Former Toronto Raptors president and general manager Bryan Colangelo addressed his tanking comments made at the MIT Sports Analytics Conference in Toronto on Friday and admitted it was merely a poor choice of words.
Fake Shoes Website . Speaking on TSN Radio 1050s TSN Drive with Dave Naylor on Monday, Colangelo said he had no intention of tanking the shortened 2011-12 season, but definitely wanted a high pick in the draft. "I wish that word wasnt used for headline reasons," said Colangelo, "but the story behind it was: how can we fix the system? How can we tweak the system to make it less likely that teams are rewarded for losing records? "I do believe that if youre as transparent as we were at the time - with our season seat holders, our fans, the market place and the media - everybody knew what the plan was and what we were going through. It didnt make it easy to lose games but there was anticipation that games would be lost. With that comes curtain rewards and in the system that we currently play under, the team with the worst record gets the greatest odds and a non-playoff team is in a lottery that can ultimately lead to them getting top-notch talent coming to their team." Colangelo said the team was happy getting Terrence Ross in the first round (8th overall) of the 2012 draft and would never tell a coach to lose games since it can only have negative long-term effects. "Coach was doing such a fabulous job with the group that there certainly was no intentional losing going on because we won far too many games than anyone anticipated and it put us in a position to still get a nice draft pick in Terrance Ross," said Colangelo. "But it certainly decreased our odds of getting the top choice, which was a franchise centre in Anthony Davis." Colangelo talked about when the team faced heavy scrutiny when they picked Jonas Valanciunas, who was selected in the first round (5th overall) in 2011. "We got booed off the stage when the announcement was made but that was the right pick for this organization. It was not an easy one to make knowing that Jonas would not be made available for at least a year and maybe more if the buyout hadnt been successfully negotiated. We knew it was going to be a tough scenario going into a new year without the inclusion of a top draft pick but the following season we also knew that not only would Jonas be coming but another fairly high-value draft selection - unknown at the time - would be helping us as well. Not to mention we would have cap space and greater developed players at that point." The Raptors finished the 2011-12 season with a 23-43 record, good for 11th in the Eastern Conference, 12 games behind the Philadelphia 76ers for the final playoff spot in the East, and the eighth-worst record in the NBA. The team neither rose nor fell in the lottery, receiving the eighth-overall pick in the 2012 draft where they selected Ross out of the University of Washington. The 2007 NBA Executive of the Year (with the Phoenix Suns) was speaking at the MIT Sports Analytics Conference on a proposal currently in front of the NBA Board of Governors which would see the draft lottery and any incentive to bottom out eliminated. "Admittedly, I will say, I tried to tank a couple years ago," said Colangelo to the conference. "And I didnt come out and say, Coach (Dwane Casey), youve got to lose games. I never said that. I wanted to have him establish a winning tradition and a culture and all of that, but I wanted to do it in the framework of playing and developing young players, and with that comes losing. Theres just no way to avoid that, but I never once said, Youve got to lose this game." Colangelo was relieved of his general manager position last May in favour of Masai Ujiri and eventually resigned his post as Raptors president the following month.
Fake Shoes From China . The win gives Canada its fifth title at the World Sledge Hockey Challenge. "Weve got to keep pushing," said Westlake, who led Canada with five goals in the tournament. "The second you let off the pedal, everyone catches up.
