I see London, I see France, I see my Teachers UNDERPANTS!! HAHA

So I’m sitting class, bored, tired, and miserable. I’m trying to think of a way to lift my spirits. But nothing is coming to mind. Not even the assignment, that was due 5 minutes ago, looks interesting enough to start. I just can’t think of ANYHTING!! Hmmm….

Oh wait, I’m writing this in my blog…

“Isn’t this a Basketball blog?” My friend beside me points out.

“Basketball, that word sounds so familiar, but it’s just not clicking in my head….” I respond back.

I’m giving my friend a blank stare as my teacher talks about something (I don’t know what it is, I’m not paying attention, Remember?).

I receive a Text message with the words: “BULLS CELTICS MAGIC” in it. What is he talking about?….

Ah what the HELL?? Who am I kidding?

I know what they’re talking about!! PRESEASON!!

(BTW I responded to the text message with: “BOO CELTICS!!”)

I never thought this day would come…. again! Tonight, for the first time in 6 MONTHS, I’m trying to leave class early to catch a BASKETBALL GAME!! It feels like early Christmas! OMG, you know what that means:

Toronto Raptors at Philadelphia Sixers (Actually in London, ON) 

 

This is the “Chaun doesn’t do her research and is very lazy” Preview!

Who: Reggie “Bald Head” Evans vs. Jason “J-Killa” Kapono
Tip-off: 7:30pm (to be more Accurate, like 7: 40-something)
Where: Some Arena in London, Owned by the Sixers (I think, well its something like that)
TV/Radio: RaptorsTV (which I don’t have for some reason…) And Radio… I dunno
Standings: Us (0-0) Them (0-0)
Header of the Day: Haven’t looked for one
What the peeps are saying: That’s a good Question….
Notes: Bosh, Turk and Wright are skipping out on this one.... Weems is hurt or something…. Probably people from the Sixers as well, but I dunno.... The Sixers have gone back to their old Logo..... this game really means nothing, its just nice to watch NBA basketball again... Kris Humphries plays for Dallas? I totally forgot. He shot well but only had 3 rebounds…. I think

Starting Line-ups (This I will actually check!)
Philly:
G: Lou WIlliams
G: Andre Igoudala
F: Elton Brand
F: Thaddeus Young
C: Samual Dalembert
6th Man (According to Notes): Jason Kapono….

Toronto:
PG: Jose Calderon
SG: DeMar DeRozan
SF: TBA
PF: TBA
C: Andrea Bargnani

Hmmm, Never again. Next time I will do my research! Just needed to dust off the old blog! =)

LET’S GO RAPTORS!!

ONE Year Makes a Difference

We are hitting the halfway point of offseason, and so far, I’ve lived and haven’t done anything crazy to make it go by faster.

Remember this time last season? How many of us were looking forward to the 08-09 season? How many of us were excited? DO you even remember that far back?

Let’s REFRESH:

June 18th

- Finally released Jorge Garbojosa.

June 25th

- Draft Day. We were Drafting for Indiana when we selected Roy Hibbert 17th overall. It is OFFICIAL. TJ Ford and Jermaine O’Neal will be switching cities in July.

July 1st

– We resigned Jose Calderon to a long-term contract. By doing this we uninvited ourselves from the free agency party that would happen after July 9th.

July 3rd

- UNOFFICIALLY Matt Devlin becomes the new Play-by-play guy

July 8th

- We signed Hassan ‘What?’ Adams. This lead to people spending the next few days Youtubing and Google searching him. Most interesting thing we found out, he’s ambidextrous

July 9th

- OFFICIALLY Jermaine O’Neal and Nathan Jawai are finally Raptors. O’Neal and Jose have their Pressers. Everyone is excited. So long TJ Ford, Rasho Nesterovic (for now), Maceo Baston and Roy Hibbert

July 16th

- Roko Ukic to be signed for 3 years starting at 1.25 million/yr.

July 21st

- Carlos Delfino is going to Russia.

July 28th

- UNOFFICIALLY The Raptors dug deep and pulled out Will Solomon from the box of the Unknown. He was to be the next Anthony Parker.

