Mecker-Ecke » he game. Nothing was falling for Lowry - a 39 per cent

AUBURN HILLS, Mich. - Greg Monroe had a clear message for Detroit Pistons fans Monday.This doesnt mean Im leaving, Monroe said at the teams media day.What he didnt say, though, was that he was staying.This summer, Monroe did something almost unheard of for a frontline NBA player a€” he signed a one-year qualifying deal that costs him almost $10 million for this season but makes him an unrestricted free agent next summer.The obvious implication is that he wants a chance to find a better home after spending his first four seasons with one of the leagues more dysfunctional franchises.The Pistons offered me a long-term deal, but after talking it over with the people that are most important a€” my agent, some friends and my family, I decided to turn it down, he said.It isnt that I want to get out of the city of Detroit or this area a€” I have loved it here since I arrived a€” it is strictly a business decision based on my future as a basketball player.The news wasnt a welcome start to Stan Van Gundys career as Detroits president and coach, because he had talked about building the franchise around his two young post players a€” Monroe (24) and Andre Drummond (21).At worst, if Monroe seemed determined to leave, he said he hoped to get significant talent back in a sign-and-trade deal.Now, though, Van Gundy goes into the off-season knowing that theres a very good chance that hell get no return for a player who has averaged a double-double in each of the past three seasons.I know that I have to separate my two roles, and keep the business side of the game off the court, he said.Right now, I know that Greg is 100 per cent committed to helping this team win this season, and I have no concerns that hes going to let the business side of things affect his game. Well deal with next summer when we get there.Drummond acknowledged that he tried to talk Monroe into a long-term deal, but that hes not going to be working as a recruiter during the season.Greg did what he felt was best for himself, and as his friend, Im going to support him 100 per cent, Drummond said. From today forward, were both going to focus on winning basketball games. Thats it.The biggest question mark over Monroe in the short term is his role on the team.Last years experiment of playing he, Drummond and Josh Smith together didnt work, and Van Gundy doesnt plan to repeat it.Greg, Andre and Josh are three of our best players, but it is equally true that when they werent able to effective play together last year, he said.We intend to use Josh mainly at the 4 and Andre is, of course, going to be at the 5, while Greg can play both. Im not worried about which two will start, because I know the important thing is that you develop a rotation that works for 48 minutes, but I also know that starting is important to players.On top of that, there were reports in the off-season that Monroe had demanded that Smith be traded if the Pistons wanted him to sign a long-term contract. Monroe, though, didnt even allow the question to be fully asked before responding.Lies, lies, lies, he said. I dont know where that came from, but dont say there were rumours, because they were strictly lies. Ive told Coach Van Gundy that, and I reached out to Josh to make sure he realized that there was no truth to those stories. I never said anything like that.Monroes versatility will be more important now that the Pistons have lost backup centre Aaron Gray for the awhile. Gray will miss training camp and be out indefinitely after suffering a cardiac episode last month.Grey had the problem, which he didnt discuss in detail, after a voluntary practice session at the Palace, and is still undergoing testing to find out exactly what needs to be done.When you are a pro athlete, your body is how you make your living, so you know when something is wrong, he said Monday. So I knew that this was something that needed to be dealt with, and the Pistons did a great job putting me in touch with the right people to do that.Grey is getting multiple opinions, so there is no timeline on his return.We hope that by the end of October, were going to have a better idea where Aaron is and when he might be back on the floor, Van Gundy said. At this point, were just focused on making sure hes getting the best possible care.Grey was signed during the summer to back up Drummond and Monroe at centre, so Van Gundy has signed Hasheem Thabeet to a non-guaranteed contract to provide depth at the position. Dion Waiters Jersey .com) - Jenny Boucek is the new head coach of the Seattle Storm. Kelly Olynyk Jersey . The 31-year-old Russian dominated the No. 3-ranked Ferrer throughout, breaking the defending champion and local favourite four times on the indoor hard court. http://www.basketballheatshop.info/Cheap...on-Heat-Jersey/. Justine finished first with a score of 22.44 while Chloe was second with 21.66 points. Defending champion Hannah Kearney of the U.S., was third at 21.49. A third Dufour-Lapointe sister, Maxime, failed to make the final group and finished 12th while Audrey Robichaud of Quebec City was 10th. Dwyane Wade Jersey . Watch all the action unfold live on TSN and TSN Mobile TV at 7:30pm et/4:30pm pt. You can also watch the game live with the debut of Wednesday Night Hockey on TSN.ca and chat throughout the game with TSN. Rodney McGruder Jersey . The 22-year-old Kreider was injured Friday night in New Yorks win at Columbus, but played in the next two games -- including Monday nights win over Phoenix. But the left winger, who has 17 goals and 37 points this season, was limited to about 10 minutes of ice time in each of the previous games.CLEVELAND - With just over a minute remaining in a three-point contest, Kyrie Irving, Clevelands lethal late-game weapon, barrelled into the lane as Kyle Lowry stood in his way, positioned above the restricted area. Mired in an offensive slump, Lowry - the NBAs leader in taking charges this season - did what he has learned to do best, standing his ground and drawing a crucial offensive foul on the Cavaliers all-star point guard. Fast forward 30 seconds to the Cavs next possession, with the home team still trailing by three, Spencer Hawes - one of the leagues best passing big men - threw an interception, intended for Tyler Zeller and picked off by DeMar DeRozan. The Raptors two best players, their two leading scorers, made the two most important plays of Tuesdays 99-93 win over Cleveland. That much is not unusual. Of note though is both of those plays came on the defensive end. "Those defensive plays are deflation plays for the opposition," said Lowry, who struggled with his shot, hitting just three of 15 attempts from the field and misfiring on all nine of his jumpers from three-point range. "Its definitely fun to step up for the team in those situations." Lowry didnt think twice when faced with a split-second decision, one hes made time and time again in high-pressure situations during his breakout campaign. "Those are winning plays," he said, asked about the art of drawing a charge, crediting the tutelage of former teammate Shane Battier, whom he called "one of the best charge takers" in the league. DeRozans steal was just as vital, if not more so, to the teams sixth win in the last seven games and second over Cleveland in a span of five days. "He was like a free safety out there," Lowry said, shortly before DeRozan - in conversation with the media - made yet another reference to Seahawks cornerback and fellow Compton-native Richard Sherman. "I kind of anticipated it, I read the play a little bit," said DeRozan, who also made his share of big offensive plays, scoring 16 of his game-high 33 points in the fourth quarter, adding six assists without turning the ball over. "They ran it earlier in the game. I knnew they were going to look for it and I just went for it.dddddddddddd" Toronto, and DeRozan in particular, has come up short when faced with one final possession, one final shot in the past. Both guards heeded their coachs direction this time around. It didnt come down to a last-second heave. The Raptors won with timely defence. After enjoying a much-improved first quarter following a series of slow starts, the Raptors struggled on both ends of the floor during the meat of the game. Nothing was falling for Lowry - a 39 per cent three-point shooter on the season - and the team was accumulating sloppy turnovers at an uncharacteristically alarming rate for the second straight contest. Almost foreshadowing the nights eventual result, Casey was asked how to prevent his team from allowing its offence to dictate defensive effort prior to the game. "I havent discovered it yet in my 30 years of coaching," he responded. "Its the same in college, [in the] pros and its been that way for a long time. A lot of guys have to see the ball go through the basket to get themselves going on the other end, which you dont want, you preach against but I think its human nature." For at least one night, his team and his point guard bucked that trend. "That was one example of a guy not letting his offence dictate his defence," Casey said of Lowry, who also added nine assists, made all seven of his free-throw attempts and could have drawn a couple more charges if not for a pair of close calls that didnt go his way. "Thats how you have to play," Lowry added. "Youre not going to have great games all the time. Youre not going to shoot 10-for-12 every night or 20-for-30. Youre always going to have some sort of off game but you cant let that stop you from helping your team win a game." Terrence Ross bailed him out offensively, scoring what DeRozan called a "quiet 19 points", knocking down five of his eight shots from long distance. With the win, the Raptors climb seven games above the .500 mark for the first time in six years. It ensures theyll have a winning record for a third consecutive month, accomplishing that feat for the first time since 2007. Blackhawks Jerseys Store Cheap Wild Jerseys Cheap Red Wings Jerseys Cheap Maple Leafs Jerseys Penguins Jerseys Store Capitals Jerseys For Sale Blues Jerseys Store Cheap Kings Jerseys Adidas Lightning Jerseys Stars Jerseys For Sale Cheap Predators Jerseys Ducks Store Sharks Jerseys For Sale Cheap Sabres Jerseys Rangers Jerseys For Sale ' ' '