Asdf's RaptorsDynasty: A dynasty no more

[Its_asdf]

Raptor Monthly Report Card

A: Fantastic. This player has exceeded expectations and is doing very well.
B: Solid player. This player has done very well and has lived up to expectations or is doing slightly better than expected.
C: A little below average. This player has a slight dip in numbers, but it isn't a really big deal.
D: Below average. This player hasn't been doing what he's supposed to be doing and he's kind of crap.
F: Absolute garbage. This player has been given the minutes, but just never does anything right. It's rare for a player to get as bad as this.

Centers
R. Araujo (C-) The Brazilian beast isn't really doing too much of anything with averages of 4.3 points per game and 3 rebounds per game. A 10 point performance in San Antonio was decent, but he only picked up two rebounds that game.

D. Davis (D+) Dale Davis isn't what he used to be, and its pretty obvious that he was picked up for his expiring 9 million dollar contract. He averaged 4 points per game and 3.7 rebounds per game in about 12 minutes per game.

L. Woods (C-) The third center, and the second C- we gave out. Loren hasn't really done much of anything either, but has logged some minutes from time to time. The acquisition of Davis doesn't help his chances of getting more playing time though.

Power Fowards
C. Bosh (A) The second year youngster has stepped up his play nicely since the absence of Carter, getting 19 points a night and snagging down 7 rebounds per game and dishing out 3 assists as well. Bosh isn't a pushover on defence either, averaging 1.75 blocks and shoots with efficiency (60% from the field).

D. Marshall (C+) This 3-point shooting veteran seems to have lost his touch, shooting only 35% from the field and 17% from three. He does average 8.5 points and 6 rebounds coming off the bench though, but he just wasn't as solid as he's expected to be.

M. Bonner(C) Bonner isn't getting too many minutes with Marshall coming off the bench, but he does show some signs of life with 3.8 points per game and 4.8 rebounds per game in 12 minutes a night. Even though he's known for his exellent perimeter shooting, his percentage isn't too good for a power foward at 43%.

A. Williams(?) Hasn't even played a game yet, so we've yet to see what he can do.

P. Sow(?) Yet another player who hasn't played, Sow looks like he isn't getting many minutes soon.

Small Fowards
E. Williams (B-) Another solid player off the bench, but since the Smith trade its not very clear as to whether he'll be starting or not. His offensive production is somewhat below average at 8 points per game, and his rebounding is sub-par at 2.8 a night, but thats expected. When he does shoot, you should expect that it goes in more than half the time since his field goal percentage is 57%.

K. Brown (B+) If you guys think we're off our rockers, then you probably haven't seen this kid play. Brown has scored in double figures for two straight games off the bench and he'll gobble up Eric William's playing time if he's not too careful, because Kedrick is averaging 8 points and 2.8 rebounds while shooting 37% from three. Not bad for someone who was considered a bust with only athleticsm throughout his whole career.

Shooting Guards
J. Rose (A-) Another player whos stepped up dramatically after the Vince Carter trade. Jalen Rose doesn't seem too overpaid anymore and is back to his versatile ways as he pumps out 19 points, 4.8 rebounds and 5.8 assists a night while shooting a solid 47% from the field and 36% from three point land.

J.R. Smith (B-) From what we've seen in New Orleans, this kid can light up the scoreboards and dunk like the best of them. Think of him as a substitute for Vince Carter.

Point Guards
R. Alston (B-) Rafer is pretty much doing what he was doing with Miami, but he's shooting 57% from the field and 55% from three and dishing out 6.5 assists.

M. Palacio (D) It can be hard to tell if Milt is even on the floor or not, because he just doesn't do anything to catch your attention. Can't really blame him though, because Jalen Rose will occasionally play the point when Rafer is taking a rest.

[Its_asdf]

I know you from .org, but I didn't know you had a dynasty.
Your recaps are good reads, not as boring/serious as nba.com's, I wish I could write them like that (no talent at all+language barrier), I'll stick to graphics.
I admit I haven't read everything in this thread, because in the beginning there was so much text, probably some old stuff from your dynasty on .org.
Nice trade too, JR Smith is pretty underrated, everybody hops on the Josh Smith bandwagon lately, but I still think JR has a better future (and jumpshot too ).

