TORONTO - As far as training camps go, this years has been a relatively quiet and uneventful edition for the Toronto Raptors, not that they mind. Vans Shoes Sale . Valuing continuity over the summer, theyve avoided the excitement that tends to surround teams with high or notable turnover entering a new campaign (see: Cavaliers, Cleveland). 10 of the 14 players under guaranteed contract for this coming season are holdovers from last years division-winning club. Everyone who scored a point during their seven-game playoff series, save for John Salmons, is back. Once again, theyve had the benefit of good health (Amir Johnson suffered a minor foot injury in Fridays pre-season win, but returned to practice Monday), and Dwane Caseys rotation should look familiar, more or less, when it takes shape over the next 10 days. Theres just one decision left to be made. Who will claim the 15th and final spot on the Raptors roster when they open the season on Oct. 29? Toronto has three players in camp, all on non-guaranteed deals, vying for the job; hard working centre Greg Stiemsma, sharpshooting forward Jordan Hamilton and speedy point guard Will Cherry. NBA rosters must be set for opening day on Oct. 27, meaning the Raptors will have to make their final cuts - ultimately determining who stays on - by Noon et. Saturday and Casey doesnt anticipate making a decision until then. Ill tell you what, its going to be a difficult decision, the Raptors head coach admitted, speaking after practice Monday afternoon. All three guys have done something special. The coaching staff has raved about their contribution throughout camp and with each player standing out, to some degree, during the teams 5-1 start to the pre-season, theyve made strong cases for themselves to stay. Its a good problem to have, Casey said, because that means that we brought guys in that fit what we do and fit into our program. [Cherry] has played hard in practice and worked [Kyle Lowry] hard, he added. He hasnt had a chance to show a lot in games because we were experimenting with [Lou Williams] at the point. [Stiemsma] has done an excellent job in spots and then [Hamilton] has scored the ball at a high level. So all [three] guys have brought something special to the table and all three are NBA players in their own right. The Raptors were in a similar situation at this time a year ago, with three players - two guards and a forward - battling it out for one spot. In the end it went to Julyan Stone, the better defender and most versatile of the group. Unlike last year though, these three candidates play three different positions and as a result the decision could come down to whichever one addresses a more pressing need on the roster. The 6-foot-11 Stiemsma looked like an early favourite, and that still may be the case given the teams lack of size off the bench. The 29-year-old spent last season with the New Orleans Pelicans, his third team in three NBA seasons, and would become Torontos second oldest player, should he make the team. His game isnt pretty - hes committed 16 fouls and scored just nine points in 65 pre-season minutes - but his workmanlike approach and ability to defend the rim, a weakness of Torontos last year, seem to be a good fit in a situational role behind Jonas Valanciunas, Johnson and Patrick Patterson, platooning with Tyler Hansbrough and Chuck Hayes. Its all about opportunities, Stiemsma said, hoping to take advantage of this one. This whole league, my whole career has been about opportunities. Ive just got to look at it like, whatever amount of minutes I have is an opportunity to succeed, to play well and to show what I can do. Its a roller coaster. It can be up and down, day-to-day, but youve just got to try to stay consistent, control the things you can control, worry about those things and then just let the chips fall where they may. Of the three, Hamilton may have come in facing the steepest battle given the teams talent and depth on the wing, but hes had an impressive pre-season averaging 10.4 points on an efficient 63 per cent shooting. Hes knocked down five of his eight attempts from three-point range and logged over 20 minutes in half of Torontos six pre-season contests, also standing out on the defensive end. Hamilton, 24, also has the better NBA resume. After a mid-season trade sent him from Denver - where he spent his first two years - to Houston, Hamilton played nearly 17 minutes a night and made 39 per cent of his three-point tries. He also has a history with Masai Ujiri - the Raptors GM acquired him in a draft-night deal back when Ujiri was with the Nuggets, after Hamilton was selected 26th overall in 2011. As Casey alluded to, Cherry has seen less playing time, appearing in just four pre-season games. A Summer League standout in the off-season, most of the praise hes received comes from the effort and energy hes brought to practice. His disadvantage may be inexperience at the NBA level. He spent last season playing for the Canton Charge of the D-League, where he averaged 11.6 points and 4.5 assists in 18 games. The fate of Cherry will likely be determined by the coaching staffs confidence in Lowrys health and Williams ability to play - and most importantly, defend - the point guard position in a pinch. Although the Raptors could conceivably keep two of the three and cut one of their own, that scenario is very unlikely. Like Stone a year ago, whomever does win the job wont be anything more than insurance at the end of the bench for a team with playoff aspirations. Barring injuries, they shouldnt be a factor in Caseys regular rotation and it