Hamiltons 2012 collision with Hulkenberg to claim the victory. Hamilt

TORONTO - After auditioning roughly 60 prospects, including nine Canadians, in 11 sessions spanning over nine workout days this spring, the Toronto Raptors are putting the finishing touches on their wish list heading into Thursdays NBA Draft. For most of the last week, Masai Ujiri and his scouting staff have been mulling over 10 targets they anticipate will be available with the 20th overall pick, their first of three selections, hoping to narrow that list down to five by Tuesday. With three days to go, does he have someone in mind? "Hes around like the back here," said the former scout, gesturing to the back of his head just before the Raptors concluded their final pre-draft workout Monday afternoon. "But he hasnt made it to the front yet. Hes working his way." No, Ujiri wont tip his hand, not with so many variables at play. Fourteen teams occupy the 19 slots that precede the Raptors and will determine who is available to them. They have a list of about 13 players that are expected to be off the board by the time Toronto is on the clock. The pick will be Ujiris first as Torontos primary decision maker - the Raptors did not have a selection in last years draft - and should immediately put his keen eye for talent to the test. Since Ujiri took control of the Raptors, a franchise that has mostly been accustomed to selecting in the lottery, he has emphasized the importance of drafting well regardless of where youre situated in both the first and second rounds. For only the third time in franchise history, and first in 12 years, the Raptors are positioned outside the top 19 in the drafts opening round. Although its not an advantageous spot to find cant miss, NBA-ready talent, history has shown it can be done. In 2000, with the 20th overall pick - the teams lowest ever first-round selection - they found one of their best and most reliable contributors in long-time Raptor Morris Peterson. In 2011, then with the Nuggets, Ujiri used the 22nd pick to snag emerging forward Kenneth Faried. As Ujiri knows, the key is preparation aided by a little bit of luck and the subsequent development that is required to turn a late first-round pick into an impact player at the games highest level. "Its a huge bonus," Ujiri said of finding a diamond in the rough on draft night. "You look at the programs that have done well in the NBA, they just strike with picks like that. Its takes constant study, and really knowing players, believing in players and a system." "I think a big thing is you kind of have to be realistic on the expectations of the players," added Dan Tolzman, Torontos director of scouting, who was also a member of Ujiris front office staff in Denver. "I think everyone wants to find those diamonds and the guys that will be all-stars and MVPs and this and that but those guys are pretty hard to find outside of the lottery and the top-five even." "So I think the idea is if you can find guys at 20 or 37 or wherever that have careers," he continued, "that are eight-year players and theyre role players on your team and theyre doing good things to help you win, thats a successful draft pick. You might get lucky and hit a guy thats going to be a big time contributor and hes pushing for all-stars and that kind of thing, but thats not really what youre looking for when youre outside of the top-five or the top-10." Over the last four weeks, the Raptors brass have seen around a dozen players that figure to be selected in the latter half of the first round, or early in the second. According to team sources, there are roughly five prospects of interest that were either unable or unwilling to come in for a workout. While the workouts are not the be all and end all - the team has scouted them all in live action - they can go a long way in getting the coaching staff and trainers on board with a potential pick. Should a player fall to them unexpectedly, Ujiri will keep his options open and hasnt ruled out the possibility of trading up, if the price is right. Still, the focus is on making their make at 20. "Those trades and talks, people dont understand," said the Raptors GM. "We talk about like maybe 100 trades and then two happen. Thats the nature of our business. We will be aggressive but our energy is focused on 20, rather than wasting our time on [something else]." In addition to their first-round pick, the Raptors also own a pair of second rounders, 37 and 59 - the second to last pick in the draft. Regardless of whether or not theyre able to address their needs in the draft, Ujiri has prioritized his offseason to-do list. "We need a big wing at the three position," he said. "We [also] need some kind of shot blocking big. We have good, skilled bigs, we have a shooting big, we have a big down low, but we want to figure out how we can protect the rim a little bit. That may come now, it may come later but its something we know we need on our roster. So those two positions look like something we need." His top priority has not changed. "Were going full force after Kyle Lowry," Ujiri said, speaking of the