Its been an eventful 12 months for the Toronto Raptors. The team got nailed by injuries to start last season and ended up dropping 19 of their first 23 games. Then another injury actually turned things around. Andrea Bargnani went down with an elbow injury and the Raptors won eight of their next 10. Next came a major in season trade as the Raptors sent much loved point guard Jose Calderon and young big man Ed Davis to Memphis in exchange for Rudy Gay. Gay instantly became the go-to guy in Toronto and the Raptors actually went .500 (18-18) after the trade to finish the season 34-48 and tied for ninth in the East. The in-season changes were nothing compared to what has happened since though. Off-season of change When Tim Leiweke was hired as the new president and CEO of Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment it didnt take long to realize that he was brining sweeping changes with him. For the Raptors it meant saying goodbye to Bryan Colangelo, the man who had led the team for the past seven seasons, the last five of which involved missing the playoffs. The Raptors lured up and coming executive Masai Ujiri away from the Denver Nuggets to take over from Colangelo as GM. Its fitting that the first major move made by Ujiri was to ship Bargnani, whom Colangelo selected first overall in 2006 and failed to build the team around, off to New York. And not only was Ujiri able to move Bargnani and his bloated contract, he actually got something in return. THe Raptors received Marcus Camby, Steve Novak and Quentin Richardson in the deal as well as a 2016 frist round draft pick and two future second round picks. The team waived Camby and Richardson, but Novak gives the Raptors some much needed three-point shooting and the draft picks will be najor assets as the Raptors look to rebuild. The Raptors also amnestied Linas Kleiza while adding Tyler Hansbrough, Austin Daye and D.J. Augustin to the fold for this season. The team certainly isnt ready to be considered a contender just yet, but its a brand new era in Toronto. And with Ujiri at the helm, the future looks bright. The Good The Raptors have turned the page on the Bryan Colangelo-Andrea Bargnani. The Raptors future is in far better hands with Masai Ujiri at the helm and building around Jonas Valanciunas. Toronto actually has a pretty strong starting lineup with Valanciunas flanked by Amir Johnson and Rudy Gay in the frontcourt along with DeMar DeRozan and Kyle Lowry in the backcourt. That lineup actually outscored opponents by 85 points in their 343 minutes together last season. Valanciunas especially looks to be a real bright spot for the Raptors and could be in line for a breakout season after dominating in summer league. A full training camp for Rudy Gay should also prove big for the Raptors. He led the team in scoring after joining them in February, averaging 19.5 points to go along with 6.4 rebounds and 2.8 assists. The team will look for him to be even better, and far more efficient, in his first full season in Toronto. DeMar DeRozan is another player that could be in line for a breakout year. His offensive game is continuing to develop and he is also improving on the defensive end. The team has the offensive firepower to compete night-in, night-out and could actually be in the running for a lower seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs. And more importantly their future growth is in good hands with Ujiri who is widely regarded as a terrific talent evaluator. The Not So Good Dwane Casey emphasizes defence in his coaching, but the team actually struggled to stop opponents last season. Raptors opponents scored 104.7 points per 100 possessions last year, ranking the Raptors 22nd in the league in that category. Their starting five project to be a pretty stout unit, but Valanciunas, Lowry and Johnson all tend to be foul prone and the defensive depth behind them isnt great. Theyll need their starters to stay out of trouble if they want to keep opponent scoring down. Kyle Lowry is also proving to be a fairly injury prone player which could be problematic given the lack of point guard depth behind him. Luckily heavoided a more significant finger injury to his non-shooting hand in a presseason game against Memphis but will still have to wear a splint on the finger for the first six weeks of the season. He has averaged 13.5 games on the sidelines over the last four years though and neither Dwight Buycks, nor DJ Augustin looks capable of handling starters minutes. Another potential stumbling block for the season (not necessarily the long-term though) is the fact that Lowry and Gay are both in the final year of their respective contracts. Ujiri may decide may decide he wants to buld elsewhere and look to move one or both players. Any such move would drop the players out of playoff contention and into the lottery. In the long run that may not actually be a bad thing as the 2014 prospect pool is loaded and the Raptors are probabyl targeting 2016 for when they truly want to compete. What To Expect As long as the Raptors dont blow things up and trade Lowry, Gay or any other starter for future assets, this will be a team that is in the hunt for the playoffs. They should be flirting with the .500 mark all season long and if they get there it should be enough for a low playoff seed in the top-heavy Eastern Conference. They would soundly thumped in the first round by any of the top teams most likely, but for a fan base dying to get back into the playoffs, that might be enough for now. Of course, if Ujiri does decide to do some wheeling and dealing, the team would fall out of the playoff hunt and into the hunt for a high pick next year. Either way, there is reason for optimism in Toronto. Replica Soccer Jerseys . 