EBSports.net Toronto Raptors Blog

Contributor: -LX-

Basketball in Toronto has seen the emergence of two 47 win teams. Each one proved to be an example of a good team with the promise of some greatness. And now as the Raptors begin a season that tries to reach towards that label of greatness, I'm thinking back on how I felt about that team that first followed up on their 47-win season back in 2001, and comparing it to the one we have now. I think that depending on which of the teams you prefer says a lot about you, in the same way that one's preference of Catwoman might. Eartha Kitt? Lee Meriwether? Julie Newmar? Pick one and you tell the world you're a little obvious, a little vanilla, or a man of true passion and conviction. Pick one of the two good Raptors teams and we'll all know what you're looking for.

Now I did have some love for the team in 2001. I'll admit it. But it was more lustful really. I loved some things about them. I loved that they went farther into the playoffs than Tracy McGrady did (or ever would as of yet, it turns out). I loved that they signed everybody and quieted the talk about the team picking up and leaving. And I loved the attention they got south of the border. But there was a lot missing for me. Oakley as the team leader was pretty ineffective since he was often pulling in different directions than the coach. Outside of Alvin there wasn't much of any connection between the coach and the players (or the GM). Winning every game didn't seem to be a high priority for too many players. And too many hopes were pinned every year on Vince becoming the next MJ for real.

Still, looking at that team, there's no denying that they fit the mold for a succesful franchise. They were pretty much a mirror image of the Sixers team that they were one missed shot from eliminating. The same Sixers that went to the Finals. Both the Raptors and the Philly squad had a talented superstar surrounded by solid role players and gritty defenders. And with a little luck both teams looked to contend for a while. As it happened, neither team added the right piece or two to capitalize further on the 2001 successes. But as the next season was about to start, it was easy to think that they were better than the 47 wins showed.



As it turns out the team that is truly better than the 47 wins, is the one we see now. Not that the memories of the collapse of that 2001 team doesn't still effect fans, and make it hard to believe. But this team is a team that I can really love. I have liked everything that has happened since Glen Grunwald left, in the same way that I disliked everything Grunwald did after 2001. The team he built was too much about hype. It attracted too many bandwagon fans (Kevin O'Neill's last words here revolved around the thinking that too many people in the organization itself were all about seeing and being seen with the likes of pampered stars). And none of that has applied since. If Babcock achieved little, he at least cleared the decks and moved the franchise away from that first 47-win team, and all of the hype and false hopes that came with it. Philly has just recently given up on the promise their 2001 team held, so even while we had Babs we were ahead of the curve. From there Colangelo has been able to bring charcter guys together to form an honest to goodness basketball team that is hard not to really fall head over heels in love with.

I was a kid when I fell in love for the first time with Catwoman. I mean KaPOW! Catwoman was all I thought about. I saw Bruce Wayne falling for her, and I could enjoy it vicariously. And I was only five years-old. But it had to be the right Catwoman. The Eartha Kitt portrayal, as definitive and brilliantly suited to a comic book persona as it was, could not make me fall in love. That was the Raptor team of 2001, all about star power and over-the-top personality. The Catwoman that captured my heart like the team of 2007, was the one played by Julie Newmar. She was more than just a portrayal. She played it for real. She not only made me fall in love with Catwoman, she caused me to compare every other woman in the world with her from that time on. This Raptors team will have the same effect, I suspect. I'm looking to love this team, not just as a Toronto team, but as a team that captured my heart the same way the Bird Celtics and Malone Jazz did. There's a lot to purr about, and I just can't see things turning out like the third Catwoman, a Lee Meriwether that just can't fill out the suit. Don't think so? Then I have to wonder if you'll ever know true love, full of passion and conviction.

Link: http://www.ebsports.net/bbs/showthread.php?t=51197

Contributor: -LX-

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I watched bits and pieces of every Raptors game from last season. They've been running them all summer on Raps-TV. The playoffs just ended today. Damn - TV sucks. But this team is worthy of repeated viewings. And really it's been the first time you could say that since the franchise began. So, I had to make use of the opportunity, as pathetic as it seems.

What did I notice?

1. The season was divided into Fred and post-Fred sections. Fred Jones was simply ineffective in every way imaginable. That really hurt early on. Jones was a big part of the offensive scheme. He was like a second floor general pit there. The problem was that no matter which point guard he was paired with, he failed to compliment what they did. And he could not manufacture any kind of opportunities for anyone else. He was too confused as to what he should do as an individual to be able to help formulate an integrated offense. But perhaps the worst effect of him being so central, was that it took away from what Anthony Parker could do. Which brings me to...

