. Denvers Wilson Chandler had eight points in his first start since coming back from a hamstring strain. Cheap NFL Jerse | Forum

TORONTO - In 2009, the Detroit Pistons selected Gonzaga product Austin Daye with the 15th overall pick, just ahead of a trio of gifted point guards in Jrue Holiday, Ty Lawson and Jeff Teague. Customized San Diego Chargers Jersey . The Pistons had been an Eastern Conference powerhouse, a playoff team for eight consecutive years but they found themselves on the downswing as Joe Dumars and company hoped to tread water, putting off an inevitable rebuild (they havent qualified for the postseason since 2009). Chauncey Billups was traded to Denver the year prior, the Allen Iverson experiment was unsuccessful and short-lived and the team decided to part ways with an aging Rasheed Wallace. A new era was about to begin in Detroit and two of the players that remained from those great Piston teams served as justification for the Daye pick. Like Daye, a 6-foot-11 wing player who weighed in at 192 pounds when he was drafted as a 21-year-old, Richard Hamilton and Tayshaun Prince both came into the league with a similarly thin frame. It was always understood that Daye would need to get stronger, put on some weight and add muscle, but the sustained success of Hamilton and Prince in Detroit proved that the body-type was not an NBA death sentence. "I was always a slender guy," Daye said Saturday, in training camp with the Raptors, his third team in eight months. "A lot of other guys in the league are slender but theyre able to deal with it." Daye has yet to tap into the great potential that many believed he had back in 2009 and the knock on him has always centred on his strength. Signed to a two-year deal at the league minimum (the second year is only partially guaranteed), Daye has an opportunity to revive his career in Toronto; an opportunity he spent the offseason preparing for by addressing the very thing that continues to hold him back. After signing Daye in early August, Masai Ujiri and the Raptors hired Alonzo Freeman - facility director at PSI in Las Vegas - to implement and oversee a strict dietary program and train the 25-year-old forward. Daye credits Freeman and the work they put in for his transformation coming into camp this fall. "All thanks goes to him," Daye said, "for putting the weight on me and just keeping my mind focused and my nutrition very tight and looked upon." It all started with a blood test. "I actually took a blood test and found out some foods that dont really help me gain weight," he said. "Surprisingly they were foods that I eat a lot so I had to make some changes with my diet." The Raptors forward was surprised by how much the test revealed and how much of a difference the subsequent adjustments improved his overall conditioning. Drinking protein shakes after workouts and staying hydrated - something he wasnt conscious enough of before - helped him in this process. "I feel a lot better," Daye proclaimed. "Its been a long summer and I worked really hard. I can definitely see the results out there, just getting to the basket and taking contact a little better but as far as everything else, I think I did a good job just staying focused on the task at hand and being ready for camp." "He committed to it," Raptors coach Dwane Casey said of Dayes offseason work. "He did a great job with it." The added strength should come in handy as Daye transitions from playing primarily at the three over his first four seasons to coming off the bench as a stretch power forward, where Coach Casey plans to platoon him with sharpshooter Steve Novak. "Austin has every NBA skill," Casey said after practice Saturday. "The only thing hes ever had to work on is his strength and his body to not get knocked off the mark, not to give up offensive rebounds and to be stronger. Thats his biggest challenge as an NBA player because hes one of the best three-point shooters that we have [and] he has a great basketball IQ." While Novaks strengths and weaknesses are well known to Casey and the coaching staff, Daye remains somewhat of an unknown. As a result, and with Novak nursing a sore right thumb, Daye should get an opportunity to prove himself in the preseason. Come the Oct. 30 season opener consistent playing time is far from a guarantee for Daye, as Casey has stated hed like to trim the rotation down to eight or nine players (though it may be a fluid rotation early in the year). To factor into the regular season rotation, hell have to stand out in the final three exhibition games with Casey monitoring his defence, rebounding and ability to stay on the floor (hes committed 13 fouls in 48 preseason minutes). The chance hell be given to play is one of the things that drew him to Toronto in the offseason. He had at least one other notable suitor. "I know Miami was looking at me and thats a team I always played well against," Daye said. "It [would have been] a chance to get a ring but I dont know how much I would have played." "Im sure I could have tried to work my way in and got some quality minutes down there but Im happy with my decision to come here. I think that the decision to come here will help me along with my