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Raptor Rant – 10 in 2010

Saturday, January 2nd, 2010

I may have been gone from here for a bit but that doesn’t mean I abandoned the team. The Raptors have been rolling to the tune of a 5 game win streak. While there have been a lot of positives, fans need to be careful with their expectations going forward. They have improved but all this winning has come against sub par teams. I put together a list of things I want to see happen this year and it goes something like this…

1. Bosh re-signs in Toronto
Raptor fans are used to their stars leaving, let’s hope things turn out differently this time. Chris Bosh is playing out of his mind and with each passing day the fans are growing ulcers from the stress of his departure. There are always the haters who don’t think he is worth it, but if there is one wish I have for the New Year it would be to lock Bosh up for the next 5 years. While he is at it, he may wanna contemplate a haircut.

2. Raptors win a playoff round
2001 was way too long ago. The fans need to let go of Vince Carter and it will only happen once this team gets to the 2nd round. The Bryan Colangelo era has been full of ups and downs but this is the best roster he has put together… its time they prove it.

3. Andrea Bargnani crashes the boards
Andrea is never going to average double digits in rebounds and I have come to terms with that. He has been known to play better in the 2nd half of the year and I would like to see his current average of 6.1 to be upped to 8 by season’s end.

4. Let DeMar Dunk
Not since Vince Carter have the Raptors had a bonafide dunker. Sure there was Jamario but he didn’t have the flair. This kid throws ‘em down with swagger and needs to be dunking on the rims at Jerry’s world in Dallas at the All-Star game. If you want to help him get there, visit the website Let DeMar Dunk and sign the petition.

5. Reggie Evans the player
For the first part of the season, we have gotten to know Reggie Evans the cheerleader. He has been a great presence on the sidelines but it is time he gets himself right and starts earning that paycheck. Amir Johnson has stepped in nicely to do what fans hoped to see from Reggie… but its time. It’s time we stop talking about his attire (crystals on jeans are still a no go for men!) and see him rocking some warmups.

6. Team D
It started off ugly, its gotten better, but they have a long way to go. If this team can come together on the defensive end they will be fighting for home court in the playoffs. Obviously the “protect our house” mantra hasn’t really worked. The house has been robbed clean! Time to switch it up, maybe they should just watch this video over and over and something will seep in.

7. Young Guns
My favorite part of this Raptors team has been the camaraderie between the young guys– Sonny Weems, DeMar DeRozan and Amir Johnson. I have to go way back in memory to remember seeing Raptor players showing pure joy on their faces and loving life the way these guys do. They have anointed Jarrett Jack the grandpa (even though he is 26) and have become a family along the way. Check this video and #freeamir

8. PG Rivalry
With Jose injured and Jack playing well, cue the PG controversy. Raptor fans have been through this before with the whole TJ/Jose thing and it didn’t end well. From my point of view, some healthy competition is a good thing. These two play a very different style and should be able to complement each other rather than make it a negative thing. I hope when Jose returns he is able to slide back into his role. Jack has had enough time to get to know the players which added together will only keep things running smooth for all 48 minutes.

9. Health
The Raptors have gone all season without Reggie Evans, a month with Jose sidelined and Wright is still not RIGHT. They have been lucky compared to what some other teams are going through, but these players are a big part of the plan. With Jose in the game, the offense seems to run smoother. Reggie would bring some much needed help for Bosh on the boards. Antoine is known for the one thing the Raptors lack – defense. Add these three back into the mix and it can only get better!

10. The 6th man in the Stands
Raptor fans had little to cheer for in 2009. The team missed the playoffs last season and played a lackluster style of basketball. The ACC wakes up in the playoffs but fans need to show it in the regular season. Toronto needs to become a tough place to play again and it starts with the fans in the stands… TDOT – STAND UP!

Anything I missed? If you have anything to add, throw it in the comments.

Bulls @ Raptors – 2 for the price of 1?

