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shushu
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12 Mar 2019 04:07 |
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TORONTO - For many, it would have already become an elephant in the room, an awkward matter best ignored. 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. Wholesale Pelicans Jerseys . The mood in Seattle was electrified as the parade featuring the NFL champions began near the Space Needle and made its way to CenturyLink Field, the home of the team. At a ceremony inside the stadium, the team thanked its loyal followers -- the 12th Man -- capping a day of boisterous celebration that drew an estimated 700,000 revelers to Seattle. Anthony Davis Jersey . The Canucks figured to be active prior to Wednesdays trade deadline, getting a jump on things the previous day when they dealt goaltender Roberto Luongo to the Florida Panthers for netminder Jacob Markstrom and forward Shawn Matthias. http://www.cheappelicansjerseys.com/?tag=cheap-tony-carr-jersey .com) - Mike Miller scored a season-high 21 points in a rare start and the Cleveland Cavaliers bounced back from their worst loss of the season with a 95-91 win over the Brooklyn Nets. Cheap Swingman Pelicans Jerseys . This is the final meeting of the season between these teams.? The Capitals were 5-4 winners in a shootout Oct. Cheap Pelicans Jerseys . TSN 1290s Jordan Cieciwa, Big Marv and Toby are here to give their predictions on who will leave with the belt and who will take some of the other key bouts on the card. Johny Hendricks vs.RANCHO MIRAGE, Calif. -- Shanshan Feng was alone in her opinion about the pin positions in the Kraft Nabisco Championship. She was by herself atop the leaderboard, too. "The pin positions werent that hard," the 24-year-old Chinese player said. Feng had little trouble Thursday in perfect morning conditions at Mission Hills, shooting a 6-under 66 to take a one-stroke lead over Michelle Wie and Se Ri Pak. Defending champion Inbee Park voiced the majority opinion after an opening 74. "The pin positions were very tough for the first day," Park said. "Half of the pins, we couldnt go at. There were very tough pins out there." Cristie Kerr agreed after her morning round in the first major of the year. "The pin on 3 today, it doesnt matter if you hit a pitching wedge, it would be hard to get to, and were hitting 6- and 7- irons in," said Kerr, tied for sixth after a 69. "The pin on 1 is like 2 yards from the right side of the green. ... Do they have to be that severe? Maybe not, but theyre probably compensating for the fact that theres not much rough." Feng had seven birdies and a bogey. "This morning, it was playing easier because there was no wind," Feng said. Feng won the 2012 LPGA Championship to become the tours first Chinese winner and had two victories late last year. She tied for 16th last week in Carlsbad, her best finish of the season. "The beginning of this year I was kind of a little lost because I lost a little weight and my swing kind of changed a little," Feng said. "I wasnt swinging very comfortably." Angel Yin, a 15-year-old high school freshman from the Los Angeles suburb of Arcadia, was two strokes back at 68 with Amy Yang. Yin was asked if there was a player she wanted to meet, but was too shy to approach. "Michelle Wie," Yin said. "If she sat next to me and said Hi to me, Id probably run." The 24-year-old Wie laughed when told about Yins response. "Its crazy," Wie said. "These girls are starting to make me feel really old." Wie played a four-hole stretch in 5 under, showing off all the talent that made her a star in her early teens and helped attract players like Yin to golf. "I just felt comfortable out there," Wie said. Wie stalled at the end, llipping out a 3-foot par putt on the par-3 17th and settling for par on the par-5 18th.dddddddddddd "Ill take a 67 here," Wie said Wie birdied the par-5 ninth and par-4 10th, made a 25-foot eagle putt on the par-5 11th and moved into a tie for the lead with a 15-foot birdie putt on the par-4 12th. She got up-and-down for par from near a steep face in a bunker on the par-4 15th, hitting to 1 1/2 feet with her left foot almost 2 feet above her right. "Just was aggressive on the holes I needed to be and conservative on the other holes," Wie said Wie is making her 12th start in the tournament. She was ninth in 2003 at age 13, fourth the following year and tied for third at 16 in 2006. "I think when youre younger youre kind of fearless," Wie said. "You dont know what failure is." Wie has two LPGA Tour victories, winning the 2009 Lorena Ochoa Invitational in Mexico and the 2010 Canadian Womens Open. She has been in the top 16 in all five of her starts this year, finishing a season-best fourth in Thailand. "Im so grateful to have rounds like these," Wie said. Paired with 58-year-old Hall of Famer Amy Alcott, Feng rebounded from a bogey on 15 with a birdie on par-4 16th. "I made a bogey on 15, and she was like, OK, lets make two birdies back in the last three holes," Feng said. "I was like, Yes, maam." Alcott shot an 81 in her 36th start in the event she won in 1983, 1988 and 1991. In 1988, she became the first player to take the now-traditional victory leap into Poppies Pond. "She was very sweet starting off and we were talkative," Alcott said. "She hits it very solid. Just a very, very talented young player." The 36-year-old won the last of her five major titles in 2006. "Just a solid round," Pak said. "The greens got a little firmer, but I got pretty good distance control." Anna Nordqvist, the winner in Carlsbad for her second victory of the year, opened with a 71. Playing partner Stacy Lewis, the 2011 winner, had a 73. Lewis struggled off the tee, hitting drives to the right. "If I can straighten out my driver Ill be right there," Lewis said. Sixteen-year-old Lydia Ko and Hall of Famer Karrie Webb, also a two-time winner this year, were in the group at 73. ' ' '
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