[14-16] Raptors : Colossus of Losses | Around the NBA - DEC

Preview:
Hi my name is Jonathan Harring. Well I tried this association before with 2k11 but had little success because my team got stacked and the story got boring. So I will try again, pairing DD with a wing player. I really want to replicate the Raptors' success from 99-00 season, when they had a roster of Carter, T-Mac, Oak, Davis, Christie, Curry, etc. Here the season will start as normal, and I will play each WC team at least once (away games at least) and EC teams at least twice (both home and away) for a total of at least 43 games played, 39 games simmed.

Game Settings:
Game: NBA 2k12 PC
Team: Toronto Raptors
Rosters: 2K12 Offseason Roster w/ Rookies (with a few real life changes made by me) by west44
Draft Prospects: RapboY's 2012 Draft Class v1
Sliders: Jesus's 2k12 All-Star Sliders
Difficulty: All Star
Quarter Length: 9 minutes
Sim Length: 12 minutes

Association Settings:
Season Length: 82 Games
Playoff Length: 7-7-7-7
D-League Games: On
Team Chemistry: Off
Player Roles: On
Progressive Fatigue: On
Trade Deadline: On
Trade Override: On
Allow CPU Trades: Off/On (will be turned on when only a few weeks from deadline to avoid too much trading)
Preseason Games: On
Injuries: On

Last edited by john26 on Tue Jan 31, 2012 10:00 am, edited 21 times in total.

Roster



Staff


Team Record

As of Nov 26, 2011
Win-Loss: 3-9
Overall: 28th
Power Ranking: 26th
Conference: T-13
Streak: Lost 1

Last edited by john26 on Tue Jan 10, 2012 8:25 pm, edited 8 times in total.

Games

'11-'12
Week 1 | Nov 1-5
Week 2 | Nov 6-12
Week 3 | Nov 13-19
Week 4 | Nov 20-26
Week 5 | Nov 27-Dec 3
Week 6 | Dec 4-10
Week 7 | Dec 11-17
Week 8 | Dec 18-24
Week 9 | Dec 25-31
Week 10 | Jan 1-7
Week 11 | Jan 8-14
Week 12 | Jan 15-21
Week 13 | Jan 22-28
Week 14 | Jan 29-Feb 4
Week 15 | Feb 5-11
Week 16 | Feb 12-18
Week 17 | Feb 19-25
Week 18 | Feb 26-Mar 3
Week 19 | Mar 4-10
Week 20 | Mar 11-17
Week 21 | Mar 18-24
Week 22 | Mar 25-31
Week 23 | Apr 1-7
Week 24 | Apr 8-14
Week 25 | Apr 15-20

Playoffs

Team News (Date is descending order)
Lakers trade disgruntled Odom for Raptors big man Bargnani

Raptors sign Rasual Butler

Raptors announce 2011-12 broadcast schedule

Offseason 2011
Butler spurns Clippers for Raptors
Raptors sign Chris Wilcox
Hornets send pick for Raptors' Weems

Raptors involve in three team final trade before the lockout

Around the League
November 2011

Colossus of Losses: The Story
Prologue
Chapter 1: I Bought A Billboard
Chapter 2: Hollywood
Chapter 3: Ankle Insurance
Chapter 4: Persona Non Grata


Player Reports
Linas Kleiza

Andrea Bargnani

Last edited by john26 on Sun Jan 29, 2012 4:09 pm, edited 13 times in total.

Prologue



Prudential Center, June 23. With the Raptors' on the clock to make their draft selection, newly hired executive vice president Jonathan Harring handed his envelope to commissioner Stern to announce the club's choice.

"With the 5th pick of the 2011 NBA draft, the Toronto Raptors select....Jonas Val...Valan.....Valanciu....,Jonas V. from Lithuania." David Stern announced as Raptors fans in the audience cringed watching the team pick their latest European prospect. Harring's phone rang. "Hello?"

"What the fuck are you doing?" On the other end of the line was his superior Bryan Colangelo. "Haven't you learned from my mistake?!!" Colangelo asked the young executive while reading an article from the latest issue of Women's Weekly, which read, "Bargnani announces new line of tampons".



"I'm not done yet. Just you wait....uhh gotta go," Harring quickly dismissed his GM. He then went to contact Minnesota GM David Kahn using the speed dial feature of his phone.

Moments later, Stern went back to the podium. "I'd like to announce a trade."

"Boo!!!!" Fans cheered wildly as the commissioner continued his announcement. "Toronto has traded the rights to Jonas V and an additional second round pick for 2012 to Minnesota for Wesley Johnson."

Harring went to the stage to get the Raptors cap from Valanciunas while Kahn was handing a Timberwolves cap to his newest player. As Harring shook Jonas' hand, he handed a piece of paper to the Lithuanian native. "Hey Jonas, one last thing. I got you some cue cards to help with your post draft interview. I know your nervous but this will help. Good luck." Lethal silence was all the response Harring got from Valanciunas.





Jonas Valanciunas' post draft conference to media

"So Jonas, which NBA player do you liken your game the most," a reporter asked.

"Uhhh, oh, Chris Bosh." Jonas answered, referring to the cue cards Harring gave him.

"Why is that?"

Jonas, still reading from the cue cards, replied with "I don't know, uhhh, I have.... not so strong body, very weak. I flop like bitch in playoffs and cry like pussy after a hard day of getting raped by Dirk."



"Hahaha! That was hilarious. Oh the hilarity," Colangelo told his young scapegoat on the phone after just watching the interview.

"Yeah, I---."

Colangelo interrupted, "Seriously, I was sweating like a $2 hooker in a church when Stern announced the pick. But watching that interview was priceless. I thought, "Holy shit, did we just hire Judd Apatow as our Executive VP". No way! Seriously, you just took comedy to a whole new level. That was pure genius."

"Well, I---,"

Colangelo's rant continued, "How did you come up with this? A true master stroke of comedy, and the way you put it in cue cards so he could say it. Oh c'mon, don't even be modest now. You know that was good!!"

