News » The Grizzlies brought him in to fill a role

TORONTO - James Johnson was in Houston to meet with the Rockets shortly after free agency opened on July 1 when he got the call. It wasnt a shock to me, said the journeyman forward, admitting he wasnt exactly expecting it, either. But at the same time I was happy that an organization like [the Raptors] wanted me back. The phone call was from his agent, Mark Bartelstein. The next stop on his free agent tour would be Las Vegas, where he was scheduled to meet with representatives from Toronto. Understandably, they would have a lot of questions for the soon-to-be born-again Raptor. When the Raptors traded Johnson to Sacramento following a turbulent first stint in Toronto almost exactly two years earlier, he never thought hed be back. No, I didnt actually, he told TSN.ca. But thats part of the business, thats the nature of the business. You dont burn no bridges and you appreciate what you have. Whatever happened in a late-season practice that caused a fracture in the relationship between Johnson and then first-year head coach Dwane Casey, the team kept it under wraps. Whatever led to his two-game suspension and forced the deal that sent him to the Kings the following summer appears to be water under the bridge. What we do know is that Casey has always valued Johnson as a defender, no surprise given the forwards unique combination of size, speed, strength and athleticism, and Johnson hasnt always taken kindly to the role that Casey had assigned him. I think [it was] just his view of how he was playing and how he was being used, Casey said. Hes not different than probably 10 other players in the locker room, and especially young players coming in. They feel like their value is not being taken advantage of and that was James. He just felt like at that time, [at] that point in his career, he should have been doing more. But thats changed, or so both gentlemen tell us. Time has healed those wounds. Time and winning. Both Casey and Johnson have had the taste of success since they went 23-43 together during the lockout-shortened 2011-12 campaign. Johnsons career hit rock bottom when he ended up in the D-League after his brief and unsuccessful stay in Sacramento left him without an NBA home. That was a turning point for him. You know, going down to the D-League changes your mindset a little bit, said Johnson, who averaged 18.5 points, 9.1 rebounds, 4.8 assists, 1.9 steals and 3.4 blocks in 10 games with the Rio Grande Valley Vipers in 2013. Your ego changes a little bit and I grew up. I got humble down there. From there, he ended up in Memphis. The Grizzlies brought him in to fill a role, a different role than hell be asked to play in Toronto, but a very specific role nonetheless. He was the utility man, a complimentary piece on an established team that, like Toronto, preaches defence first. Im the guy who just fills in the gaps, said Johnson. I filled the void of whats needed. The Grizzlies won 50 games last season (something that the Raptors have yet to accomplish, for the record) and Johnson got a taste of the playoffs for the second time in his career, the first since his rookie year with Chicago. It was also a notable year for Casey, who led his Raptors team to a franchise record in wins and division title before earning a well-deserved contract extension over the summer. The environment Johnson returns to is night and day from the one he left two years ago. The Raptors are a winning team with lofty expectations. Theyre Caseys team, now more than ever before. If Masai Ujiri and the Raptors organization were going to emulate the San Antonio Spurs, the leagues gold standard, this was always the first step. Find the right coach, commit to that coach and establish an identity (finding and building around the right players also doesnt hurt). Incoming personnel have no choice but to adapt. Johnson and Casey met twice in Vegas before the signing was made official on July 10, the first day the league allows free agents to put pen to paper. Their common ground: winning. Weve both grown, said the 27-year-old forward. I was young, took the onus on myself and now were working with each other and I think its way more positive. His approach and my approach [are] totally different than when I was first here. Im about winning and Coach Caseys about winning. When you have two guys out there on the battlefield, sometimes you say stuff you regret. Youve just gotta learn to get past that. Its just basketball. Casey has always been a strong believer in role definition, making sure his players know where they stand and buy in from the get go. Every fall he sits down with each player during camp and gives them their role card. With Johnson, that process started early. It was a prerequisite. In Johnson, the Raptors address a glaring weakness from last season, one that may have cost them their seven-game series with Brooklyn. Initially, John Salmons filled in admirably as a veteran leader and perimeter defender off the bench, but neither he - at 34-years-old, with a bad back - nor the undersized Terrence Ross could body up with Joe Johnson in the playoffs. Thats