CoJoBo Die Fächer » of hope for the Cavaliers playoff

PARIS -- France coach Didier Deschamps has left Manchester City midfielder Samir Nasri out of the squad of 23 players he plans to take to the World Cup. Monaco centerback Eric Abidal, Manchester City leftback Gael Clichy and Lyon playmaker Yoann Gourcuff were also overlooked. "Its not necessarily the 23 best French players, but its the best squad in my eyes to go as far as possible in this competition," Deschamps said. "The best solution was to give a list of 23 players right from the start, to create a good mindset, so there would be no sense of insecurity. "When you give a list of 30 players, you have about 15 players who could be worried about making the cut or not." Deschamps, who also named seven players on standby in case of injuries, doesnt need to communicate his 23-man squad to FIFA until June 2. Deschamps captained France to glory at the 1998 World Cup and the 2000 European Championship. He became the national coach in 2012. Nasri scored seven goals and had seven assists in the Premier League this season. But it was not enough to convince Deschamps. "Samirs performances with the France team were not at the level of his performances with his club," Deschamps said. "Hes an important player and a regular starter at Manchester City. Thats not the case today with the France team. "And he also said hes not happy when hes a substitute. I can tell you that you can feel it in the squad. Because of those two or three reasons, I decided not to select him in this squad." Nasri was hit with a three-match ban by the French Football Federation for his behaviour at the 2012 European Championship in Poland and Ukraine, where he aimed an expletive-laced tirade at a journalist after a 2-0 quarterfinal loss to Spain. The exclusion of Abidal and Gourcuff from the list was less surprising. Abidal proved a key player when France was the runner-up at the 2006 World Cup but he has lost his starting spot at Monaco in the past few of months, while Gourcuff had an injury-plagued season. "At the human level, living together for such a long time with players who have strong characters and personalities requires harmony and an ability to live together and make the common interest prevail," Deschamps said. The entire France squad went on strike four years ago to protest the expulsion of Nicolas Anelka, who had insulted then coach Raymond Domenech during a 2-0 loss to Mexico at the World Cup in South Africa. The French federation punished Anelka and three players for their role in the mutiny. Anelka received an 18-match ban while Patrice Evra was suspended for five games, Franck Ribery for three and Jeremy Toulalan for a single match. "I dont pretend that nothing will happen," Deschamps said. "Things could happen, things will happen, but I hope it will be positive things." Deschamps will especially rely on Real Madrid striker Karim Benzema, Bayern Munich winger Franck Ribery and Juventus midfielder Paul Pogba to go through the group stage. France will open its World Cup campaign against Honduras on June 15 before facing Switzerland and Ecuador in Group E. Les Bleus will warm up for the tournament in Brazil by playing against Norway, Paraguay and Jamaica in friendlies. -------- Squad: Goalkeepers: Mickael Landreau (Bastia), Hugo Lloris (Tottenham), Steve Mandanda (Marseille). Defenders: Lucas Digne (Paris Saint-Germain), Patrice Evra (Manchester United), Laurent Koscielny (Arsenal), Eliaquim Mangala (Porto), Mamadou Sakho (Liverpool), Raphael Varane (Real Madrid), Mathieu Debuchy (Newcastle), Bacary Sagna (Arsenal). Midfielders: Blaise Matuidi (Paris Saint-Germain), Rio Mavuba (Lille), Paul Pogba (Juventus), Moussa Sissoko (Newcastle), Yohan Cabaye (Paris Saint-Germain), Clement Grenier (Lyon), Mathieu Valbuena (Marseille). Forwards: Loic Remy (Newcastle), Franck Ribery (Bayern Munich), Karim Benzema (Real Madrid), Olivier Giroud (Arsenal), Antoine Griezmann (Real Sociedad). List of seven back-up players: Stephane Ruffier (Saint-Etienne), Loic Perrin (Saint-Etienne), Benoit Tremoulinas (Saint-Etienne), Morgan Schneiderlin (Southampton), Maxime Gonalons (Lyon), Remy Cabella (Montpellier), Alexandre Lacazette (Lyon). Keith Hernandez Jersey . PETERSBURG, Florida – Its been almost seven years since the Blue Jays last won a series at Tropicana Field. Steven Matz Jersey . Locke overcame a shaky start to pitch seven innings and Josh Harrison had three hits to extend his hot streak as the Pirates beat the Miami Marlins 7-3 on Wednesday night. http://www.metsrookiestore.com/Mets-Amed...io-Kids-Jersey/. Harrison Barnes had 15 points and Reggie Bullock scored 11 for the Tar Heels (17-3, 4-1 ACC), who took the court for the first time without starter Dexter Strickland. The junior guard tore his right ACL last Thursday at Virginia Tech and will miss the rest of the season. Tim Tebow Jersey . -- Chris Tillman paid no attention to the Baltimore bullpen as it started to stir in the ninth inning. Jose Bautista Jersey . 1. CAVALIERS: At 19-20, theyre a mess. Watched the game Tuesday night vs. Phoenix and their defence was poor (107 points and 52 per cent for Suns). Where is the high level play from Kyrie Irving and LeBron James (13 turnovers!)? Kevin Love looks like a man thats wondering what he got himself into.CLEVELAND - Kyrie Irving managed to find a silver lining — and a sliver of hope for the Cavaliers playoff chances — while dealing with his latest injury. The All-Star point guard will miss at least two weeks with a strained biceps tendon, but hes hopeful his season is not over. Irving said following shootaround Tuesday at the Cleveland Clinic Courts, "If you could take a positive from the situation, obvioously that would be one, that at this point, I dont have to get surgery, which is tremendous.dddddddddddd" Clevelands leading scorer got hurt Sunday night in a loss against the Los Angeles Clippers. An MRI taken Monday revealed the string, but not a tear, which would have ended Irvings season. Its still not a certainty hell be back, but the Cavs will rest him for two weeks before making any decisions. ' ' '