Toronto Raptors 09-10 Season

A Bold Predication

2010-01-24T09:20:00.002-05:00

Ok. So I realize that no one reads this blog, and rightfully so, as I haven't even posted anything on it since game one. But, I did want to get a rather bold predication on record on the Internet that I've been blabbing around town lately, which I'm thinking is starting to sway some hearts and minds. Quite simply:

I say Duane Wade signs with Toronto next year.

Why? Well there's lots of reasons. It takes consideration from a variety of perspectives. And after taking those considerations, you realize its the best opportunity for all parties.

First: Chris Bosh - I think its safe to say he will take his services elsewhere unless the organization can make some sort of dramatic commitment to winning in the immediate future. The team is looking decent right now, and if all things stay the same, could marginally improve next year, but to reach that next plateau, they will need a major piece. Wade is exactly what this team needs, and has needed for a long time: an athletic 2-3 that can flat out score. And lets face it, Bosh doesn't really have what it takes to be a "star" franchise player. Hes a computer geek. Sure he at times deludes himself into thinking he can be the man, but deep down, we all know he'd rather play second fiddle. Does he stay if the team throws a couple of table scraps from the 2010 offseason? I can't see it. Does he stay if they sign Duane Wade? Absolutely.

Which leads me to the most important cog in the machine: the MLSE. Infamous for maintaining the profitable status quo with the Maple Leafs, they will be faced with a very important decision to either open the vault or not. Its reasonable to say that they likely realize that every single top-tier team is well over the dollar for dollar luxury tax (the Raptors spend only exactly the limit) and that if they want to become a top tier team they will have to delve into that territory. So, if in their business plan they ever figured that spending 50 million a year (~23 million to Wade and 23 million in tax, plus incidentals) to go deep into the playoffs what better time than the present? Outside of the added basketball revenues there's gotta be a case to be made for the surrounding interests; specifically the condo buildings and restaurant/bar/funtimes area they own and are about to complete right out front the ACC. You have to think that the attention and free press a title contender would draw would be more than just good for property values and most importantly the MLSE bottom line. Its long been rumoured that the plan is for Toronto to host an All-Star weekend in the year the developments are completer (2-3 yrs i believe). Imagine an all-star game and an NBA finals in the same year? I'd go out on a limb and say thats bringing in more than 50 million bucks. Alternatively they keep the vault locked, Bosh leaves and the team languishes into the forseeable future. Does that effect the team financially? I would say theres less butts in the seats this year vs. last. Two years ago the ACC was sold out every time I was there (and I was there a lot). Blame it on the economy, or blame it on a dissapointing 2008-09 campain, but I think its fair to say that if Bosh leaves, even less people come to the games. We're a passionate fans (ask Bill Simmons), but don't be fooled into thinking we'll continue to reach deep into our pockets to come down and watch a loosing team. We're not Leaf fans.

And last but not least, the man of the hour: the Flash, Mr Duane Wade. If your Duane, similar to if your Chris Bosh and Lebron James, your looking at all the potential opportunities in front of you and weighing the pros and cons. If you're Wade do you really think you can play with Lebron? Really? If you're Lebron do you really want to play with Wade? I think if Lebron makes a move he'll do so in the interest of establishing a lasting basketball legacy. The type of thing people talk about for decades. Bringing in another alpha dog means that talk is shared, not to mention being a risk of actually working out. Same goes for Wade. I think if you're Wade, and Toronto throws the kitchen sink at you, the Raptors provide the best opportunity to win immediately, if not several times over the next five years. The way the team is playing right now, with Barney emerging, Bosh playing at a high level, several good young athletic players around him, two legitimate point guards, and (lets make a con a pro) Hedu not playing anywhere near his potential, if you plop Wade onto this team today, they're immediately a top 3 team. Can any other potential destinations offer that? Chicago, New York, Cleveland, Miami, all would have more work to do. Not to mention he can be the man. As mentioned I believe Bosh would be more than happy to share the spotlight with Wade. I'd say he'd prefer it. Also, Wades said many times before, that he thinks Toronto is a top 5 NBA city. He's been playing in Miami, in front of their notoriously fair-weather fans (ask Dan LeBatard), come to Toronto, we'll have 19,000 there every single night.

The only potential rival-opportunity would be the much rumoured Chicago's homecoming. We can't really compete with the sentimental factors. However I just don't look at that roster and see anywhere near the potential the Raps present. Obviously I'm biased, but still.

Anyhow, its going to be a very interesting and eventful off-season, and if by the grace of god by bold predication becomes a reality, Toronto's sports fans will finally have a chance to cheer for a contender. Something we haven't had in 17 years.

Opening Night with the King and his Jester

2009-10-29T09:36:00.004-04:00

I have to admit I tried a couple of times to gather my thoughts around this 09-10 Raptors squad to no avail. There's just too many unknown variables, hence the tagline.

However, I am approaching this season with cautious optimism, we all learned a lot of hard lessons last year talking ourselves into the Jemaine O'Neal project.

With that being said, what a great start last night!

First things first: Alvin Williams: Assistant coach?!? I was always a big fan of "Boogie" (Swirsky was such a nerd, but I miss him so much) but a lot of people I know were not. Mostly because he struggled with nagging injuries. Regardless, great to have him on the bench.

Barney pretty much looked like Jesus playing basketball for the first couple of minutes... doing a little bit of everything until missing that breakaway dunk (we all knew he would...). In the past that would have shot his confidence for the season, I get the feeling he's potentially beyond that now. He looks hungry and mature. The two two handed throwdowns later in the game were big boy basketball plays.

Bosh was taking it too Shaq early in the game... which wasn't pretty, but was a great plan as he drew a foul every single time.

Pretty crazy that Calderon was presented with a trophy before the game for setting the NBA free throw record, and then steps up to the line early in the game and clanks two in a row. Dude didn't miss a FT for almost the whole season last year!

Bellinelli kind of looks like a wolf. I feel like he's gonna be fun to watch.

Mo Williams missed like a thousands shots... I'm gonna check the stats: 4 for 14... seemed like a lot more than that.

Players I was impressed with:

Andrea Bargnani

Demar DeRozen

Jarret Jack

Marco Bellinelli

Reggie Evans

Players I was kind of unimpressed with:

Chris Bosh - looked soft

Hedu Turkoglu - looked lazy

Players I wanted to see more of:

Amir Johnson

WHERE ART THOU HOWARD????????

2009-01-07T21:02:00.003-05:00

are you kidding me!!!!!!!! if the raptors were my team i'd give up not only barney and parker, but i'd add triano, solomon, kapono, and vernon wells to that list.. my 2nd favourite active player in the league, a bonifide allstar, a work first show off later kinda guy, and most importantly a baller who thinks before he acts... please let the rumours be true................. oh howard, oh howard, where are you?????????????????????

REVAMPED AND AMPED!!!!!!!!!!

2009-01-05T23:28:00.003-05:00

HAPPY NEW YEAR RAPTOR FANS AROUND THE GLOBE!!!!! THIS IS SINGH STEELE REPORTING TO YOU FROM THE L.O. AND HAPPY TO BE BACK WHERE I FEEL AT HOME THE MOST, WITH YOU GUYS... RAPS ARE PLAYING WITH A PURPOSE AS OF LATE AND BRINGING A DIFFERENT TYPE OF INTENSITY TO THE COURT THAT HAS BEEN LOST FOR A LONG LONG TIME. EVEN TONIGHT'S GAME..... VERY DISAPPOINTING I KNOW, BUT THEY ONLY MESSED UP IN THE LAST TWO AND A HALF MINUTES OF THE GAME. THE MAJORITY OF THE GAME WAS PLAYED TO PERFECTION ALMOST, AND THEY RUINED IT BY GIVING KING SOLOMON TWO SHOTS IN A ROW WITH LESS THAN 100 SECONDS LEFT IN THE GAME. HE EVEN MISSED A WIDE OPEN LAYUP WHEN THE GAME WAS ALREADY DECIDED!!!! SOMEONE SHOULD TAKE A BUTCHER KNIFE AND STICK IT RIGHT UP HIS ARMPIT!!! BUT A POSITIVE GAME NONE THE LESS, IT LOOKS LIKE THEY ARE BACK ON TRACK AND ONLY THREE GAMES OUT OF THE PLAYOFFS. THINK POSITIVE PEOPLE.. SUNDAY ILL BE AT THE GAME WITH MY PARTNER IN CRIME SHERWOOD AGAINST BOSTON WHO LOOKS A LITTLE BEATABLE THESE DAYS.. KEEP YOUR HEADS UP RAPTOR FANS BECAUSE I AM GUARANTEEING A VICTORY ON SUNDAY!!!

STEELE IS SINGHING HIS WAY TO TORONTO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Bosh is so freakin random...

2008-12-22T11:45:00.003-05:00

So I was poking around trying to get a fresh new perspective this morning and came up with very little... like I said it seems like people seem to be jumping off this bandwagon as if its on fire. Can't say that I blame them... could get burned. I eventually meandered over to Chis Bosh's infrequently updated blog.. and his most recent entry (Dec 17th) is a review of the book Twilight. Weirdo. Dudes got like 3 entrys the whole season. What about some perspective of an epic collapse of a team on the cusp around its franchise player in the shadow of the biggest talent re-alignment ever? No? You wanna tell me about some stupid book your reading? BOOOOOOO!

There's been some requests to update the "Hump Love" section. Will do. In the meantime check out the most recent "Ask Hump!" on Granges blog, pretty funny.

Another freakin TSN game tonight. What bunk.

Whats the point

2008-12-20T20:35:00.003-05:00

think about this: The San Antonio Spurs are a highly efficient basketball team. The Detroit Pistons are a highly efficient basketball machine. How come? Both these teams have been together for a long time, well coached and in a professional system. But this didn't just materialize out of mid-air. It started with something. Talent. David Robinson, Tim Duncan, Ginobli, Billups, Sheed, etc... and they subsided on that talent until they knew each others game so well you couldn't help but become a part of the machine. Look at Matt Bonner. The Raps need players who've played in these sort of systems.

Jamario's wearing a headband tonight.

What about something dramatic: Bosh, Calderon and Kapono for Amare, Nash and Barbosa. On paper it works. In theory.... maybe even better

Go Raps!

2008-12-18T11:44:00.002-05:00

I'll say it. I did some booing last night. I did some booing on the subway home. I may have booed in my sleep. This team looks like garbage. Its not even fun to watch anymore. I am completely out of suggestions, solutions, fixes. They absolutely need a complete, full body change in attitude. I don't trust anyone out there anymore. Its kind of a joke.

Theres a pretty lethargic feeling going on out there amounst the press and blogosphere... as if they're not even worth wasting breath talking about them anymore. I mean they certainly don't seem to be trying, so why should we...?

They are so bad in so many ways. Nobody takes the ball to the hoop, nobody. Jumpshot after jumpshot. Lazy rebounding, sloppy blown defenseive assignments.

I hate TSN2. However its allmost nice not to be able to see this pathetic team for a couple of games.

They are waaaay out of the playoff picture at this point.

Garbage. Barf.

Aparentlly Nathan Jawai has been activated. Yeah!

dazed and confused

2008-12-17T00:20:00.002-05:00

I've never really had feelings like this before... I'm at a loss for words, and i cant seem to get creative these days... it is gonna take some time for these wounds to heal, and i don't know if ill ever have those ever so creative juices flow thru me like a river runs thru it, but trust me im trying...trying to love toronto, trying to love triano, trying to love basketball... if it weren't for joey and jose, i dont think i could make it... please respect my wishes and give steele some time to pull out of this slump...i refuse to write until the raps are back in the playoff hunt... 8th seed comes around, and you will see writing at its best.... sorry, i have to go....

the complicated times of the singh and the steele.......................to be continued...

