TORONTO - Although DeMar DeRozan is starting to see light at the end of the tunnel, he and the Raptors have decided it best to delay his imminent return to the lineup until next week. Cleared by team doctors after undergoing tests on his injured groin on Tuesday, DeRozan - who has missed Torontos last 18 games - says he is fully healed and pain-free but doesnt want to rush the process. The Raptors had hoped to have their all-star guard back in uniform as early as Thursday, when they host the Charlotte Hornets, but theyve opted to err on the side of caution, getting DeRozan in a few more practices and building his conditioning up following a six-week absence. At first I was [hoping to play Thursday], DeRozan admitted after going through his third practice since the injury on Wednesday morning. I owe that to [my teammates], not to just jump back in the game. I want to get a couple more practices in over these next couple days and then make a comeback. I was hoping, fingers crossed, toes crossed, Raptors coach Dwane Casey said. Realistically, I knew that if there was a question or if there was a little doubt, we were going to be patient and not rush him back. Selfishly, from a coachs [perspective], I wanted him to come back [Thursday]. Its the right thing to do. I totally understand. Im on board with it. I agree with it. The team hasnt officially ruled DeRozan out for Saturdays game at home to Boston but a return sometime next week appears more likely. The Raptors guard is hoping to get in an additional three-to-four practices before suiting up again. If thats the case, we could see him back for Wednesdays tilt with Philadelphia or Fridays contest against Atlanta. He looks good in practice, Casey continued. But just for his safety and his future health and his career, were going to be prudent just to make sure we go at the right pace, bring him back at the right time. And its the right thing to do. All of the doctors are saying it. I know it is killing him, because hes champing at the bit. Ive seen so many players have the same injury. You think youre back. But if those fibres have not grown back and matured in the right way, the littlest torque could pull it out and then hes out for the rest of the year. We want to be smart. Next man up. Its been a long month and change for DeRozan, a player that had missed just 10 games due to injury over his first five years in the league. Learning to cope with and recover from the first health-related setback of his playing career hasnt been easy on the 25-year-old, but he is relieved to be nearing the end of his forced time off. Its tough for me because I never really had a major injury, he said. Just dealing with it, having to start all over, being patient every single day, working on it, having to heal, going through the pain and really having to get my rhythm back, its definitely been tough. But its a new challenge for me. I think Ive grown mentally more when it comes to basketball than I may have if I wasnt hurt. So I take pros and cons from it. DeRozan has been trying to stay busy. Traveling with the team and often rehabbing on the court before games and after practices, the Raptors guard has also been sitting in on the coaches meetings. He has watched the teams varying results, mostly from behind the scenes - hes said that sitting on the bench makes him anxious. The Raptors are 11-7 without DeRozan but 10 of those wins have come against inferior competition - theyre 1-6 when facing winning teams over that span. I think its bigger than me, he said. Besides the last couple games the team lost, theyve been playing well. They have their rhythm and like I said, I dont just want to hop back out there. Theres a lot of new plays they put in that I still got to get down pat - plays for [Terrence Ross], plays for Kyle [Lowry] and everything. So I want to make sure I get all that down pat before I come back so there wont be [any] learning on the [fly]. During that time, Lowry has put the team on his shoulders, running many of the plays that are generally called for DeRozan, as the primary option on offence. Hes been amazing, man, honestly, DeRozan said of Lowry. I cant even say words that can explain how hes been playing. He definitely took the team on his back. Its definitely been amazing. Hes run every single one of my plays since Ive been out, he joked. It kinda [makes] me happy, but I tell em one thing yall cant do is get to the free throw line like me. (The Raptors are averaging nearly seven fewer free throw attempts per game without DeRozan) It was around this time last year that DeRozan became a first-time all-star and he believes Lowry is well on his way to doing the same this season. He insisted they both would have made the team if not for his injury, but isnt stressing his own status, instead hes focused on getting healthy and reaching that level once again. I cant really worry about that because if I dont get this injury right I might never be able to make an all-star team again, he said. So, [the] All-Star Game [is] here [in Toronto] next year, if were doing well I dont see why we [dont] have three people from the team in the All-Star Game. I was an