Allgemeine Themen » the draft is big for the

TORONTO - By the time the Raptors make their selection in next months NBA draft, provided they stand pat at pick no. 20, three Canadian players should already be off the board. Thornhills Andrew Wiggins, a lock to go in the top three, will be the first of that group to hear his name called followed by possible lottery picks in guards Nik Stauskas and Tyler Ennis, all hailing from the Greater Toronto Area. Fittingly, Ennis initial stop on the pre-draft circuit came in his hometown, headlining the Raptors first workout session Thursday morning. The Brampton-raised point guard, like Wiggins and Stauskas, has been on their radar for a while. "Weve tracked him [for] a long time," admitted general manager Masai Ujiri. "This is one of those deals where we could go to Syracuse as many times as [we wanted], being close to [Toronto], drive up, so I was fortunate enough to go to a couple practices [and] a couple games." What he saw was a young man at the age of 19 who plays the game and carries himself with poise beyond his years, a common denominator among most of the countrys emerging prospects. "He plays very calm and thats the first thing I noticed," Ujiri said of Ennis, set to enter the NBA following his freshman season at Syracuse. "[Hes] very professional and carries himself the right way." "You see his demeanour and I think hell make a good professional." Ujiri has long been enamoured by the prospect of adding a Canadian-born product but remains steadfast in his belief that it would have to be the right player, in the right situation. Understandably, the Raptors GM will not draft a player simply for his passport, rather that player must be able to contribute at the highest level, address a need on the roster and possess the maturity required to strive in a high-pressure scenario. Ennis is a player who would appear to fit the bill. "I dont think anybody enters the draft just wanting to make a team and be happy there," said Ennis, arguably the best pure point guard in this years class. "Personally, I want to make an impact. I thought I was ready for the next level when I decided to enter the draft and if I were to end up on Toronto, I would definitely want to make an impact, especially in my home town." But will he be available to the Raptors at 20? "Id be surprised," Ujiri admitted. Unless the Raptors were to trade up in the draft - a possibility, however unlikely, that Ujiri wont completely rule out - they will likely miss out on that highly touted trio, but given the influx and depth of domestic talent that continues to come out of the country its only a matter of time until they call a Canadian to the podium. "I think anybody thats lucky enough to play in Toronto," Ennis said, "with the fan support that was shown in the playoffs and the great organization that the Raptors have, I think anybody that gets drafted here is lucky. "To have a Canadian would be great for the city, I think everybody would get behind them and I think it would just be a great opportunity." Of course, the Raptors also own a pair of second-round picks - 37 and 59 - where they could snag one of four other eligible Canadians. 7-foot-2 Calgary-native Jordan Bachynski, last seasons NCAA blocked shot leader, was among the participants in Thursdays workouts at the Air Canada Centre, while Quebecs Khem Birch and Torontos Melvin Ejim and Dwight Powell could audition for the Raptors when sessions resume next week. "To have so many Canadians in the draft is big for the country and for the most part, most of them are from the Greater Toronto Area, so I think its great for basketball in Canada and its great for us individually," Ennis added. "All of us have had very good years at our respective universities and wherever we end up I know everybody thats in the draft thats Canadian is hard working and good people off the court, so I think well all be able to find success." Cheap Nike Air Max 95 Outlet .m. ET, CBSOPENING LINE — Packers by 3RECORD VS. SPREAD — New England 7-4, Green Bay 5-5-1SERIES RECORD — Tied 5-5. Air Max 95 Cheap Authentic .S. Basketball Writers Association. McDermott, who finished his career at Creighton as college basketballs fifth-leading scorer, accepted the honour from Hall of Famer Oscar Robertson at AT&T Stadium, site of the Final Four. http://www.airmax95outlet.com/ . While hell be dialed in to that tournament on a course he loves, you can forgive him if his eyes glance down the calendar just a bit, towards April. Cheap Air Max 95 Wholesale . The Swede became the first golfer to win the PGA Tours FedEx Cup and European Tours Race to Dubai in the same season. "It is still taking a little time to sink in what Ive achieved this week as was the case when I won the FedEx Cup but then it just kept getting better and better as the days went on and I am sure this will be the same," he said. Cheap Nike Air Max 95 Online .S.