The Montreal Impact have acquired

[jin shuiqian]

(SportsNetwork.com) - One of the so-called contenders in the West is off to a shaky start. Lets take a closer look at that team along with a few others who have stumbled out of the block. LOS ANGELES CLIPPERS I dont have a good feeling about this team, which I think has looked even worse than a 5-4 record would indicate. For a club with championship aspirations and a very bad taste in its mouth from last years tough playoff exit, I wouldve thought wed see the Clippers play with a lot more intensity and urgency. The two areas where effort really matters-defense and rebounding-is where weve seen Doc Rivers team come up short. Despite the fact that DeAndre Jordan is leading the league in rebounding at 12.4 per game, the Clippers have been the worst rebounding team along with the Miami Heat, pulling down 37.4 per game. Thats nearly six rebounds less than what they averaged last season. The Clippers defense is also nowhere near where it needs to be as they rank 21st in points allowed, giving up 102.7 per game, and opponents are shooting 46.5 percent from the field and 36.5 percent from downtown. All these numbers aside, it just looks like they dont have enough talent to be serious title contenders. I believe the combination of Chris Paul and Blake Griffin isnt strong enough to put the Clippers in contention, and I also think the supporting cast isnt on par with the elite teams in the league, especially with Darren Collison departing via free agency. DETROIT PISTONS The Pistons were one of the biggest disappointments last season with a 23-59 record, and new leadership hasnt made much of difference so far this year. Stan Van Gundy was hired as the coach and team president with the hope that he would change the franchises culture, but with little change to the roster it seems the players are more of a problem than the coach. The front line of Andre Drummond, Greg Monroe and Josh Smith is continuing to have problems playing together, with Smith struggling more than he did last season as hes averaging 13.6 points and shooting just 36.8 percent from the field, while Drummonds play has dropped off considerably to start the season. The third-year center has been horrible offensively and has hurt the team on the defensive end too. Drummond was second in the NBA in field goal percentage last season at 62.3 percent, but is shooting only 41.4 percent this season. The Pistons are scoring just 93 points per game after averaging 101 last season, and Drummonds drop in scoring from 13.5 to 8.7 points per game is a big reason for the fall off. The 21-year olds recent struggles led to a conversation with Van Gundy last Thursday, and they both decided that his offensive game should take a back seat for now. Stan and I got a chance to sit down this morning and we all know the offense hasnt really come around for me at this start of the season yet, and its really been frustrating for me, Drummond said. So Stan and me really just talked and we just decided to go out and get on the rebounds, because Im one of the best rebounders in the league. So I decided to really just focus on the defensive end today and let the offense come to me. And speaking of the defensive end, hes got to be a lot smarter there. Drummonds constant foul problems have kept him off the floor way too much. Hes averaging 4.3 fouls per game and has fouled out twice. In last Saturdays 95-88 lost at Memphis, Drummond was limited to 20 minutes due to foul trouble, and his absence allowed Zach Randolph helped dominate in the paint with 17 points and 22 rebounds, including 13 offensive rebounds. Beyond the struggles of Drummond and Smith is the big question if they and Monroe can thrive playing together. It looks more and more like the answer is no. BROOKLYN NETS The Nets have stumbled to a 4-6 start and are lacking the crisp ball movement we saw last season when they played a smaller lineup following Brook Lopezs season-ending foot injury. Brooklyns four wins have come against opponents who are currently all under .500 (Pistons, Thunder, Knicks, Magic) while theyve also lost games to the Celtics and Timberwolves. As for Lopez, his return has seen its ups and downs, and he doesnt feel totally comfortable yet. I think getting back in the game has been a slower process than I thought, Lopez said after scoring 21 points in Saturdays loss in Portland. Im slowly trying to chip away at it, and just get out there and play. If the Nets hope to be at least as good as they were last season, Lopez will have to stay healthy and play near an All-Star level, because Brooklyn lost a lot of firepower and some depth with the departure of Paul Pierce, Shaun Livingston, Andray Blatche and Marcus Thornton. DENVER NUGGETS The Nuggets 3-7 start is due in part to the major