OAKLAND, Calif. - There will be a lot of people looking at the man sitting courtside when the Golden State Warriors host the Cleveland Cavaliers on Friday night at Oracle Arena.No, not injured star LeBron James.Mark Jackson is sure to draw a lot of attention when he returns to the building for the first time since the Warriors fired him as coach after last season. Jackson will be part of ESPNs national telecast, sitting on the opposite sideline of the court he called home the previous three years — and not far from Warriors owner Joe Lacob.The evening promises to be an interesting spectacle for viewers, an emotional reunion for players and possibly awkward for Jackson, his former bosses and his successor.It will (feel strange) at the beginning, but then everybodys doing their job, said Warriors point guard Stephen Curry, who strongly opposed Jacksons firing last May. Im sure hes happy to be covering basketball and commentating and at peace with where hes at. Im sure the fans will give him a great reception, which he deserves for the work he did while he was here.I hope that happens, and well get to the business of playing basketball like usual. Obviously, when were on the court, we wont be hearing what hes saying on the telecast, but Im sure guys will appreciate having him there and honour him for what he was able to do while he was here.New coach Steve Kerr has been through a similar scenario. He returned to Phoenix as a TNT broadcaster during the 2010-11 season after serving as general manager of the Suns the previous three years.It felt very strange. It was awkward. Im sure therell be some weird feelings for Mark, Kerr told reporters following Thursdays practice. The biggest thing is we want to welcome him. He did a lot of great things for this team. Hes got a lot of strong relationships with people on our roster and in our organization. So I want Mark to come in here and enjoy himself and visit with old friends. It should be a good night for everybody.Jackson did not respond to a message from The Associated Press seeking comment on his return.Most players said they have stayed in contact with their former coach, regularly communicating through text messages. Others said they havent had contact with him in a while knowing the transition is still fresh for Jackson and the organization.What just about everybody on the roster — and the coaching staff — has regularly acknowledged is that Jackson played as big a role as anybody in helping the perennially losing franchise become a winner.Jackson took the Warriors from 23 wins to 47 to 51 in his three seasons. He became the first coach to lead the franchise to consecutive playoff appearances since Hall of Famer Don Nelson in 1991 and 1992.He taught us a lot. He really helped turn this organization around, forward Draymond Green said. He really helped build that foundation defensively, offensively, and coach Kerr has come in and hes taken it to a different level.The Warriors enter the game with an NBA-best 28-5 record. And while many have used the strong start as vindication for Jacksons firing, players said its a credit to what their former coach helped start.He knows how we feel about him in the locker room. Those three years meant a lot to us, Curry said. He set the tone and changed the identity of what it meant to be a Warrior, play Warrior basketball and be a relevant team in the playoffs. I would say he was very successful at his job for those three years.Obviously, it didnt end the way he expected or the way most of us expected. But he can hold his head high that he did his job the best way he knew how and made an impact on a lot of guys on and off the court.___Antonio Gonzalez can be reached at: www.twitter.com/agonzalezAP Nike NBA Jerseys .Y. - Joe Johnson hit six 3-pointers in his 27 points, Mason Plumlee added 18 points, and the Brooklyn Nets won their 11th straight at home, beating the Boston Celtics 114-98 Friday night. NBA Jerseys China .Then came December.Three straight losses, including a crushing 27-24 defeat to Washington (4-11) on Saturday, has the Eagles (9-6) on the brink of playoff elimination. https://www.cheapnbajerseysjustwholesale.com/. -- David Freese is starting to pick up his run production, which is something the Los Angeles Angels have been waiting half a season to see. Fake NBA Jerseys . Amaro broke the NCAA all-time record for receiving yards in a season for a tight end with 1,352 during his junior campaign, eclipsing the mark of 1,329 set by Rices James Casey in 2008. Cheap NBA Jerseys . With the Rangers already leading 2-0, Carey Price was taken down early in the second period of New Yorks 7-2 pounding of the Canadiens in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference final on Saturday afternoon.The Toronto Blue Jays are 2 1/2 games back of the Baltimore Orioles for first in the American League East and currently hold the second AL wild card spot with a two game-lead on the New York Yankees and Seattle Mariners. With other teams having already made moves, the Jays are in prime position to be buyers before Thursdays trade deadline. There has been speculation that the Jays have made a recent push in trying to acquire the services of Boston Red Sox pitcher Jon Lester. The problem, however, is whether or not the Jays are willing to go all in this year and sell their most highly-touted prospects. According to TSN Baseball Analyst Steve Phillips, "the Red Sox will ask for Marcus Stroman or Aaron Sanchez and are going to add more prospects on top of that; probably a three-player package with one of those starters and big arms in the deal going back to Boston." The Red Sox would not necessarily be against dealing Lester to their divisional rival because the likelihood of the 30-year-old re-signing with Toronto is slim. "I think they [Red Sox] would trade Lester to the Blue Jays to get the best package in return, understanding theyre not really going to compete against Toronto to re-sign Lester next year. Theyre not worried about winning this year; theyre worried about winning next year." The Red Sox starting pitcher - who was pulled out of his scheduled Wednesday start against Toronto late Tuesday night - is 10-7 with a 2.52 earned-run average this season. Phillips believes the Blue Jays are also considering other options at lower prices to add to their pitching depth, including a possible reunion with Philadelphia Phillies starting pitcher A.J. Burnett. "I think theyre in on A.J. Burnett," said Phillips. "But you might also seee them in on Ian Kennedy, you might see them in on a Bartolo Colon or a Tommy Milone from the As, so there is a number of things that can still happen with some pretty good pitching available.dddddddddddd." Burnett spent three seasons with Toronto from 2006 to 2008. This year with the Phillies, hes 6-10 with a 4.15 ERA in 149.2 innings pitched. The option is more appealing if the Jays are not willing to part with Stroman or Sanchez. Stroman has become one of their hottest starting pitchers over the last two months. The 23-year-old has allowed two or less runs in seven of his last nine outings. Since being called up on July 22, Sanchez has pitched four innings out of the bullpen and has yet to walk a batter. Regardless of the young talent, other teams in the American League are getting better through last season trades. The Yankees acquired Chase Headley from the San Diego Padres and Brandon McCarthy from the Arizona Diamondbacks earlier this month. The Mariners re-acquired Kendrys Morales, the Athletics traded for Jeff Samardzija and the Tigers picked up Joakim Soria. Phillips thinks its the Jays time to show the American League that they are in it to win it. "This is the year for the Blue Jays to go for it;" Phillips explained. "When can you predict again that youre going to have the Red Sox in last place in the division, the Rays struggling under .500 and the New York Yankees trying to figure out who they are and if they can truly compete. "John Gibbons was in the Mets organization when I was general manager and he used to say to me all the time Steve, you only get a chance to go there every so often. Go for it when you have the opportunity. Gibbons is probably saying the same thing to Alex Anthopoulos." ' ' '