Remember when Alonzo Mourning refused to play in Canada? How about Raptor power forward Antonio Davis? After blossoming into an All Star in Toronto, he opted out of his contract because he felt uncomfortable that his kids were singing O Canada. Damian Lillard Blazers Jersey . And learning the metric system. These were actual reasons he gave. I do not predict Amir Johnson feeling similarly. Something is happening — has happened — and it is a genie for whom the bottle will forever be too cramped. Turns out, after two decades of tumult and failure, subtly and steadily, Toronto has turned into a basketball mecca. In a fitting end to the roundball dominance of Chicago, Los Angeles and New York, each respectively has been or is being upset by Wizards, common decency and your Toronto Raptors. This isnt emphatic hype from a success-starved fan. This is real. This is how the future of Toronto basketball is going to play out. (Results guaranteed or your money back.) First, Toronto is going to beat the Brooklyn Nets. They are going to do this because they are faster, stronger, better coached and more talented. My words to Garnetts ears, I think theyre tougher too. Id confidently go to battle against KG, Pierce and Deron Williams with Lowry, Amir and Jonas. (Toronto can also selectively deploy Tyler Hansbrough, forcing Brooklyn to be mindful of his ever-present Metta World Peace potential. Observe when Hansbrough is deployed in a game. Always during a "Charles Oakley moment" when a teammate is being manhandled or has taken a series of tough fouls, and it is time for a guy made of elbows to contribute. Last game he played for 8 minutes, committed 3 fouls, and even touched the ball a few times.) The only reason the series goes seven is Torontos lack of experience. Heading into Game 5, the Raptors are now nearing the point of enough collective savvy and bend-but-dont-break guile to beat these paper tigers. The New Jersey Nets of Brooklyn are going down. (Sidenote on Donald Sterling: I would be neglectful not to mention the shadow hanging over an otherwise terrific first round of NBA playoffs. This is a teachable moment to talk about prejudice, especially when a Toronto club has experienced something similar. Remember when Harold Ballard warned us of the Soviet threat in 1979, proclaiming no Russian would ever play for the Maple Leafs, that they were "parasites and barnacles who steal our money?" I think Nikki Borschevsky told me that story. It was just the kind of boldly regressive, anti-humanistic rhetoric which helped spurn a generation of iconic movie villains from Ivan Drago to Boris the Blade. We may never see the same yield of film icons, but after commissioner Adam Silvers welcome and decisive announcement, I guarantee this whole affair ends in the plus column. Before you can explain to your mother that "Instagram is like Twitter with more pets," Magic Johnson will own an NBA team and Donald Sterling will not. Let him waste away in his underground lair, using his billions for, oh, I dont know, drumming up support to bomb North Korea? Backing anti-climate change lobbyists? Pouring millions into Monsantos nuclear corn division? Im not really sure what super-villains are into these days.) Speaking of villains, up next will be Miami, a team Toronto will not get past. This second round series is whats known in the business as "valuable experience". Any team on its way up bonds, grows and learns how to win by getting beat by the best. Do not be surprised when T.O. finds a way to win a game, maybe two (possibly three). This years Heat have a touch of the Nets in them (see: slow, creaky). They also have Lebron so they will be winning. 2014/15. Critical mass. The season NBA fans will remember as the Canadian Invasion. The one lasting achievement of the Vince Carter-era is inspiring a generation of local athletes to basketball greatness. The talent emerging is staggering, and some of it a credit to Carter as the deified player who sparked their imagination as kids. He, and two-time MVP Steve Nash, have long been the main influences for young Canadian ballers. In 1996, Nash was drafted 15th overall, the highest pick in NBA history for a Canuck. But years would pass. Bill Wennington would retire. Carter would move on to half-ass it in other cities. The Northern Uprising would start afresh in 2011, when Cleveland drafted Toronto-native Tristan Thompson 4th overall, a new record. Emerging San Antonio Spurs point guard Cory Joseph, a native of nearby Pickering, was drafted 29th. By 2012, a record five Canadians would be drafted, led by Orlando forward Andrew Nicholson (taken 19th). 