When Not At the ACC the Raptors Could Be Found At the Clubs & "Brass Rail"

[Dr. James Naismith]

Hmmmm .... more great news coming out tonight courtesy of Feschuk. Apparently this team loved the night life a little too much this season.

Before we go on, don’t get it wrong: this column is no moralist’s crusade against the legal consumption of booze and consenting beauty. Pro athletes are nocturnal beings by necessity. They play late, they play later. And if sports history has taught us anything, it might be this: great players overcome hangovers. Babe Ruth hit 714 on beer and hotdogs. And mediocre talent is exactly that, stone sober or otherwise.

Still, I’ve been covering the Raptors regularly since the starting power forward based his lively operation out of a Royal York Hotel corner suite (Charles Oakley circa 1998), and I don’t recall a season that brought as much discussion about the off-court indulgences of the local hoopsters, both in emails from tattling fans and conversations with insiders.

Perhaps it’s a symptom of the TMZ age, but as one team employee who was granted anonymity opined: “This year, (the partying) was a little too much.”

This year Hogtown was confirmed as a jock-endorsed destination in an article in The Wall Street Journal that, along with detailing how athletes receive VIP treatment in the “champagne rooms” of local strip clubs, grew the legend of Mona Halem, a York University-educated party planner who has become an NBA favourite for throwing fetes populated by pretty women.

“She’s notorious. She’s the king, the king,” Antoine Wright, the Raptors swingman, said of Halem in the Star last month. “She got us about 15 wins this year. Throwing those Saturday night parties works great.”

Source - Click here

[Apollo]

No shocker. A young team who lacked guidance and leadership from someone in uniform.

[SCP0389]

Cant judge I probably wouldnt be any different lol I doubt they did more partying then the other 29 teams only difference is they didnt have enough wins to hide it.

[Hotshot]

Not a big deal.

Young guys with tons of money to burn and throw around would naturally go places where they will be treated like kings and the Brass Rails is a heram after all

Maybe its the fact that its a young team that more partying are happening who knows but it shouldn't be a distraction unless they don't come ready to play or become sick cough.. Hedo.. cough as a result.

It seems to me that strip clubs are popular destination in Toronto for all NBA players (didn't Gary Payton and another NBA player got into a brawl in the Brass Rails?) so the Raptors organisation should be all over that promoting this feature to American born players who do not view Toronto as a top notch destination.

Something like:

"Toronto - our strippers will frisk you when you get here"

[SCP0389]

"Toronto - our strippers will frisk you when you get here"

ahahahah love it LEBRON..WADE you hear that lol

[Apollo]

Cant judge I probably wouldnt be any different lol I doubt they did more partying then the other 29 teams only difference is they didnt have enough wins to hide it.

My question to that would be why aren't there 13 other reports about this in other cities?

Personally I don't care what they do provided it has zero impact on any games played in the season. When partying cuts into performance is where the line needs to be drawn. Strip clubs have ended or ruined more than one pro career.

[James Ballswin (Realizar)]

More empirical proof that Toronto is a preferred destination for NBA players.

[Arsenalist]

Feschuk's got an unnamed source that says the Raptors party a bit much.

LINK

The Raptors’ on-court problems are no mystery. Do they let the other team score too much and rebound too many? As Sam Mitchell might have put it: “Duh!”

But here’s a trickier question: did this team miss the playoffs because it partied too heartily? It’s impossible to say for sure, and Bryan Colangelo, the Raptors president and general manager, has declined to comment on the off-court habits of his players. But there are people close to the club who believe those habits ultimately hurt the win-loss record.

Perhaps it’s a symptom of the TMZ age, but as one team employee who was granted anonymity opined: “This year, (the partying) was a little too much.”

[Apollo]

LOL, I guess you have a point there James.

[TheGloveinRapsUniform]

Joking aside, the players should know, and be responsible enough not to go out and party in-between games. its fine if there's a 2-3 day game between games but if its one day apart, then they should be resting. you cant really say, oh theyre only human, they need to unwind....yes they can, but it has to be done when it can be done. even

this is where the respect for the coach and team comes in. if you respect your coach and teammates enough you wont be tiring yourself. if the coach points out slackers during games and practice, i think the players would be more tentative to go out and party.

[LBF]

Not a big deal.

Young guys with tons of money to burn and throw around would naturally go places where they will be treated like kings and the Brass Rails is a heram after all

especially when you aint the best lookin dudes.

[Hotshot]

especially when you aint the best lookin dudes.

Most dudes aren't but they are just like the Raptor's team overall basketball talent: Average at best.

Its true that most girls find guys who are taller then 6'5 somewhat freakishly tall, but that never stopped NBA players from making lots of babies in different area codes all over the United States.

Fame and Fortune does bring you to a whole other level even though its a gold digger's game.

[Raúl]

This kind of journalism makes me sick. In my country there's people who earns a lot of money just talking about the private life of the soccer players.

What's wrong to go out at night once in a while. What does this article help the team or the fanbase? Why we as fans have to know about the players lifes outside the basketball court?

It makes no sense but it doesn't surprise me at all coming from this guy. I stop reading him a long time ago.

In my country there's a word for this kind of journalists (and I'm a journalist student so, i know what i'm talking about), and there's no traslation to this expresion, it's call "mala leche"

[Buddahfan]

This kind of journalism makes me sick. In my country there's people who earns a lot of money just talking about the private life of the soccer players.

What's wrong to go out at night once in a while. What does this article help the team or the fanbase? Why we as fans have to know about the players lifes outside the basketball court?

It makes no sense but it doesn't surprise me at all coming from this guy. I stop reading him a long time ago.

In my country there's a word for this kind of journalists (and I'm a journalist student so, i know what i'm talking about), and there's no traslation to this expresion, it's call "mala leche"

In this context it might mean - He's wicked

[daveyboy]

Its true that most girls find guys who are taller then 6'5 somewhat freakishly tall, but that never stopped NBA players from making lots of babies in different area codes all over the United States.

Thats because statistically men (and obviously women) who are 6'5" tall ARE freakishly tall.