There is a staccato rhythm to the NBA season: practice, shootaround, game, practice, shootaround, game, lather, rinse, repeat. It is a schedule that has withstood the test of time and the whims of coaches who would alter it; a schedule that suits the players.

Raptors hit the lanes to strike team chemistry | Basketball | Sports | Toronto Sun

Coach Jay Triano surprised (and probably delighted) his players by announcing that practice was to be replaced by a day of bowling at a local alley. "I would have liked to have done something a little more (intense), like paintball or something," the coach said. "But we can't afford to do any silly stuff."

Raptors fill the lane ? the bowling lane – Posted Sports

Beyond the bowling adventure, there was good news that Antoine Wright was able to participate after putting his injured knee through a tough workout on Monday. ?He was great today,? said Triano. ?His knee looked good. When we came back here, he went up to the gym to get a workout in, and there were no effects after a tough workout yesterday. He will be raring to go and we?ll moderate it accordingly.?

HIP HOOP JUNKIES – The blog highlighting the Canadian flavour of the NBA: Join the “FOLLOW 13POB13″ movement!

Twitter nation, ask yourself one question. Are you following 13POB13?

Raptors Digest > Blog Archive > Former Raptor Jawai Traded to the T-Wolves

After injury to front court stars Al Jefferson and Kevin Love, the Minnesota Timberwolves made a move to acquire former Raptor Nathan Jawai (aka Aussie Shaq) for a future 2nd round pick.

What have I learned in the preseason > New Leisure Blog

The only 6th man of the year award Marco Belinelli has a chance of winning will be in the WNBA. Ok, maybe the NBDL. Anyway, he hasn?t impressed anyone so far. He is way too trigger happy and streaky to be effective and his defense isn?t very good.

Ten Bold Predictions For the 2009-10 Toronto Raptors | Bleacher Report

Weems, who has arguably had the best preseason of any Raptor thus far, is young, aggressive, and supremely athletic. Just take a look at his NCAA slam dunk championship on YouTube. Weems has benefited from an injury to Antoine Wright, and so far has shown he deserves to back up Hedo Turkoglu. Not only is Weems very active on the floor, but?as a boon for the defensively challenged Raptors?he seems willing to work on becoming a better defender. All might change once regular season starts, but so far Weems has done his part to be in the mix.

khandor?s sports blog > Blog Archive > Toronto Raptors Season Preview: Game 20

The individual match-up advantages favour Atlanta ? which will probably mean another road loss for the Raptors, in this back-2-back.

Raptors expected W-L Record: L, 7-13

RaptorBlog.com featuring Scott Carefoot: The original Toronto Raptors blog – NBA insight, analysis and humour since 2002

The results, so far, have been disastrous. While the offence has generated a very good 108.35 points per 100 possessions (Offensive Rating), the defence has gone to hell. The Defensive Rating has ballooned to 131.16. Obviously, this is unsustainable (it will improve some), but the signs of a terrible defensive core are there for all to see.

NBA Power Rankings: Dwight Howard Ready To Take the Magic To the Top | Bleacher Report

After last season?s disaster, GM Bryan Colangelo stressed the need for the Raptors to get better at rebounding to be tougher this season. Then he went out and signed the defensively challenged Hedo Turkoglu to a monster contract. Reggie Evans might add some toughness, but how much can he contribute if he only plays 15 minutes a night. Rookie DeMar DeRozan and Marco Bellinelli give Raptors fans hope, but any more than 42 wins will be a surprise.

Metro – Toronto : Blog : Weekend Rap : 1-on-1 with Jay Triano

I briefly spoke with Raptors coach Jay Triano last month, and while we didn't touch much on the upcoming season, he did reveal some interesting facts about coaching at the NBA and national level, as well as the current state of Canadian basketball. He was promoting the Campbell's Chunky MVC ? Most Valuable Coach ? program, which recognizes amateur coaches from all sports across Canada. And for a guy who went from coaching the Simon Fraser University men's team to becoming the first Canadian head coach in NBA history, he's probably one of the right guys to talk to.

Dino Nation Blog: The Raptor New Number 15 In DNB

There is no mistaking Amir Johnson for Vince Carter. They don’t look alike and they play the game of basketball in a totally different way. Had a chance to have a brief conversation with Amir prior to the game on Sunday. Never did ask him about wearing the infamous number 15 for the Raptors. He seems to be enjoying his new situation here in Toronto though. I asked him how things were going in terms of getting to know all his new teammates?

The 19-year-old forward from the USC Trojans, a projected top-10 pick, is one of several top prospects that have opted to go it alone during pre-draft auditions.

"I felt like coaches get the chance to see everything I’ve improved on without paying attention to other players, their whole focus is on me," DeRozan said on his decision to go solo.

DeRozan is an athletic player who’s one of the draft’s most-hyped prospects.

Toronto Star

The Raptors, given the option, would have loved to have seen DeRozan work under some sort of game conditions, even though they had scouts and front office personnel see him a handful of times in the college season.

But they didn’t get that option yesterday and getting him in the gym, even alone, was worth the effort.

