With the NBA Free Agency period beginning midnight on July 1st, many teams were out pitching their benefits to potential players. Balenciaga Speed Trainer Cheap . Sean Francois, (@seanfrancois) Halifax-based writer and co-founder of basketball blog HoopHeadsNorth.com, signs up for the Three-Man Weave this week with Duane Watson and Will Strickland from TSN 1050s "1 On 1 With Will & Duane", as we look at where some of the stars may land and asses the early activity. How important was the Kyle Lowry signing for Toronto? Strickland: Rhetorical. It would have been a nuclear winter in the T-Dot had Raptors President and GM Masai Ujiri not re-signed Lowry. DeMar DeRozan is the the best player on the team and an All-Star; Kyle Lowry is the MVP of the Raps. This is not necessarily up for debate.Francois: I believe that Kyle Lowrys signing is a BIG deal. The fact of the matter is that he re-signed with a Toronto team that had success this past season and has a bright future with a young core, so hes envisioning what he can do to help take the Raptors to the next level as a leader and key contributor. The Raptors franchise as a whole (players and management) cannot afford to rest on their laurels though. They must continue to improve individually as players, and management and coaches need to continually look for ways to improve the team in order to maintain and exceed this new found level of success on the court. To me, Lowrys re-signing helps quell the notion/misconception that players dont want to play in Toronto. Like in the heyday of the Vince Carter-era, if the team is winning, players will want to stay. Watson: After drafting and developing the likes of Tracy McGrady, Vince Carter and Chris Bosh, only to head south of the border once their game blossomed, it was important for the franchise to keep their own talent. Definitely a statement that Toronto is a destination for free agents, as Lowry drew interest from Miami, Houston and the Lakers. It was the right deal and he is the leader of the ball club and Masai Ujiri didnt have to overpay to keep him here.Will the Heat be able to retain their Big Three and improve their roster? Strickland: Tough to say at this point. LeBron James has been flying solo on this mission, rightfully demanding max money as for the first 11 years of his career, never has he been the highest paid player in the NBA or on his own team. Bosh opted out, then asked for a five-year, $90 million deal, which definitely wont happen in Miami. Dwyane Wade opted out and seems to be willing to do whats necessary to retire on South Beach. All that said, Pat Riley needs to bring in a Pau Gasol-type big, a solid PG and a competent bench with a mixture of youth and experience or we may have seen the last of the Heatles.Francois: I believe that the Miami Heat will be able to retain their Big Three, but only for another one or two seasons. With the reported contract demands/expectations from LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh, I do not anticipate there being enough money available (under the salary cap) for Pat Riley to bring in significant pieces to placate James for the long haul. Therefore, I suspect LeBron will stay in Miami, but on a short term deal so that he has flexibility to go elsewhere in short order if he sees fit to do so. Watson: The numbers dont add up, LeBron James maintains he wants a max contract, deservedly so, but expects Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade to take less than their value AND are expected to find key players to add to the roster? Its not going to happen and I dont see James staying to play with the same team again, even with a max deal.Where will LeBron James end up? Strickland: The initial feeling is that if Riley cant work magic with record cap space available, The King signs a one-year tender and starts the process again next July. Other options include Cleveland and Houston having the inside track to sign LeBron. There are long shots like Chicago and Dallas, an intriguing scenario in the Valley of the Sun that involves James and Carmelo Anthony in Phoenix and the most explosive of all - Miami and the Clippers do a straight sign-and-trade with LeBron for Blake Griffin. Francois:I believe LeBron James will ultimately stay in Miami, but on a short-term deal so that he has the flexibility to go elsewhere in short order if he doesnt believe the Miami Heat can continue to build and maintain a competitive roster. Pat Riley will need to work some magic to