Posted on 31 March 2007 by Raps Fan
After sitting on the bench for all but a few seconds in the game, MoPete responded by hitting a ridiculous shot at the buzzer to tie it up, and send the game into overtime, where the Raptors stole one from the Wizards. Rasheed Wallace sent MoPete a fruit basket welcoming him to the club. Continue Reading
Popularity: 6% [?]
Posted on 30 March 2007 by masterjuddi
Well he isn’t back on the court and playing tonight against the Wizards, but he has resumed full contact practices after only eight days of being on the shelf. It looks as though the 7foot Italian will be back in plenty of time for the playoffs, which is great news for the Raptors and their fans.
Over the next couple of weeks Bargnani will watch from the bench, but it will be inspiring for the team to have him participating in practices and cheering courtside.
Technorati Tags: Andrea Bargnani
Popularity: 4% [?]
Posted on 27 March 2007 by masterjuddi
The recent injuries for the Toronto Raptors have fans wondering “what’s in the City of Toronto’s water?” After last nights injury to Forward Jorge Garbajosa, the Raptors management have to be wondering as well. The total man games lost this month is 15 (Anthony Parker-7, Andrea Bargnani-4, Jose Calderon-3, Juan Dixon-1). There is no set timetable for Bargnani’s return, and the most recent reports have Garbajosa out until next September. Fortunately for the Raptors their lead in the Atlantic is at 6 games and with both the Nets and Knicks unable to put together winning streaks, the Raps seem to have a playoff spot locked down.
The Raptors need their bench to step up with Garbo and El Mago out for an extended period of time. Combined the rookies average 53.3 minutes per game and their presence will be missed. Look for Joey Graham, Kris Humphries, Juan Dixon and Mo Peterson to have their minutes increased.
Eight of the Raptors last twelve games are against playoff bound teams, which included two games against defending champs Miami and two against the East’s best Detroit Pistons.
Technorati Tags: Jorge Garbajosa, Anthony Parker, Andrea Bargnani, Jose Calderon, Juan Dion, Morris Peterson, Joey Graham, Kris Humphries
Popularity: 4% [?]
Posted on 26 March 2007 by Raps Fan
I had a bad feeling going into tonight’s game, that this one would slip away, but never did i imagine it would be this bad. My heart and prayers go out to Garbajosa. That was a nasty fall he took, and we can all hope that he will be fine. He can take solace in the fact that he went down challenging a guaranteed two points by Jefferson in a game that was all but lost at that point. What heart he displayed tonight. Continue Reading
Popularity: 4% [?]
Posted on 26 March 2007 by Raps Fan
In the absence of any articles (even with the recent signing of Luke Jackson), I give you guys a new skin for the site. Let me know what you think, thanks.
Technorati Tags: Luke Jackson
Popularity: 9% [?]
Posted on 24 March 2007 by Raps Fan
A glance at the headlines from ESPN a day after a health challenged Raptors team thumps Denver (who were ranked higher than them in the Hollinger Power Rankings no less): Continue Reading
Popularity: 10% [?]
Posted on 24 March 2007 by Raps Fan
I really have nothing to say about tonights game. It was an incredible show of heart. They came out on fire, put the Nuggets over their knees, and spanked them. Just to make things interesting, Bosh sprains his ankle, leaves in the early moments of the 3rd, and they still win by a kajillion points. Bloody Sow and Slokar got a couple points each. Is good, I like ballbasket…is nice. Continue Reading
Popularity: 5% [?]
Posted on 21 March 2007 by Raps Fan
What do you do when you are missing 3 of your top 7 players? You ride Bosh and Ford for big minutes. It was great to see the two come back from two weak games and carry the undermanned Raptors against an underachieving Magic team. When I heard Bargnani had an appendectomy, I did a double take until I realized he is only 21, and still going through puberty. It is easy to forget most of these guys are still kids, and will be prone to these sorts of things. Swirsky mentioned Bargnani likes Boston Pizza, which was also troubling for me, lol. How can you come from Italy, and eat at that place? It is probably the worst food in history. I have been there once too many (literally have been there once) and boycotted that joint, but I digress… Continue Reading
Popularity: 5% [?]
