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DENVER - Its been four years since the Raptors had a representative in the All-Star Game. DeMar DeRozan, a 20-year-old rookie at the time, remembers it well. "I was here when Chris Bosh was the last guy to go," said DeRozan, now 24 in his fifth NBA season, less than two hours after receiving the news. A first-time All-Star, DeRozan got the nod Thursday evening when the NBA named the Raptors guard to the Eastern Conference squad as a reserve. "I work extremely hard every off-season to try and be the best player that I can be," he said proudly. "Just to be a part of All-Star Weekend is something you dream of. I remember being a kid watching All-Star Weekend and wishing to be a part of it. To see your dreams come true definitely means a lot." DeRozan, the fourth ever Raptor selected to the midseason showcase, which will take place in New Orleans on Feb. 16, was hardly surprised to find out his selection had been made official. He had expected it. The texts from family and friends started to come in as the Raptors plane landed in Denver, shortly after the announcement had been made live on TNT. Houston Rockets All-Star guard James Harden called to congratulate him, John Wall of the Washington Wizards, also an Eastern reserve, sent a text. The first call he made was to his fiancé and his infant daughter back in Toronto. "That was cool," he said of what had to be a special moment. Its a moment, an achievement that didnt come overnight. Hes put in the work and his growth as a player, a leader and as a man reflects that. "Hes worked at it [and] he deserves it," said Dwane Casey, who has coached DeRozan in three of his five seasons. "Every year Ive been here he has improved. He has brought something new back after every summer. Im so happy and proud of him as a young man watching him grow." DeRozan, the ninth overall pick in the 2009 NBA draft, is 11th in the league in scoring, fourth in the East, and averaging career highs in points (21.8), rebounds (4.7) and assists (3.6). The Raptors iron man has missed the clubs previous two games with an ankle injury, but hes still only missed 10 contests in his career, with two full seasons under his belt. Since the trade of Rudy Gay, DeRozan has blossomed in his new role. DeRozan has recorded five or more assists in 12 of the 43 contests hes appeared in this season. He accomplished that feat 12 times all of last year and five times total in his first three seasons combined. He has already grabbed five or more rebounds 23 times this season, something he did in 19 games during the 2012-13 campaign. "Im so happy for him, man," said snubbed teammate Kyle Lowry. "It just shows the hard work that hes put in. Its great for our team, its great for the organization, its great for the city, its great for the country." Of course, the news wasnt entirely positive. Lowry, in the middle of a career season, was left off the All-Star roster. The 27-year-old point guard - widely considered to be the most notable name missing from the East team - stood in the lobby of the Raptors Denver hotel, looking ahead to his mid-Febrary vacation. He too was not surprised by the result of the voting and if he was disappointed by it, he didnt show it. "Im alright," said Lowry, averaging career-highs in points (16.8), assists (7.6) and three-point shooting (41 per cent) this season. "Ill be on a beach somewhere hanging out. Ill watch the All-Star game and cheer for (DeRozan)." Lowry is coming off of back-to-back 30-plus point games for the first time in his eight-year career, however both performances came after the coaches submitted their ballots for All-Star reserves on Sunday. Casey has spent the better part of the last month campaigning for both of his guards, hoping to get both voted in, but expecting to only get the one. Why was Lowry left out? Politics, most likely. He and DeRozan may have split votes from coaches who were only willing to vote for one Raptor. Coaches trying to get their own guy in - unable to vote for their own players, by rule - may have thrown their votes to others, less likely to make it. Then theres Lowrys reputation for being, well, prickly on occasion. However, the numbers speak for themselves, or at least they should have. Lowry leads the East in assists in January, averaging 8.3. Hes also hit more threes this month (49) than any player in the league, shooting them at a 46 per cent clip. Hes among the league-best in assist-to-turnover ratio and he has the second highest PER (player efficiency rating) of any guard in the conference. "I am disappointed for Kyle because he is playing like an All-Star," Casey said. "He is one of the best point guards in the league right now and hopefully this doesnt deter him from his continuing his journey to being the best in the league and proving people wrong." Instead, the Nets Joe Johnson made the cut. Johnson is averaging 15.7 points, his lowest mark since 2002-03, his second season in the league. Hes only the second All-Star