Ein Gott eine Religion; Islam ist die Wahrheit » now some nerves kick in

SACRAMENTO - Regardless of how the rest of the campaign shakes out, when its all said and done December 8 will be a date that jumps out as a turning point, not only for the Raptors but for Rudy Gay himself. Its been two seasons in one for both parties and neither will look back on the first 18 games fondly. "I think I took the fall for a lot of things," said Gay, reflecting on his short time in Toronto ahead of Wednesdays game against his former club. "But its happened before and itll happen again." Rightly or wrongly, Gay has and will continue to shoulder most of the blame for Torontos 6-12 start, the same way his exodus will be credited for the teams remarkable turnaround. Theres no avoiding it. In Toronto, Gay was the offence, more or less. He was taking more shots than ever before, shooting the lowest percentages of his career and as a result the team was losing. The numbers are pretty conclusive, the Raptors are a better team without him on the roster. However, Gay has also taken off since the trade to Sacramento, which goes to show you that finding the right fit - although its easier said than done - can make a big difference. "I think here theres just more space [in the offence]," said Gay, who is averaging more points and taking fewer shots with the Kings. "Obviously with the kind of season Kyle (Lowry) is having and with DeMar (DeRozan) sometimes it would be a little cluttered out there, especially at the guard position. Here theres just more space for me to do what I do." Gay has shot 50 per cent or better in 17 of his 25 games with the Kings after doing so in one of 18 contests to begin the season in Toronto. Overall, hes hitting 53 per cent of his field goal attempts since the trade, having shot 39 per cent before it. "It just wasnt working up there for whatever reason," said Kings first-year head coach Mike Malone. "But when we made the acquisition we looked at Rudy as a complete player and his whole history, including his years in Memphis and you see how efficient and effective hes been for us." He credits most of that improvement to a system thats more conducive to his style of play, a system that revolves around dominant centre DeMarcus Cousins. Cousins is one of just three NBA players averaging over 20 points and 10 rebounds this season. The attention he attracts in the paint has created space for Gay to operate on the perimeter. "You look at Torontos roster and no disrespect to Jonas (Valanciunas) or Amir (Johnson) but they dont have a true low-post presence," Malone said. "When Rudy was in Memphis he had two [frontcourt] guys that he could play with in Marc (Gasol) and Zach (Randolph) and we just thought the idea of putting him on the perimeter with the inside presence of [Cousins] could really allow him to showcase his abilities." "So it is a fit and guys have to compliment each other and thats what putting together a roster is all about," he continued. "Up there, for whatever reason, DeMar and Rudy on the court maybe wasnt a mesh, maybe [there] wasnt enough shots to go around. Im not sure what it was but all I can tell you is that the games that weve had Rudy hes been a great fit." The marriage between Gay and the Raptors, which lasted less than a full year, was flawed from the outset. He and DeRozan had repetitive skill sets that clashed on the court, restricting Lowry from playing to his strengths and stunting the growth of Valanciunas. Dwane Casey tried his best to fit square pegs into round holes until the inevitable split up freed his team and their most expensive player. The pieces just didnt fit. Though his pre-trade numbers may suggest otherwise, Gay never threw in the towel or lost hope that they would figure it out. "I think we had a chance to be a really good team," he said, two months removed from the deal. "I mean obviously theyre a really good team now but I still dont feel we had a lot of time to build and become a big threat in the East." Without Gay the Raptors have a record of 20-10, third best in the Eastern Conference behind only Indiana and Miami. They have recorded 20 or more assists in 24 of those 30 games, averaging 22.9 per contest, ninth-best over that stretch after ranking last in that category before the trade (averaging 17.3). They have gone from the 19th ranked three-point shooting team (34 per cent) to the fifth best (38 per cent) and find themselves in the top 10 in both offensive (10th) and defensive (fifth) efficiency since Dec. 8. "I think the trade helped both of us," Gay said. "Im here, I have more room and they have a solid bench. [Theres] no hard feelings. I love the fact that those guys are winning." Meanwhile, Gays reprisal hasnt translated to team success in Sacramento, at least not yet. The Kings are 11-19 since the trade, tied for the worst record in the West overall. Theyre last in the