导出博客文章TORONTO - After 10 days of anticipation -- and fear that, because this is the Raptors, something could and likely would inevitably go wrong -- the news Toronto fans had been not-so-patiently waiting for was finally made official Wednesday.
Authentic Isaiah Oliver Jersey . Andrea Bargnani is no longer a Raptor. For the organization, its exasperated fan base and the former first-overall pick himself, this new beginning has been a long time coming. For Masai Ujiri, the franchises fifth and newest general manager, this was the first order of business. A move that once seemed impossible was one the Raptors prized executive knew he had to make a reality before he can truly begin to put his fingerprints on this roster. "He always had spurts where he showed brilliance and showed a complete game and then sometimes he struggled," Ujiri said of Bargnani, succinctly summing up what Raptors fans have come to realize after seven years of watching the seven-foot enigma. "I felt it just came a point in time where both sides [needed to] move on and start all over again." In exchange for Bargnani, who will get his long awaited fresh start with the Knicks, Toronto receives sharpshooting forward Steve Novak, veteran centre Marcus Camby and guard-forward Quentin Richardson -- both of whom may never play for the team -- in addition to a first-round pick in 2016 and two second-round selections; one in 2014, the other in 2017. For a plethora of reasons, Bargnani had fallen out of favour in Toronto. Four of his seven seasons with the Raptors ended prematurely due to injury, including each of the last three. In each of the previous two campaigns he missed more games than he played. Naturally his durability, conditioning and toughness have all been questioned while his defence and rebounding have remained well below what is expected from a seven-footer being paid over $10 million annually. His three-point shooting, once seen as and perhaps still believed to be his strength, has been on the decline over the past four years. He may succeed in New York. He may not. For all of his skill and upside, which is still applicable even at the age of 27, this was a no-brainer for Ujiri. As a result, the return for Bargnani -- while greater than most expected -- doesnt necessarily indicate whats next for Ujiri and the Raptors. "Were beginning to kind of see a little bit and thats based on gathering as much information as you can, talking to teams and all that staff," said Ujiri, who continues to play his cards close to the vest. "So you get to paint the picture a little bit in your head but I dont think thats something I can discuss at this time." Once again Ujiri preached patience, a strategy that worked quite well for him in Denver. The Atlantic Division picture has been painted pretty clearly. New York and Brooklyn are swinging for the fences while the Celtics and 76ers have gone all in on what they hope will be speedy rebuilds. Then there are the Raptors, smack dab in the middle. Without a definitive path and without the urgency to declare one. If youre looking for Ujiri to commit to a direction -- one way or the other -- you may be out of luck, at least for now. Rushing into anything is just not his style. "Im looking at this situation and were going to take it as it comes and see what comes our way," the Raptors GM stated. "Were going to be aggressive out there but were also going to see what we have on our team instead of doing something stupid. If something reasonable comes our way and we feel that its something thats going to help the Toronto Raptors than well do it but other than [that] this is our team and well keep plugging away." "We have to continue studying the team and studying whats out there," he continued. "What are we going to do, throw players away? Were not going to do that. I think winning is what you want to build around." That is not good news for those pushing for a complete tear down, otherwise known as a "tank job." If Ujiri has a direction in mind hes keeping it to himself, but the reigning executive of the year does appear to be comfortable keeping his options open, rolling with the punches and allowing the market to dictate the optimal course of action. Asked if he would be content heading into the regular season with this roster, as its currently constructed, Ujiri indicated he would be "completely fine with that." Ujiri made a name for himself with the Nuggets, where he built a winner on the fly, reading and taking advantage of trends in the market, making the most of the assets he had at his disposal. If its not broke, dont fix it. Expect him to deploy a similar tactic in Toronto. "For me, patience is the key. I think we all have to be patient. We have a good window for a couple years here and I think sometimes you cant just react and try to do things just to do them."
Atlanta Falcons Jerseys 2018 . -- Stanfords Kevin Danser knelt on one knee and hardly moved on the sideline as Michigan State celebrated its Rose Bowl victory and his Cardinal teammates made their way to the locker room.
