CLEVELAND -- The Cavaliers didnt wait. Jordan Lucas Jersey . They announced Kyrie Irvings contract extension the moment they were allowed. While the team, Clevelands fans and most of the NBA anxiously awaited a decision from LeBron James about where the free agent megastar will play next, Irving signed his new five-year, $90 million contract extension, a deal which will keep him in a wine-and-gold uniform until 2020. The Cavs reached an agreement with Irving on the extension in the first hours after free agency opened last week. They werent permitted to confirm the deal publicly until Thursday, when the leagues moratorium ended. The move to extend Irving continued what has been a memorable summer. The team hired new coach David Blatt, selected forward Andrew Wiggins with the No. 1 overall draft pick and then locked up Irving. On Wednesday, they traded three players: guard Jarrett Jack, centre Tyler Zeller and swingman Sergey Karasev to open salary-cap space so they can offer James a maximum contract. "We are excited that Kyrie has officially committed to be here long-term with the Cleveland Cavaliers," owner Dan Gilbert said in a release. "The future has never been brighter as we are building the team and franchise for sustainable success. Kyrie is obviously a very big piece of our plan." Irving averaged 20.8 points, 6.1 assists and 3.6 rebounds in 71 games last season, his third with Cleveland. The former No. 1 overall pick was also voted MVP of the NBAs All-Star game. Gilbert made Irving the clubs top off-season priority. The Cavs hoped in getting him signed to a long-term deal it would make them more appealing to James, who appears to have narrowed his choices to re-signing with Miami or return to Cleveland, where he played his first seven seasons as a pro. Chosen first in 2011, one season after James left, Irving has averaged 20.7 points, 3.7 rebounds, 5.8 assists and 1.4 steals in 181 games. Hes been somewhat injury prone, but the 22-year-old played in 71 games last season. The one thing missing from Irvings pro resume is a playoff appearance, but the Cavs believe with a young nucleus of players -- and maybe James -- Cleveland can contend again in the Eastern Conference. Before he committed to the Cavs on the extension, Irving had sent out mixed signals last season about his desire to stay in Cleveland. But hes been fully engaged in their plans and has reportedly made his own personal pitch to bring James back. "We couldnt be happier to have Kyrie firmly at the core of our Cavaliers team and family for years to come," general manager David Griffin said. "Hes already proven hes among the best in the NBA and were excited to watch his continued growth and success. To know that he is all in and shares our high expectations and championship goals is something were extremely proud of. "It is a clear reflection of how we all view our future together, with Kyrie fully vested in this franchise and the city of Cleveland." Kendall Fuller Jersey . Louis Cardinals a hard-fought victory. The Colorado Rockies intentionally walked Yadier Molina with one out and runners on first and third to load the bases for Kozma. Morris Claiborne Jersey .Y. - Everyone expected Clayton Kershaw to pitch a shutout, and he did — a unanimous choice for the NL Cy Young Award.A cadre of attorneys and a flurry of lawsuits could certainly slow down the NBAs plan to force Donald Sterling to sell the Los Angeles Clippers over his recent racist comments, but legal experts say the league would likely prevail in the end. And that goes for Sterlings wife, Shelly, who has said shed like to keep her stake in the team even if her husband is ousted. The NBAs constitution, which Donald Sterling signed as controlling owner of the Clippers, gives its board of governors broad latitude in league decisions including who owns the teams. NBA Commissioner Adam Silver is pushing for a swift vote against Sterling, which requires a minimum of three-fourths of the other 29 controlling owners to agree. Silver also has imposed a lifetime ban on Sterling and a $2.5 million fine. The ban does not apply to Shelly Sterling. SI.com and ESPN.com, citing unidentified sources, reported Thursday that Sterlings lawyer, antitrust litigator Maxwell Blecher, wrote a letter to Rick Buchanan, the NBAs executive vice-president and general counsel, threatening to sue the league and saying Sterling will not pay the $2.5 million fine. "Sterlings own signature will come back to haunt him," said Michael McCann, founding director of the Sports and Entertainment Law Institute at the University of New Hampshire. "You agree to certain basic understandings. Thats what makes a sports league different from other businesses." The key to the NBAs authority, attorneys say, is Article 13(d) of the leagues constitution. That section says that, whether Sterling intended to or not, an owner cannot "fail or refuse to fulfil" contractual obligations to the NBA "in such a way to affect the Association or its members adversely." Theres plenty of evidence Sterlings comments, revealed in a recorded conversation with a female companion, affected the league adversely. They provoked threats of a player boycott, led sponsors to withdraw support and created a racially charged image problem in the midst of the NBA playoffs that even President Barack Obama remarked upon. If Article 13(d) was violated, the legal experts say the board of governors has solid grounds to force Sterling to sell the team along with any other owners, in this case his wife. As long as the NBA meticulously follows its own constitution and rules regarding the Clippers sale, it will be difficult for Sterling to find a legal theory that would stand up in court, said Daniel Lazaroff, director of the Sports Law Institute at Loyola Law School in Los Angeles. Travis Kelce Jersey. "This is not an antitrust issue. This is not a First Amendment issue," Lazaroff said. "Its a question limited to the interpretation of the NBA constitution and bylaws, and whether those terms are met." Another question involves California family law. Its a community property state, meaning spouses jointly own property they acquired while married. The Sterlings were already married when he bought the Clippers in 1981. Although a potential divorce could complicate the Clippers sale, McCann said the couples joint ownership actually works to the NBAs favour because — legally speaking — they are a single entity. So if the NBA forced Donald Sterling to sell, even under a divorce scenario, Shelly Sterling would have to sell, too. They have been married since 1955. "The NBA is well positioned to ultimately prevail," McCann said. For his part, Donald Sterling has repeatedly said he does not want to sell the Clippers. In his recent interview with CNNs Anderson Cooper, he cast doubt on going to court if the NBA governors ultimately do vote to force him out. "People want me to hire a wall of lawyers and them to have to hire a wall of lawyers and go to war," Sterling said on CNN. "I dont think thats the answer." Sterlings longtime attorney, Robert Platt, declined to comment when contacted Wednesday. Shelly Sterlings attorney, Pierce ODonnell, did not respond to email requests for comment from The Associated Press. But he has previously said she wants to remain a passive owner of the Clippers even if her husband is no longer involved. For now, the NBA has installed former Time Warner and Citigroup chairman Dick Parsons to oversee the teams business operations. Parsons said this week that a prolonged legal battle "is in no ones interest." "I would hope we could avoid that," he said. If he is forced out, Sterling still stands to reap a huge financial windfall in a Clippers sale. He bought the team for $12.5 million in 1981, and Forbes magazine recently placed its 2014 value at $575 million, or No. 13 in the NBA. Of course, there would also be a sizable capital gains tax bill for that. _____ Follow Curt Anderson on Twitter: http://twitter.com/Miamicurt ' ' '