voted in by the coaches with a below-average PER since 2003. "Im going to keep grinding no matter what, All-Star or not," Lowry said. "Im always going to work hard and continue to be the best player I can be to help my team win." "Honestly I didnt even worry about it," he continued. "We didnt get two, doesnt matter, we got one and thats a big statement for our team. [DeRozans] going to represent our team and hes going to represent us well." DeRozan joins Johnson, Chris Bosh of the Miami Heat, Wall, the Indiana Pacers Roy Hibbert, Joakim Noah of the Chicago Bulls and the Atlanta Hawks Paul Millsap on the East squad, along with starters LeBron James and Dwyane Wade of the Heat, Indianas Paul George, Carmelo Anthony of the New York Knicks and the Cleveland Cavaliers Kyrie Irving. Ondrej Palat Jersey . Napoli beat high-flying Hellas Verona 3-0 to keep up the pressure on the top two while AC Milan had another disappointing night as four goals from teenage forward Domenico Berardi saw relegation-threatened Sassuolo come back from two goals down to win 4-3. Cheap Lightning Jerseys Authentic . PETERSBURG, Fla. http://www.cheaplightningjerseys.com/?tag=adidas-ryan-callahan-jersey . Trailing 5-4 in the third set, the 12th-ranked Isner fought off two match points and evened it at 5-5 with consecutive aces. The former University of Georgia star had his only service break of the match to go up 6-5 before firing the last four of his 30 aces to close out Ginepri, an Atlanta resident ranked 281st. Adidas Andrej Sustr Jersey . -- Kevin Harvick pulled away on a restart with 47 laps to go and ended Chase Elliotts two-race winning streak in NASCARs Nationwide Series with a dominating victory early Saturday at Richmond International Raceway. Victor Hedman Jersey . Off-Season Game Plan examines a team facing some challenging times as GM Bryan Murray tries to put together a roster for next season. Perhaps the first challenge facing Murray is that its expected he will be moving out Jason Spezza, a premier point producer who is about to enter the final year of his contract. SAN DIEGO -- Manti Teo hopes hes given the boot to a walking boot hes worn on his sprained right foot since Aug. 9, the day after the San Diego Chargers exhibition opener. The rookie linebacker was out of the boot Tuesday, although he hasnt been cleared to practice. "Its a big step for me to take that boot off and see where it goes from there," Teo said. "Its a boost of confidence. Taking the boot off shows that its getting better, so Im really excited about it." Teo fared better than wide receiver Dan DePalma, fullback Chris Gronkowski and wide receiver Mike Willie. Those three were placed on injured reserve to reach the roster limit of 75. DePalma and Willie were hurt in Saturday nights exhibition victory against Arizona. Gronkowski had been out with an ankle injury. Teo said its up to the trainer to decide if the boots off for good. "Yeah, it feels good enough for me to take it off and walk around," said Teo, the Heisman Trophy runner-up last year. "Its up to him if he wants to put it back on." Teo said he wore the boot at all times, except when sleeping. "It was hurt bad enough to hold me out for three preseason games," said Teo, who was in for nine plays in the exhibition opener. "I think thats pretty big." The Chargers finish their exhibition season Thursday night at home against the San Francisco 49ers. Will he be good to start the season opener Sept. 9 at home against Houston? "In my mind, yes. My mind would tell my body what to do." Rookie coach Mike McCoy said Teo "was just kind of really getting a good feel without the boot" on Tuesday.dddddddddddd McCoys not ruling anything out about Teos availability for opening night. "Thats going to be up to how his body recovers the X number of days before the game on Monday night," the coach said. "Well want to have an idea of how he feels, obviously. He knows his body better than anybody else." How far behind is Teo? "Mentally, hes been into it. Its just the reps, really," McCoy said. "I cant really put a percentage or a number on it exactly. Hes been at every meeting, hes been at every practice, hes been at every walkthrough, watching and doing what he can do, just getting the mental part of it, so really its just the physical part of it." The Chargers will hold a walkthrough Wednesday on the aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan, their final practice before facing the 49ers. McCoy was born in San Francisco and was a 49ers fan. "I grew up watching some of the greatest quarterbacks of all time playing the game, whether that was Steve Young, Joe Montana and a bunch of other great players; Jerry Rice, Ronnie Lott," said McCoy, who played quarterback at Long Beach State and Utah. "I could go on and on with all the Super Bowls they were winning back then." However, when asked if he remembered the score of Super Bowl XXIX, he said: "No, I do not." It was San Francisco 49, San Diego 26 in the Chargers only Super Bowl appearance. ' ' '