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EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- Victor Cruz is back a lot sooner than anyone expected.After missing all of last season and being limited to six games over the past two, the New York Giants receiver was a full-go as the team held its first practice at training camp Friday under new coach Ben McAdoo.With the Giants indoors because of overnight rain, the workout looked more like a slow-speed organized team activity.Cruz didnt seem to care. He participated in every drill. He caught passes. He worked at recovering fumbles, knocking off some of the rust. The nearby Paterson product didnt show any signs of being limited either by his knee or the calf injury that plagued him last year.I was just happy to be out there with the guys, said the 29-year-old Cruz.The next step will be doing it in practice and then games.Cruz is confident that he can. He also believes he can return to being a big-threat playmaker, like he was in 2011, 12 and 13 before the injuries set in.I think as these days progress and as these days go on, thats the plan. Thats the goal, to be myself, Cruz said. If I am not where I once was, there is no reason to be out here. I feel like I want to go back and be at that same pedigree, and thats what I worked hard all season for.McAdoo said Cruz will be monitored during training camp, and there will be adjustment to his workload if needed.He got some good individual work in and was sharp on his assignments. He looked good, McAdoo said, adding that Cruz will work with both the first- and second-team offensive units.Cruz acknowleged there has been some anxiety in recent days. He felt a lot of eyes looking in his direction on Thursday as the team went through conditioning drills after reporting. He woke up early Friday, just to get to the facility.Cruz guessed that he will need only one play to really know that he is back. Hell catch a ball in practice and make something happen.Right now me just being out here, running around and being in the same receiver line as everybody else, thats the first sign of being back, Cruz said.The second sign will be to show consistency, to make those sharp cuts and prove it out on the field. He has no intention of holding back over health concerns.Getting back on the same page with quarterback Eli Manning should not be a problem.Eli and I have been together long enough, Cruz said. We understand how to play the game and how he wants it done. Im pretty coachable, so we can go back and forth.Manning said Cruz know McAdoos offense.We just got to get him back to making plays, making catches, Manning said. Its different when youre catching balls from a JUGS machine, rather than in here you got one-on-one, you got to run a route, you got to make a tight catch. We just got to get him back to making football plays again.Cruz knows there are people who doubt that he will be able to make a comeback after being out so long.As much as people say they dont read those comments, I skim them a bit, Cruz said. I dont let it affect me as much, but I skim them just to gauge what people are saying.And you can bet, he intends to prove them wrong.---AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and www.twitter.com/AP-NFL Custom New York Islanders Jerseys . Laudrup revealed Thursday he was notified of his dismissal in "the briefest of letters which gave no reasons why such hasty and final action was deemed necessary. 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"The Sabres called for permission and I appreciate that, Im flattered, Dudley told TSN Hockey Insider Pierre LeBrun of ESPN. Oscar Robertsons 1961-62 season lives in basketball lore as the lone year in NBA history for a player to average a triple-double. The question of whether well ever see another player average a triple-double is akin to hitting .400 in baseball -- although that feat has been accomplished 28 times -- so the feat actually proves even more elusive.Robertson surely benefited from a distinctly different style of play in that era, as NBA teams averaged far more possessions and thus significantly more statistical opportunities in the early 1960s. For some context, in the 1961-62 season, NBA teams averaged 63 percent more rebounds and 15 percent more points per game than last years team rates.This gap in opportunity rates is what makes Russell Westbrooks 18 triple-doubles last season so wholly impressive, as it marked the most such statistical efforts in a season since Magic Johnsons MVP run in 1988-89. However arbitrary earning a triple-double might appear, the idea is that meeting this threshold demands amazing statistical diversity from a single player. No other player in the current NBA offers such a robust statistical skill set as Westbrook, which is why hes the next theoretical candidate to join Robertsons historic accomplishment.Westbrook should unequivocally be the top pick in fantasy drafts for the upcoming season -- an argument well advocate for throughout this piece.In addition to rocking the most daring fashion choices in the league, or even all of professional sports, Westbrook is a unique statistical force on the court. In the sections below, we detail the supremely rare combination of floor and ceiling Westbrook claims for the upcoming campaign.UsageAs fantasy mangers, we are looking for the coveted combination of