A Toronto Raptors Association - Discontinued. See Inside

[john26]

john26's Raptors Blog - Breaking Bad
28 January 2009, 3:11 pm

That was kinda strange. After a promising 2009 start of 10-2, the Raptors seemed to forget how to win, losing some winnable games against Sacramento, Chicago and New Jersey. They seemed to forget why they overhauled their roster and almost destroyed their own chemistry themselves for.

A lot of the same stuff went around. Raptors were not able to take advantage on the boards, could not stop penetration, were too careless trying to keep a high percentage beyond the arc whereas they've got all the shooters they can get, and most of all, could not finish in crunchtime where they have got Bosh, Butler, Bargnani, Calderon and Parker's improved play which we are not expecting to be permanent. Even Fernandez's comeback did not help at all. Thanks to Calderon's carefulness and Parker's 2-game best of the season stretch, the Raptors were able to snatch 2 games against two of the NBA's blackholes this season, the Suns and the Pistons, and kept their losses to under 8 points or less.

Another unexpected negative is they give up way too much free throw attempts. The Raptors have given up 30 or more free throw attempts in their last three losses, and what is making me scratch my head more is they don't drive and instead jack up midrange, hurried bank shots that are nice to look at when they go in but can really piss off spectators when they miss. I also see more biting on pump fakes especially by Bosh, who promised six years ago that he'd fill up more so he can be tough inside but never stayed true to his word.

And as the trade deadline comes, the buzzes get louder. Andrea Bargnani is on the block. Pops Mensah Bonsu is not playing in the NBA next season according to rumours and Bosh will opt out next season. It will be interesting if another shakeup takes place, as the Raptors have been involved in 6 trades this season, and if they are still not content with the roster, there is no direction for this franchise.


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

Comments welcome.

[kibaxx7]

Do all that's in your power to resign Bosh. Tough losses man.

[john26]

thierryhenry50, thanks man. I don't know if I am still willing to keep Bosh. His stats show decline in my franchise.

[Martti.]

Damn, what has happened? 5th straight loss..

[kibaxx7]

Ouch, worst record in the Atlantic...

[john26]

its been a hard week but here are some games

[33_ALLDAY_33]

A 40 point quarter against the Lakers and you still lost. Must've been a tough one man. Good luck on your next games though

[john26]

john26's Raptors Blog - No way, Jose: From bricklayer to swishmeister
5 February 2009, 3:11 pm

Jose Calderon missed his first free throw in the middle of the fourth quarter run by the Raptors against the Lakers last night that could've put the Raptors trailing by just five, as he ended his season-best free throws made streak at 68.

Calderon, who currently shooting at the line at 95.8%, is leading the season in free throw percentage. And if he keeps up this production, he might be able to set an NBA record for single season accuracy at the free throw line. At the age of 33, Calvin Murphy of the Houston Rockets set an NBA-best record of 95.8% accuracy at the line, making 206 of his 215 attempts during the 1980-1981 season.

And Jose Calderon is about to break that record and put his name at the NBA record books if he keeps this up. When asked at the post-game conference why he missed that free throw, he jokingly admitted, "Was there a streak? I never knew there was one," in his Spanish accent.

And as the questions regarding his free throw percentage increased, Calderon just responded that he intentionally missed it so people could stop talking about it. Calderon's 68 consecutive free throws made was just three free throws short of making the NBA's top 10, behind Larry Bird's and Sam Cassell's 71.

So, may no one "bedevil' him so he can start another streak and we'll see another Raptor at the record books.


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

Comments welcome.

[Martti.]

It really was a spectacular streak by Calderon in real life. Nice job that you are also achieving it

[john26]

Martti., No, he stopped at 68. I'll start another free throw streak for him.

[john26]

[kibaxx7]

Tough loss against the Grizz, but amazing job locking down Minnesota from the first quarter.

[33_ALLDAY_33]

Tough losses but nice turnaround against the Timberwolves.

