Tip-In: Flick Goes the Switch

A couple quick notes: Graham has to be taken out of the rotation. He is a failure and I honestly think Jones has learned his lesson by now; that slash to the basket he made was brilliant--something that Graham can never do.

Peterson is looking more and more indispensable. If he commits himself to rebounding like that, I would say sign him to a below market-value contract this summer. He'll be a great backup for '08-'10 to what will hopefully be a great SF signing for Colangelo.

21-22. Wow.

It's true, I almost shut the TV off in the 4th quarter after they went down by 15. I really didn't think the Raps had it in them to come back, but I was happily surprised...and I'm glad I stuck with them even though my finger was hovering over the Power button.

I was really impressed with Kris Humphries. That guy is an offensive rebounding machine!

I sort of felt bad for Calderon, because he looked tired in the 4th quarter...he pretty much played the entire game. But he made a wicked block and made several lightning quick layups in the 4th.

Oh yeah, one more thing: what is with the crowds this week-- 13,997 and 14,137? What the heck is that? This is the best Raptors team in four years, the Leafs stink and yet Bosh's Boys can't even draw a good mid-week crowd. The seats are very expensive, but rich people have nothing else to do, right?

I couldn't believe it when that bosh three went in. WOW!!!!
They looked like they all had the flu, bosh even just looked gassed from the opening tip, amazing they pulled this one out.

I have never been more disappointed with a win than I was last night. Yes, the Raps came back and won, but they had absolutely NO business winning that game. The lack of energy was evident, but what really bothered me was that it didn't look like anybody bothered reading a scouting report before the game. I mean, when they have one guy who can hit from the perimeter (Butler), you should be able to recognize that. Also, until Garbo guarded him at the end of the game, every Raptor player was getting way up on Desmond Mason....a guy who CAN NOT SHOOT. Graham was doing this all night, and deserves to be benched based on that alone. With Fred Jones looking like he might finally be interested in taking the ball to the rim, it might be a good time to send Joey a message.

What a difference a year makes. I wrote the game off after about 10 minutes. Then I remembered it was not last year so I stuck it out.

It reminded me of the Dallas game in the sense that Raptors' just seemed to say "no - we are not losing this game" and pulled it out. Chris Bosh with a three, Jose with two drives to the bucket and a block?? Fantastic.

Bargnani was missed more then anyone last night. Rasho didn't do so well and Il Mago would have opened the D much more than Humphries - but man I like that kid. He's a beast.

Good job Sam - my hat goes off to you.

-Jones is only playing because Ford is out and after Calderon and Martin, he's the next closest thing we have to a PG.

-14,000 people isn't bad when you finish a homestand with 3 straight games against lousy opponents.

-If Peterson isn't traded by Feb. 22, then he's walking at the end of the year. Please keep in mind that it's HIS agent that's trying to manufacture a trade to ship him outta town, Colangelo just granted him permission and answers the calls.

-If you expect consistency from Joey Graham then you can't call yourself a Raptors fan. Sure it would be nice but screaming "DUNK THAT JOEY!!!" and "GO TO THE RIM JOEY!!!" at the TV has become a tradition every time me and my partners tune into a Raps game. Don't mess with tradition LOL

oddly enough, I can honestly say that for the first time in a long, long time, I wasn't worried about losing this game. through it all, the horrible first, second, and third quaters, I just had a feeling that they were going to pull this one out. I just knew they were going to do what they had to do, and win this one like we all felt like they should.

and that to me speaks volumes about this club right now, what they're doing, and where they're going.

they're just a few key pieces away, (and more experience obviously,) from doing great things.

Ok, ok, ok I'm glad i wasn't the only one who was dumbfounded watching the game and saying to myself..."Were going to lose this game??" I must admit sometimes I have been critical of Sam leaving in the wrong guys too long, but it seems that he is getting the message. (Franchise you been showing Sammy the blogs??) Anyway, Garbo's shot had about as much arc as a laser beam last night and i applaud the use of Humphries and MP3. It seemed that every time I looked at the screen Rasul Butler was hitting a 3, and that they were pulling away....Some good defensive stops, great rebounding, and a team that didn't get their heads down (as in years past) won this game for them.

Does anyone else see the the glimpses of brilliance in this team? Once everyone realizes the "team" aspect and that they all have their own roles to fill.

Hard to believe 9 of 12! keep up the hard work boys!

GO RAPS

I'm out!

