Fan Duel Toronto Raptors

Raptors vs Pistons #whocares #steak #dogs #barnes

I hate to be the bearer of bad news and am doing this with a very heavy heart, here goes.

I hate to be the bearer of bad news and am doing this with a very heavy heart, here goes: The Raptors have a 0% chance of making the playoffs. I understand that this may come as a shock so I’ll give you a moment to gather yourself.

It’s a real tragedy this one, I went to bed yesterday thinking we’d have a real shot at the playoffs and then John Hollinger had to come along with his giant calculator and ruin everything. They say (and by they I mean nobody) that bad news is always accompanied by good one in some sort and here it is: Amir Johnson took 50 fans to the game and paid for their steak dinner at Ruth’s Chris Steak House. Heart-warming doesn’t do the deed justice, in fact, the only thing that could’ve made it better was if he had taken them to a real steakhouse, but still, a very nice gesture on the part of one of the better Raptors out there. Johnson didn’t even need an image-repair so this is totally nice of him, I mean, if he hadn’t done this would I have made a post titled “Amir Johnson doesn’t feed 50 starving kids”? No, I wouldn’t have, and that’s the beauty of steak.

I was in the dumps a couple months ago and after a hard night of drink, this guy I no longer talk to goes to me, “Today is the first day of the rest of your life”. I didn’t respond, I just forced a grin acknowledging his lame-ass advice and hoping he’d get his hand off my shoulder. Today I’m thinking he was on to something because the Raptors have 16 games left and the next game is first game of the rest of the season. Naah, it doesn’t work. In any case, the game is in Detroit where, if you recall, the Raptors overcame a 35 point deficit; after a week or so Tracy McGrady found the fountain of youth and in the face of the mental ACC boos, guided the Pistons to victory. I have it on good authority that some Raptors fans are traveling to Detroit just to boo T-Mac. I really don’t get it, if you work with these boo-birds and you decide to leave for a better opportunity, do they come to your new office and shower you with boos as you enjoy a sandwich at lunch? Pathetic. For completeness I should mention that the Pistons also beat us at the ACC again.

One of the dangers of having Chris Bosh on the Raptors was that the team would always be mediocre because he was a player that would ensure that your team wouldn’t totally suck, but would also not take you anywhere special. You can argue that that is still the case with Andrea Bargnani as a key building block, or even DeMar DeRozan, although it’s too early to say anything there. The Pistons are finding themselves in a very similar predicament, Joe Dumars has locked them in a state where this question is being pondered out loud. The link is a take on the Pistons by various media outlets and the viewpoints are diverse, definitely an interesting read. I think last year that article would have applied to the Raptors, but since then we’ve entered a genuine rebuilding phase (still don’t know what the **** Kleiza was) which is giving the losing a sweeter less shitty taste.

The Pistons have lost 5 of 6 and 8 of 10, the last one being a 30-point blowout in Denver. It probably had a lot to do with the altitude. For the Raptors, Amir Johnson is not travelling, he tweaked his other ankle too so Ed Davis will continue to start. I’m getting this information from this Jay Triano interview – have a listen and pay attention to the reporter asking the questions and tell me you don’t want to punch him in the face. Triano is also saying that Bargnani has increased his energy level every day for the past three days, so if you see a tall white dude playing with the hustle of DeJuan Blair, the intensity of Reggie Evans, and the doggedness of Ron Artest, that’s Andrea Bargnani.

Ed Davis on Harrison Barnes:

“I was there when he signed. Harrison is a legit 6-foot-8 player, someone I’ve played against in pick-up ball. I remember talking to my old teammates and all they kept talking about was how Harrison was always in the gym, always trying to work on his game. The season starts and he struggled. That’s when people started to jump off the bandwagon. And now that he’s picked up his game, people are getting back on the bandwagon.”

Sonny Weems is looking to buy his sixth dog. Insert your own joke here.

Steve has a podcast coming up at 9AM.