TORONTO - On the eve of his memorable exit interview, Greivis Vasquez sat down for dinner with the leagues most famed and influential global ambassador, carrying on his mission to secure a new contract with the team that gave him new life in the NBA. In Vasquez time, the meal may have lasted six hours. What did he and Drake discuss? Perhaps a certain 2013-14 MVP came up in conversation. Thunder forward and four-time scoring champion Kevin Durant has been on the minds of Raptors fans for the better part of the last year. Could Drake help lure Durant from Oklahoma City when he becomes a free agent following the 2015-16 season? He may have found a partner in crime. "Hopefully I get to play with him one day in the NBA," Vasquez said of Durant, his high school teammate and old friend, guesting on TSN Drive with Dave Naylor on Monday. "Hopefully its here in Toronto." He wasnt done. "Imagine if we get KD, Kevin Durant in 2016 and he leads us to a championship," the Raptors point guard added, unprompted in an interview with Bryan Hayes on TSN 1050 the following day. "I think hed have statues right outside the ACC." Well played, sir. Vasquez, the quote that keeps on quoting, is angling for a new deal and with the offseason barely a week old, he has positioned himself favourably. In case you havent heard, Vasquez is quite fond of being in Toronto. A week ago, on a day in which Kyle Lowrys impending free agency took centre stage, it was his backup, Vasquez, that stole the show delivering an emotional 19-minute soliloquy, with the occasional question sprinkled in. He thanked the city, its fans, his teammates, coaches and general manager. He thanked the Toronto school board. "My son cannot wake up at 8:00 in the morning, he wakes up at six because hes excited to go to school." He thanked his waiter at the local all-you-can-eat Brazilian steak house. So, he was thorough. It was exit interview meets academy award acceptance speech, only no one had the heart to play him off with music. "Thats Greivis," GM Masai Ujiri said a day later. The 27-year-old point guard rarely holds back on the court, playing the game with a refreshing passion that helped spark Torontos remarkable turnaround in 2014. The same could be said about his approach away from basketball. "Id use the word passionate for Greivis," said newly extended head coach Dwane Casey. "He has stones. Hes probably, truth be told, probably the most confident player on the team. He feels like he can score on LeBron James, Kobe Bryant and Michael Jordan in his prime, which is great and you need that." "If you tell him, Greivis, run through that window right there, hes going to do it. Now he may look at you a little bit, but hell do it." Vasquez, a restricted free agent this summer, is sincere in his sentiments, he truly hopes to remain a Raptor and the way hes gone about publicizing it could go a long way in ensuring hes back with the team next season. "It would be heartbreaking if I dont come back," Vasquez exclaimed on a Monday afternoon in the bowels of the Air Canada Centre. "Im an emotional guy, so I really embrace, Im really committed to the team, to the city, to this franchise." Seven days later, there was Vasquez, on stage shaking hands with Torontos Deputy Mayor and representing the organization as May 12 was proclaimed "Raptors Day". After arriving in an early-season trade from Sacramento - where he says he lost his passion for the game - Vasquez averaged 9.5 points and 3.7 assists in 61 games for the Raptors, his fourth NBA stop in four years. He has not wasted the opportunity. Hes gone all in. The Venezuelan-native has established himself as an emotional leader on the team and an ambassador in the city. For good measure hes also offering up his services in recruiting one of the NBAs premier talents, should he still be around in 2016. But will he be around? Ujiri will not be pressured, not by elaborate speeches or the promise of an endorsement in two years from now. Vasquez will be retained if Ujiri determines it makes sense in basketball terms, and it may. Still, the extracurricular incentives cant hurt, especially if the Raptors GM values continuity and chemistry as much as he has indicated. "We hope to get something done," Ujiri told TSN.ca, in reference to Vasquezs contract status. "Hes one of those pieces on the team where you know that hes always going to be a great teammates and hes going to go out and compete." As Vasquez walked off the podium, an audience of assembled media brimming after he captivated them with a season-ending speech for the ages, he left the room the same way he entered it 20 minutes earlier. The "loveable underdog" - as he once referred to himself - wore a black cap decorated with the words "We The North" on his head and a big smile across his face. "Im