With the Toronto Raptors celebrating their 20th anniversary season in 2014-15, Josh Lewenberg and TSN. Miguel Cabrera All Star Jersey .ca take a look back at the franchises first two decades with weekly Top Five lists, counting down the standout and signature players and moments in team history. 1. Sent Vince Carter to the Nets for Eric Williams, Aaron Williams, Alonzo Mourning and two first-round picks - Dec. 17, 2004 (Rob Babcock) Most of the trades youll find below are really only bad in hindsight. The other four deals on this list share a commonality - theyre all home run swings that just, for various reasons, didnt connect. On the cusp of reaching the next level or in danger of taking a step back at the time, they were bold, yet shortsighted moves made in the hopes of expediting the building process. Then theres the Vince Carter deal, an all-timer, that stands out (and man, does it ever stand out) in its own right. The haul Babcock got in exchange for Carter, a disgruntled superstar, was never highly regarded, to put it mildly. Whatd we get?, asked Jalen Rose after hearing about the trade. Richard Jefferson? Even a decade later, Rose - now a broadcaster - still cant believe Torontos return for the best and most important player in its history. Well, the way he was overcome by emotion and the way he shed a couple of tears, said Rose, back in Toronto earlier this season, shortly after Carter was honoured by the franchise. Thats how I felt when we traded him for Aaron, Eric [Williams] and Alonzo Mourning who never was deciding to make the trip. Hes the greatest Raptor in team history. Babcock insists this was the best offer out there and, given Carters diminishing worth at the time, that may have actually been the case. It shouldnt have come to that - selling low on a player, a 28-year-old, who held top five (top seven or eight, at worst) value just a few years prior. The result: Carter would go on to revive his career with the Nets, while Mourning was immediately cut - per his request - and the two Williams combined to play less than 100 underwhelming games in Toronto. One draft pick turned into disappointing forward Joey Graham, while the other was sent to the Knicks as a sweeter in the Rose salary dump a couple years later. It will go down as one of the most lopsided trades in NBA history. 2. Sent T.J. Ford, Rasho Nesterovic, Maceo Baston and the draft rights to Roy Hibbert to the Pacers for Jermaine ONeal and the draft rights to Nathan Jawai - July 9, 2008 (Bryan Colangelo) The Raptors had failed to make it out of the first round for the second straight season, taking a small step back after winning their division the year before. Looking to upgrade at the centre position and pair Chris Bosh with an elite defender in the frontcourt, Colangelo gambled on ONeal, a former all-star coming off a down and injury-plagued season. Toronto sent Ford and Nesterovic, two starters from that division-winning club, to the Pacers along with the 17th overall pick, who turned out to be the player they were looking for all along. In the years to come, Hibbert blossomed into an all-star and the anchor of Indianas defence while ONeal never panned out the way Colangelo had hoped, playing just 41 games for the Raptors before being traded once again. 3. Acquired Rudy Gay and Hamed Haddadi from the Grizzlies for Jose Calderon, Ed Davis and a second-round pick - Jan. 20, 2013 (Colangelo) On paper, this seemed like a coup for Colangelo. Looking to make a big splash and jump-start a middling team in the final year of his deal, the Raptors GM added a talented scorer in Gay without giving up a player of his caliber (Calderons contract was expiring and he was splitting time with Kyle Lowry, Davis is a third or fourth big). Without question, the Raptors upgraded the talent on their roster as a result and the initial returns were positive, albeit unsustainable. The Raptors won six of its first eight games after the trade and would finish that season with a .500 record. But Gay was not a fit with the group already assembled in Toronto, evident in their 6-12 start the next year. The problem: too many cooks in the kitchen. Gay and DeMar DeRozan occupied similar real estate on the floor, while Lowry was underutilized playing alongside two ball dominant scorers. Gay was repackaged less than a year later and the rest is history. 4. Acquired Hedo Turkoglu, Devean George and Antoine Wright in a four-team sign and trade for Shawn Marion, Kris Humphries, Nathan Jawai and a second-round pick - July 9, 2009 (Colangelo) Praised at the time it was consummated, this is another trade that looks a whole lot different in hindsight. While scoring the leagues top free-agent prize, Colangelo engineered a rare four-team deal to avoid hitting the salary cap ceiling. Coming off a career year and a Finals appearance with Orlando, Turkoglu - like ONeal before him - was thought to be the missing pierce, the perfect compliment to Bosh, who was due to become a free agent the following summer. The good vibes did not last long. Turkoglu arrived out of shape, underwhelming on the floor and appearing lazy and disengaged off of it. The Raptors narrowly missed the playoffs that year and Turkoglu was sent packing shortly thereafter. 