Here's a quick one

Raptors continue their poor play

Since I've last posted, the Raptors have lost four more games, including a 103-82 loss to the Grizzlies (who are playing great so far this season) on the road. The Raps are on a six-game losing streak and sit at 3-13 on the season. I didn't think Toronto would make the playoffs this season, but I at least thought they would contend for one.

Next up for the Raps, a home game against the 7-9 Suns. I'm hoping for a win, but the Raps are playing so badly right now I doubt it.

Rajon Rondo's streak comes to an end. . . with an ejection

Rondo ended his streak of tallying 10 or more assists per game at 37 consecutive games against the Brooklyn Nets when he got ejected for fighting with Kris Humphries. Good job, Rondo, you were only nine games away from tying Magic Johnson's mark at 46 games.

At least it was worth it. Check out the picture Humphries posted on his Twitter of the battle wounds he suffered from the melee.

Wouldn't want to cross Rondo in a dark alley.

Why the Raptors are losing

The Raptors dropped their ninth game of the season last night against the Charlotte Bobcats. They're now 3-9 on the year and firmly secured in last place in the Atlantic Division.

There were big expectations for the Raptors coming into the season. They had a new starting point guard in Kyle Lowry and a potential all-star big man in Jonas Valunciunas. Lowry has been playing phenomenal for the Raptors, and Valanciunas is starting to realize some of his pre-season potential, notching a double-double in each of his last two games.

Even DeMar DeRozan is playing better. His scoring is up from 16.7 ppg last season to 19 ppg this season, his rebounding is up from 3.3 rpg to 5 rpg, and his shooting percentage has crept up from 42 per cent to 45 per cent. So, then why are the Raptors off to such a slow start?

The Raptors just aren't stopping teams on the defensive end

According to ESPN, the Raptors are 24th in the league in points allowed, giving up 100.2 ppg. To compound their less-than mediocre defence, Toronto is scoring only 96.3 ppg, good enough for 18th in the league. Considering the defensive improvements head coach Dwayne Casey was able to coax out of the Raps last season (Toronto was ninth best in the league, allowing only 94 ppg last season), it's surprising to see such a sharp drop off.  

Bargnani isn't producing

Okay, maybe the subheading was slightly misleading. Yes, Bargnani is producing, just not very much. His scoring is down from 19.5 ppg last season to 17.4 ppg, and his rebounding has declined from 5.5 rpg to 4.4 rpg. What's more disconcerting, is it looks like Bargs has lost that intensity he showed during early stretches of last season before he suffered his calf injury. Too often this season does his face have his familiar uninterested look.

If the Raptors want to start winning again, Bargnani is going to have to step up and be the offensive force he's supposed to be.

The Raptors just aren't a good team

This is the most difficult of the reasons to accept, but the Raps, so far, haven't shown that they can beat any of the elite (or even good) teams in the NBA. They've lost to Brooklyn (107-100), OKC (108-88), Dallas (109-104), and Boston (107-89).

Toronto hung in their games against Brooklyn and Dallas, but got absolutely crushed against the Thunder and Celtics. They've also lost to Philly twice, Indiana once, Utah, and Charlotte (last night's game). It's understandable the Raptors will lose some games big. Especially against championship-contending teams like the Thunder. But if Toronto wants to keep their chances of making the playoffs alive as the season rolls on, they'll have to beat teams like Charlotte (played extremely small ball) or Philly (Bynum has been injured all season).

The only excuse I can think of for the slow start, is the Raptors have played seven of their first 12 games on the road and have already played four back-to-backs. I hope the Raptors can turn their record around once the schedule becomes more favourable.

The Raptors play next on Friday, Nov. 23 against the Pistons in Detroit.

The Raptors win again - finally

Quick Recap: Raptors beat Pacers

The Raptors beat the Pacers on Tuesday, Nov. 13 by a score of 74-72. Toronto lost to the Jazz in a triple-overtime thriller the night before, meaning this game was understandably brutal to watch at times. Aside from finally earning their second win, the other bright spot for the Raptors was Jose Calderon's first career triple-double. He put in 13 points and added 10 assists and 10 boards.

Calderon's triple-double nearly overshadowed the Raptors' lack of fourth quarter production - they scored only five points. Their dismal scoring output was only three points shy of tying the record for lowest points in a quarter, at two. What that says about how poorly the Pacers played all game is still unknown.

The Raps are now 2-6 on the season and play again on Sunday, Nov. 16, at home against the Orlando Magic.

Lakers hire D'antoni over Jackson

The Lakers signed former Suns and Knicks head coach Mike D'antoni  to a three year, $12 million dollar contract with a club option for a fourth year.

It was surprising Jerry Buss decided to hire D'antoni over Phil Jackson. Why do I say that? Well, aside from the fact Jackson has 11 NBA championships, D'antoni even admitted he was surprised by the decision. I thought Jackson returning to the Lakers was a lock, especially considering the emphatic reaction from the Lakers fans during a game against the Warriors on Nov. 9, then again, Buss is the same GM who hired Mike Brown.

