TORONTO - Dwight Buycks is not your typical NBA rookie. The lone first-year player on Torontos roster, Buycks has taken a different path than most of the leagues rookies, one that should afford him a greater appreciation of this opportunity he has chased so relentlessly. Buycks comes to the Raptors following an MVP season in the French league, a worthwhile detour for him after spending the year prior in the NBA development league and going undrafted in 2011. "My dream has always been to play in the NBA," said the 24-year-old guard after practice Tuesday. "So that was the route I had to take at the time and it wasnt a problem for me to take it." Choosing to go play overseas was a difficult decision for the former Marquette Golden Eagle and Milwaukee native. He had heard both pros and cons about making the move - an increasingly popular option for players on the cusp of the NBA - but knew it was the best way for him to get back on the radar. "Its always been something that was talked about," he remembered, "so when the time came [there] wasnt too much to think about." Still a young man, his basketball career had hit several unexpected roadblocks but his willingness to fight through them and adapt to his new surroundings allowed him to excel. "It definitely was a great year, my first full season overseas," said Buycks, who averaged 18.0 points, 3.2 rebounds and 2.9 assists with Gravelines of the French Pro A league in 2012-13. "I got over there and we connected real good, the team, the players, the coaches, they put a lot of trust in me with the basketball and to lead them to win games." Many young players, and recently some veterans at the end of their celebrated careers, have headed overseas looking for an easy paycheque and a fast track path (back) to the NBA. Generally, it doesnt take long for those players to realize the experience, the brand of basketball and the culture change is far more than they bargained for. Buycks, on the other hand, committed himself to it, which allowed him to reap the benefits. "It definitely is a grind to go over there for that long a time," he admitted, specifically citing the food and general way of living being different from what he was used to. "When I went over there I made the choice to not go home. "I wanted to stay there the whole time, so for our little Christmas break I decided to stay there and not go home because I didnt want to get comfortable with being home and then have to go right back. So that was definitely a tough decision for me to make but I think it paid off." Buycks turned enough heads to score an invite to the Orlando Summer League with Oklahoma City, where he continued his strong play and ultimately received a guaranteed contract offer from Masai Ujiri and the Raptors. Averaging 7.0 points and 2.8 assists in four preseason games with Toronto, Buycks has been the recipient of significant praise from his new head coach. "He played well in Summer League, hes played well in training camp and hes done a decent job in the exhibition games," Dwane Casey said of Buycks. "[Hes made] typical rookie mistakes but I dont know if there are any guards [taken] in the late first or second round [in this years draft] that are as good as Dwight." "For us it was a steal," he continued. "It was a good eye for his talent because he has speed and quickness you cant teach." Not surprisingly his work ethic has caught Caseys eye and his commitment to defence - something hes familiar with having played in a hard-nosed defensive system with Marquette - has helped him fit right in. With Kyle Lowry locked in as the starter, Buycks is competing with the more experienced D.J. Augustin for playing time as the back-up point guard. Both players bring different strengths to the table meaning, at least for now, this battle has all the makings of a platoon. "Its going to be a fluid back-up situation," Casey has stated, dependent on match-ups and who has the hot hand. Buycks would appear to be the underdog in this scenario given Augustins experience and past success but underestimate the reigning French league MVP at your own risk. Hes been overlooked before. "It wouldnt be a problem whatever my role is for the team," he said. "Im just trying to help the team win games anyway I can. Whether thats playing or not playing Im going to help these guys off the court when Im not in the game." Preseason schedule, a double-edged sword After playing four exhibition games last week the Raptors have just one on the schedule for this week, a Wednesday affair with Kelly Olynyk and the Boston Celtics at the Air Canada Centre. You can hear it live on TSN 1050 Radio at 7pm et. For Casey and the coaching staff this is both a blessing and a curse, as the team will get the additional practice time theyve desired but have a limited opportunity to implement their work in-game. "Its a double-edged sword," Casey said. "So were going to spend our time on the practice floor working on our timing, defensive rotations and all those things but then too we want to see those things executed in the game. Youd like to have it where it wasnt so spread out but it is what it is." Just about halfway through training camp, the team has reached a juncture where maintaining focus is one of the biggest challenges with everyone looking ahead to the regular season. "Today I had to ramp them up a couple times but thats normal NBA training camp," Casey