The Toronto Raptors Need to Change their Image
CB4 (Photo. Chris Gordaneer)The Toronto Raptors are sitting at 8-10 right now, and they are clearly missing a crucial piece that they 100% need if they have any hopes of getting past the Celtics, Cavs, Pistons, or any other team in the East in a playoff slugfest — toughness. We’re not the only ones who think so (check the comments, many are from Raps fans).
So what do they do? How do they give themselves an injection of tough juice? Bryan Colangelo says that he’s actively fielding trade offers to improve his team, but has nothing concrete right now.
They’re probably not going to trade one of their major pieces, like Chris Bosh or Jose Calderon, but they’re probably open to deal one of their secondary guys, like Andrea Bargnani. Even though Andrea has shown solid improvement this season, he’s definitely part of Toronto’s “soft” image. The kind of guys we’re thinking of who would help them are guys like Stephen Jackson, James Posey, Udonis Haslem, Andres Nocioni, and Derek Fisher.
What players do you think could help the Raptors change their image?
December 7th, 2008 at 12:28 pm
dk says:
Removing the team from Canada
December 7th, 2008 at 12:28 pm
YOUNGFED..."chicks fall in love when they see how much my wrist cost" says:
Ron Artest
December 7th, 2008 at 12:30 pm
dk says:
impossible to get Artest
December 7th, 2008 at 12:31 pm
Dime Magazine says:
No way they look to add Artest to that mix of guys.
December 7th, 2008 at 1:04 pm
KB24 says:
I am pretty sure BC is really high on Bargs…Unless they get a legit star or prospect for Bargs, he won’t pull the plug…And no team would get ripped off by gettin Bargs…
December 7th, 2008 at 1:06 pm
jnuh says:
Any changes are going to come from the 2 - 3 area & draft picks. Bargnani isn’t going anywhere. They’ve got a good combination of decent talent, expiring and/or reasonable contracts in Moon, Parker, Graham & Kapono. Expect 2 or 3 of these guys to be changing addresses sooner than later.
December 7th, 2008 at 1:07 pm
Richard Wellner says:
You don’t need to trade Bargs, and he is not soft. He’s playing harder than that marshmellow puff O’Neal, who goes down crying every 2 games. Get the hell out of here.
All they need is a coach who can make it work, an intelligent coach.
December 7th, 2008 at 1:15 pm
MoneeMane says:
I think that once Allen Iverson becomes a free agent next summer, they should consider signing him. Then they would have a dangerous pick and roll duo. It would also add a veteran who has been to the finals. Jose, AI, Jamario, Bosh, and JO, would make a dominate lineup which has really good offensive and defensive sides.
If you want to look at the business side to it, if you add AI ticket sales and etc will boost, because they are getting a future hall of famer, a former MVP, allstar, and olympian.
December 7th, 2008 at 1:15 pm
rock lob says:
caron butler
December 7th, 2008 at 1:17 pm
Richard Wellner says:
Allen Iverson is a franchise killer, much like Marbury. No team should sign him. Not unless you’re paying him in peanuts and don’t allow him to play more than 15 minutes a game. Get over the hype, it’s been more than a decade, AI is a horrible player. He should’ve played football. Fuck AI.
December 7th, 2008 at 1:20 pm
Muhammed says:
the raptors are 8-10, not 15-10…….
December 7th, 2008 at 1:25 pm
Dime Magazine says:
Muhammed,
good catch. fixed.
December 7th, 2008 at 1:40 pm
The Realist says:
Hey DK!!! Shut -Up!!! People act like CANANDA is sooo far away….Get a map take a look….fool…Same to you Richard Wellner….Franchise killer? Do you realize that its a team game…I guess you are hurt over your girl drooling over A.I too much. Saying Fuck AI ruined whatever credability you had…punk
December 7th, 2008 at 1:53 pm
MoneeMane says:
How is AI not a team player?
career avgs are 28 and 6.5…….and last year when AI had a double double they were 22-0 half way through the season.
December 7th, 2008 at 1:54 pm
MoneeMane says:
he sacrificed a lot so he could play with a championship caliber team this season.
