Five Quick Thoughts for a Monday: 1. NORRIS COLE (Heat): Its funny, you watch a guy play and now really produce and it just jumps off the page at you - why? You put a young player with potential in a winning environment where there is veteran leadership, outstanding coaching and management and a way that things are done and its a wonderful environment for growth, improvement in a climate of constant accountability and expectation of achievement/production. When he was drafted out of Cleveland State this was a young man who could go either way as a pro but the professionalism of the team that drafted him has been a wonderful place for him to be nurtured and educated on how to be a good pro. Hes really impressed me with his play off the bench and has made a significant difference against Indiana in key moments. Proper environment truly does effect outcomes. 2. INDY DEFENCE: Im sorry but the Pacers have NO chance of winning this series if they continue to allow the Heat to shoot 50 per cent plus as theyve done in all of the first three games. The Pacers have been an outstanding defensive team the past few years and thats their "calling card" - it sure aint their offence! To think that youre going to run up and down with the Heat and match buckets - good luck with that. The small/skilled lineups that the Heat throw out there are making Roy Hibbert and David West ineffective to say the least. Its easy to say but hard to do, but the Pacers have to start mucking it up and make this a much more physical and hotly contested defensive style of play. Miami is a flow team and if you allow them to get in rhythm and swing the ball with minimal resistance you might as well set up tee times for next week. The D had better be drastically better on Monday night or this series will wind down quickly. 3. SERGE IBAKA and REGGIE JACKSON (Thunder): A combined 30 points from two starters vs. minimal production from Nick Collison and Thabo Sefolosha - what a difference! Add another playmaker in Jackson (five assists) to the mix and suddenly the ball moves with a purpose and they look like a "team" instead of an "iso show" and then Ibaka was brilliant coming back from the injury with seven boards and four blocks - talk about impact performance. Suddenly the rim/paint was being protected and the Thunder played with some force and swagger defensively and on the boards. Good players used properly and healthy enough to play changes how things go drastically. Winning is really hard and you need your top guys there or you are overwhelmed at times. Now that looked like the OKC Thunder on Sunday night. If they can continue to play that way weve got a series that will go seven games. 4. NBA DRAFT: You watch the Playoffs so far and the thing that continues to jump out at me is how the NBA has changed over the years. How that reflects on this years Draft is that if youre the Cavs and the Bucks with the first two picks youve really got to think long and hard about how Joel Embiids game fits in the league today versus the upside over a 10-12 year period of guys like Andrew Wiggins and Jabari Parker. This has become a perimeter-based league with skilled guys who can do it all versus the traditional brand of power basketball which still has its place in the game...yet at what price? Always a terrific philosophical discussion for GMs, executives and coaches to hash out. 5. POTENTIAL VS. PRODUCTION (Terrence Ross and Jonas Valanciunas, Raptors): You can talk about the No. 20, 37 and 59 picks in this years Draft that the Raptors have and the free agent decisions and possible moves that GM Masai Ujiri can make this off-season. But for the Raptors to continue to improve and take nice gradual building steps over the next few years the significant improvement in every respect from these two youngsters is paramount. Players are made in the off-season and teams are developed in-season. Will these two young men pay the price between now and early October and come back stronger, more skilled, more knowledgeable and ready to be consistent winning pieces that take an organization from respectable to another gear? Only time will tell. "To whom much is given (major minutes and starting opportunities as sophomores), much is expected." Cant wait to see what both young men come back like in the Fall. Their improvement/development will define the next step for the Raptors. Lots of attention will be focused on the role of head coach Dwane Casey and his staff along with the support staff in the further growth of both guys but in my opinion its a whole lot more now on these two guys personally of how bad do they want to be next level players? When you reach your third year as a pro its time for you to be able to "figure it out" on your own and the coaches are there to guide you on the proper path - yet its on YOU. Its time to be consistent producers in every respect. How these young men (I really like both of them) take personal ownership of their professional careers will set the stage for the long-term direction of the Raptors and the moves Ujiri needs to make accordingly to fill in the blanks. The proper environment exists for both to improve significantly - now its on them to seize the opportunity given to them. . Instead, Nonis and Kessel were sorting through the fallout of a wild melee with the Buffalo Sabres, one that saw Kessel suspended for the duration of the pre-season. . Tampa Bay Buccaneers RB Doug Martin broke the news that hes cleared for full activity moving forward.
