Raptors Dynasty {Kudos to those who can keep it up - over}

[Emiliano]

Ok, now that we have a new coach we can start from scratch regarding depth charts

[Mini ShaQ]

Hey .LA., welcome to the team! And my biggest condolences to Ben, hang in there man

[mkballer]

Hey guys, I really appreciate all the love and support your giving to me. I will still check in from time to time to see how the team is getting on. Maybe in the future I could come back and take some new role or a vacant spot. Also dont forget to check out my Bobcats fantasy dnyasty which will still keep going.

[Mini ShaQ]

Of course man! We won't forget your dynasty... Much love dude! Later

[Keo]

See ya later bro. I'll check your Dynasty.

[Sac-1]

::Signing::

The Toronto Raptors have been intrested in getting a FA in the past few days, yesterday the Toronto Raptors General Manager Khalid Sleiman anounced the signing of FA Marcus Haislip.

[joeygraham]

Raptors News


Following the Leader

The Toronto Raptors have not only yet to seize a first quarter lead, they have yet to lead at all! This problem seems to stem from the dismal first quarters that the Raptors have been having. Something needs to change and it has to come on offense. Most likely, the problem is a lack of Bosh scoring. He will have to be more aggressive earlier on to give Toronto that needed offensive boost.

A Double-Double to Go?

Despite a great performance yesterday by Donyell Marshall, will his 16 points and 12 rebounds be enough to keep in Canada? Talks continue with the Cavaliers, but seem to becoming more and more difficult. Which side is stalling the deal? Has Toronto suddenly had a change of heart or will it sent Marshall and his recent double-double efforts on the road?

Looking Good in Purple

PF Marcus Haislip agreed to a minimum contract for the remainder of the season with the Toronto Raptors. He brings a solid low-post game that the Raptors have been missing alongside Bosh as well as notoriety for his shot-swatting and defense on the block. The new challenge now is to reshuffle the line-up to provide him the minutes to be effective; but who will lose out with his recent addition?

Not So Powerful Ranking

The first Power Ranking of the season came out today. The Raptors were ranked a poor 29th.

Raptors to Cool Suns?

Toronto's next game will be against Western Conference powerhouse Phoenix. How will they fare against the run-and-gun Suns? This match-up should be better for Chris Bosh as he will be matching up with another athletic PF-cum-C who will not be able to push him around so easily; however, Stoudemire's speed, agility and power will more than make up for his lack of immovable bulk.

[Keo]

Glad we finally brought Haislip aboard.

[joeygraham]

Today was a busy day for Raptors GM Khalid Sleiman, fielding offers for Donyell Marshall after his incredible performance last night. The Leak has the scoop from an undisclosed source close to the wheelings and dealings that the Raptors were approached by Houston, Dallas, Sacramento and Utah in addition to negotiations with Cleveland and Orlando. While no official word is out on where Marshall will be playing and who else is actually going to be going, the following deals were proposed to GM Sleiman but rejected:

from Cleveland:
PF D Marshall 70 for C R Traylor 59
SF E Williams 55 PG J McInnis 58

from Dallas:
PF D Marshall 70 for PF K Van Horn 62
SF E Williams 55 for PG D Armstrong 53

from Sacramento:
PF D Marshall 70 for PG B Jackson 68
SF E Williams 55 C B Skinner 51

from Houston:
PF D Marshall 70 for PG M James 62
C L Woods 48 PF J Howard 59
SF E Williams 55 C D Mutumbo 53

from Utah:
PF D Marshall 70 for PF C Boozer 72
SF E Williams 55 SF K Snyder 49
PG M Palacio 52 PG R Lopez 49

as well as other variations that substitute C C Borchardt 46 in instead of Lopez.

GM Sleiman did pursue #1 draft pick PF D Howard 72 of the Orlando Magic but his offer of:

PF D Marshall 70 for PF D Howard 72
SF L Murray 55 C T Battie 53

was very quickly shut down.


So, if you were in the GM's shoes, would you have gone for any of these? Would you have tweaked them a bit?

[Emiliano]

I like the Utah one, which would give us more depth but its up to the GMs regarding the outcome of Donyell Marshall

[joeygraham]

Raptors News

Raptors to Be Celebrating with Booze?

Rumours and trade proposals have been playing all over the place this past week as negotiations between the Raptors and Cavaliers fell apart like a tea biscuit and Donyell Marshall remained on the trading block. Once the Raptors could not get Drew Gooden, they moved towards another PF who got his career boost in Cleveland: Carlos Boozer. The Alaskan native PF currently on the Utah Jazz has not appeared to be worth his hefty price tag and has grumbled through training camp. Evidently, the Toronto Raptors appear more than willing to assume Boozer's contract and ,more positively speaking, talent, but can the Raptors mine gold in this Alaskan brute?

Missing the Point

The Raptors current back-up point guard is Milt Palacio, which isn't saying very much. With the last roster spot now dedicated to PF Marcus Haislip, the Raps will have to look to upgrade their point guard position through a trade. While the Jazz do have a plethora of small guards, none is truly a standout. The closest to that would be starting PG Raul Lopez. He and Milt certainly trade off on certain points, but in the end of it all, is Lopez truly the superior floor leader? Will the Jazz trade affect the Raptors backcourt line-up?

