TORONTO -- Dwane Casey has been carrying around a contract in his briefcase for the past few months, signed by all the Toronto Raptors and the teams staff. The contract, just two or three lines long and something that "wouldnt hold up in court," Casey said laughing, was a pledge of commitment. Its headline: "Im all in." Perhaps no one was more committed than Casey to the Raptors success this season, and on Tuesday, the 57-year-old coach was rewarded with a new three-year contract. The announcement came two days after Torontos season ended, but a couple of months after GM Masai Ujiri first approached the coach to get a new deal done. "Coach Casey was really classy because he said to me and he said to the players, Lets leave this and concentrate on the season, this is our chance to prove ourselves," Ujiri said, recounting his initial contract talks with Casey back in March. "He said, If Ive preached that to the players, then I owe it to them to continue this and well talk about (contract negotiations) after the season. I really give him credit for that." Casey led a young Raptors team to a remarkable and unexpected season that included a franchise-record 48 wins, an Atlantic Division title, and the No. 3 seed in the playoffs. Toronto pushed the vastly experienced Brooklyn Nets to seven games in the opening round of the playoffs, losing Game 7 by just a point. Casey said he drew up his "Im all in" pledge right after the February all-star break. In their next game, the Raptors recorded a big 103-93 win at Washington. "(It was about) committing to the process. Leaving their egos at the door," said Casey, who said he might have the contract framed. "Each player dedicated themselves, gave themselves to the season, and also as far as Im concerned to the future. Because this year was just a start of what we want to grow and develop with Masai as our leader and also the guys that are coming back here." Kyle Lowry was the first player to jump up and sign the pledge, said Casey. Retaining Lowry, the point guard whose teammates say was their heart and soul this season, will be one of the Raptors top priorities in the coming weeks -- the 28-year-old becomes a free agent on July 1. Lowry spoke glowingly in exit interviews a day earlier about his love for his teammates and the city, and Ujiri sounded, on Tuesday, as if the feeling was mutual. "Its very important (to re-sign Lowry) in terms of continuity," Ujiri said. "Kyle has had a phenomenal year. I thought Kyle was a huge, huge key to our season. For me, negotiating is easy if we want Kyle to be here and Kyle wants to be here. "Hes grown tremendously, to be coached and to work with," Ujiri continued. "His teammates, everybody has said that. Were proud of him. And so well go through that process, but were optimistic stuff will happen." Lowry and his teammates praised Casey in season-ending media interviews, noting the consistency of his message. For his part, Casey said he never considered testing the market. Ujiri made a commitment to the coach when the season began, and Casey said it was only fair he reciprocate. Caseys job status was uncertain when the season began. He was hired by Bryan Colangelo, and Ujiri had just replaced Colangelo as GM. "Masai could have made any decision when he first took over the job last spring." Casey said. "He was true to his word, he gave all of us a platform to go out and prove and show, even the players, what you can do. And he was true to his word. Thats all you can ask for in this business is an opportunity. "It would be so disingenuous to even go out and put your foot in the market and think that was a possibility, so I didnt even give it a second thought. My heart is here, my mind is here." The Raptors thrived after the seven-player deal last December that sent Rudy Gay to the Sacramento Kings. Casey, who is almost fatherly in the way he communicates with his team, worked four new players into the roster, and from that point forward Toronto had the best mark in the Eastern Conference at 41-22. Casey and Ujiri were proud of the teams performance in the playoffs. They squared off against a Nets team that was built for success right now, whereas the Raptors are very much a work in progress. Casey was named head coach in June 2011, shortly after he helped guide the Dallas Mavericks to an NBA title. When asked which season -- the championship in Dallas, or this Raptors campaign -- was more satisfying, he said this one. "Its far more gratifying watching kids grow, watching development ... watching guys go through Game 6, when our compete level in the first half was probably one of the lowest we had all year, and then turn it around and put ourselves in a position to win the game," Casey said. Casey said the biggest mistake the team can make now is be complacent, so improvement is the focus of the off-season. He pointed out how sophomore centre Jonas Valanciunas will work with NBA legend and former Raptor Hakeem Olajuwon over the summer. The coach said, for his part, hell do what he does every off-season and examine tape of every game, looking for what they did wrong, what they could have done better. Both Casey and Ujiri spoke again about the incredible fan support in Toronto, noting that support helps when theyre trying to sell the city to free agents. Casey called it easily the best in the NBA and compared it to the 1996 NBA finals. He was with the Seattle SuperSonics that year, bowing in the final series to Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls. "KeyArena was