TPE. Heath Miller Jersey . Those three letters basically define the season for this team. No matter how Bargnani does as the teams offensive catalyst, no matter how adept DeMar DeRozan proves to be as a wing scorer and no matter what Ed David does in his rookie year, TPE will hang over all of it, ready to enhance or invalidate at a moments notice. TPE, in this case, stands for Traded Player Exception. Its a $14.5-million poker chip that the Raptors acquired from Miami in their sign-and-trade deal with Chris Bosh and the club has one year from the date of acquisition to make use of it. What it allows this team to do is acquire salaries from other teams up to the face value of the exception without sending any players or salaries back to match. At $14.5-million, there are only twenty NBA salaries that cannot be wholly absorbed by the team because of their size; otherwise any NBA player could simply be taken on without a single complimentary sacrifice having to be made. That is a huge negotiating asset in a league where owners are always looking for ways to tighten their belts and GMs are always looking for ways to erase that last onerous contract. As the season wears on, and teams are forced to acknowledge that they simply arent as good as they thought they were, high caliber players will hit the market and the Raptors will be armed with one of the most enticing returns in a pool of buyers – nothing. Nothing in that a team can simply send out a player and reap the financial benefit of losing that particular contract. Utah and Minnesota already made use of a large TPE this summer when they sent Al Jefferson, a borderline All-Star, to Utah so he could replace Carlos Boozer. Utah gets a 20-10 power forward to replace their outgoing 20-10 power forward, and Minnesota gets to shed $13-million from the books this season (and $32-million over the course of the remaining three years of his deal). The move kept Utah in the hunt in the Western Conference and the Raptors have the power to make a nearly identical move at any point this season (prior to the trade deadline, of course). That is why its been fascinating to watch pundits predict the future for the Raptors and Cavaliers this summer (the Cavs have an identical TPE after signing-and-trading LeBron James to Miami) because so many are content to write them off for this season and the foreseeable future. Now, neither team looks poised to do much of anything this season as currently built, that most can agree on, but the transformative power of such a large TPE is being so thoroughly ignored that it defies logic – especially when so many are praising the Jazz for what they got after using theirs this summer. The idea isnt that a TPE will always net an All-Star, a team may not even want to use it all or may want to break it up to acquire multiple pieces, but the power to assess ones roster and then augment it freely as necessary is a very powerful ability to have and shouldnt be written off (or forgotten about) as quickly as some have opted to do this summer. The Raptors will start the season off as a piecemeal team without the defense or rebounding to be a real running team, without a big man to protect their vulnerable perimeter defense and without a guard who can create offense for himself and others. They also start the season with the knowledge at any time one of those areas (or any other area of want) could be addressed in a significant way, possibly transforming the club in an afternoon. So, sure, lets say that the Raptors (and Cavs) are poor teams today, with a lot of B- and C-level players hardly equipped to win night after night at the NBA level, but lets also say that both are uniquely positioned remake their team on the fly without having to sacrifice meaning players to do so. Today, theyre not good, but predicting tomorrow is a fools game, plain and simple. PROBABLE STARTING LINEUP PG – JOSE CALDERON As long as Calderon is on the team, its a tossup as to whether or not he or Jarrett Jack will be starting for the club. I wrote extensively last year on how Jack was better suited to start for last years club, as the team was awful at the start and end of the season with Calderon in the starting five, but head coach Jay Triano has a soft spot for what Calderon brings to starting offense. Plus, without Bosh to simply dump the ball down to on every other possession, Calderons superior passing may actually be needed more than Jacks ability to fight through screens or recover on rotations (yes, kids, defense is about more than just initial breakdowns). However, rumors of Calderons imminent departure dogged him all summer, and there is no reason to assume that will stop just because training camp is on the horizon. So even if the thought of him starting sends you screaming down the street, remember that his employment on this team seems like a temporary proposition, anyway. SG – DEMAR DEROZAN This year, the training wheels come off. Last year, DeRozan was eased into the NBA at the start of the first and third quarters, acting as the fifth option on the floor at all times and was mostly ignored outside of the odd highlight reel dunk. This year, however, the club is going to rely on DeRozan to be their primary wing scorer, asking him to use his steady mid-range jumper and explosive athleticism to double his scoring output of 8.6 points-per-game from a year ago. Hes going to be asked to take control of the ball and beat people off of the dribble. Hes going to be asked to use his length and quickness to stymie opposing players defensively. Hes going to be asked to sprint up and down the court in a pseudo-fastbreak attack mean to, chiefly, highlight his primary skills as a basketball player. He got a free pass in his first year in the pros, now hes going to be expected to play like a top-ten pick. SF – LINAS KLEIZA Despite signing Kleiza, the vastly improved forward who spent last year honing his play with Olympiakos in Greece, the Raptors spent most of the summer trying to prevent him from starting. They nearly completed a trade that would have netted them Boris Diaw from Charlotte (the Bobcats famously pulled-out of that trade at the last minute) and then they attempted to sign Matt Barnes to a free agent contract with money that they didnt actually have to spend. The reason is that, as much as Kleiza has improved, especially in the post, his game is very reminiscent of Bargnanis, in that there is little defensive interest, there is no interest in boxing-out and both alternate between standing behind the three-point arc and the post. In an ideal world the Raptors would have a more defensively