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Geregistreerd op: 10 Jul 2019
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 Geplaatst: 13-07-2019 02:34:08 Onderwerp: rybody has to raise their |
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| SACRAMENTO - Some say that living well is the best revenge. At least four players on the Raptors roster subscribe to that philosophy. When Torontos Patrick Patterson, John Salmons, Greivis Vasquez and Chuck Hayes return to Sacramentos Sleep Train Arena Wednesday, theyll be feeling a lot better about themselves than when they were last in the building, when they called it home. Its been nearly two full months since that fateful night in Los Angeles when a seven-player trade shook the foundation of the Raptors franchise. As reports began to circulate hours before tip-off, the timing of the deal caught everyone off guard. In exchange for the bloated contract and modest production of Rudy Gay - along with Quincy Acy and Aaron Gray - Toronto took back four veteran wild cards. Each of the four had experienced some level of individual success in the league. Vasquez and Patterson - the youngest of the four - were both coming off career seasons, one in New Orleans, the other in Houston. Hayes - a nine-year vet - had been a starter with the Rockets and Salmons, now in his 12th season, was a key contributor to playoff teams in Chicago and Milwaukee. At 34 and 30 respectfully, Salmons and Hayes immediately became the elder statesmen on a young Raptors squad. Each of them had started in at least one of Sacramentos first 18 games. They were rotation players for a team that was 5-13 at the time of the trade. "Coming from here in Sacramento, things werent that great," Salmons said, candidly reflecting back on the trade after wrapping up practice in the Kings gym Tuesday. "So when we got the opportunity to come here we just wanted to take advantage of it. Losings not fun and this team had a chance to make a run at the playoffs." Without Gay, who was shooting 39 per cent and hoisting just under 19 shots per game, most anticipated there would be at least some addition by subtraction but no one - even internally - knew what to expect from the incoming Kings players. Likewise, they didnt know what to expect from a Raptors team that had a 6-12 record prior to that game in LA on Dec. 8. "I mean you hear stuff about other teams, but the only thing you really know is their record," Salmons added. "You know their record, you know their roster but you dont know the whole story. So coming in all we saw was the record, we didnt know that the locker room was full of good guys." Toronto has gone 19-10 since the trade was made official, 19-9 since the acquired players made their Raptor debuts, good for the third-best record in the Eastern Conference over that stretch. Not only did the trade improve the Raptors bench, it made their bench. On most nights, Dwane Casey has settled into a strict nine-man rotation, using the four ex-Kings as his primary reserves. Torontos bench combined for 35 points on 52 per cent shooting in Mondays win over the Jazz. They have scored 30 or more in three of the last five contests and are averaging 26.6 points since the trade. Casey has entrusted them to be on the floor in key situations. Quite frankly, theyve earned it. "I feel like we got four veteran, solid players that really helped us in a lot of different ways and gave us some toughness off the bench," the Raptors coach said. "Right now, obviously [Toronto is] playing at a very high level," said Kings coach Mike Malone. "I think all four of our guys are helping them at different points." The newcomers have each put their stamp on the teams run. Often the first player off the bench, Patterson is logging fewer minutes than he was in Sacramento, yet averaging three more points per game, contributing nearly 10 as a Raptor. Hayes has carved out a niche as a reliable, savvy and hardworking stopper and rebounder. Salmons, a two-way player, has become Torontos third ball handler. Of the four, Vasquez is the only one who has seen his scoring average dip since coming to the Raptors. Still, hes not complaining. "Im in a different situation right now and Im pretty happy," said Vasquez, who has stepped in as a reliable backup to Kyle Lowry, something the team was desperately searching for early in the season. "I think winning really makes everything so much better. Id rather be in a winning program right now than going through a tough time [in Sacramento]." You would have to be naive to think that Wednesdays return to Sacramento is just another game for those four. The Kings are 11-19 since sending them to Toronto and the statement theyre hoping to make has more to do with their collective success than individual performances. "You always look forward to playing the team that traded you," said Vasquez, averaging seven points and four assists with the Raptors. "More than that its about winning. At the end of the day, whether I play well, whether I dont play well, I just want to go back to Sacramento with a win." Vasquez was only with the Kings for a couple months to begin the season. For Salmons, his connection with the Sacramento franchise goes back seven years. In 2006, the Philadelphia-native pulled out of a deal with the Raptors to sign in Sacramento. After being moved to the Bulls, then to the Bucks, Salmons eventually found his way back to the Kings but became expendable when new ownership decided to take the team in a different direction. The trade