Asdf's RaptorsDynasty: A dynasty no more

[John WB]

Why isn't Peja on the Kings?

[Its_asdf]

Why isn't Peja on the Kings?

Oh yeah, he is on the Kings, but since I'm using Andrew's latest rosters so he's supposed to be injured.

European sharpshooter Pedja Stojakovic was last year's leading scorer for the Kings, but has been limited to 7 games due to nagging injuries and is averaging only 7.7 points per game off the bench.

Maybe you missed it in the preview or something.....

By the way, I apologize for the slow updates yet again, I've been even more busy now with an English project due soon.

[John WB]

Brad Miller's injured right now, but he's a starter on your dynasty. And why not use the updated roster on Andrew's rosters that don't include injuries?

[Its_asdf]

Raptors go on 3-point Rampage (104-92 Raptors*)

Raptors Boxscore
Kings Boxscore

Although the Raptors struggled terribly from three point range in the first three quarters, their 3-point shooting in the fourth quarter was so good that it actually made the Raptors look like they've had an average shooting night. Toronto was 2-20 from three point land heading into the fourth quarter, but went 9 for 10 the rest of the way for a whopping 43 points in the fourth quarter alone. The Raptors shot only 9 freethrows in the game and made only 4, Jalen Rose led a fourth quarter three point barrage with all of his three pointers coming in the fourth, giving him 21 points, while Rafer Alston and Donyell Marshall each had 2 3 point field goals. Although Chris Bosh shot a below average 7 for 17 from the field and grabbed only 5 rebounds, he finished with 4 assists and 16 points. Donyell Marshall filled in for Bosh's poor rebounding performance with an incredible double double of 16 points and 17 rebounds.

Brad Miller had 14 points and 15 boards, with 6 of those boards coming from the offensive end. Mike Bibby also had 26 points to go with 5 rebounds and 4 assists, while Cuttino Mobley also chipped in with 17 points and 3 steals. The backcourt of Mobley and Bibby struggled to find their shot at times though, as they both combined for 16 for 42 shooting from the field and 6 for 12 from the charity stripe. Kenny Thomas also had 11 points of the bench, but only went 1 for 6 from the line as the Kings had 22 free throw attempts compared to the Raptors 9 attempts, but shared the Raptors freethrow woes and made only 11.

DeShawn Stevenson seemed to take advantage of his first start of the season, as he had 7 points in the first quarter and finished with 11 points, which included a very fancy three-point play layup to start the game. The score would eventually be tied at 19 after the first quarter, as the Kings got off to a sluggish shooting start and only shot 32%. Luckily the Kings had 4 offensive boards which led to 8 second chance points, and 2 of those offensive boards coming from Brad Miller.

Bibby managed to create a 9-2 run to start the second quarter, as he nailed two straight three pointers. The Raptors trailed by as many as 10 points in the quarter, but pulled within 2 points on several occasions until the Raptors missed 9 consecutive shots, leading to a 26% shooting percentage from the field in the last few moments of the second quarter to give the Kings a sizable 45-34 lead. Donyell Marshall pulled down 8 rebounds in this quarter alone, but Eddie House scored 9 of his 11 points in this quarter and Mike Bibby also finished the first half with 10 points.

Bibby continued to pour down points on the Raptors, as he had another 8 points in the first 2 minutes. This of course, led to another early King 10-2 run to give Sac-Town a 57-38 lead in the middle of the third quarter. The Raptors struck back with an 11-0 run, with Donyell Marshall and Jalen Rose scoring majority of the points and Chris Bosh finishing the run with a powerful alley-oop slam courtesy of Rafer Alston. Brad Miller scored and tried to halt the spurt, but Rose put up back to back baskets, and that was followed by a Rafer Alston layup to cut the lead to 59-57. The quarter finished with a 67-61 lead by the Kings though, as Marshall finished with another dominating quarter with 6 points and 6 rebounds.

The 6 point lead was quickly erased to 1 point thanks to a J.R. Smith three ball and a Bosh dunk. Mike Bibby nailed two freethrows and Rose hit another three to tie the game up at 75 apiece. Rafer Alston stuck cruicial three pointers to bring the lead to 6 in favour of the Raptors, but the Kings struck back and brought the lead back to 1 point again. A mini-spurt by Marshall's 2 3-pointers created a 97-89 buldge with 2 minutes left to play, and the Raptors would eventually take the win over the Kings. Alston had 8 points and 3 assists this quarter, and all of his assists came in the second half, while also getting 12 of his 14 points in the second half.