Knicks only undefeated team left in the league

Maybe shocking everyone other than delusional New York fans, the Knicks are the only undefeated team left in the NBA at 5-0. Carmello Anthony is playing well and J.R. Smith is picking up the slack with Stoudemire out, averaging 18.2 ppg, the highest of his career. He's getting more minutes this year and producing. His neck tattoos terrify me but the man can play.

Oh yeah, the Knicks are scoring 103.4 ppg while only allowing a league-low 87.8 ppg, for the highest point differential in the league.

The Knicks play the Spurs tonight in San Antonio, where they've lost nine in a row. The Spurs are riding their own win streak, having won their last three games. Both teams had the night off last night and should be fresh for this one. There's no way the Knicks can keep up their absurdly-high point differential as the season progresses, but their team is looking dominant right now.

I'm calling this one for the Knicks.

Andrew Bynum's hair

I've seen a few pictures of Bynum with his new do but never thought any of them were real, mainly because his hair looks so ridiculous in all of them. However, after seeing these, I can only conclude they must be real, and that Andrew Bynum is losing his mind.

Why has Bynum grown out his hair and straightened it to look like Moe from the Three Stooges as Trey Kirby pointed out? I don`t know, but I hope he either shaves it off to return to his reliable bald look or grows it out to a ridiculous length for dreads.

The good and bad news against the Mavs

The bad news

The Raptors dropped their second game in as many nights on Wednesday, Nov. 7, losing 109-104 to the Mavericks, falling to 1-4 on the season, good enough for last place in the Atlantic division. The Mavs improved to 4-1 and increased their winning streak to three games. They sit second in the Southwest.

O.J. Mayo and Chris Kaman led the Mavs, both dropping 22 points. Kaman added eight rebounds, while Mayo added five boards and dished out six assists. Vince Carter, yes, Vince Carter contributed positively to his team, scoring 17 points and grabbing five rebounds to keep this game out of reach. 

Derozan had a nice bounce-back game from last night, where he performed dismally against the Thunder. Tonight, he had 24 points, six rebounds and, seven assists. He was aggressive all game, attacking the rim regularly. It's the way Derozan needs to play to be an all-star player in this league. He struggles when he relies on threes and fade away jumpers. Bargnani added 25 points and nine rebounds in a losing effort.

The game was played at a frenetic pace early as Dallas seemed to push the ball on almost every possession, exploiting the Raps in transition. Poor rebounding hurt the Raps all game but especially in the first half. They were out-rebounded 47-38. As a team that's supposed to pride itself on defence, the Raptors have looked undisciplined too often. Giving up 16 offensive rebounds can't happen if they want to beat the better teams in this league.

While the Raps kept the game somewhat close, cutting the deficit to single digits multiple times, they were never able to capitalize on the Mavs' scoring droughts. The third quarter was especially frustrating, with the Raptors unable to get closer than within eight points, despite a number of chances.

Like most NBA games, the fourth quarter was the most exciting. The Raps finally started rebounding and cut the lead to six points. Bargnani played well, making big plays like the no-look he had to Dominic McGuire for an easy bucket.

The game was back and forth for the last few minutes but Kaman provided the dagger when he hit a baby hook with about 45 seconds left.

It was a rough game for the Raps. They came out sluggish to start the game, not unusual considering this was the second game of a back to back, and never really had the run they needed to give them a chance to win.

The Raps struggled without Lowry. He brings so much more to the team than just scoring. He's one of the better rebounders on the team, gives the Raps some speed in the backcourt, and is a much better defender than both Calderon and Lucas III. Let's hope he recovers from his ankle injury soon.

Valanciunus had his first game where he was plagued with foul trouble. He was limited to only 10 minutes of action due to his five fouls.

The Raptors play again on Saturday, Nov. 10, at home against the Sixers.

The good news

Now the good news: Vince Carter said he would one day like to return to the Raptors' organization. This is just a hunch but I'm not sure if the fans have totally forgiven him yet.

Let the season begin

Raptors fall to Pacers 90-88

The Raptors opened up their season at home against the Pacers. I'm in no position to give any constructive feedback on their play since I was working. I never saw a second of the action; however, I did watch the highlight package on NBA.com. What follows will be extremely informed analysis.

Apparently Kyle Lowry put together a nice game, finishing with 21 points, eight assists, seven rebounds, and five steals. There's absolutely no way Lowry will be able to produce at that level all season and he won't have to with Calderon coming off the bench, a role Calderon is better suited for.

Judging from the box score, it looks like Bargnani had a mediocre game. He scored 16 points and grabbed three rebounds, and I think there might be a typo in the box score because it said he finished with three blocks too.

Coming off a newly signed contract worth $38 million dollars over four years, DeRozan underperformed. He finished with 10 points, five rebounds, and one assist. If I have to take one good thing away from his stat line, I guess it would be the rebounds? Yes, that was meant to be phrased as a question.