to Toronto was Salmons fifth since being drafted out of Miami in 2002 but he took this one more personally than the others. He felt slighted by an organization that he had spent most of his career playing for. "When I got traded I had mixed feelings, strong mixed feelings," he admitted. "Im not going to say I was totally mad at the [Kings] organization it was just, I dont know, it was just a little tougher this time." Now, as he and his teammates get set to make their much-anticipated return, that animosity is water under the bridge, more or less. Salmons, like the other three, is sincerely happy to be a Raptor. Winning is the best medicine. "Guys enjoy winning," said Salmons. "Theres the old saying, winning cures everything so the more we win the more people want to sacrifice to continue winning." Phil Rizzuto Yankees Jersey . LOUIS -- Known for his game-managing and defensive skills, Yadier Molina made another statement with his bat. Mariano Rivera Jersey . The same cant be said of last Saturdays 2-2 draw at Olympic Stadium against a very weakened New York Red Bulls side and one which had three stalwarts in Henry, Cahill and Olave back home in Harrison, NJ. http://www.yankeesrookiestore.com/Yankees-Wade-Boggs-Kids-Jersey/ .C. -- The Carolina Panthers announced Thursday theyve signed free agent wide receiver Jerricho Cotchery to a two-year contract, helping rebuild a depleted wide receiving corps. Babe Ruth Jersey . His brother — Red Lake chiropractor Richard Radford — is en route to Sochi to cheer on his younger brother. "Ive been getting texts from Eric and he just says the atmosphere is amazing, its special,” he said. Andy Pettitte Yankees Jersey . -- Novak Djokovic benefited from an erroneous call and claimed he didnt realize he had broken the rules.DALLAS -- Dallas Stars coach Lindy Ruff doesnt want the recent success of his clubs homestand to go to his players heads. Erik Cole scored twice and Tyler Seguin netted his 20th goal of the season as the Stars edged the struggling Los Angeles Kings 3-2 on Tuesday night. The Stars have earned five points through three games of their five-game homestand. "Just stay grounded," was the message Ruff gave to his team. "We have a lot of work ahead of us. Try to stay consistent. Our hard work ethic in the first 40 games has been good. If we can consistently work like that, then well have success." Jeff Carter and Anze Kopitar scored for Los Angeles, which has lost four straight. "We easily could have won the last three," Kings coach Darryl Sutter said. "Thats the way it goes." The Kings, beaten at Chicago on Monday, will end a four-game trip on Thursday at St. Louis. "Youve got to work harder," Los Angeles defenceman Matt Greene said. "Youve got to pay more attention to details and get back to playing our game. Were not playing as well as we can right now, and thats it. "Theres no moral victories. Theres nothing like that going on here. Everybody has to raise their game to a level that they can play at and theyve played at before." Kari Lehtonen (16-8-7) stopped 23 shots for Dallas, which hasnt made the playoffs since 2008. "Instead of winning a game and looking to see if we gained any ground, we decided to forget about that," said Cole, whose only other two-goal game this season was Saturday. "Just focus on our play and what we can do to win games. "If we just focus on that, one day well wake up and well be in fifth or fourth or third or whatever." Seguin reached 20 goals for the second time in his four-year NHL career. He had 29 goals in 2011-12 with Boston. Carter and Kopitar tied Justin Williams for the team lead with 13 ggoals.dddddddddddd Dallas previously anemic power play accounted for Coles first goal and Seguins tally. It was the first time the Stars have scored multiple power-play goals in a game since Oct. 11. Dallas went into the game with the NHLs 29th-ranked power play (11.7 per cent) and the leagues worst at home (4.8 per cent). "I cant sit here and say that we werent doing things properly before," Cole said. "We just werent getting enough pucks at the net, and second and third chances, just (not) being as opportunistic as we should have been." Seguin put Dallas ahead for good at 12:13 of the second period. He corralled a puck that caromed off the boards behind Ben Scrivens (17-5-4) and banged it off Scrivens left skate as the goalie slid across the crease to try to cover the opposite post. "Thats how goal scorers score goals," Scrivens said. "They throw the puck. They find ways to score when it doesnt look like theres room. Ive got to give credit to a good player, too." Cole followed three minutes later with a wrist shot from a sharp angle near the goal line that beat Scrivens to his right. Carter gave Los Angeles its first lead during a 4-on-3 power play with a deflection of Mike Richards shot that popped over the right shoulder of Lehtonen and dribbled into the net. About three minutes later, Cole tied it by swatting in a rebound that was nicked by Dallas Alex Chiasson following a shot from the left point by Seguin 35 seconds into a power play. Kopitar accounted for the final margin 1:05 into the third period with a shot from the left circle after Dallas Benn brothers, Jamie and Jordie, got tangled up and lost the puck. NOTES: Dallas forward Ray Whitney sat out with the flu, the first game that the 23-year NHL veteran has missed following 16 consecutive appearances. ... The Kings dropped to 4-2 in the second of back-to-back games. ... 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