rocking, loud. The Finals in 96, I thought that was loud," Casey said. "That didnt compare to the Air Canada Centre on Sunday when Deron Williams was shooting his free throws (in the dying seconds). You could just hear it vibrating. The official had to lean over to me and whisper in my ear, which I felt kinda creepy ... but you couldnt hear yourself talk. Thats a home-court advantage, its second to none in the league." Ujiri mentioned his predecessor at the end of Tuesdays 45-minute news conference at Air Canada Centre. "I think Bryan Colangelo did an unbelievable job here," he said. "He hired Dwane Casey. The starting five were picked by Bryan Colangelo as young players. I think the guy did an unbelievable job. He was a boss here, my boss and a mentor. He needs to be given some credit." Casey was named NBA Eastern Conference coach of the month in December. The Raptors finished in the Top 10 in the NBA in defensive field goal percentage (.450) and points allowed (98.0), and also posted a franchise-best 22 road wins. Air Jordan China . Torres tells Spanish daily AS "in football you never know where you will be inside one month. Im going to work hard, thats all you can do with this last part of the season so important. Fake Jordan . While Minnesota takes aim at its eighth win of November, the Canadiens will try to post just their third victory in nine games this month. https://www.jordanchina.us/.com) - The San Francisco Giants delivered plenty of big hits to tie the World Series. Clearance Air Jordan Store . Louis Cardinals won the World Series last season, but after losing first baseman Albert Pujols to free agency and manager Tony LaRussa to retirement, they opened the 2012 season in 12th spot in the TSN. Wholesale Air Jordan . Although Spain could still advance out of the group stage, the game may have signalled the end of the run by a generation of Spanish stars whose quick passing, "tiki-taka" style delighted the world and helped them win the last three major tournaments.There were no bears, nor North Poles for Ilya Bryzgalov in his first taste of media scrutiny in Edmonton. Despite reporters firing questions about the end of his tenure with the Philadelphia Flyers and previous comments comparing Edmontons weather to the North Pole, Bryzgalov wanted to focus on the positives after his first practice with the Oilers on Monday. "Its a Canadian city and people care about hockey," Bryzgalov told reporters. "It feels good to be back in the NHL." Taking to the ice with his new teammates wearing the number 80 on Monday, Bryzgalov stood in front of a scrum for a few minutes to meet the Edmonton media. The Oilers signed Bryzgalov to a one-year $2 million contract Nov. 8 after shedding payroll by dealing defenceman Ladislav Smid to the Flames. Edmonton finalized their plans to put Bryzgalov into their crease rotation by placing back-up goalie Jason LaBarbera on waivers on Monday. However, the Oilers are still sticking with plans to start Devan Dubnyk in net against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Tuesday. Oilers head coach Dallas Eakins would not commit to a timeline for Bryzgalov to take to the crease. "Im comfortable when hes comfortable," Eakins said. "A lot will have to do if [Dubnyk] can keep rolling like he is. Dubs is going lights out, Dubs gets the net." Bryzgalov bristled when asked if he plans to make the most of a second chance in the NHL after being bought-out by the Philadelphia Flyers. "I never lost a first chance," Bryzgalov told reporters, reminding them that hes only missed just over a months worth of the 2013-14 NHL season. With seven years remaining on a $51 million, nine-year contract he signed in 2011, the Flyers were forced to pay him two-thirds of the balance owed on his remaining term, $23 miillion.dddddddddddd Bryzgalov quipped that he was able to make the most of his downtime while not attending an NHL training camp and even found some upside in the Flyers buyout. "Its out of my control if they decide to buy me out," he told reporters. "I just have to accept it and move on. I had a great time. I dont have much opportunity to spend time with my family. Had such a great, quality time. Usually its a two-month break, now I pretty much had five months I spent with my kids." Bryzgalov was loaned to the American Hockey Leagues Oklahoma City Barons on Nov. 9 for conditioning ahead of joining the Oilers. When asked about his short tenure with the Barons, Bryzgalov admitted to playing some catch-up. "The first game I felt a little bit clumsy," Bryzgalov said in reference to the five goals he surrendered in his Oklahoma City debut. He added he was "was not comfortable with lots of players skating back and forth in front". But he would also state that trying to improve should be part of any NHL career, saying "youve got to continue to prove yourself." Bryzgalov stopped 25 shots on Saturday in the Oklahoma City Barons 4-1 victory over the Abbotsford Heat. In two games with the Barons since signing with Edmonton, Bryzgalov surrendered six goals on 50 shots for a 3.03 goals-against average and a .880 save percentage. He did conclude the scrum on a positive note, however, stating: "Im glad we reached an agreement and Im happy to be here." In 425 career NHL games with the Flyers, Anaheim Ducks and Phoenix Coyotes, Bryzgalov has posted a 208-149-45 career record with a .913 save percentage and a 2.55 goals-against average. He was named to the NHLs Second All-Star Team in 2009-10 and won the Stanley Cup in 2006-07 as a member of the Ducks. ' ' '