Valanciunas notched a double double, scoring 12 points and grabbing 10 boards in a little over 23 minutes of playing time. These are nice numbers for a rookie big in his first regular season game, but his defence needs to improve. I make that claim having seen one highlight of him failing to rotate on a screen and roll.

Some other unsubstantiated assessments about the Raptors from their first game:

• Bargnani played too soft
• DeRozan needs more alley-oops
• Terrence Ross needs to play more.
• The Raptors earned the respect of almost everyone by not playing Kleiza

The Raptors play again on Saturday, when they travel to Brooklyn to play the Nets.

James Harden has a monster game

If anyone was wondering whether James Harden deserves that max contract the Rockets offered him, yes, yes he does. Harden poured in 37 points and added 12 assists, six rebounds, and four steals. His 12 assists were a career high.

Now, regarding the trade, there are two camps. One camp claims that Harden was too greedy, while the other claims the Thunder undervalued Harden and traded him when he never accepted the team's offer.

I'm of the opinion that the Thunder handled this situation poorly. Harden was still under contract until the end of next season. The Thunder could've at least had one more season with Harden's production on their team before deciding not to resign him for the max. Instead, the team is left with Kevin Martin and Jeremy Lamb to try and make up for the huge hole that Harden left.

Martin can come off the bench and provide a scoring punch similar to Harden but he is nowhere near as proficient. There's no need to really compare the two players. Harden is just a better player, period.

Lamb is an intriguing prospect. I have no idea if he has what it takes to be a big-time player; however, I do know that he's talented and will most likely not have the opportunity to thrive in Oklahoma City and realize his potential. He's a rookie on a team with established vets. He'll see minutes sparingly.

With the Thunder trading away Harden, the Lakers now have a legitimate chance of capturing the West. Granted, the Lakers have looked pretty bad in their first two games, but a team that has that much talent can never be underestimated. Yes, they have aged stars who can't produce at the same clip as they did in their primes but they have Dwight Howard. He's the best center in the league and will average over 30 points a game if he keeps hitting his free throws (he shot 15-19 last game).

Just for some perspective: Howard has only shot better than 60 per cent for the season once in his career, his rookie year. Oh yeah, the game before his 15-19 free throw shooting display, Howard shot 3-14 from the line. Really, who knows how he'll shoot?

The most awesome t-shirt gun ever created

Apparently this gun is called Big Bella. The only reason I think this is real is because I would be too disappointed if it wasn't. And I watched a video of it firing during a Sixers game.

Check out The700Level for a copy of the news release and the video.

 

The NBA is Dead!

Okay, the NBA isn't dead, but the second worst thing has happened. David Stern announced he will be retiring as NBA Commissioner on Feb. 1, 2014.

You can read the full news release here.

Stern started his career as commish in 1984. Choosing to step aside on Feb. 1, 2014 will mean that his 30 years as head of the NBA will make him the longest tenured professional sports commissioner ever.

I've always liked Stern, even during the most recent lockout where it was rumoured that he was shaking his finger at Dwyane Wade during negotiations like Wade was a petulant child. Even when some players subtly (and not so subtly) alleged that Stern may be racist during those negotiations, I still put my faith behind him. Does that mean I'm racist? I hope not. I even liked him during the controversial Chris Paul trade veto, which wreaked of conflict of interest.

I like Stern because he's smart. He hasn't been perfect as commish, but when you compare him to the other commissioners of the North American pro sports leagues, it's evident that NBA fans have the smartest one.

Goodell is embroiled in the controversy over his hypocrisy of claiming to care for the safety of his players, despite lobbying for an 18 game season. Selig battled against the steroid epidemic in baseball during the late 90s and 00s after turning a blind eye to the issue for a long time (they were hitting more home runs, weren't they?). And Bettman is the only commissioner who is deliberately trying to get himself fired by sabotaging his own league (okay, maybe that's not what he's doing but wouldn't we respect him more if at his retirement announcement he just smiled and said, "I can't believe I put the NHL through three lockouts and still stepped down on my own terms," dropped the mic then strode out of the press conference while Public Enemy - Harder than you think played him out?)

Stern is also the most self aware out all the commissioners. During this year's draft, he came out to announce every pick with a big smile on his face, loving the boos by the fans. He even cupped his ear Hulk Hogan style during the opening segment. How awesome is that?

I highly doubt we'll ever see one of the other commissioners doing something that displays their own self awareness; unless we see Goodell lighting a cigar with a wad of burning $100 bills.

Although some may not agree with me, I'll miss David Stern and wish him nothing but the best while he sits on a lawn chair on his Florida lawn and fans himself with money, or whatever rich retired guys do.

How Seattle (kind of) Got its Groove Back

Seattle Arena Deal

 Seattle fans are that much closer to getting back an NBA team.