Better than Expected

2008-12-09T13:16:00.002-05:00

In my opinion the first weekend of the Jay Triano era went better than expected. I had expected a reeling team to get handily manhandled by a good Utah team (as they did) as well as a great (2nd in the west) Blazers team. I was at the game on Sunday and outside the loss, looked like they gave them a pretty good game. Had they grabbed an offensive board or two (18-4 for Portland) or managed to get a guy on Steve Blake in the corner (torching them for 5 no question 3's... apparently he was 5 of 8 from 3, sure didn't seem like it), they would have won.

Anyhow, there obviously going to be some transitional kinks a Triano gets comfortable at the helm. I will say they looked like a different product out there. I will also say Jay needs to make sure he gets Joey and Barney in the game when at all possible. Both seems to be getting more and more comfortable with every touch... and that more than can be said of anyone else on this team.

In related news, Singh Steele, was supposed to be dropping in from out of town of the Portland contest totally dropped the ball, and called it on account of the "weather".

In Cleveland tonight vs. the most dominant baller ever, and back Wednesday for TJ Fords return. I hope he doesn't get booed. Not necessary.

The End of the Road for Smitch

2008-12-04T09:32:00.004-05:00

As I got in my car after another long, painstaking day at the office, I turned on the radio just as the news was breaking: Sam Mitchel has been fired as head coach of your Toronto Raptors! I had the extreme pleasure in breaking the news to several of my closest friends and fellow Raptor fans. There was some shock, some awe, some outright celebration, but in all seriousness, I think this was the right move forward for this team. Quite simply, as I've stated in the past, two things had become increasingly evident 1) the players were not responding to him, they sulked around and looked lethargic and weak, some nights they looked outright D-league. 2) The teams talent (this will be debatable) had outgrow the coaching talent. Sam was, and is still a sophomore coach at best, and the learning on the job act just didn't cut it anymore.

And I'll say it again, I like Sam. They had him over the phone on OTR yesterday afternoon, and he sounded downright sad. Sam's a true character, a no nonsense, say-it-like-it-is, type guy. A man of faith, a flawed man, who tried his darnedest to give up cursing (something he was infamous for) this past year. While it frustrated the hell out of me, I really enjoyed his relationships with the press, most notably the weekly Wednesday morning interviews on the Fan590 on my way into work where he'd outright threaten to "come down there and punch you guys in the nose". However the other side of that coin is that one would hope your coach, especially of a team hoping to be legitimized, be a more professional face to your franchise. And Sam didn't have that.

I would expect (or recommend to Sam) he take an assistant position somewhere close to a Phil Jackson, or a Pat Riley or a Greg Popavich type... I truly believe that a couple of short years with a coach of this caliber would make him a prime head coaching candidate, and maybe 5 -10 years from now people will mention him in the same sort of breath. Just not today.

Anyhow, the one thing that worried me is the "interim" appointment of Jay Triano. I've got no problem with Jay, but one can't really expect much more than the status quo by appointing an assistant that's been with the team for years. I was hoping for a complete reversal in attitude, BC bringing in a tough, defensive minded, proven NBA bench boss.

Time will only tell...

Bonus Material: Eric Smiths run-down of how he broke the story

Goodbye Sam... hello Triano????????????

2008-12-03T23:59:00.002-05:00

very, very sad times in the world today... chinese democracy isn't selling, canadian government isn't working, money is becoming more and more like a peice of paper, and the most dreadful of all, sam mitchell is unemployed. brian colangelo is loosing his mustard a little bit and will regret this day for the rest of his life. what a kind gesture he did when he fired sam after the raps got throttled by 40, and also giving sam a fair chance so late in the season to turn things around!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! why not wait until the all-star break? if this has anything to do with their opposing views on andrea, i might have to borrow plexicos gun and shoot him in the other thigh! i figured something was fishy when brian joined the team in l.a., but never did i think it would happen this soon. coach of the year only 2 years ago to coach who gets fired 2 years later. at least they have named jay triano their interim coach.....oh I'm sorry hes gonna be their coach for the rest of the year?????!!!!!???????!!!!!. great move toronto! triano will lead us to the promise land about as likely as capono will win this years slam dunk contest!!!! the only way i will have inner peace is if colangelo can orchestrate a trade to bring vince back home.... I'm fed up and depressed.

steele will now be on sabbatical until chris paul comes to town. please respect his wishes and attemp to make no comments until further notice.

Great minds...

2008-12-02T14:25:00.001-05:00

Sidenote: Interestingly enough, Raptorblogs post LA post was entitled: "Your Toronto Raptors: Where 'meh' happens". Very nice.

Meh...

2008-12-02T12:13:00.009-05:00

Well I can't say I'm surprised. Sundays game pretty much played out the way I expected. During which I declared tonight's vs. the Nuggets "winnable", which after further consideration is likely very, very inaccurate. Chauncey's made them considerably more efficient. And then Utah on Friday night? and Portland and Cleveland after that...? They'll have to make a stand somewhere in there.... shouldn't they? Maybe the Gerald Wallace idea is the best way forward. I do like the Barbosa talk I hear as well (point 4 in the Daily Dime). Phoenix is set to explode I think... lots of bad buzz in Arizona. I wonder how Shaq feels about it?

These late games are really messing with my sleep schedule.

Anyhoo, looks like the verdict is in, Singh Steele is 61% totally cool.

Peace in the middle east.

Mo Shats!

2008-11-27T10:19:00.009-05:00

Added a couple of quality links today (down the right side), Raptorblog and Caldeford. Raptorblog being incredibly thorough, with tons of links, of note today this hilarious Smitch playbook thread (I've pasted one of my favs below). Caldeford seems to focus on statistical anomalies... which should be right up Steeles alley.

Today I went to this special sale in the Raptors locker room, which was pretty frickin cool. Picked up a barney t-shirt, a stupid raptor puppet thing, raptor wrapping paper, and a Chuck Swirsky bobble head for 19 bone... score.

On the topic of bobble-heads, Jose Calderon bobble-head night was last Wednesday. I ended up with two Garbo's at last years Garbo and Jose bobble-head night last year. This years Jose was a little disappointing... last years had bobble-hands doing the Spanish onions which is pretty much the coolest bobble-head ever. However, I'm fairly satisfied with my lineup now with today's addition of the Swirsk.

***After some serious technical difficulties, I gave up on my lineup photo. As consolation here's a pic of the creepy lifesize bobble-head at the ACC... moving on...

Big day for Amac, pictured below sitting in Humps locker today...

On the topic of Hump, Grange's got an upcoming guest blogging session from our resident meathead goofball. Be sure to email in your burning questions.

And now to the business. I have to say I think I disagree with pretty much everything Steele said in his last post.

"...Jamario, Parker, Calderon, O'Neal and Kapono are not playing anywhere near their potential."

1) Jamario's problem is simple, he wastes possessions by jacking too many 3's (making 37%), when he could put the ball on the floor. But, more importantly he heaves these shots early in the shot clock when they could easily find a better look, and wastes probably 3-4 possessions a game. Who's to blame for this? Does Sam think this is a good idea? Or is he just letting it continue?

2) Parker, as we all know, spends most of the game defending the leagues top talent, while everybody else stands around waiting to get scored on. Again, team defence? Not Sam?

3) Calderon, admittedly not playing at the top of his game, turning the ball over and not shooting nearly as consistently as he did last year, but hes a step behind with the hamstring... however he's still averaging almost 14&10.

4) O'Neal, I'd argue, aside from the injury, is pretty much where you'd want him to be. He could produce a little more offensively, but this will improve into the season as he gets more comfortable with his body and the team.

5) Kapono, hell ya he not paying to potential, but he also barely plays. If you've got the deadliest 3-point shooter in the league on your team and your not getting him in the game and drawing up plays for him, who's fault is that? Also, he might be the worst defender in the league.

And in terms of body language, I'm with ya, but could that not be symptomatic of the coaching situation as well? Check out what Simmons has to say about Chris Paul and Byron Scott.

And at the end of the day I'm not trying to hate on Smitch, like I said, I think this team is now better than its coach and if they want to be a serious contender by 2010 they need an upgrade in culture.

Anyhow, "big" game tonight. Kind of a fun start time. Realistically, I've looked beyond this one days ago...

WORKING OUT THE KINKS

2008-11-27T01:39:00.002-05:00

it has been a rough few days for steele, but i am forever thinking positive. everything the raptors have shown us this year has been a little good, a little bad, and a little ugly.... especially when jersey came to town, but even in their stumbles they've shown great glimpses of excellence no? everybody seems to show up when things are going bad, but you never seem to hear much when things are going good. how dare people speculate or implicate the great sam mitchell being cut loose? one time coach of the year, great repiore with the important players on his team, and the unconditional love of one of the greatest front office men in the league, mr.colangelo. i can see how he gets in peoples bad books, but that is mainly because he is a very passive man, and also primarily cause he doesn't share his thoughts to much to the media. this man back in his playing days was a warrior. not the greatest athlete but had the heart of an mvp, even though at best he was almost average on the stat sheet. get of it and look at what is really causing the problems in toronto. the people on the court... jamario, parker, calderon, oneal, and capono are not playing anywhere near their potential, and if it werent for the mvp numbers bosh is putting up, they would be somewhere in the 5-9 range right now. if those mentioned players don't pull their socks up and help mvp, he will definitely get hurt. it was very sad to see his body language during the boston game over the weekend. it sends not only a message to us that he is starting to lose interest, but as the leader of his team it sends a very scary message to his peers.... tonight was a win that brings us back to .500, but again they had trouble closing charlotte out. theres no reason why we cant run up to claim the 4th seed by the end of the year, but we have to WORK OUT THE KINKS A LITTLE BIT. start thinking on the upside of things. i heard william jefferson clinton speak in town this morning, and considering how horrible our financial and economical reality is right now, the man had the nerve to beg us to be positive. that made me think right now of our situation with the raptors.... as bad as it seems right now, we are still 7-7 and in the playoff hunt. it can only get better from here. lets have faith in our coach, lets have faith in our players, and lets be patient because come spring we are headed to the playoffs!!!!!

this is your singh steele blogging after a long sabbatical............ god bless the raptors, and my longtime colleague brendan sherwood. im out.

Prelude to a Thrashing

2008-11-25T16:33:00.003-05:00

These are dark times my friends. VC cuts your heart out and slam dunks you back to 1997. Bostons third string scored at will the whole second half of Sundays debacle. Winter is coming. The economy's in the pooper. Singh Steele is completely M.I.A.

After Sundays thrashing I just don't know how to feel about this team any more. Not to say I had expected anything less.

I just hope they rest JO, beat the Bobcats and Hawks with relative ease so as to sneak into LA at a somewhat respectable 500+ notch. Now that should be something to behold, the defense-less Raps in La La land, vs Kobe at the height of his powers.

In case you hadn't noticed... there are rumblings...

Reverse Alley-Opp Dunk to Vince Carter to Win the Game in Overtime???!!! Are You Kidding Me????!!!!!

2008-11-22T00:27:00.003-05:00

Worst case scenario.

Jermaine is down.

This is so much like the slap in the face where MoPete got tossed and VC hit a 3000 foot 3 to win the game. Only worse.

I mean 2.5 seconds to play, Parker just hit a clutch turnaround three in the corner to tie it up. BOSH hit a three to get them there. Vince freaking Carter pulls reverse dunk from the inbounds to win the game. You could not draw it up any worse.

I'm tired of watching these ridiculous stat lines go to waste. 40-10 for bosh? Career high for Barnery? Sam will be a great coach someday. I can't deal with the growing pains. Fire Smitch. Hire Jeff Van Gundy.

Do it.

Now.

