Get the food supplies in, batten down the hatches and huddle up to your close ones. The Raptors are going to tank the 2013/14 season!
Okay, fine, they haven’t actually said as much. However, if the following interview by Andrew Wiggins is anything to go by, it must be awfully tempting for Masai Ujiri and company to go down this route:
Raptors fans everywhere must be delirious with excitement after hearing those comments, dreaming about what might be. However, while the addition of college basketball’s top prospect would rejuvenate the Raptors franchise, let’s not get too carried away just yet.
As we know, the chances of tanking the season and successfully getting the number one pick is no sure-fire thing. (e.g. Boston Celtics trying to get Tim Duncan.) Plus, this isn’t the first time we’ve heard about this type of thing regarding playing for the Raptors.
In any event, no matter what the Raptors do, it’s commissioner David Stern who will decide how this plays out. If he really wants the NBA to become more popular in Canada, he has ways and means of making this happen. (Lottery draft. *cough!* Frozen envelope. *COUGH! COUGH!* Patrick Ewing.)
N.B. Maybe Tim Leiweke should stop planning parade routes and concentrate on attacking Stern with a major charm offensive. At least he doesn’t have to worry about tearing down the Raptors history. They don’t really have any.
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While Raptors fans anxiously await official confirmation that the Andrea Bargnani era is over in Toronto, there is some news to report, with the signing of Tyler Hansbrough. The deal is for two years, at $3 million per season, with the second year being a team option.
With the Raptors starting over, Hansbrough should prove to be a valuable addition to the overall strength of the roster. Here’s six things you need to know about the former Indiana Pacer. Or maybe you don’t. It’s up to you:
1) To say Hansbrough had a good college career with North Carolina is like telling you Vince Carter is mildly unpopular in Toronto. He was a unanimous selection for the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) all conference team in each of his four seasons in college and was named ACC player of the year in 2008.
2) It gets better. Hansbrough is the ACC’s all-time leading scorer and was the National Player of the Year in 2008. Not too surprisingly, his jersey number (50) was retired in 2010, during a North Carolina-Duke game.
3) Hansbrough was drafted 13th overall in the 2009 NBA draft by the Pacers and despite mostly coming off the bench, he was a key reserve during his time in Indiana. In fact, it’s worth noting his career rebounding average of 4.7 is comparable to Bargnani’s 4.8, who was a regular starter for the majority of his seven seasons in Toronto.
4) Hansbrough’s rookie season in the NBA was cut short by a series of inner ear problems. I’m assuming these issues have been resolved now, but if not, at least he has an excuse not to put up with Kyle Lowry’s constant bitching.
5) I’m not sure how much impact this has on Hansbrough’s playing abilities, but he comes from a family with a reputation for both intelligence and athleticism. His dad is a Doctor and he has two brothers; Greg, a marathon runner and Ben, who played for both Notre Dame and the Pacers.
6) According to former teammate (and quite possibly former friend after this) Roy Hibbert, Hansbrough nickname was “Pyscho T”, which he absolutely hated. He was also called ”Gooch” in the locker room, which is slightly worrying, given what some definitions of the word include.
Make of all that what you will, but let’s just say I’m glad he’s on the Raptors side now.
Photo credit: @kosma84
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Big news coming from Raptors land and I’m not talking about their latest signing. Jonas Valanciunas has gotten engaged to his girlfriend. (To be fair, I suppose, in a way, it is an acquisition of sorts.)
Given my previous comments about how the Raptors centre looks like Matthew Fox of Lost fame, I guess I shouldn’t be surprised that his girlfriend is a bit of a looker. I have to admit I’m conflicted though. On the one hand, 21 seems a little young to be going down this path. However, if you’ve met the right one, then fair play.
What amazes me most is how relaxed the Lithuanian sensation seems about his impending marriage. Seriously, take a look:
I know I shouldn’t judge others by my own feelings about such things, but he doesn’t look even remotely stressed. He has to be stoned, right?!
I suppose the least I can do is pass on my congratulation to the happy couple, although I will leave the 2011 fifth overall draft pick with one word of advice: ‘Prenup’.
Good luck Jonas!
Photo credit: @steven_lebron
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Leafs buyout Mike Komisarek: Summing up his career in Toronto
Well there you have it, it’s over. And no, unfortunately I’m not talking about the Coyotes time in Phoenix. I’m referring to the Mike Komisarek era in Toronto. It’s done. Finito. Kaput.
