CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Cody Zeller said hes always considered himself a simple kid from Indiana.Well, now hes a simple rich kid from Indiana.The 7-foot Zeller signed a four-year, $56 million deal with the Charlotte Hornets. The four-year deal was announced Tuesday and Zeller himself confirmed the overall value.You know, $56 million is crazy -- I would play this game for free, Zeller said during a press conference. ... This is way more money than I would spend in three lifetimes.Zeller has improved statistically every year since coming into the league as the fourth overall pick in 2013 NBA draft.General manager Rich Cho called Zeller a high character guy who plays both ends of the floor, and said he considers him a big part of the teams core group moving forward.We felt it was important to get him locked up to an extension rather than have him be a restricted free agent next summer, Cho said. With the cap next summer along with Codys value around the league as a young, versatile athletic big we felt he would have been a target for a number of teams.Zeller said he spent Monday stressing out about the contract negotiations simply because he wanted to know what his future held. The two sides ultimately reached a deal just before midnight .More than anything I like the insurance of knowing that I will be here long term, Zeller said.Zeller, who starred collegiately at Indiana, has appeared in 220 games with 109 starts during his four-year career with Charlotte. He has averaged 7.4 points, 5.4 rebounds and 1.2 assists in 21.5 minutes per game.Last season he started 60 games and posted career highs of 8.7 points, 6.2 rebounds and 24.3 minutes per game as the Hornets finished tied for the third-best record (48-34) in the Eastern Conference.Zeller said Hornets coach Steve Clifford and the organization has shown the utmost confidence in him ever since they drafted him, which is one of the reasons he wanted to stay in Charlotte. He started his career with the Hornets as a power forward, but has since moved almost exclusively to center.Hes currently splitting time in the starting lineup with Roy Hibbert.This is the third consecutive season the Hornets have taken at least one player off the market before theyve completed their rookie contract and were allowed to become restricted free agents.The others were Kemba Walker in 2014 and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist and Jeremy Lamb in 2015.We wanted to make sure we had some continuity with our core moving forward, Cho said. And the other piece is any valuable player who goes into restricted free agency, he has a chance to get a big offer sheet. If you give an extension you more or less control the situation a lot better than have to match an offer sheet. It only takes one team, and there are some teams desperate to get restricted free agents. Cheap Jerseys Free Shipping .Y. - Nelson Mandela will be honoured by the New York Yankees with a plaque in Monument Park. Cheap NFL Jerseys China .C. -- Chris Thorburn thinks one of the reasons the Winnipeg Jets have been successful under new coach Paul Maurice is that theyre playing together as a team. https://www.wholesalejerseys2020.com/ . After taking two big hits this week -- losing at home and dropping back-to-back games for the first time all season -- Indiana struck back by playing its most complete game of the year. Wholesale Custom Jerseys .Y. -- Leading 3-0 with only 11:25 left, the Colorado Avalanche committed a seemingly meaningless penalty to give the New York Islanders a power play. China Jerseys . Isner, ranked No. 14, won his eighth career singles title and took the title in New Zealand for the second time after his victory in 2010. The match was similar to Isners quarterfinal victory over fifth-seeded Philipp Kohlschreiber which went to three sets, all tiebreaks and contained no breaks of serve. BOSTON -- Former New England Patriots player Aaron Hernandez will stand trial early next year in the 2012 fatal shootings of two men outside a Boston nightclub, a crime prosecutors say was prompted by Hernandezs rage over a spilled drink.A judge set the Feb. 13 trial date Tuesday after Hernandezs new attorneys said they could not be ready by this fall.Hernandez, who is serving a life sentence for a 2013 murder, recently hired a new defense team that includes Florida attorney Jose Baez, known for winning an acquittal for Casey Anthony in the death of her daughter during a highly publicized trial in 2011.Hernandez is accused of gunning down Daniel de Abreu and Safiro Furtado in July 2012 after de Abreu accidentally bumped into Hernandez in a nightclub, causing him to spill his drink. Prosecutors said Hernandez became enraged, followed the men, then opened fire on their car. Two other men in the car were wounded, while a fifth man was unhurt.In court Tuesday, Baez told Judge Jeffrey Locke that he may seek to keep jurors from hearing the descriptions of the shooter given by the three men who survived the shooting. Baez said the descriptions have changed over time, including after Hernandez was publicly identified as a suspect.You dont wannt a witnesss testimony to be tainted in any way, and Im certain the state doesnt want that either, Baez said after the hearing.dddddddddddd So I think in the interests of justice everyone wants them to be able to describe what they saw at that time. Unfortunately, these descriptions have changed, so were going to be addressing that.Assistant District Attorney Patrick Haggan said prosecutors expect to identify up to 300 potential witnesses for the trial, although not all of them are expected to testify.De Abreu and Furtado were close friends who attended school and served in the military together in Cape Verde before coming to the United States. They were shot about six weeks before Hernandez signed a five-year, $40 million contract with the Patriots. He went on to catch 51 passes and score five touchdowns that season, his last in the NFL. He was charged in the killings in May 2014.Hernandez has pleaded not guilty. He is due back in court Oct. 3 for a status conference.Hernandez is already serving a life sentence after being convicted of murder in the killing of semi-professional football player Odin Lloyd. ' ' '