I just saw the post game interview with Barney. Broken up. Worst loss of his career. I though he was going to cry. I might cry.

The Sherwood All-Time Raptor Starting Line-up

2008-11-21T09:12:00.003-05:00

Center: Antonio Davis - Consumate professional, NBAPA president, dislikes the metric system.
...coming off the bench: Keon Clark - did long and lanky as good as anyone. Had one of the most abrupt and shocking falls from fame ever.

Power Forward: Chris Bosh - No explanation needed.
...coming off the bench: Oak - one baddass mofo and Air Jordans gambling buddy/bodyguard.
... honourable mention: JYD, the Junkyard dog, Jerome Williams - The most passionate raptor player ever, now in some sort of public relations position with the Raptors. His role model: Hulk Hogan, no kidding. Also: Carlos Rogers, who I remember as a lot better than the stats i found when I looked him up just now.

Small Forward: Vince Carter - Legitimized TO blah blah blah... the dunk contest was one of the coolest sports moments of my life.
...coming off the bench: Tracey Murray.
Honourable mention: Jalen Rose.

Shooting Guard: Morris Peterson - One of my favourite, and most inconsitant Raptors. He could potentially challange my deadly 60% accuracy from half court.
...coming off the bench: Doug Christie - Had both the most dominating wife and ugliest tattoos in NBA history. Close second: Jamrio Moon (sans the wife).

Point Guard: Jose Calderon - Most efficient PG in the game today.
...coming off the bench: Alvin Williams, Damon Stoudamire

SINGHSTAR'S All Time Raptors Starting Lineup!!!!

2008-11-20T23:58:00.005-05:00

CENTER : ANTONIO DAVIS

POWER FORWARD : CHRIS BOSH

SMALL FORWARD : VINCE CARTER

SHOOTING GUARD : DOUG CHRISTIE

POINT GUARD : JOSE CALDERON

COACH : SAM MITCHELL

there you have it ladies and gentlemen the greatest toronto lineup of all time...

honerable mention : alvin williams, tracy mcgrady, alvin robertson, jalen rose, carlos rogers, charles oakley, jon tabak, jeff golem.

Lets-Go RAP-TORS!

2008-11-20T22:57:00.002-05:00

V-C SUCKS!

5 things

2008-11-20T10:52:00.004-05:00

ooooook. A couple of quick things:

1) "King" Solomon. Really starting to piss me off. The guy seems to have a natural carry in his dribble, he's been called on it a couple times, and theres been many more very close calls. And thats not going to help with all the turnovers. He straight up threw the ball away a couple of times last night. And he argues every single call. Shut up and get the ball to Bosh you idiot. I thought we were beyond the days of Derrick Martin and Juan Dixon, where you never quite felt comfortable until they got off the floor...

2) Barney. Looking good. Keep up the good work. Grow a beard. BUT, dudes addicted to the three, just watch him lurk around the top of the arc, its like shooting 3's is his crack. Katherine Humphries on 590 yesterday morning said Barney allways looks like a child whos lost in the mall trying to find his parents. Thought that was pretty darn close.

3) Neglected to jump on after Sundays game, but something very important of note: The new fancy scoreboard in incredibly slow on updating individual player stats. Even with who's on the floor... and I'm talking minutes delayed. Also, they haven't fixed the opening music. This should be of utmost priority.

4) Headed to the first Nets game of the year tommorow. I'll be as close as I've ever been, and we're on the visitors side. My goal is to get Vince to beak at me coming back to the bench after bricking yet another shot.

5) oh.. and I can't believe they withstood that rush from the Heat last night. Wade was having his way with them. Boston on Sunday, need to build some momentum...

sherwood and steele vs. miami!!!!

2008-11-18T00:48:00.002-05:00

what a great day for 2 of the many raptor fans in the world. toronto showcased an array of talent, as well as a barrage of woeful play. to experience a game with such highs and lows you go through some sort freak, rapid, emotions. toronto played with poise in the end and fought off a miami rally, but the rally was sparked by many toronto mistakes. if it where a contender such as boston, or cleveland, t.o. would have lost hands down. when your up double digits late in the game, you do not pop threes, do not force shots, and definitely take your shots late in the shot clock. sherwood and i noticed a number of times the raps taking their shots with 12-16 seconds left on the clock late in the fourth. when your up lots, you wanna maintain that, not try and run up the score by shooting from everywhere. however some great notes from sunday was seeing flash frustrated numerous times, seeing king solomon play with poise and not backing down when mario chalmers was trying to get him going, and the greatest start of the year for barney. he opened the game up with great shot selection, and no fear on his way to the hoop. he then saw little p.t after that for some reason, i guess it worked cause they won. also the second unit is what won them the game, they turned it around in the third and early fourth and allowed smitch to sit down on the pine for the longest time I've seen this year! good going and it ll just get better when capitano comes back..... we are back on the playoff train!!! 7th seed baby.

the singh and the steele is bedtime!

Sherwoods Top Ten Reasons Why We Love Chris Bosh

2008-11-15T21:42:00.005-05:00

10. His awkward celebrations. The jutting throat & neck thing actually makes him look like a Velociraptor.

9. His close relationship with Antonio Davis.

8. His upside. He's 24 yrs old.

7. That this whole hair experiment seems to actually be working out.

6. He's professional, polite and so much more Canadian than Vince Carter ever was.

5. That he's given up on adding 3-pt shooter to his repertoire. That was a disaster.

4. The fact that he's a lefty.

3. The nickname: CB4, and that its been copied several times over eg: CP3.

2. His close relationship with Jose.

1. Because he's more like you and me than he is a superstar.

GAAAAk! Gerald Wallace & Sunday with Mr Steele

2008-11-14T10:16:00.011-05:00

After marinating on things for the past couple of days, its easy to say that there's something inherently wrong with this basketball team. 95% of the time they put themselves in a double digit hole early in the game and spend the rest of the game battling back through flashes of brilliance and periods of sheer ineptitude. The Pistons (at least the pre-Iverson Pistons) are known as a team that will "execute you to death". The Raptors, 9 times out of 10 seem the exact opposite. So i guess the question is: who's responsible for the execution?

There's been whispers flying around that the Raptors are actively in talks with the Warriors and Bobcats re Al Harrington and Gerald Wallace respectively. Harrington seems to make the most sense (in terms of his contact) while Wallace seems the most likely. Question 2 is: would such a move solve the problems? I gotta say I just don't see it. And I hate the idea of the mix and match approach, currently being perfected by the Cavs placing whoever is available around LeBron in a desperate effort to keep him in Cleveland. Michael Grange of the Globe seems to think that theres= a fundamental divide surfacing between Colangelo and Smitch. Sam gripes publicly that he feels they just don't have the defensive and athletic talent needed to win in this league. Given that, and what we've seen so far, I think the central issue we have going forward will be coaching. I've said many times, I like Sam, I like his character and I'd like to see him succeed. But every time I see Jamario launch a pullup 3, and Sam screaming at him down the floor to take the ball to the hoop, I think he just doesn't have the ability to get his players to do what he wants. I mean why wouldn't he tell Jamario that if he shoots the 3 when he could drive to the hoop then hes riding the bench. Simple as that. Moon should thank his lucky stars every single day that hes a starter at this level. So, question 3 is: Would a different coach, say... Jeff Van Gundy, produce a different, more fundamentally strong product on the floor?

Tomorrow I'll be at the game vs. Miami with Mr Steele. Tomorrows game is the first on TSN2 which means that no one will see it. I'm thinking of taking a sign that says "F U TSN2", which will most definitely get confiscated, just as my "FIRE ISIAH" was promptly last year at a Knicks game.

Question 4: Whats going on in Humps head here? Dude was making goofy faces all the way down the tunnel. He sat out on Wednesday with a toe injury and decided to go with the full suit & tie. Seemed a little overdressed to me, looked more like a coach than a player. What a meathead funboy Hump is... great player though. Hopefully he doesn't get wrapped up in any of these potential deals and spends the rest of his career in TO.

steeles top 10 reasons why we love chris bosh

2008-11-14T01:18:00.002-05:00

10. the beautiful canary diamonds on both ears

9. the thought of him changing his hairdo

8. his physique

9. his lead by example menatlity

8. his close relationship with antonio davis

7. the vote for me commercials

6. the fact that he is a lefty

5. his offensive repertoire

4. the look he gave lebron last year when James and Chris's sister got into a shouting match

3. the fact that no one has posterized him

2. visualizing his reaction when toronto wins it all

1. the absolute fact that he totally understood the vince carter thing, and doesn't hold any blame towards him for the outcome of the situation.

singh steele is outta here like micheal richards stand up career.

Barney the Beard

2008-11-13T10:47:00.005-05:00

So I'm thinking Barney should grow a beard. Some sort of bad ass cross between Gasol's and Boom-dizzle's.

Discuss.

More to come re: last night, aka: GAAAAAk!

Also, Steele, its Sherwood, not Sherway. Rookie.

singh steele blog correction... or mistake...whichever way you look at it.

2008-11-13T00:46:00.003-05:00

i wrote about winning 43 of the next 74 games... we need to win 47 , not 43 to finish 51-31. please disregard that typo in my last entry i must've hit the wrong number. but then again when i look at my keyboard 3 is nowhere near 7,so maybe i should just be honest with the world and admit i made a mistake. mistakes are one of the major obstacles i face in my life, but when it comes to numbers and stats, i take those mistakes personally. please forgive me and god bless the world .....and vince carter.

singh steele... is outta here faster than the last time!

sticking to our strategy???

2008-11-12T23:42:00.002-05:00

well ladies and gentlemen, say hello to .500. that stat is an interesting number in that it is neither good or bad, + or -, positive or negative. it is a realization that our raptors are in that grey area in their first 8 games of the season. fast gone is the preseason talk of possibly finishing top 4 in the east. fast gone is the talk of a date with the lakers in the finals. fast gone is the talk of growing stronger and coming ever so closer to greatness. don't get me wrong, the season is very young, and our team will end up a playoff contender, but the reality of the situation is at present we are 9th in the east, one spot short of our goal. to see toronto at 4-4 after a stunning start boggles my mind. gets me uptight. increases the wedgie i already have by 15-20%. makes me wonder.... should we defend our team without judgement? do we have a right to talk when we aren't gutting it out there on the floor, or sidelines? mr.mitchell is a great coach, colangelo is a genius, bosh and j.o. are warriors, Jose is a top notch quarterback, Calderon can shoot with the best of them, and a.p gives his all every single night. why 4-4? to Singh Steele its a simple answer. to win in this league, you need more than solid players. you need those 5 guys out there on the court to act as one, work cohesively with each other from communicating to executing. defense first, then the offense will take care of itself. spread the floor and pass the ball around. transition transition transition. get moving. know your high percentage spots, find a way to get there and you will have your best chance of scoring. understand your opposing teams offensive strengths and position your defenders accordingly. know your sets. its not just about who their best player is and stick your best defender on him at all. look at new jersey. Vince-whom you'll be hearing a lot from me often-can score 20-25 pts a night every night. are they winning? the g.o.a.t. the black Jesus scored 28-37 points on average for the first 7 years of his career.did they win? the point is, its not one player that determines the outcome of a game, its the team. a team with great chemistry and no stars will win a lot more than a team full of stars and no chemistry. look at the phillies compared to the yankees. Sam can defend his strategy all he wants, a coach of the year deserves that but will he be defending his strategy if Toronto stays in the 9th slot? this is an incredible time for fundamental change, and if Barack Obama can overcome the obstacles that he did, why cant the raps? so many questions, but let me drop a few points and stats on the night of november 12th in and around the NBA. did you know that every team that should have won did except for Toronto? celts beat Atlanta, indi beat jersey, Portland beat Miami, the knicks beat the griz(sherway has had in interesting past with new york, especially john starks, Patrick Ewing, and charlie ward. caught him late one night wrapped up in knicks jerseys with no pants on talking to an Anthony mason poster...???...???)sorry Brendan, anyways bucks beat the spurs, the lake show beat new Orleans, magic beat the thunder, so on and so on. also Jermaine puts up arguably his 2nd best game of the year , and they lose, the other game a few days ago they also lost. he scores 5 points and they win???more specifically with the Philly game, we got roasted 19-7 in fast break points, my game changer was willie green, my game loser was jamario. you get paid to board up, and block shots. you don't get paid to pull 3 boards and block 0 shots, and on top of that you contribute 5pts!!! your better than that. props once again to team bosh:30 and 12 in 42 min. we have 74 more games left, lets win 43 of those to finish up at 51-31 for the number 5 spot in the east, beat Detroit in the first round, then will go from there. keep your heads up, enjoy your time off and come sunday route Miami by 30. one thing to think about before we leave you.... how would Gerald Wallace look in a raps uni?

