Rangers OF Hamilton spent a long time signing

[jenny123]

Only once in the history of the Toronto Raptors has the club selected eighth overall in the NBA draft, and that was to make their biggest draft blunder as an NBA franchise. Back in 2004, the Raptors passed on Andre Iguodala (and Al Jefferson and Josh Smith and Jameer Nelson) so that they could bring Brazilian center Rafael Araujo into the fold to man the middle with his comically short arms. Unsurprisingly, the GM responsible for that decision was fired the next season (but not before passing on Danny Granger, Andrew Bynum and David Lee so he could take Charlie Villanueva and Joey Graham in the subsequent draft). Raptors fans will hope for better this year when the draft goes down a month from now in Newark, New Jersey. Heck, you could probably throw a dart at the list of draft-eligible players and not get stuck with someone as bad as "Hoffa", so maybe just improving on the 2004 draft is not enough of a barometer of success for Toronto this spring. Who might the team be looking at in anticipation of the big day? Well, heres a quick look at the players floating around the eighth pick that could bring someone of value to a Raptors club looking to make the playoffs next season. DAMIAN LILLARD - 62" - Point Guard Weber State Kawhi Leonard has made a huge name for himself this year as a player from a small school that exploded onto the NBA scene with the league-dominating Spurs, and Lillard is looking to follow in his footsteps next season. While Weber State is hardly a basketball powerhouse, Lillard himself sure was. He was second in scoring in the NCAA last season (24.5 ppg), was second in PER (33.58), shot a great percentage from three (.409) and has been winning over scouts across the NBA with his play in games and in workouts. He started the year as a borderline first rounder and now appears to be firmly in the conversation as a lottery pick this spring. His appeal for the Raptors is obvious. For a team with no players who can create their own shot consistently, hed be a transformative player in that regard. Hes a legit athlete with speed and quickness which he uses to get to the basket and create space for himself to get off his jumper. Hes a willing passer, although his instincts in that regard need work. His three-point shot would help open up the floor for DeMar DeRozan and Andrea Bargnani, and his ability to penetrate will help shift defences that can be attacked with smart passing and aggressive shooting. With Jerryd Bayless a free agent this summer and Jose Calderon a free agent next summer, the Raptors have to be exploring options for their future at this position, and if they choose to use the draft to address it, then Lillard would be an obvious, and compelling, choice. PERRY JONES - 611" - ForwardBaylor There is no bigger hole on Torontos roster than small forward, and if Perry Jones pans out, then there is no better small forward in this draft than him. Thats a huge if though. Jones was played mostly as a post player at Baylor and put up middling numbers in that role (13.5 ppg, 7.6 rpg, .500 FG%). Worse than the numbers, though, was Jones lackadaisical approach to the game. He looked completely disengaged far too often for comfort and that has caused his stock to crater this season. All that said, Jones boosters insist that if he was given a chance to play on the perimeter, where his superior size and ball handling could have been exploited, he would have looked a lot better than he did banging in the post with his wispy frame. In such a role, hes evoked names like Tracy McGrady and Paul George, but thats all speculative since no one has seem him play small forward consistently at a high level of competition. If he could reach those heights, he could remake Toronto as a franchise. He has the kind of versatility that opposing teams dread game-planning for. His combination of size, length and skill means he can punish both smaller and bigger players alike by utilizing the full array of tools in his toolbox. Plus, that kind of length and athleticism put to work in Dwane Caseys defensive schemes could be stifling if Jones committed to it. For the Raptors to take a chance on Jones, though, theyd have to be bowled over by his potential and utterly convinced he could capitalize on it. They want to win now, they arent looking to make a two-to-three year investment in a player that they have to develop unless they can be sure they are getting a superstar out of it. There is no doubt that Jones has the talent to get him into the conversation, but its unlikely that he is going to be able to convince the Raptors to take a chance on him, given that doing so would go completely against where they are hoping to get themselves to starting next season. Sure the talent is there, but it was there for Anthony Randolph, Brandan Wright and Austin Daye, too, and none of them have exactly contended for All-Star berths since entering the NBA. Still, if he did blow them away between now and the draft, so much so that they felt compelled to take him, youd have to at least wonder how good the team thought he could be to make that selection, given all of the above reservations. DION WAITERS - 64" - Shooting GuardSyracuse Waiters