December 7th, 2008 at 2:22 pm
nunya says:
The Raptors need Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Dwight Howard, Chris Paul, Tayshaun Prince and Dwayne Wade….that will give Bosh the kind of support he needs to live up to the ridiculous belief that the Toronto fans have that he is a superstar who can “carry” a team.
December 7th, 2008 at 2:50 pm
JCARR says:
One name: Garbajosa…. dude was good.
Another name: TJ Ford… “bolt”
The tandem of CB4 and JO aint working they need to trade.
December 7th, 2008 at 2:55 pm
Chaos says:
havent we been talking about this for the last 4 years?!
they need to just stop acting like some bitches and punch someone in the f***ing mouth. you got Bosh and you cant ask for much more from him. O’Neal needs to wake the hell up and Calderon needs to go see Coach K about learning to play some damn D. they need an enforcer type player like charles oakley to help them grow some balls….
but i still like Bosh, he’s a monster
December 7th, 2008 at 3:21 pm
Smitty313 says:
I don’t know if Iverson kill teams, but he dosen’t make them better. Iverson had one great year. He has great numbers, but he has never really played well with others. You can’t tell me Denver and the Pistons are better with Iverson.
December 7th, 2008 at 3:30 pm
Jau28 says:
I agree with Rock Lob… raptors need caron butler is PERFECT for this team.
December 7th, 2008 at 3:31 pm
Amar says:
they need a millsap/maxiel/craig smith/brandon bass type of guy on their team to come off the bench, and just be physical and dunk/block people.
physically they do have a guy like that (kris humphries, check out his pre-nba draft combine scores), but he has no bball IQ (so doesn’t get to play), isn’t that conditioned and seems to always be injured, and he’s not black.
so, yeah, an enforcer type would be good.
December 7th, 2008 at 3:33 pm
Amar says:
as for moving a team out of canada = makes them better, look at the grizz . . . they’ve been bad forever.
the raptors were 1 vince carter three pointer away from being in the east finals earlier this decade — regardless of how much tax their players have to pay. but i love how americans love to hate on other countries, it makes americans feel better about themselves i guess. (the largest culprits are the americans who have never visited other countries though, lol)
December 7th, 2008 at 3:40 pm
MoneeMane says:
Ummm…..he did make Denver a better team, but they did not advance in the playoffs. He made the team to a 50 win team in the WESTERN CONFERENCE LAST YEAR. Remember the western conference 1st seed and 8th seed were only 7 games apart.
December 7th, 2008 at 3:40 pm
banga says:
after another raptors loss today the raptors need toughness..
They need to get a player that can defend and score from the wing position..
Colangelo needs to see if any of these players are available.. Caron Butler, Stephen Jackson (G-State needs to make a move with Ellis coming back later this month), Josh Howard, Jason richardson (not an amazing defender but can light it up in the second scorer role for the raps)..
This one might be wishful thinking but you never know.. Memphis might be willing to give up Rudy Gay.. OJ MAYO is the future of that team… not Gay
December 7th, 2008 at 3:44 pm
phenom says:
another annoying loss.
inability to rebound in late-game situations + jose calderon’s complete and utter lack of defense (getting beasted by steve blake…)= HUGE liabilities
December 7th, 2008 at 4:00 pm
MoneeMane says:
Toronto is really a dumbass, drafting Andrea Bargnani over Brandon Roy. Fucken assholes. Just think of the possible outcome; Bosh, JO, and Roy.
Andrea Bargnani = Draft Bust.
December 7th, 2008 at 4:01 pm
Buffalo Brave says:
Their best move value wise would be to move bosh, but he’s WAAAAY too good to trade. They need to find out if he’s commited to playing there after his contract, if not they should move him now.
The guy they should actually trade if they can is O’Neal.
What the FUCK were they thinking bringing that guy in as if he was gonna make a difference on that team.
Terrible decision.
Bargs and Calderon are the only movable pieces they have, and i wouldnt be looking to move EITHER of them as they have NOTHING behind them.