"I guess that’s the agents trying to protect their players a little bit. The top guys would normally do that, we’ve seen that with him and (Arizona forward Jordan) Hill and (Connecticut centre Hasheem) Thabeet and all those guys projected to go in the top five, six," said Masai Ujiri, Toronto’s assistant general manager of player personnel.

Globe and Mail

Ujiri said he needs to work on his shooting, but sees in him a bit of Philadelphia’s Andre Iguodala, Portland’s Travis Outlaw or Charlotte’s Gerald Wallace.

“Those are guys we kind of compare him to, athletic guys in the beginning, they were crazy athletes, but the game was yet to be put together,” Ujiri said. “I think those guys have put their games together. He has to work on a couple of things, but I think he’s a great athlete, a great kid.

“It almost always pans out. They work hard, it might take a couple of years, but I think he grows into being a good player.”

Hoops Addict

9. Toronto Raptors - DeMar DeRozan SG/SF
19 years old, 6?7?, 207 lbs.
USC, Freshman

NBA Roundtable

Remember, if the Raptors choose to jettison Shawn Marion and spend their cap space on someone else, they would also surely lose the following — Anthony Parker, Joey Graham and Carlos Delfino.

So the option of re-signing Marion, should be considered Marion plus potentially those three plus the possible use of the MLE against the one $7.2-to-$9.2 million signing.

RotoRob

9. Toronto Raptors: DeMarr DeRozan, SF, USC – With Anthony Parker and Shawn Marion headed for free agency, the Raptors need an athletic wingman to fill the void. DeRozan really came on at the end of last year and showed some of the promise he had coming out of high school. I am not sure how the move across the border would affect a guy who is always been in the Southern California area. DeRozan is fairly raw still, but should get a good amount of playing time next year. Other possibilities: Holiday, Gerald Henderson, Earl Clark.

Examiner.com

Which brings me back to the explosive and athletic Gerald Henderson. The former Blue Devil would immediately upgrade Toronto’s athleticism while giving them solid defender who still has plenty of upside. He could easily develop into a Richard Jefferson type player. Henderson flashed his all-around game last year with Duke; scoring 16.5 PPG, grabbing 4.9 RPG and dishing out 2.5 APG.

He still needs to work on becoming more consistent with his jump shot and his ball-handling, but he has the skill-set to excel in both of those areas.

Pioneer Press

Former Toronto Raptors coach Sam Mitchell played 10 seasons for the Wolves and is one obvious candidate. He is considered more of a disciplinarian than a players’ coach, but center Al Jefferson said McHale was both of those.

"He was the type of guy who could communicate with you and also, if he was upset, he would get in your face, too," Jefferson said. "Most definitely I think it’s good to have a coach like that because some of us players are knuckleheads and some of us need a coach that is going to really get down on them and get in their face. … I think we need both of that."

Mitchell didn’t return a phone call seeking comment Wednesday, and Kahn insisted that the process of finding a new coach

FIBA

Australia’s men’s basketball team, the Boomers, will begin its first training camp for 2009 at the Australian Institute of Sport in Canberra tomorrow.
The Boomers will be without the services of 208cm Toronto Raptors power forward Nathan Jawai until possibly Sunday due to a stomach ailment.

Fan590

The Raps newly appointed Assistant Coach joins Jack and the always witty Doug MacLean to talk about how is hiring came to fruition and what Reggie Evans brings to the team.

“We’re changing the dynamic of our ball club,” Colangelo said.

“Reggie brings a fear factor. He’s a rugged player and a character player.”

Colangelo recalled his recent encounter with Chris Bosh when the GM told the franchise player of the need to acquire a player such as Evans. Colangelo, meanwhile, was not taken aback by Bosh’s statement that he would not sign a contract extension this summer.

“The intent is to build the team as if Chris is the cornerstone,” Colangelo said. “We have no intention to shop Chris Bosh.

“If a trade at any time makes itself available, whether it’s before the season, leading up to the trade deadline or in a sign-and-trade situation next year that makes sense, we’ll pursue it.”

Toronto Star

“It doesn’t mean we’re done yet,” said Colangelo.

Colangelo said the team is close to finalizing a deal that will see former point guard Alvin Williams join the coaching staff in some developmental role.

“The discussions are ongoing with potentially an announcement in the coming days,” he said.

Globe and Mail

The Raptors gain a financial advantage as the deal saves them $1.2-million in salaries this season and $1.5-million next year. Overall the Raptors will enter the free agency period after July 1st with $8.9-million under the salary cap and as much as $10.1-million depending on what they do with Quincy Douby and Patrick O’Brien.

It’s a significant amount of money in what promises to be a buyer’s market, and as Colangelo showed by dealing Kapono, he’s not about to take the Raptors struggles last season sitting down.

National Post

Dealing Kapono does not give the Raptors much more financial flexibility, though. Like Kapono, Evans is signed through the 2010-11 season, although at a slightly reduced price.

Evans is a very limited offensive player, but immediately becomes the Raptors’ best rebounder. Over his career, he has averaged 12.6 rebounds per 36 minutes. Chris Bosh, by comparison, has averaged 8.9 rebounds per 36 minutes.

