mes with the Os in 2010. He played with Class A

Only a year ago, Brampton, Ontarios Anthony Bennett was making a splash in the NCAA at UNLV, averaging 16.1 points per game, 8.1 rebounds, shooting .533 per cent from the field and .375 per cent from the three-point line with a good mix of power and range. The 68" freshman was drawing comparisons to former alum and Naismith Player of the Year Larry Johnson, and was considered a cant-miss NBA lottery pick. Today, two months into his rookie NBA season after being selected first overall by the Cleveland Cavaliers in the 2013 Draft, ESPNs NBA Insider Chad Ford says "hes looking like the worst #1 draft pick of the last twenty years." Bennetts season averages of 2.5 points and 2.1 rebounds per game, shooting .275 per cent from the field, .556 per cent from the free throw line and .148 per cent from behind the arc in 10.5 minutes per game do little to contravene Fords claim. Bennetts agent and former AAU coach Mike George feels the media criticism is making a bigger story than necessary and is tinged with bias. "Obviously hes the #1 pick so theres a lot of pressure in that regard," George says. "I also think the fact that hes Canadian [means] a lot of the American media are not telling both sides of the story." Yet, Ford was also the biggest champion of the now since forgotten, Serbian 7-footer Darko Milicic, who in 2002 was drafted behind LeBron James and ahead of Carmelo Anthony, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh. So how did Bennett go from stud to dud? Last January, he developed a torn left rotator cuff which he played through, until the Runnin Rebels were eliminated from the NCAA tournament in March. After declaring for the draft, he had shoulder surgery in May and wasnt cleared for basketball activity until September, missing all of Summer League. He finally was able to participate in Clevelands training camp, with a focus of getting back into game shape, working on his conditioning and losing weight. The other side of the story that George refers to - the unfair media criticism - is that the Cavaliers strategy was always to ease Bennett in. Mary Schmitt Boyer of the Cleveland Plain-Dealer, who covers the team, agrees. "They actually are kind of stacked at power forward," she says. "So bringing him along slowly, on what they anticipated was going to be a playoff team, was definitely part of the plan. I know that they are a little sensitive to criticism of him, compared to some of the other players. They say if he played as many minutes as some of these other players, his stats would be better. Im not sure I am totally in agreement on that." But minutes are hard to come by for a rookie on an underperforming 11-21 squad searching for wins. Sending him down to the D-League isnt an option that the Cavaliers are entertaining, so is their master plan working? "For the past two months, hes been going two-a-days and getting himself back in shape," George says. "Thats why hes cut his weight down to 243 right now, and you see the difference between his play today and the start of the season. He looks different on the floor, hes running better, and playing with more confidence." Schmitt Boyer offers a more measured assessment. "Its very, very incremental," she says. "Hell do little things that coaches see and will point out to him when they are going through game footage. But I do think hes catching on and getting a little better, although theyve set the bar pretty low. I sense that his confidence is actually getting better. Even if it might not be totally showing up in his stats, theyre showing more confidence in him." That confidence, coupled with opportunity, may be the shift Bennett needs, as he has lost 17 pounds since training camp. The Cavaliers have indefinitely suspended centre Andrew Bynum, freeing up minutes in the frontcourt and have ended the small forward experiment, moving him back to his natural slot in the power forward position. "Is he starting off slower than a number 1 pick should?" Schmitt Boyer asks. "Yes, and Im not trying to soften what hes doing in any means. A couple years ago, people were really down on Tristan Thompson and now Im not sure he wouldnt be the second pick in that draft. Its a little quick to determine him the worst number one pick in twenty years. He may well be a bust, I just dont think its fair to say that after two months in the NBA." The end result of Bennetts rookie campaign lies somewhere in between. He wont go down as the worst pick in the last twenty years, yet is hard pressed to live up to the standard of a number one draft pick. Make no mistake, no one will pencil him in for the All-Rookie team just yet, but chances are high Bennett will prove that Ford may have been suffering from a case of premature proclamation. NCAA Jerseys . Peter Dawson took his long before he started the job. "I was playing an American one year at Oxford Golf Club, and he introduced me to this travelling mulligan," Dawson said. College Jerseys .com) - The Toronto Raptors set their sights on a second straight victory with the Oklahoma City Thunder visiting the Air Canada Centre tonight riding a two game streak of their own. https://www.cheapncaajerseysjustwholesale.com/. - Chicago Bears general manager Phil Emery was so busy in free agency he didnt mind having a few extra weeks to prepare for the draft. Cheap NCAA Jerseys China .ca look back at each of the Top 10 stories of 2013. Today, we look back at LeBron James and the Miami Heat winning their second straight NBA championship. NCAA Jerseys For Sale . Hughes, 30, is a former Major Leaguer with the Baltimore Orioles, having played in 14 games with the Os in 2010. He played with Class AA Binghamton of the Eastern League in the New York Mets system last season.OTTAWA -- Bryan Murray wants to do right by Jason Spezza, but not at the expense of the Ottawa Senators. Ottawas general manager said hes had discussions about trading his captain but will not make a move unless he can get an acceptable return. "I dont think when you trade a player of Jasons calibre that you ever win," Murray said on Thursday. "I think we try to get the best return we can and then if its not satisfactory we cant do it and he has a year left on his contract." Spezza had 23 goals and 66 points in 75 games last season. He has 251 goals and 687 points in 686 career NHL games. Spezza has one year remaining on his contract with a cap hit of US$7 million. He has a limited no-trade clause, which allowed him to submit a list of ten teams where he would not want to play. Its believed he would prefer to move out of Canada and the glare of the spotlight that comes from playing north of the border. Ideally, its believed Murray would like to get a player who can come in and play on the teams top two lines, a highly-ranked prospect and perhaps a first-round pick at the upcoming NHL Entry Draft, seeing as the Senators dont have one this year. Murray said he has heard from teams, and speculation has Anaheim and St. Louis as the front-runners. "All we do in our business is investigate when theres a request by a player," said Murray. "You investigate possibilities and you talk about it and negotiate and when you negotiate it sometimes takes a week. Not very often its one phone call, sometimes many and in this case it appears that there will be many." The 31-year-old Spezza has spent 11 seasons with the Senators, the last as captain, but at the conclusion of this season it was clear he was unhappy and rumours of a trade request soon surfaced. From the moment Spezza arrived in Ottawa as a 19-year-old, he has been a lightning rod for criticism by both fans and media and it appears hes grown tired of it all. "The only explanation I have is that he would like to try something different," said Murray. "He thinks that the fingers are pointed at him quite often in Ottawa. Winning or losing he gets credit or he gets bblamed and I think he feels its time to do something else.dddddddddddd" When asked whether or not he felt that was a legitimate cause for a trade request Murray said, "thats not for me to judge." Its not the first time a star player has requested a move under Murrays watch. The Senators traded Dany Heatley to San Jose in 2009 after Heatley requested a move. "Im always disappointed that we havent been able to satisfy players, whether it be Jason or any other player that has ever asked for a trade," said Murray. "But its probably a little more common place now." With the departure of longtime captain Daniel Alfredsson last season, Spezza was the reins of the club. Expectations were that the added responsibility might translate to better play away from the puck. Over the course of the season it appeared head coach Paul MacLean grew frustrated with his captains play and that the two didnt always see eye-to-eye. "Jason told me this at the end, he understood what Paul was trying to do and thats not the reason (he wants a trade)," said Murray. "Thats basically what he told me." Despite the NHL entry draft being just over a week away Murray says he feels no sense of urgency to complete the trade. At this point all it entails is a little more work on his part. "Its just another number of phone calls you have to make on a daily basis almost to see if you can do something to satisfy the player and the team," said Murray. "Let me assure you were looking to satisfy our hockey team. Were looking to win here. Were trying to get return that will give us that chance. It just makes it a little bit busier thats all." Notes: The Senators have signed C Mike Hoffman to a one-year, two-way deal. C Stephane DaCosta turned down an offer by the Senators and appears poised to play in the KHL this coming season. Assistant general manager Pierre Dorion admitted the team has held discussions with G Robin Lehner regarding a contract extension for the restricted free agent. The Senators have made an offer to Milan Michalek and are confident a deal can be made with the veteran winger. ' ' '