Friday, November 13th, 2009

IMG_0769The title of this post is exactly how I felt leaving the game. It was like I watched 2 for the price of 1. Coming back from a West Coast road trip, this could have played out like a trap game. The Bulls were tired after losing a heart breaker the night before and the Raptors made things easy on them in the 1st half. As the buzzer went off to end the 1st half, I looked up at the LED Ribbon that goes around the arena with game stats. Just one stat stood out. 2nd chance points… Raptors 0, Bulls 14. 2nd half came and went and when the final buzzer sounded I looked up to see the 2nd chance points. Raptors 14, Bulls 18. Did the halftime Jay Triano speech wake them up? Were they still in jet lag mode for the 1st half? There probably isn’t one answer. The Raptors did get better but the Bulls were the ones who ran out of gas.
IMG_0756Ole Jose: Jose has already missed more free throws than he did all of last season. He had no legs in his shots but over the last few games that has changed. He had 18 pts and 6 ast last night, blowing by Derrick Rose (yes you read that correctly) and swishing his jumper every time his defender went under the screen. The Raptors need this Jose if they want to win. Jarrett Jack is a solid addition to this team but it has almost feels like he is playing out of his element. He has been trying to be the guy who makes the big plays but with Jose settling down, maybe the pressure will be lifted off Jack and start to create a better balance.
IMG_0723I see flashes: DeMar DeRozan had arguably the best game of his young NBA career. Maybe it was the extra hype of going up against his ex-teammate Taj Gibson or a jolt from a miserable road trip. He started the game crashing the boards and even got to throw down a high light reel dunk in the 2nd half. Fans will have to remain patient with him. For every good night there maybe 2-3 filled with rookie mistakes. Reality is he is still a kid and was drafted on his potential. Last night we got a glimpse of what this potential may pan out to and I for one am excited!
IMG_0764Scoring Punch: Luol Deng has had a couple of injury plagued seasons. Seeing him on both ends of the floor in this one, he seems to be back at 100%. He was hitting the jumpers and staying active off the ball. Salmons was a good addition to this team as well. A lot of people thought last season was like a one hit wonder for him but he will make up for a lot of the scoring the Bulls lost when Gordon left. These two guys are going to have the ball in their hands a lot and with still no real post presence for the Bulls on offense teams are going to have to heavily game plan for both of them.
IMG_0730Mr. Do-It-All: He started off strong last season and everyone said it was lingering effects of winning gold at the Olympics. This year is no different. Sure he is in a contract year but Chris Bosh is playing out of his mind and I am just taking it in game by game. Am I worried he will get burnt out? YES. There is no way he is going to be able to sustain this level of play if he doesn’t get some help from teammates on the glass. Going up against 3 guys each time to grab a board is going have a toll on his body. He added on muscle this offseason and it has helped him finish at the rim against the bruising big men. Reality is though, if he has to do this on his own for much longer the team may not have this version of him available down the stretch for a playoff push.
IMG_0731Mirror Effect: While most people love comparing Bargnani to Dirk, I couldn’t help but think about his game compared to Brad Miller in his prime. Sure the rebounding numbers are a bit off but Brad has that passing ability that comes up when talking about Bargnani. I don’t think anyone expected Andrea to come out the gates as a scoring machine but he has been running up and down the court with a new sense of confidence. This confidence also flows over into his awareness of where his teammates are and he has made some nice passes in the first 8 games. Brad Miller has aged and lost a step but in his prime, he was the guy hitting the long jumper and passing down into the post — Bargnani is giving his team similar production at this point even though the rebounding will be closer to an average of 7 than 10.
IMG_0763Heart & Hustle: Amir Johnson was drafted as a project and now in his 5th season is still trying to “get it”. He picks up more phantom foul calls than the Rookie version of Andrea but no matter what he doesn’t stop trying. On this night it paid off as he got on the glass, provided the team with 2nd chance points and was a big part of the run to get the lead. Coach Triano rewarded him by giving him some important minutes late into the 4th Q. If he can keep giving the team 10 productive minutes a night they will not have to rush Reggie Evans back on the court prematurely.
IMG_0737Leadership: As a rookie you want to keep growing. The game is coming at you fast and DeMar has shown his willingness to listen and learn. I kept an eye on the bench a lot in this one and noticed Demar actually pull Bosh aside to ask him a few questions. All those who knock Bosh about leadership need to think of what he provides not only in the locker room but on the floor. He may not be the guy in everyone’s ear but he has shown a ton of emotion early in the season and on this occasion was more than willing to help out the rook.

Talking about leadership, not sure how much it comes across on television but Reggie Evans coaches this team through every play. He has words of advice for every player when they check out of the game. He is what you want a bench player to be. He observes the game and as a player you are best equipped to point out what your teammates can do to improve. This is the first time in a while the Raptors have had a player who just speaks up be it to Bosh or to Amir. Some deem it him being a “cheerleader” but to me he has been one of the best things that happened to this team this offseason and we have yet to see him play a minute in a game that matters.

A 6’10″ Forward, The Turkish Michael Jordan… Hedo Turkoglu!

Monday, November 2nd, 2009

You can follow Ian on Twitter @Vulcanoboy and check his website www.iancartoons.com
Thanks to @TasMelas and @Stackmack for some great feedback along the way.

- Jose Calderon Cartoon
- DeMar DeRozan Cartoon

Introducing a 6’3 guard from Spain, Numero Ocho… Joseeee Calderon!!

Wednesday, October 28th, 2009

A little background…

During the so called “off-season”, I relied on Twitter to get my basketball fix. Along the way I came across @Vulcanoboy who had won a contest run by Charlie Villanueva. We get to talking and he informs me that he is a cartoonist in his down time. With that said, I came up with the idea to run a series introducing the Toronto Raptors and here is the start of what I hope becomes something epic. The plan is to have the Raptors staring 5 introduced and if all goes well we will try to bring you once each month recapping how the team does on the court.

