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:

In a three-way trade, Sacramento gets Will Solomon from Toronto … Toronto gets Patrick O’Bryant from Boston … and Boston gets a heavily-protected conditional second-round pick from Sacramento.

Pure jokes, guy...!!

From The National Post: The Raptors acquired little-used centre Patrick O’Bryant from Boston in exchange for their little-used point guard Will Solomon. Boston will then send Solomon to Sacramento for a conditional second-round draft pick, according to SI.com. O’Bryant is in the first year of a two-year deal that will pays him just more than US$1.6-million. However, only US$500,000 of O’Bryant’s contract is guaranteed for next season. With the move, the Raptors will remain below this season’s luxury tax.

O’Bryant, 22, is in his third season in the NBA. For his career, he is averaging 1.6 points and 1.3 rebounds in almost five minutes per game. Golden State selected O’Bryant with the ninth-overall selection in the 2006 draft. He became the first player selected in the lottery to be sent to the NBA’s developmental league.

From the Toronto Star: As part of a late-breaking three-way transaction, the Raptors have acquired 7-foot Patrick O’Bryant from the Boston Celtics while sending point guard Will Solomon to the Sacramento Kings. The Kings will send a future second-round draft pick and cash to Boston to complete the transaction, according to various league and team sources.

Banks – showed a little bit of promise in the limited time he played. As I recall, so did Primoz Brezec. If ball doesn’t pan out, he can always fill in for Tracy Morgan.

Bargnani – 2 quick fouls. Not going to be a good thing for our squad if that continues, since the guys backing him up are about as well equipped at filling in at centre as a Smart car is at driving in the Arctic. He did snap out of it in the bridge of the game, but picked up another quick 2 late.

Bosh – rocking the suit jacket with denim pants. Casual Friday comes early to the ACC apparently.

Calderon – had a good number of hockey assists tonight, just a shame they don’t count in the stat sheet.  He may not be 100% and, even after the allstar break, his lack of driving drives me bonkers.

Graham – may have to start calling this guy the silent assassin. Another game where, for many of his 31min, he seemed invisible. End of the night: 15pts and 4 boards. Spectacular? Far from it. In a way, it’s kind of a sad output from a starter, but you play the hand you are dealt and if you compare his output to most of his career, you have to take it.

Humphries – no truth to the rumour he was kicking it with Mo Williams and LBJ at Ultra last night. None.

Jawai – scored his first field goal in the NBA. Congrats. Also got an early look as he was brought in late in the second. I was shocked. Bet he was too. Have we really come to this?

Kapono – brutal passing offset by a good steal and running the floor in the first half. Only hoisted 9 shots in 24 minutes, so wonder if he is tired from hoisting some bevvies in Phoenix.

Marion – blocks and rebounds like HO, better personality, and seemed genuinely lost for the majority of the game. Never been a huge fan, but the upside he could bring with his stay on this roster far outweighs that of what HO brought.  As was said many places today and yesterday, we don’t have much time for him to fit in. He has to show his professionalism and do just that….and quick.

Parker – his performance in the fourth saved him from a game that was uglier than Popeye Jones. 4 turnovers, some bizarre brainfarts, and a night he better forget. Big disappointment coming off some rest.

Solomon – only way his thumb is hurt is if it is directly connected to his ego.

Ukic – mo williams crossed him over so bad that Mo was looking for the crosswalk button. Yoko did have a nice pass to Kapono, but other than that, same old Ukic. Jay would get more production from an udderless cow.

Voskuhl – what have I done to piss off the Gods so much that the backup bigs for my favourite NBA team are Nathan Jawai and Jake “I don’t care if I’m white and look like I’ve just got off a tractor, I’m still gonna wear the headband” Voskuhl? I mean, really? Know what is even more pathetic? I think he should have had more floor time tonight. Heavens to murgatroyd.

Driving The Bus:   Joey Graham

Under The Bus:    Anthony Parker (yet again, though, no one guy deserved it)

Game Theme:    

The “who said hard work doesn’t pay off” edition

Bargnani – had one of those nights where you audibly moan since some of his shots were, well, stinkers. Still, he hit a few that ranked up there with “man, we needed that”s and 3 or 4 times actually put up a defensive stand.

Bosh – should he even be going to Phoenix or should he be hanging back and continuing treatment?

Calderon – another game where he was due to go head to head with an (actual) allstar and, lo and behold, he wasn’t fit enough to play. Guess the turnstile needed some oil. Same time, turns out we were better without him. Microcosm for the season?

