CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Kemba Walker has seen NBA basketball in Charlotte at its worst. Hes willing to stick around to see it at its best.The diminutive point guard said thats why he agreed to a contract extension Thursday which allows him to remain with the Hornets instead of testing the free agent market.Now that were a good team, I want to keep us good, Walker said Thursday at a press conference at the teams downtown arena. I want to be in the middle of that.Walker signed a four-year, $48 million contract extension with the Hornets, a person familiar with the deal said Tuesday night. The person spoke on condition of anonymity to The Associated Press because the deal had not been announced publicly.The Hornets drafted the 6-foot-1 Walker with the ninth pick in 2011. He has started 180 games in three seasons and averages 16 points, 5.5 assists and 3.7 rebounds per game.After agreeing to the contract late Tuesday night, Walker immediately began paying dividends for the Hornets. He hit two huge shots, including the game-winner with 5 seconds left in overtime to propel the Hornets to a 108-106 win over the Bucks in the season opener on Wednesday night.Its been unbelievable, Walker said of the past few days.It wasnt always so great.Walker endured a 7-59 season as a rookie, the worst winning percentage (.106) in NBA history after leading Connecticut to the national championship as a senior.But things have turned around in Charlotte and he and centre Al Jefferson — one of the players Walker helped recruit to the team — are two of the big reasons why.Charlotte won 43 games last season and reached the playoffs as the No. 7 seed in the Eastern Conference. They were swept by the Miami Heat, but are expected to better this season with the addition of another top free agent in Lance Stephenson.From day one we werent so good and you see us now, Walker said. Everyone is talking about us and we come into the season with high expectations. 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"All he says is, its crazy," DeMar DeRozan told reporters following Torontos win over the Pistons Wednesday. The Raptors longest-serving members, Johnson and DeRozan have had two coaches and 56 different teammates in five seasons with the club, all without appearing in a single playoff game.NEW YORK, N.Y. - Alex Rodriguez appears to be returning to the New York Yankees as a man without a position. Chase Headley agreed Monday to a $52 million, four-year contract and said the Yankees assured him the third-base job was his. That was a discussion that we had early on, Headley said during a conference call. I feel like the best position on the field for me is third base. Thats where I offer the most to a club. So it was important to me. That was something that was resolved fairly quickly. Coming off a season-long suspension for violations of baseballs drug agreement and labour contract, Rodriguez is owed $61 million over the final three seasons of his $275 million, 10-year deal. Yankees general manager Brian Cashman said last month that if I signed or traded for a third baseman, that would be my third baseman. Rodriguez turns 40 on July 27. New York could shift him to designated hitter, relegate him to a backup role at third base and first or perhaps even seek trade offers. I played against him earlier in my career and said hello to him, and he said hello to me, Headley said. Im looking forward to the chance of playing with Alex, to be honest. Hes a tremendous player, and I dont see there being any friction, especially coming from my side. Rodriguez has not played a full season since 2007 because of leg injuries, operations on both hips and the suspension. He admitted in 2009 that he used performance-enhancing substances from 2001-03 while with Texas, but he repeatedly denied using PEDs while playing for the Yankees. Given a grant of immunity by federal prosecutors, Rodriguez told investigators he did use banned substances between late 2010 and October 2012 supplied by Anthony Bosch, according to Drug Enforcement Administration documents provided by the government to defence lawyers. Bosch owned the Biogenesis of America clinic in Coral Gables, Florida. Yankees general manager Brian Cashman was not available for comment, and Rodriguez spokesman Ron Berkowitz said the three-time AL MVP declined comment. With Headley available to plaay third, the Yankees would be able to use Martin Prado at second.dddddddddddd New York acquired Didi Gregorius from Arizona this month, and he is expected to platoon at shortstop with Brendan Ryan. Headley can earn $1 million annually in performance bonuses: $250,000 each for 475, 500, 525 and 550 plate appearances. The 30-year-old Headley was fifth in NL MVP voting in 2012 after hitting .286 with 31 homers and 115 RBIs for San Diego. He also won the Gold Glove at third base. Headley slumped to a .250 average, 13 homers and 50 RBIs in 2013. He was batting .229 with seven homers and 32 RBIs last season when the Padres traded him for rookie infielder Yangervis Solarte and minor league pitcher Rafael De Paula. He batted .262 with six homers and 17 RBIs in 191 at-bats for New York. Headley arrived in the Yankee Stadium dugout in the second inning on the night of the July 22 trade following a flight from Chicago, and his 14th-inning single at the stroke of midnight gave the Yankees a 2-1 win over Texas. On Sept. 4, he following Mark Teixeiras tying home run in the ninth off Koji Uehara with a winning drive deep into the right-field bleachers for a 5-4 victory over Boston. I didnt know how Id like playing in New York, just with all the other things that come with playing in New York outside of being on the lines, Headley said. But once you get here and you realize you well youre treated, how much fans care, how much the city cares, how well the Yankees family take care of you and your family, it was pretty obvious after a week of so that I was extremely lucky to get a chance to play in pinstripes. He said he turned down a larger offer in favour of New York. We left some money on the table to be where I wanted to be, he said. He had been playing with a herniated disk in his back last season and started to hit better after an epidural injection June 20. Obviously, there were some issues earlier in the season, but throughout the course of the season, the second half of the season at least, it didnt give me any issues, Headley said. ' ' '