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LOS ANGELES - To say Dwane Caseys future was up in the air a year ago at this time would be an understatement. In his third season at the helm of the Raptors, and the final on his contract, Caseys Raptors would fall to 6-10 on the first night of December, their third loss in a series of five straight defeats. They werent good enough to justify Masai Ujiris patience but they werent quite bad enough to be considered a serious contender in the Andrew Wiggins sweepstakes. Ujiri insisted he would give the players and coach he had inherited the chance to sink or swim, but something had to give, and it was about to. Rudy Gay was a week away from being traded. Kyle Lowry was on the block. And the coach? Its reasonable to assume he was on the hot seat. But one thing weve learned about Casey since he took over ahead of the lockout shortened 2011-12 campaign: hes unflappable. He wasnt coaching for his job any more or any less than he was the year prior, or than he is now that he is locked up for another three seasons. Hes also one of the more humble and personable men youll come across in this business of professional sport. He possesses the innate ability to relate and get through to just about anyone, an essential cog in last years remarkable turnaround followed by an even more impressive first month to the new season. On the heels of a franchise-best 13-4 start, good for the best record in the conference, Casey has been named the Easts Coach of the Month, a well-deserved honour for the leader of a club that has managed their expectations, avoided complacency and continued to thrive for more despite their accomplishments a year ago. Casey last won the award following an 8-6 December last season, becoming the first Raptors bench boss to win Coach of the Month twice. If youre looking forward to his acceptance speech, a heads up, it will be brief and unassuming. I dont give a crap, he had said after winning the award last year. I mean, its not about me. Its about that team in there, in that locker room. Im going to be in coaching for a long time so its not about me, its about those guys. The 57-year-old Casey has always taken individual acknowledgement - either for himself or one of his players - as an indication that collectively everyone is doing their job the way theyre supposed to. DeMar DeRozan has blossomed into an All-Star. Lowry is on his way to doing the same this season. The locker room, as weve been reminded over the last 12 months, is one of the most harmonious around. Theyve put their egos aside in accepting roles, which for many of them require the occasional swallowing of pride. Then theres Casey, the conductor, driving the train, ensuring it doesnt stray and go off the rails. It could have, it still may, but it hasnt. Now, the Raptors head coach and his team face a new challenge with DeRozan sidelined indefinitely. Once again, Casey will be tasked with rearranging the pieces, placing his players in new and in some cases unfamiliar roles and maintaining a high level of performance in the process. Everybody is happy during good times, he said after Sundays loss to the Lakers, the first game without DeRozan. But weve lost a couple of games and now we will see what we are made of. We have to make a muscle, stay together and stay positive. Two games dont make a season. Weve had it pretty good here for a while but now we have to bounce back, regroup and reload. With a record of 118-129 since taking over in Toronto, Caseys winning percentage (.478) is the highest of any coach in team history. He recently passed Lenny Wilkens for second on the Raptors win list, approaching Sam Mitchell for top spot. He has brought stability and consistency, an air of calm since Bryan Colangelo poached him off Rick Carlisles staff in Dallas, just days after he helped lead the Mavericks to a championship. Carlisle, in town with the Mavs last week, remains one Caseys most loyal advocates. First of all I give [Colangelo] a lot of credit for hiring Dwane, Carlisle said in Toronto on Friday. There were a lot more established coaches that he passed on. He really targetted Dwane as a guy that he knew could take a group of younger guys, mould them and instill a defensive philosophy and a defensive disposition in how they played. The very first year the record wasnt great but the defensive numbers did a 180. From there they have built it up each year. Dwane has earned the right to have a team this good and he has done a great job of building it up to this point. Chris Kunitz Jersey . LaQuinton Ross scored 17 of his 20 points in the first half, hitting his first four 3-pointers, to send No. Keith Magnuson Jersey .The Dallas Cowboys released Sam from the practice squad Tuesday, dropping the rush end as they prepare for several potential reinforcements to return to the defensive line. http://www.authenticblackhawkspro.com/Alex-debrincat-blackhawks-jersey/ . "Rob brings a wealth of coaching experience, having worked both in Canada and overseas in player development," Canada Soccer technical director Tony Fonseca said in a