TORONTO - With the playoffs in their sights three weeks ago, the last thing the Raptors expected to be talking about, with 18 games remaining in their arduous season, is the future.

Orlando Scandrick Jersey . However, as the heart of March quickly approaches, sporting a record 14 wins south of .500, that is exactly where they find themselves; looking towards and planning for what they hope will be a more promising future. "Right now, where we are, where were going, youre probably going to see different lineups," admitted coach Dwane Casey, who has used a league-most 21 different starting lineups this season. "Were trying to find out what we have. When youre growing and trying to develop, theres different things that come into play." One of the top priorities on Caseys end-of-season to-do list will be finding more playing time for rookies Jonas Valanciunas and Terrence Ross. "Theyre going to play," he said following the teams Tuesday morning practice, "but its going to be teaching [and] coaching instead of just giving playing time." Evident from his decision to pull Valanciunas late in Sundays win over Cleveland for getting "caught up in the speed of the game", Casey still expects his rookies to earn their stripes. "Thats what we dont want to do, is develop bad habits," he continued. "Two or three mistakes, but not multiple mistakes." Both rookies exceeded 20 minutes of action in the same game Sunday for the first time since Dec. 12 and only the sixth time this season. After getting off to a slow start in that contest, they were a crucial part of the teams second-half push, combining for 19 points on 5-of-8 shooting in the third quarter. "I do see the process going forward. I get criticized for using the word process but thats what it is, a process. Im an old Kentucky boy so I dont know too many other fancy words but it is a process and the process is on the right track." Injured Forwards There were no concrete updates on the status of either Rudy Gay or Andrea Bargnani Tuesday, as the team continues to weigh their options on the best course of action with each player. Both forwards had tests done Monday after missing Sundays game, Gay with lingering back pain and Bargnani with a strained right elbow that he re-injured in Los Angeles last week. The teams doctors are still going over the results of their tests before coming to a decision regarding their availability. Rudy Gay will be a game-time decision in Boston on Wednesday while Bargnani, who did not make the trip, will not play. Praising Amir These days you dont need a special occasion to praise Amir Johnson, its just become the thing to do. Of course, if youve seen him play recently you know hes more than deserving of any local acknowledgement after flying under the radar league-wide for most of his remarkable 2012-13 season. Johnson is averaging career highs in points (10.1), rebounds (7.3), assists (1.5) and minutes (just under 28 per game) in this his eighth NBA season. "Hes just relentless," said Alan Anderson, expressing his admiration for Johnsons subtle, yet game-changing contributions. "We dont call no plays for Amir but he ends up with 20-something [points] and 12, 13 plus rebounds every game so that just goes to show what type of person [and] player he is. He just brings it every night. Every time hes out on that floor he spills it." "Hes only 25 still, I mean he looks old but hes still young," Kyle Lowry said jokingly of Johnson, who came into the league out of high school back in 2005. "Hes playing and growing into his potential." Johnson is starting to get some recognition as a dark horse in the race for this years Most Improved Player, most notably from Yahoos Adrian Wojnarowski, who recently campaigned for him over Twitter. Although All-Stars Paul George of the Pacers and Jrue Holiday of the 76ers are considered to be the favourites for the award, Johnsons work has vaulted him into the conversation. "Hes played really well," Lowry continued. "If you look at the numbers hes been pretty outstanding. Hes probably been our most consistent guy all year. Hopefully he gets more looks at that most improved [player] because hes been fantastic all year and hes gotten better." Shipping Up To Boston After dropping the first two meetings of the season, the Raptors travel to Boston for the third of four match-ups with the surging Celtics on Wednesday, 7:30pm et. The Celtics -- who are in Charlotte to face the Bobcats Tuesday -- have surprised many observers, sitting a half game out of the fifth seed in the East and winning 14 of 19 since Rajon Rondos season came to an abrupt end after tearing his ACL in January. "You expect[ed] some type of drop off but that team is just good," Lowry said. "Theyre 15 guys strong, everyones together, everyone knows what theyre going to do and they take pride in