Its safe to say the Toronto Raptors have been a pleasant surprise this season, especially since trading Rudy Gay. When general manager Masai Ujiri shipped Gay off to the Sacramento Kings on Dec. 8, many thought it was the beginning of the "Tank." They would lose as many games as possible in attempt to grab the first overall pick and select potential superstar – and Canadian – Andrew Wiggins. Well, the complete opposite has happened. Since the move, the Raptors have won 14 of 20 games and sit in third place in the weak Eastern Conference. So with the recent success, has your perception and expectations of the Toronto Raptors changed? Experts and fans alike thought the 2013-2014 Raptors would be a success if they managed to sneak into the playoffs with the seventh or eighth seed and then get steamrolled by the Miami Heat or Indiana Pacers in the first round. But, with disappointing performances from the New York Knicks and the Brooklyn Nets, Toronto finds itself atop the Atlantic Division with a better than decent shot at not only avoiding the Heat or Pacers in the first round of the playoffs, but earning home-court advantage. Should a second round playoff series be expected from this club now? Over their hot streak, the Raptors have defeated some of leagues elite teams, including the Oklahoma City Thunder and Dallas Mavericks, both on the road, as well as the East-leading Pacers. They were even able to keep it close against the Heat in South Beach. Theyve shown they can play against the big boys of the NBA so does this mean they can push a series to six or seven games or possibly even upset one of those top teams in the playoffs? It seems head coach Dwane Casey finally has the right players to play his type of defensive basketball. The team is third in the league in opponent points per game with 96. The Raptors are getting all-star performances from DeMar DeRozan and Kyle Lowry, whos even getting some MVP consideration. Jonas Valanciunas is averaging close to a double-double in his sophomore season while the players sent over from Sacramento have all contributed, especially Patrick Patterson. At the very least, have the Raptors played well enough to earn respect from around the league? Or maybe Toronto is overachieving and fans should enjoy the success while it lasts, because if Raptors history tells us anything, it may not last long. Let it be known theyre doing all of this in the East where only four teams are over the .500 mark. So with all this considered, has your perception and expectations of the Toronto Raptors changed? As always, its Your! Call.
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Dino Ciccarelli Jersey .C. -- Gleason Fournier scored the shootout winner as the Grand Rapids Griffins defeated the Abbotsford Heat 4-3 Friday in American Hockey League action.GREENBURGH, N.Y. -- Phil Jackson lost out on his preferred coach, but hes working hard on keeping his star player. The New York Knicks president said Friday he has talked to Carmelo Anthony about postponing free agency, and the All-Star forward responded that hell think about it. "I told him it might be a good idea to hang in here and see what its like for a year, and go out the next year," Jackson said. Anthony can opt out of the final year of his contract, which would pay him $23.3 million, and has repeatedly said that was his plan. But Jackson said there are financial benefits to Anthony waiting, for both sides, and told him that during a dinner about a month ago. "He opened the door and I stuck my foot in it and said this is what we can do," Jackson said to the teams beat writers. Jackson also told Anthony that Steve Kerr would be coming in to coach, a plan that didnt work out. Kerr was his first and only known candidate to replace Mike Woodson, and Jackson said Kerr had essentially committed to leave the TNT broadcast booth to take the job. But then the Golden State job opened up when the Warriors fired Mark Jackson, and Kerr preferred that one to remain close to his family in California. "Unfortunately for him, he committed to me the day before the job opened with Golden State. So I had to kind of release him to actually go to this job and say you have to do whats right for yourself," Jackson said. "I understood entirely the process he was going through to have that job open up. That was something he kind of thought would be a good fit for him. So thats good, were happy for him." Jackson said hes been doing some interviews, though wouldnt name those candidates. Hes interested iin talking to Derek Fisher, who played for him in Los Angeles, after Oklahoma Citys season is finished, but ruled out Brian Shaw, his former player and assistant who just completed his first season as Denvers first coach.dddddddddddd The Nuggets have said they are happy with Shaw -- and Jackson doesnt want to give them any compensation even if they would consider letting him leave. "Brian is under contract with Denver," Jackson said. "Denver has everything that we owned for the last few years, so theres nothing else I want to give them." He was referring to the exorbitant price the Knicks paid to acquire Anthony from the Nuggets in 2011. It is still costing them even now, as Denver owns the Knicks first-round pick next month in Jacksons first draft in charge. The deal would hurt even more if Anthony left this summer. But perhaps Jackson, who is a little more than two months into his job, wont have to worry about it after giving Anthony something to think about that he previously wasnt considering. "Im not losing sleep over it, but Im definitely concerned about the idea of a guy going into free agency," Jackson said. "It only takes one bidder out there that has the ability and can ruin your hopes and your chances. "We will survive it. Thats what Ive said and well go forward. But this is a guy we recognize his talent and his skill is the kind of skill and talent that gets you through playoff games where things get sticky, grind out and basketball becomes a force game and suddenly you need to have a player who has the capabilities of scoring with someone hanging on them in a situation thats critical. "Hes one of those players, one of the few players who can do that."
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