Gästeforum » s behind fourth-place Martina Hingis

In our NBA Draft Wrap Edition of The Three Man Weave, Duane Watson and Will Strickland from TSN 1050s "1 On 1 With Will & Duane" select with the first pick in the Weave To Achieve Draft Montreal-based writer and co-host of HoopsLounge.com Marc Griffin. Well decide upside, potential, "bouncebackability", projects and projections after a wild night in the borough of Brooklyn. What grade does Raptors President & GM Masai Ujiri get for his first draft in Toronto? Griffin: Incomplete. Watching Ujiri talk about Bruno Caboclo, he seems like a GM "once bitten, twice shy" after not stealing The Greek Freak, Giannis Antetokounmpo in the draft last year. Im really befuddled by this. I spoke to my man Mota Elb (@MotaElb) who played in the same Brazilian League as Bruno. Mota said hes a good talent, but not a great talent compared to who hes facing down there. Its a very odd pick at #20 with guys like Shabazz Napier still on the board. ...But in the end, "In Masai We Trust". International scouting is something Ujiri is exceptional at, so we have to wait and see with this one. Strickland: Is "Work In Progress" a real grade? I have to issue an incomplete. Pretty sure anytime you hear that your first round draft pick is "two years away from being two years away", it doesnt instill fan confidence in the quality of the selection. The Brazilian Kevin Durant, Bruno Caboclo, will have the opportunity to prove all the naysayers wrong as Ujiri wont stash him away in Europe, bringing him to Toronto to begin the process now. Watson: Incomplete. While the selection of Bruno Caboclo left everyone scratching their heads, it remains to be seen if he will be the next Kevin Durant or the next Rafael Araujo. Ujiris track record at the helm of the Raptors has earned him the benefit of the doubt. How DeAndre Daniels and Caboclo pan out in the short term will define Ujiris grade. With a Canadian going #1 in the NBA Draft for the second year in a row, what does this say for the future of basketball in Canada? Griffin: I love the moment when ESPN put up banners of Wiggins, Stauskas, and Ennis, while Bill Simmons & Jalen Rose called out Americas youth to pick up their game or start playing hockey. It was a backhanded compliment to how much basketball has grown in Canada. This is not a flash in the pan; this is not a fluke. People talk about these guys as the leaders of a "Golden Generation", but I believe its something bigger than that. Canadian kids are putting down hockey sticks and picking up Naismiths game. The stats dont lie. Scouts like Tariq Sbiet are saying that our youth programs are just chalk full of excellent, high level players. Were looking at the start of movement towards Canada becoming a dominant basketball country. And the basketball globe finally has our attention. Strickland: If having the #1 pick in two straight NBA Drafts coming from above the 49th Parallel doesnt convince the rest of the hoops world that there is major talent in Canada, nothing will. With this great wealth of talent comes a greater responsibility, however. As Andrew Wiggins, Anthony Bennett, Tristan Thompson, Cory Joseph and other young Canadian NBAers find success in the league, the pressure on them to grow national pride for the sport will come only as a result of competing and possibly winning a medal on the global stage by or before the 2020 Olympics. Watson: It says that Canadians have the ability to go #1 just as other nations athletes can, the talent is there. The Canadian Basketball program has to develop its team to get the players to commit and play together, developing international experience in order to become a contending basketball power. After three Canadians were taken in the first 18 picks, why were no more selected? Griffin: International trade law. Nah, Im really not sure. There were 8 Canadians Draft eligible (which is amazing in its own right) and most of them will receive summer league and camp invites. Khem Birch could have possibly stayed in school another year, but hindsight is 20/20. Yet, I cant harp on this enough: Melvin Ejim will have a solid NBA career if given the opportunity in the right system. He just needs a little faith from a GM who doesnt measure talent by height alone. Overall, I expect to see the undrafted guys busting their butts this summer to land that