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Geregistreerd op: 10 Jul 2019
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 Geplaatst: 13-07-2019 02:33:19 Onderwerp: slid a pass through the skates of |
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| INDEPENDENCE, Ohio -- Luol Deng was surprised. His mom was shaken. After learning he had been traded from the Chicago Bulls to Cleveland, Deng said the most difficult aspect of knowing he would no longer be playing for the Bulls after nine seasons wasnt packing his bags or saying goodbye to teammates. The hardest part was explaining to his mom, Martha, he had to move. "She couldnt understand why," he said. "She feels like Im a nice guy, I get along with everybody, so I had to explain to her. She was asking me, Are you not playing well? Whats going on? That was the hardest part." Its gotten a little easier. Deng began a new chapter in his NBA career on Wednesday when he practiced with the Cavaliers for the first time. Cleveland acquired the two-time All-Star small forward Tuesday from the Bulls in exchange for centre Andrew Bynums salary cap-friendly contract and future draft picks. Deng said he didnt see the trade coming. The 28-year-old knew a deal was always possible and an end to his run with the Bulls was inevitable, but it caught him off guard. "Ive been very lucky," he said. "Not a lot of guys can say theyve been with one organization for too long. I was definitely surprised. You hear stuff, you hear rumours, but some of its true and some of its not. When it happened, I couldnt believe it. It took a while to hit me. But its not like Im stopping from playing basketball. Ive been traded from one great organization to another one." The Cavs are counting on Deng to make a difference on and off the floor. A dependable scorer, solid defender and leader, Deng brings a winning attitude to a young Cleveland team undergoing growing pains. "Hes a veteran whos still in his prime," said coach Mike Brown. "He adds to the culture of what were trying to do here. Hes definitely a two-way player that can add an amount of professionalism, a maturity, and winning ingredients to any ball club." Brown said Deng, who averaged 19 points and 6.9 rebounds, will likely start Friday night when the Cavs open a five-game road trip in Utah. The trip will help Dengs transition. "Its great for him to get to know us, soon and better, and for us to get to know him," Brown said. "So you couldnt ask for it to happen at a better time." During his first interview with Cleveland media members, Deng flashed his wide smile and charmed reporters while recounting the whirlwind 36 hours since the trade was completed. Deng recently turned down a contract extension from the Bulls, whose season shifted from contention to rebuilding after star point guard Derrick Rose was injured. Several of his former teammates expressed disappointment in seeing him leave, and Deng said it was tough knowing he wont play with them again. "Its basketball at the end of the day, and its my job," he said. "But the hardest thing is those are friends. Its really hard when you wake up the next day and know that your friend is gone and hes going to be competing against you. I think they understand the business part of it. Its a contract thing, and my time has come up. Thats the direction the organization chose to go." Deng is in the final year of his contract worth $14 million this season and is eligible for free agency this summer. Hes willing to discuss a long-term contract with the Cavs, who are just 12-23 and currently out of playoff position. "Im definitely open to talking about it," he said. "I have no problem with that." Deng said he felt like a "college kid" and was amazed as he toured Clevelands lavish training complex for the first time. "Youve got a food place and a chef there the whole time," he said. "You pick whatever you want, then youve got a TV and a hot tub, cold tub. I was caught up with that." When it came time to practice, Deng had to wear No. 8, but afterward he convinced Cavs rookie guard Matthew Dellavedova to give him No. 9, which he has worn his whole career. "We sat in the locker room for a little while looking at each other. It was almost like we were about to break up," Deng said with a laugh. "It was really hard, but hes such a nice guy. He gave up the number. Im definitely going to have to pay him back for that." Deng explained No. 9 has special meaning for him. "Im one of nine kids," he said. "I always wore nine for my mother because she gave birth nine times. It was always my payback to her." Now theres a trade she can appreciate. Larry Johnson Jersey .5 million contract, according to a person familiar with the deal. Hatcher agreed to terms Thursday, according to a person who spoke on condition of anonymity because the contract had not been signed. Marcus Allen Jersey . TSN Hockey Insider Bob McKenzie tweeted Monday morning that Callahan - who is set to become an unrestricted free agent this summer, is now open to a six-year contract at less than $7 million per season. http://www.thechiefsshoponline.com/Youth-darwin-thompson-chiefs-jersey/ .com) - The Chicago White Sox have officially announced that the club has agreed to terms with utilityman Emilio Bonifacio on a one-year, $4 million contract that includes a team option for the 2016 season. Frank Clark Womens Jersey . The Mercedes duo of three-time Canadian Grand Prix champion Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg has won all six races to start the season, finishing one-two in the last five. Joe Montana Chiefs Jersey . -- Tiago Splitter tipped in a rebound with 2. COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Although it was only the eighth game of the season, it was already vital for the Columbus Blue Jackets to show some improvement. A pair of thirty-somethings led the way. R.J. Umberger scored his first goal of the season with 8:46 left to help make a winner of Curtis McElhinney as the Blue Jackets ended a four-game losing streak with a 3-1 victory over the Vancouver Canucks on Sunday night. "Its a good feeling," said coach Todd Richards, given a nice present on his 47th birthday. "I sense in the locker room theres some relief. As the losses started piling up, obviously the pressure amps up as well. The win will alleviate some of that." The 31-year-old Umberger had yet to score this season. "Its a good first step for us to get out of the hole we were in," he said. "It was a gutsy challenge we had and we had to find a way to win." McElhinney, making his first appearance for the Blue Jackets in place of Vezina Trophy winner Sergei Bobrovsky, had 37 saves -- including several clutch ones while Columbus protected a one-goal lead. "I just felt relaxed in there," said the 30-year-old McElhinney, who won his 20th NHL game but first since going 1-0-0 in 2011-12 with Phoenix. "I was certainly nervous going into the game. Its been a while since Ive played at this level. I just wanted to go in, get that first save and then after that it was all downhill. The guys did a good job in front of me of letting me see pucks." McElhinney, who has spent parts of five seasons with Calgary, Anaheim, Ottawa and Phoenix, played last year in the American Hockey League after being picked up in a trade with the Coyotes. Bobrovsky, selected the NHLs top goalie last season, was given the night off after starting Columbus first seven games. Marian Gaborik and Ryan Johansen also scored for the Blue Jackets, who won for the first time at home this season after losing their first two. Umberger and Johansen each had an assist. Umberger scored his 152nd career goal but first since April 15, when the Blue Jackets were putting on a late surge that fell just short of getting them into the playoffs. With the game tied 1-all, Johansen carried the puck on a 2-on-2 rush intoo the offensive zone and slid a pass through the skates of Vancouvers Chris Higgins to Umberger, who had advanced behind Higgins.dddddddddddd Umberger faked and slid the puck between Lacks legs. "Phenomenal," Umberger said of Johansens pass. "He came to the middle and he threaded it right through the guys legs. It was right on my tape. I didnt have to move my stick." The win left a lot of Blue Jackets breathing easier. "Its huge," Johansen said. "But its one win and its not going to get any easier." Henrik Sedin had the goal for the Canucks. Eddie Lack stopped 26 shots in place of Roberto Luongo, rested on the second night of back-to-back games for Vancouver. "It was tough to get good opportunities," Sedin said. "A lot of shots were outside and we didnt have a lot of traffic (in front of the net)." The Canucks, playing their fourth of a season-high seven-game road trip, applied plenty of pressure to try to tie it. McElhinney gloved a hard one-timer by Jason Garrison in the final minutes and then stopped Higgins jam shot from point-blank range off a pass from the back wall by Daniel Sedin with 45 seconds remaining. Johansen then added an empty-netter. Canucks coach John Tortorella said the stat sheet was misleading. "Dont let the shots fool you," he said. "I dont think we played enough in the areas (you have to) to score goals. Theyll let you play on the outside all night long. For most of the minutes, thats what we did." NOTES: Columbus forwards Gaborik, Brandon Dubinsky and Artem Anisimov played for Tortorella when all were with the New York Rangers the past few years. ... Anisimov has points in his last three games. ... The crowd of 14,168 booed a call midway through the third period when it appeared Dubinskys shot out of a pileup slipped over the goal line. Seconds later, Umberger scored and it counted. ... Columbus played five of its first seven games on the road. ... Gaboriks goal was his third in eight games, matching his total in 12 games last season after he was acquired from the Rangers at the deadline. ... The Canucks killed five power plays, including 1:34 of a 5-on-3 in the second period. Cheap Jerseys China NFL Jerseys Cheap NBA Jerseys Wholesale NHL Jerseys Wholesale MLB Jerseys Cheap Soccer Jerseys China Wholesale NCAA Jerseys Wholesale Football Jerseys Wholesale Basketball Jerseys Wholesale Baseball Jerseys ' ' ' |
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