The ‘Chuck Swirsky? Who’s next? The usher from section 101?’ edition.
Banks – you ever watch Finding Nemo? You know that school of fish that swam behind the stars of the film? Well, if you used the Raptors as a real-life version of that school of fish, Banks would be the seaweed in the distance.
Bargnani – his five fouls made him somewhat a diminished factor in this game, but in that role he still found himself with double digit points and a six rebound night. His steal and conversion of a clear path foul in the fourth was a game changer.
Belinelli – his shooting was off tonight but he did a passable job guarding his man. Still get the sense he is finding himself within the defensive schemes more than the rest…and that’s saying something.
Bosh – another double double. Not often I agree in spades with Leo, but Bosh was working hard all night and deserved a lot more calls than he deserved. He also made a great point in that Bosh didn’t grandstand or show up the refs, he thrust himself back into the play and busted his ass. Great leadership. If only Jose could add that to his game.
Calderon – maybe if we put some churros on the rim, he would continue to attack it. He did so early in the game, went away from it, and re-attacked in the fourth, pretty much unchecked the whole way. Not saying it’s there every night, but at least keep doing it until they stop you.
DeRozan – proof that the players read RR. He deserved to be ripped over his last few games, but tonight he showed what a #9 pick should: desire, passion, intensity. Great to see. Unfortunately right now he is more like a Belinelli or a Mensah-Bonsu in that he only appears to want to play every 5 games. That needs to change if he wants to remain a starter.
Douby – DNP – MQOHT
Evans - faker.
Jack – poor poor night. He looked as interested as I would at a tofu buffet. Hopefully this is a passing fad and he steps it up out west.
Johnson – anybody else wondering what it would be like to have Evans and Wright on the floor at the same time? It could be dangerous for the paint on the ACC floor with all the jumping and running. Great job of holding the Bulls off the boards and even better at bringing a kickstart to the team.
Nesterovic – word on the street is that the letters H, N and the number 1 are as pissed off at being referred to as a disease as the swine were. So, let’s just call that nasty flu the Nesterovic. Hell, they both suck, so why not.
O’Bryant – looking into getting a sponsorship deal for his mouthguard since it gets more TV time than his game does.
Turkoglu- poor shooting night but active on the boards. That positive was taken away by some poor turnovers that negated some good play by the team. I think we are starting to see some signs of him being involved in the offense a bit more…now he just needs to hit shots.
Weems – I was hoping to see him out there against the baby Bulls just to get some confidence and some burn. Ah well, there’s always the Clippers.
Wright – still a magnet for ticky tack fouls, but he brought the D in bushels tonight. Keeping the Bulls honest, running the floor and covering the corners. Great stuff.
Driving The Bus: Chris Bosh
Under The Bus: Jarrett Jack
Game Theme:
134 Raps
bosh his offense is awesome
his D is horrendous
like the rest of the team
Great leadership
Defense horrendous? He’s not normally this good, but last night he was fantastic–always in the right position in the paint for help AND rebounding (no small feat), hedged the pick’n'roll very well and hustled right back. I thought Bosh’s help defence was the biggest single factor in the win. On several plays, he looked like Garnett out there.
Bosh’s D was NOT fantastic last night…mainly because he was never in position. However, alot of this had to do with compensating for Bargs inattentiveness on the defensive end. Bosh was covering 2 men it seemed… and I find it hard to fault him for that.
If Bosh keeps playing on this level, this team could attempt a run for the championship next year. Think about it, Bosh, Bargs, Calderon, Hedo, just 1 more big name, We could make a run for the title, the only concern is: Is this FREAKIN MLSE willing to go over the cap, just ONCE! it is now or never, because Bosh will leave if they don’t…
Okay, we beat a mediocre team on their 2nd night of a back to back to get us back to .500. Let’s not get delusional. Unless that “big name” gets 20 rebounds a night, we’re a long long way from going deep in the playoffs (let alone championship) talk.
okay…. compare us to the magics of last or this year… how far are we seriously from them? Bosh cancels out howard, or even will beat him if he countinues at this level. Bargs owns bass if they are compared with each other. Calderon cancels out Nelson. Hedo cancels out Lewis. Only Vince will own our DD. I know their bench beats us now, but if we go over the tax level, we can fix that too.
Now go on to the Cavs… O’neal is fat fuck, and bargs will own him. James owns hedo but hedo owns parker. Bosh can have varejo for dinner. Only mo williams is the real difference, where he can own calderon. But other than that, our bench is better than them.
Now to boston. Caldern and Rando cancel each other out. Ray allen owns DD.Pierce better than hedo. Bosh better than Garnett this season. Bargs better than Wallace. their bench owns us at this point but that could be fixed.
I am telling you guys we are one big name away to make a run. If DD can become better than a medicore player in this league, the raps could be good for a long time. The only thing is, I dont know if bosh is for real this season….
