ESPN: The NBA Needs to Ask Itself If It Wants To Be In Toronto

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Thu Jul 29th, 2010, 04:24 PM
PapiJulio

Ture, but we were on the verge and went all in with that hand. AND the team attendance was having a rough time because they were a new Franchise. MLSE probably spent $$ to ensure their investment would stay strong. Not like to today. It will sells out no matter what....SO far.

Raps History:

1995- Hello NBA & Stoudamire!
1996- Draft Marcus Camby
1997- Injuries & Isiah Thomas U SUCK! Draft T-Mac
1998- Welcome Grunwald! Shake up this mess. Keep the youth & get Vets Oakley, Kevin Willis, New Tough coach Butch Carter to help youth develop. ROOKIE Carter, Doug Christie & T-Mac's Comming Out Party! The beginning of the end for Alvins knees. Thank-You Alvin!
1999- Bring in Antonio Davis to help in playoffs. Damn! The Knick just won 4 striaght. 1 round exit.
2000- Christie traded for Corliss Williamson Opppsss... then Jerome Williams JYD. Hello Lenny Wilkens & Mark 'The Preacher' Jackson to help Alvins knees. Media LOVES Vince and ignores T-Mac. T-Mac Free Agent to Magic we got NOTHING.

***THE BEGINNING OF THE END***

No need to say more. It's all downhill from here.... BUT the return on investment is still great!
Thu Jul 29th, 2010, 04:37 PM
DoNDaDDa

Quote:

MangoKid wrote:

I already commented on that. I said that with a mix of drafted players and overpaid FAs (and with some creative trades..add on) you might be able to create winning team. Do you think it's automatically gonna happen, us becoming a winning team? It takes some time.

Maybe you should heed to your own advice, friend.

maybe u need to read three times LOL

wasnt saying anything about anything happening over night.

only comment i made directed at u was that its like the chickin & egg dilema, what comes first winning or winning players. & its quite obvious.

everything else was assumed by u & i corrected u

to say i should heed my own advice would be assuming again!
Thu Jul 29th, 2010, 04:41 PM
Apollo

Quote:

PapiJulio wrote:

AND the team attendance was having a rough time because they were a new Franchise.

Toronto has always been pretty good for attendance.
http://raptorsrepublic.com/forums/at...ttachmentid=16
Thu Jul 29th, 2010, 04:52 PM
DoNDaDDa

Quote:

Apollo wrote:

Toronto has always been pretty good for attendance.
http://raptorsrepublic.com/forums/at...ttachmentid=16

agreed

it just seemed like there wasnt many people at the game when they were playing in the skydome.

that building was just way too big for basketball
Thu Jul 29th, 2010, 06:10 PM
Raptorfanatic

Someone has to respond to these two idiots and address these ridiculous comments head on.
If not, we will continue to hear more inbelievable bs.
Obviously they have an audience that treats everything that comes out of their mouths as gospel.
Thu Jul 29th, 2010, 06:56 PM
LBF

Quote:

DoNDaDDa wrote:

maybe some one should send Mike & Mike or Cnn or who ever a video of carabana festivities in T.O, every american that celebrates it loves the city & most come every year.
mabye would help show americans that were not a bunch of french eskimo's living in igloo's all year LOL

funny you mention a festival that LEBRON JAMES, yes the LEBRON JAMES attends yearly.

also, a certain golf tournament held up here yearly in july that one of our biggest haters CHARLES BARKLEY ATTENDS YEARLY!!!!!!!

this is just pure ignorance by them.
Thu Jul 29th, 2010, 07:48 PM
Hassan

just another dumb american commenting on shit he knows nothing about
Thu Jul 29th, 2010, 09:29 PM
Arenick

I don't believe it's the city either. Although there are players that don't want to come here, a lot love it here and would want to play here. If we were in the states we would be the 4th largest market. Let's not kid ourselves...we aren't freakin Minnesota. We have 3,000,000 people plus. As Eric Smith said it's the fact that we don't make the playoffs that most players don't like it here, not the fact we are "international."
Thu Jul 29th, 2010, 09:39 PM
SirChillyMost

If you pay them they will come. I don't care if you have a NBA team in Spokane, Washington or Calgary, Alberta they will get players. Who really wants to play in Minnesota? Yet they always have a roster of players. If TO had an open roster and invited US players to try out- do some folks really think that they wouldn't come because of some media hyped issue like taxes?

US football players are all up in the CFL (Canadian Footall League). Media access is world wide nowadays you can play in Oklahoma City and blow up in endorsements. EA Sports is based in Vancouver, BC.

