SEATTLE -- The investment group trying to bring mens professional basketball back to Seattle is remaining focused on the NBA, even if landing a hockey franchise could happen sooner. Cheap Jerseys . "No one in our ownership group is interested in being a majority owner in an NHL franchise. Thats been the case since the start," said Chris Hansen, who led the unsuccessful effort last year to purchase the Sacramento Kings and move them to Seattle. "Ive certainly queried our ownership group about this. I think if someone really wanted to it would be easier than bringing in an outside party. "But the most important thing is the passion is just not there for the NHL among our ownership group that is there for basketball. Getting involved in hockey solely because basketball hasnt worked out right now, when its not something your heart is in, would be a disservice to the fans here." Even as rumours continue to circulate about the NHL having interest in Seattle as a market sooner rather than later, Hansen said his job would be to find someone willing to partner with his group and their proposed arena in Seattle. The arena has been approved by both the Seattle City Council and King County Council pending environmental reviews. Hansen said the focus right now is getting those environmental reviews completed -- possibly by the end of the summer -- so that if an NBA franchise becomes available via sale or expansion, Seattle can be at the front of the line ready to go. He has no interest in re-writing the memorandum of understanding reached between all parties so that an NHL franchise could possibly be a primary tenant in a new arena. Hansen has kept a relatively low profile since last spring, when his groups attempts to buy the Kings from the Maloof family and move the team were blocked by the NBA Board of Governors. NBA owners rejected Hansens record $625 million bid and eventually approved the sale to a group of investors led by technology executive Vivek Ranadive for $535 million with plans to keep the franchise in Sacramento. Hansen said there are far fewer conversations with the NBA now than there were at this time a year ago, though he remains confident the NBA will eventually return to Seattle. His investment group has not changed, including former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer, and neither has his original timeline of trying to land a team within five years of when the process began. "By the end of that, the NBA will have its new TV contract. Theyll have a few years of the revenue sharing and collective bargaining agreements being in place to understand the profitability of some of the teams that might have been a concern and there are a few franchises that are up for sale and that will probably have been worked out one way or another," Hansen said. "I think theyll be in a better position at some time within the next three years on expansion or possibly something else will come our way." Cheap Jerseys from china . -- For the final tournament at Sherwood Country Club, Tiger Woods seems intent on leaving a lasting impression. wholesale nfl jerseys . Shanahan joins the Maple Leafs to oversee all team operations for the 97-year old franchise and will begin his new role immediately. SOCHI, Russia -- A Ukrainian cross-country skier has failed a doping test, her countrys Olympic committee said Saturday. It is the third positive result of the Sochi Games. Marina Lisogor tested positive for trimetazidine, which is classified as a "specified stimulant" on the World Anti-Doping Agencys prohibited list. Specified substances are considered more susceptible to inadvertent use and can carry reduced penalties. The 30-year-old Lisogor competed in two cross-country events in Sochi, finishing far out of the medals. According to the Ukrainian Olympic Committee, Lisogor said she did not knowingly take a banned substance. Lisogors failed drug test follows those of German biathlete Evi Sachenbacher-Stehle and Italian bobsledder William Frullani. All three drug-test failures are tied to stimulants. The IOC is conducting 2,453 drug tests in Sochi, a record for the Winter Games. The Olympic body also storess Olympic doping samples for 10 years to allow for retesting when new methods become available. Cheap nfl Jerseys. Sachenbacher-Stehle, a former two-time Olympic gold medallist , tested positive for methylhexanamine in both samples. The German Olympic Committee said she was being sent home. She blamed a nutritional supplement and said she had never knowingly taken performance-enhancing drugs. "I am going through the worst nightmare that you can imagine because I am unable to explain at all how there could be a positive test," she said Friday. Frullani was ejected from the games after testing positive for dimetylpentylamine. Frullani, who had not competed yet, asked for a backup test that confirmed the result. The Italian Olympic Committee told The Associated Press it believed Frullani, a former decathlete, bought the stimulant on the Internet from the United States since it is not available in Italy. ' ' '