oriented option here, and Sonny Weems may yet steal the spot in training camp, the time invested in getting Kleiza here (the Raptors made a hard push to sign him last summer, too) and his exemplary play in the World Championships for Lithuania, hell probably own this spot until a decidedly superior option walks through the door. PF – ANDREA BARGNANI For the first time in his NBA career, Bargnani gets to play his natural position. If he doesnt learn to rebound, box-out and rotate on defense, however, Ed Davis is going to work to push Bargnani right out of town. As talented as Bargnani is as a scorer, hes never really been fully embraced by the fan base, hes routinely derided in the media for his laughable rebounding numbers and now that the Raptors have so much depth at this position, Bargnani is assured of nothing as it pertains to the future of the Raptors. If this team wants to run, they need Bargnani to defend and rebound because hes going to be playing so many minutes in the teams frontcourt. If he cannot do that, if he has reached a ceiling in terms of his development, then his long-term future with the club will be in real jeopardy. If he can turn that corner, however, and elevate his game to the level of a reliable first option, then that would make this team a whole lot more interesting very quickly this season. C – AMIR JOHNSON Armed with one of the most erroneously reported contracts of the summer ($30-million with a partially guaranteed fifth year, not $34- or $36-million guaranteed over five years), Johnson is going to be given another shot as a role playing big in a starting five. Two years ago he started the season in Detroit alongside Rasheed Wallace, a per-minute wonder finally being given his chance to shine. His 5-5 averages as a starter, though, quickly torpedoed that experiment and hastened his departure from Detroit. The Raptors are high on him as a frontcourt partner with Bargnani, however, and his 17.8-and-6 averages in five starts last year offer a (very small) sample as to why. However, Johnson has never proved himself as a nightly starter and the clubs efforts to land a more traditional centre will continue in an attempt to fortify the frontcourt to best help Bargnani succeed, regardless of how much the team professes to love the Johnson/Bargnani tandem. Authentic Brad Richards Jersey . With more than 100 million people, the most among all the provincial-level regions, the Central China province is, like the country as a whole, facing challenges such as fast growth and low per capita income. David Backes Jersey . -- Memphis Grizzlies guard O. Ales Hemsky Jersey . Scott Hairston blasted a solo homer to center field in the top of the ninth to give San Diego a 7-6 lead, but the Rockies came back to win it with an unlikely rally against Padres closer Heath Bell. Clint Barmes hit a one-out single and stole second base before Todd Helton grounded out. Authentic Andrei Kirilenko Jersey . The second-ranked Spaniard travelled to the Weissenhof tennis centre to tell the promoters personally of his withdrawal as the clay-court events defending champion and star attraction. Authentic Andre Iguodala Jersey . The officers, who were working at a ferry terminal near Stockholm, made photocopies of the womens passport photos and placed them in a binder. They also noted the date of birth next to each entry, the Stockholm police department said.DETROIT - Not in their worst nightmares did the Pittsburgh Penguins ever imagine being shut out for the first 120 minutes of the Stanley Cup final. I definitely never thought it would be possible, said Penguins defenceman Rob Scuderi, accustomed to watching his star forwards fill the net. With some of the talent we have here, youd figure even a lucky bounce. But thats the way its gone. There will be much analysis leading into Wednesday nights third game of the Cup final about why the Detroit Red Wings are manhandling the Penguins. The Wings patient defensive coverage is luring the Penguins into impatient decisions and ultimately turnovers; the Penguins forwards are unable to create a sustainable forecheck, etc. But throw aside the Xs and Os for a moment and consider the most important battle the young Penguins are losing right now - the one between the ears. They appear rattled. Their confident strut, well-deserved and acquired during a 12-2 romp through the Eastern Conference, is no longer. Remind anyone of the Ottawa Senators after two games with the Anaheim Ducks in last years Cup final? The Penguins are searching for answers. Star centre Evgeni Malkin waived away a reporter seeking comment after Mondays 3-0 loss, shaking his head, then lowering it and staring at the floor in clear frustration. There are many culprits in the Penguins dressing room for their early hole in the Cup final, but the 21-year-old Russian is easily the poster boy. Malkin didnt not register a shot on goal in Game 2 and has now gone five consecutive periods without one. Steelers Jersey. This is a Hart Trophy finalist as NHL MVP. We have to find a way to put more pressure on their defence, said Malkins linemate Petr Sykora. Were playing a different team than we played in the first three rounds. We just have to find way. Our power play has to come up with a goal. The Penguins power play, a first unit that consists of a fantasy poolies dream squad, is 0-for-8 in the Cup final after going 0-for-3 on Monday night. Overall, one of the NHLs most feared offensive units has been shut out in back-to-back games for the first time since February 2003. Simply stunning. Were surprised, conceded Scuderi. We came here expecting to get at least one win. But we can either get down on ourselves and struggle in Game 3 or we can regroup and come out strong Wednesday night at home. Mellon Arena is an appealing refuge after what transpired at Joe Louis Arena. The Penguins are a perfect 8-0 at home in these playoffs and that will be a familiar and constant refrain from Penguins players heading into Game 3 as they attempt to stay positive. Were going home right now, home sweet home, said Penguins forward Maxime Talbot, who always exudes positive thoughts. We play well at home, were excited for that. Its not like we lost the first two games at home. We lost the first two games on the road. . It takes four wins to take the Stanley Cup. They have two. Theres still lots of hockey to be played.  Wholesale Jerseys. - Stephon Thorne scored a pair of goals - including the game-winner at 2:09 of the second period - to lead the Brampton Battalion to a 3-1 victory over the Peterborough Petes in Ontario Hockey League action Friday night. ' ' '