TORONTO - The NBA is evolving, as Dwane Casey would tell you, and few are better prepared to thrive in what has turned into a year-round game than Toronto Raptors self-made All-Star, DeMar DeRozan. Gone are the days when players are afforded the luxury of returning to training camp each fall fresh off of a five-month summer vacation. If youre not using that valuable free time to work and get ahead, youre almost certainly falling behind. Nowadays, guys take very few days off in the summer if youre serious about being an NBA player, Casey said. Because the NBA stands for Never Be Average and if you dont work, you will be average. Thats where DeRozan has separated himself, working feverishly and adding something new to his arsenal in between each of his five NBA seasons. Entering his sixth year, hes coming off what he calls his busiest summer ever and is already starting to reap the benefits, just two weeks into camp. Hes in mid-season form right now, Raptors assistant coach Tom Sterner said of DeRozan, who has picked up right where he left off, scoring 68 points in 79 minutes through four exhibition games. After the Raptors were eliminated in seven games during the first round of the playoffs, his post-season debut, DeRozan took very little time off over the summer months. In addition to keeping - and helping Terrence Ross adopt - a strict training regiment, he traveled to the Philippines for an NBA showcase in July and spent most of August and September with USA Basketball, competing in the FIBA World Cup, where he helped his country win gold. I had a lot going [on], DeRozan told TSN.ca. Its definitely been a busier summer, but in a good way. Me personally, I never like playing catch-up, he continued. Id rather do that on my own time, when I first start working out after the season. Me and [Kyle Lowry] understand we carry a big load and weve got to lead by example. So if we come into training camp out of shape or whatever, its going to look bad and might carry over for the rest of our team. Weve got to push them and show them were working extremely hard. Weve got to be the toughest dudes out there when it comes to working hard. Thats our mindset and its been going well. Indeed, his team has followed suit. For the second straight year, Lowry has come back to the Raptors in excellent shape, also getting off to a quick start in camp and exhibition. Casey has praised the rest of his soldiers for their conditioning, as well. Very little time has been wasted on reconstructing bodies, instead theyve been able to focus on basketball and building on what they were able to accomplish together a year ago, a luxury for any coaching staff. I dont know if we had anyone on our entire team that came in out of shape, said Casey. Maybe a few pounds overweight for a couple guys, but they were in pretty good condition. So we didnt have to waste any time running wind sprints - we did a few days, just to make sure we knew it was training camp - but basketball-wise, they were in pretty good condition. DeRozan joked that he could play 40 minutes right now if needed, to which Casey smiled and rolled his eyes. The coach would never permit it, not with a long and demanding season ahead (only Kevin Durant and Monta Ellis logged more court time than DeRozan last year), but the 25-year-old guard was only half-kidding - he could and he would. This seems to be the case at this time every year, but DeRozan looks like a different, more confident player. Once again, he has added to his game, refining his handle and passing acumen during the off-season. DeRozan goes above and beyond, even taking his work home with him. In an attempt to become an ambidextrous player, he would perform menial tasks with his left hand - eating, brushing his teeth and even writing out the alphabet with his young daughter. It hasnt gone unnoticed. Early in the first quarter of Mondays pre-season win over the Knicks, DeRozan, using an Amir Johnson screen, bobbled his dribble at the top of the three-point arc. Recovering from what would have been a likely turnover a year ago, he kept his dribble alive and maneuvered around four Knicks players before hitting a lefty scoop shot in the lane. The development of DeMar DeRozan, Sterner said, his commitment to being the best player that he can, hes now benefiting from all the hard work. DeMar is smooth right now. Hes making plays now. Beyond that his confidence continues to grow, the result of an All-Star selection, the first winning season of his young career, a playoff berth and, most recently, the opportunity to play for his country and learn from some of the best in the world. I think just being around 11 top players in our league for a month and a half and learning from them, day in and day out, really played a big part in mental focus and really changing my approach to the game more, he said of his experience with Team USA, training in Las Vegas and then competing in Spain. He had been involved with the national teams program in the past, participating with the select squad, but this summer was different. Actually winning a gold medal and being on the actual team, instead of just being one of the guys trying to make the team, I feel like I just took that next step, said the Raptors guard. Thats what it was all about. The darkest moment of the experience for him, and everyone else on that team, occurred during a scrimmage in a Vegas gym when DeRozan watched Paul George, a friend and teammate, suffer a gruesome leg injury. It was a freak accident, as George collided with the stanchion below the basket. It was just a dead moment, DeRozan recalls. A real dead, sad moment. Most would acknowledge, and George would be the first to say, an injury like that can happen anywhere, at anytime, but some have used it to further an ongoing