FIVE QUICK NBA THOUGHTS 1. CHAUNCEY BILLUPS (Pistons): Yes they got Josh Smith and Brandon Jennings in the off-season and Andre Drummond is a beast (teams are kicking themselves for passing on him - he rebounds and block shots every game - thats two more discernable and significant skills than most guys in his draft class), but dont for a second discount the impact of having a savvy veteran like Billups on your team. He can play both guard spots and plays within himself and can shoot the three-ball exceptionally well but most importantly he is a respected elder statesman who gets it and can still play. Hes a huge asset to coach Maurice Cheeks getting this young/talented team to buy in" and make the sacrifices necessary to be successful. A good under the radar pickup by GM Joe Dumars after a messy departure a few years back. 2. NIKOLA VUCEVIC (Magic): Check out these numbers (14.8 ppg, 11.3 rpg and shooting 56 per cent) and I think you can see this guy is no fluke. Loved watching him get extended minutes last season and its paying off. Hes relentless on the offensive boards and has that nose for the ball that good rebounders have. Hes getting the opportunity and is one of the bright spots for a young team that is flying high after knocking off the Brooklyn Nets. 3. LANDRY FIELDS (Raptors): None of us have any control over the bloated contract he received yet we do have control over our pure objectivity in assessing a guys game and overall contribution to a team with money left totally aside. I like what I see. Would he be a guy Id want as a teammate? Yes, definitely. Would he be a guy Id like to coach? It would be an honour. He gets it. Hes all about team and sacrifice. Smart and tough. Does he have limitations? Yes, but hes a solid rotation player who you can count on and trust to try to do the right things and be in the right places. He wont always be successful but you know the intent is precisely what the script calls for. As a former coach, you reach a point where you get tired of waiting for guys and youd rather deal with someone who is dependable. Fields fills that void for a number of minutes each game to allow for others to grow/prosper. I talk to lots of coaches, executives and scouts and in spite of a contract thats overpriced (no fault of Fields) to a man - hes a respected player who fits the bill as a role player with winning habits. Hes healthy and were seeing a guy regaining his confidence and earning the trust of his coaches and teammates as a guy who will be in that nine-man rotation. Guys like this are hard to keep off the floor. Its a team game. 4. MICHAEL CARTER-WILLIAMS (Sixers): Who saw this coming? The 76ers are 3-0 and the Suns are 2-1 (they played pretty well in their loss at Oklahoma City on Sunday night and lost Goran Dragic). Carter-Williams has been awesome in their upsets. Hes averaging an amazing 20 ppg and 7 assists and is shooting 47 per cent from long distance. He guards and sets the tone for Brett Browns team defensively with his excellent lateral quicks and his ball pressure. Honestly didnt think hed be this good this early with a team that has limitations to say the least. He strikes me as a guy that will be one of those players who will be a better pro than he was in college at Syracuse. The pace and rules of the NBA game favour his game and also look at him as a guy who is still figuring out how to run a team. Has lots of ability and hes really jumped out at me. 5. XAVIER HENRY (Lakers): Style of play is a major benefit to this guy playing for Mike DAntoni. He parks himself behind the three-point arc (14.3 ppg and 45 per cent on threes) and lets loose. Watched a few of the Lakers games already and this system fits his game perfectly. Run to a spot and fire away on the catch. Im curious to see how he performs as we go along here as teams lock in with their scouting/preparation and begin to chase him off the distance line and make him score in a secondary fashion. If he can handle all that hes playing in an ideal situation for himself. Jonathan Marchessault Golden Knights Jersey . And former Maple Leafs coach Ron Wilson certainly knows his pain. "Its pretty hard to coach there without allowing some of these things to kind of affect you," Wilson told TSN Hockey Insider Pierre LeBrun in his ESPN. William Karlsson Jersey . Bjoerndalen, who had failed to win any major race for two years before Sochi, writes in a Facebook entry that he is "full of energy and inspiration" after winning the 10-kilometre sprint and mixed relay at last months