miaowang123: Allenby has been making enough putts to a

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TSNs Jack Armstrong offers his thoughts on the Raptors need for a good start, a healthy Anderson Varejao, the return of Danny Granger, the improved De Andre Jordan and the Rockets juggling free agent addition Asik with Howard. Armani Watts Super Bowl Jersey . 1. Raptors open pre-season action: Last season, the Raptors only lost one game in the pre-season and played really well before having a disastrous 4-19 start to the regular season and for all intents and purposes, the season was over. Getting off to a good start come Oct 30 and beyond is what matters. I was one of the ones lured in by the impressive pre-season only to be disappointed by the early season play. This season, whatever works for head coach Dwane Casey and his staff in their preparation for the Oct 30th opener vs. Boston is paramount. They know exactly what they need to work on, what they have to put into their offensive and defensive systems and, most importantly, how they want to experiment with roles/playing time so you know your team well enough when the games count for real. The Ws are nice at any time, yet a cohesive/prepared group at the end of the month is the goal. Here we go. 2. Anderson Varejao (Cavs): Having him healthy and in the lineup will be huge for the Cavaliers. He was having a very nice season (14ppg and 14rpg) last year before he got injured. You have him out there and you get some minutes from Andrew Bynum and this team will be tough to play against. Ive already heard the discussion that Varejao will be trade bait since hes got an expiring contract. Maybe so, but developing a winning team that makes the playoffs is huge for an organization hoping to take the next step and maybe lure Varejaos old teammate (some guy in Miami) back to Ohio next summer. Varejao helps the Cavs have a better chance at winning and, unless they get blown away by a trade offer for him, concentrate on getting Ws. 3. Danny Granger (Pacers): Good to see him back on the court. Real curious how he will adjust to Paul Georges increased role/profile on the team and his role possibly changing. Hes a good professional scorer who will add a new element of firepower and depth to the Pacers attack. Over the course of a long season, having a guy like Granger is quite a luxury. It will be very interesting to see how head coach Frank Vogel handles the situation on a daily basis and whether president Larry Bird stays with Granger or tries to dangle him in the trade market. Either way, a healthy Granger helps the organization. 4. De Andre Jordan (Clippers): I found Doc Rivers comments about him to be encouraging. Rivers alluded to the fact that he would have loved having Kevin Garnett in LA yet not at the expense of Jordan and also emphasized that hes a very valuable defender and much improved. Obviously, Rivers is trying to pump up Jordans tires and let him know that hes a significant piece to the new-look Clippers. Hes a guy that can protect the paint, rebound on both ends, get you garbage points in the lane and play with energy. Can he be a consistent post player and free-throw shooter? Can you have him on the court in crunch time? Only time will tell but its clear that Rivers wants to see it through for a while and figure out whether hes got more room for growth. 5. Omer Asik (Rockets): They made a run at him, luring him away from the Bulls as a free agent last year and now hes trying to figure out where hell fit with the new free agent, Dwight Howard. Do I see the two of them being able to play extensively together? Highly unlikely. How Kevin McHale sees this through will be important for this potential trade chip. If given minutes, hes a player that can be a consistent double/double guy for you. Asik has already expressed concern about how it will all unfold. My guy tells me that GM Daryl Morey is a bold/forward thinking operator and wont let this fester for long. If its not working, theyll be swinging a deal. Better to be proactive than reactive. Tony Gonzalez Super Bowl Jersey . Bayern led second-place Leverkusen by 10 points with a game in hand, while Dortmund was another four points off the pace. Freiburg midfielder Felix Klaus scored in the last minute as his side twice came from behind to climb provisionally out of the relegation zone. Dorian ODaniel Super Bowl Jersey . Next up, the Baltimore Ravens, Cincinnati Bengals, Pittsburgh Steelers, and Cleveland Browns in the AFC North. Baltimore Ravens In 2014, the 8-8 season that the Baltimore Ravens experienced was to be expected. HONOLULU -- Will Wilcox finally got around to making his debut as a PGA Tour rookie and was surprised as anyone to be in the final group at the Sony Open. As for Chris Kirk and Harris English, its no surprise at all. Kirk got up-and-down from a bunker on the par-5 18th