"I know, yes, but---"

Colangelo couldn't be stopped, "When's your comedy central special being released dude?...Oh man, I'm just speechless. Truly, I have just witnessed greatness. Your mind is clearly unparalleled and you didn't even have him to explain the punchline. Monty Python would be jealous of that suggested humor! I am seeing a brand of comedy the likes of which I have never seen. We are in the midst of a prodigy here, we are in a new era of laughs."

"I'm glad you liked it," Harring responded. Colangelo, now being serious, remarked "But how are we gonna play Wesley Johnson?"

"Well, let me take care of that..." Harring hung up. On his home screen, the Ubersocial icon on his iPhone was glowing. It was sports columnist Adrian Wojnarowski.





The next day...

Derek Fisher was losing hair. He had spent the last few days in the boardroom, trying to strike a deal with the NBA owners and prevent an ugly lockout.

"We want more money," Celtics player rep Paul Pierce, who was sitting on a wheelchair, pitched to the owners. (They ran out of regular chairs as the Celtics sent two player reps, Pierce and KG.) Mark Cuban replied, "Shut up you little faker."

"Don't talk to my boy like that," Kevin Garnett answered back, coming over to fight the Mavericks owner. "Here, have a taste of my elbow." Garnett then threw his elbow to Cuban's face, and the negotiating session turned into a riot.



Meanwhile, Linas Kleiza, the Raptors' player rep, sat in a corner busy with his phone. He was a one man call center as Jonathan Harring, the Raptors executive, had all season ticket cancellations calls rerouted to Kleiza's phone. A call came. "Hello, Toronto Raptors season ticket cancellations personnel speaking."

"Linas, it's me, Jonathan. How's everything?"

"Oh hello sir. Everything's fine, I've talked to plenty of customers this morning. Maybe about---."

"Not about that. About the session."

"Uhhh, it looks like this thing is not going to be resolved any time soon...gotta go, I have a call waiting."

Harring then went to dial Geoff Petrie's, Sacramento Kings' GM, number. "Hello, Geoff. You got a deal..."

Raptors involve in three team final trade before the lockout.
The Toronto Raptors have agreed in principle with the Sacramento Kings and the Minnesota Timberwolves to a three team trade just before the July 1 deadline for a collective bargaining deal between the owners and players.

The Raptors have agreed to send the draft rights to Jonas Valanciunas, a '13 2nd round pick, and James Johnson to the Timberwolves for Wesley Johnson and Brad Miller's chair and headband. The Timberwolves will also receive a '13 first rounder from the Kings. Sacramento, meanwhile, will get Jose Calderon's contract and Solomon Alabi from the Raptors while sending Hassan Whiteside to Toronto. Valanciunas, who was taken with the 5th pick in the 2011 NBA Draft...(Read more)

I'm excited. Your other associations were excellent and the Raptors are a perennial association favorite. Holy fuck did Sacramento (and to a lesser extent, you) get fleeced in that deal.

I'm excited. Your other associations were excellent and the Raptors are a perennial association favorite. Holy fuck did Sacramento (and to a lesser extent, you) get fleeced in that deal.

Thanks man. Glad to have you on board.

Wesley Johnson can light it up in 2k thats for sure.

Chapter 1: I Bought a Billboard



It didn't take very long for the lockout to be resolved. By the 10th of October 2011, a deal was signed by both the players' and owners' side for a new collective bargaining agreement. Free agency opened 2 hours later and team facilities became available for training camp to commence. This allowed the season to start on time (Nov 1).

As the Raptors assembled for their first training camp session, newly hired coach Dwane Casey (former assistant to Rick Carlisle of Dallas Mavericks), was urging his players to follow the mantra 'Pound the Rock', meant to imbue the young team with the knowledge and confidence that if they keep plugging away, hammering away at the task at hand, steadfastly refusing to give up when all looks lost, eventually things will turn for the better.



The new mantra's words now adorn the walls of the teams' practice facility and are splashed across the doors of the exits of the locker room. The new mantra is notably different from center Andrea Bargnani's old self help mantras: 'Rebounding is for pussies' and 'I'll Rebound when you get a girlfriend'.

On the first day of training camp (Oct 12), Jonathan Harring went to see how the team was doing, per orders of general manager Bryan Colangelo. BC, as he was referred to by other internal personnel, was in his office contemplating on some roster moves in his head. These included: forcing Shaquille O'neal out of retirement and signing him to 6yr, $130 million max deal plus trade kicker, acquiring Mo Williams for Derozan/Weems/Davis and 2 first rounders, a contract extension for Andrea Bargnani, and more.

Notable highlights in the first day of training camp included Amir Abdul-Jabbar wiping his ass with the opposing frontline on 5-on-5 drills (the opposing frontline included Bargnani), and rebounds flying over Il Mago's (watch me, I'll make the ball disappear) head with mouth open. There was also a young Mexican (or so he says) fellow named Billy Bonkers (or so he says) in the facility who was running the practice gym on a gas generator. He was hired just a week ago as the Raptors' Assistant Director of Basketball Development. 



Harring having a word with the coach during a break in the action...

"Coach Dwane...Hey," Harring greeted the first year coach.

"Oh, hey Jon...uhhh this team put together is just turrible. We have a shooting guard who can't hit a 3 to save his life and a center who can't grabbed a rebound. I've never seen a team like this before in my career," Casey answered with a tired voice. Casey inquired, "Do we still have some money left for a few signings? I mean, you know, we really need to add to this team. I think a veteran presence who prides himself on defense would be a good addition." 

Harring thought for a moment. Someone who can play defense, and is a veteran? Caron Butler was a free agent. Having Butler in Toronto would be a perfect match, plus the Dallas connection between Casey and Butler would definitely help the Raptors prevent from three-peating as the league's worst defense (can you say three-peat?) He was already having orgasms in his head. "What about Caron Butler?" There was a catch though, yesterday afternoon Harring read a tweet from Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! that Butler was rumoured to be close to a deal with the LA Clippers.





The next day...

