quite as good as they have been through the first half of the season.NEW YORK --?Los Angeles Lakers head coach Luke Walton was fined $15,000 by the NBA on Wednesday for verbally abusing a game official and not leaving the court in a timely manner after his ejection in Mondays 116-92 loss

Heisman Trophy winner Rashaan Salaam was found dead Monday night in a Boulder park less than two miles from Folsom Field, where he carved his name into the University of Colorado record books as one of the greatest players in the programs history.The Boulder County coroners office was still investigating the cause of the death of the 42-year-old Salaam, who won the Heisman in 1994. The body of the one-time running back was found at Eben G. Fine Park in Boulder. Police say foul play was not suspected.Salaams mother, Khalada, told USA TODAY Sports on Tuesday that police said they suspect he killed himself. They said they found a note and would share that with us when we get there, Salaams mother said.Dave Plati, associate athletic director at Colorado and a close friend of Salaams, said the former Buffaloes star never let on that he was hurting : When you were around him he was just the same old Rashaan. You know, effervescent, jolly, go-lucky, smiling all the time, doing things for other people.There was just no way to tell Salaam had these kind of demons inside him, Plati added. I was as close to him as anybody and loved the guy ... and wish I could have noticed or done something for him or wished that he would have called me.Salaams death stunned the Colorado football community which this year celebrated a revival with a 10-3 record, an appearance in the Pac-12 championship game and the Buffaloes first bowl bid in almost a decade.You talk about a young man who was smart, handsome, talented. He was very, very gifted. He was humble. He was a team guy, Bill McCartney, who coached Salaam from 1992-94, told The Associated Press.McCartney remembered Salaam as a natural leader.His personality was infectious. He just had a warmth about him, a genuineness about him that was really contagious, McCartney said. On the surface, he had everything. We thought he was a cut above, and he turned out to be.Former teammate Matt Russell, now the Denver Broncos director of player personnel, said Salaam was a fiercely loyal friend, the ultimate teammate and the very definition of a winner.He practiced hard, he played hard and he made our teams better, Russell said. My heart goes out to Rashaans mother and his family. They have a lot to be proud of with the person that Rashaan was, the way he treated people and the friend he was to everyone he came across. He will be missed by so many.Salaam rushed for 2,055 yards and 24 touchdowns as a junior in 1994, leading the Buffaloes to an 11-1 record, a win over Notre Dame in the Fiesta Bowl and a No. 3 finish in the final polls. He won the Heisman in a runaway.I went to New York with him, McCartney recalled. I was thrilled for him. Im pretty sure hes the only Buff that ever got that award. When we recruited him we knew he was special ... he just kept getting better.His work ethic was renowned. Former teammate Blake Anderson cant forget how Salaam used to lift weights with the offensive linemen, because thats how strong he was, and how dedicated he was.We were blessed with an incredible team and love for one another, said Anderson, who was a receiver on the 94 team that also included fellow receiver Michael Westbrook and quarterback Kordell Stewart. It was just an awesome, awesome experience to have the magnitude of the players that we had on that team, not only for their abilities to play football, but their abilities to love and be great friends, which we all are currently today.We are all hurting tremendously today.Salaam was one of the nations most prized recruits coming out of eight-man football at La Jolla Country Day, a private school in San Diego. His father played freshman football at CU in 1963 before transferring to San Diego State to be closer to home.When we recruited him and got him to commit, it was huge, McCartney said. We knew that he was going to distinguish himself. He was very highly recruited. I can remember how happy we were. He lived up to all our expectations. He was a tough kid, he was rugged, he had great acceleration, great athleticism.The Chicago Bears made him a first-round draft pick in 1995, and he rushed for 1,074 yards and 10 touchdowns in winning NFC Rookie of the Year honors.Injuries cut short his career. He only scored three rushing TDs in the next two years in Chicago and played his last NFL game with the Cleveland Browns in 1999. Salaam played for the Memphis Maniax of the defunct XFL and attempted one last comeback with the NFL before retiring.He was the only Heisman Trophy winner in the state of Colorado, Plati said. That could have been a burden in later years because he kind of felt he didnt have the great professional career that should have followed that. But that doesnt matter, its what you did to win the Heisman and hes an icon in college football. Only 70 players or so have won the Heisman Trophy and hes one of them.Salaam fell on hard times after his playing career ended. In 2011 he auctioned his Heisman ring.I dont understand that, McCartney said. You talk about a kid that on the surface had everything. He was a real handsome guy, he was intelligent, he was personable. You couldnt really point at him and see any deficiencies.---Associated Press writer Sadie Gurman, Associated Press videographer Peter Banda and Associated Press photographer Brennan Linsey contributed to this story.---More AP college football: http://collegefootball.ap.orgYeezy Boost 350 For Sale NZ . - Baltimore Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco is not a fan of his teams use of the wildcat formation, saying "it makes you look like a high school offence. Cheap Yeezys NZ . The Vancouver coach and an announced sellout crowd of 18,910 watched in dismay as the Canucks lost 7-4 to the New York Islanders on Monday night by squandering a 3-0 lead in the third period. http://www.yeezyshoesnz.com/nmd-shoes-nz/nmd-r2.html . Clarke was injured while practicing on the Doha Golf Club range after the pro-am on Tuesday. The Northern Irishman arrived at the course on Wednesday hoping to start, but after hitting a few balls on the practice putting green Clarke advised officials he was not fit to play. Adidas Tubular NZ . -- There were a lot of firsts for the Edmonton Oilers on Tuesday night. Yeezy 700 NZ . There are surprises among the Vezina candidates, but most of the others are standard top-tier performers, even if the two Hart Trophy runners-ups have never been quite as good as they have been through the first half of the season.NEW YORK --?Los Angeles Lakers head coach Luke Walton was fined $15,000 by the NBA on Wednesday for verbally abusing a game official and not leaving the court in a timely manner after his ejection in Mondays 116-92 loss to the Sacramento Kings.Walton was ejected for shouting at the officials after Kings center DeMarcus Cousins and Lakers forward Julius Randle got tangled up and both fell to the court.No foul was called on the play, and Walton immediately voiced his displeasure to the officials before being ejected. He could be seen in replays yelling what appeared to be obscenities in the direction of an official, and Walton was restrained by Lakers guard Jordan Clarkson.Before his team faced the Brooklyn Nets at Barclays Center on Wednesday, Walton said he had no regrets about his actions.No. Its the same thing I said after the game: If my guys arent gettting what I feel is treated right, then Im going to stand up for them, Walton said.dddddddddddd. Thats what we do as a team. I was always raised that a team is a family. You stand up for your family, you stand up for your brothers. So as a head coach, thats what Im going to do every time for my guys.Randle praised Walton after Mondays game.Oh, I love Coach, man, Randle said. Coach, thats my guy. He backs me up with everything. He has all of our backs 100 percent. I love Coach. He has our back 100 percent. It makes you want to go out there and bust your butt for him.Walton, 36, is the youngest head coach in the NBA. Hes in his first year leading the Lakers after spending two seasons as an assistant for the Golden State Warriors. ' ' '