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INDEPENDENCE, Ohio -- Anthony Bennett wasnt really all that interested in playing basketball. [url=http://www.airmaxitaliascarp

in Gilde 02.11.2019 03:52
von jokergreen0220 • 2.623 Beiträge

INDEPENDENCE, Ohio -- Anthony Bennett wasnt really all that interested in playing basketball. Air Max 270 Scontate Uomo . Yeah, it was cool dunking on guys, and a great way to make new friends after moving from Toronto to the citys suburbs. Then, he decided to get serious about six or seven years ago. His future was calling. "I just started growing," Bennett said, flashing a smile while talking about his unique path to the NBA. "And everyone said, You should probably play basketball. So I said, All right. Ill give it a shot. Look where it got me now." Look indeed. Bennett was formally introduced Friday by the Cleveland Cavaliers, who shocked the draft by selecting the UNLV power forward with the No. 1 overall pick on Thursday night. Although he wasnt regarded by many draft experts as the best player available, Bennett was always at the top of Clevelands board. They scouted the 6-foot-7, 240-pounder extensively all season, fell in love with his game and after getting rave reviews about his character, chose him over Kentucky centre Nerlens Noel, Kansas guard Ben McLemore, Georgetown forward Otto Porter Jr. in a flawed draft. "As we did our evaluations throughout the entire year, we just kept coming back to his ability and his talent and how it fit with our guys," Cavs general manager Chris Grant said. "A lot of times, like last year, its just clear-cut. But for us, through the year, we always had him very high in our rankings and as we went back and reviewed the film and went on campus and visited everybody, we came away saying hes a great kid. Hes willing to work and do the right things and hes got a bunch of talent." From almost the moment they won the lottery until they had to call the league with their pick, the Cavs listened to multiple trade offers before taking Bennett, who averaged 16.1 points and 8.1 rebounds in his one season with the Runnin Rebels. Bennett didnt find basketball as much as the sport discovered him. After his family moved from the rough Jane and Finch area of inner Toronto to Brampton, Ontario, Bennett enjoyed playing hoops, but it wasnt his passion. "I was just playing around and just wasting time," he said. His mother, Edith, was encouraged to get him on an organized team, but as she watched her boy clumsily run up and down the floor, she never dreamed it would one day become his profession. "At first, people were saying, Oh, he cant play," she said. "But a few of the coaches stuck with him and gave him a chance. See what a chance will get you?" Bennetts arrival didnt come without some risks for the Cavs. He recently underwent shoulder surgery to repair a torn rotator cuff and has reportedly struggled with his weight while recovering. Grant, though, sees him as the next piece -- along with Kyrie Irving, Tristan Thompson and Dion Waiters -- to help turn around a franchise that has gone 64-166 in the three seasons since LeBron James left. "A lot of guys in this draft were out for medical reasons, but at the end of the day we just felt like this was the right guy to add with all the talent he has," Grant said. "You put him in a pick and roll with Dion or Kyrie, hes going to be pretty difficult to guard because he can shoot the ball and is athletic and can handle the ball and get to the rim." Theres a strong possibility Bennett wont even start as a rookie next season. He could wind up as a backup to fellow Canadian Tristan Thompson, who was taken by the Cavs in the first round in 2011. Like Bennett, Thompson grew up in Brampton. "I feel like me and Tristan will become best friends," Bennett said. "Hes going to be my go-to guy just because hes from Canada. Im sure there are lot more guys on that team I can go to, but just because even if Im here in Cleveland or back home in Brampton, I can talk to him anywhere I am." Some questioned why the Cavs would take another power forward with Thompson on the roster and other pressing needs like a shooter or small forward. Cavs coach Mike Brown isnt concerned about having two potential starting power forwards and is confident playing time will begin to get sorted out in training camp. "They have to go out and compete," Brown said. "They may be buddies, but once they cross that line, I think theyll get after each other. Theyll want to make themselves better, as well as the team. Its great to have depth in all areas. Anthony is definitely a guy that has added that to us. He is versatile. Hes different than the bigs we have. "He can be used in a lot of different ways." As his skills developed and his game blossomed, Bennett kept a list of players he dunked over. A dunking diary, so to speak. "I thought it was pretty fun to do," he said with laugh. "It was between me and my friends growing up in Canada. I thought, Why not? I think I gave it a year and a half. When I got to 100, I stopped." Hes already made history as the first player from his country to be taken first overall, and Bennett says theres plenty more talent north of the U.S. border. And now that the Cavs have two Canadians, is he expecting to hear "O Canada" played before games in Cleveland? "If it happens, man, Ill be happy," he said. Air Max 720 In Offerta . "Its embarrassing what were doing here," leading scorer Phil Kessel said Wednesday. The most recent failed season came with even more pain than the six that preceded it. There was no hint of an impending implosion when the Leafs came roaring out of the all-star break with