Butler spurns Clippers for Raptors
Free agent forward Caron Butler changed his mind Wednesday morning and decided not to join the Los Angeles Clippers, opting instead to accept a three-year $26 million offer from the Toronto Raptors, sources told ESPN.com.

The decision left the Clippers livid and was a huge coup for the Raptors, who have promised Butler a huge proportion of the salary-cap space they have, with ten percent annual raises.

Butler will make about $2 million more over the life of the contract than he would have made in LA, but a bigger reason for his change of heart, a source told ESPN.com, was his desire to play in Toronto, and his familiarity with the Eastern Conference after having spent the four and a half seasons with the Wizards. (Read more)

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Chandler inks 4yr, $58m contract with NYK
McGrady signs with Hawks for vet minimum
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Bibby signs with Knicks for 1yr, $1.4m

Raptors sign Chris Wilcox
The Toronto Raptors have agreed to terms with free agent big man Chris Wilcox for a 1 year contract. The deal is reportedly worth $793k.

Wilcox last played for Pistons and has career averages of 8.8 points, 5.1 rebounds and 0.4 blocks. (Read more)

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Hornets send pick for Raptors' Weems
The Toronto raptors announced today that they have acquired a 2012 2nd rounder from the New Orleans Hornets in exchange for swingman Sonny Weems. Last season, Weems averaged 9.2 points and 2.6 rebounds in 59 games. Weems missed a chunk of games due to a back injury, and was playing behind James Johnson late in the season.(Read more)

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Toronto held a press-conference/team party in a Tim Horton's coffee house near downtown Toronto to introduce Butler and their other signing, Chris Wilcox.



"Great success, everybody! Great success!" Harring proclaimed with both fists in the air, after presenting the new acquisitions to the media present. The media, predominantly composed of Americans, were harassing Butler with a few questions:

"How does it feel to play in a foreign country?"
"You know with going to a different country, there's more taxes here. Are you going to keep all your receipts to receive maximum benefits?"
"Do you know how much taxes you will have to pay?"
"Did you know it snows 13 months a year here?"

Butler, smart enough to not fall for any of the questions, responded, "What is it with taxes and weather? Is that the two main subject people talk about in Canada? We're here to talk about me, okay, signing with the Raptors..." Meanwhile, the reporters were giving Wilcox the silent treatment.

Standing in the back was Bryan Colangelo, who was not happy at all. Not because of the questions thrown at Butler, but because of the money the Raptors were squandering (talk about hypocrisy). Colangelo then sent a text message to Casey and Harring to meet him in the office next morning.


The next morning...

"Get up and get dressed, señor Jon. You got an appointment in the next half hour with señor Bryan," said Billy Bonkers, who also worked with the personal wake up service by day in the hotel Harring was staying.

"Uhh....My head hurts....oh it's you Billy....Uhh...what did we do last night?" asked Harring.

"If I remember correctly señor you were pretty baked when you said goodbye to us in the party after the presser, and had just eaten a bag of shrooms and three hits of acid. You were tripping pretty hard...here drink this." Bonkers had a glass of tap water in his hand and tried his best to get Harring out of his bed. After a few attempts, Bonkers was successful.

Just before taking a sip, Harring asked, "Hey what is this man?"

"Don't worry it's a Mexican sobering beverage, I learned to make from my father," Bonkers responded, already losing patience.

"Hey can you come with me in this meeting if you have nothing to do? That Colangelo guy creeps the shit out of me. He's got a fetish with Europeans or something. Did you know he pays the entire team in Euros?"....



Colangelo's office...

"Oh you better have a good reason for getting as out of bed this morning," Harring was angry that all the partying in Tim Horton's last night didn't get him any sleep.

Colangelo shot back, "I got a goddamn great reason for getting you out of bed this morning. This team is hemorrhaging money!" Colangelo paused, turning his attention on a stack of papers sitting on his desk: financial reports, bills, receipts, etc. "Your bleeding us to death. Especially with that team credit card you got."

"Gotta spend money to make money. Economics 101 dude. By the way, that is for important business expenses, Bryan. Everything on there is a business expense," Harring replied.

Colangelo questioned his crew, "Who spent $157,000 on 100000 large cups of coffee from Tim Horton's?"

"Right over here, slick," Casey owned up to the accusation. "I was thinking of different ways to solve Bargnani's rebounding and defense. Coffee helps me think. I am currently experiencing severe heart palpitations but since I drank all that coffee I should be able to unleash the inner Mutombo in him this season."

"Who spent $26 million on signing Caron Butler?" Colangelo asked another one.

Harring spoke, "Uhh, your Executive VP. Season is saved because of me. Don't thank me everyone."

"He's turning 32 with a month left in 2011. He's had knee troubles his entire career, he's coming off a torn left ACL setback, and he's averaged 58.2 games per season since 2006. Yeah sign that stuff up, dude! Great idea, Einstein." Colangelo remarked, in a cunning yet witty manner.

Colangelo continued, "Who spent $50k on gas? Since when did we run anything on gas here?"

Billy Bonkers, the immigrant from Mexico who now works as the Raptors' Assistant Director of Basketball Development and operates the Raptors' practice facility, responded, "Well, senor Bryan, it was my idea that to scale on energy costs I would fill up a generator to run the gym. Because electricity is so goddamn expensive man."

Colangelo, now furious, remarked, "Are you kidding me?! Gasoline is like a thousand times more expensive than electricity!...And who are you anyway? Do you work for the team?" Colangelo turned his attention towards Harring. "I mean why is this guy here in our meeting?"

"Hey hey, calm down. Don't be all up his grill. Billy, here, has been part of our team for about a week now. He's from Mexico, moved all the way to north of the border by himself to provide a better life for his family." Harring backed up his Mexican buddy.

"Yeah right, so the point here is, Bryan, that these are all important business expenses. Some are definitely more realistic than others..." Casey added while giving Harring a pat on the shoulder, "But, nonetheless, it was, I believe, bought as a business expense."
Colangelo disagreed. "But they're not COST EFFECTIVE business expenses. What I bought IS a cost effective business expense. What I bought is gonna save our asses."

