Let's grade our players, and offer some comments.

L. Barbosa --> B+ : consistent & effective

A. Bargnani --> B : mark will be higher next semester, we hope

J. Calderon --> B : reliable & hard-working; not likely to improve his mark

J. Bayless --> C+ : patience needed; increased signs of maturity

J. Johnson --> C+ : strong without the ball; weak with it

E. Davis --> C : a gamer who's slowly figuring it out; not the most gifted athlete, & tends to panic

L. Kleiza --> C- : 1 good game, 3 bad ones; good candidate for transfer to another school

D. DeRozan --> C- : chews up the minutes, but shooting woes are serious drawback

A. Johnson --> D : backsliding; is his head fully in the game?

A. Gray --> D : the epitome of a backup centre; below average in all skills

G. Forbes --> D- : needs a LOT of remedial work

A. Carter --> D- : presumably a good locker-room guy, 'cause he's not a good court guy

R. Butler --> F : "spirit willing but flesh weak"; time to leave school

J. Magloire --> F : sleeping in the back of the class consistently; why is he here?

S. Alabi --> inc. : no data on which to base a grade

4 out 5 Kentucky starters (sorry but I only have love enough for one Lamb), Harrison Barnes, Jeremy Lamb, Andre Drummond, Perry Jones III...

Heck add Sullinger and Henson...

Any one of these 10 options is a win in the draft. Whether it's for immediate playing time, future stardom or trade value for a needed position.

So, I say as long as we get a top ten pick, true tanking is a needless sufferance.

Anthony Davis

Terrence Jones

Michael Kidd Gilchrist

Marquis Teague

Harrison Barnes

Andre Drummond

Jeremy Lamb

Perry Jones III

Jared Sullinger

John Henson

Can't see us coming away a loser with any of these guys...

First off I can't believe that he got three of his shots blocked by Trevor Booker? Are you F**king kidding me? Amir has to have the worst footwork under the basket of any Big in the NBA. Another game of five fouls and a minus 12 to boot. Anyway the Raptors record that Amir just missed tying was most Offensive Rebounds in a single game. He had nine which is one shy of the Raptors record of 10 Offensive Rebounds in one game.

The Raptors record that he broke was fewest total rebounds in Raptors history for any Raptors playing getting nine or more offensive rebounds in a game. LOL Before tonight 16 times Raptors players have had nine or more Offensive Rebounds in game. Amir in fact had nine Offensive Rebounds previously for the Raptors in a game vs the Lakers in L.A. on Nov 5, 2010 He had 15 total rebounds in that game.

Tonight he had only 10 total rebounds

The previous lowest total rebounds by a Raptors player in a game in which they had nine Offensive Rebounds was 11 twice. Once by J. O'Neal on 11-12-2008 and the other time by Michael Bradley on 03-28-03.

This is obviously a lot more complicated than it might appear however I just want to point out some facts about Amir.

Before settling in at Westchester High and becoming Mr. Basketball in CA Amir as I recall went to three other high schools

AK: You sat out your freshman year at Pacific Hills because of academic eligibility issues, correct?

Johnson: I wasn't really academically ineligible at Pacific Hills. It was mainly I transferred schools because of our travel. We couldn't get there because it was so far from where we lived. I was with the JV team back then. I felt like, because I'd been playing travel ball, I was ready for the next level. So I kind of went to a different school after that my ninth grade year.

I finished out my ninth grade year at Narbonne High School and that's when my grades started to go downhill. Then I transferred to Verbum Dei. My grades went up and I finished out my tenth grade year there.,,,

AK: Why did you transfer to Westchester? (High school #4)

Johnson: I had friends that were going there from my travel ball team. I played on, like, a million travel ball teams. That's all my parents did, kept me busy with travel ball teams. I had friends who were going there and I begged my mother and father to death if I could go there. The only reason I went there was my grades were finally showing improvement. She finally let me back into public school and my grades continued to skyrocket from there.

Ron Turenne/NBAE/Getty Images
Athleticism always came easy to Johnson, but learning the game took work.

AK: There were accusations of recruiting violations with your transfer, which led to Westchester getting banned for playoff competition in 2004. Did you feel like you did anything wrong? And either way, how frustrating was it to be in the middle of that situation, with people forming opinions about you?