Olympics. http://www.goldenknightssale.com/authentic-nate-schmidt-golden-knights-jersey/ . Pospisil, the seventh seed, saved match points in each of the last two sets before falling to the unseeded Dutchman. "I wasnt very happy with the way I was playing,"said Pospisil. Tomas Nosek Jersey .J. - Percy Harvin is ready to go, and theres no question in his mind hell be playing Sunday. Ryan Reaves Golden Knights Jersey . As deep as their roster is, they need their superstar. Rose scored 23 points in his return from a five-game absence due to back pain, and Chicago hung on to beat the struggling Atlanta Hawks 90-79 on Monday.HOUSTON -- Xavier Sua-Filo had a two-year layoff between his first season of football at UCLA and his final two years, thanks to a Mormon mission. The guard, taken by the Texans with the first pick in the second round on Friday night, believes the time off helped him improve as a player and a person. "Obviously I was away from the game for two years, but I think it helped me be physically more mature and mentally more mature and helped me just become a better football player," he said. "When I came back I was an older guy. I was more suited to be a leader at UCLA. I look at it all positive." Despite a need at quarterback, the Texans went with another position again after selecting defensive end Jadeveon Clowney with the No. 1 overall pick on Thursday night. They continued that trend in the third when they took Iowa tight end C.J. Fiedorowicz with the 65th pick. Houston traded the first pick in the fourth round (101st overall) and the first pick in the fifth round (141) to the Eagles to move up and select Notre Dame nose tackle Louis Nix at No. 83. Despite their need at quarterback, the Texans have also drafted defensive end Jadeveon Clowney with the No. 1 overall pick and guard Xavier Sua-Filo in the second round and picked up tight end C.J. Fiedorowicz with the 65th overall pick. Nix started eight games in 2013 and finished with 27 tackles and two tackles for losses. Houston general manager Rick Smith said Friday night that he still believes there are some good quarterbacks left in the draft. "Weve done a lot of work on quarterbacks throughout the process because it is a position -- wed like to be able to draft quarterbacks and develop young quarterbacks and thats certainly something that we want to do," Smith said. "But we will always do that with corresponding value. So if theres an opportunity for us to do that (Saturday), we certainly will entertain that." In 2009, Sua-Filo became the first true freshman in UCLA history to start 13 games before leaving for his mission in Alabama and Floriida.dddddddddddd He picked up right where he left off in 2012 when he started 14 games at left guard for an offence that averaged 466.5 yards a game. He split time between left guard and left tackle last season and won the Morris Trophy as the Pac 12s top offensive lineman. Sua-Filo isnt sure how the Texans will use him, but hes looking forward to showcasing his versatility in Houston. "I can play either," he said. "I just want to get in there and I want to compete and contribute and help the team as best as I can." Fiedorowicz had 30 receptions for 299 yards and six touchdowns last season. Houston re-signed tight end Garrett Graham this off-season, but lost tight end Owen Daniels in free agency. The 6-5, 265-pound Fiedorowicz said he has always looked up to New England tight end Rob Gronkowski and that despite his own skill as a blocker he wants to prove he can be a well-rounded tight end. "I feel like Im going to really prove to everybody that Im a dual-threat," he said. "Im going to catch the ball, Im going to block on the edge and do everything (OBrien) asks." Sua-Filo has fashioned his game after veteran New England Patriots guard Logan Mankins and raved about his skills. "I love the way he plays," Sua-Filo said. "I think hes physical. I think hes nasty. You know, I try to implement as much from his game that I can." The 6-foot-4, 307-pound Sua-Filo, perhaps unsurprisingly, is looking forward to the culinary delights in Houston. "The whole state of Texas is pretty great, but Im looking forward to eating at Pappadeaux and Whataburger," he said of the Houston-based Cajun restaurant and the burger-chain, which started in Corpus Christi, Texas. Nix started eight games in 2013 and finished with 27 tackles and two tackles for losses. He cant wait to join a defensive line with 2012 Defensive Player of the Year J.J. Watt and Clowney. "I never thought ever in life that would happen," Nix said. "Im super excited." ' ' '