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TORONTO - With six weeks remaining before his teams likely return to the playoffs, Dwane Casey is hoping to manufacture some late-season rest for the Raptors two leading scorers. Although DeMar DeRozan and Kyle Lowry have shown no sign of wearing down, each logging more playing time than they have previously in their careers, Casey would like to keep them as fresh as possible for the stretch run, something that may be easier said than done. Sitting 9 1/2 games ahead of ninth-place Detroit in the Eastern Conference standings, Toronto - the Easts third seed - is poised to make its first postseason appearance in six years. With that comes another rarity for the franchise, playing meaningful games in March and April. The challenge for Casey and the Raptors coaching staff will be in managing the rotation, loosening it enough to give the guards a breathier - together or separately - without sacrificing important games. "Thats the hard thing," Casey acknowledged following Wednesdays practice. "Weve got to buy them a few minutes here and there but every possession - not only every game, every quarter [but] every possession - is meaningful." "When you start looking at scoring, we hit a drought the other night against Golden State right before the fourth quarter but we were just trying to buy minutes for those guys off the floor. Its a catch-22." DeRozan is fourth in the league, averaging just over 38 minutes per game, behind only Carmelo Anthony, James Harden and Kevin Durant while Lowry is 14th, logging roughly 36 a night. Amongst NBA duos, only Houstons pair of Harden and Chandler Parsons as well as Golden States Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson play more. In February, DeRozan played over 40 minutes a night, with Lowry nearly hitting 38. Since the early-December trade, Casey has been rolling out a strict nine-man rotation, using primarily Greivis Vasquez and John Salmons to spell Lowry, DeRozan and Terrence Ross. Getting reliable contribution from his reserves and piecing together the right combinations will be essential for the Raptors coach to expand the rotation enough to buy his backcourt duo more downtime on the bench. One player hed like to see more of, who could help in taking the burden off Lowry and DeRozan, is newcomer Nando De Colo. The versatile guard has played just eight minutes since being acquired from the Spurs in a deadline day trade two weeks ago. Although Casey has had trouble pinpointing where exactly De Colo fits in his lineup, he anticipates using the 26-year-old as a secondary ball handler, likely at the two or three position. "Weve got to make sure we have the right combinations on the court, that way we dont sacrifice scoring, but he knows how to play, he has a feel for the game," Casey said of De Colo. "You cant really put your finger on his position or what he is, a two, a three or a point [guard], but hes a basketball player. He just knows how to play." The Raptors got back to work Wednesday after taking a couple days off to satisfy a league mandate. "I thought we had decent focus," Casey said, "the usual first day back to school-type start, but I thought once guys got into it we ramped the intensity a little bit. "There was no resistance as far as the drills were concerned whatsoever, so I could sense they were anxious to get back. As a coach you dont want to lose that rhythm, thats the biggest fear. I didnt sense any of that today." While Jonas Valanciunas used the time off to get away from the game, spending the day ice fishing on Lake Simcoe (he returned home empty handed, without a fish), Terrence Ross took advantage of a rare mid-season opportunity for rest. Ross has been nursing a sprained left ankle, keeping him out of Sundays win over Golden State, but was able to practice in full Wednesday. "It happened at the best time," said Ross, who expects to be in uniform when the Raptors host Sacramento on Friday. "I got a few days off to stay off it and rest. Im feeling back to normal. Ive still got to do treatment on it but right now it feels good." Mens Adidas Superstar 80s CNY White/Scarlet Uk . Kuznetsov, who was selected by the Capitals in the first round of the 2010 NHL Entry Draft, has been playing for his hometown team Chelyabinsk Traktor of the KHL. Buy Adidas Ultra Boost Shoes . 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This organization tries too often to Win the Back Page rather than do whats smart. Yes, a terrific talent could walk out the door for little or nothing yet in 12 months you get to truly build the right foundation for long term success. Good common sense. 2. CHICAGO BULLS: Youll hear their name lots in the next 10 days when Melos name comes up and if I were Melo this makes complete sense to me as long as hes willing to take a pay cut that he can earn some back in quality endorsements if hes a significant piece on a major-league winning team in Chicago. Against the Knicks, a quick comparison: Money: NY, ownership: Chicago…. not close, management: Chicago…. Sorry, but Phil Jackson has never been a president/GM, coach: Chicago…. not close, team talent level: Chicago. If Derrick Rose can even get back to being 80 per cent of what he was, this is a nice edge. In my mind, the Bulls make the most sense if -- and its a big IF -- hes willing to sacrifice. Hell be held totally accountable here on a daily basis. No nonsense..ddddddddddddnbsp; Defining moment for him in his career. 3. KEVIN LOVE: Where there is smoke …. If Im the TWolves, I move him as soon as I can and get on with the business of reshaping my team while his value is at its highest. Many folks say wait until the trade deadline, yet Im not sure youll get better than the next few weeks. I think you owe it to yourself and your fans to cut the cord as soon as you can. Believe me; if they really want him, theyll blink and offer you close (not all) of what you want. Be proactive. In 12 months, hell be out the door. Deal with it and rid yourself of the drama. Terrific talent, yet hes got you to how many playoff appearances? Sure, the other 14 teammates matter a whole lot in the Western Conference but its time to be realistic and based upon your market build a team rather than the concern with having name guys. 4. ZACH RANDOLPH (Grizzlies): Trying to get an extension worked out in Memphis. Makes perfect sense to me. All the guy does is produce and hes done it in the context of winning/playoffs. A double-double machine who is one of the toughest covers in the league, hes been very good for you. A piece you cant lose. If the term and money make sense, do it. 5. JOEL EMBIID: Feel awful for this young man. Watching him play this year at the University of Kansas hes an intriguing talent with loads of major potential that I love. On the other hand, with some teams freaked out by the injuries to bigs like Sam Bowie and Greg Oden over the years with the complete - and I mean complete - change in the way the NBA game is played on the perimeter it might benefit him to fall a bit to a team that will be patient with him and allow him to work his way in at the right pace as a rookie. Hes got a chance to be very good, yet in a different league that bigs came into 20 years ago. 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