with concussions." Saltalamacchia batted only .177 in May, dropping his

TORONTO - Raptors forward Steve Novak doesnt exactly blend into the crowd these days. Brett Cecil Jersey . In support of prostate cancer and the Movember campaign, Novak has been wearing his contribution to the cause on his face. "Everyone who sees me, theyre not sure [whether] to take me seriously," Novak joked prior to Fridays win over Washington, his moustache 22-days-old. A few weeks into his eighth NBA season, Novak is still getting comfortable with a new team but his presence is hard to ignore, on the court and off of it. Acquired from the Knicks in the Andrea Bargnani trade this summer, Novak is one of the most dangerous offensive specialists in the game, something the Raptors are finding out more and more as the 30-year-old works his way back from a series of early-season injuries. Since the start of the 2011-12 campaign, Novak has hit 286 threes - 16th most in the NBA over that span - and his 44 per cent clip from long range is ranked fourth. After sitting out most of training camp nursing a sore thumb and missing six of the first nine games with a bad back, Novaks playing time has increased steadily in each of the last four contests. So too has his impact. Without even touching the ball, the mere presence of Novak on the floor changes the complexion of Torontos offence. Uncharacteristically, the veteran sharpshooter has knocked down just four of his 17 three-point attempts but his true impact - playing 34 minutes in the last two games, both wins - cannot be measured using a box score. "He creates instant spacing," Dwane Casey said on Thursday. "He really made a big impact, opened up the floor," the Raptors coach continued. "Teams in the league respect his ability to shoot the ball. Whether he makes the shot or not he is a threat." As the Raptors offence continues to evolve, Novak will become more valuable to the teams second unit. In back-to-back victories this week, the Raptors have benefited from better spacing, improved ball movement and timely outside shooting. At least some of that is an indirect result of having Novak on the court, where he is a plus-19 - the third best plus/minus on the team - in 61 minutes. The Novak-Terrence Ross pairing has been especially intriguing with their ability to stretch the floor. The two have shared the court for 30 minutes over the last couple games and Ross, a beneficiary of the attention Novak receives, has thrived. The sophomore has averaged 14.0 points in those games, shooting 11-of-18 from the field including 4-of-8 from three-point range. Three-point shooting has long been an area of weakness for Toronto. Through 13 games, the Raptors rank 19th in the NBA shooting 34 per cent from long distance. They havent finished in the top half of the league in three-point percentage since the 2009-10 season, the last year Chris Bosh was in Toronto preoccupying opposing defences. "Hes one of the best three-point shooters in the league," Casey said of Novak. "Now that hes healthy we want to make sure we utilize that." Casey and the Raptors are still learning how to utilize Novak as a weapon off the bench, maximizing his strengths offensively while masking his defensive shortcomings. Novaks return to the lineup has forced Caseys hand defensively, where theyve had to be more creative. Although they used their zone defence sparingly Wednesday in Philadelphia, as the Raptors coach pointed out the following day, they leaned on it heavily with Novak on the floor Friday. It helped them regain the lead in the fourth quarter after being outscored by 17 in the third. "We have to do some special things for Steve and the whole league knows that," Casey admitted after the win over Washington. "We had to mix it up, our man [defence] wasnt working. We had to go to something else and it had to be our zone." The Raptors are prepared for opposing teams to go at Novak, looking to exploit the veteran one-on-one. "Teams look to attack him," Casey knows, "which sometimes we invite." For Novak, this is nothing new. Hes made a career out of it, or at least in spite of it. "I think that statistically Ive proven that Ive never been a liability [on defence]," said Novak. "If theres going to be a one-on-one defence contest Ill probably lose and Ill be the first to admit that but as long as I have my teammates out there I know Ill be fine." For his career, Novak has a defensive rating (an estimate of points allowed per 100 possessions) of 110, inferior to the league average but not the worst mark on the team. DeMar DeRozan has a rating of 111 through four NBA seasons. "Honestly, defensively basketballs a team game," Novak emphasized. "I think the good teams know that when you get out of your offence and go individual and [start] going at guys it usually hurts them more than it helps them." "So to be honest I think its a good thing for us if they start picking who theyre going to throw the ball to and not running offence. I think it probably works to our advantage." Utilizing Novak to his fullest may take time to master. Its a give and take, as the Knicks learned during his mostly productive two-year tenure in New York. If hes deployed in situations that allow his unique and specific skill set to flourish he can become a lethal weapon off the Raptors bench. "Its my eighth year so I must be doing something right," he said with a smile. Stan Musial Cardinals Jersey .J. -- The New York Jets have promoted Tony Sparano Jr. Ted Simmons Jersey .C. -- Cam Newton wasnt flawless on Sunday. https://www.cheapcardinalsonline.com/ . -- James Harden scored 31 points, including 25 in the second half, and the Houston Rockets dug out of a double-digit, first-half hole to beat the Orlando Magic 101-89 on Wednesday night.MIAMI -- Right-hander Bryan Morris was traded by the Pittsburgh Pirates to the Miami Marlins, who gave up the 39th overall pick in Thursdays draft. Miami also placed catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia on the seven-day concussion list Sunday and recalled catcher J.T. Realmuto from Double-A Jacksonville. Saltalamacchia was hurt when he took a foul tip off his face mask in Saturdays game against Atlanta. Morris will join the Marlins on Monday and is expected to give their struggling bullpen a boost. Through Saturday, Miamis relievers ranked 21st in the majors with an ERA of 3.96, while the starters ranked 10th with an ERA of 3.70. "Weve had some issues in the bullpen, and we just wanted to make it deeper," president of baseball operations Mike Hill said. Morris is 4-0 with a 3.80 ERA in 21 ggames this year, and he has a career ERA of 3. Red Schoendienst Cardinals Jersey. 46 in 81 games. He was a first-round draft pick by the Dodgers in 2006. "Weve seen a lot of him," Hill said. "He was a first-round pick out of high school -- a power arm up to 97, and a power curveball behind that." The Marlins traded away their third pick in the draft. They still have six of the first 107 picks. Realmuto, a third-round pick in 2010, batted .301 with five homers and 31 RBIs for Jacksonville. "We want to try to get him in a couple of games," manager Mike Redmond said. "Were hoping that Salty is just a short-term deal, but you never know with concussions." Saltalamacchia batted only .177 in May, dropping his average for the season to .237, and he has committed eight errors. ' ' '