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TORONTO -- When basketballs best young players were in Brooklyn, N.Y., waiting to hear their name called in the NBA draft Thursday night, Bruno Caboclo was in a taxi. Caboclo had been training just outside Houston, and he and his personal advisor Eduardo Resende had hopped in a cab when somebody from Brazil tweeted "Oh my god, Bruno at 20." "The taxi driver didnt understand what was going on, we were screaming back there. It was crazy," said Resende. "He was jumping out of the roof (figuratively), he was very excited. Its a dream come true for a young Brazilian player that only can see (the NBA) on TV, and then all of a sudden hes part of it." The 18-year-old Caboclo was a virtual unknown when he became the Raptors surprise 20th pick in Thursday nights draft -- a selection that general manager Masai Ujiri admitted was an "outright gamble." Ujiri had another player in mind for the 20th pick, and had planned to take the Brazilian at No. 37, but when he lost out on the first player, he wasnt taking any chances on Caboclo. The young Brazilian arrived in Toronto on Friday night -- and upon finding out he had the practice gym at the Air Canada Centre at his disposal, headed there at 11 p.m. to shoot. The Raptors staff put him through his first official workout Saturday morning. He then met with a curious Toronto media contingent that numbered in double digits, an immediate measure of how much his life has changed in two days. "His Twitter two days ago had 19 followers (hes now at over 5,000)," said Resende, who also acting as Caboclos translator in Toronto -- the youngster speaks only a few words of English. "You become like a public person. The biggest change for him is this (press) conference here. I dont think he would ever imagine he would be here one day." Caboclo grew up Pirapora do Bom Jesus, a tiny town outside of Sao Paolo. He comes from a "difficult family, financially," according to Resende. "Even at his age he support his family." Ujiri wouldnt reveal much about Caboclos upbringing except "He grew up tough. I dont want to say too much about his family, and some of the things we know. He grew up in a not-so-great environment. Basketball was his love." He has two sisters, aged 22 and 26, who play volleyball. He played soccer as a child, but said he was only "so-so" at it, and switched to basketball at age 13, when he was already five foot 10. Within a year, he could dunk the ball. The Raptors had tracked Caboclo since he was named most valuable player of the Basketball Without Borders tournament last summer, first sending a team of scouts to watch the six-foot-nine player with the eye-popping seven-foot-six wingspan. "We felt like he was somebody we needed to follow. Our scouts did a phenomenal job of going and seeing him and gathering information," Ujiri said after presenting Caboclo with his jersey. The Raptors GM took some heat after Thursdays selection, from fans and the media, but shrugged it off Saturday morning. "Honestly I dont do it for reactions of anybody. I dont care. Were in a business where I cant react to anything, I just have to do my job, and you hope the best comes out of it," Ujiri said. "Is it a gamble? Yes. But do we remember who the 20th picks of the last 10 drafts are?" Ujiri sat courtside at the ACC as Caboclo practised. Resende helped translate the instructions. He dunked the ball with ease, shot well from long range, and was fluid as he moved around the court despite his long limbs. "We thought from the little information we have, hes young, hes long, hes tall, hes skinny, he likes to play basketball, hes got a little bit of skill, he can shoot a little bit, maybe theres something we can mould there," Ujiri said. Ujiri expects Caboclo to be a solid defender because of his length. "He moves his feet pretty good, hes got a touch, he likes to shoot it, so if he can be a two-way player where he can shoot the ball a little bit and he can defend. . . We picked him because we feel theres some good upside there, it will take time, and were ready to be patient for him," Ujiri said. "Hes a great kid, but loves basketball, he wants to be in the gym every second, which is what you want in an 18-year-old." Caboclo said he tries to model his game after his idol and Oklahoma City Thunder star Kevin Durant. He feels they have the same body type. Caboclos strength is among the things hell need to work on during what should be a tough rookie season, between being so far from home, having to learn English, and adapting to the NBA. The Raptors will immediately implement a couple of measures to help him adjust -- a weight training program and his own English teacher, Ujiri said. Hell also fly to Los Angeles on Sunday to work with new teammates DeMar DeRozan, Terrence Ross, Amir Johnson, and fellow rookie DeAndre Daniels, taken 37th overall Thursday night. Caboclo will play with the Raptors in the summer league, plus Ujiri expects him to spend some time next season down in the D-League. Resende said the young player knows the road ahead wont be all smooth sailing. "Last night he came to my room and he said Its a great responsibility," Resende said. Because getting there is one thing, now the real work is going to begin now." Cheap Cal Ripken Jersey . Robert Griffin III, the No. 2 pick in the 2012 draft, set numerous rookie records