by making a 10-foot birdie putt for a 5-under 65, giving him a one-shot lead going into the final round of a Sony Open that remains up for grabs among at least a dozen players. Cloudy conditions and only a gentle, Pacific breeze kept everyone in the mix Saturday at Waialae, even John aly. And even Wilcox. The 27-year-old from Alabama made birdie on his last two holes for a 64 and was one shot behind. Wilcox once qualified for the Canadian Open in 2010, and for the U.S. Open in 2011 at Congressional. He finally made it to the big leagues by finishing 10th on the Web.com Tour money list, although he didnt play in the Web.com Tour Finals or in the fall for what he only said were "unfortunate, personal things." And here he is. "I didnt know what was going to happen this week," Wilcox said. "Making the cut was a dream come true. Playing good on Saturday was a dream come true. Getting to have a decent shot tomorrow is ridiculous. Well see." Kirk, who was at 12-under 198, won the McGladrey Classic in November, his final tournament of 2013 before taking time off for the birth of his second child. He returned at Kapalua and shook off some rust. And while he closed with a 73 at Kapalua, it was a good day of scrambling and gave him a small measure of momentum on Oahu. English, who had a 67, won the final event of 2013 in the OHL Classic at Mayakoba. He goes for his third win in his last 16 starts on the PGA Tour. "It was just kind of Grind it til you find it. This course is tough," English said. "Its hard to hit the fairways, and youve just got to be a wizard around the greens, and thats kind of how I approached today. I didnt have my best golf, but I scraped it around at 3-under par and Im still in this golf tournament." So is everyone else it would seem. At one point there was a six-way tie for the lead. An hour later, 14 players were separated by a single shot. Daly matched the low score of the third round with a 64 and was five shots behind. Masters champion Adam Scott wasnt making up any ground, dropped two shots late in his round and finished with a two-putt birdie for a 71 and was two shots behind. A dozen players were separated by three shots going into Sunday, a group that includes Kapalua winner Zach Johnson as he tries to become the first player since Ernie Els in 2003 to sweep the Hawaii swing. Alex Okafor Super Bowl Jersey. The plan for all the contenders is to not worry about anyone else because there would be too many players to worry about. "When its so close like that, everybody is going to be making some birdies here and there," Kirk said. "So I probably wont look at leaderboards as much as I normally would. A lot of courses I think lend themselves to you need to know what your position is going into any given hole, but out here, I dont think thats really the case. Theyre just so volatile with guys making birdies and bogeys. "Ill just probably try to keep my head down and make as many birdies as I can." Former Sony Open champion Jerry Kelly (66) and Jimmy Walker (67) were at 10-under 200, while the group at 201 included Robert Allenby (65), Pat Perez (66), Retief Goosen (66) and Johnson, who had a 66. Brian Stuard, who had a one-shot lead going into the third round, had a 71 and also was still only three shots behind. Perez was among those tied for the lead until he four-putted the 14th, the final three putts from 3 feet. PGA champion Jason ufner three-putted from 3 feet on the 18th hole for a bogey and was four shots behind. The long shot would have to be Wilcox, who learned to play from his mother, a golf pro at Pine Harbor in Alabama. Small for his age, he played at least 36 holes a day as a kid, a habit that only changed after he was old enough to drive. On his bucket list is to play on the PGA Tour. He checked that off. His dream foursome includes Tiger Woods, Jack Nicklaus and Boo Weekley, and he already has played with Weekley. The idea of winning is too far away, even though only 18 holes remain. "I saw I was beating James Hahn by two or three. He was like 51st and I was in 13th or something," Wilcox said. "Youve just got to play tight and make a couple of clutch putts, which I did today. I dont know. Well see." Having a decent shot might seem like a dream for Allenby considering where his game has been. He made only five cuts in 24 tournaments last year and had to use an exemption from career money (top 25) to get his card. Allenby has been making enough putts to at least give himself a chance, and for that, he credits the games he plays at home in Florida. What should have been taken as an insult as turned into a benefit. "Ive been playing the guys at Admirals Cove, all the 60-year-olds, and they make me putt out because theyre like waiting for me to miss," he said. "I keep shooting 7-, 8-, 9-unders and stuff with them. Theyve put me in a good mental state for out here on tour." ' ' '