A Toronto Raptors Association - Discontinued. See Inside

[kibaxx7]

Yeah now I can see them Tough losses man, Bosh is playing good

[john26]

H00PL0VE, thanks man. We are really weak on the wing positions

thierryhenry50, yes he is our main scoring option

btw what do you guys think of this three-team trade:
Raptors send: Jason Kapono, Jamario Moon, Hassan Adams, 1st round 09, 1st round 2010
Raptors receive: Caron Butler, Oleksiy Pecherov, 2nd round 09 (SAC), 2nd round 10 (WAS)

Wizards send: Caron Butler, Oleksiy Pecherov, 2nd round 10
Wizards receive: John Salmons, Shelden Williams, 1st round 2010 (TOR)

Kings send: John Salmons, Shelden Williams, 2nd round 09
Kings receive: Jason Kapono, Jamario Moon, Hassan Adams, 1st round 09 (TOR)

[john26]

Another three-team trade proposal:

Raptors receive: Andrei Kirilenko
Raptors send: Jermaine O'neal

Jazz receive: Jamal Crawford, Zach Randolph, Danilo Gallinari, Quentin Richardson
Jazz send: Andrei Kirilenko, Carlos Boozer, Jason Maxiell, Matt Harpring

Knicks receive: Jermaine O'neal, Matt Harprinfg, Carlos Boozer, Jason Maxiell
Knicks send: Jamal Crawford, Zach Randolph, Danilo Gallinari, Quentin Richardson

What do you think of this proposal and the other one? Please help... should i do both, or just one of them.

[nba_baller]

Wow looks like a crazy mix of stars and superstars. Looks like you get the better end of the deal; Kirilenko is a great all-round defender.

[john26]

do you think i should do both? all teams agree and there is no trade override...the only thing is Jermaine O'neal doesn't want to waive his NTC but why did he get traded this season??

[kibaxx7]

Personally I'd do both, I like the players you're receiving, but it's just me.

[john26]

[kibaxx7]

Come on man, you need to win! So what's your record now?

[john26]

its like 7-12, i'll update the homepage at the top see for more details

[Martti.]

Nice job defensively on Lebron! Hope your new guys help make a run in the second part of the season!

[john26]

yes we will, we need some interior toughness now

[john26]

john26's Raptors Blog - Head over Heels
10 December 2008, 3:11 pm

A disappointment after another. That is how I would summarise the Raptors' play as of late. They have a very strong roster with Bosh, Bargnani, Calderon, Butler and Kirlenko, and a good bunch of role players in Parker, Fernandez and Batum, and yet they have only won 1 out of their last 5 games. How is that possible?

In their last win, they have been offensively and defensively active. This is what the Raptors need to do to secure themselves into the post-season. I hope they can keep this up for their next opponents.

The one thing really intriguing is that the Raptors average a measly 26-30 rpg as a team. That is very low, considering they have Chris Bosh, Andrei Kirilenko, Caron Butler and 7-foot prospect Andrea Bargnani. What they do after the opposing team shoots is run back and leave the ball to one player. This is not professional basketball to me.

I've also seen them adjust to a more run and gun oriented offense, which is really unnecessary, considering they excelled as a half-court set team with Sam Mitchell. They have been playing Bosh at center, and Bosh is what? 6-10 and 230 pounds, lean and a jumpshooting forward. He can't take all the pounding under the basket against the best centers in the NBA. Plus Andrea Bargnani, a finesse scorer, stands on the perimeter. Bargnani may be good on man-on-man defense blocking shots, but that is not even enough as Bargnani tends to fade out of games sometimes. Their third-string center, Pops Mensah Bonsu, stands about 6-7 (6-9 in shoes), has hops but not an excellent blocker. He is tough but a bit undersized for the position so they may need a fourth man for the center position.

While this improvements could lead them to a double-digit win streak, they will also need to share the ball more often. The Raptors have never reached 30 assists in one game in their last 5 games. Why, they have a lot of scorers in Bosh, Butler, Bargnani and Kirilenko, everyone wants their touch.

-----------------------------------

Comments welcome.

[kibaxx7]

What's your starting lineup? I'd love to see Bosh, Bargnani, Kirilenko, Butler, Calderon, sounds outstanding.

[john26]

Its Calderon, Parker, Butler, Bosh, Bargnani, then I have Kirilenko as my sixth man

Maybe we'll use rotation like Golden State, I'll rest my veterans

Some updates, plus check headlines at the top regarding Calderon being number one in pure point rating

[kibaxx7]

Much needed wins Good job.

[john26]

thierryhenry50, thanks man

[john26]

john26's Raptors Blog - The Real Smell of Stats
26 December 2008, 3:11 pm

Woo-ah! Four wins. Four wins, where we beat a Western Conference powerhouse (Spurs), two teams unsuccessful this season and under .500 (Clippers, Kings) and one .500 team (Thunder). Its not a surprise to beat the Thunder, as they were not expected to be that good this season.

Now, I'll be talking about stats. We'll see our team's weaknesses and strengths, evaluate our players and see the blackholes of our strategy. Lets first look at our home-away record.

At home: 4-9
Away: 8-8

The last four straight games of the Raptors were wins, and they were all not in their yard. The Raptors seem to play better when they go away, a good 8-8 record. At home, they are pretty bad, 4-9. Hometown pressure? I am pretty sure not. Raptors fans are very passionate of their club.

Now, let us look at Kurt Thomas. Recently acquired, has never lost a game as a Raptor. Made his debut versus the Thunder, where the Raptors started their recent winning streak. Let us look at his stats in the four games he has played as a Raptor:

PPG 3.0
RPG 4.5
SPG 1.25
BPG 0.5
FG 5-11 (0.55)
FT 0-0
MPG 17.0

Not really table-turning stats, but he has been pretty impressive here. Just four games and Leo Rautins is already obsessed with the veteran. Good thing Colangelo figured out what the Raptors needed early on.

Our team's PF and PA in the last four games:
PF 97.75
PA 84.5

Our team's SPG, BPG, and TPG compared to the opponents:
SPG 12.5 (5.75)
BPG 5.25 (3.25)
TPG 7.25 (14)

Good job pressuring the ball.

Our starting five's +/- in the last four games: (players who earn more than 6 million on our team)
Bosh +37
Calderon +28
Kirilenko +32
Butler +41
Bargnani +13

Bargnani has the lowest with +13 while Butler is the highest with +41.

Also, let's not forget that Jose Calderon led the league in pure point rating - from Dec 14 up to this day.

[john26]

[kibaxx7]

Great win over the Rockets

[john26]

thanks man, i'm trying to make a run for the next half of the season

[Martti.]

Very impressive comeback win!

[Fresh8]

Recaps are looking good man. Well done.

[kibaxx7]

As Martti said, superb comeback win I was reading, Josh Childress with the Magic

[john26]

Martti., yes it was, thanks to Anthony Parker and Jose Calderon

Sit, thanks, very appreciated

thierryhenry50, Nets signed him then he got traded for Mickael pietrus, i posted it before on the 'latest news' block sorry i deleted it

[kibaxx7]

Nets signed him then he got traded for Mickael pietrus

Oh my god...