Turk, Bargs, and Rasho drink on a fan's dime after ignoring him in L.A.

"I left the restaurant putting the bill on some guy's tab
who just wanted to say 'hi' to us..now that's CLUTCH!"

A fan at a restaurant was shunned when he approached Turkoglu, Bargnani, and Nesterovic at their table, yet they still placed the bill on HIS TAB!

"At this table sits, Rasho Nesterovic, Andrea Bargnani, Hedo Terkoglu, and some new white Raptor that I had trouble identifying. Perhaps it was Zan Tabak after having undergone skin-rejuvenating botox injections. Letting the alcohol do the talking is something that generally has worked for me in the past. Not this time. The restaurant crowd is quite thin at this point and no one other than our table seems to have recognized these overgrown whities. “Hello fellows”, I eke out. “So nice to see you here. I’m from Toronto, as you may have guessed and we’re so glad to be in the company of other fellow Canadians. Congratulations on beating the Clippers tonight, might I add”. Silence. No eye contact. Silence. “That being said, can we offer you guys a drink”..."

Read the rest of the encounter here:

http://talanddavidsblogofshit.wordpress.com/2009/12/07/starfucking-4-when-starfucking-goes-awry/


Oh yeah, not much to say about the Minny game tonight other than it was dangerously and unnecessary close, but I guess the positive way to look at it is that we can grind out wins...at least against the Timberpups.

Fascism in Dinoland

Raptor fans, I urge you to follow me in a revolution to advocate Amir Johnson, aka Andre 3000 as starter. I’m back at it again to talk shit about everybody’s favourite Raptor, Andrea Bargnani.

Well, fuck Bargnani! And “Fuck Bargnani!” should be a slogan. Are you listening, B.C.? You fascist son-of-a-bitch! Are we really supposed to believe we can win anything with Andrea Bargnani; a lazy, air-greedy giant that can’t even make a lay-up. We’re paying six and a half million calzones and counting on a guy, who’s only consistency, is to advertise his favourite Italian pasta.

I’ve been fortunate to watch every single Raptors game so far this season. I love the intensity CB4 brings night in and night out. But contrast CB4’s desire to play to Bargnani and Bosh looks like a hungry dinosaur; an angry motherfucker, whose dinosaur babies has just been eaten by another dinosaur versus Bargnani, who always plays like that triceratops they find in Jurassic Park that’s sluggish and constipated. Someone check this man’s shit!

Why Amir Johnson over Bargnani? First of all, the Raptors shouldn’t even waste any more time with Bargnani. If Bosh leaves, do you think the franchise is any safer by having Bargnani around? FUCK, NO! I like Amir’s game. I’ve seen Triano use the combination of Bargnani and Amir plenty of times this season. And what I noticed a few times is that when the opponent shoots the ball, Bargnani is usually not boxing out, but instead already running the other direction. Meanwhile, poor Amir is left alone, battling for rebounds and getting eaten by all three: Rashard Lewis, Gortat (the Polish beast) and Mickael Pietrus. Tell me... why the fuck is the tallest guy on the floor not even attempting to get a rebound?

If it came down to choosing between Amir Johnson and Bargnani as my new franchise player – again, this is only if it came down to it (in other words, it won’t) – I would choose Johnson without hesitation. I’ll always choose a player with fire, desire over someone who doesn’t show any bit of it.

Ask Bryan Colangelo A Stupid Question in Rogers Ultimate Access

How bad are those Rogers Ultimate access questions that get asked to "Bryan Colangelo" during the games? First of all, who knows if it's actually Colangelo himself answering in the first place. Second, who knows if it's even real fans asking these questions? People complain Leo Rautins commentates as if the audience is completely aloof to the game of basketball, which may be true, but then the questions that get sent in by fans during these games make Rautins' analysis look complex and sophisticated.

The questions that supposedly come in from fans directed towards Colangelo look like it's coming from a fourth grader - today's question went something like this during the Raps-Pacers game:

"Do you think Amir Johnson's hustle has made the Raptors staff give him more minutes?"

...what do YOU think?

What other foolish questions are "fans" going to ask?

"Do you think Chris Bosh gaining 15 pounds of muscle has helped his inside game!!??" - Patel from Peterborough

And the week after that, you can expect:

"Hi Bryan. Do you think Hedo Turkoglu's performance in the playoffs last year and in the finals particularly helped raise his stock to get a big contract in the summer?" - Lauren from Edmonton

What's Next For BC?