Graham – played a few minutes and then pulled up lame. Amazing how things have changed in that an injury report with respect to Joey a) makes it as an in-game news item and b) some actually probably went “ah, man…he isn’t coming back?” and meant it.

Humphries – telling that he is the fifth name in roll call and only 1 so far has played the whole game.

Jawai – now we are at six. Almost daily now I see another player in the NBA being sent to the D-League and I have to wonder why Nathan isn’t on his way. If we are desperate for big men but he can’t get into any of the past few games even for Jake-type minutes, why not send him down to get his heart pumping?

Kapono – think the green light he has been given is responsible for his hot play of late or is he just in his yearly cycle?  Still love that cutter into the paint he breaks out every few games. It obviously catches opponents off guard and it’s a shame that Jose, especially, seems to look him off when he runs it.

Moon – close to a double double and the kind of game we like to see from him, save a couple of his bonehead quick jumpers early. I long for the fantasy of having Oakley on this team and just seeing him grab Moon by the collar and shaking him like a straw-filled doll.

O’Neal – Couple of nice passes, but in the grand scheme of this game, was about as important in this victory as, say, Doug Smith. Tired? Come on, really? You can’t play good minutes in a back-to-back? Suck it up. Thought you were 100% coming into the year? Hmm?

Parker – called into last minute action when Jose felt his balls in his throat. Personally kind of surprised he didn’t perform better. I truly thought he would see Parker in his sights and just lock in. He didn’t, but he did a fair job in spreading minutes between what is quickly becoming a full-time multi-position gig.

Solomon – if Nathan is a minnow on the depth chart of this team, I’m thinking Will is seaweed.

Ukic – beautiful game from Horseface Killah. Won’t call it a break out game as I don’t think it is, but he certainly was the X-Factor that gave us the victory and deserves most of the credit. Still was TJ-Ford-type-frustrating at times where you could tell he was looking for his own shot. Today it was falling, though and he deserved to call his own number.

Voskuhl – not often you can go 0 for 2 and have all zeroes in your box score and still be +5 against a team like the Spurs, especially playing for 7 minutes. A Voskuhl/Bonner one-on-one would have been sweet to see.

Driving The Bus:   Roko Ukic

Under The Bus:    Jermaine O’Neal (although nobody really deserved to be)

Game Theme:      don’t want to piss off big brother, so if you want to see the theme, feel free to head over to AltRaps.

Bargnani – meh. Passable offensive game offset by some horrible defense most of the night. Trade him.

Bosh – at least he is on the bench, unlike some other highly paid athletes. Keep him.

Calderon – the turnstile was in full use tonight. Welcome to our paint, please make yourself at home. Trade him.

Graham – add another strong showing to his resume. Aggressive and looking to finish plays. Impressive. Keep him.

Humphries – nowhere to be found. Hide him on the IL and keep him.

Jawai – had a game similar to BC’s desire to bring a winning team to Toronto: not getting out of the gate. Trade him.

Kapono – told to fire at will, turns in a 10 of 15 night. Guess that style suits him. Keep him.

Moon – +21!!! +21!!! Sweet Lord Almighty, +21!!!! 11pts, 9boards, 4 assists and the goofiest grin in roundball history. Trade him.

O’Neal – I could rest my bag of nuts on the rim when he takes a layup and I’d be pretty sure they would never shake loose. If he hit 50% of his layups in a game, they could probably find Osama Bin Laden. Thankfully he was hitting his jumpers and his free throws. Keep him.

Parker – the heart of this team and the air which we breathe as a franchise. His determination and stellar defense wins us more games than we deserve. Keep him.

Solomon – anybody seen this guy lately? Was he the one driving that white bentley in LA this morning? Trade him.

Ukic – the equivalent of bringing a duck to a cockfight. Trade him.

Voskuhl – makes more money than you. Trade him.

Driving The Bus:   Jermaine O’Neal

Under The Bus:    Anthony Parker

Game Theme:     

Bargnani – posted a double double on a night that it didn’t even appear he was on the floor. Magic act indeed.

Bosh – think he had a little gusto in his back pocket tonight? His shots were falling but, again, he needs to up his rebounding numbers. Not attacking the basket to score is one thing, avoiding playing hard to grab a board is something entirely different.

Calderon – I hear he isn’t 100%. With a game like tonight, lets hope he isn’t. As my buddy said “pathetically brutal”.