Johnson: It was very frustrating. I felt like I didn't do nothing wrong. I didn't really understand it, so I didn't think it was that serious. They ended up cutting a year out with me not playing. I remember being upset and all I had do was really work on my game and stick with my travel ball team. That's all I did during that time.

1. The head coach at Westchester was and still is Ed Azzam who is white. Amir flourished under him becoming Mr. Basketball in CA

2. Drafted by the Pistons he was sent to the D-League where he flourished under Mo McHone another white coach.

3. When the Pistons called him up he flourished off the bench playing for Flip Saunders another white coach

4. The Pistons replaced Saunders with Michael Curry an African-American coach. Amir played so poorly for Curry that the Pistons dumped him for salary cap space.

5. Amir came to Toronto where he had a couple of good years playing for Triano another white coach.

6. Triano was replaced by Casey and African-American coach and Amir has basically stunk it up terribly. The Raptors press is reporting personal family issues. I have to wonder if they are not issues with Casey.

I expect that Amir will be gone by next fall as I expect him to wind up in Casey's dog house if he isn't there already.

Since playing at Westchester High Amir has flourished under all four of his white coaches and sucked under both of his African-American coaches. Just a coincidence? Personally I think Amir has big problems with tough minded male figures. Casey is certainly a lot more demanding than Triano was and Curry while he was a lousy coach for various reasons also was very demanding. Maybe Amir has a lot of difficulty relating to and favorably responding to African-American authority figures?

In any case like I wrote above, my guess is that he will be gone before next season starts and maybe even before this year's trade deadline.

The Other Dream Team (2012) 87 min - Documentary

Ratings: 9.9/10 from 308 users
Reviews: 1 user | 5 critic

The incredible story of the 1992 Lithuanian basketball team, whose athletes struggled under Soviet rule, became symbols of Lithuania's independence movement, and - with help from the Grateful Dead - triumphed at the Barcelona Olympics.

Director:

Marius A. Markevicius

Writers:

Jon Weinbach, Marius A. Markevicius

Stars:

Bill Walton, Greg Speirs and Jim Lampley

Cast

	Bill Walton	...	Himself
	Greg Speirs	...	Himself
	Jim Lampley	...	Himself
	Jonas Valanciunas	...	Himself
	Arvydas Sabonis	...	Himself

Continue reading this post »

As the season progress the Raps look less and less likely to pick in the top 5. So for fun (since I'm a masochist) i thought I'd look at Raps picks outside the top 5. (left out traded players)

1995 - #7 - Damon Stoudamire Verdict: Lots of firsts for Toronto here. First pick, first rookie of the year, first potential 'star' player, first 'star' player to want out of Toronto, first player to say wanting out was a mistake. Not my type of PG, but all that aside still a good pick

#35 Jimmy King Verdict: went on to have a great career as a wrestling announcer

1997 - #9 - Tracy McGrady Verdict: One of Toronto's best selections in history. Phenomenal player who unfortunately (or for those who dislike him; fortunately) went on to suffer from the disease of chockage and injuritis. At one point considered one of the top players in the league. While a shell of his former self he still finds a way to contribute in the NBA.

1999 - #12 - Aleksander Radojevic Verdict : The start of something not so special. That is, Toronto's relatively consistent ability to make terrible draft picks.

2000 - #21 - Mo Pete Verdict: ok well maybe he already proves my last statement wrong but he's the outlier here. Solid NBA player that contributed. Toronto's iron man, which turned into a wet noodle when he wasn't re-signed. Still at #21 a good pick.

#46 - Deeandre Hulett Verdict: this is what happens when you select someone who played at College of the Sequoias. Yes I looked it up, apparently it does exist. Either that or Deeandre stuck with his complicated and elaborate lie.

2001 - #17 - Michael Bradley Verdict : 5 teams in 5 years. Parlayed that into becoming a kick ass sports agent. Atleast it worked out for someone.

2003 - #52 - Remon Van de Hare Verdict : There are only 2 types of people I hate. 1) those who are intolerant towards others of a different race or nationality 2) the dutch

2004 - #8 - Rafael Araujo Verdict : .................................................. #9 Andre Igoudala #15 Al jefferson #17 Josh Smith.................... Babcock!

