Official Toronto Raptors Thread.

[ThaLiveKing]

Some awesome stuff from a guy who went to a press conference with Brian Colangelo and Sam Mitchell (goodies bolded):

Q&A
1)i asked Sam about last yaers learning curve and what htey're doing different this year

SAM:
*we have veterans that know how to play and have experience
*last year there were MANY times when CV and JG didn't know what they were doing and looked baffled...he said that is normal for rookies
*Honed on when asking CV 'why he was at a certain spot' on defense he'd get a 'i dont know' reply .. which again he said is expected... but ppl need to realize that there is a learning curve for rookies
*...'many times Charlie didn't even know what city we were in b/c of the back 2 back or 4 games in 5 nights schedules' ...

- I m not sure if he kept mentioning charlie to condone the trade or just as a rookie example - he did mention jose and joey also but ref'd charlie more


2) Observing the palyers for about a week now... is/was there anything that caught u by surprise or that u didn't expect?

SAM:
*No...nothing really .. i know all the guys.. i coached TJ in milwaukee..
*BC CUT him off laffing and goes.. YES... they all showed up and are genuwinely excited to get started and acclimated with one another...it's a real refresher seeing these guys on the floor


3) Someone asked what is the backup plan considering if alot of the raptors play in the WC next year or qualifying tourneys and get injured.. we have no cap space.... (basically in ref to Pau Gasol being out till march and how memphis is screwed)

*BC.. the raptors have hired the Grizzlies' trainer and he told them all the concerns with Pau prior to the WC
*Brain said had he been in that situation he would have recommended Pau ( or his player) not to play
*The trainer (now with the raps) is not surprised Pau got injured
*BC mentioned its a risk to let them play but at the same time you have to do whats best for your team
i.e Decision to NOT let Bargnani play in WC upset Italy...but it was the best decision for the raps and Andrea.. the guy was dead tired after playing all year, flying to the draft the day after winning the championship..then going to the summer league.. he's WELL rested.. gained weight and strenght and ready to go
- Also.. if bosh didn't play.. this would be his first real action since early march when he got hurt... it was a GREAT experience for chris and kept him in shape.. bottom line .. CB4 NEEDED to play BALL
- Benefit for Jose and Garbs
- Nesterovic showed NEW LIFE in the WC... he is VERY HAPPY about coming here

-agreed that injuries can occur and should be warranted but you always have to do whats best for the palyers/team

4) asked about Defense and the new guys learning plays

-Both BC and SAm .. .European players know how to play D.. HELP Defense is their speciality
-spoke about how Garbs held Nowitizki in the WC.. but did it with help defense
- Garbs smart defender


...other Stupid irrelevant questions i can't remember..

OK.. NOW THE JUICE. . (sorry had to save this for the end like last time)


SAM MITCHELL Highlights: (he spoke of these guys voluntarily)


on Jose Calderon:

- PRAISED jose calderon like no other... says Jose is ready to go and will be an integral part of this franchise
- ALWAYS thinking of the team first ..wheterh he plays 5 minutes or 25...
- EXTREMELY new attitude and confidence after rookie season and WC
- Ready to accept responsibility

on Joey Graham:

-Extremely talented and skilled player..CAN easily be a STAR in this league.. YES .. he said STAR
-unbelievable strenght and athleticism
-struggled with the learning curve last year
-has the ability to cover KOBE, VINCE, LEBRON, TMAC...
-To the Fans: Expect BIG things from Joey this year

on CB4 and Mo Pete:
- Have emerged as leaders of the team
- Mo petes game keeps getting better
- CB4 is the only guarnateed starter
- CB4 has grown so much over the past seasons..and has soo much more room to grow...


On Bargs:

- Wants Barganni to play center
- believes he will create incredible match up problems for other teams
- Can Dribble, Pass and Shoot
- Plays the game with guard like skills
- 7'1 with shoes
- He will dicate his own playing time... 'Players decide who plays .. NOT ME'



Brian Colangelo:

TJ FORD TJ FORD TJ FORD!!!

- the majority of the team has realized they are not in shape after playing with TJ
- the guy is Lightning quick..possibly the FASTEST palyer they've seen
- Pushes the ball immediately
-Hard to keep up with him
-Caught Fred Jones (who has bulked up) trying to catch his breath on the sidelines...admitting that he luvs the style and has to get used to all the running
-Expect ENTERTAINING Basketball
- Joey graham, fred jones always ahead of the pack when tj pushes the ball...
- Chris and Rasho will complement each other GREAT
- Rasho has played with TD and KG ... he knows how to win.. never been on a losing roster... played with Sam
- Rasho has over 400 starts in his career
- Projected to Start games..but may not finish them (a la Bargs)


TJ FORD!!!!

Heres MY FAVORITE PART .. this was mentioned TWICE by BC throughout the session....


QUESTION: u traded for an oft injured guard.. are u worried?