Graham – sweet game tonight. Hardly on par physically with, say, LeBron, but he has the ability to show some muscle and surprise some people. Plus, he’s a guy that can take some minutes away from Moon. We should support this guy.

Humphries – 

Jawai – getting as much burn as a lit match in a hurricane.

Kapono – he did one thing right: he extended our 3pt record. Racked up 5 fouls in 23min, with his arms flailing like Richard Simmons hanging out in the deep end of a pool.

Moon – played 5 minutes. In some circles, this news is like hearing that Blue Rodeo has broken up and by some mysterious cosmic force all music made by the band has disappeared forever.

O’Neal – Mr Happy had another good game. Even lost his headband at one point and actually found it soon after. Thrust into the starting lineup, he hit some nice jumpers and did his best to be the wall to the Cavaliers train a few times. Like Bosh, needs to be a bit more active on the boards.

Parker – how would you like this guys gig? 36 minutes of playing time, hop on a plane, grab some quick z’s and come back to play Kobe. Anybody else nervous that Jay puts Moon on Kobe? Sweet mother. Anyway, AP had the scoring touch of Oakley trying to hit a full court shot. His assist number is sweet, though, and shows the need to carve him out some more minutes…if we had a suitable backup at SG.

Solomon – Triano has him on so many yo-yo minutes that he must wake up some mornings and look for the string on his body. Gets good run last time and does a decent job, yet tonight sees the floor only when the game is out of reach. Has to be frustrating.

Ukic – wonder how that handball final turned out? The only positive this season is some company didn’t sponsor him and run a program that donated $100 for every point scored by Yoko to a charity that provided meals for children. Had that happened, there would be kids dropping like flies from malnourishment.

Voskuhl – not sure who is luckier in life: Jake or the guy sleeping next to Halle Berry as I type this.

Driving The Bus:   Chris Bosh

Under The Bus:    Jose Calderon

Game Theme:  

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Bargnani – horrid shooting night offset by some fairly good D on a guy that 2 years ago would have manhandled him. You have to think it caused Bargs to exert a lot of energy since, when he did take his patented shots, they looked like a one-winged bird trying to fly home.

Bosh – back in grade school, I was taught that you catch the ball first and then make your move. Over the past 4-5 games, Bosh has lost that one simple part to anybody’s game, nevermind that of an “allstar”.  I’ll say it again, he doesn’t deserve to be going as a centre and had Z been healthy all year and Bosh still got the nod, it would have been an even bigger joke. I’ll give him the odd night off, and this can be one of them, but certain games you just HAVE to find a way. Allstars do.

Calderon – not 100% not 100% not 100%. Alright, we get it, he is given a built in excuse for having other PGs flash by him like they just said “Shazam!”. You want to give it to him, fine, but today he actually held up quite well without your employer-induced excuses. He had a hot hand and he actually called his own number a few times, which kept them in it early.

Graham – finally rewarded with a double double and, I’m sure, a number of Tim Horton references by Devlin.  For once he is actually going to have earned that Champagne VIP room pass that a particular establishment out near the airport bestowed upon him. Go get it done, son. Report back, aiight?

Humphries – no truth to the rumour that he is co-piloting the Bud Plane to the Superbowl. I think.

Jawai – got in the game. Still no points, but he added a turnover to the stat sheet, so he is still alive. Call me silly, but watching him move the little time he has had on the floor actually gives me some hope that with some burn, the croc hunter can actually, you know, score a bucket or two.

Kapono – read the other day he is going back to defend his 3pt title. That’s nice. If he hits just one, that will be more than he hit today. Not sure what is more disappointing: his year or Adriana Lima being engaged to a guy that is even uglier than me. I coulda been a contendaaaah.

Moon – somebody needs to make a video of a butterfly fluttering around, no caring about what is going on around him, doing a few things that people that see it say “ooohh, awww” and then the butterfly gets killed by a big man wearing a big collar and carrying a flyswatter. Then they need to upload that video to J-Meezy’s wikipedia page and be done with this clown.

O’Neal – dude, smile. You are getting paid bigger than a big breasted hooker in a club that is wearing a sign that says “2 for 1 special, guaranteed happy ending” and for probably the last time in your basketball career, other teams actually WANT you. As the self proclaimed second in command big man, you should be rallying the troops, not looking like you just found out your girl is happier creepin’ with the Voskuhlater. Christ, you’ve actually had a few good games that even I am impressed with. Cheer up.