I gave up on it when they got down 15...gave my wife control of the tv and missed the comeback while she was watching "Deal or No Deal?" Just about had a heart attack when I saw the final score on the Score Ticker. I sat through 3 painful quarters only to miss the good stuff at the end. GRRR!

Blaxx - You do that too? Ha.

I was at the game last night and it was the deadest I've ever seen the ACC for anything. It is the dog days of the season, and I don't blame fans for not bothering to come out and see players like Rasul Butler and Devin Brown. However, I think the small crowd was part of the reason for the Raptors' lethargy. The real turning point in the game came when Bosh missed his 3rd FT in a row. He walked almost to centre court shaking his head. The crowd - instead of booing - got to their feet and cheered for him. That seemed to give them a lift. A win is a win.

Pau gasol to the raps? Obviously the Rapts would like this to happen but the initial asking price is too high (Bargnani). Can anyone come up with the best offer the team can (and is willing to) make? Morris Peterson + Pape Sow? + two first round draft picks?

Surely another team can make a better deal but after the VC and AI deal you never know for sure anymore.

I too got deeply depressed when the Raps fell behind by 15, but I did manage to check back in for the end of the 4th in time to see the completion of the comeback. Sweet.

As for the low crowd, I guess I should point out that the NHL All-Star game was on the tube last night, and combined with a lacklustre opponent for the Raps, this is surely what killed the fan interest last night.

I am a bit perplexed at what to do with Mo Pete. His outside shot is one of the few the team has that scares anyone (Bargnani and Parker are the other legit bombers), and he can do the other things (rebound, pass, etc.) that make him a dangerous SF, so why is it he can't get into a groove and produce consistently? Isn't a productive Mo Pete exactly what the team needs at SF?

If Mo isn't the answer, who is available in a deal that BC can use Mo Pete to acquire?

Amazing blog gentleman. Even the quality of your commentators is unusually high.

Gasol to the Raps?!?!?

Are you kidding? There is no way that would ever happen.

Raps don't need Gasol when they have Bosh.

What they need is a consistent slasher (a la Corey Magette) or wait for the off season and make a serious run at Gerald Wallace who is a free agent. Man that kid really impressed me on Monday when the raps faced the Bobcats!

I too briefly considered writing the game off and shutting off the webcast, but courtesy of Yanks/Angels (I think?) a few years ago I learned my lesson.

Fantastic play in the fourth, but honestly, the Raptors stole it from NO, who appear the be the Raps of old now (dropping now two winnable games late). Awesome W for the team. Say what you will about being disappointed, a W is a W, and nobody will care come season end.

Missing Bargs and Ford were I think why the Raps struggled, as nobody else really consistently puts on the points. Sure, some of the guys have glimpses, but until late in the fourth it just seemed like that wasn't going to happen last night.

This morning before heading to work I had to hit up YouTube to see that Jose block, damn that was sick, considering the players involved. I really gotta get me some cable. :)

If they win on Friday, and go 9-3 over 12, are Phoenix and Dallas really the only two teams with better records over the last 12, or am I misreading that statement? If so, that's incredible.

Imagine if Bosh hadn't been out for that stretch in December where this team could be right now... Three maybe four games over .500? Solidly in command of not only the division but possibly working their way to contending for top 2-3 of the East?

Scary to think that they're doing this well with 9 new faces this year, a bunch of 'em rookies/euro-league players.

This win, while being a really bad game overall, still shows one thing: This team is infinitely better than the squads from probably the last few years. It will continue to get better with time because of the youth on the roster, and I am really excited about the direction they're headed in.

If we can keep it together and get and stay healthy for the remainder of the season, we could be on pace for a slightly over .500 result. Considering where everyone thought they'd finish, that's a huge accomplishment. Now, they just have to actually do that...

Where would you play Gasol? Both him and Bosh are 4’s with no real desire to play the 5. You have your 3 minutes being eaten up mostly by Bargnani. Not really a good fit unless you trade one of those guys which no one wants to do. If we do get involved in a Gasol deal (if there is one), it will be to facilitate it with our excess cap space.

Maggette would be a dream. He can score at will and rebound better than any shooting guard. People make too much of his defense. It’s really not that bad and besides, MPs defense isn’t really helping us when he is on the bench.

Why is it that people frequently state that a win is a win, yet when the raptors lose, a loss is not a loss? A loss becomes "we almost beat Uta/Pho/Dal".