Thanks Ceekay, compliments are that much bigger coming from somoene who makes such a good dynasty

[Its_asdf]

Toronto Raptors (1-3) vs Memphis Grizzlies (3-1) Preview

The Toronto Raptors will hope to get a 2 game losing streak out of their system, which included an overtime heartbreaker to San Antonio. Chris Bosh and Jalen Rose paced the Raptors with 20 points each as they visit the Memphis Grizzlies in the FedEx Forum, who are coming off of a recent win.

Toronto felt like they needed to shake things up as they sent veteran Morris Peterson and disgruntled foward Lamond Murray to New Orleans in exchange for explosive rookie J.R. Smith and veteran Dale Davis. Sam Mitchell, the Raptors head coach, was extremely pleased with what J.R. has been doing in practice and has decided to start him over the veteran Eric Williams.

"I think he's got some serious potential," explained Mitchell. "I've decided not to start Eric Williams since he is a more reliable defender and he brings a lot of hustle off the bench, and thats something that we definitely need, not necessarily because J.R. is better."

Memphis has been doing pretty well without starting power foward Pau Gasol, but the Grizzlies have recently placed Stromile Swift for day-to-day due to some back problems, but he should be coming off the bench. Mike Miller and Jason Williams have both stepped up greatly for the injured Gasol, both averaging 20.8 and 17.5 points per game respectively.

Starting 5

C - R. Araujo(4.3ppg, 3rpg) vs L. Wright(8.5ppg, 11.8rpg)

PF - C. Bosh(19ppg, 7rpg) vs B. Cardinal(10ppg, 7.3rpg)

SF - J. Rose(18.6ppg, 5.8apg) vs S. Battier(14.8ppg, 6.5rpg)

SG - J.R. Smith(11.1ppg, 2.9rpg) vs M. Miller(20.8ppg, 4.5apg)

PG - R. Alston(10.3ppg, 6.5apg) vs J. Williams(17.5ppg, 6.8apg)

Key Matchup

PG - R. Alston(10.3ppg, 6.5apg) vs J. Williams(17.5ppg, 6.8apg)
Jason Williams has been on fire lately, and Rafer Alston must do whatever he can possible to slow him down and make him take contested jump shots, but Rafer Alston also has been shooting the ball equally well and has been able to find his teamates with a double-double performance in San Antonio.

[Its_asdf]

Brown Burns the Grizzlies 119-112

An unexpected hero emerged in the depths of the fourth quarter for the Raptors. No, it wasn't Jalen Rose, but he scored 18 points, handed out 8 assists and pulled down 6 rebounds. No, it wasn't Chris Bosh or Donyell Marshall, who both got double-doubles of 17 points and 12 rebounds and 15 points and 16 rebounds. The hero for this game was Kedrick Brown. Brown had a career high 27 points along with 4 rebounds and 2 assists, surpassing his original high of 18 points while shooting 9 for 20 from the field and 2 for 5 from the arc. He is the third player behind Rose and Bosh to score over 20 points for the Raptors this season. The Raptors also snapped a two game losing streak with this win. Newly acquired rookie J.R. Smith put up a solid game in his first Raptor outing, posting 16 points on 8 for 15 shooting from the field, but was clearly overshadowed by Brown's heroics.

Mike Miller was the leading scorer for the Grizzlies, leading them with a 31 point performance. Jason Williams had 25 points and 6 assists for the Grizzlies, but was held to 9 of 25 shooting thanks to some intense defence by Rafer Alston down the stretch. Lorenzen Wright also had a double-double of 12 points and 16 rebounds.

"I've played against Kedrick Brown, and thats definitely not him," said defensive specialist James Posey. Posey and Miller were switching turns guarding Brown in the fourth quarter, but both attempts were in vain. "You can tell that he has a lot more swagger and hustle on defence as well. Kedrick has definitely gained a lot of confidence playing for the Raptors."

