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CHICAGO -- The white Chicago Bulls jersey with the red No. 3 felt no different to Dwyane Wade than the one he wore for 13 seasons with the Miami Heat.Its the same material, he said with a smile.Its also a new beginning.Wade is starting work with his hometown team after winning three championships and spending his entire career with Miami, and the Bulls are hoping he and fellow newcomer Rajon Rondo can help point them back in the right direction after last seasons collapse.Its a different environment, Wade, a 12-time All-Star, said at the Bulls media day on Monday. I was somewhere for so long I knew where to go, I could walk backward and get everywhere. Its just different. But different is not a bad thing. Its been cool. Im like the new kid in class. Ive got to find my one friend to talk to before I get more friends.That shouldnt be too difficult for such an accomplished player.While Wade may be in the twilight of his career, the Bulls are counting on the 34-year-old to help set the tone for their younger players and help them bounce back from what might have been the most disappointing season ever for the franchise.A year that began with high expectations ended with a 42-40 record, Chicagos first playoff miss since 2008, a disjointed locker room and all sorts of questions about the teams leadership. But theyre hoping for a different result, starting with the first practice on Tuesday.South Side product and former MVP Derrick Rose got traded to New York. Joakim Noah signed as a free agent with the Knicks shortly afterward. And Pau Gasol left as a free agent for San Antonio.Ill say this, said executive vice president of basketball operations John Paxson, who has rarely addressed the media in recent years. If I was a young player on this roster and I saw Dwyane Wade in the building, Rajon Rondo, Jimmy Butler -- you can throw Taj (Gibson) and Robin (Lopez) in there, too -- I would be soaking up every day what they bring to the table.Wade, a native of Chicagos south suburbs, stunned Miami when he accepted a two-year deal worth about $47 million from the Bulls that was more lucrative than what the Heat were promising.That was part of an eventful -- and tragic -- offseason in which he spoke out against violence and lost a cousin to gunfire in Chicago.Wade, LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony and Chris Paul took the stage together at the ESPYs, ESPNs annual awards show, to decry violence against unarmed black men. They also encouraged athletes to speak out and support local police.In August, Wade was part of an ESPN discussion in Chicago on violence. The next day, his cousin Nykea Aldridge, a mother of four, was shot to death while pushing her baby in a stroller near a school where she planned to register her children.Violence is a hot-button topic in Chicago and around the country. San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick has been kneeling in protest during the national anthem, and NFL and college players have followed his lead.I think Kaepernick educated a lot of us on things that we didnt know, that we werent aware of, said Wade, who is not sure if NBA players will do the same. But I think for me ... we have a different kind of battle here in Chicago, a different focus. Thats what my focus is on. My focus is on the city. What am I capable of doing to help out youth in the city?He is also focused on the Bulls, who at this time a year ago thought they were a contender. Management believed soft-spoken coach Fred Hoiberg and his fast tempo were just what the team needed after a falling out with the hard-driving, defensive-oriented Tom Thibodeau.But it didnt work out the way they envisioned.Hoibergs transition to the NBA after a successful run at Iowa State was a rocky one, with Butler even saying last season that the Bulls needed to be coached a lot harder at times. Butler also said Monday that he implored Hoiberg to really get on my tail about little things in order to motivate the younger players.Paxson said he expects to see growth from Hoiberg and that he and general manager Gar Forman talked a lot to Fred this summer.Hoiberg said: Nobody looked at this thing harder in the offseason than I did.Note: Forman said trading Rose was a basketball decision and not related to rape allegations brought against him. And Paxson said the Bulls did not investigate the allegation against Rose. We knew what everyone else knew, he said. Thats it. We did not do anything beyond that. These are legal matters. Thats not our purview. Tyler Lydon Jersey . With their top three point guards and Kobe Bryant all sidelined by injury, the Lakers signed Marshall out of the D-League on Friday before their home game against Minnesota. Mike Bibby Kings Jersey .05 million next season unless Graham and the Saints subsequently agree on a long-term deal. The designation was released Monday after