We might be able to take a run at Gerald Wallace if we trade Mo Pete to Charlotte along with our pick this year, but I would only advise that if it was pretty obvious we were going to be out of the lottery. This is a deep draft, so there will be some talent at the mid 1st round level, but Charlotte is not ready to compete and won't want to pay Wallace what he deserves. So yeah, I think we have a shot. That said, there are going to be quite a few teams in the bidding for Wallace if he decides to test the free agency market. He'll likely be out of our price range.

What about a Raja Bell, the Suns need to clear cap space to keep Marion this offseason (as they are committed to not paying any luxury tax, and Marion's contract jumps to $17 million next year). We might be able to get Raja for a decent price?

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/LAC.20070125.RAPTORSIDE25/TPStory/Sports

I didn't make that up. And it really depends on what they would have to give up, not redundancy in the lineup given the versatility of Gasol.

The article also mentions that Fran Vasquez (also pf/c) is a target. any thoughts on that?

I have a feeling that Colangelo is going to pull a couple more gems out of Europe this offseason.

MoPete is too valuable to our
swingman rotaion right now. Even when his shot is not falling he can do other things such as defensw, rebounds, 3 balls, & make important shots as last night.
Colangelo will not make trades this year unless they immediately help the team in some way, without effecting the team chemistry.
Expect improvements in the off season. FA,Draft,Int'nl,trades, whereever the best available player that can help will be.
Rap's are 2mil under the cap this year. Next year 9.0 mil against cap for Williams & Mourning will come off. Also MoPete,Martin,Slokar,Sow not signed for next year.Approx 6.0 mil.

Don't expect the Rap's could get Gasol, probably cost too much in players/draft choices. But he would be an exciting addition to Garbo & Jose. Gasol played at the 5 at the FIBA Worlds, so would have no problem on a front line with Bosh & Garbo.

It will be interesting to see what Colangelo does as the a) the trade deadline approaches in about a month and b) this off-season depending on how the Raps play out the rest of the season. The Gasol stuff is ridiculous and only out there because of the other Spaniards on our club. ESPN had an article on trading Gasol up yesterday and the option for Toronto makes no sense. It's more something to discuss. That's what the Globe picked up on. They also beat us to the punch on the Vasquez stuff. A week ago Howland and I were musing that he might be acquired for cheap if indeed Orlando had given up on him, and of all the teams in the NBA, Toronto might be the one he'd consider the most. Woah...that sounded weird to say out loud didn't it?

Gerald Wallace would make a lot of sense at the 3 for Toronto next year. Unless Fred Jones can step it up or Jeoy somehow finds the "stay on all the time" button, Toronto needs someone who can get to the rim. Otherwise Bosh needs to go for 35...like last night.

BC is not only putting the pieces of a team together he is building a winning culture made up of team first players. While Sam has his faults putting up with a player's BS is not one of them.

Corey Magette will not be coming to the Raptors nor will any player like him. Is he a good player? Sure he puts up the stats and slashes to the hoop but he strikes me as a me first player who would complain if he had to come off the bench, or if he didn't get enough touches, or if he wasn't option number two, or if ...and so on.

Mo Pete is a streaky shooter and an OK defender but he's got the right attitude, and hustles on the defensive end if his shot isn't dropping cuz he knows that there's more than one way to contribute. It would be a shame to see him go because he makes a good bench player.

While Gasol would be a great addition it's not gonna happen because Memphis woudll want too much back in return. Johnn19 is right. BC will stand pat until the off season and then make some additions. Unless he gets a diamond in the rough or the Raps tank and get out of the playoff hunt by the All Star break he's not going to introduce yet another new player into the mix.

AS for the rest of the bench if Joey and Fred can't step it up by the end of the season look for them on another team next year. Derrick Martin and Pop Sow will be back as will Humphries and I hope to see PJ Tucker in a Raps uni cuz he hustles and puts the work in.

Just wanted to throw my two cents in here. The Gasol thing is never going to happen.

Gerald Wallace is a great player when healthy. I just don't think he brings what the Raps need. Sure he is a slasher and a good rebounder for his size but in my opinion this team needs a PURE shooter. Someone who can really stretch the D. Bargs will slowly make his way into the paint as he develops and if there was a consistent and accurate bomber on the outside to stretch the D, that would be perfect.

Forget about Vazquez, i'm from Barcelona and it sure sounds great to spainize (!) the raptors even more, but his performance since he was drafted two years ago has been a big disappointment. Good conditions, showed great promise, but he is just not delivering (weak mentality).

