Official Toronto Raptors Thread.

[Amphatoast]

^^LOL!! So true

[ThaLiveKing]

Explain to me how guards like Foye, Douby, Rondo who were supposed to be worse than Williams got drafted ahead of him. It was his attitude problems in the past that scared the teams away, and would you honestly want to waste a number one pick on a potential head case?

What? cause he stole some computers, teams didn't want him, a lot of bullshit was said about Charlie V and his work ethic, and it worked out fine in the NBA, and they both come from the same school!! They even asked Larry Bird why they skipped Williams, he said Shawne Williams was a person that he thought would fit in with what the Pacers were trying to do. Attitude problems have nothing to do with anything, if a player has talent, teams will want him regardless of his history. . look at Ron Artest, he is a perfect example

That's not the point. I pointed out that a lot of other teams in the EAST use the run and gun offence and don't necessarily have a legitimate big man. Adding this brings nothing to the discussion.

Teams in the East Do not Run and Gun like the Phoenix Suns. Why cause they don't have Steve Nash. They might play uptempo, but compared to phoenix, it's nothing similar!! A lot of teams in the East have legitimate Big Men, just look at the rosters!! It really has nothing to do with having a big man or not, its about getting easy fast break points

Another brilliant post. I can smell the stench of brilliance. LOL

You obviously never watched a Raptors game. Last years team was good on paper, until I watched them play, and it's the same old shit!! Raps every year fall in love with the outside jumpshot in stead of driving to the net, it's a very bad habit. I'm surprised you haven't noticed!!

Clippers and Suns are in the West, so why on earth are you using it to validate your point? LMAO

Uhm, cause Bryan Colangelo is trying to make the Raps a Phoenix suns of the East!! And he likes that same philosophy. Too bad we don't have Nash, I don't expect the same result, but that's my opinion

Your "LMAO"s and "LOL"s are really starting to become troublesome.

Mike James might be better than Ford, but he isn't a guard that is meant to run a system in the Raptors, which needs a quick distributor to get players in the right spots for open shots and to share/run the break. Ford's perfect for that, so it doesn't really matter if James is better, Ford's effectiveness on the team is what makes him valuable to the team.

You might seem to have a problem with my opinion and that's very troublesome. But I don't really care!!

Put TJ ford on that Raps team we had last year and tell me who's the second and third option on that team!! You had Chris Bosh, Mo Pete, and Charlie V (who was inconsistent, but he's a rookie). Who did you have on the bench? Nobody but scrubs. A good 7 Man rotation on the Raps. So ofcourse Mike James had to become an offensive threat to try to put some points on the board. So if no one can make the shots TJ Ford is setting them up for, what is TJ gonna do? Keep passing them the ball? Yeah right

If there were better players on that team last year, Mike James wouldn't jacked up shots all game long!! Even if Mike James had 37 points, he got like 8 assists. Mike James can make his teammates better regardless of what people say about him!!


With all that said, I am still a Raptors fan, and will watch all 82 games this year, I want this team to win, I just have my opinion on the roster moves and the players. If I'm proven wrong then I'm proved wrong. . I can't change the way I feel about things, so If I sounds ignorant then that's your opinion

[Its_asdf]

What? cause he stole some computers, teams didn't want him, a lot of bullshit was said about Charlie V and his work ethic, and it worked out fine in the NBA, and they both come from the same school!! They even asked Larry Bird why they skipped Williams, he said Shawne Williams was a person that he thought would fit in with what the Pacers were trying to do. Attitude problems have nothing to do with anything, if a player has talent, teams will want him regardless of his history. . look at Ron Artest, he is a perfect example

Oh my god, you're missing my point. Foye, Douby and all of the others are guards as well. If the teams wanted a guard so badly, they obviously would've taken the "best" point guard in the draft, correct? I'm not saying he's a complete lunatic, but given his history of off-court troubles, it can scare away teams. That's why Charlie V was frowned upon when he was first drafted. IF and a big if I might add, that Williams does turn out to be a player with off-court troubles, why bother picking him? If you don't have the proper mindset to keep yourself out of trouble in a normal society, you definitely do not fit in the NBA.

Teams just absolutely would kill to have an Isiah Rider on their team.

Teams in the East Do not Run and Gun like the Phoenix Suns. Why cause they don't have Steve Nash. They might play uptempo, but compared to phoenix, it's nothing similar!! A lot of teams in the East have legitimate Big Men, just look at the rosters!! It really has nothing to do with having a big man or not, its about getting easy fast break points

playing up-tempo and getting fastbreak points isn't exactly run and gun, but it mirrors it well.