"When my teamates gave me the ball, they knew I was in a tiny slump shooting the ball, but they just said 'hey man, shoot it, shoot it', and I guess the shots started dropping for me and Jalen, who also struggled with his three pointers recently," Donyell Marshall said after the game.

Picture of the Game

Although Bibby scored more points, Rafer Alston made Mike Bibby look pretty stupid all game long with his crossovers.

Other Pictures
Bibby knocked down shots in the beginning of the second and third quarters.
Donny skies for the offensive put-back dunk over Brad Miller.
Brad Miller outmuscles the Raptors for the rebound.
DeShawn was 5 for 9 from the field, which included this nasty dunk.

Player of the Game
D. Marshall
Min - 22
Pts - 16
Rebs - 17
Asts - 3
Stls - 0
Blks - 1
TOs - 0
PFs - 0
FG - 7/10
3ptFG - 2/2
FTs - 0/0

[John WB]

Bibby's defense sucks right there.

Just like in real life.

[Its_asdf]

Toronto Raptors (7-5) vs Cleveland Cavaliers (8-7) Preview

The Toronto Raptors kicked off their 5 game road trip with a win over the surprisingly underachieving Sacramento Kings and are hoping to build on that win against the Cleveland Cavaliers, while extending their winning streak to three games. Jalen Rose once again led the Raptors in scoring and single handedly took over the fourth quarter, as he scored 11 of his 21 points in the final quarter. Donyell Marshall also had his best game this season as he chipped in 16 points and 17 rebounds off the bench. Head coach Sam Mitchell has tinkered with the starting lineup once again, putting the more experienced Alvin Williams at the shooting guard position and replacing DeShawn Stevenson who scored 11 points in his first start. Williams was hampered last season with a lot of injuries and has healed way ahead of schedule. Alvin has yet to log big minutes after his injury, but has said that he is finally good to go.

"I was a little reluctant to play in the first few games, but I think that I'm ready to contribute," Alvin Williams had said during practice. "Both coach and I felt that we should work myself back up to speed since I haven't played in so long, but I'm feeling 100% mentally and physically now."

After coming off of a loss, Cleveland is currently one game behind Toronto and the six place in the Eastern Conference. Highschool phenom LeBron James has shown remarkable strides this season and has people shaking in their boots, as he has his name scattered across the league leaders and has raised his point, rebound, assists, blocking and steal numbers this season after winning the Rookie of the Year award.

Notes to Know:
-King James is currently the league's 3rd leading scorer (26.5 points per game), among the top 20 in rebounds (9.7 rebounds per game), 4th in assists per game (7.1 assists per game) and leads the league in steals with 2.67, and not to mention that he is shooting over 50% from the field and is one of the top MVP candidates this season.
-Cleveland Cavaliers' assistant coach Brendan Malone was the first coach of the Toronto Raptors in the 1995-1996 season. He was soon replaced by Darrell Walker after one season.
-Kedrick Brown spent 34 games with the Cavaliers last season, where he averaged 5.3 points per game.
-Tony Battie also had a short stint with the Cavaliers, and played 50 games for the Cavaliers last season.
-Battie and Brown were both involved in a big trade last season that sent Ricky Davis, Chris Mihm and Michael Stewart to Boston for Battie, Brown and Eric Williams, who was also a Raptor not too long ago and was traded to the Orlando Magic for Tony Battie.....

Starting 5

C - T. Battie(5.3ppg, 5.4rpg) vs Z. Ilgauskas(15.5ppg, 10.9rpg)

PF - C. Bosh(18.2ppg, 7.8rpg) vs D. Gooden(11.1ppg, 8.7rpg)

SF - J. Rose(17.3ppg, 4.9apg) vs L. James(26.5ppg, 9.7rpg)

SG - A. Williams(3ppg, 1apg) vs I. Newble(6ppg, 4apg)

PG - R. Alston(9.9ppg, 5.9apg) vs J. McInnis(15.4ppg, 4.4apg)

Key Matchup

SF - J. Rose(17.3ppg, 4.9apg) vs L. James(26.5ppg, 9.7rpg)

Jalen Rose will definitely have his hands full tonight. Jalen likes to play with his back to the basket against smaller and weaker defenders or he likes to drive against bigger slower defenders, but LeBron is a lot stronger than Rose and also has the speed and quickness advantage. Jalen also isn't known for being a strong defender, so we're guessing that Alvin Williams was brought to the lineup to help bring some defence. The one thing Jalen does have though, is his NBA experience and has exellent I.Q. and craftiness at the offensive end.

