From John Ferguson Jr. Authentic DeAndre’ Bembry Jersey . to Cliff Fletcher (part II) to Brian Burke to Dave Nonis, the annual free agent frenzy has been nothing short of a recurring nightmare for Maple Leaf general managers (recent) past and present. Each and every July 1st signing has brought with it excitement and all too large expectations only to fizzle into one pricey disappointment after another. Now helming another rebuild in Calgary, Burke often described the day in disastrous terms for the NHLs management community, decrying the slew of exorbitant contracts with "unrealistic values and unrealistic term…that bite you right in the butt at some point". Value, all too important under the confines of a cap system and best found in homegrown products, is never harder to find than on July 1st – a day that sees the contracts get larger and sillier with each passing year. It began in earnest for the Leafs shortly after the outset of the cap era in the summer of 2006. John Ferguson Jr., fighting for a job that would soon run its course, plugged two holes on the Toronto defence that July with a pair of expensive free agent additions. Formerly a member of Tampas Cup winning squad in 2004, Pavel Kubina was inked for four years and $20 million and Hal Gill, once a towering defender in Boston but far less effective under the free-flowing rules of the league post-lockout, raked in more than $6 million for three years. Both were overpaid from the outset – especially in the case of Kubina, one of many to struggle under the weight of an onerous contract – and both were eventually traded. 2007 Jason Blake came next. Scoring more frequently as an Islander in 2006 than at any other point in a 13-year career, Blake – age 33 – signed with the Leafs for five years and $20 million in the last significant move of the Ferguson Jr. era. Blake, predictably, could not live up to the expectations of such a large contract, never coming close to 40 goals again; he was dealt to Anaheim alongside Vesa Toskala for J.S. Giguere in 2010. 2008 Mostly forgotten now, but of considerable damage to the organization during a brief 10-month tenure, Fletcher continued the free agent plight in 2008. Maybe even more stunning now than it was then, Fletcher handed former Avalanche defender Jeff Finger, he of 94 games of NHL experience, four years and $14 million. Finger played 62 forgettable games in a Leaf uniform, was eventually buried in the minors, never to be heard from again. Joining Finger in the free agent trot that day was Niklas Hagman, a Finnish winger who scored 27 goals the year prior in Dallas. Hagman also cashed in under Fletcher, lured for four years at a bloated $12 million. Though he scored 42 goals in two seasons with the Leafs, Hagman was consistently inconsistent, soon to be dealt to Calgary in the famed Dion Phaneuf trade. 2009 Still months from pulling the trigger on the noisiest (and most controversial) move of his busy Toronto tenure – the hotly debated Phil Kessel trade – Burke sought a big and ultimately failed splash in his first summer as the Leafs front man. It was all about truculence then and truculence he got. There were the four years and $4 million pitched to former Rangers heavyweight, Colton Orr; five long years and $22.5 million to Mike Komisarek; three years at just over $11 million for Francois Beauchemin. Orr lingered as a mostly unused tough guy for Ron Wilson before being briefly banished to the minors (he eventually returned to the NHL). Komisarek, a step or two slow for the speedier new game, tumbled quickly under the burden of a deal he could never live up to and was bought out by the organization last summer. Beauchemin eventually found his game, but not in Toronto. He returned to the Ducks in the Jake Gardiner-Joffrey Lupul swap, finishing fourth in the 2013 Norris Trophy voting. 2010 Still trying to fill various holes through free agency, Burke added the veteran grinder Colby Armstrong from Pittsburgh the following summer (three years, $9 million). Armstrong never found much health as a Leaf though and preceded fellow free agent signee, Komisarek, on the buyout line. 2011 Tim Connolly recorded just 42 points in his final go-around in Buffalo, but still landed $9 million for two years in the summer of 2011. Connolly never hit the desired mark of No. 1 centre for the Leafs (he had 36 points in 70 games), was demoted to the Marlies after a year and is now out of the NHL. 2013 And then last summer there was David Clarkson, the first signee of Nonis as Leafs GM. In perhaps the worst deal of the aforementioned bunch, Clarkson landed in his hometown for seven years and more than $36 million on July 1st, 2013. Year 1 was an all-out nightmare and while theres every chance of a bounce-back of some kind in Year 2, his talents are unlikely to ever match the value of an incredibly burdensome contract. Clarkson was just the latest in a line of July 1st blunders. The fundamental flaw in continually swinging big in free agency is the lacking value the process ensures – players are almost always overvalued on Day 1 of the contract. As demonstrated yet again by the L.A. Kings earlier this summer, team building (and sustained success) is best accomplished through successful draft and development, not pricey spending on a mistake-laden day. And so while impending UFAs like Paul Statsny may appear to solve long-standing needs, Nonis (and Brendan Shanahan) would be wise to approach with caution. The answer, especially in Toronto, is almost never found on July 1st. Player Contract End Result Pavel Kubina 4 years, $20M Traded Hal Gill 3 years, $6.25M Traded Jason Blake 5 years, $20M Traded Jeff Finger 4 years, $14M Demoted Niklas Hagman 4 years, $12M Traded Colton Orr 4 years, $4M Demoted * Mike Komisarek 5 years, $22.5M Bought Out Francois Beauchemin 3 years, $11.4M Traded Colby Armstrong 3 