roster spot. Now with so many Canadians in the league, there is that motivation and beacon of hope here to actually live that hoop dream. Strickland: If weve learned anything, it should be that this talent assessment and drafting thing is far from an exact science. Canadian hoops fans should respect the fact that there was top heavy Canadian content in this draft, with 3 of the 4 selected overall out of 8 eligible going in first 18 picks. Perspective matters. Even still, its hard to fathom that the player of the year from one of the top conferences in the country in Melvin Ejim wasnt selected at all. Watson: While only three Canadians were taken in the first 18 picks, Dwight Powells second round selection made four for a record amount of Canadians taken in the draft. It is another landmark moment for Canadian basketball, slowly showing that Canada is becoming a hotbed for hoops talent. Which team came out best in the Draft? Griffin: Orlando. I elicited the help of draft wunderkind Phil Boileau (@SportingPhil) on this one. The Magic picked up two starters who fill immediate roster needs. No one else did that. Aaron Gordon is a monster talent with athleticism, versatility, and an NBA frame. Hell figure out the league quick. Likewise, Elfrid Payton looks like a steal at #10. Small school, great hair, big heart. And hes really driven. ...Phoenix made my sneaky favorite pick of the draft taking Tyler Ennis at #18. Hes a perfect fit for their system. And for Ennis to learn from Goran Dragic who learned from Steve Nash, thats pretty damn fitting. Strickland: With obvious, easy bake nods to Cleveland and Milwaukee, as well as a dark horse pick in Phoenix, the Orlando Magic got a bigger, stronger, faster more athletic Shawn Marion in Aaron Gordon at #4 and a serious sleeper in Elfrid Payton to help Victor Olidipo harass NBA backcourts. Whether Duane Watsons buddy Jacque Vaughn is the man to lead them to great heights may be in question. But there are some serious pieces in the Magic Kingdom again, including the monster double-double machine Nikola Vuvevic. Orlando could make a 2013-2014 Washington Wizards-leap toward respectability next season. Watson: Bostons youth movement took another solid step with the addition of Marcus Smart who couldve been a lottery pick in last years draft and James Young, who stood out for the Kentucky Wildcats in the NCAA Championship game. Two players who can step in right away and help turn around the Celtics. Danny Ainge wins again. Which team fared the worst in the Draft? Griffin: Philadelphia. Go ahead and send me hate mail. Joel Embiids medical dossier scares the living tar out of me. Hes extremely talented, yes, but two stress fractures and a broken foot is red flags, loud sirens, and Sam Bowie flashbacks for me. Plus his small frame and the plopping motion of his feet as he runs, I dont like the equation at all. Listen, I think hes an all-world talent in a league that lacks dominant BIGS, but this is too huge of a risk at the #3 spot in a very deep draft. I wish him well and hate all the memes already. But talk to Anthony Bennett, Embiid has a tall mountain to climb after all these setbacks. ...On the positive side, I absolutely love Phillys new Ben Franklin logo. Yup. Thats the silver lining here. Strickland: Ok, Ok, Ok!!! Who gets to play the bad guy and say the Raptors? That said, it wont be me! Sam Hinkie doesnt care whats said about his picks for the Philadelphia 76ers. If your asset management strategy is a Fran Fraschilla quote (see: Caboclo, Bruno), may the long-suffering Sixer fan base get Tylenol and Pepto instead of pizza or burgers every time a team scores 100+ on them... and may Mr. Hinkies domicile, email address and cell phone numbers be unlisted. Watson: Oklahoma City Thunder. For a team that proved in the NBA Playoffs it needed support for their dynamic duo of Durant and Westbrook, they missed the boat. The collective response to Steven Adams being drafted last year was collective disbelief. But the Kiwi panned out to be an All-NBA Rookie Second Team selection. However, at #21 this year, Mitch McGary is a duplicate of last years pick. The Thunder has built themselves on draft picks, but Sam Presti and company whiffed on this one. The Three-Man Weave contributors are co-hosts of TSN Radio 1050s 1-on-1 with Will and Duane, Will Strickland (@WallStrizzle1) and