NEW YORK - In the summer of 2006 John Salmons nixed a sign-and-trade deal that would have made him a Raptor heading into the prime of his career. Zapatillas Vapormax Baratas . He was 26 years old at the time and coming off his best season in Philadelphia. But his faith had led him in a different direction, it led him to Sacramento. Over seven years later, his career has come around full circle. He starred for playoff teams in Chicago and Milwaukee, ended up back with the Kings and now, fate - in the form of a seven-player swap - has finally steered him to Toronto. The 34-year-old swingman was supposed to be a spare part in the salary dump of Rudy Gay, a contract that could be bought out at an affordable price in the offseason or moved at the deadline. He still may end up being those things but two weeks into his ironic tenure in Toronto, he has brought something no one expected him to, something the Raptors have been without for years. As head coach Dwane Casey has put it, Salmons brings "old-school toughness." "He has a settling effect when hes in the game and it helps us," Casey said of Salmons, who is averaging 6.7 points and 3.2 rebounds, playing just under 26 minutes per game in six contests with the Raptors. "He doesnt get rattled." A versatile defender, Salmons has been used to frustrate the opponents best wing player, most notably Monta Ellis and Kevin Durant in a pair of surprising road victories last week. Hes been one of the first players off Caseys bench, a facilitator in the offence down the stretch but most importantly, hes been a calming presence in the face of adversity and thats rubbing off on his new teammates. After engineering a 19-point comeback in Dallas and withstanding a run from the leagues best team in Oklahoma City, the team pointed to Salmons and his understated brand of leadership. "Im not a rah-rah guy at all," the even-keeled Salmons admitted after Sundays win over the Thunder. "But Ive been around for a long time, Ive experienced a lot so I just try to give my advice when I can." "Being in the league as long as Ive been Ive seen a lot of things and I just try to show poise on the court and lead like that." If you didnt know any better you could easily mistake Salmons unflappable persona for indifference but that, as his new coach has learned, is not the case. "Hes very quiet, [a] quiet leader," Casey said. "He does more [with] his actions than his words but hes a solid man. You engage him in conversation and he has a lot to say. People take that quietness for, whatever but he has a lot to say once you sit down and talk with him. "I like his demeanour. I like his approach. Hes an old-school pro." Its been some time since the Raptors have rostered a vet able and willing to make that type of impact on the teams younger players. You may have to go all the way back to the days of Charles Oakley, Kevin Willis, Doug Christie and the veteran-laden teams that helped turn Vince Carter into an overnight superstar. "I remember walking in [on] day two," Carter reminisced before facing the Raptors in Dallas last week. "And Oak grabbed me by the shoulder and said, hey, Im going to take care of you and show you how to be a professional and be a pro in this league. "And I think of those days and I think of coming to practice when they used to kick the ball in the stands and what do you say? Nothing, youve just got to go get it. You learn a lot from that." Salmons is not Oakley - few are - but his experience and know-how could go a long way in the continued development of sophomores Terrence Ross and Jonas Valanciunas. Then theres DeMar DeRozan, another willing student who, in his fifth NBA season has been forced to learn on the fly without the benefit of a mentor. Veteran players have come and gone - DeRozan credited Reggie Evans and Jarrett Jack - but the roster has mostly been in flux since the 24-year-old was drafted. No one has been around long enough to truly take DeRozan under their wing. Salmons may not be a long-term fixture either, but for now DeRozan is taking in what he can. "Hes played in the playoffs, hes been a leader a long time, played with a lot of great guys," DeRozan said of his new teammates. "He knows how to play the game. "Were definitely paying attention to it, Im even paying more attention to it. I always look at it like, I could always learn more and thats what were doing." Salmons is due to make $7 million next season but the Raptors will only owe him $1 million should they waive him prior to June 30. For that reason, he could become a valuable trade chip and thanks to Masai Ujiris timely acquisition of the four Kings players, he can be repackaged before the February deadline. His time in Toronto may end up being short-lived but even as a temporary player, he could have a long-lasting impact on the future of the Raptors franchise. Comprar Nike Vapormax Baratas . The Spanish champions decision not to sign a defender during the January transfer window may have backfired after Valencia took advantage of a lethargic, uninspired effort by its hosts at the Camp Nou, where former Spain coach Luis Aragones -- who previously coached the Catalan side -- was honoured after his death on Saturday. Nike Vapormax España .com) - Former New York Mets general manager Omar Minaya is joining the Major League Baseball Players Association staff as a senior advisor to executive director Tony Clark. http://www.baratasvapormax.es/ . Lost to Los Angeles in first round of playoffs.(SportsNetwork.com) - The Edmonton Oilers will try for their third straight road win as they travel to Nashville to take on the Predators in Tuesdays clash at Bridgestone Arena. The Oilers are coming off road wins versus the Buffalo Sabres and New York Rangers. This season has been a series of streaks for Edmonton. The club lost five straight (0-4-1) to begin 2014-15, then won four in a row before dropping the next four in regulation. The Oilers halted their most recent slide with Fridays 3-2 win over the Sabres and then recorded a 3-1 triumph Sunday night at Madison Square Garden. Viktor Fasth stopped 20 shots to help the Oilers down the Rangers, while Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Benoit Pouliot each posted a goal and an assist in the victory. Teddy Purcell added an empty-net goal to seal the win. Back-to-back wins is huge for us on the road trip here, said Nugent-Hopkins. The Oilers, who are 2-4-1 as the guest, can finish their current road trip over .500 with a victory tonight. Edmonton is 2-2-0 so far on the five-game swing. Nashville halted a three-game slide in the series versus the Oilers with a 4-1 triumph in Edmonton on Oct. 29. Craig Smith had two goals for the Preds, while Rinne stopped 26-of-27 shots. Edmonton has won three of the last five meetings versus the Preds in Music City. Rinne is 10-6-1 with a 2.89 goals against average in his career against Edmonton. Fasth is 4-0 with a 1.45 GAA lifetime verrsus the Preds, while Ben Scrivens, who lost the meeting on Oct. Vapormax Baratas España. 29, is 1-3-0 with a 2.78 GAA in this matchup. The Predators lead the Central Division despite not having won more than two in a row yet this season. Nashville has won three of its last four outings and recently ended a six-game road trip with consecutive victories over Dallas and St. Louis. Nashville maintained its lead atop the Central thanks to Saturdays 2-1 regulation win over the Blues. James Neal scored the winning goal with 6:28 to play as the Predators edged their division rivals at Scottrade Center. Filip Forsberg posted a goal and an assist, as did Neal, while Pekka Rinne made 28 stops for the Predators, who went 4-2-0 on the swing. Neal put the Predators ahead as Forsberg skated down the left wing and left a drop pass for Neal, who wristed it in for his eighth of the year. I just came in behind Filip and he made a good pass to drop it, said Neal. It was funny, I told him earlier that I came in behind him and he ripped one. When I came in behind him the second time, he dropped it. The Predators, who are 4-1-1 as the host, are home for just one game before visiting St. Louis again for a rematch on Thursday. Nashvilles Anton Volchenkov is available for tonights game after completing his four-game suspension for a high hit on Calgarys Michael Ferland. The veteran defenseman has two assists in 10 games this season. ' ' '