http://www.cheapmapleleafsjerseysauthen ... omi-jersey. The group of Slava Fetisov, Igor Larionov, Vladimir Konstantinov, Sergei Fedorov, & Slava Kozlov were a dominant force for The Wings at one point in the 90s. .55 million euros (US$18.6 million) to Spanish tax authorities on Monday to cover any potential irregularities in its signing of Neymar, all the while maintaining its innocence of the fraud charges levied against it. . PETERSBURG, Fla.ENGLEWOOD, Colo. -- The numbers keep piling up and so do the wins. Still, for anyone watching closely, its hard to fight the feeling that somethings not quite right with Peyton Manning. The feeling snuck up again Wednesday. With the undefeated Chiefs next on the schedule, Manning sat out of the weeks first practice to give his tender ankles -- which make him feel like the James Caan character in the movie "Misery," as Jim Nantz recounted Manning telling him -- a bit of a rest. "Its my preference to be out there, but at the same time, I kind of do whats best for the team in order for me to get healthy," said Manning, who participated in the team walk-through, then headed to the trainers room for rehab. Not that giving a 16-year veteran a day off every now and then is all that unusual -- or that giving Denvers "Plan B," backup Brock Osweiler, some much-needed work with the first team is such a bad idea. But Manning does not take kindly to missing practices, as he told his coach and trainer three weeks ago, when his balky ankle (or ankles, depending on who you talk to) made him a scratch for the first time as a Bronco in a regular-season practice. "I can assure you I did not go down without a fight," he said that day. This time, he said hed been pretty much resigned to sitting out since Monday, when an MRI showed no further damage to Mannings right ankle following a low hit from Chargers lineman Corey Liuget. "It happens with a lot of guys. Champ (Bailey). Wes (Welker)," Manning said. "I dont know if its an age-bracket thing or what. Ive made a lot of adjustments these past two years at this point in my career and this is just another one of them." More than a missed practice or two, its how Manning has been looking on the field the last few weeks that has brought about some head scratching. Ever since Jason Babin of Jacksonville hit him low in a game Oct. 13 and Manning lit into officials for not calling anything, he has looked a bit more rushed than usual in the pocket. His passes, never works of art on his healthiest days, have wobbled a bit more. He has been slightly quicker to throw to the safety valve coming out of the backfield. There are many reasons that could explain that, including the fact that Denvers wide receivers are seeing more press coverage. Either way, Knowshon Moreno has 24 catches and is Denvers leader in receptions since the Jacksonville game. Dating to that game, Manning has thrown five of his sixx interceptions.dddddddddddd Not surprisingly, hes been sacked and stripped of the ball from the blindside once a game for the last three, starting when Robert Mathis of the Colts burned left tackle Chris Clark for a safety in Denvers lone loss this season. Mannings latest setback came courtesy of Liuget, who dove at the quarterbacks ankles and left him wincing in pain at the end of Denvers 28-20 win last week. The Broncos were peeved enough over that hit, they sent it to the league to review. The league said the hit wasnt illegal. "Were playing football," said Broncos interim coach Jack Del Rio. "People are going to get hit. We do as good a job as anybody out there in terms of protecting our guy. Its important to us. Well continue to do that. But at the end of the day, its football." Next up, the Broncos face Kansas City, which leads the league with 36 sacks -- not exactly the matchup they want with a quarterback whos less than 100 per cent and doesnt move well when he is at full strength. At whatever level hes playing, Manning is still producing. His 3,249 yards and 33 touchdown passes are still both well ahead of record pace. The Broncos are 8-1 and would climb into a first-place tie in the AFC West by beating the Chiefs. Yes, the weather will get worse, starting Sunday, when the forecast calls for a high of 40 with a chance of snow. And yes, the competition gets tougher, also starting Sunday, when the Broncos play the Chiefs, followed by road games against New England and the divisional rematch at Kansas City. Manning said if he had to, he could be ready for Sundays game without practicing at all. That wouldnt faze the Denver receivers. "You still want to get some throws in and get some work in throughout the week," Eric Decker said. "But a lot of that is taken care of physically, and mentally is the big part of it." Manning, though, expects to be on the practice field before the week is out. Skipping practice "kind of goes against what I believe in," he said. "I believe in practice. I believe theres a reason for it." Notes: LB Nate Irving (shoulder) was held out of practice with the shoulder injury he suffered last week. ... CB Champ Bailey was limited, in hopes of returning for the first time since reinjuring his foot against Indianapolis on Oct. 20. ... RB Ronnie Hillman was inactive for the second straight game last Sunday but his replacement, C.J. Anderson, did not get any touches on offence. ' ' '
