3 In the Key – Toronto Raptors Game Day Preview vs. Golden State

I will probably get deleted, so be it. Reading about basketball seems surreal, while this is going on.

I have to say it: please, any readers of this site, send a letter, send an email, and ask your elected representative to lodge a protest against the excessive use of force in Gaza. Children don't fire rockets, but watching their families get blown to bits would cause anyone to take extreme action. It is awful for all involved.

warriors, nuggets, rockets, orlando coming up - winning any of these games would be a breakthrough...

it is not raptors related, but I do second gerry's statement.

Thank you Gerry for putting up that comment. This kind of violence would not be accepted in any other country than Israel, and it needs to be stopped. (I was born Jewish for any of those who care)

The last time I checked, this was a basketball site, not a political debate forum, and yes, Gerry, your post should rightfully be deleted, not for your opinion, which I disagree with, but for which you have the right to say in our Free democratic society, but for where you posted it.

The same goes for Aaron, as his post should be deleted as well. Once those two posts are deleted, please delete mine as well.

Aaron, I believe that everybody understood your name is not really.... Japanese :)

Anyway,
in the best interests of the site, we hereby declare anybody is welcome here irrespective of their origin and religion. We love you even if you come out of (God forbid).... RealGM.....

When the Raptors build up a lead like they did the other night, the support players can't start heaving them up because it's "their turn" to score. Things like Bargnani ignoring O'Neal under the basket because Barg's had an easy 15 footer from the foul line (that he missed) not only are missed opportunities but lead to O'Neal or Bosh maybe not kicking it out as quickly or as often. When guys work their butt off and don't see the ball they start taking "their turn" and usually that turn is at the worst possible moment, ie Bosh shooting 3 pointers, Moon from deep.

Another great post from HQ. I get the feeling the engine is warming up for D, F and H - as the 'not-as-big-three' start dishing out strategems like a three armed vegas blackjack dealer.

Generally regarding sports and politics; it's great when its done respectfully, calmly, with dignity and with civility (ie. You aren't trying to hurt anyone who opposes you).

I think that the minute it turns into a fight, or disrespect is paid to the integrity of this board - then yank it - for the sake of us all.

For instance no-one objected to my christmas thoughts comparing the misery in Darfur to our miserable losing streak.

Even though I know my comments will also be deleted, I felt the need to respond to the comdenation of the Attacks by Israel. It is always ammusing to watch people attack Israel when they take action against their enemies. I wonder how strong their opposition would be if they had to dodge rocket attacks on a daily basis. Make no mistake, Hamas brought this on themselves by continuing to fire rockets (albeit at a lower level) during the ceasefire and then upping the ante recently when Israel didnt fulfill their side of the ceasefire by lifting the blockade of Gaza. As horrible as this situation is, everyone forgets that Israel is in a precarious position in which the moment they stop fighting their neighbours will attempt to wipe them out. I have said my peace.

Let's Hope Triano isn't too steadfast in his "pack-the-paint" defense, because as you say, Golden State can light it up

Rumours::

According to the latest league-wide gossip, the Raptors are said to be interested in trading for veteran forward Joe Smith.

The much-travelled Smith is a coveted player because of his versatility. He never has lived up to his billing as the first overall pick, but Smith brings a toughness and rebounding presence teams such as Toronto need.

McG--I don't forget Israel's position, I have numerous relatives living there, I only state that responding to small rocket attacks with massive bombings and a possible large-scale ground offensive is not the way to peace nor does it make Israel's position any safer. (300+ Palestinians killed to Israel's 2--although clearly one death on either side is too many, this kind of response is unjust however you look at it.)

I have now said my piece too.

Thank god I'm an atheist.

The Raptors need this game badly and I hope they come out hungry for a W.

The Israel/Palestine conflict is relevant, given that Anthony Parker acts as a spokesperson for the local zionist lobby. I have always disliked AP for his political role in an ugly occupation.

Since the moderators are on vacation it seems, and a steady stream of posts on a topic that the vast majority I would think would not want to have to read and/or feel obligated to reply too, and I say this as I am biting my tongue, because a lot of the comments are unsubstantiated, or given without any context, why don't we have a poll.

Ask the following question:

Do you want political viewpoints to be included on this website or not?

I vote a resounding NO! IF the majority say Yes, then I will stop asking for the posts to be deleted, although in the end it is of course the moderators who will decide on it.

Just from a basketball perspective even, who wants to scroll through a bunch of political viewpoints to get to the basketball posts, which is what this site is intended for.

Regardless of your political positions, let your hearts feel for the innocents on both sides of this political nightmare. Sad times on both sides of that border and I don't think any arguments on this board will ease their pain.

