ABOVE & BEYOUND » DeRozan but came close with a five-year

For the sixth season in a row, ESPN.com is ranking the top players in the NBA. Who will be the best player this season?To get the final ranking, we asked our expert panel to vote on pairs of players.LeBron James vs. Stephen Curry. Russell Westbrook vs. Kevin Durant. Damian Lillard vs. Chris Paul.We asked, Which player will be better in 2016-17? To decide, voters had to consider both the quality and the quantity of each players contributions to his teams ability to win games.Well roll out the rest of our top 200 players over the next week. If you want to get involved in the discussion or just follow along, #NBArank is the Twitter hashtag to use. You also can follow along @ESPNNBA and on Facebook.On to the list ...30. DeMar DeRozanRaptors | SG | @DeMar_DeRozanLast years rank: 522016-17 projected RPM: -0.09Insider profile:?DeRozan timed a career year well, representing the Raptors as they hosted the All-Star Game and cashing in on the new salary cap during his first foray into free agency. Toronto didnt quite max out DeRozan but came close with a five-year, $137.5 million deal that starts at the max but does not increase after the 2017-18 season.?Read more ?#NBArank 21-3021: Jimmy Butler22: Al Horford23: LaMarcus Aldridge24: DeAndre Jordan25: Paul Millsap26: C.J. McCollum27: Mike Conley28: Kevin Love29: Isaiah Thomas30: DeMar DeRozan Nike Zoom Wholesale . Dusautoir, the former World Player of the Year, sustained a torn bicep playing for Toulouse in the Heineken Cup on Saturday. The flanker, who has played 65 times for France, is expected to be out for up to four months. Cheap Nike Zoom Shoes Free Shipping . 31, the CFL club announced Monday. The team also has yet to decide on the future of Doug Berry, who began the season as a consultant to the head coach but took over the offensive co-ordinators duties in July. http://www.cheapnikezoom.com/ .com) - The Montreal Canadiens will try to halt their longest losing streak of the season when they host the struggling New York Islanders in tonights clash at the Bell Centre. Cheap Nike Zoom Shoes China .ca NHL Power Rankings for the second straight week, ahead of the Pittsburgh Penguins and Colorado Avalanche. Nike Zoom Shoes Buy Online . Booth picked up 65 caps after making her national team debut in 2002 at the age of 17. She most recently played for Sky Blue FC of the National Womens Soccer League. "It just felt like it was my time to move on," she said in a phone interview from her hometown of Burlington, Ont. AKRON, Ohio -- In a story Oct. 15 about the Western Michigan-Akron college football game, The Associated Press, based on information from the Western Michigan coach and television announcers, reported erroneously how Akron players destroyed an oar before the game to Western Michigans Row the Boat motivational mantra. Akron officials say an oar was broken into pieces, not burned.A corrected version of the story is below:No. 24 Western Michigan shuts out Zips 41-0Jarvion Franklin rushed for a school-record 281 yards and Zach Terrell threw for two scores and ran for two more as No. 24 Western Michigan -- ranked in the Top 25 this week for the first time in school history -- shut out Akron 41-0 on SaturdayBy MITCH STACYAP Sports WriterAKRON, Ohio -- Javarion Franklin and Zach Terrell made sure one of the biggest weeks in the 100-year history of the Western Michigan football ended on a high note.Franklin, a junior running back, rushed for a school-record 281 yards and quarterback Terrell threw for two touchdowns and ran for two more as No. 24 Western Michigan -- ranked in the Top 25 this week for the first time in school history -- shut out Akron 41-0 on Saturday.Corey Davis caught two touchdown passes to add to his career school record, finishing with eight catches for 63 yards. The Broncos (7-0, 2-0 Mid-American Conference) had 585 yards of offense.It was an incredible credit to our players, Western Michigan coach P.J. Fleck said. They played possessed. They executed the game plan perfectly.Franklin, whose previous career-high rushing game was 211 yards against Idaho two seasons ago, ran for a 2-yard touchdown in the first quarter. Terrell was 21 for 31 for 207 yards.By the time the fourth quarter started, I really had no idea I had a lot of yards, Franklin said. Jamauri (Bogan) kept saying something about 200 but I thought he was lying, so Im like, `hey, whatever. I just go out there and move the chains.Western Michigan held Akron (4-3, 2-1) to 283 yards of offense and snuffed out their biggest threat in the second quarter when quarterback TraVon Chapman was intercepted by Broncos linebacker Casey Carson at the WMU 3-yard line.Chapman, subbing for injured starter Thomas Woodson for the third straight game, was 13 for 31 for 153 yards and was intercepted twice.THE TAKEAWAYWestern Michigan: The strong season continues for the Broncos. They looked efficient on most of their offensive drives and shut down the Zips. Every win makes coach P.J. Fleck more attractive to the Power Five teams expected to have ccoaching vacancies after the season.ddddddddddddAkron: The Zips suffered their first MAC loss, but theyre still likely to compete for the East Division crown. That means they could see WMU again in the conference championship game.Every now and then, you just get beat, Akron coach Terry Bowden said. Tonight, we just got beat on offense and on defense. Western Michigan just took it to us, and we didnt have any answers.POLL IMPLICATIONSNot many people saw Western Michigan roll over the Zips. But the score was decisive enough for the Broncos to hold their No. 24 spot or even move up.GIVING IT UPWestern Michigan became the last FBS team in the nation to commit a turnover when Akron defensive end Daumantas Venckus recovered a Davon Tucker fumble at the Akron 14 in the second quarter. WMUs Terrell had thrown an interception deep in Akron territory in the first quarter, but a defensive holding call nullified the play. Akron intercepted Terrell for real in the fourth quarter.WORKING ON A DREAMWestern Michigan is 7-0 for the first time since 1941, when it finished the season 8-0. The Broncos havent won the conference since 1988, when they went 7-1 in the MAC and 9-3 overall. They were 1-13 in 2013 -- Flecks first season -- before going 8-5 the past two years.THATS NOT VERY NICEA motivating technique for the Akron players Saturday was breaking an oar into pieces before the game -- designed to make light of Flecks Row the Boat mantra, which is supposed to symbolize a group of people working in unison for a common goal. Fleck, who came up with the mantra after losing an infant son shortly after birth a few years ago, didnt like it.Its not very classy, in my opinion, Fleck said after the game. Were not into revenge. I do believe in righteousness....Very simple, I think its just two different cultures.ROOT FOR THE HOME TEAMOne of the biggest cheers from the sparse crowd at InfoCision Stadium came in the second quarter when the PA announcer informed the crowd that the Cleveland Indians had taken the lead in the American League Championship Series being played about 40 miles away at Progressive Field. The Indians took a 2-0 lead over Toronto.UP NEXTWestern Michigan: The Broncos return home to play Eastern Michigan.Akron: The Zips travel to face Ball State.---Follow Mitch Stacy at http://twitter.com/mitchstacyFor some of his other recent stories: http://bigstory.ap.org/content/mitch-stacy ' ' '