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. 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Authentic Clippers Jerseys .C. -- Only two Syracuse teams have won their first 20 games, and C. Jerome Robinson Jersey .Y. - Phil Varone was the lone scorer in the shootout as the Rochester Americans edged the Toronto Marlies 3-2 on Sunday in American Hockey League action.ST. LOUIS - Jared Cook wants to be more than hands up, he wants to be hands on this holiday season.The St. Louis Rams tight end and four other players who recently did the Hands Up, Dont Shoot gesture are following through on plans to aid residents in nearby Ferguson, Missouri.Cook and wide receivers Kenny Britt, Tavon Austin, Stedman Bailey and Chris Givens contributed $10,000 to an Urban League of St. Louis Christmas Party on Friday for residents of Ferguson and north St. Louis County.Their donations helped purchase gloves, hats, socks, underwear, non-perishable food items, detergent, personal hygiene items and 200 coats.Its small but it adds up, Cook said of the donations. It may save parents a few dollars here or there that they can maybe spend on a childs toys or other things around the house.What we give needs to be given, and it doesnt really need to be publicized.After practice Friday for the home finale against the New York Giants on Sunday, the five players planned to attend the event.Were just going there because of whats going on around the country, Britt said, and to show the people in Ferguson were not just here to protest, were here to help fix the community as well.Its not a team function, probably just the five who came out of the tunnel before the Oakland game earlier this month, but Rams coach Jeff Fisher approves.It doesnt surprise me, Fisher said. Guys have done an awful lot over there that does not draw attention, so it makes sense that over the holidays guys would get involved.Therell be plenty of fun items, too.Weve got toys, its a lot of stuff. Its going to be exciting, man. Im excited about it, Cook said. Ive been waiting on this. Its ggoing to be a good time.ddddddddddddThe Urban League anticipates 250-300 people for a party that will include food and games.Its a pretty good deed, Bailey. Im all about that, especially this time of the year. To give back, its a good feeling for us all.The day after players did the hands up gesture before the Rams 52-0 victory over the Raiders, Cook promised the team would do more to help those affected by rioting and protests. Theres been much strife in the St. Louis suburb since early August, when Michael Brown, an unarmed black teenager, was fatally shot by Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson, who is white.Violence and protests spiked anew after a grand jury declined to indict Ferguson on criminal charges. The hands up gesture has become the rallying cry of protesters around the nation.My kids have to grow up in this country, too, Britt said. I hope its a better country than I grew up in, and what were going through today.Ten or 15 years from now, we dont want to have the same conversation.Rams linebacker Alec Ogletree and Cardinals Hall of Famer Lou Brock appeared on a video on the Urban League website seeking holiday season donations. Later Friday, the Urban League scheduled a Toys for Ferguson event.Earlier this month, the Rams franchise made a $50,000 donation to a local police charity after the players protest drew the ire of local law enforcement officials. 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