When you talk about the fact that teams playing "uptempo" or "run and gun" or whatever, some teams do use it to mask the fact that they have no legit centre. Just ask Phoenix.

You obviously never watched a Raptors game. Last years team was good on paper, until I watched them play, and it's the same old shit!! Raps every year fall in love with the outside jumpshot in stead of driving to the net, it's a very bad habit. I'm surprised you haven't noticed!!

Good on paper? The team was expected to be in last place by almost every basketball analyst. Yes, they do live and die from beyond the arc, but that's why European players like Garbage-hosa, Nesterovic and Bargnani are brought in, because they can run the floor well but can still play on the inside.

Uhm, cause Bryan Colangelo is trying to make the Raps a Phoenix suns of the East!! And he likes that same philosophy. Too bad we don't have Nash, I don't expect the same result, but that's my opinion

Did you even bother reading my post? I said that the Clippers and Suns play in the West. If you're going to be talking about an Eastern conference team, use Eastern conference teams in your examples and back it up with some valid reasoning.

I don't think that Colangelo wants to make the Raptors into a Phoenix team. The team has some very well rounded players and although a lot of them can get out and run, the added big men in the roster allow Toronto to execute more effectively in a half court set compared to last year's roster.

Put TJ ford on that Raps team we had last year and tell me who's the second and third option on that team!! You had Chris Bosh, Mo Pete, and Charlie V (who was inconsistent, but he's a rookie). Who did you have on the bench? Nobody but scrubs. A good 7 Man rotation on the Raps. So ofcourse Mike James had to become an offensive threat to try to put some points on the board. So if no one can make the shots TJ Ford is setting them up for, what is TJ gonna do? Keep passing them the ball? Yeah right

What does that have to do with the discussion? Who cares about last year's team, that's not what I was pointing out. Mike James is definitely the better scorer, but the Raptors have depth now, meaning that they'll need a distrubtor to get things going for a lot of the players.

If there were better players on that team last year, Mike James wouldn't jacked up shots all game long!! Even if Mike James had 37 points, he got like 8 assists. Mike James can make his teammates better regardless of what people say about him!!

...Then why did you say that the bench was filled with "scrubs"? If Mike James was an actual elite point guard that can make others around him better, he would've been able to make those "scrubs" better and become productive bench players. I think the Raptors would've won a lot more games last year if Mike James "made his teammates better".

[kinokong]

whoever says that mike james is a elite point guard is crazy....

[hipn]

Mike James sucks, that's why Garnett wants mroe than that. He thinks Mike James is nothing more than a small addition. I bet you Mike James will shoot more than Garnett this upcoming season.

Also, we need to hire a coach or someone that can teach the team to play "TEAM" defense.

[ThaLiveKing]

I'm just making my point. . I don't care who agrees, what's the point of going back and forth, I don't have time for this!! It's obvious me and you don't agree, lets keep it as that!!

A lil Note:If Jalen was playing better at the start of the season, we could have been better last year, our team wasn't that bad, we just didn't have depth!!

I've never seen these European players play so I cannot give them any credit, YET!! I'll wait till the season starts to make my judgement!!

[kinokong]

lol.... unless bargani averages 15/7, the raptors have no chance at a high seed and will probably lose in the first round even if they do make it.... the europeans are the x-factors on the team

[cyanide]

Teams in the East Do not Run and Gun like the Phoenix Suns. Why cause they don't have Steve Nash. They might play uptempo, but compared to phoenix, it's nothing similar!! A lot of teams in the East have legitimate Big Men, just look at the rosters!! It really has nothing to do with having a big man or not, its about getting easy fast break points

Steve Nash benefits from playing in a fast paced style that d'Antoni approves and preaches. If the Raptors implement that style, TJ Ford would benefit from that given how he's the third fastest player in the league.

You obviously never watched a Raptors game. Last years team was good on paper, until I watched them play, and it's the same old shit!! Raps every year fall in love with the outside jumpshot in stead of driving to the net, it's a very bad habit. I'm surprised you haven't noticed!!

I don't know what you were smoking but:

a. I know Its_asdf watched several Raptors games
b. They were not good on paper. Definitely NOT on paper
c. This team is <completely> different from last year

Uhm, cause Bryan Colangelo is trying to make the Raps a Phoenix suns of the East!! And he likes that same philosophy. Too bad we don't have Nash, I don't expect the same result, but that's my opinion

Again, it's the system that the player benefits in. TJ Ford is one of the fastest players in the league, and if he can outrun players and make good passes, then the team benefits.