Well we all now how amazing that trade was as we essentially set the grounds for getting a GOOD nba bench by trading hump and jawai. Sad to see jawai go before really seeing what he can do but it was again a no brainer for the trade. Not to mention the fact that douby is not a bad third option for point guard or even second if roko is really struggling. But now that we have 12 million left to spend on three players, what are the next steps:

Well firstly we have to look out where are the wholes:

a) 6th man - wright is a great defensive pickup and he and george both played good minutes in dallas but i see george being more of a bench warmer and wright actually having a role for about 15-20 minutes a game. Having said that, great teams have that undisputed guy who can come in and drop at least 10-12 on a nightly basis. Contenders have that guy as a star but I don't see that as an option right now. Mainly because when your sixth man is a star, that position in your starting lineup is generally a whole that is filled when he comes off the bench. The raptors pretty much have their five set and instead they just need 3 guys off the bench who play CONSISTENT. No body needs to drop 20 nightly, there is enough offense on the starting lineup but we need 3 guys who can play defense and gives us consistency.

b) another big man. I like what reggie brings us on the boards and in toughness but he is a still a bit undersized. We need someone who is tall enough, and can provide some offense to spread the floor to complement his offensive rebounding.

c) point guard: whether this is needed is debatable based on how ukic really develops but it might be a good idea to pick up someone who can be an undisputed backup capable of staring if jose goes down again. It would be a real shame if the season goes in the toilet if jose gets injured again and with the talent we have now, it might be a safe and wise choice.

So whose available?

In terms of 6th man, it seems like its a lock that delfino is coming back at around 4 million with bird rights. To me thats great, he's fast, young, athletic, can definitely play good in the fast break and more importantly, plays on both ends of the floor

Other than that, there doesn't seem to be a lot of guys out there who can come in this year and be that guy. Only other options that I've heard are being considered are josh childress and marvin williams. Whether we can get them for the mid level and whether they are ok with being a 6th man is another story. Another option is klieza who I love as a back up small forward. If we were to sign delfino and use part of the mid on klieza, that would be a stellar bench backcourt but there are still other bases we need to cover. Also I've always liked Matt Barnes game so him instead of klieza wouldn't be a bad idea just because he can play 3 positions, and is fast enough to guard three position while klieza is a little stronger and slower and one sided.

That's pretty much the only option though in terms of whose left in free agency right now.


In terms of big man it seems pretty easy again. I live around the air canada centre and have seen rasho here with maurizo many times so it seems like a lock that he's coming back. I think the only question is really whether he does so on the bi annual or at the vet minimum. Either way, it's nice to have a big man who wants to be in toronto, can play defense, and can spread the floor a little bit. He contrasts reggie evans well and I think thats the kind of big man we need so they can play together. Not to mention, if god forbid someone goes down, both those big men can step up and start for a while. Having said that, if that does happen, I would have liked to have a third big man who can still provide a spark off the bench if either rasho or reggie has to start due to injury. Enter Pops. His cheap, we have bird rights, he's young so we can add him without really hurting any of our other options. The only thing is whether he's ok with sometimes possibly not even getting in the game.


Finally, we got the point guard position. Again whether we need it or not is another question based on roko's development, but I don't want to see this season squandered because of injury to ANY one player. We have the money, the space and the appeal to build a great deep team and we should use it. Here the most prominent name for the mid level seems to be jarret Jack who is use to coming off the bench, can start, and commands around the mid level. He would be my number one choice for that position. Again this need is a little less because if jose does go down, ukic or delfino can play point and turk can be a point forward so I'm ok with them using the mid level to sign another wing like klieza. He seems to be the only great back up out there with sessions likely to be kept by the bucks. If we can't get him for the mid level, I would probably take our chances on ukic and use the mid level to bring in another wing instead.

I think more than anything else, this money has to be used to find players who can play multiple roles and make us strong enough to whether injuries to the playoff. I definitely think we have the opportunity to contend with the right signings and I definitely trust BC to make the right move.

Ideally it would be this:

PG: Jose, Jack, Ukic, Banks, Douby
SG: DeRoazen, Delfino
SF: Hedo, Wright, George
PF: Bosh, Reggie
C: Bargnani, Rasho, Pops, O'Bryant

I realize that is 16 players but I feel they can buy O'Bryant or Douby out and it wouldn't be a big deal. That's an injury proof 15 man team for sure provided we are healthy for the playoffs, and even if we're missing one, we would still be strong enough to do some damage for a round or two. Again it does look ugly to have 5 point guards so I would be down with buying out Douby or bringing in klieza or barnes for part of mid level instead of jack but I definitely feel a solid pg backup could prove the difference in an injury proof season.

Regardless, BC IS THE MAN and has definitely quieted all his haters in Toronto.

Can't wait for next season!