-Cuba relations means baseball prospects get off the island and into the major leagues without payoffs to smugglers and threats from kidnappers, its hard to see the downside.GREEN BAY, Wis. - After an exhilarating win in the snow, Pittsburgh safety Troy Polamalu got even better news when he returned to the locker room. Remarkably, the Steelers are still in the playoff chase. Polamalus forced fumble set up LeVeon Bells 1-yard touchdown run with 1:28 left, then Pittsburgh withstood Green Bays last throw into the end zone and dealt the Packers playoff hopes a blow with a 38-31 victory Sunday. Its a longshot, but the Steelers (7-8), after starting 0-4 this season, are still mathematically in the hunt for an AFC wild-card spot. They need a lot of help. "Its been a long road for us, but we still have our struggles. We were one play from losing that game," Polamalu said. It would be a near-miracle if they can get through another week. The Steelers need to beat the Browns in Week 17, and need the Dolphins, Ravens and Chargers — all 8-7 — to lose. "Its irrelevant, to be honest. Nothing has changed from our standpoint," Polamalu said. "Our mental approach to the game has got to be a week-by-week thing." The loss meant Green Bay (7-7-1) needed Chicago to lose at Philadelphia on Sunday night to stay in playoff contention. "Im not into drama," coach Mike McCarthy said. "We wanted to control our own destiny, we let that opportunity out of our hands." The Packers were back in control by nights end. The Bears lost 54-11, turning next weeks matchup with Green Bay into a showdown for the NFC North title at Soldier Field. Bells TD came soon after scrambling Packers quarterback Matt Flynn fumbled while being tackled by Polamalu. The Steelers recovered at the Packers 17 and scored five plays later, aided in part by an encroachment penalty by the Packers Nick Perry, on what would have been a field-goal attempt, to extend the drive. Micah Hydes 70-yard kickoff return to the Steelers 31 gave the Packers one last chance. Green Bay got to the 1, but Flynns pass to Jarrett Boykin sailed incomplete in the end zone to end the game. The last few seconds were marred by a false start penalty that pushed the Packers back to the 6 and included a 10-second runoff down to 10 seconds remaining. The Packers didnt get the snap off until 3 seconds were left, and Flynn said it appeared the umpire was holding uup the centre but started the clock while backing up.dddddddddddd "I dont know what happened, really," Flynn said. "The operation seemed kind of weird right there," Flynn said. Just like the rest of the second half. Steelers cornerback Cortez Allen returned an interception 40 yards for a touchdown and quarterback Ben Roethlisberger dashed through the snow for a 13-yard score in the third quarter. But a rarely seen illegal batting call nearly spoiled the Steelers night After the Steelers blocked the kick, a scramble ensued and the jostled ball ended up near the sideline, where Steelers defensive lineman Ziggy Hood poked it out of bounds. After conferring for a few minutes, the officials penalized Hood and gave possession to Green Bay, ruling the Steelers never controlled the ball after the block and that it never crossed the line of scrimmage of the Steelers 5. Safety Ryan Clark said he could have picked up the ball, but he was slowed after spraining his ankle in the game and tried to lateral the ball, but it squirted free and eventually got to Hood. "Its human error in this game," Clark said. "The guy didnt see it, he didnt have the opportunity to know if I had possession, so he made the call that he saw and thats part of football. Its no big deal, we won." Given another chance, Eddie Lacy barrelled into the end zone from 2 yards for a 21-17 lead. Instead of sulking, the Steelers answered quickly. Ben Roethlisberger found Matt Spaeth for an 11-yard touchdown pass with 2 minutes left in the third. Fourteen seconds later, Allen had his clutch interception. The Packers roared back with a 22-yard field goal by Mason Crosby before John Kuhns 1-yard touchdown run with 7:17 left tied the game at 31. But the Steelers finally finished things off with Bells touchdown run and the Packers failed last-ditch throw into the end zone. Notes: Bell finished with 26 carries for 124 yards. ... Lacy had 15 carries for 84 yards and two scores but later left with a sprained ankle. ... Flynn finished 21 of 39 for 232 yards making his fourth start in place of injured quarterback Aaron Rodgers (left collarbone). ... Packers LB Clay Matthews left following a sack after re-aggravating a right thumb injury. China NFL Jerseys Cheap Nike NFL Jerseys NFL Jerseys Cheap Wholesale NFL Jerseys Cheap Basketball Jerseys Online Stitched Hockey Jerseys Wholesale Baseball Jerseys Football Jerseys Outlet College Jerseys For Sale Cheap MLB Jerseys Wholesale Soccer Jerseys Wholesale Jerseys For Sale Wholesale NFL Jerseys ' ' '