Our Roster as of July 28th 2008:

C: Jermaine O’Neal, Andrea Bargnani, Nathan Jawai

PF: Chris Bosh, Kris Humphries

SF: Jamario Moon, Joey Graham, Hassan Adams

SG: Anthony Parker, Jason Kapono

PG: Jose Calderon, Roko Ukic and Will Solomon

Looked good on paper, didn’t it? Out of those 13 guys, only 4 of them are coming back next season. Every time I look back on last years roster, my head spins, thinking of the better teams we went up against. O’Neal, Solomon, and Adams were all gone before Trade deadline. Shawn Marion and his expansive Shadow, Marcus Banks, came in. We picked up Quincy Douby, Pops Mensah-Bonsu and Patrick O’Bryant. We actually made a little run to end the season, winning 9 out of  13 games. That doesn’t erase the 20-45 we had to watch prior to the winning streak

It was great how we ended the season but we had to remember that we still finished 33-49 and our Roster had gapping holes in it. Bryan Colangelo must have also seen this because he has given this team a face lift so far this offseason. From trading for Reggie Evans to bringing back Rasho Nesterovic, BC has shown interest in bringing his team to the next level. (Let’s not bring up Chris W Bosh, it’s all about nest season)

Our Current Roster(July 28 2009):

C: Andrea Bargnani, Rasho Nesterovic, Patrick O’Bryant

PF: Chris Bosh, Reggie Evans

SF: Hedo Turkoglu, Antoine Wright, Devean George

SG: DeMar DeRozan, Jarrett Jack, Quincy Douby

PG: Jose Calderon, Roko Ukic, Marcus Banks

Do you feel better about this Roster then you did last season? I know I do.

Last Season some of the issues we faced were:

• Lack of depth
• No toughness
• No identity, No idea what kind of team we were
• Lack of athleticism
• Unable to close games

So far this offseason, BC has tackled these issues. We have quality depth at each position (How well everyone will perform, is something we’ll have to wait and see). He Brought in Reggie Evans for toughness. He drafted DeRozan because of his Athleticism. He brought in Hedo Turkoglu for his closing and ball-handling abilities. Jack was brought in for depth and durability. Rasho was brought in for his leadership presence and the minor, yet major, things he brings to the court. Colangelo hopes this year we can be identified as an up tempo team and be consistent all season.

This isn’t the team to beat in the East. We still got some ways to go. It IS, however, a step in the right direction, that we have a right to be OPTIMISTIC about.

For now we play the waiting game.

Welcome Home, Rashcoe Jenkins

I know this is kind of late. If you follow me on Twitter, you know my reasons.

I wanted put this up while I was still under the influence (@DeeNLen suggested this).

As expected, (According to my sources) The Rasho Nesterovic deal done:

The veteran centre, who spent two seasons with the Raptors before being traded to Indiana a year ago, has agreed in principle to a one-year deal worth about $1.9 million (all figures US), the so-called biannual exception to the NBA’s salary cap.

*CLAP CLAP*

I know Rasho isn’t Dwight Howard, but he is a serviceable back up! He is familiar with the team and management, and he brings ‘offence’ and defence to the court. He, IMO, is a much better choice than Patrick O’Bryant. He rebounds more and doesn’t stick outside. He knows where he belongs on this team.

Another good thing is, this is a ONE year deal. In case his age is more then just a number, we won’t be committed to him next season.

Welcome Home, Rasho! (I almost said Roscoe Jenkins!!)

Summer League and Summer Signings

It’s been awhile, so Let’s catch up Shall we?

Last Friday was our first Summer League game. Our Rookie DeMar DeRozan made his debut. His numbers may not have been Stellar, but that wasn’t what was important. It was how in looked. I believe he looked great in his first game. He was just feeling his way through the game absorbing information like rookies should. In the second game, he upped it and showed that he a little better. The confidence was shining brighter. I see the potential in him and it makes me excited.

The only player on our team that caught my interest was Brent Petaway, he’s like a nickel in the sand…

Last night was another Summer League Game. Raptors were up against Trade rivals the Portland Trailblazers. Could you smell the beef? Surprisingly we won, even though Jerryd Bayless was showing us what a real NBA sophomore can do.

It was obvious The Man wasn’t done last week. He started Phase Two of pleasing the Angry Butterfly (Don’t know what I’m talking about, Read last post). During Game 2 of The Raptors Summer league game, Bryan went on air to discuss recent signings and what to come. After he left the broadcasters said Jarrett Jack was on his Radar. Later that night  it was announced that the Raptors had signed Jack to an Offer Sheet. The Pacers have until July 21 to match the offer. That was quick, right?

A lot of people in Indiana believe the Pacers will highly unlikely match the offer. Which makes sense. If the Pacers were to match the offer they would be in the Luxary Tax.

Last night During his Live Stream, Chris made some phone calls. He spoke to Dwight Howard and Pops Mensah-Bonsu (Who Tweeted about it). But most importantly he called Jarrett Jack. He dropped a lot of hints about moving to Toronto. He even put CB on blast. You can watch that Video here. At least Chris is excited about having a good friend on the team.

With that thought FOLLOW him on Twitter. When you do that you can FOLLOW Charlie V after.

The Story of The Man. A Smart, Smart Man

Once upon a time, there was a man. He was very lonely so he created 16 Butterflies to follow him where ever he went.

After 2 years of travelling some of the Butterflies became weary and wouldn’t follow him anymore. The man, being a stubborn human, decided to ignore the warnings of the seas.