Turkoglu A Tantalizing Scenario - Maybe Even Good

Okay, so you've probably heard the news that sent shock waves around the NBA: Hedo Turkoglu ditched Portland after pretty much closing the deal with them verbally in order to come to Toronto. I have a multitude of thoughts bouncing around in my head feverishly, possibly accelerated by the fact that I just drank a can of Red Bull.

First of all, wow..I honestly feel for Portland fans, that must suck big time. The Cleveland fans must be saying "now you know how WE feel!" Turkoglu has been in Portland for a few days, the negotiations were completed, just a matter of time to make it official, and he even had dinner with head coach Nate McMillan. Then he changed his mind. Just like that.

So I've read all over the Raptors blogosphere how bad it would be for Colangelo to sign Turkoglu, and the points are very valid:

• It would be way to expensive..
• Which would leave no cap space to sign any other good players
• Turkoglu is too old
• He was only that good because he had Dwight Howard in the paint
• He's overrated
• He can't play defense

And I honestly didn't want Turk to be our main pursuit either, I'd rather much prefer that Colangelo went after Artest, Ariza (which he apparently did), Kleiza, or just resign Shawn Marion. Or another situation I was secretly hoping for was that, after the Blazers got Hedo, Colangelo try and pry Rudy Fernandez away from them - He's a solid, solid talent with great potential, and would be a superb 2 or 3 while DeRozan gets used to the NBA game. As Malin has pointed out, he sees some Ginobili in him - again, not saying he will be ever in the same calibre as Manu, but he's definitely got a similar game. But obviously that's impossible now, so..

Back to Turkoglu - so like I was saying - he wasn't my first choice either, but I won't lie - I'm excited as hell. It's a tantalizing situation - we all know all the negatives. But they could be positives too. For one, yes he's 30, but guess what? Shawn Marion in 31, and Marion's game is all about his athleticism, while Hedo's never been known for jumping out of the gym. His game centres around his ability to use his height and body to get off shots against smaller opponents. Also, Marion is way past his prime, I would argue Turkoglu is right in the midst of his. Yes, you're right, he could be a defensive liability, but since when has Toronto been known for it's defensive presence, and since we're trying to play up-tempo basketball, we can maybe get away with it for even just the tiniest bit. Plus he's 6'9" - 6'10", so that has to bother his opponents somewhat...right?? Yup, we overpaid him, for sure - any team signing would, he's coming off his best year fresh from an NBA finals appearance, he's gonna get overpaid one way or another. What this does do however, is show Bosh the organization is dead serious about contending and getting back into the playoffs.

Furthermore, regarding that "He only looked so good because Dwight Howard got him open looks" argument - uhh...last time I checked, Chris Bosh draws double teams too. Now don't get me wrong, Bosh doesn't have anywhere near the beast of a presence that Howard has in the paint, but Bosh is definitely more skilled offensively than Howard, and he draws double-teams night in and night out. Remember when we signed Kapono and we were thinking, "Boy, Kapono is gonna make those defenders PAY for leaving him open to get to Bosh." Well, it's like that again, except 10 times better now.

The potential starting line up is...fascinating to me..because I have no idea if the team will discombobulate like it did with Jermaine O'Neal or gel to form a potent, cohesive unit:

PG - Calderon
SG - DeRozan
SF - Turkoglu
PF - Bosh
C - Bargnani

We would have a big, starting line up. We're talking about guys going from 6'10" to 7 feet in the front court. Offensively, there's no worries I think - it's not like Turkoglu will cancel out Bosh like J.O. did. And it'll be interesting to see how he meshes with Bargnani and rest of the squad. The bench is a huge issue again though, like last year, but already a bit better with Evans in there. The rest is hard to look at, and this is where it hurts - where is Colangelo going to get the money to sign even half decent players to fill out the roster? Sign-and-trade with Shawn Marion? Or will he work some more magic and sign a great unknown like he did with Jorge Garbajosa? I don't know, and all this together intrigues me, for better or for worse. But

We're most likely losing (in addition to Marion of course) Parker and Delfino too. I could give two shits about Parker but will dearly miss Delfino because I was really looking forward to having him back, I love his game and I'm not afraid to admit it. If there was someway, somehow, we could still resign him I'd be happy as hell.

Lastly, I have to mention this whole, actually wanting to come to Toronto situation. It brings me great joy as a Torontonian and Canadian in general to see a player actually cancel a deal he made in the last second because he wanted to be in T.O. Especially since players around the league generally will do anything NOT to play here with all the stereotypes they have of this city. We're naturally stigmatized whether we like to admit it or not, being the only team outside of the U.S. Portland has way more talent, and it's not like Turkoglu was taking a HUGE paycut to play for the Blazers instead of us (only $ 3 million more per year roughly). But the fact that Toronto's diversity and international flavour (as in a big Turkish population) actually drew a player here for once fills me with some pride, since it's usually the opposite.