^Although I agree that this is a basketball site, I don't think there's anything wrong with engaging in some political discourse. That being said, I have a hard time understanding what could be said about Israel/Palestine that has not been said before. This is not a situation where one side is clearly innocent and the other clearly guilty. When innocents are lost all sides are culpable, including the so-called United Nations which stands by idly or holds useless emergency seesions that result in nothing. I think we can all agree that most Palestinians and Israelis want a true and lasting peace, but there are powerful factions that, based on religious or political motivations, seek to destroy the opposing side. I think the reason people tend to blame Israel is because many of us hold Israel in a higher esteem and expect more from that government than what it has delivered thus far. I understand that it has not had a willing partner on the other side many times, in order to reach peace; however, this ort of violence is wanton and will, as usual, produce everything except peace for the people of Israel.

I have to say though that this seems like a perfect "wag the dog" scenario for Olmert to divert attention from his own corruption investigation. That's the cynical view.

All I can say is that I hope that it ends soon, so maybe we can give a new and interested administration the opportunity (if nothing else) to engage both sides and end this senseless (and completely religious based) war between what is really one people.

An interesting take on Anthony Parker--I would love a link to quotes of this sort from him, if anyone has any handy.

Clearly my vote is for political discussion on this board. Ignoring this kind of violence, to me, is childish. Caring about sports right now should be hard for everyone.

I also believe we need to hold onto internet-related freedom of speech as long as we can before it becomes corporate-regulated to a point where not only all comments are moderated, but blogs in general will be attacked. (as we have seen AOL in the US attempt successfully to do in recent years.)

My two cents. Hope to not offend.
The two(?) sides in this conflict have been fighting for centuries and will continue fighting for centuries.
Palestinians have been the pawns of the Arab world and the Jews have been the scapegoats. Take the Jews out of the Middle-East and they will continue to fight each other.
Thats why I got Raptor's TV, so I do not have to watch CNN.

And what the hell does Anthony Parker got to do with this?

I really don't have a problem with political insite as long as the different sides don't start arguing on the post. The bible said there will be wars and rumours of wars in deverse places so all we can do is pray for the victims because its not going to go away, prophecy has to fulfil.

Lets talk Raps........I like the present look of the Raps team there seem to be some added toughness in the way the team is playing. JO and Bosh is really taking it to the opposition of late and everyone seems to be joining in even Moon have a little fiestiness to him in the last 3 games. All the Raps need to do is just chip away and by the allstar break they should be 500 or a little better.

Joe Smith would be a great addition to the Raps he is ajourney man but he still have game and he can create his own shots off the dribble. But who do we give up at this point. Parker, Joey, Andrea, Kapono the Lego master has his hands full....and for those of us who do not have TSN@ here is line that bring the games in full length.....http://atdhe.net/......Raps4Life

With no disrespect to what happens in our world, I come here for basketball.

I sometimes spend too much time watching CNN, reading the Star online (world news & such), as well as CNN online, to see what's going on around that area. I even drift over to el jaseera (the English language Middle East site). And my concerns happen not just there, but with events like Mubai (India).

But being here -- and this is what sports are about -- is a chance to clear my head of all the senseless crap that goes on in our world.

As they say, politics does not have a place in sports, even if that's not always true.

But for the sake of this site, I wish we could hold true here with that thinking. Not wanting to talk about these troubles does not make us insensitive -- it just means we need to see what's good around this world, even if the Raptors don't always make us feel that way.

No disrespect,this is not a political forum,feel free to voice your opinion on those sites that want the open dialogue.

Using a basketball website/blog as a political forum is not ideal or productive in my opinion. We all have a common interest and varying opinions on our Raptors that keep us all together as bloggers. Bringing political or religious views into the fold will only cause rifts between posters that have nothing to do with the reason we are here; a meaningless game we use to escape for a little while.

Provide a link to an article on an appropriate website where you would like to express or debate your views on a pressing world issue you feel garners attention and I will gladly participate (as I often do) but keeping our little sanctuary free of political jargon would be nice.

Back in TO so hadn't checked the site since leaving from PEI early this morning so missed the political talk.

I'm not going to get into any political discussions here except to say that situations in that part of the world, as well as the current crises in Somalia are deplorable and I agree with Gerry in encouraging all to reach out through the proper channels.

However we'd like to keep the site relatively Raptor-specific in content, one of the reasons we rarely even delve into the NBA in general.

With that in mind, I'll switch tunes to the Joe Smith topic, an interesting situation. Could Smith really help this team? He's a good but not great rebounder, and you have to wonder what BC would need to sacrifice to attain him? The last thing we want is a squad of over-the-hill veterans who are essentially "one-and-dones."

Glen Grunwald grasped at these same straws in his final years...anyone remember Rod Strickland as a random member of the Dinos?

Looking at the game tonight, I think the SG/SF defence is going to be key tonight. Moon and Graham are going to have to log some serious hard nosed minutes (defensively) to keep the likes of Azubuike, Jackson, Magette and Belinelli in check. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that Joey has a monster game.

Go Raps!

