2012 » nly about $426,000 under the salary cap. Even if they could trade

Toronto Raptors guard DeMar DeRozan is doing things that havent been accomplished in the NBA in 30 years, which is fitting since DeRozan is a type of throwback player. He also is invoking the name of Michael Jordan, which is the type of effort it will take for the Raptors to overthrow the defending champion Cleveland Cavaliers.DeRozan was named the Eastern Conferences Player of the Week Monday after averaging 34.7 points and shooting 54 percent from the floor during Torontos 3-0 week. DeRozan leads the league in scoring, averaging 34 points per game.He is the first player to score at least 30 points in eight of his first nine games to start a season since Jordan did it during the 1986-87 season. DeRozan is doing it with a flurry of drives and mid-range jumpers and very few 3-pointers.Hes playing at an All-Star level, Raptors coach Dwane Casey said. Getting bumped, getting hit, still finishing the play. Hes playing an old mans game with physicality. The game has slowed down for him and the key is hes converting those plays.DeRozans weekly award from the league ends LeBron James streak. James won the first two weekly awards of the season in the East and remains an imposing road block to the Raptors, who lost to James and the Cleveland Cavaliers in six games in last seasons conference finals.The two best teams in the Eastern Conference in 2015-16 meet again Tuesday in Cleveland for already the second time this season. The Cavs beat the Raptors last month at Air Canada Centre. Now the defending champions might be even better than they were last season.Cleveland has made at least 10 3-pointers in every game this season, breaking a record set by the Houston Rockets two years ago. While its early, the Cavaliers are on pace to make more 3-pointers than any team in history -- and coach Tyronn Lue still isnt completely happy.I think we can shoot better, Lue said. Its been sporadic.Mike Dunleavy, acquired from the Chicago Bulls over the summer, is off to a terrible start shooting 3-pointers. A career 37-percent 3-point shooter, Dunleavy is making just 27 percent of them (7 of 26) this season. Lue, however, isnt concerned with Dunleavys struggles.Hes a great shooter and hes always been over his career, Lue said. You come from playing 32, 34 minutes and being a starter and now youre coming off the bench when youre playing 16 minutes a game, its tough to try to find your rhythm.The Raptors didnt win any games at Quicken Loans Arena last season -- including the three during the playoffs. They lost the series when James dominated Game 6 at Air Canada Centre. Thats why Toronto players have already discussed the importance of home-court advantage over the Cavaliers in the playoffs.In order to get there, the Raptors likely will have to win a game in Cleveland at some point. They learned how difficult it can be to beat a motivated James in the postseason.He just took over. He took it to another level, Casey said of James. Mentally, physically, defensively, offensively, he wasnt going to let them lose. He can have an imprint on the game in whatever way that night calls for.Wholesale Jerseys 2018 . Emery skated the length of the ice and fought an unwilling Holtby during the third period of the Flyers 7-0 loss Friday night in Philadelphia. He was given 29 penalty minutes, including a game misconduct. But Emery did not face even a disciplinary hearing with NHL senior vice president of player safety Brendan Shanahan because rules 46. Cheap NFL Jerseys China . He said Tuesday thats a big reason why he is now the new coach of the Tennessee Titans. Whisenhunt said he hit it off quickly with Ruston Webster when interviewing for the job Friday night. http://www.wholesalecheapjerseysauthentic.com/ . -- Patrick Reed got an early start in golf. Cheap Jerseys 2018 . Following a lopsided 5-2 loss against the New Jersey Devils on Wednesday night, Paul MacLean told reporters that "theres a lack of focus, theres a lack of leadership and theres a lack of preparation" with his struggling team. That came on the heels of Bryan Murray taking the unusual step of going into the locker room at the Prudential Center and addressing the players himself. Cheap NBA Jerseys China .ca NHL Power Rankings for the second straight week, ahead of the Pittsburgh Penguins and Colorado Avalanche.PHILADELPHIA -- Theres a clock in Sam Bradfords head, and its ticking fast. The alarm goes off at 2.3 seconds, which is the average length of time its taking the Minnesota Vikings?quarterback to throw the ball this season. That was the fourth-fastest time in the entire NFL entering Sundays