Basking in the Glory of the Raptors

Just some quick thoughts from Richie and me about the state of the Raptors and their players. As you can tell from this email thread, we are pretty damned excited!!!

Richie's quick hits

i do not know how the raptors will ultimately address the rebounding issue. however, bosh and bargs are looking like they are BOTH franchise players. the recent return to brilliance of tj ford is also encouraging. (especially in light of villanuevas ineptitude. he is benched for skinner!!!! holy moses!!!) i suggest we bask in the glory that is the toronto raptors for a moment.

1. bosh - true leader

2. bargs - unlimited talent

3. ford - improving year by year

4. calderon - great dude, fantastic backup

5. parker - only good man to man defender on the team and solid on offence

6. dixon??? seems to be contributing well considering they traded nuthin to get him

while garbajosa, nesterovic are solid backups they do not deserve to start.

the hump and slokar deserve roster spots in the 10-12 range on the bench.

joey g is running out of opportunities it is sad to say.

mo pete will walk and free up roster/salary cap space. i wish he had played better and deserved a contract. he is a good guy and will be fondly remembered.

My Thoughts

Richie I completely agree that we should bask because this day in Raptors history just didn't seem like it would ever get here. I've posted some other comments on the current team.

Bosh - Absolutely clutch. Against both Seattle and the Bucks, he had a couple of stretches where his jumper just wouldn't go down. But in crunch time, when the Raps desperately needed a bucket, he found a way to get some points. He is the very essence of a go to guy, I mean he could develop Duncan like clutchness.

Brags - Wow, I can't say enough positive things about him. He does some things on the court that are completely unbelievable. Forget the fact that he is doing it at 7 ft, if he was 6-8 I would still be astounded. A great compliment of Bosh, Andrea understands how to adjust his game when he is playing with Bosh and when he is the main big man on the floor. At the end of the day, he IS the Raptors go to guy from 3 pt land, he is a stone cold killer at the end of a game. If it was game 7, and the Raps needed a 3 to tie, Brags is the one I would want taking the shot. That's saying a lot considering he is a rookie.

TJ - Well he is still a little inconsistent. He has been a little off the past few weeks, perhaps it was a Vegas hangover, but judging from the last 2 games, TJ is getting hot for the run to the playoffs. He light up the Bucks yesterday. Even if CV was having a great year, I still think this was a great trade for the Raps. Ford was unstoppable in the first quarter against the Bucks. He dunked, and had some ridiculous assists as well. If he gets a so-so 3, and makes his pull up very consistent, he will be an All-Star.

Jose - Great teammate, does a great job as the backup. Gives Ford the necessary rest/time to regroup when he gets a little haggard. Improving in all aspects of his game. Just a solid team guy that contributes to a good environment.

Parker - The trigger man for the Raptors defense. When he is there, I think the Raptors defense improves by at least 10 pts. I don't have the stats to back it up, but he just does so much on the defensive end. You don't notice it all the time when you watch them, but when he isn't in the game, you really feel his absence.

Garbo - Does what he needs to do. Probably playing/played too many mins this season. He looks worn down a bit. Fantastic team defender. He may not lock anyone down, but when the Raptors are helping, he is the man in that situation.

Dixon - Gets killed on defense by bigger guards. Very clutch on offense, feels big moments and doesn't shy away from them, a good sign. Probably a great guy to have as the back up 2, but he is playing a bit too much in my opinion.

Rasho - Doing what he needs to do to keep Chris Bosh upright. He doesn't bring a lot to the table, but he will get you 8 and 8 most nights, and he takes the pounding inside. Can't really expect too much more. Glad he is on the team, he can settle the defense as well.

Graham and Mo Pete - I am sad that both of these guys probably won't be around next season. Not sure why Mo Pete didn't step up that big this season, but its probably time for him to change scenary. It'll be a sad day when he leaves, but I am glad he was part of this playoff run. He deserves it after all the shit he had to play through the last couple of years. Graham, well he might be around for another season, he is a monster finisher (sometimes), a good defender (sometimes), and a good rebounder (sometimes). Its all the (sometimes) that will do him in, but maybe he really increases his basketball IQ this summer, and shocks the world. I though Calderon was a complete failure last year, but he has turned it around completely. Maybe Graham can do it too.