# 48 - Pape Sow Verdict : Destroyed the D-league then broke his neck. Thats how things work out for the Raps.

2005 - #7 - Charlie V. Verdict : Ok this is a special year. Not one, not two, not 3, but 4 busts! Great way to start a tear down and rebuild. In fairness to Charlie V. he is still playing in the NBA. Ofcourse he sucks and is terribly overpaid to suck. But he's still playing.

#16 - Joey Graham Verdict : His career can probably be summed up in that Raps commercial with Jose "Joey. Joey. JOEY!"

#41 - Roko Ukic and #58 - Uros Slokar Verdict : I'm lumping them together because no one cares.

2006 - #35 - PJ Tucker Verdict : Spent most of the year in the d-league and then was waived for Luke Jackson. Seriously, waived to make room for Luke Jackson.

2009 - #9 - Demar Derozan Verdict : during last nights game against Washington, Jack Armstrong was discussing how Jan Vesley was athletic and long, but a had no definitive basketball skills. That a player needs a skill in order to contribute to a team. Shooting, passing, shot blocking, rebounding, ball handling etc. Jan Vesley does not have a skill. Not a single one. See where I'm going with this?

2010 - #13 - Ed Davis. Verdict : Good rookie year. Disappointing sophmore year so far. Probably never an all-star, but looked like he would have a long NBA career as a productive player. This year? Not so much.

#50 - Solomon Alabi Verdict : An African brought to America, bought by a white business man and sent to the farm (team). With the growth of the tea party in the US they don't even need to try and hide it anymore.

So there you go, in all its glory, Toronto's ability to make efficient selections outside the top 5. There is a silver lining here I think though. The law of averages would seem to indicate that the Raps are now due for a good draft outside the top 5. Right?

