Hausaufgabenhilfe » paced New York with 19 points and 14 rrebounds, while

WASHINGTON - Even the most well-crafted and sensible play can be changed at the line of scrimmage. Though hes no Peyton Manning, Masai Ujiri recognizes the value in allowing circumstance to dictate his next move. Like everyone else, the Raptors first-year general manager has been pleasantly surprised by how well his team has performed in the aftermath of the Rudy Gay trade and as a result, the rebuild has been put on hold for as long as they continue to win, maybe permanently. "These guys, theres a good spirit about them," Ujiri gushed moments before his team made quick work of the Wizards, 101-88 Friday evening, winning their fifth in a row. "They like playing with each other, they play hard, they give it their all on the court and in the NBA that goes a long way." "So well keep it going and this is credit to the players and the coaches." When Gay was shipped to Sacramento - along with his $17.8 salary and $19.3 player option for next season - nearly a month ago, Ujiri was admittedly looking ahead to the future. "Long-term, I would think," he responded when pressed about the expected payoff of the deal the day it was made official. The move was executed with roster flexibility in mind. Many believed it would be the first in a series of changes made with the intention of gutting a roster that started the season 6-12 and, at the time, seemed universally flawed. "Well watch this team and see where it goes from there," Ujiri said back on December 9th. "I couldnt tell you where the team is going to go from here. Sometimes you have to make change. Were trying to figure out how we can make this team better whether its now or in the future, we have to keep that in mind." Fridays win in Washington - a game that was over before the end of a 36-point third quarter - was Torontos 10th in 13 games since the trade was made on that fateful night in Los Angeles. The Raptors have recorded 20 or more assists in 10 of those games - culminating in a season-high 29 assist performance against the Wizards - a feat they accomplished in just three of 18 games to begin the campaign. "Besides the winning it just feels good, were all playing together," said DeMar DeRozan, who had five dimes to go along with a game-high 20 points against the Wizards as the Raptors moved above the .500 mark for the first time - this late in the season - since April of 2010. "I think you could tell, were just going out there and having fun, were playing with one another." Ujiri gave the Gay experiment an 18-game audition. It was an unmitigated disaster. With a little help from a historically terrible Eastern Conference, this group of holdovers - a roster pieced together to kill time and lose games before the next domino was ready to fall - has earned the right to ride this out. "The NBA is a crazy league, one day its great, the next day its tough," Ujiri acknowledged. "I think everybody is encouraged. Im really happy how everybody has taken the opportunity and everybody is growing in the organization." For Ujiri and company the goal is to win, that has not changed, but taking a few steps back to take the ultimate step forward was - at least at one point - being strongly considered and could be revisited when and if this team comes back down to earth. "Ive communicated to everybody where we stand," Ujiri insisted. "We want to be a good team, we want to be a winning team and if its not that way we have to figure out a way to rebuild the team or figure it out. So I think everybodys clear on how this thing works." At least for the moment, that rebuild does not seem necessary and Ujiri is savvy enough to know when to hold em. Not only are the Raptors turning heads with impressive victories in Dallas and Oklahoma City, or at home to Indiana, but theyre taking care of business against beatable teams, which was the case Friday against an overachieving Wizards club. "Youve got to look at it like, a woman is a woman," DeRozan said with a smirk on his face, perhaps realizing the outlandishness of his analogy after he was asked about a "less-sexy" match-up against the Wizards following morning shoot-around. Washington had won five of its last seven but that team was nowhere to be found as the Raptors ran them out of their own, unsettlingly quiet arena. Toronto was on cruise control after outscoring the Wizards by nine in the first quarter and 20 in the third. Again, Kyle Lowry was brilliant, scoring 19 and assisting on 11 buckets. The Raptors will face Miami and Indiana - the Easts two best teams - on the road next but dont seem like a team anyone would or should feel comfortable betting against. "You feel good but again, I know what a marathons all about," said Dwane Casey, the Conferences reigning Coach of the Month. "Ive been in it too many years, seen it too many times to get too excited or too low. Im going to be the same way if we lose five in a row or win five in a row, you have to be in this league because it can turn around and knock you in the butt and thats what Ive got to get these guys to do." One day at a time. Thats how Casey and his players are approaching it, despite a remarkable run that has them sitting on top of their division, bearing down on third-place Atlanta. That is also the mantra of Ujiri, the Raptors patient assassin, who has wisely altered his game plan and may do so a few more times before the season comes to a close. Jordans Wholesale Store . -- Mixed martial arts fighter Cristiane Justino Santos has been suspended and fined for testing positive for steroids. Air Jordan Outlet . The seventh-ranked Berdych wants to focus on the ATP Tour after helping the Czechs beat the Netherlands in the first round. Seeking their third straight Davis Cup title, the Czechs will rely again on veteran Radek Stepanek. http://www.wholesaleairjordanchina.com/ . Each day, TSN.ca provides the latest rumours, reports and speculation from around the NHL beat. Keeping The Captain? Brian Giontas agent Steve Bartlett told La Presse on Tuesday that the Montreal Canadiens want to keep their captain - an unrestricted free agent on July 1 - in the fold, while sources tell the paper that the two sides will start talks this week. Wholesale Real Jordans . Chris Heisey connected for his first grand slam and Devin Mesoraco homered and drove in a career high-tying four runs as Cincinnati took advantage of Tampa Bays depleted pitching staff for a 12-4 victory on Sunday. Wholesale Jordans Free Shipping . GQ Lundqvist quite well.Three rounds, and nearly two months later, will the Kings have the strength to reach the summit of the Empire State to claim the cup?Truer words have never been spoken.(SportsNetwork.com) - The New York Knicks shed players earlier this week and theyll try and see if the move helps when they visit the Washington Wizards on Wednesday night. The Knicks, who now own the worst record in the league at 5-32, sent Iman Shumpert and J.R. Smith to the Cleveland Cavaliers on Monday as part of a three-team trade. The Knicks got little in return, but did rid themselves of Smiths antics and his salary for next season. They got back Malcolm Thomas, Lou Amundson, Alex Kirk and a second-round pick, but none of those players is expected to remain with the team. New York also released center Samuel Dalembert. I think Phil (Jackson) is continuing to look at how we transition as we change the culture of the New York Knicks, said head coach Derek Fisher. I dont think this signals the end of our transition process. On the court, the Knicks have been dreadful, losers of 12 straight. On Monday, New York fell to the Memphis Grizzlies, 105-83, in its fifth consecutive double-digit loss. With Carmelo Anthony and Amare Stoudemire out with injuries, Quincy Acy paced New York with 19 points and 14 rrebounds, while Jose Calderon finished with 13 points and six assists in the loss.dddddddddddd Anthony missed his third straight with a sore left knee, but stated in a video appearing on Bleacher Report, he is not ready to shut it down for the season. Stoudemire sat for his sixth consecutive game with a knee injury. The Wizards return to Washington after a 2-3 road trip. They started strong with a victory over the Houston Rockets, but lost three in a row against formidable foes in the Dallas Mavericks, Oklahoma City Thunder and San Antonio Spurs. On Monday, Washington halted the slide with a 92-85 win over the New Orleans Pelicans. John Wall had 15 points, 12 assists and four steals to lead the Wizards. Paul Pierce netted 14 points and Andre Miller added 12 off the bench for the Wizards. Defense, we got back to our concepts, Wall said. Our main focus is to get to 100, but to keep the other team under 100. The Wizards beat the Knicks twice this season, both in Madison Square Garden, and have won five straight in this series. The Knicks are 5-2 in their last seven in our nations capital. ' ' '