what Johnson was brought in to do. Casey calls him their designated hitter, a clever pun that - when you think about it - is more than just a baseball reference. Whoevers got the hot hand, he may have to go designated hit, Casey said ahead of Fridays pre-season game, as one reporter started to chuckle. Youre the only one that caught that, huh? he joked. Hes going to be our defensive guy at both [forward] positions. His presence is already being felt in camp. DeMar DeRozan - a good friend of Johnsons ever since they were first teammates in Toronto - uses him as a sparring partner in practice, although the two have a slightly different take on how those battles play out. He thinks hes the DeMar stopper, but I be out there [to] let him know a lot of times hes not, DeRozan said with a smile. Thats my man, always been, Johnson said of DeRozan. If I can make him better in any way, then I will. I like guarding him in practice because I feel like Im his hardest opponent and he goes hard when Im guarding him. At the end of the day, hes an All-Star and Imma be guarding a lot of those this season. It makes it interesting because hes definitely going to go hard, DeRozan added. Its fun a lot of times when I can compete with a guy like him, the way he moves, how athletic he is, how big and strong he is. In the time since they last played together, DeRozan has blossomed into an All-Star. Johnson notices the maturity in his teammate, both as a player and as a person. He, too, has grown, evident in the way hes checked his ego at the door this time around, but the true test will come when adversity hits and it will. How will he react to Caseys brand of tough love in the middle of a losing streak or after a benching? For a team that credits much of last years success to their in-house chemistry, the addition of a strong-willed player with off-court baggage is a risk, albeit a calculated one. Its success or failure will be predicated on Johnsons continued acceptance of his role, as outlined. Sometimes you think that you have so much other talent, he said. That you just want to score, but if you can take your talent and your athleticism and [use] it on the defensive end and put all your effort into that, then it works. Maturity does that, Casey said with confidence in Johnsons headspace going into the new season. I think he understands now and hell be the first to tell you he understands what his role is and what he was brought here to do. DJ Moore Panthers Jersey .Cowboys owner Jerry Jones seems to be leaning the fiscally responsible way.Let me put it like this: Its going to be a challenge, Jones said of re-signing both of Dallas biggest potential free agents. Greg Little Youth Jersey . PETERSBURG, Fla. http://www.thepanthersofficialstore.com/authentic-ryan-kalil-panthers-jersey/ . “The fact that he was willing to do the deal the way we wanted it to be done showed that he wanted me to be a part of something great," Lowry said, noting that Ujiri willingness to sign off on the proposal that both Lowry and his agent presented to the GM was the final straw that convinced him to return. Carolina Panthers Jerseys . Jose Bautista homered for the fifth straight game in the sixth inning, following a two-out solo homer by Melky Cabrera. Edwin Encarnacion led off the seventh with a homer to tie the game 3-3 and, with two out in the seventh, Munenori Kawasaki came through with the two-out single to score pinch-runner Steve Tolleson with what proved to be the winning run. Curtis Samuel Womens Jersey .Tzavelas opened the scoring in the 11th and Pereyra added another in the 51st. Emmanuel Kone pulled one back in the 80th and Levadiakos missed several chances to level in the last 10 minutes. NORTH BAY, Ont. -- The Guelph Storm never took their foot off the pedal on Tuesday night. Zack Mitchell tied the game at 19:30 of the third period and Brock McGinn scored the winner 19 seconds later as the Storm stole Game 3 from the host North Bay Battalion 4-3 in the Ontario Hockey League final. "The guys played extremely hard for 60 minutes," said Guelph coach Scott Walker. "We got a solid effort from everybody. Our game plan was just to shoot. We couldnt stop or get frustrated. We might have started to get frustrated in the second period, but in the third we came out and just kept putting pucks at the net." Trailing 3-2 heading into the final period, Guelph upped its tempo for the third and put 17 shots on North Bay goaaltender Jake Smith.dddddddddddd "The guys played with some urgency and got emotionally involved," said Walker. "They did all the little things. Its not going to be easy. The Battalion plays extremely hard, too. You have to at least match or exceed their emotion and passion for the game." Tyler Bertuzzi and Robby Fabbri also scored for the Storm, who lead the best-of-seven series 2-1. Dylan Blujus, Barclay Goodrow and Mathew Santos scored for the Battalion, who blew three one-goal leads. Guelphs Justin Nichols made 23 saves for the win while Smith kicked out 40-of-44 shots in defeat. Both clubs went 1 for 2 on the power play. The Battalion will try and even the series when they host Game 4 on Wednesday. ' ' '