Hall of Famer Larry Bird sat down with ESPN.com recently and opened up about how he thinks the current era of NBA players compare to his eras stars. And yes, even Larry Legend is surprised at just how much money is pouring into the game now.Q: Whats changed in this league, obviously, is the financial and economic impact of it all. When you guys talk to each other, guys who played 20, 30 years ago, are you as stunned as fans at all the money that has come into the game? A: Id be lying if I told you I thought it would get to this point. I never thought that. Im happy it has. That means the leagues doing well, the owners are doing well, the players are doing well. Thats what it was all about. But you got to remember, when I came into the league, the guys before me were bitchin about how much money I made. So it just goes down the line, so thats how it works.Q: As a former player, do you look at these guys and go, Do you know how lucky you are? Given all the money pouring into the league.A: No, I always tell the kids that you get what you deserve. Just leave the game better than you found it. And its good for everyone when it happens.Q: I saw you said recently in a New Yorker article, My era, you always think thats the greatest era, but Im not so sure anymore. Why do you believe that now? A: Because everybody that plays, no matter if it was 60s, 70s, 80s, they think their eras the best. Well, prove it to me. Like I said earlier, I think we have more stars than they do now. On every team, they had at least one, maybe two. Im talking about Dominique Wilkins -- you just go down the line. But in saying that, I dont think our eras any better than anyone elses, when it comes right down to it.Q: Do you think there are better all-around players before the current era? A: I dont know. Theres some guys I really like to watch play. Draymond Green is fun to watch. All of those [Michigan] State guys are because they defend, and they play, they play together -- thats how I like the game to be played. Move the ball, cut, pass; if you do the right things, youll get it right back. I dont know, I hate to compare eras. Its been so long since I played, but I liked to play the total game. Magic liked to play the total game. Some guys are just scorers. Some guys just defend and rebound. But the guys that are playing now are just as good as what we were when we played.Q: Youve been around the game your whole life. What would you do to put the game in a better place than where its at now? A: I dont know. Its hard, and we work on it continuously, is how the games called. The one thing Ive always been disappointed in is guys driving, jumping into the defensive player and getting calls. Its a league of points. They love to have points on the board. But I think good defenders get beat down sometimes because they dont get to play. Some guys in this league are in here because they play defense. I just wish they would clean up some of the areas in the officiating. Its really not the officials. Its really how the rules are written. But its getting to where guys are just driving, getting bail-out calls by jumping into defensive players, and thats not how the game, in my mind, is supposed to be played. Aaron Rodgers Super Bowl Jersey . -- Anaheim Ducks defenceman Luca Sbisa will be out at least six weeks with a torn tendon in his right hand. Jason Spriggs Super Bowl Jersey . During the athletes parade, the 23-strong Ukrainian team was represented by a lone flagbearer in an apparent protest at the presence of Russian troops in Ukraines Crimean peninsula. https://www.packersrookiestore.com/Packers-Billy-Turner-Jersey/ . Defenceman Yannick Weber scored the go-ahead goal early in the third period and the Canucks breathed a sigh of relief with a 2-1 win on Saturday night. Brett Favre Super Bowl Jersey . -- James Young couldnt wait to apply those tweaks to his jump shot, and the first one he made against UT Arlington told him it could be a good night. Josh Jackson Super Bowl Jersey . U.S. District Judge Lorna G. Schofield in Manhattan agreed that lawyers on both sides could make their formal requests by Nov. 8. A hearing is scheduled for a day earlier. Jordan Siev, a lawyer for Rodriguez, wrote in a joint letter to the judge from lawyers on both sides that MLB lawyers planned to ask that the lawsuit be dismissed. Middle-order batsman Ajinkya Rahane has been ruled out of the fourth and fifth Tests against England with a finger injury, while fast bowler Mohammed Shami is an uncertain starter for the Mumbai Test, beginning Thursday.Karnataka batsman Manish Pandey replaced Rahane in the squad, while Shardul Thakur was brought in as back-up for Shami, who has a sore knee. Bhuvneshwar Kumar is likely to be the first-choice replacement in the XI for Shami, while Karun Nair is likely to take Rahanes place.Pandey and Thakur had to be pulled out of ongoing Ranji Trophy matches and flown to Mumbai. Pandey was playing against Maharashtra in Mohali, and Thakur against Punjab in Rajkot.The BCCI said Rahane had suffered an avulsion fracture on his right index finger after getting hit by a ball during a practice session on the eve of the Mumbai Test. He managed only 63 runs in five innings in this series. The board also said that Shamis fitness was being monitored and a decision on his inclusion in the XI would be taken on the morning of the match.Shami has had trouble with his leg since the start of the series, when he was seen clutching his hamstring on the first day in Rajkot. The team management, however, said he was merely suffering from cramp and he continued to play the remainder of that Test and those that followed in Visakhapatnam and Mohali. Shami was especially potent with reverse-swing, taking 10 wickets at an averaage of 25.dddddddddddd20.If Shami doesnt make it, India are almost certain to play Bhuvneshwar Kumar, who took a five-wicket haul in the last Test he played. That was why Kohli wasnt too worried about Shamis availability.If you see, whoever has stepped in has given match-winning performances, he said. You speak about Bhuvi, he has come in at St Lucia once and in Kolkata once, and both times he has picked up five wickets, and he has been the match-winner for us. I am not worried because the guys sitting outside are waiting for opportunities. It is not like that they are not looking forward to playing, which is I think a great sign for the team and that is why whoever has played at any stage has given those performances for us. As I said they are pretty keen to step on to the field to grab the opportunity with both hands.Pandey, Rahanes replacement in the squad, had himself hurt his finger while playing a Ranji Trophy game in November. He returned to action last week, making 75 and 58 against Saurashtra. Thakur, meanwhile, has been a more consistent presence this season, claiming 13 wickets in six matches, including a six-wicket haul against Bengal last week. He had been picked in the 17-man squad for the four-Test tour of the West Indies in July-August, but did not get a game. ' ' '