J.R. Smith gave the Raptors a jolt of energy in the beginning of the first quarter, starting the game off with an electrifying tomahawk dunk which sparked the Raptors to an early 11-4 lead. Smith eventually picked up two quick fouls though, and the Grizzlies went on an 8-0 run to claim the lead. Toronto eventually withstood the run and came back to win the first quarter, 29-23. Battier had 7 points for the Grizzlies and Bosh, Alston and Brown each had 6. Jalen Rose was scoreless, but had 4 assists already in the game.

Both teams came out cold in the second quarter, going scoreless for 2 minutes. Donyell Marshall picked up 2 fouls early in the quarter, so new comer Dale Davis checked into the game. Davis finished the entire game with 5 points and 7 rebounds in 12 minutes. Both teams were eventually tied 31 apiece midway through the quarter, and it would still be a 51-51 halftime tie. The Raptors shot a dreadful 33% percent this quarter while Memphis shot 47%.

Both teams were playing as if they were asleep in the third quarter, with the Grizzlies missing their first 7 shots and the Raptors constantly turned the ball over. Kedrick Brown helped the Raptors wake up with two powerful dunks and gave the Raptors a 75-72 lead heading into the fourth. Donyell Marshall had 8 rebounds in this quarter alone.

It seemed as if the Grizzlies finally broke away from the stalemate mid-way through the fourth quarter, as Miller hit 2 straight 3's and a layup to give the Grizzlies a 93-85 lead. Later on, Brown then proceded to score 7 straight points on a dunk, a mid-range jumper and a three pointer, which was followed by a J.R. Smith layup to reclaim a 100-99 Raptor lead. Shane Battier managed to block a Matt Bonner jump shot as Jason Williams made a rare 4 point play. Jalen Rose managed to find Kedrick Brown in the right pocket for a three pointer to tie the game up at 103. Battier missed a three pointer at the buzzer, so the Raptors were going to overtime for the second straight game!

The Grizzlies put up a final resistance against the Raptors in overtime, but they were eventually outscored 16-9 in the five minute period. The Raps built a solid 9 point lead in the final two minutes, but Williams and Wright both scored on short pull up jumpers and Battier hit a three to erase the deficit to 2, but that was as close as they got. Rose was eventually intentionally fouled and made both freethrows. Miller missed a jumper in the corner and Kedrick Brown was fouled. He split a pair of freethrows, but Marshall picked up the offensive rebound and he made another 2 freethrows.

"I think we played extremely hard defence in overtime, something that we didn't do against San Antonio," replied Sam Mitchell. "Young guys like J.R. Smith and Kedrick Brown stepped it up to help us with the win. I'm so proud and surprised of Kedrick's maturity over the past few games."

Picture of the Game

Kedrick Brown's monster game wasn't complete until he nailed this three pointer to send it into overtime.

Player of the Game
K. Brown
Min - 29
Pts - 27
Rebs - 4
Asts - 2
Stls - 0
Blks -
TOs - 3
PFs - 3
FG - 9/20
3ptFG - 2/5
FTs - 7/10

Boxscores

[paperboymafia]

loving this dynasty. keep it up.

[cklitsie]

lol Kedrick Brown of all people.
I once had a crazy game (nailing 3pt's and all) with Ryan Humphrey.

[Its_asdf]

lol Kedrick Brown of all people.
I once had a crazy game (nailing 3pt's and all) with Ryan Humphrey.

I know man, when I finished the game I was like "What the hell?" He was knocking down a shitload of J's from everywhere. It was insane.

[-BHZMAFIA-]

lmao @ brown...27 pts, but miller 10-15 very high scoring game and its good that you pulled it out

[Its_asdf]

Inside the Raptors: Jalen Rose Article

Lets get straight to the point. Jalen Rose is a cancer to every team he plays in. He is a ballhog. He can't play defence. He's selfish and only worries about his stats. He's cocky and thinks he's so good when he only forces up a lot of shots and he has terrible shot selection, not to mention he's one of the top paid NBA players. That's only what you think if you haven't watched him play, especially this season.