All this is just media hype to confuse those who know not. Outside of Steve Francis all the Grizzlies players that I met (I worked at GM Place & got my hair cut at the same barbershop Afro Hair Style on Commercial Drive) like Vancouver alot- especially the cultural diversification of fine women.lol Not to mention that all the visiting players that I seen out on the Town in Vancouver loved it as well.
Thu Jul 29th, 2010, 10:16 PM
it is what it is

We should all be real passionate about this topic...

Canada and more specifically Toronto or the GTA is a great great place to live and we all should be very proud of that.....The Olympics in Vancouver showed the world and mostly ourselves how much we love and know we are very lucky and proud to be Canadian.

So to here this garbage angers me.... Toronto is world class city....

As for good NBA players wanting to come here...Last time we were good players such as Charles Oakley, Hakeem the Dream, Dell Curry, Little Mugsey, Antonio Davis (while we were winning), and Mark Jackson sll came here happily.... They were here when Vince was here and they wanted to win and compete.......No Toronto hate then...

Do you think people want to play in Utah???? yes and no.... they will when stockton and Malone are there....but if they are 20-62 who wants to go????

Toronto will always be low on the radar but Cleveland, Memphis, T-wolves, are the same situation as us we are not the LA's or NY or the world but so what....Compete get a good team and free agents will come....

Take our team out of Toronto is a joke....

We are a great great NBA city...Rob Babock....Isiah Thomas...B.C...it does not matter we love our Raps and we will never lose our team...

Go away with this anti Canadian shit.....

Toronto is a top 10 north american city for fun....and just because some NBA media and some players dont realize how great a city this is to live and play in the nba braintrust and educated players and media know how great and worthy this city is for a team.....

Now its just time to get better in the next few years and put us back on the map....and for good this time....
Fri Jul 30th, 2010, 02:41 AM
Selects87

Honestly guys who cares what they say about our country and city. They just say it because they knows it bothers us. As canadians we are better these dumb asses and americans that are educated appreciate the city for what it is. Look at Sonny, Demar and A.J. They love this city and once they start winning the players will want to join something special. B.C. did almost sign one of the best defenders in the game in Matt Barnes.
Fri Jul 30th, 2010, 07:56 AM
Red and White

The raptors have a great attendance number, and they arent the worse team. The nba cant move the team because there are many other teams that are worse then us in an economic and standing wise. It would be unethical to move the bad canadian tean (which has the nba's best connection with europe) and not move terrible american team (timberwolves, nets, golden state, kings all of which were low on the standings, and in attendance, bottom 5 for both)

If the raptors get moved, the nba would be sued for ratial motivation's, as crazy as that might sound, it is true.

The nba will not move the raptors until we are bad, and low attendance, and no euro players. They cant get rid of us now, but if M@M were right, they will jump on the next failed season to do so.
Fri Jul 30th, 2010, 08:32 AM
robguy

Just another bunch of hacks on over-rated ESPN. If what those sub-intelligent clowns said was true, the Blue Jays would not have won championships in the early 90s. That good organization attracted the biggest stars in the game, even after the winning years were over. (Roger Clemens.)

Honestly, ESPN has dropped several notches in the credibility department, especially after the Decision fiasco - a credible news organization does not air an infomercial in prime time - but ESPN did. And is no one asking Mike and Mike if Milwaukee, Minnesota, New Jersey, CLippers, etc deserve to be in the league? Are not all those empty seats and piped in crowd sounds embarrassing to the league? Perhaps New York is a hinterland as they failed to sign a real star - Stoudamire does not count as he will not help that team.

Deafheaven had a great post earlier. I have to add - I posted the link to the Miami Herald Blog and added a few comments there. What did not help was the idiot who posted a childish anti-American rant which was logically followed by anti-Canadian name calling. When you have no facts, you have to revert to name calling and you have lost the battle. Last thing we need is people absent of facts leading to a bunch of Miami readers thinking 'see - we told them and they are sore losers.'
Fri Jul 30th, 2010, 11:03 AM
MangoKid

Quote:

DoNDaDDa wrote:

maybe u need to read three times LOL

wasnt saying anything about anything happening over night.

only comment i made directed at u was that its like the chickin & egg dilema, what comes first winning or winning players. & its quite obvious.

everything else was assumed by u & i corrected u

to say i should heed my own advice would be assuming again!

