TORONTO - Masai Ujiri has officially taken the next step, a rather bold one at that, in the inevitable rebuild of his Toronto Raptors. Nikola Mirotic Jersey . The Raptors announced the completion of a seven-player swap Monday, officially sending rental star Rudy Gay to Sacramento along with the seldom used Aaron Gray and Quincy Acy in exchange for guard Greivis Vasquez, swingman John Salmons and forwards Patrick Patterson and Chuck Hayes, a deal first reported by Yahoo Sports Sunday evening. In just over six months on the job, the Raptors general manager has quickly made his presence felt, as expected after he inherited Bryan Colangelos roster back in May. It didnt take him long to jettison maligned forward Andrea Bargnani - the face of the Colangelo era - to New York and with Mondays transaction he bid farewell to Gay, his predecessors second marquee mistake. Ujiri has made his statement. This team is now his to build as he sees fit. How he plans to do that still remains unclear, despite adding a pair of necessary, albeit significant transactions to his already impressive resume. "I couldnt tell you where the team is going to go from here," Ujiri said, addressing the local media at the Air Canada Centre for the first time since the trade was made official late Monday afternoon. "Sometimes you have to make a change." "I know people speculate different things on the direction," he said, referring to the elephant in the room; the T-word (tank) that has been hovering over this team like a black cloud long before he accepted the gig in Toronto. "We made a move that creates certainty." Looking at Ujiris resume - his early returns at the helm of the Raptors and his time spent in Denver - theres an obvious trend that has defined his brief, yet mostly successful career as a lead NBA executive. The Raptors GM leaves as little to chance as humanly possible. Time and time again he has taken his teams fate out of the collective hands of his players and into his own. More than anything else he values flexibility. When it appeared Carmelo Anthony was destined to hold the Nuggets hostage in free agency Ujiri flipped the script, waiting patiently and parlaying Denvers best player into more manageable assets. On Sunday he did the same with Gay, a player attached to a contract - like Bargnani - that many believed could not be moved. Although Gay can opt out of the final year of his deal at the end of the season, it seems impossible to imagine him walking away from the $19.3 million hes owed in his option year while hes mired in the worst statistical campaign of his career. Naturally, the Raptors front office had safely just assumed the forward would be on their books next year, eating up a sizeable portion of their payroll, hampering their ability to plan ahead. "That option was tough on our part," Ujiri admitted, citing the uncertainty of Gays contract as a motivating factor behind the deal, it left them in limbo he said. "That option really put us in a tough position to plan." Therein lies Ujiris fundamental goal as he continues to dismantle a disjointed unit; attaining the roster and financial flexibility necessary to build on the fly. He executed it to perfection in Denver, remaining competitive and even improving as a team after the Anthony trade when many believed the Nuggets were poised to bottom out. Ujiri wont use the T-word. He detests the word and what it represents. But he also insists the organization wont "be stuck in no-mans land." He cant have it both ways, not unless he can pull off something remarkable and duplicate the award-winning magic he performed in Denver. Barring a complete tear down - which remains possible but still seems unlikely - the Raptors are still too good to bottom out, as many expect they will. Exchanging Gay and his contract for the Kings quartet was a stroke of genius. Toronto can save roughly $12 million next season if Salmons is bought out for $1 million and the team renounces its rights to Vasquez and Patterson. Still, the move gives us little-to-no indication on the direction Ujiri intends to take. Both trades - Gay and Bargnani - were about ridding the team of expendable pieces that just didnt fit, not dumping star players in an outward attempt to be bad. On the contrary. The absence of Gay, his high usage rates and his inefficiency could and likely will make them a better team. "It just didnt work out," Ujiri said of Gays 10-month tenure in Toronto. "I think it was just a chemistry [issue] with the team. I think everybody saw there was no sync there." So now we wait. We wait for Ujiris next move and the consensus around the team, around the league, is that it wont be long. Gay will not be the last domino to fall and the GMs subsequent moves should, in theory, tip his hand. Everyone on this roster is available, at the right price. Would Ujiri be willing to listen to offers for Jonas Valanciunas? Is DeMar DeRozan safe now that the similar Gay has been dealt, or do you sell high on what appears to be an emerging star at his position? Is Kyle Lowry the next to go, as most expect? And what of Amir Johnson, who should be a valuable trade chip as the deadline approaches? In moving Gay, and Bargnani, Ujiri has already done most of the heavy lifting. Now the Raptors GM has options, and he wouldnt have it any other way. John Paxson Jersey . -- The Washington Redskins coaching staff distanced itself from other coaches Thursday by siding with ownership -- and not the players -- in the NFLs labour dispute. Denzel Valentine Jersey . The Australian is competing in his final season in Formula One and still looking for his first win this year. He will look to end Vettels run of six straight race wins on Sunday. Webber, who is fifth in the championship, earned his second pole from the past three races and 13th of his career. http://www.authenticbullsauthority.com/jerian-grant-bulls-jersey-c-9/ . Venus Williams advanced to the ASB Classic final in Auckland on a walkover when fellow American Jamie Hampton withdrew from their semifinal Friday with a right hip injury.