would set them back financially to waive someone under guaranteed contract. As for the decision itself, Casey says it will be a collaborative process this coming weekend. Its always a good debate with the coaching staff and management, he said. Theres a lot involved, [a lot of] voices as far as who stays and who doesnt in those situations. We have a great line of communication with the front office, with [Ujiri] and [Jeff Weltman, VP of basketball operations], and we talk all the time as far as players [go]. They know exactly how we feel and we know how they feel, so its a team effort. The three players contending for that final gig will likely have one last opportunity to make their case on the court, as Casey will continue monitoring the minutes of his regulars during Wednesdays exhibition game at home to Maccabi Haifa before shifting to a more fixed rotation in Fridays pre-season finale. Air Max 95 Sale . The result means Atletico Madrid now tops the table, with Madrid level on points in second and Barcelona a point behind in third with nine games remaining as the title race shapes up to be the closest in years. Yeezy 350 Sale . -- With the Memphis Grizzlies struggling to find their offensive rhythm, O. https://www.wholesaleshoesforcheap.com/under-armour-shoes-sale/ . -- After a year spent travelling the world, Brooks Koepka suddenly is in a position to play a lot more golf at home. MIAMI -- The two NL Rookie of the Year contenders chatted on the field during batting practice, discussing how they escaped Cuba before becoming major-league stars this season. Then they went head to head, and Jose Fernandez bested Yasiel Puig to beat the Los Angeles Dodgers. Fernandez allowed only one earned run in six innings to help Marlins win 6-2 Monday night, giving the Dodgers consecutive defeats for the first time since June 20-21. Puig went 0 for 3 against the All-Star right-hander in their first matchup. "Its not a big deal," Fernandez said. "Its one game. I dont think at all that Im better than him. His talent is no doubt." They met for the first time less than two hours before the game and talked at length, a rarity for a hitter and the pitcher hes about to face. "We were talking forever," Fernandez said. "I know were going to be incredible friends, because we actually were talking about what we went through to get here. We used to live 45 minutes away from each other. Pretty amazing." That adjective is used a lot lately to describe Fernandez (9-5), who beat the Dodgers for the second time in two starts. He has an ERA of 1.64 since June 1, and at home this year hes 6-0 in 12 starts with an ERA of 1.40. The animated 21-year-old was especially pumped up to face the NL West leaders. "He told me he was fired up and woke up at 6:30 in the morning ready to go," manager Mike Redmond said. "I was a little nervous, just because with young kids youre not sure." Fernandez lacked his usual command, walking two in the first inning, and threw 109 pitches. But he struck out eight, and the Dodgers went 0 for 7 against him with runners in scoring position. "Hes a tremendous pitcher," Puig said through a translator. "He knew how to mix his pitches and was able to dominate." Fernandez also had the Marlins first hit and scored the games first run from first base on a two-out double by Christian Yelich. "We just beat the best team in baseball," Fernandez said. "Thats the most important part. I could have pitched a lot better, but we got the win." Hyun-Jin Ryu (12-4), anothher standout rookie, allowed three runs in 7 1-3 innings and lost for the first time in his past eight starts. Wholesale Shoes Website. Logan Morrison doubled home a run in the seventh to put Miami ahead to stay. Giancarlo Stanton added his 15th homer in the eighth, when Miami scored three times against a bullpen that has been the best in the majors over the past month. Three Marlins relievers completed the six-hitter, delighting a crowd of 27,127, the third-largest this season in Miami. The Dodgers fell to 25-5 since the All-Star break and lost for only the third time in their past 22 road games. They had a 10-game winning streak snapped Sunday at Philadelphia. "We didnt play bad tonight," manager Don Mattingly said. "We didnt make any errors. We didnt get a whole lot of hits. We just got beat. At some point you have to say you got beat." Juan Uribe went 3 for 3 against Fernandez, scored once and doubled home a run. But Puig went 0 for 5, dropping his average to .351. Hanley Ramirez, traded by the Marlins during their miserable 2012 season, drew boos each time he batted. He went 0 for 4 and struck out twice. Los Angeles loaded the bases in the fifth on a ground single, an infield single and an error by third baseman Ed Lucas. Carl Crawford drove in a run with a groundout, but Fernandez then squelched the threat. He struck out Puig on three consecutive 97-mph fastballs, and struck out Adrian Gonzalez on a breaking pitch. "He has always taken those situations and really dominated them," Redmond said. Stanton homered off the home-run sculpture at Marlins Park against Chris Withrow. "A 2-iron," Redmond said. "That was a bullet." The homer ended a streak of 12 1-3 consecutive scoreless innings by the Los Angeles bullpen. NOTES: LF Crawford and 2B Mark Ellis robbed the Marlins of hits. ... Fernandez might make only one more home start. The Marlins plan to limit him to no more than 170 innings this year. ... Miamis Donovan Solano had an RBI single and is batting .400 with runners in scoring position. ... LHP Chris Capuano, scheduled to start Tuesday, celebrated his 35th birthday Monday. ' ' '