The optimism is refreshing, and I agree with you talent-wise, but we are going to need to see a consistent effort out there (like the 2nd half tonight) do start excelling. Im anxiously awaiting Reggie’s return so he can provide a consistent example out there to help spark others.
That’s not how basketball is played. Individual parts canceling each other out does not equal one team winning and the other losing. Even if your comparisons are accurate, Orlando as a whole would destroy the Raptors. So would Boston. Only Cleveland do I think we have a chance against. Fact of the matter is, those teams have had offensive and defensive schemes that led to success. They are continuing to try and improve on that success. The Raptors team on the other hand is not very different from the sophomore asked out to the senior prom. Yeah, you might be at the big party, but you were only asked there to be screwed.
Get a clue. To even compare our team to Orlando or Cleveland is crazy. They are so much better. The Raptors look more like a team fighting for a playoff spot than contending for the division. THE RAPTORS ARE THE WORST DEFENSIVE TEAM IN THE NBA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Howard’s strength, quickness and power is the dynamic that makes Orlando an elite team (as did Shaq when he is younger). It sets up their three point shooting and gets the other team in foul trouble.
Any team that has Howard is going to be a top team.
We (as do the vast majority of teams in the NBA) have no individual player that affects a game in that manner
lol
the magic would hit about 40 zillion threes against this raptors defence
and boston?
bostons fefence would make rupaul cry
dream on
Channeling Doug Smith: The raptors ARE over the cap. Perhaps you mean the luxury tax?
I’m as optimistic as the next guy, but seriously a championship seems distant. I have no doubt that this team taking the necessary steps, but in order to be considered in that elite group they need to at least advance to the conference finals. One factor that could accelerate that dream would be for DeRozan to become a strong permiter defender, and active rebounder. If he can bring that, along with knock down his shot and drive occassionally then that would be a big boost for this up and coming team.
If DeRozan, Johnson, Belinelli and Weems make strides as players (DeRozan or Belinelli to becoming solid starters, Johnson and Weems to becoming solid night-in, night-out rotation players) then this team could be a consistent top-4 threat. They still won’t win any playoff series unless Bargs can become an everage rebounder and help defender and Calderon and Turk don’t age too quickly…
OH yeah, and that Bosh guy would need to re-sign.
And channeling myself:
We have been over the cap every year for as long as I can remember. In fact, last year and this year there were questions as to whether we’d be under the luxury tax level, which we are barely. As for your wish that we’d go over the cap to sign one more big name, keep wishing. If they keep Bosh, the only way they’ll get a big name is if he’s willing to sign for the MLE. THAT is the real obstacle in the way of your plans, not the Raptors so-called stinginess.
I would like to know if s team is allowed to sign x number of free agents and go over the luxury tax . What are the restrictions to do such a thing . Thanks.
They can sign x amount of players, but once you exceed the luxury tax you start paying double I think. So for instance, if you’re 5 mil over the lux tax, you gotta pay 10 mil instead.
That’s why I’m hoping this Russian billionare buys the Nets and goes “Chelsea” or “Real Madrid” style on the NBA. Forget caps and luxury taxes…just buy the best players and win championships.
This is wholly false. The only free agents you can sign to a big contract when you are over the cap are your own. All you can do to bring in talent once you are over the cap is sign a player to your MLE, LLE, or minimum deal.
That makes more sense , that is why NY had to trade several players with multi years deals in order to be ready for the 2010 free agents bonanza.
geez, take a little initiative:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nba_salary_cap
there are other better sites that detail the intricacies of the CBA, but wiki’s decent enough.
Nice win. The team defense picked up in the 2nd half especially in the 4th quarter.
I think DeRozan might have had a little extra incentive to do well because of playing for the first time against his teammate from last season Taj Gibson, especially after Gibson got it going early lighting up Bargnani like a Xmas tree.
looking at the abilities of Taj Gibson…Tyrus Thomas is going to be out Chicago very soon or traded for something.
But, Tyrus is actually younger than Gibson
I live in Los Angeles so I saw a lot of Gibson over the last several years. I have always liked his game. He was under the radar most of the time. Last year DeRozan got all the hype and the year before it was Mayo. Gibson is also old for a rookie but he is a definitely a good one.
That’s what Khandor has been saying forever!
So Khandor still has some readers .
I think I am going to Seppuku myself because I might be turning into him…urgh.. argggh….blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah.
Before the game Weems was listed as injured
A win over a conference rival, who the Raps will most likely be battling for playoff positioning. Can’t really complain with tonights game.
umm do you mean Evans and Johnson under Amir’s roll call?
Great second half on the defence side of the ball, we even out rebounded the bulls in the second half. IMO i think this happened due to the bulls being tired and not having the legs in the 2nd half. Plus we caught rose with bad ankle so he wasn’t as explosive and his defense was effected by this (Calderon had big game because this). I would like to see the raptors do win 2 or 3 games in a row and beat team that didn’t just play yesterday.
The best the bulls were on the glass tonight was late in the 2nd quarter, where they went +7 advantage in the last minutes. At the same time Triano put Jack and Calderon in the back court, then rose and salmons took turns getting by both guys and causing our bigs to help, if they missed the shot there was nobody to rotate and help the bigs leading to offensive boards for the bulls. Our dribble penetration in my opinion might be a larger factor on us losing the rebounding battle (our rotations are still bad) than the bigs not boxing out.
Babyface, that will not happen. Count losses to Phoenix and Denver on the road trip and possibly the Clippers(loss to Memphis still on your minds?) and Utah(even though they are struggling). Congrats Rap fans. At least, the team played D in the second half which I can only ask from them that they give consistently every night(like I said, I don’t care about the wins and losses, all I care about is the defensive effort night in night out).Derozan, nice game. He probably seems to know his role(maybe for this game? However, I hope he can play consistently every night like how he played tonight). All you can ask for a rookie is to defend and get rebounds especially when the rookie is big for his position(6′7) and is athletic(the reason we really drafted him). I like the Triano yanking of Derozan in he third quarter when he got a rebound but caused a turnover when he tried to pass. That was some good coaching – coaching ideas and telling and reinforcing ideas by yanking players and sitting their ass on the bench.Amir had a wonderful game(wish he can have that consistently).
we got the win, I’m happy about it, but I’m more agreeing to the fact that when Chicago stopped hitting shots, like missing 4 in a row, they kinda succumb/quit to fatigue and gave us the game. I think we just dodged a bullet tonight.
The Clippers are dangerous to my eyes. They really balanced their rotations by “stealing” Rasual Butler from the Hornets. He is their “Bruce Bowen” who will not jack up dumb shots, defend, and pass to the right players to shoot. I believe that is why the Hornets look so bad against us, they don’t have R.Butler.
If you think the reason the Hornets suck this year is because they got rid of Butler, you need to give your head a shake.
Well said.
Okay ya you got a point, Chandler was a very big loss too and it looks like Okafor is a cork-in-the-ass to the Hornets offense now. But imagine if we went to NOH when they had Butler starting instead of MoPete? Butler could of been defending the Turk much better than J.Wright (pffft) and the out-of-sync/shape MoPete.
They did hold the Bulls to about 30 2nd half points. That is good.
Hedo is phenomenal at feeding the post. That is another one of his skills that wont diminish when he is Nash’s age.
In the first four games of the year, Jose was a liability. Now he is a plus player. That is also good.
Derozen was a good pick, and they are using in him in a way that really helps his game develop (although right now I would rather have Brandon Jennings that Jack and use that MLE for something else)
I love Jennings game. He had a career high tonight of 32 and also 9 assists.
In the 4th he hit two big threes to the Bucks a decent lead and then converted 6 of 6 free throws in the last minute to seal the game.
He is going to be something special.
Ya think!
…unlike Jose Calderon.
really Len…I think Jose is very special!
This promise to be a repeat of why 4 teams plus Portland (they took Aldrige before Roy) did not pick Roy.
There’s only one guy that I know of that actually said the Raptors should take Brandon Roy as the #1 pick. One guy. And he’s not a writer nor has anything to do with the NBA. He is a high-school coach.
The NBA draft lottery has historically avoided draftees who pose any kind of risk (attitude, buyouts, age, rough backrounds, etc) 9 out of 10 times – simply because the NBA draft is much more important to a team’s future than any other sports draft due to extended rookie contracts, soft cap issues etc…. The #1 importance to a GM going into the draft is NOT making a wasted pick – a distant second priority is actually getting the best talent…
This is why you see “safe” draft picks of older aged draftees look bad in retrospect as well as non-lottery risky picks pan out for teams.
But you the team the rooks play on really makes a difference. DD could be the same kind of player if he played on a really shitty team with no offensive power. When will EVER DD will be given the chance to take 19 shots. I don’t even bargs will be given the chance to take that many shots in 1 game this season. You never know the kind of player DD would have been this year if he played with the bucks team.
I don’t know why but I really see a mature coachable guy in DD. I really think he will be an all-star one day, but he just needs some time, beacause he is only 19
I like DeRozan’s potential but there is no way in any basketball world that he is or will ever be close to as good as Jennings is.
Jennings is Isaiah Thomas without an attitude.
DeRozan will be a good playe someday but Jennings will be at least an all-star many times over.
If he plays on a team with no other soorers then I guess him getting 9 assists in 2 out of the Bucks first 6 games would probably tranlate into 15 + assists if he was playing PG for the Raptors!!!
Jennings??? No attitude?….come on….I recall a quote by him before the draft….something along the lines of his goal is to work his ass off for the first couple of seasons and then land that big contract…does this sound like a guy you’d want on a winning team? A couple of othe rreasons why DeRozan may pan out better:
1.) Jennings has a year’s worth of experience as a pro already (sure its in Europe, but still don’t tell me he didnt learn from the experience – he was awful there)
2.) The bucks are shit. If Jennings was on the raps, there’s no way he’d be given carte blanche the way he is in Milwaukee.
