Its the day before the NBAs trade deadline and TSNs Jack Armstrong offers his thoughts on Amir Johnsons return, Randy Wittmans influence on the Washington Wizards and what may be in store for Kyle Lowry and Rajon Rondo. 1. AMIR JOHNSON: Nice to see him back in the lineup Tuesday night in Washington DC. Played with great energy and purpose. Its amazing when a guy gets those few precious days to recover what it does to the bounce in their step and overall game/confidence. They need him big time in the final 29 games and the fact that he missed the two games prior to the All Star break due to injury could end up being a blessing for their team. When he and Terrence Ross are going good, this team can compete at a high level with anyone. 2. RANDY WITTMAN: I said it Tuesday night on the telecast and Ill say it again. A coach has to get run from a game to light a fire under his team - thats a joke. The ultimate motivation and leadership has to come from the players. More leadership is needed in that locker room. The Wizards have more than enough talent to not only be a playoff team, but a winning playoff team. Felt bad for Wittman. Coaches get the blame all the time. I get that - been there and done that - yet at some point to take that next step it truly has to be a conscious decision on the part of your core players that youre going to be a good team and not allow yourself to be outplayed at home. 3. RAJON RONDO: Love the hard bargain and market that GM Danny Ainge is trying to create for him. As he gets healthier, his play will improve significantly. On the other side, its pretty evident that Rondo will be playing for another team in the next few days - or at the very latest a year from now. He wants to play on a winner and it will take a little longer in Boston for that to happen. 4. KYLE LOWRY: Watch him in the third quarter last night? He was brilliant. How does a guy establish his value in a contract year? Play big when your team needs you the most. Believe me, GMs and scouts are watching and realize hes doing it on a winning team thats one of the pleasant surprises in the league and hes a big reason why. Whether its with the Raptors or somewhere else, it will all work out if he continues to play at this high level. The obvious concern is after he gets a significant contract will his level of play stay the same and/or improve to justify it or will it dip? Thats the toughest thing to gauge for decision-makers. These final regular season games and potential playoff games will help set the bar for him. So far, hes setting himself up very nicely. 5. JARRETT JACK: His name is involved in trade rumours and hed be a good pickup for a contender. His former team - the Warriors - really misses his clutch play and great leadership skills. Unfortunately, he hasnt been able to impact the climate in Cleveland as well as he did in Golden State. Hes more of a complimentary player and when hes in that position hes quite effective. Can play both guard spots and makes the good high percentage play. Will be interesting to see if he sticks around, considering the Cavs have won five in a row and are right back in the playoff race in the East. Juan Thornhill Chiefs Jersey . "It was awesome," he said. Coming off an ugly three-game sweep at the hands of the Yankees, Toronto found itself in a deep hole early after the Reds put an eight spot up on starter Liam Hendriks (six runs in 1 2/3 innings pitched) and Todd Redmond in the second. Christian Okoye Jersey . The result was a game-winning, power-play goal. Chiasson snapped a third-period tie and lifted the Dallas Stars to a 3-2 victory on Monday night. http://www.thechiefsshoponline.com/Youth-Tony-Gonzalez-Chiefs-Jersey/ . The Blue Jays lost to the New York Yankees 3-1 Tuesday night, their seventh defeat in 10 games. Rasmus was put on the 15-day DL on May 15 because of a sore right hamstring. Hes hitting .222 with nine home runs and 19 RBIs. Tyreek Hill Womens Jersey . The 2014 edition will be the ninth meeting between the Caps and Vikes in a tradition that dates back to 2005. "Since the original Whitecaps, the club has enjoyed fantastic support from fans in Victoria and all across Vancouver Island," said Whitecaps FC president Bob Lenarduzzi. Anthony Sherman Youth Jersey . After just two league games in June, Toronto (6-4-1) will go on to play seven in July plus a friendly against Tottenham. Five of those contests are against Eastern Conference opposition, meaning valuable points in the playoff race are on the line. LONDON -- It was clear something was wrong with Serena Williams from the moment she began trying to warm up for her Wimbledon doubles match Tuesday. She weakly pushed volleys into the net from a couple of feet away. She whiffed on practice strokes. She even had trouble with the simple task of collecting tennis balls from the ball kids. After Williams was examined for about 10 minutes on the sideline by medical staff, including a check of her blood pressure, the match began. After three games, though, an out-of-sorts Williams and her partner, older sister Venus, stopped. The tournament referees office and WTA later said Serena, who lost in singles Saturday, had a viral illness. "I am heartbroken Im not able to continue in the tournament," Serena said in a statement. "I thought I could rally this morning because I really wanted to compete, but this bug just got the best of me." About 1 1/2 hours after leaving the court, Serena walked out of the All England Club, still wearing her white match outfit, and with a tournament towel draped around her waist. She got into a car and was driven away. "Unfortunately, Serena has been feeling unwell for the past few days and she just couldnt play to her potential today," Venus said. "Im really proud of her for trying because we just love playing doubles together." They have won 13 Grand Slam doubles titles as a pair, including five at Wimbledon. In singles, the 32-year-old Serena is ranked No. 1 and owns 17 major championships, the most among active women; five came at the All England Club. "We were all looking forward to a great match. From the bottom of my heart, I thank all of the fans for their cheers and understanding," said Serena, who was beaten in tthree sets by 25th-seeded Alize Cornet in the third round of singles.dddddddddddd "I look forward to returning to Wimbledon next year." While being looked at by a doctor before the start of the second-round doubles match against Kristina Barrois and Stefanie Voegele, Serena hunched over and covered her face with her hands. During the delay, one of the Williams other sisters, along with Serenas agent and her hitting partner, left their seats in the stands. Eventually, play began. With Serena serving in the third game, she was broken at love with four double-faults. One of the best servers in the womens game, she hit balls that bounced before reaching the net. At love-40 in that game, chair umpire Kader Nouni took the unusual step of climbing down from his perch and walking over to speak to Serena. She then served another double-fault to fall behind 3-0. Serena and Venus walked to the sideline holding hands, and Nouni announced to the crowd at No. 1 Court: "Ladies and gentlemen, unfortunately, Miss Williams has to retire." Serena wiped away tears as she walked toward the courts exit. Her career has been marked by health problems. She missed eight months after having surgery on her left knee in 2003, the year she had completed a self-styled "Serena Slam" by winning four consecutive major titles. Days after winning Wimbledon in 2010, Williams cut both feet on broken glass while leaving a restaurant, leading to two operations on her right foot. Then she got clots in her lungs and needed to inject herself with a blood thinner. Those shots led to a pool of blood gathering under her stomachs skin, requiring another hospital procedure. In all, she was off the tour for about 10 months, returning in 2011. ' ' '