2. Anthony Parker was the best Raptor guard on the floor at any given time. There were many games where you could take the word "Raptor" out of that sentence. He makes decisions so quickly and so well that he becomes something of an invisible hand in all of the successes. I find it hard to imagine the Raptors having made the playoffs last year if they did not have him.

Once he became a bigger part of the scheme, everything really fell into place, and the team was able to absorb losses of other key players thanks to him more than anyone else. He was always in the right place at the right time on both ends of the court. Some might say that opposing teams took the Raptors for granted, but I think those same people miss what Parker did for the team, and how opposing teams couldn't really take much away in that sense. Parker alone is what make the re-runs worth watching.



And then his ankle got a little tender, and he couldn't always get where he needed to be, and he didn't always get into the same kind of rhythm. That really cost the team. Remember that his ankle was still a little wonky going into the playoffs. Then NJ focused their efforts on getting him out of his rhythm all that much more. I think he took himself out of game one a little too much, but bounced back in game two. Then in New Jersey, after the Raptors absorbed the big emotional push the Nets benefitted from in the first half, they started dominating the third quarter. They got to within 9 points, having quickly cut into the 19 point lead, and Parker made it all happen and continued to be in the right spots to keep the pressure on.

He grabbed a steal and took off on a break. He was fouled and crashed hard into the stands. I think the tender ankle did not allow him to stop himself properly. A couple of weeks earlier he took the ball down the court alone against the Cavs, and came up hobbling a little bit when he came to a stop against the net support. This time he had trouble putting weight on his foot at first. And he was slowed down just enough for three quick fouls to be called against him, and all the momentum went back to the Nets. He needed double-teaming assistance against Carter, which opened up shots for Kidd, and everything got a thousand times easier for Jersey.

Then in game four he wasn't able to get back in transition as well as he should have been able to, and the Nets didn't even look like they had an opponent. Parker was the second hinge on the door. Without him there was only one hinge at the pg spot on offense, and it was not so easy to open that door. Without him the door pulled away from it's frame on defense, and was tough to close. Now he was still there as a second hinge, but not being in top form, he was like a hinge in need of WD40 and with screws pulling away from the jamb. Had his ankle been good, the Raptors win in 5 or 6 games.

Which leads me to thinking just how valuable Delfino and Kapono, and maybe even Luke Jackson can be. All these guys strengthen the team's abilities in a Parker-type offense, and take us farther away from the Fred Jones miseries. With the added depth in terms of that kind of knowledgable play I think they can continue to pick up where they left off in terms of how...

3. The pace really picked up. No the full-court 5 second blitzes of the Suns did not work out for the Raptors. But as the season went along, after they took their foot off the gas and paid more attention to ball movement more than quick shots, they did gradually start to pick up the pace again while still incorporating the right passes. They began to play a little more like the Bird Celtics, quickly exposing weaknesses or mismatches with crisp passes from both TJ and Jose from center court to the open corner, or off quick immediate pentration to the trailer at the top of the arc. And off those initial moves the passes could go inside or to the weakside with another quick pass or two, or good shots in rhythm could be released right off.

Bosh works better at that quicker pace, than he does waiting for the double to arrive. Guys like Humphries and Graham prove to be much stronger with the quicker pace, since it often gives them that little extra space to be able to operate without looking awkward. And it fits with the unselfish style that the europeans are accustomed to.

Now with the point guards, I really think if you look from post-Fred onward, you see Jose moving much quicker and initiating the offense sooner and more confidently, and you see TJ making the early pass to the right guy without forcing anything. The various arguments about these guys make me think that the fact that they tended to look more and more alike went a little unnoticed. In any case, look for the tempo to quicken a little more and the distinction between the two guys at the point to lessen even more. Watch for guys like Delfino to play a role not unlike Parker's, allowing for less of a drop-off if Anthony is on the bench. And watch for Bosh to play a bigger role on defense to allow for a transition game to get started. He got a little too much help under the basket last year when he didn't need it, and cheap fouls resulted from the guy that was helping just as Bosh was blocking or changing the shot. If he's trusted a little more, and gets the chance to stay home on his man a little more, then everything will take off from there.