Parker – the life of the party for the last little while, but today he acted like that dude that just tried Jager for the first time, started yelling “woooooo-hooooo” at the top of his lungs, and then 4 shots later he was curled up in the corner sweating like Patrick Ewing after 3 quarters of fast break basketball. It’s never a good sign, by the way, when you have shown your worth as a backup PG over the past few weeks and are beaten out by

Solomon – a man wearing a mohawk. I’m sure the postgame report will mention he was the only player in the + category for the Raptors and that shows why he is the ultimate back up PG for this team. He actually did play well and, like Moon, when he keeps himself under control, he can bridge the gap we have in the backcourt.

Ukic – seriously, why is he here? Pull all available men off the Cadbury Secret project and find out an answer to this question. Thanks.

Voskuhl – say what you want about the big guy, but you can bet your ass he is going to throw a mean Superbowl party. Hookers, beer, stacks of hay, probably a mechanical bull and this.

Driving The Bus:   Jose Calderon

Under The Bus:    Chris Bosh

Game Theme:     

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Bargnani – he had as much rhythm tonight as an elephant trying to dance to drum and bass. Completely taken out of his element and piling up on the fouls like AB V1.0.

Bosh – I might start calling him Lobsterboy. If I didn’t see the odd close up every now and then, I’d swear his hands were lobster claws trying to catch a beach ball. Some games I think the amount of stuff slipping through his hands is on par with a teenage boy finally discovering what momma’s hand lotion could be used for.

Calderon –  a good game that could very well have been demolished had those two successive shots in the last minute of play came back to haunt us. No need for either one. Swing the ball and get a better look. He proved my point again tonight in that he did a tremendous job in transition and a piss poor job on most halfcourt sets. I’m starting to really wonder if he overthinks and takes a play or two off mentally.

Graham – 15pts 5boards in about a quiet a fashion as Joey can do it. If this could be average Joey, I think we would accept it. By the end of the season, it would be interesting to see who has the most bandwagon jumpers: Joey or Andrea.

Humphries – still broken.

Jawai – no burn for Nate tonight. Probably as disappointed as the average 6 year old when they are told they are moving….to Jersey. You ever been there? It’s like God was happy as he created the west coast, was content as he started moving east, started to get cramps around Ohio, and then lost his lunch and called the result New Jersey.

Kapono – The Heisman. That’s what his little baseline runner should be called. Either that or the “aw, screw it, I’m just gonna granny it” shot.

Moon – I wondered what got into him until I saw that clip at the end of the game and he was talking to some (presumed) friends that were sitting courtside. Always nice to impress the homies. I truly do enjoy it when I can watch a whole game and not see that grin, knowing it means he is actually locking in and trying his damndest to do something. Great block, nice alley oop, and you could tell he was in Carter’s head a bit by the end of the game. Solid.

O’Neal – stat sheet doesn’t reflect it, but a good game. He was a presence and Lopez was a load for both HO and CB. He was active enough to keep the Nets guessing and also forcing them to be aware of where he was. Still fouling as quickly as a rabbit eats a carrot, but what do you expect for a washed up has been allstar? (I tried so hard, too)

Parker – his defense to start the game was as embarrassing as having a booger hanging out of your nose on your first date. Then he said to himself “Sweet Lord, I’m turning into Jose”, snapped out of it, locked down and then, for added fun, decided to shoot the lights out. Sure, our guards did well shooting the ball tonight, but some of them probably have cricks in their necks as well after watching the moon shots being lobbed over their heads. AP is better than that and I expect he is as frustrated with himself as anybody.

Solomon – you know how you sometimes hear about this cool kid who starts sleeping around with some hot chicks, then a rumour circulates about him being closer to being hung like a snail as opposed to, say, me? His coolness factor drops from 10 to 2 or 3 almost overnight? Yeah, well, that kid has been Solomoned.

Ukic – you know it’s bad when you are brought aboard and touted as being a NBA worthy backup PG only to see the visiting teams dance crew get more floor time than you….and, even worse, more meaningful time.

Voskuhl – keeping up his 1 foul in 1 minute routine. Consistency is good. Make us proud, son…make us proud.

Driving The Bus:   Jose Calderon

Under The Bus:    Andrea Bargnani

Game Theme:      Dream Girl

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I didn’t see the game, but the loss to Chicago cheapened the effort the Raps gave against the Celtics. All-in-all, three losses in a row doesn’t sit nicely with me, regardless of who they come against. For all the progress Bargnani has made, his efforts seem to be wasted since the Raptors don’t go to him during crunch time. He has shown the ‘look’ and ability to take those tough clutch shots (dating back to his rookie season).

