as Leveron. Defenders get paid to prevent goals, but the Hondurans ability on the b

(SportsNetwork. Ronnie Lott Jersey .com) - There were plenty of headline-grabbing transactions during the summer with all the major free agent news, highlighted by LeBron James return to Cleveland. We also had the big trade between the New York Knicks and Dallas Mavericks that resulted in Tyson Chandler going back to where he played a huge role in the Mavs winning their only NBA championship. But there was one deal that drew very little attention and Im guessing not much of a reaction from NBA fans, but it surely has been a huge boost for a defending division champ and a trade that can only be called a major steal at this point. Thats what you call the deal the Toronto Raptors made with the Atlanta Hawks, as they traded a way-past-his-prime John Salmons and a second-round draft pick for Lou Williams along with 21-year-old center Lucas Nogueira. The addition of the nine-year veteran Williams has upgraded the Raptors bench significantly and gives them one of the deepest and most talented backcourts in the league. The 27-year-old suffered a torn ACL in January 2013 and is now only back to the player he was before the injury, and hes played a big role in helping put Toronto atop the East with a 19-6 record. Hes been more than weve expected, coach Dwane Casey said. I knew he was an excellent player, but you go in with reservations coming off the injury. Hes back 100 percent now from injuries. Hes fully healed. Hes stronger from it, so hes been a pleasant plus for us this year. In regards to Williams offensive game, Casey says hes a born scorer, but the big surprise has come at the other end of the floor. One area that was really highly unexpected was his defense, Casey said. Its huge. I was shocked. There were all these stories about, Hes a scorer off the bench, but hes been one of our solid defenders on our second unit - being in right position in the schemes, understanding schemes, being in the right place, pushing the ball as a quasi-point guard/ballhandler - but he has been a great teammate. Williams is averaging 14.6 points in 22.5 minutes per game, and even earned an Eastern Conference Player of the Week honor in November in helping the Raptors go 3-0. During that stretch, he averaged 23.7 points in just 22 minutes per game, which included a huge game in Cleveland as the Raptors routed the Cavaliers. He scored 36 points in 29 minutes, shooting 9-of-19 from the floor, including 3-of-8 on 3-pointers, and an eye-opening 15-for-15 from the foul line. The former second-round pick (45th overall) of the Sixers in 2005 has had five games of at least 20 points, and all of them have come in wins for the Raptors. Its amazing how he can go out there and run off the points he can in the short amount of time hes out there, said teammate DeMar DeRozan, who has been sidelined the last nine games as he recovers from a torn tendon in his left groin. The energy with the second unit is definitely amazing. Thats something that was lacking last year and we got a lot better this year and I think thats why were able to close out a lot of games this year that we couldnt last year. Williams presence has certainly eased the impact of DeRozans absence. The Raptors are 6-3 without their All-Star guard, with Williams doing his share to pick up the slack. In those six wins, hes averaged 17.6 points, including a pair of 26-point outings. The road back from his torn ACL was a long, grueling process for Williams, and one in which he wasnt sure hed ever be the same player. But those thoughts can now be put to rest. When youre sitting there and you have a cast on and wheelchair and crutches and cant lift your leg up, you cant ride a bike, you cant run, you cant jog, obviously theres going to be some doubt there, Williams said. Two years later, its great to see some fruits of the labor, to feel myself back to 100 percent, being back healthy and having some success. PARKER INJURY CHANGES ROOKIE RACE Speaking of a player tearing his ACL, what terrible news came out of Milwaukee late Tuesday night regarding Bucks rookie Jabari Parker. He will be out for the season with a torn ACL in his left knee, which he suffered on Monday in Phoenix in a win over the Suns. Parker was the clear-cut leader for the NBAs rookie of the year, but now the award is up for grabs, in what is probably the weakest field Ive ever seen. I think the Chicago Bulls Nikola Mirotic has been the second-best rookie, and despite the fact that he doesnt start and play as many minutes (17.8 per game) as some of his competitors such as Andrew Wiggins (30.8 per game) and Nerlens Noel (30.4 per game), I think he deserves serious consideration for contributing to a winning situation rather than guys who may have bigger numbers but play for really bad teams. Tim Brown Jersey . Wall made the comment in a speech to a Regina business crowd that included Lesnar. The U.S. wrestler and retired mixed martial artist says he was visiting his brothers farm in Saskatchewan and decided he wanted to hear what the premier had to say. Lyle Alzado Jersey .com) - His team lost in the round of 16 of the FCS playoffs, yet Northern Iowa football coach Mark Farley says his team has made a strong case to be voted to the top 5 in the final rankings. http://www.cheapraidersjerseysauthentic.com/?tag=authentic-howie-long-jersey . "After consultation with the Team USA medical staff and officials, it was determined that he should return to Winnipeg as a precaution due to his previous injury history," Jets general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff said Wednesday in a statement.The Formations After losing 1-0 to the Los Angeles Galaxy in Carson, California, last weekend, Vancouver Whitecaps head coach Carl Robinson chose a different tactical formation for the rematch at BC Place. The Whitecaps lined up in a 4-4-2 formation with a diamond midfield, with two changes from the previous match; Matias Laba returned from suspension and Kenny Miller started the match, replacing Kekuta Manneh and Sebastian Fernandez in the starting XI. The Galaxy lined up with the same lineup and formation that took the pitch the previous week, matching Vancouvers 4-4-2 midfield diamond. The Game The Galaxy have for many years been the standard by which every team in MLS is judged. They are well organized, tactically disciplined and, in Robbie Keane and Landon Donovan, have two of the most dynamic attacking players