Tip-In: Toronto Raptors Post-Game Report: Still Fighting

we need to resign weems and amir these guys have been bringing it all season and deserve a contract

This is an excellent piece- well done. Last year when we had G O"neil, many of you were amased that Colangelo was able to make the trades that he did based on the cap situation. From that, I now believe that Colangelo will once again make some good adjustments dispite the cap situation.
So assuming that next year Bosh, OBryant, Rasho, and Banks are gone as well as Jose through trade, can this team be competitive? My belief is that they can if:
They take the “off season” action to do everything pssible to develop Weems ,Derozen, Jack, Bargnani and Johnson believing that they are a good young core to develop.
They impliment a whole new offensive system to show case a new faster slashing type of game with this young athletic core. No longer slowing it down by dumping it down to Bosh everytime.
They find someone on the planet who can coach and inspire perimeter defence.
One part of their offense must make use of Jack’s ability to penitrate into the paint.
I think that with good player development and the proper systems in place- offense and defence, to utilize the strengths of these young players they can duplicate what the Thunder have done this year but it takes thinking a little more outside the box, so to speak.

Great read..I might be crazy for saying this but maybe not, they HAVE to keep weems and derozan together.there’s been so much times where when they play together at the sametime they both play great..their both still young,coachable,and are best friends.I say in a few years their gonna be our new Vince and T-mac. I really do think this.

I like the way Amir and Evans play. In hockey they call them “grinders” so who ever Colangelo obtains I’d like to see another big rebounder, someone who will run you over to get the ball.

Stop harping on the Turkoglu contract. It’s signed, he will be paid that and there’s really nothing any of us can do about it so, let it be.

Win or lose, I haven’t looked forward to a Raptor’s game this much since Game 7 against Philadelphia some eons ago. but what I’d really like to touch on is this whole notion of a grand conspiracy

Cleveland rests LeBron against the Bulls because a Cleveland Chicago first round play-off match-up is like manifest destiny, where ghost of the Jordan’s shot are exorcised by the Cavs winning the series with the heir apparent in LeBron ascending to the championship throne for the first time.

David Stern and the league have the basis of their narrative for the next round of television contract renewals (here’s hoping NBC gets the games) and Stern aims to balance out the story by propping up other markets.

Chicago becomes Bosh’s landing place, because he gets the spot light in a major market and it sets up a nice rivalry for years. New York and New Jersey are appeased by getting the top two picks in this year’s draft and a few decent free agents to keep them in the playoff race for the next few years, there fans engaged and thus the sponsorship money flowing in what becomes a Cleveland vs. Chicago universe.

Out West, Lakers, OKC, and Trailblazers hold the fort with the Lakers finding a way to outlast their foils for the next couple of years.

But the league needs a villain team to really make this story good

Enter the Raptors

With Bosh gone, the team in a foreign market, Stern gives Colangelo his blessing to complete the experiment and so they bring in one of Messina or Blatt to guide this team. Colangelo tells Stern he needs some help, so the envelope for the third pick overall gets frozen the night before the draft and the Raps get that one. Stern also convinces Philadelphia to take Calderon for Holiday, and Maurizio and the New Nets owner get Hedo a sweet retirement arrangement in the Turkish Basketball Association or with one of those Greek teams that overpay.

The Raps become a tough team to play in the future, playing a brand of ball that is interesting to watch and always challenging to their opponents.

Ladies and gentleman, that is your future.

Nothing to worry about

Don’t we have him for next year? Don’t we have an option?

I think if Toronto did get the 3rd pick they should draft Favors so we can continue the Georgia Tech PF tradition here in the T dot.

 Watching the Raptors over the last few weeks has been painful. Everyone is saying Bosh is a max player, but if he can’t lead this group of players to the playoffs, or even if they barely scrape in to get swept by the Cavs, is he really worthy of a max contract? [Editor’s note: This e-mail was sent before Bosh sustained a season-ending injury.] He clearly is not playing with the same intensity he played with at the start of the season. Is it worth it for any team to give a max contract to a player who has quit on a team when it needs him the most? Who is actually worth a max contract in a perfect world?
— Jason, Toronto

LeBron and Wade are max players without any doubt. Teams with cap space must decide whether Bosh and Atlanta’s Johnson are worthy of max contracts, especially when they consider the size of those contracts against the more austere environment of the next collective bargaining agreement in 2011. I would say either player surely deserves a max deal if he is the finishing piece on a team that can win the championship.

The best advice for Bosh is to sign with the most talented team that gives him the best chance to win big. The stakes are going to rise after he signs his next contract, and he is going to be expected to deliver a championship.

The comment about Johnson playing for his next contract is one of total ignorance and an insult to a guy that brought it just as vigorously while playing in Detroit with no contract coming up.

“We have the next Kobe — watch him make THE LEAP before your very eyes.”

Yep, it’s going to be all Sonny, all the time. Plus a good dose of Reggie, who inexplicably seems to still get a lot of love despite a half season of sucky suckness. Those seem to be the team’s only well-liked players at this point. But then, I’m 3000 miles away, so someone tell me different.

You could actually put together a pretty good highlight film from this season of next year’s Raps taking it to the hole. Hedo’s 3 dunks in one quarter; some of Andrea’s pretty shot fake/baseline jams; Amir throwing down alley-oops from Jose; Jack driving through traffic for the and-one.

Unfortunately, you could put together a much longer highlight film of those same players tossing 21 footers at the rim (except Amir).

By the way, despite this post, I’m becoming a huge Sonny fan. I think he has the potential to be another Monta Ellis. But to sell him as the answer to all our problems is a bit much at this point (assuming they do).