They’re just gonna have to ride this season out and wait for O’Neal to come off their cap.
December 7th, 2008 at 4:16 pm
Brown says:
They need someone who’s going to put his teammates on blast when they blow a defensive assignment. They don’t play with any fire defensively. I would honestly consider trading Calderon because as good as he is offensively, he consistently gets abused by opponents on the defensive end.
Of the players who might be available in a trade (which isn’t a long list), I’d say Josh Howard, but that’s only if the Mavs think he’s expendable due to his off-court issues. They need a wing player who can get to the rim, chip in some rebounds and play good defense. Basically, they need to replace the things they lost when they traded Vince Carter (except the attitude).
They need at least two new wing players because the crop they have now just don’t play with any intensity. They need someone who wants to drive the ball down the other team’s throat on both ends of the floor. I don’t think they have the assets needed to make that kind of deal unless they start throwing away some first round draft picks.
December 7th, 2008 at 4:41 pm
cdub says:
MJ has stated that he wanted to work with the Raptors in a trade involving Crash this off-season. Isn’t he the rich man’s Jamario Moon? Would have been a better move than JO… I agree that Bargnani is a waste, especially since they could have had a younger Jermaine O’Neal in Lamarcus Aldridge. Firing Mitchell doesn’t make the team legit or change the revolving door defense that all their guards show making the bigs switch off only to get crammed on. Send Bosh to Dwight’s house to learn to dunk, send Jose back to Spain then dig up Oakley’s home number and ask him to coach next season, Junkyard Dog can be his assistant.
December 7th, 2008 at 4:43 pm
magnus says:
caron would be nice. Defends scores and plays team ball. Also like the maxiell type to dominate the boards. And yeah, calderon is soft on D.
December 7th, 2008 at 5:22 pm
northern lights says:
Calderon isn’t soft on D… he’s non-existant. And you can’t take him out of the game because will solomon is a fucking turnover waiting to happen…
Biggest hole in this team however, is rebounding… these guys can’t buy a rebound, especially when they need it most
December 7th, 2008 at 5:26 pm
Steve says:
They had a chance to get Artest in the summer and were actually considering it as Artest wanted to come to Toronto and be reunited with Oneal, however, they didn’t want to bring Oneal and Artest back together in case something was to happen (malice in the palace pt 2), and Colangelo is big on “character” guys. I’m sure he regrets it now as it would have cemented that team.
December 7th, 2008 at 5:36 pm
haslem says:
Gerald Wallace.
December 7th, 2008 at 5:42 pm
Me says:
Ok I’ll say it.
They need to trade calderon. Everyone is high on him so they could get someone good and a hugh pick. Their team makeup dictates that they need a clutch pg who takes pride in defense in order to get to that next level.. They need a chauncey billups type. Maybe a derrick rose type. I dunno how his defense is, but if jerryd bayless isn’t a bust, he might be a good look.
December 7th, 2008 at 5:45 pm
Me says:
Guess it was already said. Oh well I’m not reading all that other stuff up there.
December 7th, 2008 at 5:45 pm
dk says:
@13 I know where the place is you idiot, its right in our backyard. I dont know how you French idiots do it but us Americans let our dog shit in the backyard…
December 7th, 2008 at 5:49 pm
Richard Wellner says:
@The Realist: I don’t care about how credible I am in the eyes of a jerk-off like you. Secondly, AI leaves teams and they get better. It happened in Philly, Denver, and at the end of this season, in Detroit. If AI isn’t a franchise killer, he is a franchise anchor- in that when he gets there, the franchise stays in place forever. until he’s gone.
December 7th, 2008 at 6:14 pm
kobeef says:
I’ll say it.
Chris Bosh is over rated.
This team has one of the worst draft track records in the history of the NBA. Simply by drafting better the Raptors could have picked a starting line of:
SG - Dwayne Wade
PG -Brandon Roy
SF - Josh Smith
PF - Lamarcus Aldridge
C - Andrew Bynum
Enough said….
Also, Brian Colangelo is not your savoir..as evidenced by the draft success I mention above..