teams coveted free agent point guard. "And if theres a talented point guard in the draft we know that its going to be tough to come and contribute to where our team is off the bat, but well go for talent in the draft. But Kyle Lowry is our target and well try to get that done." In just over a week, the Raptors - and other teams for that matter - can begin negotiating with Lowry, unable to officially sign him or announce a deal until the moratorium period ends on July 10. Until then the focus will be on the draft, one of the most chaotic events on the basketball calendar and an invaluable opportunity to add young talent, provided youre well prepared for it. The Raptors have done their homework. "I was walking into the conference room where our guys were meeting and I was like okay, no news that will throw me off right now," Ujiri joked. "Because you know its going to keep coming. There will be something tonight and something else tomorrow morning. Thats just the nature of the draft. I heard something yesterday that threw us off a little bit. But it will keep coming and coming and coming until that last minute. Thats the joy of it, I mean you love it. Thats why we do it. There is always action. As long as we come out on top, then were fine." Evan Fournier Jersey . -- Damian Lillard couldnt believe when he got a clear look at the rim. Penny Hardaway Jersey . -- Canadas Milos Raonic defeated Edouard Roger-Vasselin of France on Saturday to advance to the third round of the BNP Paribas Open. http://www.magicauthentic.com/kids-aaron-gordon-magic-jersey/ . Raonic, the mens No. 8 seed from Thornhill, Ont., needed more than three hours to overcome Frenchman Gilles Simon 4-6, 6-3, 2-6, 6-2, 7-5 and become the first Canadian man into the fourth round at Roland Garros. Terrence Ross Jersey .J. -- Having Ondrej Pavelec earn his 100th NHL win and seeing Mark Scheifele and Evander Kane break goal droughts were nice highlights for the Winnipeg Jets. Justin Jackson Jersey . The goals took Liverpools tally in the Premier League this season to 70, overtaking Manchester City as the top scorers, and left the fourth-place team just four points behind league leader Chelsea.If Lewis Hamilton is to take his title fight with Nico Rosberg down to the wire then one long-running sequence must almost certainly end this weekend - the reigning F1 champions mysterious Brazilian Grand Prix victory jinx. Nine times Hamilton has raced at atmospheric Interlagos, the track forever associated with his hero Ayrton Senna, and nine times he has failed to win.Two second places and one third are the best results for a driver who has otherwise cantered up F1s all-time winners list over the last few seasons. What Rosberg needs to be champion in BrazilIts not that Hamilton has been completely starved of success in Brazil - after all, what will probably remain the most dramatic moment of his career occurred there in 2008 when he clinched his first world title in a dramatic final corner of the season.But he still only crossed the line on that famous day in fifth place. The podiums top step has remained elusive. Hamiltons Interlagos recordThe notion of a sportsperson or team being jinxed at a particular venue or competition is common - just ask fans of Major League Baseballs Chicago Cubs before last weekend - but invariably hard to definitively explain.Thats certainly the case where Hamilton and the Brazilian GP are concerned.Of the races that have been ever-present on the calendar since Hamiltons F1 debut in 2007, Brazil is the only one the 51-time GP victor hasnt triumphed at - despite his team-mates winning on three occasions. Lewis Hamilton in Brazil Year Qualified Finished 2007 2nd 7th 2008 4th 5th 2009 17th 3rd 2010 4th 4th 2011 4th Retired (gearbox) 2012 Pole Retired (collision) 2013 5th 9th 2014 2nd 2nd 2015 2nd 2nd Incredibly, he has led only 26 laps in total - less than half the circuits race distance.Be it mistakes or unreliability, drama has certainly never been far away for Hamilton at Interlagos.Hamiltons baptism in 2007 certainly fell into this category. Aiming to become F1s first rookie world champion, he qualified second ahead of his two title rivals but then got overambitious on the first lap, dropping to eighth, before his recovery was scuppered by a brief-but-disastrous gearbox glitch. A year later and what appeared McLarens cautious management of Hamiltons weekend - he only needed to finish fifth to become champion - seemed to affect the driver and in the end his dramatic final-lap pass on Timo Glock meant a hardly-vintage race performance was completely forgotten in the title euphoria.He drove far better a year later to finish third from a rain-affected 17th on the grid.It wasnt until 2012, and his final race for McLaren, that Hamilton even led a lap at Interlagos but hopes of signing off from Woking with a flourish were scuppered when Nico Hulkenberg dropped his Force India into the side of the Britons car at the first corner in a botched overtake in the wet. Nico Hulkenberg slides into Lewis Hamilton while he was leading the 2012 Brazilian GP ending the then-McLaren driver’s race. Mercedes rise to power means Hamiltons two best chances to end his Interlagos drought have come in the last two years, yet it has been Rosberg who has beaten him to victory. 