NBA Fanhouse

Evans averaged 4.6 rebounds in just 14.4 minutes a game last year — his average per 36 was 11.4, which would have ranked second on the Raptors last year behind last-season acquisition Pops Mensah-Bonsu (14.1 per 36 in 19 games). Andrea Bargnani and Chris Bosh are extremely talented but undeniably finesse players. Evans, on the other hand, is the very definition of a gritty banger, outworking and out-muscling opposing big men in the paint despite frequently giving up several inches.

sportal.com.au

The first training camp begins on June 19 with two matches against China to be played at the end of the month.

Jawai will then return to USA to play in the NBA Summer League, before rejoining the Boomers for the remainder of the campaign.

He revealed that playing alongside cousin Patty Mills and good mate Kerry Williams will be a dream come true.

“I’ve been training with Kerry in Cairns and he’s doing great things,” Jawai said.

“And I’ve been following Patty’s progress in the NBA workouts. He dropped 30 points in an All-Star game at the Treviso Euro Camp and I think he’ll get drafted.”

“Hopefully it’s Toronto that picks him and they allow him to play for the Boomers so we can spend some time together.”

Bleacher Report

Perhaps, overlooked will be the impact of the departure of Reggie Evans who has become somewhat of a fan favorite in Philadelphia where hard working “blue collar” type players often endear themselves to fans.

Without Reggie Evans, the 76ers will be without one of their best rebounders, especially on the offensive glass. It is the opinion of this writer that Reggie Evans played a significant impact on changing the culture of the 76ers team.
Prior to Evans’ arrival, the 76ers were horrendously soft with the likes of Chris Webber and Samuel Dalembert down low.

Reggie Evans, despite his quirks, is a player who changed the flow of the game off the bench. He would grab rebounds where nobody else wanted to go. He’d play full court defense, help trap opposing guards, and never complain about his lack of touches.
In many respects he was a poor man’s Ben Wallace, able to affect games without scoring (although not as dramatically as Ben Wallace mind you).

Courier Post

“We are very excited to add one of the league’s most prolific 3-point shooters in Jason Kapono,” Sixers president and general manager Ed Stefanski said in a statement. “We feel that this move addresses our goal of improving our shooting from the perimeter.”

Stefanski and Kapono weren’t available for further comment because the trade is not official until both Kapono and Evans pass physicals.

But one of the criticisms of Korver is also true for Kapono in that they are not good enough defenders to stay on the court for 30-35 minutes per game. Kapono has never averaged more than 26.4 minutes.

Philly.com

Kapono shot only 42.8 percent last season for the Raptors, which, while below his career average, is better than any Sixer who played more than 10 minutes a game last year. Kapono made 98 three-pointers last season, 18 more than Andre Iguodala, who led the Sixers.

A week ago, the Sixers introduced new head coach Eddie Jordan, who brings with him the Princeton offense, a motion, cutting, passing scheme that works more efficiently when strong outside shooters – or in this case, a shooter – spread the floor.

Kapono should provide that option.

Philly.com

Obviously, the Sixers will have to bring in more shooters – a draft pick who can knock down long-range jump shots would be nice.

Still, by trading Evans for Kapono, the Sixers added a strength without sacrificing anything vital.

That’s called making a good deal, and for Sixers fans looking for this team to move to the next level despite limited avenues, that’s the type of creative deal you want to see.

Examiner.com

If the Pistons want a cornerstone player at power forward, then Bosh needs to be who they focus on. After all, he’s three years younger, more athletic, more versatile, and also has a much more complete offensive arsenal than Boozer does. Wade and King James still seem like long shots, but Bosh really doesn’t. He wants out of Toronto immediately, and Raptors GM Brian Colangelo is going to be actively shopping him from now until the 2010 trade deadline. If the Pistons were smart they would be putting a package together on a weekly basis until Bosh is off the market.

That’s What I’m Saying Guy

Not to badmouth Kapono — he came in and did what was asked of him — but he didn’t really do anything to make the team better. His outside shot was as advertised (though he could’ve helped by taking more threes instead of 20-footers), but anything he added offensively was negated on the defensive end. In two seasons in Toronto, Kapono averaged 7.7 points and won one three-point shootout, though it didn’t translate to anything that counted for his team.

The Revelation

Through my scrounging I found this news and I HAD TO blog about it… All the annoying “Raptor’s fans” out there got really really irritating… and the “Brian-Colangelo-needs-to-get-fired” talk has to stop… What it is is what it is… BRIAN COLANGELO IS A GENIUS!

I absolutely love this trade. It’s been finalized but i haven’t heard a full press release yet on it… I really hope there are no strings attached (i.e. no picks or money added on to the deal)… Why do I love this trade? Well lemme break it down for you…

Fan590

Raptors G.M. joins Rob Faulds and Jim Kelley on P.T.S. to talk about the trade which sent Jason Kapono to the Philadelphia 76ers for power forward Reggie Evans

Talkhoops.net

But this is actually a much more even trade than first glance would give you and when you look at the actual numbers, Reggie Evans is technically going to give the Toronto Raptors more than Kap will give Philly. Reggie’s PER (Player Efficiency Rating) over the last two seasons have registered at 11.0 and 10.4, respectively. Jason Kapono on the other hand has given the Raptors 10.8 and 8.9 in those years. Neither player will be doing a large amount of scoring with just 11.9 points per game scored between them over the last two seasons. So why does this trade matter if it involves two apparently non-essential role players?
This trade is more about the threat of these players than what they will actually give their new teams.

