NEW YORK -- Nerlens Noel is coming off a major knee injury. Alex Len is in a walking boot. One of them could be the No. 1 pick

Posted in IYH Forums by jokergreen0220 at 23:41, Feb 24 2020

NEW YORK -- Nerlens Noel is coming off a major knee injury. Alex Len is in a walking boot. One of them could be the No. 1 pick tonight in an NBA draft that appears short on stardom, and neither looks ready to get his career off to a running start. Coverage begins with the NBA Draft Preview on TSN2, tonight at 7pm et/4pm pt followed by the Draft at 7:30pm et/4:30pm pt. Follow pick-by-pick updates on TSN.ca. "This draft is really unpredictable, a lot of guys with injuries and you dont have any, like, LeBron James," Len said Wednesday. "So its going to be interesting." Ten years after James climbed on stage to start a draft that goes down as one of the best in recent memory, the No. 1 pick again belongs to Cleveland. The Cavaliers wont find anyone who can play like James on the court -- if they keep the pick -- and even the climbing the stage part will be a challenge for the big men who opened their college seasons against each other and are competing again now. Noel tore the ACL in his left knee on Feb. 12, ending his lone season at Kentucky. The 6-foot-11 freshman led the nation in shot blocking and his conference in rebounding, but hasnt been able to show the Cavaliers if his offensive game has grown. The only basketball work he did during his visit to Cleveland was shooting some free throws. Perhaps the pants he wore with his sports jacket and orange tie were just too tight, but Noel was walking gingerly as he exited a hotel ballroom after meeting with the media Wednesday. "I wanted to do more. Unfortunately I got hurt, but I mean I definitely felt right before I got injured I was really coming along as a player and just really coming into my own during that part of the season," Noel said. "But like I said, unfortunately I got hurt, so I wasnt able to show as much as I wanted to." Nor has Len, but that hasnt stopped the 7-1 centre from the Ukraine who spent two seasons at Maryland from climbing into the mix at No. 1. His left foot started bothering him around February, and he found out after the season that it was a stress fracture. He was aware he was projected as a top-10 pick before the draft combine, but may go much higher even though his visits to teams have consisted of nothing more than interviews. He no longer needs crutches but will be in the boot for perhaps two more weeks. So, with all these injury questions, what about playing it safe and picking a healthy guy? "I mean, probably a lot of people wish it could be that easy," Kansas guard Ben McLemore said. "But its a process for the teams, theyve got to see whats available and what they really need. And like I said, this draft is up in the air and nobody knows whats going to happen, whos going to get drafted in which order." Orlando has the No. 2 pick, followed by Washington, Charlotte and Phoenix. McLemore, Indianas Victor Oladipo, Georgetown forward Otto Porter and national player of the year Trey Burke of Michigan are among the other players who will hear their names called early at Barclays Center by NBA Commissioner David Stern in his final draft. Torontos Anthony Bennett, a 6-foot-7 forward coming off his freshman year at UNLV, is seen as a possible pick anywhere from No. 3 to No. 6. The highest Canadian selected in the NBA draft was Tristan Thompson, who was taken fourth overall by the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2011. Its a class that wont draw any comparisons to the one that James led, which featured future Miami Heat teammates Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh, along with NBA scoring champion Carmelo Anthony among the first five picks. Brooklyn Nets general manager Billy King said a number of teams are trying to trade out of the draft and acquire extra picks for next year, which is expected to be a stronger class. But he doesnt know if there will be enough teams interested in being trade partners to get those deals done. "There are good players in this draft, but right now, there are not impact players. What I mean by that is that theres no one you look at in this draft that within two years will be an All-Star, say like Kyrie Irving was, players like that," said Minnesota Timberwolves president Flip Saunders, referring to the guard Cleveland took with the No. 1 pick in 2011. "And so in order for you to move up and dilute your talent pool and your roster, youve got to get an impact-type player, and I just dont believe ... theres good players, probably pretty good players in this league, but are they going to be that impact player whos going to be an All-Star or future Hall of Famer? Thats what you dont see. And sometimes thats something you dont see for two or three years in a row." McLemore has in some ways been hurt by healthy, since by being able to work out hes given teams something to nitpick. Noel and Len have been largely