said after practice Tuesday. "But the good teams, the teams that are serious about winning maintain that focus, that edge." "Youve got to take advantage of preseason to get out all the kinks, all the rustiness, all the things youve been working on in training camp," DeMar DeRozan acknowledged, having been though this process four times before, going into his fifth year. "For a player like me, Im ready to play now, but were just going to use these last couple games to get ready." Athletics Jerseys 2020 . Claude Noel will be the man behind the bench when the team hits the ice of the MTS Centre to begin its inaugural season. Oakland Athletics Shirts . Not that Durant cared. The only streak he cares about is still intact. https://www.cheapathleticsonline.com/. -- Canadian freestyle skier Roz Groenewoud isnt letting surgery to both of her knees deter her expectations for the Sochi Olympics. Oakland Athletics Store . Raonic, the No. 8 seed from Thornhill, Ont., fired 11 aces and did not have a double-fault as he comfortably advanced to the third round at the Masters Series event. Chris Bassitt Jersey . Perhaps as important, shes sending a message to 17-year-old gold medal favourite Sara Takanashi of Japan. Iraschko-Stolz relegated Takanashi, who has 10 World Cup victories this season, to second place in two of three training jumps Saturday.SAINT-ETIENNE, France -- Because of dopings ravages on cycling, its natural for suspicion to fall on Vincenzo Nibali, who led the Tour de France on Thursday for a 10th time in 12 stages. But Nibali says the sport has changed, doping cases have become rare, and "this theme belongs to the past." The Italian has had a praiseworthy, almost unbreakable lock on the yellow jersey, yet he will be looking over his shoulder more on Friday. The great race enters two days in the Alps that feature uphill finishes, starting with the hardest climb that the peloton has faced so far. Off the roads, Nibali said he expected questions about doping, a scourge of much of the last generation, for whom performance-enhancers such as blood-booster EPO or human growth hormone, and methods like blood-doping were common. Many cycling experts say the sport has greatly cleaned up its act. On Thursday, the Sky team, which has won the last two Tours, sacked British cyclist Jonathan Tiernan-Locke after he was banned for an irregular biological passport. He was not a Tour rider, but few would say the Tour peloton was totally clean. Dopings shadow remains at the Tour, among team staffers, and even a rider or two. Nibalis team, Astana, was kicked out of the 2007 Tour after its star rider Alexandre Vinokourov tested positive for banned blood transfusions. He served his ban, returned to racing, and won gold at the London Olympics. Vinokourov is now Astanas general manager. Rider Michele Scarponi who, like Nibali, won the Giro dItalia and was racing in this Tour, was given a three-month ban in 2012 for seeing banned physician Michele Ferrari, a longtime adviser of Lance Armstrong. Nibali says Astana has changed. "Ive chosen Astana for the possibility to build a group that I can trust to bring me at a competitive level for important races like the Giro, the Tour and the (Spanish) Vuelta," he said. "There have been many mistakes in cycling in the past, by many riders, but they belong to the past," Nibali said. "We now have a biological passport, out-of-compettition controls, controls at home .dddddddddddd. "Nobody can say that cycling hasnt changed. Nowadays, there is an isolated case. Theres always the possibility that an idiot does something stupid ..." Nibali, a native of Messina, Sicily, nicknamed the "Shark of the Strait" after the Strait of Messina, is trying to become only the sixth rider in history to win all three Grand Tours of France, Italy and Spain. He would also be the first Italian to win the Tour since Marco Pantani in 1998. The late Pantani was convicted in Italy of doping offences during his career. Giuseppe Martinelli, a cycling guru who worked with Pantani for years before they fell out, is an Astana manager. "Thanks to him," Nibali said of Martinelli through a translator, "I became closer to the Astana team that has invested a lot in an Italian group in order to regain credibility." To succeed Pantani, Nibali is keeping an eye out on other race contenders: Richie Porte of Australia trails by 2 minutes, 23 seconds, and Alejandro Valverde of Spain was third, 2:47 back. The mostly flat 185.5-kilometre (115.5-mile) course from Bourg-en-Bresse to Saint-Etienne in southeastern France was well suited for a possible sprint finish and thats how it was won by Alexander Kristoff, a Norwegian specialist with Katusha. American rider Andrew Talansky pulled out before the stage due to back pain from two previous crashes. A day earlier, the Garmin-Sharp leader rode for hours and finished last. Stage 13 will put riders legs under the most strain yet. The 197.5-kilometre (123-mile) trek begins in Saint-Etienne and will crescendo: It first covers a mid-sized climb and the Category 1 Palaquit pass, and finally an 18-kilometre (12-mile) ascent to Chamrousse -- one of cyclings hardest climbs. "Im sure our rivals will try to attack but on the other hand, if I can gain some seconds, Ill go for it," the race leader said. "Ill have to evaluate the strength of my adversaries and consider every race situation." The race has 10 more days. ' ' '