(SportsNetwork.com) - As if things could get worse for the New York Jets. Not only are Rex Ryan and Co. already irrelevant in the standings at the seasons halfway point and in the middle of one of their semi-annual quarterback controversies, theyll visit a Kansas City Chiefs team this Sunday that seems ideally suited to whatever they might arrive with. Backup signal-caller Michael Vick makes his first start since his days with the Philadelphia Eagles against the leagues top-rated pass defense, third overall defense and third overall scoring defense. Kansas City enters the weekend having won two straight games, defeating San Diego and St. Louis while allowing just 451 total yards. The Chiefs registered seven sacks in a point 27-point home defeat of the Rams on Sunday, and the Jets arrive toting a league-worst turnover margin (minus-15) and No. 28 rankings in both total offense (319.4 yards per week) and scoring offense (18 points per week). New York will gets its first full-game look at the tandem of Vick and Percy Harvin, who caught three passes and carried four times in a 20-point loss to Buffalo last week, but that wont be of significant help to a battered defensive unit thats allowed 30.6 points per week in a seven-game losing slide. Chiefs quarterback Alex Smith sprained his right shoulder against the Rams, but stayed in and finished with 226 pass yards. He sustained no structural damage and is probable for the weekend. Hes upbeat about it and we did all of the precautionary things looking at it, Kansas City coach Andy Reid said, so just need a little time to get the soreness out of there. His load is lightened thanks to the presence of the running duo of Jamaal Charles and Knile Davis, who combined for 122 yards and three scores against St. Louis. The Chiefs are best in the AFC with 140.7 ground yards per game, though stopping the run is one of things the Jets do with some success - surrendering 85.4 yards per game and 3.3 yards per attempt. In his last six games, Charles has averaged five yards per game and scored six times. Still, its no understatement to suggest the headline-grabbing matchup is elsewhere. As fate would have it, Vicks return to the starting lineup comes against the very same man - Reid - who famously gave him a second chance with the Eagles in 2009, following a two-year prison stint. In three subsequent seasons with Philadelphia, he had 8,683 yards with 51 touchdowns, 30 interceptions and a 6.7-yard per-carry average - including a comeback player of the year nod in 2010. He maintained his starting role under Reid until the coach was fired following a 4-12 season in 2012. I love Andy Reid for the man that he is, said Vick, whose last start came in Week 8 last season. As far as the football gaame, football is football. Dwyane Wade Jersey. I just want to go out there and do whats best for the team and hopefully try to get a win. Its kind of ironic. Would I have wanted it that way? Honestly, no. A loss for the Jets would yield their first eight-game skid since the first half of 1996s 1-15 debacle. I liked him better when he was in my world with the same helmet and team because hes a good football player, Reid said. Vick relieved embattled starter Geno Smith in the loss to the Bills after the youngster threw three interceptions in the first quarter. The older man wasnt exactly spectacular while completing 18 of 36 passes for 153 yards and an interception - in addition to 69 rushing yards - but he gets the lesser-of- two-evils vote from equally embattled coach Rex Ryan. To say Ryans job security is non-existent would be an understatement. My focus is just on Kansas City and trying to find a way to get a win, he said. Thats why this decision was made. Vick also relieved Smith in a Week 5 loss to San Diego and was 8-for-19 for 47 yards, then conceded afterward that hed been unprepared to play. Its a great opportunity, he said. Any time you get named to be the starter, in any profession, in professional sports, its a great thing. You have to relish it, but also at the same time take it extremely serious and understand whats at stake and what needs to be done. WHAT TO WATCH FOR Hey, Dont I Know You? Not only is Vicks meeting with his former coach an opportunity for two old friends to get together, it also provides a chance for the ex-Eagles boss to share an extensive dossier of QB-centric knowledge with his current staff - which, ironically, includes former Jets assistant Bob Sutton, now the Chiefs defensive coordinator. Of note, Vick lost two fumbles and was picked off once in the relief stint against Buffalo. Can Anyone Here Run This Ball? For all their faults, the Jets may have a fertile matchup on the ground against a Chiefs defense thats surrendered 4.7 yards per attempt. That obviously could mean more opportunities for Harvin as he grows more accustomed to the offense. On the flip side, Charles has 340 in his last three games but faces a stout task in the New York rush defense that gave up only 67 ground yards last week. OVERALL ANALYSIS Maybe Ryan will give the speech of his life and rev a 1-7 team. Maybe seeing Reid again will convince Vick that its 2010. And maybe the Jets will bottle up Charles enough to keep Kansas City in check. Or, maybe the 20-point loss to Buffalo and Vicks less-than-stellar play in two previous auditions are indicative of a franchise whose disarray surface is just being scratched. Three words: Assume the latter. Sports Network predicted outcome: Chiefs 27, Jets 10 NFL Jerseys From China Wholesale NFL Jerseys Discount Jerseys Cheap Jerseys Wholesale Jerseys Jerseys NFL China NFL Jerseys Wholesale ' ' '