Recliner GM

First let me say this deal came out of nowhere and it’s a beauty.  Moving Reggie Evans  player I projected not to see the floor next season for one of, if not the best catch-and-shoot three point shooter in the NBA.  Could Stefanski have done any better – seriously?  I guess this is the legit shooter he has been saying he will bring in since he got here and he did it by moving a player of little to no value to the Sixers going into next season.  Well done. If money is going to be spent on a one-dimensional player this is the guy we would want it spent on.  Stefanski probably bought himself a half a season free of criticism from many fans with this deal (and the right draft choice *cough* Ty Lawson *cough*).

RaptorTalk

Reggie Evans: A nice acquisition who brings grit, toughness and rebounding. Colangelo says he’ll be the first big off the bench and he expects 15 to 20 minutes each night from Evans. The deal saves the Raptors over $1 million per season.

Adams – possessed the characteristics you look for as a general manager of an NBA franchise: a fire hydrant with a headband. Hassan brought as much value to our team as would rap lessons from 50 Cent given to Jake Voskuhl.

Banks – at least Hassan isn’t costing us as much as, say, cable in Dubai. Equivalent to the poison pill we had to take to get someone to take HO off our hands, Marcus played in 6 games with the result of which being reflective of Arsenalist’s chances with the local women in Jamaica.

Bargnani – his second half was a huge surprise (and relief) to Raptors fans. He started to show signs of one day being worthy of being chosen #1. Not there yet, but he is showing why he should have been top 10, as opposed to earlier in his career. Great to know that heading into next season we will be anticipating his appearance on the court with real anticipation as opposed to waning hope.

Bosh – had an up and down season in all aspects of his life, but most importantly for us, he ended the season a 20/10 guy. He has to be wondering what he has to do to win the respect of this fanbase and I agree with him. Young kid, 20/10, great in the community. Yeah, trade his ass for 50cents on the dollar. His handlers are questionable and he really needs to look at the people around him as they continue to alienate his fans and the fans of this team. Just a recommendation Chris. All in all, the leader of this team from start to finish.

Calderon – worrisome question: was he indeed playing hurt most of the year or was that final stretch showing him play at a higher than average level for him? Either way, his free throw consistency was off the charts and deserves merit alone. Still, many expected him to be at least mentioned as a possible back up in the all star game, but he ended up disappointing more than chocolate tofu.

Douby – what do you offer a guy that plays 10 minutes in 7 meaningless games and gives you 4pts, 1 assist and 1 board?  A contract!!! That’s right, Quincy, thank you for playing the Colangelo Is Always Right!!!

Graham – if I’m his agent, I’m calling Jerry and asking what his son likes and shipping him 2 of everything. If Joey stays in Toronto, he has a shot at some court time. He leaves, and he is like his brother playing spotty minutes against primarily bad teams or being shipped from city to city the rest of his career. Coming into the season, he knew he had to impress. He did so in the middle months, but the rest of the way he was as average as a cheerleaders math scores.

Humphries – played in only 29 games this year, but has the work ethic the blue collar fans of the Raptors desire. Next season will be as important to him as this past one was to Joey. You want to continue living the life of a nightclub hustler, Kris, you need to bring the pain next year.       

Jawai – a man with a bad heart who doesn’t perform as well when he is working outside of his native land. Now I know why Bryan drafted him: he saw himself in Nathan!

Kapono – and the carousel of disappointment continues to spin. After whetting our appetite during the playoffs last year, JKillah comes out and, for the most part, lays a jurassic egg. Run plays for him, don’t run plays for him, hit him in transition, hand him a golf club…nothing seemed to keep him in a rhythm from game to game. That is not a good character trait in a high priced assassin.

Marion – the only thing he probably couldn’t bring across the border was his white horse. Replacing the boil that was HO, Shawn quickly showed us what we were missing: a capable slasher that can take the heat away from at least one of our main guys, and still be considered a main guy himself. A rental? Maybe. In his short time here, though, he has shown Bryan what this team needs to move forward.

Mensah-Bonsu – a shame that his injury hampered his game in the last few contests since it would have been nice to see if he could pick himself back up after a few down games. We will never know now and will rely on his summer league play to see if he can provide us with something. I’m guessing his return hinges on what happens with Marion. Personally, I think we already have enough projects under contract.

Moon – his goofy grin and one-dimensional defense has found a new home in Miami. The +/- stat is a useless one, but one that is more applicable to Jamario is games won because of and games lost because of. He may have been fighting for the league lead in that one. If you felt your right arm go numb and your heart felt like it was going to explode while watching the Raptors games early in the season, you were suffering a Jamario. No recent cases have been reported.

O’Bryant – what he lacks in ability, he has in physical attributes and desire. He’d be a great 10th-11th man to try and motivate to get better and fight for a higher seed on the bench and a guy with slightly more upside than Pops. Also, what better individual to fit into Toronto’s fabric than an African-American Irishman who probably likes women’s hockey and beer?