opportunity and talent. In this portion, we canvas just how rich Westbrooks opportunity for production proves.We causally refer to usage rate in the modern lexicon of the league, but for clarity, its the estimate of the percentage of team plays consumed by a player while on the court. Its essentially a measure of how often a player participates in the conclusion of a possession; thus field goals, assists, turnovers and free throws all factor prominently in the algorithm for usage.Simply put, Westbrook is a usage monster. Its even what hes dressing as for Halloween this year. The UCLA product has finished first in usage rate in each of the past three seasons and has produced a top-three rate in each of the past six seasons. This proves even more impressive when we consider hes done so alongside fellow usage hog Kevin Durant, who has finished in the top nine in usage rate in five of the past six seasons, including finishing second to Westbrook in 2013-14.Going even deeper into advanced data, Westbrook ranked seventh in the league last season with 88.8 touches per game and more relevantly fifth in frontcourt touches (77.7), per the NBAs player tracking index. Westbrook was second only to Damian Lillard in time of possession per game, with his hands on the ball for 8.1 minutes per game last year.With Durant in the Bay with the Warriors, its safe to assume Westbrook is the odds-on-favorite to again lead the NBA in usage, touches and time of possession this year, if not set career-highs in these advanced metrics.DrivingAs aggressive player with the ball the league as ever seen, as evidenced by this ridiculous bounding slam against F.C. Barcelona in exhibition play, Westbrook could also set a career-best in drives per game. He ranked eighth last season in drives per game and sixth in points and assists off drives. This included a rich 50.7 percent shooting clip onn drives, while finishing fifth in free throw attempts per drive.dddddddddddd No one in the NBA can stay in front of Westbrook, which he seems to confidently know.PassingWestbrook took his passing production to new heights last season, ranking second in the league in assists per game while leading the NBA in assist-to-pass ratio, with 17.8 percent of his passes resulting in an assist. Chris Paul was second among players with at least 15 games played last year with 16.1 percent rate, for some context among elite passing peers.ReboundsTruly relentless when the ball caroms off the rim, Westbrook is one of best rebounding guards of his generation. Westbrook finished first among NBA guards in rebounds per game by 27.8 percent. This was due in part to averaging a guard-best 12.1 rebounding chances per game -- defined as being within three feet of an available board. This opportunity rate is eight percent more rebounding chances than any other NBA guard last season.ScoringThe dude gets buckets not only via the drive, but in the mid-range phase, as well. Westbrook was 10th in the league in pull-up points with 7.1 per game and ninth in scoring last season. He won the scoring title in 2014-14 at 28.1 points per game and is a leading contender to net his second scoring crown this year given the volume uptick he could see with Durant off the roster.ConclusionLets get to the meat of the argument, which is to reveal the fact Westbrook has averaged 28 points, 7.1 rebounds and 8.4 assists in 61 career games without Durant in the lineup. Westbrooks already epic offensive profile enters NBA2K rates when Durant has been sidelined in the past. While Victor Oladipo is a capable complementary scorer, hes clearly not going to consume Durants massive offensive share of the Thunders offense.Other candidates for the top pick deserve credit, as the Warriors Stephen Curry provides unreal differentiation in 3-point production, scoring, steals and Sportscenter highlights. Yet we can assume the presence of Durant on Golden State could lower the offensive volume for both superstars on the leagues prominent super-team. LeBron James could see his minutes managed to a defeating degree for our greedy fantasy purposes, while Chris Paul produces a lower usage rate and lower production rates with Blake Griffin on the court. Big men Anthony Davis and Karl-Anthony Towns are truly elite assets, but dont offer the cost certainty Westbrook claims.The main challenger for the top spot is likely Houstons James Harden, who could similarly enjoy awesome usage and output rates as the de facto point guard for Mike DAntonis up-tempo scheme. Westbrook claims a sizable advantage in rebounding over Harden, but lacks his 3-point prowess. In fact, 3-point production is the Achilles of Westbrooks fantasy profile, yet one we can easily address with some shooting specialists later in drafts.Can Westbrook average a triple-double this year? Its incredibly unlikely, but hes a real contender to match some of Johnsons epic assist and rebounding rates from the Showtime Lakers while also scoring at an Iversonian clip. Already fourth on the Player Rater last season with Durant siphoning a demanding share of touches and shots, Westbrook should top the board this season while contending for career highs across the board.You want cost certainty with the top pick. You want an elite ceiling and a bankable high floor. Westbrook is the player who offers these coveted elements in one historically entertaining package. ' ' '