[-BHZMAFIA-]

You killed the Kings in the 4th quarter with 43 points. I also like the "Notes to know" part in the your preview. It's the little things that counts and that's a good add-on. Should be a good game between you and the Cavs

[Its_asdf]

You killed the Kings in the 4th quarter with 43 points. I also like the "Notes to know" part in the your preview. It's the little things that counts and that's a good add-on. Should be a good game between you and the Cavs

Thanks, I was hoping the "Notes to know" would make my previews alittle less boring.

[Its_asdf]

Rose Carries Raps over Cavs (107-102 Raptors*)

Raptors Boxscore
Cavaliers Boxscore

Jalen Rose dominated enough on the offensive end to help the Raptors keep their winning streak alive. After this game, the Raptors are now on a three-game winning streak and are 2-0 on their long road trip. Jalen Rose scored 28 points, going 10 for 15 from the field and also had 4 rebounds and 4 assists to go with 2 blocks. Rookie J.R. Smith had 16 points, while sophomore Chris Bosh had another double-double with 17 points and 14 rebounds. Ex-Cavaliers Kedrick Brown and Tony Battie each scored 10 points, while also hauling down 12 and 7 rebounds respectively.

"This was a pretty good game from all of us," Sam Mitchell said. "We moved the ball and rebounded well, so I would expect nothing less than a win. I'm proud of the way our guys played out there."

Cleveland now has 2 straight losses, as young superstar Lebron James answered Jalen's productive scoring night with 30 points and shot 11 of 18 from the field. Big men Zydrunas Ilgauskas and Drew Gooden each had a double-double, as they both shot over 50% and pulled down 11 and 15 rebounds. Point guard Jeff McInnis also had a double-double, with 21 points and 11 assists, but shot only 8 for 29 from the field.

Bosh picked up early fouls and was forced to sit out, so Rose filled in nicely for Bosh scoring-wise, as he already had 13 points in the first quarter. He made all three three pointers that he had attempted, which included a three pointer right before the buzzer to give the Raptors a tiny 25-23 lead over the Cavs. Lebron was too passive this quarter and only had two shots, but he made both of them. Toronto and Cleveland both shot over 50%.

Lebron didn't stay quiet for long though, as he fired up the Cavaliers with 7 straight points to a 12-2 run in the second quarter. This was quickly answered by 5 points by Rafer Alston, and dunks by Battie and Smith quickly turned the tide once again in the Raptors' favour, 36-34. The Raps would slowly inch away and outscore the Cleveland 31-19 in the quarter as the Cavs shot 26% and the gap became a noticeable 56-42 halftime deficit. Kedrick Brown scored 8 of his 10 points this quarter and got all 7 of his boards in the second quarter.

Another run cut the Raptors lead to 8 at the start of the third quarters as the quarter saw both teams running and gunning with little defense. J.R. Smith nailed 3 consecutive three pointers to re-widen the lead to 15, 69-54, but the Cavaliers pulled back with 9 points after the third quarter. After shooting 50% for 2 straight quarters, Toronto went cold and shot 38%, and Chris Bosh mirrored that poor percentage by going 1 for 6 in the quarter, but contributed 6 boards anyway.

In the fourth quarter, the Cavs turned on the burners and quickly erased the Raptor lead to 1 after scoring the first 8 points. A Drew Gooden turnaround and a Jeff McInnis layup would give Cleveland their largest lead of the game at 90-87. Toronto didn't panic though, as J.R. Smith split a pair of freethrows to tie up the game at 95. Ilgauskas would miss his second freethrow at the other end, and Chris Bosh roared down the lane with a fierce slam. Rafer Alston came up with a quick steal and got another easy basket in transition to give the Raptors a 99-96 lead. J.R. Smith was intentionally fouled and made two more threethrows with 24 seconds left to play. LeBron nailed a three pointer at the other end and quickly sent Smith to the line and nailed both of them. McInnis buried a three to make it 103-102, but Rose made two freethrows and J.R. Smith blocked McInnis from behind. Cleveland fouled Alston who split a pair of freethrows, but Bosh got the offensive rebound and was also fouled and only made one of two as well. Those freethrows were more than enough though, as Gooden fired off a three pointer that never hit rim as time expired, and the Raptors walked away with another win.