years, $9M Bought Out Tim Connolly 2 years, $9M Demoted David Clarkson 7 years, $36.75M N/A Authentic Vince Carter Jersey . CEO Steve Koonin on Tuesday told the Hawks flagship radio station that he made the decision to discipline Ferry but allowed him to keep his job managing the team. He did not say what the punishment was, but noted that he relied on a law firms three-month investigation of Ferry and him describing Deng as someone who has a little African in him. Authentic Dominique Wilkins Jersey ." One game is checked off, 15 remain and the next one to get crossed out could come Tuesday night when the defending champion Heat host the Milwaukee Bucks in Game 2 of their Eastern Conference playoff series. http://www.cheaphawksjerseysauthentic.com/?tag=authentic-kent-bazemore-jersey . They have watched it from afar. And now they have seen it for themselves.TORONTO - For the second time in less than a month, Kyle Lowry heard MVP chants rain down at him as he stepped to the line nearing the conclusion of yet another remarkable performance. "Yeah, [I heard them]," he said. "They made me miss the free throw." A year ago, Lowrys post-game antics may not have been so well received but what was snide and snarky is now endearing quick wit. The sound he heard as he missed that free throw was less about his candidacy for an award nobody actually expects him to win - though he has been the Raptors MVP - than it was a sentiment of appreciation. Often misunderstood, Lowry has finally found something in Toronto that had eluded him for seven seasons prior. Lowry has found a team that fits him like a glove, a locker room filled with players who hang on his every word and a city that is ready to embrace him as their own. Lowry has found a home. "Im just playing," said the Raptors point guard, after eclipsing 30 points for the second straight game - the first time hes accomplished that feat as a pro - carrying his team to 98-83 wire-to-wire win over the Magic on Wednesday. "My team, they expect me to do a certain thing every night and when you go out there and play for these guys that give you everything they got in this locker room, you dont want to disappoint them." Lowry had scored 31 in Mondays thrilling victory over the Nets. Two days later, it was a near triple-double, a season-best 33 points to go along with 11 assists and seven rebounds. All of this without Torontos leading scorer. DeMar DeRozan continues to sit out, nursing a sprained left ankle that is steadily improving, according to the Raptors guard. On Wednesday, he watched from the locker room because, as he insisted, he couldnt bare to be a well-dressed spectator on the Raptors bench. What he saw was a team that has come together in his absence and a player, in Lowry, who has taken his game to a whole new level. By the end of the first quarter, Lowry had 17 points, perfect on all five of his three-point attempts. The Raptors, as a team, connected on their first nine treys, making 11 of 14 in the opening half. When his team made their way to the locker room at intermission, Lowry had scored or assisted on 12 of the Raptors 17 field goals in his 18 first-half minutes. The lead was 15. "Hes stepped it up," coach Dwane Casey said of his point guard. "He set the tone in the first half with his threes, just his aggressive play means a lot." He seemed to brring out the best in everybody. Authentic Kevin Huerter Jersey. . Amir Johnson had his best game in well over a month, scoring 22 points and adding 11 boards. Jonas Valanciunas, who was named to the Rising Stars game at All-Star Weekend earlier in the evening, recorded his 16th double-double of the season with 14 points and 15 rebounds. Lowrys fingerprints were all over the teams effort. "You cant say enough," Casey continued. "I just hope, I keep my fingers crossed that the coaches voted him in [to the All-Star game] because he deserves it. Hes one of the best point guards in the league right now." Lowry has made his case loud and clear - though both 30-point performances have come after the coaches ballots for All-Star reserves were collected on Sunday - and his fate will be revealed on Thursday. The 27-year-old leads the East in assists in January, averaging 8.3, hitting more threes (49) than any player in the league, shooting them at a 46 per cent clip and leading his team to their second consecutive winning month. On Monday, he became the first player this season to record at least 30 points, five rebounds, five assists and five steals in a game, a feat that was only accomplished by LeBron James, Kevin Durant and Kobe Bryant last year. You have to go deep into the franchises not-so-rich history to find a point guard that even comes close to the level that Lowry is playing at right now. Damon Stoudamire, perhaps? Its been a while. Casey has been pumping Lowrys tires around the league and hopes that will tip the scale in his favour when the All-Star subs are revealed. As it turns out, maybe they should have sent his backup on the campaign trail. "Kyle is an unbelievable player," said Greivis Vasquez, who started Wednesday in place of the injured DeRozan on Wednesday. "Hes doing great things, not just for the team but for the city and thats huge." "Ill tell you this, he should make it," he continued. "Its not because Im his teammate, the numbers dont lie. I mean, Im seeing it, watching it and Im enjoying it." As it happens, Lowrys not holding his breath. Although he would welcome the honour with open arms, hes acknowledged that, of the two, DeRozan will likely be the one to get the call. One way or another, Lowry has 14 teammates, a coach, and the bulk of a city that believes hes an All-Star. Regardless of the result Thursday evening - as the Raptors land in Denver to begin a five-game road swing - that is not likely to change. 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