Your Favourite Newspaper Moment

[RaptorFan (proud?..)]

If you're like me, everyday you bust out the sports section of the paper, and you fish through to find the latest Raptors news (Leafs come second). There were three times that I read breaking news in the paper and I was genuinely filled with hope for a better future in Raptorland.

1. The Jermaine O'Neal front page of the Toronto sun. It made complete sense to me and I thought for sure it would work.. We went on to beat Cleveland in our season opener which only heightened my excitement.

2. The TJ Ford signing. Everyone was high on him when he came and I really believed he was the point guard that would put us over the top.

3. The draft lottery win. I was more excited reading the paper when there was a big picture of Colangelo holding the number one ball than I was when Bargnani was on the cover. I thought for sure we'd find a superstar to put beside Bosh.

I just figure, with all the crap that we're going through these days I'd look back on some of the big headlines that gave me hope. There are sure to be more headlines this year and I'm looking forward to them.

*Note* My memories are from the Bosh era because I was pretty young in the VC and pre-VC eras and didn't read the paper much..

[Quixotic]

3. Tracy McGrady being described as the young savior of the Raptors, on a team without any stardom (this is after Damon left), only to watch a relative unknown (to me at least) named Carter drop 20 a game and become Air Canada.

2. News that Grunwald had locked up Alvin Williams and Antonio Davis, which later convinced Carter to re-sign. Yes, all of it backfired but no hindsight here.

1. News that Toronto was receiving an NBA franchise.

[thegreynathan]

Hearing we were going to get Tyson Chandler and Diaw and getting the feeling we might actually be an ok team last year... I guess that technically wasn't in the paper.

[CalibreMC]

If you're like me, everyday you bust out the sports section of the paper, and you fish through to find the latest Raptors news (Leafs come second). There were three times that I read breaking news in the paper and I was genuinely filled with hope for a better future in Raptorland.

1. The Jermaine O'Neal front page of the Toronto sun. It made complete sense to me and I thought for sure it would work.. We went on to beat Cleveland in our season opener which only heightened my excitement.

2. The TJ Ford signing. Everyone was high on him when he came and I really believed he was the point guard that would put us over the top.
3. The draft lottery win. I was more excited reading the paper when there was a big picture of Colangelo holding the number one ball than I was when Bargnani was on the cover. I thought for sure we'd find a superstar to put beside Bosh.

I just figure, with all the crap that we're going through these days I'd look back on some of the big headlines that gave me hope. There are sure to be more headlines this year and I'm looking forward to them.

*Note* My memories are from the Bosh era because I was pretty young in the VC and pre-VC eras and didn't read the paper much..

Your first mistake was reading the Toronto Sun.

Your second mistake was believing TJ Ford was the point guard to put us over the top.

[Matt52]

Your first mistake was reading the Toronto Sun.

Your second mistake was believing TJ Ford was the point guard to put us over the top.

That stinger changed his career. Thank you, Horford.

[GarbageTime]

That stinger changed his career. Thank you, Horford.

completely agree. He was never a top 5 PG, but he was a good one... and I always thought the Forderon was the best player(s) on the team.

Probably my two worst Raps memories... the Garbo injury and the TJ injury. Both made me want to puke.

[MyMomLovesMe]

TJ killed his own career by not listening to the criticisms about his game.


A club is only going to give you PG duties if you are young and they see a future in where you are taking the team. Everywhere TJ has gone, he has heard the same criticism and responded to it by sulking and not changing his style at all. No one wants to see him drive to the basket every 2nd play to get swatted when you have big men in post positions. He holds on to the ball way too long and he often thinks he is the best scoring option for his team.

The injury, did not short him of playing time. His attitude did, Indiana wanted him and they fed him lots of time, and it was the same BS over there.

[Hotshot]

Shaq calling out Bosh the "Rupaul of big men" haha even then when I was a Bosh fan and was angered at the comment, deep down I knew Shaq was somewhat right.

[Matt52]

TJ killed his own career by not listening to the criticisms about his game.


A club is only going to give you PG duties if you are young and they see a future in where you are taking the team. Everywhere TJ has gone, he has heard the same criticism and responded to it by sulking and not changing his style at all. No one wants to see him drive to the basket every 2nd play to get swatted when you have big men in post positions. He holds on to the ball way too long and he often thinks he is the best scoring option for his team.

The injury, did not short him of playing time. His attitude did, Indiana wanted him and they fed him lots of time, and it was the same BS over there.

His attitude definitely could have used an adjustment. However, back to that injury, in my opinion, it took away some of his abilities both physically and mentally. One thing I do not think TJ ever accepted was and is he is not capable of what he was pre-stinger. Just my opinions - I could be wrong and he is just an @ss.

