Toronto Raptors Fanclub

[outsider13 0]

Raps vs Knicks tonight. Hopefully they can contain Crawford for once. This guy absolutely kills Toronto.Currently in 7th place. Is 4th obtainable? The have an uber weak schedule for their remaining games.Remaining gamesToronto - Knicks, NO, Cha, Atl, Cha, NJ, Mil, NJ, Det, Chi, Mia (very weak)Washington - Sac, LAL, Uta, Mil, Mia, Chi, Bos, Det, Phi, Ind, Orl (pretty fricking tough)Philly - Pho, Cle, NJ, Atl, Atl, Ind, Det, Was, Cle, ChaCleveland - Det, Phi, Cha, Chi, Orl, NJ, Chi, Mia, Phi, DetToronto definitely has the weakest remaining schedule. Making up 3.5 games with 11 left might be impossible, but 5th is definitely obtainable. I think 6th would probably be ideal for them. I think they match up better vs. Orlando than Cleveland.The key is staying healthy and getting good minutes from Rasho in the starting lineup. That may be "the" move of the season getting him in the starting 5.

[outsider13 0]

Say it ain't so, No more Salami & Cheese http://tsn.ca/nba/story/?id=236934&lid...=headlines_main

[FCP Bob 1,312]

Say it ain't so, No more Salami & Cheese http://tsn.ca/nba/story/?id=236934&lid...=headlines_main

A great day in Raptorland. Now if we can somehow get rid of Leo.

[outsider13 0]

A great day in Raptorland. Now if we can somehow get rid of Leo.

I like the Swirsh. Leo could definitely go though. Jack is by far the best. There's nothing better than the cameras going to the cheerleaders and Jack saying "HELLOOOO".

[Steamed Rice 0]

Bargnani is averaging 20 and 6 so far in 2 games. He's officially the Raptors C and will put up numbers like that all year. Book it.

BOOKED!

[A009112 0]

Dissappointing off season again. Will be a great contending team in the future though.

[fleung22 1]

Dissappointing off season again. Will be a great contending team in the future though.

I'm starting to worry actually. I mentioned this somewhere in the thread about how so many teams had good players and how the NBA line-up is so tough to crack.After watching the playoffs I realize just how far behind the Raptors are. I think they have tonnes of players who would make a great bench...the depth is amazing.But let's pretend Bargnani becomes the player everyone hopes he can be. I don't think that's enough. We're going to need more from the SF and every championship team has a great 2-guard. I love Parker but he's more good than great amongst the amazing cast of SG in the NBA. Is there really another Raptor who is going to make that Calderon-like improvement this year? Outside of Bargnani is there anyone with that type of potential??Detroit and Boston should still be strong for 2 years...Clevand will improve and Chicago/Miami will definitely be better. Washington/Orlando's in the mix so the Raptors can't just get better. Getting better means you might get the same regular season record and then knocked out of the first round. They need to improve MORE than all those other teams and faster.

[outsider13 0]

The latest rumor is TJ Ford and the 17th pick for Boris Diaw. I love this trade for TO, but it really makes no sense for Phoenix. Losing Marion, then Diaw, and adding depth to a position they are ridiculously deep at. I guess that gets Barbosa off the point when Nash sits.

[outsider13 0]

Now, the latest is Ford, Rasho, and another player for Jermaine O'Neal. ZOMG....please do this.

[Poppy_Hillis 11]

Now, the latest is Ford, Rasho, and another player for Jermaine O'Neal. ZOMG....please do this.

That would be good for them, for the 50 games JO is healthy anyway. As for the Pacers, they could have had Bynum and Odom for O'Neal, now it's TJ Ford and Rasho Nesterovic? Yikes.

[fleung22 1]

Now, the latest is Ford, Rasho, and another player for Jermaine O'Neal. ZOMG....please do this.

hrm...I have visions of Hakeem

[FCP Bob 1,312]

hrm...I have visions of Hakeem

At least The Dream was only making $7 million per season when he was a Raptor and not over $20 million per.

[outsider13 0]

It looks like it's a done deal (in principle). TJ Ford, Rasho Nesterovic, Maceo Baston, #17 Pick for Jermaine O'Neal and the #41 pick.It's a little much, but I guess they had to dump salary somehow to make it work. Maceo Baston was a big waste of money anyways. They overbid on him, and he's going back to Indy anyways. I wish they didn't have to give away the draft pick though.In the end, a great trade for the Raptors. If O'Neal is healthy, that is a huge improvement. They get added toughness and rebounding, another offensive weapon. It's basically the exact kind of player they've needed since the Bosh era began.

[fleung22 1]

It looks like it's a done deal (in principle). TJ Ford, Rasho Nesterovic, Maceo Baston, #17 Pick for Jermaine O'Neal and the #41 pick.It's a little much, but I guess they had to dump salary somehow to make it work. Maceo Baston was a big waste of money anyways. They overbid on him, and he's going back to Indy anyways. I wish they didn't have to give away the draft pick though.In the end, a great trade for the Raptors. If O'Neal is healthy, that is a huge improvement. They get added toughness and rebounding, another offensive weapon. It's basically the exact kind of player they've needed since the Bosh era began.

For the Raps to get to the next level i think a lot of things need to go right.1. Oneal needs to be healthy and be back to his old form. Hopefully the move will rejuvenate him.2. Bargnani needs to improve in a big way3. Calderon and Bosh continue to lead and get better...even if it's just marginally4. Moon needs to improve his basketball IQ and utilize his vertical

[outsider13 0]

For the Raps to get to the next level i think a lot of things need to go right.1. Oneal needs to be healthy and be back to his old form. Hopefully the move will rejuvenate him.2. Bargnani needs to improve in a big way3. Calderon and Bosh continue to lead and get better...even if it's just marginally4. Moon needs to improve his basketball IQ and utilize his vertical

I agree on all points, but it's pretty simple imo. Get a few more big rebounds, defend the offensive glass, win. If O'neal stays healthy, they can do the same thing as last year, just replace Bargnani/Rasho with O'Neal. He is the missing piece of the puzzle with the Raps right now. Just please stay healthy.

