Fan Duel Toronto Raptors

Linkage for Jun 4 7am to Jun 5 3pm

Linkage for Jun 4 7am through Jun 5 3pm: Hoops Addict » What Could Have Been: 2002 NBA Draft 20th – Toronto RaptorsOriginal Pick: Kareem Rush, G, Missouri New Pick: Juan Dixon, G, Maryland Toronto Raptors – What they’re saying | Searching For ’93 Poor Raptor fans. I’m not sure that I can include myself…

Linkage for Jun 4 7am through Jun 5 3pm:

  • Hoops Addict » What Could Have Been: 2002 NBA Draft 20th – Toronto RaptorsOriginal Pick: Kareem Rush, G, Missouri
    New Pick: Juan Dixon, G, Maryland
  • Toronto Raptors – What they’re saying | Searching For ’93 Poor Raptor fans. I’m not sure that I can include myself in that group anymore. Seriously. I’m wearing a body-brace made of apathy and indifference. Has there every been a team with less charisma? What about likable players? (I count two.) Then there’s the jarring dearth of athleticism? Well… We must have a bevy of playoff experience… What’s that? We don’t? (Kapono and Marion – if he stays – are the only relevant players on the roster who have been past the first round.)I cannot think of a roster in the entire league that I wouldn’t change places with. The Sacramento Kings are the singular (and rather remarkable) exception. If anyone would like to test my mettle, you know where the comments section is. Or, you can Skype me at “stephenamell” and we’ll hash things out. Come prepared.
  • 9. Raptors select DeMar DeRozan | 2009 NBA Mock Draft: Post Combine Edition Toronto brought their franchise from nothing to something by drafting prospects with amazing athletic ability (Tracey McGrady and Vince Carter) and it’s time they do it again.It looks like Toronto will be losing Anthony Parker and Shawn Marion this year and Chris Bosh next—DeRozan will help bridge the gap between the present and the future.

    At the Draft Combine, DeRozan leaped 38” inches and measured-in with. It’s just a matter of if he is the next McGrady, Carter, or Darrius Miles, because the potential is there, including a developing three point shot.

  • Chuck Swirsky Blog – Simple: Kobe beat Dwight – ESPN Chicago Will Toronto General Manager Bryan Colangelo keep Bosh knowing he can pay him more than any of the other twenty-nine clubs or be pre-emptive and not risk the chance of Bosh leaving?Players want that sixth year in the contract. The money is too great to pass on. In the event Bosh isn’t traded this year, the Raps have three choices for next off season: (1) They can resign Bosh; (2) do a sign and trade and receive compensation in return; (3) lose Bosh without any compensation.

    The last option would be the worst-case scenario for the Raptors. Undoubtedly teams will call the Raptors and probe to see if Colangelo will deal him. So far the answer has been “no.”