Link - http://www.ebsports.net/bbs/showthread.php?t=49346

Contributor: -LX-

As promised earlier in the summer, I will look at ten games in which Jason Kapono could have made a big difference last season. I have poured over the boxscores, picked out ten games, and then took some delicious reposado out of the freezer in order to aid in my meditations of each one. What have I discovered? One - that tequila shots do not aid in higher thinking. And two - that thinking about Jason Kapono is not making the summer go by any quicker.

The outcries concerning the need to improve defensively, and in terms of rebounding have been heard. But are those more important facets to the Raptors game plan than shooting percentage? And are they areas that are really that weak and without the ability to improve on with the current roster? I would suggest that the rebounding stats for the season show some skewing due to a handful of games where the differential was enormous (a good many of them occurring while Bosh was sidelined). Often poor shooting accounted for a good portion of those differences. Defensively the team progressed throughout the season, and with good communication and an understanding of schemes in place, they should continue to improve.



So with all that in mind I offer 10 games in which Jason Kapono could have made a difference.

1. NOV 20 vs Utah Jazz - 5 point loss.

Here, early on in the season, they finally showed some signs of getting the job done, leading by six points after three quarters, and demonstrating the ability to play tough and physical with a Jazz team that had lost only one game thus far. In the fourth quarter their shooting went south, and they withered on the boards.

So yes - at this point early in the season, before they had put all the new pieces together properly, improvements defensively and on the boards clearly would have made a difference. But also imagine a good crunch time player like Kapono taking shots instead of Fred Jones. Imagine the momentum going into the fourth quarter being maybe insurmountable thanks to more than a 42 percent shooting percentage to compliment the good defensive stretches.

It was this game that gave the team a good lift after a long and distressing road-trip. A few more shots going down might have meant that they were already on a little bit of a roll.

2. DEC 06 vs Cleveland Cavaliers - 4 point loss

Here was another road game where they controlled things, built up a 7 point lead with five minutes to go, and then in the crunch they just missed shots. Again, the rebounding numbers don't look pretty, at 37-49, but all the same they just needed a solid consistent shooter when it counted.

Instead everyone went cold, the Cavs shut down the lane, and the Raptors panicked, with Bosh chucking up two late three-pointers to leave them with only 3 for 11 at that range. Kapono might have proven a better option, and he could have found his shots in the flow of the offense.

3. DEC 08 vs. Chicago Bulls - 3 point loss

In another road heartbreaker, the Raptors were able to rally back from a deficit in crunch time, and give themselves a chance, but the Bulls hung on. The Raptors had jumped out to a ten-point lead after one quarter, but then went ice cold over long stretches in the second and third quarters. The Raps played pretty even on the boards, at 41-43, and played good enough defensively to keep the Bulls from stretching out to a double-digit lead. They just needed a reliable option once the shots stopped falling, so that they could build on their early lead. The scoring droughts were littered all over the place with missed layups and offensive fouls close to the basket. Some outside scoring threats could have opened up the lane and dramatically changed the whole outcome of this game.

4. DEC 10 vs. Portland Trailblazers - 10 point loss

This was an ugly loss at home, with Bosh on the bench in a suit, and a variety of missed layups, blocked layups, and offensive fouls around the basket. Nothing happened inside or outside, as the Raps hit on only 35 percent of their shots, and 6 of 23 from behind the arc. They held the Blazers to 43 percent shooting, but couldn't get into any rhythm offensively. With all of the missed shots, and a scattered gameplan, they got peppered 34-56 on the boards.

They clearly missed Bosh, and while TJ tried doing too much all on his own, Jose had only one assist, and the team did not score a basket in four minutes to start the fourth quarter, with Jose at the helm. They went another four scoreless minutes later in the fourth. Another scoring option was desperately needed to allow them to feel like they had enough fight in them to pull this one out. Instead they just allowed the Blazers' confidence to grow and grow. A Jason Kapono might not have brought a win, but he could gotten the team into the game at least.

The blessing in disguise over this period without Bosh, was that it became very clear that they needed to play better as a team playing defense and rebounding. After another stinging loss to Miami following this game, the team really began to find its way in those areas. Shooting remained a considerable problem from time to time. As the team found its identity from this point on, success came when five or more players scored in double figures. When that didn't happen it left one or two players to start chucking up shots.