He continued another year with the weak and soft Butterflies before 13 of them died suddenly. One of the surviving Butterflies threatened the Man to 13 years of solitude if he didn’t replace his fallen comrades with ones even better.

The Man, being a secret a genius and completely afraid of being alone, thought of a good plan. He took the bodies of the 13 dead butterflies and glamoured them in looking radiant and alive.

The Man took the 13 bodies to different places to offer trades and bargains. He sold 2 bodies and received 13 gold plates. He used that to buy a Turkey from Jordan. He traded one for a Canadian Beaver. He traded another for a bald eagle with hard wings. Every time he brought back another creature the Angry Butterfly would slowly start to smile and chant ‘more, more!’. The Man said, One more time then but that is it.

He went to the secret island of Memporllas. Where he, and 3 other men agreed on sharing goods. He gave one man, Otisman, a bag of silver plates. He gave another, Marcini,  3 butterflies in return for 2 creatures: Antionius and Devandid. The rarest to be found. Not to feel to greedy he gave the other man, Christophius, one gold plate. The man had 5 Butterflies left, he let go 3 for goodluck and kept 2 just incase

The Man went back to the pleased butterflies, feeling very good about himself. The butterfly thanked him. But he had one last request.

“Get rid of the Butterfly named Marcius Bankakus” The Man hurriedly agreed and was blessed with a key to Palyfofs.

The End

To better understand this story. Substitute the following characters:

• The Man = Bryan Colangelo
• Angry Butterfly = Chris Bosh
• Other 2 surviving Butterflies = Andrea Bargnani and Jose Calderon
• Turkey from Jordan = Hedo Turkoglu
• Canadian Beaver = Jay Triano
• Bald Eagle with Hard Wings = Reggie Evans
• Otisman = Otis Smith
• Marcini = Mark Cuban
• Christophius = Chris Wallace
• Antionius and Devandid = Antoine Wright and Devean George
• And Marius Bankakus = Marcus Banks

If you didn’t already know Andrea got a 5 year extension worth 50 mil. AP has a verbal commitment to the Cavs. We got our MLE back with over 5 mil to spend. This means we can still get guys like Delfino and Kleiza. Good Job Bryan Colangelo.

IF this is too Dumbed-down for you, can find more complicated and detailed version here!

Free agency p4 – Why the negativity?

Before I recap what has happened over the weekend, I would like to discuss the Hedo Turkoglu deal that will be finalized July 8th. I’ve seen many posts over the weekend about this deal and how it will impact the team.

A lot of people do not like it. So I ask why? Most people begin with how expensive he is,

Well, not only will they not be contending for a very long time unless one of DeRozan or Bargnani accelerate their learning curve dramatically and become All-Stars, but they’ll be paying $53 million  over the next five years to one of the most over-rated players in recent memory. (T.O. Sports)

then they bring up the depth issue,

The option of adding Delfino and Marion gave the Raptors both depth and defence. Adding Turkoglu robs them of flexibility, depth, defence and rebounding, and does so for a player who doesn’t necessarily fit in with the team’s top-three players. (T.O. Sports)

then move on to him being 30 before they bring out his non-defensive skills.

Forget that Turkoglu will be a year older, because his game isn’t overly dependent on his physical abilities, but you’d have to assume this will be one of the worst defensive teams in the league next season if it remains as is. (T.O. Sports)

To this I say: “So what?” Unfortunately in this league you can hardly get good players for cheap, and a lot of GMs are willing to spend money to make their team better. At least his contract isn’t as big as Rashard Lewis’.

So we lost our MLE and we wont be able to get a deep bench, yes it is a problem, but what are you going to do about it? nothing, of course. So let’s move along. Let’s see there’s Shawn Marion or Hedo Turkoglu, and if you want we could throw in Delfino. Who would you want on your team at the starting 3 game in and out? Think about how Marion wants 10mil/yr and he’s old. Think about how Delfino was inconsistent, but cheaper. And then think about Turkoglu who is a good shooter, hard to guard at his position and old and defenceless. The point I’m trying to make is every player has their flaw and if Colangelo brought back Marion and/or Delfino, people still wouldn’t be happy.

To this I say: “Be %$#@$%&!*$ happy!!” A player, a great European player to be exact, wants to play here. He turned down another team because Toronto was the better city for him and his family. The whole point of this off season is bring in players that will make Chris Bosh stay. Chris likes Hedo (via Twitter) and so does Rookie DeMar DeRozan.And Guess what? I do too. I’ve been a Hedo fan for a long time, and to finally have him on our team, makes me so excited.

Please keep in mind, BC isn’t done yet. There is still a little hope. So people get rid of all your negativity. It isn’t healthy!

