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TORONTO - Andrea Bargnani was asked how it felt to occupy a locker in the visitors room for the first time, returning to the Air Canada Centre three months after being traded. "I was here before," he responded, correcting the reporter. He was right. "I was here when I came to play with Benetton Treviso, my Italian team, a long time ago," he pointed out. That was Oct. 20, 2004, an exhibition game against the Raptors, his future team. This is Bargnani in a nutshell. He wont sugarcoat. He wont beat around the bush. He marches to the beat of his own drum, on and off the court. Hes not interested in playing your game. He plays his own. Even after watching the former first-overall pick for seven years, hes still a mystery to the fans who booed him Friday, the fans he spoke so highly of. "The only thing I have to say about the fans in Toronto is that I was lucky to play here for seven years," he told reporters after scoring 10 points and grabbing four rebounds in 21 minutes of action. As if it had been rehearsed, over and over prior to the big night, thats all he had to say. "I was lucky to play in this city." No matter how hard the local media prodded for something more, thats all they got. And thats how this all started. It didnt matter what the team, the city, its fans expected to get out of Bargnani during his turbulent seven years in Toronto, he gave as much as he wanted. And for that, he was booed. Bargnani was booed early and often in the Raptors 100-91 preseason victory over the forwards new team, the New York Knicks. He was greeted with boos during pre-game introductions and he heard it from the crowd every time he touched the ball. A well-timed, "you suck Bargnani" rained down from the stands during complete silence in between anthems. Bargnani was booed and no one was surprised. "It will probably be an up and down moment for him," former teammate Amir Johnson predicted before the game. "Theyll probably boo, I just hope it isnt worse than they boo (Vince Carter)." It wasnt worse than Carter but the two are apples and oranges (or Primo and Italpasta, if that helps) in terms of their place in Raptors history. In seven seasons with the Raptors, Bargnani averaged 15.2 points and 4.8 rebounds, shooting 44 per cent from the field and 36 per cent from three-point range. He ranks third in franchise history in scoring, second in three-pointers made and fourth in games played. More than anything else, most fans will remember the injuries that derailed him each time he seemed to be turning a corner and the perceived lack of effort that held him back from reaching his ultimate potential. "It happens," Dwane Casey said of Bargnanis failure to live up to the lofty expectations that come from being a first-overall pick. "Expectations are tough and I think thats what Andrea got caught (with) here with but Andrea is a very skilled player." "It just didnt work out here," he continued. "It happens to a lot of players in the league. It doesnt mean its not going to work out for him in New York, it could be a perfect fit for him. This league is about personnel fits. Its easy to plug in a Michael Jordan and say, hey he fits anywhere but guys that have a certain skill set, sometimes it fits and sometimes it doesnt." Bargnani and the Knicks return to Toronto once more in the preseason before making their first regular season visit on December 28. Disjointed offence Once again turnovers were an issue for the Raptors, who threw the ball away 23 times leading to 31 points for the Knicks. For the second time in three games they exceeded 20 giveaways - managing to win both games - after averaging just 13.7 (third best in the league) last season. "Thats alarming," Casey said after the game. "Weve got to take care of the basketball... We cant use preseason as an excuse. Thats a concern." Fact is, it is still early in the preseason and Caseys coaching staff has been working primarily on defence. The offence is still very much a work in progress and it has been noticeable. "Were definitely going to cut them down," DeMar DeRozan said of the turnovers. "Were going to watch film (and) watch the mistakes were (making)." Kyle Lowry had six turnovers but the miscues, for the most part, have been spread out. Just as worrisome, the team tallied just nine assists on 32 made field goals with just three of those assists coming in the first half. Third-string standouts The offence has been especially stagnant when Casey has gone to his second unit. The game seemed to be lost for Toronto during an 18-0 Knicks run that turned an eight-point Raptors lead late in the third quarter to a 10-point deficit early in the fourth. Several of the regulars off the bench struggled, as they have through most of the teams first three exhibition games. Landry Fields was 0-for-6 in 20 minutes, D.J. Augustin went 0-of-3 in eight minutes and Steve Novak didnt attempt a shot in six minutes against his former team. Toronto went scoreless for almost six and a half minutes before Casey made a change, inserting some of his third-string players midway through the fourth. They delivered. Dwight Buycks had 10 points, all in the final quarter, and Quincy Acy - in his first action of the preseason - helped spearhead a 23-9 run to recapture the lead. "Quincy Acy got our attention," Casey said after the second-year forward changed the game with his energy, scoring nine points - even knocking down a three - in just six minutes. "We knew what he could do, hes been working his behind off and he took advantage of the opportunity." Opportunities may continue to present themselves for Buycks and Acy if their hard play overshadows their more experienced teammates. Those two have been grouped together as part of a five-man unit for scrimmages in camp. "Weve won some games in practice with our energy, over skill," Acy told TSN.ca. In terms of the back-up point guard position, the rookie Buycks will continue to challenge D.J. Augustin for minutes. Neither has run away with the job. "Its close," Casey said of that battle. "Theyre different types of guards, both of them bring something different to the table, that we need. Its probably going to be nip and tuck with those two guys all year, depending on the match-up." DeRozan: the teams "most efficient player" In a team-high 32 minutes, DeRozan had another strong game scoring 20 points