O’Neal – like trying to fit a lions head on the body of Jessica Alba, an experiment that went horribly wrong. The new Twin Towers turned out to be the Giant and the Toad with one guy playing with effort and heart and the other playing like he wanted to be back in Vegas drinking tequila and hitting on the chorus girls. HO brought next to nothing on most nights and had the type of attitude this team did not need in the slightest.

Parker – his season with us was like going to 80 different wing joints……you consistently knew what you were getting, but sometimes you were blown away and other times you felt disappointed. He stepped up and played well as a back up point guard, his tenacious D was something we desperately needed on most nights, and there is no doubt he is a solid locker room guy. If I’m BC, my decision on Parker is just as difficult as my decision on Marion.

Solomon – when you leave the aforementioned wing joints and you find yourself squeezing one out on the can at home, that last little squirt that comes out and sort of dangles there for a split second or four can now be referred to as a Solomon.

Ukic – you know when you were in grade nine and you went to your first high school dance with all your cool buddies thinking you’d impress the chicks and end up taking a Grade 12er back to your parents house and losing your virginity in the garage as your puppy Spalding looked on? Then, in reality, you showed up and the first thing you saw was your older sister doing the humpty hump with the stoner guy and that was the last thing you remember as the football team took you and your pals out to the football field and tied you to the goalposts, took your clothes and then turned the lights on? That shriveling feeling is probably what Roko felt as he took the court in most games this season because he out and out sucked. He should be stamped “not as advertised” and sent back to Serbia to continue working on his passing game with 4 pigs and a zebra.

Voskuhl – every 7 seconds a child dies and Jake commits a foul. Nobody expected anything from Jake and he lived up to that expectation. Plus, Bryan can check another name off his “reunion of past loves” list. I wouldn’t be surprised to see Jake back in the league next year. In a just world, he will surface in San Antonio and he will get a ring, while leaving a Raptors organization with nothing but a headband and a cheering towel. JYD would be proud.

Driving The Bus:   Chris Bosh

Under The Bus:    Jason Kapono

@altraps @raptorsrepublic

Game Theme:

Banks – Hoping for a bail-out.

Bargnani – I’d still rather have Brandon Roy, but it doesn’t sting as much anymore. We know he can score, awkwardly as it may be; we know he can grab a few rebounds here and there; his defense has been coming along, 4 blocks on Jeffries. Hey Jarred, Dimmi come il mio asino gusti!

Bosh – Quietly went about his business, anchoring this team to the win. Unbelievable there is talk that he isn’t a max player. I concede he isn’t the offensive force that Wade/Lebron/Kobe or even Carmelo is, but the game of basketball is more the putting the hoop through the basket, and Bosh is a winner, he’s a pansy, but a winner.

Calderon – Duhon used and abused him, but he kept it down. Pushing the ball on the break and, looking for his shot, moving the ball around and generally doing a good job. Nothing more, nothing less.

Douby – Why hasn’t anyone said anything to him about the uni-brow yet? 4 coaches in 4 years and none a mentor who cared…

Graham – Enjoy it while it lasts – 7 more games till you become the next Jason Winkle aka Who?

Jawai – Overheard in the visitors dressing room pre-game:

Jawai: “coach, I’m ready to contribute today”
Triano: “err, yea man. I need you ready to go whenever Curry gets in the game”
Jawai: “uhm, isn’t he out for the season?”
Triano: “you still here?”

Humphries –

Kapono – Was almost under the bus, but hit a couple timely jumpers to thwart runs by the Knicks. Will never be a $6million player, we need to get over that. But 3-9 for 8 points is just ridiculous.

Marion – How nice is it to have a solid wing player? 8th double-double as a Raptor, 3rd most on the team in only 19 games. Microcosm of the season.

Mensah-Bonsu – Will work for blood pudding.

O’Bryant – I got nothing here.

Parker – What you witnessed today is why Parker should be brought back in a more limited role. He played solid defense on Chandler, hit a few shots and put a nail in the coffin late in the 4th.

Ukic – Horseface Killah upset me today. Committed more fouls then he had points, assists, steals and rebounds combined. Even got his ugly azz-shot blocked…

Voskuhl – I got nothing here either.

Driving The Bus: Andrea Bargnani

Under The Bus: Roko Ukic

Game Theme:

Banks – somebody call a toe truck.

Bargnani – pretty much a non-factor in the second half due to foul trouble (and eventually fouling out in the early fourth), he played a hell of a game on Dwight and had him stumbling around as much as I’ve seen Howard do that all year. He had a hot shooting hand, one we could have used in the dying minutes, but his efforts on Dwight may have won us this game.

Bosh – he is the basketball version of a snake in a box full of mice. Stone. Cold. Killer. Took way too many jumpers, but when he attacked he wasn’t getting the calls anyway. I was surprised to see him staying away from being the double on Dwight, but it kept him in the game. That jumper over Dwight late in the fourth may be in the top 5 shots of this (dismal) Raptors season.

Calderon – ridiculously on fiah shooting the ball, but not a great job getting the ball to his teammates in great spots. In a game full of offsets, I guess we need to take this one, but not a smart passing game in the slightest.

Douby – you know when you are packing for a weekend trip and you throw in that extra pair of underwear “just in case”. Those are known as the doubies.

Graham – he was playing harder than RapsFan in the shower at an all girls catholic school. Some of the balls he went after were beyond the realm of all-things-Joey a year ago. Kudos on a workman like effort.

