Lord have mercy!Chris Bosh is far from the only reason why the Magic ran us over but you have to start with him because he is the supposed leader of the team and someone who others look towards when finding their own personal motivations. He’s supposed to symbolize toughness, hard-work and professionalism but lately he’s done nothing but put forth a dishonest effort, fold under pressure and appear altogether disinterested in the game. Right now he’s hurting this team. The effort from him and the majority of the team was so bad today that these guys don’t deserve to have websites dedicated to them. I understand if you don’t care about winning or losing because you got a guaranteed pay cheque coming your way, but can you at least pretend to care? If for nothing else other than for the paying customers to leave the arena somewhat content instead of with sore throats from all the booing.
There’s not even a point in breaking down this game from a technical perspective because the Raptors didn’t even show up to compete. Our problems are far from technicalities that can be corrected in practice through coaching or through tweaks in the lineup or any of these strategic measures. We have effort issues and that is the worst kind of issue to have. Given our place in the standings you’d think that this team would be willing to fight and claw to make up for what they’ve lost this season but no such luck; given our marginal talent you’d think every player would step up and try to make up for what they lack in God-given ability by playing smarter, harder and with more passion. Out of luck there too.
Everybody acknowledges that dribble penetration is a problem but I’m not sure everybody realizes just how deep-rooted and horrifying it really is. Obviously, the effort and determination to keep your man in front of you needs to be there which it’s not. This is bad enough but once you throw in the confusion of how to defend a pick (not the pick ‘n roll, just a pick) all hell breaks loose. Much like the Bucks the Magic used a simple high screen play – which didn’t even look to get the pick-setter involved after the screen – to carve open the Raptors defense which is confused between switching/fighting through/rotating. Calderon’s lack of lateral quickness doesn’t help and neither does Bosh’s decision to always step-out and never sag in these situations putting too much pressure on the always-late rotations. If you have to step out to meet the guard do it like you mean it ala Kevin Garnett. Sluggishly stepping out and mangling your footwork just makes the decision to drive by the guard too easy to make. And you wonder why dribble penetration is a problem?
The only thing that worked for us was Calderon using a similar play (i.e.: a high screen) to force a decision from the Magic big men about whether to step-out and help Nelson or to sag and protect the paint. Early on they opted to sag and he nailed his 18-20 footers, later in the game they decided to come out to him and he got a couple driving layups. That was it though, all the other times we ran this play the Magic were able to switch thus resulting in a reset of the Raptors play. Since we don’t have a double-team threat and now that our primary play has been neutralized, it was time to start jacking it up and what flowed forth was one-on-one moves by Bargnani, Graham, Solomon and Parker which the Magic were happy to live with because they know that we’re the worst offensive rebounding team in the league.
The Magic didn’t even have to expend any effort in getting clean looks, they just brought the ball up the court and zipped passes to corner snipers who were left wide open by the defense which appeared to be lost in a trance. Bosh was always late in finding Rashard Lewis who drained four threes on him. He was late in picking up Howard in transition which forced wings to check Howard thus allowing Courtney Lee, Jameer Nelson and Turkoglu clear paths to the rim for scores to kick-outs. Forget about guarding your man, the Raptors couldn’t even be bothered to locate theirs. The Magic run one of the simplest offenses I’ve seen, they give the ball to Howard and wait for him to score or attract a double. Usually he scores but when we do double (I assure you, a totally pointless one), he’s become a good enough passer to kick-out and off goes the swing sequence which we are helpless to defend. If they’re not doing that they’re giving the ball to Nelson/Lewis/Lee who drive ‘n kick us to death. We’re too slow, too weak and just don’t care enough to counter them. It’s stupid to expect anything from this bunch given their effort and talent levels and we’re all idiots for hoping/praying that this team can somehow turn it around and make something of a lost season.
