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TORONTO - After 10 days of anticipation -- and fear that, because this is the Raptors, something could and likely would inevitably go wrong -- the news Toronto fans had been not-so-patiently waiting for was finally made official Wednesday. Andrea Bargnani is no longer a Raptor. For the organization, its exasperated fan base and the former first-overall pick himself, this new beginning has been a long time coming. For Masai Ujiri, the franchises fifth and newest general manager, this was the first order of business. A move that once seemed impossible was one the Raptors prized executive knew he had to make a reality before he can truly begin to put his fingerprints on this roster. "He always had spurts where he showed brilliance and showed a complete game and then sometimes he struggled," Ujiri said of Bargnani, succinctly summing up what Raptors fans have come to realize after seven years of watching the seven-foot enigma. "I felt it just came a point in time where both sides [needed to] move on and start all over again." In exchange for Bargnani, who will get his long awaited fresh start with the Knicks, Toronto receives sharpshooting forward Steve Novak, veteran centre Marcus Camby and guard-forward Quentin Richardson -- both of whom may never play for the team -- in addition to a first-round pick in 2016 and two second-round selections; one in 2014, the other in 2017. For a plethora of reasons, Bargnani had fallen out of favour in Toronto. Four of his seven seasons with the Raptors ended prematurely due to injury, including each of the last three. In each of the previous two campaigns he missed more games than he played. Naturally his durability, conditioning and toughness have all been questioned while his defence and rebounding have remained well below what is expected from a seven-footer being paid over $10 million annually. His three-point shooting, once seen as and perhaps still believed to be his strength, has been on the decline over the past four years. He may succeed in New York. He may not. For all of his skill and upside, which is still applicable even at the age of 27, this was a no-brainer for Ujiri. As a result, the return for Bargnani -- while greater than most expected -- doesnt necessarily indicate whats next for Ujiri and the Raptors. "Were beginning to kind of see a little bit and thats based on gathering as much information as you can, talking to teams and all that staff," said Ujiri, who continues to play his cards close to the vest. "So you get to paint the picture a little bit in your head but I dont think thats something I can discuss at this time." Once again Ujiri preached patience, a strategy that worked quite well for him in Denver. The Atlantic Division picture has been painted pretty clearly. New York and Brooklyn are swinging for the fences while the Celtics and 76ers have gone all in on what they hope will be speedy rebuilds. Then there are the Raptors, smack dab in the middle. Without a definitive path and without the urgency to declare one. If youre looking for Ujiri to commit to a direction -- one way or the other -- you may be out of luck, at least for now. Rushing into anything is just not his style. "Im looking at this situation and were going to take it as it comes and see what comes our way," the Raptors GM stated. "Were going to be aggressive out there but were also going to see what we have on our team instead of doing something stupid. If something reasonable comes our way and we feel that its something thats going to help the Toronto Raptors than well do it but other than [that] this is our team and well keep plugging away." "We have to continue studying the team and studying whats out there," he continued. "What are we going to do, throw players away? Were not going to do that. I think winning is what you want to build around." That is not good news for those pushing for a complete tear down, otherwise known as a "tank job." If Ujiri has a direction in mind hes keeping it to himself, but the reigning executive of the year does appear to be comfortable keeping his options open, rolling with the punches and allowing the market to dictate the optimal course of action. Asked if he would be content heading into the regular season with this roster, as its currently constructed, Ujiri indicated he would be "completely fine with that." Ujiri made a name for himself with the Nuggets, where he built a winner on the fly, reading and taking advantage of trends in the market, making the most of the assets he had at his disposal. If its not broke, dont fix it. Expect him to deploy a similar tactic in Toronto. "For me, patience is the key. I think we all have to be patient. We have a good window for a couple years here and I think sometimes you cant just react and try to do things just to do them." Clearance Nike React Shoes . Ivanovic was leading 7-5, 1-0 when Hantuchova withdrew after falling 0-40 behind in the second game. The match started slowly for Ivanovic, who surrendered her first two serves as Hantuchova took a 5-3 lead. Nike React Discount . Pedro scored from a pass by Lionel Messi in the 33rd minute and added two more goals in the 47th and 72nd after Valdes saved his second penalty in four days following his stop in Wednesdays 4-0 over Ajax in the Champions League. http://www.nikereactcheap.com/ . Halifax beat the Saint John Sea Dogs 7-5 on the strength of two goals apiece from Nikolaj Ehlers, Matt Murphy and Brent Andrews. Jonathan Drouin also scored and had three assists while Zachary Fucale made 17 saves for the Mooseheads (16-8-0), who led 6-1 after two periods. Wholesale Nike React . After taking two big hits this week -- losing at home and dropping back-to-back games for the first time all season -- Indiana struck back by playing