Seattle Mayor Mike McGinn and King County Executive Dow Constantine signed legislation on Oct. 16 on a new arena deal in an effort to bring an NBA team back to their city. The investor group led by Chris Hansen and the city of Seattle will finance the construction of the arena.

There are some specific details to the legislation, which I won't get into. Check out the news release here if you want more information.

Congratulations to Seattle. As entertaining as the Thunder are to watch, I think I speak for everyone when I say we want those  Supersonics' jerseys back. Not to mention that Seattle fans are absolutely nuts.

More Preseason.

Here's an informative fact for all of you reading: Preseason basketball isn't exciting to watch.

The only guys really trying are the players fighting for roster spots. Starters get limited minutes and no one really cares how their team fairs in these exhibition games. For instance, the Lakers are 0-4 this preseason and last in their division. Do you think Lakers' fans are worried about their team, that has Howard, Kobe, Nash, Gasol, and the always dangerous Metta World Peace, will get slapped around during the regular season? Hell no.

In contrast, Sacramento is tops in that same division at 2-0. Even if Demarcus Cousins somehow changes his entire attitude and starts playing like the dominant big man he can be, Sacramento still won't make the playoffs this season.

Speaking of this season (check out that segue), in an effort to speed up its games, the NBA has implemented a new 90 second rule. Starting immediately after player introductions, 90 seconds will be placed on the clock. After those 90 seconds the ref will throw the jump ball. The new time limit after player introductions will cut down on the pregame player routines like the impromptu photoshoots and these other weird to hilarious things. Good job NBA. If there's one way to speed up games it's by cracking down on these short and entertaining player idiosyncrasies. If removing those gives more time for commercial breaks during the multiple timeouts called at the end of every close game, I'm all for it.

Science and Carmelo Anthony

Here's Carmelo Anthony as a very realistic science student in an ad for some product. Carmelo says he's all about the science but really, I think we know he's all about the person in his portrait that he drew.

Real Madrid vs. Toronto Raptors Running Diary

Preseason Matchup: Real Madrid vs. Raptors

Since this is the game that kicks off the Raptors' 2012-13 season I thought I would write a running diary. I can't be held responsible for what I say if the Raptors start to play badly.

First Quarter

Calderon, Derozan, Fields, Bargs, and Gray start. No Jonas or Lowry tonight. Both sitting out with injuries.

Rudy Fernandez isn't playing in the NBA anymore? Uh, okay. He's starting for Real Madrid.

Demar Derozan attacking the rim in his first few possessions. Same with Bargs - fouled on a dunk attempt. That's right, a dunk attempt.

Raps down 11-8. Three mins in.

Raps just got blocked three times in a row. Derozan, Fields then Bargs. Madrid comes down the floor and Fernandez finished an alley oop. Raps call timeout, down 14-8.

Raps come out of a timeout with a post up for Bargs. And-one hook shot.... Misses free throw. Nice.

Announcers gushing about Arvydas Sabonis in his prime. Any viewers under the age of 20 probably have no idea who they're talking about.

Rudy just passed the ball through Grey's legs. Why is he not in the NBA! Oh right, because it was Aaron Gray.

Derozan misses a WIDE OPEN layup in transition.

Raps can't get a bucket. Down 18-10. Bargs gets shook guarding LLull, point guard for Real Madrid. 20-10.

Derozan decides to "wisely" take a jump shot since his layups aren't dropping. And-one. Derozan becomes much more ineffective when he stops attacking the rim and settles for jumpers instead

Amir and Kleiza check into the game. Amir finishes a pick and roll with Calderon. The next time down Amir returns the favour and hits a cutting Calderon for a bucket. Is Amir the x-factor on the court right now? Is that the first and last time I will ever think that? Raps cut the lead to 20-18 with a Bargs mid-range jumper. Time out Real Madrid.

Graphic coming back from the break showed that the most games played by any Raptor player was by Morris Peterson. I love Mo-Pete but come on, can we finally get a franchise player that wants to stay in Toronto?

All subs in the game now. Lucas, Ross, Kleiza, Amir and Davis.

Kleiza with a 15 foot hook shot. I hate Kleiza.

Davis working in the post with something that resembles a post game. I'm somewhat impressed. The fact that I'm impressed with "something that resembles a post game" from Davis reflects how poor his offensive game was last season.

Raps are running! Lucas with a nice outlet to Ross, then Ross with a pass to Amir for what should have been an and-one dunk. I really hope that Derozan finally makes that jump to a next level type of player. If he doesn't, at least we have Ross to hope for until he disappoints us.

Amir misses both free throws but Raps hustle on the boards, get the rebound, and feed Amir on a pick and roll for an and-one dunk. Hits the free throw this time.

This second unit for the Raps has been shutting Real Madrid down. They haven't score since the subs came in. Raps haven't really either. It's 21-20 Raps.

It feels like the Raps are missing a lot of free throws. Davis just missed two in a row. Lucas is doing a good job pushing the ball. Cans a three ball.