Oops. Forgot to weigh in on the Joe Smith rumors. I have to agree with Franchise that it just doesn't seem to make any sense. There's not enough of an upgrade over a player like Hump to make it worthwhile.

The raps have enough mediocre big boys to compliment the big 2 at this point.

The money has to be on BC making a move for a scoring SG/SF.

I love the trade machine. Peep this one. Rumour has it Baron Davis wants to go back to Golden State and the Clips might be willing to accomadate him but the only thing that works between the teams would be Maggette who doesn't want to go back. So here is an alternative.
To Golden State
Baron Davis

To Clippers
Anthony Parker
Jason Kapono

To Toronto
Corey Maggette
CJ Watson

Not saying they would do this but it does work under the cap. We could even throw Greek boy in for fun.

Option 2

To Sacramento
Anthony Parker
Joey Graham
Will Solomon

To Toronto
Fransico Garcia (does have Poison Pill Provision and 5 years on his contract)
Bobby Brown
Sheldon Williams

This trade should be done simply so Candice Parker can watch her husband get traded for her brother. I say we all contact BC and make it happen.

OK someone please explain the possible Joe Smith aquisition to me... I just don't get that. How does that address our conspicuous lack of talent at the wings or back up point guard?!
I understand that rebounding is a key issue for the Raptors, but its an issue because our wings don't do their fare share. Also, where would Joe Smith play? Who's minutes are sacrificed, Bargs, Bosh, JO? No thank you.

BTW Greg wrote:
"The Israel/Palestine conflict is relevant, given that Anthony Parker acts as a spokesperson for the local zionist lobby. I have always disliked AP for his political role in an ugly occupation."

At first I thought you were joking and just linking Parker to the Zionist movement due to his playing days in Televive (and admittedly I had a laugh). However, it appears that others took it seriously so I'm wondering if I missed something... So can you clarify if this was a joke or if there is some truth to this? I believe this would be OK to discuss as it involves a current Raptor.

O.k. don't want to go too far with this, as I wanted to say I love the trade for Toronto, with the Clips and GS, but I don't see how the Clips would go for it, they need a solid PG. We could throw in Solomon, but he is not going to replace Davis.

AP has done some promo work on behalf of the UJA. For instance, when he came here he did the following commercial:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-X-ou1ex5n4

The Toronto UJA is notorious for funding Hillel, the Israeli lobby, and the Israeli Defense Forces (army), etc. See: http://www.nkusa.org/activities/demonstrations/20080525.cfm

Anyways, I would love Maggette and we need a stronger performance tonight from our wings who will have their hands full...

what no more politics?! we just about had a middle east peace accord done right here on the HQ...

joe smith makes no sense. this team needs another pf like it needs another jump shooter...

Thanks Greg,

What is most concerning and disappointing for me is the fact he was able to wear his Raptors uniform and mention that he was a member of the Raptors while doing this.

I know the Raps are loved by both Palestinians and Israelis.

On the other hand Stephen Colbert hates us....

I don't see BC making a move for a veteran big (Joe Smith) player, UNLESS either in the same deal or a subsequent one, we're shipping out a rotation big. If I'm BC I want to shed some light on my unknowns. Can Joey contribute consistently in a rotation?
Is Andrea mentally tough enough for the ups and downs inherent in a 82 game season?
I just don't want to see a situation where we trade for Joe Smith, play him down the stretch as the third big, and are left wondering whether Bargs and Joey are capable of bigger roles in 2009.

McGateway, "Not saying they would do this but it does work under the cap".
I can see Ed Stefanski saying this to Rod Thorn as he passes him a napkin with the Jersey end of the Vince Carter deal on it...

Our 5 mil dollar man jason kapono average going way down tonight

Man, I give up. Just blow up this team except CB4 and Jose.

Wouldn't Azubuike look great in a Raps uniform? The kid is so efficient. I'm trying not to be negative but how does Jason Kapono make 5mil and Azubuike 2mil? If we did any business with GSW I'd like to see him in the deal, wonder if they'd take Hump and Moon for Azubuike? Also, after watching Solomon again tonight I’d say we could really use a backup point guard, Marcus Williams anyone? Anyway, tonight I think we missed jO and really got exposed for what we are on the wings. Won’t bother to repeat what everyone is saying but boy do we need a legitimate wing player, not necessarily a star wing player but someone who can at least show up on most night and contribute on both ends. The more I watch this Raptors team the less I feel we need a major overhaul; we just need an injection of talent, especially on the wings.

Wow, can someone remind Kapono that we pay him to make the OPEN 3's. Wow.

I'm so disappointed with that guy right now.

How about those GSW guards/forwards though?

Jackson 30
Belinelli 23
Azubuike 18

And let's not forget to mentioning the backup PG C.J. Watston that hit some clutch shots in the 4th. Nice looking young player (but I guess we could say that about the majority of the Warriors lineup).

Stat of the game....

Parker + Kapono = 6 for 20