Picture of the Game

Jalen's mid-range turnaround jumper usually helped him score in fourth quarters, but it was simply unstoppable for this whole game.

Other Pictures
Drew Gooden went 8 for 9 from the field and also had 15 rebounds.
LeBron shows some hangtime and catches the ball for the alley-oop
Bosh turns King James into a poster.
Rafer Alston got a key steal in the final seconds to help seal the game.

Player of the Game
J. Rose
Min - 29
Pts - 28
Rebs - 4
Asts - 4
Stls - 0
Blks - 2
TOs - 5
PFs - 2
FG - 10/15
3ptFG - 3/5
FTs - 5/6

[-BHZMAFIA-]

Looks like Lebron was a little selfish in that game with only 2 assists and 1 rebound. You won once again and you had 6 players in double figures.

[John WB]

Nice distribution.

[Its_asdf]

thanks for the comments guys.

[Its_asdf]

Toronto (8-5) vs New Jersey Nets (10-7) Preview

In one of the most anticipated games of the season, the Toronto Raptors will pay a visit to Vince Carter and the New Jersey Nets. As most of you all know, Vince Carter began his fabulous career in Toronto and played there for 6 seasons and even led the Raptors to their first playoff games. However, it was until this offseason, where he requested a trade out of the Raptors organization. With Carter struggling with injuries in the past few seasons and having his work ethic questioned, Carter was traded to the New Jersey Nets for Alonzo Mourning, Aaron Williams and Eric Williams. Toronto has been pretty hot of late, winning three consecutive games including two straight on the road.

New Jersey has slumped off a little bit, losing two straight, but should not be a team to be underestimated. Vince Carter has shown that he can still play at a high level, as he is averaging a career high in points per game (30.5) and rebounds per game (7.7), while also averaging 4.6 assists per game. Teaming up with point guard Jason Kidd, they form a deadly combination, especially on the fast break. Kidd is also pulling out some of his best numbers offensively with 21.5 points per game.

"There's nothing special about this game, but obviously people are going to make a big deal out of it," said Raptor point guard Rafer Alston. "We just have to contain Carter and Kidd, which is easier said than done, but if we play properly and play with the intensity that we have been playing with the past few games, we should be OK."

Notes to Know:

-Vince Carter, who is now one of the top candidates considered for MVP with New Jersey, has led the Raptors in scoring for all of the seasons he has played with them. Carter is also #1 in the league leaders in points per game.
-Carter missed a game winning shot with the Raptors against the Philadelphia 76ers in the 2001 playoffs that could have sent the Raptors to the conference finals...... He was resigned to a multi-million dollar deal that offseason and never played more than 73 games in a season ever since...
-Net's rising star Richard Jefferson is reported to be out for the entire season with an injury. Jefferson has yet to play a game this season.
-Only one player from the Raptors remains from the Vince Carter deal, and that is Aaron Williams. Eric Williams was traded to Orlando and Mourning was bought out by the Raptors earlier this season.
-Toronto is one game ahead of the Nets for 2nd place in the Atlantic division and 5th overall in the Eastern Conference.

Starting 5

C - T. Battie(5.5ppg, 5.8rpg) vs N. Kristic(5.8ppg, 6.1rpg)

PF - C. Bosh(18.1ppg, 8.2rpg) vs J. Collins(10.5ppg, 8.8rpg)

SF - J. Rose(18.2ppg, 4.6apg) vs V. Carter(30.5ppg, 7.7rpg)

SG - A. Williams(3.6ppg, 1.2apg) vs J. Vaughn(10.3ppg, 4.1apg)

PG - R. Alston(9.9ppg, 5.8apg) vs J. Kidd(21.5ppg, 7.2apg)

Key Matchup

SF - J. Rose(18.2ppg, 4.6apg) vs V. Carter(30.5ppg, 7.7rpg)

After having a scoring duel with LeBron James a few days ago, Rose will now have to contain the league's leading scorer and ex-teamate, Vince Carter. Jalen has taken over much of Carter's responsibilities for the team; espcially on the offensive end. Like LeBron, Vince has the advantage over Rose in quickness, agility and athletiscm. Both Carter and Jalen aren't known to be good defenders, but Rose will have to tire Carter down and make him play defence to help wear him down on offence.