  • RUMOR: Warriors and Raptors had a Marco Belinelli – Joey Graham deal in place – Golden State Of Mind I still don’t buy that Belinelli belongs in this league, but it’s not a given that Graham gets a second NBA contract either. Neither player is even an average quality NBA player or has a high hoops IQ, but at least the athletic Graham gives the Warriors a little more size and cuts down their glut of poor to mediocre ranging guards. Truth be told, the Warriors aren’t going to get much at all for Belinelli straight up. Unless the Warriors are taking back a bad contract, I’d be suprised if Belinelli could even net them a future 2nd round pick straight up.This isn’t a huge deal and I’d doubt it would have changed much about that horrendous WE SUCK 29 win season, but if this is true I’m curious why the Warriors killed off the deal.
  • Is Chris Bosh ‘For Sale’? | The Hoop Doctors If people think about it, even if Bosh were to walk and sign elsewhere, is that such a horrible thing for the Raptors? Like when V.C was traded to the Nets for what in present terms adds up to Joey Graham? The trade did include Eric Williams (Traded with Matt Bonner to Spurs for Rasho Nesterovic) Aaron Williams (Traded to New Orleans for cash or a second round pick- I forget) and Alonzo Mourning ( Bought out by Raptors and signed by Heat and won an NBA Championship Ring). It was a low point in Raptor history no doubt. Mighty Mouse and T-Mac also had checked out of Toronto in recent past.
  • NBA At 2: No More Bosh Rumors – Basketball News & NBA Rumors – No matter what Bosh still gets more money from Toronto than he can from any other team, so even if he plays out his contract, opts out next summer, and wants to go to another team, he will get more cash in a sign-and-trade deal than he would from signing with another team outright.Unless we hear otherwise from Bosh himself or from Colangelo, there is really no reason to pursue Bosh trade scenarios or to perpetuate rumors.
  • Carlos Boozer or Paul Millsap: For the Jazz, It’s Just Not That Simple | Bleacher Report Perhaps the most interesting option may be Chris Bosh of the Toronto Raptors. Bosh stated recently that he will not sign an extension with the Raptors this summer and would rather become an unrestricted free agent in 2010.The Raptors are not likely to just let Bosh walk away a year from now with nothing in return. A sign and trade of Boozer to Toronto for Bosh is very intriguing. Toronto gets something for Bosh. Bosh gets to go to a playoff team and play alongside one of the best point guards in the league. The Jazz get a top tier power forward with the potential to re-sign him in 2010 or go hunting through the greatest free agent class in memory.
  • Jonny Flynn works out for Toronto Raptors – Orange Basketball Blog on syracuse.com Anyway, in a refreshing display of openness, the Toronto Raptors broke from pre-draft tradition this morning. The team issued a mass email to announce a workout today for several draft prospects.Syracuse’s Jonny Flynn is one of six players working out today at Toronto’s Air Canada Centre. The others are UCLA’s Jrue Holliday, Arizona’s Chase Budinger, Texas’ Damion James, Georgia Tech’s Alade Aminu and Michigan State’s Goran Sutton.
  • Doug Smith’s Toronto Raptors blog – We almost traded Joey…. From the Water Under A Bridge department, found out last night the Raptors had a deal done with Golden State last season that would have seen them ship Joey Graham to California for guard Marco Bellinelli.It was so done that Bellinelli was almost on his way to the airport to come to Toronto and told friends he was being traded.

    And then the Warriors backed off and killed the deal.

  • Raptors retain English, add Iavaroni to coaching staff “I am very excited to continue working with Alex and to add Marc to the staff,” Triano said in a statement. “They share our philosophy on the direction of the team, yet possess different skill sets that will be valuable to me.”
  • The Associated Press: Raptors hire Iavaroni as assistant to Triano The Raptors have hired former Memphis Grizzlies coach Marc Iavaroni as an assistant to Jay Triano and are parting ways with assistants Mike Evans and Gord Herbert.The Raptors also announced on Friday that Alex English will return for his sixth season with Toronto, his eighth as an NBA assistant. English, who played 16 seasons in the NBA, is the 12th leading scorer in league history and a member of the Basketball Hall of Fame.

    Iavaroni was an assistant in Phoenix, Miami and Cleveland before taking over Memphis on May 30, 2007. He was fired on Jan. 22, 2009, following a 13-26 start.

  • Raptors Shore Up Coaching Staff – Toronto Star Iavaroni brings some experience and intensity to the staff, English was well-respected by the players and his co-workers and, most important, Jay feels comfortable working with both of them.It does mean Mike Evans is gone, and that’s too bad because he’s a really good guy, and they still have to finalize things with Micah Nori and Eric Hughes, which I presume they will.
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  • Dino Nation Blog: Coaching News- Ivaroni and English Are In In perhaps one of the worst kept secrets in Raptors history. Mark Ivaroni will be an assistant for the Toronto Raptors. No details on if the Raptors had to give the Grizzlies any cash. They were trying to shake down MLSE for a few hundred grand. But according to Doug Smith in the Toronto Star it is a done deal for Ivaroni. Also Alex English will be back as well. Alex is a great man and I have to be honest when the talk was he was going to be out it made me feel bad. But no need to be as he will return. Mike Evans appears to be the guy with out a seat.
  • Raps Ink Iavaroni – RaptorsHQ.com The Raps coaching staff is starting to take shape with it being reported that the Raps announcing have added Marc Iavaroni to this season’s staff. It also looks like Alex English w
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    ll be back as well.

