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DENVER - Josh Kroenkes slip of the tongue even made Arron Afflalo smirk. The Denver Nuggets president explained Monday how he has closely "Afflalowed" the shooting guards two seasons in Orlando, before reacquiring him in a draft-day deal last week. "Afflalowed? I have followed," Kroenke quickly modified to laughter, "Arrons career since he left here." Theres no mistaking this: Afflalo has developed more of an all-around game since the Nuggets dealt him to the Magic on Aug. 10, 2012, as part of the blockbuster four-team, 12-player deal that also involved Dwight Howard. Back then, Afflalo was viewed as a defensive specialist with a solid jumper. Now, hes got more of a shooters mentality. So much so that Kroenke introduced him as a "new Arron Afflalo." "Arron took a lot of steps in his own growth over the time he was here and has since taken more steps," Kroenke said. "Im proud to see him doing the things hes been doing down in Orlando." The 28-year-old Afflalo is coming off a season with Orlando in which he averaged career highs in points (18.2), rebounds (3.6) and assists (3.4). He also made 128 3-pointers. This season, he will be reunited in the backcourt with Ty Lawson, who was one of the first to congratulate him after the trade that sent promising young point guard Evan Fournier to the Magic, along with a pick. "I want to continue to improve as a player," Afflalo said. "Im going to do my job, work hard this summer to put myself in the best position." In some ways, Afflalo feels like he never really left the Nuggets as he always kept close tabs on his former team. And yet plenty has changed in his two-year absence. Namely, George Karl being replaced as coach by Brian Shaw. Afflalo is ready to take on whatever role Shaw has for him, whether its as a scorer or simply being Afflalo the leader. "My job is to make sure Im capable of getting that job done," Afflalo said. "I have no problem doing whatever coach asks of me." Thats the way he was with Karl, too. Afflalo couldve been a different type of player — more of a scorer, perhaps — in his first go-round with the Nuggets. But thats not what they needed, especially in the years when they had Chauncey Billups and Carmelo Anthony on the floor. "There are probably a lot of things I probably could do back then," said Afflalo, who will wear No. 10 for Denver this season. "But its not my job to come in here and prove I could score points with the lineup I was starting with three years ago. "These days, Im a lot more confident all over the court, whether its posting up, shooting 3s, being available in the fourth quarter, being someone you can rely on in the fourth quarter." As for his defensive tenacity, that will always be a source of pride with him. "Thats part of being a complete player," he said. "I expect to be at a high level on both ends of the court." Authentic Tennessee Titans Jerseys . -- Augusta James of Bath, Ont. Tennessee Titans Jerseys China . LeBron James leads the Miami Heat in a quest for three consecutive championship titles, while Tim Duncan looks to add his fifth ring with the San Antonio Spurs when the series tips off with Game 1: Miami @ San Antonio on Thursday, June 5 at 9 p. http://www.titanscheap.com/72v-cheap-cus...sey-titans.html. Scrivens stopped 48 shots and captain Andrew Ference scored in overtime as the Oilers pulled off a 4-3 upset of the Anaheim Ducks on Friday. Stitched Tennessee Titans Jerseys . -- Caris LeVert had 14 points and a career-high 11 rebounds for his first career double-double, and No. Discount Tennessee Titans Jerseys .7 million, one-year contract.The deal, announced Friday, includes a $50,000 performance bonus if the left-hander appears in 60 games. PALM HARBOR, Fla. -- Matt Every made the best of the worst conditions Thursday at Innisbrook. Danny Lee, finally, seems to be playing good golf in any weather. They were among a four-way tie for the lead after the opening round of the Valspar Championship, a day so challenging that 3-under 68 was the highest score to lead after the first round in the 14-year history of this event. Pat Perez and Greg Chalmers also had 68s to share the lead. Every was the only one among the leaders to play in the morning, when the temperatures were in the mid-50s and felt even colder because of a strong wind. He had three birdies on his last four holes, all of them about 15 feet or longer, and was five shots better than he would have hoped when he teed off. "I would have been satisfied with 2 over today," Every said. "It was tough. This morning you couldnt feel your hands. The wind was brutal." The temperature warmed under full sunshine in the afternoon, though that only helped a little. Only three players broke 70 in the morning, with the average score nearly 3 1/2 shots over par. Eight players broke 70 in the afternoon, and the average for the day turned out to be 72.6. Lee was in the last group, and how he got to Tampa Bay explains why he was one of the leaders. The former U.S. Amateur champion had missed every cut this year, and six straight dating to the OHL Classic in Mexico last November. That changed last week in the Puerto Rico Open, when he posted all four rounds in the 60s to finish second to Chesson Hadley. That got him into the field at Innisbrook, and Lee kept right on rolling. He ran off three birdies in five holes to start his round and was the only player all day to reach 4 under with a birdie on the par-5 first. He dropped his only shot on No. 6 when he failed to get up-and-down from the bunker. "I gained a lot of confidence after last week playing with the finish in Puerto Rico," Lee said. "It really helped me a lot with that confidence stuff, and Im hitting it really well right now. My ball striking is the best its ever been, especially with the putting. I got the new claw grip -- still working great, which is fantastic." Only 25 players managed to break par. Matteo Manassero, who didnt break 74 in four rounds at Doral last week, was in the large group at 69 that included Nicolas Colsaerts and Bill Haas. Russell Knox, who lost in a four-man playoff two weeks ago at the Honda Classic, was in the group at 70.dddddddddddd. John Merrick made bogey on his last two holes for a 70, while Peter Uihlein made birdie on two of his last three holes, including a 35-foot putt on his last hole, for a 70. This is a big week for Uihlein, a European Tour member, who is No. 73 in the world. He has only two more tournaments to try to get into the top 50 in the world and become eligible for the Masters. Justin Rose, at No. 7 the highest-ranked player in the world at Innisbrook, Luke Donald and 20-year-old Jordan Spieth were among those at 70. More cold was expected Friday morning before the warming trend returns the rest of the week. That means Lee, Perez and the others could face wind and cold at the start of their second round. Lee can only draw comparisons with his game, not the course or the conditions. He had never been to the Copperhead course, regarded by many as perhaps the best tournament course in Florida. He played a practice round Tuesday and jokingly said he would have shot about a 90. "I was shocked how hard it was," he said. "Without the wind and the cold weather -- even were playing in nice weather -- its a very tough golf course." Every traded birdies and bogeys until a strong finish. He made birdie putts of 15 feet on the sixth and seventh holes, and then made a 20-foot birdie putt on the par-3 eighth and he made par from a fairway bunker on his last hole. "Ive played enough to know the first round doesnt matter that much," Every said. "This place is just going to be about not making doubles and taking yourself out of the tournament." Perez played well on the West Coast, earning nearly $1 million, and then took three weeks off. He worked a little with his coach, but felt some rust early, so he was happy to get around Innisbrook at 68. And he was lucky to be playing late. "Definitely the guys that teed off at 7:40, 7:50, they had the hardest of what were going to see this week," Perez said. "I think so far we got the good side." DIVOTS: Angel Cabrera opened with a 72 with a backup set of clubs and rain gear belonging to swing coach Charlie Epps. Cabrera took one airline from Buenos Aires through Santiago and into Miami. The last he heard, his clubs and luggage were being shipped on another airline through Los Angeles. ... Blake Adam withdrew with a hip injury after opening with a 78. Adams missed all but two tournaments last season with surgery on his left hip. 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