[Its_asdf]

Man, this assocation really makes me miss my NBA 2k9. Then again, I probably wouldn't be making a Raptors association seeing as it would be pretty unspectacular in comparison to this one.

I guess I'll just have to stick with crummy Live '05 for now until I somehow magically fix my graphics card.

[john26]

thierryhenry50 and 33_ALLDAY_33, kinda having a tough week been shooting more threes

Its_asdf, i doubt it would be unspectacular. hoping you'll get a better graphics card later


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

john26's Raptors Blog - Almost Famous
6 February 2009, 3:11 pm

The NBA All-Star Game players have been announced, and Toronto Raptors forward Chris Bosh is neither a starter nor a reserve, having left out an All-Star spot. Bosh will be missing the All-Star Game for the 3rd time in his six seasons in the NBA.

Bosh might be counted to play, if either Kevin Garnett (starting PF for East) or Josh Smith (reserve PF) will be injured before the All-Star Weekend. Part of the reason why Bosh was counted out could be blamed on the injury he sustained early this season, which caused him to miss 13 games.

The 2009 NBA All-Star Game, led by Cavaliers' LeBron James and Hornets' Chris Paul, will be held on February 15, 2009 at the US Airways Center in Phoenix, Arizona, home of the Phoenix Suns. So, ladies and gentlemen, here are your 2009 NBA All-Stars from the Eastern Conference:

PG - Gilbert Arenas, Washington Wizards (4th Appearance)
SG - Dwayne Wade, Miami Heat (5th Appearance)
SF - LeBron James, Cleveland Cavaliers (5th Appearance)
PF - Kevin Garnett, Boston Celtics (12th Appearance)
C - Dwight Howard, Orlando Magic (3rd Appearance)

6th. Devin Harris, New Jersey Nets (1st Appearance)
7th. Andre Iguodala, Philadelphia 76ers (1st Appearance)
8th. Gerald Wallace, Charlotte Bobcats (2nd Appearance)
9th. Josh Smith, Atlanta Hawks (1st Appearance)
10th. Brad Miller, Chicago Bulls (3rd Appearance)
11th. Joe Johnson, Atlanta Hawks (3rd Appearance)
12th. Danny Granger, Indiana Pacers (1st Appearance)

Which means these are the players who just missed, and are crying in their beer right now:

Chris Bosh
This is just plain wrong. Bosh's stats this year are 20.5 ppg, 6.5 rpg, 1.9 apg, 1.4 spg, 1.4 bpg. Compare it to Kevin Garnett (18.5 ppg, 7.3 rpg, 3.4 apg, 1.4 spg, 1.9 bpg) or Josh Smith (14.3 ppg, 7.0 rpg, 3.1 apg, 1.6 spg, 2.5 bpg) there isn't a big difference on the other stats except for the points, in which Bosh outscores both by 2 or more points per game. But in this year's ASG, stats don't matter so we better pass on giving him a spot this year.

Vince Carter
Have you witnessed Carter's intermittent commitment to hard play? Having him on this list of snubbed players is generous. Why is Devin Harris on that list when teammate VC can use possessions more efficiently than him. Harris has a 9.1 turnover ratio while Carter is 8.5. Carter's stats are 21.4 ppg, 4.8 rpg, 1.1 spg, 5.5 apg, 0.1 bpg. Harris stats are 18.2 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 6.3 apg, 1.7 spg, 0 bpg. Who is better? You decide.

Michael Redd
It is never good when your team is bad. It is never good when you get hurt. It is worst of all, for your All-Star chances, when your team plays better when you're injured.

Ray Allen
You only get three All-Stars if your team just dominates the first half of the season. Oh wait, I guess Boston did that. Allen missed out, I think, in part because right now the league suspects Kevin Garnett and your intramural team might win fifty.

