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CHARLOTTE - With his role on a new team in flux, Raptors back-up point guard D. cheap jerseys .J. Augustin is in the middle of a nostalgic week. Just four games into his Raptors career, Augustin returned to Charlotte - a city in which he played and lived for four years - on Wednesday and will make his first return to Indiana two days later. "Its different," Augustin said of his emotions, sitting in the visitors locker room at Charlottes Time Warner Cable Arena moments before Wednesday nights game. "Its a different feeling being on this side of the locker room but thats how life is, you have different experiences, you change, [experience] different changes in your career and thats where Im at now." "[Its] familiar territory. I lived [in Charlotte] for four years. The team drafted me, gave me a chance in the NBA so its real special, always to come back is a great feeling." The sixth year guard signed a one-year deal with Toronto during the summer after spending last season with the Pacers and the four prior as a Bobcat. Charlotte and Indiana are the only NBA homes Augustin had ever known. Coming off his worst statistical season with the Pacers, Augustin is still trying to find a comfort level in his new home. The back-up point guard has already experienced ups and downs in his short time with the Raptors. After a disappointing preseason, the veteran was given first crack at the gig, spelling Kyle Lowry off the bench, based on his experience over rookie Dwight Buycks and the recently signed Julyan Stone. Averaging 2.8 points and 1.4 assists, playing just under 12 minutes as reserve in Torontos first five games, Augustin has shown glimpses of the player he once was in Charlotte. Most concerning, he has been inconsistent, occasionally erratic at the point of attack and has struggled with his jump shot - one of his strengths as a player - shooting just 24 per cent from the field and missing all seven of his three-point attempts. "[Im] still trying to get comfortable," Augustin admitted. "Weve got a lot of games to go. [Im] still trying to get comfortable [and] get in a rhythm but once it comes I think well all be clicking." "Hes just finding his rhythm," Dwane Casey echoed. "I think hes trying to be a good teammate now, trying to find his teammates and move the ball. I think that may be taking away from his shooting a bit." "Hes done a solid job," his new coach continued. "You always want more but hes done a solid job for what we need." In the first of his two homecomings, Augustin played just six first half minutes against the Bobcats Wednesday, missing his only field goal but connecting on his three free throw attempts. Searching for answers at the position, Casey opted to go with Stone off the bench in the second half as Augustin watched his new team drop a disappointing and controversial game to his old one. Drafted ninth overall by Charlotte in 2008, Augustin experienced his greatest personal success on mostly terrible Bobcats teams during his four-year tenure. With the Bobcats, Augustin averaged 10.9 points and 4.4 assists, shooting 37 per cent from long range and starting in 142 of 282 games. He is still trying to get back to that level. "This is my sixth year in the NBA, I know its a long season," he acknowledged. "Youve got to take care of your body and do the little things to help you play better on the court." On Friday he will make his first return to Indiana to face the undefeated Pacers, where both he and his team have something to prove. cheap nfl jerseys . Ortega played 42 games for Double-A Tulsa in the Texas League last season before sustaining a hairline fracture on his shin. cheap jerseys from china . -- Packers cornerback Tramon Williams has been fined $26,250 for contact with an official, per NFL guidelines.LONDON -- Eugenie Bouchard and Milos Raonic set records as they became the fourth and fifth Canadians respectively to reach the fourth round of Wimbledon after straight-set wins on Saturday. Both had to wait out a rain interruption lasting nearly five hours before taking comprehensive third-round victories to join Carling Bassett-Seguso (1983, 1986), Patricia Hy-Boulais (1996-97) and Daniel Nestor (1999) as Canadians who made it into the second week of a major. Bouchard, semifinalist in Melbourne and Paris already this season, posted a 6-3, 6-4 defeat of German Andrea Petkovic. Raonic, from Thornhill, Ont., joined Bouchard in Wimbledons second week by beating Polands Lukasz Kubot in the third round 7-6 (2), 7-6(4), 6-2. He fired over 30 aces and 50 winners, breaking twice with just six unforced errors on the way to victory. "I was able to be dominant on my serve, I only lost nine points on it," said Raonic. "This definitely makes my life a lot easier and puts pressure on him. "But at the same time, I didnt really have my opportunities. I played a few good points in tiebreaks and he was able to of hold on." Raonic has won three straight Wimbledon grass matches for the first time, after doing the same at Halle, Germany in 2011 and 2012. "Im starting from very low comfort level on grass but now Im feeling pretty comfortable," said Raonic. "Ive made pretty significant progress on this surface this year." The 13th-seeded Bouchard, from Weestmount, Que.wholesale nfl jerseys. , started her match in the early afternoon but found herself in the locker-room for nearly five hours after 15 minutes of play as rain wrecked the schedule. But the weather cleared up in the early evening with Bouchard and Petkovic returning to the court with the Canadian leading 2-1. Bouchard picked up where she left off, putting the pressure on a player who had defeated her in three previous meetings including the Rogers Cup in Toronto three years ago. She took victory on her third match point when Petkovic hit the net with a return. Bouchard produced 30 winners and 14 unforced errors, breaking five time in the match lasting less than 90 minutes. She next plays Frances Alzie Cornet, who beat top seed and five-time champion Serena Williams for the second time this season, winning 1-6, 6-3, 6-4 in a stunning upset. Cornet won their previous meeting on clay at Strasbourg last year. "I played well, even though it was straight sets it was a battle," said Bouchard. "It was tough with the lone rain delay, but it was the same for both girls "Im happy I was able to close it out with any serve, being aggressive and taking the ball early. During the rain delay I tried to conserve energy -- I wanted to give it all on the court. Bouchard said she didnt actually mind the wait. "Rain is part of the Wimbledon experience," she said with a laugh. "Weve been lucky so far, you have to have some rain at Wimbledon." cheap jerseys cheap jerseys from china ' ' ' |