5. DEC 29 vs. Chicago Bulls - 10 point loss

Again no Bosh. The defense was not great, particularly on Deng who just couldn't miss. Still Toronto forced 20 turnovers, and had 14 more shots than the Bulls. The Raps out-rebounded them 40-38, 13-3 on offensive boards, and controlled much of the game. But the shooting, particularly in the 14 point second quarter, let them down. Neither point guard played particularly well, but the most notable failure was Fred Jones. If Kapono is forever to be known as a one-dimensional player, then that will be an improvement on the none-dimensional play of Fred Jones in this game. He started clanking his shots in the second quarter, and Toronto never got back into their rhythm.

6. JAN 03 vs. Phoenix Suns - 2 point loss

This one was without TJ or Jorge. The Suns were kept to 46 percent shooting, and Toronto beat them on the boards 44-42. But the Raps shot only 42 percent, MoPete, Fred Jones, and Joey Graham combined for 5 of 17 shooting. Even with Darrick Martin logging 23 minutes - this one could have ended differently, especially given Kapono's 55 percent crunch time shooting percentage.

7. FEB. 21 vs. Cleveland Cavaliers - 1 point loss

Here was a game against a team that was 10 games over .500. Toronto's defense held them to 86 points on 43 percent shooting, so that was clearly not a problem. The rebounding numbers came in at 42-47. Not all that lopsided. Still we will remember this game for the offensive board that Varejao capitalized on with a put-back dunk with 16 seconds left. So it all came down to poor rebounding in the end? Not at all.

It never should have come down to that play. The Raptors held leads that they should have built on throughout the game. But they had three or so dry spells of more than three minutes without a basket. And when it came down to a close game with just under 5 minutes left, they were able to limit the Cavs to two baskets by Lebron, and nothing else the rest of the way - until that fateful 16 second mark. In that time span the Raptors had a turnover and a missed shot by Bosh, and two badly missed shots by Bargnani. Even after the Cavs took the one-point lead, Toronto had two more chances, but couldn't deliver.

So I would suggest that the biggest problem that faced the Raptors on this night, was the 42 percent shooting, including all those dry spells where they failed to convert their good defensive efforts into big leads, or winning shots at the end.

8. MAR 02 vs Milwaukee Bucks - 13 point loss

A ridiculous game. They kept the Bucks to 45 percent shooting, and out-rebounded them 47-41. They controlled the first half pretty nicely, but fell into a couple more long scoring droughts of 3 to 3.5 minutes. The Raptors held a good five-point advantage with three minutes to go in the first quarter, but could not score again until well into the second quarter. Then in the second frame, they went another three minutes without a basket, and then five minutes without a basket. Thankfully they managed to get to line enough to stay within 3 points at the half.

And then they put up only 18 points in the third quarter, going from the 7:31 mark, all the way to a minute-and-a-half into the fourth with only one made basket. By that time the Bucks had managed to build a ten point lead. And they would follow that up with a 6.5 minute span with only one basket.

Mo played 27 minutes as a starter, was 3-12, with many badly timed misses, and a couple of important turnovers. Joey Graham had almost nothing but zeroes, grabbing one board in seven minutes. Bosh was not getting his shots, but worked hard to get to the line and to pass the ball out to his ice-cold teammates who hit only on 37 percent. Jason Kapono - where were you?

9. APR 03 vs Miami Heat - 3 point loss

Where was he? In Miami, where he was able to keep the Heat in the playoff race. He started off just making the notable hustle plays, and ended up putting up strong numbers that came with one of Shaq or Wade being injured most nights. He wasn't just chucking up shots. He was providing good consistent, efficient offense - something the Raptors too often lacked, especially at that position.

And in this game, the Raptors hit on only 38 percent, with more meaningless minutes from Joey and Mo. That was not going to work against a team that was on a roll. Even then, the Raps had their chances to pull out a nice road win, but missed seven of their last eight shots. The Raptors had plenty of second chance shots throughout the contest, that amounted to nothing.

Jason Kapono, in his first game in four weeks, coming off an ankle injury, hit his first three shots off the bench, went 3-5 overall, and then added a nice 6 boards in 22 minutes work.

10. APR 21 Game One vs NJ Nets - 5 point loss

The playoffs began with a pretty good defensive effort - holding the Nets to 42 percent shooting. On the boards they held their own, 42-46. Unfortunately they could only muster 41 percent shooting themselves, with many missed open shots at the wrong times. The Raptors fell behind by 10 at the end of the first half, going scoreless in the final 3 minutes plus. Toronto had too many dry spells again, and NJ was at their most productive off of the long stretches of misses and turnovers. The steady presence of Garbajosa was sorely missed. Another steady presence in the form of Jason Kapono could not have hurt, especially in a game where Joey scored 4 points in 35 minutes, and Mo added a mere single rebound and nothing else in seven minutes of play.