Anybody else sick and tired of Jose Calderon apparently not being 100%? Devlin asked him, “Hey Jose, are you 100%?”. Jose didn’t say anything but smiled. That ill-conceived smile resulted in Leo Rautins and Matt Devlin reminding us that Jose was less than 100% and playing only because his team needed him every time he blew a defensive assignment. It’s okay though and I’d be total ass to criticize a guy who’s less than 100%. Seriously though, sit down, you’re hurting the team when you play inured and don’t for a second think you’re earning any points for heroism. This brings me to Will Solomon. Don’t get me wrong, he sucks and shouldn’t be on an NBA team, but the guy plays hard if not smart and he seems to want to fight for playing time and to me that alone is reason enough to give him some burn. He was the only Raptor with a positive +/- today and that’s not a meaningless stat, he played well in the second quarter which was the only one we didn’t lose. He scrapped for the rebounds, drove the ball looking to dish and dug in on defense. That’s more than I can say for anybody else (except Joey).
The last time we beat them we were without Jose Calderon and Jermaine O’Neal and were able to contain dribble penetration, picked up early fouls on Howard, won the hustle stats and got production from our wing spots, most notably Anthony Parker. Yesterday, Dwight Howard started off with 12 first quarter points, Jameer Nelson lit us up for 10 in the first quarter negating Jose Calderon’s 8 and giving us yet another perfect example of Jose’s defense offsetting whatever he gives us on offense. Bosh was nowhere to be found and remained on the perimeter all afternoon, had the ball stripped in the post twice and was involved in another miscommunication turnover on the perimeter. Bargnani played sound defense on Howard but the man is too tough and was hitting his hooks and FTs today which makes him unstoppable. Our feeble attempts at stopping him included sending Jose Calderon as the doubler which has zero effect because Jose’s too small and too weak to bother Howard. Actually, I’m not even sure if that’s a strategy or just Jose deciding he needs to double, somebody should ask Triano that.
The second quarter was our best one as Joey Graham and Will Solomon upped the tempo on the offensive end and held their own defensively. Jermaine O’Neal played better defense on Howard by pushing him further out and getting a couple scores, he’s still a turnover machine though. So after we held our own in the second and went down 6 into the half, the third quarter held great importance just like it did against Milwaukee. So what did we do? We failed. The Magic started the third on a 20-6 run in which we looked defeated, they were crisp in their drive and kick execution, swung the ball around purposely and drained their open looks. The Raptors had never looked worse, there was one play where the Magic swung the ball from corner to corner and then to the wing for a Courtney Lee three with nobody within 10 feet of him and worst of all, nobody was even trying to close him out. We were just standing there. After another Dwight Howard dunk and a transition hoop the Raptors body language said it all. It said that you should turn your TV off for the fourth quarter and try to find a good Super Bowl pre-game show.
One-Liners:
- Tough game for Bargnani again, started off by airballing a three and never got going. Couldn’t hit a jumper which meant there was no reason for Howard to come out and defend where he’s the most uncomfortable.
- The Magic ran three screen ‘n rolls in the first half which led to monster Dwight Howard dunks, that had to be deflating.
- All the hustle categories were won by the Magic: PINP 40-30. Second chance points: 22-11. Fastbreak points: 11-5. Rebounding: 49-44.
- Chris Bosh took a fadeaway over Gortat.
- Mickael Pietrus’s three point shooting and slashing ability was in full display. He even drove baseline and challenged O’Neal for two FTs making every Raptors fan wonder why Moon can’t do that. It made me wonder what other offers Kapono had on the table when we whisked him away in the first minute of free agency.
- The two worst +/- stats for the game: Jose Calderon and Chris Bosh with -27 and -23.
- Parker, Bargnani, Bosh, Moon and Calderon going -10 to start the third quarter which was decisive. Graham, Solomon, Parker, Bargnani, O’Neal going +3 in that somehwhat inspiring second quarter. Ever wonder where I get these stats?
- Parker was held in tight check today and couldn’t get any space to launch his jumpers. The Magic had adjusted from the previous game and were on him like white on rice.