Amir steals an inbound pass and assaults the rim! I'm terrified. 27-22 Raps. This second unit is bringing energy. I like em - except for Kleiza.

Kleiza with a nice one on one bucket. I still don't like him. 19-2 run for the second unit.

End of the first quarter. 29-22 Raps.

Raps shot 44 per cent from the floor. Held Real Madrid to 39 per cent shooting. Raps shot 6/13 from the FT line. Ouch. +6 rebound margin for the Raps. I know this is only a Euroleague team but it's nice to see the Raptors outrebounding an opponent.

Second Quarter

Quick clip of the team fishing during a boat ride in Halifax (where they held their training camp). I think there's a reason that most basketball players never have fishing as a hobby. None of the guys shown looked like they knew what they were doing.
 
New line up in. Lucas, Ross, Davis, Amir and Dominic McGuire. I can honestly say I have no idea who McGuire is. Usually I would Google players I don't know, but what's the point? He won't be on the team come the start of the season.

Three fouls in the first 40 seconds of the quarter on the Raps.

Ross with a silky smooth jumper from just above the elbow.

Sergio Rodriguez is drawing fouls on the Raps on what seems like every time down the floor. He's quick and crafty.

Sherman Hamilton: "One thing that became evident in training camp was that John Lucas is one of the best shooters on this team." No kidding. Has he seen the type of shooters we have on this team?

Amir just did his patented completely-wild-it-looks-like-I-have-no-idea-what-I'm-doing drive. Gets his own rebound and scores. Real Madrid finishes an alley-oop going the other way. 36-32 Raps.

Starting lineup back in with McGuire at the three. Time to lose the lead.

Sherman Hamilton: "Duncan McGuire is a vet. Solid pick up for the Raptors." He must be solid, you didn't even get his name right.

Derozan with a sweet spin move to split a double and score.  He has 10 points. 40-36 Raps. Fernandez cuts the lead to one with a three. Raps timeout.

Fields in for McGuire. Turns the ball over then commits a foul. Did I mention the Raps signed him to a 3 year, 19 million dollar contract this offseason?

Real Madrid hits a 3. 44-40 RM.

Bargs misses a deep three. He's not playing too well. Derozan recovers the Fields' blocked shot and hits a nice layup. He's really hustling today for rebounds and on D. If he's not going to be the prolific player that we all want him to be, it's nice to see that he's at least busting his ass.

Fields' dunk in transition after a steal where Bargnani was literally standing straight up guarding his man on the wing and the ball was deflected to him. The typical Bargnani defense is back! 46-45 Raps.

Fields beats his man and loses the ball out of bounds. Have I mentioned the Raps signed him to a 3 year, 19 million dollar contract this offseason?

End of first half. Raps lead 50-48.

Raps shooting 42 per cent for the game. Still holding Real Madrid to 37 per cent shooting. Raps didn't shoot a single FT in that quarter. Real Madrid is shooting 16/20 so far from the line. +8 rebound margin for the Raps.

Third Quarter

Jose, Bargs, Amir, Derozan and Fields start the game and are immediately scored on by a sick over the head touch pass by a cutting Fernandez. Tie game. 50-50.

Jose hits a three and just got Bruce Bowen'd (foot under the shooter as he's coming down)! He's infuriated at the refs that it wasn't called. Replay doesn't look nearly as bad as Calderon made it out to be. He's running around fine now. False Bowen'd alarm.

Raps playing pretty good D right now. Real Madrid have only scored two points in two and a half minutes. 59-52 Raps.

Fields knocks down a three. Have a I mentioned that the Raps got him for a steal at 3 years, for 19 million dollars? Fields turns it over. This is a rollercoaster of emotion.

Derozan has missed a few chippies tonight. He has 14 points. He should have at least 20.

Euroleague veteran Allen Anderson checks in for the Raps. Nice.

Kleiza checks in for Fields. I don't know who's worse.

65-65 game.

Loose ball foul on Amir. This game has lost any exciting pace it once had. Foul after foul is being called. Nothing worse than watching a bunch of dudes shoot free throws.

Lucas check in for Calderon! I'm way too excited about that.

Third loose ball foul for the Raps in the last minute. This sucks.

Matt Devlin:" Kleiza saves it! Then throws it away." Yep, I dislike Kleiza more than I dislike Fields.

Lucas hits a jumper in transition. 69-68 Raps.

McGuire plows through a screen while his man nails a three. And-one. How did he get back in the game?

Breaking News: John Lucas is really fast. Nice floater in the lane.

Raps continue to foul Real Madrid at will. 73-73 game.

Lucas with an off balance jumper to put the Raps up by 2 before the quarter ends. 12 points off the bench. 5/7 from the floor. Solid game off the bench from him. Reassuring to know that we may have a reliable third string point guard if Lowry or Calderon get injured.

Raps shooting 41 per cent through three quarters. Real Madrid shooting 38 per cent. Real Madrid have shot 36 free throws through three quarters to the Raps' 23 attempts. Absolutely bonkers. Raps are outrebounding Real Madrid 44-31.