In other news (Remember these bits of info have not been inked yet):

• Rasheed Wallace will be joining the Celtics next year
• Jason Kidd has hit the Jackpot with Dallas
• Shannon Brown is staying with the Lakers. Good for him
• The Mavs stole the Polish Hammer
• And something about the Mavs and a Sign-and-Trade with Marion.With us getting Jerry Stackhouse

Free Agency

After easily impressing Raptors fans at the draft, the real pressure begins for Bryan Colangelo on July 1. Everything that BC does in the next couple of months will determine how much he wants his team to be a competitor next year, or how bad he wants to keep Chris Bosh.

Being a GM/President is one the hardest jobs in sports. Building that perfect team to win a championship is difficult, especially when you don’t have good pieces to offer to other teams. BC has come a long way this current Roster. Chris Bosh, Jose Calderon and Joey Graham are the only players still here from 05-06 season. Graham is an unrestricted free agent and could be gone next.

In the past 3 years that Colangelo has been in charge, the Raptors have been ‘contenders’ (I use the term loosely) and in the playoffs 2 out of the 3 seasons. However, there has been a decline, and I feel like this is BC’s last chance to prove something. What he does now will determine whether Chris Bosh stays beyond next season. It should also determine his job status beyond 2010.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Last year’s offseason acquisitions have been now graded as an ‘F’. Not only is everyone he acquired gone, they were gone before Trade deadline.  I hope BC got the hint with Hassan ‘who?’ Adams and…. I can’t even remember other one… OH! Will ‘What?’ Solomon. As soon as they were traded, they were waived from their teams. I actually felt a little bad for them. Then there was Jermaine O’Neal, he was there in the beginning but stop showing up after awhile. Just like teenagers when they’re in high school.

The point is there is a better free agency class this year. Here are some of the guys who are Unrestricted and I think we should pursue:

• Ron Artest
• Von Wafer
• Trevor Ariza
• Lamar Odom
• Hedo Turkoglu (at a reasonable price)

The Restricted (aka Low chance of getting them):

• Marvin Williams
• Shannon Brown (for cheap)
• Leon Powe

Our Free agents:

• Joey Graham (R) (Update: The Raptors will not extend a Qualifying offer because he would be guaranteed 3.5 mil which he would quickly accept. It’s not worth it [via Doug Smith])
• Carlos Delfino (R) (Extended Qualifying Offer)
• Pops Mensah-Bonsu (R) (Update: Extended Qualifying Offer)
• Shawn Marion (UR)
• Anthony Parker (UR)
• Jake Voskuhl (UR)

There have been some murmurs that the Raptors would offer Turkoglu $50mil/5yrs. He is interested in resigning Marion. BC has also expressed his interest in bringing Delfino back.

Welcome DeMar!!

Let’s recap this…

1. I heard about some DeRozan fellow. So I watched him play in the NCAA Tournament
2. Forgot about him, and went crazy with the Raps continuous slide.
3. Raps we’re officially out, started paying attention to the playoffs
4. Draft lottery. Didn’t want the Raps to win it, and  I didn’t want them fall lower
5. We got 9th so I started looking at propects.
6. Remembered the DeRozan fellow, put my blog on DeRozan watch
7. Watch his interviews and highlights, waiting for him to workout for us
8. Workout didn’t come. Apparently some ‘issue’. Sadly took blog off DeRozan watch and looked at other prospects
9. HE WORKED OUT FOR US!!!
10. Secretly put blog back on DeRozan watch
11. He said he liked it here!! YES!!
12. Made Mock Draft to feel good about self
13. Draft day. RIP Michael Jackson…
14. NERVOUS AS HELL
15. Griffin goes first! Check
16. Thabeet goes 2nd! Check
17. Harden goes 3rd! Check
18. Rubio goes 4th… wait what? Evans? the hell!!
19. OK, Rubio goes 5th! Check!
20. SHIT! Minny would soooo Take DD away from us!! NOOOOO
21. The Minnesota Timberwolves with 6th pick select…. JONNY FLYNN… ??? A PG???? Thank God! But seriously… What are they doing?
22. Then Golden State makes me Happy by Stealing Curry!! HAHAHAHAHAHAH! But makes me nervous. What if Jordan Hill is available at 9? What if the Knicks take DD at 8?
23. Knicks make me happy and take Jordan Hill to the dismay of the hecklers
24. With the 9th pick in the 2009 NBA Draft, the Toronto Raptors (He always says it weird) select…. De- YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS . I never thought I would be so happy to see a boy get drafted, wearing that stupid Raps hat.