With the Raptors heading into Indiana, and the specter of O’Neal rejoining the team looming, the Raptors enter into a potentially dark stretch of unknowns where team chemistry could potentially be thrown under the wheel. With absolutely no news over the last couple weeks, O’Neal has been absent from the bench while he gets ‘treatment’. Apparently it was getting the right anti-inflammatory drugs, so the master plan has come full-circle. The severity of his injury has not been disclosed, but all of a sudden, with a road games against the Pacers, the chatter of him joining the team has begun. He is saying the right things about his role on the team, but saying and doing are two different things.

The Pacers are the owners of the toughest schedule of any team in the NBA thus far. They have gone through a changing of the guard with the dispatch of O’Neal, and the emergence of Granger as a solid NBA talent who can put up points from the wing. TJ Ford has even won them a few games on his back.

Fresh off a home win against the Pistons, Indiana must be feeling good. Although Jack has replaced Ford in the starting 5, it was TJ who sparked the win against the Pistons with a solid 23pt 6reb 4ast game. In his last game against the Raptors, he had a poor showing, but this can be attributed to the excitement of coming back to the ACC for the first time. I imagine tonight will be his redemption. He might even start, which would

The Raptors? They lost 3 in a row. They suck, and there is no reason to think otherwise, it’s not Alice Fine. It seems they are tanking their way to the lottery, and I’m good with that. Hopefully some rash moves aren’t made in the meantime that will set AltRaps on a murderous rampage. seriously, I’d be afraid of him if he gets mad, big dude.

“I made the mistake of picking my dribble up after he cut off the baseline,” Bosh said. “It’s not going to be the last time we’re in a situation like that, or I’m in a situation like that. You just learn from it and keep going.”

Learn? He does this all the time. He picks up his dribble all the time in favour of jacking a jumper. I’ve learned he hasn’t learned not to do this.

The Match-up

Solomon vs Jack
The Edge: Toronto – Solomon has been a pleasant surprise since JC went down. He has played under control, taken relatively good shots and has minimized his jump-passing. Maybe I’m just settling here because Roko can’t play a full game (30+ min) yet, but he hasn’t been frustrating me as much as he used too. Jack on the other hand has been a bit of a disappointment for me since leaving Georgia Tech. He’s not a bad player by any stretch, but he isn’t great, he’s just good. Solomon should be able to take him off the bounce, and Roko should have no problem dropping the tear drop over him in the paint.

Parker vs Dunleavy
The Edge: Indiana – Dunleavy is coming into his own. I’m a big fan of him, the kid has talent, makes good decisions and is a match-up nightmare at the 2, Parker will have his hands full, there is no doubt. I predict a huge game for Dunleavy (25+pts 8+rebs 5+ast). Sending a double will open up Granger for even better looks. Parker will have to stay at home on Dunleavy, and not allow him to open space for Granger. This is a key match-up for this game.

Moon vs Granger
The Edge: Indiana – Granger was G*d awful last game at the ACC. He missed a ton of shots and effectively took himself out of the game. This wont be the case again. As good as Moon has recently played, Granger has played loads better. The wing spot is going to kill the Raptors tonight, especially if Ford (or Jack if he doesn’t start) is on. Dribble penetration galore.

Bosh vs Murphy
The Edge: Toronto* – The asterik is because Murphy grabbed 87 rebounds the last time around, his offense was limited, but he hit the boards something fierce. This will be even more crucial at home since they are fresh off a win and are feeling good about themselves. Bosh needs to make a huge commitment to boxing out and crashing the boards tonight. 10 boards isn’t going to cut. He needs to grab 12+. A good way to take Murphy out of the game is for him not to shoot it, but drive to the rack, every single freaking time. Also, don’t forget NOT to pick up your dribble when a lane closes, you’re an Olympian, you can figure something.

Bargnani vs Foster
The Edge: Toronto* – Another asterisk, since Foster has been a Raptor killer as far back as I can remember. Active bigs who run around and crash the boards, with little regard to having plays called for them kil the Raps. I expect Voshkul and Hump to contribute in this department during relief time. The good news is that with VL on the perimeter, he will keep Foster away from the boards. Bargs has been doing a pretty decent job on the defensive boards as well, a real commitment needs to be made here.

