TORONTO - At the ripe old age of 27-years-old Amir Johnson, the final player to have entered the league straight out of high school, finds himself in an unfamiliar situation as his 10th NBA season approaches. Johnson has never been one to pace himself, thats what has made him so valuable to the Raptors throughout his years in Toronto, and as a result hes taken a beating physically. Since coming to the Raptors, hes been remarkably durable, especially when you factor in the countless rolls of tape used on his troublesome ankles and time spent on the trainers table each season. Hes missed just 18 games in five years but by late March and April you can expect him to be hobbling around on one good ankle, if that. Up until last seasons surprising run to the playoffs it hadnt really mattered. A second-round pick out of Westchester high school in Los Angeles, Johnson began his career playing sparingly for a contending Pistons team. Eventually he transitioned to a complimentary role in Detroit before playing out four losing campaigns as a Raptor. By the spring many of his teammates would shut it down, mentally or physically or both, but Johnson kept chugging along. Last year was supposed to be much of the same, but thats not how it turned out and now here he is, participating in his 10th NBA training camp, but first in which hes expected to play a significant role for a playoff-bound club. Hes graduated from X-factor status, a tag that implicates ones game with the unreliability commonly associated with younger players. Amirs notoriously our glue guy, said Dwane Casey, a far more appropriate label for a player that has anchored Torontos defence and produced efficient offence for years. We know who he is. More than ever before, the Raptors need him on the court, as close to 100 per cent as possible during the stretch run and into the post-season if theyre to top last years accomplishments. The question is, how do you slow down a player who has been so effective operating at one speed? Amir, if he doesnt play with energy or if he tries to pace himself, that doesnt help him and it doesnt help us, Casey said. Hes an old pro and he knows how to play. Im not really concerned about him wearing down. Hes just got to stay healthy. The onus, at least to some degree, will be on Casey and the coaching staff to monitor Johnsons usage and perhaps scale back his minutes, not excessively but sporadically throughout the year, something they implemented last March as the forward battled a series of late-season aches and pains. The teams added depth and versatility should help Casey ensure that all of his regulars - including Johnson, DeMar DeRozan and Kyle Lowry - are kept fresh. Patrick Patterson was one of the leagues premier reserves after last seasons trade and figures to have an expanded role in his first full campaign with the Raptors. Tyler Hansbrough has earned praise in camp, having added a jump shot and improving his spacing and overall court awareness. James Johnson can also shift over to power forward, something Casey has experimented with in camp and feels comfortable deploying when they play small. Well watch his minutes, said Casey, but no ones playing that [many] minutes at the position to be overly taxed energy-wise. Johnson is doing his part to prepare for what could be his most grueling year, beginning with his work and innovative approach during the summer. The Raptors forward did not require surgery on either of his tender ankles, to his relief, instead he spent time at the P3 training facility in Santa Barbara, Calif. to help prevent the recurrence of similar injuries. It started with football players and now they expanded to a bunch of basketball players, he said of the cutting-edge sports clinic. What they do is strap you into these little light bulb suits, like they do in video games, and they have a screen where they show you every movement you do. So I was jumping up and down, sliding, seeing which way I land and they break it down to where you can see your skeleton and your bones move in slow motion, when you land and how you land. It could be something where you can just adjust your foot and kind of turn it a different way and that prevents you from maybe rolling an ankle or hurting your back. There, Johnson received feedback on how to refine some bad habits in his movement on the court - running, jumping, landing, etc. Its something he still works on implementing ahead of games and before practice. It takes repetition, but you can get used to it. So I did that this summer and I think it worked out great for me, he said, having also worked with Hall-of-Famer Hakeem Olajuwon on his post moves. Ive been working, strengthening, conditioning and keeping my body healthy. It didnt take long for Johnson to give the Raptors their first scare of the young campaign - if you can even call it a scare, given how often he hits the deck and pops back up. Johnson went down, battling for a rebound late in the second quarter of Fridays exhibition win over the Thunder. It wasnt my ankle, it was actually my foot, he clarified after sitting out the remainder of that game as a precaution. But Im fine. Perhaps his new and improved footwork, coupled with the possibility of reduced playing time, will lesson the threat of injury for Johnson in this all-important upcoming season - its also a contract year for him - but that risk will always be a factor and presumably higher than most on account of the way he plays the