be able to attain players that can truly keep the Heat competitive and at a Championship-calibre level, considering the high percentage of cap space that the Big Three will command - even if it is at a "reduced" rate. Watson: LeBron leaves Miami unless he takes a short-term contract to stay, say, one or two years. When he does, it only makes sense that he returns to Cleveland. If hes going to leave the comfort and stability of the Heat, it would only make sense to do so if he returned home. They have young and dynamic pieces in Kyrie Irving, Andrew Wiggins, Tristan Thompson, etc, which is already a better Cavaliers team that he took to the NBA Finals in 2007.Where will Carmelo Anthony end up? Strickland: History speaks to Melo being about his money and max dollars exist by staying in Metropolis, learning the Triangle with ghost coach Phil Jackson (Sorry, Derek Fisher...we know what this is!), then waiting on Kevin Love and/or LeBron to show up in Gotham for the 2015-2016 season. Chicago seems like a fit for a better opportunity to win now, even with the unknown of Derrick Rose and his health. Houston and Dallas feel like gratuity stops on Melos Wine & Dine Tour 2014. And the writing was on the wall when Kobe couldnt make it back from his annual blood spinn... ahem, pardon me, "vacation in Europe" to meet with Anthony. Francois: I would enjoy seeing Carmelo Anthony in a Chicago Bulls uniform, but I do expect now that hes finished speaking with the Bulls, Mavericks, Rockets, Lakers and the Knicks that he will ultimately stay where hes been for the past three-and-a-half seasons. I feel that the maximum money that the Knicks can offer, which no other team can (and the fifth-year on a contract), plus his wife and family being settled in New York City and enjoying everything the city has to offer, will ultimately keep him in the Big Apple. Watson: The best scenario is for him to wind up in is Chicago, with a defensive-minded coach and a complement of stars in Joakim Noah, Derrick Rose and defensive pieces like Jimmy Butler and Taj Gibson, however it will likely be the most complicated. Melo can get max money in New York if he stays, but he wants to win. Can he attract a marquee free agent to come play with him there, knowing he wont pass the ball? I think he will opt for the long money (five-year max deal) and stay in New York.Which free agency move thus far, quietly makes their team better? Strickland: Toronto. Ujiris continues to be solid and respectful of the cap dynamic, fan dynamic and team growth dynamic by re-upping Kyle Lowry to a very reasonable deal for a player of his calibre. With a 2017 lockout looming and, as usual, Washington D.C. affecting the current economy by grossly overpaying Wizards centre Marcin "The Polish Hammer" Gortat, the Raptors are building in a fiscally responsible fashion that should engender confidence for Ujiris next moves. Francois: With a lot of free agents still unsigned or undecided on their team for the upcoming 2014-15 season, the answer to the most underrated free agent signing is probably still to come. That said, to answer the specific question of what free agent signing has quietly made their team better, I believe the Spurs re-signing of Patty Mills is very key. Unfortunately, he now has to recover from rotator cuff surgery, but a lot of teams certainly had him on their radar for his shooting prowess and point guard abilities. This helps keep the San Antonio Spurs core and group of impactful role players intact, while giving the Spurs a fantastic opportunity to keep the Larry OBrien Trophy in their possession. Watson: While none of the big names has signed yet, Lowry is the biggest name to lock up, but that has already been addressed. Danny Ferrys Atlanta Hawks traded Lou Williams and Lucas Nogueira to the Raptors for John Salmons, who they will likely waive for $1 million providing cap space. They also acquired Thabo Sefolosha for three years and $12 million, who provides solid perimeter defence to platoon with Kyle Korver, the leagues best three-point shooter. The cap space may also pave way for Luol Deng to sign with the Hawks, as well. Balenciaga Speed Trainer Discount .C. -- Gleason Fournier scored the shootout winner as the Grand Rapids Griffins defeated the Abbotsford Heat 4-3 Friday in American Hockey League action. Vapormax 2019 Discount . Less than 24 hours later, in the same arena, he tried to recreate the magic of his all-time favourite player. Hilliard scored a career-high 26 