the deadline passed for NFL teams to use franchise or transition tags on players becoming free agents. https://www.kingslockerroom.com/Bruno-Caboclo-City-Edition-Jersey/ . Aaron Harrison scored a 22 points for Kentucky (6-1), which has won four in a row following a Nov. 12 loss to current No. 1 Michigan State. Julius Randle overcame a scoreless first half and added his sixth double-double in as many games with 14 points and 10 rebounds. Richaun Holmes Kings Jersey . The team also announced Tuesday that the Braves will wear a commemorative patch on the right sleeve during the season. The patch, shaped like home plate, carries the number 715, Aarons autograph and a "40th Anniversary" banner. Oscar Robertson Kings Jersey . -- There were so many positives from the Orlando Magics first victory of the season that it was hard for coach Jacque Vaughn to stop praising his players. ATHENS, Ga. -- Less than a year after a gruesome knee injury, Nick Chubb is ready to run again for the Georgia Bulldogs.His teammates expected nothing less.It was pretty frightening when it happened, center Brandon Kublanow said. But I know Nick. Hes an incredibly hard worker. So there was no doubt in my mind that hed be ready to go.Chubb was one of the nations top running backs and being touted as a Heisman Trophy contender when his sophomore season suddenly ended during an Oct. 10 game at Tennessee.This wasnt just any injury, either.While being tackled along the sideline, Chubbs left knee buckled grotesquely in the wrong direction. When video of the injury was posted on Internet, it usually came with a warning label.Chubb tore several ligaments, leaving some to speculate that it could be career-ending injury. If nothing else, there seemed little chance hed be back on the field some 11 months later.But Chubb has defied the odds every step of the way. And, from all indications, hell be in a leading role Saturday when the No. 18 Bulldogs open the season against No. 22 North Carolina in the Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta.Hes even more physical than he was before, defensive tackle DaQuan Hawkins-Muckle said. Nick Chubb has always been a hard runner, but now hes an even harder runner.New coach Kirby Smart said Chubb will play against the Tar Heels, with no limitations on the number of carries he might get or how many hits he can take.He feels great, Smart said. Hes ready to go.Chubbs recovery is especially timely for the Bulldogs, who have taken some additional hits at running back.Sony Michel, who took over as the starter when Chubb went down, sustained a broken left forearm in an ATV crash in early July and still had not been cleared for full-contact drills coming into this week. Freshman Elijah Holyfield, the son of former heavyweight champion Evander Holyfield, is recovering from an ankle injury sustained in a scrimmage.The depth chart released Monday lists both Chubb and senior Brendan Douglas as the first-teamers. Douglas rusheed for only 140 yards last season, averaging 3.dddddddddddd9 yards per carry.When Chubb scrimmaged for the first time since his injury a couple of weeks ago, there was some natural trepidation about being hit. But, with every practice, he gains more and more confidence that his knee is fully healed.I feel good, he said in a recent interview. Were doing a lot of things to help my knee out, and getting tackled a couple of times helps.Chubb also has been getting used to wearing a knee brace, which still feels a bit awkward but gives him an added sense of stability.I feel good when I have it on, he said.Despite starting only eight games as a freshman in the same backfield with Todd Gurley, Chubb finished his debut season with 1,547 yards -- ranking second in the Southeastern Conference. He stretched his streak of 100-yard games to 13 in a row, equaling Herschel Walkers school record, before the injury at Tennessee ended that run.During his rehab, Chubb was helped along by the Korean martial art taekwondo.A lot of kicking motions and hopping on my legs and stuff like that, he said.Chubb also learned just how much the game meant to him when forced to watch from the sideline. Though never a very vocal leader, hes tried to pass that message on to his teammates.If its taken away, youre going to miss it, Chubb said. So when youre out there, give it all youve got.Given the severity of his injury -- even now, its difficult to watch the replay without feeling a bit queasy -- Chubb conceded that hes a bit surprised to be this far along,Then again, he added, I dont know because I havent been in this situation before. Ive seen people come back from it, but not as fast. I dont know how to feel about it.The Bulldogs are just glad to have him back.---AP Sports Writer Charles Odum contributed to this report.---Follow Paul Newberry on Twitter at www.twitter.com/pnewberry1963 . His work can be found at http://bigstory.ap.org/content/paul-newberry . ' ' '