- Joey Graham took good advantage whenever the Magic switched the smaller Nelson on him. I was getting a little tired of watching our swingmen get neutralized by opposing PGs. It’s embarassing.
- Raptors had mailed in this one early and were lucky to stay in it till the half and the Magic did the right thing by sticking a fork in us to start the half.
- As with most Raptors losses, I’m not upset that we lost, it’s the way we did it. Zero effort.
Up next we got Cleveland, Lakers and New Orleans. This will get worse before it gets better. Check the Roll Call for more. There’s also Twitter which gets you the latest and greatest Raptors headlines as they happen and of course the RSS feed.
66 Raps
“There’s not even a point in breaking down this game from a technical perspective because the Raptors didn’t even show up to compete.”
Exactly Arse, don’t waste your time with these thieves.
Body language between AP/Bosh, Jose/Bosh was brutal. They were blaming each other when Howard got those dunks. I turned it off after the third and got a feeling the Raps were looking forward to the super bowl around that time too.
BTW Cleveland has not lost at home this season.
What is this body language you are talking about? I thought this team loved each other and wouldn’t want different team mates.
Yeah. Cleveland is going to win the chip this year there legit. That team is hungry and Lebron makes even his bench players better.
The a** beating they got from Orlando makes me doubt that. I realize Z and West were not there.. but still, not a good sign.
Sooooo… 3 straight 30 pt losses in a rom coming up and the entire team is blown up on trade deadline…OMG I can’t wait!! Like Obama on change, YES WE CAN!
Sooooo… 3 straight 30 pt losses in a row coming up and the entire team is blown up on trade deadline…OMG I can’t wait!! Like Obama on change, YES WE CAN!
At least two of them are on TSN2. I used to hate this media stalemate, but now it seems like it’s protecting my sanity…
My nice landlords in Edmonton gave me a free satellite receiver (Bell-XpressVu) for my basement rez and their cable package came with TSN2, I will lose my sanity or laugh with disdain this week.
At this point of the season,instead of the (famous,or infamous booing) we should all show up with paper bags to put over our heads….bring extra ones to send down to the powers to be in the tunnel !!!
Or just not show up. $ $ $. While I think an MLSE team can actually win a championship the only language they understand is $.
HUH?? What’s this Sam? You are joining the Dark Side? I thought MLSE was not this money hungry evil corporation … conspiracy theories.. Mel Gibson and all that stuff.
As I’ve always said, they’re mediocre ownership – on par with Sarver in Phoenix. They want to win but bottom lines motivate more than ideals. Taking away their profits is a better way to motivate management than hoping they care but that doesn’t mean they don’t care. It’s a question of degree. When you post about MLSE you sound like the difference is a question of kind, not degree and so I call you out on it. It’s a human process so there are usually a few shades of grey at work between the black and white.
And I’ve got to ask, why so dismissive of the D’Antoni Suns? Is it simply no trophies? That’s a high bar. There have been plenty of good, even some great (see Hakeem’s Rockets), teams that haven’t been able to get over the hump.
(Hakeem only got over the hump when Jordan left so my point is still valid, I think)
Yeah, I know it’s not black and white, but sure seems like they they prioritize, starting with profits then everything else.
I really don’t see what the hype about the PHX record is. Not about rings, just depth of runs in the playoffs… there’s a LOT of 1st round exits there. We know regular season records mean nothing. So, making Conference Finals or even Finals would be saying something, but all those 1st round exits… what do they mean? I know people will come out with 1000 of excuses and how BC wasn’t on the floor… but it is what it is, no?
You’ve got to remember that BC was GM for a few years before D’Antoni came on board. So BC was looking crappy and then SSOL happened and he looked like a genius. Now he’s back to looking crappy. I have no firm opinion one way or the other on BC and my only firm opinion about MLSE is that the bottom line matters to them since they’re a, you know, business.
