TSNs Jack Armstrong offers his thoughts on Dwyane Wades physical status, Jonas Valanciunas well-deserved rookie honour, the abilities of Jerry Sloan, Tony Parkers leadership and Andrew Wiggins. 1. DWYANE WADE (Heat): Im a bit concerned with what Im seeing with Wades knee condition. He looks like a guy thats playing at 60 per cent and favoring the pain. Listed as questionable for Wednesdays game vs. Bulls. I have no doubt that even without Wade they can beat the Bulls either Wednesday or in Game 6 in Miami. Without Deng, Hinrich and Rose, the Bulls look like theyve hit the wall. The key for the Heat will be having Wade feeling a bit better and being more productive in order to be able to win the eight hardest games theyll have to win this season and thats the Eastern Conference Finals and NBA Finals games. 2. JONAS VALANCIUNAS (Raptors): Second Team All-Rookie. Congrats. Well-earned and well-deserved. Hes got a long way to go but I firmly believe when you look at his draft class, hes one of the guys in the group that still has major room for growth. Hes a dedicated and passionate player. Hes going to get stronger, smarter and most importantly more skilled offensively. Hell figure out NBA defensive schemes a little better each year he plays and he has no back-down in his game. A step in the right direction for him and a deserving honor. 3. JERRY SLOAN: The Hall of Fame coach is being mentioned for jobs again this spring and good for the NBA if he comes back. Ive known coach Sloan since I spent a week at his training camp back in 1990 in Salt Lake City when I was the head coach at Niagara University. This guy is as sound in every respect of teaching the game to be played the proper way and as good a leader and man as youll find. Some smart and very lucky organization is going to be grateful they hired him. I know hes 71-years-old; so what. I think I know basketball pretty well but Ill defer to Hall of Famer, Jerry West, who knows a ton more than me. Check what he did when he was the President/GM of the Memphis Grizzlies. He hired another man I know quite well, Hubie Brown (Niagara University graduate) as his head coach at an extended age. What happened? He got the Grizzlies pointed in the right direction as an organization. NBA Coach of the Year in 2004. Its all about having the right basketball man. Sloan is outstanding. Maybe its a 2-3 year run but you will be much better off after it. If I had a choice to pick a coach (Id want a guy with a proven track record as a head coach), Id have two guys on my list: Sloan and Stan Van Gundy would be the guys Id be recruiting like crazy. These guys will turn around and fix the team you root for. They know what they want and know how to go about getting results. They set the high standards that good organizations have when they succeed. Van Gundy and I coached together in 1987-88 at Fordham University and he is excellent. He did a terrific job in both Miami and Orlando and has many years of other head coaching experience as a NCAA coach. 4. TONY PARKER (Spurs): 25 and 10 vs. Warriors Tuesday night. Your team is on the ropes a bit and you need to just take over and be the man. He did it again. He plays in a small market and sometimes goes under the radar but hes consistently one of the best in the game. His ability to make difficult shots and make others better is at an elite level. Love his change of speeds and pace as he plays. Talented but more importantly smart and crafty. 5. ANDREW WIGGINS (Kansas): Ben McLemore leaves for the NBA and an even more talented guy moves onto centre stage in Lawrence, KS. (Awesome place. Coached a game there vs. the Jayhawks in the mid-90s. If you ever get a chance, its worth your while to attend a game at Allen Fieldhouse). Good fit for him. Thrilled for the Canadian. 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United of Major League Soccer. United chose the defender in the second round of the 2013 MLS re-entry draft. NEW YORK -- The New York Islanders moved quickly at the start of NHL free agency, signing forwards Andrew Ladd and Jason Chimera but losing longtime stars Frans Nielsen and Kyle Okposo.Ladd agreed to a seven-year, $38.5 million contract Friday, and Chimera comes to New York on a two-year, $4.5 million deal.Nielsen signed for six years with Detroit. Okposo is headed to Buffalo on a seven-year contract. Matt Martin signed a four-year deal with Toronto.Ladd totaled 25 goals and 21 assists last season in 78 games for Winnipeg and Chicago. The 31-year-old left wing was dealt to the Blackhawks at the trade deadline. He had eight goals and four goals in their playoff push, and one goal and one assist in Chicagos first-round loss to St. Louis. He has 210 goals and 256 assists in 12 seasons.Though New York is losing some of its key players, Ladd believes the team is still headed in the right direction.I think any team with John Tavares on it and the goaltending and the defense that the Islanders have, theyre very close, he said. Im looking forward to the challenge of helping this team get to the next level and thats the Stanley Cup.Both Ladd and Chimera have ties to Islanders assistant coach and assistant general manager Doug Weight. As a rookie in 2005-06, Ladd played with Weight on Carolinas Stanley Cup winner. Chimera came up with Edmonton and made his NHL debut with the Oilers in 2000-01 -- Weights last season there.Ladd, who also won the Cup with Chicago in 2010, was given a tour of Long Island by the Islanders on Thursday and came away impressed.As a visiting player you dont get a great idea of what Long Island is and what there is to Long Island, he said. Obviously the new practice facility that they have now, those are all things I had never seen before. Just to see what theyre doing there was pretty cool and then seeing the surrounding areas. Its a beautiful area and a great place for a guy with the family.The 37-year-old Chimera had 20 goals and 20 assists for Presidents Trophy-winning Washington during the season and a goal and an assist in 12 playoff games. He has 163 goals and 206 assists overr 15 seasons.ddddddddddddIm pretty motivated to win, thats all I really care about, he said. I wanted to get on a team that had a chance to win and I felt the Islanders have the best shot at that.The Islanders are coming off a successful first season in Brooklyns Barclays Center after spending the franchises first 43 years at Long Islands Nassau Coliseum. They overcame injuries down the stretch to earn a playoff berth for the second straight year, and third in the past four, while reaching the 100-point mark in consecutive seasons for the first time since 1982. New York then beat Florida to win a postseason series for the first time since 1993 before losing to Tampa Bay in five games in the second round.You see the way they play every night out, Chimera said. I just like the makeup of their team. Theyre knocking on the door every year and hopefully I can get them over that hump.He also looked forward to playing with his fellow newcomer.Having his competitiveness and just what he brings to the rink every day, hes a great leader in his own right, Chimera said of Ladd. When you add a guy like that with skill and grit it makes your team that much better.Chimera said he wasnt concerned with the Islanders routine of practicing on Long Island and playing games in Brooklyn.I talked to (Islanders defenseman) Johnny Boychuk about it ... and he really had nothing bad to say, Chimera said. Youre playing hockey for a living so its not the worst thing in the world to have different scenarios. ... Whatever setup you have in the NHL is pretty damn good.The Islanders also re-signed forward Shane Prince, acquired at the trade deadline, to a two-year deal.The first day of free agency also marked the first day of the Islanders new ownership structure, with Jon Ledecky and Scott Malkin taking over the majority stake in the team under a deal agreed to in 2014. Charles Wang, who bought the team in 2000, retains a minority stake.---Follow Vin Cherwoo on Twitter at www.twitter.com/VinCherwooAP ' ' '