Rocketmen not Blasting Up North

According to an unnamed source, Marshall was offered to Houston along with big centre Loren Woods and unused SF/SG Eric Williams for PG Mike James, past-his-prime vet PF Juwan Howard and shot-blocker extraordinaire Dikembe Mutumbo, which GM Khalid Sleiman shot down without a second thought. But when you look at it, it seems that even with the extreme addition of "veteran leadership", Toronto is receiving immediate help in the front court, including a player that allows Chris Bosh to switch to his natural position at PF. Mike James has proven to be an exciting and potent 6th man. Meanwhile, Toronto loses a swingman who doesn't see floor time, a big man who is fighting for time with quite a number of big men and a PF who has been on the block since day one. While some of the other trades proposed over the past little while have been decent at best, this one apears to provide the Raptors with immediate help and a better frontcourt, not to mention someone who can actually function as a 6th man off the bench. Additionally, the Sacramento and Utah trades begin to address these needs.

[.LA.]

In the Raptor's latest loss, Head Coach Ben Warren was forced to step down as head coach, due to personal problems. The Toronto Raptors have now brought in a new coach on the staff, .LA., Lucas Andre. The new coach sat down with the media today..

.Reporter.- First of all, .LA., welcome to the Toronto Raptors, congratulations. My question is, why go with the Raptor's?

.LA.- Well, I'm kinda' just taken by the team we have. I mean, we have the talent, we just need to utilize that. And I think I can help with that.

.Reporter.- What kind of future do you see with the Toronto Raptors?

.LA.- Well, like I said, we have the talent. This is just a rebuilding process. The new era, without Vince Carter. We have new players to build around, in Chris Bosh, and I just think we need to worry about building the team right now.

.Reporter.- Do you see this team making the playoffs?

.LA.- Um, well I can't really answer that, because with all the trade rumors going around, I dont know what kind of team that I will end up with. But I will do my best and make the best out of whatever roster I have, and yeah, hopefully it will be good enough to earn a playoff spot.

.Reporter.- Speaking of trades, what trade would you like to see happen?

.LA.- Well, what has come out so far, everything looks good. It doesn't matter to me, I just wat to get this team together and get a close unit, so hopefully whatever is going to go down happens soon. Of course it would be great to have a player with the status of Carlos Boozer, or Jeff Mcinnis, but we will see.

.Reporter.- What are your thoughts on the signing of Marcus Haislip?

.LA.- Oh man, Im really glad we got Marcus. I saw him play alot at UT, and I saw the talent upclose that this young man has, so I think he will be a great piece to this franchise.

.Reporter.-What do you think it will take to get this team in the postseason?

.LA.- Well, obviously, it is going to take alot of work. I mean, nothing comes easy. Every player is going to have to play their heart out, every coach is going to have to coach their heart out. Its just going to be a team effort. So once whatever trade happens goes down, we will be ready to make this team a close unit, and hopefully start our stride for the postseason. Thank you.

[Sac-1]

Great Press Conference

[Emiliano]

Great interview .LA Glad to have you as head coach....now let the magic begin!

[Mini ShaQ]

Ok, I can get behind most of those trades, including Dallas (but then we should get a good C and play Bosh a 4), or Houston, We get a good mix (but their old, so that can only be a short-term solution, and Utah (but then we desperately need a backup PG)... we gain most from the Utah trade and then I thought of some good PG we should think about...

My Main Targets:
Damon Jones (maybe even start him)
Maurice Williams
TJ Ford (great to start too)
Juan Dixon
Jeff McInnis
Steve Blake
Sebastian Telfair
Dajuan Wagner

[Sac-1]

Jeff McInnis and Damon Jones sound good

[Mini ShaQ]

Yeah I think so too, but I also seriously like Juan Dixon and TJ Ford

[Emiliano]

They all sound good!

[Mini ShaQ]

They all sound good!

Hehe
Yeah I think so too They're all more than capable to handle the backup PG, but some, like Ford, Dixon, Jones and McInnis is just as good starters.

[Emiliano]

They all sound good!

Hehe
Yeah I think so too They're all more than capable to handle the backup PG, but some, like Ford, Dixon, Jones and McInnis is just as good starters.

Yea, I was thinking about that too...

[Mini ShaQ]

And since we desperatley need one, we need to have solutions that are easier to obtain but will work very well in the future, like Telfair, Wagner, Williams and Blake... because they're all young and promising, not as developed as the other candidates.

[.LA.]

I think we could try and pull off a deal involving Donny Marshall for Stromile Swift. Im not sure how the salaries would matchup so smaller parts may be needed. Then we could focus on getting another point guard. Maybe even swap Skip' for one? Even tho' Im a huge fan of his.

[Mini ShaQ]

Nah man, the thing is, we need a PG to play alongside Skip, even if it means we bench Skip but we need one more... as for Swift, we've settled on a deal that we think might work out well, but if it for some reason shouldn't he's definately a candidate...

[.LA.]

Yeah I was just saying to swap Skip if we could could two point guards out of it.

[Mini ShaQ]

Oh ok... yeah maybe, but I don't think there's to many teams with two PG of such high quality...