DENVER - Its been four years since the Raptors had a representative in the All-Star Game. Wholesale Air Max Uk . DeMar DeRozan, a 20-year-old rookie at the time, remembers it well. "I was here when Chris Bosh was the last guy to go," said DeRozan, now 24 in his fifth NBA season, less than two hours after receiving the news. A first-time All-Star, DeRozan got the nod Thursday evening when the NBA named the Raptors guard to the Eastern Conference squad as a reserve. "I work extremely hard every off-season to try and be the best player that I can be," he said proudly. "Just to be a part of All-Star Weekend is something you dream of. I remember being a kid watching All-Star Weekend and wishing to be a part of it. To see your dreams come true definitely means a lot." DeRozan, the fourth ever Raptor selected to the midseason showcase, which will take place in New Orleans on Feb. 16, was hardly surprised to find out his selection had been made official. He had expected it. The texts from family and friends started to come in as the Raptors plane landed in Denver, shortly after the announcement had been made live on TNT. Houston Rockets All-Star guard James Harden called to congratulate him, John Wall of the Washington Wizards, also an Eastern reserve, sent a text. The first call he made was to his fiancé and his infant daughter back in Toronto. "That was cool," he said of what had to be a special moment. Its a moment, an achievement that didnt come overnight. Hes put in the work and his growth as a player, a leader and as a man reflects that. "Hes worked at it [and] he deserves it," said Dwane Casey, who has coached DeRozan in three of his five seasons. "Every year Ive been here he has improved. He has brought something new back after every summer. Im so happy and proud of him as a young man watching him grow." DeRozan, the ninth overall pick in the 2009 NBA draft, is 11th in the league in scoring, fourth in the East, and averaging career highs in points (21.8), rebounds (4.7) and assists (3.6). The Raptors iron man has missed the clubs previous two games with an ankle injury, but hes still only missed 10 contests in his career, with two full seasons under his belt. Since the trade of Rudy Gay, DeRozan has blossomed in his new role. DeRozan has recorded five or more assists in 12 of the 43 contests hes appeared in this season. He accomplished that feat 12 times all of last year and five times total in his first three seasons combined. He has already grabbed five or more rebounds 23 times this season, something he did in 19 games during the 2012-13 campaign. "Im so happy for him, man," said snubbed teammate Kyle Lowry. "It just shows the hard work that hes put in. Its great for our team, its great for the organization, its great for the city, its great for the country." Of course, the news wasnt entirely positive. Lowry, in the middle of a career season, was left off the All-Star roster. The 27-year-old point guard - widely considered to be the most notable name missing from the East team - stood in the lobby of the Raptors Denver hotel, looking ahead to his mid-Febrary vacation. He too was not surprised by the result of the voting and if he was disappointed by it, he didnt show it. "Im alright," said Lowry, averaging career-highs in points (16.8), assists (7.6) and three-point shooting (41 per cent) this season. "Ill be on a beach somewhere hanging out. Ill watch the All-Star game and cheer for (DeRozan)." Lowry is coming off of back-to-back 30-plus point games for the first time in his eight-year career, however both performances came after the coaches submitted their ballots for All-Star reserves on Sunday. Casey has spent the better part of the last month campaigning for both of his guards, hoping to get both voted in, but expecting to only get the one. Why was Lowry left out? Politics, most likely. He and DeRozan may have split votes from coaches who were only willing to vote for one Raptor. Coaches trying to get their own guy in - unable to vote for their own players, by rule - may have thrown their votes to others, less likely to make it. Then theres Lowrys reputation for being, well, prickly on occasion. However, the numbers speak for themselves, or at least they should have. Lowry leads the East in assists in January, averaging 8.3. Hes also hit more threes this month (49) than any player in the league, shooting them at a 46 per cent clip. Hes among the league-best in assist-to-turnover ratio and he has the second highest PER (player efficiency rating) of any guard in the conference. "I am disappointed for Kyle because he is playing like an All-Star," Casey said. "He is one of the best point guards in the league right now and hopefully this doesnt deter him from his continuing his journey to being the best in the league and proving people wrong." Instead, the Nets Joe Johnson made the cut. Johnson is averaging 15.7 