December 7th, 2008 at 6:19 pm
the scola says:
leon powe would merk as a raptor.
December 7th, 2008 at 6:27 pm
kobeef says:
Alright,,,I made one mistake…
Just so you can see the Raps draft history in all its incompetent glory…here are the real picks beside my proposed picks
PG - Calderon (yah..that still works)
SG - Dwayne Wade (Instead of Bosh in 2003)
SF - Josh Smith (Instead of Rafel Araujo in 2004..ouch)
PF - Lamarcus Aldridge (Instead of Bargs in 2006)
C - Andrew Bynum (Instead of Charlie V in 2005)
December 7th, 2008 at 6:47 pm
Big Sia says:
YO I STARTED THAT SHIT, PEEP THE FIRST 2 COMMENTS BITCHES
December 7th, 2008 at 6:49 pm
Big Sia says:
http://dimemag.com/2008/12/are-the-kings-the-softest-nba-team/
December 7th, 2008 at 6:55 pm
Bron42 AkA Your Moms Best Friend says:
Kobeef, your logic is wrong, cuz drafting one of those players, they prolly wouldn’t be lottery bound to get the others…so they couldn’t of had that whole team.
and umm the 76ers will NEVER get to the level iverson got them, so i dont see how your suddenly calling them better when they still got smacked in the playoffs and in last place.
December 7th, 2008 at 6:56 pm
K Dizzle says:
Safe to say JOs not the problem. 24, 8 rbs and 6 blks is good work especially against Oden and Aldridge.
Blake hit a tough shot, sometimes teams just get lucky. All the shit Sam Mitchell caught and the Raps last possession is Bosh at the top tryin to create off the bounce….
Kobeef
goin back over the draft is like monday mornin quarterbackin. There was also over 15 teams that passed on J Smoove and 9 squads passed on Bynum, and you know who drafted Aldridge then traded him. I wouldnt take Wade instead of Bosh and ask Joe D about Darko or the Nugs about Tskitishvilli. Only thing a gm can do is make sure the team is better now than when he got there and the Raps are. Like we sayin, they dont need a overhaul, they need a slasher and a banger underneath…..and a backup point guard….and a 3 man thats a combo of Kapono and Moon….and a volume rebounder…and a point guard that plays d lol
December 7th, 2008 at 7:01 pm
dk says:
@44 JO was, is, and will be the problem… Maybe I should post every line Ford has had. And maybe you should consider how many DNP’s JO will have in comparison. I dont care if you needed to make room for Calderon… 2 great PG’s is better then one crippled F&*$k.
Your intelligence shines through here but let me set the equation straight, Wade > Bosh. Wade’s defense eclipses the predators every game….
December 7th, 2008 at 7:03 pm
dk says:
@44 Sorry one more thing, Wade = Chip(s). Bosh and Shaq wouldnt have gotten shizzle done together, so dont pull that card.
December 7th, 2008 at 7:13 pm
This Guy says:
Its not just that they are phsically soft, they are mentally soft as well. In other words they do not play aggressive enough. Hard part is if Sam Mitchell cant teach them that, how the hell will someone else?
I dont foresee any trades this season as they don’t have enough expendable assets. Over the years they traded away much of their depth so they can no longer make trades where they go 2 for 1 or worse. If you look at the guys they’ve lost over the last few years Mo. Pete (tough and a good defender), Garbajosa (rebounds and defense), Delfino (decent defense and penetration), then add that the Oneal trade was a 3 for 1 where we gave up TJ Ford (penetration/breaking down defenses), Rasho (okay very soft, but atleast he plays twice as many games os JO), and a first round draft pick (may have directly addressed one of our weaknesses). You add all that up and you can see why we have no more expendable parts to make a trade work, and we’ve let go much of what this team currently lacks. And all we have to show for it is another injury prone star (Vince 2.0?).
December 7th, 2008 at 7:19 pm
This Guy says:
dk, you’re right “2 great PG’s is better then one crippled F&*$k”. But both Calderon and TJ made it very clear they didn’t want to back each other up anymore and both felt they deserved to run their own team. Secondly, while having two great PGs made the raps really strong throughout the majority of last year, it blew up on them down the stretch. But thats a moot point because again, they did not want to remain in that situation. So Colangelo had no choice he hade to make a trade, but it just wasn’t the right one (ie, the crippled F&$k).