2013 would be uncharted territory for Canadian ball. It was the first time two Canadians were selected in the lottery, including 13th selection, Toronto-native Kelly Olynyk and, shockingly, another Toronto-native, Anthony Bennett, going first overall. FIRST OVERALL. And he wasnt supposed to be the guy to accomplish that. That honour was being reserved for 2014s expected draft class hero, Raptor fan, and Toronto-native Andrew Wiggins (note the geographic trend). He may still wind up chosen first overall. Highly-touted Toronto-born Tyler Ennis is also declaring for this years draft and expected to go in the first round. 7-foot-5-inch Sim Bhullar (of Toronto) has a chance to be drafted as the first NBA player of Indian descent. Mississauga-native Nik Stauskas is considered a potential lottery pick. The list is long. Peruse the 2014 mock draft board. I did the math. Toronto is the best represented city in the world. Though the seminal players in Torontos basketball history may not be the most beloved, Marcus Camby, Vince Carter, Tracy McGrady and Chris Bosh represent a considerable quantity of upper echelon talent which will someday appear as the bedrock on to which greater success was built. They are testament that superstars can be developed in Toronto, in Canada, where Vince Carter led fan voting for the All Star game four times, and Terrence Ross has been turning on young fans with dunk championship flare. More winning will build more local talent. Perceptions will change. A noteworthy cogitation to pull all this accounting together. It is entirely plausible there could come a day — there will come a day — when great players around the league are nagging their agents, opting out of contracts early, even colluding with their talented buddies...to come to Toronto. With so much homegrown talent pouring into the league, the standard could well be broken soon, where the prominent talents want to come to Toronto rather than dismiss it. To some extent, it is going to happen. To what extent, will be exciting to witness. >> Gallays Poll #8 << Who would you most like to see receive a hard foul from Tyler Hansbrough?(A) Kevin Garnett (most likely)(B) Jason Kidd (less likely)(C) Jay-Z (unlikely)(D) All of the above (almost certainly) C.J. McCollum Blazers Jersey . Leverkusen said on Friday it signed Schmidt on a two-year contract. He guided Red Bull Salzburg to the Austrian championship this season. Clyde Drexler Blazers Jersey . Everton Preview West Ham manager Sam Allardyce has been around the game long enough to not get too high when things are going well and not get too low when they arent. http://www.blazersteamofficial.com/Terry-Porter-Blazers-Jersey/ . Calgary finished atop the CFL standings with a 14-4 record and earned the right to host the West Division final at McMahon Stadium on Nov.BROSSARD, Que. -- P.K. Subban was still wearing his playoff beard as he answered questions about what may be a summer-long story about his contract negotiations. Since signing a two-year "bridge" deal that paid him US$3.75 million this season, the 25-year-old, who has become one of the NHLs best and most entertaining defencemen, is a potential restricted free agent in position to ink a multi-year contract for a kings ransom with the Montreal Canadiens. Or he could take a shorter contract and then become an unrestricted free agent. Subban said he hopes to sign a long-term deal and to stay in Montreal his entire career. "Im sure everybody in hockey wants a long-term contract, but for me, its not just about that," he said. "Its about being part of a team that can win a championship, and I believe we have that in this dressing room. "When it comes to contract stuff, thats why I hire my agent (Don Meehan). Thats why we pay him. Thats his job and Ill let him do his job. Ive done mine, and hell do his." The Canadiens, coming off their second trip to the Eastern Conference final in four years, gathered at their suburban training centre to clear out lockers and begin exit interviews before splitting up for the off-season. Their better-than-expected run to the third round of playoffs ended on Thursday with a 1-0 loss to the Rangers in New York. "Right now, the season just ended 48 hours ago," said Subban. "It feels weird cleaning out my stall. "Im just still trying to enjoy the last couple of days with my teammates before going home. Enjoy the summer with my family. So, I havent put much thought into (a new contract) as of right now, but obviously during the summer its something that will get taken care of." General manager Marc Bergevin, who will talk to the media only on Monday, has a heap of contracts to settle, but none will be watched with quite the rapt attention of Subbans. During his bridge deal, the Toronto native won the Norris Trophy as the leagues top defenceman in the lockout-shortened 2012-13 season and followed with a career-best 53-point campaign in which he had 24:36 of ice time per game, second on the team to rearguard Andrei Markov. He also helped Canada win gold at the Sochi Olympics in February, although he was cast as the extra defenceman on a talent-packed team