its most complete game of the year. Nike React Sale . Ronaldo produced a spectacular individual performance on Tuesday, scoring all three goals and guiding Portugal into the next years World Cup in Brazil with a 3-2 victory in Sweden. The Real Madrid forward has scored 66 goals in 2013, but the last three may be the boost he needs to upstage Messi after FIFA unexpectedly extended the voting period for the Ballon dOr to Nov. Standing, kneeling or gesturing in support of Colin Kaepernicks national anthem protests has come at a cost for the dozen NFL players who have joined the cause against social injustices. Theyve faced vitriolic, sometimes racist reactions, forfeited some of their fan base, and at least one has lost endorsements.None is deterred by the backlash.No, its worth it, said Broncos linebacker Brandon Marshall, insisting that while hes disheartened by evaporating endorsements , Twitter trolls and the burning of a T-shirt in front of team headquarters this week, hes also undaunted.Its an evil world. Its a hateful world. Im not here to spread hate. Im not here to respond to the hate. Im here to spread love and positivity, Marshall said. Im a likable guy. I was once a fan favorite for a reason. Its cool, because people can call me n-word or cuss at me or say they wish I would break my neck all they want. Theres no backlash from me. Hate cant drive out hate. Only love can drive out hate.Detractors accuse protesting players of being unpatriotic or disrespecting the American flag. Marshall said hes also gotten lots of love from military veterans saying they fought for his right to peacefully protest as much as they did for those who stand and salute the Stars and Stripes.Marshall played at Nevada with Kaepernick , who began this movement last month by refusing to stand for the anthem during San Franciscos preseason games as a protest to racial oppression and police brutality in the United States.While Kaepernick saw sales of his jersey skyrocket, Marshall has faced financial repercussions for taking a knee during the national anthem on opening night.Marshall lost endorsements from the Air Academy Federal Credit Union and CenturyLink before music mogul Russell Simmons offered him a deal with Rushcard this week.So, I lost two endorsements and gained one, said Marshall, insisting it was better to have a single company standing behind him than two so quick to bail.When you really think about it, I didnt breach my contract. I didnt get arrested. I didnt do anything to defame the team or CenturyLink or Air Academy. I just exercised my first amendment rights, Marshall said. And they dropped me for that. Im proud of what I did because I didnt do anything wrong or hurtful by any stretch.Thats not what many critics are telling him and others who have joined Kaepernick.Seahawks cornerback Jeremy Lane and 49ers safety Eric Reid took a knee in support of Kaepernick in the preseason. Chiefs cornerback Marcus Peters raised a black-gloved fist during the anthem Sunday in a scene reminiscent of U.S. sprinters Tommie Smith and John Carlos at the 1968 Olympics in Mexico City.Four Dolphins kneeled on the sideline with their hands on their hearts as The Star Spangled Banner played in Seattle: running back Arian Foster, safety Michael Thomas, wide receiver Kenny Stills and linebacker Jelani Jenkins.dddddddddddd. Titans defensive lineman Jurrell Casey, cornerback Jason McCourty and linebacker Wesley Woodyard raised their right fists after the national anthem ended.McCourtys brother, Devin, raised his fist along with Martellus Bennett before New Englands win in Arizona. Defensive end Robert Quinn and receiver Kenny Britt of the Rams also stood with their fists in the air Monday night.We waited until after the national anthem, explained Bennett, who was born on a Navy base in San Diego. I support the flag. I love America. I dont want to live anywhere else. But theres still some (messed up things) going on around the world.He said he wasnt worried about any consequences, financial or otherwise.What you can do for humanity and society is a lot bigger than a dollar you can get, Bennett said. It shows you how big it is that guys are willing to lose their endorsement to bring attention.Foster said the NFL players are the latest conduit for a message thats been out there for decades.Its more important to create a healthy dialogue, Foster said. Its easy for you to sit here and say `Shut up you stupid n------ instead of saying `Why do you feel like that? Its just so easy to hate. If you really proclaim to be a true American, freedom runs in our bloodline, right? Its supposed to. If somebodys telling you they dont feel like theyre free, why dont you listen to them?President Barack Obama has who said its a constitutional right to protest peacefully. But the players have been targeted on Twitter, insulted on Instagram, and ridiculed in public.Marshalls lost deals are the only known endorsements pulled over the protests.I dont have a lot of endorsements ... so Im not really worried about losing endorsements, said Tennessees McCourty, who has a deal along with his twin brother to promote Palmers Cocoa Butter.Marshall, who has pledged to donate to military charities, met with Denver police chief Robert White this week. Marshall accepted his invitation to participate in a shoot-or-dont-shoot training simulator and to go on a ride-along with police officers.Kneeling really was just to bring attention to the issues, an awareness factor -- a symbol -- so to speak, said Marshall. Just like the flag is a symbol.---AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and AP NFL Twitter feed: www.twitter.com/AP-NFL---AP Pro Football Writer Teresa Walker and AP Sports Writers Josh Dubow, Greg Beacham, Tim Booth, Kyle Hightower, Dave Skretta and Tim Reynolds contributed. ' ' '