FIVE QUICK NBA THOUGHTS 1. Trey Lyles Jersey . MO CHEEKS (Pistons): Out as coach. Am I surprised? No. The team is dysfunctional and is a collection of parts that dont know how to or want to commit to playing team ball. Talent - sure theyve got that but they look like a summer AAU team with a bunch of guys that are looking to showcase their individual games. Josh Smith and Brandon Jennings are Exhibit A and B. When does President/GM Joe Dumars eventually admit that hes lost his way and submit his resignation? How many more coaches are going to be blamed for his moves? Maybe Lionel Hollins comes in and saves Dumars job. Hollins is a no-nonsense coach who wont tolerate whats gone on there of late. Better get this right and quick. 2. TORONTO RAPTORS SCHEDULE: Have played a ton (28) of road games already. At 14-14 thats respectable but the time to win the Atlantic Division and also try to claim the third seed in the East has come. 19 of the final 32 games are at home. They have under-performed at home with a record of 12-10 and for this season to take off in a positive direction again the assertive play must reappear. To have a really nice season you hang around .500 on the road which theyve done and you take no prisoners at home. The schedule has turned with no more than two games in a row on the road the rest of the way. Time to get it done. They are more than capable of doing it. 3. GORAN DRAGIC (Suns): You see his numbers (27 points and six assists) since he was snubbed from the West All-Star team. The man is on a mission. Without Eric Bledsoe he has kept his team at a high level. Hes wonderfully skilled but what Ive seen of late as well is a little nasty streak like hes got even more to prove. Good for him. Hes doing it. 4. TAJ GIBSON (Bulls): He has been given the opportunity to start and play more minutes and hes delivering. Love his energy and second effort. Improved his face-up game and can get his game off in the lane though hes a bit undersized. Considering that Carlos Boozer looks like a guy that will be amnestied next season its going to be important in this homestretch of the season to determine if Gibson can carry starters minutes and hold up effectively. So far - solid. 5. NIKOLA VUCEVIC (Magic): Back from a concussion and suddenly the Magic are beating elite teams. Hes a terrific young player who was an absolute steal for them. When hes played this year he is scoring over 13 points and getting close to 11 boards a game while shooting 50 per cent. The stability of having a guy you can throw it into the post and get productivity from is so helpful. Hes a tough guy on the backboards and competes hard. Knows and accepts his role and is a good long term fit for their franchise. A keeper. Allen Iverson Jersey . Not because it was right, but because referees werent allowed to determine it was wrong. Wilson Chandler Jersey .J. -- Pitcher Carl Pavano is retiring after 14 major league seasons. http://www.nuggetsprostore.com/kids-richard-jefferson-nuggets-jersey/ .5 million. University officials released the term sheet signed by Harsin Wednesday, the day the former Broncos walk-on player and Boise native was named the successor to Chris Petersen, who left for Washington last week.OAKLAND – The following is a question this writer did not expect to type this season: where would the Blue Jays be without the contribution of J.A. Happ? Happs seven wins are second on the staff to Mark Buehrles 10. Win-loss record is an antiquated stat, sure, but win total is generally an indication of a pitchers ability to work deep into games, enough to be personally affected by the result. Efficiency has been an issue for Happ during his time in Toronto. Hes acquired a reputation as a five-inning pitcher, driven prematurely from outings because hes plodded along to 100 pitches far too soon. Its gotten late, often, far too early. Something has changed. Suddenly, in more starts than not, Happ is working deep, positively affecting the result. When he returned to the rotation on May 5 in Philadelphia, Happs future was being determined on a start-to-start basis. The leash is now longer. Since being acquired from the Astros in July 2012, Happ has been a starter and a reliever; hes been injured, first with a fractured foot two seasons ago and then with head and knee injuries last year, the result of a horrifying line drive off his skull on May 7, 2013 in Tampa Bay. His back flared up in spring training, resulting in a horrible March that cost him his spot in the rotation and landed him on the disabled list for opening day. There have been periods of self doubt, he admitted to TSN.ca. "I certainly would be lying if I said no to that," said Happ. "Last year there was a point where I tried to talk to (pitching coach) Pete (Walker) one on one and was just like, What have you got? I know Im capable of more and Im willing to do whatever it takes to get over the hump. I never thought I was far away but I just couldnt quite get over the hump for whatever reason. It comes and goes and it