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TORONTO - Its been almost a full year since Raptors forward Landry Fields underwent surgery to correct a debilitating and somewhat enigmatic injury to his right elbow; an injury that nearly turned him against the game that he loves. For Fields, the road to recovery has been a long and arduous journey, one that continues to this day as the 25-year-old prepares for his fourth NBA season and second with the Raptors. This summer was a time of reflection, a time of change in his life, both personally and professionally. Returning to play in 46 games following ulnar nerve surgery early last season, Fields battled through the aftermath of his injury, a hitch in his shot and the resulting toll it took on his confidence. He had targeted the offseason as a time of reconciliation, a time to reconstruct the shooting mechanics that had been betraying him. It turned out to be more trying than he could have anticipated. "There was a point where I was so frustrated, my dark days basketball-wise," Fields told TSN.ca in an exclusive conversation Tuesday evening. "Even in the summer there was a lot of ups and downs," he admitted. "Its just a continual process really. In my mind I thought I [would have] surgery and boom, Id be back to normal, but clearly [that] isnt the case." First and foremost, as Fields pointed out, the nerve still needed to heal and strengthen. Trying to avoid that temptation to put the cart ahead of the horse was his biggest challenge, as he juggled on-court work with the natural healing process that had to occur first. In an attempt to work around the injury and play through it last year, Fields developed some bad habits including what he called a "weird motion" in his shot. He recalled the "down periods" this summer, when he would be in the gym working tirelessly to hone in on his mechanics as he would lose the strength in his shooting elbow. The injury has forced Fields to reinvent his shot and his game while calling a few unexpected audibles along the way. He even tried to do something that is mostly unheard of at the NBA level, change shooting hands mid-career. "At that point I was like, its early in the summertime what if I just start working with my left [hand for] a couple months and see how far I can go," he said of the short-lived experiment. "It didnt really work as I excepted it. Im right handed, so I got off of that and stayed faithful to the process and what the doctors were saying." Fields was a 39 per cent three-point shooter as a rookie with the Knicks back in 2010-11, a year in which he attempted 219 triples. Last year he made just two of 14 attempts from long range. "In my mind I just wasnt playing with a full deck of cards," Fields said of his first season in Toronto. "I want[ed] to shoot it but I understood that my strength and my sensation and the sensory skills in my right hand arent nearly what they need to be so I cant really feel when Im going up for a shot." "Its almost like Im shooting a ghost ball or something," he joked. "So when thats going on, yeah youre confidence kind of dwindles. Youre like, I cant shoot right now, not because I dont want to but I literally cant. Its physical." Still not 100 per cent, Fields says he can "finally see a light at the end of the tunnel" and is ready to get back to work. Most importantly, he insists the confidence issues that plagued him last year are forever in the past. "You can tell his confidence is at a much higher level," teammate Aaron Gray said of Fields after the first couple days of camp. "He had to deal with so much last year that I hope no player has to do. Just finding your rhythm and your balance between life and basketball, its huge." Finding serenity in his private life, with a marriage and the birth of his first child, has allowed him to find that balance and put basketball in perspective. Although Steve Novak and Austin Daye will compete with Fields for minutes behind Rudy Gay and DeMar DeRozan at the wing positions, the presence of accomplished shooters could take the pressure off the Stanford grad. "I told him, dont even worry about his shot," said Raptors coach Dwane Casey. "Hes been working his butt off on his shot, his shot has improved but Im not even concerned about that because he brings so many other things to the table." "I think the weight of the world is off his shoulder," he continued. "Hopefully him knowing that we dont need his shooting to give us