back-to-back games against Pittsburgh -- a 5-4 shootout loss followed by a 1-0 win the next night. Scarpe Air Max 97 Scontate . -- Andy Granatelli, the former CEO of STP motor oil company who made a mark on motorsports as a car owner, innovator and entrepreneur, has died. http://www.airmaxitaliascarpe.it/scarpe-air-max-tn-scontate.html . Coetzees finish, with six birdies and no bogeys, took him to 19-under 268 overall and past South African compatriots Thomas Aiken and Justin Walters, the overnight co-leaders. Coetzee was flawless on the East Course at Royal Johannesburg and Kensington Golf Club to clinch his maiden title after 24 top 10 finishes.Gustav Nyquist hasnt scored a lot of goals on Jonas Gustavsson at Red Wings practice recently. "I think lately he saves them for the game," Gustavsson said. Nyquists scoring prowess has helped save Detroits NHL-best streak of 23 straight playoff appearances. Thanks in large part to Nyquists 14 goals and 10 assists in 22 games since the Olympic break, the Red Wings overcame a season rife with significant injuries to extend their playoff run. "With all the injuries weve had, its been pretty crazy," Nyquist said Tuesday in Buffalo. "But with all the injuries, I think all of us young guys have gotten more opportunity out there and (are) playing bigger minutes. ... As a young player I think that gives you confidence, knowing that you can make more plays with the puck when youre confident out there." The Red Wings injury list reads like almost like a full NHL roster. Pavel Datsyuk missed 37 games, captain Henrik Zetterberg 35 and counting, Darren Helm 40, Johan Franzen 27, Danny DeKeyser 16, Daniel Alfredsson 13 and Jimmy Howard 13. Whats even crazier is how the Red Wings seemingly havent missed a beat. And the craziest thing is that Nyquist, who spent the first 22 games of the season in the minors, still leads the team with 28 goals in just 55 games. And its not even close. "He made a splash right away: first game, two goals, when he came up, so I dont know if its a surprise," Alfredsson said. "Maybe a surprise hes been able to keep up that pace. We hadnt seen him in the NHL as much. Hes made a name for himself, a reputation for himself." Nyquist, soft-spoken and humble at 24 with 137 regular-season AHL games under his belt, wouldnt agree that he has been one of the best goal-scorers in the world lately. But with a stretch of 23 goals in 32 games, Nyquist helped the Red Wings go 17-10-5 to beat out the Toronto Maple Leafs and Washington Capitals for a playoff spot. "It feels like hes one step ahead sometimes, knowing where the pucks going to end up, and thats how he scores a lot of goals," Gustavsson said on a recent trip to Toronto. "Hes going to the right spots. Im not surprised that he has been scoring a lot for us. Maybe hes scored more than I thought right now." Certainly more than the Red Wings could have envisioned in September, when Nyquist was sent to the Grand Rapids Griffins instead of making the opening-night roster. That was more a consequence of the salary cap than an indictment of his play, as Nyquist was still exempt from going through waivers, but his three goals and three assists in 22 games last year didnt seem a preview of future NHL stardom. Scarpe Air Max 180 Scontate. Nyquist brings up "playing with great players" as one reason for his stellar scoring output. But after back problems put Zetteberg on the shelf, Nyquist kept scoring with Franzen, Riley Sheahan, David Legwand and Tomas Tatar rotating as his linemates. "Sometimes in the NHL if youre playing with great players, youre going to find a way to put that in, and hes done that," defenceman Brendan Smith said. "Its been huge for our club." But where did this all come from? "Gus would tell you that he was a pretty good player when he came out of college, I would assume, and that it took the coaches a long time to figure out he was good enough to play him enough to give him the confidence he needs to score enough," coach Mike Babcock said. "Thats probably his theory. My theory is you have to grow as a player and earn your way. I think hes a really intelligent player. Hes got hockey IQ off the chart. He makes good plays, he can shoot the puck, hes got a good release but he gets himself in good spots and weve needed him." Smiths time at the University of Wisconsin overlapped with Nyquists at the University of Maine. Smith can count the ways Nyquist can beat opponents. "Hes a hell of a skater, hes a great puck-mover, he makes great plays, hes got great skill, he can dangle you, hes hard to hit, hes wormy or snakey, whatever you want to call it," Smith said. "I knew he was this good, but I didnt see the scoring nature of it." It wouldve been hard for anyone to see this coming. In 40 career NHL games entering this season, Nyquist had a grand total of four goals. Maybe its just the growth and maturation of a young player, something the Red Wings organization has become very proud of over the years. Or perhaps practice makes perfect. "Hes one of those guys thats always staying till the end of the of practice putting the puck in the net," Gustavsson said. "He works hard and he deserves all the success that he has right now." Gustavsson said Nyquist is just entering his prime and can still get better. And Alfredsson sees ingredients that could ensure this isnt a one-season wonder. "Goal-scorers, a lot of times, they just have a knack for it," Alfredsson said. "It doesnt have to be the perfect shot. They seem to find a way, and they shoot the puck a lot. Hes got everything to be able to be a consistent goal-scorer in this league." ' ' '

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