Fourth Quarter

Lucas, Ross, Kleiza, Davis, and Anderson start the fourth.

Anderson with the and-one baseline drive. He's been beating his man with a baseline pivot all night. 80-78 Raps.

Ross hits an open three. When was the last time we had a two guard that could knock down threes? The 2008-09 season with Anthony Parker? 83-79 Raps.
 
Ross takes a charge a couple plays later. I like this kid. Hits another three! Fouls his man on a jumper the next play down the floor. Can't ask for too much. He's just a rookie, after all. 86-81 Raps.

Lucas hits a long two with the shot clock running down. Shooting 6/8 for 14 points. He's outplaying Jose.

Bargs checks in for Kleiza giving the Raps a slightly different, but still ugly defensive look.
Anderson scores a bucket. "He refused to give up on the play," said Hamilton. What Sherm really means is that Anderson brutally forced the play but got lucky and managed to still score. 90-81 Raps.

Lucas hits another 2. Raps up by 11. Seems like they're pulling away. Just when I type that LLull does a nasty spin move that leads to an easy bucket for a Slaughter, a Real Madrid big.

LLull and Slaughter hook up again for a pretty alleyoop. Amir and Jose answer back with an alleyoop of their own. 96-85 Raps.

Derozan stays aggressive and converts a layup. 100-90 Raps after Llull splits a double and finds an open Fernandez. Llull finishes an easy layup to cut their deficit to 8 points. He's played well tonight and has had some real flashy plays. Llull hits a meaningless three to bring the score to 102-95 for the Raps.

The Raptors shot 44 per cent while Real Madrid shot 42 per cent. Raps were imposing on the boards tonight, outrebounding Real Madrid 51-39 and grabbing 16 offensive rebounds to Real Madrid's five.

Game Recap

The Raps played pretty well tonight but they turned the ball over too often and committed too many fouls. The foul problem should resolve itself once players get into better shape. As for turnovers, the Raps were right around their average from last season at 16. Still too high, but with Lowry and Jose handling the ball, the turnovers should be manageables thanks to their high assist-turnover ratios.

Despite missing a few easy layups, Derozan played pretty well. He finished with 18 points, six rebounds, three steals, and a block. If he can continue to put up numbers like that, he's got my vote as starter.

Bargnani had one of his wait-is-Bargnani-playing? games. Bargs played 30 minutes, scored 14 points and had four rebounds. Can you rebound the damn ball?

Lucas had a great game. He probably won't get too much playing time once Lowry is healthy though.

I'm still excited to see the full roster when everyone is healthy. I've yet to see the Lithuanian Lug play and I thought Lowry was entertaining when he played for the Rockets.

Valanciunus is scheduled to play against the Pistons on Wednesday, Oct 10, but Lowry is still out.

I won't be writing running diaries very often as writing notes down for every game will become a major pain in the ass. See you guys and girls next week.

Rasheed Wallace is Back. Another Celtic is Willing to Commit Murder

Sheed Back in the League!

Sources say that Rasheed Wallace will be coming out of retirement to sign with the New York Knicks to back up Amare Stoudamire.

Yep, that's right, the Knicks, who already have Marcus Camby, 38; Jason Kidd, 39; Kurt Thomas, 39; and 35 year old rookie Pablo Prigioni, are looking to sign 38 year old Rasheed Wallace. The Rasheed Wallace who constantly argued with referees? The Rasheed Wallace who hasn't been an effective NBA player since he played with the Pistons? The Rasheed Wallace who showed up overweight and out of shape in his final year with the Celtics? You got it, that Rasheed Wallace!  

While this signing may not help the Knicks out too much, every NBA fan should feel comforted knowing that Sheed is back in the league. No longer will careless NBA refs get away with calling dubious fouls. Not on Sheed's watch.

Has his constant arguing to the refs ever been successful in overturning one? No. But has Sheed ever stopped arguing with officials because of it? No. That, ladies and gentlement, is called perseverance. I love guys that don't quit (quitting on teams not included).

And if it wasn't for Sheed I would never have the perfect axiom to yell out every time I play pick up basketball and disagree with an opponent's foul call. As the great man has said himself, countless times, "Ball don't lie."

Another Potential Murderer on the Celtics

Jason Terry is not the only Celtic who is out for blood this season. Second overall pick in the 2003 draft and bust, Darko Milicic, said he's tired of trying to prove his worth and is ready to do whatever he has to for the Celtics to succeed. Including murder, as reported by Comcast Sportsnet.

“I’ll do whatever it takes, whatever I need to do to help this team. So now, if I have to go kill someone on the court, I’ll kill someone on the court.”

Combine this new killer instinct with his usual ineffectual post game and we could be witnessing Milicic emerging as the new Danny Fortson of the league. Not the promising young player version of Fortson but the older barely-does-anything-but-foul version of him.

