NBA players are pushing for more money in the next collective bargaining agreement -- for the players who came before them.Cleveland Cavaliers superstar LeBron James, vice president of the National Basketball Players Associations executive committee, told The Associated Press on Thursday that the union has prioritized getting aid for retired players.The NBA and its players have agreed that the next CBA will include new league-funded programs to help retired players with education and medical expenses, four people with knowledge of the situation told the AP. The people spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because talks are ongoing.In exchange for those programs, and pending full approval from both sides, the split of basketball-related income would remain the same 50-50 deal as it is in the current agreement.Deciding how to divvy up the revenue pie was the biggest obstacle that led to the ugly lockout five years ago. But with that issue essentially taken care of this time around, negotiations have been much smoother as both sides look to reach an agreement on a new deal before the Dec. 15 deadline to opt out.For James, NBPA president Chris Paul and the rest of the union, taking care of those who are no longer playing is a worthy compromise for trying to recoup any of the financial ground lost during the 2011 labor dispute.We got a group of guys that are in there that know the negotiations, so any way to give back and try to help our former teammates and help former players and things of that nature, James said. Because weve all built this league together. No matter how big of a guy you were or if you were the 15th guy on the bench, we all built this league into what it is today. But its not just my idea. Im not taking any credit for that. But its all part of the process.Mike Glenn, a 10-year NBA veteran and a member of the National Basketball Retired Players Associations board of directors, said the CBA has dominated conversations among retirees for more than a year.Were very thankful to Chris Paul, LeBron and others who have provided the leadership to include us in the negotiations and have the foresight to see that theyll be us in a couple of years, said Glenn, currently an Atlanta Hawks analyst for Fox Sports Southeast. There are so many guys with medical issues who have had hip and knee replacements. With the cost of health care going up, it would be the biggest thing thats happened for retirees in 10 years.The CBA process will resume next week, when the league and the union meet ahead of the NBA Board of Governors meeting in New York, which begins Oct. 20. NBA commissioner Adam Silver and union head Michele Roberts met in Spain earlier this month, when the league had a preseason game there. Silver and Roberts -- along with other members of the negotiating committee -- are preparing to return to the bargaining table with both sides in deal-making mode.New York Knicks star Carmelo Anthony?expressed optimism that a deal will get done before Dec. 15.Were working. Were working towards figuring out a solution and kind of how we want to work together, he said Thursday. Believe it or not, we dont want to strike and they dont want to strike. So the best thing to do is really figure it out sooner rather than later. We want to try to get something done. I think the NBA and the owners are very receptive to that, and we are, too. I think this time before we were so far away from each other. You can feel the difference, you can see the difference, you can see the reaction, you can see the contact were having, the information thats being sent on both sides. I think were closer to getting something done. Hopefully itll get done soon.During the bitter negotiations of 2011 that resulted in the loss of 16 games for each team, the players ultimately accepted a decrease from 57 percent of basketball-related income to a band between 49 and 51 percent depending on a variety of economic factors for each particular season. After the league secured a new $24 billion television contract, franchise values skyrocketed. There was talk of the players opting out of the 10-year deal and seeking givebacks from the owners.But the talks between the owners and players this time around have been much more cordial.The influx of money has been key for the players, Anthony said.Were not going in there saying we want more money. We dont want to mess that up, Anthony said. We see how the league is growing, we see the growth of the league. We want to be a part of that. Theres certain things within the CBA that we would like to see as players of the union. So hopefully we can make something happen.There also is a trust level that was absent from previous talks, a factor that was only strengthened when the owners agreed to the new programs that will help players after their careers come to an end.James stressed that the medical and education programs benefiting retirees were not his idea alone, but a collective decision from the union to seek help for the players who helped make the league what it is today. Now, with so much revenue flooding the system to the benefit of both sides, the dialogue appears to be centered on the greater good over dollars and cents.I just want to see the league continue to grow; thats all that matters to me, James said. The players are a huge, huge piece, but we also know the owners have great minds as well. Our commissioner is great, but our league, our logo, the Jerry West logo is probably the most well sought-out, admired logo in the world, and weve got to figure out a way to keep it going, keep raising the bar. Thats my only concern.The new agreement is expected to include several other new elements as well, said the people with knowledge of