BC: (licks his lips, smiles...) 'Yesterday.. Tj Ford.. in transition on the break.. leaped up and slammed home a 360 dunk' ... ' In a game situation... i believe that should tell you about how he's feeling'

MORE TJ stuff...

(excitedly speaking he mentioned...)

*TJ has been throwing lobs to himself and dunking them
* Off the backboard lobs and slamming them
*For a 5'11 Guy to do that.. I believe his past injury is not an immediate concern.... we're looking at the positives

Thanx for this. . .I can't wait for opening night, I just hope they start 15-1 this year lol

[[C][B]#4]

^ Yah no kidding, but the first part of the season's pretty much hell to the Raptors. I'd be happy if they can maintain .500 by the end of November. The comments about TJ Ford is what makes me optimistic about this upcoming season. It's good to hear that he's healthy even though his spinal cord injury is behind him.

[Abctest123]

I just realized...from last year's opening day roster, they had the three Williams that didn't play much (Aaron, Eric, and Alvin) to no "Williams" at all leading up to a couple of weeks before training camp .

*useless info post*

[Qmx323]

Aaron Williams i respect very much, he's undersized for a PF/C and still bangs hard and throws himself around in the paint, that i like, and i love alvin williams, he was a great player, 6-5 and played PG very well, another victim of knee injury.

I believe the raptors will be a 7th 8th seed this season or the next. TJ and Fred will bring alot of speed and athleticism to the raps and make it a poor mans version of the phoenix suns (scores alot, fastbreaks alot and alot of threes)

although i did like CV very much, never expected him to be a good as shooter as he is.

[lassen24]

I've never been so exited for the season to start. I have total faith in Colangelo.

[Gedas]

Thei wil raptor this yer i can tell you thsat.

[Its_asdf]

Aaron Williams i respect very much, he's undersized for a PF/C and still bangs hard and throws himself around in the paint, that i like, and i love alvin williams, he was a great player, 6-5 and played PG very well, another victim of knee injury.

I agree, I really do respect both Alvin and Aaron, but I can't say the same thing for Eric.

He was praised for his defensive abilities and his great attitude, but he showed none of that during his time with the Raptors. All he did was whine about his minutes, play absolutely no defence and brick every shot he took, including free throws.

[hipn]

This season is going to be great...I hope. I wish I were able to go watch some Raptors games at the ACC.

[Qmx323]

If they didnt start 1-15 last season they actually might have made the playoffs, that and Bosh not getting kicked by Sow in the hand.

[hipn]

Here are some pictures on the Raptors Tickets:

Anthony Parker
Bargnani
Fred Jones
Jorge
Rasho
TJ Ford
Uros Slokar


I got them over at RealGM from the user T0R0NT0_RAPT0RS

If you want Hi-Res images, please inform me so I can re-up them with better wuality and size (atleast 3-4 times bigger than these)

[cyanide]

Those are some pretty bad jersey swaps

Edit: They don't look like tickets, at least I've never seen tickets with coiled bindings.

[Cable]

I'm guessing they don't care since the tickets are small, but still, those suck.

[hipn]

Those are some pretty bad jersey swaps

Edit: They don't look like tickets, at least I've never seen tickets with coiled bindings.

According to the people that have recieved their season ticekts, it came in a binder like format, but it's small.

Here is the thread explaing how it looks and where I hosted the pics for that one user:

http://www.realgm.com/boards/viewtopic.php?t=567226

[hipn]

RAPTORS NEW HOME JERSEY

[Its_asdf]

We saw this miles away, but I guess its good to officially see how they look like.

[Abctest123]

Just wondering, but where are the Top-3 players, Bosh, Mo-Pete, and Ford? Anyways, before the those pics, I was wondering why people found them to look so much like the Heat jerseys. After viewing these pics, I finally agree and it looks A LOT like what Miami wears.

[---]

they look very nice. lol @ the mascot in the background

[raptors1236]

first off i gotta say i love the pick that hipn has of the swirsk that shit is hilarious! second i have a question,does anyone know if those new jereys are in nba live 07

[Its_asdf]

Yes, they are, it was known quite a long time ago that they would be implemented in the game.

[hipn]

[Abctest123]

Those look like the kind where they just print the name and number on the jersey. Did you see the stitched ones anywhere (not authentics, but swingman)?

[hipn]

It's a photo taken by a user @ RealGM. The middle one with no number is an official one (customizable) and is around $230CND + Tax.

This picture was taken at that store inside the ACC.

[Mayerhendrix]

This just made me think...when the Grizzlies start making Rudy Gay jerseys, that'd be hilarious to see a guy who walks around in one.

[BOSS]

Bump

[cyanide]

This thread is too good to die down, imo...

The Raptors played well as a team, but they still got outrebounded and didn't shoot too well. It was their free throws that pulled out the win. Bargs played well in 13 minutes, scoring 8 points on 2/2 three pointers and grabbed 4 rebounds, but had way too many fouls. If he can lay down the fouls and adapt to the NBA game, he should make some noise.