in the rotation and pitch Saturday again

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SACRAMENTO - Some say that living well is the best revenge. At least four players on the Raptors roster subscribe to that philosophy. When Torontos Patrick Patterson, John Salmons, Greivis Vasquez and Chuck Hayes return to Sacramentos Sleep Train Arena Wednesday, theyll be feeling a lot better about themselves than when they were last in the building, when they called it home. Its been nearly two full months since that fateful night in Los Angeles when a seven-player trade shook the foundation of the Raptors franchise. As reports began to circulate hours before tip-off, the timing of the deal caught everyone off guard. In exchange for the bloated contract and modest production of Rudy Gay - along with Quincy Acy and Aaron Gray - Toronto took back four veteran wild cards. Each of the four had experienced some level of individual success in the league. Vasquez and Patterson - the youngest of the four - were both coming off career seasons, one in New Orleans, the other in Houston. Hayes - a nine-year vet - had been a starter with the Rockets and Salmons, now in his 12th season, was a key contributor to playoff teams in Chicago and Milwaukee. At 34 and 30 respectfully, Salmons and Hayes immediately became the elder statesmen on a young Raptors squad. Each of them had started in at least one of Sacramentos first 18 games. They were rotation players for a team that was 5-13 at the time of the trade. "Coming from here in Sacramento, things werent that great," Salmons said, candidly reflecting back on the trade after wrapping up practice in the Kings gym Tuesday. "So when we got the opportunity to come here we just wanted to take advantage of it. Losings not fun and this team had a chance to make a run at the playoffs." Without Gay, who was shooting 39 per cent and hoisting just under 19 shots per game, most anticipated there would be at least some addition by subtraction but no one - even internally - knew what to expect from the incoming Kings players. Likewise, they didnt know what to expect from a Raptors team that had a 6-12 record prior to that game in LA on Dec. 8. "I mean you hear stuff about other teams, but the only thing you really know is their record," Salmons added. "You know their record, you know their roster but you dont know the whole story. So coming in all we saw was the record, we didnt know that the locker room was full of good guys." Toronto has gone 19-10 since the trade was made official, 19-9 since the acquired players made their Raptor debuts, good for the third-best record in the Eastern Conference over that stretch. Not only did the trade improve the Raptors bench, it made their bench. On most nights, Dwane Casey has settled into a strict nine-man rotation, using the four ex-Kings as his primary reserves. Torontos bench combined for 35 points on 52 per cent shooting in Mondays win over the Jazz. They have scored 30 or more in three of the last five contests and are averaging 26.6 points since the trade. Casey has entrusted them to be on the floor in key situations. Quite frankly, theyve earned it. "I feel like we got four veteran, solid players that really helped us in a lot of different ways and gave us some toughness off the bench," the Raptors coach said. "Right now, obviously [Toronto is] playing at a very high level," said Kings coach Mike Malone. "I think all four of our guys are helping them at different points." The newcomers have each put their stamp on the teams run. Often the first player off the bench, Patterson is logging fewer minutes than he was in Sacramento, yet averaging three more points per game, contributing nearly 10 as a Raptor. Hayes has carved out a niche as a reliable, savvy and hardworking stopper and rebounder. Salmons, a two-way player, has become Torontos third ball handler. Of the four, Vasquez is the only one who has seen his scoring average dip since coming to the Raptors. Still, hes not complaining. "Im in a different situation right now and Im pretty happy," said Vasquez, who has stepped in as a reliable backup to Kyle Lowry, something the team was desperately searching for early in the season. "I think winning really makes everything so much better. Id rather be in a winning program right now than going through a tough time [in Sacramento]." You would have to be naive to think that Wednesdays return to Sacramento is just another game for those four. The Kings are 11-19 since sending them to Toronto and the statement theyre hoping to make has more to do with their collective success than individual performances. "You always look forward to playing the team that traded you," said Vasquez, averaging seven points and four assists with the Raptors. "More than that its