what they do." Kevin Garnett, who had a season-high of 27 points in Toronto last month, and Paul Pierce have helped pick up the slack without their All-Star point guard. "Theyre champions, theyre MVPs those two guys, theyre first ballot hall of famers, I believe," Lowry exclaimed. "They just know how to play and win games, theyve been doing it theyre whole careers." Meanwhile, the Celtics have won nine straight at home, seven of them against winning teams and havent lost to the Raptors at the TD Garden since Jan. 23, 2008, a stretch of nine meetings in Boston. "Thats a tough place to play. The Garden is special for those guys but we can go in there and win that game. If we go in there and play our type of game that were going to play and make sure we dictate the game theres always a chance we could go in there and get that win." Daryl Johnston Jersey . "Sooner or later, youve got to man up and buck up," coach Dwane Casey said after a 113-99 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Tuesday night. Emmitt Smith Jersey . Way down. The Heat are in a hole. Roy Hibbert had 19 points and 18 rebounds, George Hill scored 20 and Danny Granger 17 as the Pacers, showing more balance, toughness and togetherness than favoured Miami, throttled the malfunctioning Heat 94-75 on Thursday night in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference semifinals. http://www.shopcowboysgear.us/roger-staubach-cowboys-jersey/ . LeSean McCoy, as dogged a player as any on the Eagles, stood at his locker and asked where the team left its pride, its heart. And coach Andy Reid even tossed out "embarrassing" as the word of the day for Philadelphias 30-17 loss to Atlanta on Sunday. Chris Jones Jersey .C. Lion is disappointed quarterback Drew Tate wont be playing for the Calgary Stampeders in Sundays Western Final. Barry Church Jersey . Wilson will be able to practice and play preseason games, but should he make the Saints roster, he will sit out the teams opener against the Washington Redskins. The 24-year-old was drafted in the sixth round of the 2011 draft by the Carolina Panthers, but was released from the practice squad after getting arrested for a misdemeanor marijuana possession and speeding in November.After 26 years, 13 Premier League championships, two Champions League titles and five FA Cups, Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson is retiring from his position. With many names being rumoured to take over the job, the question is who should replace Ferguson at Manchester United? When the news broke on Wednesday that Ferguson, who took over the job at Old Trafford in 1986, would be calling it quits at the end of the season, two names immediately sprung to the front of the line as replacements. Current Everton manager David Moyes is considered the front runner to take over the reins of Manchester United after 11 years in charge at Goodison Park. The Scottish born managers best accomplishment with Everton was when he led them to an FA Cup final defeat at the hands of Chelsea in 2009. Everton are on pace to finish sixth, ahead of Merseyside rival Liverpool for the second straight season. Moyes has also been linked in the past to other top jobs in England including both Tottenham and Chelsea. It is expected that Jose Mourinho will leave Real Madrid and a widely held belief is that he would replace interim manager Rafa Benitez at Chelsea but if the United job is a possibility it would be impossible for him to turn down. His pedigree of winning is sound, as he has won a domestic league title for every team he has managed including FC Porto, Chelsea, Inter Milan and Real Madrid. Kenyon Coleman Jersey. He has also captured Champions League titles for both Porto and Inter. The problem for Mourinho is that he has never spent more than three years with any single club, finding success early before leaving to take charge of another opportunity. United could be looking for a more long-term stable option. While those two men are considered the favourites, there are other off-the-board options for United to consider. Bourussia Dortmund has been one of the worlds most impressive clubs over the past few seasons and head coach Juergen Klopp deserves a lot of the credit for their success. In the past few seasons they have captured two Bundesliga titles and are playing in this seasons Champions League Final. If Klopp is ready to make his move this could be the right time and the right fit. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, a former United player that currently is in charge of Molde in the Norwegian league, will also receive consideration. The managerial job at Manchester United is one of the most coveted in the sport and will be sought after by many man, the question is, who should be hired to replace Ferguson? As always, Its Your! Call. ' ' '