That’s the end of my recap. I passed out of excitement right after… Ok I didn’t, I stayed up watch 3 more hours of boringness. Highlights after included:

• Brandon Jennings showing up late to shake hands with The Stern
• Minnesota shocking everyone, even the Love kid, by picking Ty Lawson, another PG, with the 18th pick.
• DeJuan (Spelt his name wrong yesterday, my bad) Blair dropping to the second round.
• So did Sam Young
• Darko Milicic got traded to NY for Q-Rich, Hecklers cheered
• More picks were traded, none that included our Raps

I’m very excited about DeRozan. For once BC picked a guy everyone likes. So, Welcome DeMar DeRozan!! These fans will eat you alive!!

Follow him on Twitter

This is Way Overdue

All I've been doing in the past week is counting down the days to the draft. I just want Raptors news to give me hope for next season. Depending on what Colangelo does on Thursday, my summer will be affected. That's a lot of pressure BC I hope you can handle it.


In a Presser early today, Colangelo singles out DeRozan, Henderson, Flynn, Holiday, and Johnson as possible Draftees. Nothing wrong there. All of them have potential and can help our team in a way. I, however, have a bad feeling about DeRozan. What if he doesn't live up to the hype? What if he is not used properly or not guided into being the player he can be? Of course these questions apply to all players in the draft. These things we wont know for now, and that is what sucks.


To me, the draft is all about LUCK and being SMART. If some guy is projected to go first, and he doesn't fit your team, don't be afraid to trade him or pick another guy. It's about getting young prospects you believe will fit into your system or helps your team. For some GMs, it’s just picking the best player available at the spot. If your lucky a player might just fall lower than his stock and be the guy you need. In the end the draft is a headache if things go wrong.


I just hope BC doesn't disappoint.


Next, my trade ears are tingling. Apparently, Richard Jefferson of the Milwaukee Bucks has had his contract dumped off to San Antonio Spurs. The Spurs were kind enough to give the Bucks Bruce Bowen, Kurt Thomas and Fabricio Oberto. This is only interesting to me because a player like RJ is being traded for 3 players...

Here are some things. James Johnson has been in for a second visit and they hope to have another with Jrue Holiday before Thursday evening. The chances of getting another pick are low. They are not trading up and first thing BC wants to do is bring back Shawn Marion. At a reasonable price of course.

Workouts With Some Evans and Delfino on The Side

I’m sorry for not blogging for a while. I’ve very busy and because of that, I have to catch up on Two days worth of news.

There is one more Workout today (I’ll get to yesterdays later). And guess whose working out for us. Yup, that DeRozan fellow, who I used to like. He finally decides to workout for us, and he doing it by himself. Please explain to me how that’s going to work, because I don’t think we’ll learn much from this workout. Well, except his shooting abilities when no one is guarding him. Oh! We can find out if he’s a great Free Throw shooter!

Now, lets go back to yesterday. The Raptors worked out Gerald Henderson and some other guys who don’t matter right now. He spoke to the Media yesterday. Some things I found interesting:

• This was his hardest workout.
• He believes ‘Stock’ is a mythical thing
• He feels confident he can go as high as the 3rd pick
• A reporter asks: “Some guys who shy away from the competition, Some players who rather workout on their own….” All I’m thinking is Derozan
• He likes to compete against guys that are projected to go higher them him in the draft
• He going to bring a “certain amount of effort” each day and play hard.
• He says he can put the ball on the floor or pull up for the jumper

The Next person the media spoke to was Reggie Evans. His said the usual things. Bringing toughness, being a spark off the bench and helping the team the best way he can. But, unlike the other guys who say this, I actually believe him. He also says that he will let guys know when they’re doing something wrong and he feels we have a ‘good’ team.

The Raptors announced Yesterday evening, they have extended a qualifying offer to Carlos Delfino. This isn’t news, Colangelo has expressed his interest to bring Delfino back.

When Carlos was with us in 07-08, he was very streaky. He’d have five bad-shooting games before breaking out a 20 point game and hitting all his threes (Like the Boston game). He was also one of the few players who took the ball to the basket, when his shot wasn’t falling. If Delfino comes back, will he be more consistent? I think that’s what’s important, we don’t want another Kapono.

If you notice anything incorrect please feel free comment and let me know. I edit this myself and there might be things I miss. Thank you

Kapono traded to the Sixers for Reggie Evans

So Let me get this straight were trading:

For:

That’s not the best video to describe what Evans will bring, but I like it!

From The Star:

“The deal also gives Toronto some financial flexibility.

Evans is owed $4.6 million next season and $5 million in 2010-11 on his contract.

Kapono's deal will pay him $6.2 million this coming season and $6.6 million the season after.”

I really like this trade. JK wasn’t doing much for us, and Reggie Evans brings toughness that are lacking.