Put TJ ford on that Raps team we had last year and tell me who's the second and third option on that team!! You had Chris Bosh, Mo Pete, and Charlie V (who was inconsistent, but he's a rookie). Who did you have on the bench? Nobody but scrubs. A good 7 Man rotation on the Raps. So ofcourse Mike James had to become an offensive threat to try to put some points on the board. So if no one can make the shots TJ Ford is setting them up for, what is TJ gonna do? Keep passing them the ball? Yeah right

Mike James is not better than TJ Ford. Ford can run faster, is quicker, can jump higher, and is a better passer. Maybe James can shoot better, but then again, who wouldn't if he jacks up shots all the time?

I don't think that Colangelo wants to make the Raptors into a Phoenix team. The team has some very well rounded players and although a lot of them can get out and run, the added big men in the roster allow Toronto to execute more effectively in a half court set compared to last year's roster.

I think they are trying to go to the Phoenix route, but those big men are there when they're not up and running and are forced to play a half-court game. They benefit from both worlds. Aside from the fact that Colangelo built the current Suns team, we also gotta keep in mind, in addition to Gherardini (Italian), Mike d'Antoni (Italian) is the current coach of Phoenix, and there are rumors if Mitchell gets fired, Colangelo is looking to hire Phoenix's assistant (Italian).

One last comment: When the Argentinans beat the Americans at the Olympics, as well as several other teams, that shows how a team of talent can't beat a team that plays as a team in a system that brings out the best of that team. I think Colangelo recognized that when he assembled Phoenix, and I can't say he's not using that same philosophy when he was assembling the Raptors.

[jerry]

...
mike james=
minnesota made a bad move. i dont see mike james fitting into any team right because he would rather be a scorer than a passer. more of a sg than a pg. just like ai. last year we had bosh. the reason mike james had a sudden increase in ppg was because raptors are a worse team than houston. houston got yao and tmac, they needed rafer alston who passed. but when mike james came to tdot he started hogging it more, because he knew that babcock would never trade him or let him go or anything like that because babcock is stupid(only good move babcock made was draft charlie v).
if we had tj ford last year bosh would have averaged 28+ppg

i have no idea.

the raptors will make the playoffs this upcomming season. book it.

now off to read the cci

[hipn]

I am sorry to say this, but Chris Bosh is not as good as he looks on TV (no homo, I mean basketball wise). Why dop I say this? I say this because he can only be effective WITH the ball. He cannot rebound or play good D. Just look at him on Team USA, he can't play UNLESS he is the go-to guy.

Of course I am not saying he is bad, but I am jsut saying that he is not as great as people say he is, and I am a raptors fan.

[jerry]

i know he isnt THAT GREAT. out of his class he certainly wasnt as good as lebron, melo, or d.wade.
but meh he is still good. although i wander what it would have been like if raptors drafted wade

[Mayerhendrix]

Even worse for the Eastern Conference, the Pistons could've picked up Bosh, Anthony, or Wade.

Imagine the unbeatable dominance of that team.

[ThaLiveKing]

I am sorry to say this, but Chris Bosh is not as good as he looks on TV (no homo, I mean basketball wise). Why dop I say this? I say this because he can only be effective WITH the ball. He cannot rebound or play good D. Just look at him on Team USA, he can't play UNLESS he is the go-to guy.

Of course I am not saying he is bad, but I am jsut saying that he is not as great as people say he is, and I am a raptors fan.

You still might get bashed for saying that. But I do agree with you 100%
There's too many Superstars on Team USA right now, so the Focus is only on Carmelo, Wade and LeBron. This might even make Bosh Better and hungrier when he get back to playing with the Raps

[jerry]

hungrier for the salami&cheese.

bosh does have talent. he just isnt that elite superstar lebron is.
but still, he is the raptors' franchise player and we need him.

[soccerdp]

playing on team USA will be great for bosh. not only will he be able to observe the european team play first hand, but he will get to play with better players on his own team. seeing the european/worldwide play will help him learn the style of play his new teammates are coming from. and of course everyone gets better by playing with better players...so count on it, bosh will be better again this year. not 28 pts per game (whoever the idiot was that said he wouldve last year with ford...) but he will be a better all round player as well.

as for how he looks...lol i think he looks as good as is. i think that his stats don't make him overrated, i think as team fans we overrate him naturally. but he does have great range on his shot, he's damn quick on the first step... and whether or not he's the go to guy he's a good player. so book him for the ASGs of the future.

