If youve found this free-agency period -- with its fractured long-term relationships and newly formed ominous alliances -- to be unsettling, maybe its because your concept of the NBA doesnt fit the NBAs concept of the NBA.The NBA sent out a definition of itself last week. It was at the bottom of a news release about the new, high-tech shot clock. At the end of many news releases is a paragraph called the boilerplate, a one-paragraph summary describing the team or company. Think of it as the corporate equivalent of a detailed Twitter bio. In this case the boilerplate read:The NBA is a global sports and media business built around three professional sports leagues: the National Basketball Association, the Womens National Basketball Association, and the NBA Development League. The league has established a major international presence with games and programming in 215 countries and territories in 49 languages, and NBA merchandise for sale in more than 125,000 stores in 100 countries on 6 continents. NBA rosters at the start of the 2015-16 season featured 100 international players from 37 countries and territories. NBA Digitals assets include NBA.com and the NBA app, which achieved record traffic during the 2014-15 season, as well as NBA TV. The NBA has created one of the largest social media communities in the world, with more than one billion likes and followers globally across all league, team, and player platforms. Through NBA Cares, the league addresses important social issues by working with internationally recognized youth-serving organizations that support education, youth and family development, and health-related causes.Notice it didnt read: The NBA comprises 30 teams featuring the worlds greatest basketball players who compete through an 82-game regular season, then four rounds of a best-of-seven playoff series format to determine an annual champion. Thats how we view the league. The NBA has moved far beyond such limited terms. This is about content, merchandising and property.A global sports and media business with heavy internet traffic, vast social media reach and, yes, societal impact (see Adam Silvers stance on LGBT rights in North Carolina). Given that scope, the minor details of who plays on what teams are the equivalent of those terms of agreement that you click past without reading when you download software. Brand takes precedence over ball.The NBA is consumed with perception and PR more than anything else now, a team executive texted me during the playoffs. They follow social media and articles, always taking the [temperature] on their popularity.When the NBA isnt describing itself in press releases, it implicitly lets you know its priorities during collective bargaining negotiations with the players union. The owners know they are on a collective bargaining winning streak and are confident theyll get what theyre after. They also realize they must make compromises to reach an agreement. So they hold the line on what matters most to them. And they care about the money a lot more than they care about competitive balance. (Repeat: global sports and media business.)The owners went after the revenue split during the 2011 lockout and successfully drove the players share of leaguewide income from 57 percent down to 50 percent. They stopped short of a hard salary cap, which would have made player movement more difficult and/or forced talented teams to dismantle before they could form a dynasty. The players agreed to take less money collectively to preserve individual opportunities. That created the structural framework for Kevin Durant to join the Golden State Warriors -- and created all of the wailing that followed the move.Saying that Magic Johnson and Larry Bird wouldnt have made that move is pointless because Magic and Bird couldnt have made that move until unrestricted free agency entered the NBA in 1988 -- after they had won eight rings between them and had no need to leave to pursue championships. And dont forget, the collective bargaining agreement back then was designed to facilitate stars staying with their current teams -- hence the nickname The Larry Bird Exception for the rule that allowed teams to exceed the salary cap when one of their own players re-signed.Changes to the CBA as well as changes in players attitudes brought us to the player movement weve seen in recent years. Increasingly shorter contract lengths, implemented so owners wouldnt get stuck with bad contracts, also increased the turnover rate for stars who couldnt be locked up long term anymore. And the maximum contracts instituted in 1999 minimized the difference between staying and leaving. Yes, there would still be a benefit to signing with the home team, but it wasnt enough to keep Dwight Howard with the Lakers or LaMarcus Aldridge with the Trail Blazers or Durant with the Thunder.The owners chose cost certainty over asset control. Trying to legislate parity was too elusive a goal to burn capital to chase. Near the end of the last lockout, a Western Conference owner said the proposed agreement wouldnt help his team beat the Lakers (who were just a year removed from three straight trips to the Finals), but he was willing to sign off on it to get the season started.Every time theres a dramatic free-agent shakeup, it reminds us there isnt a parity scheme the players cant subvert because of their willingness to take less money. Its interesting when that is or isnt considered noble. Notice how you rarely hear praise for stars taking less money to move to a new team, only when they take less than market value to help their current team bring in new players. Part of that is due to the NBAs success in creating such a character-driven sport -- a superhero, comic-book world, Durant called it at his Warriors news conference. So the analysis focused more on the reflections of Durants moral fiber for leaving Oklahoma City to join a superior rival than the actual logistics of how the new-look Warriors would function. As much as analytics have reshaped the methods of team construction and game strategies, storylines still sell the league to the public at large. A global sports and media business.And such is the business model that at some point it puts the onus on the players to make the financial sacrifices