is a controversial figure in this draft. Run-ins with Jim Boeheim caused all sorts of red flags for scouts that few are willing to ignore, despite Boeheims about-face regarding Waiters. A bad rep is a very hard thing to shake heading into the draft, but if he can do it, then Waiters could make some sense for the Raptors on draft night. Waiters is a bulldog shooting guard, the kind of guy that attacks the rim vociferously and has the build to absorb contact and finish around the rim. Hes got the handle of a point guard (in fact, some believe he could even log spot minutes at the position, and he couldnt be worse in that role than Gary Forbes was) and would be an interesting James Harden-esque sixth-man for the Raptors if they went in that direction. Some question how hell adapt to playing in an NBA-style defence after running Boeheims zone at Syracuse, but Dwane Casey is one of the NBAs most ardent supporters of the zone defence, negating (to a degree) that concern with regards to Waiters. The question for Toronto is whether or not Waiters fits into the construction of this current Raptors squad. With DeMar DeRozan logging heavy minutes at shooting guard as a starter, youd either have to move him to small forward for stretches or allow Waiters to play point guard for stretches to get him enough minutes to make an impact. Both might be fine alternatives if the Raptors fall in love with Waiters talent, but Bryan Colangelo has a history of steering away from "red flag" players and that might be enough to keep Colangelo out of love with Waiters and out of contention for Torontos pick. JEREMY LAMB - 65" - Shooting GuardConnecticut Lamb possesses great length and strong defensive fundamentals, but his style is eerily reminiscent of DeMar DeRozans and his penchant for passivity would only exacerbate the culture that Casey is trying to eradicate in Toronto. TERRENCE ROSS - 66" - Shooting GuardWashington This would be a reach, especially since there are better guards ahead of him that will be available at Torontos pick, but hes explosive and can shoot the three (unlike Lamb) and will probably at least be brought in for a workout to strut his stuff for Torontos brass. TYLER ZELLER - 70" - CentreNorth Carolina While the Raptors are already bringing in Jonas Valanciunas next season, Zeller is more NBA-ready and could step in and play right away if the Raptors decide to let Aaron Gray walk in free agency. If the Raptors dont fall in love with any other prospects, this could be a smart, safe pick, though unfair comparisons to Hoffa would be inevitable if the Raptors went this route. TRADE THE PICK Since the Raptors failed to vault up into the top three, this option is still very much in play. While there are players floating around eight that could be solid additions to the clubs nucleus, if the Raptors can parlay this pick into a standout veteran, theyll do it. For instance, if packaging the pick with players nets the club Andre Iguodala, they are making that trade. If they could send this pick to Houston to get Kyle Lowry, they are making that trade. If swapping picks with Milwaukee gets them Brandon Jennings... okay, you get the idea. The point is that the Raptors want to start winning now. They have their prized rookie for next season already secured, and the club wont bat an eye at moving this pick to make the team better and more competitive. This is NOT one of those drafts where the Raptors are out hunting for more picks. They want to start surrounding their young core with veterans in their prime who can put this team securely into the playoffs. If that trade doesnt exist, then theyll be fine taking Lillard or Waiters or whomever, but understand their first priority is getting better, and if ditching their pick is the way to do that, then that is what they are going to do. Kyle Williams Super Bowl Jersey . Russell, 19, finished third in her heat in two minutes, 08.76 seconds. It was almost three-tenths faster than her heats earlier in the day, and she struggled to catch her breath as she spoke with reporters. Anquan Boldin Super Bowl Jersey . But St. Louis Blues coach Ken Hitchcock said his team definitely earned Kevin Shattenkirks power-play goal late in the third period that let them leave Winnipeg with a 2-1 win Tuesday. www.the49ersnfljerseys.com/Mike-Iupati-Youth-Jersey-Super-Bowl/ . The 10th-ranked German struggled for rhythm and won just five points on her own serve as she lost the opening set in 22 minutes. Kerber settled after an early break in the second and conceded just three games in the remainder of the match. Steve Young Super Bowl Jersey . Aviles was batting .222 with five home runs and 31 RBIs in 53 games with the Royals. Hes expected to fill a utility infielders role with the Red Sox. Aviles spent part of the season at triple-A Omaha and had been unhappy with his lack of playing time since being recalled July 20. Glenn Dorsey Super Bowl Jersey . Philip Humber (5-3) allowed one run in 7 2/3 innings on five hits and three walks while fanning five, as the White Sox were victorious for the sixth time in eight games. Felix Hernandez (6-5) pitched 6 2/3 innings in defeat, allowing five runs on eight hits and two walks.BOSTON -- Thats the Ryan Dempster the Texas Rangers