Jawai – just happy he is back in the big show so he can order “Slutdog Jizzanaire” and not have to pay for it upon checkout.

Humphries –   

Kapono – back to being underused in our offensive sets, even so much that Triano had him pass up a nice shot to feed VOSKUHL IN THE CORNER FOR A 3. Triano actually called that play! Incredible. Anyway, get Kapono the ball in a situation he can make things happen. This guy shouldn’t be looking to Bosh to set a screen for him.

Marion – welcome back. If he is using these final few games as an audition like he did tonight, I’ll take it. That was some killer game out there tonight, taking it to the Magic like an elephant at a peanut warehouse. The only thing better than Bosh’s shot over Howard was Marion’s postgame interview with Jack. Classic interview, classic game.

Mensah-Bonsu – listen…hear that? Kind of silent? That’s the sound of his agents phone at the end of the season.

O’Bryant – hot tip: the Irish are good at rugby. Look into it, Patrick.

Parker – his defensive effort was a catalyst tonight. Active feet and hands, jumping into passing lanes, directing teammates. He put on a clinic on how to beat his man to any spot on the floor and how to get into a guys head.

Ukic – why aren’t we contending? Our back up PG has a night like this in one of our best overall games of the year: 9min, 0 pts, 1 assist, 1 turnover, 3 fouls. Pathetic.

Voskuhl – came in and did what he had to do: put Dwight on the line. For once, his fouls were needed. Thank God we have a specialist in that category on our bench. Wonder if there is a 9th man of the year award?

Driving The Bus:   Shawn Marion

Under The Bus:    Roko Ukic

Game Theme:

Enough talk about Chris Bosh’s possible exit from Toronto or whether Calderon’s been injured or just crappy. It’s time to look towards the end of the bench and see just exactly what we have there and whether any of it is worth bringing back. The Raptors core consists of Bosh, Bargnani, Calderon and perhaps Marion but after that everything’s a question mark, in this post we’ll look at at 7 Raptors who are barely swimming in the NBA, the question is do we throw them a flotation device or a cinder block.

Kris Humphries: The argument that he needs more playing time so that he can carve his way into the rotation doesn’t hold water, not anymore. We’ve all sang the “play Hump” chant at some point and all he’s done is return is have a good game followed by two bad ones. He’s got some very soft hands and when you combine it with his tendency to play outside his talent level (e.g: taking 15-footers midway through the shot-clock), the bench will come calling regardless of the coach. Sam Mitchell rewarded hustle and you would’ve thought Kris would flourish under him but it wasn’t the case, even Sam couldn’t look past the lapses. The one great part about him is that he’s always ready regardless of how much pine he’s been riding and that makes him good enough to be on the bench of a team that’s trying to find its way. He’s got a reasonable contract: $3.2 million for 2009-10 and a player option at the same number the following year, ssuming he comes back healthy next year there’s no reason not to have him as an extra hand. Bench.

Nana Papa Yaw Dwene “Pops” Mensah-Bonsu: AltRaps thinks he’s a conman and I say there’s only one of those on the team and he’s a southern Californian hippie. It doesn’t take much to figure out that Pops is the hustle big man that we needed to sign in the summer or acquire through the draft (remember Robin Lopez). He’s got an affinity with the boards that I haven’t seen since the Willis/Oakley days, no, I’m not exaggerating. Who was the last Raptor big man that wanted to rebound and tear the rim down? I can’t even remember. For a team that’s been bottom 3 in rebounding all season long, I appreciate the 18.0 PER48 rebounding he brings. To put that in a Raptors perspective, the next guy on that list is Humphries and he’s 5.3 rebounds behind him. Sure, these games don’t mean a damn thing but hustle and rebounding is something that you’re free to evaluate regardless of the standings. Playing time.

Marcus Banks: I had high hopes for him, I even did podcasts with Miami bloggers to make myself feel better but it’s evident that Banks, well, isn’t every good. He can play some defense but so can Roko and he’s younger and cheaper and smarter and plays harder. I was told that Banks could take it to the rim but I’ve only seen him do that twice since he’s been with the team which means he can’t take it to the rim. He’s in his 9th NBA season and if he was going to become a serviceable player it would’ve happened by now. We already have one highly paid termite that’s eating away at our cap and we definitely don’t need another one. Buyout.

Patrick O’Bryant: The Celtics freed up a roster spot and the Kings got paid but I still can’t figure out what the Raptors got in this deal. Oh yeah, the soft feathery outside touch. Nobody knows how much he makes and whether it’s guaranteed or not but one thing is for sure: we don’t need him. Even if Humphries, Bargnani, Pops and Bosh go down I’d still rather Colangelo trade for a big man than give him extended minutes. He’s just not an NBA player and I figure Colangelo knows that, I fully expect him to be released, cut and clobbered. Buyout.

Nathan Jawai: Does anybody care or have the patience to see this guy “blossom”? We sent him to the D-League where he got special treatment (his own room and fresh razors) unlike anyone else and this guy wasn’t close to the best player on the team (his numbers). In fact, he wasn’t very good and did anything but dominate which is exactly what he needed to do to earn the confidence of his GM and the fans. Sticking by Bargnani is one thing but there’s no way I’m living with his mistakes for the next three years. We got a team option of $736,420 for next year, this might be a good opportunity to save some money. Bye bye.