Known as a part of the notorious Fab Five of Michigan, Jalen has and always will be a professional. He knows the game well and he knows how to compete in it. In his 11th season in his NBA career, Jalen Rose has become revitalized and is playing like he's in his twenties. Leading the Raptors in scoring and assists per game with 18.8 and 6.2, he is also averaging 5 rebounds per game, which is the Raptors third best. This is why he is dubbed "the Natural" folks. He can score, he can pass, and he can rebound. His lanky but quick 6'8 frame allows him to become the ultimate match-up nightmare since he can play small foward, shooting guard and even the point guard position; a position that he usually plays if Rafer Alston needs a rest. He can shoot over most shooting guards, while posting up and outmuscling most point guards in the paint, or he can use his quickness and ballhandling over slower small fowards.

Shot selection? He shoots 46% from the field and 36% from beyond the arc, while shooting a career best 93% from the free throw line. He has also been a vocal leader for the young Raptors team, and has even helped mentor some of the younger players such as Chris Bosh and Kedrick Brown. Raptors head coach Sam Mitchell is very impressed with his role as a leader on this team.

"He has really stepped it up, especially since Vince Carter has left," admitted Mitchell. "He has really challenged the younger guys and made them work. Every game you'll see him pull aside a younger player and tell him what they have done wrong or what they need to do. He is really trying hard to make everyone around him a lot better."

"I'm just playing with a chip on my shoulder every night and going out there and competing to the best of my ability, even though everyone has always criticized me saying 'oh, Jalen can't do this' or 'Jalen isn't a good defender', but I don't mind those people, I just brush their comments to the side and show them what I can do," Rose had said; and then he added with a grin, "just call me the interim-star player until our younger guys get a little more developed."

Thats what the Raptors need. A swagger. A confidence that perks up the team's attitude. A player who isn't afraid of taking the last shot and is capable of making that last shot and showing that little extra "pizzaz" after a hard earned win. Jalen is a winner and he is always giving his all. So instead of assumming all of the negatives that he brings, consider his positives. Jalen is a veteran. He is a leader. He isn't afraid of taking the big shots and he is willing to mentor the younger players. He tries hard night in and night out to give his team the win. To us, he may seem overpaid. To the Raptors, he's worth every penny.


The matchup problems that Rose creates when he plays point guard can lead to many good opportunities.



(I'm not the best writer in the world, but hey, I tried.....)

[LegoTP]

Great dynasty. I especially love your recaps, very long, I will never be able to do it. (even though I'm the best at English in my class ) Nice job !! Keep this up !

[Micchy_boy]

yeah, great long recap.. i hope i can do just like that
Nice article you have here bro...

[Ursher-Jon-&-Luda]

asdf, glad to see you here too. i tried to start at .org too, following cocobee, but it seems no one cares for the dynasties there? anyways, love the fact that you're making kedrick into a player. sweet dynasty and good luck!

[Its_asdf]

Great dynasty. I especially love your recaps, very long, I will never be able to do it. (even though I'm the best at English in my class ) Nice job !! Keep this up !

yeah, great long recap.. i hope i can do just like that
Nice article you have here bro...

asdf, glad to see you here too. i tried to start at .org too, following cocobee, but it seems no one cares for the dynasties there? anyways, love the fact that you're making kedrick into a player. sweet dynasty and good luck!

Thanks guys, all three of you have fabulous dynasties, maybe one day I'll make one just as good as all of yours.....

[Its_asdf]

Houston Rockets (4-0) vs Toronto Raptors (2-3) Preview


The Toronto Raptors will be playing their first back-to-back games this season, and the second game will be against the undefeated Houston Rockets. Toronto might be a little fatigued after a very exciting overtime victory against the tough Memphis Grizzlies. Kedrick Brown was the hero for the Raps, scoring 12 of his 27 points in the fourth to help the Raptors bring the game into overtime. Donyell Marshall and Chris Bosh also both had solid double-doubles.

Houston is currently undefeated in the young season, and is first in the western conference, while second in the entire league behind the also undefeated Boston Celtics (6-0). The 7-6 Chinese behemoth known as Yao Ming has been dominating this season, averaging 21.5 points and 10.8 rebounds while co-existing with Tracy McGrady (21.5 points, 8.3 rebounds), a superstar that was traded from Orlando in the off-season.

Raptor head coach Sam Mitchell has decided to shuffle his starting lineup, inserting gritty veterans Dale Davis and Eric Williams into the lineup and bringing rookies Rafael Araujo and J.R. Smith off the bench.