Singh Steele is outta here... and I'm serious about the sherway/knicks affair.

Ladies and Gentlemen, Mr. Singh Steele!!

2008-11-12T18:42:00.005-05:00

I want to take this chance to introduce to the world Singh Steele, the second contributor to dreadthered. Steele will offer his unique and eloquent perspective whenever the mood strikes him. Hopefully he'll tell us more about his "sweaty encounters on the court" in the days and weeks to come. Steele has an uncanny ability to provide comment on the even the most obscure player, and regularly pull incredibly accurate statistical breakdowns seemingly out no where. This comes from long hours as a child pouring over basketball cards and NBA Live power ratings. He's a shoot first point guard who boasts he once made Sherman Hamilton look silly in a game of 21. He drives a Mercedes and can hit his 3 wood 400 yards. He also has a deep, dark secret that may not sit well with some of you... but I'll let him get into that.

Gametime update: Humps got a bad toe. He'll be in street clothes tonight.

dread the singh!!!!

2008-11-11T23:00:00.002-05:00

hello fellow raptor devotees, this is Singh Steele coming at you from the big London Ontario Canada. you will be hearing quite frequently from me, ranting about serious raptor material, inside scoops around the league, and a little bit about politics. i am a salon and spa owner by day, and a basketball nerd by night. this great sport has given me an outlet to express my wisdom and insight into what i believe is the worlds greatest sport. if any of you have ever experienced sweaty encounters on the court, or being able to glide through the air with the guidance of gods hand and finish a fast break, then this is the site for you. with Sherways straight to the point approach, to my natural ability to push things to the limit, you'll be able to leave this blog and go to your friends and family and sound like a true professional!!! our commitment to you is to provide you with the most prompt intel on the raps and around the league, the wheeling and dealings of personnel, v.i.p. insight on any questions you might have, and a no-compromise mentality to those who think Toronto is not on the NBA radar. to conclude my introduction to you, i am happy to be a part of a blog so consumer friendly and fair, with a diverse culture of people coming together for the common good of the raptors. here's to Sam Mitchell and the boys, cheers!

after some thought...

2008-11-11T13:21:00.002-05:00

In between loving KG off for all his intensity and what not the general consensus is that it definitely should have been a technical foul.

From the other side of the fence.

Whatever.

Round One to the Victors

2008-11-11T12:28:00.006-05:00

1) What the F? Has anyone else noticed the Raptors are getting completely and utterly raped by the officials this year? That charge called on Bosh against Okafor on Sunday? Are you kidding me? I rewound that over and over again and could not see any contact WHAT SO EVER. Same story last night. I mean, you try not to think about it, but coming off the whole Donaghy thing, and subsequent no-so-subtle cover-up, its very apparent that there's a certain amount of manipulation in this stupid league. Its commonly accepted that certain players won't get called for fouls and others will. What bullshit. I mean did you see Garnett ALL OVER Calderon, beaking at him non stop, and even waving his finger in his face and everything. Don't get me wrong I like Garnett and his intensity and everything, but dude swears like a maniac, and the sheer fact that he gets away with all this garbage is completely ridiculous.

2) However, it was pretty awesome to see Jose beak back. I would love to have the written script of that exchange. I'd put it at roughly 25% sensical. Anyhow, good on you Oucho, Dec 23rd in TO should will be a battle. The Raps need a new rival anyways with Vince and the Nets a shell of their former selves. If its gotta be them than so be it. Go big or go home.

3) And along the same vein, (from pt 1) I'll say it again, the sheer fact that McHale and Ainge were able to strike a back office deal to put that team together is laughable. Especially after real world karma bit them in the ass with the Greg Oden sweepstakes. Whatever.

4) *deep breath* ok, something a little less aggressive. Anyone notice Delvin (new Swisk) dropping "Put it on ice!" several times at the end of the Charlotte game? I think that this is the new salami & cheese.

5) Post game press conference last night. Someone shoves this ridiculous looking mic in Sam's face. Thing looked like some hillbillies taped a relic from the 80's to a long metal pole and were holding it form across the hall. I'm surprised Sam didn't say something.

6) You - Atmosphere - look it up

7) I work for a major financial company and thus benefit from "banker hours", and have today, Remembrance day off (as we all should, really). Anyhow, I was able to stay up late and catch Raging Bull on HDnet. Never seen it, great flick.

YES WE CAN!

2008-11-07T16:13:00.004-05:00

In the ATL vs the Hawks tonight... which I've always seen as a bit of a rilvalry. Can't really explain it. Just seems they play the Hawks more than any other team, plus the whole TJ Ford thing happend in ATL.

Anyhow, in the spirit of the moment I thought this was interesting... poor guys. Redistribution of wealth baby! YES WE CAN!

also...

2008-11-05T13:05:00.000-05:00

Chris Bosh MVP and Jose All-Star consideration

Greetings from our old friend Jalen Rose...

2008-11-05T09:56:00.003-05:00

Came across this on ESPN's "Daily Dime" (point 3):

"Calderon and Bosh: As of right now, Jose Calderon is the best point guard in the East. Combine that with the fact that Chris Bosh is the most productive power forward in the league and the Raptors' one-two punch is awfully tough to beat. "

Always liked Jalen, true professional through a bunk period in Raptor basketball.

Randoms:

There's a lot of chatter around Bosh with the AI/Chauncey trade, and general repositioning ahead of the 2010 free agent bonanza. Keep in mind: a) the raps will also have a ton of money to spend (and have the rights to give him the most money, however that works) with his and Jemarines contracts coming due. b) Brian Colangelo c) credit where credits due, but while we hear Bosh reported as second to LeBrons first, Boshers not necessarily considered in the top five free agents coming available that year. A lot can happen, at least we're not a Cavs fans. What an excruciating two years they have ahead of them...

Big game tonight vs. the Pistons. Not sure is its a plus or a minus being the first up to face their new face, but damned sure going to be a fun show down of unbeatens at the ACC. If anybodys got icebox tickets please let me know...

...and another thing

2008-11-02T12:49:00.003-05:00

I came across this last week, which is quite the cause for concern. I think we can assume that regardless of how Chris feels about TO, the team or Colangelo, if given the opportunity to play with Lebron, possibly the greatest player ever in the prime of his career, its a textbook no brainer. Personally, I like the Lebron to Sean Carters Brooklyn Nets storyline best, but this could go any number of ways... I just never figured it would involve Chris Bosh.

Again, trust in Colangelo, I'm sure he's got a plan.

Also noticed this: Sasha Vujacic refuses to wear green. Good stuff.

Home Opener

2008-11-01T21:37:00.004-04:00

Firsts things first. The opening montage/music. Pretty disappointing. The low rider, cruising through TO video was a great idea, but the music, (I don't even know what it was) was completely lacking anything exciting. What you need is some sort of universally recognizable, catchy, aggressive sounding music, and the video needs to accentuate that with well placed dunks etc... Last years Kanye track did the trick. Pair that with last nights video and you might have a winner. Hopefully they fix that. As mentioned my services are available, and I would produce the frak out of that sequence. My rates are reasonable. Also, no fireworks. Again, disappointing. Coming out of the red lit tunnel was a decent idea.

Otherwise an absolutely satisfying home opener, overtime winner. True, on paper they should have made short work of a dismantled and disenfranchised Golden State team, but I'll take a dramatic finish after a long summer 7 days a week, and twice on Sundays. After two games they look pretty solid, with a couple of very encouraging things of note:

Barney. Looks like big man camp is paying dividends (I told my friend at the game last night about how Barney had gone to "Big Man" camp over the summer, however she heard "Big Band" camp, which surprisingly, didn't seem to be too far out of the realm of possibility). Anyhow, hes taking the ball to the hoop, blocking shots, rebounding.... if he rounds into form, or plays anywhere near number one pick in his third year potential, we could be in for a show. Also, I feel really good about referring to him as Barney exclusively going forward. I think it works perfect with his goofy quiet white guy demeanor that we're all accustomed to, and will be endearing going forward should he ever becomes the a star.

Jamario should not shoot the ball. Bottom line. Correct if I'm wrong but the only reason he's an NBA starter is because hes an athletic, defensive shot blocker and rebounder who, alongside Bosh and O'Neal make the Raps (at least on paper) a little bit scary on defense. TAKE THE BALL TO THE HOOP SON. I'd love to hear Sam's official take on this, cause I see him cuss Jamario out and he trots down the floor after missing jumpshot after jumpshot.

I'm watching the Bucks/Raps game right now, and I think its Matt Delvin's first game commentating with Jack Armstrong, and Jack just did his textbook "Hell-O!" to the Bucks cheerleaders after coming back from commercial. Delvin, obviously not knowing Jacks frisky ways, stumbled through a couple of awkward moments, and eventually said: "um well ok I guess... you're all set".

Do you know why you can't buy a "large" beer at Raptors games? The biggest beer size is "medium" as per NBA policy (you can buy "large" beers at Leafs games) and as the beer lady told me last night (in a THICK American accent by the way) is that its all because of "that bad boy Ron Artest". She was referring of course, to the "Malice in the Palace", the brawl between the Indiana Pacers and the Detroit Pistons fans, where many a beer were tossed at Ron Artest and the Pacers. An event that our new best friend Jermanie O'Neal played a prominent role in. Interesting, no?

The scoreboard does in fact display individual player stats. It didn't during the preseason, which was a little bit worrying. No need to panic.

Go Raps!

Game One

2008-10-30T11:04:00.002-04:00

What a game!

I'll say just this: Ive never, at least in recent memory, seen so many arms in the paint. The Raps looked like a bonafied defensive rebounding team.

What a great day to be alive.

Go Raps!

The Year of the Resurrection

2008-10-29T17:40:00.004-04:00

Ok, well perhaps that’s getting a little carried away, but Jermaines (slightly ridiculous) tattoo serves (kind of) as an indication of the expectations placed solely on his right knee for this Toronto Raptor 2008-09 season. Obviously Jermaine needs to stay healthy, but keep in mind this is pro sports and most players suffer some sort of injury over an 82 game season. I can just see the moment he tweaks something, with the pained wince on his face and everybody freaks out and calls for Colangelos head. Now I’m now predicting Jermaine gets injured, I’m just saying let keep this in perspective. Besides the whole “Jermaine HAS to stay healthy, how does Calderon handle being the number one guy?” story line is getting a little old. Lets all get over it right now and move onto more interesting, and exciting things.

Like my main man Chris Bosh. True, Bosher has for the most part been less of a fearless leader and more of and fragile computer dork during his tenure in Toronto. But it seems as if he’s developed a little bit of a swagger in the off-season, and all things considered I’m calling for HUGE season. I’m talking first team all-star. You heard it here first. This team has been a one trick pony for a while now, and this year Jermaine draws defenses away and give Bosh more room to finally go to the freakin hoop!