Jake Voskuhl: Call me crazy, call me insane, call me a dumbass and slap my ass silly but I think this guy could pass as a 12th man. Best part about him is that he’s going to come cheap, won’t complain about playing time and try his gosh darn hardest. He’s good for 6 fouls against a big man and could platoon with Humphries as the next edition of the Banger Brothers. Offer him the bare minimum on a non-guaranteed contract and he’ll bite, hey, NBA beats the night shift at Sobeys. By no means am I suggesting he should get an automatic call to training camp, but if we’re tight for cash and need to fill in a roster spot, I’d take him. The fact that I’d pick him over Jawai should tell you just how low I think of the Aussie. Bench.

Joey Graham: Numbers last year: 38 games, 8.7 MPG, 3.6/1.8/0.4, 43% FG. Numbers this year: 69 games, 7.7/3.8/0.6, 49% FG. Nothing spectacular but a marked improvement. He’s been playing a very irregular role in the rotation, sometimes he’s the first guy off the bench, sometimes the fourth. The increased minutes have helped his game but role-definition is still an issue under Triano. He was most effective early in the Triano days when we actually ran plays for him, usually a weak-side flash which got him decent post-position or a baseline screen followed by a quick-hit pass. Don’t underestimate the impact of Calderon’s off year on Joey, he moves without the ball and presents himself far more often than what he’s given credit for. The official backup SF role next year and a place in Triano’s playbook will be good for him and us. Playing time.

Honorable mention:

Quincy Douby: Looks like Tupac.

Banks – here is hoping his injury spurs BC to dump his sorry ass.

Bargnani – anybody else kind of giggle to themselves everytime they see the look of shock on Andrea’s face when he gets called for a foul. That mouthguard makes him look like some “special” kid trying to compute things in his head.

Bosh – another double double before half and a nice halftime on-court interview to once again show that, even in personal dark times, he is indeed the franchise player and the best player this team has on and off the court.

Calderon – nice game that was topped off by that tight shot of him on the bench slapping palms with Kapono as Kap was coming off and making out the touch burned Jose’s hand. He laughed like an exchange student learning an American custom for the first time and even showed Matrix how funny it all was. Cute. First he learned how to make himself look Asian and now this. Next up, fun with hotel bedsheets.

Douby – wow. Do you think those eyebrows gave his birth mother some carpet burns in her vajayjay when he was born? The girls at the Shoppers Drug Mart beauty counter must drool when they see those puppies.

Graham – kid was treating the rim like it was a donut and he was Homer Simpson. Nice aggressive game tonight and the kind we need when we are in games that matter. You know, like next year.

Jawai – if this team was a zoo, he is the armadillo.

Humphries –  

Kapono – would love to ask him what the deal is with him touching his face after every shot he makes. Is he wiping the blood from the busted heart of his opponent? Is it a signal to Doug Christies wife? The public needs to know.

Marion – we need to run a contest to name that god-awful looking shot of his. It reminds me of seeing a farmer playing PopAShot. Could this have been his best game as a Raptor? Looked like it on the offensive end. Amazing what a couple of wins and some team happiness can inject in people.

Mensah-Bonsu – memo to our GM: do not entertain the idea of re-signing this guy. The last few games show you the real Pops. Don’t believe the hype.

O’Bryant – any day now you can expect the thunder of Arsenalist to rain down upon thee for taking jumpshots. You have been warned, Leppy.

Parker – nice all around game tonight. Nothing flashy, just a workman like effort. Kind of envisioned him picking his lunchbucket up after the game and heading home to his crib in Scarborough.

Ukic – solid game with, once again, solid minutes. The jockers will all come out from the forest again and proclaim this guy the leader of the new republic, but look at who he was up against. He showed flashes tonight, but until he can give me 5 good games against great opponents, he doesn’t deserve any passing grade.

Voskuhl – 4 minutes and no fouls? Somewhere an angel has been murdered.

Driving The Bus:   Chris Bosh

Under The Bus:    Pops Mensah-Bonsu

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Banks – how proud your family must be. “My son just suffered a season ending injury.” “Oh my…what happened” “Bone spur in his toe”. What the hell? Is that even possible? Why not just say he suffered a blister while rolling up the rim? 

Bargnani – feed the hungry man, indeed. It was like watching a catapult being refilled tonight. Ball gets in hands, must shoot, must impress Jay. I was surprised he didn’t come out at halftime and take the ball out of the hands of the guy shooting for half a mill.

Bosh – you think that ball to his face in the first kinda felt like getting your personal laundry aired on your birthday? Speaking of his birthday, I’m thinking the refs gave him a late present by not calling him for 3 in the key about 4 times tonight.

Calderon – why is it that when he has good games I almost expect to see a spotlight shine on him and see him curtsey, followed by roses being dropped from the rafters of the ACC? It’s like we have 2 Russian ballet dancers running the point on this team

Douby – who else thinks that BC paged his assistant asking him to pick up a doobie on the way back to the office and all of a sudden we have an extra guard on our team?

