Durants decision, he and Westbrook have not spoken.Wed bee

SEATTLE -- When Chris Petersen decided to come to Washington, there was no set timetable on returning the Huskies to prominence.Headed into his third season, the Huskies seem poised -- between talent and a favorable schedule -- for a return to the top of the Pac-12 Conference and perhaps the national stage.We expect to win every game we play. And so the outside noise that might have changed their expectations, that doesnt change anything, Petersen said.Washington goes into the 2016 season with expectations not seen on Montlake in more than a decade.Gone is the patience of waiting for Washingtons potential. This is the year the Huskies should graduate from hovering around .500 and being stuck in the middle of the Pac-12 discussion.With a defense that could be among the better ones in the Pac-12 and a sophomore backfield combo of quarterback Jake Browning and running back Myles Gaskin, Washington at least has the pieces in place to potentially find itself in the national conversation.Petersen will be the last person to buy into the hype.If we can slow this thing down and pay attention to building skill and getting better and getting our competitive spirit where it needs to be, then I think well feel good about things, Petersen said. But thats where we are. Were in good shape. They trained hard. But we still have a lot of work to do.MONTLAKE JAKE: Browning is thrilled he doesnt have to hear any more about being a true freshman playing quarterback in the Pac-12.Im glad the whole true freshman thing is over. I dont have to hear true freshman this, true freshman that, Browning said. Now its like, just go win.No longer having that label means greater expectations for Browning to build on a solid freshman season. Browning threw for nearly 3,000 yards and 16 touchdowns last season, but improving on those numbers will rely heavily on the development of wide receivers slim on experience and another huge season from running back Myles Gaskin. Browning should be helped by the return of speedy wide receiver John Ross, who missed all of last season due to a knee injury.For a true freshman quarterback to come in and play in our league is really hard and to see him do so well, I was very excited about this year, Ross said.SECONDARY TO NONE: There may not be a deeper secondary in the country than Washingtons, led by safety Budda Baker, and cornerbacks Darren Gardenhire and Sidney Jones. Theyre athletic, physical and have a knack for the ball.How successful that secondary is in the pass game may be predicated on whether Washington is able to find pass rushers to replace Travis Feeney and Cory Littleton and get pressure on opposing quarterbacks. It does help that the Huskies return middle linebacker Azeem Victor, who led the team with 95 tackles last season.SEASON OPENER: Welcome to having expectations. Petersen became comfortable with always being in the national conversation when Boise State was on its rise to prominence. But its been 16 years since Washington went into a season where it was receiving this much notoriety before ever playing a down. The only real test before the start of Pac-12 play comes in the Sept. 3 opener against Rutgers.KEY GAMES: All the focus will be on an eight-day stretch in late September and early October that will determine the arc of Washingtons season. The Huskies host Stanford on Sept. 30 then travel to rival Oregon on Oct. 8 having not beaten the Ducks in their previous 12 meetings.The end of Washingtons season isnt easy either with USC and Arizona State at home, before facing rival Washington State in the Apple Cup. The Huskies have lost 10 straight to the Sun Devils.PREDICTION: Washington may be a year away. Of their projected starters, there are only four or five seniors depending on training camp competitions. But the schedule is favorable and if the Huskies can shake their 12-year losing streak to Oregon, this could be a special season. Ten wins and a return to the national conversation seems possible. Cheap White Sox Jerseys China . Most important, perhaps, it went off without a hitch. Organizers poked a little fun at the now-infamous opening ceremony gaffe that saw only four out of five snowflakes open up into rings, leaving the Olympics logo one ring short. Cheap Ron Santo Jersey . NBA officials ruled the court unplayable in the Bucks final exhibition game on Oct. 25 because players were slipping, and the game was cancelled midway through the first period. http://www.cheapwhitesoxjerseys.com/?tag=cheap-ozzie-guillen-jersey .com) - Christian Ponder will get another chance to prove himself for the Minnesota Vikings, with head coach Leslie Frazier announcing Wednesday that the struggling quarterback will start this weekends game against the Green Bay Packers. Cheap Joe Crede Jersey . PAUL, Minn. Cheap MLB Jerseys Authentic . Irving scored 23 points, Tristan Thompson had 20 points and 10 rebounds and the Cavaliers beat the Denver Nuggets 117-109 on Friday night. OKLAHOMA CITY -- Russell Westbrook on Thursday said he found out about Kevin Durants departure from the Oklahoma City Thunder like yall found out.On the news, on the cellphones, the social media, Westbrook said Thursday during a news conference to announce an extension with the Thunder that is potentially worth $85.7 million over the next three seasons. I talked to Kevin early on in the process. But nothing after. Just a text message from him, thats about it.After eight seasons playing with Westbrook in Oklahoma City, Durant signed a two-year, $54.3 million contract with the Golden State Warriors on July 4. The Thunder led Golden State 3-1 in the Western Conference finals before losing in Game 7.Asked whether Durants choosing the Warriors stings more, Westbrook was blunt.Sting for who? he said, smiling.Listen, I understand free agency, Westbrook said. I understand having the opportunity to go where we need to go. But once that happened, I told [GM] Sam [Presti], Whats next? To me, thats just my mentality: Whats the next thing we need to do to help our team win? Thats all Im worried about, to find ways to come in and figure out ways to make the team become a great organization.Asked whether he was surprised by the way Durant handled his free agency, Westbrook said he was: Some people handle things differently than others, and thats the way he wanted to handle it, which is fine.Durant and Westbrook appeared inn four conference finals and one NBA Finals.dddddddddddd As teammates, they blossomed into one of the most successful and potent duos in the NBA.However, since Durants decision, he and Westbrook have not spoken.Wed been together eight years, Westbrook said. You dont throw that away. Obviously hes now with a new team. But we definitely will talk eventually. But obviously now we havent.Westbrook was asked whether hes anticipating forthcoming matchups against Durant and the Warriors.Do you want to say it, or do you want me to say it? he said. You know what Im going to say.Like I said before, no game is no bigger, no less, no player, no place. I stand behind that because I play every game like its my last. I go out to compete regardless of whos on the floor, regardless of if were playing Golden State, Philadelphia, Milwaukee. It doesnt matter to me. My job is to go out and compete for our team.In Rio de Janeiro, where he is part of the U.S. mens Olympic team, Durant said he wouldnt immediately be reaching out to Westbrook to discuss his decision to stay in Oklahoma City.Nah, thats a touchy deal, Durant said. At some point, well sit down and talk. But I dont know when.Asked if he was happy for Westbrook, Durant said he was.Information from The Associated Press was used in this report. ' ' '