especially at the Masters. Since he last won from zgr123's blog
TORONTO - For many, it would have already become an elephant in the room, an awkward matter best ignored. Haason Reddick Jersey . For Kyle Lowry, its become an accepted reality. He will be traded. The question is, when and where? The Raptors point guard is widely believed to be next on general manager Masai Ujiris chopping block after the first domino - Rudy Gay, Lowrys best friend - fell last week. On Thursday, multiple outlets - namely ESPN and Yahoo Sports - linked Lowry to trade discussion with a number of interested teams, including the Knicks and the Nets. A day later, as the Raptors got set to host the road-weary 76ers, the easy answer for Lowry would have been none at all. He could have brushed off the reports, spouted off cliches or dodged the media all together. But he did no such thing. "Honestly, I started hearing [the rumours] once I left here for practice [Thursday] and then it was crazy for, like, four hours," he said Friday morning. "At night, I turned my phone off and went to sleep. I wake up, if Im traded, Im traded and if not, Ill come to shootaround." "Everybody read everything yesterday, seen everything yesterday. To this point, Im still a Raptor and Im focused on tonight, playing against the 76ers." Moving Lowry, who was acquired by the previous regime prior to last season, has become a priority for Ujiri. Averaging 14.6 points and 6.7 assists through 20 games, Lowry - owed $6.2 million this year - will become an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season and its clear he is not part of the Raptors long-term plans. Lowry has not been in contact with Ujiri regarding his future and doesnt plan to reach out. "If he trades me, then Ill talk to him," Lowry said. "Hes always been a GM thats been kind of in the background. Hes not in the forefront, he lets us play and thats how hes been this whole year." Although one report stated that hes wanted to be moved for most of the season, Lowry clarified that he has not asked the Raptors GM for a trade. "No, none whatsoever," said coach Dwane Casey, asked if Lowry has expressed a desire to be traded. "Thats the first Ive heard of that and Ive never heard of Kyle or sensed Kyle wanted to be traded at all. I have no knowledge of that." While the market for Gay was limited, leading to Sundays sudden seven-player deal with Sacramento, theres far more interest in Lowry and his affordable, expiring contract. With that in mind, Ujiri will not be rushed into moving his starting point guard. Lowry is a professional and has obvious motivation to continue playing hard, auditioning for his next contract, but his inevitable departure is an obvious distraction to him and the rest of the team. "Yeah of course, I mean no one can say it doesnt [weigh on them] but at the same time, you have to know that this is a business," he stated. "You have to know the situation you are in, the situation that youre going to be in. You cant let it affect you too much because you still have to go out here and do a job and try to win for the team youre playing for." He and his teammates are trying their best to approach the seemingly uncomfortable situation with a sense of humour. "We all read HoopsHype," he admitted with a smirk on his face. "You see it everyday, you see it whenever they update it and everyone talks about it. But we joke about it a little bit. We make it more of a lighter-type thing, dont make it a heavy-hearted thing, make it like a joke, like hey man, you still here?" For now and until Ujiri finds an offer he likes, Lowry remains a Raptor. He will continue to play and play hard, because its the right thing to do but mostly because its in his best interest. All the while, his eventual replacement and newly-acquired point guard Greivis Vasquez will back him up and even spend some time alongside him in the Raptors backcourt. The situation is what it is. It will be as awkward as the team allows it be, until - in the very near future - its dealt with, until speculation finally becomes reality. Until then, we wait and so does the team and its point guard. Chad Williams Youth Jersey .com) - Baltimore Ravens running back Justin Forsett is active for Sundays matchup with the Miami Dolphins. Budda Baker Youth Jersey . Keenum will make his first appearance in a regular-season game against the rugged defence of the undefeated Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium, where the fans just set a Guinness record as the noisiest outdoor stadium in the world.AUGUSTA, Ga. -- A quick stroll across the manicured landscape of Augusta National afforded a glimpse of why this Masters is so hard to figure out. On the putting green in a quiet moment of practice was 20-year-old Jordan Spieth, one of a record 24 newcomers who has every reason to believe he can win. On the golf course for the final day of practice was Webb Simpson, a former U.S. Open champion and one of 21 players who have captured the last 24 majors. And under the oak tree outside the clubhouse was Miguel Angel Jimenez, the 50-year-old Spaniard trying to make sense of it all. He recalled his first Masters in 1995, when Seve Ballesteros and Jose Maria Olazabal shared secrets to Augusta National, such as keeping the ball in the right spots on the green and "to realize here that the target is not the hole." "The more you play, the more you like, no?" Jimenez said as he leaned against his golf bag, looking relaxed as ever behind his aviator sunglasses. But as he considered the rookies -- Spieth and Patrick Reed, Harris English and Jimmy Walker -- he dismissed the notion that experience was required for a green jacket. "There are 24 guys here for the first time," he said. "But theres a reason they are here, no?" Nowhere to be found, of course, was Tiger Woods. Out of golf until the summer because of back surgery, out of the Masters for the first time in his career, the show goes on. "Well, we miss Tiger, as does the entire golf world," Masters chairman Billy Payne said. "He is always a threat to make a run and do well and win here at Augusta National. ... Nevertheless, this is the Masters. This is what we hope is the best tournament in the world, one of the greatest sporting events. And I think we will have a very impressive audience and have another great champion to crown this year." The course closed for practice Wednesday afternoon, and a stream of fans made their way over to the Par 3 Tournament, where occasional cheers broke the silence. It was a precursor of what was sure to follow over the next four days at a major that rarely fails to deliver drama. Even without Woods. "Its probably the most anticipated week of the year," Rory McIlroy said.. Budda Baker Jersey. . "Its been eight months since weve had a major. Its Augusta. ... Theres a lot of guys that seem like once they drive up Magnolia Lane here, something lights up inside them." That could be Phil Mickelson, who last year won the British Open at age 42 and now has a chance to join Woods and Arnold Palmer with a fourth green jacket. It could be Adam Scott, trying to join Woods, Nick Faldo and Jack Nicklaus as the only back-to-back winners. Considering how this year has gone, it could be anybody. Jason Day, Sergio Garcia and former Masters champion Zach Johnson are the only players from the top 10 who have won anywhere in the world. Only one of the last seven winners on the PGA Tour was ranked in the top 75. "I think if youre outside the top 50 in the world this week, youve got a great chance," U.S. Open champion Justin Rose said with a laugh. Rose, however, falls on the side of experience -- knowing where to miss, knowing where you cant afford to miss, where the hole locations tend to be on the contoured greens and using the slope to get the ball close. "Always you can have the unknowns," he said. "But I would say 15 guys are pretty strong favourites." Woods has become a polarizing figure in golf, especially at the Masters. Since he last won a green jacket in 2005, only once has Woods finished out of the top six. Thats what made him so compelling at Augusta. He always seems to be there. And thats why this Masters seems to lack definition. No one is dominating golf at the moment. Walker has the most PGA Tour wins (three) this season, but this is his first Masters. Scott had a chance to go to No. 1 in the world three weeks ago at Bay Hill, but he lost a three-shot lead in the final round to Matt Every, who had never won in his career. Never has there been this much chatter about Masters rookies. Then again, there has never been this many. And theyre not bashful about their chances. "Doesnt matter if youve played here once or if youve played here 50 times," Reed said. "When it comes down to it, its just going to be that whoever is playing the best is going to walk away with the trophy." So maybe its not that hard to figure out, after all. 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 ' ' '
The Wall