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Canada vs. Australia took place at the Westin Harbour
Boris Diaw was on his way out of the NBA when he arrived in San Antonio, where the Spurs were trying to breathe new life into a core that had not won a championship in five years. Spencer Long Jersey . They proved to be a perfect match, and after playing a key role in the Spurs latest championship, Diaw found no reason to continue his career renaissance elsewhere. Diaw tweeted Sunday night that he agreed to terms on a new contract with the Spurs and a person with knowledge of the deal told The Associated Press that its a three-year contract worth $22 million. The person requested anonymity because the contract cannot be signed until the leagues moratorium ends Thursday. "Hey spurs fans, Good news," the French-born Diaw tweeted, "i stay in san antonio for a few more years. Lets win it again." For the 32-year-old Diaw, it was a chance to get one last big payday that he earned by providing some essential versatility on both ends of the court for the Spurs. He averaged 9.1 points, 4.1 rebounds and 2.8 assists and shot over 52 per cent in 25 minutes per game last season. For the Spurs, it was the chance to keep together a team that posted the best record in the NBA last season and dominated the two-time defending champion Miami Heat in the finals. They have already learned this summer that Tim Duncan is returning next season and backup point guard Patty Mills will be back as well after a long rehabilitation of a shoulder injury. The Spurs decided to give Diaw a hearty raise after watching him blossom in a system Gregg Popovich designed to keep the ball moving at all costs. But they also protected themselves by only partially guaranteeing the third year of the deal, which was first reported by Yahoo! Sports. He will be guaranteed $15.5 million over the first two seasons of the contract, a big boost from the $4.7 million he made last year. "Hes perfect for them," former Timberwolves coach Rick Adelman said about Diaw and the Spurs during the season. Diaw was considered a rising star in the early portion of his career in Phoenix, a lithe, athletic, big man with the vision of a point guard that flourished with the run-and-gun Suns. But his career nose-dived soon after when he was traded to the Charlotte Bobcats in 2008. He put on weight and didnt appear interested in playing for a team with no hope of contending. The Bobcats waived Diaw near the end of the 2012 season, and the Spurs brought him in to see if he could rediscover his game while playing alongside close friend and countryman Tony Parker. Thats exactly what happened. It didnt take long for Diaw to make a good impression with Popovich, and he signed a two-year deal to stay with the Spurs that summer. He still carries a few extra pounds, but the deft passing, precise defensive positioning and floor-stretching shooting all have reappeared and been vital to San Antonios two straight finals appearances and its run this spring to a fifth championship. ___ Follow Jon Krawczynski on Twitter: http://twitter.com/APKrawczynski ;Nathan Shepherd Jersey .C. -- Tony Stewart will not race Saturday night at Bristol Motor Speedway, the third Sprint Cup race hes skipped since his car struck and killed Kevin Ward Jr. Trenton Cannon Jersey . The 12th-ranked Haas served well throughout the match at the Ibirapuera arena, allowing only one break point to the 152nd-ranked Italian. Both players held serve until the first-set tiebreak, when Haas stepped up his game to easily clinch the set.The buzz in Toronto last weekend surrounded UFC 165 on Saturday night, but earlier in the day the promotion opened up their hearts for the "Rally for Kids with Cancer" charity event downtown in the city. Participating in this event on behalf of the UFC was none other than Canadian lightweight T.J. Grant (21-5). I had a chance to catch up with the Cole Harbour native to discuss a variety of topics including his health, the UFC lightweight division and TUF Nations: Canada vs. Australia. "(The UFC) does a great job of helping us give back and setup charitable functions every time theyre in new Canadian cities – for me to be able to come here and do this, its pretty awesome." Grant told TSN.ca "Im happy to have the opportunity to come here and to have UFC choose me -- Cancer has touched me, its touched everybody, its an awesome cause and Im just fortunate to do (Rally For Kids With Cancer)." While Grant was in good spirits, last week he broke the unfortunate news that hes still not ready to compete inside the octagon. Back in July, the 29-year old suffered a concussion while practicing Brazilian jiu-jitsu in training and is still feeling the effects. "Its getting better I mean every day Im making progress -- I really feel like Im going to be back very soon." Grant earned a lightweight title shot back in May, as he made short work of former title challenger Gray Maynard at UFC 160. The concussion kept him out of action for that championship match at UFC 164 and now will be absent versus newly crowned champion Anthony Pettis at UFC on FOX 9. "Its just hard to commit, I know the (title fight) was three months away but theres still that unknown. I didnt want to make a bad decision for the long term so it doesnt hurt to wait it out." One of the topics of discussion has been if Grant will lose his title shot due to being inactive. "I dont feel like I have to reprove myself. You can never predict whats going to happen with the title. Who really knows? Im just taking it one step at a time and getting healthy." ;Being from Cole Harbour, Nova Scotia, we had to discuss if he knew Sidney Crosby, who ironically also suffered a concussion that kept him out of most of the 2011 NHL season. Avery Williamson Jersey. "Hes younger than me; I have some friends that were friends with him. I never really met him or anything. Hes a great guy from what I hear, Im happy for his success." "I know the dangers of repeated concussions. I just want to heal man, thats all Im trying to do." Replacing Grant in that title fight against Anthony Pettis in December is Josh Thomson, who most recently became the first man to finish TUF 5 champion Nate Diaz inside the octagon at UFC on FOX 7. "I think that hes probably the guy I would have picked just because of where hes ranked in the division -- Hes a great fighter, I think that those two guys are going to have a good scrap." The UFCs decision to pick Thomson in that title fight has sparked much debate, but Grant believes fighters who finish their opponents dictate title shots. "If youre fighting boring fights and youre barely winning, holding guys against the fence, (UFC) is going to do everything in their power to not give them a title shot. Unless you beat absolutely everyone." "I (finish fights) because for me, thats the only way to do it. Youve got to go in there and impose your will, the best defence is a good offence and thats just the way I am." In addition this weekend, the tryouts for TUF Nations: Canada vs. Australia took place at the Westin Harbour Castle Hotel in downtown Toronto. Grant sees this as a great platform to showcase many up and coming Canadian fighters. "There are so many talented fighters from Canada; theyre going to have an opportunity to really jump start their career with The Ultimate Fighter." "It kind of opens the door; you get thrust on such a big spotlight. Im happy that its happening its great that they are having a Canadian team and Canada will be represented well. They have a lot of talent." Support TJ by following him on Twitter (@TJ_Grant) China Jerseys Wholesale Nike NFL Jerseys Cheap Authentic Jerseys Jerseys From ChinaStitched NFL Jerseys Jerseys From China Wholesale Throwback Jerseys Cheap NFL T-shirts Wholesale NFL White Jerseys Cheap NFL Gear Cheap NFL T-shirts Wholesale NFL White Jerseys Wholesale Jerseys From China Cheap Jerseys Free Shipping Wholesale Throwback Jerseys Cheap Jerseys From China Cheap Jerseys 2019 Jerseys NFL Cheap Wholesale NFL T-shirts Jerseys From China ' ' '
- Created: Oct 12 '18
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