points and No. http://www.brandshoescheaponline.com/wholesale-china-yeezy-boost.html . Team spokesman Donald Beauchamp said there was no new information on the 80-year-old Hall of Famers condition. The family has requested privacy.SAN DIEGO -- A rare big night from the Padres offence overshadowed Tim Stauffer stepping into the depleted rotation and giving San Diego a strong start. "That was a great lift for the staff," Padres manager Bud Black said. Yonder Alonso and Yasmani Grandal homered, and Chase Headley drove in three runs, as the Padres beat the Chicago Cubs 11-1 on Friday night. The Padres set a season-high in runs and had 12 hits. Everyone but Will Venable had at least one hit among the starting position players. But with starters Andrew Cashner and Robbie Erlin going on the DL this week with elbow woes, the Padres were in a pickle. They turned to the veteran Stauffer (2-0) and he didnt disappoint. Making his first start since May 14, 2012 at Washington, Stauffer pitched five shutout innings and gave up two hits. "And two years from now it should feel pretty good again," Stauffer joked about his time between starts. "It felt good and after getting through that first inning, the offence really set the tone. After that I was just trying to keep pitches down and eat up some innings and keep the bullpen fresh." Stauffer struck out five, with a walk and hit batter and earned his win as a starter win since Sept. 16, 2011, against Arizona. The Padres snapped a four-game losing streak with a performance which was out-of-character for a team which has been shut out eight times, tops in the majors. "We havent had many of those games," Black said. "A couple, but not many. When that happens there is a different feeling in the dugout and a different vibe. Everyone wants to get to the bat rack, to start hacking and wanting to get involved." Edwin Jackson (3-4) took the loss, allowing eight runs and nine hits in just four innings. The Cubs managed one runner in scoring position through six innings before Welington Castillo drove in Luis Valbuena with a broken-bat single in the seventh. Three relievers completed the five-hitter for San Diego. The Padres scored four first-inning runs, matching their total from the previous three games. Seth Smith drove in two with a single and after Headley reached on a fielders choice, Alonso ssmacked his second home run of the season. Replica Shoes China Wholesale. The Padres began Friday averaging 2.98 runs per game, the lowest in the majors. Grandal opened the second inning with his fifth homer, this one to the opposite field. Everth Cabrera and Cameron Maybin singled and Headley brought them home with a booming double to right for a 7-0 cushion. "Its about time," Grandal said. "Ive been hitting fly balls that way and they all seem to be short. I was lucky enough to hit one that actually carried a little bit more." Headley added his third RBI with a fourth-inning single after Maybin doubled. All of this came at the expense of Jackson, a pitcher the Padres flirted with before he signed last year as a free agent with the Cubs. Hes now 0-5 against the Padres, with a 6.94 ERA. Jackson had been keen avoiding the long ball -- only two home runs allowed in this seasons previous nine starts. But hes had trouble in the early innings and that rang true against the Padres. Of Jacksons 31 earned runs this year, 23 have come in the first two innings. "His command wasnt as sharp as it has been," Cubs manager Rick Renteria said. Cabrera, Maybin, Alonso, Headley and Jedd Gyorko each had two hits for the Padres. "The swung the bats well and took advantage of Jackson," Renteria said. NOTES: The Padres juggled their rotation with LHP Robbie Erlin joining RHP Andrew Cashner (elbow) on the DL this week with elbow soreness. Donn Roach was bumped from Saturdays start, with Billy Buckner expected to fill in after being promoted from Triple-A El Paso. That made Roach available for relief on Friday; he worked a scoreless inning. Buckner, who was signed April 19, was 3-2 with a 2.98 in five starts at El Paso. . OF Carlos Quentin, who last played on Sunday when straining his groin, is available for pinch hitting. . Cubs OF Justin Ruggiano played in his second straight game at Triple-A Iowa; hes been on the DL since April 24 with a strained hamstring. . RHP Pedro Strop (groin strain) is close to making a rehabilitation start. . Cubs LHP Travis Wood (4-4, 4.61) faces Padres RHP Billy Buckner (0-0, 0.00) on Saturday night. ' ' '