With all of that behind us, at the very least, it has to be a positive sign that Toronto has added someone who can contribute at the SF position consistently. There is still room for improvement, but there should not be as many nights when they feel like they are only able to put players out on the floor to fill four positions. With the 3-spot being less of a weakness, the depth everywhere else can payoff bigger dividends.

Now where did I put my shot glass?

Link: http://www.ebsports.net/bbs/showthread.php?t=47170

Contributor: -LX-

Here we are stuck in the middle of summer. No amount of youtube clips can make it feel like the NBA season is anything but a long ways off. And there are already Toronto fans claiming to be unhappy with an offseason that kept the best lineup in the team's history intact for the most part. The need for rebounding and defense and an athletic slasher is getting a little over-amplified in people's minds. No, Colangelo did not go out and address such needs in any demonstrable fashion, but that doesn't make those needs DIRE.

There are a few ways to skin a cat. One good way is to build upon what has been proven to work. The additions of Delfino, Kapono and Moon add some nice depth to a system that relied on depth last season. It also relied on shooting, and it's completely understandable how that might cause dismay among some fans. The team lived by the J, and they also died by the J, especially when it came down to losing their series to the hated Nets. But the increased implementation of the zone in the NBA is taking away the low post as a means to winning consistently. It's just a fact of life. The Raptors did do a nice job of playing an inside-out game, and attacking the basket to some extent, and getting to the foul line as a result. But only when the shots were falling from the perimeter. And there were too many nights on the road, when a good shooting team went south in more ways than one.

Here in the middle of summer, my mind wanders to those road games. I don't usually pay any attention to boxscores, but I'm revisiting some of those now, while remembering the general outline of a largely succesful season. There were really three seasons for the Raptors, so remembering things can get tricky.

There was the season that began with a sputter while Bargnani got acclimated along with most of the new additions to the lineup, while they searched for the right tempo, the right player combinations, and a winning identity to claim for themselves. This part of the season featured a heavy road schedule, and the road showed them that they were not a great shooting team, and they would have to get scrappy and stay mentally tough in crunch time to be able to succeed. A few wonderful finishes on the west coast, highlighted by a sidelined Bosh and Sam Mitchell jumping for joy in LA, allowed them to jump to a whole different level of progress.

Once they found the way to win, they did so in a fairly dominant fashion. In the second half of the season they commited to defense and boxing out, and remaining mentally resilient pretty consistently. While never winning any games on physical prowess, they held their own against all but the most elite teams in terms of toughness, defense, and getting after the ball. The Raptors made a leap that often doesn't come in the middle of a season. What they accomplished in one season, really should have taken two. And yet the downfalls in this part II, remained tied to poor shooting on the road.

And then we get to the playoffs, and the third part of the three-seasons-in-one. Here the shooting was exposed most clearly, because they were missing some vital parts, didn't have the experience to raise their level of mental toughness, and weren't able to adjust to the Nets strategy of taking away everything but the perimeter.

Anyone can rightly say that the team stunk defensively early on. And it can be correctly pointed out that rebounding sunk them in a few important games against the best teams. But those needs were addressed throughout the year, from within, pretty well. So for myself, and for the Raptors' braintrust it would seem, the most significant need to address was shooting shooting shooting.

Perhaps my memory is a little selective. Perhaps I should be seeing that it wasn't the missed shots, but rather the inability of TJ to make the right decisions, and Bosh not being able to cope with good defensive pressure that brought about the losses throughout the year. Perhaps I have conveniently erased from my mind all the manhandling that allowed opposing teams to score easy baskets. Or perhaps I just do not see those failures as significant, since they were all parts of the game that saw improvement from previous seasons, with enough progress made to allow for a win whenever shots fell at a good rate.

Looking at the problems on the road throughout the season, I remember many bad starts in the shooting department. It was from there that the team got away from ball movement. It was after falling behind early, in spite of some good defense that too many early, wreckless shots went up and left them a little exposed defensively. It was after too many missed open looks that opposing teams just locked down Bosh and caused Toronto to force too many plays and make bad decisions.

