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

Suns Scorch the Raptors in 4th
Short-staffed Raptors can’t hold on to lead

[Toronto Box Score] [Phoenix Box Score]


Toronto, ON – The Raptors played tonight without starting PF Donyell Marshall and back-ups PG Milt Palacio and C Loren Woods, as the three were supposed to be on a flight to Utah. Unfortunately, the trade fell through and they were stranded at the airport while the Raptors played host to the 5-0 Phoenix Suns.

The Raptors capitalized in the first quarter, doing everything that they hadn’t done thus far. Led by Jalen Rose and Chris Bosh, who combined for 19 points, the Raptors jumped out to an early lead. Contributions from Marcus Haislip, the newest Raptor, and Pape Sow off the bench aided in securing a 10 point lead at the quarter break. Bosh’s dominant inside play continued in the second as he walked away as undisputed player of the half with 20 points. His Phoenix counterpart, Amare Stoudemire, was named Phoenix’s key halftime player with 10 points, five rebounds, a block and a steal. Other notable contributors for the Raptors included Jalen Rose who ended the half with 12 points, two rebounds and five assists. Haislip dominated at the 4 with six points and six boards, while splitting time with Matt Bonner, who got the start. Rafer Alston and Morris Peterson, the long-bomb master from last game, had quiet first halves in terms of scoring, combining for just four points, seven rebounds, five assists and four steals. Behind Stoudemire, Quentin Richardson was proving to be quite a handful for the defensive sieve Rose, as he ended with eight points, two boards and two steals. Nash quietly racked up six points, two boards and two steals. The Raptors found themselves maintaining a nine point advantage at the start of the third.

Bosh continued to roll in the third quarter, picking up eight points and a handful of rebounds. Going toe-to-toe with Stoudemire, Bosh proved to be the more potent offensive weapon, but could not get position on defense. Rose and Alston were at it with the assist game, both ending the quarter with seven a piece. The Raptors were holding on to an 11 point lead as the buzzer sounded. It seemed as though both teams would be replacing zeroes in their records.

The fourth quarter was, however, a disaster. A safe lead was held until around the five minute mark, when Phoenix had closed the lead to three on a seven-zip run. Toronto’s offensive weapons in the first half were no factors and the only player who managed to step it up was the veritable downtown assassin, Morris Peterson. Racking up 19 points in the second half, he managed to keep Toronto in the lead until the four minute mark when Eric Williams, who had seen very little action thus far, came in and allowed Richardson to walk over him to the tune of four points in a minute-and-a-half stretch. Richardson became the go-to guy and he, along with teammate Stoudemire, began to tear things apart for the Raptors. With 2:34 to go, Rose came back into the game at shooting guard, but Toronto’s once 11 point lead had been squandered and Phoenix led 88-87. Immediately after the timeout, the Raptors players had a new intensity to them. It was hard playing with such a short bench, especially for point guard Alston who played every minute of the game. On the first play after the break, Jalen Rose drove inside and gave Toronto back the lead. The Suns sped it up the floor but Steve Nash’s lay-up attempt was altered and Chris Bosh threw it down for the three point lead with under two minutes to play. Then, the hot-shooting Suns got hotter; coupled with a botched lay-up and a weary three-pointer by Alston, the Suns came back to take a 93-91 lead. The Raptors got reprieve with Stoudemire’s lousy free throw shooting, but no-one outside of Morris Peterson could buy a bucket. Down by four with six seconds left, Morris Peterson took the long inbound pass and jacked up a three which swooshed through the mesh to the delight of Raptors fans. Unfortunately, it was coupled with the sound of the final buzzer, as the Raptors fell 95-94 to the Suns.

Player of the game honours went to Quentin Richardson and his streaky second half shooting; he finished the game with 25 points, 17 in the second half on 50% shooting, three rebounds, four assists and three steals. Close in the running was centre Amare Stoudemire who ended with 22 points on 10-for-13 shooting, 11 rebounds, a block and a steal. For the Raptors, CB4’s 32 points and eight rebounds led the way, but it was his and Jalen Rose’s combined 16 points in the half versus the 32 they scored in the first two quarters that was the downfall of the team. Peterson went 4-for-7 from downtown, meaning outside of the first 4-for-12 game, he is a whopping 13-of-22 from outside. Haislip certainly impressed with eight points, nine rebounds, two assists and a block, by far outperforming the starter Matt Bonner. Once again, the guards were seeing the floor as the starting combined for 16 assists. Finally, the bench was productive, as Lamond Murray just missed double figure scoring.