"Okay," said Bonkers.
"Yeah all right," said Harring.
"Whatcha got?" asked Casey.
"I bought a billboard..."

The new look Toronto skyline

Last edited by john26 on Tue Dec 20, 2011 6:08 am, edited 7 times in total.

Wesley Johnson can light it up in 2k thats for sure.

I agree, he's got a good release, quick first step. Seems like a good player to use in game.

So, about the association, the first chapter seems pretty bad. I had a difficutly introducing the new character. But I have an idea for this character, and this will appear again in later chapters.

not a fan of trading Valanciunas away, that guy will be awesome in the near future. Anyways, good luck with this association

Raptors Announce 2011-12 Broadcast Schedule
The Toronto Raptors announced Wednesday their broadcast schedule for the 2011-12 NBA season. All 82 regular season contests will be broadcast in High Definition (HD) and televised nationally for a sixth consecutive season. This also marks the 10th straight campaign that the entire regular season schedule will be aired locally.

TSN and TSN2 will televise 37 Raptors contests across Canada during the 2011-12 season. TSN’s first broadcast will be from Dallas on Friday, November 7, when the Raptors host the defending NBA Champion Mavericks. TSN will also feature Steve Nash's lone visit to Canada of the season on Wednesday, November 16. Other highlights on TSN include Sunday, February 5 at Miami and Tuesday, December 13 versus the Los Angeles Lakers.

TSN2 will carry 11 games from Air Canada Centre and eight road contests. Marquee match-ups on TSN2 include Tuesday, February 14 against Derrick Rose and the Chicago Bulls, Sunday, January 22 from Los Angeles as the Raptors face Blake Griffin and the Clippers, and Friday, December 2 for the lone Air Canada Centre visit by the Miami Heat.

TSN will also carry the conference finals and select playoff games, NBA All-Star Weekend coverage, including the 61st annual All-Star Game on February 26 from Amway Center in Orlando and exclusive Canadian coverage of the NBA Finals.

Veteran play-by-play voice Matt Devlin will call all the action for a fourth season. He will be joined by former NBA first-round draft pick Leo Rautins for broadcasts on Sportsnet and Sportsnet ONE and “The Coach” Jack Armstrong on TSN and TSN2 telecasts.

Sportsnet 590 The FAN will once again be the radio home for Raptors broadcasts. For a seventh season Paul Jones will handle the play-by-play duties with Eric Smith serving as the analyst.

The complete 2011-12 Raptors television broadcast schedule is attached.(Read more)

November | December | January | February | March | April (click the links to view schedule)

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not a fan of trading Valanciunas away, that guy will be awesome in the near future. Anyways, good luck with this association

Thanks a lot man

Raptors Can't Claw Back Against Sixers In Opener
Nov 2, 2011

Recap | Team Stats | Highlights

It was over when...
Andrea Bargnani's first game as Toronto's sixth man wasn't quite a success. The Raptors headed to the second half trailing by a basket after Wesley Johnson hit a 3 to beat the buzzer in the first half. In a game where the Raptors could never quite gain a foothold and use a run to build a lead, Leandro Barbosa hit another three in the 3:20 mark of the third frame to cut the Sixers' lead 61-59.

But they could never get any closer as Jrue Holiday and the visitors answered with a 12-5 run to end the quarter. Holiday continued to spark the Sixers' offense to start the fourth, scoring 6 straight points and the Raptors eventually surrendered in their home opener.

The Game Changer(s)...
Not a brilliant shooting night from the three point land for Jrue Holiday (0-4), but he finished the game with 20 points and 3 assists to spearhead a crucial Philadelphia run.

Rookie Nikola Vucevic out of USC finished with 12 points and 10 rebounds for the Sixers. The 6-foot-10, 240-pound junior forward is a multi-talented big man who demonstrates a great feel for the game and can score both inside and outside.

The Underrated Raptor...
Ed Davis started in center instead of Andrea Bargnani, while Amir Johnson manned the 4. Davis played only 26 minutes but managed to score 7 points and grab 6 boards. Under the guidance of defensive-minded rookie coach Dwane Casey, Davis' production look to increase alongside an increase in minutes.

Sustaining the level of play as a consistent double double threat for four quarters consistently remains the goal. But he certainly did his part early on Wednesday.

That's A Rap...
"We always had the opportunity to make a run but we never did. I think you saw first game jitters, guys rushing shots. The first brushstrokes of the season have been drawn. There are only 81 more chances to get a perfect picture. Snapshots are dated the moment after you take them. Identity is forged over the long term."
Caron Butler, on his first game as a Raptor. Butler finished with 12 points and 2 steals in his debut.

Injury Update
Leandro Barbosa - Twisted Ankle, Day-to-day

SCORES
Philadelphia, 93 - Iguodala 22, Holiday 20, Turner 10, Vucevic 10, Young 10, L. Williams 7,

Toronto, 78 - W. Johnson 17, DeRozan 16, Bayless 14, Butler 12, Davis 7, Barbosa 6, Bargnani 3, A. Johnson 2, Whiteside 1

By quarter: 24-16, 21-27, 24-19, 24-16

TOP PERFORMERS

Toronto
W. Johnson: 17 pts/7 reb/2-4 3PT
DeRozan: 16 pts/5 reb/1 stl/1 blk
Bayless: 14 pts/6 ast/6-10 FG/2-3 3PT

Philadelphia
Iguodala: 22 pts/9 reb/6 ast/7-12 FG
Vucevic: 10 pts/12 reb
Young: 10 pts/6 reb/3 stl/1 blk

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Nov 4, 2011 • Raptors 87, Cavaliers 81
RAPTORS HI POINTS: Barbosa 24 | REBOUNDS: Davis 11 | ASSISTS: Davis 3
CAVALIERS HI POINTS: Sessions 17 | REBOUNDS: Varejao 9 | ASSISTS: Irving 3

Leandro Barbosa scored a game high 24 points and the Toronto Raptors claimed their first victory of the season, a win against the Cleveland Cavaliers in Quicken Loans Arena. Second year player Ed Davis from UNC added 5 points and 11 boards for Toronto.

