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TORONTO -- Dwane Casey has been carrying around a contract in his briefcase for the past few months, signed by all the Toronto
TORONTO -- Dwane Casey has been carrying around a contract in his briefcase for the past few months, signed by all the Toronto
in Vorschläge 05.11.2019 02:59von jokergreen0220 • 2.255 Beiträge
TORONTO -- Dwane Casey has been carrying around a contract in his briefcase for the past few months, signed by all the Toronto Raptors and the teams staff. Nike Air Vapormax Discount . The contract, just two or three lines long and something that "wouldnt hold up in court," Casey said laughing, was a pledge of commitment. Its headline: "Im all in." Perhaps no one was more committed than Casey to the Raptors success this season, and on Tuesday, the 57-year-old coach was rewarded with a new three-year contract. The announcement came two days after Torontos season ended, but a couple of months after GM Masai Ujiri first approached the coach to get a new deal done. "Coach Casey was really classy because he said to me and he said to the players, Lets leave this and concentrate on the season, this is our chance to prove ourselves," Ujiri said, recounting his initial contract talks with Casey back in March. "He said, If Ive preached that to the players, then I owe it to them to continue this and well talk about (contract negotiations) after the season. I really give him credit for that." Casey led a young Raptors team to a remarkable and unexpected season that included a franchise-record 48 wins, an Atlantic Division title, and the No. 3 seed in the playoffs. Toronto pushed the vastly experienced Brooklyn Nets to seven games in the opening round of the playoffs, losing Game 7 by just a point. Casey said he drew up his "Im all in" pledge right after the February all-star break. In their next game, the Raptors recorded a big 103-93 win at Washington. "(It was about) committing to the process. Leaving their egos at the door," said Casey, who said he might have the contract framed. "Each player dedicated themselves, gave themselves to the season, and also as far as Im concerned to the future. Because this year was just a start of what we want to grow and develop with Masai as our leader and also the guys that are coming back here." Kyle Lowry was the first player to jump up and sign the pledge, said Casey. Retaining Lowry, the point guard whose teammates say was their heart and soul this season, will be one of the Raptors top priorities in the coming weeks -- the 28-year-old becomes a free agent on July 1. Lowry spoke glowingly in exit interviews a day earlier about his love for his teammates and the city, and Ujiri sounded, on Tuesday, as if the feeling was mutual. "Its very important (to re-sign Lowry) in terms of continuity," Ujiri said. "Kyle has had a phenomenal year. I thought Kyle was a huge, huge key to our season. For me, negotiating is easy if we want Kyle to be here and Kyle wants to be here. "Hes grown tremendously, to be coached and to work with," Ujiri continued. "His teammates, everybody has said that. Were proud of him. And so well go through that process, but were optimistic stuff will happen." Lowry and his teammates praised Casey in season-ending media interviews, noting the consistency of his message. For his part, Casey said he never considered testing the market. Ujiri made a commitment to the coach when the season began, and Casey said it was only fair he reciprocate. Caseys job status was uncertain when the season began. He was hired by Bryan Colangelo, and Ujiri had just replaced Colangelo as GM. "Masai could have made any decision when he first took over the job last spring." Casey said. "He was true to his word, he gave all of us a platform to go out and prove and show, even the players, what you can do. And he was true to his word. Thats all you can ask for in this business is an opportunity. "It would be so disingenuous to even go out and put your foot in the market and think that was a possibility, so I didnt even give it a second thought. My heart is here, my mind is here." The Raptors thrived after the seven-player deal last December that sent Rudy Gay to the Sacramento Kings. Casey, who is almost fatherly in the way he communicates with his team, worked four new players into the roster, and from that point forward Toronto had the best mark in the Eastern Conference at 41-22. Casey and Ujiri were proud of the teams performance in the playoffs. They squared off against a Nets team that was built for success right now, whereas the Raptors are very much a work in progress. Casey was named head coach in June 2011, shortly after he helped guide the Dallas Mavericks to an NBA title. When asked which season -- the championship in Dallas, or this Raptors campaign -- was more satisfying, he said this one. "Its far more gratifying watching kids grow, watching development ... watching guys go through Game 6, when our compete level in the first half was probably one of the lowest we had all year, and then turn it around and put ourselves in a position to win the game," Casey said. Casey said the biggest mistake the team can make now is be complacent, so improvement is the focus of the off-season. He pointed out how sophomore centre Jonas Valanciunas will work with NBA legend and former Raptor Hakeem Olajuwon over the summer. The coach said, for his part, hell do what he does every off-season and examine tape of every game, looking for what they did wrong, what they could have done better. Both Casey and Ujiri spoke again about the incredible fan support in Toronto, noting that support helps when theyre trying to sell the city to free agents. Casey called it easily the best in the NBA and compared it to the 1996 NBA finals. He was with the Seattle SuperSonics that year, bowing in the