RaptorsHQ Lunchbox Links for February 9, 2012

Mmm...lunch time at the HQ, let's see what's in the pail today...

We'll start off with some insight on last night's contest from the opposing side of the fence. SB Nation's Brewhoop notes that while Brandon Jennings was off his game, the Bucks still got the win they needed.

And yet while that W puts the Bucks back in the win column, it probably won't fix their attendance issues. According to Deadspin.com, Milwaukee continues to feature prominently on the league's "least attended games" list and has the honour of being part of the most unwanted NBA tickets so far this season.

On the Raptors' side, National Post's Eric Koreen details yet another loss for the DInos, a loss that pitted two good friends, DeMar DeRozan and the aforementioned Jennings, against each other.

Speaking of Jennings and DeRozan, Sportsnet.ca's Michael Grange gives some interesting insight into the decision to draft DeMar over Brandon in 2009, and notes that that decision isn't looking so good right about now. Not only are the Raptors now looking for a future point guard, but their needs at the wing haven't even been solved.

And it won't be solved via Wilson Chandler apparently. According to his agent, Wilson Chandler will return from China and rejoin the Nuggets. We'll see if this indeed occurs but as of now, it doesn't look like we should be holding out hope to see Chandler in red and black any time soon.

Which means the talent discrepancy fans see on a night by night basis will continue to be a major problem for the Dinos. Yesterday we noted that ESPN had Toronto ranked 26th in the league in terms of their "future," and part of that was based on a lack of premiere young talent. To reinforce this, there wasn't a single Raptor on ESPN.com's NBA's top 25 players Under 25 list.

In fact some would argue that NCAA teams like Kentucky and North Carolina Austin Rivers' U already have more NBA talent than the Raps. CBS Sports.com's Jeff Goodman uses the Raptors' recent annihilation at the hands of the Boston Celtics to paint his picture, and it ain't a pretty one.

From the post:

That Toronto starting five is abysmal. Sure, the Raptors were without Andrea Bargnani, but that's about as lackluster a group as I've seen take the floor to start an NBA game since ... well, maybe ever.

That's why this upcoming draft is so important for Toronto, and a recent NBA.com piece takes a look at this event, and the dilemma of drafting homegrown talent.

But talent isn't the only issue plaguing the Raps this season as their schedule isn't helping. Toronto's gone through some brutal stretches of road games to start the season, and now that they finally get home, have things broken up via the All-Star break, which includes strangely, a near week-long break for it.

More links after ze jump!

Sticking with the Raptors, Raptors.com's Jay Satur takes us on a wild ride of ridiculous plays that have come out of Washington in the past few years thanks to clashes between the Raps and Wiz.

And while no longer a Raptor, the National Post's Eric Koreen compares former Dino Vince Carter to Paul Pierce,who recently passed Larry Bird on the Boston Celtics' list of all-time scorers. It's a good read and makes you wonder just what would have happened if Carter's career had taken a more Pierce-like turn.

Finally, while we talked about re-branding the Dinos a lot in the off-season, doesn't it make even more sense now? That's something discussed in this piece on the subject entitled, What's In a Name?

Well...if the losses continue to pile up...maybe not much.