FIVE QUICK NBA THOUGHTS: 1. LANDRY FIELDS (Raptors): He is looking much more comfortable each time I watch him play. Thats a good development for a guy that had injury issues/surgery to deal with last year. He lost his shot mechanics and, in many ways, his confidence. His shot release is still a bit slow but in time it will get better. Hell have to be conscious of that when he takes perimeter shots and make sure he has time to set himself up and get it off. His shot preparation will be very important. Hes a smart, team oriented player and does all the little things that coaches love and has a winning personality/approach. Too often folks focus on the contract - its not his fault that he got the deal he was offered, and who wouldnt take it? Bottom line for the Raptors, to compete for a playoff spot this year theyre going to have to find some consistent productivity from their second unit (an area of concern right now) and Fields is a guy that you hope can be ready to contribute. 2. REGGIE JACKSON (Thunder): Talk about a guy whos on the radar this year in OKC. With the trade of James Harden and the free agent departure of Kevin Martin to the Timberwolves, Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook will need some heavy perimeter support to make up the difference and keep their team at a high level. In his third NBA season out of Boston College, this is the year you have your fingers crossed his level of play is elevated and reliable. Hes got solid versatility in his game, has decent shot making ability and hell compete for you on the defensive end. Now its all got to come together and quick. Usually in the third pro season you find out an awful lot about a guy with the growth of his skills, strength, and basketball IQ. You focus on his dedication and overall makeup and whether hes got what it takes to take that next step. Time has arrived and hes going to get a shot each night. Take advantage. 3. LA CLIPPERS: The Clippers have decided to cover the Lakers Championship banners and retired numbers when they play their home games at the Staples Center. This has caused quite a stir and to be perfectly frank it should have happened the day they started playing games at the arena. Theyve been the JV team in LA for too long and they owe the Lakers organization and their former greats absolutely nothing. Theyre a tenant of the arena just like the Lakers and can do whatever theyd like when its their building. Its their money and their time. I always wondered why they would ever even acknowledge the other team. This is competition; its ruthless and thats the way it would be if the shoe was on the other foot, thats for sure. 4. CHARLIE VILLANUEVA (Pistons): Villanueva will be starting his ninth NBA season next week and the question is if hell ever play at a consistently productive level as a pro. Hes coming off two poor seasons in Detroit where he averaged 7 ppg and 3.5 rpg while shooting an abysmal 38% from the field for a lousy team. Are you part of the solution or part of the problem? Ill never forget a conversation I had with an NBA College Scouting Director when he was a player at UConn. He said that Villanueva would end up playing for at least 4-5 NBA teams and be one of those guys that youd be fascinated by his skills and potential and yet always be frustrated that you never got the high level nights enough. After former Raptors GM Rob Babcock drafted him in controversial fashion hes had stints as well with the Bucks and now the Pistons. I like him, hes a good guy and not a problem player, yet hes just not getting it done. At age 29, its time. Now or never. 5. THOMAS ROBINSON (Blazers): Robinson is in his second season and already on his third NBA team after playing his rookie year in Sacramento and Houston. Is this another guy who will bounce around and not fulfill his potential? Honestly, I dont know yet. He averaged an underwhelming 4.8 ppg and 4.5 rpg in his rookie year; thats not going to make anyone happy for a lottery pick out of Kansas. I liked him in college yet I was a bit concerned with his size and still unpolished game. He reminds me of Truck Robinson (Im dating myself!) who had a good career (15 and 9) in his best days with Washington, Phoenix and New York. He needs to focus on being a terror on the glass and the other stuff will work itself out. Hell get a shot at good playing time in Portland and Blazers fans will hope the light comes on this season and he takes that significant jump as a player. Shoes Wholesale China Market . Authorities in Medina, Minn., released the details one day after Cunningham was jailed for another alleged incident with the woman he had been living with for the previous eight months. Cunningham had already been charged with felony domestic assault for allegedly choking the woman last week. Wholesale Shoes 2020 . Nick Young scored 17 points for Los Angeles, which lost five of its last seven before trouncing the Pelicans, who beat them handily last week in New Orleans. Jodie Meeks and Xavier Henry scored 15 points apiece for the Lakers, who led by 20 points in the first half before coasting to their 12th win in their last 13 regular-season meetings with New Orleans. http://www.wholesaleshoes.us.org/. The team said Saturday that the 36-year-old Robidas is expected to miss four to six months, jeopardizing his return this season. He was injured when he slid hard into the boards in the second period of a 2-1 shootout loss to Chicago on Friday. Wholesale China Shoes Free Shipping .com) - Australian Open champion Li Na, former Wimbledon winner Petra Kvitova and former world No. Replica Shoes Wholesale China .6 seconds left to give the Toronto Raptors a 92-89 victory over the Boston Celtics in an exhibition game Wednesday night.VIGGIANO, Italy -- A powerful final burst from Diego Ulissi helped the Italian cyclist win the fifth stage of the Giro dItalia on Wednesday, while Australian rider Michael Matthews retained the overall leaders pink jersey. Ulissi came from behind with 150 metres to go to cross the line solo, with his arms raised high in celebration at the end of the 203-kilometre (126-mile) leg from Taranto to Viggiano. Australias Cadel Evans was second, with Julian David Arredondo Moreno of Colombia third, both of them in a group which crossed a second behind Ulissi in the first uphill finish of this years Giro. "Starting as the big favourite is always difficult. I showed I was ready," Ulissi said. "So Im enjoying this moment. I wanted this win too against the big names who were up there in the finale of the stage." Weather again played a part, with wet and windy conditions, although there was sunshine on the five-kilometre (three-mile) climb to the finish. Matthews fought hard to stay near the front in the final kilometre and finished sixth. He will wear the pink jersey for a fourth day, a record for an Australian cyclist. The Orica-GreenEdge rider extended his lead to 14 seconds, with Dutchman Pieter Weening moving into second spot. Evans is third. "I think the boys rode really well alll day, they worked hard to keep me out of the wind and of problems," Matthews said.dddddddddddd "I still havent won a stage, which I really wanted, but Im still in the pink jersey and well try again to fight to win tomorrows stage." Former champion Ryder Hesjedal of Victoria is 69th while Svein Tuft of Langley, B.C., is 171st. There was an early break of 11 riders and, although their lead rose and fell at several points, the Orica-led peloton was happy to control the gap to an average of four minutes. There were several attempted breaks up front with 30km (18.6 miles) to go, but none stuck and the group was back together on the penultimate climb -- the first ascent up to Viggiano -- just before the slippery roads caused the first big crash of the day. There were several more crashes as the rain made the tight and technical descent even trickier. Gianluca Brambilla attacked bravely on the descent, opening up a 30-second advantage, but Joaquin Rodriguezs Katusha team chased him down and he was caught on the final climb, setting up the scintillating finish. Thursdays stage is another hilly finish, up to Monte Cassino, the site of a major World War II battle. At 247km (153.5 miles), it is the second longest stage of this years race. The Giro ends in Trieste on June 1. ' ' '