[-BHZMAFIA-]

Surprised to see the Nets starting Vaughn over Mercer. That gives you a pretty good advantage in the backcourt.

[Its_asdf]

Surprised to see the Nets starting Vaughn over Mercer. That gives you a pretty good advantage in the backcourt.

Vaughn always started over Mercer in real life, so it really wasn't a surprise.

[John WB]

Vaughn's done good in that role. Mercer's been pretty inconsistent.

[Its_asdf]

Raps Fall to Nets (96-86 Nets*)

Raptors Boxscore
Nets Boxscore

The Raptors probably wanted this game badly against Vince Carter, but they forgot all about Jason Kidd. Kidd went on a scoring spree this game and dropped 29 points on the Raptors with most of his scoring done in the first half, while Vince Carter also showed his former team what they were missing out and filled in for Kidd's scoring and took over the second half, as he scored 23 points and grabbed 7 rebounds in the game. Rookie Nenad Kristic stepped it up as well, scoring 11 points and grabbing 6 boards. The Nets have snapped their 2 game losing streak and now replace Toronto in the second place in the Atlantic division and 5th overall in the Eastern Conference standings.

This was Toronto's second loss this month, and had their three game winning streak snapped. Chris Bosh, who is supposed to be the successor to Carter's star role in Toronto, had 18 points, 8 rebounds and 4 assists. Jalen Rose, the Raptors leading scorer, was held to only 9 points on 3 for 9 shooting. Toronto's sixth man Kedrick Brown, who is usally very productive, was also held to 4 points on 1 for 7 shooting. The only Raptor player to score double figures was DeShawn Stevenson. Stevenson scored 11 points, but did not play last game.

The first quarter was all Toronto, as Rose did not show any signs of struggling as he easily split the Nets defence and layed it up for the first two points of the game. Vince Carter, on the other hand, had consecutive turnovers on two posessions, and picked up two early fouls. The game was at a 14-14 stalemate, but the Raptors broke away in the final 3 minutes to go on a 8-0 scoring run to give them a sizeable 22-14 lead after the first quarter. The Nets just shot 22% while the Raptors were at a healthy 50%.

The Nets shot 61% in the second quarter as Jason Kidd heated it up and scored 14 points, knocking down 4 consecutive shots for the Nets, including a short jumper to give the Nets a 32-30 lead, which was their first in the game. Tony Battie made a three point play and DeShawn nailed a long jumper to re-take lead for a brief minute or so, but the Nets came out of the first half on top by a point, 48-47. Kidd had 20 points after the first two quarters, but Bosh and Stevenson both countered with 8 points each. Carter shot 1 for 6 and only had 4 points.

New Jersey really began to take control in the third quarter, as they first exchanged shots with the Raptors until they later on effortlessly pulled away with a 74-64 double-digit buldge in the middle of the quarter when Carter scored 15 of the Nets 33 points this quarter. The quarter ended with a pretty big 81-69 lead after the Nets grabbed 7 offensive rebounds compared to none by the Raptors.

The fourth quarter was a pain to watch, since the Raptors shot 31% and the Nets shot a nasty 22% from the field. The Nets only scored 11 points in this quarter, but the Raptors couldn't take advantage of the Net's shooting slump as they only scored 17 themselves. The Raptors did manage to cut the deficit after a Donyell Marshall three pointer and bring it to a single digit 86-81 lead, but Kidd and Carter both hit three pointers with time expiring to give the Nets the lead for good.

"We couldn't take advantage of the Nets in the first and fourth quarters when they were cold," said Jalen Rose. "I feel partially responsible for the loss because I had such a terrible game."

Picture of the Game

Carter showed the Raptors that he still has his hops.

Other Pictures
Chris Bosh got hammered, but the refs weren't on his side this game.
DeShawn seems to get a SportsCentre highlight dunk everygame.
Kristic goes up for 1 of his 3 offensive boards.
Kidd recklessly attacks the hoop.

Player of the Game
V. Carter
Min - 27
Pts - 23
Rebs - 7
Asts - 3
Stls - 0
Blks - 2
TOs - 3
PFs - 4
FG - 7/20
3ptFG - 3/6
FTs - 6/7

[Fresh8]

I love Stevenson! He gets props i nthis dynasty!

and u lost to VC.. oh man!