struggles of Danilo Gallinari and Nate Robinson, both of whom are trying to rebound from major injuries. Gallinari, who tore the ACL in his left knee in April 2013 and missed all of last season, looks nothing like the player we saw prior to the injury. There is a tentativeness in his movement and he seems to lack confidence in his game. I used to go to the paint and have a couple of dunks, said Gallinari after losing to his former team, the New York Knicks on Sunday. Im not doing that right now. The 6-foot-10 forward, who was the center piece of the deal that brought Carmelo Anthony to New York, is averaging 6.2 points in just under 17 minutes, and his shooting touch has disappeared as hes connected on just 26.8 percent of his shots. Robinson, meanwhile, is also making his way back from a torn ACL which he suffered last January and has also had to deal with a hamstring injury that occurred on November 7 in a loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers. The former slam dunk champ hasnt been the usual spark plug off the bench yet, as hes playing limited minutes (13.9 per game) and also struggling with his shot, hitting 38.1 percent from the field. With the competition in the Western Conference being so tough, the Nuggets will need bigger contributions from Gallinari and Robinson a lot sooner than later if they dont want to fall out of the playoff picture way too early. <a href="http://www.cheapmarlinsjerseys.com/">Cheap MLB Jerseys Authentic</a>. Listen to the Raptors vs. Jazz live tonight on TSN Radio 1050 at 9pm et/6pm pt. The Raptors are 1-1 so far on the five-game junket after defeating Denver and losing to Portland. <a href="http://www.cheapmarlinsjerseys.com/">Cheap Miami Marlins Jerseys</a>. This was one of them. Omar Infante homered and tied a career high with six RBIs to carry the Kansas City Royals over the Baltimore Orioles 9-3 on Sunday. <a href="http://www.cheapmarlinsjerseys.com/">http://www.cheapmarlinsjerseys.com/</a>.S. international midfielder Michael Bradley is complete. <a href="http://www.cheapmarlinsjerseys.com/?tag=cheap-jose-fernandez-jersey">Jose Fernandez Jersey</a>. Mission accomplished. Now the Royals will take the field on Saturday with a World Series lead for the first time in team history when they play Game 4 of the Fall Classic against the Giants at AT&T Park. <a href="http://www.cheapmarlinsjerseys.com/">Wholesale Marlins Jerseys</a>. But its also a smart game. Theres more to the Kings than banging bodies. They take a toll mentally on their opponents.(SportsNetwork.com) - Toronto left-hander Mark Buehrle eyes just his second win in 15 starts on Friday when the Toronto Blue Jays open a three-game set with the New York Yankees at Rogers Centre. That may be easier said than done, though, as Buehrle is a miserable 1-12 in his career against the Yankees and 0-10 with a 7.34 ERA and .337 opponents batting average over 15 starts since April 20, 2004. Buehrle has struggled against just about everyone lately, though, and is 1-7 with a 4.74 ERA since beating Kansas City on June 1. He didnt get a decision on Saturday versus Tampa Bay and surrendered three runs and eight hits in 6 1/3 frames of his teams 5-4 win. He is 11-8 on the year with a 3.41 ERA. This could be his last start as a member of the Blue Jays. It has been reported that Buehrle has been placed on revocable waivers and the pitching- starved Los Angeles Angels apparently have some interest. However, he is owed $15 million next season. Toronto avoided a three-game sweep at the hands on the Boston Red Sox on Thursday, as it managed a 5-2 win. The Blue Jays, though, are 9 1/2 games behind the Baltimore Orioles in thhe American League East and 5 1/2 back of the second wild card spot.dddddddddddd "Yeah, were up against a big headwind, but yeah, you have to stay optimistic," said manager John Gibbons. "Why wouldnt you? What, are you going to quit?" The Jays could gain some ground this weekend on the Yanks, who are 2 1/2 games in front of them. New York lost in heartbreaking fashion on Thursday, as Alex Avila drove a first-pitch slider off the right-field wall in the bottom of the ninth inning to give the Detroit Tigers a 3-2 win. "I heard him hit the wall and I heard the ball hit the wall," Yankees manager Joe Girardi said. "The bottom line is it was a hit and we lost." Still and all, the loss was just the second in the last eight games for the Yankees. Now, they turn to veteran Chris Capuano, who is 0-2 with a 4.21 ERA with the Yankees. He faced the Blue Jays in his first start with New York on July 26, taking a no-decision after allowing two runs in six innings. Capuano is 1-3 overall on the year with a 4.37 ERA. New York is 7-5 against the Blue Jays this season. <a href="http://www.chinawholesalejerseysnfl.com/">Wholesale Jerseys</a> ' ' '