TORONTO -- When basketballs best young players were in Brooklyn, N. [url=http://www.hockeyavalancheproshop.com/customized/]Custo

Posted in IYH Forums by jokergreen0220 at 09:33, Mar 06 2017

TORONTO -- When basketballs best young players were in Brooklyn, N. Custom Colorado Avalanche Jersey .Y., waiting to hear their name called in the NBA draft Thursday night, Bruno Caboclo was in a taxi. Caboclo had been training just outside Houston, and he and his personal advisor Eduardo Resende had hopped in a cab when somebody from Brazil tweeted "Oh my god, Bruno at 20." "The taxi driver didnt understand what was going on, we were screaming back there. It was crazy," said Resende. "He was jumping out of the roof (figuratively), he was very excited. Its a dream come true for a young Brazilian player that only can see (the NBA) on TV, and then all of a sudden hes part of it." The 18-year-old Caboclo was a virtual unknown when he became the Raptors surprise 20th pick in Thursday nights draft -- a selection that general manager Masai Ujiri admitted was an "outright gamble." Ujiri had another player in mind for the 20th pick, and had planned to take the Brazilian at No. 37, but when he lost out on the first player, he wasnt taking any chances on Caboclo. The young Brazilian arrived in Toronto on Friday night -- and upon finding out he had the practice gym at the Air Canada Centre at his disposal, headed there at 11 p.m. to shoot. The Raptors staff put him through his first official workout Saturday morning. He then met with a curious Toronto media contingent that numbered in double digits, an immediate measure of how much his life has changed in two days. "His Twitter two days ago had 19 followers (hes now at over 5,000)," said Resende, who also acting as Caboclos translator in Toronto -- the youngster speaks only a few words of English. "You become like a public person. The biggest change for him is this (press) conference here. I dont think he would ever imagine he would be here one day." Caboclo grew up Pirapora do Bom Jesus, a tiny town outside of Sao Paolo. He comes from a "difficult family, financially," according to Resende. "Even at his age he support his family." Ujiri wouldnt reveal much about Caboclos upbringing except "He grew up tough. I dont want to say too much about his family, and some of the things we know. He grew up in a not-so-great environment. Basketball was his love." He has two sisters, aged 22 and 26, who play volleyball. He played soccer as a child, but said he was only "so-so" at it, and switched to basketball at age 13, when he was already five foot 10. Within a year, he could dunk the ball. The Raptors had tracked Caboclo since he was named most valuable player of the Basketball Without Borders tournament last summer, first sending a team of scouts to watch the six-foot-nine player with the eye-popping seven-foot-six wingspan. "We felt like he was somebody we needed to follow. Our scouts did a phenomenal job of going and seeing him and gathering information," Ujiri said after presenting Caboclo with his jersey. The Raptors GM took some heat after Thursdays selection, from fans and the media, but shrugged it off Saturday morning. "Honestly I dont do it for reactions of anybody. I dont care. Were in a business where I cant react to anything, I just have to do my job, and you hope the best comes out of it," Ujiri said. "Is it a gamble? Yes. But do we remember who the 20th picks of the last 10 drafts are?" Ujiri sat courtside at the ACC as Caboclo practised. Resende helped translate the instructions. He dunked the ball with ease, shot well from long range, and was fluid as he moved around the court despite his long limbs. "We thought from the little information we have, hes young, hes long, hes tall, hes skinny, he likes to play basketball, hes got a little bit of skill, he can shoot a little bit, maybe theres something we can mould there," Ujiri said. Ujiri expects Caboclo to be a solid defender because of his length. "He moves his feet pretty good, hes got a touch, he likes to shoot it, so if he can be a two-way player where he can shoot the ball a little bit and he can defend. . . We picked him because we feel theres some good upside there, it will take time, and were ready to be patient for him," Ujiri said. "Hes a great kid, but loves basketball, he wants to be in the gym every second, which is what you want in an 18-year-old." Caboclo said he tries to model his game after his idol and Oklahoma City Thunder star Kevin Durant. He feels they have the same body type. Caboclos strength is among the things hell need to work on during what should be a tough rookie season, between being so far