game. Whether theyre used to it or not, his teammates and coaches will always cringe when they see Johnson sprawled out on the court, but its par for the course. He may end up their intentionally - after diving for a loose ball or taking a charge - or otherwise, but as long as he continues to pop back up, the Raptors will live with the frequent scare. Hes that valuable. Bulls Jerseys 2019 . "I wouldnt read anything into what happened Saturday at Torrey Pines," Woods said Tuesday after an 18-hole exhibition for past winners of the Dubai Desert Classic. Bulls Jerseys China .C. -- North Carolina State coach Mark Gottfried said his team had a "golden" opportunity to help its NCAA tournament chances. https://www.cheapbulls.com/. He could have transferred when academic sanctions barred the Huskies from the NCAA tournament his junior season. Chicago Bulls Shirts . As each game passes (each has played close with the exception of last night) it becomes clearer just how evenly matched these two teams are and how one mistake, or one bad inning, is likely to sway the result. Bulls Jerseys 2020 . After missing 20 games as a rookie a year ago, Valanciunas - like the Raptors as a whole - has been fortunate to be in good health this season. As he spoke about it, the Raptors sophomore centre scanned the room for wood to knock on. "It is disappointing because we lost today so thats the worst part of the day," said Valanciunas, who left Tuesdays game with a lower-back sprain in the third quarter, missing the rest of Torontos 118-113 overtime defeat at the hands of the Hawks. PHOENIX -- Phoenix first-year coach Jeff Hornacek was one of the NBAs best shooters in his playing days. His team did him proud Saturday night. Phoenix matched its season-best with 15 3-pointers -- in 30 tries -- to beat the Dallas Mavericks 123-108 in the surprising Suns highest-scoring game of the season Five Phoenix players made at least two from beyond the arc. "Offensively, it was probably our best game," Hornacek said. Eric Bledsoe was 3 of 4 on 3s and scored 25, Gerald Green made 4 of 8 3s en route to 22 points and Channing Frye sank 4 of 6 3s and scored 18 in the Suns seventh win in their last eight games. P.J. Tucker was 2 of 3 from long-range and scored 16. Marcus Morris made 2 of 3 3s. "If you share the ball, then everybody gets a feeling of confidence that is way up," the Suns Goran Dragic said. "We are shooting the ball well. This is so much fun, playing like that. Everybody is on the same page and when we play like that I think its hard to stop us." Dirk Nowitzki scored 21 points, and Monta Ellis and Brandan Wright had 19 apiece for the Mavericks, whose only lead of the night was 2-0. The 123 points were the most allowed by Dallas this season. Both teams were playing on consecutive nights. The Suns rallied from 21 down to win at Denver 103-99 on Friday night and Dallas lost 109-108 at home to Toronto in overtime. The Mavericks were 3 of 17 on 3s, getting outscored 45-9 from 3-point range. Dallas lost despite a 62-36 advantage in points in the paint. "Every time we got close they knocked in a 3," Wright said. "They shot the lights out." Bledsoe said that teams are beginning to zero in on him and fellow guard Dragic, and that leaves shooters open. When those shots falling, life is easy in the Suns freewheeling style. "It opens up everything," Bledsoe said. The Suns set the long-range tone from the start. "They came out firing on fire," Ellis said. Phoenix made 7 of 10 3-pointers in a season-highh 38-point first quarter, leading 38-25.dddddddddddd Green led the way going 3 for 3. But the Mavericks methodically made their way back into the game, using a 6-0 spurt to cut it to 56-54 when Wright blocked Bledsoes layup try, leading to Ellis dunk with 1:30 left. Dragic somehow drove the length of the court in 2 seconds to put the Suns up 63-58 at the half. Miles Plumlees dunk on a fast-break lob from Bledsoe highlighted an 8-0 spurt that put Phoenix up 83-71 on a reverse layup by Markieff Morris with 4:22 left in the third quarter. Again, Dallas clawed back, cutting the lead to 83-78 on DeJuan Blairs inside basket with 2:03 to go in the quarter, but Bledsoe sank a 3, Plumlee dunked and Green made his final 3-pointer of the night to put Phoenix up 91-82 entering the fourth quarter. Marcus Morris opened the fourth quarter with a 3 to put the Suns ahead 94-82, then Dallas 37-year-old Vince Carter made a 3-pointer and drove the lane for a dunk, leading to an immediate timeout by Hornacek. Right after that, Markieff Morris sank a 16-footer and Bledsoe drove for a layup to boost the lead back to 98-87. Dallas cut it to 100-94 when Ellis made one of two free throws with 8:31 left, but Frye sank a 3, Markieff Morris made a 16-footer and the Suns led 105-95 with 7:16 left. The Mavericks got no closer than eight again. The final margin was Phoenixs biggest lead of the night. "I think our biggest challenge right now is to stay disciplined in some defensive situations," Dallas coach Rick Carlisle said. "Weve had too many gambles, too many bad fouls in late shot clock and too many things that lead to chain reactions that weve got to eliminate." NOTES: Suns have made at least seven 3-pointers in 18 consecutive games. ... Phoenix is 8-5 against teams that had a .500 record or better through games played Friday. ... The Suns, expected to be one of the NBAs worst teams, improved to 16-10, sixth-best in the Western Conference. ... Dallas has lost four of six. ' ' '