I must stress, I have no issue with Komisarek whatsoever, but I think it’s fair to say his career with the Leafs wasn’t exactly a resounding success. In fact, this might best sum up his time in Southern Ontario:
If Komisarek can’t find another NHL team to play for, he should send the above footage to the Raptors. I’m sure they’d be willing to give him a trial, especially in light of recent seasons.
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Okay, so it won’t be finalised until July 10, and it could still go wrong, but a deal sending Andrea Bargnani to the Knicks appears all but done. However, despite the majority of Raptors fans being overjoyed to see the former number one overall draft pick leave, I’m actually going to miss the big lug.
Bargnani’s arrival in 2006 coincided with my flying over to Toronto for the first time. What followed, was a magical campaign that included a first ever divisional title, a franchise record-equalling 47 wins and a trip to the postseason against the hated Vince Carter and the Nets.
I went to over half the games during that 2006/07 season, including the playoffs, making it easy for me to become a Raptors fan. (Boy, have I been made to pay for that ever since.) And in many ways, I associate Bargnani with that season, hence why I think I’ve always been in his corner.
The Italian flattered to deceive time and time again, but I was convinced he was going to become a big star. It finally looked like his time had arrived during Dwane Casey’s first season in charge, with Bargnani leading the team in scoring and sometimes even playing hard on defence.
Unfortunately this past season, even I had to concede it was never going to happen for Bargnani in Toronto and his departure is the right move for all concerned. However, I’ll always root for the guy and I hope he does well in New York.
As such, here’s my top eight moments from ll Mago’s time with the Raptors. Trust me, you’ll almost wish he wasn’t leaving after seeing these highlights:
1) GAME WINNER VERSUS PORTLAND IN OVERTIME
Early on in his rookie season, Bargnani’s demeanour convinced me that he was the man you wanted taking the final shot in any close games. And if you listen to Chuck Swirsky and Jack Armstrong, it certainly sounds like they were also coming to the same conclusion. (Actually, I’m not sure if they’re the best people to be using as part of my defence.)
2) PLAYOFF ELIMANTION GAME VERSUS NETS
Adding ammunition to my belief that Bargnani had ice in his veins, was his performances during the 2007 playoffs against the Nets. And nowhere was this better illustrated than game 5, which doubled as an elimination game for the Raptors.
Bargnani came our firing, scoring 13 points in the 1st quarter, as the team took a 33-13 lead. For some reason, his teammates didn’t look for him as much during the rest of the game and they ending up hanging on for 98-96 victory. However, the Italian still finished with 18 points, shooting 67% on just 9 attempts, together with 4 rebounds, 1 steal and a block.
3) BARGNANI SENDS VINCE CARTER TO THE FLOOR
What better way to endear yourself to the Raptors fanbase than throwing Vince Carter’s whiney ass to the floor! And the fact the normally laid-back Bargnani followed this up by jawing with the artist formerly known as ‘Air Canada’, just made it even more satisfying.
4) BARGNANI BLOCKS AND SCORES ON YAO MING
Who said Bargnani can’t play defence?! Okay, fine. Even I admitted this. But you still have to love this block on Yao Ming, punctuated by everyone’s favourite Italian scoring on the former Rockets centre at the other end of the court.
5) DOUBLE BLOCK ON NOWITZKI AND SINGLETON
If you thought seeing Bargnani block was a rare sight, how about this: A double block on the player he was most often compared to and some other guy who doesn’t matter as much.
6) REVERSE DUNK VERSUS THE LAKERS
In basketball, not much beats seeing a spectacular dunk, especially when it comes from a player not renowned for showing his emotions on the court. Now, make it a reverse dunk against the Lakers and you’ve really got something special.
7) DUNKS ON TWO PLAYERS AT THE SAME TIME
There is perhaps only one way Bargnani could top his previous dunk and here it is: Dunking on two players at the same time.
8 ) 38 POINTS AGAINST MIAMI’S BIG THREE
And finally, you’ll have to forgive me for the extended video clip above. However, I wanted to highlight the potential awesomeness of Bargnani and what better example than his 38-point explosion against the Miami Heat’s ‘Big Three’.
Yes, I know the Raptors lost 103-95, but the Italian almost single-handedly kept them in the game against a team headed toward the first of three consecutive NBA Finals appearances.
Good bye Mr Bargnani. I wish it could have turned out better, but at least we’ll always have the 2006/07 season.
Photo credit: @KoziFbaby
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It comes as no surprise that Masai Ujiri is looking to move Andrea Bargnani. However, what may catch people off guard, is the news that the Raptors new GM is reportedly also open to trading DeMar DeRozan.