RECORD: 1-1
NEXT GAME: @ Timberwolves

Timberwolves, Beasley look solid in 98-82 win over Raptors
Nov 5, 2011

Recap | Team Stats (N/A) | Highlights

It was over when...
Minnesota started strong and took an 11-point advantage at halftime. Balanced scoring led by Michael Beasley (22 points) pushed the deficit 76-52 after three quarters. However the Raptors battled back to cut the lead 81-72 early in the fourth quarter. The 20-5 Raptors' run was sparked by DeMar DeRozan, who finished with a game high 26 points, and prompted T'Wolves coach Don Nelson to put his starters back in the game. Ricky Rubio easily snuffed out the rally with a long jumper and the Wolves held on for their third straight win.

The Game Changer(s)...
The Timberwolves' frontcourt combination of Kevin Love and James Johnson combined for 18 rebounds as the Wolves outrebounded the visitors, 45-28.

The Underrated Raptor...
Saturday's result was an unfortunate end to an otherwise brilliant night for DeMar DeRozan, who finished with his best overall performance of the season (26 points, 10-21 FGM-A, three rebounds, and four steals).

Only three of his attempts were three-pointers and the majority of his damage came courtesy of his athleticism and strong finishing ability at the rim. Saturday's performance now brings the former USC standout up to an average of 17.3 ppg over his last three contests.

That's A Rap...
"We were a little sloppy with the basketball. A lot of it is us not getting into our sets. Trying to groom two guys who aren't traditional point guards to play the point and try to get us into stuff. It's going to be a tough learning curve with those guys for a little bit. Defensively it takes five guys to play and if we have two guys good on the ball and somebody's not off the ball -- a good team like this makes you pay of for that."

- Dwane Casey, on the loss to the Timberwolves

Injury Update
Leandro Barbosa - Twisted Ankle, Day-to-day

SCORES
Toronto, 82 - DeRozan 26, W. Johnson 16, Barbosa 16, Butler 12, Bayless 6, Davis 4, Bargnani 2

Minnesota, 98 - Beasley 22, Rubio 12, Ridnour 12, Randolph 12, M. Lee 7, Webster 7, D. Williams 7, Johnson 6, Love 6, Ellington 5, Milicic 2

By quarter: 18-26, 19-22, 15-28, 30-22

TOP PERFORMERS

Toronto
DeRozan: 26 pts/3 reb/4 stl
W. Johnson: 16 pts/5 reb
Barbosa: 16 pts/1 stl/6-7 FG/2-3 3PT

Minnesota
Beasley: 22 pts/6 reb/10-12 FG/2-2 3PT
Rubio: 12 pts/2 reb/3 ast/1 stl
Ridnour: 12 pts/8 ast

RECORD: 1-2
NEXT GAME: v Mavericks

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Last edited by john26 on Wed Dec 28, 2011 9:05 pm, edited 4 times in total.

Liking the recap style. The posting of the game's NBA headlines is also a nice touch I might have to rip off.

I'm sure the team will lift off sooner or later

Mavs unstoppable down the stretch in Toronto
Nov 7, 2011

Recap | Team Stats | Highlights

It was over when...
The Raptors trailed by as much as 75-62 in the final quarter. DeRozan converted a dunk on the break plus the bonus foul shot to spark a 13-2 run for the Raptors. The run was capped off by a running hook from Ed Davis and an off balance jumper by Wes Johnson to beat the shot clock and cut the deficit 77-75.

After the Mavs called a timeout to regroup, both teams exchanged free throws. With the Mavs leading 83-79 and the ball in Toronto's hands, Vince Carter sent Jerryd Bayless to the line. Bayless would knock the first one, but couldn't can the second, pressure packed free throw as the Mavs held Toronto scoreless for the final 30 seconds of the game.

The Game Changer(s)...
Former Raptor Vince Carter, who by pure coincidence always has his good games in Toronto, came off the bench for his new team to contribute 21 points and 6 rebounds. Carter's contribution was crucial for Dallas, as Dirk Nowitzki and Jason Kidd had off shooting nights (combining for 9-25 FG and 0-5 3PT).

The Underrated Raptor...
A nice bounce back game for Ed Davis after a handful of quieter efforts of late. With power forward Andrea Bargnani playing off the bench, Davis logged the lion's share of frontcourt minutes with 32.

He showed some nice poise in the fourth quarter, converting a running hook over Nowitzki to pull the Raptors, trailing 77-73. He also logged his second double-double of the season, with 10 points and 11 boards. The 11 rebounds were a season high for Ed.

That's A Rap...
"I mean, tough sequence for us. They got some free throws, some major points out of that. Sometimes calls are going to be made like that. We've got to play through it."

- DeMar DeRozan, on the Raptors only getting to the line 22 times compared to the Mavs' 33. 

Injury Update
Leandro Barbosa - Twisted Ankle, Day-to-day 

SCORES
Dallas, 87 - Carter 21, Terry 19, Nowitzki 14, Kidd 12, Marion 8, Haywood 4, Douglas-Roberts 4, Brewer 3, Stevenson 2, 

Toronto, 80 - W. Johnson 20, DeRozan 19, Bayless 10, Davis 10, A. Johnson 6, Butler 6, Bargnani 5, Barbosa 4

By quarter: 23-22, 23-16, 19-19, 22-23 

TOP PERFORMERS

Toronto
W. Johnson: 20 pts/8 reb/3 ast
DeRozan: 19 pts/6 reb/4 ast/7-14 FG
Davis: 10 pts/11 reb/2 stl/1 blk

Dallas
Carter: 21 pts/6 reb/2 ast/6-7 FT
Terry: 19 pts/3 stl
Marion: 8 pts/9 reb/3 stl/2 blk

RECORD: 1-3
NEXT GAME: v Clippers

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Nov 9, 2011 • Clippers 69, Raptors 68
CLIPPERS HI POINTS: Paul 17 | REBOUNDS: Griffin 10 | ASSISTS: Billups 6
RAPTORS HI POINTS: Barbosa 11 | REBOUNDS: A. Johnson 9 | ASSISTS: A. Johnson 3

The Raptors suffered a heartbreaking 1 point loss in their own homecourt against the Clippers, with newly acquired Clipper Chris Paul leading the charge. Paul had 17 points, 4 rebounds, 1 assist and 2 steals in his debut.