December 7th, 2008 at 8:17 pm
Kevin says:
Wow, I’m a raptors fan and I am ashamed of the fans’ comments on here. There is so little basketball IQ in these posts that you have to think that much of what people say about us is true. Just like we Canadians laugh when the Nashvilles and Tampa Bays of the NHL need to educate their fans on basic rules, others must laugh at us.
With an open mind and realising (<-Canadian spelling) that none of us are close enough to the team to know the actual dynamics of coach-players relations, we can place blame all we want, but we are shooting in the dark. There are certain basketball things that obviously need to change, and we should focus on that rather than speculating like some uneducated basketball neophytes.
That said, just a few observations:
- One of the main reasons we’re considered soft is that we spend entirely too many possessions looking around the perimeter with the ball. Bargs holds the ball for a good five seconds every time he has it before he makes a move, and that move usually involves a step-back jumper from 20 feet that he could get whenever he wanted. Ditto with Bosh. Calderon HAS to drive more and be more aggressive with the ball. If he played for a team like Detroit or Utah where you have efficient off-the-ball movement, then he’d be fine dribbling around and waiting for a play to be established. In this way, he is a lot like a floor general, but he needs more assertiveness and aggression. Take it to the rim young fella. If we had a play-making wing player, his current style would also work. However, he HAS to understand that he is NOT a Steve Blake or a Chris Quinn; he is Jose F*cking Calerdon, a potential all-star. The ball needs to get close to the hoop on every possession, and EARLY in the shot clock. That requires either penetration from anyone, especially Jose, or a quick feed into the low block.
- Fade-aways should be outlawed outside a certain distance from the hoop. It’s a bad shot otherwise, and every time I see Bosh do it I throw my face to my palms. Ditto for Parker, who needs to grow some GD balls! He fades on everything and is allergic to contact while attacking the bucket. This is another guy who needs to understand that he is the MAN; he was the MJ of Europe and he absolutely killed it. This guy can flat out play, but needs a wake-up call. Derrick Martin told me he had given up on number 18 and I’m seeing more evidence by the day. That’s probably enough on that, but I have to add, why would you shoot a turn-around fade-away when you receive the ball off a screen and you’re wide open? WTF!
- On defense, Bosh needs to step up! People can say that the guards and wings are letting guys by them, and it’s clear Bargs can’t guards three-men, but I would demand that Bosh learn from O’Neil and use the fouls he’s allotted. I way too many played where Bosh, with two fouls, sticks up his hand three feet away from a guy who’s gathering a rebound and throwing it in the hoop. Jump to a body and lay some mother f*ckers out. Either that, or step to them MUCH earlier, like you may actually care that you’re being scored on.
- Lastly, as the Raps showed today, their defense actually isn’t all bad, but their rebounding is ATROCIOUS and embarrassing. Out-jumping your opponent does not utilize your advantage of inside position on the defensive boards so why are you trying to do this. Not to mentioned, you can’t jump as high as your opponents because you are not as athletic. The players need to put bodies on everyone! Shot goes up, forward or reverse pivot into a body and hold him the f*ck still. Only then, once you know where it’s going do you go after it, and AFTER IT you go! My only comment about defense has already been publicly mentioned, and that is more accountability for one’s man. The perimeter guys must do a better job, but if they get beat, the rotations have to be lighting fast. Bargnani is the worst at this and his rotations or recovery of the hedge are snail-paced. He is constantly hedging on the screen and taking five second to find the open man. By this time it’s too late.
Hopefully, people get something out of this analysis and are willing to post their own as I would love to hear some more. That’s a call for some real thinking as opposed to the ish that’s been posted here thus far. Rocket Cat made a great post the other day that was smart and had me laughing; please post more of that.
Peace in the middle east,
Kev
December 7th, 2008 at 8:20 pm
Kevin says:
Oh, and regarding too many open threes, please see defensive rotation and hedge recovery.