"Dale and Eric are both more experienced, especially on the defensive end," said Sam Mitchell. "I don't mean to bash Hoffa or J.R., but I don't think they are ready to guard such talented superstars yet."
.

Starting 5

C - D. Davis(4.3ppg, 4.5rpg) vs Y. Ming(21.5ppg, 10.8rpg)

PF - C. Bosh(18.6ppg, 8rpg) vs J. Howard(13.8ppg, 7.5rpg)

SF - E. Williams(6.8ppg, 2.2rpg) vs T. McGrady(21.5ppg, 8.3rpg)

SG - J. Rose(18.8ppg, 6.2apg) vs D. Wesley(16ppg, 5apg)

PG - R. Alston(10.ppg, 6.5apg) vs M. James(11ppg, 7apg)

Key Matchup

SF - E. Williams(6.8ppg, 2.2rpg) vs T. McGrady(21.5ppg, 8.3apg)
You know Tracy McGrady is going to be a strong offensive presence when Sam Mitchell needs to put defensive workhorse Eric Williams into the starting lineup. McGrady can hit his jumpshot from anywhere, and is a pretty physical defender himself.

[Its_asdf]

Raptors Rock Rockets 98-94

Jalen Rose was struggling all game long, but when it mattered most, he came up with the big plays. Jalen finished with 16 points but on 4 for 11 shooting and had 3 turnovers. Dale Davis played his second Raptor game made his first start as a Raptor and contributed nicely with a double-double of 11 points and 10 rebounds. Chris Bosh led the way for the Raptors with 22 points and 6 rebounds while J.R. Smith also chipped in with 17. The Raptors could not find their stroke from the freethrow line or from 3 point land this game, only shooting 61% from the charity stripe and 18% from three, but made up for it by shooting 53% from the field.

Tracy McGrady was booed by the Raptor fans throughout the game, but shook it off to score 25 points on 11 for 23 shooting and Yao Ming added 16 points, but both of them had a bad rebounding night, combining for only 5 rebounds altogether. The Rockets weren't too efficient from the freethrow line themselves, only sinking 14 of 21 attempts.

"We lacked execution down the stretch," said Rocket coach Jeff Van Gundy. "I felt like this game was winnable and that we did a good job not turning the ball over until we started making mistakes and turning the ball over in the crucial moments of the game."

In the first quarter Yao picked up 3 early fouls, which weakened the interior defence of the Rockets. Bosh had a few easy layups to score 8 by the end of the quarter. Juwan Howard had 6 to lead the Rockets to a 25-21 lead. Both teams found their shots early as they both shot over 50%.

The Raptors seemed to have lost their stroke in the second quarter though, as they missed four straight shots which led to an 8-0 Houston run to a score of 33-21, which was sparked by consecutive three pointers by Jon Barry off the bench. A J.R. Smith dunk broke the Raptors out of the funk and then proceded to go on a 10-3 run themselves, cutting the deficit to 4. The Raptors finally took a 1 point lead in the final two minutes with a J.R. Smith jumper, but the lead was suddenly nullified and the Rockets retook a 45-42 lead by halftime. J.R. Smith scored 9 points in this quarter alone, with 6 of those points coming from 3 electrifying dunks that left the crowd in awe.

The momentum swung in the Raptors' uptempo style later on in the third quarter, shooting a very hot 68% from the field to claim a 53-51 lead on a J.R. Smith layup. The Raptors got even more hot and hit 5 straight shots (4 of them by Chris Bosh), for a score of 64-56. Both the Raptors and the Rockets went on a scoring drought after that, until Yao Ming had back to back layups to help fuel a run to tie the game at 68. Bosh made an off balanced fadaway jumper as time expired, giving the Raptors a 5 point 75-70 lead heading into the final period. Bosh finished this quarter strong and scored 14 of his 22 points this quarter.

The Raptors tried to maintain the 5 point lead in the fourth quarter, but Mike James converted a three point play and Tracy McGrady hit a few jumpers to give the Rockets a 89-87 lead. The Rockets' defence began to break down as Kedrick Brown and J.R. Smith's penetration led to easy dunks to get the crowd pumped up and tie the game at 91 apiece with just a minute and a half to go. The Raptor's pressure defence was too much for the Rockets to handle as Rafer Alston stole the ball off of Mike James for an easy layup, and Chris Bosh blocked David Wesley to lead to another fast break layup by Rose. Rose was intentionally fouled and sank two freethrows. James hit a three at the other end and Brown split a pair of freethrows. Jalen Rose blocked David Wesley's three point attempt at the buzzer, giving the Raptors a well deserved 98-94 win.

"We stuck to our game plan and didn't panic when they took the lead," said J.R. Smith. "Kedrick and I gave a little excitement to the crowd to get them going, and then we just fed off of that."

Picture of the Game

Vince who? J.R. Smith didn't fail to impress the crowd in his Raptor home debut.

Player of the Game
C. Bosh
Min - 26
Pts - 22
Rebs - 6
Asts - 1
Stls - 0
Blks - 4
TOs - 1
PFs - 0
FG - 9/19
3ptFG - 1/3
FTs - 3/5

Boxscores

[Jing]

oh wow, i never really bothered to check this out, but its really good

[Its_asdf]

oh wow, i never really bothered to check this out, but its really good

Thanks jxuusa, I appreciate it. Will you start checking it out now then?

[Its_asdf]

Raptors Strike Another Deal

For

The Raptors had a very long three week rest before heading to Atlanta and playing back-to-back games, but Raptors GM Rob Babcock didn't seem to relax as the Toronto Raptors have struck yet another deal, just 6 weeks after trading Morris Peterson and Lamond Murray to the New Orleans Hornets for rookie J.R. Smith and veteran Dale Davis. This time however, the Raptors have traded defensive hustler Eric Williams, low post presence Loren Woods and backup point guard Milt Palacio to the Orlando Magic for Interior bigman Tony Battie and the athletic DeShawn Stevenson.

Eric Williams is a veteran that was one of three players from the New Jersey Nets dealt to Toronto for Vince Carter, but Eric Williams was left unhappy with the trade being made, since he originally signed with New Jersey in the off-season to be with his son. He has averaged just 6 points per game and 2.2 rebounds per game, mainly due to his lack of playing time since young players such as Kedrick Brown and J.R. Smith are beginning to take on a larger role in the rotation and are beginning to impress head coach Sam Mitchell.

Milt Palacio has barely played as well, even though he was the only backup point guard off the bench, Jalen Rose would usually take over for Rafer Alston when Alston needed a rest. With Alvin Williams soon to return, Palacio didn't seem to fit in the Raptors puzzle. Milt has averaged 0.8 points per game and 0.3 assists per game in 4 games, where he logged a total of 9 minutes this season.

Loren Woods was a free agent and signed with the Raptors hoping to make an impact on the team. When Rafael Araujo beat him out for the starting spot, he was left on the bench behind Donyell Marshall and Matt Bonner. It all went even worse when veteran Dale Davis joined the team from New Orleans, making Loren Woods buried even deeper to the bench. Woods has played 4 games and averaged 1.5 points per game and 1.8 rebounds per game.

Tony Battie is an established veteran who knows his role on the team. The 6-11 center is known for doing the dirty work down low and grabbing rebounds. Battie has spent the majority of his years in Boston, until he was traded to Cleveland mid-way through the season last year. He was traded once again to Orlando during the off-season. In 10 games he has averages of 4.7 points per game and 4.1 rebounds per game, while logging about 17.7 minutes per game.

DeShawn Stevenson was selected straight out of high school as the 23 pick in the 2000-2001 draft. DeShawn has spent his first few seasons with the Utah Jazz, then was traded mid-way through last season to the Magic. He averaged career highs in points that season with 11.4, but has yet to find any consistent amount of minutes with the re-emergence of Grant Hill and the solid play of Doug Christie. He has averaged 0.8 points per game and 0.3 rebounds per game.

Comments by Players and Staff

"We get a very productive role player from this trade," Babock had said. "We lose some defence at the three, but we get a lot stronger up front. I was thinking of making this trade a little more later down the road until Kedrick Brown was a little more developed, but Kedrick has bosslomed so quickly in a short period of time that we had to do this trade. I'm sure that Eric Williams will have a better opportunity to prove himself in Orlando than with us."

"I don't have any bad feelings the coach, the management, or this team," said Loren Woods. "They obviously felt that I wasn't ready enough to get some minutes, but I don't hold anything against them."

Tony Battie was a little disheartened with the trade, but will remain a true proffesional. "I've been moving a lot lately, right when I've found that I've settled in, I get traded elsewhere. It happened in Boston, then Cleveland and now in Orlando. Hopefully I'll be sticking with the Raptors for a little bit."


Tony Battie (left), is a solid post player, while DeShawn Stevenson (right), is hopefully going to get his career back on track after a solid season last year.

Since I had a large 3 week break until playing Atlanta, I decided to fool around with some trades. Hit me up with some feedback about this trade!

[FendeR`]

Personally I don't think the trade was that good for you talentwise, but if they have expiring contracts then I'd say it's good.

[Rip32]

Battie can block shots so thas solid and stevenson is a crazy dunker and hes young, and you got him last time so you must see somthing but... you got rid of contracts so its good.

[Its_asdf]

Battie can block shots so thas solid and stevenson is a crazy dunker and hes young, and you got him last time so you must see somthing but... you got rid of contracts so its good.

Heh, you noticed I'm a biased Stevenson fan. I honestly think he's pretty underrated and with the way he's playing lately (in real life), why not?

And Battie is probably like 27 or 28 so he isn't too old, plus Araujo basically has "scrub" labelled all over him, so my center position is one thats needed to be filled (I'm not going to resign Davis or Aaron Williams for the cap relief, and Donyell Marshall wouldn't resign with the Raptors in real life). The only problem that I have is Jalen Rose's bloated contract, it's going to kill my cap space sooner or later when Bosh needs to be resigned. I'm just too biased of a Rose fan to get rid of him, plus no one has his same salary except people who are better than him (e.g. Abdur-Rahim), or people who just flat out suck (Penny Hardaway, Glenn Robinson)

Thanks for both of your input on the trade.

[Its_asdf]

Toronto Raptors (3-3) vs Atlanta Hawks (3-6) Preview

The Toronto Raptors are hoping to get a good start to an eastern conference back-to-back while getting over .500 for the first time this season as they play the struggling Atlanta Hawks. Toronto came out with a very big win against the Houston Rockets a few weeks ago, where Chris Bosh scored 22 points and got 6 rebounds and J.R. Smith chipped in nicely with 17 points off the bench.

Toronto has made yet another trade just a few days before this game, sending Eric Williams, Loren Woods, and Milt Palacio to the Orlando Magic for veteran center Tony Battie and athletic guard DeShawn Stevenson. Tony Battie will make his Raptor debut as the starting center.

Atlanta has had yet another typical Atlanta start to the season. They are worst shooting team in the league so far shooting only 39% from the field and 25% from three point territory, which is also third last in the league. Atlanta also has a two game losing streak, but is currently 3-1 at home.

Starting 5

C - T. Battie(4.7ppg, 4rpg) vs O. Ekezie(4.1ppg, 8.3rpg)

PF - C. Bosh(19.2ppg, 7.7rpg) vs A. Harrington(2.9ppg, 10.3rpg)

SF - J. Rose(18.3ppg, 5.7apg) vs J. Smith(15ppg, 8rpg)

SG - J.R. Smith(12.3ppg, 2.6rpg) vs J. Childress(12.3.8ppg, 4.4rpg)

PG - R. Alston(9.7ppg, 5.7apg) vs T. Lue(8.9ppg, 4apg)

Key Matchup

PG - C. Bosh(19.2ppg, 7.7rpg) vs A. Harrington(21.9ppg, 10.3rpg)
Chris Bosh will definitely have his hands full against Atlanta when he matches up against Al Harrington. Ever since becoming a full time starter, Harrington has shown that he can keep up with the elite bigmen in the league who average 20 points and 10 rebounds. Harrington is also stronger and bigger than Bosh, while having about the same speed and quickness. Bosh might need some interior help on the defensive end from Tony Battie if Harrington gets too low in the post.