still does." Happ is a quiet guy. He doesnt say much, at least not when media have access to the players. Nobody would accuse Happ of seeking the limelight. He laughed in spring training, after he was away from the team for two days to deal with the back problem, when it was pointed out to him that a guy so quiet couldnt seem to avoid controversy. Hes heard the talk and hes read the articles. He knows he has his critics and his doubters; hes been one himself. Happ isnt bitter. "I think you write what you see and if thats what you see then thats your interpretation and understanding," said Happ. "Thats how this thing works. I cant be mad at anybody for what they feel like or whatever. I just know what I knew, or know, Im capable of so thats why I try to defend myself in situations where Im maybe not in a position where Id like to be." Happ has allies in two of important places: the managers and coaches offices, where John Gibbons and pitching coach Pete Walker reside. Gibbons has consistently defended his left-hander, quick to point out Happs ordeal last season and confident that a slight arm slot adjustment ultimately would pay off. "Ive always been a fan of the guy," said Gibbons. "Ive always known what hes capable of, but the bottom line is hes got to go out and do that. Hes had his ups and downs along the way but eeverybody in the game at this level, I mean, very few guys take this game by storm year after year. Tyler Lydon Jersey. quot; "I think hes comfortable in that slot right now," said Walker. "Its not as high as it used to be and its not as low as he first started when we dropped him down. Its kind of that in-between slot and I think hes really comfortable throwing there. I think hes in a good place physically and mentally he looks forward to that ball every five days." Happ has been told to attack the strike zone. Hes been told to pitch to contact. Hes been told to more aggressively use his fastball. Hes doing both. Consider this: in his start against the White Sox on June 26, a 7-0 win in which he went 7 2/3 innings of shutout ball, Happ threw 124 pitches, 111 of which were fastballs. The relationship with Walker is an important one to Happ, forged when he joined the Blue Jays two years ago. Walker was the bullpen coach at the time. Happ was a reliever who believed he should be a starter. The two meshed. "Hes a guy that I always felt like he felt that I was capable of more and expected more and kind of knew that it was in there," said Happ. "I know thats kind of part of his job and he probably does it to everybody but hes very good at individualizing things and I always felt like he kind of had my back and I felt the same way about Gibby too. Maybe thats the reason why Im still here." There will be future outings when Happ struggles. The aim, of course, is to turn those into the exception rather than the rule. That June 21 start in Cincinnati, for example. Happ got rapped for seven earned runs in four innings. He bounced back with that gem against the White Sox and a strong start against the Brewers. The doubters who believed Happ, version Cincinnati, was the real guy were forced to reconsider. So if this is the real Happ, what happened? Why did a left-handed pitcher with a mid-90s fastball lack mound presence? Why did it appear that he didnt trust his repertoire? "Any answer to this is going to sound like an excuse and thats the last thing I want it to be," said Happ. "I let myself get caught up in a situation, playing on a team that wasnt very successful and I allowed that to affect me mentally as much I tried to not (let it). I think I probably got into some bad habits." Those bad habits were both mental and mechanical. Success, however, breeds confidence. Happ has had some success. His body language on the mound projects confidence. Maybe Yogi Berra was right when he suggested that 90 per cent of baseball is half mental. "Youve got to believe and youve got to really believe that you guys have got a chance out there in order for it to happen," said Happ. "You cant just wish things to happen in this game. They just dont. Youve got to go make it happen. I had a tough couple of years trying to kind of find myself and who I think I should be and I feel good about getting in a place where my body feels good, my mechanics feel good and Im just a little more free in everything. I felt like I had to be perfect for a lot of the time for things to go right and thats just not the case." Cheap Adidas Hockey Jerseys Wholesale College Jerseys Cheap Nike Basketball Jerseys Cheap Football Jerseys Free Shipping Cheap Baseball Jerseys Cheap Jerseys Free Shipping Cheap Jerseys From China Wholesale Nike NFL Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys China Wholesale Nike NBA Jerseys Cheap NHL Jerseys Authentic Cheap MLB Jerseys Authentic Wholesale Soccer Jerseys China Cheap NCAA Jerseys China Stitched NFL Jerseys Cheap Custom Jerseys China Cheap Basketball Jerseys Authentic NFL Jerseys China Cheap College Jerseys Wholesale Football Jerseys ' ' '