not taking this for granted," he told the city and its acting mayor on Raptors Day. "Im saying it because I mean it." And he does, but he knows exactly what hes doing. Cheap Jerseys Free Shipping .Brothers B.J. and Justin Upton each homered and had an outfield assist, and the Braves held on for a 4-2 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies on Saturday night. College Jerseys From China . And I wanted to take this opportunity to share some of my experiences gained through International competition and the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano, Japan. Seven NHL referees and six linesmen will be assigned upcoming games in Sochi by the IIHF as part of their 28-man officiating roster comprised of 14 refs and 14 linesmen. http://www.ncaajerseyscheap.com/.com) - Joe Pavelski scored twice to lead the San Jose Sharks in a 5-2 win over the Edmonton Oilers to split a home-and-home set. Cheap Lonzo Ball UCLA Jersey . In a matter of days, he went from unwanted to wanted, from fired to hired, from discarded by the Philadelphia Eagles with reputation tarnished to rock star treatment and a new fat contract from the Washington Redskins. Wholesale Authentic Jerseys . PETERSBURG, Fla.MINNEAPOLIS - In his first game at Target Center since he was traded, it was abundantly clear to Kevin Love just how far away he has gotten from Minnesota.Love spent six seasons with the Timberwolves toiling on a team that couldnt stay healthy and never even sniffed the playoffs. Now he has LeBron James and Kyrie Irving on his side and the Cleveland Cavaliers are expecting to contend for a title.With the Timberwolves, he was the focal point, putting up eye-popping numbers and earning three All-Star berths. In Cleveland, all of those numbers have dropped significantly while the wins have soared, leaving Love to make the same kind of adjustment that Chris Bosh did when he joined James in Miami.When asked if it was a struggle to adapt, Love said Id be lying if I told you it wasnt. But finding different ways to be as efficient as possible, because its something I prided myself on here. Theres different ways to affect the game; Im still learning that here, but we still have 35-plus games left. With that, well continue to evolve and change and get better.Love is averaging nine fewer points, five fewer shots and shooting worse from the field and 3-point line than he did last season with the Wolves and will not be joining James and Irving in New York for All-Star weekend. But the Cavaliers are 29-20 and have won 10 straight games after beating Minnesota on Saturday night.Im in a situation now where were winning basketball games, Love said. And Im happy with that.Even as Andrew Wiggins shows signs of becoming a star in Minnesota after the Cavaliers traded him, James is happy having Love by his side.I just think his basketball I.Q., people dont see that, James said. The way he stretches the floor for us, his rebounding, his basketball I.Q. is really high and it adds to our team. It adds to our team as far as everything — knowing where guys are both offensively and defensively and hes been great.ddddddddddddHere are some other things to keep an eye on in the NBA this week:GAME OF THE WEEK: The best in the West against the best in the East on Friday night when the Golden State Warriors visit the Atlanta Hawks. Atlanta has won 19 straight games and turned the one of the most lifeless home arenas in the NBA into a packed house every night.POPS MILESTONE: Spurs coach Gregg Popovich is three wins shy of 1,000 for his career. The Spurs could get him there this week with home games against Orlando on Wednesday and Miami on Friday and a trip to Toronto on Sunday.DAMES REVENGE TOUR: Portland point guard Damian Lillard didnt hide his disappointment when he couldnt get a spot on the jam-packed Western Conference All-Star roster. The Blazers host Utah on Tuesday, Phoenix on Thursday and have a tough road back-to-back at Dallas and Houston on the weekend.RUBIOS RETURN: Ricky Rubio is expected to make his return to the court after missing 42 games with a severely injured left ankle when his Minnesota Timberwolves visit the Dallas Mavericks on Monday. The Timberwolves were 2-2 when Rubio was injured on Nov. 7. They are 6-37 since.SURGING GRIZZLIES: Memphis has won 10 of its last 11 games to climb to the No. 2 seed in the West. The addition of Jeff Green is paying dividends and the Grizzlies play at Phoenix on Monday, at Utah on Wednesday, at Minnesota on Friday and host the Hawks on Sunday.___STAT OF THE WEEK: Kyrie Irving went off for 55 points and 11 of 19 3-pointers to beat Portland on Wednesday. Irving saved his best for last, hitting a 3-pointer in the closing seconds to lift the Cavs to a win with LeBron James sitting out with a wrist injury. ' ' '