But with BC, I think his MO is to constantly tinker until he thinks he has something. He’s a bit of a mad scientist mixing different things together as he tries to come up with the magic formula. He’s come up with one magic formula and had a few explosions along the way. He seems to be having only explosions at the moment. Anyway, I’ll let that metaphor die. The good side to the mad scientist GM is he doesn’t cling to his mistakes (like Paxson in Chicago seems to). The bad side is that it’s a pretty reactive way of doing things. The seeming lack of a coherent style of play/type of player for this team (throw coach in there too) and mediocre at best scouting/drafting are both major concerns for me.
I’ve got a series of tickets this year to watch a team I don’t like. I’m a homer and all but there’s only so much you can take. I sure as s*** ain’t buying anything in future seasons without some concrete evidence the players don’t fold at the first sign of adversity.
Sam,
Go you hoopshype.com and check Colangelo’s track record before and after the Jason Kidd trade till before Nash. If you discount Amare Stoudemire, there was some pretty mediocre bulshit he was pulling and his drafting was gawd awful crap (Voskuhl, Tsakalidas, Jacobson).
You could also just go here:
http://raptorsrepublic.com/blog/team/general-manager/
Yes, his record is nothing spectacular. To his credit, his teams were pseudo-contenders in the West but realistically nobody expected them to win anything past the second round.
Sam, I can’t fault you for being a “homer”.. although, I don’t know how you don’t factor in the “no clutch player” variable while Jose and Bosh showed us they don’t have it.
The mad scientist approach, eh? Hmmm.. seems pretty high risk, I’d say. More explosions then magic formulas for whomever wears the hat. Not my style, I suppose. Then again, you could say most of these guys are that type, with the exception of a few teams.
Arse, say what? There was never championship talk with the Suns? Hmmm… a number of those years there sure was, no? I was under the impression the Nash teams were always contenders.
Tonius, In addition to Stoudarmire he drafted/picked up in a trade on draft day: Barbosa, Marion, Nash, Michael Finley, Steven Jackson, Luol Deng, Marcin Gortat, Rajon Rondo and Nate Robinson. Sarver made him trade away many of those as I understand things. His and his staff’s record since coming to TO and the seeming willingness to get rid of first rounders concern me a bit. I mean, who were we bidding against for O’Neal? Indy needed to move him, tell them to take a hike if they insist on a draft pick or at least make it a lottery-protected one for the next draft.
Sam,
Thx for your corrections, some great drafts he did make, but too bad the 2004, and 2005 drafts were sabotaged by Sarver at his end tenure. I will complete the list, but if I were a Suns fan, I would throw my own feces at Sarver, and this list includes what Sarver took away from the Suns:
Traded away/donated: Luol Deng/Andre Iguodala (1st rd, 6th pick)
Nate Robinson (Look what he is doing for D’Antoni)
Rudy Fernandez (bow tie wrapped gift for Portland)
Sergio Rodriguez (could learn from Nash)
Rajon Rondo (would of backed up Nash)
The reason BC included our pick in the JO trade was because had we kept the pick, that player would have been guarenteed a $1.5 salary, which would have put the team over the luxury tax.
By acquiring JO, to fill-out our roster by ’scrapping the bottom of the international basketball talent pool’ to find 3 players willing to sign for the league minimum wage (Solomon, Adams, Jawai).
This is why the JO trade was a ‘calculated risk’: it shored up our #1 off-season weakness (interior defence), but we had to sacrifice not improving the talent/depth of our bench.
Kinda getting to that point, I think we should wear Care Bears masks and suits put Raptor jerseys on them. If you want paper bags, that’s if you got Marbury and if your are 100 million over the cap for the next 4 years.
Care Bear masks… that’s halarious!! ;)
(And lest we forget to include the Kool-Aid man!)
I just hope that we get something of value in return for Chris Bosh. Assuming Bosh goes, any chance we might consider holding on to JO if we can resign him to a reasonable contract? At least you can’t discount his desire to win. And he seems to like Toronto.
