Magicgames II » w it happens again, guys start pulling back, sayin

TORONTO - Andrea Bargnani was asked how it felt to occupy a locker in the visitors room for the first time, returning to the Air Canada Centre three months after being traded. "I was here before," he responded, correcting the reporter. He was right. "I was here when I came to play with Benetton Treviso, my Italian team, a long time ago," he pointed out. That was Oct. 20, 2004, an exhibition game against the Raptors, his future team. This is Bargnani in a nutshell. He wont sugarcoat. He wont beat around the bush. He marches to the beat of his own drum, on and off the court. Hes not interested in playing your game. He plays his own. Even after watching the former first-overall pick for seven years, hes still a mystery to the fans who booed him Friday, the fans he spoke so highly of. "The only thing I have to say about the fans in Toronto is that I was lucky to play here for seven years," he told reporters after scoring 10 points and grabbing four rebounds in 21 minutes of action. As if it had been rehearsed, over and over prior to the big night, thats all he had to say. "I was lucky to play in this city." No matter how hard the local media prodded for something more, thats all they got. And thats how this all started. It didnt matter what the team, the city, its fans expected to get out of Bargnani during his turbulent seven years in Toronto, he gave as much as he wanted. And for that, he was booed. Bargnani was booed early and often in the Raptors 100-91 preseason victory over the forwards new team, the New York Knicks. He was greeted with boos during pre-game introductions and he heard it from the crowd every time he touched the ball. A well-timed, "you suck Bargnani" rained down from the stands during complete silence in between anthems. Bargnani was booed and no one was surprised. "It will probably be an up and down moment for him," former teammate Amir Johnson predicted before the game. "Theyll probably boo, I just hope it isnt worse than they boo (Vince Carter)." It wasnt worse than Carter but the two are apples and oranges (or Primo and Italpasta, if that helps) in terms of their place in Raptors history. In seven seasons with the Raptors, Bargnani averaged 15.2 points and 4.8 rebounds, shooting 44 per cent from the field and 36 per cent from three-point range. He ranks third in franchise history in scoring, second in three-pointers made and fourth in games played. More than anything else, most fans will remember the injuries that derailed him each time he seemed to be turning a corner and the perceived lack of effort that held him back from reaching his ultimate potential. "It happens," Dwane Casey said of Bargnanis failure to live up to the lofty expectations that come from being a first-overall pick. "Expectations are tough and I think thats what Andrea got caught (with) here with but Andrea is a very skilled player." "It just didnt work out here," he continued. "It happens to a lot of players in the league. It doesnt mean its not going to work out for him in New York, it could be a perfect fit for him. This league is about personnel fits. Its easy to plug in a Michael Jordan and say, hey he fits anywhere but guys that have a certain skill set, sometimes it fits and sometimes it doesnt." Bargnani and the Knicks return to Toronto once more in the preseason before making their first regular season visit on December 28. Disjointed offence Once again turnovers were an issue for the Raptors, who threw the ball away 23 times leading to 31 points for the Knicks. For the second time in three games they exceeded 20 giveaways - managing to win both games - after averaging just 13.7 (third best in the league) last season. "Thats alarming," Casey said after the game. "Weve got to take care of the basketball... We cant use preseason as an excuse. Thats a concern." Fact is, it is still early in the preseason and Caseys coaching staff has been working primarily on defence. The offence is still very much a work in progress and it has been noticeable. "Were definitely going to cut them down," DeMar DeRozan said of the turnovers. "Were going to watch film (and) watch the mistakes were (making)." Kyle Lowry had six turnovers but the miscues, for the most part, have been spread out. Just as worrisome, the team tallied just nine assists on 32 made field goals with just three of those assists coming in the first half. Third-string standouts The offence has been especially stagnant when Casey has gone to his second unit. The game seemed to be lost for Toronto during an 18-0 Knicks run that turned an eight-point Raptors lead late in the third quarter to a 10-point deficit early in the fourth. Several of the regulars off the bench struggled, as they have through most of the teams first three exhibition games. Landry Fields was 0-for-6 in 20 minutes, D.J. Augustin went 0-of-3 in eight minutes and Steve Novak didnt attempt a shot in six minutes against his former team. Toronto went scoreless for almost six and a half minutes before Casey made a change, inserting some of his third-string players midway through the fourth. They delivered. Dwight Buycks had 10 points, all in the final quarter, and Quincy Acy - in his first action of the preseason - helped spearhead a 23-9 run to recapture the lead. "Quincy Acy got our attention," Casey said after the second-year forward changed the game with his energy, scoring nine points - even knocking down a three - in just six minutes. "We knew what he could do, hes been working his behind off and he took advantage of the opportunity." Opportunities may continue to present themselves for Buycks and Acy if their hard play overshadows their more experienced teammates. Those two have been grouped together as part of a five-man unit for scrimmages in camp. "Weve won some games in practice with our energy, over skill," Acy told TSN.ca. In terms of the back-up point guard position, the rookie Buycks will continue to challenge D.J. Augustin for minutes. Neither has run away with the job. "Its close," Casey said of that battle. "Theyre