[fleung22 1]

I agree on all points, but it's pretty simple imo. Get a few more big rebounds, defend the offensive glass, win. If O'neal stays healthy, they can do the same thing as last year, just replace Bargnani/Rasho with O'Neal. He is the missing piece of the puzzle with the Raps right now. Just please stay healthy.

is he really? it just hit me that Oneal is actually Villanuava and Hibbert. so you gotta ask yourself...would you rather have Charlie V or Oneal? Now add the 7'2" Hibbert. I pray this works out but there are a lot of ifs on the team for the next 2 years. the Raps really don't have a lot of room to move until 2010.

[outsider13 0]

is he really? it just hit me that Oneal is actually Villanuava and Hibbert. so you gotta ask yourself...would you rather have Charlie V or Oneal? Now add the 7'2" Hibbert. I pray this works out but there are a lot of ifs on the team for the next 2 years. the Raps really don't have a lot of room to move until 2010.

Charlie V is NOT O'Neal, not even close. O'Neal is a tough inside presence that will rebound, and the last time I checked, Charlie V is still happy to stay outside and shoot 3's and jump shots. For a guy his size getting about 6 boards a game, it's pretty sad. Not Bargnani sad, but close.

[tskillz187 0]

I like the trade and I've always semi-liked the Raptors. I hope they have a big year.

[fleung22 1]

I like the trade and I've always semi-liked the Raptors. I hope they have a big year.

thanks for the semi-love

[Ottawa_Biatch 288]

What do you guys think of the Australian dude they picked up in the 2nd round?

[FCP Bob 1,312]

What do you guys think of the Australian dude they picked up in the 2nd round?

Seems like a good pick in the second round. He's only been playing basketball for about 6 years and is probably worth seeing if he can turn into something.Doug Smith of the Toronto Star thinks that they'll bring him to the Raps this year and he'll sit on the end of the bench and I would imagine play in the D-League some.http://www.nbadraft.net/admincp/profiles/nathanjawai.htmlNBA Comparison: Charles OakleyStrengths: Bruising bigman with a raw, unpolished game but shows a great deal of potential with his soft touch, size, strength and explosiveness ... He's 6-10 but plays bigger with long arms and excellent leaping ability ... Highly aggressive, loves to dunk on guys and really enjoys playing physical ... His attitude is one of his biggest positives. He can get angry and emotional, but that actually helps His game and does not hurt it. He is not foul prone either. he likes to get rough, can do the dirty work and shows passion ... Shows a soft shooting touch from the line at close to 70% which is a good sign that his offensive game can further develop. He's a good mid-range shooter and he displayed a nice variety of offense moves ... Considering his lack of experience playing the game at a high level, his (natural) feel for the game is very good ... He's a quality passer for a bigman, recognizing double teams and finding the open man ...has a good set of hands, catches the ball well, and secures the ball well on rebounds with his strong arms and sure hands ... Weaknesses: He needs to keep developing his feel for the game and all around skills, but in particular his post skills ... Right now he is very poor at putting the ball on the floor, so getting better at knowing how and when to use the dribble to create shots without exposing the ball is key ... Does not run the floor well and lacks great foot speed ... He's very limited facing the basket and better with his back to the basket ... Still needs a bit of work on his stamina. He can only play stretches before his great size and lack of experience catch up with him and he needs a breather ... Working on conditioning will help him to become more consistent from game to game. He's above 280 right now and would be most effective at around 270 ...Notes: Considered by International scouts as a potential late first rounder for the 2008 draft ... Jawai is averaging 18 and 10 in his first season of professional basketball (in the Australian league) ...

[babylondonks 5]

I'm going to be watching the Raptors closely this year, I like the team and I'm hoping Jawai does well :)It's funny because I think he's being slept on in the states but is overrated over in Australia. I'm thinking that he'll turn into a nice player down the line, and could hopefully learn something from Chris Bosh. I agree with the statement that he needs to work on using his strength when he has his back to the basket. He was having difficulty at times to back down people in the NBL, nevermind if he finds himself trying to back down a solid NBA big man.

[fleung22 1]

I'm going to be watching the Raptors closely this year, I like the team and I'm hoping Jawai does well :)It's funny because I think he's being slept on in the states but is overrated over in Australia. I'm thinking that he'll turn into a nice player down the line, and could hopefully learn something from Chris Bosh. I agree with the statement that he needs to work on using his strength when he has his back to the basket. He was having difficulty at times to back down people in the NBL, nevermind if he finds himself trying to back down a solid NBA big man.

obviously you hope for the best from your draft picks but I don't really want to see Jawai do well this year. "doing well" won't be bigger numbers than rasho but more to the point...it means bosh and o'neal are either injured or sucking arse.

[babylondonks 5]

obviously you hope for the best from your draft picks but I don't really want to see Jawai do well this year. "doing well" won't be bigger numbers than rasho but more to the point...it means bosh and o'neal are either injured or sucking arse.

Well yes Doing as well as posible without jeopardising Toronto, unless they're playing the Celtics :PI had a great argument with a friend yesterday who was arguing that Bosh shouldplay C and Jermaine PF...

[outsider13 0]

Well yes Doing as well as posible without jeopardising Toronto, unless they're playing the Celtics :PI had a great argument with a friend yesterday who was arguing that Bosh shouldplay C and Jermaine PF...

Tell your friend he is retarded