Assistant Coaches, Workouts, Finals, etc

"Toronto being right over the border of where I'm from, Niagara Falls, I'm basically Canadian so it would be nice to come here." Jonny Flynn

The Toronto Raptors (finally) announced they have hired Marc Iavaroni and Alex English as assistant coaches. The pair has a combined 42 years of experience coaching and playing in the NBA. They will support Jay Triano, who signed a three-year contract as head coach May 11. Per team policy, financial terms were not announced. (RAPTORS.COM)

Our wonderful (cough) Doug Smith has been saying this for awhile and now it has finally happened. So this isn’t surprising, if you are surprised, shoot yourself! I’m kidding… Now were waiting to hear the same thing for Alvin Williams.

Now normally at this point, I’m supposed to tell you if this is a good choice or not… um, no that’s my forte… But that is! LOL. Sorry, but I can’t judge that and I’m not going to speculate, you can find that here! When they comment on it…

Next. Workouts. Michael Grange told us to keep an eye on who was working out today. Only ones interesting were Jonny Flynn, Jrue (not Jrew) Holiday and Chase Budinger. Flynn and Holiday spoke to the media, about going up against each other. Jonny Flynn actually knows our starting line-up. Don’t worry I’m still on a DeMar DeRozan watch. Even though he hasn’t worked out for us….

I guess I should mention that Chris Bosh has decided not to sign an extension. It’s ok that just means he’ll like its his contract year next year, right? This isn’t news play  people. He will be here next year unless the Lakers and Cavs make a three team deal with us. You get my point. We’ll worry about 2010 next year, for now its about this season coming up.

Now for yesterday. Lebron James has finally gotten fined for ignoring his media obligations. And the Magic lost game 1 of the Finals. I still believe they have a chance in the series. I stopped watching the game in 3rd quarter when it was evident the Magic were not going to make a run. There is no way Dwight only hits ONE shot or they shoot badly like that again. Same with Andrew Bynum, he had too good of a start. Though this might be his series to get going…

The whole JVG thing is stupid. I think he would act the same way for any team. People were just listening to him more because his brother is coaching one of the teams. Otherwise I didn’t think he was bias or a homer like Doug Collins. YES I said it! Anyways, Sorry for the late post been very busy.

If you notice anything incorrect please feel free comment and let me know. I edit this myself and there might be things I miss. Thank you

Mock Drafts? DeMar DeRozan, Who?

It’s June 3rd. If I do quick math, It is 22 days away from the NBA draft. While most people will be tuning in for the finals, the draft has taken the attention of others. Every blogger who writes for a Lottery team has already posted their ‘mandatory’ Mock Draft. For the serious cases out there, there’s Mock Draft 1.0, 2.0 or even 3.0. I have nothing against Mock Drafts, but after awhile they become boring and useless. It’s still early in the offseason, (two teams are STILL playing) so other player news is highly unlikely.

Now I’m not going to lie, I am very excited for the draft. Why? I’m curious to see what Bryan Colangelo will do with the 9th pick and if he gets any second round picks. I heard rumours that he wants to draft big…. I guess the keyword is rumours.We currently have 6 bigs, not counting who we know is not coming back. Bosh, Bargnani, Pops, Patrick O’Bryant, Kris Humphries and Nathan Jawai. Bosh is main contributing to our rebounds, other than him no else averages more 6 (minus Marion, he’s a forward). Unless were trading our bigs for a better big, drafting a big, IMO, is unnecessary.

Next, in some of these Mock Drafts, DeMar DeRozan is our guy. DeRozan is a 6’7” 211 lb SG/SF. He’s 19 and a freshman out of USC. His Draft Express profile here. Some believe he wont be available at 9, while others say we wont even pick him and he’ll be available later. Now if you’re like me, your saying what does he have to offer? What makes him a ‘9th’ pick? Well I watched him play in the NCAA tournament, and I was impressed…

Then again I’m easily impressed by college kids. So here’s some videos instead:

phdsteve from Raptors Republic has us choosing DeMar DeRozan with the ninth pick. The Knicks Blog has us with DeRozan at nine. Touthouse has him at 6, while we pick PG Brandon Jennings.The Bleacher Report also has DeRozan at 6, but has us choosing Jrue Holliday. Da Bullz.com has him dropping to 12th!! while we choose DeJuan Blair ahead of him. But that’s because they believe we are going to trade Chris Bosh. NBC Sports also had DeRozan dropping, while we pick Jordan Hill, a big. The Dream Shake, just like Da Bullz, believe He will dropped to 12 for Charlotte. They say he’s like ‘Gerald Wallace at best’. They have us picking Jrue Holliday as well. SLAM online has picking Tyreke Evans.

Of course These are just some of the MANY Mock Drafts out there.

The important thing is how Colangelo feels. Last year at 17, I was looking forward to someone interesting like Courtney Lee or CDR. But noooo, we traded our pick for a lower one, and got a ‘Aussie Shaq’! I have faith that BC will do better with the ninth this time around. SO cross our fingers.

If you notice anything incorrect please feel free comment and let me know. I edit this myself and there might be things I miss. Thank you

March Madness!!