in pursuit of victories. They do so despite the warning that the money is guaranteed, the results are not. For Dirk Nowitzki, taking hometown discounts has brought him respect but no more rings since he brought the Mavericks a championship in 2011.Things worked out better for Tim Duncan, who went to the 2015 All-Star Game on a $10 million salary -- about half the going rate for stars, and half of what he made during his peak earning years in San Antonio. He made two more trips to the NBA Finals in the late stages of his career and got another championship. He also has made almost $240 million in salary over his career. Then again, if money meant nothing to him, he would not have sued a former financial adviser for over $20 million in misplaced investments.Money always matters. Especially when it counts against a salary cap and luxury tax. Thats why Dwyane Wade is no longer a member of the Miami Heat, a once unfathomable concept. Neither he nor Pat Riley were willing to make the financial sacrifices to keep their union together.The economic landscape of the league and the players increasing awareness of their power make the concept of the long-term, single-team career seem outdated. It makes for a nice story, but remember that Durant said comic book, not fairy tale.Or maybe the proper tale is a cautionary one. Other teams saw what it meant for the Lakers to give Kobe Bryant both his money and the opportunity to finish his career with the Lakers. Yes, Kobe and Lakers fans got their fond farewell, with a 60-point performance in his final game followed by a mic drop at half court. But the rebuild was paused for two years -- and the missed chance to hunt for bargain free agents in the retrospectively cheap summer of 2015 looks extra painful now amid the free spending of 2016. Meanwhile, the Lakers just finished with the worst record in franchise history.Then again, the Lakers also sold more than $1 million in merchandise on Kobes last night.One thing we do know about the league is that the NBAs global sports and media business has never been better. Cheap Air Max 90 Ireland . Takahashi, who had a 10-point lead after the short program, received 268.31 points after the free skate to finish 15 points ahead of second-place Nobunari Oda. Air Max 90 Free Shipping . -- The goal posts lying flat on the field, Arizonas fans lingered on the field, congregating around the locker room entrance nearly 30 minutes after rushing out of the stands. http://www.airmax90ireland.com/ . Uniteds eighth defeat of a wretched campaign means Liverpool, which currently occupies the fourth and final Champions League place, could go nine points clear of its fierce rival by beating West Bromwich Albion on Sunday. Charlie Adam scored both of Stokes goals at Britannia Stadium either side of Robin van Persies equalizer, with a miserable day for seventh-place United capped by first-half injuries to centre halves Jonny Evans and Phil Jones that forced them off. Wholesale Air Max 90 . And when it opened, every player was at his stall. Thats a sure sign that a team is in a slump and is searching for answers. "Its embarrassing to be at home and play the way we did," said defenceman Josh Gorges. Cheap Air Max 90 Wholesale . PAUL, Minn. The first win out of the way, No. 21 Rhode Island opens play in the Hall of Fame Tip-Off with a home game against Marist on Monday night at Kingston, R.I.The tournament, which starts at home sites, has the Rams (1-0) playing at home Wednesday against local rival Brown. They then shift to the Mohegan Sun Casino in Uncasville, Conn., to play Cincinnati (26th in the opening poll) before going up against either No. 1 Duke or Penn State.E.C. Williams, whose 2015-16 season ended 10 minutes into the opening game because of a knee injury, returned to the court with a 21-point effort on 9-for-12 shooting as URI easily disposed of Dartmouth 84-61 on Friday night.Hassan Martin added the 16th double-double of his college career with 12 points and 10 rebounds and picked up seven blocked shots.Martin, who also had a knee injury last season, played just 24 minutes but took a run at his second career triple-double.Coach (Dan Hurley) had to calm me down, Matthews said after his return, almost a year to the day of his injury. He called me last night to let me know just to let it come. It felt good to be back. Ive been doing this my whole life. Just being comfortable and reading and reacting and having a good pace are important.Matthews hit a 3-pointer early in the game, putting him over the 1,000-point career scoring plateau. He also had three steals in the win.We got separation in the second half, Hurley said. We played a level of defense that was an elite defense. We held them to 35 percent from the field and forced 20 turnovers. Thats kind of who we are.The Ramms were picked second -- to Dayton -- in the preseason Atlantic 10 poll.dddddddddddd They are ranked at the start of the season for the first time since 1998-99 and ranked for the first time overall since 2007-08.Obviously, having Matthews and Hassan healthy is a major factor.Martin began the game as URIs all-time leader in field goal percentage at 57.3 percent and went 5-for-6 in the opener.In a statistical oddity, the Rams had 11 assists, 11 turnovers and 11 blocked shot in the game.Marist, 7-23 last season, didnt have as much fun down at Duke on Friday night, falling 94-49 in a Hall of Fame game at Durham, N.C.I didnt think we played at our best, Marist coach Mike Maker said after the game, but Duke had a lot to do with that.The Red Foxes, 4-16 in Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference play last season, was tabbed to finish eighth in the 11-team league.They should be in for another rough ride Monday night.Jared Terrell and Kuran Iverson were also in double figures with 12 and 11 points, respectively, for Rhode Island, which led 39-26 at halftime.Stanford Robinson, a transfer from Indiana, played 19 minutes and had seven points, four rebounds, four assists and four steals -- without a turnover -- in his URI debut.Its been several months -- a year for some -- since weve been on the court, said Hurley. The crowd and all the anticipation of our first game -- weve all been working so hard. Were just excited about the season. ' ' '