Fake Shoes .C. - Canadian ice dancing, it seems, is in good hands.ANAHEIM – One of the things Bruce Boudreau did after taking over as Anaheim Ducks coach was have some inspirational quotes painted on the teams dressing room walls at the Honda Center. Words from Muhammad Ali, Jack Nicklaus, John Wooden, Jerry West, Vince Lombardi and Roy Williams are now there to be viewed by players on a daily basis. Does Boudreau have a favourite saying? "No, I think theyre all good. I think theyre all inspirational and the whole goal of those quotes was, quite frankly, who wrote them," he explained. "It wasnt some normal guy. These guys were champions and they talked about hard work and they were willing to do the hard work and thats how they became champions." Winning has not come easy to Boudreau in the NHL playoffs. His teams have won six division titles and posted a .663 winning percentage in 517 regular-season games, but never advanced past the second round of the post-season. His record in the playoffs as a NHL head coach is 27-28 entering Wednesday nights Game 6 showdown with the Los Angeles Kings at Staples Center. On Tuesday, the 59-year-old bench boss was asked whats the biggest challenge he faces coaching at this time of year. "Winning," he responded immediately. "The competition is so picked up from the regular season. You watch the pre-season and you go, Wow, this is a really good game, and then the regular season goes on and you go, How can it get any tougher than this? The playoffs come and you think the regular season is a piece of cake compared to what youre going through here. "Its knowing when to practise hard and when not to practise hard, when to make it easy and just keep building them up. Usually youre saying the same message so theyve heard the same message for eight months so you dont want them to get tired of it." The message may be the same, but Boudreau has made a number of changes that have helped turned the tide in his teams second round series against the Kings. "Hes a coach who isnt afraid to make moves in terms of personnel," said Ducks forward Andrew Cogliano. "Hes not a coach that gets set in his ways in terms of the lineup or guys playing in certain positions. He has confidence in guys and hes good with the players in terms of giving them confidence. If hes going to move guys around, hes good at communicating with guys about that. Hes a coach that makes adjustments to other teams." After the Ducks lost the first two games of the series, Boudreau called up defenceman Sami Vatanen from the American Hockey League and played him 20 minutes a night, including on the power play. The Ducks have scored four man-advantage goals in the three games since the Finn was recalled from Norfolk. In general, Vatanen has given the Ducks blue line a different dimension and helped them move the puck more easily against the notoriously stingy Kings. But the adjustments didnt end with Vatanen. In Game 4, Boudreau made the bold decision to start 20-year-old John Gibson, a goalie with zero NHL playoff experience and only three games of regular season experience, over veteran Jonas Hiller, who had won Game 3 in relief of the injured Frederik Andersen. Gibson posted a 28-save shutout in his debut and followed that up with a steady 39-save win on Monday night. After first-line winger Matt Beleskey went down with an injury, Boudreau elevated 21-year-old Devante Smith-Pelly, who had generated some quality chances, but failed to register a point in the series through three games, to the top line alongside Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry. Smith-Pelly has since scored three goals and fired eight shots on net over the last two outings. "I think two things comme to mind," said Ducks defenceman Ben Lovejoy when asked what makes Boudreau a good coach.
Fake Nike Shoes. "Just the confidence he gives his players. I know when I first came here that was just eyeopening for me. He puts players in a position where they can be successful and more often than not, playing for him, they are." Lovejoy was traded by the Pittsburgh Penguins to the Ducks for a fifth-round pick during the 2012-13 season. Under Boudreau, he has moved into a top pairing role alongside Cam Fowler. "Then theres his ability to roll four lines and three sets of D," Lovejoy continued. "I think that when youre a defenceman playing nine to 12 minutes a night, you get out there to not make a mistake. Its impossible to have a tight gap when you dont play a lot so we roll four lines, we roll three sets of D and I really think that helps. And, I think, come crunch time, Getzlaf and Perry havent played 26 minutes. Theyre fresh. Theyre ready to go and to carry the rest of the team when the time comes." And while Boudreau is easy for players to like, he is not afraid of making tough calls. In the first round of this years playoffs, Boudreau benched beloved future Hall of Famer Teemu Selanne in Game 4 against the Dallas Stars. It was move that, considering Selannes stature in the game and the dressing room, could have backfired. Instead, the move seemed to spark Selanne, who has two goals against the Kings and picked up an assist in the Game 5 win. "He cares," said Getzlaf, the Ducks captain. "Thats the biggest thing with him. He cares about each of us individually and that makes you want to play harder for him." But the knock against Boudreau has been that he cant get it done in the post-season. Boudreaus Washington Capitals came close to making the conference finals in 2009, pushing the Penguins to Game 7 before ultimately being blown out in the decisive game. "Well, the difference last time was we were down 3-2 going into Game 6 in Pittsburgh and had to win and we did," Boudreau said. "This time, were up 3-2 so I keep telling my wife, Its a different circumstance, so hopefully a different result. "As you go on, the steps get harder and harder and harder and the one thing I have learned in a very brief time is that when they talk about the Cup being the hardest thing to win [theyre right]. I mean, were not even halfway there and [were] realizing how tough it is. This is a heck of a journey you have to make and, again, [youre] trying to keep it fresh, because were not even out of the second round." Last year, the Ducks squandered a 3-2 first-round series lead against the underdog Detroit Red Wings before losing Game 7 on home ice. Getzlaf has noticed that Boudreau has made a subtle change in his approach. "Hes evolved," Getzlaf explained. "Hes done a great job in calming himself down. Bruce tends to get a little wound up at times, emotional in the game and thats good at times." And while Boudreau has managed his emotions better, he is still the same fun-loving guy, who always seems willing to talk hockey with reporters long after the formal media session ends. "I get asked this question a lot and I maintain that youre not going to tell quirky stories about your boss on camera so Im not going to tell them about mine," Lovejoy said with a laugh. "Ive loved playing for Bruce. I think everybody in the locker room does too, but you can ask somebody else for those stories." "At the end of the day, Bruce is a players coach," Cogliano said. "A coach you can approach, talk to and hes up front with you and I think thats why a lot of guys like him."
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