Watch out, NBA.


I'm ending my post this week with what might be one of the most impressive flat top fades that I've seen since Fresh Prince Will Smith circa early 90s. He's got nothing on Will Smith's rapping though.

Valanciunas Injury. Jason Terry is Out to Kill.

Projected stud and saviour of the entire history of the Toronto Raptors, Jonas Valanciunas, was seen at practice with a walking boot this week after the team's PR department (holla CreComm!) released news that Valanciunas suffered a calf injury.

 

Forunately the injury isn't considered serious and us Raptors fans can go back to irrationally considering the Lituanian Lug (copyright Matt Bedard 2012) as our messiah.

 

In other why-is-this-athlete-saying-psychopathic-things? news, Celtics guard Jason Terry finally admits his true motivation for coming to Boston this offseason.

As reported by Espn:
 

"My mission is to kill," Terry said at the team's annual golf tournament at The International. "Whoever that is, whether it's the Heat, whether it's the Lakers. Hopefully both. That's my mission and that's what I'm here to do."

That's right Heat and Laker fans, if Jason Terry accomplishes his goal of mass murdering both franchises, you will all have to find new teams to root for.

Terry, of course, has done other crazy things but with this quote he's nearing closer to joining that exlusive group of NBA players that are outright nuts. Right now that group is led by Metta World Peace and Kevin  Garnett, with Garnett slightly edging out Peace. Sure, Ron Artest legally changed his name to Metta World Peace but that doesn't compare with Garnett's ability to disconnect with reality so impressively.

Here's a sample:

Has Garnett ever been in an actual bar fight? Since when had Charles Barkley been in a bar fight and how does Garnett know this? Most importantly, does Garnett actually believe that Craig Sager looks good in that suit? The last issue is especially telling for just how mentally unstable Garnett really is. Get help soon, Kevin.

I'm going to keep my post short this week but before I go, I give you something that you've always wanted (props to Trey Kerby from The Basketball Jones for putting this together):

 

 

That crazy Javale!

 

Raptors Roundup: Interleague Preseason Exhibition Edition!

The Raptors play their first game on October 8 against Real Madrid in an exhibition. You gotta love when the NBA schedules its teams to play against the best teams from other leagues, you know, because now NBA teams can play with even less enthusiasm than they already do during preseason.

In these scenarios the NBA teams are like the Varsity team from a high school while the foreign team is that J.V. team that doesn't really stand a chance.

The NBA teams are supposed to win (considering the NBA is the pinnacle league for basketball worldwide and all) against international teams. Sure, those international teams are good but they are littered with North American players not good enough to make it on an NBA roster.

What makes those games entertaining is when an NBA team loses to the international squad. When that happens it probably should be a little worrying to that fan base that maybe their team isn't as good as they originally thought (As in this case. The Raptors stumbled to a 41-41 record after finishing 12 games over .500 the year before.).

There are other reasons why I'm excited for the upcoming game against Real Madrid. No, it's not because by this time every off-season I'm so desperate for basketball that I'll gladly accept whatever the NBA lazily puts in front of me (Preseason! Raps! Timberwolves! MTS Centre!!!!!!!). It's an early opportunity to see: if the team has any chemistry, if the rookies can come into games and immediately have an impact, and if the guys considered to have potential have put in the work needed to improve their games over the off season.

That last point is really all I'm interested in (after all, it's only preseason). It reveals what kind of work ethic the player has, but it gives the fans an idea of whether that player can be the cornerstone for a franchise to build around.

Past Players the Raptors have Hoped would be their Cornerstone Guy:

Vince Carter: All the talent but a terrible work ethic (among other things). They have also had Chris

Chris Bosh: Great work ethic but not talented enough to be the number one option on a playoff team. But at least Bosh has videos like this:

Andrea Bargnani: He will be 27 by the start of the regular season. Including this year, he has 4 more years under contract. His work ethic is questionable - he has only averaged more than 6 rebounds per game once in his 6 year career, sometimes he settles for too many jumpers instead of attacking the rim, and his defense is often non-existent. These are all facets of his game that he can fixed.

I think he's reached his ceiling, but who knows? Maybe Dwayne Casey can continue to motivate him to play defense and rebound more.

I'll end this week's post by giving my reader(s) an apology. I've only recently been enlightened to Shaqtin A Fool by a friend (Shout out to Meghan!) and it's surprisingly funny considering how disappointing Shaq has been since joining TNT. Click on the link and enjoy Shaq actually talking loud enough to be heard.

Before I go, I need to give a shout to Marianne for mentioning one of the greatest Raptors to ever play, Jerome Junkyard Dog Williams, in the comments section of last week's post. My post (or life) wouldn't be complete without a montage of JYD putting in work.

A Sad Day, Raps Season Preview, and Memphis Gets Its Sexy Back

Sorry ladies and gents but my post this week is starting off on a sad note. After eleven years in the NBA, multiple video montages, hours spent cheering on his teammates from the bench, and even a commercial I guarantee that you will have no idea what it's advertising, the White Mamba, Brian Scalabrine, is retiring. Scal, you will be missed.