    With ties to Colangelo during his time with the Suns and having been a “special consultant” late this season, the Iavaroni hire is not that surprising.

  • Pre-Draft Workouts for Friday, June 05, 2009 – RaptorsHQ.com It looks like BC and co. structured this run this morning to have a big, a wing and a potential point guard option ready to go 3 on 3, which hopefully should make for some good viewing this morning.Without any more delay then, let’s take a look at each of the six players who are scheduled to participate later this morning in evaluations:
  • Dino Nation Blog: Let The Drama Summer Begin. But if you put down your pitch forks and calm down for just a second. If you are the agent for Chris Bosh. Why would you not take this course of action. What happened today is not a ticket out of town for Chris Bosh. In fact in his interview on Hoops he said he likes Toronto and he said that the city has been good to him for 6 years he has been here. Why there is this massive panic to trade Chris Bosh before he leaves has never made any sense to me. It makes even less sense than the stories and comments that T.J Ford was this bad dude that was the problem with the Toronto Raptors. When are people going to chill out and relax about these things. I have read little to nothing positive about the Toronto Raptors since the season ended. A guy that was one of only 3 players in the NBA to record a 20 and 10 season is suddenly not worth having out of fear he is going to walk away? It is crazy.
  • khandor’s sports blog » Where will Andrea Bargnani rank in the Eastern Conference next season, as a Center? … You Make The Call It seems as though a certain segment within Raptorville is, once again, suffering from grotesque “delusions of grandeur”, regarding the actual ability and hoped for improvement of Andrea Bargnani [C, 7-0, 250, 2006 No. 1 Overall Selection] this off-season.i.e. According to Doug Smith, in a segment on PrimeTime Sports [FAN590] yesterday, a legitimate case can be made that Bargnani might qualify as the 2nd Best Center in the Eastern Conference [EC] over the course of the 2009-2010 season.
  • Where Could Stoudemire Go? Five Possible Homes For Amar’e This Summer – Celtics 17 Once again, there were rumors during this year’s trade deadline that Stoudemire could be heading to Toronto in exchange for Bosh, but the rumors fell apart hours before the deadline hit (like all others did).Stoudemire could be the perfect partner with Jose Calderon, who, like current Phoenix Suns point guard Steve Nash, is very effective in the pick-and-roll and open court game, which Stoudemire thrives in.

    The Raptors may not immediately become contenders after this move, but they would certainly have a chance of making the playoffs.

  • Hoops Addict » What Could Have Been: 2001 NBA Draft 17th – Toronto RaptorsOriginal Pick: Michael Bradley, F, Villanova
    New Pick: Kwame Brown, C, High School

    I think a major reason that Brown never developed was the pressure of being the top pick in a draft. Combine that with what I’m sure was constant ridicule from Jordan and Brown really had no chance. Send him to Canada to learn to get tough from Antonio Davis, an elder Hakeem Olajuwon and a grinder that was Jerome Williams. You never know…

  • Chris Bosh May Want a Max Contract, But It Won’t Likely Come From the Raptors | Bleacher Report The Raptors went from Atlantic division champions to squeezing into the playoffs to being a lottery team, and it seems Bosh is the same player throughout.The only season they truly had success, Bosh not only was not being asked to create, but also not being asked to carry the offense in the clutch; that was TJ Ford’s job.