Posted on 19 March 2007 by Raps Fan
How good are the Raptors really? Compared to last year, they are leagues better, with: a bona fide all-star; one of the best back courts in the league; ROY candidate; one of the best GM’s in the business; and depending on who you talk too, a COY candidate. At one point, the Raptors were the 4th seed in the East because they had the 4th best record. Now, they enjoy their position of privilege (home court advantage for the 1st round of the playoffs) because they lead the Atlantic by 5 games (36-31 for the season). Based on their current record, they are a half game behind Miami for 7th best record in the East. Will I take it? The short answer is yes. The long one is, well, longer…
I want to start by saying that this years incarnation has been a God-send for me. The quality of my life has increased 40% because of how good they are playing. After the last few years, I seriously have been considering shifting my allegiance to some other team, worthy of my tormented support. I was unable too; unfortunately my love for this team has not diminished with their poor performance…with the arrival of Colangelo only sinking the tight grip this team has on me further.
The last 10 games, the Raptors going 5-5, have shown us what this team is made of (or is missing, depending on your perspective). Seems like Bosh and Ford are really frustrated with something. Speculation from this lowly fan is that they are not happy with Mitchell. Mitchell has tinkered with his rotation too much. This is the time of year where you tighten the rotation, and buckle down for the playoffs. The only person to come out and support Mitchell getting a contract extension, interestingly enough, is Stephon Marbury. What does this say in terms of support, when Bosh and Ford are not singing the same verses? There seems to be some discension among the players towards Mitchell.
I suspect the way Morris Peterson has been handled is a sour spot for everyone. It seems that Morris Peterson’s production has decreased this year, but there are many reasons: he has had to split minutes between Anthony Parker, Jorge Garbasoja, Fred Jones/Juan Dixon, and Joey Graham. He is the 5th or 6th offensive option (he enjoyed 3rd and 4th status in seasons passed). Apparently his defense has diminished, but I am hard pressed to make a case for that. He is in a contract year, which historically means a player is producing the best season possible. It only stands to figure that this could be his last big pay day, before he is relegated to 2-3 million a season, so it is also reasonable to say he would be playing his balls off to land a 4/$24 type deal he is in the market for.
Mitchell’s constant tinkering with the rotation has taken its toll. The starting 5 have been in tact (injuuries aside) all season. Who comes off the bench is becoming the point of contention. After Calderon and Bargnani, and more recently Juan Dixon, seems like the rest take turns at being in the dog house. Is it reasonable to expect an 8th or 9th man to come into a game, and stop the best player on the other team for a meaningful period of time? Is it reasonable to expect that same player to play at a high level in garbage time? I know Swirsky et al talk about being ready to play at all times when you are on the bench (probably after being coached on this notion), but you wouldn’t be happy at being thrown to the wolves at the points in the game that the best on your team should be playing…would you? I know I wouldn’t.
Why is there even a Morris Peterson controversy? Minutes and roles aside, how do you go from a valuable veteran contributor, to playing behind Joey Graham (who needs a mentor from his coaching staff, something he obviously is not getting)? Can Mitchell be blamed for all of this? That is also another hard question, that I can only begin to answer by drawing a comparison to what I do. During my 9to5, I work in technology consulting. I have the dubious task of managing technology projects. Project management is not an exact science, you can plan and schedule all you want, but at the end of the day, you are executing on a plan drawn by humans…things go wrong.
The sign of a good project manager is that of one who can identify a risk (something that could potentially screw a plan up), and deal with it before it becomes an issue (something that has screwed a plan up). Mitchell has done a horrible job of identifying and dealing with risks. Simply saying that guys need to be ready to play, and come out, is not enough. Motivation, mentoring, leadership; these are all attributes that a coach must possess. Phil Jackson gives his guys books on the ‘Art of War’, and Zen Budhism.
Which brings me back to the lack of support from his players who have the loudest voices. What does that tell you? As much as he is liked by whoever is around him, and as much as his work has been appreciated, his time seems to be over with this organization.
Popularity: 4% [?]
Posted on 17 March 2007 by Raps Fan
I want to start out by saying that I squealed the moment those incessant replays of Calderon and Parker rolling their ankles/foot (I had the exact same injury playing ball 3 weeks ago, and have been wearing a moon boot since - it is supposed to help the healing process). You really don’t understand how hard it is to live with an injury like that. For the last three weeks, the quality of my life has decreased. Everything takes longer to do; rolling over in bed, getting a glass of water, balancing on one foot while I try to pee at 330am. Going to work sucks too. I have the same conversation about my foot with everyone who I happen to hobble past (I appreciate the love, but read my blog, my updates are all posted). Continue Reading
Popularity: 4% [?]