in the league. Bruce Arena is arguably the best coach in MLS and he showed his pedigree with his game plan against Vancouver. The Galaxy encouraged the Whitecaps to have the ball at the back, and as soon as either of Vancouvers central defenders - Jay DeMerit of Andy OBrien - had the ball, LA applied immediate pressure. This disrupted the Whitecaps, as they werent able to effectively move the ball out of the back. When the Galaxy were in possession, both Keane and Donovan dropped into midfield when the opportunity arose. This encouraged Baggio Husidic, Stefan Ishizaki and Marcelo Sarvas to make penetrating runs from midfield, which caused Vancouver problems defensively. Far too often, Russell Teibert and Gershon Koffie were narrow defensively, leaving too much space for the Galaxy to exploit in wide areas. This was the case when the Galaxy opened the scoring in the first half. Matias Laba vacated his central position to put pressure on Galaxy fullback, Dan Gargan, who had acres of space on the right flank to deliver a cross to the back post. Labas enthusiasm meant the Whitecaps had no midfield presence in the penalty area to deal with Ishizaki or Donovan, who had drifted into midfield. The lack of midfield defensive cover meant that the Whitecaps were outnumbered in their own penalty area when the ball was delivered. Defensively, the back four were culpable for not dealing with the cross from Gargan, as well as for not marking effectively in the penalty area. When Husidic headed the ball back across goal, every Whitecaps defender got caught ball watching, with Ishizaki lurking near the penalty spot. Given that Laba was out of position on the left - and no other midfielder slid in to cover his defensive responsibilities, Ishizaki was left with a free header from six yards out to open the scoring. Worryingly for Vancouver, Donovan was also in a prime scoring position, completely unmarked. A series of defensive mistakes that individually, might not prove costly. But collectively, these mistakes lead to goals being conceded. At the halftime break, Robinson made a bold move - which proved to be the correct one - by making two substitutions. Jonny Leveron and Kekuta Manneh came into the match, replacing Andy OBrien and Russell Teibert. Leveron immediately improved Vancouvers ability to move the ball out of the back and into midfield, and Manneh provided an attacking threat that was missing in the first half. This threat was further amplified when Erik Hurtado replaced the largely ineffective Pedro Morales part way through the second half. Both Manneh and Hurtado stretched the Galaxy back line with their speed and direct play. It was Hurtados forward run that played a role in Darren Mattocks equalizer, and after Robbie Keane had put the Galaxy back in front, it wass Manneh who drove home Vancouvers second tying goal. Foster Moreau Jersey. The Whitecaps deserve credit for building a squad of players rather than just focusing on improving their starting eleven. In every game this season, Vancouver have had options on the bench that could change the game, and Saturdays game was an example of how Robinson used those options effectively. There will be many fans calling for Manneh - who was Player of the Match in my eyes for his 45-minute performance - to get a run of games in the starting lineup now. But those fans need to be careful what they wish for. The biggest challenge that all young players face is finding a level of consistency from game to game. Manneh faces this same challenge, and despite his bright performance against the Galaxy (as well as a good performance as a substitute against Chivas USA in the second week of the season), I feel that Robinson is doing the right thing by keeping the reins on Manneh as a first team regular. It is far better to have a player succeed in the long-term, rather than to have him fizzle out because he was rushed into the first team. The Positives One of the criticisms levied against former head coach Martin Rennie was that he could be indecisive. Many felt that Rennie waited too long in games to make his substitutions, thus reducing the impact of the players he brought on to change the game. This criticism cannot be levied against Robinson. The first-year coach made a bold move taking off OBrien and Teibert at the half. Robinson also altered Vancouvers tactical approach during the second half, changing their 4-4-2 midfield diamond to a more conventional 4-4-2, with the central midfielders operating as double pivots. Both Manneh and Hurtado were bright spots for Vancouver in the second half, as was Leveron. Defenders get paid to prevent goals, but the Hondurans ability on the ball is what Robinson is looking for from his central defenders when the Whitecaps are in possession. Because of this, Leveron will be first choice for Robinson in that position in the long-term, and could very likely replace DeMerit or OBrien in Vancouvers starting lineup for their next match against Real Salt Lake (Saturday, April 26, 9:30pm ET, 6:30pm PT, TSN). The Negatives Defensively, there were all kinds of problems for the Whitecaps on both of the Galaxys goals. For starters, Vancouver was very narrow in midfield and never got to grips with the problems caused by the movement from Keane and Donovan. This gave the Galaxy the freedom of the flanks, which allowed for uncontested delivery into the penalty area on both goals. At the back, the partnership of Jay DeMerit and Andy OBrien is fraught with issues. Neither player is especially quick, but their experience should be enough to see them cope with this handicap. But as neither player has Leverons technical ability or passing range, the Whitecaps are hamstrung when it comes to playing the ball out of defence when they are paired together. This puts immense pressure on Vancouvers midfielders, as their opposite numbers know that if Vancouver are going to get the ball forward, it will have to come through midfield. The Star Man At just 19 years of age, it is tempting to think of what kind of player Kekuta Manneh is going to be when he matures. He is quick, skillful, direct and not afraid to shoot the ball - all qualities one looks for in an attacking player. Manneh made a dramatic impact for Vancouver when he was introduced at the start of the second half. He terrorized the Galaxy defenders, and it was fitting that it was his strike that brought the Whitecaps back on level terms. 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