the discussions.They said owners are pushing to give their teams more options to keep homegrown players in their organizations, a topic that came to the forefront after Kevin Durant left the Oklahoma City Thunder to form a new super team with the?Golden State Warriors. One of the proposals, the people said, includes the possibility of adding a second five-year maximum contract. Currently, teams can offer only one five-year max contract, which can make it more difficult for teams to keep multiple stars happy.The people told the AP new elements also include an increase in the rookie salary scale to fall more in line with the surging salary cap, which was first reported by Yahoo Sports. The people also say two-way contracts that would pay players less when they are in the D-League and more when they are with their NBA teams -- a structure that has worked well in hockey for some time -- will be a part of the deal.ESPNs Ian Begley and The Associated Press contributed to this report. Jonny Venters Jersey . Barcelonas entertaining victory ensured the defending Spanish champions retained their share of the league lead with Atletico Madrid two rounds ahead of their meeting in the capital. Real Madrid needed a late goal by substitute Jese Rodriguez to earn a 3-2 victory at Valencia to stay in third place and three points behind its title rivals. 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CLEVELAND -- The Browns continued their methodical housecleaning by sweeping out another first-round pick.Cornerback Justin Gilbert, who never lived up to being the No. 8 overall pick in 2014, was traded to the Pittsburgh Steelers on Saturday for a sixth-round draft pick in 2018 and Cleveland also released wide receiver Taylor Gabriel as it trimmed its roster to the NFL-required 53 players.Gilbert was a major disappointment almost from the moment he began with the Browns. He started in just three games over two seasons in which he never seemed to mesh with his teammates on or off the field. The 24-year-old made only one interception and never delivered on the big-play potential he showed after starring at Oklahoma State.Gilberts departure wasnt entirely a surprise. On Friday, coach Hue Jackson said the defensive back had shown some signs of improvement this summer but did not guarantee he would make the roster.With Gilbert gone, the Browns dont have any of the players they selected in the first round from 2011-14. Phil Taylor, Trent Richardson, Brandon Weeden, Barkevious Mingo and Johnny Manziel -- all first-round picks -- preceded Gilbert out of town. Clevelands new front office recently traded Mingo to New England and the troubled Manziel was released in March.The Browns have made three trades in the past week and the roster is likely to undergo further changes in the next 48 hours.In getting down 53, the Browns released Gabriel, who had 64 catches over the past two seasons.The 25-year-old Gabriel figured to have an edge after a long punt return in Thursdays loss to Chicago. However, the Browns decided to keep the four rookies they drafted this year -- Corey Coleman, Ricardo Louis, Jordan Payton and Rashard Higgins -- along with veterans Andrew Hawkins and Terrelle Pryor over Gabriel. Wide receiver Josh Gordon is suspended for the first four games because of multiple drug violations and does not count against the roster.Weve gotten a lot bigger, weve got younger and I think weve gotten better, first-year coach Hue Jackson saidd.dddddddddddd Having Terrelle Pryor and obviously our draft pick Corey Coleman is good, and its great to see Terrelle come on. Obviously, getting Josh Gordon back on our football team is huge. Youre talking about one of the better receivers in the league, and weve got to make sure we hold this thing together until he can get back and were looking forward to having him back.Also, the Browns addressed their punting issue by signing former Denver punter Britton Colquitt to a one-year contract.The Browns had been looking for a punter since trading three-time Pro Bowler Andy Lee to Carolina earlier this week for a fourth-round pick. On Thursday, punters Kasey Redfern and Mike Palardy both shanked kicks badly in a loss to Chicago. Redfern and Palardy were both released.The 31-year-old Colquitt spent six seasons with the defending Super Bowl champion Broncos, who cut him on Tuesday. He has averaged 45.2 yards per punt in his career.Its great that we had the opportunity to add a quality veteran punter. Obviously, we let a really good one go, but its tremendous that our personnel staff was able to quickly bring someone to our team who has had success in this league and has some skins on the wall, said Jackson, who vowed to fix the punting problem after the Browns lost 21-7 to the Bears. Were excited about the opportunity to work with him.Colquitts brother, Dustin, punts for Kansas City. Their dad, Craig, punted for Pittsburgh from 1978-84.On a busy day, the Browns learned they may face Eagles rookie quarterback Carson Wentz in the Sept. 11 season opener. Philadelphia traded Sam Bradford to Minnesota on Saturday, clearing the way for Wentz to take over if hes recovered from cracked ribs.The Browns could have taken Wentz in the draft but opted to trade the No. 2 overall pick to the Eagles, who gave Cleveland their first-round pick in 2017 to move up.---AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and www.twitter.com/AP-NFL Wholesale Jerseys 2018 Cheap Jerseys Online Wholesale Jerseys Cheap NFL Hoodies Wholesale NFL Jerseys Stitched Jerseys Wholesale NFL Womens Jerseys Cheap NFL T-shirts China Jerseys Wholesale Youth NFL Jerseys China Stitched NFL Jerseys NFL Jerseys Outlet White NFL Jerseys Cheap Jerseys NFL China Cheap NFL Jerseys Camo ' ' '