Dein erstes Forum » , will try to bounce back Tuesday

TORONTO - Second chances are rare in life, let alone in the NBA. The Raptors are confident that newly re-acquired forward James Johnson will take advantage of his. In a surprising roster move early Thursday morning, Toronto finalized an agreement to bring back the 27-year-old free agent at a reported $5 million, fully guaranteed, over the next two years. Toronto first acquired Johnson from the Bulls in exchange for a first-round pick (which was used on Heat point guard Norris Cole) during the 2010-11 season. The following campaign was a turbulent one for Johnson as he butted heads with new head coach Dwane Casey over his role in the teams offence, ultimately leading to a late-season benching. That summer, the Raptors flipped Johnson to Sacramento for a second-rounder (used on UConn product DeAndre Daniels last month). He played briefly for the Kings and spent the start of the 2013-14 campaign in the D-League before joining the Memphis Grizzlies and reviving his career, averaging 7.4 points and 3.2 rebounds in 52 contests last season. Now, with a winning environment in place and a need at the small forward position, one that Johnson addresses, Casey and the Raptors have put the past behind them, believing the five-year vet will do the same. Having met with Casey, the Raptors are convinced Johnson has matured and recognizes the importance of this opportunity. It could be his last shot. "The number one thing with James, and weve had long discussions about that, is his role," Casey told reporters in Las Vegas, where his team is practicing ahead of their upcoming Summer League tournament. "He understands that now, which is great. In this business, theres never a person who youll say, Hey, Ill never coach that guy [again]." "Hes had his issues in the past," general manager Masai Ujiri reiterated, "but havent we all? We will help him get over them and this is a good opportunity for him. He has to take advantage of it." Newly re-signed point guard Kyle Lowry is a good example of what one can accomplish given the chance to redeem themselves. Lowry clashed with Casey over playing time and philosophy during his subpar first season with Toronto before breaking out in a more defined role last year. "I think hes grown up," Lowry said of Johnson Thursday morning. "You get to the certain point, even myself, you get a maturity level that, it comes with age. I think hes going to be able to understand, listen, Im a lot older, Im more understanding of life and coach isnt going to make me this or make me that. At the end of the day, youre playing for the players, your teammates and the organization. I think coaching him will be fine. They will get along well." Lowry and DeMar DeRozan, a good friend of Johnson, were advocates of bringing him on board. Johnson - a big, versatile, defensive-minded forward - is the type of player the Raptors had been clamouring for and could alleviate some of the pressure from DeRozan and Terrence Ross, who were exposed by Joe Johnson and the Nets wings during their first-round playoff loss. Johnson, as you may recall, is a second-degree black belt, undefeated in seven MMA fights and 20 kickboxing matches. With a 6-foot-9, 245-pound frame, hes sure to strike fear in the eyes of the leagues top perimeter players, assuming he buys into his role as a defensive stopper. When Dave Joerger, Johnsons former coach in Memphis, was asked about the forwards reputation for occasionally trying to do too much on the offensive end, he joked, "I just let him do too much." "I just say, Go, wreck it," Joerger had told TSN.ca back in December. "I think hes changed his body. I think that hes able to sidestep guys, hes able to get by guys with his first and second step and then gather and finish around the rim, where I think maybe earlier in his career - carrying a little bit more weight - he wouldnt get past the first defender. I just think hes a lot quicker." The Wake Forest product appeared in 87 games as a Raptor, starting 51, over parts of two seasons, averaging 9.1 points and 4.7 rebounds. Cheap College Basketball Jerseys .C. Lions signed cornerback Dante Marsh to a contract extension on Friay and released receiver Paris Jackson. Discount NCAA College Jerseys .com) - Bradley Beal deposited a season-high 33 points and John Wall posted another double-double as the Washington Wizards went on the road and beat the Houston Rockets, 104-103. http://www.cheapchinancaajerseys.com/. Jamies