Nothing was assumed. I guess your point was that you need players to win. We have some talented players. Now you need is time, good coaching and other players brought via (via either trade or overpaying) to make this a successful squad. At that point, you can attract high-end FAs.
Fri Jul 30th, 2010, 11:40 AM
LBF

Quote:

SirChillyMost wrote:

If you pay them they will come. I don't care if you have a NBA team in Spokane, Washington or Calgary, Alberta they will get players. Who really wants to play in Minnesota? Yet they always have a roster of players. If TO had an open roster and invited US players to try out- do some folks really think that they wouldn't come because of some media hyped issue like taxes?

US football players are all up in the CFL (Canadian Footall League). Media access is world wide nowadays you can play in Oklahoma City and blow up in endorsements. EA Sports is based in Vancouver, BC.

All this is just media hype to confuse those who know not. Outside of Steve Francis all the Grizzlies players that I met (I worked at GM Place & got my hair cut at the same barbershop Afro Hair Style on Commercial Drive) like Vancouver alot- especially the cultural diversification of fine women.lol Not to mention that all the visiting players that I seen out on the Town in Vancouver loved it as well.

whyy did you put washington, spokane, and then calgary,alberta?
Fri Jul 30th, 2010, 12:07 PM
Buddahfan

First post on this thread. Probably because having grown up in Buffalo N.Y. Toronto seemed like such a cool city and Ontario such a pretty Province as you go further north. Yes I did find a lot of the people at the time a bit too conservative for my Libertarian tastes but I am sure that has changed.:):)

So to me I just don't understand what all the fuss is about regarding players not wanting to play in Toronto. I was even going to move there after college but my mother had moved to Los Angeles so I decided to move there instead.

In any case I just don't get why American's have this alleged animus toward Toronto, unless it is out of ignorance and being misinformed by the ignorant.

Maybe if I actually lived in Toronto I might see things the way a lot of the posters on this website from Toronto see them.

However, I would hope not. It just all seems so polarizing to me. Just my opinion.

P.S. I don't know about now but in the 60s Toronto had some of the best music and best musicians in North America. Music wise it ranked right up there just behind N.Y. Chicago and Los Angeles. I don't know if that has changed but back then the musical offerings were outstanding. That alone was a great reason to live there.:D:D
Fri Aug 6th, 2010, 07:53 PM
Red and White

Quote:

Buddahfan wrote:

First post on this thread. Probably because having grown up in Buffalo N.Y. Toronto seemed like such a cool city and Ontario such a pretty Province as you go further north. Yes I did find a lot of the people at the time a bit too conservative for my Libertarian tastes but I am sure that has changed.:):)

So to me I just don't understand what all the fuss is about regarding players not wanting to play in Toronto. I was even going to move there after college but my mother had moved to Los Angeles so I decided to move there instead.

In any case I just don't get why American's have this alleged animus toward Toronto, unless it is out of ignorance and being misinformed by the ignorant.

Maybe if I actually lived in Toronto I might see things the way a lot of the posters on this website from Toronto see them.

However, I would hope not. It just all seems so polarizing to me. Just my opinion.

P.S. I don't know about now but in the 60s Toronto had some of the best music and best musicians in North America. Music wise it ranked right up there just behind N.Y. Chicago and Los Angeles. I don't know if that has changed but back then the musical offerings were outstanding. That alone was a great reason to live there.:D:D

Players have it in their head that the only nice cities are boston, la, nyc, chicago. I guess it is a bit of ignorance but i cant see why they would not want to live in toronto, i live in a lower built up area with alot of different races etc, it dosnt look like a place to live, when i trek to the downtown though, it is an awesome place to live, wether you are checking in at wrongbar, or at koolhaus checking out a concert, it rocks. The music here is very good too. If you have money, Toronto is the place to be. They make enough money to live in a penthouse in downtown. Why not? Beats me, if i was a ball player i would live here over a chicago or boston, and la. Mabye not nyc cause it is like toronto's big brother lol. I have not been to many other nba cities, but i am sure they are just as good.
Fri Aug 6th, 2010, 07:58 PM
LBF

i heard chicago has a high murder rate.
Fri Aug 6th, 2010, 08:25 PM
Red and White

Quote:

Apollo wrote:

Toronto has always been pretty good for attendance.
http://raptorsrepublic.com/forums/at...ttachmentid=16

Wow toronto had its best year in 95? i didnt realize we had that great attendance.
Fri Aug 6th, 2010, 10:34 PM
Red and White

Quote:

LBF wrote:

i heard chicago has a high murder rate.

Yeah i doubt nba players decide where to go on any of the standards that us middle class people do. If i move somewhere, it is not gonna be because of the night life, or shopping etc, i move there because it is safe, cheap, and convenient to the subway lol...not the best city to have a mansion for my possie haha

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