future. Thats why I made this decision, not for right now but for the future." Brandon Mebane Jersey . -- Stanfords Kevin Danser knelt on one knee and hardly moved on the sideline as Michigan State celebrated its Rose Bowl victory and his Cardinal teammates made their way to the locker room. Keenan Allen Chargers Jersey . Ivanovic was leading 7-5, 1-0 when Hantuchova withdrew after falling 0-40 behind in the second game. The match started slowly for Ivanovic, who surrendered her first two serves as Hantuchova took a 5-3 lead. http:///...anklin-Elite-Jersey/ . The 20-year-old Pelicans big man glanced up and smiled widely at the well-wishers -- a fitting end to a day he wont soon forget. Davis responded to his selection earlier in the day as a Western Conference All-Star with 26 points and 10 rebounds, and the New Orleans Pelicans overcame a 10-point fourth-quarter deficit to defeat the Minnesota Timberwolves 98-91 on Friday night. OKLAHOMA CITY -- Oklahoma City coach Scott Brooks knows his team can play from behind. He just doesnt want the Thunder to make a habit of it. "Were very prideful. Were going to keep fighting to the last possession," Brooks said after watching his team pull out a come-from-behind 115-113 win at home against Denver. "Thats always been a trademark but we cant just turn it on the second half. We have to correct that. Its my job to find combinations where guys are going to play with more defensive force." Kevin Durant scored 38 points, Russell Westbrook had 30 points and 12 rebounds and the Thunder were forced to rally late to win their second straight game. "Its tough. We cant continue to do that and put pressure on ourselves. Weve got to start the game better. Most of that is my fault," Westbrook said. Oklahoma Citys All-Star point guard struggled early hitting just one of his first seven shots and just four of 12 in the first half. But Westbrook also had seven assists and 11 fourth-quarter points to help Oklahoma City erase a 14-point deficit in the second half. Reggie Jackson added 14 points. With the score tied at 105, Serge Ibaka pulled down an offensive rebound and found Durant for a 3-pointer that put Oklahoma City (7-3) ahead to stay. Jeremy Lamb and Derek Fisher each hit a pair of free throws in the final 14 seconds to help the Thunder hold on. "I think Fish was a huge part of that," Brooks said. "Youve got to love guys that play with everything they have. I cant say enough about his effort. His effort turned that game around." Ty Lawson led Denver (4-6) with 29 points and eight assists. J.J. Hickson had 18 points and 19 rebounds. The Nuggets led the entire game except for the first 18 seconds of the first quarter and the final 1:26 of the fourth. First-year Denver Coach Brian Shaw said his teams outside shooting had been a sore spot coming into the game, but the Nuggets connected on four of their first seven 3-point attempts. Denver shot 59 per cent from the field while grabbing a 39-28 lead after the first quarter. Oklahoma City then began the seccond quarter with a 10-2 run, but reserve Nate Robinson gave the Nuggets a lift with eight points that helped them to a 13-point lead. Lance Alworth Jersey. After hitting just one shot in the first quarter, Westbrook scored eight points in the second. Westbrooks 25-footer with a second remaining in the half cut Denvers lead to three. Denver increased its lead to 14 in the third quarter but watched it evaporate as Oklahoma City rallied for its second straight win. "Bottom line, you play a team of this calibre on their home court and you pretty much control the entire game it comes down to small details and we didnt do well enough in those areas," Shaw said. "Thats the part thats the shame." Denver missed 18 free throws and gave up 19 offensive rebounds to the Thunder. Oklahoma City has traditionally struggled with the Nuggets, winning one of four meetings last season and 7 of 12 overall in the young series. The Nuggets had five players score in double figures, but went 25 for 43 from the free-throw line. Evan Fournier had 12 points, Randy Foye scored 11 and Robinson finished with 10. The Thunder were 26 for 32 from the line and outrebounded Denver 53-45. "The comforting thing is we have guys that can come off the bench and play good minutes and have a good role for us," Brooks said. "Thats my job to figure out our best lineups at the end of the game and we found the defensive team that was willing to compete every possession." NOTES: Oklahoma City was 13 for 27 from 3-point range. Westbrook and Durant each made three 3s. ... The Thunder outscored the Nuggets 32-21 in the fourth. Oklahoma City returned from a 1-2 road trip to start a six-game home stretch that continues with the Clippers on Thursday . Nuggets point guard Andre Miller entered Mondays game seven assists shy of passing Rod Strickland for ninth place on the NBAs career list. The 15-year veteran is already one of eight players in league history with at least 15,000 assists and 7,500 assists. He had two assists. . Denvers Wilson Chandler had eight points in his first start since coming back from a hamstring strain. 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 Cheap NFL Jerseys ' ' '