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Geregistreerd op: 10 Jul 2019
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 Geplaatst: 24-07-2019 03:15:55 Onderwerp: id its been a gruelling fe |
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| TORONTO - According to Masai Ujiris wish list, the Toronto Raptors draft picks will be tough, eager to play defence, able to blend in well with coach Dwane Caseys playing style, and one of them will be a shot blocker. The Raptors general manager has his list of possible draft selections whittled down to a handful ahead of Thursday nights NBA draft in Brooklyn, New York. The Raptors, who have auditioned dozens of players over the past couple of weeks, have the 20th overall pick in the first round, as well as the 37th and 58th picks in the second. "I think probably by (Tuesday), it will be narrowed down to probably five guys (for the No. 20 spot), and that doesnt include guys that could fall," Ujiri said. "And about 600 at 37," he added laughing. Ujiri said part of his pre-draft research is figuring out players who are capable of giving Casey what he wants. "Were an aggressive team, were going to play tough, play hard on the defensive end and stop people, and we are going to play up-tempo on the offensive end," Ujiri said. "We have to bring in those kinds of players, we cant just draft anybody to come here and throw to Dwane Casey, that wouldnt be fair." He and his staff will go for the best player on the board rather than draft specifically for position, although he said hed be happy if a shot blocker happened to be available at one of their three picks. Ujiri, who was still with the Denver Nuggets during last years draft, hasnt entirely ruled out moving up to a higher pick. "(But) I dont do heartbreaks very well," he said. "Those trades and talks, people dont understand, we talk about a hundred trades and maybe two happen. Thats just the nature of our business. "Well be aggressive, but our energy is focused on 20 rather than wasting our time on whats not. If theres anything, I always feel like those kinds of things almost come to you rather than you chase them. If we smell anything anywhere, well be aggressive, but 20 is what were counting on." Toronto didnt have a pick in last years draft. They selected Terrence Ross with their No. 8 pick in 2012. They selected Kareem Rush at No. 20 in 2002 and traded him to the Los Angeles Lakers. The previous year, they took Morris Peterson at No. 21. Ujiri said its been a gruelling few weeks of pouring over the specifics of this years draft class. "We do a lot of mechanics, pictures, analytics, background checks, psych tests and all that stuff. When they come for workouts, there are so many things you look at, foot speed, how tall they are, their demeanours, so many things," he said. "Its a huge process for us and just builds and builds and builds. "Now hopefully by Wednesday morning we will have gathered all the information we have. And then mess it up with a trade or something," he added, laughing. The difficult part is judging a players potential — "we have to figure out where the player is now and what he will be in a couple of years from now or four years from now." Point guard Kyle Lowry led the Raptors to their first post-season appearance in six seasons, where they were eliminated by the Brooklyn Nets in the first round. Lowry becomes a free agent on July 1, but Ujiri said his status wont be a factor in how the Raptors select in the draft. "We are going full force after Kyle Lowry, and if theres a talented point guard in the draft. . . well go for talent in the draft. But Kyle Lowry is our target," he said. Several Canadians have been among the players whove worked out for the Raptors at the Air Canada Centre, including point guard Tyler Ennis, forwards Melvin Ejim and Khem Birch and seven-foot-two centre Jordan Bachynski. There could be as many as five to eight Canadians taken in the draft, led by Andrew Wiggins, the Vaughan, Ont., star whos expected to go No. 1 or 2. Ujiri pointed out that plenty can happen between now and Thursday night. Three days before the NBA draft, there have already been a couple of surprises. Highly-touted prospect Joel Embiid had surgery last week on the stress fracture on his foot. Draft prospect Isaiah Austin has been diagnosed with Marfan syndrome, a career-ending condition. "I walked into (the office) today and was like Please, no news thats going to throw me off right now. Because it will keep coming, there will be something tonight, tomorrow morning, there will be something, thats just the nature of the draft," Ujiri said. "You love it, thats why we do it, theres always action." Custom Edmonton Oilers Jerseys . Kyle Denbrook, a soccer player from Saint Marys University, took the CIS male athlete of the week honour. Stanley, a fourth-year business administration student from Charlottetown, scored both goals in a 2-0 win over Dalhousie on Friday and tallied again in a 1-0 win over Saint Marys on Sunday. Wayne Gretzky Jersey . - New Orleans Saints general manager Mickey Loomis says the club has an agreement to bring back outside linebacker Parys Haralson on a one-year deal. http://www.officialoilersfanstore.com/authentic-ryan-nugent-hopkins-oilers-jersey/ . -- Two-time AL Cy Young Award winner Johan Santana agreed Tuesday to a minor league contract with the Baltimore Orioles as he tries to come back from the second major operation on his left shoulder. Milan Lucic Jersey . Amare Stoudemire had 22 points and 10 rebounds, Carmelo Anthony scored 21 and the New York Knicks won their eighth straight game, 93-92 over Philadelphia on Friday night, sending the Sixers to their 23rd straight loss. Adam Larsson Oilers Jersey . Now Arizonas new manager is hoping Yasmany Tomas can have the same effect on the Diamondbacks. CALGARY -- First they smashed the start record, then they broke it again. Kaillie Humphries and Heather Moyse also set a new Canadian track record while they were at it, emphatically showing to the rest of the womens bobsled field that the Olympic champions are back and better than ever. The Canadian duo won gold in their first World Cup race together in over two years Saturday, blazing down the Canada Olympic Park track in 55.89 seconds to seal the victory and trim nearly a quarter-second off the previous record in the process. "It just felt comfortable right from Day 1 as soon as Heather came back in the summer," Humphries said. "Being with her again, everything kind of came back and it just fit." Humphries, from Calgary, and Moyse, from Summerside, P.E.I., posted a two-run time of one minute 52.77 seconds to finish over a half-second ahead of Americans Elana Meyers and Aja Evans, who took silver in 1:53.33. Another American duo, Jamie Greubel and Katie Eberling, took the bronze in 1:53.62. Earlier, American Steven Holcomb completed a sweep of the mens races with a victory in the four-man event while Canadian Chris Spring just missed the podium with a fourth-place finish. Humphries won a world title last year with Chelsea Valois and has reached the podium at 14 straight events. Moyse, who competed in track cycling and rugby while taking a break from bobsled, has returned in top condition after undergoing hip surgery a year ago. The Canadians didnt wait long to display the form that led them to gold at the 2010 Vancouver Games. Moyse, who won a push competition here last weekend, helped power the Canada 1 sled to a start record of 5.48 seconds. Another three-100ths of a second was trimmed off the mark in the second run. It was the kind of performance Moyse had in mind over the last year as she underwent a gruelling training schedule and rehabilitation to get back to her previous level after surgery. "Just determination and the sheer red-headed willpower and stubbornness of wanting to prove to myself that I can do it," Moyse said of her motivation. The Canadians first started sliding together in 2009. Off and on, they have spent about 2 1/2 years together as a duo. They beat the previous Canadian track record of 56.06, which was set by Lesa Mayes-Stringer and Jamie Cruickshank in 2005. Shauna Rohbock and Valerie Fleming of the United States set the all-time womens track mark of 55.dddddddddddd44 that same year. Its early in the season, but Humphries and Moyse are already the clear favourites to return to the top of the podium in Sochi this February. "I think we take the pressure off of each other ... were doing this because we want to do it, not because we have to do it," Moyse said. "And I think that when we keep reminding ourselves that were here because we want to be here, then it helps to melt away all the outside stresses. "I think thats how we did it in Vancouver and hopefully we can just keep doing that this year." Edmontons Jennifer Ciochetti and Valois, from Zenon Park, Sask., were ninth. Holcomb, the reigning Olympic gold medallist, guided his team of Curt Tomasevicz, Steven Langton and Chris Fogt to a two-run time of 1:48.56. Germanys Maximilian Arndt and Russias Alexander Zubkov finished tied for second place in 1:48.65. Spring, from Calgary, was fourth in 1:48.67. "Were a little off the podium, its not what we wanted but there are lots of positives to come out of this," he said. "Well leave here pretty happy and moving on to the next stop, weve got some good momentum coming our way." Spring was eighth after the first run but had the fastest time in the second run on a cool, overcast afternoon. Holcomb and Langton won gold in the two-man race on Friday at the season-opening event. "For us to have this first World Cup under our belts with a new team and new equipment, its kind of like having a monkey off our back," Langton said. "It gives us that confidence moving forward." Spring and Jesse Lumsden of Burlington, Ont., won bronze in the two-man race. They were joined by Cody Sorensen of Ottawa and Saskatoons Ben Coakwell for the four-man competition. The other Canadian mens sleds also cracked the top 10 on Saturday. Lyndon Rush of Humboldt, Sask., was sixth in 1:48.88 and Justin Kripps of Summerland, B.C., was ninth in 1:49.02. Rush was joined by David Bissett and Neville Wright, both of Edmonton, and Calgarys Lascelles Brown. Kripps piloted James MacNaughton of Newmarket, Ont., Torontos Tim Randall and Graeme Rinholm of Medicine Hat, Alta. The World Cup season continues next weekend with an event in Park City, Utah. ' ' ' |
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