and was picked AP Offensive Rookie of the Year for the Washington Redskins. Wholesale Orioles Jerseys . When the Dallas Mavericks needed to stop a Golden State rally in the fourth quarter, they looked for defensive help from the rookie point guard playing in just his sixth game. http://www.cheaporiolesjerseys.com/. The team sent out a press release on Friday stating Poile was resting and recovering and that he will remain in hospital for further observation. The Predators were preparing for the game against the Wild when Poile was hit by a puck that flew off the ice at him where he was standing in a tunnel behind the bench. Cheap Frank Robinson Jersey . First, the Red Wings scored the tying goal after officials missed the puck hitting the protective netting, then the Kings wound up losing in a shootout. That could affect playoff positioning in the Eastern and Western Conferences, and thats a concern for everyone. Cheap MLB Jerseys . Its other five picks were all six foot or better, with three at 6-1 or above. Third-round pick Brett Lernout stands six foot four and weighs 206 pounds.PORT CHARLOTTE, Fla. -- Brett Lawrie hit his first homer of the spring and the Toronto Blue Jays held AL East rival Tampa Bay Rays to just three hits in a 5-0 victory Friday. Erik Bedard, in his final bid to earn the Rays fifth rotation spot, struggled through 5 2-3 innings. He gave up four runs over 94 pitches, walking one and striking out four. Bedard is in a three-way competition with LHP Cesar Ramos and RHP Jake Odorizzi. Manager Joe Maddon said the decision on the fifth starter will come Saturday morning. "The other guys Im competing with are really good, (so) Im sure its a hard decision to make," Bedard said. "Theyre probably going to crunch some numbers and go with their gut feeling, and well see. When you dont have a guaranteed deal, you have to compete." Bedard signed a minor league deal with the Rays in February. As recently as March 18, he said he would opt out of his contract if he doesnt make the starting rotation, but he appeared to relax his position Friday. "Competition is always fun, but I guess everyone is ready to know," Bedard said. "I feel good, and maybe the numbers dont show, but they show for Ramos, who had a very good spring. Well have to see because I dont make the decision." Bedard has a 6.88 ERA over 17 innings with 13 strikeouts and two walks, while Odorizzi has a 3.75 ERA over 12 innings with eight strikeouts and six walks. Ramos has the best numbers of the competition: a 2.63 ERA over 13 1-2 innings with 11 strikeouts and a walk. "Its not easy," Maddon said. "Theyve all represented themselves extremely really well. We just got to try and figure out how this thing fits and whos going to give us the best chance to win coming out of the gate." STARTING TIME Rays: Opening-day starter David Price threw 106 pitches in a simulated game vs. minor league hitters Friday morning. Price pitched into the eighth inning and said he didnt reach a three-ball count until the last hitter in the seventh. "Curveball was extremely sharp -- it was a good day," Price said. "It was essentially a game, minus an anthem, walkout songs and umpires. Guys were out there trying to get on base and steal.ddddddddddddIt was good." Jays: Aaron Sanchez, the teams 21-year-old top pitching prospect who hasnt been above Class A, looked sharp in his first start of the spring Friday, throwing 5 1-3 scoreless innings, while giving up just three hits, walking three and striking out two over 69 pitches. Sanchez has a perfect 0.00 ERA over 12 1-3 innings of this spring, but will probably be sent to Double-A New Hampshire. "I wont be disappointed if thats what happens," Sanchez said. "Ill go there and keep working to get better." NAVARRO BACK IN AL EAST When the Blue Jays signed journeyman catcher Dioner Navarro to a two-year, $8 million deal in December, they put faith in the former Tampa Bay Rays All-Star would be able to catch more than a 100 games, something he hasnt done since 2009. "Im 100 per cent sure I can play all season," he said. "Physically, mentally and spiritually feel ready and they obviously have faith that I can, too." Navarro will be seeing familiar faces back in the AL East, and for Maddon, thats a good and bad thing. "He helped us become the Rays," Maddon said. "As a young player, he was very calm through some stressful situations and threw out some good baserunners in some big moments. I like him. Ive always like him and really happy its worked out well for him, though not liking that hes in our division now against us." Last season, Navarro started 89 games for the Chicago Cubs, hitting 13 homers with a .300 average. He knows coming back to the AL East will be a challenge. "Everyone always talks about the (AL) East -- always have, so its no different (to be back)," Navarro said. "You have to have your A game every day." TRAINERS ROOM Rays: Juan Carlos Oviedo said he wont be ready by opening day because of his visa issues getting into the country. Oviedo said hes feeling good and expects to pitch Sunday vs. Boston in Fort Myers. . Matt Joyce received more treatment for his stiff neck, and Maddon said he was uncertain about when he will return to the lineup. . Jose Molina has not played in the previous two games, but Maddon says its not injury related. 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