RECORD: 1-4
NEXT GAME: @ Grizzlies

DeRozan helps Raptors outlast Grizzlies
Nov 12, 2011

Recap | Team Stats | Highlights

It was over when...
Trailing 84-77 with 4 minutes to play, the Grizzlies, led by Zach Randolph and Rudy Gay, went on a 6-0 scoring spurt to trim the deficit to 1. Caron Butler, who finished with 16 points, answered with a driving layup to put his team up 86-83. After Memphis missed on the next possession, Wesley Johnson drove to the lane to force the defense to collapse and dished it to DeMar DeRozan who knocked down the elbow jumper to seal the game.

The Game Changer(s)...
It wasn't the most efficient night from the floor for DeMar DeRozan (12-30 FGM-A), but he was big in the fourth quarter of Saturday''s win with nine of his game-high 28 points.

His elbow jumper mentioned earlier kept the Grizzlies at bay and he added a pair of free throws from there to give his team a much-needed confidence boost in terms of closing one out. Also impressive was his 7 rebounds -- up from his season average of 3.8 per game and his highest total for the season.

The Underrated Raptor...
The small-forward duo of Wes Johnson and Caron Butler were simply scorching in the second half. Wes finished with an impressive stat line of 22 points, 11 rebounds, 5 assists, 5 steals and a block on 8 for 11 shooting, while Caron Butler had 16 points and 4 assists of the bench. Butler's 16 is a season high.

The production of Johnson and Butler helped the Raptors stay alive as Toronto struggled to get production from guards Jerryd Bayless and Leandro Barbosa, who shot 4-18 from the field combined and 1-9 from 3.  

That's A Rap...
"I think more just taking him out of his comfort zone. I tried to force him out and send him to his left hand and get him to do some things he doesn’t like to do."

- Ed Davis on defending Marc Gasol. The Spaniard was held to a quiet 8 points and 6 rebounds. 

SCORES
Toronto, 95 - DeRozan 28, W. Johnson 22, Butler 16, Davis 8, Bargnani 6, Bayless 5, Barbosa 5, A. Johnson 5

Memphis, 89 - Gay 28, Randolph 20, Conley 13, Mayo 9, Gasol 8, Young 6, Arthur 4, Allen 1

By quarter: 29-22, 21-17, 15-22, 30-28

TOP PERFORMERS

Toronto
DeRozan: 28 pts/7 reb
W. Johnson: 22 pts/11 reb/5 ast/5 stl/1 blk/8-11 FG
Bargnani: 6 pts/7 reb/3 blk

Memphis
Gay: 28 pts/10 reb/12-20 FG/4 stl
Randolph: 20 pts/12 reb/1 stl/1 blk
Conley: 13 pts/9 reb/6 ast

RECORD: 2-4
NEXT GAME: @ Thunder

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Last edited by john26 on Wed Dec 28, 2011 9:08 pm, edited 4 times in total.

Liking the recap style. The posting of the game's NBA headlines is also a nice touch I might have to rip off.

Haha thanks man. I'd like to see it too in your future assoc.

I'm sure the team will lift off sooner or later

Wassup bro nice to see you following another assoc of mine.

So, I'm still trying to figure out the best way to put my highlights. Maybe via My2K account, but I can't get it to connect. Once I got this sorted, hopefully I'll be able to post some highlights.

Raptors Player Card | Linas Kleiza

Position: SF-PF

By The Numbers:
2010-11 | 11.0 ppg, 1.0 apg, 4.5 rpg

Scouting Report:
- Spot up shooter who runs hot and cold
- Classic tweener who doesn't excel playing either forward position: his post game is good but not great, and he has slow feet. Also not a playmaker
- Needs to work on the fundamentals: has trouble catching and dribbling the ball

It was a forgettable year for Linas Kleiza last season, who, before going down with a serious knee injury, was running at a career-low PER of 10.1 and had trouble staying in the starting lineup. The Raptors struggled in finding a use for their big free agent acquisition, as his advertised strength of being a 3/4 tweener was working against him because he was being challenged too frequently on the perimeter, and was only making 29.8% of his threes.

Many areas of his game needs to be tightened before he can become more than just a role player. First, he needs to work on fundamentals such as catching and dribbling the ball. His hands were as greasy as a 16-yr old's right after a late night internet porn session. The Raptors pushed the ball often last season (2nd in fastbreak points) and this didn't work well with Kleiza's slow feet and often resulted on him turning the rock over on some wide open fastbreak opportunities. He also has trouble creating his own shot with the ball in his hands and is better suited standing in the corner spotting up. His lack of fundamentals resulted in a career high 1.7 TOs per game (26.5 mins a night).

As I'm sure Raptors fans are well aware of, Kleiza doesn't play defense particularly well. Check that, he plays no defense. He doesn't have the quickness to keep up with perimeter players. But he's a tough player who can score in bunches and jump start a stagnant offense off the bench.

Spin:
Kleiza (knee) is still about one to two months away from playing in games, the Toronto Sun reports. Kleiza underwent microfracture surgery on his right knee in February, and his projected recovery and rehab time after surgery was nine to 12 months. Considering that projection, Kleiza is still very much on schedule with his rehab. Unfortunately, it's unlikely that he'll be healthy enough and in good enough shape to contribute much this season. Things aren't going to get any better this season, as he works his way back from February microfracture surgery on his right knee. If he plays at all, it won't be until later in the season and likely in very limited minutes.