1 status and was unable to prevent a late season collapse, James Reimer said he wants to put the past behind him and is looking forward to spending the next two years in a Maple Leaf uniform. Soccer Jerseys Outlet .com) - Cincinnati Reds pitcher Mat Latos had an arthroscopic procedure performed on his right elbow last week, the teams official site reported Wednesday. https://www.soccerjerseyschina.us/. Numbers Game looks at the As getting Jon Lester from Boston, sending Yoenis Cespedes to the Red Sox along with a deal involving the As and the Minnesota Twins. The Athletics Get: LHP Jon Lester, LF Jonny Gomes, OF Sam Fuld and cash. Soccer Jerseys China . Everton Preview West Ham manager Sam Allardyce has been around the game long enough to not get too high when things are going well and not get too low when they arent. Cheap Soccer Jerseys Authentic . Trailing 2-1 from the first leg, Fiorentina levelled on aggregate in the 14th minute when Joaquin Sanchez Rodriguez headed back a long ball from David Pizarro and Pasqual smashed home an angled volley.ATLANTA -- The Atlanta Braves did everything they could over the last year to find a team willing to trade for struggling second baseman Dan Uggla. There were no takers. Ugglas frustrating, four-year tenure with the Braves ended Friday when the team requested unconditional release waivers on a former starter still guaranteed over $18 million for the remainder of this year and next. "Weve been very active making calls for the last month," general manager Frank Wren said. "We got to a point where we realized that this was probably our only avenue." Uggla received the news during an early afternoon meeting at Turner Field with Wren and manager Fredi Gonzalez. "He was professional, just like he always has been and always will be," Gonzalez said. "Now he goes out and he can explore other opportunities. Somebody will give him a chance, and we wish him the best of luck." In his fourth season with the Braves, the 34-year-old Uggla was batting .162 with two home runs and 10 RBI in 48 games and 130 at-bats. He had a 33-game hitting streak in 2011, the franchises second-longest, but also struck out 495 times in 451 games over the last three years. Uggla was benched permanently on May 28 when the Braves purchased the contract of second baseman Tommy La Stella from Triple-A Gwinnett. The teams patience with Uggla appeared to wear thin last Sunday when he was suspended one game for reporting just 30 minutes before the start of a game at the Chicago Cubs. Uggla, a three-time NL All-Star, hit .179 with 22 homers and 55 RBIs last year and underwent corrective eye surgery last summer. He struggled so much that he was left off the post-season roster after losing his job to Elliot Johnson, a journeyman claimed off waivers in late August. The Braves reinserted Uggla as the starter at the beginning of spring training this year, but he hit .212 in April and .080 in 25 at-bats during May. "It waasnt because he didnt prepare or didnt work hard," Wren said.dddddddddddd "He did all those things, so I cant answer what happened from a performance standpoint." The Braves recalled utility man Tyler Pastornicky from Gwinnett to take Ugglas spot on the 25-man roster before Fridays game against Philadelphia. Atlanta acquired Uggla on Nov. 16, 2010, when Wren traded infielder Omar Infante and reliever Mike Dunn to the Marlins. Wren soon signed Uggla to a five-year contract worth approximately $62 million. "When we made the deal, right-handed power was of the most difficult things to acquire," Wren said. "It was the perfect fit at that time. Even the first year, Dan hit 36 home runs, and we felt like this was the perfect match. It didnt continue to fit as well." After meeting with Wren and Gonzalez, Uggla spoke with several teammates before leaving the clubhouse seemingly for the last time. "Its obviously a tough day for me," first baseman Freddie Freeman said. "He was beloved by everybody in this clubhouse. He came in here every day and worked hard. He already told us he wants us to go on. Its definitely going to take a while for me (to get over)." Added right fielder Jason Heyward: "He always hustled, did not complain one time, wanted to be in the lineup. Theres not enough good things we can say about him." With 67 games remaining, the Braves are tied for first place in the NL East with Washington. Wren likes the makeup of his roster now, but will continue to consider ways to improve before the trade deadline later this month. "We have some really good pieces and we have some good, young players (in the minors) that we think can help us in the second half," Wren said. "Well look for ways to improve our club internally, maybe externally, but we do think that the foundation of a real good ballclub is here." ' ' '