Moving to West. Ladies and gentlemen, your 2009 Western Conference All-Stars:

PG - Chris Paul, New Orleans Hornets (2nd Appearance)
SG - Kobe Bryant, Los Angeles Lakers (11th Appearance)
SF - Carmelo Anthony, Denver Nuggets (3rd Appearance)
PF - Tim Duncan, San Antonio Spurs (11th Appearance)
C - Yao Ming, Houston Rockets (7th Appearance)

6th. Kevin Durant, Oklahoma City Thunder (1st Appearance)
7th. Al Jefferson, Minnesota Timberwolves (1st Appearance)
8th. Baron Davis, Los Angeles Clippers (3rd Appearance)
9th. Kevin Martin, Sacramento Kings (1st Appearance)
10th. Dirk Nowitzki, Dallas Mavericks (8th Appearance)
11th. Brandon Roy, Portland Trail Blazers (2nd Appearance)
12th. Amare Stoudemire, Phoenix Suns (4th Appearance)

Manu Ginobili
Manu Ginobili is a superstar. He just happens to play shorter minutes, have a smaller scoring average, than the likes of Allen Iverson. Tony Parker was the MVP of the Finals two years ago, but in the guts of crunch time, Ginobili was the guy with the daggers at both ends of the floor. There's really not anything he can't do -- he is an excellent three-point shooter, he drives to the hole as splendidly as anyone, and he plays killer D. If we're picking teams, All-Star teams, pick-up teams, or whatever, I'll take Ginobili, you take Iverson, and we'll see who wins.

Tony Parker
Being injured doesn't help. Neither does being one of three top players on a team that has fallen short, so far, of very high expectations.

Deron Williams
Small injuries don't matter. If Player A is better than Player B but missed 12 games in December with an ankle sprain, I don't care -- he's still better, he's still the one that belongs in a game designed to showcase the best players, and he's still the All-Star. In this case, Deron Williams is Player A, and Baron Davis is Player B.

Pau Gasol
When you and Kobe Bryant are on the same team, and he is the first option and you are second, there is no way you are getting to the All-Star team. Ever.

Tracy McGrady
If he made it, it would have been purely on name recognition. Because it's just not his year.

Al Harrington
Every year there's somebody who puts up great numbers on a bad team and a flukishly high 3-point percentage. Coaches never vote for that guy. Sorry, Al.
"Who belongs in the All-Star Game?"

It sounds so simple, but it's a more complex question than you think. Is it the 12 most valuable players so far this season? The 12 players who played the best when they were available? The 12 who contributed the most to winning teams? That's what makes choosing a team so difficult -- the criteria is far from ironclad.




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

Comments welcome.

[john26]

All-Star Game: East 118 | West 147


Dunk Contest: Krypto-Nate wins dunk contest


3-Point Shootout: Granger shoots to 3pt title

Rookie Challenge

[Martti.]

At least the All-Stars here are realistic, not like in my Live dynasty.

Damn, East had all of their main names (except Bosh) and they lost by 39?

[kibaxx7]

Gilbert Arenas 1 point, Granger 2, Wade 1-of-7, I see why the East lost!

[john26]

well i played east and wade's shooting ratings are low

[kibaxx7]

Nice win over the Spurs, incredible win over the Cavs. Why 3 timeouts with 2 seconds left?

[Its_asdf]

Hmmm... What's your record now? Looking at your recap index it looks like you had a tough time on the early going, but with a roster like this it's only a matter of time before it all comes together.

[john26]

thierryhenry50, James is being a douche lately... the good thing about this game is that the commentators really keep up with most of the stuff in the game, like when i called 3 timeouts with 1.9 seconds, one of them said why prolong the game, get outta here

Its_asdf, 30-29

[nba_baller]

Ricky Davis 32 points?!?! Nice win-streak though.

[john26]

^^yes, when i switched to a random defensive play (basic controls i pressed 2 then b11) there were a lot of times when we left them wide open, can't remember what play was it.

[Martti.]

In the article it says Calderon grabbed 10 rebounds. Did he really or did you mean assists?

Nice win streak you've got going on, make sure it continues.