points, his lowest mark since 2002-03, his second season in the league. Hes only the second All-Star voted in by the coaches with a below-average PER since 2003. "Im going to keep grinding no matter what, All-Star or not," Lowry said. "Im always going to work hard and continue to be the best player I can be to help my team win." "Honestly I didnt even worry about it," he continued. "We didnt get two, doesnt matter, we got one and thats a big statement for our team. [DeRozans] going to represent our team and hes going to represent us well." DeRozan joins Johnson, Chris Bosh of the Miami Heat, Wall, the Indiana Pacers Roy Hibbert, Joakim Noah of the Chicago Bulls and the Atlanta Hawks Paul Millsap on the East squad, along with starters LeBron James and Dwyane Wade of the Heat, Indianas Paul George, Carmelo Anthony of the New York Knicks and the Cleveland Cavaliers Kyrie Irving. Cheap Authentic Air Max . -- The Golden State Warriors and Houston Rockets will forever be tied together for making the same spectacular misjudgment on budding NBA sensation Jeremy Lin. Cheap Air Max Uk Sale . Smith, who raised eyebrows at the CFL combine in March with his ability on both sides of the ball, confirmed in a statement he tested positive for the anabolic steroid Stanozolol prior to auditioning for league officials. http://www.cheapukairmax.com/ . His Brazilian opponents said he produced miracles. There is no doubt that Mexico goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa was the one responsible for spoiling Brazils hopes of another World Cup victory at its home tournament. TORONTO -- The family of a Canadian skicross racer killed two years ago at a World Cup event feels vindicated now that sport authorities no longer blame him for the tragedy and instead have made safety improvements to course design, their lawyer said Monday. Lawyer Tim Danson said the family of Nik Zoricic feels his legacy has become something positive and to be celebrated. "We were not prepared to accept that Nik was responsible for his own death," Danson told The Canadian Press. "We just wanted the truth to be acknowledged." In the immediate aftermath of his fatal crash at an event in Grindelwald, Switzerland, on March 10, 2012, ski officials angered the family and others in the skiing community by suggesting Zoricic, 29, was to blame for his death. The family responded by arguing the death was "entirely avoidable" and blasted the course finish line for being a "death trap." In a letter to his parents this month, the International Ski Federation (FIS) called Zoricic a "talented, experienced, and skilled" World Cup skier who did not take unnecessary risks. "It would therefore not be right to describe his accident as a freak accident or pilot error, the federations president and secretary general wrote. The letter further states that the federation has updated its safety guidelines and beefed up the staff and experts who help organizers construct a course and its safety measures. In skicross, several racers hurtle down a mountain at the same time, making jumps and taking curves on the way. Zoricic, who grew up in Toronto, had raced on the World Cup circuit for more than three years and was competing in his 36th event in Grindelwaldd when he was killed at the finish line of a tight three-way race. Air Max Uk. Video showed he was going as fast as 90 km/h when he veered to the right after the final jump, landing about a metre to the right of the official course line in "crud" rather than on a groomed shoulder. He snagged safety netting and tumbled into hard-packed snow, smashing his head. Among more stringent guidelines now in place is one calling for a much greater distance between the finish-line post and fencing. Hard objects, such as large mounds of packed snow, will no longer be allowed near the finish. "The fact that were making these significant changes is that there really are lessons learned from his death that will hopefully mean this kind of tragedy will never happen again," Danson said. The International Ski Federation also said it would commit $250,000 over five years to the Nik Zoricic Foundation, which aims to improve skicross safety. Neither Zoricics father Bebe, himself a veteran ski coach, nor his mother Silvia were immediately available to comment. Danson said it was a "difficult time" for them given the second anniversary of their sons death, but said they were "delighted" their son had been vindicated. At the Sochi Olympics last month, Canadian skicross racers wore denim-style ski pants as a tribute to their late teammate, who was known for wearing jeans on the mountain. Zoricic was born in Sarajevo, Bosnia-Herzegovina and moved with his father to Canada at age 5. He raced on the World Cup circuit for more than three years, placing fifth in the 2010-11 World Cup standings and eighth in the seasons world championship at Deer Valley, Utah. ' ' '