You not been following the NBA very long? That’s the only explanation for your post.
Jennings has played 6 games!!!!!!!!!! 6 frigging games and you’re anointing him the next Isiah Thomas? RIght now he’s having a start that is not quite as good as Damon Stoudamire, who was also able to dish out assists along with the scoring (Jennings has only had two games where he dished out more than 4 assists). Their situations are pretty similar, actually. Both players were basically given the ball and told to go because of such little talent on the team.
I also don’t know how you can say how good DeRozan will be considering he’s only played 7 games, and minimal minutes at that. I think he could one day be an All-Star, but I’m certainly not going to make any predictions, so early on in his career. I mean, is DeRozan’s start any less auspicious than McGrady’s was? Certainly not.
Step back from the ledge, son. It’s a long way down.
Another comparison: Danny Granger had about the same PER48 numbers in his first month. Look at him now.
You are right. To compare players who are 19 after 2 weeks is silly. However the commenters above that are claiming its too early to tell that Jennings is a star are also nuts. He is tearing apart veteran PG’s and his team that was considered 1 of the worst in the NBA to begin the season is winning. HE torched Billups! He was the first player to lead his team in points, rebounds and assists in his first NBA game since 1972!
The guy is amazing. That doesn’t mean the Raptors were stupid not to draft him. He clearly should have gone 2nd behind Griffin but when you don’t see a guy play its tough to pick him that high. He didn’t show up to the Euro Camp all the GM’s attended just to see him.
The Raptors have 2 good PG so the DeRozan pick was obvious. I understand people questioning Joey Graham over Granger etc. but if no over GM saw it coming its hard to be critical.
We don’t know what Jennings will be until he plays on a real team. If he calls his own # too often then his ability to lift guys around him will be limited.
DeRozan will pick it up. Be patient.
Jennings = Iverson
You decide whether this is good or bad…
not even gonna quote me on that?
NBA broadband league pass, aside from its bullshit blackout rules is pretty great. strangely enough, I’ve been watching most of the bucks games this year, almost looking forward to them, because of jennings. he’s so fast and creative. i don’t know if we could have drafted him – you have to remember he was seen as a headcase and evaluated almost solely on potential and DD fit a greater need.
See, someone just realized that how better the team would be if we picked Brandon Jennings. DeRozan is a good player (y’all love to hear it!), but as you can see right now, he need a lot of skills to learn. He should consider going to Erie BayHawks at least half of the season but I don’t think Colangelo would do that cuz’ he’ll lose his reputation as a GM if his ‘potential player’ being demoted.
Someday, y’all gonna say “DeRozan sucks” and blahh lahh like what y’all criticized about not-good Raptors players. Joey Graham had the same hype back then, but all of a sudden, people start mocking him and hating him.
Anyways, I can’t wait for all Raptors fans criticizing DeRozan. Time will come, people. Y’all gonna think about all my posts and realized I’m right about DeRozan.
Jarrett Jack was awful. As usual. I don’t like him: his head, face, and his game. He only nailed 2 out of 8 Field Goals. That’s a D-League player performance who got recalled to play in the NBA.
Erie Bayhawks is the next destination for DeMar DeRozan. He needs to be in the D-League to improve his game. He is NOT an NBA material at all despite of the athleticism he showed-off on the floor. No biggies, this is what Joey Graham did on his rookie career. Anyways, he scored 9 points, so new career high for him! He must be proud by himself and his “ailing” mother. Honestly, Taj Gibson, a 26th overall on this year’s draft, played better than him. DeMar DeRozan has nothing to off to the table except for the false hope for becoming a superstar like Vince Carter, and/or Jason Richardson as what the DeRozan Honking Fans predicting.
But Graham would have kept jacking up shots and making dumb plays. DDR didn’t make a stupid play plus he was big off the boards, he basically had a double-double in 19 minutes. I agree that most raptor fans are overrating him but he still showed alot of promise with his quick first step and okay mid-range game.
lol seriously bro? The kid is a fast learner. Have patience…he will have a 20pt game by the all star break.
That’s where DeRozan will be in 2-3 years, he will be sitting on the bench because he sucks and didn’t lived up to the expectations. So he’ll end-up doing the Joey Graham thingy. He better start packing-up his clothes cuz’ Bryan Colangelo will dump him to Erie, Pennsylvania anytime soon.
DeRozan never had double-double tonight even since the start of the season. You call 9 pts and 9 rebs. a double-double?
As I said, all we need Derozan to do is crash the boards and defend because this is a starting team of 4 efficient scorers(why need more?) and we have a defensively deficient center(Bryan got to stay with his #1 draft pick). Lil romeo, if I were you, I would stop the criticisms of the guy for tonight(though I have been criticizing him like others for the previous games) as the guy met what I expected him to do. Rap fans, do players actually read papers as players that have been called out of late on this team, have all stepped up? And No!, we do not need a 20 point game from Derozan(a better stat line will be 8ppg and 6 rpg) as we have 4 scorers already which will make Derozan’s scoring redundant.
