RFD Raptors Lounge

[rdtx2002]

So are you saying CV3 and JG are starter quality players on any decent team on any non terrible team, they will be on the bench when the ball is tipped off.

as for marshall, no he is no all star, but he can rebound, stretch the defence and score from inside or outside. CV3 maybe able to bang inside a bit this year and that's about all that's expected.

they are decent players, but if you want to argue they can fill the void of marshall and carter; then

well mike james sure was a big part of the NBA champions wasn't he?

i'm saying you are a fool to instantly call them bench rookies... at least CV3 got 15 pts 5 boards and 4 blocks tonight.. so.. i dunno where you are going with the offense is gone with the Raptors.. we poured in 101 today.

so you only expect CV3 to bang in the inside.. i guess you don't really know what you are watching from CV3..

gilboman.. i guess you are MISSING THE POINT here.. the 2 rooks can make up for the 'offense' lost from VC and Marshall.. that is the whole point of this argument.. VC only averaged 15 ppg last year.. and Donyell 11ppg.. i went thru this arugument already.. but all you do is try to avoid rebuttling.

Mike James help solidfy the defense against the Lakers.. whether you like to hear it or not.

man.. you are starting to be a joke....

[FuNPoLiCe001]

So are you saying CV3 and JG are starter quality players on any decent team on any non terrible team, they will be on the bench when the ball is tipped off.

as for marshall, no he is no all star, but he can rebound, stretch the defence and score from inside or outside. CV3 maybe able to bang inside a bit this year and that's about all that's expected.

they are decent players, but if you want to argue they can fill the void of marshall and carter; then

well mike james sure was a big part of the NBA champions wasn't he?

Marshall didn't really score inside for us last year since he was camped out at the 3 pt line most of the time. He's a good player and he'll do well in Cleveland, but looking at what CV3 can do so far, I think he'll be able to fill in for Marshall on the offensive side just fine. He's not the 3 pt shooter that Marshall is, but he's got a decent shot, and he's a better passer than Marshall. On the defensive side however...

I am kinda concerned that Graham seems to be sitting alot so far. The other rookies got major burn (CV, Calderon, all the camp invites). Mitchell managed to play Calderon for 28, James for 10, Brown for 29, Corey for 19, and Pack for 17. That's 103 minutes of point guards, and basically all the burn at both guard spots. Graham also had some foul trouble in summer league, so I hope that's not carrying over and an indication of some learning pains for our supposed new defensive stopper.

Last comment - cut Corey Williams now. This guy is so full of himself, and is Rafer Part 2 waiting to happen. The 5 TO's and no assists in 19 minutes of burn also doesn't help.

[Fobulous]

Bonner, Bosh, Rose and MoPete played 10 minutes each or less. They're on the team already so no biggy for them to sit game 1 of the pre season

Impressive elements -
CV3 has skill! Not a tremendous amount but he will be a solid player later on. Seems to like the off balance shot, fluid in the post with his back and has good range (he shot a 3 i believe). One thing about his game that really needs improvement is rebounding. At one point in the third, Tor was outrebounded 30-40! Expected CV3 to have better than 5 boards. 2 of them came from a put back after Brown missed a 3 near the end of the game.

Jose Calderon definitely can play! VERY slim/slight player, very quick and made Deron Williams look a bit silly on one drive (he was hacked by another player and still made his shot & FT). He can definitely find the open man on his drives as the defense collapses on him once he drives to the hoop. Not much of a jumper in his arsenal.

Tierre Brown was the leading scorer for the Raptors last night. He looked very comfortable on the court, shoots a high FT% though he missed a FT that would have given Tor a 4 pt lead at the end of regulation. Has excellent drive n dish moves along with surprisingly quick hands. He was great double team help in the post and was able to poke the ball away from a couple Jazz players.

Honourable mention

Araujo though not that impressive, did look much better on the court last night than usual. He's slimmed down significantly! His face is a lot leaner, his arms/shoulder are much more toned as well. He had a couple tacky fouls as usual but looked better in the post. He should be able to contribute a bit more this year.

to cut loose
#33 Matthews... he looks like a thinner, uglier Melo. has a decent jumper, good athleticism but doesn't look that great on defence or within the team really. After 5 minutes watching this guy, i already wished he would be cut right then and there.