all-star last year. I watch the game now, they say Toronto Raptors missing their all-star, so Ill always have the title no matter what. John Franklin-Myers Jersey . -- Adrian Peterson takes a look around the league and sees big money flying everywhere. Los Angeles Rams Jerseys .com) - Fair Grounds commences its road to the Kentucky Derby Saturday with the 71st running of the $200,000 Lecomte Stakes. http://www.laramsfansshop.com/c-9-customized.aspx. Bayern led second-place Leverkusen by 10 points with a game in hand, while Dortmund was another four points off the pace. Freiburg midfielder Felix Klaus scored in the last minute as his side twice came from behind to climb provisionally out of the relegation zone. Joseph Noteboom Jersey . Kripps, of Summerland, B.C., and Edmontons Barnett used a terrific second run to move up two spots, putting the Canadian duo in medal contention with the final two runs set for Monday (11:15 a.m. ET, streaming live at cbc. Ndamukong Suh Jersey .com) - Devan Dubnyk stopped all 30 shots fired his way and made several big saves down the stretch for his third shutout of the season as the Minnesota Wild beat the Calgary Flames 1-0 on Tuesday.ALLEN PARK, Mich. - NFL coaches always seem keenly aware of the worst-case scenario, so it was no surprise when Detroits Jim Schwartz brushed off any talk of his teams position in the standings. The Lions won at Chicago on Sunday to take over sole possession of first place in the NFC North. With a favourable-looking schedule and generally good health, Detroit has a chance to win its first division title since the 1993 season — but theres still a lot of football to be played. "Weve got six wins," Schwartz said Monday. "Thats not going to be enough." For now, its more than any other team in the division. Detroit (6-3) held on for a 21-19 win to complete its first regular-season sweep of the Bears since 2007. Chicago and Green Bay are a game behind the Lions, and the Packers are dealing with injuries to quarterback Aaron Rodgers and backup Seneca Wallace. When asked about the possibility of hosting a playoff game or earning a first-round bye, Schwartz was having none of that discussion. "Good try," he said. "Weve got way too far to go to start talking about stuff like that. ... I know its exciting for fans of our team and people around the league and things like that, but honestly I think you get sidetracked by starting to get ahead of yourself as a team. We want to guard against that." This is the latest in the season the Lions have been in sole possession of first place since they led the NFC Central after Week 10 in 1999, according to STATS. Detroit was 6-3 at that point, too, then stumbled down the stretch, barely making the playoffs as a wild card at 8-8. The fine line between winning and losing was obvious Sunday. Detroit allowed a touchdown with 40 seconds left, then stopped a pair of 2-point conversion attempts. Chicago got two chances because of a penalty on the first one. Toward the end of the second quarter, the Bears came away with no points after driving all the way to the 4-yard line. Jay Cutlers pass was tipped by Ndamukong Suh and intercepted by DeAndre Levy in the end zone. "It was a great win, no question about it, but youve got to make it count," quarterback Matthew Stafford said.dddddddddddd. "We have to make this one count later down the road and it starts next week. We have a new opponent that we dont play every week and that team is dangerous." The Lions play at Pittsburgh next weekend. Detroit made a few mistakes against the Bears that could have been costly. Stafford had an interception returned deep into Lions territory in the fourth quarter, but Chicago had to settle for a field goal. The Bears twice appeared to have reached the end zone, but the first touchdown was called back for holding and the second was turned into an incomplete pass by a replay review. When the Bears drove for their final touchdown to pull within two, they were helped by an unnecessary roughness call on Detroit defensive lineman Nick Fairley — but Fairley came back with a sack on the next play. "Its a long season to get through. Theres a lot of things that youve got to persevere through," Schwartz said. "Praise — and success — is one of those things. Quite honestly, thats something that in the past we havent done a good job of." The Lions made the playoffs two seasons ago, then collapsed last year en route to a 4-12 record. Theyve put themselves in position to take another big step forward over the next few weeks. Only one of the remaining seven games on Detroits schedule — the Thanksgiving matchup with Green Bay — is against a team that currently has a winning record. So the Lions are in an unfamiliar position: Theyve played well, caught a few breaks — and now their biggest concern may be how well they handle success. "Being successful in this league is dealing with adversity and bouncing back, but its increasingly becoming part of the scope of the NFL to deal with praise and to deal with the accolades and things like that," Schwartz said. "It makes it difficult to stay level headed. 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