Also, Jason Kapono, who will be starting 5 tonight. I feel like Sam’s been holding this look back during the preseason, but when you have the best three point shooter in the game, especially when you have two guys that will draw defenders away, its gonna be kick-out city this year with JK and AP raining threes from the corners all year long.

Joey Graham. Make or break year. I say make. I’m buying a black Joey jersey if he hits his stride. The final piece to this team is an athletic 3, a slashing scoring threat that does everything. From all I’ve heard he’s got the ability to be that guy, he wouldn’t still be on this team if he didn’t. Think about how wicked it would be if that final piece was already on the team? Oh, and same goes for Barney (get a haircut dude).

And finally Ukic. Dudes got talent. People will be talking about this guy. Hes young, extreamly quick and flashy. Gonna be fun to watch.

That being said I can’t freakin wait for the home opener. The opening intro music/video was pretty cool in the preseason, hopfully they bring the wickedness for the opener. If not, where can I apply for that job?

__________

Check out this, “NBA player Playlists”. Two things: 1) the over abundance of lil Wayne. Personally don’t get the mania surrounding Wayne. I mean he’s got a unique style and all, but best rapper alive? Please. 2) Shawn Marion concludes his list with a Brittney Spears track… I’d say that pretty much sums up his person: textbook fossy.

For your reference mine would go a little something like this (and I’ll stick to hip hop, so I don’t completely blow your mind!):

1) Jay-Z – Can I live – Jay is the most professional rapper of all time, so professional he’ll never involve himself in the greatest of all time discussion, while he most defiantly should.
2) Jay-Z – Public Service Announcement – Hard to say which version is better, black or grey, I say both, on repeat.
3) Ghostface Killa – The Champ – If youre looking for pump-you-up, lets play some ball type music, this is it. This is what I throw on on my way to squash matches against other white dudes.
4) Biggie – I got a Story to Tell - no hook, just straight up freshness.
5) T.I. – Rubber Band Man – “…wiilld like the Taliban” – before he got predictable.
6) Kanye – Flashing Lights – Kanye is a way better rapper than he gets credit for, and this track doesn’t nessecarily capture that, but more-so the whole experience. Creepy video, youtube it.
7) Juelez Santana – Squalie – reminds me of trips to Gan-Gan, watching my buddy Theo from the backseat as he drives, puts in eyedrops, smokes a butt, eats a burger and chages the cd all while going like 200+ on the freeway. Goodtimes.
8) UGK – Itn’l Players Antem – this one flew under the radar somehow, its got most of what you need.
9) The Roots – The Seed – I still take credit for this songs prominence in and around the Kingston area, which, of course has spread worldwide…
10) Tribe Called Quest – Jam –“…Juney moved around in a tinted out Jetta”
11) Tupac – Death around the corner – the man, the legend.
12) Tupac – Picture me Rollin – Every track on AEOM is a classic, and was the soundtrack to a good part of my teenage years (yes, I was THAT guy), but this one pretty much sums it up.
13) Nas – NAS is like – One of the sickest lyrical verses I’ve ever heard “Nas is like, sex to a nympho, but nuthin sweet, I’m like beef bustin heat through your windows!”
14) M.I.A. – Paper Planes – I have an entire (extended) weekend of my life dedicated to this song.
15) Common – Forver Begins – Roll out on this one…

2008-10-29T17:36:00.000-04:00

You heard it here first...

2008-10-11T13:35:00.000-04:00

I've been saying this for years

Initial Thoughts

2008-10-08T15:24:00.003-04:00

Thought it was good time to fire up the ol' Raptor blog. Headed down to the ACC for preseason action vs the New York Knicks. Most excited about the official unveiling of Jermaine, and the new look Barney+20lbs. All accounts point to a more confident and composed Chris Bosh (2.0), as per Olympic gold and getting his braces removed. Jose gets the chance to see if he can play at an all-star level for the whole season. Kapono might start at the 2. The team is significantly less deep than it was last year, which, at least recently, has been it signature strength. Sam's up to his old tricks, but sans the potty mouth. I'm interested to see the young PG and that "Australian Shaq" and how they fit in. Its really quite hard to say how this teams going to come out the gate, I'll have a better idea tomorrow. Until then...

The end has no end

2008-04-22T09:29:00.001-04:00

It's 4:26 on the eve of game 2 in Orlando vs. the Magic. In game one the Raptors were made to look like an afterthought, a footnote in a rather exciting NBA season. Barney started at the 3 spot, Bosh said they were confused by new plays. Tonight is that last chance at the dance. If they don't finally make a stand they will ultimately go out in 4 (maybe 5) and what was once a rather promising season will end with one of the most pathetic finishes I have ever witnessed.

I will say this: I still believe they can win this series. In fact I think this team has the ability to give most of the teams in this league a run for their money. There is a lot of talent on this Raptor team, yet there is very little confidence. Now, I believe that, for the most part professional athletes could be considered confident rather, egomanical... and to watch a group players perform the way they have down the stretch can only in my mind speak to the coaching. I have tried to make a case for Sam time and time again over the past two years, but its seeming more and more apparent that he just does not have it in his to a) motivate this team b) develop Bargnani c) separate himself from TJ Ford. TJ has had a roller coaster of a season, but his poor play of late is undeniable, and the fact the Sam continues to reward players for poor performance (while others sit on the bench) is absolutely ridiculous. I mean what happened to Jason Kapono this year? I feel like he's barely played at all... a couple of catch and shoots here and there, but for the most part he's been invisible. I think that this is perhaps on of the most visible symptoms of the TJ vs JC controversy. Kapono relies on the players around him to get him the ball, and after spending a season playing off and on with both TJ and JC, he's never been give the chance to shoot the freakin 3-point shot he was brought here to shoot.

But I digress... all I can ask is that someone, I don't care who it is anymore gets up off their ass and calls someone out, or everybody out for that matter, to get their heads out of their collective asses and play basketball the way they used to. In watching highlights from the other playoffs games, I realized that I haven't seen the Raptors move the ball like the other "contenders" in a long long time. But, I have seen the move the ball like that this season. This is my point, the ability is there, however for whatever reason it was lost.

The saddest shame of this season, a season where my only wish was for some recognition, for Barkley and Kenny and the ESPN's of the world to finally take notice... for this team to finally be relevant, things couldn't be farther from it. All 8 teams in the west deserve more attention than the Raptors, and pretty much everyone ahead of the Raptors in the East (and some behind) deserve the spotlight as well.

But, it is not over until the fat lady sings. Tonight the Toronto Raptors have just one last chance at that statement game, the game that fans and commentators around the league finally turn to this series and see something worth watching. I know I will be.

the bitter

2008-03-11T09:35:00.004-04:00

Well, things couldn't look much worse. Bosh is out, seemingly indefinitely. There's whispers that TJ has grown a little uneasy with his second string status. Winning against non-contending teams (or anyone for that matter) is hardly a given anymore. The first of five games in 8 days in the west start tonight against the NBA's best team, who, earlier this year beat the Raps by 20 at the ACC the day before Gasaul came to town. It seems everyone has written them off the Raps off for the next week or so, clinging only to the fact that the Eastern conference is so pathetic that they can expect to still be in playoff contention even if they were to loose all five games.

So where is the silver lining? As I've mentioned before I believe that in sports just when things seem certain, when everyone is betting against you, when the chips are so incredibly stacked against you, that the exact opposite tends to occur. See NY Giants vs. NE Pats. Call me the eternal optimist. Call me a homer. These are the times when a team is defined. Players need to step up, emerge and shine in the opportunity that Bosh's absence and the stage that is the Staples center provides. We've seen it before, TJ goes down, Jose steps up, so well he's considered to play on the all-star team. In amongst the negativity has been Andrea stepping into the fold, playing with confidence and dare I say... grace..? I believe that the player on the floor with the greatest opportunity is Anthony Parker.

The Raptors have no stars. Lebron James would destroy this team as it stands. The Celtics or the Pistons would be embarrassing. If there ever was a time to make a statement this is it, tonight is the night.

Buy low, sell high.

Buy, Buy, BUY!

WTF?

2008-03-03T11:12:00.003-05:00

After a strong stretch winning five of six, and facing the Pacers and Bobcats over the weekend the Raps were in a prime position to get to 10 games over 500 and build on a seemingly developing respect around the league as demonstrated by John Holligners piece on the "Mighty Raptors" and Gilbert Arena's half assed apology. But, on cue, the Raps took a rather ugly step backwards loosing in two rather uninspired performances. They made Mike Dunleavey look like the white Michael Jordan, even Joeys stupid brother had a good game. And the Bobcats game was not better. I don't understand how Sam can't make lineup adjustments when they're getting ridiculously outrebounded and they're scoring like a million second chance points. I'd really like to see bigger lineups, perhaps Rasho and Brezec (and maybe even Andrea) on at the same time to at the very least clog up the lane and hopefully pull down a couple more boards. And whats with this small-ball Jose and TJ at the same time? This went on for a while in both games, they're already small enough, they need to REBOUND THE BALL.

Obviouslly Bosh sat out with a tweaked knee, but this is a team game and I think its a poor excuse, especailly against two bad teams.

Bah!

...the picture shows me at the game with my folks by the way.

Dirty Dancing with a Gangsta Lean

2008-02-25T10:13:00.003-05:00

Last night I took a "Fire Isiah" sign to the Raps/Knicks game. Now, this was my first experience taking a sign to a game, which I must say is fairly nerveracking. Most people take a sign to a game in an attempt to get on TV or the JumboTron, my sign was to make a statement. As I've mentioned before, I grew up a New York Knick fan, and while I have since changed my allegiances, I'll always be a little bit of a Knick fan at heart. They're a basketball institution, characterized by a hardnosed passionate style, embodied by players like Starks and Ewing and Oak and Mason and all the rest. I think its a crying shame whats happened to the franchise and am completely flabbergasted by the continued stagnation facilitated by the infamous Isiah Thomas. Anyhow, from my relatively close seats on the Knick bench side, my intention was to be noticed by 1) Isiah and 2) the press. I'm Isiah gets lipped to a certain degree in every city, but I would expect that he, and most American basketball fans would not expect such commentary from north of the border. I wanted it to be noted that the cancer that is Isiah Thomas resonates far beyond the insatiable New York media markets, something must be done. It is so uncannily apparent. Watching the huddle during timeouts there almost always was a somebody loosing their cool throwing a towel, or scowling and barking. The funny thing is they've got some pretty serious talent, they just can't play together. Plain and simple, its coaching, and if its not that its the General Manager who built the team, who ironically is also Isiah Thomas.

My sign was confiscated in the early second quarter. Apparently it was against "NBA security". I don't know what that means but I will know better for next time. I'm pretty sure a couple of the Knick Assistant coaches saw it.

How about the new guy? Didn't expect that at all. Apparently he's a gangster. He started out his NBA career in Indiana, I believe with the crew infamous for the "Malice in the Palace" and Rasho was saying that a big part of how your language develops is dependant on who your surrounded by. Apparently he addresses Sam as "gangsta". Of note is Michael Grange's comment that an Eastern Conference scout who spent a lot of time covering the Charlotte in the past couple of years said in response to the excitement surrounding the Slovenian Gangsta after the game: "He can’t sustain it. He’s not that good, first of all; and he’ll break down physically.” Also check out Granges convo with Brezec.

Near the end of the game the ACC played the Thriller video on the bigscreen, but edited in Bosh's face on MJ's and the rest of the guys on the other dancing zombies. I don't know what the occasion was but the crowd loved it, as did the Raps bench, all of which were watching and laughing during the timeout.