So now we have a potentially great shooting team. We have a shooter who should be reliable on the road as well as at home. We have players who have a year of road travels under their belts. And we have some extra size on the perimeter that should help with finding angles to seams inside zones. Better shooting, and more size on the perimeter, will allow for more opportunities in the paint, be it from point guard penetration or more room for the likes of Bosh and Bargnani to work in tandem. It will increase opportunities for offensive rebounds, and keep the defense from getting beat off the break. The little bit of offseason tweaking will unlock many good things throughout the year and into the playoffs, while a big name free agent, unless he was a beautiful fit, probably would require more than just further tweaking, but actually a fairly different approach.

Is that it? Am I done already? Actually no. I mentioned the boxscores, and I promise to offer up some of my discoveries while perusing them in a second part to my summer boredom. Yet to come in all of it's statistical glory - ten lost games in which Jason Kapono would have made a big difference.

Link: http://www.ebsports.net/bbs/showthread.php?t=46340

Contributor: RaferMadness

It is almost inevitable that Colangelo will look to add another player to the roster, and its glaringly obvious that we need help at the small forward. Taking into consideration that BC has never tried the whole smoke and mirrors game that some GM's like to play, I'm going to assume that his strategy of going after another team's restricted free agent that he mentioned at the end of the season is his first option to add a player. So that led me to look up potential additions by using the guidelines that they are capable of playing either SG or SF (to join Parker and Garbo in the swingman rotation) and they are a restricted free agent that could conceivably be had for approximately 5 or 6 million a year. I've also thrown my opinion of how likely an option they are.

Sasha Pavlovic - Given the amount of playing time he gets (23 mpg) and his age (23), I've got to believe that Cleveland will want to keep him. He is probably worth $4 or 5 million a year and I think Cleveland will match that offer. I think he would be a good fit for the Raps and should still be steadily improving.

Mickael Pietrus - The young athlete that would fit the description of what Colangelo would like to add. His value would probably be more like 6 or 7 million, but the few teams that would be able to pay it that are looking for a SF will be busy going after Rashard Lewis or Gerald Wallace. There are also rumours that GS is looking to trim payroll and might be tempted to let him walk if there is little interest in Jason Richardson from other teams.



Dahntay Jones - Started stepping up his game towards the end of last seasom. At 27 though, you have to wonder if his contract year may have had something to do with it, or being a average player on an bad team. It probably wouldn't take much of an offer to get him out of Memphis, but I don't see him in a Raps uniform unless something leads BC to believe he can continue playing at the level he was towards the end of the season.

Ersan Ilyasova - Played well when key players went down with injury. In limited action he has shown that he can shoot the ball and rebound well from the SF. Also is only 21 and could probably be had for cheap. He'd be a gamble where he has seen little action, but from what he has shown his rookie season, may be worth it for 3.5 million a year.

Travis Outlaw - The typical lanky athletic highschool project. Still working on his skills but is young enough and shown enough flashes that he might be worth a shot. The Blazers have a lot of youth on the roster and may be looking down the road to see they are gonna have to fork over a lot of money to keep them. Outlaw is expendable to them, and could be useful to the Raps. Although Ilyasova and Pietrus maybe more desirable, Outlaw would still be an upgrade on Joey Graham, and give us some more athleticism.

Andray Blatche - Although more of a Power Forward was originally projected as a SF in the NBA. He would give us size and athleticism from the SF, though he would need to work on his handles. He has potential, and doesn't need to much longer to realize it. Would be one of those signings that either makes Colangela look like a genius or a dope.

Jarvis Hayes - If we want someone who can fill it up from downtown, this would be the way to go. We will be missing some three point shooting with Peterson heading out, and this guy would change that. Not sure how great a fit he would be, but could help out in perimeter scoring.

Link - http://www.ebsports.net/bbs/showthread.php?t=44462

Contributor: MetaLRasaM

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This is the story of a fan. A big fan who saw talent when not alot of people did. A fan who saw potential when most people saw mediocrity.

The story starts with our fan working at Levi's at Eaton Center.

He knew that Raptors' number one draft pick, 4th overall, is coming to the mall for a signing. Our fan took his break when the new Raptor was at the Foot Locker, signing merch and posters.

As soon as he got to the3rd level, he saw a BIG ASS line, people waiting to meet an NBA player. He knew most of them are not even a fan. He had to come up with a solution, and he did.