Several rival executives believe Ujiri is willing to trade the former ninth overall draft pick, because of concerns about his ability to play effectively on the same team as Rudy Gay. Moving forward, the Raptors organisation are pinning their hopes on Gay becoming the face of the franchise.
What makes this news relevant, are reports that the Raptors are currently involved in talks with the Clippers regarding Eric Bledsoe. Although still in the early stages, the Raptors interest is significant, especially as it became apparent during last season that Kyle Lowry was not the answer at the point guard position.
While DeRozan and Bledsoe are the main pieces currently in play, it will be interesting to see if the Clippers would also be willing to accept Bargnani in any potential deal. Importantly, this is all dependant on Chris Paul signing a contract extension in L.A., but don’t expect this to deter Ujiri from his pursuit of Bledsoe.
Photo credit: http://ballb4all.com
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Well it’s been an eventful seven days to say the least, with just as much to look forward to this weekend. As such, let’s dive straight into out ‘Top Toronto athlete sightings of the week’:
(Translation: I can’t be bothered with a lengthy intro today.)
1) ROBERTO & SANDY ALOMAR
Here’s Roberto and Sandy Alomar, who this week did their bit for the children, by helping out at a Blue Jays baseball camp. Now I’m sure a lot of you would rather we didn’t make fun of the Hall of Famer or his dad and that’s absolutely fine with me.
(To be honest, I’m more distracted anyway by trying to figure out if they’re posing with an underdeveloped adult or just one of the oldest looking kids I’ve ever seen in my life.)
2) TERRENCE ROSS & JOFFREY LUPUL
This week, Blackberry became the official computing partner of MLSE. Unfortunately for the Raptors Terrence Ross and Joffrey Lupul of the Leafs, this meant getting up at the crack of dawn to promote this news on Breakfast television.
It seems Ross couldn’t decide whether to go with the smart or casual look, while Lupul appears to have just woken up. Literally. Which is ironic, given the Leafs winger likely gave women all around the GTA area an early morning boost, (including CP24 Breakfast presenter Melissa Grelo by the looks of things).
3) TERRENCE ROSS
As part of the promotion, Ross also took to the streets in the Yonge and Dundas area, with tickets to the Raptors home opener on offer to the first person who could find him with a Blackberry device. I don’t want to say it was a fix, but why am I not surprised the winner turned out to be an attractive young lady. (I wonder if Ross was doing a ‘Rob Ford’ with his left hand?)
4) ANDRE DURIE & DONTRELLE INMAN
Also getting up early were the Argonauts Andre Durie and Dontrelle Inman, who appeared on breakfast television to help promote the new CFL season. If truth be told though, I’m only really showing this photo as an excuse to look at the lovely Nalini Sharma of CP24. (Yep, that’s right. I’m a weak man.)
5) JOHNNY BOWER & BEN SCRIVENS
This photo of Leafs legend Johnny Bower and Ben Scrivens is my favourite one of the week, and was taken at the MLSE Team Up Challenge. At the time, it was described as ‘past meets present’. Who could have known that within a couple of hours, this would no longer be the case?
(Yes, I know the Leafs organisation likely already knew. It was a rhetorical question. No need to be a smart ass!)
6) JOSE REYES
Cushioning the blow of the end of the Blue Jays 11-game winning streak, was the news of the return of the charismatic Jose Reyes. And despite getting ready to fly to Tampa Bay to join his teammates, the ever-generous four-time All-Star still made time for his fans.
(I would have totally understood if Reyes declined to sign an autograph for this kid. I’m sure the last thing he needed was one final reminder that he’d just spent a few days in Buffalo.)
7) MUNENORI KAWASAKI
Talking of Reyes, his return turned into a bitter-sweet moment, as it resulted in everyone’s favourite Japanese player returning to Buffalo. But before being sent down, (albeit for a grand total of 48 hours) Kawasaki still found time to photo-bomb his teammates picture.
Welcome back Kawasaki!
8 ) DION PHANEUF
And finally, poor Dion Phaneuf. As if the Leafs captain hasn’t got enough on his mind with the rumours surrounding his long-term future, he can’t even go for a walk in the local park without getting crushed by a mob by over-enthusiastic fans. (Well, it’s either that or he was pounced on by an excitable Rosie O’Donnell.)
Enjoy the long weekend!
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Even though I’m gutted that Chris Bosh still has a chance to win another championship, that was one hell of a game last night. Ray Allen was money when it mattered most, with perhaps the most memorable shot he’s ever hit in a long, distinguished career of clutch shooting.
