nets owned by Russian businessman Mikhail Prokhorov, the NBA is looking beyond the U.S. for more investment in franchises. Stern said there are discussions with investors from China, Latin America and the Middle East, in particular those in oil-rich United Arab Emirates whose "connection to the governing families is quite close." Efforts to grow the NBA beyond U.S. shores in Britain have been limited, despite Thursdays regular-season game at the O2 Arena being the fourth in four years at the venue. While acknowledging that "football is king" in England, the NBA feels that its efforts to intensify interest have not been matched by a commitment from the government and local groups to promote the game and build facilities. Silver described the club infrastructure as being "not on a par" with other basketball nations. "We would have thought there would have been more growth," Silver said. "For whatever reason basketball hasnt caught on here," he added. "And I think there has been an absence of leadership and we have to fill the vacuum." Having expected a strong basketball legacy from the 2012 London Olympics, the NBA was disappointed the chance was not grasped. "I would say lost opportunity rather than wasted opportunity -- every government has their priorities but given how popular a venue (basketball) was during the Olympics, it should have been the launching pad for additional things happening," Silver said. "There are all kinds of reasons why governments should be getting behind the sport." Stern went further, saying: "I know the debate about physical activity in schools, but if you shut down the gyms you cant have basketball games." Devin Funchess Jersey . -- Arizona coach Bruce Arians says there "were obviously very, very many problems" with the officiating in the Cardinals 24-21 loss at Philadelphia. -jersey/" target="_blank">Trai Turner Jersey . - Doug Kalitta led Top Fuel qualifying Friday in the NHRA Nationals at Maple Grove Raceway with a 3. http://www.footballpantherspro.com/panthers-captain-munnerlyn--jersey/ . Marcus Olsson, 23, joins Blackburn on a free transfer from Swedens Halmstads. He made 139 appearances and scored 17 goals in his four years with the club. He earned his first caps for Sweden this month, featuring against Bahrain and Qatar.Pittsburgh, PA (SportsNetwork.com) - Christian Ehrhoff scored with 1:50 remaining to snap a tie and lift the Pittsburgh Penguins to a 3-2 victory over the Ottawa Senators on Saturday. Evgeni Malkin and Brandon Sutter also scored for the Penguins, who bounced back from a 3-0 shutout at the hands of Vancouver on Thursday and won for the third time in their last four games. Marc-Andre Fleury made 27 saves in the victory. Milan Michalek and Mika Zibanejad scored second-period goals for Ottawa, which has lost five in a row and seven of its last eight. Craig Anderson stopped 30 shots in defeat, but had little chance on Ehrhoffs winner. The Penguins worked for the puck deep and Sidney Crosby emerged with it along the left boards. He backhanded a cross-ice pass to an unchecked Ehrhoff, who moved into the right circle alone and blasted a shot from the dot into the upper right corner of the net for his second goal of the season. Final Score: St. Louis 6, NY Islanders 4 Uniondale, NY (SportsNetwork.com) - Martin Brodeur picked up his 689th career win and his first as a member of a team other than the New Jersey Devils. Subbing for an ineffective Jake Allen, Brodeur came up with 14 saves on 15 shots through the games final two periods as the St. Louis es rallied from three goals down to claim a 6-4 victory over the New York Islanders at Nassau Coliseum. -jersey/" target="_blank">Sam Mills Jersey. T.J. Oshie began a three-goal final stanza with a power-play marker, while Paul Stastny and Vladimir Tarasenko added late scores for the s, who had lost back-to-back divisional road games. Allen gave up three goals on 12 shots in the first period. Frans Nielsen, Ryan Strome, Michael Grabner and John Tavares supplied offense for the Islanders, who had won their previous three contests. Jaroslav Halak was on the hook for all six goals on 40 shots in defeat. Final Score: Philadelphia 2, Los Angeles 1 Los Angeles, CA (SportsNetwork.com) - Steve Mason stopped 37-of-38 shots to help the Philadelphia Flyers steal two points from the Los Angeles Kings in a 2-1 victory Saturday at Staples Center. Claude Giroux and Wayne Simmonds tallied for the Flyers, who finished the California portion of their five- game, cross-continent road trip at 1-1-1. Philadelphia, which completes its travels on Tuesday in Columbus, also snapped a season-high six-game losing skid. Justin Williams registered the lone goal and Jonathan Quick made only 14 saves for the Kings, who had blanked Boston, Arizona and Minnesota in their last three victories. 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