Something I forgot to post…

So Why is March a Crazy Month? Well there are many reasons why actually. But Lets get specific:

1. NCAA Tournament. You would have to be mad NOT to be watching it. It was actually weird for me to watch the Raptors game yesterday.
2. The Weather. It has been up and down these last few week of winter. Unpredictable actually, but next week should be stable.
3. Raptors. I know about 3 or 4 or maybe a month ago, people were cashing in on the season. All the draft talk has begun. People are giving us our lottery chances and not our play-off chances…
4. School. 5 weeks left so stress level is ridiculous.
5. My Birthday!!! 19!!

Anyways Everyone has the brackets (I missed the deadline, as usual) set and so far there has been a lot of MADNESS!! I’m upset the Wake Forest didn’t put forth a better effort. The most exciting game for me, Siena vs. Ohio St., Now that was effort.

I know basketball players are watching there alma maters or whatever, DO you think the Raptors see that these college players showing more heart and hustle than they do?

Yesterday was another beat down, I think I have a crush on Gerald Wallace now. He set the tone for his team, and never back down. The bobcats never had to adjust the way they play. WHY don’t the Raptors do that? They never set the tone, and they never continue with what’s working best.

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Raptors win... Can you say Defence (with a 'c' for Canadian)
This win would have been better if I didn't have to see AP's wedding band =(
OH welll.... MY HOME BOYS DID IT!!!

Thanks VC for proving me right =]

Vince: Toronto is my Bitch!....

The Raptors are on a winning high and should be able to exact revenge in New Jersey tonight. The Raptors SHOULD be higher than Nets but sadly they are not. Triano is looking for his second win, it would nice for it be against NJ, our ATL rivals.

Who: The Triano Raptors and The “insert” Nets

Tip-off: 7:30 Tonight or 7:45ish
Where: IZOD Center(re)
TV/Radio: TSN, The Fan (590 AM)
Standings: Nets (11-9) and Raps (9-12)
Header of the Day: --
What the peeps are saying: “When we look at history, VC shouldn’t beat us today. He has showed to play in too many games this season he needs a break”

Last time they met: Vince Carter showed the entire ACC crowd, the players and management that the Raptors were and still are his bitch.

Notes: The Nets are currently 2^nd in the Atlantic Division.... They have the highest scoring duo and backcourt in the league....The Nets are 4-6 at home this season.....The Raptors are a measly 8-17 at the IZOD Center(re)...The Nets are 9-1 when they score 100 or more...The Nets suck....

Starting Line-ups (I should probably put ‘probable’):

New Jersey:
PG: Devin “My future Husband” Harris
SG: Vince “Toronto is my Bitch” Carter
SF: Bobby Simmons
PF: Yi “Higher than Bosh AS votings” Jianlian
C: Brook “the better twin” Lopez

Toronto:
PG: Jose “Uno, DOS...” Calderon
SG: Jason “I got a hot wife, and I’m Pacer Killer” Kapono
SF: Jamario “whenever I feel like it” Moon
PF: Chris “This team is lame” Bosh
C: Jermaine “...” O'Neal

Some ‘Hehe’ pictures:

Yes!... Raptors 101 Pacers 88

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.... finally! We needed that, now we just need to beat Jersey. *shudder
Boxscore.
Videos:
Jay
JK
Moon
Bosh
Graham
Jose
TJ
Jermaine

Some quick things:

• Congrats Triano!
  
• Moon's put back looked like cylinder interference.... but shhh!
• I wish I could get a pic of AP's awful dressing... jeans, collared shirt and jacket?!? I'm hoping its because he expected to be in a jersey instead.
• Jason Kapono a Pacer killer.
• Joey and Stephan were on the floor together for a bit but they didn't cover each other.
• Rasho misses Toronto and he was hurt when he found out he was being traded.
• Maceo was always and is still is forgotten.
• haha, Chris hit TJ in his nose
  
• TJ says its not his fault
• The play set up for Bosh at the end of the 2nd(?) was the same one from last sunday
• heres Indy take on things

I don't have any 'hehe' pictures today.

Oh yah, one more thing. Steve Kerr is wierd.... I can't believe the Lakers didn't put away a depleted team... Poor Nash

Toronto Raptors at Cleveland Cavaliers 7 pm EST

So far Jay Triano is 0-2 as the head coach of the Toronto Raptors. He hopes that if they lose, it isn't lopsided and effortless.

Who: The Triano Raptors and LBJ City Cavs
Tip-off: 7:00 Tonight or 7:15ish
Where: The Quicken Loans Arena,
TV/Radio: TSN, The Fan (590 AM), and NBATV, because the fans voted.
Standings: Cavs (17-3) and Raps (8-11)
Header of the Day: In the Kings house, the Raptors are Court Jesters
What the peeps are saying: Cavs by 12

Notes: The Cavs are currently on an 8 game winning streak.... They won these games by average of 12 or more points....The Cavs are 11-0 at home this season.....The Cavs have beaten the Raps 7 straight times at the Q... Kris Humphries is still questionable with knee tendonitis and an injured toe.