He ran back to Levi's and grabbed his name tag. Put it around his neck and rushed back to Foot Locker. He didn't stand in line. It wouldn't make any sense. He only had 25 minutes left from his 30 minute break. He looked around and quickly noticed the man who was in charge. A guy in a beige suit and a well shaved beard. He went up to him, and said: "Sir, I work at Levi's downstairs and I only get 30 minutes for my break. I really can't stand in line, but I am a huge Chris Bosh fan and I want to buy his shoe so he can sign for me". He knew offering to buy a pair of 150 dollar shoes will get him a better spot in the line. At least our fan was a costumer, the rest of those fake fans just wanted their free posters to be signed.

So the man in charged grabbed a sales person, and asked the fan about his size and the color of the shoe that he wanted. Our fan made an important decision that day. He picked the white and red over the black one. He is not a big fan of white shoes, but he felt like he liked the white one better.

The man in the suit, who turned out to be the district manager of Foot Locker, opened the line for our fan and let him cut to the front.

Our fan was now face to face with his new Raptor. This is what went down.
"Chris, you are a really good player and you are going to be great!"

"Thank you" he replied.
Our fan continued:
"Even Alonzo retired after you schooled him last night!!"
Chris burst out! His cousin was sitting next to him, and she also started laughing!

He asked for our fan's name
"Rasam" He said, "R-A-S-A-M".

He signed the shoes for him.

The district manager also asked our fan to fill out a form to be included in a draw. The draw was for everyone who purchased more than $100 of All-Star merch that day. The winner would get a couple of court-side seats Vs. the Knicks.

Guess who won the tickets? Yes, our fan did! A pair of court-side tickets for a great game that had the Raps beat the Knicks in OT!

Moral of the story? Be smart and cut into the line. ;)

Contributor: Mighty Benzo

*Warning: The opinions expressed are those of Benzo only. They do not represent the views of EBSports or of the other members of the Raptors forum there.*

I can't believe we fucking lost to the Nets......and Vince......
To quote my boy Rasam " I am not over it"

Michael Rappaport>Brian Scalabrine



I can't believe we signed Sam.....It is a mistake, we will look back on this and me and MikeToronto will be proven right. He was outcoached by Samwise Gamgie

Mo, is as good as gone, bite me ACIE......him around makes me happy.

I miss the Spurs vs Pistons final from a few years ago like the Titanic missed the iceberg. Sorry Spurtime......I like you....but balls, your team is boring.

Trenton Duckett hasnt been found

Luckers need to join....

I hate no NBA team more than the Rockets....dont know why. Thats just the way it is.

Michael Vick will still make millions

The Wizards third jerseys

I miss the Kings in the playoffs

Why does everyone thank god when they get an award?....does god like you better than the other nominies?

The "left wing" doesnt understand economy

Joey Graham fucking sucks....seriously

Another 3 stiches popped tonight.

Michael Moore is alive.

I can't stand a Sens vs Ducks final.....sorry Doc.....it will be far more entertaining than the NBA final...but I cant bring myself to cheer for the Sens.



Taylor Hicks gets more ass than me.

Steve Nash didnt win MVP...Nash>Dirk>Duncan>Kobe yep I said it...no conditions.......haters

Chris Bosh played like a pussy in the playoffs...go to the rim you bag of pucks, leave the jumpers to Parker.

T.J Ford dribbles like a douche bag. Jose> T.J

Beatles> anyone

It would be nice if Frank Thomas did ANYTHING

Superjudge can dunk with a bum hip, and i cant even touch the rim. I got about as many "hops" as a 40 of vodka

The Bills dont have a QB

Danny Fortson for Alvin would have made me happy

I cant read the "lost" thread cause im behind a season


Too many people on here think "hump" is a player

Cottage Cheese is not food......

...and that is all...

Link - http://www.ebsports.net/bbs/showthread.php?t=43807

Contributor: Shack

Van Gundy was a serious candidate for Coach of the year. The rockets had 50+ win season in a tough western conference. They had the 4th best record in the west and lost a 1rst round 7th game tough series against a very evenly matched talented Utah team. They improved their wins by around 20 games from last year.

Sam mitchell was a serious candidate for Coach of the year. The raps had 47 win season in a weak eastern conference. They had the 4th best record in the east and lost a 1rst round 6 game tough series against a very evenly matched talented NJ team. They improved their wins by around 20 games from last year.