game, and Sundays game showed the reason for that.Its hard to evaluate his performance when you look like a sieve in there, Vikings coach Mike Zimmer said after his team suffered its first loss of the season?21-10 to the Philadelphia Eagles.Theres a clock in Zimmers head too. Although its showing weeks and months instead of seconds, its ticking just as unmercifully. Zimmer is a man who knows his teams glittering 2016 start didnt come with much margin for error. At some point, the alarm clock is going to ring, and the expiration date is going to arrive. At some point, the wolf knocks on the door and sacks Bradford six times in one game.We were soft. We got overpowered. We got whipped, Zimmer said. It was a poor display. We have to stay away from negative plays offensively. Were not good enough to overcome these things.The 5-0 record the Vikings carried into Lincoln Financial Field on Sunday wasnt a mirage, but it wasnt bulletproof, either. The pressure with which the Eagles defensive front whipped Minnesotas overmatched tackles was the attack for which Zimmer has clearly been bracing. Philadelphia sacked Bradford six times, and the Eagles also hit him 19 times and knocked him down 14 times. A tackle rotation that included T.J. Clemmings, Jeremiah Sirles and recently signed veteran Jake Long didnt have any answers for the Eagles edge rushers, who were appropriately unimpressed.They were down a couple of offensive linemen, Connor Barwin said, so we knew there was going to be some opportunity there.Was there ever. Bradford and the Vikings offense didnt turn the ball over once the first five games of the season. They turned it over twice in the first quarter Sunday. The only reason this game didnt get out of hand right away was that the Eagles turned the ball over three times in the first quarter, a truly sordid 15 minutes of facsimile football in which it appeared as if each offense perceived the ball to be radioactive.But when things did settle down, it was Bradford, more than Philadelphias Carson Wentz, who spent the critical part of the day under siege.Its hard to throw when someones grabbing your arm, Zimmer said. Im not worried about Bradford.He should be. Even if he isnt concerned about Bradfords performance (which is wwhat he meant), theres surely reason to worry about Bradfords health if the protection issues dont improve.dddddddddddd. Bradford is in his seventh NFL season and has played all 16 games only twice -- most recently in 2012. The Vikings obviously know hes a health risk; everyone does. They acquired him a week before the start of the season out of desperation, for a first-round pick and more, because Teddy Bridgewater got hurt and they believed they had a chance to win the Super Bowl if they could get decent quarterback play. The risk, for the Vikings, is worth it because they believe -- and believe they have shown -- the ability to compete with anyone in the NFL this season.But oh, that ticking clock. Not two weeks into the season, Minnesota lost starting left tackle Matt Kalil and, worst of all, star running back Adrian Peterson. That combination of absences has left the Vikings without a running game or a viable, week-to-week plan to keep Bradford upright. And they feel it.Hes as tough as they come, and hes shown that in these last five games, Vikings tight end Kyle Rudolph said of Bradford. Id like to eliminate some of those hits hes taking and keep him on his feet.Bradford would like that too, and Zimmer made no secret of how badly he craves that. The Vikings arent going to be able to go get outside help. They already dealt their first-round pick for Bradford, and theyre only about $426,000 under the salary cap. Even if they could trade for a new left tackle, they couldnt pay him. This is what theyve got: this combination of overmatched tackles and a loud, ticking clock.Obviously, Ive been on teams that have had the injury bug, and Ive fought it too, Bradford said. Its been a different group of guys in front of me, but I cant let that affect me. Ive got confidence in those guys. Theyve done a great job of keeping me clean, keeping me protected. I think well come back, figure out a way to get better, and well overcome this.That clock thats in Bradfords head every time he takes a snap is just like the one that needs to be in the Vikings heads as they swallow their first loss and take this turn into the middle part of the season. Theyre 5-1 and have looked as good as any team in the league this year. But because they cant afford for Bradford to get hurt and because their biggest current problem puts his health at direct risk, they dont have a lot of time to get this figured out. ' ' '