a chance to win, that takes some [pressure off]." Instead, Fields will be asked to contribute in other areas of the game, areas he has excelled at in the past, making for what should be a natural transition into his new role. At 6-7 Fields is a skilled defender that Casey has used in man coverage on the likes of LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony. He can handle the ball, move without it and rebound as well as anyone at his position. This will be an important season for Fields as he continues to work his way back from an injury that, at least temporarily, changed the way he approached his job. "Im just trying to go out there and really try to have fun again," he said with a smile on his face. "I think last year with the injury it took away that fun aspect for me of basketball and you never want to go to work and not have fun." "I would still work hard but [when] you dont see the kind of results that youre putting the time in to get, it really starts to play with you. So this year Im not [going] to worry about any of that, just [going to] try to go out there and play for my teammates, play for the city and really have fun with it all." Portugal Jerseys . 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The All-Star power forward was all right afterward, a relief for the Minnesota Timberwolves.With the 2014 CFL Draft set to take place Tuesday in Toronto, CFL on TSN analyst Duane Forde breaks down the top prospects. Today, he looks at running backs and linebackers. RUNNING BACKS 1) Anthony Coombs (RB, Manitoba) You Should Know: His coming out party was a 14-carry, 147-yard game against the United States Under-19 National Team as a member of the World Team in the 2012 International Bowl.The Good: He has averaged at least seven yards per carry in each of his four CIS seasons and that average improved every year, leaving him with a career average of 7.5 yards/carry.The Bad: Durability may be a concern, as he has missed time with minor injuries each of the last three seasons. 2) Pascal Lochard (RB, Laval) The Good: This versatile 60”, 215 lbs. back rushed for 184 yards – three yards shy of his career high – en route to earning MVP honours in the 2013 Vanier Cup. The Bad: Its not a knock on his ability or potential but, with the very crowded Laval backfield, he has rarely played more than half of the offensive snaps in a game. 3) Alexandre Dupuis (FB, Montreal) The Good: He battled back from surgeries on both knees in 2012 to become an RSEQ All-Star last season.The Bad: No one will question his toughness or work ethic but he might be a little limited athletically. 4) Robert Farquharson (RB, Guelph) The Good: Over the last two CIS seasons, his average of 112.9 rushing yards per game ranks first among Class of 2014 running backs, just ahead of Coombs (112.7).The Bad: A hamstring injury suffered during training camp limited him to only four regular season games in 2013. 5) Aaron Milton (RB, Toronto) The Good: He “plays faster” than he tests, and, considering that his 63”, 215 lbs. frame has room to carry more weight, he could eventually contribute as a fullback.The Bad: Hes coming off a shoulder injury that has left him a little behind in terms of upper body strength. Other Contenders: Guillaume Bourassa (Laval) – career high 66 carries, 402 rushing yards in 2013; 4.71 40-yard dash at CFL Combine was 2nd fastest among RBs behind Coombs Jordan Botel (Mount Allsion) – 2013 AUS nominee for Hec Crighton Trophy; has averaged 102.3 rushing yards/game over the last two seasons; played FB for CJFLs Vancouver Island Raiders in 2008-09, blocking for current B.C. Lion Andrew Harris Mackenzie Sarro (Calgary) – 64”, 245 lbs.; tied fellow FB Dupuis with 23 bench press reps at CFL Combine; had only one carry, seven receptions in two years with the Dinos Also On The Radar (alphabetically): Connor Anderson (York), Jeremy Andrew (Saskatchewan), Jean-Christophe Beaulieu (Sherbrooke); Errol Brooks (York); Zack Clarke (Acadia), Zack Davis (York), Sean Murphy (McGill), Raul Thompson (Concordia); Kurt Tonowski (Saint Marys); C.J. Zsoldos (Waterloo / London Beefeaters) LINEBACKERS 1) Casey Chin (Simon Fraser) You Should Know: He was a four-year starter and three-time Great Northwest Athletic Conference All-Star during his career with the Clan.The Good: He increased his tackle totals significantly each season, capping his career with an average of nearly 12 per game as a senior.The Bad: Listed at 510”, hes not physically imposing. 