Delusions of Grandeur

2008-02-14T09:46:00.005-05:00

What and extra-ordinary opportunity last night! Yesterday afternoon it was reported that Jason Kidd was to be traded to the Mavs for Devean George, Jerry Stackhouse and a handful of other pieces. This kept Kidd out of the line up against the Raps which left the Nets looking gawd-awfully pathetic. Carter mopped around the court the entire game. You could see it during the pregame, and when the players were announced the Nets looked totally lifeless. Obviously the trade means the franchise is giving up on its current structure and going in another direction. One could make a strong case that the Kidd move could be followed by a swap of malcontents Vince Carter for Jermaine O'Neal. Great deal for everybody really, maybe not for Vince, but who cares about him or his legacy anyways?

Anyhow, so the opportunity for the Raps was to deliver a final and fatal blow to a sworn divisional rival. While this rivalry is relatively young, it has relatively deep and significant roots. Sports rivalries tend to go on for years and years, trading victories and claims of superiority. But last night, assuming things will play out as I described above (which they likely won't - see below) the Raptors were faced with the unique chance to annialate their rival, effectively signal an official changing of the guard and new direction for both franchises. You could see that Jose understood the significance; he was fired up even late into the game with a comfortable lead. I would expect he's also got something to prove after throwing away that pass to Bosh in waning moments of game 6 as well.

That being said, I tend to try to convince myself of they best-case-scenario, or most dramatic plot twists, like the unbeaten Pats vs. the all-American Packers in the super bowl, or Jose the All-Star... speaking of which, if the Kidd deal were to go down, it opens a spot on the Eastern all-stars, which could theoretically sneak Jose in the back door. This, by the way, is precisely how I expected it to happen.

Oh, and it looks like the Kidd deal is getting kyboshed anyways, so sorry for wasting your time with my delusions of grandeur...

Oh, also, Agent Zero doesnt think Jose deserves all-star consideration. I like Arenas, he's the Kanye West of basketball, he just better keep backing his mouth up, or he'll fall off real quick.

Other notes: As I mentioned, Carter slouched around the court in his familiar manner. I predicted early on that he'd get fired up, tech'd up and tossed at one point. He did get fired up, tech'd up but despite his best efforts, was unable to get tossed, which would have been so sweet. I hope he goes to the Pacers and stagnates into nothingness.

Kudos to Jay Triano as the first Canadian head coach in the NBA...

Raps need to go 22-10 in the second half to get to 50 wins.

All-star festivities should be fun.

That is all

Go Raps!

Dunk Contest Preview

2008-02-06T15:52:00.000-05:00

If you haven't seen Jamario's dunk contest preview yet, you should definitely check it out. Sorry about the link, click the link in Jamario's area for the video. Kinda feels like that Cloverfield movie.

Sweet ain't as sweet

2008-02-06T10:30:00.000-05:00

TJ's back!

Mid morning there was talk that TJ Ford may dress in Miami, and then shortly after the Raps built a comfortable lead against a lethargic Heat team we had our first TJ Ford court appearance of 2008! And he looked good. He had a baseline cram to end the game! From what you hear from TJ, the team and his workout coach and mentor John Lucas, is that while he's back on the court, he's been working on tweaking his game to a more controlled level. Maybe that takes away from his explosiveness but I'm just glad he's back... truth be told, I had a sneaking suspicion that he may hang em up for good. Two bonafide point guards will round this team quite nicely, which is firing on all cylinders in case you hadn’t noticed.

All-Star reserves announced last week. Gotta say I'm very disappointed that Jose didn't make it. There had been a lot of talk around as to his consideration, which made me think that he was in fact flying above the radar and would in fact get voted in. I'm won't cite statistics or mention Jose's long list of intangibles, but what I will say is that Jose Calderon has played the point guard position this season for the Toronto Raptors with top-level efficiency. He makes very good decisions, shoots a high percentage and commits very few turnovers. He's a team leader and plays the game with passion from tip to buzzer. What else could you want in a point guard? That being said, it’s hard to make a case against the players selected above him, except for Richard Hamilton, who I hate... stupid mask. Better luck next year.

Anyhow, in other news the team continues to come into form. One on the most glaring blemishes (Barney the dinosaur) is getting his feet beneath him, with 5 good games out of the past six. With the all star break, a healthy rested team, and a kooshy schedule in the weeks to come, we can expect them to string a couple together.

A quick note on the Super Bowl. Unbelievable. Not necessarily the game itself (which was good), but the ultimate result of the season. I watched the Bears vs. the Giants earlier in the season, and I'm no Chris Collingsworth, but I know a little bit, and I remember thinking to myself: "this is not only the ultimate display of god-awful football, but also a showcasing of two of the worst quarterbacks to ever lace em up". With Tiki talking smack, the Strahan hold out, a jerk of a coach, Eli-freakin-Manning... wow! they had it all. I bet against the G-men every single week. It just goes to show you that just when you think something is for sure, in life, in sports, and most notably in the modern NFL, that the exact opposite tends to occur. Good on them though, congrats New York Football Giants. I can only imagine as a fan the highs and lows of the past season. The sweet isn’t as sweet without the sour.

Oh, also, CB4's up to his usual geeky antics on his website.

Go Raps!

Movin on up

2008-01-31T09:51:00.000-05:00

After the blowout win vs. the Wizards last night the Raps have moved to 4th on ESPN's Hollinger powere rankings! Now, these rankings are updated daily and based on some sort of mathematical formula I believe and I check them every day. Never have I seen the raps as high as 4th! Pretty exciting.

In other news, Damon Stoudamire seems to have been picked up by the Spurs. I cursed when I first heard the news, but truth be told, its much better that all efforts are placed into finding a rebounder. Plus we've got a top-tier point guard on IR who apparently is going to start practicing with the team again.

Last night was another example of what this team is capable of when they shoot a high percentage. Barney had 19, he even flashed a smile or two. Maybe the team doc got him some pills. Has anyone else noticed how Bosh and Calerdon seem like the best of buds these days. Last night Bosh sat on the bench, Delphino to his right and Jose to his left, all three having a hearty laugh. It looked like Carlos told Bosher a joke and Chris in turn whispered it to Jose and it was apparently quite funny. I love it, I think it’s great for the team and the chemistry and all that. But, i do find it a bit weird. I've heard Jose talk and converse many a time, and while his english seems good enough for basic communication I would venture to say that some times its a bit of a struggle to talk to him. Especially since he's such a high energy guy, he seems to be yapping in somebody’s ear, and sometimes feel like most players, coaches and even the refs are merely humoring him. That being said its completely ridiculous for me to hypothesize on such things from a far, or even through the television lens, but what I am trying to say is I just hope that this Bosh-Calderon friendship is genuine, (which should translate to the floor) and not something manufactured.

Trade Talk

2008-01-30T14:26:00.000-05:00

It feels like this we're at an integral point in this season for this Raptors Club. I feel like if I were to find out that Colangelo was not working overtime trying to fill one or more of the holes in this team, that I would be extremely dissapointed. The good thing is that these holes are glaring, and its easy to see exactlly what this team needs. That being a second string point guard and a big athletic rebounder. Rebounding has become a chronic problem, one that will become even more glaring down the stretch and into the playoffs. The point guard spot is more manageable, but at the end of the day it means that the second stringers, a testement to this teams depth, don't benifit from playing with a point guard who can create. This problem is not as apparent when the team is shooting well, beacuse as a jump-shooting team, as it was in Boston, when they hit shots, especially from three, they can and will beat anybody. But, when they are not, and they are forced to create other scoring opurtunities it doesn't allways work out as Calderon cannot allways be on the floor.

It would be great to get Damo back. He'd provide a veteren presence, and it would be a great homecoming type story. Contrary to what you'd hear in the local press, Damon landing in TO is actually bit of a long shot. But it's starting to sound like Boston is wary about messing with thier chemistry leaving the Spurs and Suns contending with TO for the point guard. Supposedlly, Toronto is at least a consideration, and if he were picked up by TO it would likely be because neither western contender made an offer.

That all being said, if any move is to be made it should be to address the rebounding. You hear about it after every game the raps were outrebounded by some ridiculus margin. I think its safe to say that most players on this team are playing close to thier capacity, Bosh is scoring 25-30 a night, Parker is shooting a ridiculus percentage, Calerdon couldn't be asked to run the point any better, Jamario adds explosivness on defense and shot blocking, the bench: Delfino, Hump and even Kapono are playing theier roles exceptionally. If they could only get a few more opurtunities a game, by way of rebounding, we could and would desrcibe this team as solid and maybe even formidbale.

My big three beats your big three

2008-01-24T11:55:00.000-05:00

I love how the raps have a "big three" now (Bosh, Jose and Parker). I also love when the Raps shoot like 150% from 3 to beat the beat team in the league at home. This, my friends was the statement game that I've been looking for all year. This was a game that will finally have the rest of the league take notice, at least for a day or so.

Jamario Moon was a head on a stick on Pardon the Interruption yesterday. Tony Kornheiser lambasted "Moon" because he didn't believe he was worth wasting his breath taking about him and his berth in the slam dunk contest.

Real good to see Bargnani (have you heard this nickname "Barney"?) have a good game. He still picked up too relatively early fouls, but played through them. I guess he a Garadini went out for dinner, talked at length in Italian about his depression, and looks as if it did him good. Its amazing what knocking a couple of shots down will do for you. He also looked significantly less awkward when making moves to the hoop. I don't know if he bowled anyone over last night.

Talking Basketball

2008-01-19T20:08:00.000-05:00

Funniest moment of the season so far: Late in the second quarter Jose and Hawks guard Anthony Johnson had some words during a couple of free throws. Watching the replay, you could clearly see Johnson talking smack, while Jose argued his case with his usual Spanish vigour. The exchange prompted Johson to deliver an elblow to Jose's head on the rush, which resulted in an immediate flagrant two and Johnsons ejection. Afterwards when asked by reporters what Johson had said, Jose responded, in his usual naiveish manner: "we we're just talking basketboul".

From my seat in the icebox, unfortunatelyy I didn't pick this up and ejection and play stoppage was really confusing. Great game though, Bosh, Parker and Jose are all firing on all cylinders. I can only hope that Bosh will be so assertive against Garnett and the Celitcs on Tuesday.

Another funny story from yesterday: At one point we heard a loud smashin sound behind our icebox stools. We turned around to see the Raptor viciouslly smashing one of those plastic things that hold the list of specials on one of the tables. I don't know what he aimed to achieve from this random act of aggression, but I will say that the Raptor is totally freaking cool. Did you notice the extra big inflatable Raptor the other day? Normally they have a small and a big inflatable Raptor. This new one is like the big one with longer legs and appendages. Good times.

2008-01-08T10:52:00.000-05:00

Its been a while, and again, a lot has happened, I'll start with the devastating events of the first weekend of the year...

On the walk home after the loss to the Cavs two Sunday's ago I was discussing with a buddy how even with the most impressive quarter of basketball yet this season (1st), even though LeBron went through a sequence of two bricks and a missed dunk, and even though the Raps held a double digit lead, stretching to as much as 20, for much of the first half, that there's always the feeling that a player like LeBron can and will go off in the late stages of the game leaving you, as we were, with our tails dragging between our legs after another disappointing performance by the Raps. This is a superstars league, and at this point, with all due respect the Toronto Raptors don't have a bonified "star". Outside the obvious need for a large athletic rebounder and a possible back-up point point guard in TJ's absence, this is our most glaring deficiency.

Now, again, with all due respect, our superstar could already be on the team. Chris Bosh is the face of the team, but your star has to instill confidence and be trusted with the ball with 7 seconds to win the game... Bosh just isn't that guy. He has played statistically very well of late, but when have you seen Sam give him the Ball with time running out and the game on the line...? And even if he did, would you trust him to make the shot?