Blow up the team you say… help Cleveland out you say… pick up some expiring contracts you say (ok you only said one of those):
http://games.espn.go.com/nba/features/traderesult?players=796~831~2010~615~136~3214&teams=28~28~5~17~5~28&te=&cash=
Good post, Arse.
Jose is def. winning hero points, no doubt. This guy can’t do wrong in RaptorLand. And the fugazzi double on Howard is him showing effort and caring. Maybe one of these time he will hand him a Gatorade or a towel to wipe the sweat off.
I still care because…. ultimately I still believe someone will come along and make things right. The fans need to step up and let BC know this is unacceptable, not keep giving him a pass and saying “Oh let’s wait until next year” “Oh let’s give him 5 more years” Time is up… dude said 4 years. This is not a contender, and the way the East is built.. it won’t be for a while.
I was at the game yesterday and the only good thing about it was the fact I brought my mom and got to spend some quality time with her.
As the resident ‘optimistic realist’, I think I’ll have finally given up hope of the Raps making the playoffs by this time next week. (Bring on LBJ, Kobe and CP3).
“given our marginal talent”
HUH? Wasn’t this the best Raptor team ever assembled on paper? How can that be said and then have people say “marginal talent”? Surely a GM of a professional sports team that has the stellar reputation of Colangelo could never have spoken in error like that.
You guys will have to sit me down in a few years and explain to me what you saw in this roster, even at full strength, that made you drink the Kool Aid. I really am at a loss.
Bosh was going to have a monster season given his Olympic experience. Jose was going to build on his break-out year and carve opposing defences up. Bargs was going to improve and contribute. Moon and Parker would hold their own defensively and JO would mop up in the paint on D. That’s what I saw and I thought that was enough for the Raptors to battle Philly for the 4th seed. I even entertained the notion of a 3-seed if Orlando faltered. I thought Atlanta would implode. That’s what the kool-aid tasted like. You were right, I was wrong. If this were a mid-East peace proposal it would be a big deal. Thankfully, it’s basketball.
I still think all of that was defensible (although I would never have put money on it) but what had to be factored in was how mentally weak this team is and how ill-fitting its component parts are when you put them together. All the things listed above could have happened based on the individual abilities of the players involved but only if there was a collective effort to fit with each other. That isn’t there and you could see the same problem in the team’s implosion last year down the stretch.
Certain talents (i.e. perimeter defence and a slasher) need to be brought to this team but the more pressing and difficult issue is that the team needs to be altered so that it has a collective mindset rather than just a bunch of nice guys clueless as to how to fit their games together.
Well said, Sam.
This might be the best talent by NAMES, but the worst players in physicality, effort, basketball IQ, and toughness. You can’t salvage playoff from this season at all, but salvage 5-6 decent players now that are getting paid less than $10 million for next year.
Bang on with the recap – Graham and ironically Solomon looked to be the only two with any fight in them yesterday. And yeah, Jose, if you’re not 100 per cent, stay on the bench until you are.
Al-Farouq Aminu can’t drop in our laps soon enough.
When is BC going to come out and say “it’s on me”? Or for that matter when is Triano going to DEMAND these MFs play? It is true, regardless of the fact they don’t like each other, you’d think the simple desire to WIN would make them come together on the floor at least.
http://www.azcentral.com/sports/suns/articles/2009/02/01/20090201spt-suns.html
Maybe BC is playing this in the office:
http://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=UhjG47gtMCo
I have two key questions…
Q1) If the expectations weren’t set unrealistically high at the outset of the season would we still be this upset?
Q2) Can the Raps take this poor season (up to this point) and either
a) salvage it and have a mad run that sets them up to have some success next year a la hawks
b) move all the non essential parts, tank, pick up a good draft pick and some cap space and retool for next year with parts that fit together better to make a strong run at the playoffs next year
Here’s my thoughts:
A1) Other than the poor effort of late, if you knew that Jose was goign to be out for a quarter of the season (roughly) up to this point, and JO missed 30%-40% of the games, I would not be all that surprised. What I am unhappy with is the effort…
A2) I hope so!