Highlights:
Bosh dominated inside
Rose laying up two of his 10 first quarter points
Bosh again powering it down
Bosh throws down
Haislip rejects Nash
Haislip's first basket as a Raptor
Stoudemire teabags Bosh during the Suns' 4th quarter run
Richardson goes to the hoop
Even old-timer Murray got to the hoop
Rose's 4th quarter lay-up returns the lead to Toronto
Bosh's dunk in the fourth to go up 91-88 just was not enough to get the W


Coaches and managers available for comment.

I really like the Sacramento trade with Miller, Williamson and Evans... That will give us depth... and we can play CB4 at PF...

Tough loss....I really want to see the final roster after the trades so we can make a depth chart....

Well, Emiliano, once we find a trade that we both like and will go through, you'll be one of the first to know. As for the Utah incident, well, it cost us the Phoenix game (you know we would have won with Marshall in the line-up and Palacio in to rest Alston) but we shall work out something even better, in the next couple of days.

Well, Emiliano, once we find a trade that we both like and will go through, you'll be one of the first to know. As for the Utah incident, well, it cost us the Phoenix game (you know we would have won with Marshall in the line-up and Palacio in to rest Alston) but we shall work out something even better, in the next couple of days.

Yea, its kinda hard to get a trade to go through sometimes. I know you guys will do the right trade...Good Luck GMs!!

thanks...i think we got one that won't fail

Tough loss, but we were short handed.

Expect a Press Conference in a couple hours.

After so many failed trade attempts, it is confirmed that Marshall will be moved tonight. So hold on tight and wait for Khalid's announcement of the trade when it happens.

After so many failed trade attempts, it is confirmed that Marshall will be moved tonight. So hold on tight and wait for Khalid's announcement of the trade when it happens.

Great. I cant wait

Lucas, check your inbox. I PMed you. And I'll hit you and Emiliano 1st with the details of the trade. (well, after Khalid and Matin, of course)

.::5 for 4 Trade anouncement::.

After a long week of trade talks between many teams the Toronto Raptors have found a team(Sacramento) that had the perfect deal, the Raptors say good bye to Donyell Marshall,Milt Palacio,Eric Williams,Matt Bonner, and Aron Williams and say hello to Brad Miller,Corliss Williamson,Eddie House, and Maurice Evans. All four players are going to play in the next game against Seattle.

Great, now .LA since your the head coach, make a depth chart and send it to me so i can check and give inputs

I'm beginning to get the hang of all this. Too bad I don't know enough about those players to make a vote... but the trade's already been made.

It all looks REAL cool. Maybe I should apply for position of towel guy?

Well, Alston does sweat like a beast!

awesome trade sac-1........

good luck to u guys next game...

New Raptors Boost Toronto to Victory
Even injury to new star doesn’t prevent win

[Toronto Box Score] [Seattle Box Score]


Seattle, WA – The 0-4 Raptors brought their new look to Seattle, along with a whole new ferocious attitude. In the past few weeks, Toronto has been involved with trade talks with Cleveland and Utah, but was unable to close a deal; the latter even stole three players from Toronto’s roster in a loss to Phoenix. But just a day before they came to Seattle, they announced a nine-player deal that featured Donyell Marshall’s and Brad Miller’s relocation, hoping the shake-up would snap their four game skid.

The first quarter was even through the first six minutes. Brad Miller opened the scoring, finding a whole and taking in right to the rim. It seemed that his presence on offense allowed Chris Bosh and Jalen Rose to find larger holes and create more offensively. All three players ended the quarter with eight points or more. Even more impressive was Miller’s rebounding, as he grabbed seven boards in the quarter, thee at the offensive end. On the opposing side, Ray Allen and Rashard Lewis were proving to be quite hard to contain and their offensive aggressiveness led to open looks for Luke Ridnour, who finished the quarter with eight points, going 2-for-2 from beyond the arc.

The second quarter was quite frightening. Seeing how influential Miller’s presence on the floor was on both ends, it was tough to see him fall victim to injury as he attempted a lay-up. Hurting his arm, he abandoned the bench to be looked at by the team doctor. While the offense clinic continued by Bosh and Rose for the Raptors and Ray Allen for the SuperSonics, Toronto proved that it now had a legitimate bench. Corliss Williamson, another ex-King, came up with four points and three rebounds at the half; Marcus Haislip, the free agent pick-up who just missed a double-double off the bench against Phoenix, had four points, two rebounds, an assist and a block. Ray Allen, with 15 points, two assists and a steal and Chris Bosh, with 14 points, two rebounds and four assists were named players of the half. Jalen Rose led the Raptors with 15 points, and had one each in the assist, rebound and block columns. Toronto led 52-47.