[Its_asdf]

Monthly Statiscal Update

League Leaders

Points Per Game - Vince Carter(29.4)

Rebounds Per Game - Tim Duncan(14.1)

Assists Per Game - Stephon Marbury(8.6)

Blocks Per Game - Marcus Camby(3)

Steals Per Game - Baron Davis(2.65)

Rookies/Players of the Month

East Player - LeBron James

West Player - Brad Miller

East Rookie - Andre Iguodala

West Rookie - Keith Mcleod

MVP Candidates

Tim Duncan, Vince Carter, L. James, J. Kidd, K. Garnett

Division Standings: West

Pacific

Northwest

Southwest

Division Standings: East

Atlantic

Central

Southeast

[Its_asdf]

I love Stevenson! He gets props i nthis dynasty!

and u lost to VC.. oh man!

Glad to see another Stevenson fan

[Its_asdf]

Raptors' January Team Summary

The Raptors probably had winning on their New Years resolutions because they started the year 2005 pretty well, playing 6 games and going 4-2 overall. The Raptors have also won 2 of the 3 consecutive road games this month, with 2 more road games left to conlcude their 5 game road swing. The Raptors had built up a three game winning streak, including two consecutive road games against the ex-powerhouse Sacramento Kings and LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers. Other teams that the Raptors have faced were Seattle, Indiana, Charlotte, and New Jersey. The Raptors were very busy travelling around, since they only had 1 home game (against Charlotte Bobcats), so this month was a good time to judge how well the young Raptors could handle the pressure of the travel for an extended period of time.

Some impressive highlights during this month was when highschool rookie J.R. Smith showed his impressive stroke from three territory and went 5 for 5 from downtown to score a whopping 37 points against the Sonics. Not bad for a kid who also held Ray Allen scoreless in the first half and isn't even 20 yet.

The Raptors also faced off in their first and only game against the New Jersey Nets this season, as they prepared themselves for their first look at Vince Carter in a Net uniform. With Carter gone, the new face of the franchise was Chris Bosh, and he had an impressive outing against Carter, scoring 18 points and grabbing 8 rebounds. Carter struggled in the first half, but turned up the heat and poured in 15 points in the third quarter to help ignite the Nets the win. Carter would eventually finish the night with 23 points and 7 rebounds.

Grade for the Month: B+

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 (D-) Araujo has played 2 games this month and 9 minutes in total; his numbers continue to dip and doesn't seem like he'll be part of Sam Mitchell's rotation.

D. Davis (?) Has been on the IR for the whole month and probably won't come on unless theres an injury to one of the frontline players.

T. Battie (B+) Battie struggled his first few games, but his numbers show that he's gradually getting used to the Raptors style of play. He now leads the Raptors in offensive rebounds with 2 per game and Battie's also gotten 9 or more rebounds the last four games. Battie's importance comes from rebounding and inside defence, and isn't shown through offensive numbers, but its always a plus when he scores a couple points here and there.

Power Fowards
C. Bosh (B+) His numbers have basically stayed the same, and he's bumped his rebounding average a tad bit higher.

D. Marshall (C) Donyell has scored 10 points or more three times this month, including a season high 16 points and 17 rebounds, but his inconsistency off the bench is still a cause for concern.

M. Bonner(C-) When Bonner gets a few minutes and a few touches, he can stretch out the defence with his shooting and grab a few boards, but since Chris Bosh is starting to look more comfortable playing big minutes, Bonner will have to be a more little patient.

A. Williams(D-) Aaron got some garbage minutes this month, and those are probably the only minutes he'll get.

P. Sow(?) We're itching to see this kid play because everyone is always raving about his ability even though he hasn't even gotten out of the IR yet.

Small Fowards
J. Rose (B-) Jalen struggled in his first and last game of the season, but he's been able to play well enough in the other 4 games to bring his shooting percentages back to normal and give the Raptors that fourth quarter scoring punch.

K. Brown (C-) For someone whom we've praised for consistency, Brown hasn't shown too much of it this month and had two less-than-stellar games against Sacramento and New Jersey. His double-digit average dropped down to a 9.3 average as well.

Shooting Guards

J.R. Smith (C-) J.R. started off January with a bang, scoring a career high 37 points, but his inconsistent play has left him coming off the bench, where his stellar shooting has been terrible of late.

