Superfan’s not holding any bleeding heart Kawhi press conferences anytime soon.
Raptors’ Boucher takes championship trophy back to where it all started – Sportsnet.ca
The Toronto Raptors forward wanted to bring the Larry O’Brien Trophy, the emblem of the NBA championship, to where it all began for him.
“This is really an important moment that I will remember all my life,” he told reporters before being bombarded by requests for photos and autographs from fans.
“There are so many young people here who are talented and want to excel in life, so if I can be an example for them to keep pushing, then why not,” said the six-foot-ten Boucher, who encouraged young people to find their passion and believe in themselves.
His collaborator and former coach, Ibrahim Appiah, confirmed it was Boucher who asked for the public gathering.
“He told me he wanted to come to Montreal North, because it’s very important for him to give back to the community. He understands the impact he can have on young people in his current position,” Appiah said.
Wilman Edouard of the Club de basketball Montreal-Nord, who remembers watching Boucher play on the neighbourhood’s outdoor courts, sees him as a symbol of hope and resilience for young people.
“When we talk about equal opportunities and social inequalities, basketball succeeds in rebalancing things and getting young people to live with hope,” he said. “This is what Mr. Boucher has just demonstrated.”
Raptors superfan Nav Bhatia sounds off on Kawhi’s decision to join Clippers – Sportsnet.ca
“I thought he would make the right intelligent decision, but he didn’t make that intelligent decision,” says Bhatia, making his arguments with courtside vigour.
“He’s gone. I’m the least interested in him now. I’m focused on my people, my team. We’ll give him love before the game, we’ll give him love after the game, but for those 48 minutes, I’m going to be throwing every towel, every jersey I can find for him to miss the free throw — and all the fans are going to join me in making the noise.”
So, does Bhatia believe the organization should one day honour the Finals MVP by retiring his No. 2 jersey or commissioning a statue of The Shot?
“No! Not at all. No!” Bhatia says, loudly. “[The championship] was not just because of him. It was because of [Fred] VanVleet. It was because of Marc Gasol guarding [Joel] Embiid. It was because of [Kyle] Lowry playing his heart out. It was a lot of people. Not just because of Kawhi.
“People are giving him more credit than they should. He’s part of a team. For me, it’s everybody: Kawhi, [Serge] Ibaka, Lowry was huge, VanVleet was huge in Golden State in Game 6, when he made those three-pointers… and God assisted us. That was the biggest assist I’ve seen in 24 years, in the Philadelphia game.”
Jeremy Lin is CSKA Moscow’s top target at guard position, a source told Sportando.
The EuroLeague and VTB League reigning champions need a guard to finalize the roster for next season and they made an offer to the NBA champion who is actually free agent.Lin has finished last season with the Raptors after agreeing on a buyout with the Atlanta Hawks. With Toronto the guard with Taiwanese roots has played 23 games in the regular season but only 8 in the playoffs averaging 1.1 points per contest.
Lin has played480 games in the NBA over 9 seasons and is averaging 11.6 points, 2.8 rebounds and 4.2 assists.
If Lin doesn’t accept the proposal, CSKA Moscow will consider another NBA free agent, Ron Baker.
Now or never for Raptors’ Powell to prove he’s worth the investment – Sportsnet.ca
“I see this opportunity in front of me and I’m doing everything I can to prepare myself both mentally and physically for this upcoming season so that I can prove to the coaches and prove to the organization that I belong in a bigger role,” Powell said. “There’s a lot of opportunity out there for everybody. Not just myself, but everybody who wants to take that next step in their career. Everybody’s really excited, everybody’s really pumped up, everybody’s working towards that.”
This is what we mean when saying Powell has another shot at making a first impression. Just like the anticipation for Powell heading into the 2017-18 campaign after he signed his extension, there’s much the same mood around Powell heading into 2019-20 now because he will once again be thrust into a key role, but unlike before where there was still star power to make up for his lack of production at the wing with players like Leonard and DeMar DeRozan, the Raptors may not have any choice but to ride with Powell, regardless.
And it isn’t just Powell, either, it’ll be the entire team. Without Leonard, the Raptors, in general, are lacking in star power with Lowry getting up in age and the relative newness of Pascal Siakam’s emergence as a possible star player. Therefore, like Raptors days of old, next season’s group is going to have to be a scrappy one to prove the doubters wrong.
“I feel like every year we’re disrespected. Every year they say we’re not going to do that well and then we overachieve in their eyes,” said Powell. “But we’ve got dogs on this team. Guys who have a lot to prove, guys who want to go out there and further their careers, guys who really want to get after it. And I think that shows that when the opportunity presents itself, guys are able to step up in bigger roles during different parts of the season depending on whatever the situation — injuries, load management, rest — guys are able to go out there and show what they can do.”