    Therefore, if the Raptors were eliminated in New Jersey, it wasn’t only because Bosh was being stopped by journeymen centers like Mikki Moore and Collins, but because TJ Ford isn’t the type of talent who can successfully carry an offense.

  • Offside Friday — More NHL for T.O. … Bosh staying? | Toronto Sun There was some hysteria over a story or two yesterday that suggested that pending free agent Chris Bosh was finished in this town after next season.The Raptors star played down the talk last night on The Fan.

    He suggested that some people were putting words in his mouth.

    “I’d say the odds are good (he would be a Raptor beyond next season),” Bosh said.

    “I like it here, that’s what people don’t understand. I like it here … Toronto has treated me well.”

  • The Knicks Blog » More Food for Thought Does he take Evans and immediately call Toronto and inquire about a possible Lee, (another contract might be necessary depending on what Lee signs for) and Evans for Chris Bosh deal? You’d think that the conversation would take place especially if Walsh somehow acquires a later first round pick. He’d take Evans and sign Lee then look up “C” for “Colangelo.”
  • On Chris Bosh, Canada’s favorite son | Detroit Bad Boys Bosh is unique in that he has the game of a small forward (driving to the hoop, shooting range) in a power forward’s body. Defensively he gets bullied in the post by stronger players like Garnett, Sheed and Howard (but Howard can’t guard Bosh either — Bosh averaged 24/13 on 53% in four games against Orlando this year). Offensively, he’s efficient, but has rarely single-handedly taken over games late.Barring on-court epiphany similar in magnitude to T-Pain, CB4 is Pau Gasol. If he improves defensively, then maybe Kevin Garnett. Players who are perfect 1A superstars in the league. They will put up mad numbers but for whatever reason, those numbers correlate more with All-Star game appearances than winning and playoff success.
  • Chris Bosh says he will be a free agent in 2010 | Binary Basketball News But in the mean time Toronto need to try and build a better team around Bosh so he will be convinced to stay with the Raptors, if they don’t do anything to improve the team Bosh will certainly not want to re-sign with the Raptors in 2010.
  • Bosh hints he will test free agency in 2010 That is not to say Bosh is not critical of his own shortcomings; the four-time all-star is aware that he has hit a certain plateau in his career – as he puts it, “I’ve felt that I’ve been really stagnant.” He has grand plans this summer to transform his body, which is still more foal than racehorse.But Bosh also has a realistic assessment of his value on the National Basketball Association’s open market next summer, and has no plans to compromise that. Ask him if he considers himself a player worthy of a maximum NBA contract, and he does not hesitate.
  • TheStar.com | Busy Bosh preparing for free agency Complicating it all is the reality that trading an all-star rarely yields equal value, which is why so many NBA teams give franchise-player contracts to second-tier all-stars. Certainly Bosh, centrepiece of a squad that has won exactly zero playoff series since he arrived, has cemented himself in the latter category. And more and more he comes off as a delusional duper-star. Alert observers still cringe at the season finale in Chicago, when the Texan – needing 18 rebounds to average an even 10 boards a game for the season – pulled down 19 caroms. Too bad his season-high binge came for selfish purposes on the last night of a lost campaign.
  • Free agency beckons Bosh | Basketball | Toronto Sun As for taking less than a max deal to allow Colangelo to beef up the rest of the lineup, Bosh doesn’t sound like a guy who would consider that.”An old school guy told me: ‘Take advantage. You can’t play this game forever. Make sure you maximize your potential,’ ” Bosh said.

    When it was put to Bosh that he was saying no to a hometown discount, Bosh laughed before replying, “In a nice way.”

    For now, Bosh’s focus is on improving his game.

    And this summer, that means hitting the weight room hard and hitting the dinner table often.