#23 Corey Williams was terrible by any standard! Played satisfactory D, minimal offensive output though. His passing did not stand out to me in anyway either.

Mitchell had A. Williams, CV3, T. Brown, Robert Pack and Calderon on the court for the final 10 minutes of the game (Matthews did sub in after A. Williams fouled out). Now honestly, 3 pt guards, and two 4-spot players? Anyhow, this is pre-season so this game doesn't mean that much in the grand scheme. Brown missed a 3 pt attempt with .8s left in the OT. He was open for a split second and CV3 didn't inbound to him in time for an open shot.

etc...

There is a live DJ during the game now, 4Korner Entertainment i believe. nothing special...

Lara from last years dance pak is now the in game hostess. She made a boo boo while announcing a game called card shark. her voice echoed a lot in the arena as well

Deron Williams deserved to be a high lottery pick. Short but strong, good court vision and has a very good jumper. He crossed over a raptor then popped the shot in his face.

[SwiZz]

^^ Thanks for the summary!

hey just wondering, did a lot of people boo araujo and/or CV3?

[deep]

There weren't enough people in the stands to put together a decent "boo".

To say that the Raptors "poured in 101 points" is a little silly, as it was a scrub v. scrub game.

CV3 looked good at times, awkward at times....exactly as he should at this point. He will definitely have a few great games this season when he gets good matchups, but there are guys that are going to eat him alive, as he's not physical enough to stop or score against a real banger (or a more skilled 4 or 5 like Timmy D or KG, but that goes without saying)

Calderon looked great, I thought, for a Euro rookie - he's got wheels and some decent moves, but he was a little hesitant on the offensive end. Three consecutive trips down he made the same move (a good one....made Williams look slowww) but dished off, so they stopped respecting his drive. He also threw the ball away a couple of times for no reason.

Brown looked good, too - he can definitely play in the league.

Bonner and Hoffa looked dopey, and didn't do anything with the few minutes they were allowed. Bosh knows he has a lot to prove this year, but do these guys? I'm not sure...they could hurt us badly if they're not going to kill themselves night in and night out.

Final thought: Toronto is going to lose a lot of games. We all know that. But I think it's a scrappy looking team that's going to steal a few exciting games from more skilled teams. I will watch.

[rdtx2002]

Bonner and Hoffa looked dopey, and didn't do anything with the few minutes they were allowed. Bosh knows he has a lot to prove this year, but do these guys? I'm not sure...they could hurt us badly if they're not going to kill themselves night in and night out.

Final thought: Toronto is going to lose a lot of games. We all know that. But I think it's a scrappy looking team that's going to steal a few exciting games from more skilled teams. I will watch.

I thought Hoffa was alright.. 5 boards in 15 minutes.. improvement necessary?.. sure.

Bonner left early and went home because of some virus i think

[Hanniganite]

I am kinda concerned that Graham seems to be sitting alot so far. The other rookies got major burn (CV, Calderon, all the camp invites). Mitchell managed to play Calderon for 28, James for 10, Brown for 29, Corey for 19, and Pack for 17. That's 103 minutes of point guards, and basically all the burn at both guard spots. Graham also had some foul trouble in summer league, so I hope that's not carrying over and an indication of some learning pains for our supposed new defensive stopper.

In the Star it said he sat because of some minor pain in his knee.

[babysham]

Raptors playing Boston tonight. Bonner is pretty excited, as they are playing close to his hometown. I think he's bouth close to 40 tickets for his friends and family.

[sf1]

they lost again...
btw nice picture of vc u have, OP

[Hanniganite]

Some things to take away from the game: CV went 6-11 in 26min...17/6 but also fouled out. Fouls are just part of a rookie's learning curve. Calderon with 6AST in 14min...I like that. Raptors had 1 Williams play and 3 Williamses on the bench Gerald Green only played 3 min for BOS, missing a shot and picking up a foul.

I believe Raptors' next game is against Maccabi

[Capt.]

Has Joey Graham been getting much PT so far in the preseason?

I had a chance to watch the highlights from last night's game. Bonner came out on fire, making some nice offensive plays including a strong finish at the basket. Alot of that was probably due to him in being in his home town though.

[Hanniganite]

Has Joey Graham been getting much PT so far in the preseason?

I had a chance to watch the highlights from last night's game. Bonner came out on fire, making some nice offensive plays including a strong finish at the basket. Alot of that was probably due to him in being in his home town though.

A few minutes in the first game, DNP second game because of minor knee tendonitis or something.

[Anessa]

Has Joey Graham been getting much PT so far in the preseason?

I had a chance to watch the highlights from last night's game. Bonner came out on fire, making some nice offensive plays including a strong finish at the basket. Alot of that was probably due to him in being in his home town though.

and he locked up All Star Paul Pierce on D...not a bad night but too bad about the scoreline.

[radeonboy]

OT: How do you like the new raptors.com?

I think it looks cheesy

[babysham]

Raps make, are historyShocking loss to non-NBA opponent
By MIKE KOREEN, TORONTO SUN




The Raptors made international headlines yesterday, but the players will not be putting the press clippings in their scrapbooks.

For only the second time in 28 sanctioned exhibition games against international competition and the first time on an NBA home court, an NBA team -- the Raptors -- has come out on the losing end.

Two-time defending European champion Maccabi Tel Aviv of Israel beat the struggling Raptors 105-103 in front of an ecstatic pro-Maccabi crowd of 17,281 at the Air Canada Centre, dropping Toronto to 0-3 in pre-season play.

With the game tied at 103-103, ex-NBAer Anthony Parker hit a 15-foot fadeaway jump shot with 0.8 seconds left to give Maccabi an improbable victory in front of a gathering that included NBA commissioner David Stern.

"To lose is unacceptable," Raptors coach Sam Mitchell said. "But to say 'to lose to a team like that' would be disrespecting them. I would look like an idiot to stand up here and disrespect a team that just beat us."


The previous international squad to beat an NBA team was the Soviet national team, which won 132-123 over the Atlanta Hawks in Moscow in 1988. Maccabi Tel Aviv beat the then-defending champion Washington Bullets 98-97 in a non-sanctioned game in 1978.

The Raptors were playing their third international opponent. The beat Benetton Treviso of Italy 86-83 last season and Panathinaikos of Greece 100-76 in 2003.

THROWN AWAY

In a home game that felt like a road game, the Raptors spit up a 14-point third-quarter lead, marking the second game in a row they have thrown away a double-digit advantage. Coming off a game in which they put the Boston Celtics on the foul line 60 times, the Raptors allowed Maccabi to shoot 42 free throws, 14 more than Toronto.

"They showed they wanted it more than we did," said Raptors forward Chris Bosh, who scored a game-high 27 points. "We came out and executed well early. We just got away from doing the things that got us the big lead in the first half. Every loss is a difficult loss to me. In a situation like this, we know we had chance after chance to put them away. It really is irritating."

Mitchell did everything he could to avoid a newsworthy loss, re-inserting his go-to guys in place of younger players in crunch time and playing Bosh 45 minutes. But Mitchell didn't use either of his foul-prone centres -- Loren Woods or Rafael Araujo -- down the stretch, making it all the more clear this team does not have a legitimate starting centre. The best centre on the court, by far, was Maccabi's Nikola Vujcic, who had 21 points and 10 rebounds.

"I'd be lying to say we didn't want to win this game. I'd be lying to say we didn't come out to win this game," Raptors forward Jalen Rose said.

"But the reality is, it is pre-season and they played this game like it was their championship game and rightly so. Those guys are hungry for NBA jobs."

The Raptors play host to Vince Carter and the New Jersey Nets Wednesday at the ACC.

Ugh. Terrible loss for the Raptors. Does anyone have a link to a boxscore?