In any event, it got me thinking and provided me with the impetus (i.e. excuse) to consider some of the best clutch shots in the history of the Raptors. As such, I now present the Raptors top five game-winning shots and in true NFL network style, we’re going to count them down from five to one:
5) DEMAR DEROZAN VS ORLANDO MAGIC
Last season was a campaign of ups and (mostly) downs for our beloved Raptors. One of the better ups was this buzzer-beater by DeMar DeRozan in Orlando. Whether it becomes the catalyst for him to take his game to another level, remains to be seen.
4) CHRIS BOSH VS WASHINGTON WIZARDS
My sports-hate for Chris Bosh is well-documented on this website. I actually didn’t like him, even when he was in Toronto. I always felt like he was a fraud, masquerading as a franchise player for the Raptors. I never bought it and often found my case proven in the key moments of tight games.
Having said all that, I guess showing the above game-winning shot actually sabotages my argument, (which wouldn’t be the first time.) In any event, nice shot Bosh. Now if you could choke just enough on Thursday night to stifle the Heats chances of winning, I’d really appreciate it.
3) TJ FORD VS L.A. CLIPPERS
This was a big moment for the Raptors during the 2006/07 season, when they were on the way to their first ever Division title. And to be able to prove they could win without Chris Bosh was huge, helped in no small way by shots like this one from TJ Ford.
(Apologies for my inability to find a shorter clip. Fast forward to the 1:20 mark if your pushed for time or just suffering from ADD. Mind you, if you do suffer from ADD, the chances are you’ve already stopped reading, making this whole paragraph irrelevant.)
2) VINCE CARTER VS BOSTON CELTICS
Like Bosh, we can sports-hate Vince Carter as much as we want. However, unlike Bosh I think we can all still agree Carter remains the best player ever to wear a Raptors jersey. His time in Toronto is jam-packed full of highlights, including this amazing buzzer-beater against the Celtics.
(For me, there’s something poignant about the commentator comment: “the stuff that legends are made of.” Despite everything Carter’s achieved as a player, there will always be the feeling that he still had another level to take his game to.)
1) MORRIS PETERSON VS WASHINGTON WIZARDS
Now admittedly, I’ve only been following the Raptors since 2006, when I first came to Toronto. As such, maybe that’s why this still remains my favourite moment as a fan. In many ways, it personified the special season the Raptors had in 2006/07 and still sends a shiver down my spine. Take a bow ‘Mo Pete’.
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Raptors: Rudy Gay v Kris Humphries in Skype scavenger hunt
When I first heard the recent rumours about the Raptors potentially changing their team name and uniforms, I was unimpressed. If the franchise had been more successful since entering the league, no one would care what they wore or were called.
However, then Rudy Gay decided to appear on the Jimmy Kimmel show last night:
Has it really gotten so bad that the Raptors can’t even win a frickin’ game of Skype scavenger hunt? And losing to the former Mr Kardashian, Kris Humphries, just makes it ten times worse.
From Gay’s total lack of preparation (seriously, why would you decide to play from your mum’s house?!?!) to the look of utter despondency on his face as the contest was slipping away, I felt like I was watching a Raptors game.
I may now have to rethink my whole stance against revamping the image of the franchise. Tim Leiweke and company have to do something to turn the Raptors fortunes around.
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Latest Raptors rumors: MLSE to pick up option on Bryan Colangelo
Subject to both sides agreeing to extend the time period, today is when MLSE will announce their plans regarding the future of President and GM Bryan Colangelo. More specifically, new chief executive officer Tim Leiweke will be making the decision regarding the fate of the former Phoenix Suns GM.
Various rumours have been circulating regarding the decision, but for the most part, the Raptors have been extremely tight-lipped regarding Colangelo. However, according to sources, the two-time NBA executive of the year will apparently be given one more season to turn the franchise around.
The main reason for this, is Leiweke’s unsuccessful attempts to lure Phil Jackson to Toronto. While MLSE hired a head-hunting firm to find a list of possible replacements for Colangelo, the former Bulls and Lakers coach was always the preferred option.
Under these circumstances, Leiweke will likely decide to give Colangelo and vice-president Ed Stefanski another season. The knock-on effect of this move will also secure the final year of Dwayne Casey’s contract.
Aided by the addition of Rudy Gay, the former Dallas Mavericks assistant was able to finish last season 30-28, after a disastrous start to the campaign. Colangelo made no secret of the fact he would retain the services of Casey if he remained as the Raptors President and GM.
Updated: Latest reports indicate that while Colangelo will remain with the Raptors, he will now be leaving his position as President and GM and move over to the business side.
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