Raptors

I’ve been scratching my head over the number of Raps fans who are looking forward to a major roster revamp before next season.  The blogosphere is replete with “let’s trade Bargnani/DeRozan/Calderon/three assistant coaches/Bryan Colangelo’s cat…” OK, maybe not those last two.  Anyway, I need to register my dismay at the idea of immediate trades, and here’s why. After Bosh left town, BC went to his corporate masters, and then the fans, with a request for patience.  His idea was that the Raps needed to rebuild through the draft, and we’d have to suffer some lean years while the draftees found [...]

There are 2 critical dates this post-season which will impact the Raptors and their fans, prior to next season. May 30 is Lottery Day, and June 28 is Draft Day. Let’s quickly summarize these days. Then we’ll understand why the Lottery comes before the Draft, and what the Raps braintrust will be doing in the month between knowing where we’re drafting, and making the choice. The Draft Lottery has been around since 1985, and is the NBA’s prized weapon to combat tanking. In case you’re not yet a citizen of Tank Nation, or even know what that is, be aware [...]

Time to announce the winners of the Raptor Oscars. In a season where the Raptors didn’t have a true rookie (their prized draft choice, Jonas V, stayed in Europe to play, which probably was just as well), I’m going to name a Rookie of the Year anyway.  Let’s have a round of applause for….Dwane Casey!  My post, my rules, and the RoY is the coach.  No individual player had a great season, yet the TEAM was better – that’s coaching. Did we have an MVP?  Not really.  The only contenders were Bargnani & Calderon, and Bargs was hurt for half [...]

      In a move we all saw coming, the Raptors moved upcoming free agent Leandro Barbosa to the Pacers in exchange for a second round draft pick. Barbosa has been good for the Raptors all season but given his age and contract status just was not a fit for the Raptors future plans. While a second round pick from a surefire playoff team is not going to ensure a blue chip draft pick, the Raptors made sure that they got some sort of compensation for their most expendable player at the deadline. With Barbosa gone it is probably [...]

Raptors Rapture is currently looking for staff writers to cover the Toronto Raptors. Editors are required to post once per day and staff writers once per week. Editors are also eligible for compensation. Writing for FanSided is a great opportunity for an aspiring sportswriter to get exposure. Sites such as ESPN, CBS Sports and other large sports media sites often link to FanSided material so you can be sure that your material will get a lot of exposure. FanSided continues to give writers the tools necessary to deliver professional quality material. Head on over to Thunderous Intentions to see the [...]

The Mavs lost on Derek Fisher and Chauncey Billups game winners on back to back nights. Just sayin’

    This article looks at Jose Calderon’s 2007-08 season, in the style of Hardwood Paroxysm’s Lost Season series. When Steve Nash signed with the Seven Seconds or Less Phoenix Suns, he kickstarted the era of the point guard, resulting in the Golden Age we’re still in. One of those point guards has, for the most part, fallen between the cracks, despite the fact he produced one of the most efficient seasons in recent memory. I speak of Jose Calderon’s 2007-2008 season with the Toronto Raptors. Nowadays, when you imagine Calderon, it’s as an example of the mixed bag European [...]

My spot on Avry’s Sports Show’s re-debut episode. I come in for the last fifteen minutes to talk Raptors, the loss against the Wizards and some general NBA chat. Watch live streaming video from avrysports at livestream.com

It is going to be a long week guys. After coming into the Raptors so called “Hell Week” with optimism (maybe foolhardy optimism) that the Raptors would run their table in five of their seven games, making their back to back matchup with the Bulls and Hawks less of a setback. Boy was I wrong, This weekend the Raptors became the Raptors we have known for as long as I can remember. Slow starts, players going half speed, bad rebounding, terrible 3 point defense. I mean when Anthony Morrow looks like Ray Allen, you probably need to start closing out. [...]

Game one of 66 in the Toronto Raptors 2011/12 campaign started off with what may just be a rare win. The Raptors gave Dwane Casey a successful debut as head coach while ruining rookies Kyrie Irving and Tristan Thompson’s NBA debuts. What was most impressive about the Raptors win was the fact that they did it without dominant performances from Demar DeRozan or Andrea Bargnani. The Raps had balanced scoring throughout the game and only got 15 points from Demar in his season debut. Jose Calderon was the Raptors player of the game as his eleven assists helped with the [...]