I don’t see why you need to take a shot at DDs mother. Seems really unnecessary and it’s crap like that which will make people discredit you, even if you do have some valid points. He was always touted as a project, and both Triano and BC have a plan to develop him. He was a net positive today, so why rip on him?
Where’s the “dislike” button?
I couldn’t agree more with ya.
PS – Ol’ Dirty Raptor is the best nick ice seen by light-years
DD’s bball IQ is light years ahead of Joey G. He took half a season to find his game in college and will take a while in the NBA. He shows flashes, will grow and was pegged as an “upside” player before the draft. Not everyone comes in and kills it right away. Especially when they are in a lineup with 4 scorers.
BTW his mom has Lupus. Class act buddy. Maybe by the time you’ve made it through puberty you’ll have realized that writing guys off 8 games into the year is a stupid thing to do.
Why do you put the word ailing in quotation marks? As if to say she is not ailing? I don’t get it. Also why wouldn’t his mother be proud of him, he grew up under difficult circumstances and prevailed to become an NBA player. What have you done that is even remotely as impressive as that?
If you want to rag on a guy 8 games into his career thats your business, but I would recommend leaving the mothers out of it.
Hello Glenn Beck!
BTW, if you think the D-League can help his game more than playing 15-20 minutes a game with the Raptors, you know nothing about the NBA.
Little romeo…what does DD’s ailling mother have to do with anything,grow up!!!!this is an adult site.
Wow. I can’t believe these people are trying to stop me from expressing my freedom of expression. Our great grandfathers sacrificed their lives because they want to make sure WE can obtain freedom and enjoy to live a better life whatever we wanted, and now there are people stopping me for expressing my freedom? Shocking.
If you don’t appreciate the freedom of expression, maybe y’all should start thinking immigrating to China, or any communist country cuz’ people there don’t have rights as much as we do.
Yes, you’re right. Our grandfathers gave their lives so you could freely insult someone with a serious disease. That’s exaclty what they were fighting for. Get a life fucktard.
Great game by Bosh, De Rozan, Amir and Calderon. Calderon played great on both ends of the floor including on the defensive end and he attacked the basket. He’s turned a corner and his last 3 games have been much better after the first 4.
Bargnani and Turkoglu both struggled in particular in the 2nd quarter on the defensive end losing their man several times.
Wright made a few nice defensive plays but he needs to stop jacking up shots.
On to the Clippers and Thunder game.
Later
Reggie iza Oak
Jack iza Joke
Bosh iza Monster
On da Raps Roster
Dey gots Offense
Dey needs Defense
Dey needs Evans
And DeRozans
Go Raps Go
Hoop ma Ho
Hoop ma Ho
Let me guess…….you’re white……
hilarious
Eminem maybe …????!!!!!
you NAILED it. lol
Am hevinly hash ya crakr
I can just imagine the replies… if someone made the “must be a black guy comment” !!!! guys choose your words carefully.
Some random thoughts/observations:
- Our defensive rotations seemed really tight in the 2nd half.
- Antoine Wright should never put the ball on the floor. Was very effective d-ing up on Rose in the 4th though.
- I’ve been really disappointed Jarrett Jack so far. 5 points and 1 assist from our supposed 6th man?
- If Bargnani can still score 16 points in a game where his offence wasn’t going, that’s pretty damn good. He still forced up a few bad shots though.
- There was a sequence in the 4th quarter where Hedo wasted like 4 straight possessions with bad shots or turnovers. We were lucky to survive that. If Chicago were able to take advantage it could have been a different game.
- Bosh willed us the win in the 2nd half. He may actually be a franchise player.
We won, so that’s all that really matters. Sometimes you have to steal a game or two.
Steal? That was our game from the beginning… And it was our game to win anyways before the game even started…
Bargs looks AWFUL on defense … when he comes to the top to defend the pick and roll, he (as was mentioned in the broadcast) does not ’show’ aggressively enough – however I think that the show only needs to be token to change the offensive player’s direction or to slow him down a little bit. What is more important and where Bargs looks slow and lazy is his lack of effort in dropping back down the key to defend his man … this is when we gave up a lot of the important offensive boards in the loss to SA. Tonight I simply wanted to kick his disinterested ass. Lots of guys put up numbers in the league and never win.
Iavaroni looked ppissed a couple of times … hope to see Andrea improve in this area, and fast.
I totally agree on Bargnani, and was surprised i didn’t see it mentioned until now. He was AWFUL, especially on the pick and roll, which is why he was replaced by Amir for several crucial minutes in the fourth. There were times it actually looked like Bargnani was guiding the Bulls players to the hoop. I thought he’d improved on his defense after the first couple of game, but he’s looking really, really bad lately. If he does not improve, I see his minutes being cut quite a bit when Reggie comes back, or if Amir keeps playing like he did tonight.
My game analysis here:
http://www.wearingfilm.com/picketfence/2009/11/no-pizza-for-you/
he was replaced after picking up his 5th foul.