Career night for Ibaka as Thunder trash Raptors
Nov 13, 2011

Recap | Team Stats | Highlights

It was over when...
The Thunder were all business early on with Kevin Durant already in double figures in the first half. The Raptors allowed OKC to score 75 points in the first half and by then, found themselves trailing by 24 points. A mini run from the second unit led by Caron Butler and Andrea Bargnani (who looked like he shook off his shooting funk by draining four three pointers) trimmed the margin into 16 heading into the fourth, but that was all the Raptors had.

The Game Changer(s)...
It was a career night for Serge Ibaka as the Congo native scored 32 points and grabbed a career high 21 rebounds. The Raptors had no match for Ibaka's size in the middle and every Thunder miss seemed to land into his hands. Rebounding still became a problem for the Raptors in the game, as the Thunder finished with 62 team rebounds.

The Underrated Raptor...
With his backcourt partner Ed Davis plagued by foul trouble early in the game, Amir Johnson picked up the slack and flirted with a double-double to the tune of 11 points and team high 8 rebounds. The 6-9, 235 pound Johnson was big in the Raptors' play in the third frame, as they outscored their hosts out of halftime, 35-27.

Meanwhile, Caron Butler led the charge of the second unit despite the losing effort. Butler showed his versatility on both ends of the floor, contributing 13/6/5 and holding Kevin Durant to 5-19 shooting for the rest of the night after Durant hit his first five shots.

That's A Rap...
"They were better than we were tonight; bottom line. We didn’t shoot the ball as well as we could...I thought we had good looks. I thought they took us a little deeper and changed up their coverages, but we still had pretty decent looks for the most part, the right guys were shooting the basketball."

- Dwane Casey reflecting on the team's loss 

SCORES
Toronto 106 - W. Johnson 24, DeRozan 16, Bayless 16, Butler 13, Bargnani 12, A. Johnson 11, Barbosa 8, Davis 6

Oklahoma City 131 - Ibaka 32, Durant 27, Harden 20, Westbrook 15, Robinson 12, Sefalosha 7, Perkins 5, Cook 4, Jo. Howard 4, Collison 3, R. Jackson 2

By quarter: 16-35, 35-40, 35-27, 20-29

TOP PERFORMERS

Toronto
W. Johnson: 24 pts/1 blk/7-11 FT
DeRozan: 16 pts/4 reb/7 ast/1 stl/1 blk
Bayless: 16 pts/5 reb/6 ast

Oklahoma City
Ibaka: 32 pts/21 reb/2 stl/1 blk/14-17 FG
Durant: 27 pts/10 reb/2 stl/3 blk
Harden: 20 pts/5 reb/5 stl/9-11 FG

RECORD: 2-5
NEXT GAME: v Suns

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Nash hits game winning three to sink Raptors in home country
Nov 16, 2011

Recap | Team Stats (N/A) | Highlights (coming soon) 

It was over when...
Steve Nash's lone visit of the season to his home country couldn't be better: down by 9 with 4 and a half minutes to play, the Suns closed the game outscoring the Raptors 21 to 11.

After Ed Davis hit a short jumper from the post to extend the Raptors lead, 78-71, Grant Hill answered with a three ball and a long two to make it a one possession game. Jerryd Bayless countered with a three pointer from the top of the key, but the Suns' shooting were too much to handle for the Raptors as Mickael Pietrus, Nash and Aaron Brooks each hit a three and found themselves being down by just a basket with 44 seconds to play. DeMar DeRozan's running jumper bounced off the rim and this setup Nash for a final three pointer which he hit while having Caron Butler's hand in his face.

The Raptors had the final shot with 5.2 seconds left. Amir Johnson's layup hit only the front of the rim, and DeMar DeRozan's putback attempt was blocked by Marcin Gortat.

The Game Changer(s)...
Nash may have drained the game winning shot, but it was Aaron Brooks who was instrumental in the last moments of the game. Phoenix's last 21 points included 5 three pointers, 2 of which came from Brooks. The Suns ended the game hitting 11 of 17 shots from downtown.

The Underrated Raptor...
Caron Butler's play off the bench was solid if unspectacular. The 6-7 guard/forward scored 14 points off the bench (12 in the second half), grabbed 3 rebounds, and added an assist and a steal. Butler was crucial for the Raptors as they built their lead coming out of halftime. He also tried to keep the Suns at bay, by hitting two three pointers in the fourth, one of them coming off a fastbreak.

That's A Rap...
"It's just one of those shots and it went in. When I released it I thought that it was kind of long. It didn't feel right coming off. I'll take it."

- Steve Nash on his game-winning three pointer 

SCORES
Phoenix, 84 - Hill 21, Brown 15, Pietrus 11, Nash 10, Brooks 9, Gortat 9, Frye 5, M. Morris 4

Toronto, 83 - W. Johnson 18, DeRozan 18, Davis 16, Butler 12, Bayless 9, A. Johnson 4, Barbosa 2, Whiteside 2

By quarter: 24-15, 21-26, 14-19, 25-23

TOP PERFORMERS

Toronto
DeRozan: 18 pts/7 reb/3 ast/2 stl/1 blk/1-2 FG
W. Johnson: 18 pts/5 reb/7-13 FG/2-4 3PT
Davis: 16 pts/7 reb/2 stl/2 blk/7-10 FG

Phoenix
Hill: 21 pts/5 reb/6-12 FG/8-9 FT
Nash: 10 pts/4 reb/7 ast
M. Morris: 4 pts/8 reb/6 ast

RECORD: 2-6
NEXT GAME: v Bucks

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Nov 18, 2011 • Bucks 95, Raptors 89
BUCKS HI POINTS: Jackson 24 | REBOUNDS: Bogut 11 | ASSISTS: Jennings 9
RAPTORS HI POINTS: Bargnani 18 | REBOUNDS: Davis 9 | ASSISTS: Bargnani 3

The Bucks bounce back from a heartbreaking 98-97 loss against the Timberwolves with a win against the Raptors on the road. Stephen Jackson scored 24 to lead the attack for Milwaukee

RECORD: 2-7
NEXT GAME: @ Celtics

Last edited by john26 on Wed Dec 28, 2011 9:09 pm, edited 2 times in total.

