rebounded somewhat to more resemble the powerhouse team it was

Legendary St. Louis blues artist Albert King famously sang, If it wasnt for bad luck, I wouldnt have no luck at all. That is probably how St. Louis Blues fans are feeling after a free-agency period that saw them lose captain David Backes, goalie Brian Elliott and prime playoff producer Troy Brouwer.Of course, this was the follow-up to the Blues losing to the San Jose Sharks in the Western Conference finals, coming up just short of expectations in the playoffs after another terrific regular season. If fans felt like St. Louis was right on the doorstep of a long-awaited Stanley Cup finals appearance and simply needed to add a few more pieces to get over the hump, they were greeted with a different reality on July 1, when their captain signed a long-term contract with the Boston Bruins.However, Blues fans should be singing a much happier tune.They avoided a potentially disastrous long-term contract with Backes, signed a solid backup goalie, will reportedly get Vladimir Sobotka back from the KHL and have a young core that is ready to contend for a Stanley Cup in 2016-17. Authentic Ecco Shoes Cheap . -- Aldon Smith believes he is on the path to being sober for good. Cheap Ecco Shoes China . 24 Baylor in a Big 12 clash between teams trending in opposite directions. Andrew Wiggins made 10-of-12 from the foul line and scored 17 for Kansas (14-4, 5-0 Big 12), which capped a stretch of four straight games against ranked opponents unscathed. http://www.eccocheap.com/ . The quest begins with what is supposed to be an easy one, although Germany has traditionally been a stubborn opponent to Canadian teams at international tournaments. Discount Ecco Shoes . It was just business as usual for the Thunder at home. Durant scored 32 points and the Thunder beat the Bulls 107-95 on Thursday night for their eighth straight win. Ecco Shoes Outlet . LOUIS -- St. The Phoenix Mercury havent had a boring July.Star players Diana Taurasi and Brittney Griner were ejected for arguing with the officials in the third quarter during a loss to New York on July 1.Griner then posted the sixth triple-double in WNBA history two nights later in a win at Atlanta, going for 27 points, 10 rebounds and 10 blocks.And, in Tuesdays loss to Dallas, the Mercury allowed Wings forward Glory Johnson to put up the leagues only 20-20 game this season -- 23 points, 22 rebounds.Whats going to happen next?On Friday night, Phoenix (8-11) plays host to Indiana (7-11), which is coming off an interesting game of its own.The Fever, down 20 points with 6:22 to go at league-leading Los Angeles, rallied within a point with 12.2 seconds left before losing 94-88.Indiana won the first meeting of the season against the Mercury, 97-93 at home on May 18. Emblematic of Phoenixs slow start and defensive woes, the Fever placed seven players in double-figure scoring.The Mercury have rebounded somewhat to more resemble the powerhouse team it was expected to be, going 6--5 after a 2-6 start.dddddddddddd Some roster reconstruction has included the addition of backup center Kelsey Bone via trade and the signing of backup point guard Lindsey Harding, who is averaging 2.8 assists and 5.2 points in 20.5 minutes per game.I thought she would be a great fit for us, said Phoenix coach Sandy Brondello. She creates the speed that we need. We needed to get a bit more athletic.Taurasi leads Phoenix with an average of 19.2 points per game while forward DeWanna Bonner is averaging 14.9 points. Griner averages 14.3 points, 6.6 rebounds and 2.8 blocks. Guard Penny Taylor (13.3 ppg) has missed the past four games because of a hip contusion.Phoenix leads the WNBA in scoring at 87.7 points per game but allows a league-high 88.0.Indiana has a trio of double-digit scorers -- forward Tamika Catchings (13.7), guard Tiffany Mitchell (11.7) and guard Briann January (10.1).Phoenix is 7-2 against Eastern Conference opponents. ' ' '