dispute, claiming the risk of lending NBA players to international competition is simply not worth the reward. Understandably, DeRozan does not take kindly to those who seek to rob others of the experience he values so highly. You can slip down the stairs and hurt yourself, he pointed out. It dont mean nothing. Thats all bullcrap, honestly, when people say that, because when you have the opportunity to do something that you might never have in your life again, why not do it? I couldnt even explain it in words, honestly. It was so much. It was just life, you know what I mean? Overall, when it comes to life and basketball, your personal life, everything. You go through so much and you see something new that basketball takes you to. It took me winning a gold medal and everything else speaks for itself. DeRozan believes he has come out of it a different, more mature player, a new and improved man. Its hard to argue with him based on the early returns. At 25 years old, still developing and yet to reach his prime, the Raptors guard is about to embark on his most challenging season yet. New expectations - both individually and as a team - greater pressure and more responsibility await him. Physically, Casey has already begun preparing him for it. DeRozan sat out the second half in New York on Monday and the Raptors coaching staff will continue to monitor his minutes closely during exhibition, keeping his busy off-season in mind. We have to work smart for DeMar because hes had a long summer, said Casey. You can work hard, but weve got to be smart in making sure we are efficient with his minutes on the floor. Mentally, DeRozan knows whats ahead of him and is more than ready to get started. I learned something new last year, he said. To be prepared for the playoffs, you have to really take care of your body, really be in shape, playing an extended, longer season than Im usually playing. So this summer, I really stepped up my conditioning, weight training, understanding Ive got to get a lot stronger come March, April, going into the playoffs. Marcell Dareus Jersey . They have watched it from afar. And now they have seen it for themselves. Richie Incognito Jersey . They started shooting the puck. Joe Pavelski had a hat trick to move into a tie for second in the NHL in goals and the Sharks beat Philadelphia 7-3 Thursday night in the first game for both teams following the Olympic break. www.shoptheofficialbills.com/Elite-Leona...ohnson-Bills-Jersey/. The 27-year-old forward has informed the Leafs that he will be unable to play in Monday nights home game against the Columbus Blue Jackets. Eric Wood Jersey . Linemates Ryan Johansen and Boone Jenner each had a goal and an assist in the first period, and Sergei Bobrovsky made 36 saves to lead the Blue Jackets past the Florida Panthers 4-1 on Saturday night. Mike Tolbert Jersey . Sweeting scored two in the first and three in the second before Strong (4-4) got two back in the fourth. Sweeting then scored three in the fifth, two in the sixth and one in the seventh to grab a commanding 9-2 lead.MINNEAPOLIS -- Kevin Love had 23 points and 12 rebounds and Nikola Pekovic had 20 points and 12 boards to lead the Minnesota Timberwolves to a 106-88 victory over the Boston Celtics on Saturday night. Kevin Martin scored 20 on 6-for-18 shooting and Dante Cunningham scored 12 off the bench to help Minnesota rebound from a tough loss in Denver the previous night. Avery Bradley scored 27 points and Vitor Faverani had nine points and 14 rebounds for the Celtics. But Jeff Green went 0 for 6 from the floor and Bostons 22 turnovers led to 28 points for the Timberwolves. The Celtics have lost three in a row following a four-game winning streak. J.J. Barea scored 13 points and Pekovic started throwing his considerable weight around the way he did last season to earn a five-year extension this summer. The big man has had difficulty early this season finding his place in the offence with Love and Martin taking the bulk of the shots with the starting unit. But against Bostons smaller front court, Pekovic had his way. He scored 10 points in the third quarter to help the Wolves turn a close game into a comfortable margin, and Martin and Love took over from there. Playing their fifth game in seven nights, the Timberwolves were a little sluggish in the first half against a Ceeltics team that has been surprisingly competitive early this season after trading Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce to Brooklyn and sending coach Doc Rivers to the Los Angeles Clippers.dddddddddddd Brad Stevens team started 0-4, but beat Miami during a four-game winning streak to even its record. As the competition has stiffened with Western Conference playoff hopefuls Portland and Minnesota in the last two nights, the Celtics talent gap has looked more glaring. The Timberwolves led by as many as 17 points midway through the second quarter, but the Celtics closed the half on a 20-8 run to keep it close. Faverani, who started for Kelly Olynyk because Stevens liked the way he matched up against Pekovic, hit two 3s to start the comeback. Brandon Bass scored 15 points for the Celtics. NOTES: Courtney Lee (sore right wrist) and Keith Bogans (illness) missed the game for Boston. ... Timberwolves F Chase Budinger was back in the arena after returning from Florida where he was rehabbing an injured left knee. Budinger is beginning to do some light basketball activity, but isnt expected back until mid to late December. ... After scoring a career-high 26 points against the Blazers on Friday night, Celtics F Jared Sullinger had just three points in 14 minutes. Cheap NFL Jerseys Wholesale Jerseys Wholesale NFL Jerseys Jerseys From China Wholesale NFL Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys Cheap Jerseys ' ' '