2) Max Caron (Concordia) The Good: He won the Presidents Trophy as the Top Defensive Player in CIS football as a sophomore and possesses a very high football IQ.The Bad: His physical upside may be limited, as hell turn 25 this summer. 3) Jesse Briggs (McGill) The Good: Ranked among the top LBs in all testing categories at the CFL Combine, with his 4.57 40 being the key to boosting his stock.The Bad: Hes not seen as a particularly physical player, and his on-field productivity hasnt necessarily matched his athletic ability. 4) Beau Landry (Westtern) The Good: He offers versatility, having been named a First Team All-Canadian as a defensive halfback in 2011 and again as a linebacker in 2013.ddddddddddddThe Bad: At the next level, he may find himself as a “tweener”, not possessing the speed of top defensive backs or the size of most linebackers. 5) Travis Bent (Concordia) The Good: Physical and aggressive, he had his best season in 2012, leading the Stingers with 61.5 tackles.The Bad: As highly touted as his teammate Caron when they entered the Stingers program in 2010, he hasnt yet reached that potential. Other Contenders: Christopher Johnson (Toronto) – 510”, 220 lbs.; compares well physically and athletically to drafts top LBs Sam Sabourin – was among the drafts elite prospects until he chose to retire due to concussion concerns; three-time All-Canadian could still be a late selection Thomas Miles (Manitoba) – second on Bisons with 39 tackles in 2013; also long snaps Also On The Radar (alphabetically): Aram Eisho (McMaster); Cody Kezama (Regina); Matt Lalande (Saint Marys); Pier-Yves Lavergne (Montreal); Eric Noivo (Concordia); Stephen Osman (McGill); Omar Smith-Jackson (Bishops); Richard Zacharias (Saskatchewan) Analysis: Ill discuss these two position groups together, as there are a number of similarities in terms of how theyre evaluated for the draft. While Jon Cornish, Andrew Harris, Shea Emry, and Henoc Muamba are household names for CFL fans, the reality is that the vast majority of the leagues non-import running backs and linebackers are depth guys, who will play far more snaps on special teams every week than they will on offence or defence. Since its difficult for teams to justify using first round picks for players who arent projected to play regularly on offence or defence, you generally dont see a lot of RBs and LBs selected in Round 1. In fact, in the last ten years, there has only been one draft in which the first round included more than one player from either of these two groups (Keep in mind that while Mike Edem, Shomari Williams, and Justin Phillips may have been listed as LBs, they were all drafted to play another position). In 2005, Akron LB Cam Yeow went second overall, McMaster RB Jesse Lumsden was chosen sixth, and Kentucky fullback Alexis Bwenge was the eighth overall selection. A significant factor leading to that anomaly was that the Class of 2005 was strong at neither offensive line nor receiver, the usual “marquee Canadian positions”. Coincidentally, a similar dynamic exists in this years draft class, which should open the door for the top running back and linebacker prospects to be among the first nine picks.At running back, the obvious choice is Coombs. In his eight Canada West games last season, the Winnipeg native rushed for 100+ yards four times and had 100+ receiving yards three times. The CFL Combine revealed both his willingness to pass block and his ability to compete as a receiver. All things considered, he is the best non-lineman in this draft class. On my board, Chin also ranks among the top three non-linemen available and projects as a potential future starter. Last season, the Simon Fraser product racked up 119 tackles in 10 games (11.9/game) to lead the Great Northwest Athletic Conference. Four years ago, another 510” linebacker finished second in the GNAC with 96 tackles in 11 games (8.7/game). That player was current B.C. Lions star Adam Bighill, whose 196 tackles over the last two CFL seasons equals Montreals Chip Cox for the most in the league during that span. Granted, the number of tackles made can be a misleading statistic but, given his range and productivity, Chin should be given every opportunity to contribute on defence as well as special teams. Cheap NFL Black Jerseys Wholesale NFL Jerseys Wholesale NFL Hoodies Cheap NFL Autographed Jerseys Jerseys From China Wholesale Jerseys 2020 Wholesale Jerseys Free Shipping ' ' '