| 2070 Beiträge - Forenlegende
|
|
|
BOSTON -- Rajon Rondo took a step toward returning to action on Wednesday, working out with members of Bostons NBA Development League team at the Celtics practice facility. Celtics spokesman Brian Olive said the closed workout of unknown duration took place in Waltham, Mass. Rondo has been out for nearly a year. He was not available for comment. The Celtics had lost nine in a row going into Wednesday nights game against the Toronto Raptors at the TD Garden, but Rondo was not expected to play. The four-time All-Star hasnt played since tearing the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee last Jan. 25, and he has been hinting that he would like to return for Friday nights game against the Los Angeles Lakers. Olive said any decision on Rondos return would be up to him and coach Brad Stevens. The coach said this week that Rondo would be put through some physical workouts to make sure he is ready, but ultimately it would be up to the doctors and trainers and Rondo. One of those workouts was on Wednesday, when the Celtics announced at 12:26 p.m. that he had been assigned to the Maine Red Claws of the Development League and then announced at 2:19 p.m. that he had been recalled. "Rajon is progressing terrifically in his rehab and this is the next step," general manager Danny Ainge said. "This is a brief assignment so that Rajon can participate in a workout this afternoon with the Red Claws and he will be called back up to the Celtics upon the conclusion of the workout." In his last availability, on Friday, Rondo said he hoped to make his season debut before the All-Star break; Bostons last game before the break is Feb. 12. But on Tuesday he sent a tweet saying, "29,233,380 secs" -- an apparent reference to the amount of time between his surgery and Friday nights game against the Lakers. The Celtics had lost 12 of 13 heading into Wednesday nights game. Charlotte Hornets Jersey . What general manager Dave Nonis called "short and productive" negotiations ended with Kessel signing a US$64-million, eight-year contract on Tuesday. Frank Kaminsky Jersey .C. -- When North Carolina freshman Ryan Switzer reported to training camp in August he was a little miffed to learn he was third on the depth chart at punt returner. http://www.officialhornetsonline.us/marvin-william...ts-jers ey/ . Varlamov made 33 saves and Ryan OReilly had a goal and scored in the shootout as the Avalanche beat the New Jersey Devils 2-1 on Thursday night. Michael Kidd-Gilchrist Jersey .ca. Kerry, Just watched the shootout in the Coyotes/Leafs game and I have to ask, why was the James van Riemsdyk goal allowed to count? All of the video replays we were shown on TV were inconclusive about whether the puck had entirely crossed the line or not. Marvin Williams Purple Jersey . The Canadian squad, skipped by Jennifer Jones of Winnipeg, got on the board first with two in the second end, and followed that with two more apiece in the fourth and sixth ends. CALGARY -- Steve Yzerman still remembers what it was like in Nagano in 1998, the first Olympics with NHL players and an example of Canadian failure on the bigger, international-sized ice surface. The time-honoured strategy of dumping the puck in and forechecking didnt work. "You can spend a lot of time skating places and getting there just a second late, taking yourself out of the play," said Yzerman, now Canadas general manager. "It is a different game." It was a different game at the 2006 Olympics in Turin, too, when Canada finished seventh thanks to a lack of offence and speed and the wrong mix of talent for the 200-by-100-foot rink. San Jose Sharks defenceman Dan Boyle watched from the stands as his teammates struggled. "It was tough to watch, it was frustrating," Boyle said. "Even though every player on that team deserved to be there and was great, sometimes you need certain things and thats where different guys come into play. I just thought we lacked some things." Eight years removed from that debacle and four years after winning Olympic gold in Vancouver on NHL-sized 200-by-85-foot ice, Hockey Canada is determined to learn from what went wrong without abandoning its style. "One of the critical things is to continue to play the Canadian game and not adjust to some of the spaces that suddenly arise," coaching consultant and former Edmonton Oilers coach Ralph Krueger said. "But you need to make sure that you dont change your game or make too many adjustments that will weaken what makes Canada strong." What makes Canada strong, Yzerman and the coaching staff hope, is speed and agility. Perhaps thats part of what the 2006 group was lacking. Judging by the comments of those in charge of making up the 2014 roster, it doesnt sound like thatll be a problem this time around, even if its at the expense of some players who won gold four years ago. "The biggest lesson is foot speed, for all players. You have to be able to skate and you have to be able to move the puck," Oilers president of hockey operations Kevin Lowe said. "The team will be made up of players who can skate, think and move the puck. There could be a number of changes form the gold medal team in Vancouver." From the standpoint of piecing the team together, Canada learned from its folly in Turin that bringing back the majority of a team that just won gold -- in that case the 2004 world championship -- doesnt always work. Turnover is to be expected because Yzerman wants a team built for big ice. Of course its not as simple as picking 22 burners. "Were not just going to take the 14 fastest forwards and the eight fastest defencemen," Yzerman said. "Hockey sense is probably the most important aspect a guy can have, particularly plaaying at a really high level, playing with good players around you.dddddddddddd" If it were all about speed, Taylor Hall of the Oilers, Marty St. Louis of the Tampa Bay Lightning and Kris Letang of the Pittsburgh Penguins would be locks. "I think Id be a great player on big ice," Hall said. "Ive always felt that the big ice would certainly be good for my kind of game. Hopefully they see that, too. I think theyre going to really determine their team on what its like to play on big ice." Boyle, who played in Sweden during the 2004-05 lockout, knows its about more than just racing up and down the ice. "Youve got to be able to skate, but your angles are a little bit different," he said. "Whether youre a forward or defenceman I think the angling out there is a little bit different." Thats where hockey sense comes in. Because of the high cost of insurance, coach Mike Babcock had to get creative, putting players through ball-hockey walkthroughs on a boarded-up international-sized rink at Canada Olympic Park. What that exercise allowed players to see was the amount of space theyll have to work with. But assistant coach Ken Hitchcock also wants players not to feel like the bigger ice gives them room to play slower. "I think the sucker play is you have more space, you have more time, so the tendency is to take more time," the St. Louis Blues coach said. "Its the big mistake. When we play well as Canadians, we play fast defensively and even faster offensively. Its the sucker play if you make that mistake on big ice, you end up being slow and you get covered over quickly, defensively." Having experience on big ice could be valuable, especially for defencemen. Marc Methot of the Ottawa Senators represented Canada at the world championships in 2012 and 10 players from the 2013 team are at camp. "The games completely different," Methot said. "Showing that you can keep up and defend properly on that big ice surface is huge. Its an advantage I have, and Im hoping that itll help me out." Of course its no prerequisite that players have a wealth of experience on the big ice. The key is more about having players who are willing to adjust after playing the first part of the NHL season on smaller rinks. Like Gene Hackman in "Hoosiers," Hitchcock could use a tape measure from end to end and show that its still a 200-foot rink. "The commitment to play at both ends of the rink is critical," he said. "I think weve learned over time that there are so many good teams with so many good players and, especially over there, they know how to play on that ice. I think having players that can play that 200-foot game is more important than the position they happen to play." Cheap China Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys China Cheap Jerseys From China China NFL Jerseys Cheap Jerseys Cheap Jerseys China ' ' '
|