If BC wants to get a center from Europe, I would much rather go for either Scola from Tau or Vujcic from Maccabi. Of course their contracts are probably quite big, but either of them would be a great addition to the starting lineup for the Raps.

Where's Dell Curry when you need him, then?

Read this on SI website
POLL by 271NBA player Nov/Dec
2006Rookie with biggest impact
1. Morrison
2. Roy
3. Gay
4. Williams
5. Bargnani
With the best career
1. Morrison
2. Roy
3. Gay
4. Bargnani

Trade our 1st pick and MOPETE for a rebound hound

Johnn19

I can kinda understand Bargnani placing 5th when you consider it includes November.I'll bet if the poll was taken today the results might be reversed

I love GWallace, but you're not getting him for his O. He's a ballhawk and an aggressive rebounder, and a really nice piece of a good team.

That said, I don't think he really fits here - and that's ignoring his Carter-esque injury proclivity.

We needs a 2 who can create space *and* his own shot.

Here are my choices for our free agent signing at the SF next year:

1. Rashard Lewis. Yes, he is hurt, but he can stroke it from the corner and create his own shot. He also has a big option remaining on the previous deal, but with the extra $$$ the Raps have, maybe they could entice him out of it.

2. Andres Nocioni. Another shooter, much less overall skill but will save the Raps some money and fit into the whole Euroball thing. I like him more and more each time I see him.

3. Devean George. Again, a drop in scoring, but only making around $2 million this year and could be guaranteed a starting spot with the Raps next year?

Thoughts on these guys? Others?

Todd, Are you talking about the same Maggette as me? The one who has accepted his bench role with professionalism and without any winning? The one who has taken a reduced role and reduced minutes when he is clearly the 2nd best player on the team? That Maggette is the player that would complain about coming off the bench? To me, this is a no brainer and I’m sure Bryan makes this trade if the Clips didn’t dismiss it. Maggette is exactly the pure shooter/slasher we need.

A trade happens before the trade deadline, and here is why. From everything that has happened this season and where this team is going, Mo Pete will not get top dollar from us in the off season and he is gone. You have to ask yourself this question, is Mo Pete going to be a priority for Bryan this summer? I think other than Bosh (and maybe Calderon) there will be no one on this team from the pre Bryan days within another year. You can also tell from his current role, that he is not going to be a priority in the offseason.

Bryan remember is not Rob (you might remember him from the Marshall for nothing deal a few years back). He will not lose Mo Pete for nothing.

Mo is gone by February, the only question is who we get back.

I guess we wouldn’t be interested in him if he came without any winning.

That should say whining

Howland,

If the Raps need to get a pure shooter, why not look at making at deal for Mike Miller?

I believe he's under contract for around 8-9 million for another 3 years.

You guys are good at matching salaries. What can we come up with to offer the Gangsta Grizzlies for M-Squared???

People ... we are not allowed to trade our pick all due to the pick we owe for Lammond Murray.

We can trade the right to flip picks, a pick two years after we lose this one, or a player after he is drafted.

No more trade our pick talk.

As for Maggette, if Peterson, Graham and a 2nd is not enough, then we out of the running. Personally, I would love to have a wing player who can create his own offence. It is the only thing this team is missing.

Just Announced
Chris Bosh - Starting at forward with Lebron James in the ALL STAR Game. LBJ 2.5mil
Chris 1.1mil votes.

The reason Maggette wants out of LAC is he wants to start. They want him coming off the bench, the same as Rap's need someone for. Not a good fit in TO.

Hey Erezona,

If I am wrong about Corey Magette I'm man enough to admit mistakes but I think there's more to the story than what you make it out to be. He's content now but that wasn't always the case. Check out the link:

http://www.latimes.com/sports/basketball/nba/clippers/la-sp-cliprep6nov06,1,6121709.story?coll=la-headlines-sports-nba-clippe&ctrack=1&cset=true

Sorry Todd, I can’t view the story as I’m not signed up. I think there was some talk about him wanting out of LA earlier in the season. It wasn’t only about starting, it was, if I remember correctly, about not really seeing eye to eye with the coach (I assume that’s what the article is about). However, my point is he went about it in a professional manner and has not quit on the team. He has not been a distraction to the team either.

Johnn19, who do you think we have on the wing that’s better than Maggette? The point of getting him is that he will start along with Parker with Graham coming off the bench (and Mo Pete gone).
Johnn19, who do you think we have on the wing that’s better than Maggette? The point of getting him is that he will start along with Parker with Graham coming off the bench (and Mo Pete gone).