With the offseason slowing down, for the Raptors at least, it’s time to change gears here at Raptors Rapture. If you noticed a complete lack of articles recently, well then you have a good eye. With the Raptors and Bryan Colangelo all but done making offseason moves, Marco Belleni was signed last night but I will write something about that after this, there isn’t much news to discuss in Toronto. At least regarding the Raptors.
So, with the excitement of the offseason all but done for Raptor fans it’s time we move on to something different, something like an in-depth look [...]

It’s official, Jarrett Jack is a Toronto Raptor and I couldn’t be any happier. I’ve been a big Jack fan since the first time he played with Bosh, in his freshman season at Georgia Tech. Not only does Jack finally give the Raptors a reliable backup point guard but with his size, 6′4 190 lbs., and consistent mid range jumper he can also fill a need at shooting guard.
When people look back at this offseason for the Raptors, most will remember the Hedo Turkoglu signing as the most important move for the team, but I think Jack is exactly what [...]

Sorry for the recent lack of action here at Raptors Rapture guys, the internet at my house has been out of commision for almost a week now. Not only could I not write anything, but I had no internet for 4 days which is torture in it’s own right. I come back at a perfect time though, the Raptors have just finished up all of their Summer League games and it seems assured now that Jarrett Jack will be a Toronto Raptor.
Since the Summer League just ended lets take a look at who might make the Raptors roster, and those [...]

It’s official, the Raptors have extended Jarrett Jack an offer sheet. Now unless the Pacers match the offer, which has been reported to be near the MLE, Jack will be on the Raptors roster next season. This is great news for Raptors fans who witnessed first hand what it is like to have a great starting point guard but no legitimate backups.
Last year the Raptors were at their worst when Jose Calderon, the Raptors leader at point guard, was on the bench with a leg injury. Ukic and Banks struggled to lead the offense and the rest of the team [...]

The Raptors second Summer League game airs today at 4 pm. The Raptors face a Pistons team that features NBAers Will Bynum and a favorite of yours truly, Sean Singletary and their rookies Daye, Summers, and Jerebko. The Raptors lost their first Summer League game to the Lakers in a close one, 85-84. The Arsenalist had a nice live blog of the game over at Raptors Republic.
Today the Raptors game will be streamed live courtesy of the folks over at Raptors Forum. Make sure to watch it!
Players to look out for:
Smush Parker: Looked alot better than Ukic in the first [...]

The concerns after the reported signing of Hedo Turkoglu was that the Raptors wouldn’t have a reliable bench. With more than 10 million a year tied up in Turkoglu, there would be next to nothing left under the cap for the Raptors to sign free agents to add to their shortened bench. Raptors nation was in a frenzy, everyone and their grandmother were flipping shit, even yours truly was a little nervous. But if today’s trade has taught us anything, it’s to trust Bryan Colangelo, the guy is a fucking genius.
The Dallas Mavericks and Toronto Raptors, living up to the [...]

Regardless of what has happened we can’t do anything now. Hedo Turkoglu, and his $56 million 5 year contract, will be coming to Toronto next season if you like it or not. The question now is where do we go from here. There are still a number of positions that need to be filled so here is the Raptors roster as it would be if the season started today:
PG: Jose Calderon, Roko Ukic, Marcus Banks
SG: DeMar DeRozan, Quincy Douby
SF: Hedo Turkoglu, Pops Mensah Bonsu
PF: Chris Bosh, Reggie Evans, Nathan Jawai
C: Andrea Bargnani, Patrick O’Bryant
I really hope that we buy out [...]

When Adrian Woj says something is going to happen you can bet that he is right. Well just now he reported that Turkoglu has backed out on a deal with the Blazers and is most likely joining the Raptors next season.

Free agent Hedo Turkoglu has backed out of his commitment to the Portland Trail Blazers and could be signing with the Toronto Raptors, a source close to the talks told Yahoo! Sports on Friday night.
Turkoglu had agreed on a five-year, $50 million deal with the Blazers, but changed his mind and could be headed for a five-year, $56 million deal [...]

I’m going to keep this short because it’s not official yet, but it seems like Marion is close to signing with Toronto through the ‘12/’13 season. Rumors in Toronto were ablaze just 2 days ago: first it was Marion, then David Lee, then an offer to Turk for $60 mill, then back to Lee and Ariza, and now today it seems like we have come full circle. Rumors have surfaced that Colangelo is nearing a deal with Shawn Marion worth a reported $32-$34 million for 4 years.
First things first: the latest word is that the three-year, $21-million deal that has [...]

Yesterday I was very concerned with the rumors that were swirling around the NBA. There were several sources that confirmed the Raptors made a $60 million offer to Hedo Turkoglu, the Turkish small forward who was in Orlando last season. There are a number of reasons that Hedo would not work out in Toronto, which I mentioned in yesterday’s article, but the biggest reason for concern was the bevvy of young talented players at the position that were still available, and for less money at that!
Breathe a sigh of relief Raps fans, the Turkoglu offer is gone. This morning Raptors [...]