final series to Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls. "KeyArena was rocking, loud. The Finals in 96, I thought that was loud," Casey said. "That didnt compare to the Air Canada Centre on Sunday when Deron Williams was shooting his free throws (in the dying seconds). You could just hear it vibrating. The official had to lean over to me and whisper in my ear, which I felt kinda creepy ... but you couldnt hear yourself talk. Thats a home-court advantage, its second to none in the league." Ujiri mentioned his predecessor at the end of Tuesdays 45-minute news conference at Air Canada Centre. "I think Bryan Colangelo did an unbelievable job here," he said. "He hired Dwane Casey. The starting five were picked by Bryan Colangelo as young players. I think the guy did an unbelievable job. He was a boss here, my boss and a mentor. He needs to be given some credit." Casey was named NBA Eastern Conference coach of the month in December. The Raptors finished in the Top 10 in the NBA in defensive field goal percentage (.450) and points allowed (98.0), and also posted a franchise-best 22 road wins. Cheap Nike Air Vapormax China .Y. - The Philadelphia Eagles game at Green Bay against the Packers on Nov. White Nike Air Vapormax . New York Red Bulls. TSN primes Vancouver fans for the start of the 2014 season with MLS on TSN: Season Preview Special airing tonight at 7:30pm et/4:30pm pt on TSN2 (encore Friday at 3:30pm et/12:30pm pt on TSN2). http://www.cheapairvapormaxsale.com/ . - Leon Draisaitl scored a hat trick as the Prince Albert Raiders stormed past the Swift Current Broncos 5-2 in Western Hockey League action Tuesday.SAN FRANCISCO - Miami Marlins manager Mike Redmond has no explanation for why his club has played so well at home and struggled so much on the road this season. Wins like Friday night will help erase those questions. Casey McGehee singled home the winning run with one out in the ninth inning to atone for a costly error and help the Marlins earn a rare road win, 7-5 over the San Francisco Giants. "I think were still trying to figure it out," Redmond said. "If I had an answer to why were so much better at home to on the road, wed fix it, right? But these guys keep battling. They keep fighting. You saw that tonight. We dont quit. We keep grinding. We might make a few mistakes, but we keep going." The Marlins made plenty of mistakes. They also made some big plays, too. Derek Dietrich and Christian Yelich homered, and Jarrod Saltalamacchia snapped an 0-for-26 skid by tying his career high with four singles to stop Miamis slide. The Marlins entered the game losers of six of their past seven games and a majors-worst 4-16 record away from home. They also are a league-best 17-5 at home. "Weve seen those games go the other way sometimes, especially on the road right now. It was huge for us to be able to stick in there and get that one," McGehee said. Santiago Casilla (1-1) got out of a bases-loaded jam in the eighth, but couldnt escape trouble in the ninth. The right-hander allowed two baserunners before McGehees tiebreaking grounder to right field. "It just had eyes and got through the infield," Giants manager Bruce Bochy said. "Thats the way the game goes." Garrett Jones added an RBI single off lefty Javier Lopez and made a leaping catch in the netting of the photographers pit in foul territory in the bottom of the ninth. Mike Dunn (4-3) pitched a scoreless eighth, and Steve Cishek converted his eighth save for Miami. Neither starter pitched well but did just enough to give his team a chance in the final innings. Henderson Alvarez allowed five runs — four earned — and 10 hits in six innings for the Marlins. He struck out four and walked none. Giantts right-hander Yusmeiro Petit, filling in while Tim Hudson rested his nagging hip, gave up five runs — four earned — on seven hits in five innings. Nike Air Vapormax Outlet. He struck out five and walked none. "I lost a little bit of my command in the first inning. I tried to stay close in the game," Petit said. After wasting a 4-1 lead in a loss Thursday night to San Francisco, Miami moved ahead 4-1 again but rallied back late this time. The Giants had three RBI hits with two outs, including pinch-hitter Gregor Blancos bloop single in the sixth that tied it at 5-all. Blancos hit came after McGehee couldnt corral a grounder at third. "I still feel terrible. Alvarez battled through and it wouldve been nice to get him the win," McGehee said. Defence — or a lack thereof — proved pivotal in the late innings. Redmond successfully challenged a transfer rule call in the fifth. After a replay review, umpires ruled Marlins right fielder Giancarlo Stanton caught Hunter Pences fly in the web of his glove and dropped the ball trying to transfer it to his hand for a throw. Buster Poseys flyout to right later scored Angel Pagan, who had advanced to third on Stantons botched transfer. Stanton made up for the play with an outstretched catch of Michael Morses fly near the wall in the eighth. Pagan also made a spectacular over-the-head catch on Dietrichs deep fly for the first out of the seventh and held on after running into the padded wall in left-centre. And Casilla got pinch-hitter Ed Lucas to ground into a double play with the bases loaded to end the eighth. NOTES: It was the fifth time Saltalamacchia had four hits in a game. ... Stantons career-high 17-game hitting streak ended after going 0 for 5. ... San Francisco hosted "Metallica Night," which included members of the heavy metal band playing the national anthem, drummer Lars Ulrich throwing out the ceremonial first pitch and singer James Hetfield announcing San Franciscos starting lineup. ... RHP Tim Lincecum (3-2 4.78 ERA) starts for the Giants opposite Miamis RHP Tom Koehler (3-3, 2.57) on Saturday. ' ' '

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