Destination articles

Ranger doesnt want to see similar situations happen moving forward

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LAS VEGAS - Nearly a month into his unorthodox NBA journey, with less than three games of Summer League experience on his brief resume, Bruno Caboclo sat on the Raptors bench, towel draped over his head as he wiped the tears that were building up in his eyes. Nike Air Zoom 90 IT White Mens/Womens Golf Shoes White/Red/Navy . Its been a week of firsts for the young Brazilian, a roller coaster of emotions that culminated in a frustrating evening. Five days ago he signed his first NBA contract, a "dream come true" as he described it. Three days ago he played in his first NBA game - scoring the first bucket for Torontos Summer League entry in Las Vegas - and on Monday he had his first real NBA learning experience, one he wont soon forget. With his team down by almost 30 points late in the third quarter, frustration already starting to boil over after committing his seventh turnover, Caboclo went up to contest highflying Mavericks rookie C.J. Fair, who would end up putting the 18-year-old on the wrong end of a poster. To make matters worse, he was assigned a technical foul for his reaction after being dunked on. Still unfamiliar with all of the leagues rules and hindered by a significant language barrier, Caboclo believed he had been ejected, heading straight to the bench where he remained for the duration of the game. "I wanted to get him back in the game," said Jesse Mermuys, Raptors assistant and Summer League head coach, following his teams lopsided 88-57 loss to Dallas. "I wanted him to get back out there but he was definitely overwhelmed at that point." For all the upside and the justifiable excitement surrounding the intriguing, albeit mysterious Brazilian here at the leagues annual summer tournament - his athleticism, competitive spirit, impressive defensive instincts and a wingspan you have to see to believe - this served as a reminder. Nothing about his learning process is easy, there are going to be bumps along the way. "Weve got to remember Bruno is 18-years-old," Mermuys cautioned. "He is a kid who does not speak English, this is his first experience. I cant tell you guys how proud I am of that kid." "Im super pleased that he was put in this position, the fight that he showed and that he showed an emotion and you could tell how much he cared and how much he felt bad that they were losing like that," Mermuys said of the Raptors 20th overall selection in last months draft. "You find out what a kids like and what a players like in those types of situations, you really find out who they are. And we have a great kid and a great competitor. And so from that standpoint today was a big success." With the exceptional, life-changing opportunity Caboclo has been offered by Masai Ujiri and the Raptors, comes the challenge - in his case, a unique challenge - that inevitably goes with it. Caboclo, the leagues youngest player, is just weeks into the extensive and trying process of learning the game, his coaches, teammates and a new language in a continent hes only visited once before. His translator and closest advisor Eduardo Resende has returned home, leaving for Brazil on Sunday after helping to ease Caboclos transition. Now, hes on his own. "The best way to learn is by being thrown into the fire," said a member of the Raptors front office, who has been impressed and pleasantly surprised with Caboclos quick progress. Through three games in Vegas, Caboclo is averaging 11.3 points, 1.0 steal, 3.7 turnovers and 5.3 fouls, shooting 41 per cent in 25.0 minutes per contest. He has been confident and assertive, showing flashes of what he can become with some seasoning, hard work, and added muscle. On the court, communication issues have been noticeable, as you might expect. Often, his coaches will point to the spot on the floor hes expected to be, with teammates directing him and screaming out his name. Lucas "Bebe" Nogueira, his teammate and countryman, has been an asset, serving as a translator on the floor and relaying information to Caboclo in his native Portuguese. Sitting next to an emotional Caboclo on the bench, Nogueira was the first to console the Raptors forward, offering him words of encouragement and advice. "Its American basketball, its not Brazil, its not Europe," the 21-year-old Nogueira told Caboclo. "Here, everybody [can] jump. Keep playing, think about [the] next play. Dont think about the last play. If youre thinking about the last play, you are giving up. Never give up. Use that dunk on you [to] grow up. Mermuys admits he may have overextended Caboclo a bit in the second half but didnt want to take him out of the game because he was playing so hard. Although the frustrations of the moment and the high standard hes set for himself may have played a part in Caboclos emotional outburst, Nogueira offered up another interesting explanation. "In Brazil you dont have athletic players like C.J. Fair and other guys," Nogueira said. "Americans are amazing, its amazing, everyone can jump here. In Brazil, no. Nobody dunk on him there, because he is big and hes athletic. And hes 18-years-old, so its normal he is sad." By all accounts, Caboclo is a sponge both on and off the floor, eager to learn and highly motivated to get better. Hes about three weeks into his English lessons, spending 90 minutes with his tutor almost every day before games and practices. In the hopes of better communicating with his coaches and teammates, the first sentence he asked to learn was, "Where do I go?," a question he asks frequently in practice, to the delight of the team. A lesson is only as good as what youre willing to take from it. The Raptors are confident that Caboclo will continue to evolve with each roadblock he faces. As for the emotional outpour, they see it as positive quality rather than a sign of weakness. "I just think the kid has a big heart," Mermuys said. "He tried to put us on his shoulders, he was battling out there and his emotions came to the surface because of the situation we were in. I would be frustrated if I was him too, I was frustrated as the coach. We didnt get much fight, we were down 30 and thats a tough situation in front of a crowd for your third NBA game. Its tough." "I think Bruno, he has a good head and I think thats going to help him to grow up," Nogueira echoed. "I know he is young, but a great guy. I think that play will help him in the future. He is never giving up." Nike Zoom Structure 20 Womens UK . Curtis Davies and Robert Koren secured the victory with goals inside 35 minutes of the fifth-round replay against the second-tier side. Nike Vapormax Womens Purple .Y. - Referee Ed Hochuli referred to replay official Tom Sifferman by his nickname Jungle Boy, which was heard on the in-stadium microphone during the Arizona Cardinals-Carolina Panthers NFC wild-card game Saturday.MONTEGO BAY, Jamaica - Hirving Lozano scored in the 30th minute and Mexico added a goal in stoppage time to defeat Canada 2-0 Monday at the CONCACAF U-20 Championship.Diego Pineda provided the insurance goal with a tap-in in the 92nd minute for the two-time defending confederation champions. Once we created some chances and got the ball moving we realized we can play with them and were a good team as well, said Canadian captain Luca Gasparotto. Were disappointed with the result but all the boys heads are up and were focused on the next game and its still early days and anything can happen.Mexico, which thumped Cuba 9-1 in its opening match, tops Group B with Canada (1-1-0) in second spot. The Canadians were coming off a 3-1 victory over Haiti.Canada is the last team to beat 12-time champion Mexico in CONCACAF U-20 play, a 2-0 decision in March 2009. Nike Air Vapormax Pure Platinum. The difference in the end was the little bit of better quality in the final third to create chances and test our goalkeeper more than we tested them, said Canadian head coach Rob Gale. So we knew it was going to be down to the little moments and congratulations for them. They got the victory.Canada plays El Salvador on Thursday.Four teams from the 12-country CONCACAF championship will advance from the tournament to represent North and Central America and the Caribbean at the FIFA U20 World Cup, which kicks off May 30 in new Zealand.The two group winners will book their ticket to New Zealand. The second-and third-place teams in each group will cross over to play for the two remaining World Cup berths.Canada has not played at the world under-20 championships since 2007 when it hosted the event. Cheap NFL Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys China Cheap Jerseys From China Cheap NFL Jerseys Authentic Wholesale Jerseys China Cheap NFL Jerseys China NFL Cheap Jerseys Cheap Jerseys ' ' '