free of criticism while sitting on the sideline. Instead, Len is hoping his first impression of the season is one that holds up, when he had a career-high 23 points, 12 rebounds and four blocks against Noel in Marylands loss to Kentucky, right in the building where they will be Thursday. "I did well against him. So, its not up to me, its up to teams," Len said of a team choosing between the two. Neither player said he knows what the Cavs will do. There has been speculation they are open to dealing the pick, something teams rarely consider in a year with a clear-cut No. 1. Noel said he had gotten no sense from the Cavs that they had concern about his knee, which could keep him off the court until early in the regular season. And in a draft full of questions, he believes selecting him is the right answer. "Im a good teammate, I definitely love to work," Noel said. "I want to get better. I want to be great, I want to reach my potential, be the best player I can be. I definitely do countless hours in the gym and Im definitely working to get there." Jimmie Ward Super Bowl Jersey . -- Lou Brocks shoulder-to-shoulder collision with Bill Freehan during the 1968 World Series and Pete Roses bruising hit on Ray Fosse in the 1970 All-Star game could become relics of baseball history, like the dead-ball era. Kyle Juszczyk Super Bowl Jersey .S District Court against Major League Baseball, the Office of the Commissioner and his own union, the MLBPA. http://www.authenticsf49erspro.com/Joe-montana-49ers-jersey/ . Already owning gold from competition in Vancouver in 2010, Loch posted a combined four-run time of 3:27.526. That included a track-record third run of 51. Laken Tomlinson Super Bowl Jersey . -- Anaheim Ducks captain and leading scorer Ryan Getzlaf has been scratched from Sunday nights game against the Vancouver Canucks because of an upper-body injury. Jaquiski Tartt Super Bowl Jersey . Numbers Game examines the deal that sees Michael Del Zotto and Kevin Klein switch places. The Predators Get: D Michael Del Zotto. COMMERCE CITY, Colo. -- Blas Perez and his FC Dallas teammates didnt get discouraged when they fell behind twice in the second half. Instead, they responded in kind. "It is important to tie the game before anything and there is always urgency," the Dallas forward said. "When you tie the game like that, its always a psychological hit on an opponent." Blas Perez scored his second goal in the 66th minute to lift MLS-leading FC Dallas into a 2-2 tie Saturday night with the Colorado Rapids, who got two goals from Atiba Harris. "Our team showed a lot of character," Dallas coach Schellas Hyndman said. "When you are on the road, altitude, difficult times, we have a player down with the Jamaican National team (Je-Vaughn Watson) and left two starters home, we had a lot of reasons to fold. "We had a lot of reasons to fold, but it showed a lot of character to go down, come back, go down again and come back." Perez had only three goals in his previous 13 games for FC Dallas (8-2-4), which is unbeaten in its last four meetings with the Rapids. "The boys did a great job today because FC Dallas is a good team," Colorado coach Oscar Pareja said. "We got the lead twice and we were frustrated." FC Dallas is 7-1-4 in its last 12 games. They have outscored their opponents 21-14 in that stretch and lead the MLS with 29 goals. The Rapids (5-4-5) extended their unbeaten streak to six games, a stretch that includes three wins. Colorado is 5-1-3 in its last eight. Goalkeeper Clint Irwin is 5-2-4 with five shutouts since becoming the starter.dddddddddddd Dallas won the first meeting, 1-0 on March 2. Neither team had a shot on goal in the first half. The closest a team came to scoring came in the 37th minute when Perez took a feed from Fabian Castillo and put the ball past Irwin. The goal was waved off because the ball was clearly past the end line when Castillo made the pass. "It was a tough game going back and forth in the first half," said Perez. "Both teams had chances in the second half." Then came a 10-minute period where all four goals were scored. "I think we stayed with what we had been doing in the first half," Harris said of the difference in scoring chances for the Rapids. "We were able to create a lot more space in the second half." The offences took control of the game in the second half. Harris made the first shot of the game count with his header past the dive of Dallas keeper Raul Fernandez in the 56th minute, taking an inbounds throw from defender Marvell Wynne. "I had good position in the box and I got a handle on the ball and scoredh Perez got the equalizer in the 64th minute. Harris blocked a cross, but the ball bounded back to Perez, who easily beat Irwin. Two minutes later, Harris got behind the Dallas defence, putting Colorado ahead 2-1. Perez countered in the 66th minute with a low drive from the slot, 22 yards out. "It was just a great pass from Jackson," Perez said. "He saw the defender going for the ball and he went over him." ' ' '