News » l, returning Dec. 8. The five-time NBA champ

TORONTO - The Toronto Raptors signed first round draft pick Bruno Caboclo to a rookie contract on Wednesday. Caboclo, an 18-year-old Brazilian forward, is under contract through the 2015-16 season, with two team option years to follow. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. The Raptors selected Caboclo with the 20th overall pick of the 2014 NBA draft. The 6-foot-9, 205-pound Caboclo was named MVP at the 2013 Basketball Without Borders Americas. He played in 16 games this past season with Pinheiros in Sao Paulo, where he contributed 4.9 points and 3.1 rebounds. In three Liga Americas games, he averaged 8.0 points shooting .714 from the field and .667 from three-point range. Caboclo and the Raptors open their preliminary round at the 2014 NBA Summer League in Las Vegas on Friday versus the Los Angeles Lakers. Cheap Adidas NHL Jerseys . -- Cincinnati Reds closer Aroldis Chapman is undergoing surgery to repair a broken bone above his left eye but has no other serious injuries after being hit in the face by a line drive in a spring training game. Cheap Hurricanes Jerseys Authentic . LOUIS -- To stay a step ahead of goaltenders, T. http://www.cheaphurricanesjerseys.com/ . -- Tony Finau won the Stonebrae Classic on Sunday for his first Web. Cheap Carolina Hurricanes Jerseys . -- Arizona coach Bruce Arians says there "were obviously very, very many problems" with the officiating in the Cardinals 24-21 loss at Philadelphia. Cheap Hurricanes Jerseys . - Mark Sanchez found out the New York Jets had acquired Tim Tebow on a conference call with team management. EL SEGUNDO, Calif. -- Immediately after the Los Angeles Lakers declared Kobe Bryant out for the season, he already was thinking about how to make sure the Lakers will be much less miserable when he returns. Bryant expressed only mild frustration Wednesday after the long-expected decision to end his 18th NBA season after just six games. The superstar guards broken bone in his left knee has kept him out since shortly before Christmas, and it still hasnt healed enough for weight-bearing exercise. With just five weeks left in their injury-ravaged season, the Lakers (22-42) elected to preserve Bryant for next year, when hell be 36. And though Bryant has barely played, he is determined to make sure the Lakers failures of this season arent repeated in 2014-15. The Lakers ruthlessly competitive scorer cant take much more of this incompetence from his 16-time NBA champion franchise. "I feel like killing everybody every time I go to the arena," Bryant said. "Im just on edge all the time. Yeah, I still feel it, probably more than anybody in the organization does. I probably feel it more, and it drives me absolutely crazy." Bryant clearly identified the Lakers top off-season priorities in his mind, and they didnt include specific free-agent additions. The fourth-leading scorer in NBA history called on the Lakers front office -- and owner Jim Buss in particular -- to set "a clear direction" for the franchises return to the top after they miss the playoffs this spring for just the second time in his career. "Youve got to start with Jim," Bryant said. "Youve got to start with Jim and Jeanie (Buss), and how that relationship plays out. It starts there, and having clear direction and clear authority. And then it goes down to the coaching staff, and whats Mike (DAntoni) going to do, what they want to do with Mike, and then it goes from there. Its got to start at the top." Phil Jacksons apparent decision to take a front-office job with the New York Knicks also drew a negative reaction from Bryant. The Lakers flirted with re-hiring the 11-time NBA champion coach early last season before unexpectedly choosing DAntoni, whose two injury-plagued teams have gone 62-74. "You know how I feel about Phil," Bryant said. "I have so much admiration for him, and respect, and have a great relationship with him. Personally, it would be hard for me to understand that happening twice. It would be tough. I dont really get it." Bryant said nothing about his relationship with DAntoni, and the coach said he hadnt spoken to Bryant about the decisioon to shut him down.dddddddddddd But Bryant said he wont be satisfied with another rebuilding year for the Lakers, even though his two-year, $48 million contract extension starting next season will absorb a large chunk of the teams upcoming salary-cap space. Most of Los Angeles roster will be free agents in the summer, and Bryant has said he wants centre Pau Gasol to return. "How can I be satisfied with it?" Bryant asked. "Were like 100 games under .500. I cant be satisfied with that at all. This is not what we stand for. This is not what we play for. A lot of times, its hard to understand that message if youre not a die-hard Laker fan. Its hard to really understand where were coming from, what were used to, what were accustomed to, which is playing for championships. Everything else is a complete failure. Thats just how it is." Exactly 11 months after tearing his Achilles, Bryant remained confident he can return in something close to top form. He plans to approach his remaining rehabilitation as "a seven-month training program," giving him ample time to rebuild strength in his left leg. "I dont want to say Ill be back at the top of my game," Bryant said. "Because everybody is going to think Im crazy, and its the old-player-not-letting-go sort of thing. But thats what its going to be." Bryant missed the first 19 games of this season after tearing his left Achilles tendon last April, returning Dec. 8. The five-time NBA champion was back in uniform for just 10 days before fracturing the top of his shinbone in Memphis. The Lakers initially thought Bryant could return shortly after six weeks of recovery, but the bone has been slow to heal. "With Kobes injury still not healed, the amount of time hed need to rehab and be ready to play, and the amount of time remaining in the season, weve simply run out of time for him to return," Lakers trainer Gary Vitti said. Los Angeles began the day in a three-way tie for last place in the Western Conference with 29 losses in its last 38 games heading into Thursdays trip to Oklahoma City. Steve Nash hasnt been formally shut down for the season, but DAntoni indicated its also unlikely the two-time MVP guard will return this season. The 40-year-old Nash, who has one year left on his contract, has played in only 10 games this season while dealing with back problems and related woes. DAntoni said Jordan Hill and Nick Young are both unlikely to play on the Lakers upcoming two-game road trip, but Gasol is probable despite skipping part of practice Wednesday. ' ' '