different types of guards, both of them bring something different to the table, that we need. Its probably going to be nip and tuck with those two guys all year, depending on the match-up." DeRozan: the teams "most efficient player" In a team-high 32 minutes, DeRozan had another strong game scoring 20 points on 7-of-15 shooting and a perfect 6-for-6 from the line. Again the fifth-year guard had his way in the paint, utilizing a much-improved up and under move, attacking the rim, initiating the fast break and finding his teammates around the basket. "Hes playing big minutes but hes playing at a high level," Casey said of DeRozan. "Hes playing efficient basketball, with his passes, with his attacks, with his reads. "(Hes) probably the most efficient player we have right now." Through three games hes certainly been the most consistent and probably the most impressive Raptor. After the game he shared a goal of his this season. "I was eighth in free throws last year in the league," he stated. "My goal is (to) try to get in the top five, and it comes with being aggressive. Thats one big goal of mine." As a team, the Raptors attempted 39 free throws, making 31 and besting the Knicks who were 14-for-19 from the stripe. Up next The Raptors travel to Minnesota to complete their first back-to-back of the year on Saturday, facing a Timberwolves team they beat at home on Monday. Cody Wichmann Jersey . Bach, a 59-year-old German lawyer, was elected Tuesday as president of the International Olympic Committee. He succeeds Jacques Rogge, who stepped down after 12 years. Bach, the longtime favourite, defeated five candidates in a secret ballot for the most influential job in international sports, keeping the presidency in European hands. Bill Bates Jersey http://www.cheapcowboysjerseyschina.com/...tin-jersey/.com) - Delon Wright scored 17 points and No. Daniel Ross Jersey . The 28-year-old lefty made his MLB debut in 2013, making 10 starts and going 2-5 with 4.05 ERA and 1.18 WHIP. Albers was named the Twins organizations minor league pitcher of the year for 2013. Robert Quinn Jersey . In an interview with La Presse this week, the five-time Stanley Cup champion and three-time NHL scoring leader specifically took aim at wingers Thomas Vanek and Max Pacioretty, saying they cant show up in a 7-4 win over the New York Rangers in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Final and come up empty in Game 6.ATLANTA -- After an unbeaten run through the Southeastern Conference, top-ranked Florida reaped its rewards Monday. Scottie Wilbekin was picked as The Associated Press Southeastern Conference player of the year, while Billy Donovan took the coaching honour for the second season in a row. Kentucky freshman Julius Randle was selected as newcomer of the year. The AP awards were announced one day after Florida defeated Kentucky 61-60 in the championship game of the SEC tournament. The Gators (32-2) were named top overall seed in the NCAAs and will open against either Albany or Mount St. Marys in the South Regional. Wilbekin and Randle were unanimous choices to the All-SEC first team, joined by Tennessee forward Jarnell Stokes, Florida forward Casey Prather and Missouri guard Jabari Brown. Wilbekin averaged 13 points and 3.8 assists a game. More important, the 6-foot-2 senior guard was the unquestioned leader for the Gators at both ends of the court, making amends from two suspensions that threatened his future with the program. He missed the first five games this season for an undisclosed violation of team rules, after behind held out the first three games the previous year. "I think when he went through that, our guys were like, OK, it happened one time, blah, blah, blah. But now it happens again, guys start pulling back, saying, OK, man, is this guy about us? Does this guy even care about us or our team?" Donovan said. Wilbekin worked hard to rebuild the relationship with his teammates, and it showed on the court. "He had to go through a long process of showing these guys that he cares and hes committed to them," Donovan said. "I think once he got through the end of that process, I think our guys kind of put their arms around him and were like, Wow, coach made this guy go through a lot. A lot of that had to do with me wanting to help him restore his credibility inside the team, and he had to do that and hes grown from that on and off the court." Wilbekin was named MVP of the SEC tournament. During hard-fought wins in both the semifinals and final, he would gather the team around him when things werent going Floridas way. "Coach cant talk to us all the time," he said, "so we try to huddle ourselves and say the right things amonng ourselves.dddddddddddd." Donovan repeated as coach of the year with Florida becoming the first team to go 18-0 in SEC games during the regular season. The Gators won three more games at the Georgia Dome this past weekend for their first tournament title since 2007. "Anytime you get those coaching honours or coaching awards, a lot of it is because youve got a good group and theyve done a great job," Donovan said. "I do think that when individual awards come out, its much, much more of a reflection of the people around you. Even with Scotties award, Id say the same thing. Its more of a reflection of the people around him. I think for me, its the players and the coaching staff, the people I have around me." Randle emerged as the top player from Kentuckys latest group of heralded freshmen. While some thought the Wildcats (24-10) underachieved -- after all, they started the season No. 1 and there was even speculation about whether they could go unbeaten -- the 6-foot-9 Randle led the conference in rebounding (10.5 a game) and ranked 10th in scoring (15.0). Kentucky was seeded eighth in the NCAAs and will open Friday against Kansas State in the Midwest Regional. "I feel like our chemistry is getting better," Randle said. "Were becoming a better team, getting better every game." Stokes, a 6-8 junior forward, helped Tennessee (21-12) join Florida and Kentucky as the only SEC schools in the 68-team NCA