Q1) Yes, I think we would and should be. As Arse mentioned, it’s not as much about the losses (though they hurt), it’s about HOW we’re losing. Lack of energy, focus, and discipline. That we don’t have the skills to win doesn’t mean we shouldn’t have the heart to compete.
Q2)
a) I would say no, despite what many of you decided in last week’s poll. This season should now be about developing Bargnani, Joey, and Roko, and making a couple key personnel go bye-bye.
b) I hate the whole concept of tanking. It’s unprofessional and cowardly. That being said, I don’t think we’ll need to tank to significantly underperform and get a decent draft spot. Now, what we do with that draft pick is an whole other question…
Soo.. it the lack of effort, not, essentially tanking?
Someone give me one good reason why these guys play like I do during the last game of my Tuesday morning run? No d, walking around, jacking up 3 pointers, and shoving ppl for rebounds.
Tanking is done with the express purpose of lowering yourself in the standings. These guys just can’t keep their head in the game. I don’t think they’re tanking at all, though with the same result.
by express, do you mean implied? No team is allowed to state that it is tanking.
Yeah.. instead of tanking, the players on the teams that do it call it “coming up short”. Sound familiar.
I have no idea how lack of effort translates not keeping your head in the game. That sounds like lack of foucus.. which is actually even more disturbing. At least with tanking you know there is intent.
I also have no idea how the Bucks game is not “tanking” A MUST WIN game they come out like it’s practice or something.
Apparently “stupid” subs by Triano, no effort and just an overall carelessness.. doesn’t that in some fashion add up to tanking? Guess the have ADD.< Maybe that’s what it is.
It’s a case of “be careful what you wish for”. We want to TANK and I agree to it, but it will be this painful and depressing. Watching underachievers, losing, stupidity on the court, bad coaching, and crowd booing…. now I know how it feels to get a sure top 5 draft pick.
i don’t think they’ll have to try too hard to tank, considering that we can only assume they’re trying to win, and coming up just a fraction short…
the next 3 games don’t mean anything whether they win or lose, but it is a character test, of sorts. i don’t expect them to win any, but i’d like to see who steps up.
UGH!
can anyone shed light on the ‘play’ that was run, i think in the 3rd Q, in which jose dribbled with his back to the basket 40+ feet from the hoop, while the other 4 stood around outside the key? it looked like an iso or something, but the ‘dribbling facing the wrong way 40+ feet from the hoop with no one moving’ went on for a good 5 seconds, until someone (i think it might have been JO) decided to move. it was scintillating.
“Chris Bosh took a fadeaway over Gortat.” I think that speaks volumes.
Latest Web Artile: BOSH SHOOTS DOWN (SAS’S) TRADE TALE
http://www.thestar.com/Sports/article/581034
Just like CB4 did last week when he spoke to Eric Smith and confirmed that Jalen Rose is a liar/gossip columnist/fake NBA insider, he and BC both confirmed today that SAS is also a liar/gossip columnist/fake NBA insider.
I also want to remind everyone that Bosh is only 24 yrs old.
uh, i’d like to remind everyone that there’s NO WAY anyone remotely associated with the team will do anything on the record other than deny this. duh.
Must be true then?
If BC trades Bosh in this summer, than the rumour is true. If he doesn’t, than Bosh is probably going to re-sign.
Look back at the history of this franchise.
Every time a player turns into something decent the fear of them leaving begins – it has inevitably lead to them leaving.
If we are unable to keep our star players and if the US media continues to spread lies in order to heighten our insecurities this franchise will never win or survive…
We either need to remove the tag as a team unable to keep its players or the Raptors should move to Vegas. As much as I hate to say it, becasue I want nothing more than Toronto to have a successful NBA franchise – that should help stroke the childish and selfish egos of the players and US media in this league.