Brad Miller returned to the bench but did not play for the first half of the third quarter. Instead, Bosh slipped back over to centre and the newly acquired Williamson took over the four spot. Rafer Alston, who had been in quite a shooting funk lately, came alive in one great stretch where he hit a three-pointer, came up with the steal, and hit another three on the successive play. Toronto dominated the quarter 32-21 with Bosh’s eight and Rose’s nine points. Ray Allen was uncontainable, scoring 13 points to keep his team still competitive. Brad Miller did return to play, though it did seem that his slight arm injury hampered his ability.

The fourth quarter then was a cakewalk. Rafer Alston continued to be a huge offensive component, finishing with his first double-double of the season, 15 points and 12 assists. Being knocked down to a third option before, and now a fourth, seemed difficult at first, but his passing skills have certainly been on display. With a 92-78 lead with over 7 minutes left to play, the Raptors were poised to post over 100 points for the first time this season and they did not disappoint. They finished with an easy 111-94 victory, with four starters scoring in double figures and two players recording double-doubles. Jalen Rose’s scoring did not peter out in the fourth like Bosh’s did; Rose ended with the game-high 33 points, edging the Sonics’ Allen by one, and along with his three rebounds, three assists, one block and one steal, earned the first player of the game honours given to a Raptor this season. Brad Miller added another four points and three rebounds in the second half to finish with 12 points and 10 boards. Noticeable off the bench were Haislip with eight points and four rebounds, sixth man Williamson with six points and five rebounds and former sixth man Lamond Murray, who quietly racked up seven points. In addition to Allen for the Sonics, Lewis finished with 19 points. The Sonics’ bench featured two players who reached double-digits in scoring, Ridnour and Flip Murray with 15 and 12, respectively. The boards were controlled by Danny Fortson who finished with a team-high seven, and also pitched in six points. Ridnour led their team in assists with four, but four players recorded three assists each for the team, which was horribly out-assisted 32-20.

Highlights:
Miller scores his first basket as a Raptor
Bosh puts down the one-hander
Miller throws down the on the O-board
Bosh missed the alley-oop, but Miller gave it back to him to finish
Haislip goes up to reject Ridnour
Williamson missed the lay-in but stuffs home his first two in purple and red
Ridnour dialing from long distance
Miller suffers an arm injury
Collison's questionable block on Alston
Lewis watches his lay-up drop
Flip flips it for two
Allen hits the three with Rose in his face
Alston hits his second consecutive trey, with a steal in between
Ray Allen's smooth shot
Rose nails the off-balance three

Coaches and managers available for conference.

New roster after the Sacramento trade. However, bad news strikes:

The Interviewer[b] Morris Peterson Jalen Rose

[b]I caught up with starting wingmen Mo-Pete and Jalen Rose after the game. Let's see what went down:

Yo, Mo! I haven't seen you guys in a while. Looks like I only catch you on road games!

Guess so. The locker room's got less press, so it must just be easier for you to get in.

Fat jokes? You are a funny man. So funny that I only get to talk to you on night where you aren't an offensive weapon. What was up with that?

Yeah man, you missed my three-pointer marathon! Naw, just messing with you. Just as I start moving up to a higher option on offense, they bring in Brad Miller just to mess with me. You know, it's really all about the defenders. Jalen and I switch going off depending on who is defending. Rashard Lewis did an excellent job on not letting me get touches, but I'm more than happy with my offensive contribution without the ball in my hands.

One more question for you Mo: with Corliss Williamson in town, there is no more need for a three man rotation at the 2 and 3 spots, meaning your minutes will likely be cut down.

Yeah, but I also play the two, so you should be preaaching this to Old Man Murray. True though. Big Nasty's got a different set of skills. I go deep while he pushes inside. He didn't get that nickname for nothing, you know.

All right, enough with you. Let's move on to our hero of the night: Jalen Rose. You've kinda sucked on defense lately and you've been seriously outscored by your opposing guard, but tonight you bested Ray Allen. Was it something in the water?

Yeah, Brad was taking a swim. Musta rubbed off. Naw though. I mean, Mo here usually goes off and I collect the dimes. You make more flow that way, yo. But tonight I was allowed to penetrate and I went for it. Dude, you're a guy, you know all about that...