On Bryan Colangelo: the guy has balls. His massive screw up with the O'Neal deal did not shake him one bit in terms of making gigantic signings that could go either way, and I respect that, for better or for worse. In his most important off season yet with the Raptors, you can't say he just sat on his ass and made soft decisions, which he's been accused of plenty and rightly so in the past. But if you look back, he's actually made tons of big-money deals with players who at the time seemed to get overpaid, highlighted by Steve Nash of course. This move by BC could backfire big time, or maybe, just maybe, it could be the key move that propels us to the next level.

I don't know, I have nooo idea, but I do think we have an intriguing situation in our hands this upcoming season. Again, not saying this deal will work or won't work, we have no idea until it actually plays out, but I do know one thing: I'm excited as hell.

Brian Colangelo, The Savior?

We all of course we remember when BC, aka the architect, agreed to come to Toronto. The city once again had a non alcoholic related buzz about it, people were talking, someone of consequence, was coming North. With half the team removed, a leafs team scrambling to d o anything, a #1 pick and a Canadian themed uniform, it was safe to believe this was the time for the Raptors. We can reinvent the culture, forget the 81 point nightmare, it was finally time for the Raptors to matter.

Uncharacteristically, we were right!


With the arrival of "Il Mago" and the signing of TJ. Ford, and the development of Bosh, our core was set. The Raptors stormed through with an NBA best rivaling home record and were blessed with our second banner, a division title. Fans were inspired. "BC for PM!" signs read in the stands. The town was talking. Jesus Christ, aka Bryan had come to save us, to rescue us from the dark. As we stormed to third place in the league, people wondered what we could really do in the playoffs. How far away that seems now.


The sea of red. How nice of us to make the Nets feel welcome. But lets not harp about allowing someone to average a triple double. Hell, lets skip last season and not complain about allowing someone to average 20 and 20. Lets just focus on now and what's left of BC's legacy?

Bargnani
Oneal
Moon
Solomon
Humphries
Parker
Voshkul
Kapono
I think Solomon deserves to be here twice.

But what was left from Mr Embry?

Graham,
Bosh,
Calderon,
Ukic,
The first pick

Given that the first pick was handed to him to choose, how many great pieces has he really brought here. For the most part, we seem to have accumulated an astounding number of limited players, whether they be scrubs, athletically challenged, intellectually challenged or what have you. Take out whoever would have been our first pick, and it looks more like we used all our cap space on an undeniably talented but risky player, and the rest we can barely give away, let alone trade away. Looking at what Wayne Embry left us, yes he made his mistakes, but for the most part, the players we move forward, are his. Yes I would keep Graham, I still believe once he knows his role, he can be a solid rotation player.

Looking back at this, should we be surprised? I don't know why we should be. To me, BC has always seemed like a great builder, but not fine tuner. People seem to remember Phoenix as always having Nash, but look a bit further back and you'll see a not so fabulous team. In fact, you would probably notice a team a lot like the raptors, destined to get to the first round at best. But lets not even look at those years of mediocrity and lets focus on the Suns of success. Within one year, BC pulled off a serious of moves highlighted by the arrival of Nash. They took off, but to me, that highlight of a season was their peak. I still don't think they are better today than with that lineup of Nash, Johnson, Richardson, Marion and Stoudemire. BC traded Johnson for a bunch of scrubs buried on an Atlanta bench and the team never was able to get over the hump. He was never quite able to fine tune that team and I don't see it changing any time soon.

I don't doubt for a second his ability to shed contracts, and rebuild from nothing, but I do question his ability and willingness to take risks, to gamble and as I've said many times now, fine tune. In the off season, I was hoping we would be able to use Rasho and TJ as separate pieces believing that there was no fix it all player. BC took a gamble and it's clearly not paying off now but I do commend the risk he took. Hopefully this has not turned him off risk taking and next year, if all signs point towards another sinking ship next year that he has the courage to pull off a move that can restore some pieces, give us some depth, and perhaps allow the raps to at least maintain, mediocrity.

It is undeniable that in his first year, with the arrival of Parker, Bargnani, Ford, Garbo etc. that we were on the right track. But what can we say of his moves after our cloud nine season. Quite frankly, Kapono being our marquee signing, and giving up all our assets for one player doesn't quite cut it for me. As we swallow another loss at the hands of one of the more recent BC import's, one must wonder, with our core largely from a pre-Colangelo error, how much has he really done?