[kinokong]

i personally think that bosh is to some extent overrated... all he has done is average 20/10 while leading a team to a losing record... bonafide superstars such as melo and lebron helped increase their teams win totals by at least 10 games i think.... i think hes like a ultra skinny garnett.... he needs to bulk up a bit and learn how to play d. i seriously think that darko has more potential than bosh...

[soccerdp]

i seriously think that darko has more potential than bosh...

haha wow you know nothing...all he's done is 20/10???how is that not good??
and ya i'm sure a guy who's averaged less than 10 mins his whole career has a lot more potential than someone who's already the go to man on his team. you're actually right about one thing, he could bulk up a bit and get even better d, but then he'd be very good player...sounds like potential you idiot...

and i don't know anyone trying to compare him to carmelo or lebron so how does that make him overrated. dumb post. thanks...

[hipn]

i personally think that bosh is to some extent overrated... all he has done is average 20/10 while leading a team to a losing record... bonafide superstars such as melo and lebron helped increase their teams win totals by at least 10 games i think.... i think hes like a ultra skinny garnett.... he needs to bulk up a bit and learn how to play d. i seriously think that darko has more potential than bosh...

Thats goinga bit too far. Darko could wake up one day and play a lot better, but he is playing on teh level of Hoffa x1.5

[cyanide]

Here's an interesting tidbit, but take it with a grain of salt: Just recently, ESPN had a poll that said, "Which player is most likely to help his new team to the playoffs?"

The American results:
TJ Ford: 13%
Mike James: 14%
Peja Stojakovic: 31%
Sebastian Telfair: 9%
None will make playoffs: 34%

The international results:
TJ Ford: 31%
Mike James: 10%
Peja Stojakovic: 28%
Sebastian Telfair: 6%
None will make playoffs: 25%

Edit: Against Slovenia, Spain won the game in one of the preliminary rounds. Pau Gasol scored 16 points, and Jorge Garbajosa scored 17 points. That's a start, I guess.

[jerry]

haha international.
well i gotta find a jorge garbajosa game on youtube, still havent seen him play

[iKe7in]

From what I've seen he's like a more physical Bonner who takes/misses more shots.

[hipn]

I heard Garbajosa is good. I heard he is very good at shooting 3s and good inside.... again, this is what I heard. Heard, is the keyword.

[Mayerhendrix]

Here's an interesting tidbit, but take it with a grain of salt: Just recently, ESPN had a poll that said, "Which player is most likely to help his new team to the playoffs?"

The American results:
TJ Ford: 13%
Mike James: 14%
Peja Stojakovic: 31%
Sebastian Telfair: 9%
None will make playoffs: 34%

The international results:
TJ Ford: 31%
Mike James: 10%
Peja Stojakovic: 28%
Sebastian Telfair: 6%
None will make playoffs: 25%

Edit: Against Slovenia, Spain won the game in one of the preliminary rounds. Pau Gasol scored 16 points, and Jorge Garbajosa scored 17 points. That's a start, I guess.

Telfair should get good minutes off the bench, Peja + CP3 + David West = 6th - 8th playoff seed, Mike James is stuck in the hellhole that is Minnesota, and Toronto is getting there, maybe playoffs in two years or so.

Probably Peja Stojakovic will fare best in the above teams, my guess.

[Abctest123]

A little off-topic, but anyone know the name of the background music playing in the background of this Loren Woods mix ? LINK. Have fun watching the mix by the way .

[ThaLiveKing]

Here's an interesting tidbit, but take it with a grain of salt: Just recently, ESPN had a poll that said, "Which player is most likely to help his new team to the playoffs?"

The American results:
TJ Ford: 13%
Mike James: 14%
Peja Stojakovic: 31%
Sebastian Telfair: 9%
None will make playoffs: 34%

The international results:
TJ Ford: 31%
Mike James: 10%
Peja Stojakovic: 28%
Sebastian Telfair: 6%
None will make playoffs: 25%

Edit: Against Slovenia, Spain won the game in one of the preliminary rounds. Pau Gasol scored 16 points, and Jorge Garbajosa scored 17 points. That's a start, I guess.

34% None will make playoffs lol. I think Mike James can make Minnesota a playoff contender. New Orleans has the best chance to get to the playoffs among the teams mentioned!!