Duane Watson (@byDuaneWatson) and guest first-round draft pick Marc Griffin (montrealmarc). Fake Football Jerseys For Sale .C. - Nick Merkley and Damon Severson each had a goal and two assists as the Kelowna Rockets downed the visiting Seattle Thunderbirds 6-3 on Saturday in Western Hockey League playoff action. Fake Football Jerseys . - Chicago Bears running back Matt Forte sees the commitment to the handoff and cant help but come away impressed. https://www.fakefootballjerseys.com/ . -- James Harden scored 31 points, including 25 in the second half, and the Houston Rockets dug out of a double-digit, first-half hole to beat the Orlando Magic 101-89 on Wednesday night. Cheap Football Jerseys .Y. -- Florida Panthers captain Ed Jovanovski finally has something to show for all the pain he went through in overcoming a string of injuries that kept him sidelined for much of the past two years. Fake Football Jerseys Free Shipping . The No. 5 Aztecs held Burton, the Mountain Wests leading scorer, to 11 points, 10 below his average, in beating the Wolf Pack 73-58 on Saturday night. STANFORD, Calif. -- Serena Williams stared at the court, took a deep breath and seemed to clear her head after falling behind in the first set. She dominated the rest of the way. Playing her first tournament since her departure from Wimbledon because of equilibrium problems, the top-ranked Williams won her WTA-leading fourth title of the year, beating third-seeded Angelique Kerber 7-6(1), 6-3 on Sunday in Bank of the West Classic. Kerber, 0-4 in finals this season, won five straight games to go up 5-1 and was serving for the first set at 5-2. Williams saved two set points and went to win five games in a row. "I blinked my eye and I was down 1-5," Williams said. "Angelique was playing well and I thought Whats going on? I tried to relax, not think about anything and just do the right thing." The eighth-ranked Kerber forced a tiebreaker, but Williams took the first five points. "Its a good thing that it happened," Williams said. "When Im not playing great I know I can make some kind of comeback." Williams didnt play well in any of the first sets this week but always found a way to win. "Ive been training hard all year and hopefully that pays off, especially after Wimbledon," Williams said. "I stayed positive here. This shows Im moving in the right direction." Questions were raised after she retired from a doubles match with sister Venus at Wimbledon in June. A viral infection affected her equilibrium. She answered those questions with an exclamation point Sunday. "Every week is a new week and all I can do is try and improve," Williams said. "For me its all mental: being there, being positive and being good to myself." Williamms has beaten the left-handed Kerber four straight times and five of six overall.dddddddddddd All of their matches have been in straight sets. "I gave everything I could out there," Kerber said. "When she was down she started hitting the ball better. Its a special thing she has. On the important points, she goes for it." Williams will be No. 1 for the 200th week in her career when the rankings are announced Monday. She is fifth on the career list, nine weeks behind fourth-place Martina Hingis. "I feel like Im just me. I dont feel any different from anyone else on this planet," Williams said. "To be that of as that is pretty awesome." Williams extended her winning streak to 13 matches in winning her third title at Stanford in four years. "It just says how much I love to play here," she said. Kerber, who will rise to No. 7, was the first German to reach the final in the event since Sylvia Hanika in 1987. Bettina Bunge, in 1983, was the last German to win the tournament. "I had a great week," Kerber said. "I played some great matches against some good opponents. She showed shes the best player in the world." Williams has not lost to a top-10 player this season. Kerber has never beaten a No. 1 player. Williams improved to 17-2 overall in matches played at Stanford. Shes 30-5 on the season and 662-117 for her career. Williams is 61-17 in finals. Williams has not played well at Grand Slam events this year, failing to reach the quarterfinals of the Australian Open, French Open and Wimbledon. Winning the U.S. Open, she said, "would make it better but not erase anything. But Im just focused on the next tournament." ' ' '