Graham – hello, my name is Joey. I like to bake turnovers and commit boneheaded moves in 7 minutes or less. When I sit on the bench for the rest of the game, I eat the turnovers and wonder what it’s like to be my brother.

Jawai – it’s like he never left.

Humphries –  

Kapono – this guy switched gears mid-game like he was driving at Mosport. He came out as the mayor of Suckville and ended the game looking like the parade marshall in the annual Green Onion Planting Parade. 3 of 4 from downtown, 14 points and the obvious crowning achievement of leading the team in +/-.

Marion – was knocked down hard by Charlie V, but became all rosy and beamed with pride when Jose finally figured out Shawn plays for us now and it’s okay to pass him the ball. You could almost see animated hearts emanating from Marion’s head.

Mensah-Bonsu – picked up a case of Raptor-itis and took the night off. Banks toe, Bargs heel, Pops knee…up next: Jake’s ball sack.

O’Bryant – Patrick’s heart started racing when Jay told him he would play today. Minutes later he was crestfallen when Triano handed him a PSP.

Parker – know what I miss? AP driving to the hoop. I think he has a lane more often than he realizes, to be honest. I think him driving more would force teams to fade off one of our bigs. Just sayin’.

Ukic – we were up 20 most of the game. Any reason that we couldn’t play the pig guy a bit more than 10 minutes, with most of those coming when Jose was taken out back to have his fingers taped together? Yes, I know we are trying to make the playoffs and all, but why not give the kid some time to play with a bonafide NBA all-star before he leaves town?

Voskuhl – 11 minutes = 3 fouls.  It’s like going to bed at 11pm knowing I’ll be up taking a piss at 3am. Always gonna happen. Only difference is I can do it without a headband.

Driving The Bus:   Andrea Bargnani

Under The Bus:    Joey Graham

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Banks – if he goes to bed tonight thinking about that kid in public school that teased him saying he wouldn’t amount to anything, Marcus should be rest assured that the bully wasn’t talking about him as a person…just his game.

Bargnani – well slap my ass and call me Mary. If you had told me at the beginning of the season that Bargs would go up against Shaq and stand his ground physically, I’d say you were as crazy as a guy who would propose to his girl the same week as they move into a new house (*cough* dinosty *cough*). Obviously the Big Beavertail couldn’t stop the Shaqtus completely, but he wasn’t tossed around like a ragdoll either. 

Bosh – saddled by foul trouble and exposing poor coaching by Triano again (this time by having the 5-foul laden Bosh single cover Shaq late in the fourth), he was left to watch an otherwise solid game dissolve into dust.

Calderon – if this was him at 100%, can we knock him back down to 90%, because the fullstrength Jose just got his pride handed to him. 10pts, 5 assts, 4 turnovers against a non-Steve Nash led Suns team. He should have been looking at this game like I look at a sign that points me to grilled cheese being served by Jennifer Aniston: a drooling excited man. Instead it looks like he read a sign that says “This Way For Salami Sandwiches With Regis Philbin”.

Graham – late scratch. This same term will be used when upper management looks at this roster and asks “Who don’t we want back?”

Humphries – getting a leg up at a bingo hall in Scarborough.

Jawai – from the South Pacific to……here.

Kapono – he looked so relaxed you gotta believe that JayKay got in a few rounds of golf in Phoenix. He came out putting more balls in the air than Richard Simmons.  He even defended well on two straight possessions, something you see as often as a guy hitting a granny shot from midcourt for $77,777.00

Marion – I never thought I’d hear myself say that after a guy gave us 27pts that I expected more. I guess I was kind of buying into the hype of him coming here, excited to play a certain style, going back to Phoenix for just the second time, facing a depleted and down on their luck former team……Still, given the alternative and still having Frick and Frack on our team, I’ll gladly take it. By no means am I saying he had a poor game. Far from it, and can I say again that I love how he talks on the floor, but I would have loved to see him dominate and stick it down the Suns throats and give us a much needed win on a night when all those we are chasing, lost. By far the best Raptor on the floor tonight……but not good enough to pull us through.

O’Bryant – you know when you are trying to tighten a stripped screw and it frustrates the crap out of you? You push and turn, hoping it will finally catch? Stripped Screw: The Story of Patrick O’Bryant.

Parker – gave us a granola bar game. You know, good enough to tide you over. Worked hard on the defensive end trying to keep up with some Suns guys that seemed like they just downed a triple espresso. His court vision on our side of the ball wasn’t up to his normal solid stuff. Still, that said, would have loved to see him slide over to the point instead of….

Ukic – this worthless pig farmer. That shot at the end of the quarter is the epitome of what will be his NBA career unless he gets some burn against guys of his own caliber. Like, say, RapsFan and Arsenalist at 3am.  Let me be clear: I do think he can have a career on this level…just not now. If you go 1-for-6, you PROBABLY SHOULD LOOK TO PASS.

Voskuhl – 4 fouls in 4 minutes and talking smack to Shaq. 2 things that other GMs will be attracted to when they are looking to sign guys to 10-days in 2012. Still, give the Big Oklahoman credit for not stepping back. He was riding Shaq in the fourth like his life depended on it.

Driving The Bus:   Shawn Marion

Under The Bus:    Jose Calderon

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