release. Chicago Blackhawks Jerseys . After rookie right-hander Alex Colome excelled in a 5-2 victory in the opener, the Rays fell to Chris Tillman and the Orioles 4-1 on Friday night. ED Belfour Jersey . They kicked off the still-going trend of host cities winning the Grey Cup and sent Hall of Fame head coach Wally Buono to the front office a champion.LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- Joe LaCava walked nearly every blade of grass on the 18th green at Valhalla Golf Club, jotting notes in his yardage book after stepping off the distances from every edge of the green to every possible pin position. It was just like any other Monday at a major. The caddie just didnt know whether any of this information would be useful in the PGA Championship. LaCava was awaiting word on whether his boss -- Tiger Woods -- would be healthy enough to play the final major of the year. "Im optimistic," LaCava said after he finished charting the entire golf course. "Im hoping he plays. So Im just doing whatever work I would normally do." The caddie was at Valhalla. So was his car, a silver SUV parked in the spot assigned to the four-time PGA champion. As for Woods? Stay tuned. His agent, Mark Steinberg at Excel Sports Management, said in an email that Monday would be too early for doctors to decide whether Woods could or even should try to play this week after another back injury. The PGA of America said that Woods would not have his previously scheduled news conference Tuesday morning. It did not provide additional details. Woods took another turn toward an uncertain future when he withdrew after eight holes and one final shot Sunday at the Bridgestone Invitational. Before leaving Firestone, he said he jarred his back when he hopped into a deep bunker after playing a shot on the par-5 second hole from an awkward lie off the slope above the sand. "Its just the whole lower back," Woods said. "I dont know what happened." Making the picture look even bleaker was the timing. Woods had back surgery March 31 to alleviate the pain from a pinched nerve. The Bridgestone Invitational was only his third tournament since returning from a three-month absence. And there he went again, riding off the golf course in a cart, struggling to even remove his shoes before LaCava drove him to the airport for a flight back to Florida for evaluation. "Obviously, I feel bad for him," Rory McIlroy told the BBC on Monday. "The game of golf really needs Tiger. Hes had a few withdrawals the past couple of years. I think the first thing is just to get fit and 100 per cent healthy, even if that means taking the year off and coming back next year ready to play golf." If he doesnt play the PGA Championship, his season indeed would be over. Woods has to wwin the final major of the year to qualify for the FedEx Cup playoffs.dddddddddddd He would have to win to clinch a spot on the Ryder Cup team. And by the sound of U.S. captain Tom Watson, he would have to play at Valhalla to even merit consideration as a wild-card selection. "Tiger would be a great addition to our team," Watson told SiriusXM PGA Tour Radio on Monday. "Ive said all along, I would pick Tiger Woods if hes healthy and playing well. This doesnt bode well right now. I just hope that maybe its just an isolated problem that he can turn around and possibly play this week at the PGA." Watson said he watched the entire front nine and knew something was wrong with Woods after his tee shot on the par-3 fifth hole came up 65 yards short. "You dont hit that terrible a shot ever -- ever," Watson said. "And I said, Something is wrong." LaCava noticed it much earlier, when Woods hit a shot so heavy that it came up 30 yards short of the flag and into the water on the third hole. "I knew he was hurting when he fatted the one on 3, which he never does," LaCava said. "He never fats them like that." Woods kept playing, though, until grimacing on a tee shot at the ninth, slowly bending to remove his tee and calling for a cart to take him in. Why not stop sooner? "Hes tough," LaCava said. "Tough and stubborn would be two good words." Woods has not been back to Valhalla in 14 years, not since that high-charged playoff victory over Bob May that gave Woods his third straight major on his way to an unprecedented sweep of the majors at the height of his game. Woods was recovering from season-ending knee surgery in 2008 and did not play in the Ryder Cup. The course has changed since, with Jack Nicklaus making various tweaks, especially around the green. The par is now 71 with the second hole changed to a par 4. Otherwise, it looked to be in immaculate conditions on the first day of practice. Phil Mickelson, coming off a 62 in the final round at Firestone, played nine holes. The practice range and chipping area were crowded with players. McIlroy already was back at work, having established himself as the overwhelming favourite coming off his wire-to-wire win at the British Open and rallying from three shots behind to win at Firestone. Still to be determined is whether Woods would be able to join them. 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