December 7th, 2008 at 8:20 pm
tim says:
trade chris bosh for rasheed wallace…
he’ll be in Detroit in 2010 anyways.
December 7th, 2008 at 8:44 pm
dk says:
@51 Good point get what you can and get someone who cares about protecting the rim and not scoring…
December 7th, 2008 at 8:52 pm
Scott says:
Aside from Kevin, it seems like most people are arm-chairing it from a far.
Its easy to make people scapegoats, but the reality is that this team WASN’T supposed to be successful this soon. They had an amazing run a couple seasons back, and every jumped the gun.
TJ Ford is NOT a great PG. His shot selection is horrible, and he’s too short to gaurd PGs, he got beasted by other PGs many times while he was here. His EGO is also a HUGE issue. Dude’s EGO wouldn’t let him come off the bench, when a) he needed to slowly bring his neck back and b) Calderon was playing better at the time. If he was a REAL team player he would still be with the squad.
JO has been GREAT for this team, WHEN he is HEALTHY. In the beginning, his presence helped Bosh, and took the defensive pressure off of him constantly lining up beside a far-inferior player with whoever was playing the C spot in the past from Rasho to Bargs to the rest of them.
Bargs is getting a FOUL wrap here. How many years did it take TMac to start making an impact? How about Dirk? Hell, how about JO??
He’s a 3rd year player, who has lived his entire career up to now being coached by Sam Mitchell, who is NOT the best teacher. His development is partially a byproduct of Mitchell.
I am also AMAZED at the comparisons or the calls for them to draft Wade ahead of Bosh. Wade was an UNKNOWN at the time, he was older and more seasoned, Wade WAS NBA ready. Bosh WASN’T NBA ready when he came into the L. Everyone and their mother knew he was a project. The fact that he has developed and become one of the best bigs the L shows his talent, and the reason why he was chosen where he was chosen. And considering the team already had VC, and we had NEEDED desperately a BIG for a VERY LONG time during the VC era, it was an easy choice. Would Wade possibly have been a better selection, maybe, maybe not, but in the Raps world at THAT time the entire city was desperate for VC to have a REAL talented BIG to play alongside, and Bosh was supposed to be that guy. Unfortunately VC quit on the team before Bosh fully developed, and the rest is history.
BUT the real problem aside from Jose not being able to play defense anymore is their WING SPOTs.
That toughness HAS to come from there. Right now, Bosh and JO bust their ass on defense while their perimeters are HORRID, and make it closer to 2 on 5, than 5 on 5.
Its been said time and again, the Raps REALITY is that they have 4 swingmen who all are GREAT coming off the bench, but none of them should be starting in the league.
The Raps will get better under Triano, but they will need to make some sort of move at the wing spots, or pray for some sort of miracle from their current guys.
December 7th, 2008 at 8:54 pm
Dagomar says:
So much ignorance here, it makes me sick.
Bargnani has been good this year and seems to be improving rapidly. His biggest impact has been on defense where he deflects multiple shots a game. His talent level is through the roof and with some refinement he can be a star in a couple years. If they trade him he’ll be added to the long list of future stars the Raps gave up on too early.
Also, for the record Toronto is a beautiful city with a population of five million, and the Raptors have an effective market of 33 million (Canada’s population). Is this a small market? Obviously not. Is that a poor market? Course not. Recent history has also shown that being in Canada obviously doesn’t hurt players or coaches or executives from getting any accolade they want.
What the Raptors need is more toughness and more defense. This is simply a soft, horrible defensive team that can score. Frankly neither Bosh nor Calderon can defend for shit, and when your two best players are arguably also your worst defensive players you’re basically fucked in the big games. Calderon also sometimes has trouble creating his own shot and because Bosh can’t take the ball down the court that limits some options in the clutch. The 3 and 4 spots are unbelievably weak for a potential playoff team. Calderon has absolutely no backup at the 1. And the bench is atrocious - once one of the best in the league, much of that depth vanished over the summer and the Raptors now have scrubs subbing in the main guns.