OMG Ibaka could not be stopped. And more losses piling up

IBAKA!

Ibaka just used some of that Shaq Kazaam magic

OMG Ibaka could not be stopped. And more losses piling up

IBAKA!

Ibaka just used some of that Shaq Kazaam magic

Yeah it was hard playing against this guy, I could not get a rebound. Anyways, story time.

Chapter 2: Hollywood

Team practice for Raptors...coming off a blowout loss against the Thunder

"You pussies call that defense? Everybody, 100 suicides now!!...nobody EVER drags their feet on D under my watch," Casey screamed at the top of his lungs. "NOW!!!" Running suicides had never been part of team practices for the Raptors, so players who were with the team last year (DeRozan, Amir, Bayless, Davis, etc) looked confused and had forgotten how to do it (from their old teams). Luckily, veteran Caron Butler was there to remind them how suicides worked.

After running some 20 suicides, some of the players were tired. "Why are you riding me like a donkey?" asked Bayless, who only thought about himself as he did on the court. "I'd like to see you do half of this shit you making us do, coach," remarked Davis. For some, the thirst was starting to kick in. DeRozan, referring to assistant coach Alvin Williams, wanted to quench his thirst. "I need a drink. Yo Alvin, pass me that gator--"

Before he could finish his sentence, Casey interrupted, "NO!! Drop that bottle of gatorade...DeMar, you are not a beautiful and unique snowflake. You are the same decaying organic matter as everyone else on this team, and you all are part of the same compost pile...so that means additional 50 suicides for everybody." The entire team groaned. "Great going, buddy."

"Where's Andrea?" Casey asked. He hadn't noticed that Bargnani was missing until now. 

DeRozan replied, "I bet all those bricks he had been throwing up came back and knocked him on the head." Bargnani had been shooting 2-18 from the three point land and averaging career lows of 4.5 points and 2.8 rebounds. His agent has also been constantly in contact with Casey, for sliding Bargnani into a less prominent role.

90 minutes into practice, Bargnani finally arrived. "Doctor's  note. Can't practice, coach. I have a heart condition. I don't have one."

"Well fuck me with an orange pencil then..." Casey examined the piece of paper that Bargnani handed to him. "Interesting doctor you got. Not many doctors write on three hole paper. Pardon my Italian, but vaffanculo a Lei, la sua moglie, e' la sua madre. Lei e' un cafone stronzo. Vada via in culo! (You, sir, go fuck yourself--and your wife and your mother. You are a turd! Fuck you!)"



Meanwhile in Lakerland...



The Lakers were also holding their own team practice that day. New coach Mike Brown was preaching some new strategies that he used to achieve success while in Cleveland with LeBron James.

"Ok guys, I wanna tell you 'bout this new secret play we'll be using...It's called Kobe iso..."

Bryant didn't seem to like Brown's suggestion. "Nigga please."

"Here's how it goes...wait a minute...the fuck's up with Lamar?!? Damnit Lamar get over here!" Lamar was on the sidelines memorizing the script for the next episode of his show, "Khloe and Lamar". Lamar had expressed his displeasure with the Lakers after the failure of the front office to trade him, first to Hornets then to Mavericks, both of which were blocked by David Hitler, er I mean, Stern.

Andrew Bynum called out his teammate. "You still doing that show, Lam. Nigga I seen better acting in pornos." Bynum's words weren't well received by Lamar. "What did you say? You dissin my show nigga? I don't see how you can hate me from where you standing..you don't even have a show yourself."

Next minute the two were exchanging blows and neither team captain Bryant nor Brown could stop it. Fortunately, Metta World Peace was around to calm everybody down. By the time Peace had sorted Odom and Bynum out, there were reporters and cameras rolling outside. This had Odom leaving the practice. "Fuck this shit, practice is over for me...I'm Hollywood, I don't want to be where I'm not wanted...Trade me or trade me," were his last words before he headed for the exit where the cameras were waiting.



Odom's little altercation with Bynum in their last practice was quickly publicised and this gave Bryan Colangelo an idea. With his ass on the line for the failure of the Bargnani experiment, he was in his office drafting a 57 page letter for Lakers GM Mitch Kupchak explaining why his team should trade Lamar Odom to the Raptors for Andrea Bargnani. In it, he mainly emphasized how Bargnani would be a deadly offensive weapon for the Lakers. LA would have Gasol and Bryant doing their own thing and then as the defense goes to collapse, they would pass it to Bargnani who would be waiting for the ball at the top of the key.

Jonathan Harring walked inside his office. "Uh you needed me?"

"Yeah yeah, I got to go to a meeting. Anyway, I want you to type out this letter for a trade proposal and email it to Mitch Kupchak. That's K-u-p-c-h-a-k in my contacts list. He's the Lakers' GM" Colangelo was just putting his finisihing touches on the handwritten letter.

Harring saw how thick the entire document was. "Are you on crack? I'm not gonna type up that thing. That's like a book you got there."

"Well I don't think you have a choice. Type this or your fired. Anyway I'm going." Colangelo said before grabbing his suitcase and coat to leave.

"Damn...wait, this won't work," Harring was reading the letter. "This guy must be dreaming...I got to make a few changes" he then went to type a short e-mail and sent it to Kupchak.

Subject: Trade Proposal for Lamar Odom
From: Bryan Colangelo (imurdaddy@gmail.com)
Message:
Interested in Lamar Odom. Bargnani for Odom swap? Let me know...

xoxo
̶Gossip Girl c/o Bryan Colangelo

 

Subject: Re: Trade Proposal for Lamar Odom
From: Mitch Kupchak (kupchak@lakers.com)
Message:
lol wtf that doesn't even work with cap rules. we're over the hard cap so can't take extra salary. i'll talk to you again when you make salaries work...

 

lmao! Where do you come up with this? That lakerland section was comedy!