The Line

VegasInsider.com has the spread at Indiana -4.0 with an o/u of 213.5. Safe bet here.

The Prediction

Pacers. Raptors probably should win given their advantage up front, but dribble penetration and the wings are going to kill us tonight.

Come join us at Philthy’s tonight for Raptor Fan Friday’s, and you might even catch Arse dancing on the table after he gets jacked up on jalepeno poppers.

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With the specter of Swirky’s return looming over this one, I have been dreading this match-up for fear of the Raptors having some sort of cheesy tribute to the guy. I wasn’t a fan…he still hasn’t responded. I have the over/under on the number of close-ups the guy gets at 6, with 2-to-3 odds on him doing some sort of joint thing with Jack and Devlin at some point, probably pre-game. Anyways, the game is TSN2, so I’ll be spared the pollution…

Normally back-to-back losses on consecutive nights would have us all up in arms, but their was some good to be taken from the last two against the C**tics: uhm…the Raptors didn’t play poorly, fought hard, and came up short to a better team…that and the offense should be run through Bargnani from the top of the arc (as per Arse).

Bulls fans have been utterly disappointed by their team all season – sound familiar?? Blogabull.com (which is a damn good site btw) had this to say about them:

Has this team been any good all season? Beyond that opening night I can’t think of a time where I thought this team was going anywhere. They had some early wins against a pretty rough schedule, and that seemed enough anecdotal evidence that they were actually alright. But they stunk then, stink now.

Sounds like something I would say about the Raptors, misery likes company right?

This will be our first up-close look of Rose, who from the few games I caught, is a special talent. If we though Rondo was a handful with the dribble-penetration, Rose is going to have us pulling our hair out all night. The kid has incredible speed, ball control and seems to do whatever he wants.

The Raptors are without the services of Calderon and O’Neal again. Thankfully it is a home-game, so JC will be on the bench and passing out Gatorade at half. As for O’Neal, I have a new theory as to why he is absent from the bench: there is nothing wrong with him. Simple. BC is looking to move him in favour of some player who doesn’t fit the bill, and he doesn’t want HO messing things up by saying he isn’t getting played because Bargnani is a better fit in the starting lineup, and Voshkul/Humphries are better fits coming off the bench. How much has HO collected during this sketchy absence….$2,048,780.49. Sign me up.

The Match-ups

Solomon vs Rose
The Edge: Chicago – Rose is sick. He gets in the lane, drives, finishes on both hands, and moves the rock around. What more can you ask for from the #1 pick. If Rokoman have any hope of containing Rose, they should let him shoot. Go under screens, give him space, force him away from the paint. Make him shoot. That’s the poison they want to be drinking. Without exception.

Parker vs Gordon
The Edge: Toronto – How upset am I if I’m Ben Gordon? Turn down a 5/$57m contract because I think I’m worth more??? LOL! The kid can shoot though, there is no doubt about it. Fortunately, there isn’t anyone in the paint that Parker will have to help/double, so he can stay at home and make Gordon shooter over him. I’d like to see Parker post him up on the baseline a few times too. Gordon will get his points, but if Parker can counter him on offense, and stay at home on offense, he should be able to contain him.

Crooked Headband vs Sefolosha
The Edge: Even? - I really don’t know much about the Swissman, aside from the fact that he is someone BC has coveted, and we know how that works out. Moon, aside from missing OPEN jumpers in crunch time, has been playing pretty well the last few games. Hopefully the next time he gets an open look, he wont hesitate and put up a brick.

Bosh vs Thomas/Gooden
The Edge: Toronto – Uhm…Bosh is good. Damn good. Thomas is good too, but not Bosh good. The Bulls have absolutely no one who can stop Bosh. Even if Bosh penetrates, the best they have is Gooden or Noah to rotate over. That’s the good news. The bad news is he will popping jumpers. 26/12 sound about right to you?

Bargnani vs Gooden/Thomas
The Edge: Toronto – All it took was a few weeks under a new coach, for the bad taste to disappear from out mouths when saying his name. He’s still VL, but slowly moving to removing the moniker. The offense needs to be initiated through Bargnani at least half the time (Bosh the other half). Gooden can’t cover him out on the perimeter, and Thomas can’t cover him off the bounce. This needs to be exploited.

The Line

VegasInsider.com has the Raptors at -4 or -5.5, depending on the book. Both are good bets IMO, I’m taking action at -3.5.

Prediction

Raptors by 5.

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