Perspectives and expectations.. Van Gundy fired, Sam coach of the year and a new 3 year 12mil contract..... Life is tough sometimes... If Houston is in the Eastern conference they would probably be seeded #1 above the pistons and playing them right now in the EC finals....

My other thing to ponder is this.... Are we the Raps the next Clippers?

Clippers were always losers.. last year they surprised everyone and made the playoffs... even won 1rst round. There was no surprise this year. The rest of the leaugue know what they were all about. As well, this year they got some fat contracts including their coach and they seemed to play like the playoffs were owed to them and a foregone conclusion. They played below their potential and missed the playoffs.



The Raptors were always losers.. THIS year they surprised everyone and made the playoffs, won the Atlantic division, received COY and EOY. they signed their coach to a new 3 year deal. Next year they................

Can you finish this one????

Link - http://www.ebsports.net/bbs/showthread.php?t=43741

Contributor: -LX-

Reggie Miller was busting Vince's balls like crazy last night. Michelle must have been ready to hire a hitman. I can only imagine that sometime after Vince hit the floor for another extended period, Antonio got Reggie on the phone, laughed wildly, and insisted that his good friend from the Pacers not let this guy off the hook. And he did not. Pointing out quite frequently that VC's body was broken down, questioning his heart and ability to carry the offense, and absolutely ripping his defense. And that was after Vince got called out by Shaq. How did the guy that wanted to be loved by everyone end up with so little respect (yeah I know the answer is right there in the question)?

So how much value does this guy have now? I don't think he gets too many big max offers.



I'm finding the series interesting in that you have one team with a crazy good PG, but not much depth or balance, against a fairly well-balanced team outside of the fact that they do not have a PG. There's no doubt in my mind that the PG position is the most valuable position in the game by far right now. Trading a big for a solid PG looks to me like not a bad idea at all. Anyway - put these two teams together and you have something. In my mind though, Vince doesn't make the final cut of players 1-15 on that team.

The intent of this isn't to pick apart Vince, but I just didn't see anyone noticing how far Reggie went to discredit our Wince last night.

Link: http://www.ebsports.net/bbs/showthread.php?t=43490

Contributor: -LX-

I do not want to take anything away from Colangelo. There is no other GM with a better record of success over this past season of work. But he did come into this season with some distinct advantages over every other GM in the NBA.

First of all, he came to Toronto with a few months left in the season last year. He was able to sit back and watch, and recognise exactly what was needed in Toronto. He was afforded the gift of time. To his credit he increased the bounty of that gift by sticking with Mitchell and keeping Wayne Embry at his side, and thereby not needing to tie himself up with the matter of getting a new coach and getting that coach and any other personnel on the same page as himself. He then did not waste any time, making trades, and signing players from europe early on in the process.

And then consider that he probably didn't need much time to make some of the decisions he made. I would suggest that the players he brought into Toronto, especially those from Europe, were on his radar for some time while he was in Phoenix. But while in Phoenix he did not have the luxury of being able to squeeze one of those guys onto the team. There were monetary limits, and limits as to how well any of those players would fit with the Suns team at hand. Still - there had to be a shadow team forming in Bryan's head. A collection of players who he saw fitting well with each other if he ever had the chance to sign them all at once. And then whammo blammo - he finds this spot up north where some cap space has been freed up and he's completely free to put together some of these pieces that he's had kicking around in his head, without even having to worry about how well they might workout with an existing core of players, since outside of one, mature, unselfish star player there were no other real considerations to work around. What GM would not envy that kind of chance?

Then top that off with having the good fortune of getting the #1 pick in the draft, and the luxury of being able to trade an over-valued rookie from the previous season for a player who had a much better chance of being part of a solid core in the future. Some GMs might have held themselves back from trading Villanueva based on Charlie's good press, but that would be a waste of good press in the service of fearing some bad press.

Now where his worthiness of an award cannot be questioned, arrives with him making the most of his advantages from the start, and creating further opportunities for himself and the team down the road rather than limiting them in any way. He did not base his decisions on how the media would perceive them, but rather made them by being inclusive within the organisation, and that made it clear how the culture of the franchise should be defined by the front office, the coaches, the players, and the media as well. The guy knows about process, and he makes good on it by milking the maximum amount of substance out of it. Thus far his contract negotiations have not just been about "business transactions", but rather they have provided a roadmap to be followed. When do we reach the final destination? Will it be two, three, four years? Whatever the case may be - it's already a damn fine ride.