about winning. At the end of the day, whether I play well, whether I dont play well, I just want to go back to Sacramento with a win." Vasquez was only with the Kings for a couple months to begin the season. For Salmons, his connection with the Sacramento franchise goes back seven years. In 2006, the Philadelphia-native pulled out of a deal with the Raptors to sign in Sacramento. After being moved to the Bulls, then to the Bucks, Salmons eventually found his way back to the Kings but became expendable when new ownership decided to take the team in a different direction. The trade to Toronto was Salmons fifth since being drafted out of Miami in 2002 but he took this one more personally than the others. He felt slighted by an organization that he had spent most of his career playing for. "When I got traded I had mixed feelings, strong mixed feelings," he admitted. "Im not going to say I was totally mad at the [Kings] organization it was just, I dont know, it was just a little tougher this time." Now, as he and his teammates get set to make their much-anticipated return, that animosity is water under the bridge, more or less. Salmons, like the other three, is sincerely happy to be a Raptor. Winning is the best medicine. "Guys enjoy winning," said Salmons. "Theres the old saying, winning cures everything so the more we win the more people want to sacrifice to continue winning." Thomas Muller Germany Jersey . The Brazil defender was substituted 13 minutes into Wednesdays 2-1 Copa del Rey win at Athletic Bilbao because of a right hamstring problem. Scans revealed a second grade tear which could keep him out for a reported four to six weeks. Julian Brandt Germany Jersey .J. -- Jaromir Jagr has hit so many NHL milestones this season for the New Jersey Devils that he is starting to downplay them. http://www.germanyfcsoccershop.com/c-28 ... ersey.aspx. -- Canadian Erik Bedard pitched into the fifth inning in his bid to win a spot in Tampa Bays rotation, helping the Rays beat the Toronto Blue Jays 6-3 on Saturday. Thomas Muller Jersey . -- Max Gilbert captured his first pro victory at the Tour Championship of Canada. Marco Reus Jersey .C. -- The Edmonton Oilers used a late-power-play goal to get a hard-fought road victory. WASHINGTON -- Giancarlo Stanton hit his NL-leading 15th home run and also doubled and singled in his latest power performance at Nationals Park, leading the Miami Marlins over Washington 3-2 Monday. Stanton doubled and scored in the first inning, then launched a long two-run homer in the third. Stanton is hitting .333 (43 for 129) with 14 home runs and 27 RBIs in Washington since his career began in 2010. He has homered at Nationals Park more than any other visiting player during that time. The Marlins improved to 7-17 on the road; theyre 20-8 at home. Nathan Eovaldi (4-2) pitched 6 1-3 innings, giving up two runs and three hits. Steve Cishek worked the ninth for his 11th save. Adam LaRoche homered for the Nationals, who had won 12 of their last 13 against Miami at home. Tanner Roark (3-3) went seven innings. Eovaldi earned his first road win since Sept. 1, 2013. He has won consecutive starts for the first time in his career. Washington trailed 3-0 and had only one hit before Jayson Werth singled with one out in the sixth. LaRoche, in his second game back from the disabled list, homered into the second deck in right to cut the deficit to 3-2. Eovaldi left after hitting Nate McLouth with one out in the seventh.dddddddddddd. Mike Dunn retired pinch-hitter Tyler Moore and Denard Span, reliever A.J. Ramos pitched a perfect eighth. The Marlins got to Roark for a two-out run in the first when Stanton doubled to right just beyond the reach of Werth and scored on Casey McGehees single. McGehee is hitting .434 (23 for 53) with runners in scoring position. Stanton and the Marlins struck again with two outs in the third. After Derek Dietrich was hit by a pitch, Stanton launched the first offering he saw to straightaway centre, with the ball bouncing high off a wall beyond the wall. Miami had a chance for more in the sixth when McGehee doubled with one out, but he was picked off second by Roark. NOTES: Washington 3B Ryan Zimmerman, on the DL since April 13 with a broken right thumb, was scheduled to have an X-ray on Monday and could be cleared to begin hitting and fielding grounders. ... Marlins manager Mike Redmond said 37-year-old Randy Wolf, who allowed six runs (four earned) on eight hits Sunday in his first start since 2012, will remain in the rotation and pitch Saturday against Atlanta. ... Miamis Henderson Alvarez (2-3, 3.21) opposes Blake Treinen (0-2, 1.56) Tuesday. Cheap NFL Jerseys China Cheap NFL Womens Jerseys Cheap Jerseys Discount Jerseys Cheap Jerseys China NFL Jerseys Outlet Cheap NFL Black Jerseys ' ' '