Yes, but you have that experience with Matt Bonner. Sad to see him and the rest go?

Course, man. Donny is a great guy and I wish him the best till we play them. Bonner and I were just getting close. The other three were good guys, but them Williams did not want to play here, so it really was for the best. And looking at our cash crop, we raked in the chips.

I don't think that's actually slang, but I'll pretend I know what you are saying. So if had a pick between Gooden, Boozer and Miller, who would you have picked?

Gotta go with what we got: B-Mill. He showed it for us tonight, man. He would've owned the glass without that injury. It's tough when you get someone new and they can't perform right away to their full ability.

Final question, and I'll ask it back to Mr. Shootout over here: Marcus Haislip, the best pick-up ever?

Haha, no - a little too far. But he's really dominating in the frountcourt. He really gave us some depth, a legit big man to rise above the other bunch we've got.

[b]Thanks. So this is the Interviewer, Morris "I'm losing minutes" Peterson and Jalen "My boyfriend's gone to Cali" Rose and I'm frightened by these two big black guys I just insulted.

Guys...
Awesome Dynasty!!!
I really love this cooperation mode...

Please keep me on mind if any vacancies arise, or if ther is any new job to pick up.

I am a very new poster, but very active!

Regards!

I like this dynasty, because of course, I am a Toronto Raptors fan. I haven't posted in it though, because I've mainly been watching from a distance. Good job on getting Brad Miller though, and I like the fact that you brought Williamson back. He played in Toronto for like half a season, but I like what he brought to the table until Morris Peterson managed to out play him for a starting spot.

.....This really makes me want to play my Toronto dynasty again....

nice win. i'm surprised by the miller trade. he's arguably the worst defensive center in the league in terms of stopping the opposing center. but the other players are nice pickups. good job, sac-1

nice win. i'm surprised by the miller trade. he's arguably the worst defensive center in the league in terms of stopping the opposing center. but the other players are nice pickups. good job, sac-1

He certainly did clean house on the boards. Defensively, we've really yet to see him doing something bad - but he's only matched up against Fortson as the toughest opponent, so time will tell. Unfortuantely, he';; be missing at least the next 2 games, 1st against SA and Duncan, then against Nowtizki's Mavs.

Khalid had an excellent call with Big Nasty. I tried him out in 04, but he just wasn't really good. This time around, he's really proving himself. And now we have a vacancy at either PF/C, I imagine the coaches will have either him or Haislip join the starting rotation. The other guys fill needs, which is great, and the trade also gave us 1 free roster spot.

Please keep me on mind if any vacancies arise, or if ther is any new job to pick up.

Shall do Andres. Perhaps the recently vacated draft consultant position if it is re-instated?

I like this dynasty, because of course, I am a Toronto Raptors fan. I haven't posted in it though, because I've mainly been watching from a distance. Good job on getting Brad Miller though, and I like the fact that you brought Williamson back. He played in Toronto for like half a season, but I like what he brought to the table until Morris Peterson managed to out play him for a starting spot.

I did not know that. Wow, that's a whole lotta teams for one guy in a very short time span: Sacramento, Philly (I think), Detroit, wherever he was before that, Toronto...well travelled, to say the least.

And perhaps that duel for the starting SF spot will be up for grabs again; Williamson definitely plays a different game than Peterson.
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Great! We won our first game! Good job GMs on getting those trades down and good job joeygraham on winning the game

Sorry, I've been away for a while. Glad we got one against the Sonics. The trades look nice, although I find it interesting that our GM is bringing half the Sacramento Kings team to Toronto.

Sorry, I've been away for a while. Glad we got one against the Sonics. The trades look nice, although I find it interesting that our GM is bringing half the Sacramento Kings team to Toronto.

Actually, Sacramento was about the 10th of so team we tried a deal with. As for the large trade size, we always knew it was going to be a 2-for-2 at minimum, but Khalid actually had his eyes on Williamson, so we had to work around salaries. Between Miller and WIlliamson, it's like 14 or so. As for House & Evans, they are good back-up players who certainly are not staples on a team. If we had pulled Peja or Bibby or Jackson even in the trade, I'd say woah! But it really was only Miller & a supporting cast of guys who don't really have a jersey associated with them (hey - I still remember House on LAC and CHA) and Williamson is a seasoned traveller as mentioned earlier. But the Sac deal really was not our first choice, as we've sort of highlighted the other trades.