Match Ups – Toronto Raptors v/s New Orleans Hornets

Wednesday, October 21st, 2009

Running a little behind on these previews but the plan is to have them done before the season gets started. Today the focus is on the New Orleans Hornets. What’s not to love about this team led by Chris Paul. For the guest preview I recruited one of the best Hornets blogger, Sarah.

Sarah owns and writes for Hornets Hype. She loves small market teams, David West’s jumper, Twitter – @Ticktock6, and being That Girl.

What do I know about the Raptors vs. the Hornets? I know that the Raps are one of my fave teams out East. I know they will be improved this year. And I know our game there will be at an absurdly early hour of the day. (Let it be said that I wrote that without checking. And sure enough, I just looked, and it is at 11:30 AM CST. The reason I knew is that for some reason the Hornets at Raptors game is always at an absurd hour of the day.)

On the Hornets side, this is a season of questions. After making a slew of offseason moves, we are looking at potentially 3/5 of the starting lineup being new. The Hornets lost Tyson Chandler, Rasual Butler, and Antonio Daniels, but added C Emeka Okafor, F Ike Diogu, F Darius Songaila, G Bobby Brown, and rookies G Marcus Thornton and PG Darren Collison. Will the Hornets be able to swallow a disappointing year and move forward? How will superlong and athletic multi-tasker Julian Wright play after being moved to the starting lineup? How will Peja play off the bench? Can Okafor add a little more post scoring that Tyson Chandler didn’t have? Can he equal the positional excellence of Chandler on defense? Will Ike Diogu finally live up to his talent in New Orleans? Can the rookies keep up? (If we’re going by the preseason, Thornton can more than keep up.) Does the team have enough depth to give Chris Paul and David West some rest this year? Who will start at the 2? (We don’t know yet. Former Toronto fan favorite Morris Peterson? — had the job two years ago and went into camp as the favorite. Bobby Brown? — too short. Devin Brown? — shudder. Marcus Thornton? — he’s been impressive in preseason and he just seems to get better every game.)

If these Hornets gel and the younger guys play to their potential, this team could ride favorable matchups through the second round. If there are injuries or the chemistry falls through or the older swingmen have a drop off in playing level… it could get ugly. It’s hard to predict because there are so many factors that could come into play. This team is a playoff team– Chris Paul and David West alone should guarantee that. I think it could be a high playoff team.

As far as the matchup with the Raps goes, last year the Hornets won both games. David West and Chris Bosh usually both play well and cancel each other out. Also the Hornets usually shoot the three very well against Toronto for whatever reason. (Funny aside, earlier tonight I was trying to remember which game it was that Peja hit 7-11 from three, five of the threes occurring on almost consecutive possessions from the exact same spot on the floor. Thanks to having to look up the Hornets/Raptors boxscores from 2008-09 for this preview, now I know. It was one of the most ridiculous things I’ve seen in person.) Toronto’s new additions (Hedo!) should make these fun to watch.

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hornets-raps

Last Season Record: 0-2
The Hornets made quick work of the Raptors last season. They didn’t even need the services of Chris Paul in the 2nd meeting. The 37 three pointers made by the Hornets tells the story of the Raptors defensive woes. No matter how many points were scored by the Raptors front court, they were always playing catch up. The Raptors were out rebounded on both occasions (no surprise) but even missing CP3 the Hornets managed to dish out more assists in the 2nd win.

Stacking Up

The Bigs: The Hornets traded away Tyson Chandler this off-season and replaced him with Emeka Okafor. While Okafor is a great player, it is still to be seen how he settles in with Chris Paul who had great chemistry with Chandler on the court. Bosh and Bargnani are a handful for most teams and on the offensive end both should have ample opportunties to get to the rim in this series. Emeka is a shot blocker but he is not as athletic. The rest of the Hornets front court seems to be a makeshift group and the Raptors should have the advantage on both ends of the floor.
Edge: Raptors

The Wings: Hedo Turkoglu may not be a defensive stopper but in this one he should be fine matching up against Peja Stojakovic. While Peja is still a big threat from beyond the arc, he does a lot less moving without the ball making it easier for Hedo to stay with him. When Posey is on the floor at the wing spot, the Raptors may want to try to put a more athletic guy on him because he will put the ball on the floor if needed. I have been saying this for a lot of the previews but the key is to be able to close out on the shooters. Offensively, the Raptors should be fine getting points where they can but the scoring load will probably go on the bigs while the wings will need to impose their will on the defensive end.
Edge: Even

The Guards: Chris Paul is the best PG in the league right now. That said, it’s his basketball IQ and ability to make quick decisions that make him a tough cover. Jose has a tough task laid out in trying to stay in front of CP3 and the Raptors will need to soften that blow by sending out a double team early to force the ball out of his hands. Paul is also an underrated defender who is able to use his strength and quickness to keep his counterpart from blowing past him. The Hornets SG spot leaves much to be desired but playing alongside a guy like CP3 elevates all the players around him. He has the ability to make the average guy look good and the Raptors need to make sure not to ignore those players as offensive threats.
Edge: Hornets

Predicted Record: 1-1 (Home court advantage in full effect)