  • Chris Bosh – The FAN 590 Toronto – Audio on Demand Toronto Raptors superstar forward Chris Bosh joined Hoops to talk about the NBA Finals, the off season, his budding electronic empire and his future in Toronto.
  • Courtside – The impact of Chris Bosh saying he will stay the course and not consider re-signing until next summer To these eyes, it appears that unlike most athletes, winning truly is equally important to money for Bosh. I think he would sacrifice a bit of money (let’s not kid ourselves here, either way he’ll be signed for a ton of cash) in order to play for a legit contender and there’s a good chance he leaves Toronto if the Raptors stink it up for another lost season.Bryan Colangelo and the Raptors knew it wasn’t likely, but were still hoping Bosh might re-up this off-season. That would have given the club stability and made it easier to sign a quality free agent or two.
  • Trade Idea: Tony Allen « nbaroundtable This mystery team under the cap (for example, the Memphis Grizzlies) would turn a profit — the difference between $3mil and Tony’s contract ($2.5mil?) which I think is about $500k — and would then have the choice about whether to keep Tony on as a player or whether to buy him out.
  • NBA Withdrawal: 10 Players about to feel the Credit Crunch « Shawn Marion – $17.2 million in 2008 – He wanted to be the man and once he left Phoenix he was exposed for all his weaknesses. He cheats on D, tries too hard for the big plays and is pretty weak in the half court sets. He can still jump out the arena and is an above average rebounder for his position but I don’t see him getting more than $8 million a year from any team.. we are in a recession after all.
  • The Knicks Blog » Draft Notes- If Evans on the board, he’s a Raptor We’ve learned that the Knicks have Holiday and Curry ahead of Evans, because they feel that they are more suited at the point guard position, but the Memphis product will work out for the Knicks as well as the Kings, Wizards and Raptors with Toronto keeping their fingers crossed that he falls to 9. No chance he gets past the Raptors, who have all but guaranteed Evans’ camp.
  • Bosh won’t sign extension now, expects max offer – The Globe and Mail Bosh said he has no plans for a formal meeting with Raptors president Bryan Colangelo, though he said the two talk informally on regular basis.Bosh also said that whether he signs a long-term contract in Toronto or elsewhere in the summer of 2010, it will be for the maximum allowable amount under the NBA’s salary cap structure.

    “Without a doubt,” said Bosh when asked if he expected to receive a “max” offer. “I really don’t even see negotiating about that part.”

  • TheStar.com | Raptors’ Bosh suggests he’ll opt for free agency “(When) I signed a three-year (extension in 2006)… I had a goal in mind, and that was to put myself in the best position (in 2010) … I’m thinking I just want to stick to my goal, stick to what I was doing,” said Bosh.”That’s a part of the plan … I just want to address things (after) next season. There’s a reason why I did things the way I did them back then.”

    Bryan Colangelo, the Raptors president and general manager, has spoken optimistically about the odds of inking his best player to an extension this summer, when Bosh could sign a three-year addition to his current deal as early as next month. Still, Colangelo was hardly taken aback by word that Bosh was leaning strongly toward opting out of his current deal in 2010, when the 6-foot-10 forward would be among a crop of free agents that includes LeBron James and Dwyane Wade.

    “I have been pretty clear that that’s what I anticipate his position to be,” said Colangelo.

  • FAN590 – Bosh On HOOPS Just a quick note folks …Toronto Raptors forward Chris Bosh will join Paul Jones and me on “HOOPS” tonight at 7:20pm

    Be sure to tune in.

    “HOOPS” will air from 7:00pm – 9:00pm on the Fan 590.