This was from the Toronto Star Sprawled across an oversize couch in a rumpus room tucked behind the Raptors’ ACC training facility, Andrea Bargnani is doing something weird. He’s laughing. On the court, in front of cameras and anywhere there’s a crowd, Bargnani wears an expressionless mask that his critics have spent six years trying to interpret. The least charitable have decided he isn’t grinning or grimacing or generally clowning because he doesn’t care. And he doesn’t care, but not in the way they mean. When you get him in a room alone, he is an entirely different person. He is solicitous and engaging. He is more articulate in his second language because he can focus on a single conversation, rather than several scattershot ones. For someone who’s been kicked so often, he is amazingly open. This version of Bargnani — the real one — is a lot of fun, which you’ll agree is a word not usually associated with the cornerstone of the Raptors franchise. He knows what people say about the way he carries himself in public. There is an explanation, which is presented without the slightest hint of an excuse. "I grew up with a really tough European coach (current Lakers assistant Ettore Messina)," Bargnani says. Messina still figures largely in his imagination. The Italian had him at Benetton Treviso for three crucial years between the ages of 18 and 20. No mentor has had a greater impact. While his game has changed since, Bargnani’s demeanour was cemented as a teenager. "All the stuff you can do here in college, the celebrating, that’s not allowed. If you do something like this" — and here he mimes the familiar gesture of pounding a fist to the chest — "you’re done. That’s really, really bad. So I got used to not doing it. I was very close to crying more than one time when I was young with that coach." Now he prefers hardcourt imperturbability, while still allowing himself the odd outburst. "I do what I feel, not because people ask me to do this," Bargnani says, holding his hands over his head and doing a strange chicken dance. Do not ask Andrea Bargnani to dance. He doesn’t like that. This is the treacherous shore to Bargnani that a series of NBA coaches have run up against and foundered — he will not do what you ask him to just because you asked. He wants to be included in the discussion. Before Bargnani was drafted first overall, he took one of the personality tests that is administered to most hopefuls in order to reassure would-be employers they are not flakes or kooks. Shortly after that draft, GM Bryan Colangelo raved about Bargnani’s performance. "(The testers) said, ‘Out of all the athletes we’ve profiled, we’ve never seen anything like this,’ " Colangelo told ESPN. One of the things the profile showed was that Bargnani does not care what other people think of him. Here is a case in point: Bargnani is the only man in the Italian diaspora who tells people he can’t stand watching soccer. "Zero. No interest. It’s soooo boring." He finally succumbed to repeated invitations to go to a game featuring his hometown club, AS Roma, only three years ago. His highlight, the only one apparently, was sharing VIP seats with the country’s randy ruler, Silvio Berlusconi. "It was good for public relations," he shrugs, "but boring." My God, do Italians know you feel this way? "Oh yeah, everybody knows." And they don’t want to string you up on a lamp post? "No," he says, confused at the suggestion that this might bother him. "I just don’t like it." This curious immunity to peer pressure has been a double-edged sword during his career, with the sharpest end often held out defensively. "Criticism has two sides," Bargnani says. "Most of the time it just comes here" — and he points to his right ear — "and goes out here" — the left ear. "It doesn’t change a minute of my life. But if it comes from one of the few people I care about, the people you can count on one hand, it really changes me." If you’re trying to figure out why Bargnani has suddenly vaulted into the elite ranks during his sixth season, this might be part of it: He now has a head coach he can count on one hand. When Dwane Casey got the Raptors job, one of his first acts was to phone Bargnani in Italy and hand him the on-court keys to the franchise. Once Bargnani arrived in camp, Casey began taking him aside for one-on-one chats. "A straight relationship, where you feel free to talk, is a very simple thing. A lot of people think it’s a normal thing, but in this business it’s not very common," Bargnani says. With coaches? "Not just the coach, everybody. Having people say what they think to your face, not behind the shoulder," Bargnani says. "He said to all of us at the beginning, ‘I’m going to say what I think, whether you like it or not.’ I think that’s very good." These are not handholding sessions designed to work on self-esteem. Whatever people have suggested, Bargnani is supremely confident in his ability. They are technical lessons being delivered by a man who revels in the details. Bargnani speaks proudly of having his strategic advice solicited by Casey during games. "Of course, he always takes the final decision. But he asks me," Bargnani says. This is what Dwane Casey has figured out — that Bargnani wants to be coached collaboratively, not cajoled or disciplined or talked at. Your opinion of him doesn’t matter — not to him, and not to you if your goal is to coax the best out of him. What matters is Bargnani’s opinion of you. "Everybody’s good when things are going right," Bargnani says. "In rough times, when you lose seven games in a row, that’s when you see what people are made of. (Casey) doesn’t change his idea. I say that in a very good way." There are other factors, of course. Bargnani is a hard worker. We spoke on a rare team rest day this week. Though he’s sidelined with a calf injury, Bargnani came in to lift weights. Big men take a while, and in this case maybe "a while" was five years. His English has improved, and along with it his comfort and sense of belonging. During his first few seasons, there was always at least one other Italian speaker in the dressing room — Jorge Garbajosa, Rasho Nesterovic, et al. Now when he speaks, he must speak basketball’s lingua franca. There is also a change in his personal life. His first roommate in Toronto was his mother, Luisella Balducci. She arrived a month before her then-20-year-old son in order to scout the city. By the time he’d arrived, mom had everything sorted. Later, his brother Enrico moved in. The younger Bargnani, a U of T business student, is spending the year studying in Tokyo. Bargnani now lives with Nabila Chihab, a 27-year-old Moroccan-Italian he began dating last summer. She’s a professional volleyball player who stands 6 ½-feet tall in heels. Seeing the pair of them together is like surveying the results of a very successful genetic experiment. He is settled in the city and does not view it as temporary lodging, but as his home. He’s not much for nights out on the town, but when he does go out he has a network of Italian restaurant owners and friends who shield him from gawkers. His five-year, $50 million (U.S.) contract extends until 2015. Whatever it looked like at the end of last year, the deal now appears a ridiculous bargain for a versatile 20-odd point a night 7-footer who extends the floor for his teammates and can take over games. Since this is Toronto, every silver lining has its cloud. It’s a matter of time before fans begin to fret that Bargnani will become the latest all-star who wants to venture south once he’s proven himself. When I try to pin him down on this point, Bargnani does not use weasel words or get surly. He points out the flaw in the question. "I don’t think it’s fair to ask me if I want to leave one day, because I think I’ve demonstrated the opposite," he says. "I think it’s pretty clear that I’d like to stay in Toronto." Slowly, he extends a finger the length of a pencil. Then he begins to wag it playfully. It’s no war whoop, but Bargnani is not the sort to celebrate when he knows he’s won the point.

A successful sports team name has some major elements, and some lesser ones.