NBA in assists since Gays arrival but its been their defence, among the worst in the league, that has held them back more than anything else. Yet with Gay on board, paired with a young core of Cousins and breakout point guard Isaiah Thomas, the Kings are optimistic about the future. They have reason to be. "We couldnt be happier with Rudy and hes shown that hes much more than just a scorer," Malone said. "Hes proven to everybody that he can be a very efficient player so thats been a bonus." Cheap Nike Shoes Black Friday .com) - The Columbus Blue Jackets rewarded starting goaltender and pending restricted free agent Sergei Bobrovsky with a four-year contract extension on Friday. Nike Shoes Black Friday Discount . TSNs Farhan Lalji reports the Edmonton Eskimos non-import DT has a workout scheduled with an NFL team next week and isnt expected to sign a deal with any team until then. http://www.nikeshoesblackfriday.com/ . You can catch all of the action LIVE on TSN2 at 6pm et/3pm pt. The Heat reached that mark Saturday night when they ruined the Philadelphia 76ers home opener. Nike Shoes Black Friday Online . Mats Zuccarello and Derek Stepan scored shootout goals, and backup goalie Cam Talbot earned his second win in two nights as the Rangers shook off a late tying tally and beat the Maple Leafs 2-1 Monday night. Wholesale Nike Shoes Black Friday . Dwyane Wade took over in the fourth quarter.Heres a quick list of all of Mannings major National Football League records. Heres a list of all of Peyton Mannings major NFL records: http://t.co/oTJj8SD7TJ pic.twitter.com/x1lEILOxGc — SB Nation (@SBNation) October 20, 2014The football that scored the touchdown will surely be put into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio, but Manning wanted the ball to make sure he knew exactly where it went. His teammates Thomas, Wes Welker and Emmanuel Sanders had another idea, as they decided to play a game of keep away with the ball.We can assure you the football is now in a safe place. Just take a minute to look at all the "Manning Faces" weve seen over the years. Congrats Peyton! The TD record is awesome, but lets celebrate all those "Manning Faces." pic.twitter.com/C8VG1Crjtk — SportsNation (@SportsNation) October 20, 2014The player whose record Manning broke was none other than former Green Bay Packers legend Brett Favre. Favre took to twitter to congratulate Manning on breaking his record. Well deserved Peyton. Congratulations on breaking my record. #Onto600 http://t.co/MEeffAlmeP — Brett Favre (@Favre4Official) October 20, 2014Heres a look at how each player got to 508 career touchdowns. Number of games it took to reach 508 career TDs: Brett Favre: 302 Peyton Manning: 246 #Peyton509 — NFL (@nfl) October 20, 2014Another professional athlete who congratulated Manning was Cleveland Cavaliers LeBron James. Great respect great. Congrats on the GREAT Peyton Manning on breaking the All-Time TD record!! #Legend #OneOfTheGreats — LeBron James (@KingJames) October 20, 2014LeBrons basketball counterpart Kevin Durant, who presented Manning with an ESPY, also showed the quarterback respect. Congrats to the great Peyton Manning! We ttake him for granted because hes so consistent but we are witnessing a living legend! — Kevin Durant (@KDTrey5) October 20, 2014Skip Bayless came out from under his First Take desk (where we assume he sleeps) to give congratulations to Manning, surprising everyone by saying something nice! Congrats to the great Peyton Manning for setting the all-time TD pass record.dddddddddddd Just think: He wanted to stay in Indy. — Skip Bayless (@RealSkipBayless) October 20, 2014Former Saturday Night Live funnyman Norm Macdonald, who basically live-tweets every sports event, of course commented on the record-breaking. Peyton Manning becomes the man who has thrown the most TD passes and the extra point pushes the total and now some nerves kick in. — Norm Macdonald (@normmacdonald) October 20, 2014Oh... oh shoot... longtime Late Show with David Letterman producer and writer (and apparently referee) Eric Stangel noticed a penalty after the record was broken. Um, hello. This is a total delay of game... #SNF #PeytonManning #509 — Eric Stangel (@EricStangel) October 20, 2014But he was glad Manning was finally getting the attention he deserves. Nice to see Peyton Manning finally getting some attention... — Eric Stangel (@EricStangel) October 20, 2014Jimmy Traina didnt congratulate Manning... because he still cant fathom why the Broncos would ever get rid of Tim Tebow! Still cant believe the Broncos got rid of Tebow for Peyton Manning. — Jimmy Traina (@JimmyTraina) October 20, 2014Congratulations, Peyton Manning! From your good friends at TSN BarDown! “@TSN_Sports: Peyton Manning now holds the record 4 most TD passes of all-time! Congrats Peyton. #HistoryMadeOnTSN ” http://t.co/ugRuZoS22L — BarDown (@BarDown) October 20, 2014 ' ' '