number grades given are out of five, with five being the best mark. Henrik Lundqvist, New York Rangers (5) - Simply put, Lundqvist was brilliant. China NCAA Hockey Jerseys . A strong fastball. A big, bending curveball that can buckle hitters at the knees. Against the Detroit Tigers on Sunday, Elias put the entire package together against one of the leagues strongest lineups. Wholesale NCAA Baseball Jerseys . The game got off to a less-than-ideal start for the Jets as Oliver Ekman-Larsson found a wide open net from the slot and opened the scoring for the Coyotes a lead in the first period, but Olli Jokinen answered back just over half a minute later. HOUSTON -- After scoring six runs in the last four games, Houstons offence went on a homer spree. Chris Carter, Jason Castro, Marc Krauss and Matt Dominguez each hit a home run as the Houston Astros snapped a five-game skid with a 7-3 win over the Oakland Athletics on Monday night. Carter hit a monstrous three-run shot to centre field in the third to give the Astros a lead, and Castro and Krauss went back-to-back in the sixth, with Castros homer a two-run shot. Krauss homer found the upper deck in right field and chased As starter Jesse Chavez (8-7). Two batters later, Dominguez sent a drive onto the railroad tracks in left field off reliever Dan Otero. "Weve been going through our offensive woes and, again, to see the middle of the lineup swing the bat the way they swung it tonight was exciting," Houston manager Bo Porter said. The last time Houston hit three home runs in an inning was June 5, 2013, against Baltimore. The Astros were coming off a three-game sweep at the hands of Miami. "Its just nice to see that after we struggled against the Marlins to score runs," Carter said. "Its nice to see the offence come around like that." Houston starter Brett Oberholtzer (3-7) won for the first time since May 30, giving up three runs and eight hits with two strikeouts in 6 2-3 innings. "For me and Castro, it was the same game plan," Oberholtzer said. "Just attack them, throw the ball in and stay away from the big innings." Chavez allowed a season-high six runs and five hits with five strikeouts in 5 1-3 innings. "I thought he was throwing the ball really well, real similar to how he did last time out," Oakland manager Bob Melvin said. "I think the Carter at-bat affected the way things went from there." The three home runs allowed were a career high. Chavez had allowed three home runs in his last 11 starts combined. "To sum up the whole day, it was three pitches and one walk,"t; Chavez said.dddddddddddd"That cant happen when you have the lead, and its something that has been my Achilles heel, giving back the runs they get for me and not being able to get through six." Stephen Vogt had two hits, including a solo home run in the third into the upper deck in right to give the As a 2-0 lead. Jed Lowrie and Josh Donaldson each added two hits for Oakland. Derek Norris gave the As a 1-0 lead in the second with an RBI single, and Yoenis Cespedes tied it at 3 with a sacrifice fly in the fifth. ON DECK Athletics: Right-hander Jeff Samardzija, who is 2-1 with a 2.70 ERA in four starts since being acquired July 5 from the Cubs, will start Tuesday against the Astros in the second game of the three-game series. Astros: Right-hander Scott Feldman, who is 4-8 with a 4.60 ERA, will try to bounce back Tuesday after one of his worst starts of the season, giving up six runs in 5 1-3 innings in a 13-1 loss at Oakland Thursday. TRAINERS ROOM Athletics: Outfielder Craig Gentry was placed on the 15-day disabled list Monday with a broken right hand, and the As promoted OF Billy Burns from Double-A Midland. Gentry was injured Sunday at Texas after being hit by a pitch. Astros: Right-hander Josh Zeid, who is on the disabled list with swelling near the left big toe, is going to see a specialist Tuesday and hopes to avoid surgery. ALTUVE IS STREAKING Houston second baseman Jose Altuve extended his hitting streak to 10 games with a single in the third inning. Altuve, who leads the Majors with 149 hits, had a season-high hitting streak of 12 games from May 8-21. REDDICK SHOWS OFF GLOVE Josh Reddick flashed the leather twice in the seventh. Enrique Hernandez led off with a sharp liner to right, but Reddick ran it down in the corner, keeping the ball from hitting the top of the fence. Altuve followed with another hard-hit ball that was about to fall in. Reddick dived forward to make another highlight-reel play. ' ' '