For the Raps to become contenders they need a star swingman who shines in the clutch AND some additional depth. Due to cap restrictions that isn’t happening this year. If they can sign O’Neal to a more reasonable contract when his current contract expires, get some growth from Graham and/or Ukic (two guys with decent upside), find some overseas players worth their weight and/or get a draft steal, AND then sign a good free agent . . . then they’ll be contenders. Not before.
Colangelo can do it, though. I still have faith.
December 7th, 2008 at 9:04 pm
JCARR says:
Raptors are still far away from reaching a championship!!!…. so end all of this unnecessary hostility.
Don’t misinterpret my comment… i just think that the raps have so much upside but due to their stubborn organization everything is “all talk” and not enough commitment to getting better. As a result CB4 will most likely leave the beautiful city of Toronto for a city whos commited to winning and change in personnel.
December 7th, 2008 at 9:38 pm
Hugo says:
They need to bring in D’antoni … If he was with this team, having calderon running the point, with bosh as pf and bargnani as a sf and Kapono coming from the bench to shoot the 3 pointer, they would be a lot more dangerous. This team is maid for a running game, Calderon would average 25/11 in that environment. The big problem is that JO would die in the middle of the first game. He is so injury prone now that even T-Mac seems like a health person. Do you ever imagine what could happen to Jermaine Oneal if he was traded to the Rockets? Could he even practice one time?
December 7th, 2008 at 9:41 pm
Hugo says:
Also, a lot of people here will be regreting what they say about Bargnani. In a few years, he will be a big star. And he has a good defensive game to go with his great offensive skills. If you trade him now, you’ll be regreting this for years to come.
December 7th, 2008 at 9:56 pm
Celts Fan says:
Joey Graham over Danny Granger, one of the most inexplicable picks of the last decade, will haunt them forever.
December 7th, 2008 at 10:04 pm
Nora says:
So whining about KG is not tough. LOL
December 7th, 2008 at 11:21 pm
kowtz says:
Ron Artest and SJACK…
Haha… Then Brawl Again…
December 7th, 2008 at 11:37 pm
nick says:
raptors need solid perimeter defense and right now there seems to be none. yes a good slasher would help but if ur getting beat on the perimeter having a real good wing player won’t matter.
December 8th, 2008 at 12:02 am
doc says:
They need somebody with balls.
December 8th, 2008 at 1:06 am
Soda says:
The Raps need rebounding. They don’t need to spend the bank either. There is no way that Colangelo will trade Bargnani. Nor should they. The way he has been improving over his time in the L has proved, he very well could be the next Dirk. He has looked very good this season.
The Raps game in and game out get beat on the boards. Even in wins. Adding J.O. has helped (when healthy). But that still leaves Bosh and J.O. getting half of the teams totals. Humphries bring energy and aggression when he gets minutes, but he is an undersized 4 and at times 5, not going to cut it. Outside of him there is little bench help in the rebound depot.
Time for Brian Colangelo and his scouts to sniff around the L and get a larger aggressive type of player that won’t cost much, but can add energy and toughness to a good underachieving team.
-s
December 8th, 2008 at 1:11 am
Kobe says:
The Raptors need to get into a brawl (ideally with the Enver Nuggets aka all thug team) to toughen up their image
December 8th, 2008 at 2:27 am
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December 8th, 2008 at 5:02 am
Booger Smith says:
To kobeef: Damn man, you predicted all those cats would blow up? You should be a talent scout for an NBA team. Someone get this guy a job in the L!!!!! Guys with your talent should be making power moves, as opposed to posting comments on a blog. Such a waste of potential.
December 8th, 2008 at 7:51 am
Kevin says:
Great comments from Scott and Dagomar. Thank you for posting something with substance.
Cheers,
Kev
December 8th, 2008 at 11:10 am
Taj says:
They need a Gerald Wallace or a Josh Smith type of a player…
December 8th, 2008 at 11:37 am
Brown says:
@Kevin
The Canadian spelling is realizing (with a z, not an s).
December 31st, 2008 at 4:12 pm
Joe says:
John Salmons