The NBA pre-season is upon us and hope springs eternal for 30 teams. Jackie Robinson Jersey . Cant wait. How time flies. Im starting my 16th year as a Toronto Raptors broadcaster and this is my sixth year with TSN. I feel very fortunate to be involved in the sport I love and to have the opportunity to be part of it in a lot less stressful way than my previous career as a coach. Its fun and you folks with your passion for hoops make it awesome. Thanks for your support and look forward to enjoying lots of great basketball moments together in 2013-14 and beyond. Lets quickly touch on a few NBA topics. 1. Glen Grunwald (Knicks): Totally bizarre that he was removed as GM. He did a better than good job there in his roles with the organization. Very strange but in the world of owner James Dolan, nothing shocks me. Feel for Grunwald; good basketball man who is very low key. Dont be fooled by his quiet demeanor, hes a sharp guy and very competitive. I know that life is unfair but this is a time where you just shake your head and feel awful for a guy. Steve Mills is the new president & GM; a stunning return to MSG for him. One of those moments where you say to yourself, You cant make this nonsense up! 2. Derriok Rose (Bulls): Thrilled that hes healthy and back practicing with his team. If there is one guy (if 100 per cent healthy) that can dramatically change the makeup of the Eastern Conference, its this guy. Impact guy with explosive ability. The Miami Heat are obviously the team to beat with the Pacers, Nets and Knicks all in the hunt. Rose will put the Bulls right back in the elite discussion again if it all works out and Im cool with that. Its great for the sport. 3. Erik Spoelstra (Heat): Outstanding move by owner Micky Arison and president Pat Riley to get him locked up on a long-term deal. He fits the organizational approach/mindset of the Heat exactly and is an outstanding young coach. Stability is crucial to any good franchise and the coaching leadership is paramount. Hes proven himself to me time and time again as a guy who is one of the elite rising coaches in the game today. 4. Channing Frye (Suns): Reports out of Phoenix are that hes close to coming back after missing last season with heart ailment. Good for him. Have always liked his ability as a stretch perimeter guy and is a team player who gives it his all. Any time you can have a floor spacer like Frye on the court it helps dramatically with the flow/spacing and efficiency of your offense. Hopefully, it works out for him. 5. Toronto 2016 NBA All-Star Game and Drake: Lots of news out of Toronto with the announcement of the 2016 NBA All Star game and Drakes involvement with the Raptors. Ive been saying for years that getting the All-Star Weekend is a good thing for Toronto and will be a nice opportunity for the organization and city to showcase itself as a place that has amazing potential (it does!) as a viable NBA destination as well as (if run properly) a place where a franchise can be a significant player (it can be!) in the NBA landscape. The involvement of Drake doesnt hurt one bit. Were in the recruitment and retention business. If he can even help a little bit with the recruitment of a player and/or helping a current player who is on the fence about life as an NBA Player in Toronto stick with his commitment, then why not try it. Worth a shot. In my 16 Years doing this in Toronto, Ive seen more than my fair share of the attempts to win press conferences with the glitz and glitter and then Day 2 and beyond, it fizzles. Never confuse activity for achievement. Sooner or later, as the Raptors start Year 19 in the NBA, youve got to see results and those results on a consistent basis. If this helps that, wonderful. Let it rip. All for it. At the end of the day, all fans want is the durable, solid level of success/results of teams like the San Antonio Spurs, New England Patriots, St. Louis Cardinals and the New Jersey Devils. Substance ultimately overrules style. In the words of Al Davis, Just Win Baby! Cody Bellinger Jersey . - After a back-and-forth battle throughout the season, Alex Guenette has earned the 2013 rookie of the year award for the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series presented by Mobil 1 by just one point over Ryley Seibert. Julio Urias Jersey . - After spending the morning in the hospital, Logan Couture gave the San Jose Sharks the spark they needed. http://www.ladodgersprostore.us/Adrian-Gonzalez-dodgers-jersey/ . Redden played a total of 1,023 regular-season games with Ottawa, the New York Rangers, St. Louis and Boston. He finished with 457 points (109 goals, 348 assists) and a plus-160 rating over his career.MELBOURNE, Australia - Nick Kyrgios knows how to entertain a crowd. He hits shots between his legs and around the net posts. He smashes rackets. He argues with the chair umpire and interacts with fans in the stands. He smashes more rackets.And when he can control his explosive game and emotions, the crowd-pleasing Kyrgios has the talent to beat anyone on the biggest stages.At a raucous Hisense Arena at the Australian Open on Sunday, the 19-year-old Australian did just that: he came back from two sets down and saved a match point before beating Italian Andreas Seppi 5-7, 4-6, 6-3, 7-6 (5), 8-6 in a 3 1/2-hour match to reach the quarterfinals.This is actually the most nervous Ive ever been, he said. I am definitely feeling the pressure (playing at home), but at the same time I had so much fun out there.It was a reprise of his breakout performance at Wimbledon last year where he saved nine match points in a come-from-behind win over Richard Gasquet and then stunned the then-No. 1 Rafael Nadal to reach the quarters.With both runs, Kyrgios is in elite company — the last man to reach the quarters at multiple majors as a teenager was Roger Federer in 2001.Kyrgios credited the deafening, standing-room-only crowd with helping him pull through the match against Seppi, but credited himself, too, for keeping his volatile emotions in check when it mattered.It didnt start out this way. In the first set, he argued with the chair umpire repeatedly over a call and after dropping set point, smashed his racket with such force that it bent in half.Though he kept up a stream of explettives and continually talked to himself — as well as the crowd — he also calmed himself down at critical moments, particularly in the fifth set when he let a 4-1 lead slip and had to fight off a break point at 4-all. Los Angeles Dodgers Jerseys. I think Im just managing my emotions a bit better out there, he said. When I needed to get into the crowd, I did that. ... Im just learning every time I step out on the court when to show emotion, when not to.Kyrgios has been criticized for being too emotional in the past, including this week in the Australian media by former greats Fred Stolle and Pat Rafter. If you want to, call them antics or frustrations or temper, Stolle said, but its something that hes got to get rid of.But others have leapt to his defence — he has a fan club on Twitter that uses the hashtag #NKRising — and Kyrgios himself said playing to the crowd helps him overcome nerves and boosts his energy levels when he needs it.His showmanship certainly livened up the crowd after he dropped the first two sets against Seppi. At one point in the fourth set, he hit a shot between his legs as he approached the net and, though he lost the point, the crowd roared.He had them laughing, too, when he shouted to a couple who got up to leave in the fifth set, Hey, where are you going?If Kyrgios plays his next match against Andy Murray in front of 15,000 screaming fans at Rod Laver Arena — the biggest stadium at Melbourne Park — his opponent should expect quite the show.Hes dangerous. Hes unpredictable. Hes entertaining, Murray said. Im going to have to play a good match. 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