[RaptorFan (proud?..)]

Probably my two worst Raps memories... the Garbo injury and the TJ injury. Both made me want to puke.

Agreed. If those were the articles that brought me up, it was watching Calderon cry while Garbo was carried off the court that brought me down.

[Quixotic]

His attitude definitely could have used an adjustment. However, back to that injury, in my opinion, it took away some of his abilities both physically and mentally. One thing I do not think TJ ever accepted was and is he is not capable of what he was pre-stinger. Just my opinions - I could be wrong and he is just an @ss.

Not to mention, it was that point onward that it looked like too big a risk to have him as our franchise point guard. I don't think there was a single team not thinking his career could end if he got hit hard again.

[MyMomLovesMe]

I can see the mental aspect being a hindrance, but I recall watching him much later and he was still driving into traffic, almost as if to do it out of defiance. I thought he was one hell of talent, I just did not like that he had this chip on his shoulder that made him try to prove something.

With his abilities and speed, he could of still had a great career, if he used his talents more strategically. I sometimes wonder, if the injury made him more prone to prove something and further distanced him from the team game.

[Quixotic]

I can see the mental aspect being a hindrance, but I recall watching him much later and he was still driving into traffic, almost as if to do it out of defiance. I thought he was one hell of talent, I just did not like that he had this chip on his shoulder that made him try to prove something.

With his abilities and speed, he could of still had a great career, if he used his talents more strategically. I sometimes wonder, if the injury made him more prone to prove something and further distanced him from the team game.

I think he was always trying to do too much. I got to watch my Raptors live only a few times, and the one time I was free and managed to catch them at MSG, it was in the spring of '07 and Calderon was injured and unable to play, I think. It seemed like it should have still been an easy win, and at half-time or shortly after half-time, it seemed as thought they would be fine. And then TJ drove and drove and drove into traffic, as the Knicks collapsed around him, repeatedly turning over the ball. By the time my friend, a Knicks fan, returned from getting popcorn, instead of being up by a bunch, we were down by almost 20. TJ had 3 assists and 7 turnovers that game. Not pretty.

[GarbageTime]

I think he was always trying to do too much. I got to watch my Raptors live only a few times, and the one time I was free and managed to catch them at MSG, it was in the spring of '07 and Calderon was injured and unable to play, I think. It seemed like it should have still been an easy win, and at half-time or shortly after half-time, it seemed as thought they would be fine. And then TJ drove and drove and drove into traffic, as the Knicks collapsed around him, repeatedly turning over the ball. By the time my friend, a Knicks fan, returned from getting popcorn, instead of being up by a bunch, we were down by almost 20. TJ had 3 assists and 7 turnovers that game. Not pretty.

He always had a pretty high turnover rate... and he did try to do to much after his injury (quite the opposite from some of the players today though no?). One thing I think he did do was take the 'demotion' to the bench personally. But prior to his injury he was killing it:

Pre injury - 14pts, 48% fg, 6.7 assists in only 26 minutes a game. Those are pretty nice numbers.
His numbers when he started again at the end of the season were damn good to - 13 pts, 55% shooting and 7.6 assists in 27 minutes) It was those 20 or so games in between (and the playoffs) were he was terrible.

I still think Jose was the better PG, but TJ was pretty good himself. But the two of them together, and the dichotomy of how they approached a game, made it extremely tough for opposing teams to plan for them. I think when it comes to TJ, to often we remember post injury TJ and not pre-injury. I think we remember the sulking and bitchiness, and match that against Jose's attitude towards the team and sacrificing a starting role he earned.

[Quixotic]

He always had a pretty high turnover rate... and he did try to do to much after his injury (quite the opposite from some of the players today though no?). One thing I think he did do was take the 'demotion' to the bench personally. But prior to his injury he was killing it:

Pre injury - 14pts, 48% fg, 6.7 assists in only 26 minutes a game. Those are pretty nice numbers.
His numbers when he started again at the end of the season were damn good to - 13 pts, 55% shooting and 7.6 assists in 27 minutes) It was those 20 or so games in between (and the playoffs) were he was terrible.

I still think Jose was the better PG, but TJ was pretty good himself. But the two of them together, and the dichotomy of how they approached a game, made it extremely tough for opposing teams to plan for them. I think when it comes to TJ, to often we remember post injury TJ and not pre-injury. I think we remember the sulking and bitchiness, and match that against Jose's attitude towards the team and sacrificing a starting role he earned.

I still don't know how TJ went from his performance toward the end of the season before being traded to being not even good enough to come off the bench for the Pacers. I thought he'd at least be a decent starting PG for a bad team. And yeah, he was TERRIBAD when he was forced to come off the bench for us.