You are a relative of Khandor for sure.
Maybe we just see the same things.
“Who’s next? The usher from section 101?” LOL
Was at the game tonight and there was a couple things I noticed:
1) Fourth quarter Bosh had two bad fouls called against him/ missed on him in a row and right after he took it to the hoop. That wouldn’t have happened last year.
2) That’s two games in a row where José has outplayed Rose in a supposed mismatch.
3) Bargnani: 5 rebounds in the first, 1 for the rest of the game
4) Wright forced his offense a lot less than any other game I’ve seen him play. Actually passed up some semi-open 3’s
5) Best game DeRozan has played. Could have easily had 2 put-back jams on two of Bosh’s shots had he missed. He’s starting to read the game better.
6) Scalpers are awesome. 75$ tickets for 50$
Wait till it gets cold. Cold and a losing season are great for cheap scalpers tix!
Mav’s lost to the spurs who were w/out parker and duncan… makes me feel better about monday’s game (well, a little bit anyway)
Spurs without Parker and Duncan just beat Mavs by 9 points. Guess Raptors are not that bad.
Mavs are pretty much in the same boat as us, loads of offense and very little D. E Damp is really the only one who shows intensity on the defensive end for the mavs.
I would have preferred watching Banks or Douby playing PG … instead of Jackoff … trade him for … AI … now wouldn’t that be sweeeeeet ..???!!!!
COME TO CANADA AI … WE LOVE YOU …LOL
Something wrong with Bargs legs … they don’t move fast enough … he’s got no lift in his knees and can only run in a straight line …!!!!
Man o’ man … the Raps could sure use Evens because Bosh gets mobbed all game under the basket … I hope he survives to the end of the season.
Furthermore …. it’s becoming obvious that Jack is not a reliable producer as a PG or a shooter or defender … he’s damaged goods who got a big fat multi-year contract and now we know the worst about him …!!!!
Banks and Douby are starting to look good just about now, and maybe JT should take away some minutes from Jack because Jack is a joke.
Just imagine if the Raps could land AI at only $3Mil … but it appears he can’t be traded on the ESPN Trade Machine … something about not being able to flip a newly acquired player or something …. just imagine even for only one season … woohoo
Now I understand your name FAQ.
FAQs about you: Why do you exist?
You have to be kidding me FAQ, AI? Do you really think we need another player who pays no defense, is a negative influence on the team and needs to take 22 shots to score 20 points?
Jack is struggling, in fact, he’s playing terrible. It’s almost like he’s trying to play some way that he thinks the coach wants him to play when all we want him to do is go out there and do what comes natural to him. When he came into the game today he turned on a screen and went hard for an And1. That’s the aggressiveness we need from him and I know he can bring it. Not asking him to get And1’s on every play but the style/attitude should be similar.
I am surprised at how inconsistent his mid-range game has been, can’t explain that.
- Arse
Arse, Arse …. Jack is a ballhog type of bballer … he can’t play without the ball in his hands … you know the type (TJ).
He’s trying mightily to do the right things on the court, but he gets confused when he tries to think his way through … and he did say the JT told him to be natural and not try to think too much because thinking slows you down in a reactive game like bball at the NBA level.
Look, Jack is a ringer and certainly not worth the generous contract he got based on his performances to date … he’s not a consistent producer in any facet of the game. He looks stunned, can’t integrate, can’t assimilate … low bball IQ maybe???
Now just imagine AI starting for the Raps and he pours in his bucket of balls into the hoop … and then he’s subbed out for Jose who then maintains the lead … just imagine …!!!!
Iverson
Hedo
Bargs
Bosh
Evans
I know it’s highly unlikely but let’s fantacize anyway …..
I’m fantasizing about you leaving this blog.
Iverson???!!!!1111!
wow, no thanks
Iverson would lead this team to the basement. Was an excellent player back in the day, but his time is done. We do not need another turnover prone low percentage shooter. Nor one that is a big locker room cancer.
I think Jack is an adequate back up point guard. Nothing more. And to expect more from him based on his NBA career to date is wrong. Iverson – I’ll admit I’m a huge fan. But, based mainly on the Iverson of 4 years ago. Sadly, after his Memphis meltdown, I don’t think anyone in the league will ever touch him again. I don’t think I would either.
But, that said, I don’t think that FAQ is way off base with the idea (in theory only) of Iverson (pre-Memphis and Detroit meltdown) as a good fit for the Raps. However, I realize that’s like saying Lindsay Lohan would be a great girlfriend … if she wasn’t a drug crazed psycho chick …
And Iverson doesn’t need the ball in his hands? Full of holes my friend, your theory is full of holes.
Jack played the vast majority of his minutes off the ball in Indiana as SG. The man is finding his niche on this team and is struggling between trying to run the team, score, create and be an energizer. I think he’s best when he’s an energizer who’s looking to score/create by driving, which he did against Cleveland, NO and early last night against Rose.