  • Hoops Addict » Mensah-Bonsu Hints At Deal With Raptors Mensah-Bonsu provided the Raptors with a huge spark after he was signed late in the season. He only averaged 5.0 points and 5.1 rebounds during his time in Toronto and while those numbers are far from flattering, he played a big part in the team going 9-4 over their last 13 games of the season.It will be interesting to see what Bryan Colangelo does this summer as most people who follow the team – myself included – feel that the signing of Mensah-Bonsu would make Kris Humphries redundent on the Raptors bench.
  • Little guys Derek Fisher and Rafer Alston will play big part in NBA finals | guardian.co.uk Pops Mensah Bonsu plans to resolve his NBA future in time for the start of Great Britain’s pre-Eurobasket training camp. The Londoner, who returns to the US this week to begin his off-season workouts, has received an informal offer to return to the Toronto Raptors. “My agent is still talking about a new contract with Toronto but I expect they’ll have something a bit more concrete after the Draft,” he said. “But there could be a number of places I could go. I’m trying not to let it consume me but I really hope I can get something done by the end of July.”
  • FAN590 – Bosh Without Borders U.S. Olympians Carlos Boozer, Chris Bosh, and Dwight Howard will headline Basketball without Borders 2009 it was announced today by the National Basketball Association (NBA) and the International Basketball Federation (FIBA). Basketball without Borders (BWB) is the NBA and FIBA’s global basketball development program that uses the sport to create positive social change in the areas of education, health and wellness. The camps will be held in Beijing, China, Mexico City, Mexico and Johannesburg, South Africa.
  • khandor’s sports blog » Knowing who the Raptors’ FOUNDATION player is What do the Raptors need most to re-ignite the engine at the heart of their seemingly sinking ship?Improve the Leadership on their team?
    Improve their Defense & Rebounding?
    Increase their Toughness Quotient?
    Improve their Quality Depth?

    Use Chris Bosh as THE Center for their team …

  • Students look up to basketball ace Mensah-Bonsu – News – getsurrey NBA star Pops Mensah-Bonsu was shooting hoops in Camberley this week as part of a campaign to draw young people away from anti-social behaviour and into sport.The 6ft 10in Toronto Raptors player spent an afternoon at Collingwood College with members of the Guildford Heat team.

    As well as giving aspiring basketball players at the school some pointers, the 25-year-old also wowed them with a few displays of his skill.

  • COLLEGE BASKETBALL – Goodman’s mock draft: Who should get picked – FOX Sports on MSN 9. Toronto Raptors — DeMar DeRozan, 6-5-1/2, 211, SF, Fr., USC — The Raptors need a big-time wing and DeRozan — arguably the most athletic player in the entire draft — fits the bill.
  • NKY Sports World: NKYSportsWorld 2009 NBA Mock Draft 9. Toronto Raptors- Jonny Flynn PG (Syracuse)
    Very fast and deceptively strong, Flynn plays with great composure.
  • American Press Starting Ridiculous Chris Bosh Rumours | Toronto Sports Media Blog We’re in the day and age where reporters can just make things up, and those stories will travel quickly across the Internet, before turning into full-fledged speculation. It’s no secret that Toronto will have to make this kind of decision with regards to Bosh, and that makes it easy for out-of-market reporters/columnist to simply write what they want, and to use nameless sources.Again, I’m just wondering how nobody in Toronto has a whiff of this story, yet writers in Miami and New York have no problem publishing them. Maybe there is a story, but there clearly aren’t enough facts to make it worth printing…unless you work for the Miami Herald or the New York Daily News, I guess.

    Personally, I’m going to wait for someone credible to report on Chris Bosh, before I get too worked up over anything. Thoughts?

  • NBA: 2009 Mock Draft v. 1.2 « Trueball 9) Toronto: Tyreke Evans (Highlights) – I had Earl Clark at this spot previously but he has been sliding after a poor showing in the pre draft camps. Tyreke Evans showed why he was considered by some to be the best prep player last year with a great season at Memphis and filled the HUGE shoes left behind by #1 overall selection Derrick Rose. Tyreke Evans projects more as a SG in the pros. He can score from distance and has the abililty to drive and create his own shot. Evans will give the Raptors the best wing player they have had since the departure of Vince Carter.
  • 2009 NBA Draft Preview – CBSSports.com 9. The Toronto Raptors are another team looking to trade. Whether it is for more picks or talent, they need both. They can go a bunch of ways with this pick but need more athleticism at the SF position, as they are expected to lose Shawn Marion. G/F Gerald Henderson is a good pick for them. He is smart, can defend and jump out of the gym.
  • The 4 Guys – Strathmore Standard The all-star video wasn’t especially funny, and neither was Bosh’s Tonight Show skit. His basketball acumen has remained largely unchanged since the video, yet he is now considered a superstar by the same people who dismissed him prior to his debut as a short filmmaker/comedian.It’s altogether likely that Bosh’s ploy will earn him millions of dollars in a new free agent contract next summer that he would never have been offered if he were a lesser known player.

