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SALT LAKE CITY -- The NBA is loaded with top-tier point guards, and talented players at the position will get good looks during Summer League play.Games begin Saturday in Orlando, on Monday in Salt Lake City, and on July 8 in Las Vegas. And though there are about 90 roster spots for point guards in the NBA, a strong pedigree is no longer enough: Players such as Marcus Paige, a McDonalds All-American who led North Carolina to the national championship game, face an uphill climb to make a team.The Utah Jazz havent reached the playoffs since 2012 and Paige still remains a long shot with six other point guards on the team.Its kind of a great era for point guards right now in the NBA, said Paige, the No. 55 overall pick. Theres no nights off. Youve got elite talent almost at every spot, especially in the West.You want to be a competitor. You want to accept that challenge. You know youre not on that level right away, but you can aspire to work every day and work to get to that level. Im just excited for the different challenges. Gone is the physical style in which the ball is mostly dumped into the post for centers to go to work. Now teams must deal with a Stephen Curry, Russell Westbrook, Damian Lillard, Chris Paul, John Wall, Kyrie Irving and a host of other skilled ballhandlers on a nightly basis.The Minnesota Timerbwolves drafted Providence point guard Kris Dunn with the third overall pick despite Ricky Rubio coming off his best year as a pro. General manager Scott Layden said its difficult finding a good point guard that also holds his own on the defensive end.In the NBA its so hard to find two-way players, Layden said. The other thing is, how hard it is to find a good point guard. ... Kris, when you watched him play, he made others better. When youre leading a team, thats so important. The toughness factor, when you get that from your point guard, it seems to resonate to the rest of the group. And the ability to defend, because often times youre defending the other teams best player.Teams are regularly carrying three point guards on a roster and continue to look for help at the position. Summer Leagues will feature former college standouts such as Notre Dames Demetrius Jackson, Kentuckys Marquis Teague, Ohio States Aaron Craft, Oregons Joe Young, Louisvilles Terry Rozier and Arizonas T.J. McConnell -- all facing the same challenge as Paige.Jazz general manager Dennis Lindsey acknowledged a dearth of point guards on the roster and hopes to work with Paige and his agent on a way to keep him in the organization regardless of whether he makes the club.Its a very important time for me, Paige said of Summer League. Its a guard heavy roster, but Im trying to make it in the league. So I have to show what Im capable of and build on what I did in the combine and in workouts to show that Im somebody that can make a difference at the next level with my shooting. With my playmaking in the pick and roll. And with my competitiveness and leadership.Rule changes and shifts in playing style have given ball handlers an advantage in todays NBA. The lane has widened from its original 6 feet to the current 16, pushing big men farther from the basket. Hand-checking and arm-bars are now fouls, making it more difficult for defenders to stay in front ball handlers, particularly the likes of James Harden. The strategic emphasis on spacing and the pick-and-roll gives quicker players with handles more room to operate.But teams are specifically thirsty for point guards. The Pacers traded for Jeff Teague in a three-team deal that sent George Hill to the Jazz. The Hawks valued Dennis Schroder over Teague. Mike Conley is in for big pay day in free agency, and the Brooklyn Nets have agreed to a deal with free agent Jeremy Lin. The Knicks traded for former MVP Derrick Rose with hopes he can return to a top-tier level of play.Summer League rosters are full of point guards drafted in the second round with no guarantees, and others that signed as undrafted free agents. The odds are long, but the emphasis on the position has organizations searching for diamonds in the rough.It should be an intriguing 17 days of action. Jerome Robinson Jersey . From filmmaker Nanette Burstein (On the Ropes), The Price of Gold revisits the saga that rocked the figure skating world ahead of the 1994 Lillehammer Olympic Winter Games: the assault on Nancy Kerrigan, and the plot that led its way back to her rival Tonya Harding. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Jersey . A big centre with all the tools to be an elite player, Johansen paced the Blue Jackets with a standout game Saturday night. 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NEW YORK -- Dallas Mavericks star Dirk Nowitzki said Monday that he is getting closer to returning from a sore right Achilles.Nowitzki missed his fourth straight game with the Mavericks 93-77 loss to the New York Knicks. He had a lengthy pregame workout, but by then, it was already decided that he wouldnt play.The biggest issue is still running, Nowitzki said after the game. Im not a big runner at this stage in my career, but I cant really go up and down yet. I havent run in full practice. So its not quite there yet, but the good thing is its getting better. I dont have the soreness I had last week, obviously. Ill be doing more and more.Nowitzki sat out the second half of Dallas loss in Portland on Nov. 4 and hasnt played since. Although the Mavericks are 2-7, they dont want the 38-year-old forward back until hes ready.I think hes reallly close.dddddddddddd Hes feeling a lot better, and we just dont want to rush anything, owner Mark Cuban said. Theres no reason to rush anything with him.The Mavericks are playing without injured guards Deron Williams and Devin Harris. On Monday, they shot under 39 percent against a Knicks team that had been struggling defensively. Nowitzki, the No. 6 scorer in NBA history, knows the offense will return once he does.We cant score enough. Obviously, thats the one thing I can sort of do, Nowitzki said. I might not be any good at any other thing anymore, but I can still score a little bit and help the team score, just helping offensively as much as I can. So its tough. It is tough to sit over there and watch. ' ' '