2014 probably represents the one that got away when a charging Hamilton was on course to jump his team-mate through the pit stops but spun on his in-lap at the end of the backstraight.Shaded by team-matesUnusually, Hamilton has been outperformed by his team-mates in F1 at Interlagos more often than hes outperformed them.In addition to Rosbergs back-to-back wins in 2014 and 2015 at Mercedes, Jenson Button cashed in on Hamiltons 2012 collision with Hulkenberg to claim the victory. Hamilton versus team-mates in Brazil Lewis Hamilton Head-to-head Team-mates 0 Wins 3 3 Podiums 5 1 Pole positions 2 4 Qualified ahead 5 3 Ahead in two-car race finish 4 Hamilton has also been out-qualified five times out of nine at Interlagos, with his sole pole coming in 2012.ddddddddddddIn fact, he has yet to beat Rosberg on either Saturday or Sunday on this circuit in their three previous years as team-mates. Not that there has been much in it, mind you - less than a tenth of a second decided their 2014 and 2015 pole duels in the Germans favour. What does Lewis say?In the now perennial pre-Brazil question to him, Hamilton was asked at the Mexican GP if there was any particular reason why victory at Interlagos had eluded him.Not particularly, he replied. In McLaren I probably had one year [2012] where I could have won it and I was taken out by Hulkenberg.Then last year, and the year before, Nico was exceptionally quick. I think last year I was very close, I qualified second by 0.07s or something like that, I lost out in the gearshift up the hill. So who knows, third time lucky maybe? Which races has Lewis not won? Grand Prix Attempts Best finish Brazilian GP 9 2nd (x2) European GP 7 2nd (x3) Korean GP* 4 2nd (x2) Indian GP* 3 4th French GP* 2 3rd *no longer on calendar If Hamilton wins this weekend, it certainly wouldnt be the first time it has taken a multiple world champion a long time to crack Brazil - Senna took eight attempts to win his home race, albeit at two different tracks.Its that connection to Senna, and the desire to emulate his boyhood idols F1 achievements, that has sometimes been cited as a potential extra source of pressure on Hamilton in Brazil. Ahead of last years race, the Briton said a first victory at Interlagos would act as a salute from him to the late three-time world champion.The race to the 2016 titleMaybe it is too emotional for him, suggested F1 filmmaker Mario Muth on this weeks F1 Report. You could see when he won three championships he kind of had to search for new motivation because he got Ayrtons record. Maybe Brazil is too much Ayrton for him.Maybe, but probably increasingly unlikely for a driver who has already joined his hero in the pantheon of the sports most successful drivers. Where has Lewis won most often? Race wins Grand Prix 5 Hungary, Canada, USA 4 China, Great Britain 3 Italy, Japan, Germany 2 Abu Dhabi, Australia, Bahrain, Belgium, Monaco, Russia, Singapore 1 Malaysia, Spain, Turkey, Austria, Mexico Time to end the drought?If Hamilton could choose a moment to finally crack the Brazilian GP then it would surely be this weekend.Needing a victory to make sure his title defence remains alive all the way to the Abu Dhabi season finale in two weeks, the 31-year-olds task at Interlagos has never been clearer.Ive never won in Brazil, so I go into this weekend focused on changing that, he declared before departing for Sao Paulo.For many reasons then, a 52nd career win on Sunday would probably never taste sweeter.Can Nico Rosberg clinch the title at Interlagos? Watch the Brazilian GP live on Sky Sports F1 on Sunday, the race begins at 4pm; Watch the whole race weekend with a NOW TV week pass - £10.99, no contract Also See: How the title can be won in Brazil Whens the Brazilian GP on Sky? Hamiltons lifestyle is working The race to the 2016 F1 title Cheap Buffalo Sabres Gear Wholesale Calgary Flames Jerseys Cheap Adidas Colorado Avalanche Jerseys Montreal Canadiens Outlet Store Wholesale New Jersey Devils Jerseys Adidas Arizona Coyotes Jerseys Cheap Adidas Boston Bruins Jerseys Cheap Adidas Carolina Hurricanes Jerseys Chicago Blackhawks Shop Free Shipping Wholesale Columbus Blue Jackets Jerseys Dallas Stars Shop Free Shipping Cheap Adidas Detroit Red Wings Jerseys Anaheim Ducks Jerseys China Wholesale Edmonton Oilers Jerseys Florida Panthers Shop Free Shipping Wholesale Los Angeles Kings Jerseys Minnesota Wild Outlet Store Cheap Adidas Nashville Predators Jerseys Cheap Adidas New York Islanders Jerseys New York Rangers Winter Classic Jerseys Cheap Adidas Ottawa Senators Jerseys Cheap Adidas Philadelphia Flyers Jerseys Wholesale Pittsburgh Penguins Jerseys Cheap Adidas San Jose Sharks Jerseys St. Louis Blues Winter Classic Jerseys Wholesale Tampa Bay Lightning Jerseys Toronto Maple Leafs Outlet Store Vancouver Canucks Outlet Store Cheap Adidas Vegas Golden Knights Jerseys Cheap Adidas Washington Capitals Jerseys Cheap Adidas Winnipeg Jets Jerseys ' ' '