5. Acquired Hakeem Olajuwon from the Rockets for a first and second-round pick - Aug. 2, 2001 (Glen Grunwald) Sensing a theme here? With the Raptors coming their best season at the time - 47 wins and a semifinals appearance - Grunwald went all in on the group that had taken them there. Antonio Davis, Alvin Williams and Jerome Williams were all awarded new deals and the finishing touch was a future Hall of Fame centre by the name of Hakeem Olajuwon. A free agent after 17 legendary seasons with the Rockets, Olajuwon opted to team up with Carter and company in Toronto before calling it a career. To get him in a sign and trade, Grunwald parted with two draft picks, including one first-rounder. As it turns out, the Raps could have used that pick. Olajuwon was hobbled and ineffective in his only season as a Raptor, which coincided with Carters injury troubles and the teams untimely collapse. Houston selected journeyman Bostjan Nachbar with the Raptors 15th overall pick in 2002. Toronto won 24 games the following season. Honourable mention: Acquired Chris Childs and a first-round pick (Kareem Rush) from the Knicks for Mark Jackson and Muggsy Bogues - Feb. 22, 2001 (Grunwald) Acquired Lamond Murray and a second-round pick from the Cavaliers for Michael Stewart and a first-round pick (Jared Dudley) - Sept. 25, 2002 (Grunwald) Sent Chris Bosh to the Heat in a sign and trade for two first-round picks and a trade exemption - July 9, 2010 (Colangelo) Sent Tracy McGrady to the Magic in a sign and trade for a first-round pick - Aug. 3, 2000 (Grunwald) Daniel Norris Tigers Jersey . The leagues board of governors accepted the five-year deal during a conference call Friday. The CFLPA voted in favour Thursday night. Justin Verlander Black Jersey . Louis Rams had some fun during the coin toss of Sunday’s game at the expense of the Washington Redskins. NEW YORK -- Henrik Lundqvist earned his 300th NHL victory and 49th career shutout in the New York Rangers 3-0 victory over the Detroit Red Wings on Sunday. Lundqvist made 30 saves in shutting out the Red Wings for the second time this season, as New York completed a three-game season sweep of its Original Six rival. The Swedish goalie is one win shy of tying Mike Richters franchise record of 301. He caught Rangers great Ed Giacomin for the club mark in shutouts. Lundqvist was serenaded by the crowd with chants of "Hen-rik, Hen-rik" in the games final minute. Brian Boyle scored in the first period and Chris Kreider had two third-period goals for the Rangers, who won their second straight after an 0-2-1 skid and moved into second place in the Metropolitan Division -- one point ahead of Philadelphia. Derek Stepan and Ryan McDonagh both assisted on each of Kreiders goals. Jimmy Howard stopped 28 shots for the Red Wings, who have lost three of four (1-2-1). Kreider provided all the insurance Lundqvist would need for his milestone win. He made it 2-0 just 14 seconds into the third by deflecting in McDonaghs shot from the left point and pushed the lead to three goals at 12:12, beating Howard with a shot as he drove down the left wing for his 16th this season. The Rangers took a 1-0 lead in the first period after the Red Wings seemingly made a good defensive play. New York rushed the puck up ice, and defenceman John Moore wound up for a shot inside the blue line that was blocked by Detroit forwaard Daniel Alfredsson. James McCann Tigers Jersey. But the puck deflected into the slot to Boyle, who spun and sent a drive that beat Howard at 5:14 for his fifth goal of the season. It was New Yorks first traditional 5-on-5 goal in three games. Both Rangers tallies in Wednesdays loss to Toronto were short-handed goals by defenceman McDonagh. In Fridays victory at Tampa Bay, McDonagh scored another short-handed goal, Derek Stepan connected on a power play, Rick Nash scored during 4-on-4 play, and Carl Hagelin sealed the win with an empty-netter. The second period didnt provide much as the teams combined for just 16 shots -- nine by the Rangers, who had a 21-18 edge through 40 minutes. New York put on late pressure but was held at bay by Howard through a flurry in the crease in the final seconds of the period. Lundqvist was sharp throughout, even shaking it off when he was covered by the net, which was tipped over from behind when Red Wings forward Justin Abdelkader checked Rangers defenceman Anton Stralman into the back of the cage late in the second. The Red Wings did little with two power plays in the middle frame and recorded only three total shots in their first three advantages of the game. NOTES: Lundqvist beat Detroit 1-0 on Jan. 16. ... Red Wings C Pavel Datsyuk missed his fourth straight game as he continues to rest his ailing left knee. ... Detroit has lost four straight to the Rangers, dating to Feb. 7, 2011. ... Howard was called for roughing against Benoit Pouliot in the third period. Cheap Jerseys Wholesale Jerseys Wholesale JerseysCheap Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys Cheap Jerseys China Wholesale Jerseys ' ' '