on 7-of-15 shooting and a perfect 6-for-6 from the line. Again the fifth-year guard had his way in the paint, utilizing a much-improved up and under move, attacking the rim, initiating the fast break and finding his teammates around the basket. "Hes playing big minutes but hes playing at a high level," Casey said of DeRozan. "Hes playing efficient basketball, with his passes, with his attacks, with his reads. "(Hes) probably the most efficient player we have right now." Through three games hes certainly been the most consistent and probably the most impressive Raptor. After the game he shared a goal of his this season. "I was eighth in free throws last year in the league," he stated. "My goal is (to) try to get in the top five, and it comes with being aggressive. Thats one big goal of mine." As a team, the Raptors attempted 39 free throws, making 31 and besting the Knicks who were 14-for-19 from the stripe. Up next The Raptors travel to Minnesota to complete their first back-to-back of the year on Saturday, facing a Timberwolves team they beat at home on Monday. Discount Air Jordan 1 Shoes . Burkes Flames are one of several teams involved in heavy trade speculation going into next Wednesdays 3pm et deadline, with the most prominent name in play being forward Michael Cammalleri. Cheap Air Jordan 1 USA . Yet now its time for the most important pick of them all; the Grey Cup. The thought of going 5-0 with the correct choice is quite intoxicating, I dont think I have ever gone perfect in my CFL futuristic playoff speculations and would take great pride in guessing - I mean analyzing - correctly. http://www.wholesaleairjordan1.com/ . Lineup news, Fantasy tips and more in Scott Cullen’s Statistically Speaking. HEROES Blake Comeau – The Penguins winger had a hat trick in a 4-3 overtime win against Toronto. Cheap Air Jordan 1 .Y. - The NFL has fined Seahawks running back Marshawn Lynch $20,000 for making an obscene gesture during last Sundays NFC championship game, a person with knowledge of the fine told The Associated Press on Thursday. Buy Cheapest Air Jordan 1 . Trailing 4-1 in the final set, Sharapova steadied her erratic service game and took command again to beat the 56th-ranked American 6-1, 4-6, 6-4 on clay at the Magic Box tennis centre. The ninth-ranked Russian looked to be cruising before McHale broke late in the second set to tie the match and then took her commanding lead in the final set after breaking Sharapova.SAN FRANCISCO -- Tim Hudson walked to the dugout after an impressive eight-inning performance in his Giants home debut and hardly realized 42,000 people were celebrating him with a roaring ovation. "Honestly, I thought they were cheering for the mid-inning song," Hudson said. Nope. Michael Morse hit a two-run single to back Hudson as each made memorable home debuts with their new team, and Brandon Belt hit a two-run homer for San Francisco in a 7-3 win against the Arizona Diamondbacks on Tuesday. Hudson (2-0) shut down the D-backs for the second time in seven days with an eight-inning gem in his first outing at AT&T Park since agreed to a $23 million, two-year contract in November. He credits nice weather in Phoenix and the Bay Area in allowing him to work deep into the game his first two starts, a far cry from the heat and humidity he faced in Atlanta the past nine years. "Definitely Ill take these first two starts," he said. Belts drive off Trevor Cahill (0-3) gave him five homers and the Giants a majors-leading 12. New Giants left fielder Morse emphatically pumped his fist at first base after a third-inning single, then added a two-out double in the fifth. San Francisco scored four runs with two outs. Belt became the first Giants player since Jose Cruz Jr. in 2003 to hit five home runs through the first eight games. Nearly nine months after ending his 2013 season with a broken right ankle, Hudson followed up 7 2-3 scoreless innings at Arizona last Wednesday with another strong outing. He allowed three runs -- two earned -- and seven hits with four strikeouts and no walks in a 101-pitch performance. "Its hard to pitch better than he did the first two starts," manager Bruce Bochy said. Hudson stayed strong into the late innings, getting through a perfect, seven-pitch seventh with six strikes and a trio of groundballs. It was Hudsons longest outing since also tossing eight innings on June 26, 2012, with the Braves against the D-backs. Hee is still working to build up his fitness and stamina to avoid fatigue.dddddddddddd "Its been a long road for me to get here," Hudson said. "Im just thrilled to be back out there pitching and competing, feeling somewhat healthy. I couldnt ask for a better start to the year." Arizona has now dropped four openers this season. The Diamondbacks lost in Australia to the Dodgers, at home to the Giants, and at Coors Field. "Can we get one more in?" D-backs manager Kirk Gibson quipped. Mark Trumbo failed to homer, ending his streak of games with home runs at four, which tied the club record. He also lost the ball in left-centre on Morses double. Brandon Crawford followed with a two-run single. "We had our chances," Gibson said. "We werent able to hold them down. We werent able to get the big two-out hits like they did." Cahill, who received no runs of support in his first two starts, gave up five runs and eight hits in 3 2-3 innings. Brandon Hicks earned the start at second base for the Giants and had a first-inning error that led to Arizonas first run. NOTES: Angel Pagan doubled, singled and scored twice and has an eight-game hitting streak to start the year. ... The Giants won their sixth straight home opener and are 12-3 opening AT&T Park. ... San Francisco plays its first 22 games against the NL West. ... Belts nine homers against Arizona are his most against any team. ... A moment of silence was held for former Padres broadcaster Jerry Coleman, ex-pitcher Justin Miller and former athletic trainer Barney Nugent. ... The first-pitch temperature of 73 degrees was the warmest for a Giants home opener since the club moved West in 1958. ... A pair of Scotts threw out ceremonial first pitches -- Pac-12 Commissioner Larry Scott and SFBatkid Miles Scott. In November, Scott -- a young boy who has battled leukemia -- took over the city as his favourite superhero to save Gotham through the Make-A-Wish Foundation. 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