due to managements doubts about defensive lapses. Where Subban sits on the scale of NHL stars, or of top defencemen, is much debated. Among his Olympic teammates, Shea Weber is signed through 2020-21 by Nashville for an average of $7.8 million per season, Drew Doughty is with Los Angeles until 2018-19 at $7.0 million, while Chicagos Duncan Keith will make only $5.5 million until 2020-21. The one he is often compared with is Ottawas Erik Karlsson, who is earning $6.5 million per year through 2018-19. But with the salary cap expected to rise steadily in coming years, the scale may now he higher for a player of Subbans skill and star power. And theres always the possibility that another team (Toronto perhaps?) makes him a spectacular offer that the Canadiens would have the right to match. Asked if he feels he has reached elite status among NHL defenders, Subban said it is for others to decide. "I dont control what people say and what category people put me in," he sad. "All I can control is trying to help my team win hockey games and a championship. "Thats my goal. But in terms of what people say about me. There are always critics. There are always people that are going to characterize yourself, your game. Thats not for me to do." Two other restricted free agents who are likely to be much easier to sign aare Lars Eller, who had an excellent playoffs and who is developing into a shut-down centre, and right-winger Dale Weise, a late-season pickup who sparkled in the post-season until suffering a suspected concussion in Game 5 of the conference final. Jusuf Nurkic Blazers Jersey. Weise was not available to the media. And RFA Ryan White, who wasnt used in the playoffs, has an uncertain future with the club, although he would likely be of interest to a team needing a fourth liner with grit to his game. Markov, Thomas Vanek and captain Brian Gionta top the list of seven potential unrestricted free agents. The tough decisions involve Markov and Gionta, who are both 35 and slowing but who are leaders on the team. Both may have to take short-term deals for perhaps less money. Gionta, ending a five-year deal that pays $5 million per season, wants to stay. "My familys been here for a while," he said. "We love the city. "We love the team and believe in the team and the direction of the team, so well leave it up to (Bergevin) and my agent to take care of it." Vanek has said all season he intends to test the free agent market. The big, gifted winger showed he can be a game-changer when at his best, but he struggled in the playoffs and ended up going from the first to the fourth lines. "A year ago I made a decision that it will likely be my only time to pick my own team, and hopefully pick a team where I have a chance to win," said Vanek, who started the season in Buffalo and moved to the New York Islanders before being picked up at the trade deadline by Montreal. "Once you make the decision, you cant look back. "I loved it. Its a market that I wasnt used to. Overall, I have nothing but good things to say. Marc Bergevin really made me feel at home. When I had ups and downs he was always there for me. Hes a great guy. Ill always appreciate what he did for me." Vanek insists he wasnt injured in the playoffs, but said he struggled once he was taken off the top unit with David Desharnais and Max Pacioretty. "I thought we were one of the best lines," he said. "Once I got taken off, I just struggled to find myself on a new line. "I played with (Tomas Plekanec) most of the playoffs and it just didnt work. Were both, I believe, very good players, were just not on the same page. Its just a different game." The Canadiens may also want to keep another deadline pickup, defenceman Mike Weaver, although he is also over 35. But it may be the end in Montreal for potential UFAs Francis Bouillon, Douglas Murray and enforcer George Parros. "Id like to keep playing, but well see what happens," said 38-year-old Bouillon. While much of the talk was of who would and would not be back, the mood was upbeat. The Canadiens were expected to battle just to make the playoffs, but ended up with a 100-point regular season and a trip to the conference finals. They have a young core of Subban, Pacioretty, pesky winger Brendan Gallagher, skilled 20-year-old Alex Galchenyuk, goalie Carey Price and a few promising young defencemen that suggest they can become a Cup contender. "I think we have an excellent opportunity," said Price, who injured a knee in the opening game of the conference final. "We came just a little bit short, so well need to find ways to improve somehow. "We didnt win, so we have to get better. How that is well have to evaluate over the summer. Each player individually is going to have to figure out a way to get 10 per cent better. It might not even be that much, it might be one per cent better. But were going to have to improve somehow." ' ' '