Bargnani's getting a lot of negative press these days, and rightly so. For a number one pick to be taking such a significant step backwards is newsworthy, but is it really fair? The kids really far from home, came up through a much different system than that of say, LaMarcus Aldridge, and is trying to learn a new position. If the Raps were able to grab a (veteran) big man that could mentor Bargnani on how to be more physical and grab rebounds I think it would do him a lot of good. The kid is often compared to Dirk, and the folks in Dallas will tell you that Dirk went thru almost the exact same type of thing, fresh from euro league, playing an unorthodox style, and struggled for years... and look how good that turned out!

Jose has been astounding. ESPN.com's John Hollinger says hes the third best point in the East. Quite obviously Kidd, Chauncey and Wade will get voted onto the team, but one can hope, and I believe this will happen, that Jose will get the Chance to play in New Orleans with Bosh.

Jamario's headed for the dunk contest. In related news I ran into Jamario in a local restaurant. I told him to keep up the good work and shook his hand. Truth be told, at first he had the "oh boy here come some dufus fan to bother me" look on his face, but I kept it short and sweet and I can guarantee you that, as a rookie, and a guy who's struggled to get where he is, he relishes such moments. I'm glad I could deliver said moment.

Anyhow, I am optimistic going forward, despite still not being able to beat the better teams, like Detroit. I mean who have the Raps beat this year that really counts? The Mavs, the Rockets, the Spurs... They've had two shots at the Celitcs and two at the Pistons, of the four games there's only been one decent performance, and that was more like a decent 4th quarter. If they plan to "make it to the second round" as seems to be the goal, they're going to have to hang with elite (playoff) teams. Until that happens I will continue to grumble.

That being said, I think that if we we're to get TJ back right now, things would be looking pretty promising. Next test is Boston at the Garden.

Easier than Cow Tippin

2008-01-03T09:26:00.000-05:00

If you haven't checked out Boshers plea for all-star votes yet, you probablly should.

Also check this blog entry for a great example of just what I was talking about in my last entry. In many ways Chris is still a very, very young man.

The Agony and the Ecstasy and the Agony

2008-01-02T13:20:00.000-05:00

Its been a while since last I wrote, and a lot has happened. Most notably TJ's terrifying injury in Atlanta. I had known that TJ had a history of spinal injury but I had no idea the extent of that history or the spinal stenosis he apparently is living with. You can read all about it, and TJ's extensive medical history on Michael Grange's blog for the Globe, "From Deep" (dec 12th, and frank conversation he had with TJ in the days following, dec 13th). I will quickly say that by no means did I think that Horford had any malicious intention, and considering the extent to which he followed up with TJ, we can assume he was very, very sorry that it had happened. The more important discussion however is ultimately that of TJ's career. This spinal stenosis makes him considerably more vulnerable to serious injury and eventually he's going to have to make the decision as to whether its worth the risk to continue to play. All I've heard lately is that he's been consulting with various medical experts and with their help hopefully TJ will be able to weigh the pros vs the cons intelligently and make the relevant decision. If he does decide to walk away from the game I will be very upset, but not in the least angry.

I will say this: Jose has played remarkably well in the wake of all this, continuing to lead the league in assists to turnover ratio. But, he is starting to look less comfortable in the starting role, and seems to have lost his step a bit. That being said, the team around him has been struggling in general (AP, Bargnani, Delfino have all taken more three pointers that freethrows), which will be reflected in the point guards play. But if TJ is out indefinitely we may need Brian to start waving his magic wand and brew something up for the stretch.

As for the ecstasy, the win at home over the Mavs was huge, even though I was reduced to text message updates while I was at the work Christmas party. The Raptors have always flirted with beating good teams, but very infrequently actually finishing them off (for example when the Raps played the Mavs earlier this season). And after an exciting win over the Pacers the following Friday I had thought that we were primed to see a Raptor coming out party against the league darling Celtics.

Was I ever wrong. The Agony returned (and lingered throughout most of the western swing) as the Raptors looked uninspired and listless with a rather pathetic performance in a rather convincing beat down. And after dropping three in a row to Portland, Seattle and Phoenix, things were looking really quite bad at the Christmas break.

Then somehow they come out and beat the Spurs, a game which I had pretty much written off, even declaring at the family Christmas dinner table that "it wasn't going to be pretty". The Raptors have proven this year to be if anything, incredibly inconsistent, which is frustrating as a fan who knows what they are capable of. For whatever reason some days they just don't all show up, and as much as I hate to say it, this is typified by the centrepiece Chris Bosh. Judging by his body language at he Celtics game, Garnett must have jumped him pre-game and beat him up as he sulked around the court. It's as if he doesn't believe in himself. He hesitates every single time he gets the ball. Either pop it or explode to the hoop Chris, your outside shot and your quickness are your strengths and if you choose to take a couple of seconds to think about how you're a second tier player every time you touch the ball that's likely all you'll ever be!

It's not all Boshers fault. Its the coaches responsibility to get the players to use their skills at the right time and in collaboration with the rest of the team. If Sam can't inspire Chris to be all he can be then somethings got to give.

Another potential statement game on Friday against the Pistons, I'll be there, will you?

Holiday Cheer

2007-12-11T10:07:00.001-05:00

I've got a new addition to my heckle list: Eddie House

Truth be told, the Celtics game was totally brutal, nearly ruining my weekend. But I think we can be certain that this Celtic team in what we thought they were, and maybe even more. You have to respect KG and his passion for the game, to hear Sam talk about him (from when they played together on the TWolves) makes you believe that there's no one in the league (or sports) that deserves this bonafide shot-at-da-title he's been handed.

But I will say this:

1) If one things for certain, especially nowadays, the tide seems to turn on all teams throughout a professional season. Their 17-2 start has been a bit of a cake walk, and be it injuries, or fatigue, or whatever, one can be fairly certain that they won't keep up this pace.

2) Lost in all the "Big Three" talk was the fact that last season, a particularly brutal one for the Celtics was typified by the "tankergate" (I don't know if that is the correct term) scandal as teams were openly trying to loose so they could have the best shot at Greg Oden. And the Celtics were leading the pack, making them a laughing stock and their fanbase a mess. Then Karma slapped them in the face as the ping pong balls handed them a fifth overall pick. I can remember my belly laugh when this happened. Then after all that Ainge and his buddy McHale pull off the trade of the decade landing them a best-case-scenario (way better than Oden) that re-vitalizes the franchise and becomes the story of the year. I just think that outside of loving KG off, that karma's got something else in store for these guys... can't say what it will be, or whether it will benefit the Raps, but there's gotta be something...

3) The whole Boston area sports thing is getting real old. Next thing you know the Bruins will announce they've successfully cloned a 25 year old Mario Lemiex and Bobby Orr who decide to "take less money" to play on an original six with a chance-at-da-title. The rest of North America declares war on New England and Tom Brady emerges on the battlefield like Sauron in that opening scene of Lord of the Rings, vanquishing all who oppose him. (leave it to me to drop a LOR reference in a basketball blog... that link was really hard to find btw, there's like a million video game screen shots for Sauron).

I feel like I should have a lot to say about the Rockets game as with Bosher back they finally showed a little prowess in taking it to (and beating) a legit playoff team. I'm not going to get into it now, but I think the tide may be turning... Bosh on the radio this morning: "We play better when we're the aggressor, I think we're all starting to realize that now..."

All hail Captain Canada!

2007-12-06T12:58:00.000-05:00

With all due respect, I hate when Steve Nash comes to TO for his one game a year and everyone plays it up as a "homecoming" and bigs him up before, throughout and after the game. I got several "...going to the Raps game tonight, should be fun, but Nash's gonna kick our butts!" emails. I mean, if your going to go to the game don't a) cheer for the other team or b) expect to loose. Sure, with Bosh and Bargnani out, facing a Western powerhouse/title contender the chips were stacked against them, but as a fan shouldn't you be finding ways for your team to win, rather than loose?

I'm glad to see Joey back, another big, athletic shot blocker/ rebounder can only do us good. Jose looked like a bit of a deer in the headlights. I'm sure he understood the implications of playing against Nash. But again, as is the theme of this season so far, the Raps were unable to grasp an opportunity to make a statement. One of these days... One of these days... The Celtics, in Boston on Friday...? Cripes.

I had tickets to the game on Monday, which was a decent contest. We snuck downstairs to the lower bowl for the second half and got up close and personal to see d bag extraordinaire Jeff McInnis talking smack to anyone who would listen. Jeff McInnis, who are you? 10 year vet eh? Get a life buddy. At the beginning of the second half superfan Nav Bhatia (who was sitting with Pinball Clemons) had the gameball for some reason, and went to hand it to McInnis. The guy rips it out of Nav's hands and stares him down like he's going to eat him or something. And then at the end of the game somehow Jose got T'd up for telling the dude to back off. I'm putting McInnis on my list of heckle targets:

1) Vince Carter
2) Jason Terry
3) Jeff McInnis

more to come...

Also, on Monday I was foiled once again in my attempt to get a TJ Ford Bobble head. That's three attempts - one Garbo bobble head. Boourns.

one step forward... two steps back?

2007-11-29T13:03:00.000-05:00

From my regal perch from a private box I watched both Chis Bosh and Andrea Bargnani limp off the court and down the tunnel. The game was won on strong team play and the continued efficiency of Jose (37 assist and 2 turnovers in 3 games....). Both injuries are apparently "day-to-day". I was hoping for a big show down on Friday night against the Cavs in a tone-setting win as the Raps finally hit their stride. But with these injuries, as well as a sprained Bron Bron finger, Friday may be turn out to be little more than a non event. Hopefully everyone heals up real good and we can have a good ol' fashioned sloperknockin on Friday night.

Concerning bobbleheads, my second attempt to secure a bobblehead was all-in-all a failure. Last night was "Spanish Night" and they were giving away Jose and Garbo bobbleheads. As I had expected the Jose's were far more difficult to come by than the Garbo's. In fact the Jose's were positioned on the outside of gate one ( a notoriously chaotic and busy entrance) so if you entered from any other gate (as i did) you were out of luck. I did my fair share of ducking and jiving, but came up empty handed. In fact I was "warned" by security and almost kicked out before the game even started. I ended up with a Garbo, which all things considered is significantly less cool. The Jose bobblehead it throwing up the "dubs" as per Joses regular three point celebration - and the hands bobble! Woe is me!

Concerning private boxes - considerably less fun than sitting in the crowd. Especially when your there with business types, who, in my experience couldn't care less about the game, and are just there for the hob-nobbing. And while one can try his best to avoid the hob-nob, it is inevitable that you'll end up missing a good chunk of action. But - better than not being there at all.

Considering the lower bowl - A buddy of mine sat "4th row"( why is it that whenever people with lower bowl they move themselves up like 10 rows when bragging to their friends about their seats), and confirmed a theory that I developed earlier this season when sitting lower bowl for the Celtics game. The fans are less fun, I got in trouble for standing and cheering by some dude who's girlfriend wanted to sit and enjoy her stupid poutine. Upper bowl is the place to be, you can high-five your neighbour, meatheads get in fights, can you can curse a blue streak provided the conditions are right.

Go Raps!

que?

2007-11-24T15:52:00.000-05:00

I've been struggling to put some words together following the games this weekend. Probably because after maintaining the status quo, splitting the set, loosing a close one in Cleveland and beating Chicago at home, I continue to find myself unsatisfied, especially given the emergence of both Chris Bosh's real self and the enigma that is Jamario Moon. TJ is hurt, but given how Jose has stepped up (27 assists/1 turnover!) that can hardly be to blame.

