Here are the players that have worked out for the Raptors so far:
- Tyrese Rice, Senior G, 6′ 1″ 190lbs, Boston College: Interview :: DX
- Jeff Pendergraph, Senior F, 6′ 9″ 240lbs, Arizona State: Interview :: DX
- Byron Eaton, Senior PG, 5′ 11″ 210lbs, Oklahoma State: DX
- Terrence Williams, Senior F, 6′ 6″ 215lbs, Louisville: Interview :: DX
- Danny Green, Senior G/F, 6′ 6″ 210lbs, North Carolina: Interview :: DX
- Dionte Christmas, Senior, 6′ 5″ 205lbs, Temple: DX
- Joe Ingles of Australia’s NBL and Canadians Anthony Batchelor of Durham College, Jevohn Shepherd and Russell Hicks from Florida International
The only interesting prospects here are Danny Green who, if you remember, also worked out for us last year and was advised to go back for another year, and Terrence Williams. Our colleagues at Raptors HQ were there and broke down the two players of interest. We would do the same but every time myself and AltRaps try to get into the ACC we’re thrown out on our asses and end up going to the Lower Rail to do some real observing and analysis.
The Raptors are expected to work out as many as 30 players leading up to the draft and judging by the looks of things, swingmen seem to be a priority. I think we’re a year late in that regard but better late than never. We’ll find out our drafting position on May 19th and until then I’ll reserve my thoughts on these players or who we should draft because if the lottery Gods smile on the Raptors the entire complexion of this team might change.
I’ll be talking to Jack Armstrong in a day or so about Raptors et al so if you have any questions, post them in the comment section. Try to stump him.
Hey, remember Mike Toth, that guy on Sportsnet that you thought was annoying because he made childish jokes in a jerky voice and opened up every show with some obscure hockey highlights between the Thrashers and the Blashers but your one buddy thought he was funny and how you thought about not being friends with that buddy and just because of that you slowly grew apart and now you never talk? Well, that Mike Toth wrote a column about how Triano is given a free pass by the media because he’s Canadian. What he’s saying is that Triano’s coaching record sucks and he should be publicly flogged for it but instead the media turns a blind eye because of his nationality.
Sure, I’m a little tired of the Triano love-fest but you can hardly bring yourself to bashing the guy because of his record. At least not yet, let’s wait till December ‘09 before we start firejaytriano.com. Oh wait! Too late!
One more thing, we added a new page to the site yesterday which has a listing of all the Rap of the Day’s since February 13th (that’s when we started storing them).
7 Raps
That guy started the fire Jay Triano website the day he was hired…the fire Sam Mitchell guy doesn’t wait around.
No intensity + no balls + no toughness = This team ain’t going anywhere.
Questions for Jack:
1 Should the league implement a new system of paying the players?
i.e. have a generous base salary but then bonus money comes from some formula based on team performance and personal performance (improvement vs previous season combined with comparison to other players in the league)
2 Should the league reduce the number of timeouts each team has? Shouldn’t the players be smart enough to know what they’re supposed to do out there and isn’t the coach smart enough to call out ORANGE BEAVER or SHIMMY SHAKE to the team and they know to execute that plat?
3 Should the league create a video replay challenge thing? i.e. each team gets 2 or 3 video challenges per game if they disagree with a call? It cannot be used to reverse a foul. Only for 3 in the key, who knocked it out of bounds, was it goal tending etc etc.
4 Players who stand up and crowd the sideline clearly impede the opposing team player trying to shoot a 3 from there. Should the refs give the team a warning then technical for fucking with the game?
Ask Jack what he thinks or the latest rumors around Vancouver getting another NBA team (PACERS)?
Here are a couple of links:
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/170615-pacers-to-vancouver-canucks-owner-makes-pitch-to-simon?search_query=vancouver
http://www.team1040.ca/news/story/?id=2031
Ask Jack this:
If Bosh/Bargs/Calderon/Marion form the cornerstone of the 2009-10 Raptors team, what attributes do the starting SG and backup PG need to bring to the table in order for the Raptors to succeed (slashing ability, rebounding, on-ball defense, ability to create shots, etc., etc.)?
Who in the draft or potential free agent pickups fit the attributes that he believes would help the Raptors succeed next year at these two positions?
Can you pls ask Jack,
1) Has he ever thought about becoming an assistant coach?
2) Does he have confidence in B.C. and Jay Triano to turn the ship around?
3) If the raptors organization know Bosh cannot be retain. Can you think of a trade proposal that can improved the team?
Much appreciated Arse!
Questions to Jack,
1. You have been a staunch believer that for the Raptors to win the Eastern Conference they need to build a tough defensive team to slug it out with the gritty Clevelands, “Detroits?” and Bostons of the Conference. At the same time, there has been a new wave of elite athleticism and explosion brought by the young players and by the new rules. There is also the presence of offensive-first teams like LA, Denver and Orlando in the finals. Does this mean that the Raptors can build around their offense-first stars, namely Bosh, Bargnani and Calderon by bringing in the toughness around them, rather than trade one of these 3 players?
2. Do you think that Bosh can get better as a leader and clutch performer as the best player of this team, as he has shown in flashes, or should the team try to look to import that leadership, especially by bringing in elite guards that handle the ball a greater % of the time?
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[...] of the Raptors, Raptors Republic has an overview of the players that have worked out for the team thus far. None of the names immediately jump of [...]