Now, as promised I'll be giving you guys my prediction on how I think the Raps will fair this season. I'll try and keep this prediction realistic despite the fact that I'm pathetically optimistic about the Raptors at the beginning of every season.

Last season the Raptors got out to a 3-3 start to have some believe, okay, maybe just me, that the Raps could be a playoff team. Bargnani played well, bought into Dwayne Casey's defensive mentality, and displayed facial expressions other than his usual completely dumbfounded look. And yep, I realize I just publically stated that Bargnani played defence.

The Raptors were floated around .500 for the few weeks of the season until Bargnani suffered a calf injury that limited him to only 31 games. With Bargs injured and Derozan regressing in some offensive categories from his sophomore year, the Raps` offence ranged from completely awful to "why is Rasual Butler shooting so much?" When the regular season concluded the Raps had stumbled to a 23-43 record, twelve games back of a playoff seed.

Considering Bargnani played less than half the season, Derozan showed little improvement and this being their complete roster, the Raps finishing with only 23 wins sounds about right. But who cares about last season? This year's team is a playoff contender!

Is this team a championship contender? Absolutely not. Will the Raptors have homecourt advantage in any of the playoff rounds? Nope. Do they have a chance to make the playoffs? They have a shot at the seventh or eighth seed. But will they make the playoffs? I don't think so.

Yes, the Raptors are significantly better than their team from last year. Yes, Jonas Valanciunas is finally going to play. Yes, Kyle Lowry will add needed depth at the point this season, and yes, if Bargnani can stay healthy, the Raps might surprise a few teams. I still can't accept that they will finish with a record good enough to get them in the playoffs. The Raptors will be better this season but not good enough to beat out the better teams in the East.

Let me break it down like this.
There are six East teams that will certainly make the playoffs this year: Miami, Boston, Indiana, Brooklyn, Philly, and New York.  
That leaves only two playoff spots for the Raptors to claim, meaning that they would have to finish better than Chicago (no Derrick Rose until March but still a good team), Milwaukee (a team that narrowly missed out on the playoffs last year), Atlanta (no more Joe Johnson or Marvin Williams, probably a good thing), and Washington (yes Washington! Look at their roster for this upcoming season. They traded away all of their head cases and acquired proven veterans to complement their young talent. Mark my words, the Wizards will compete for a playoff spot this year. Mark em!).

I have Atlanta and Chicago rounding out the East playoff picture with the Raps finishing ninth or tenth, a few games out from a playoff spot.

I don't expect everyone to agree with my predictions and if you don't, drop a comment on how you think the Raps will do this season. If I think you've made a better prediction than I have, I'll most likely delete the comment and say mean things about you in my next post for making me look bad. But other than that, I totally encourage your opinions.

Other NBA News

Memphis Gets its Sexy Back

Yep, that's right, Justin Timberlake has reportedly joined the prospective group that will soon own the Memphis Grizzlies. This kind of makes sense since Timberlake is a Memphis native and has spent his own money in the past on preserving one of the city's golf courses, I guess? 

Reggie Miller Inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame

Reggie Miller is a polarizing player - you either like him or you don't. I always liked how he talked trash to players, flopped in almost every game, hit huge threes, and single handedly crushed the Knicks for years. And I have no beef with the Knicks. Congrats Reg.

Lakers Sign Draft Pick Robert Sacre

Canadian kid. Need I say more?



And finally, if this video doesn't make you like Stephen Jackson, I don't know what will.

Countdown to the Start of the NBA Season

Welcome to Matt's Raptor Roundup.

This is my first of many posts to come on this blog that will primarily focus on the Raptors and their accomplishments/many failures during the upcoming season. Of course talking about nothing but the Raptors all season would drive even the most loyal Raptors fan mad, so I'll also discuss whatever else I deem important in the NBA world.

Now that I have given you a brief introduction, let's get right into it.

After an off season that has so far ranged from the unbelievable (the Lakers acquiring both Steve Nash AND Dwight Howard) to the bizarre (Tony Parker nearly losing his left eye after a fight broke out between Drake and Chris Brown at a New York City nightclub), I am certainly glad that tip off to the NBA season is only a little over a month and a half away.

Tip off is on October 30 and will feature an exciting matchup between the Washington Wizards and Cleveland Cavaliers on NBA League Pass. For us simpletons who don't have League Pass, we'll be stuck watching a Boston-Miami, Dallas-L.A. Lakers double header on NBA TV. I know, it's tough.

Considering there's roughly 6 weeks until then, my blog posts until the start of the season will focus on predictions, some analyses of off season transactions, and my favourite part of the NBA, unintentionally hilarious things the players do.

Next week I'll post my prediction of how I think the Toronto Raptors will fair during the regular season, but until then here's Rajon Rondo signing a baby: