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!

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Good afternoon all and welcome to this week's first dose of lunchbox links. Let's kick things off with some takes on last night's Raptors' loss, first from SB Nation's Bullets Forever, then from the Toronto side via RaptorsRepublic's Blake Murphy, who gives a similar take on "tanking" as I did this AM.

More important than the outcome of last night's match though?

This gif, which I've probably watched 1000 times showing Javale McGee's latest hilarious blooper.

The loss last night to Washington probably isn't going to help the Raptors in the "Power Rankings" department. Toronto came in at 26 on SB Nation's rankings, and slightly higher, 23, on ESPN.com's.

Continuing on with Raptors' news and notes, we have Bryan Colangelo talking about his recent visit to check in on last year's draft pick, Jonas Valanciunas. It sounds like he's developing nicely, essentially the opposite of former Raptor Oliver Miller's career.

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Charles Barkley is embarrassed by the state of the NBA. And after watching the Raptors struggle to put up 64 points last night against the Boston Celtics, can you blame him?

Of course, the logical next step when you are putting an inferior product on the floor would be to raise the average ticket price for the first time in three years.

The first time I played ESPN's 2012 NBA Lottery Mock Draft, Chad Ford had the Raptors selecting Indiana's Cody Zeller. I promptly found a quiet corner in my office and wept.

Of course, Ford redeemed himself by imagining a world where the Dinos win the lottery and select Kentucky's Anthony Davis with the first overall pick. Davis, Andrea Bargnani and Jonas Valanciunas could form one of the best young front lines in basketball, according to Ford.

Charles Oakley and Anthony Mason used some colourful language to describe the earliest incarnation of the Raptors' uniform.

More links after the jump...

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We'll kick this edition of LBL off with some further thoughts on last night's game, which saw the Raps lose to the Hawks here in Toronto. The Toronto Sun's Ryan Wolstat gives us his take, noting the importance of aggressive DeMar in his Points Per Game.

And from a Hawks' perspective, Peach Tree Hoops looks at last night's loss, calling out a key point that Dwane Casey may want to remember in the future:

Joe Johnson punishes teams that try to place a small guard on him. Toronto started a lineup that consisted of 6-foot-3 Jose Calderon, 6-foot-3 Jerryd Bayless and 6-foot-7 DeMar DeRozan. Even DeRozan at 6-foot-7 has a hard time with Johnson due to his strength and the Hawks looked to exploit that matchup early and often.

Yes indeed.

The loss though got "Tank Nation" feeling better about things once again. As the Score.com's Joseph Casciaro rightly points out, Toronto's current wins pace has the team headed for never-never land; just missing the playoffs in the East, and outside of a top five lottery chance slot. Something has to give although with Andrea Bargnani out for likely another week at least, and Toronto facing teams like Boston, Miami, and a surprising Milwaukee club in that span, perhaps lottery odds will be looking up this time next week.

Speaking of Bargs, a great piece courtesy of Sportsnet's Michael Grange on his development, and finally some potential insight on why said growth in his on-court game, is finally happening, five seasons in.

And while Wages of Wins gives Bargs' some dap, they also question just how impactful he's been in terms of Toronto's wins this season.

Still somewhat Raptors' related, how about former Dino, Kevin Willis, the prankster!

And along the same veins...Welcome to the Offical Online Presence of Charles Oakley. Yes, Mr. Oakley, whose friends Want You To Let Him Cook In Your House.

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Could the offensively challenged Toronto Raptors use some help? Check out this list of the NBA's best unsigned free agents and the top 10 NBA prospects currently playing in Israel.

In the interest of tanking and securing as high a draft pick as possible, Bryan Colangelo might want to take a look at knucklehead Ricky Davis.

No surprise here: The Raptors were among the worst teams in the NBA at the quarter pole, according to ESPN's 5-on-5 crew.

Yesterday's PER Diem from ESPN's John Hollinger dissected the Raptors' prolonged losing streak.

The Dinos dropped four spots to #28 in the latest edition of Mark Stein's NBA Basketball Power Rankings while remaining at #26 in Hollinger's Power Rankings.

Toronto could be the only team at season's end to have lost to the Sacramento Kings and Washington Wizards. That's enough to drop them to 30th in the latest edition of SB Nation's NBA Power Rankings.

Jack Armstrong said it's must-win time for the Raptors.

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Basketball Prospectus introduced a new offensive rating called Four Pettinella Score (PET). And guess what? The Toronto Raptors' own Andrea Bargnani ranked among the top 10 so far this season.

Hardwood Paroxysm offered up a comparison of PER and Usage Rates for every team in the NBA.

Courtside Analyst looked at the 2011-12 NBA MVP Race using Marginal Win Score. While Bargnani was nowhere to be found on the list, Jose Calderon was actually ranked 19th.

Bargnani and Calderon were mentioned in Ryan Wolstat's NBA Fantasy Report.

The NBeh? blog examined the season at a glance through game 13 and offered a few reasons why the Dinos are on pace to post a 16-50 record.

Fans pay 30 cents per ticket to watch the Raptors play the Wizards in Washington.

Andrea Bargnani looking legit qualifies as one of the top 10 biggest surprises of the NBA season, according to Fox Sports.

The City blog has seen Bargnani surge into the top five of its PSAMS (Position- and Shot-Adjusted Marginal Scoring) on the strength of a great mid-range rating.

Hardwood Paroxysm draws a favourable comparison between Il Mago and former MVP Dirk Nowitzki. Based on their respective starts this year, the comparison no longer elicits fits of laughter.

How do the Toronto Raptors stack up in the latest power rankings? Find out after the jump...

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We're long overdue for an edition of LBL, so let's get to it starting with last night's affair.

First off, Sportsnet.ca's Michael Grange on the Raptors' loss, and the lockout aftermath. As he notes, there's been some ugly basketball so far this NBA season, and the Raps have been major participants.

One of the games they participated in, their loss Tuesday night to the then 0 and 8 Wizards. I'm not sure we've probably broken down how embarrassed the Raps should have been by the loss, but consider this, Washington hadn't won a game before that in nine months...

...must have been the fake Twizzlers.

How brutal was that game? Well, those who were with us for the liveblog, we know all too well but the fact that Grantland did an actual piece on the match, claiming that the viewing of the match was a "fate worse than death,"speaks volumes.

Oh...and how about more reasons the Wizards are terrible?

Regardless though of recent offensive and viewing woes, the buzz continues to build around the defensive job new coach Dwane Casey is doing. The Hardwood Paroxysm does a great job capturing a piece of said buzz.

Now if he can just get DeMar DeRozan going, because as the National Post's Eric Koreen notes, DeRozan is still auditioning for a role on this club. A role that might not be so clear next year once the Raptors add another top pick, and players like Valanciunas arrive.

Colangelo, Bargnani and more after the jump...

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