Like I said earlier, “the Raps fans community suffers from a severe inferiority complex”.
This is why we are an easy target for the US media bully.
And if we happen to lose Bosh, we may as well consider oursevles the NBA version of the ‘Expos’, which would be reason enough to move the team out of Canada.
I’m totally into moving to Vegas. Could be worse.
I’m sure they would have some of the best dancers.
WTF? So now it’s the fans fault the players are leaving?? GTFOH!!!!!
Players leave because they realize their careers will not get any further by sticking around. They all have personal career goals, just live we all do. If you realize you will never get any further in a company, are you going to stick around? Probably not.
The blame rests on the ownership and management.
Plaese, don’t insult the fans… last I recall, they watch and go to games regardless of what the record is.
And the franchise is going NOWHERE. Stern will not allow it, and that’s beside the point. The entire country and fanbase is full of eternal optimist who will watch games and buy merchandise (since it has the maple leaf on it) regardless of what’s going happening on the court. The US media does this with all the other teams not just the Raps.. so spare me the US media hates the Raps crap.
If you feel insecure, that’s on you. You are letting someone bully you.
“Oh, the US media, the big bad bully” PA LEASE.
What? You need that bully hotline number?
Playing the victim is sad and pathetic.
Is there anybody here, on this site, who doesn’t see that Bosh has lost interest?
Sweet Jesus people need to chill. Bosh has lost interest but is it because the season has gone down the crapper or because he’s decided he’s leaving in 2010? I doubt he even knows. The team sucks. Bosh and everyone else can agree about that. What to do about? I have yet to hear a clear strategy here and I can’t see management articulating their plan since (if they have one) it likely involves fleecing at least one other GM capable of reading.
I just asked if anyone doesn’t see it.
That comment wasn’t directed at you nadir. Talking about Bosh leaving is all well and good but everyone needs to breathe occasionally.
nadir,
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re: Is there anybody here, on this site, who doesn’t see that Bosh has lost interest?
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That would be me. : )
For once I agree with you, amen. I seriously hope the fans/media don’t drive him out of the city. I’m sure he’s a smart guy who wouldn’t let his ego get in the way of stepping back and retooling in the offseason. But I’m not convinced he’s lost interest, either.
The NetsDaily Vince Carter Trade Manual
http://www.netsdaily.com/blog/?p=592
Interesting read on how to trade a star player…painful read in the middle.
These are not the words nor is this the look of a person who has lost interest in winning games as the Captain of the Toronto Raptors … Bosh interview, Feb 2 2009.
In general, the out-of-focus perception of the basketball community which surrounds this Raptors’ team never ceases to amaze.
Your an idiot
You failed grammar.. and you are calling someone an idiot. Oh, the irony.
Specifically, the under-handed-insults toward this basketball community by a certain troller of Raptor blogs has ceased to amaze.
And in regards to the team.
Is Jose Calderon ( A man who plays with heart I’ll give him that) an elite starting guard and the glue that will lead us deep into the playoffs? Can he feed his current and/or new teammates the ball at the right time? Can he break down a defense? Can he stop a Mario Chalmers, Derrick Rose, Mo Williams, Jameer Nelson dead on their tracks in a 7 game series?
Bargnani : A 7 footer who is an mentally weak as an anorexic chick when she looks at a Playboy Magazine. He plays on the perimeter and once he’s in a slump, even a mild one, his game will suffer for the next 15 games straight. This guy gets into a funk too easily and lacks mental toughness. He sits out a quarter all of a sudden he checks in, he can’t do “anything” with the ball. Common.
The rest of the team is Dog Shit and are not NBA players.
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Specifically, the under-handed-insults toward this basketball community by a certain troller of Raptor blogs has ceased to amaze. – Raptoronto
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Your an idiot – by Downtown
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Unfortunately, The Truth is something which far too many Raptors fans, just like you, perhaps, cannot seem to handle.