His outside jumper has been the most disappointing thing about him and needs to be worked on otherwise he’ll never get a chance to make an impact because teams will just lay off of him.
Free Agents signed this summer can’t be traded (for 90 days) until Dec 15th.
Plus there are other rules about players on 1 yr deals.
Check out the CBA on-line if you really want to know.
Derozan had 9 pts, 9 boards and 2 blocks. I wished Jay would play him a little more. Its good that someone finally gets the message to play with some passion and intensity.
Triano did play him more today. He was much more effective today. If he plays like he did today, he’ll start to see 20 minute games regularly. If he reverts to the previous 3 games, he’ll be playing 12 or less minutes a night.
Bang on Siggian! If Derozan played like he played last night conistently.The minutes will be there for him.Right now, it is a 2 headed fight between Wright and Derozan for minutes at the SG(if Derozan plays like last 3 games, you would see Belinelli and Sonny Weems taking his minutes).
I’m sure I’ve seen Jack use peripheral vision … but not much lately. Jack don’t dish.
also … don’t know if it’s realistic but if so, should be a rule that no 3 pt shots are taken when there’s more than 12 seconds left on the shot clock, unless your name is Bosh, Bargs, Turk or Jose.
Ditto, if you’ve taken and made your first long shot … the NEXT time you have the ball out there, PASS it. (I’m lookin’ at you, Antoine. And DeMar.)
Jack’s struggling, but as I said with Calderon, just have patience. The guy is better than what we’ve seen so far. I tell you, if Raptors fans were doctors they’d have absolutely nothing to do.
because they’d have cured everything? or killed everyone?
If they killed everyone there’d be nothing left to cure… so both!
Because they have no patience.
Agree…we have big time 3 pt shooters in our line up and ……AW mellowed a little bit tonight but still worries me.DD has to continue to go to the hole,I know he has to take them to have the defense come out but still.I dont want my athletic energy guy launching threes.
Oh, and Jack played well off the ball in Indiana, with TJ Ford, so obviously he doesn’t need the ball in his hands to be effective. Anyone who has actually watched him previously would know this.
I don’t get the video for the theme. However, I am having impure thought about the girls in it. Please tell me they are over 18, so I don’t feel like such a dirty old man.
15… way off old man
put that thing away
The Bulls should have shown Gordon the money. They cannot score!
Gordon was overpaid by Detroit and at 6′1, with his lack of playmaking skills and lack of defense, is best suited coming off the bench. It hurts Chicago in the short term, but I think it was a good move not to pay him.
not sure what’s up with the comments slagging derozan. he hasn’t played well of late, but give the kid some props when he does have an excellent game…and 9/9, 2 blocks & a steal in 19 friggin’ minutes, all within the flow of the game, is pretty wicked. could be a ‘corner turning’ kind of game…there are sure to be stumbles along the way, but it was nice to see him assert himself on both ends.
overall, a pretty decent showing. someone clued triano in to the fact that wright could check rose better than anyone else, which was a nice adjustment from previous games (where wright would be on a 2 or 3, regardless of how limited offensively they might be, rather than checking the only true offensive weapon on the floor).
raps showed (again) that they’re capable of handling teams on the back end of a back-to-back (not sure, but aren’t all 4 of their wins against teams playing the 2nd of a B-to-B? and aren’t all 4 of their losses against teams that were rested?), and against teams that rely on a single key offensive force (as opposed to teams that have multiple scoring options). nice to see them battling on the glass against a decent rebounding team (well, without noah it’s fairly mediocre – speaking of noah…dude looks huge). still need to see more intensity on the defensive glass, they almost let the game get out of hand in the 2nd, as the bulls picked up what seemed like every loose ball, offensive board or tap-out. the raps will always be able to score, but they simply cannot lose both the rebounding & defensive battles…they’ll likely always be a middle-of-the-road team (at best) with respect to both facets, but they need to step up when needed & hold their own.
agree with the general idea that bosh should have had a few more calls go their way, but i knew when they announced the refs it was gonna be a tough game for him – leon woods doesn’t seem to ever do bosh any favours. that being said, he (bosh) has been getting the benefit of the doubt with respect to calls this year, so it’s a little desperate to be complaining about calls…i’m sure bulls fans are complaining that he got too many (when they aren’t complaining about del negro).
Agree about DeRozan (more optimism here about him, than not, I’d say). For a barely 20-year-old (who looks a couple years younger even, to me) the over-all smarts that he shows on the floor, along with the talents he seems gifted with, has me thinking he just might be one of the VERY good players in the league after a year or two. I’m looking forward to watching him grow, ‘cause I like what I’m seeing so far.
+1 here. He’ll have good games and bad… but the effort and ability is there.
Anyone else convinced he is closer to 6′4 than 6′7?
oh for sure
can we be getting faked?
post if you ever find a video or picture that somewhat confirms this
I think there’s only one person slagging DeRozan, and I wouldn’t really count his opinion. I don’t even respond to him because it’s not worth it.
