miaowang123: Impact has enough up front to provide goals.
Impact has enough up front to provide goals.
Happy New Year! Hope each and every one of you and your families have a wonderful 2014. William Karlsson Jersey . All the best! A few quick NBA Thoughts. 1. PATRICK PATTERSON (Raptors): Hes impressed me with his toughness and skill level. Hes got a nice face up game and works hard to establish positive post position inside. Hes also a strong and steady interior defender who fights for every inch in the paint. Between him and Tyler Hansbrough, head coach Dwane Casey has a good 3 and 4 with the depth in terms of his front court rotation. Patterson knows the game well and is a smart player. Hes in the right spots and has good awareness of what needs to get done out there. 2. KELLY OLYNYK (Celtics): 21 points and four rebounds along with five assists and two blocks yesterday. Thats nice to see; hes battled injury which is always difficult for rookies in missing necessary practice and game time. Theyre going to throw him out there every game since rebuilding is the approach in Boston this season; when he gets extended minutes, he impresses me. He has good skill and feel for the game. 3. KYRIE IRVING (Cavs): Fingers crossed that the MRI results are OK for him. Hes such an enjoyable and creative player to watch. I spoke about this on Monday: weve had so many injuries to some of our elite level players which is sucha shame. The Cavs have been a bit of a disappointment this season and hes that bright spot that you tune in to watch and know that hell wow you with his ball handling, passing and scoring punch. Hes had njury issues in the past and you always worry about guys that are injury prone when youre trying to build a team. 4. PAU GASOL (Lakers): Its amazing when you evaluate trade rumours these days. So often its about the contract attached to a guys name rather than the guy himself. Hes linked with former teammate Andrew Bynum in a deal with the Cavs. Maybe the Cavs think hes still got a lot left in his game and want to see it for themselves while dumping Bynum. From what I see this year from Gasol, he needs a change of scenery. Its obvious that he doesnt feel comfortable with Mike DAntonis system in Los Angeles while DAntoni has struggled to connect with him. Probably better for both sides if hes moved. Gasol is a big ticket guy yet hes got a lot to play for as we look at the long term. Where there is smoke, there is fire. Somethings brewing. 5. TAJ GIBSON (Bulls): He has really impressed me with his improvement in his low post skills. I saw him last night in Chicago; hes made a significant commitment to do a better job of establishing deeper post position to counteract his lack of major size and length in the lane which is critical for him. He has a great motor and with the Bulls desperate for more offensive productivity and consistency hes a candidate for more minutes. Carlos Boozer can be inconsistent on some nights and Joakim Noah is a high energy guy with limited post moves; opportunity could be knocking further for him as they search for answers. Jonathan Marchessault Jersey . That assertion is getting harder and harder to make, especially given the way 23-year-old Danilo Gallinari has been playing this season. Nick Holden Jersey . Gorges is believed to have suffered the injury while blocking a shot with a hand during Montreals win over the Toronto Maple Leafs on Saturday. The Canadiens added to their defensive depth this week by acquiring veteran Mike Weaver from the Florida Panthers.MONTREAL - There were no flashy new signings on the field as the Montreal Impact opened camp Monday. But there was a new head coach in Frank Klopas, the former Chicago Fire boss who hopes to take the Impact further this season with mostly the same personnel. "I know the team from playing against them," said Klopas, who was hired Dec. 18 to replace Marco Schallibaum. "I knew I was coming to a team with a good foundation to build on." Missing from his first 90-minute workout on the indoor pitch at Marie Victorin College were Italian defender Alessandro Nesta, who has retired, and former captain Davy Arnaud, now with D.C. United. Midfielder Andres Romero was also absent, but only temporarily due to a visa problem. Reserve midfielder Andrea Pisanu was let go. What was really missing was the presence of any new talent to make up for the loss of two key veterans and to raise hopes the club may go farther than in 2013 when they squeaked into the playoffs in only their second Major League Soccer season. It was main rival, Toronto FC, that stole the off-season spotlight with big money signings — Tottenham forward Jermain Defoe and U.S. international midfielder Michael Bradley. In Montreal, management was quiet, although they hope to bring in two or three new faces before the season opens in March. "Great for Toronto and great for the league," said Impact midfielder Patrice Bernier. "They were talking about the league in a lot of places. "Its their eighth season so I guess for their ticket holders, they had to bring something. But now theres added-on pressure because theyre going to have eyes like L.A. and New York on them for pretty much the whole season. "But I concentrate on our team. Weve got pretty much the same team and I think the organization will be looking at bringing in that extra two or three players that can bring us across the edge so we have more depth and are strong all year long." For now, the Impact has only 22 roster players and one of them, Spanish defender Adrian Lopez, wont be ready until April after knee surgery. Returning starters include goalkeeper Troy Perkins, central defenders Matteo Ferrari and Nelson Rivas, fullbacks Jeb Brovsky and Hassoun Camara, midfielders Bernier, Hernan Bernardello, Justin Mapp, and Felipe Martins and striker Marco Di Vaio, a 20-goal scorer. Veteran goalie Evan Bush, midfielders Sanna Nyassi, Collen Warner and Blake Smith and forward Andrew Wenger are also back. Klopas said hell likely wait until after the first phase of camp to name a captain but is leaning toward assistants Bernier and Di Vaio. The 34-year-old Bernier, of Brossard, Que., would welcome wearing the armband. "It would be a logical next step, having been the assistant behindd Davy," he said. Colin Miller Jersey. "It would be great, coming from here, to have the captaincy and hopefully hold it for the rest of my career. "That would be a great ending." Its Berniers third season with the Impact and hes on his third head coach after Jesse Marsch led the way in the teams 2012 MLS expansion season before Schallibaum arrived last year. Camara goes one farther as he has been with the Impact five years, since before they were in MLS, and has had five different coaches. "Its part of the game," said Bernier, who spent most of his career in Europe. "This is may be my 15th coach in 13 years. Its something that happens. "The office realizes we needed someone to bring us to another level. The decisions been made and Im looking at 2014. I thank Marco for 2013. We had a good year." The Impact was the talk of MLS through the first half of 2013, and not just because Schallibaum got suspended four times for sideline tantrums. They were first in the league at mid-season and had won the Amway Canadian championship, although they crashed out in the first round of CONCACAF Champions League play. They faltered down the stretch and just made it into the fifth and final Eastern Conference playoff spot. They were dominated 3-0 by Houston in their only post-season game, which saw Di Vaio and Romero ejected for initiating a skirmish. Both will be suspended for the first three games of this season. Bernier liked what he saw of Klopas when he coached Chicago, particularly his ability to make in-game adjustments when his team was behind. The 47-year-old Klopas hopes to get Montreal to play sounder team defence and figures the Impact has enough up front to provide goals. Hes already had dinner and a chat with Di Vaio, who will turn 38 on July 15. "I hope to do well like I did last year," said Di Vaio. "I want to score goals. I dont know how many, but to score goals to help the team. "Last year we did better than the year before and this year we have to try to be better. Last year we did well up to the last 10 matches, so we have to find a way to keep it going and do well through the entire season." One newcomer was former OFI Crete defender Nikos Kounenakis, who has not officially signed as an assistant coach but is likely to do so soon. Klopas wants him to handle the defence. "Nick played at a high level, he has a UEFA Pro license, hes played in the back line and I think he can complement the coaches we have," said Klopas, also a former Greek league player. Also in camp are four players taken in the MLS SuperDraft, including first pick Eric Miller and forward and Edmonton native Jordan Ongaro. Three players from the Impacts under-23 squad were also invited. 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