Starting Line-ups
Cleveland:
PG: Mo WIlliams
SG: Delonte"The Ladies Man" West
SF: Lebrin "2010" James
PF: Ben Wallace
C: Zydrunas "Z" Ilgauskas

Toronto:
PG: Jose Calderon
SG: Anthony Parker
SF: Andrea Bargnani
PF: Chris Bosh
C: Jermaine O'Neal

As then Preseason ends, so does Jamal Sampson's Raptors Career

Anybody watch the last game? I did, don't want to talk about though. We lost and thats all that matters. It wasn't an important game, so it doesn't need to be talked about. Unfortunately It does prove things about team. I have no idea what happened to the team that averaged 11 turnovers.

Some notes on The Preseason:

• Averaging more freethrow attempts
• more offensive rebounds
• Bargnani has been making most of his shots, and he been taking it to the rim
  
• Jamario Moon hasn't changed; Says he's 'holdin' back for the regular season
• Roko is interesting, and has potential
  
• Our bench is very somtimeish
• Hump has lost since he cut his hair
• Sam let the players, play through their rough patches
• Bosh is in good shape
• J.O. is not dispointing, Seems to be getting better each game
  
• Hassan is the new Delfino, just less explosive

Well lets move on. Some of you might have noticed that Jermaine O'neal disappeared after the first quarter it is alright. Just some stiffness in his lower back causing a strain in his leg. So the season is not over, and at least he looks comfortable with Bosh.

Jamal Sampson was waived today, along with other no names. He didn't play much, so there was no attachment and this really isn't important. Nathan Jawai seems to still be waiting on those results.

Finally Preseason is over, and I can take week long vacation, well, until the Regular season starts. first two games, At Philly and at home with the Warriors, are on the Score. Here is the Full broadcast schedule. TSN2 pops up in November. Can't wait.

Sherm speaks with Bargnani, in one of those one-on-one things. If you're bored watch it.

Tomorrow will be another uneventful day(i say this in hope that wont be). Thus, I shall take my week break. See younext week Wednesay =]

Toronto Raptors 89 Los Angeles Lakers 112

32-13 in the 4th quarter is what won that game. Well not only that, but we were in the game for the first 3 quarters. In a sick way I enjoyed that game last night. Underneath some Raptors love and Canadian pride there is a soft spot for the Los Angeles Lakers. So watching them have their way with us, isn't too hard. Its become expected now, ever since that day.

SWEET, eh? Anyways I watched the Game on the P2P site, only to find out that they aired it on RaptorsTV. My poor Laptop. So I said some things yesterday about some players, and they must of read what I said. First, Mr. Parker. Love that guy, really do. He goes 6-7 in 17 mins. Nothing else though. But that didn't stop The Commentators from gushing on him. Actually they wouldn't stop going on about J.O and Bosh. Is that all our team is about? Actually yah.

Hassan Adams is a smart man. Make evey think he's worthless, but then comes and scores 14 points in 22 minutes. But this is Preseason, he'll jus revert back to his old self on tuesday.

Some Mentionable stats:

• The lakers got 26 points off our 18 turnovers
• The lakers had 14 steals!!
• Surprisingly 12 Offensive Rebounds, but only 35 rebounds in total compared to the Lakers 50
• we shot 42.1% from the field, 45.5% behind the arc and a measly 60% at the line

I have to mention that at some points the we played some good defense but the Lakers would get some ridicuulous shot in, and that would hide the good defense we were playing for 20 before that. I thought the starters wouldn't play more then 20 mintues, but I'm not a coach and I don't know what best for these guys, so BOsh ended up playing 34 on the second night of a back-to-back, in the preseason.

The Section for Our Swingmen
Only AP showed up for work. Even thought it was for 17 minutes. Joey had one of his 'meh' games. Atleast he went to the line. Jamario, the man who is 'fighting' for his starting spot, went 0-8, in 14 mintues of nothingness. Grabbed 4 boards. Only shots JK made were from behind the arc. The commentators had fun making jokes about his one talent. Which made me twitch. When he was at the line they suggested he take his freethrow shots from the 3-point line. So Roko Ukic is Shooting Guard now (says ESPN), But i got a specialplace for him. Hassan was the only bright spot.

The Section for the battle of the PGs (Roko vs Willie)
2 minutes to 20 minutes is all I need to say. Though Roko impress much in 20 minutes. I think he could done better, maybe Kobe scared him.

Last thought
We weill never beat the Lakers this year =]

~will add pictures later