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Frank Butler, a former president of Basketball Canada and member of the Newfoundland and Labrador Sports Hall of Fame, has died. He was 65.

Ford doesn't have a set timetable, saying he needs to sit down and talk it all over with the Raptors coaching staff.

John Lucas, who flew to Florida with Ford after overseeing his rehab, believes Ford is capable of playing within days.

"I know the team has asked him to practise a week, but he's not a week away," Lucas said.

It's a more physically sculpted Ford that returns. He looks thicker through the shoulders and neck.

Other than that, he looks like the same old T.J. Ford -- driving to the basket one moment, in Dixon's face the next, barely giving him room to breathe, let alone shoot.

"No fear," Lucas said following the workout. "We worked in reverse. We worked on falling down and learning how to recover as he got healthy. We worked on that first. Today when he practised, he was not afraid of anything."

"T.J. worked with him before in the summer," Mitchell said. "He's comfortable with him. Lucas helped T.J. come back from his injury before. It only made sense that he go down there where he needed to go. It was a good thing for him."

How did he look? "Rusty," said Mitchell, and it was true. But Ford also looked quick and fit and full of his usual bravado, and he punctuated his return to an NBA practice court with a dunk that commanded attention.

"I said, 'Why don't you quit?' " Lucas said from Miami, where he watched the Raptors and Ford practise yesterday. "I said you've got money and your health, so why don't you quit?' And T.J. said, 'I don't want to quit.' And I said, 'OK. Let's get to work.'

"I needed to know how bad he wanted to play ? and I think after [seeing him in] practice [yesterday], he's closer [to a return] than he even thought he was."

Even during practice, the Heat can't catch a break. The already short-handed Heat was down to eight players Sunday, with forward Luke Jackson out with the flu. His status for Monday's game against Toronto is uncertain.

Center Joel Anthony (quad) also is injured and might not be available. Shaquille O'Neal (hip) and Udonis Haslem (left ankle) remain sidelined. Both players were at practice and Haslem continues to wear a protective boot.

The Raptors have four players ranked among the NBA's top 25, three-point shooters. It takes the pressure off of forward Chris Bosh inside and creates defensive problems for opponents trying to guard the perimeter. None of those wing players is more potent than Kapono.

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