DENVER - Its been four years since the Raptors had a representative in the All-Star Game. Nike Air Max 90 Goedkoop . DeMar DeRozan, a 20-year-old rookie at the time, remembers it well. "I was here when Chris Bosh was the last guy to go," said DeRozan, now 24 in his fifth NBA season, less than two hours after receiving the news. A first-time All-Star, DeRozan got the nod Thursday evening when the NBA named the Raptors guard to the Eastern Conference squad as a reserve. "I work extremely hard every off-season to try and be the best player that I can be," he said proudly. "Just to be a part of All-Star Weekend is something you dream of. I remember being a kid watching All-Star Weekend and wishing to be a part of it. To see your dreams come true definitely means a lot." DeRozan, the fourth ever Raptor selected to the midseason showcase, which will take place in New Orleans on Feb. 16, was hardly surprised to find out his selection had been made official. He had expected it. The texts from family and friends started to come in as the Raptors plane landed in Denver, shortly after the announcement had been made live on TNT. Houston Rockets All-Star guard James Harden called to congratulate him, John Wall of the Washington Wizards, also an Eastern reserve, sent a text. The first call he made was to his fiancé and his infant daughter back in Toronto. "That was cool," he said of what had to be a special moment. Its a moment, an achievement that didnt come overnight. Hes put in the work and his growth as a player, a leader and as a man reflects that. "Hes worked at it [and] he deserves it," said Dwane Casey, who has coached DeRozan in three of his five seasons. "Every year Ive been here he has improved. He has brought something new back after every summer. Im so happy and proud of him as a young man watching him grow." DeRozan, the ninth overall pick in the 2009 NBA draft, is 11th in the league in scoring, fourth in the East, and averaging career highs in points (21.8), rebounds (4.7) and assists (3.6). The Raptors iron man has missed the clubs previous two games with an ankle injury, but hes still only missed 10 contests in his career, with two full seasons under his belt. Since the trade of Rudy Gay, DeRozan has blossomed in his new role. DeRozan has recorded five or more assists in 12 of the 43 contests hes appeared in this season. He accomplished that feat 12 times all of last year and five times total in his first three seasons combined. He has already grabbed five or more rebounds 23 times this season, something he did in 19 games during the 2012-13 campaign. "Im so happy for him, man," said snubbed teammate Kyle Lowry. "It just shows the hard work that hes put in. Its great for our team, its great for the organization, its great for the city, its great for the country." Of course, the news wasnt entirely positive. Lowry, in the middle of a career season, was left off the All-Star roster. The 27-year-old point guard - widely considered to be the most notable name missing from the East team - stood in the lobby of the Raptors Denver hotel, looking ahead to his mid-Febrary vacation. He too was not surprised by the result of the voting and if he was disappointed by it, he didnt show it. "Im alright," said Lowry, averaging career-highs in points (16.8), assists (7.6) and three-point shooting (41 per cent) this season. "Ill be on a beach somewhere hanging out. Ill watch the All-Star game and cheer for (DeRozan)." Lowry is coming off of back-to-back 30-plus point games for the first time in his eight-year career, however both performances came after the coaches submitted their ballots for All-Star reserves on Sunday. Casey has spent the better part of the last month campaigning for both of his guards, hoping to get both voted in, but expecting to only get the one. Why was Lowry left out? Politics, most likely. He and DeRozan may have split votes from coaches who were only willing to vote for one Raptor. Coaches trying to get their own guy in - unable to vote for their own players, by rule - may have thrown their votes to others, less likely to make it. Then theres Lowrys reputation for being, well, prickly on occasion. However, the numbers speak for themselves, or at least they should have. Lowry leads the East in assists in January, averaging 8.3. Hes also hit more threes this month (49) than any player in the league, shooting them at a 46 per cent clip. Hes among the league-best in assist-to-turnover ratio and he has the second highest PER (player efficiency rating) of any guard in the conference. "I am disappointed for Kyle because he is playing like an All-Star," Casey said. "He is one of the best point guards in the league right now and hopefully this doesnt deter him from his continuing his journey to being the best in the league and proving people wrong." Instead, the Nets Joe Johnson made the cut. Johnson is averaging 15.7 points, his lowest mark since 2002-03, his second season in the league. Hes only the second All-Star voted in by the coaches with a below-average PER since 2003. "Im going to keep grinding no matter what, All-Star or not," Lowry said. "Im always going to work hard and continue to be the best player I can be to help my team win." "Honestly I didnt even worry about it," he