were going to have to pass to get to where we want to be."

Free-agent big man Al Horford has agreed to terms with the Boston Celtics?on a four-year max deal worth $113 million, his agent, Jason Glushon, told ESPNs Ramona Shelburne.Horford revealed he was heading to Boston earlier Saturday on his Twitter account.The deal, with includes a player option after the third year and was first reported by The Vertical, came as the team was meeting with prized free agent Kevin Durant?on Saturday.As a nine-year veteran, Horford was eligible for 30 percent of the new $94.1 million salary cap and will earn roughly $28.2 million in the first year of the deal.League sources told ESPNs Brian Windhorst that the?Atlanta Hawks final?offer was five years and $136 million, which was less than a max deal. The sources added that, with Horfords departure, the Hawks will halt trade talks regarding Paul Millsap.The Celtics had room for two max-contract free agents this summer, and they met with Durant on Saturday night. Adding Horford to a 48-win team makes Boston a contender in the Eastern Conference and might give them a shot at attracting Durant.Horford, an unrestricted free agent, has played his entire nine-year career in Atlanta, which drafted him third overall in 2007. The four-time All-Star averaged 15.2 points, 7.3 rebounds and 3.2 assists per game last season.After the Hawks were swept by the?Cleveland Cavaliers?in the playoffs for the?second straight year, Horford stressed just how much he had enjoyed playing in Atlanta and that the team still can win with some improvements to its current core.There are a lot of things that we need to address, Horford said of talking to his family and advisers. But the biggest thing for me is I feel good here. I have a great relationship with Coach [Mike Budenholzer]. That is important to me. And my teammates.Atlanta is a city that welcomed me from the first day, he added. Im very grateful for people that have always been real positive toward me and my family. I feel good. I feel like the way the team is going, I feel like we can win here.Horford was the topic of trade rumors at the deadline, with the Celtics reportedly among the interested teams.The 6-foot-10 center, who turned 30 in June, was expected to draw interest on the free-agent market for his ability to shoot from the perimeter.Last season, Horford shot a career-high 256 3-pointers after taking a total of 65 3s in his previous eight seasons.I probably got a little away from the post this year trying to expand my game and do different things, Horford said. That is a point of emphasis, that I will try to be better in the post and be able to put the ball down a little more on the floor. Being able to drive a little more. Even though I had some strides in that area this year, I think I can be even better at that.Information from ESPNs Ohm Youngmisuk and Chris Forsberg was used in this report. Clearance Custom Basketball Jerseys . Team physician Dr. Steve Traina performed the surgery Friday. Robinson was injured in a spill underneath the Nuggets basket during the first quarter of Wednesday nights loss to the Charlotte Bobcats. Custom Atlanta Hawks Jerseys . Badenhop was 2-3 with a 3.47 ERA in 63 relief appearances for Milwaukee this season. He is 18-20 in his career with three saves and a 3. http://www.customjerseysbasketball.com/ . He said Tuesday thats a big reason why he is now the new coach of the Tennessee Titans. Whisenhunt said he hit it off quickly with Ruston Webster when interviewing for the job Friday night. Discount Custom Basketball Jerseys . -- The St. Johns IceCaps weathered a wild first period with the help of goaltender Jussi Olkinuora, before finding offensive inroads in the second. Cheap Custom Basketball Jerseys Store .C. -- Todd Fiddler scored a hat trick, including the overtime goal, as the Prince George Cougars survived an 8-7 win against the Kamloops Blazers in Western Hockey League play Sunday.TORONTO - Try as he might to avoid them, Casey Janssen has heard the trade rumours. "You sometimes hear whispers just by default," he said. "Not because Im looking but someones heard it or youre at the wrong TV at the wrong time to hear. Ive got a job to do here. Alex has always done so many things under the radar and quiet that when you do hear your name it seems to never happen and when you dont hear your name is probably when youre thinking about it more." Other than his public declaration that the Blue Jays will not be in the market for rental players before the July 31 non-waiver trade deadline, general manager Alex Anthopoulos is taking a wait and see approach. First, the market needs to take shape. The impending trade of pitcher Matt Garza by the Chicago Cubs likely will be the first domino to fall. Second, there remains belief within the organization of a second half turnaround. Anthopoulos cites late-season runs by Oakland, St. Louis and Colorado in recent years as reason to hope. At 45-50, 12.5 games behind division-leading Boston and 9.5 out of the second wild card spot held by Texas, the climb will be steep. This 10-game home stand runs through July 28 and is the seasons longest. There are two more with American League East rival Tampa Bay (following Fridays 8-5 loss to the Rays, an interleague set of three with the Dodgers and four with bottom-feeding Houston. Theyll know where they stand by then. "The guys we have in this clubhouse," said Jannssen of the reason why he still believes.dddddddddddd "The track records speak to their career norms and I think a lot of people in this room havent played up to their capabilities. Other than that competitiveness, pride and we still have a bunch of games in our division and those are the teams were going to have to pass to get to where we want to be." Then theres the matter of that run in June. You remember, that franchise record-tying win streak. "That says, hey, its in there," said Janssen. "We can get back, we can win 11 games in a row and were going to have to (do it again.") Janssen is an intriguing option for teams looking for late-inning relief. Making $3.9 million this season, hes got a budget-friendly $4 million club option for 2014. Janssen has converted 18 of 19 save opportunities this season and since assuming the closers role in May, 2012, hes been successful on 40 of 44 occasions. A career Blue Jay since being drafted in the fourth round of the 2004 draft, Janssen cant control his fate and wont worry about it. "Im not nervous about it at all," he said. "I talked to Adam Lind about it and was like, man, first and foremost I want to win. Period. Then we talk about how awesome it would be to win here. I pretty much grew up here in my baseball life and theres a big piece of my heart in this city and for a lot of these teammates as well. I want to win with my buddies in a city that has welcomed me into their city." ' ' '