from home, having to learn English, and adapting to the NBA. The Raptors will immediately implement a couple of measures to help him adjust -- a weight training program and his own English teacher, Ujiri said. Hell also fly to Los Angeles on Sunday to work with new teammates DeMar DeRozan, Terrence Ross, Amir Johnson, and fellow rookie DeAndre Daniels, taken 37th overall Thursday night. Caboclo will play with the Raptors in the summer league, plus Ujiri expects him to spend some time next season down in the D-League. Resende said the young player knows the road ahead wont be all smooth sailing. "Last night he came to my room and he said Its a great responsibility," Resende said. Because getting there is one thing, now the real work is going to begin now." Joe Colborne Jersey . Dane Dobbie and Shawn Evans each had two goals and two assists for the Roughnecks (8-5), who outscored Minnesota 6-2 in the fourth quarter after being tied through 45 minutes. Curtis Dickson scored once and set up three more for Calgary and Dan MacRae, Geoff Snider, Tor Reinholdt, Karsen Leung and Matthew Dinsdale. Mikhail Grigorenko Jersey .S. President Barack Obama saluted the Stanley Cup winning Chicago Blackhawks at the White House on Monday -- a rare moment for a president hungry to see more victorious teams from his hometown. http://www.hockeyavalancheproshop.com/ben-smith-jersey/ . With Washington teammate Nene drawing double-teams coming off his big game against the Lakers, Gortat scored 25 points on 11-of-12 shooting and grabbed eight rebounds to lead the Wizards to a 100-92 win in overtime over Milwaukee on Wednesday night.WALTHAM, Mass. -- Rajon Rondos rehab continues. And now it will take place in live NBA games. The Boston Celtics point guard, who has not played since tearing his anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee last Jan. 25, is scheduled to return on Friday night. Coach Brad Stevens and general manager Danny Ainge both said Rondo would return for the game against the Los Angeles Lakers "barring any setbacks." "I dont think we can expect him to be the Game 7 Rajon Rondo tomorrow," Stevens said before practice on Thursday. "This is part of the process to getting back to full-go." Rondo did not speak with reporters on Thursday, but he worked out with his teammates at the teams practice facility. Stevens said Rondo will probably play 18-20 minutes at first, and Ainge said he would probably be limited to five minutes per quarter. "He is our starting point guard," Stevens said. "We want to figure out the right minutes for him so he doesnt get too stiff on the bench." Said Ainge: "And, knowing Rondo, hes going to be complaining about that and probably checking himself back into the game. Thats who he is." Ainge said he wasnt sure what to expect, especially since the ACL injury tends to leave players tentative about making quick moves. "He hasnt played for a year," Ainge said. "What Ive seen is the ACL injury is something that every player has to overcome, coming back mentally, not just physically." On Wedneesday, Rondo scrimmaged at the practice facility for about an hour with the Celtics NBA Development League affiliate, the Maine Red Claws; afterward, he took the minor leaguers out to dinner. Nathan MacKinnon Jersey. "I think the guys had a fun time also," Ainge said. Rondo had developed into one of the top point guards in the NBA, averaging career-highs of 13.7 points and 5.6 rebounds to go with his 11.1 assists per game in 2012-13 before he was hurt. He played almost 45 minutes and recorded a triple-double in a double-overtime loss to Atlanta on Jan. 25, then was diagnosed with a torn ACL two days later. Ainge said he expected to see that player again. "I think he will get there. I dont know how long it will take," he said. "He has to get back on the court and try it. Now is as good a time as any." The Celtics could use the boost. They lost nine consecutive games before beating Toronto on Wednesday night, falling into fourth place in the woeful Atlantic Division. Stevens, in his first year with the team after leaving Butler, said he is glad he will finally have his point guard on the floor. "Theres all kinds of thoughts going through my mind right now," he said, noting that the pre-injury Rondo was a savvy floor leader who could see things on the court and get the ball to places that only a few others can. Ideally, that will return quickly. "The one thing he could do, even when he wasnt playing, was think," Stevens said. Cheap NFL Jerseys Wholesale Jerseys Wholesale NFL Jerseys Jerseys From China Wholesale NFL Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys Cheap Jerseys Cheap Jerseys ' ' '