[Its_asdf]

Hawks Can't Buy a Hoop over Raps 85-68

The Raptors had a little trouble trying to shake off the Hawks, but once they did, they finished the game in a dominating fashion. The Raptors are now on a three game winning streak and are above .500 for the first time this season. Jalen Rose contributed his normal 19 point, 5 rebound and 4 assist statline, and as usual, Chris Bosh followed up with 17 points and 5 rebounds. Tony Battie, who was acquired from a trade involved with Orlando a few days ago, led the Raps with 11 rebounds.

Meanwhile the Hawks are sinking lower and lower to the bottom of the league and are now on a three game losing skid. Josh Childress had 21 points to go with 6 rebounds. Leading scorer and rebounder Al Harrington had a double-double with 15 points and 10 rebounds.

"We had the Raptors on their heels at times, but that was all we could do," said Hawks' head coach Mike Woodson. "We couldn't come up with any big plays when it mattered and then we just came out flat in the entire second half."

The Raptors got off to a slow start as Tyronn Lue buried a three pointer and fed Childress for an alley-oop dunk in the first few minutes of the game, but the Raptors managed to pull out a 10-9 lead on a Chris Bosh dunk and would lead by a score of 20-18 by the end of the first quarter. Rose and Bosh both led the Raptor offensive early, combining to score 18 of the Raptors 20 points. Al Harrington had it going early on, scoring 8 points and pulling down 7 rebounds by the end of the quarter.

Newly acquired DeShawn Stevenson also made his first appearance in the second quarter, who immediated split the defence and threw down a dunk. Stevenson would be quiet for a while though, as he picked up 2 fouls and forced Sam Mitchell to put him back on the bench. The Raptors began to pull away as they led by as many as 8 points this quarter, but the Hawks put up a 6-0 run to quickly re-close the gap to 32-30. The Raptors began to grow frustrated as Jalen Rose also picked up two quick fouls and this resulted in the Hawks taking a 37-36 lead. Toronto managed to reclaim the lead by halftime as Rafer Alston buried his only three pointer and J.R. Smith hit a short jumper before time expired to show an early signs of things to come for the Hawks.

Atlanta went cold in the third quarter, missing 5 straight shots and the Raptors capitalized, creating a 56-45 advantage; their first double-digit lead of the game. The deficit would remain intact and the Raptors would also have a 64-53 lead heading into the fourth. The Hawks also shot their lowest percentage this quarter, which was an ugly 19% and 29% for the whole game.

The fourth quarter belonged to the Raptors as they outscored the Hawks 21-15. Jalen Rose set up DeShawn Stevenson for consecutive three pointers, which was immediately followed by back-to-back Rose and Bosh dunks. 78-61 was the score in the final 3 minutes and was the largest lead for the Raptors. Jalen Rose finally scored the last 9 points for the Raptors to help put away the Hawks for good. DeShawn Stevenson had 8 points this quarter for 12 points in 13 minutes. The only Raptors to score in this quarter were Rose, Stevenson and Bosh.

"We played gradually picked up our defence as the game wore on, and thats what we should do if we're planning on winning some ball games," said Rafer Alston, who finished with 6 assists . "This game needed to be won if we were going to have some confidence playing against the Boston Celtics, and the Celtics are playing very well."

Picture of the Game

DeShawn Stevenson chipped in 12 points, 3 rebounds and 2 assists in only 13 minutes.

Player of the Game
J. Rose
Min - 28
Pts - 19
Rebs - 5
Asts - 4
Stls - 1
Blks - 2
TOs - 2
PFs - 2
FG - 8/17
3ptFG - 0/1
FTs - 3/4

Boxscores

[FendeR`]

Grant Hill for Jalen Rose normally works for me, and Hill has an expiring contract so it's all good. But I think Jalen is better than Hill, so you should problably wait till towards the trade deadline to make the deal.

[cklitsie]

Nice win over the Hawks, in my dynasty they were like 0-10 but the two times I've already played them I had some problems shaking them off (well to be honest they lead by 20 in the 3rd). So I gotta give you props on the blowout.
And you're finally above .500 so you gotta keep this up. Trading Jalen Rose in real-life fro the kind of player you described would very the best thing for the Raptors to do, but in this game he's pretty good and it never shows a player's personality or impact on the team, so I'd say keep him.