continued. "We didnt get two, doesnt matter, we got one and thats a big statement for our team. [DeRozans] going to represent our team and hes going to represent us well." DeRozan joins Johnson, Chris Bosh of the Miami Heat, Wall, the Indiana Pacers Roy Hibbert, Joakim Noah of the Chicago Bulls and the Atlanta Hawks Paul Millsap on the East squad, along with starters LeBron James and Dwyane Wade of the Heat, Indianas Paul George, Carmelo Anthony of the New York Knicks and the Cleveland Cavaliers Kyrie Irving. Nike Air Max 90 Essential . Garza, who signed a four-year, $50 million deal with the Milwaukee in the off-season, retired the Cubs in order in four of the first six innings. Nike Air Max 90 Heren . -- The linebacker with 100 per cent attendance says theres a 99 per cent chance hes done.TAMPA, Fla. -- Nick Foles is comfortable filling in for Michael Vick. Philadelphias backup quarterback threw for a career-high three touchdowns and ran for a fourth Sunday, leading the Eagles to a 31-20 victory over the winless Bucs. "What we do offensively ... we dont change," coach Chip Kelly said. "He did a really good job of spreading the ball around to different receivers. ... I told him to let it rip. Thats what we told him to do, and he did it." Foles finished a long first-quarter scoring drive with a 4-run and threw scoring passes of 12 and 36 yards to DeSean Jackson. He also heaved a 47-yarder to Riley Cooper and threw 44 yards to Cooper to set up his second TD pass to Jackson. The Eagles (3-3), with their new fast-paced offence that Kellys sprung on the NFL after a successful college coaching stint at Oregon, joined the 2007 Patriots and 1983 Chargers as the only teams to gain at 400 yards in each of their first six games. "I feel really comfortable here. I feel comfortable with our personnel, our plays, everything," Foles said. "It helps when you have a great relationship with the players, the coaches, and when you go into the game youre all on the same page. ... Everybody stuck together, and it was another team win." With the injured Vick active but not playing, Foles made his seventh career start and beat the Bucs (0-5) for the second time. He was 1-5 as a rookie a year ago, with that victory also coming on the road at Tampa Bay. In the two games, the second-year pro accounted for 677 yards, seven touchdowns -- five passing and two rushing -- and no interceptions. Kelly shrugged off a question about whether Foles has done enough to earn the starting job over a healthy Vick, who said hes not concerned about whether hes still No. 1. "Hes a great football player. He does exactly what he needs to do when he goes out on the field," Vick said. "Thats not something Im going to worry about. Im worrying about getting healthy." Foles completed 22 of 31 passes for 296 yards and no interceptions. NFL rushing leader LeSean McCoy gained 116 yards on 25 attempts, and Cooper finished with four receptions for 120 yards. In addition to playing through a messy split with Josh Frreeman, the Bucs also have been dealing with three members of the team being diagnosed with MRSA, a staph infection thats resistant to many common antibiotics. Nike Air Max 1 Dames. Rookie Mike Glennon threw for 273 yards, including TD passes of 1 and 24 yards to Vincent Jackson in his second start for Tampa Bay, which benched Freeman before later releasing the 2009 first-round draft pick during the teams bye week. Jackson had nine catches for 114 yards, and Tim Wright had seven for 91 yards. The Bucs played without receiver Mike Williams, who was inactive with a sore hamstring. The Eagles won their second in a row to climb back to .500. Tampa Bay, which began with expectations of contending for their first playoff berth since 2007, have dropped 10 of 11 games dating to last season. "Were a competitive franchise whos been on the short end of the stick too many times. We need to get on the right end of the stick. Weve to play our way and coach our way out of it one day at a time. Thats how you do it," Tampa Bay coach Greg Schiano said. "Theres no magical answer. Stand to your convictions without being stubborn, and move forward." The Bucs announced Thursday that guard Carl Nicks, who along with kicker Lawrence Tynes was diagnosed with MRSA in August, is being treated for a recurrence on an infection in his left foot. By the end of the day, a third player -- rookie cornerback Johnthan Banks -- was diagnosed with MRSA. Nicks was inactive Sunday, however Banks was cleared to play, with the league and NFL Players Association saying a joint statement that a medical specialist met with the Bucs, supervised the inspection of the teams facilities, conducted medical examinations and agreed with the Tampa Bay medical staff that Banks did not pose a risk of transmission to other players. With the Bucs opening the game with five defensive backs on the field, Banks made his fourth career start and had five tackles. Vick was active but did not play after being injured during last weeks victory over the New York Giants. Foles led an eight-play, 85-yard TD drive on Philadelphias first possession, opening the game with a short pass that McCoy turned into a 44-yard completion and finished by scoring on a quarterback draw. cheap jerseys from chinacheap jerseys ' ' '