    I give Bosh credit for being a self-starter and realizing a way to influence his popularity through non-traditional means, yet I am saddened by the fact that a dumb video drastically altered the starting roster of a major pro sport’s all-star game.

  • Call Me When You Get There: A Raptor Fan’s Nightmare | Bleacher Report This article suggests more of what Toronto should avoid, before they become the Canadian version of the Los Angeles Clippers.1. Trade Chris Bosh

    This move would let the league know that Toronto is not committed to winning. Forget about any All-Star ever coming here, especially after they trade their franchise player and the face of the franchise, for the last seven years. Bryan Colengleo has to make a commitment to winning, but it certainly won’t work with soft players all over the court and Anthony Parker being the starting two-guard.

  • Dino Dreaming: Turning Around The Raps in Seven Seconds Or Less! | Bleacher Report The Raptors can be very successful when pushing the pace, and their timing and personnel is perfectly suited for the Raps to start running and gunning like the Winter Olympics biathlon.Did I mention I can prove it? Because that’s kind of important.

    Think about it: SSOL embraces the three-pointer like your Mom the time she found your lost brother at the mall (he was hiding in a clothes rack).

    Toronto shot around 37% from beyond the arc last year (12th in the league), while only taking 15.7 threes a game (24th). More possessions equals more threes, which equals more threes being made, which equals Jason Kapono earning his money.

    Which is why Toronto has guys like Kapono, Bargnani, Parker, and Calderon that can shoot. So get them shooting, and stop being so damn picky.

  • Let it Mock 2.0 (The Knicks Fix) – Newsday.com 9. Toronto — DeMar DeRozan: The Raptors need to upgrade the shooting guard position and DeRozan would be a great fit. He is the right combination of athleticism and skill to play next to Jose Calderon, strong enough to defend and, hey, why not get the guy who says he can jump higher than Vince Carter. Air Canada II, perhaps?
  • Workout, schmerkout – The Globe and Mail The Raptors have already narrowed down their focus to four players, one of whom they are confident will be there at the ninth spot. They haven’t had any of these four in for a workout yet, so all that remains is to find a fifth name — a fall-back choice in case the unexpected happens — to round out their list of possible picks.
  • Bosh bolsters portfolio – The Globe and Mail It’s a unique side of Bosh that fans don’t get to see when he’s on the court — and it’s a passion that led Bosh to collaborate with Warner Music on a release that will showcase his thespian talents.“It’s just a chance to be creative,” said Bosh. “I already have a likeness with the other characters that people are familiar with. I felt it was necessary to apply that stuff, and maybe just put some more things in it.

    “I do want it to be funny,” Bosh added with a laugh. “That’s one thing that I would like to incorporate into the whole thing. I just want people to have fun when they watch it.”

  • Doug Smith’s Toronto Raptors blog Okay, that may or may not be true (or it could have just been an excuse offered by antsy agents who don’t want their players to go to many workouts) but it speaks to the biggest problem with this workout period. Because teams can’t be sure that players will eventually show up, it becomes more obvious that the work they do in the NCAA season – the countless hours watching conference games – is the most important work that scouts do.It’s long been held, here at least, that the individual workouts mean much less than many think and now, as more get cancelled because agents are afraid their players’ weaknesses will be exploited, that’s becoming much more of a reality.