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PORTLAND, Ore. - With no picks in this years NBA draft, the Portland Trail Blazers still made news in offering All-Star forward LaMarcus Aldridge a maximum contract extension. The offer was confirmed Thursday by a person close to the negotiations who could not comment publicly because the team had not formally announced it. The offer, made to Aldridges representatives last week, was first reported by Yahoo! Sports. Aldridge, in the fifth and final year of a $65 million contract, is set to become a free agent next summer. The Blazers hope to lure him to stay with a five-year, $108 million extension. Aldridge averaged a career-best 23.2 points and 11.1 rebounds last season for the Blazers, who went 54-28 and advanced to the Western Conference semifinals before losing to eventual NBA champion San Antonio. The move does not come as a surprise after general manager Neil Olshey emphasized the importance of getting the deal with Aldridge done. "The most important thing is everybody, including LaMarcus, knows hes the number one priority in the organization right now," Olshey said when the season ended. There was talk last summer that Aldridge was interested in entertaining other offers, but as the season drew to a close he said several times that he was happy in Portland. The Blazers have been known in recent years to pull off draft night surprises, but the team was quiet with no picks this season. It was the third time that the Blazers had gone without a selection, but first since 1999. The team surrendered its picks in this years draft because of earlier trades. The No. 24 overall pick went to the Charlotte Hornets as part of a 2011 trade that brought Gerald Wallace to Portland. The No. 56 pick went to the Denver Nuggets in the 2011 trade that sent Andre Miller to the Nuggets. Air Max 2003 Sale . Hernandez (3-0) struck out 11 and shut down Oakland for the second time in a week, becoming the first Mariners pitcher to win three times in the first nine games of a season. With the usual "Kings Court" for Hernandez home starts expanded to a "Supreme Court" encompassing the entire stadium with yellow shirts and "K" cards, Hernandez gave up four hits in the 28th double-digit strikeout game of his career. Air Max 4 Sale . - After sewage backups, toilet overflows and foul smells surfaced the past two years, nothing at the Oakland Coliseum surprises the home team anymore. https://www.wholesaleshoesforcheap.com/air-jordan-28-sale/ .com) - The Toronto Raptors set their sights on a second straight victory with the Oklahoma City Thunder visiting the Air Canada Centre tonight riding a two game streak of their own. Air Max 200 Sale . Louis Cardinals on Sunday afternoon; a brief, poor outing that served to highlight two trends that have developed this season. Air Max 2007 Sale .J. -- All those records, all for naught.Jim Popp wont have to go very far to check in on his first round CFL draft pick. With Popp caring for his wife who is recovering from a shark bite suffered in Hilton Head, South Carolina, Universite de Montreals David Foucault has done the general manager the favor of choosing a team just 20 minutes away for his NFL free agent tryout. “Thats the calculated risk we take,” admittted Popp of Foucaults decision to work out with the Carolina Panthers. “Im going to try to sneak in and see if I can watch him a little bit.” CFL agent Darren Gill calls the 6-foot-7 Foucault “electrifying,” with “stud freak athletic ability,” adding, “people gravitate to him and his sense of humour." Gill also confirmed Foucault -- who would have had the no. 1 NFL combine vertical jump for O-linemen-- drew interest from the Miami Dolphins along with several other NFL clubs. “What were comfortable with is he grew up an Alouette fan, he always wanted to be an Alouette and hes from our home town,” Popp said. “Hes one of the best players in the draft and we know if he doesnt stick in the NFL hell be happy to come to us.” The fact the no. 5 selection overall is a lifelong Alouettes fan whose favorite player is Anthony Calvillo is only a bonus. With the retirements of Andrew Woodruffe and Scott Flory, the Als still feel they have time to groom him at guard, with the succession plan to ultimately keep the tackle position Canadian, which currently remain the undisputed domains of Josh Bourke and Jeff Parrett. While defense was the Alouettes strength in 2013, co-ordinator Noel Thorpe has to be pleased three of the teams next four selections were invested on the defensive side, including 10th overall pick Andrew Lue of Queens, a possible Mike Edem clone. “Hes very physical, puts his hands on receivers,” Popp said. “We think he can have an impact immediately on special teams and can move around from corner to halfback and possibly to ‘Will or Sam linebacker.” Looking for talent in the middle and late rounds is a Popp speciality, and oncee again the only architect the Alouettes have known since their rebirth in 1996 is pleased with his third and fourth round picks.dddddddddddd “I call him ‘Quadzilla,” Popp said of James Tuck, a fourth rounder from York. “He has massive thighs. He may be able to play defensive end or linebacker for us.” Tuck has already realized a life-goal, becoming the first Lion since CFL veteran Ricky Foley (coincidentally the D-lineman who concussed Anthony Calvillo) to be drafted. “Im ecstatic, I cant even measure,” Tuck gushed over the phone soon after receiving a call from the Alouettes. “Foleys been pretty inspirational, taking me aside at spring workouts, showing me little things,” Tuck said. An admitted Argos fan in the past, Tuck has also trained with James Yurichuk.“I look up to him. Hes got a high motor and I like to think I have one as well.” Popps annual sleeper may be third round selection Jeff Finley from the University of Guelph. “Hes the ‘Klassen of this draft,” insisted the GM. “Michael Klassen took it to the next level for us last year and we really feel Finley is that guy.” Last November, Finley was cheering against the Als in their playoff loss to the Ti-Cats. Hed met several, including Henry Burris and as a St. Catherines, Ontario-native was a longtime Hamilton supporter. Finley promises to be a quick study on Alouette culture thanks to fellow Gryphon alums Ryan Bomben and Jake Piotrowski. Finleys defensive co-ordinator at Guelph was Kevin MacNeill, a former Alouette, who was with the team for all of three days on a free agent tryout. “I dont think I even had a cup of coffee,” MacNeill chuckled. But Finleys work ethic is no joke. “Hes extremely physical, quick and hardworking.” McNeill mentioned. Finley should also be a quick study since hes a science student studying advanced anatomy. “He knows his way around a cadaver,” revealed MacNeill. With that being the case, getting his hands on live quarterbacks should be no problem. ' ' '