Falcons Jerseys China . "Four now," Carl Gunnarsson told the Leaf Report proudly following a 5-2 victory over New York on Tuesday night, the clubs fifth straight at home.
http://www.cheapfalconsjerseysauthentic.com/?tag=authentic-russell-gage-jersey . 9. Price, heading to the 2014 Olympics for Canada, was named the First Star after posting wins in three starts with a 1.00 goals-against average and a .971 save percentage. TUSCALOOSA, Ala. -- Alabama coach Nick Saban held a film session with Jalen Hurts this week to point out a few things to his young quarterback.Hurts was clearly paying attention.The freshman passed for career highs of 347 yards and four touchdowns and rushed for 100 yards in less than three quarters in No. 1 Alabamas 51-3 rout of Mississippi State on Saturday. It put on display the potential of a passing game that had lately seemed the closest thing to a weakness for the Crimson Tide.The freshman quarterbacks prolific performance also wiped out any concerns that the Tide (10-0, 7-0 Southeastern Conference, No. 1 CFP) would have a letdown after a bruising win at No. 19 LSU. Instead, Hurts turned in his best game and the defense denied Mississippi State (4-6, 2-4) the end zone on nine trips across midfield.Its one of the things weve been wanting to do is try to develop some confidence in the passing game, and obviously he was able to do that very well today, Saban said. He got the ball to some of our playmakers down the field and they had opportunities to make big plays.Hurts is the first Alabama player to have 300 yards passing and 100 yards rushing in the same game, and he was flirting with both those milestones by halftime.The Bulldogs had been riding high after an upset of No. 10 Texas A&M, but didnt muster a threat in this one.Hurts completed 28 of 37 passes and rushed for a fifth touchdown before being replaced by Cooper Bateman late in the third quarter. The big performance was marred by an interception and fumble, but the Tides dominating defense made sure the miscues didnt matter too much.In practice, hell sling it, Alabama guard Ross Piersbacher said. Its fun to see him do that in a game. I think thats big for his confidence.ArDarius Stewart was the biggest beneficiary of the passing revival, scoring three touchdowns. Stewart gained 156 yards on eight catches, including a 67-yard sprint on a jet sweep.Mississippi States Nick Fitzgeraldd couldnt solve Alabamas defense after two huge games.
Cheap Atlanta Falcons Jerseys. He completed 10 of 33 passes for 145 with an interception. Fitzgerald was also held to 15 rushing yards after topping 900 total yards combined against Texas A&M and Samford.We had five dropped passes in the first half, Bulldogs coach Dan Mullen said. Thats not good when youre playing a great defense. Its not good when youre playing a bad defense, but when youre playing a great defense you cannot do those things.Alabama outgained the Bulldogs 615-274 in total yards and has won nine straight meetings.THE TAKEAWAYMississippi State: The Bulldogs couldnt finish off drives, including the two started in Alabama territory, or offer a strong follow-up to last weeks upset. Fitzgerald and star receiver Fred Ross (three catches, 23 yards) were held in check.Alabama: Hurts and the Tide got the passing game going against the leagues worst pass defense. Hurts hadnt reached 200 yards passing in the previous three games, but might have emerged from this one with a shot at some Heisman Trophy votes. The defense went seven straight quarters without allowing a point.TURNING 40Saban joined Ohio States Woody Hayes and Florida States Bobby Bowden in a tie for the most wins with a top-ranked team by any coach. Hes 40-5, matching Bowden. Hayes went 40-4-1 with No. 1 teams.POLL IMPLICATIONSAlabama should hold firm as the clear leader in the playoff and AP rankings .RUNNING HURTSHurts joined Steadman Shealy in 1979 as the only Alabama quarterbacks to rush for 700-plus yards in a season. He has 735 yards, 56 shy of Shealys record.UP NEXTMississippi St.: hosts Arkansas needing to win its final two games to become bowl eligible.Alabama: hosts FCS team Chattanooga in an Iron Bowl tuneup.---More AP college football:
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