The team is his and, evident in Thursday
Posté: Mar Mai 02, 2017 10:34 am(NLL) - The Buffalo Bandits signed John Tavares and eight other players to one-year contracts on Friday. Penny Hardaway Magic Jersey . "Im excited to be back for another season in Bandit Land," said Tavares. "After a disappointing season collectively and individually, I am looking forward to helping the team get back to the top of the league." In addition to Tavares, the Bandits also agreed to terms with Mike Hominuck, Jamie Rooney, Derek Hopcroft, Kurtis Wagar, Joel Matthews and Jordan Critch as well as 2013 draft picks Mitch Wilde and Nick Diachenko. Tavares enters 2014 as the all-time leading scorer in NLL history with a total of 1,666 points since joining the league in 1992. Last season, he appeared in 12 games and contributed 39 points. The Mississauga, Ontario native has played his entire career as a member of the Bandits. Hominuck returned to Buffalo for a second stint leading up to the 2013 season after previously spending two years (2004 and 2005) with the club. The Welland, Ontario native is coming off a 12-game season in which he tallied 21 points. Over his nine year NLL career to date, Hominuck has been credited with 311 points and 418 loose ball recoveries. Rooney appeared in three games in his inaugural season with the Bandits in 2013, registered seven points. Acquired from Toronto with Glen Bryan in exchange for a second-round pick in the 2012 NLL Entry Draft and a fourth-round pick in the 2013 NLL Entry Draft, he has notched 124 points and 219 loose balls over 66 career NLL games. Hopcroft, acquired prior to the 2013 season from Colorado in exchange for a conditional fifth-round pick in the 2014 NLL Draft, suited up in four contests last year for Buffalo and recorded 11 points. Over his 18-game NLL career to this date, the Toronto native has 40 points. Wagar just completed his first season with the Bandits after also being signed as a free agent prior to the 2013 campaign. He registered 333 minutes between the pipes in 2013, earning a 12.22 GAA to go along with a 2-6 record. He has seen 529 minutes of action as a goaltender and compiled a record of 3-7 as well as a 11.91 GAA. Matthews, Buffalos fourth-round choice in 2012, has yet to appear in a game for the Bandits after being registered as a Non-Roster Player for the Bandits during 2013 (Physically Unable to Perform – PUP). Prior to being drafted, he completed a 25-game career with the University of Detroit Mercy, where he notched 87 points. Critch, selected by the Bandits in the second-round of the 2012 draft (16th overall), appeared in five games for the club in 2013. Over this time, he recorded five points after enjoying an 81-game junior career, over which he compiled 146 points. Wilde, Buffalos second-round selection (15th overall) in the 2013 draft, spent the past four years playing with Robert Morris University. Over 26 career games with the Colonials, Wilde tallied nine points. Diachenko, chosen one pick before Wilde in the second round of this years draft (14th overall), recently completed his four-year career for the University of Delaware over which he contributed 75 points. He was also named a Colonial Athletic Association Second-Team All-Star in 2013. D.J. Augustin Jersey . The Mavericks avoided a season sweep by the Nuggets, who ran away with a win in Denver two weeks ago to hand Dallas its longest losing streak at three games. Dallas (42-28) got a boost in the playoff race when Miami rallied from seven down in the last 3 1/2 minutes to beat Memphis 91-86 Friday night. Ben Gordon Jersey . The post-season, Pierce said repeatedly, is no time to panic. And the Heat, apparently, are nothing to fear. http://www.magicauthenticshop.com/Authentic-Jodie-Meeks-Magic-Jersey/ . -- The Guelph Storm are moving on to the Western Conference final after defeating the London Knights 5-4 on Friday in Ontario Hockey League playoff action.TORONTO - When Kyle Lowry was first introduced to the city of Toronto back in the summer of 2012 he was forced to share the stage with a new teammate, Landry Fields, the two acquired by the Raptors three days apart. Lowry, Torontos fallback option after a failed attempt to woo Steve Nash, was brought in from Houston to battle incumbent point guard Jose Calderon for the starting gig. Then general manager Bryan Colangelo had high hopes for Lowry but at that moment, a consolidated news conference in the concourse of the Air Canada Centre, he was just another player. He was due to earn $5.8 million that season. For Lowry those days are long gone. Thursday morning represented the Raptors first opportunity to make sure he knew that. With the official announcement of Patrick Patterson and Greivis Vasquezs extensions on hold, likely until early next week, this day was all about Lowry. It was his moment, well deserved, not unlike his freshly signed contract and significant pay raise. "This is awesome," Lowry said, borrowing the phrase from GM Masai Ujiri, who had used it moments earlier. Ujiri and his star point guard sat side by side on stage in Real Sports Bar and Grill, located across from the ACC in the heart of downtown Toronto. This was not your run-of-the-mill press conference. It was an event. The Raptors had opened up the festivities to their fans, who played hooky from school and work on a Thursday morning to support a player they have adopted as their own. They