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Tim Leiwekes message has been made loud and clear; the Toronto Raptors plan to move forward, without looking back. The latest recipient of that message; Alvin Williams. After spending the majority of his nine-year playing career with the Raptors and serving in a number of roles with the organization -- including assistant coach, director of player development and most recently as a scout -- since 2009, the beloved former point guard was let go early Monday morning. "It does [hurt]," Williams told TSN 1050 Radio. "It does to be honest. Its disappointing." According to Williams, who guested on TSN Drive with Dave Naylor Monday evening, he and incoming general manager Masai Ujiri played telephone tag Sunday before Leiweke -- the new president and CEO of Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment -- broke the news to him over the phone a day later. "He just basically said that he was going to give Masai the opportunity to start with a clean slate and move forward with the organization," Williams said of that conversation. "Unfortunately my contract wasnt renewed." Hoping to dig the franchise out of its deepest hole, Torontos expensive new brain trust was assembled to make some tough decisions. This decision will not be a popular one. For better or for worse Leiweke and Ujiri have promised change and no Raptor -- on the roster, among the coaching staff or in the front office -- epitomizes the past quite like Williams. As a player, Williams won over fans in a hockey city with his hard-nosed approach and willingness to play through aches and pains. A second-round pick out of Villanova, he turned out to be the primary return in a deal that sent Damon Stoudamire -- Torontos first ever franchise player -- to Portland over 15 years ago. In 2001 he was a crucial member of the Raptors team that won its first and only playoff series, ultimately being eliminated on the cusp of a Conference Finals birth. Understandably, Williams also has ties to the current, underachieving era of Raptors basketball, having been around the team in multiple roles after knee injuries forced him into early retirement. The 38-year-old has a strong connection with a number of players on the roster, a roster that many expect to be tinkered with and maybe even gutted as early as this offseason. Williams has overseen the development of DeMar DeRozan, he maintains a close relationship with Rudy Gay and his friendship with Kyle Lowry -- a fellow Philadelphia native -- dates back to Lowrys senior year in high school. Hes sparred with them in practice and mentored them off the court. "Emotionally Im tied to things," he admitted. "A lot of times thats what you need to do, you need to start from scratch to go forward. Thats totally understood." At times that has seemed like the destined course for Leiweke and Ujiri, both of whom have stressed change. With the franchise mired in a five-year playoff drought, what else are they going to preach? "I inherit, I didnt create," said Leiweke, as he faced the assembled media in Toronto for the first time earlier this month. "And so from my standpoint this is today and we move forward from here." Ed Stefanski was immediately let go following the hiring of Ujiri and Jim Kelly, a longtime scout and member of the organization since its inception, was also sent packing. But what of Bryan Colangelo, who remains with the team, albeit with slightly altered business cards? What of Dwane Casey, who is expected to stay on as the teams head coach? The question, as Raptors fans will see it; why was Williams the sacrificial lamb? As Williams himself notes, this is a business. Ujiri will be given free reign to build his own team, from the roster all the way up to his staff, just as Leiweke promised. To some this move will come as a surprise. It may signify the end of an era, a heartless gesture that costs the embattled organization one of its greatest ambassadors. To others this will indicate a changing of the guard, the first in a series of bold moves. Moves that may one day propel the franchise back to where Williams helped lead it over a decade ago. Blue Jays Jerseys 2019 . Catch all the action on TSN2 at 11pm et/8pm pt. The nine-time Big 12 champion Jayhawks are positioning themselves for another title, as they have run out to a flawless 6-0 mark in conference play thus far. Toronto Blue Jays Shirts .J. -- Marty Brodeur beat the Pittsburgh Penguins yet again. https://www.cheapbluejays.com/ . The mixed zone is not a place to make friends. Blue Jays Jerseys China . Vancouver Whitecaps and Toronto FC failed to make the postseason while Montreal Impact fell at the first hurdle losing heavily to Houston Dynamo in the Eastern Conference Knockout Round. Blue Jays Jerseys 2020 . -- Golden State Warriors coach Mark Jackson asked his players a simple question during Fridays morning shootaround: How many of them had ever been on a team 14 games over . SEATTLE -- After struggling defensively in its first two games of the season -- even surrendering 98 points to Yale in a home loss to open the 2016 slate -- Washington appeared to find its mojo on both sides of the ball Sunday in a 92-58 win over Northern Arizona at Alaska Airlines Arena.The Huskies (2-1) set the tone defensively on the Lumberjacks (1-4) opening two possessions, one ending in a Malik Dime block and the other a turnover forced by Matisse Thybulle, the first of five from the Lumberjacks before the under-12 timeout and 16 total.Weve improved (since Yale), Washington coach Lorenzo Romar said. There is more of a sense of urgency out there. That means our teams gonna be better defensively. Theres more of an awareness, more of a want-to. Still got a long ways to go, but definitely made an improvement.Markelle Fultz made 6 of 9 from the field, including two 3-pointers and finished with 16 points, eight assists and seven rebounds. It was his first game not scoring at least 30 points, but taking only nine shots and focusing on getting the Huskies big men involved was part of the game plan going in, Romar said. Washington finished with 50 points in the paint, compared to 24 for NAU.The Lumberjacks remained within striking distance into the second half, but Washington put them away in the games final 13 minutes. The Huskies opened up a 38-point lead, going on 33-10 run before inserting the last men on their bench for the final three minutes.We started denying their big men when they came up to run the high-low and reverse the ball, Noah Dickerson said of what keyed their 23-point run. Once we started to do that, they didnt run any offense. It was basically one-on-one or a ball screen. . We were off to the races.Dickerson scored 12 and ggrabbed eight rebounds, Thybulle had 15 points for the Huskies.ddddddddddddelix Rivera-Vega scored 11 and Ako Kaluna finished with 10 points and five rebounds for NAU.BIG PICTURENorthern Arizona: Although the Lumberjacks were overmatched physically and athletically -- to be expected from a Big Sky team facing one from the Pac-12 -- they have to be satisfied with keeping it largely competitive for three-fourths of the game against UW. NAU entered the game with just one win in its first four, and it came against a Division III opponent, Benedictine Mesa. NAU cleaned up some sloppy play early in the game and can look to take a sliver of momentum into its game at UNLV on Tuesday.Washington: The Huskies turned in their best performance of the young season, proving they can put away a team, albeit an outclassed one. After giving up 98 points to Yale and 88 to Cal State Fullerton, holding NAU to 58 is a welcome sight for Lorenzo Romar. The Lumberjacks shooting percentage rarely climbed above 40 percent all game, finishing with 20-of-65 shooting (30.8 percent).HE SAID ITIf I were a betting man, Id bet you a pack of Red Vines that he will. -- Romar on if Fultz will record a triple-double before he leaves Washington. He came up two assists and three rebounds shy on Sunday.UP NEXTNorthern Arizona: The Lumberjacks play their second of back-to-back road games when they visit UNLV at 7 p.m. MT on Tuesday.Washington: The Huskies finish up a stretch of four straight home games to open the season against Long Beach State at 8 p.m. PT on Tuesday before heading to Las Vegas for the Global Sports MTE, where NAU is also a participant. ' ' '