Anyhow, a few things worth noting:

- All signs are pointing towards the end of the Garbo era. This whole situation is a total mess, and a little bit sad. He seems to have a lot of different interests; various doctors, the Raptors, and the national interests of Spain, all pulling him in different directions, and at the end of the day I think Garbo just wants to play basketball. One can only hope that this is handled with as much grace and consideration as possible and if Garbo has played his last game as a Raptor that the fans get a chance to give him one last standing O.

- Jamario Moon continues to amaze. The kids stat-line on Sunday was unbelievable, with two legitimate shot-blocking threats on the court the Raps are suddenly are a defensive threat.

- Jose was equally if not more impressive, playing pretty much the whole of both games. I believe the debate is counter productive, but could Jose Calderon start on another NBA team?

- The final shot of the Cleveland game was totally ridiculous. Granted, there was 1.8 seconds on the clock, and no timeouts, but don't they have something better than a Jose heave from beyond half? Don't they go over these situations in practice? If not what are they doing? Is Sam giving them advice on how to be a bigger dick to the press?

Through a combination of good fortune and snakiness I have come into box seats to the game on Wednesday... Jose Calderon (and Garbo) Bobble-head night! Once again, I think the Raps are positioned to make a statement, with the Grizz, a rematch at home against King james, and the very beatable Wizards on Saturday. Especially since they face both Phoenix and Boston the following week, these next couple of games could be very important.

5 hundo

2007-11-22T13:25:00.000-05:00

I declared to a friend yesterday afternoon that I kinda considered the Grizzlies a "non-team". That is to say that the Grizz are a team commonly considered to be out of playoff contention in a weak conference and to win against such a team is more or less a non-event. As per the usual, the Raps made it more difficult on themselves than need be. Thankfully they were able to come up with some clutch threes at the end there, but like I said before, it would be nice to see them able to beat these teams, or any teams, in the first half rather than the second.

I think Bosh had 19 boards, and he looked pretty happy about his performance after the game. The story (or non-story) of the night was the nasty fall Jamario took trying to finish a fast break. Me and my buddy both did that inhale through clenched teeth with instinctual shielding of the eyes that one does the when injury looks really, seriously bad. Reminded me of the Garbo injury, although with out all the screaming and terrified wide eyes. Cut to commercial. When we get back play has resumed, and Jamario's still on the floor, in fact he takes the next shot. Coulda been a broken collar bone, or skull, or brain, or anything, but the dude just got right back up. I don't know if that means that it just wasn’t as bad as it looked, or that he’s tough as nails. But whatever it means I think one can assume that this kids for real folks. If the basketball Gods didn’t mean to take him away from us like that then I'm buying in 100 percent. It seems like he's involved in every defensive possession. And one HUGE block to boot. And he can shoot from 3. I'm gonna call it now: glue-guy of the year. He brings everything the team needs right now, what more can I say?

Otherwise, Derrick Martin made an appearance which is always interesting to watch. Quite obviously Derrick is in some sort of player/mentor role and hopes to get into coaching sometime soon. What I don't understand is how he decides that it’s a good basketball decision to call his own number every time he gets his hand on the rock. Is he trying to pad his stats for trade value? Derrick, I think the work you do on the bench is great, TJ and Jose seem to really value your opinion and knowledge of the game, and I hear you've even befriended Andrea, who's a little bit of a shy-bird, so that's good too. But please Derrick, when you get on the floor, pass the FREAKIN BALL!!!!

So, back to .500, with Cleveland and Chi-town in day games on the weekend which should be two good, winnable games. I have to mention here that I have yet to mention Jose yet, I don't have a good reason for this, but I will say that he's one of my favorites, and absolutely indispensable to this team. Believe me, there will be more than enough Jose love served up soon enough.

Go Raps!

Things fall apart

2007-11-21T11:31:00.000-05:00

I caught the first half of the game last night at some jazz bar (of all places) on Queen over wings and beer. While the television was tiny and far away, I was able to catch most of the most promising first half of this young season. Bosh finally had some success getting to the basket and actually finishing. He even managed to show a little emotion after a emphatic slam. Bargnani played well, even facing up Dirk at one point and hitting a shot in his eye. Regardless of what comes from that match-up, nothing but good can come from Andrea playing against Dirk. Its a shame that they only get two chances a year.

I hastily abandoned my friend for more suitable viewing arrangements and arrived home in time to catch things beginning to fall apart. Apparently TJ got a "stinger", and Dirk was about to unload four threes in a row. Which, all thing considered, if your teams going to lose, you might as well get beat by the best, in a furious display of greatness. In the end, like I said yesterday, the Raps were able to give a legitimate title contender a game, even managing to give them a bit of a scare, but ultimately not being able to close the deal. Its very rare that the Raptors can play a full 48 minutes of consistent basketball. Anyhow, aside from being back below 5 hundo again, can't really complain about this performance.

A quick aside on Dirk Nowitzki: Does anyone else find Dirk's soul-searching trip to Australia comical? I can just imagine Dirk's 7 foot frame couped up in one of those VW vans roaming the outback, sulking and sobbing into a pint of Fosters. Not to mention the dude is stinking rich! I have to think the dude would stick out like a sore thumb among all the other beachcombers trying to "find themselves". Dirk, you got smoked by one of the most impressive basketball performances ever, it doesn't mean you won't get yours eventually. Next time just call your buddy Steve, he'll talk you off the ledge.

P.S. I hate Jason Terry

The first day of the rest of my life...

2007-11-20T10:19:00.000-05:00

So this is a little bit on the late side of things, but better late than never! This past Friday I had a conversation with a friend during the Raps/Pacers contest about how wicked it would be to be a sports journalist. I said that, aside from it being every dude's dream job, thereby creating a serious supply/demand problem, that it could hardly be considered rocket science, and someone who had even half an idea what they were talking about, and the ability to express themselves in a clear and clever manner could be expected to string some words together that some people might find interesting. So here I am, knee deep in the 07-08 NBA season, significantly emotionally invested in our local emerging franchise: the Toronto Raptors. Given the Raps recent successes, and a true blue hockey town beginning to come to grips with the ineptitude that is the Toronto Maple Leafs, what better time to chronicle the rise of a franchise from the bleachers of a surprisingly ravenous fanbase?

I have been a basketball fan most of my life, traditionally a New York Knick fan, through the glory days of the Knicks/Bulls, Knicks/Pacers, Knicks/Heat rivalries to the eventual demise and current laughing stock that is the MSG organisation. I will take a moment here to draw your attention to an article by Bill Simmons, one of my favourite sportswriters, ESPN.com's "The Sports Guy", that lays down the "Rules of Being a True Fan" (http://proxy.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=simmons/020227). I can't have anyone thinking of me as a fairweather fan from the get go. I can further support this position if need be.

Currently, I swear my allegiances to the Raptors, which I have followed since day one; Damon Stoudamire, Marcus Camby, Antonio Davis, Alvin Williams, Doug Christie, Tmac, and of course the infamous VC era. The best sporting event I've ever been to, and I've been to my fair share, was the first game in Toronto against the Nets last season. I've never booed and cursed so much in my life. I'd also never lost my voice. I would slap Vince backhanded across his spoiled, pompous face if I saw him on the street (assuming of course I would be able to retreat to safety shortly thereafter), but I hesitate to use the word "hate" when talking about him. Vince brought our team into the spotlight, and legitimized the franchise, and took the Raps to the playoffs, and won, but ultimately he was one of the least clutch athletes I've ever had the misfortune of cheering for and what he did to this city on the way out was a travesty to say the least. Regardless, it doesn't do me, or anyone, any good to dwell on this, and actually I believe it to be a good thing for the Raps to have a legitimate and sworn blood rival, not to mention one that's divisional, so lets move on...

I'm coming off a weekend in which I attended two Raps games, Friday against the Pacers and Sunday against the Warriors. Aside from the split, I can't say that I feel confident about this teams abilities yet. Sitting at 5-5 in the first 10, which could be considered a great start when measured against the lurching Novembers of past seasons, they have yet to live up to the perhaps too high expectations that this city has placed in front of them. Bosh is apparently upset with himself and borderline depressed due to his rather ineffective start, as he retreated from the press after the game on Sunday. TJ has been the most valuable player so far. Jamario may prove to be just what the doctor ordered. Bargnani, while showing some massive strides out of the gate, still looks awkward when heading to the hoop. If one thing can be said, the Raps are incredibly deep, as illustrated by Garbos lack of playing time. Last seasons glue-guy, and often starter, while taking into account the lingering effects of a grotesque injury, has several guys lined up ahead of him this year, all who can bring a certain dynamic. I hear that Garbo is actually interested in going back to Spain, which would be a shame, because this city loves him, he gets ovations pretty much every time he subs on and off. Anyhow, what I'm trying to say is that the potential is there, but to this point they've been unable to execute. That being said its a long season and I fully expect for things to come together. Chris Bosh is an All-Star, likely so is TJ, and Bargnani will be one day too. Once they learn how to come out of the lockerroom with some fire, as opposed to relying on that fire in the forth, I believe they'll start to really show the league what they can do. I think it has a lot to do with the little things, like that ridiculous mosh-pit jump around thing they do before each game, it would be hard for some of those guys (Rasho...) to look any less inspired.

Which brings us to coaching. I am a Sam Mitchel fan. He's a true character and I believe the team responds to him. But, his professionalism is lacking, and I feel like if he were ever locked in a room with Pat Riley, Phil Jackson, Don Nelson, and Jeff Van Gundy he may spontaneously combust. This, I believe trickles down in some way shape or form into the lockerroom. Its negative energy, and the "F you all, its me any my team and we're not going to answer questions, we're gonna play the games and if we win, well then that's great," approach just isn't going to cut it in the long run. I am shocked that Colangelo has yet too address this, at least publicly, but I'm sure he knew what he was getting into with Sam when they signed on the dotted line. Colangelo is the man by the way, if you can trust in anything, you can trust in the prince of a professional sports dynasty to bring this team to greatness. You heard it here first: in a couple of years Steve Nash comes to Toronto, in the twilight of his career, via Brian's Phoenix connections, in a blockbuster trade (or signing) that brings Toronto its first championship. Afterwards, a basketball mad town banishes the Maple Leafs franchise from the ACC, and shipped to Northern Sweden as part of the NHL's expansion into Europe. A city rejoices, and thousands of Teachers pensions plans are effected, for the better of course.

A few notes from the weekend:

1) A fight broke out on Sunday in the section next too me. I don't know if this is a good or bad thing, but while its quite hilarious to clap out some meathead as he's escorted by security, there are women and children around, so please guys take it down a notch.
2) I don't know how I feel about children attending the same sporting events as me. Or at least sitting in the same section as me. Like I said, I grew up on the New York Knicks, and I gotta imagine that sitting in the bleachers at MSG (some day soon) is an entirely less PG-13 experience than the Air Canada Centre. I could be wrong, maybe I should just be better behaved.
3) Jessica Alba was at the game on Sunday.
4) On Friday Humphries went to help Delphino up from the floor which led to a moment where they ended up essentially holding hands for just a moment too long, which from where I sat was totally hilarious.
5) They have yet to play the most awesome timeout activity that they test ran at the preseason Wizards game. They get two kids, give them a bucket of rubber chickens and have them throw them behind their back to the Raptor who's holding a bucket of his own. Whoever sinks the most chickens wins. This was the most entertaining of these games I have yet to witness, and strongly encourage those in charge to work it into the rotation. Also if the inflatable Raptor could ride down the aisle on either a toboggan or rollerblades again it would be greatly appreciated.

Tonight is the Raps first test against a serious Western contender. They have given the Mavs and the Suns some good games in recent seasons, unfortunately not often resulting in a win. They will have to start beating these teams if they ever want to have Barkley and Kenny take them seriously (which is the ultimate goal for the season, no?). Let’s see if they can get over the hump tonight...

Go Raps!