Major: (1) Have a clearcut association with the team's city (Boston Celtics, New York Knickerbockers, Houston Rockets)

(2) Be timeless and historical, if possible (Dallas Mavericks)

(3) Be easy to pronounce (Milwaukee Bucks)

(4) Conjure a mental image (Chicago Bulls)

Minor: (1) Be suggestive of a colour scheme (San Antonio Spurs)

(2) Be alliterative (Boston Bruins)

And here are some no-no names, with commentary:

(1) Miami HEAT - how do you root for a HEAT? Ergo, no collective nouns (Orlando Magic? - I'll pass)

(2) Utah Jazz - A carryover name from their previous incarnation in New Orleans, et voila! the worst team name in sports. Carryover is why you have the Los Angeles Lakers, and the Memphis Grizzlies...it seems only the NBA insists on this "keep the name when the team moves" rule, and I don't know why. The Atlanta Thrashers moved to Winnipeg and became the Jets, and hockey doesn't seem to have suffered.

(3) Anaheim Ducks - That's just silly, like the Washington Wizards

(4) Philadelphia 76ers, San Francisco 49ers - I'm not cheering for a year, guys!

So where does that leave the Toronto Raptors? By my standards, the team name is a failure. An extinct dinosaur, made famous for 15 minutes by "Jurassic Park", with no connection to Toronto or even Canada. These beasts were probably shades of gray - hey, there's a terrific colour scheme waiting to happen!

I'm at the Raptors season-seat-holders' event tonight at the ROM. Maybe I'll find Colangelo and bend his ear. How about the Toronto Towers? Suggestions welcome.

First off I would just like to start by saying, I'm not really a raptors fan, I'm just a basketball fan, I love a bunch of teams and hate others (The Lakers). Here is what it's going to take to save the Raptors:

1: Trade Demar Derozan and (Jaryd Bayless, Rasual Butler or Gary Forbes) to Now Orleans for Chris Kaman and (Ariza, Summers or Vazquez) Cap releif for the Hornets + they get Demar Derozan while he still has some value. Sign Kaman to a 3 year deal around 6-7 Mil a year.

2: Find a way to get Shannon Brown from Phoenix, I don't know how or who you have to trade but he can't be worth that much he was a FA and landed in Phoenix.

3: Throw all the money we have at Wilson Chandler and Eric Gordon in the off season. (Obviously if we got Ariza no need to sign Chandler)

4: Use Ed Davis as bait to try and get another 1st round pick, regardless of where it is in this deep draft.

Making our roster for the start of 2013:

PG: Jose Calderon, Draft pick received in Ed Davis trade, AC

SG: Eric Gordon, Raptors draft pick, Vazquez or Forbes

SF: Wilson Chandler or Ariza, Shannon Brown, James Johnson

PF: Andrea Bargani, Amir Johnson

C: Chris Kaman, Jonas Valuncunias, Alabi

Not only are these moves realistic, they keep the Raptors young, we get bigger, we platoon a respectable platoon at 3 and we become a much much deeper basketball team all the while maintaining our defense for coach Dwayne Casey.

The Hornets want cap relief and want to get rid of Kaman, we need a respectable C in case Valunciunas starts slow.

Shannon Brown really can't be that hard to pry away from Phoenix.

We keep our 2012 pick + we add another while getting rid of 1 of the 2 Amir Johnsons we have on this team (Ed Davis)

There are going to be injury concerns regarding Gordon, TAKE THE RISK, what do we have to lose!

And Wilson Chandler could start for a number of teams in the NBA why not the Raptors!!!!!!

There you have it Bryan, really not that hard, and since you already tanked the season this year trade Derozan and start Forbes.

I know there will be some haters out there but this is actually quite realistic and not very far off at all.

Google translation

Prior to the upcoming European Cup match with ALBA Berlin in Vilnius Lithuania in the morning "middle attacker John Valanciunas was glad that his athletic form is improving, but stressed that the most important - the team goals.

"I think the time has come to court to do something good. Try to do everything I can, without doubt, the most important is the team, not my personal performance. I want to win the club, I am doing everything in his favor, and comes with a good result for me.

Game always receives a lot of balls, but that the opportunities to make points. "

The player said that the residents of Vilnius European Cup match against Alba wins foundations could be laid, if successful gintųsi.

"The coach vs. the Berlin club emphasizes defense - it all depends on how the club will be able to stop the German basketball players," - said Mr Valanciunas.