Here are my thoughts on Dwane Caseys contract extension, Michael Carter Williams as rookie of the year, Mark Jacksons firing in Golden State, RC Buford as
executive of the year and Kevin Durant as most valuable player.
Isiah Thomas Pistons Jersey . 1. Dwane Casey contract extension: Makes complete sense to me. Stability in leadership
positions in any organization is vital to success and the fact that you know
what the vision/direction of the Raptors will be for the foreseeable future,
thats a positive. He earned that extension with a solid approach the past three
years. The building process of creep-crawl-walk-run is in the walk stage right
now and thats a solid development. Lots and lots of work ahead to get it to the
run stage but usually an important part of that vital next step beyond better
players is having consistency and shared vision at the top to see the job
through. The right decision was made. A good day for not only Dwane Casey but
for Raptors fans. 2. Michael Carter Williams (76ers): Rookie of the Year choice
was a no-brainer. Hes actually a better pro than what I saw from him in college
at Syracuse. Wonderful all-round talent that impacts the game on so many fronts.
If they can add a solid supporting cast around him, hes got a chance to be one
of the elite lead guards in the league for a long time. A real positive amidst a
season of frustration in Philly. 3. Mark Jackson (Warriors): Cant say Im
surprised by this move. With two assistant coaches being let go during the
regular season and the constant rumors, you knew that something behind the
scenes had run amiss in the Bay Area. He did a good job in his run there and in
my opinion, deserves and will get another crack at it at some point, possibly
quite soon. Opens up a very attractive job. If Im in their shoes, the guy I go
get is Stan Van Gundy. He did a terrific job in both Miami and Orlando as a head
coach and, after taking two years off, youd be getting an energized guy with big
time leadership and head coaching experience. Lots of talent and money invested
there so go get a guy that can help you see full return on your investment. 4.
RC Buford (Spurs): The model franchise. Partnership, leadership, basketball
savvy and smarts all in effect in major doses. Behind the scenes, Buford sets
the tone for the positive direction for this organization. No panic, always the
big picture in mind and a terrific feel for the team concept. They do things in
a first class fashion and his support of Gregg Popovich in the shadows is
impressive. Well earned and well deserved. 5. Kevin Durant (Thunder): If you
havent watched/listened to Durants MVP acceptance speech, please do so. Wow! Ive
always been a huge fan of him as a person and player but now Im head over heels
about him. Gotta tell you, he had me crying. What a terrific speech from one of
the true genuine guys in sport today. A class act and a true gentleman.
Swingman Isiah Thomas Jersey . Hosp raced down the Rosa Khutor course in 1 minute, 31.36 seconds. Fabienne Suter of
Switzerland finished second, 0.21 seconds behind, and Regina Sterz of Austria
was third, 0.
Andre Drummond Jersey . Pavalec made 39 saves in a 3-1 win over the Nashville Predators on Saturday, and coach Paul Maurice
knows his goalie has been on a hot streak. "Hes played the same way, believe it
or not, prior to.MONTREAL - The Toronto Maple Leafs and Montreal Canadiens will
both try to rebound from losses in extra time when they meet tonight at the Bell
Centre. The game can be heard on TSN Radio 1050 Toronto and TSN Radio 690
Montreal at 7pm et. The Maple Leafs have not claimed a victory as the visiting
team since Oct. 30 in Calgary, going 0-3-3 away from Toronto since. That
includes a pair of post-regulation setbacks on their current three-game swing as
the Leafs dropped a shootout in Pittsburgh on Wednesday before getting dealt a
3-2 overtime defeat on Friday in Buffalo. James Reimer made 26 saves before
getting beat by Christian Ehrhoff on a long wrist shot 38 seconds into the bonus
frame. Phil Kessel scored the 199th goal of his career and Nikolai Kulemin also
tallied. Toronto got off 10 shots in the third period and had a chance to go
ahead late when James van Riemsdyk had a shorthanded breakaway with 30 seconds
to play. However, Buffalos Matt DAgostini prevented van Riemsdyk from getting a
shot off thanks to a diving backcheck, though van Riemsdyk was surprised nothing
was called. "Usually when youre in all alone and you get your legs taken out
from under you, you expect something, especially when the calls have been what
they were," said van Riemsdyk of the play. "We cant use officiating as an
excuse. Weve got to find ways to be better." Looking to snap their six-game road
skid, the Maple Leaffs have won three straight and six of their past seven games
in Montreal.
Swingman Tracy McGrady Jersey. That includes a season-opening 4-3 victory on Oct. 1. Reimer made 34 saves, but could give way
tonight to Jonathan Bernier, who has lost both of his previous starts versus the
Habs while allowing six goals on 60 shots. Montreal has lost four of its past
six versus Toronto overall and had a four-game winning streak snapped last night
with a 3-2 shootout setback to the Washington Capitals. Peter Budaj made 24
saves through overtime, but saw the Caps Mikhail Grabovski sneak a puck between
his pads after faking a shot in the fourth round of the shootout.
Tomas Plekanec, who scored and had an assist in regulation, then had his chance
poke-checked away. Danny Briere also scored for the Canadiens, who are 6-1-2 in
their last nine games. "I thought we were the team that dictated the game in the
third (period). I thought we played well enough to win the game, so Im
disappointed that we came up short, but I believe our effort was there and when
you go to a shootout, you never know. We found a way to score two goals but it
was not good enough," Canadiens coach Michel Therrien said. Carey Price should
start tonight for the Habs and dipped below .500 in his career versus the Maple
Leafs when he allowed four goals on 38 shots in the Oct. 1 loss. He is 11-12-1
lifetime in this series with a 2.69 goals against average and three shutouts.
Wholesale Jerseys China ' ' '