hoped they got at the trade deadline. Dempster rebounded from a rough debut with Texas by pitching shutout ball into the seventh inning, Ian Kinsler had a pair of RBI singles and the Rangers snapped a two-game losing streak with a 6-3 win over the Boston Red Sox on Tuesday night. "Anytime you have a rough one you want to get out there the next day," Dempster said. "Those five days take a long time. I think just knowing the lineup a little bit facing these guys. I was able to use the fastball and had a good split." Dempster (1-0), from Gibsons, B.C., allowed three unearned runs, six hits, struck out six and walked one in 6 2-3 innings. Acquired from the Chicago Cubs minutes before last weeks non-waiver trade deadline, he was tagged for eight runs in 4 2-3 innings by the Angels in his first Rangers start on Thursday. On Tuesday, he showed why he was the one of the top prizes at the deadline. "Even though he gave up all those runs against Anaheim, he kept us in that ballgame and we won that ballgame," Rangers manager Ron Washington said. "He had a two-point-something ERA, leading the National League in ERA, leading the National League in (batting average) against. We know hes capable of getting outs, and he proved that tonight, without a shadow of a doubt. Were very happy to have him. We certainly need his leadership in the front part of our rotation." Rangers outfielder David Murphy knew how Dempster felt, having been dealt by Boston to the Rangers at the deadline in 2007. "Hes a veteran and hes an easygoing guy to begin with, but I think as a man you want to earn your keep," he said. "Obviously after not having his best stuff his first outing, he wanted to turn that around as quickly as possible. I think he did that tonight." Josh Hamilton and Nelson Cruz each had two hits and drove in a run for Texas. Will Middlebrooks had a pinch-hit three-run homer for the Red Sox, who have lost five of seven. The AL West-leading Rangers have lost three straight only three times this season. Jon Lester (5-10) gave up four runs on six hits in 6 2-3 innings. Hes 0-5 in his last six starts. "Its another heck of a performance. We didnt score the runs and he didnt get the breaks," Red Sox manager Bobby Valentine said. "Couple of curveballs to a couple of left-handers wound up hurting him." Lester, expected to be one of the clubs top starters, hasnt won since June 27. "I cant keep talking about being frustrated and all this stuff," he said. "Everybody obviously knows here that were frustrated and we dont like losing. ... But theres positives for mee personally in this game that Im going to take and go forward to the next one.ddddddddddddquot; Bostons Dustin Pedroia was called out on an attempted check swing by first base umpire Paul Nauert in the eighth and ejected in the top of the ninth. "It looked like he checked his swing from our vantage point," said Valentine, who came out after his second baseman was tossed. Until Middlebrooks belted his homer, it was very similar to when Dempster faced the Red Sox earlier this season. He mixed a sharp splitter with a well-spotted fastball to keep Bostons hitters off-balance. Joe Nathan worked the ninth for his 22nd save. With Texas leading 4-0 and two outs in the seventh, Kinsler misplayed Ryan Kalishs grounder for an error. Middlebrooks followed by hitting the first pitch over the Green Monster -- where a fan reached out to grab the ball near the top of the wall. The call was reviewed and upheld after a lengthy review. Cruzs RBI single made it 5-3 in the eighth. Hamiltons single made it 6-3 in the ninth. Dempster worked seven shutout innings against Boston in Chicagos win on June 15. The Rangers broke a scoreless tie with a pair of runs in the sixth. After taking a close pitch for a ball with a 1-2 count, Murphy had a leadoff double. One out later, Kinsler singled off the top of the left-field wall, advanced on a groundout and scored on Hamiltons single to right. In the seventh, Murphy had a sacrifice fly and Kinsler added an RBI single, making it 4-0. Carl Crawford doubled in the first, but was picked off second. Cody Ross opened the second with a double, but was stranded. Dempster then retired 14 of the next 15 -- allowing only Ross two-out double in the fourth -- until he walked Pedroia in the sixth. The Red Sox were coming off an eight-double game in Mondays win and three of the first four balls they hit into play Tuesday night were off the Monster, including two doubles. NOTES: Rangers SS Andrus was back in the lineup after missing Mondays game with a sore right shoulder. ... Texas C Mike Napoli didnt start after catching four straight games. ... Bostons David Ortiz, on the 15-day DL since July 18 with a strained right Achilles, took batting practice on the field and said hopes to return this weekend when the Red Sox play in Cleveland. ... For the second straight day, Rangers OF Hamilton spent a long time signing autographs, posing for pictures and joking with the fans on the field next to Texas dugout during BP. ... Boston RHP Clay Buchholz wore a large Frisbee-type disc around his neck for a good portion of BP. ... Shawn Thornton, Tuukka Rask and Daniel Paille of the Boston Bruins took BP on the field about 3 1/2 hours before the game. ' ' '