I’m quickly becoming a big fan of Reggie Evans. Maybe the most underrated trade we made. He’s our much needed “glue” guy. Burning desire to win. Any guy that can spark his teammates and help the communication on D – all while in street clothes – is a guy I want on my teaam. He’ll also be a big asset in practices – beating on Bargs to defend and rebound better.
Just wait until he hits the floor.
All that walking on the floor is because he is also interested in joining the cheer leading team , I wonder what his motives are ?.
Reggie is a cross between Oakley and JYD … ya think ..???!!!!!
The Reggie guy showed what a team-mate should do even if he is not playing the game – cheer the team and give them advise. He is turning to our Garnett(how he did in the playoffs for Boston even when he wasn’t playing). I’m waiting for Reggie to come back(even Bryan is excited about him). Sorry, Bargs, your minutes will have to be cut for Reggie(Triano take note) until you play decent defense and start making at least 7 rebunds as an average center in the L.
So as Jose starts to play better and he still gets no respect? I don’t get it. The last 4 games has been the Jose from the past few years (12-15pts, 6-9 assists, 50% shooting). He’s been working hard on D, still far from perfect, but it has been noticeable. He’s running the floor more. He is driving more. Isn’t that exactly what the ‘haters’ were crying about all offseason?
No “great game from Jose” in this list. 8 for 10, 6 assists, 1 turnover…. all while limiting a Derek Rose on his penetration (mind you with a sensitive ankle). Almost all Rose’s points came from jumpers… and if Rose beats you with jumpers so be it.
In the meantime Bargs has an atrocious game and its the fouls that ‘diminished his factor’? No it was his 33% shooting, while giving up numerous rebounds and not trying on D that diminished his influence in the game. Look, I like the Bargs potential just as much as anyone here… but we were damn close to losing this game and we can look directly to the 2nd chance points for the loss (much like the San Antonio game)
I’m with you. I don’t know what’s with all the Jose hate. This guy was chosen over TJ Ford because he was a team first player. That is, he does everything he can to better the team. Now that he’s shaken the rust off you guys just ignore him and move onto another story?
The Raps won because Chicago was gassed. Leo pointed this out in the second half and he was totally right. That was a squeaker win in a game they seemed to be trying to lose. Noah even seemed to lose his energy, which meant that all those tired Bulls jumpers were clanging into Raptor hands in the second half.
That said, Bosh did look good and he really should have gotten more calls. If Evans plays with even half the energy he had last night, this could be a totally different team. Also love DD’s energy out there – he’s great in limited minutes when he can expend maximum effort. Finally, Jack’s a jacker. Sadly, so is Wright.
A win’s a win but the Bulls were definitely playing on weary legs. Didn’t they miss 13 shots in a row in the fourth? Brutal. lol
Did anyone notice an awful lot of immediate switching tonight off pick and rolls? Often saw Calderon pick up the screener and the wing or big picking up the guard. It made me laugh because isn’t that the defensive philosophy Mitchell was villified for?
Barg’s needs to contribute in other ways especially defensively and rebounding he’s a Center no? Turk’s is a solid ROLE player, Jack is looking awful but I still feel like he’ll get betetr at some point and Derozan was extremely active tonight. For all the Jennings fans out there, he might be doing more work right now than DD but where were you guys when BOTH of them were tearing it up as McDonalds High School All Americans? Where were you guys when Brandon couldn’t pass his SAT’s to get into Arizona? You didn’t discover anybody and jump on wagons quicker than hill billies, so to say Brandon (who’s game I like) is like Isaiah without the attitude, do you know who Isaiah Thomas was?
lol, oh you crazy fans.
Bargs contribute defensively – oh you must mean like blocking Miller and sending him to the floor?
So you’re ignoring all the times he ushered Chicago players to the hoop, or at least that’s what it looked like.
Hey! I’ve got a new nickname for Bargnani: USHER!!!!
Brothersteve, that was the only one highlight we saw from Bargs all game(though the Block on Miller was sweet, Miller getting up slowly after the block was hilarious). However, other centers like Nene, Kenyon Martin, Chris Andersen and even Brooke Lopez(which is why I am pulling for us to get him next season, Bryan can you pull this trade? If you can,you are a genius) have 3-4 such highlights per game.
No way New Jersey gives up Lopez, unless it’s for Bosh. Hey, if Colangelo could pull that up, I’d name the rest of my children after him (although we don’t plan on having more, so that’s kind of an empty promise).
Mitchell was a good coach. Made decisions people don’t like(like yanking off Bargs over blown defensive assignments like he still does now, I’m happy Triano does the same thing to Bargs when he looks lost on the floor). Why Mitchell had to go was that he and Bryan are not on the same page.And I sense some revenge towards Mitchell(for Mitchell not playing his #1 draft pick enough like DD’s case now with Triano) and gave Mitchell,a poor supporting cast as a result(because let us face it as Raps fans, guys like Oneal with blown knees(though he has a resurgence this year), Will Solomo, Roko Ukic only play on mediocre teams).