screamed, they chanted, they took photos and Lowry - an introvert, who doesnt generally hand out smiles - couldnt wipe the smirk off his face. Retaining Lowry had been the Raptors top priority from the moment last seasons playoff run came to an abrupt end. They spared no expense in showing the 28-year-old how much he means to the embattled franchise and they wasted no time in getting him locked up. Lowry agreed to terms on a four-year, $48 million deal last Wednesday, officially putting pen to paper Thursday morning when the free agent moratorium period was lifted. Lowry was courted by a number of teams - including title contenders in the Houston Rockets and Miami Heat - when free agency unofficially opened on July 1. "They were real factors," Lowry admitted. Returning to Toronto, however likely, was not a lock. Along with his family and agent, Andy Miller, he considered his options, weighing pros and cons and doing his due diligence before coming to a quick decision. It didnt take long for him to realize where he wanted to spend the next three years, with a player option for the fourth. "I think the process was a difficult one but at the end of the day it was an easy one, it was the best one," Lowry said. "I didnt really think about it, honestly, until a week before free agency started. I knew it was going to be kind of stressful, but stressful in a good way. At the end of the day it was easy, it was easy to come back here." "I didnt want to wait for everybody else," he continued, taking a subtle shot at a few of his fellow free agents, who appear to be in no rush despite holding up the process for the rest of the league. "Im not going to wait for this guy to make a decision, I wanted to make my own decision and I wanted to make it when I was ready and I was ready after day one. So thats how easy the process was." Houston and Miami offered him a chance to compete for a championship right out of the gate but Toronto countered with thheir recently constructed winning environment, high aspirations, and an opportunity for incremental growth on the way to their ultimate prize. Mario Hezonja Magic Jersey. Most importantly, Lowry - an alpha dog by nature - wanted to lead a team to the promise land. Make no bones about it, the Raptors are Lowrys team. "The driving factor was winning," he said. "Honestly, I knew the money was going to come. I knew the years [were] going to come, so that wasnt too much of a worry. I just wanted to be in a situation where I can win and personally grow, as a man and as a player, and help a team and help an organization get to the point where theyre holding that trophy up." With the spotlight comes the pay cheque. "I was [financially secure] before," he joked in response to a question about his new pay raise. "[But] this helps." His new contract will be more than twice the size of his previous one, a four-year, $23.5 million deal signed in 2010, having earned a total of $28.8 million over the first eight years of his career. Lowrys one-time reputation for being a malcontent, like his anonymity, is a thing of the past. Of course, hes not the only one that stands to benefit, shedding a less than flattering league-wide perception as a result of this remarriage with the Raptors. "Everyone says Toronto cant do this, or Toronto cant sign back their own free agents," Lowry acknowledged, with a tip of the cap to the franchises disappointing history. "I just proved that wrong. Im back." Before the Raptors can establish themselves as a preferred destination for the NBAs brightest stars, they know they must take care of their own. Even in a years time - as the team has turned its fortunes and its fan base has reminded the league why theyre one of the best - Ujiri continues to notice a significant change in how the city is perceived when speaking to players around the association. "100 percent," said the Raptors GM. "I think people saw what happened here." "Players want to win and players want to be treated well and we try to treat players well," Ujiri continued. "I think Kyle Lowry was at the forefront of that. Players in the NBA see that and they want to come play where its a great atmosphere, theyre treated well and theres a culture of winning. We expect more players to come here." According to Ujiri, Lowry was ready and willing to do his part in the recruitment process almost immediately after agreeing to terms last week. Still technically a free agent, Lowry texted the Raptors GM shortly after the two reached a verbal agreement to ask him if there was a player he could call and try to steer in Torontos direction. "I wish I had more money to sign another player," Ujiri joked. While all-star and leading scorer DeMar DeRozan remains an integral part of the teams future - and played a significant role in Lowrys decision to return - the unmistakable face of the resurgent Raptors was sitting centre stage. The team is his and, evident in Thursdays mornings turnout, so too is the city. He wont be sharing the stage, or the spotlight any time soon. Two years ago, almost to the day, Colangelo gave Lowry the keys. Now, Ujiri has given him the whole car. "You dont get many chances to say its your team," he said. "Honestly, you dont get many chances. As a competitor, as a professional, I relish in that, the fact that I get to say its my team, Im the leader of the team." 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