Official Toronto Raptors Thread.

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!!

no way are t-wolves gonna be a contender.. no way.. raptors got a much better chance.. mike james is just a downgrade

Lets not kid ourselves here, the Raptors are probably going to be a fringe playoff team at best at the moment. A contender is probably within reach after a few more years unless something goes terrible wrong (which happens quite often in the NBA).

Minny a contender? i think not. Raptors a contender, I think not. I honeslty have a feeling this team will get close, but not make it to the playoffs. But if they do, its only going ot be the 1st round and then drop out.

I want the Raptors to succeed, but I am being realistic.

Also, damn, I want to go to the home opener or atleast 5 games this seasno, since I do not own Raptors TV.

Miami, Detroit, Cleveland, Chicago and New Jersey are teams that I can see making the playoffs for sure. That leaves another three teams, which would be fighting for those last three spots. It'd be tough for the Raptors, but I can see them battling Milwaukee or Orlando for the 8th seed.

Lets not kid ourselves here, the Raptors are probably going to be a fringe playoff team at best at the moment. A contender is probably within reach after a few more years unless something goes terrible wrong (which happens quite often in the NBA).

And to the Raptors, remember what people were thinking around 01 and 02, Raptors and Philly were supposed to be the beasts of the east around this time. Well we all know how that turned out

lol.... it was supposed to be epic battles between carter and iverson in the east and duncan and shaq in the west lol.... funny how quick a conference finalist can be demolished and how long it takes for them to be built up

From Hospital, Sow Receives Call From Ford
Toronto Star - 08/16 - 9:49 AM EST
T.J. Ford, new point guard for the Toronto Raptors , assumed a leadership role on the team by calling Pape Sow in the hospital in Las Vegas after Sow had surgery on a fractured vertebrae simply to let him know that he was very empathetic of the situation.

"He gave me good advice," Sow said last weekend. "He told me, 'Pape, don't worry about it, just take your time and get healthy first. You can't worry about getting back quick, those kind of injuries are serious injuries.'

"It took him a while to decide when he was going to get back. He wanted to make 100 per cent sure that when he got to the floor, he could go 100 per cent. He didn't want to go and think about it.

"Those kinds of things mean a lot to me, make me think about it, makes me focus on my health and not so much about basketball." [READ]

Good for him, that team needs a leadership-minded person.

A Bucks fan raves about how TJ Ford is a great addition to the Raptors on RealGM:
http://www.realgm.com/boards/viewtopic.php?t=549363

I'm excited about Ford, but I think everyone is hyping him up a little too much. I think it's obvious that he is the x-factor this year, if he excels, they probably make the playoffs, and if he doesn't, they most likely don't, unless either Parker, Jones or Graham step up and become big time contributors.

He is a high-risk high-reward player, but if he lives up to the hype this season, then the Raptors have a strong future. If not, then there's still that opportunity of change next season.

Well I like that they have two insurance plans with Calderon and Ukic, and if he doesn't work out they'll most likely have another lottery pick and can add some more PG depth that way.

i don't think this years draft is strong in the guards... this years draft is filled with athletic forwards and talented big men

Here's another thought about the upcoming Raptors team:

Their outside shooting (with Peterson as the exception) had been replaced with athletic, slashing men that can dunk. Jones, Parker, and Ford are guys who can dunk very well. Though TJ is small, he's been throwing down alley oops in Milwaukee. Although they can all shoot the three, they don't shoot it well, which brings me to my next statement:

They now have big men who can shoot threes. Bargnani and Garbajosa are guys who can play the center position and shoot from downtown very well. If they have a good combination of three point shooters who play inside and outside, with players who can also slash and bang down low, they have a very versatile team on offense.

On defense and rebounding, though, that's gonna hurt the team.

i don't think this years draft is strong in the guards... this years draft is filled with athletic forwards and talented big men

With the exception of Randy Foye and Brandon Roy. There's not that many talented big men except for Bargnani, Aldridge, and... O'Bryant?

I think by this year he means next year's draft.

So far, looks like the Knicks will have the highest chance of grabbing Oden at #1 next year. They're the only team near the bottom of the league that didn't make significant changes this offseason, it could be argued that they declined by giving Jeffries a heavy contract.

So far, looks like the Knicks will have the highest chance of grabbing Oden at #1 next year. They're the only team near the bottom of the league that didn't make significant changes this offseason, it could be argued that they declined by giving Jeffries a heavy contract.

..

anyways...
i think sam mitchell is gonna get fired.. not right away but maybe in the next offseason... that would be nice

If he gets fired, who's next in line?

i want lenny wilkins back

but if he does get fired, i dont care. i just want him to get fired

Lenny Wilkens is old school; we need someone like d'Antoni.

If Mitchell gets fired, speculation is that Iavaroni will be hired (Phoenix assistant coach) or the current Benneton Treviso coach.

Phoenix's asst. coach will be good, since Colangelo's trying to mimic their style.

So far, looks like the Knicks will have the highest chance of grabbing Oden at #1 next year. They're the only team near the bottom of the league that didn't make significant changes this offseason, it could be argued that they declined by giving Jeffries a heavy contract.

Chicago has the right to swap first rounders next draft, so ieven if the Knicks win the lottery, the Bulls will end up with the #1.

I personally think Mitchell should be allowed to finish at least this season, and be allowed to start next season. In his two years he's been given teams with no depth and no veteran leadership, excluding Darrick Martin.

If Mitchell does get canned, and I can see it happening, my vote for his replacement would be Jerome Williams, with a coaching staff of Jim Todd, Jay Triano and Darrick Martin.

dont forget alex english

So far, looks like the Knicks will have the highest chance of grabbing Oden at #1 next year. They're the only team near the bottom of the league that didn't make significant changes this offseason, it could be argued that they declined by giving Jeffries a heavy contract.

off topic but anyways doesnt that pick go to chicago?

Damn you Chicago!!!