DeShawn Stevenson (C) DeShawn is the third athletic swingman coming off of the bench, which can't be good because Kedrick and J.R. are just as young and talented as he is, and Sam Mitchell likes Alvin Williams starting at the two guard. DeShawn went from starting one game to a DNP-CD the next, although he did manage to bounce back and score 13 points in 12 minutes off the bench in the Raptors loss to the Nets. Stevenson needs to get better rebounding and assists numbers because Brown and Smith can bring the same amount of offence that Stevenson can dish out and also produce more efficiently with rebounds and assists than Stevenson does.

Point Guards
R. Alston (C-) Rafer's shooting percentages have gone down, which is a bad sign because his higher shooting percentages were the only thing that made his stats look better than last year's stats. Rafer has been doing a solid job running the point though, and can deliver a flurry of points in a hurry if his team needs it.

Alvin Williams (D+) You can't really blame Alvin for his poor start, since this his month back from an injury thats kept him out all season. As Alvin's minutes goes up, expect his productivity to go up as well. He probably played his game against the Nets where he had 9 points, 3 assists and 2 rebounds. He also went to the line 5 times that game, so Williams must be pretty confident that his legs have healed and he probably won't shy away from a little contact.

[Fresh8]

Hey man... this monthly recap isnt any bit bad bro! you put so much effort into it too! Keep ur head up!

[John WB]

Yeah. Dope update!

[Its_asdf]

Hey man... this monthly recap isnt any bit bad bro! you put so much effort into it too! Keep ur head up!

.....Thanks man, it means a lot.

Yeah. Dope update!

Thanks John, you're always there to reply to my dynasty when I get sad because I barely get any replies ... I appreciate that.

[Its_asdf]

Toronto Raptors (8-6) vs Miami Heat (10-5) Preview

The Toronto Raptors will play their first game of February and the second last of their 5 game road trip against the Miami Heat. Toronto had a solid month in January where they had a 3 game winning streak and 4 wins and 2 losses in total. One of the Raptors 2 losses came eventually at their last game of the month, and ironically, it was to ex-Raptor superstar Vince Carter and the New Jersey Nets.

Miami has lossed two consecutive games, and are now 2 games behind for the Southeast division leader. Coincidentally, Miami's Florida counter-part the Orlando Magic are currently on top of that division. The Heat are currently led by Dwyane Wade (17 points per game) and Shaquille O'Neal (19.7 points per game). O'Neal was originally in a Los Angeles Lakers uniform, but during the offseason, Shaquille was traded to Miami in an awesome blockbuster that sent Miami's key players Brian Grant, Lamar Odom and Caron Butler to Los Angeles. Although Shaquille has been dominate inside and is leading the team in scoring, his numbers do not really jump out at you compared to the numbers that he has averaged over the years.

"Shaq is obviously going to be a problem for us on the defensive end," said Raptor centre Tony Battie. "He takes up a lot of room inside and his quick footwork can really surprise you. Then on defence he can bring a lot of intimidation inside and that sometimes forces you to take outside jumpers."

Notes to Know
-Alonzo Mourning was originally a Raptor at the beginning of the season, but requested a buyout and was signed by the Miami Heat, where he had played a few years ago and had his best seasons there.....
-Raptor point guard Rafer Alston had a breakout season with the Heat and was an intrsumental bench player in the playoffs, which impressed the Raptor staff so much that they signed him to a multi-year deal.....
-This is Shaquille O'Neal's first season without a 20+ points per game average. He's averaging 19.7 points per game.


Starting 5

C - T. Battie(5.5ppg, 6.3rpg) vs S. O'Neal(19.7ppg, 10.2rpg)

PF - C. Bosh(18.1ppg, 8.2rpg) vs U. Haslem(9.5ppg, 8.7rpg)

SF - J. Rose(17.5ppg, 4.6apg) vs E. Jones(14.6ppg, 5.5rpg)

SG - A. Williams(4.5ppg, 1.5apg) vs D. Jones(16.3ppg, 6.5apg)

PG - R. Alston(9.6ppg, 5.9apg) vs D. Wade(17ppg, 6.5apg)


Key Matchup

C - T. Battie(5.5ppg, 6.3rpg) vs S. O'Neal(19.7ppg, 10.2rpg)

Shaq, as we all know, will absolutely demolish anything thats within the painted area. His strength will be way too much for Tony Battie to handle downlow, so expect some help defence to come. This allows Shaq to usally pass it to a wide open Eddie or Damon Jones for a three pointer, and this reason alone is probably why Shaq averages 3.9 assists per game.


Sorry if the preview seems a little more bland than before, I just couldn't dig up anything interesting on the Heat.