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NEW YORK -- Jason Collins has been warmly received in his historic return to the NBA. Now its time for his own fans to welcome him back. More than a week after becoming the leagues first openly gay player, Collins will finally get to play a home game Monday night when the Brooklyn Nets host the Chicago Bulls. "It will be a lot of fun," Collins said. "I have some family and friends coming to the game. Im looking forward to seeing them and obviously the first home game." He has played hundreds in a Nets uniform, though it was a white, red and blue one, and the home games were in New Jersey. Plenty of fans and employees of the organization remain from when Collins played there from 2001-08, so he will likely be greeted by a loud ovation if he gets into the game. "Ive always said Im not worried about the reaction," said Nets coach Jason Kidd, who played with Collins when the franchise reached consecutive NBA Finals in 2003-03. "I think they will always support a Net. Hes been a Net before. I think theyll be excited to have him, but the big thing is him being able to help us defensively." Collins and the Nets have kept the focus as much on basketball as possible. They all view him as a big man who will willingly defend and foul -- he has racked up 10 of them already in four games -- who can help pass along 12 years of NBA experience to younger teammates such as Mason Plumlee and Andray Blatche. The fact that hes gay makes him much more than that outside the Nets locker room, but he thinks that story line will die down soon enough. "Theres only so many ways you can write the story, or tell the story, and then it will just be about basketball," he said during the middle of last week. Collins thought it had already reached that point, mistakenly believing that Saturdays victory in Milwaukee would be the first time reporters didnt want to talk to him after the game. Not quite yet. Collins may just be a 14th man on the roster to the Nets, but hes still far more than that to the fans he inspired from the moment he decided to come out in a Sports Illustrated article last April. "I think it is a big deal. Hes showing a lot of courage. Youre talking to a guy who was around when Jackie Robinson came in. Whats the difference? Its just as groundbreaking. I just hope hes judged as a basketball player," said Butch Pye, 69, of Castle Rock, Colo., who attended the Nets victory in Denver on Thursday. Collins debut is currently his only guaranteed home game. Hes nearing the end of the 10-day contract he signed on Feb. 23 before facing the Los Angeles Lakers. NBA rules allow teams to sign players to two 10-day deals, then have to sign them for the rest of the year if they want to keep them. There are plenty of reasons to retain Collins. He has brought plenty of positive attention and is making an impact in the gay and lesbian community, with the NBA pledging to donate at least $100,000 from sales of his No. 98 jersey to the Matthew Shepard Foundation and the Gay, Lesbian & Straight Education Network. But those having nothing to do with basketball, and the Nets stressed in the press release announcing Collins signing that the move was a basketball decision. He can still do enough to make it a wise one, even with just one basket so far. With Brook Lopez lost for the season and Kevin Garnetts minutes being monitored, Kidd needs a big man he trusts to fill in for a few minutes. And a guy like Collins can help even when hes not in the game. He has defended Shaquille ONeal and Tim Duncan in the NBA Finals, so knows what it takes to guard even the biggest stars, even if hes rarely the one doing it. "When I was a younger guy, I learned from Dikembe Mutombo and Alonzo Mourning. Its a cycle," Collins said. 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A lovely summer day in England with abundant sunshine and minimal wind allowed him to attack Royal Liverpool.When doling out credit for the Kansas City Chiefs remarkable turnaround last season, quarterback Alex Smith thinks he should be at the front of the line to receive his praise. The Chiefs were a 2-14 team heading into the season last year when they brought in a new general manager, John Dorsey, head coach, Andy Reid, and of course starting quarterback, Smith. Kansas City wasnt void of talent before last year – the team had a surprising six players named to the Pro Bowl after their 2-14 season – but they needed change at the top positions to realize their full potential as a team. After finishing with an 11-5 record and making the playoffs last season, the new acquisitions deserve claim for their part in the turnaround, and in Smiths case, that comes in the form of a new contract. The 30-year-old Smith threw for 3,313 yards and 23 touchdowns to seven interceptions in his first year in Kansas City (eighth overall). Hes now entering the final year of his current contract which pays him $7.5 million per year and reportedly wants a bigger contract than the one given to Chicago Bears QB Jay Cutler recently (seven years and $126 million). Smiths value is hard to gauge because he will never put up the gaudy numbers of the highest paid quarterbacks around the league, but produces similar results to the top earners. While theres no doubt running back Jamaal Charles is the teams best player, many around Kansas City would be okay with the assertion that Smith was the teams MVP. As pointed out by analysts this off-season, Smiths value is further clouded by the lack of a second-tier quarterback market. In terms of contracts at least, quarterbacks are either elite players earning big bucks, or unsolidified starters making far less. The Chiefs need to negotiate terms with Smith, who seems to fall in between the two categories. The problem could solve itself this year. If Smith leaads the team on another playoff run hell almost certainly be able to claim hes joined the top tier at his position.dddddddddddd And conversely if Kansas City takes a step back, Smith may have no choice but to accept lesser terms from the team. There is of course, always the franchise tag as well. Notes While Smith is waiting on his contract extension, Charles got a big one just ahead of the season. The Pro Bowl running back was given an extension that will pay him $18 million over the next two seasons, his age 27 and 28 years. The Chiefs lost left tackle Brandon Albert this off-season, but saw the move coming a year ago and should be prepared to deal with the loss. Last years first overall pick Eric Fisher struggled in his rookie campaign on the right side but a move to left tackle – typically the highest leverage position on the line – should help his fortunes moving forward. Fisher is a natural left tackle and will likely welcome a move back to the side of the line hes most comfortable on. Kansas City cut ties with longtime Chief Brandon Flowers this off-season, leaving a hole – and a competition – in the secondary. Flowers isnt quite what he used to be, but is still a solid cornerback and with no clear replacement on the roster, the move is risky. The Chiefs started the run on second-tier pass rushers (after Jadeveon Clowney, Khalil Mack, and Anthony Barr) by selecting Auburn defensive end Dee Ford, who claimed he was the better pass rusher than Clowney, with their first round pick. Also intriguing picks included QB Aaron Murray, whose torn ACL dropped him to the fifth round, and Canadian tackle Laurent Duvernay-Tardiff in the sixth-round. 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