TRON

I remember when squeeky clean Mark Jackson returned after being traded to the Knicks a few years back, and he even got booed, so I'd assume that MJ will get his share

I really don't know why T.O fans are so ruthless to players that have left....it's like a ritual to boo ex-Raps
when they come home

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"and they aware of us though,
but we don't give a flying 747 **** though,
stayin on my hustle" -Nas

"To be honest, sometimes in this game, telling the truth is the best smokescreen of all." - Raptors GM Bryan Collangelo

Victor Page

You can't predict what Raptors fans will do - the lower bowl is mostly corporate types that can't tell a basketball from a football and the upper bowl is mostly kids who are just happy to be out of the house and drinking a soda.

Real hoops fans that understand the game are at a huge minority at the ACC.

Nonetheless, the casual hoop fan doesn't have anything to hold against Mike James. He played his tail off last year, won us a handful of games on his own, and was perfectly willing to come back if the team wanted him. He's not exactly T-Mac or VC.

trick

Did you guys hear Mike James' comments about his time in Toronto during the second quarter? The dude is so facetious. He's just trying to save his own arse by sucking up to the city and the organization, but deep down we know he has a deep hatred for the team due to his selfishness and maniacity.

Boo-urns Mike. Boo-effin'-urns.

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speedythief

I disagree with this despite the fact the crowd booed Mike James for who knows what. The guy played his guts out in Toronto and the crowd rides him for it.

Makes you wonder how guys like Bonner get a standing ovation when they come back and guys like Alston and James get booed out of the building.

trick

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speedythief

^ Who does that make Mike James?

Somebody that was great but hated anyways...

Chris Lionheart Jericho in WCW?

trick

Don't even try to change the subject. Personally, I want to see where it leads to...

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speedythief

Well anyways I don't think the Raptors have an offense that is as effective as last season because we don't have a perimeter player that can repeatedly run the pick and roll with Bosh. We get something like it with Parker and Garbajosa but otherwise we are forced to drive to the net and dish out on almost every possession because our guards aren't distance shooting threats.

I think we have modified our style to accommodate that shortcoming by using Andrea and Garbo in the sixteen-twenty foot range but they are both fairly inefficient shooters, though their respective 2P%s are decent. Guys like Jones, Graham, Ford, and Calderon just can't hit enough jump shots to facilitate a lot of our inside work which I think leads to Bosh and Nesterovic shooting lower percentages from the paint than we are accustomed to seeing.

Obviously Bosh has had nagging injuries this season which have limited his offensive repertoire but he is getting doubled much more with opposing guards shading off of our perimeter players because they aren't a high threat. I think we're seeing Bosh, Nesterovic and Bargnani stripped a lot because of the guards being able to slide into the paint and rip at the ball.

The Raptors also stagnate against the zone defense because we are so dependent on the drive and dish. Most zones we see put against us are designed to try and stop us from crashing the paint and when we are forced to work the ball around the horn--something we did nicely last year--odds are we will wind up with an inefficient shooter taking the open or semi-guarded jump shot. One of the solutions to this is the high key give-and-go pass with someone like Garbo receiving the pass out front, forcing a man out of the paint to close on him, and seeing Garbo giving it back to a driving guard. But more often than not we are looking for Garbo or Mago to feed Bosh in the post after he establishes himself. Both of those guys have been pretty adroit thus far and I hope we start to utilize that kind of play more often as the season progresses and our players get more comfortable with each other.

ColinBeehler

Very nice post Speedy. As the most observant of members around these boards have probably noticed, I have been constantly been thinking up trade ideas for the Raptors and posting them. Just in case Brian Colangelo is trolling these boards. Basically I think we need to get our hands on a rich mans Morris Peterson, or possibly just do a smaller deal and get a sharpshooter or two for the wings. We have a lot of players on our wings that are mediocre in many categories, and I'm glad to say that we are almost at the point. That going forward, we can now look to fill holes with specialists. In late night drunken discussions with Adam Illman, I have been convinced that really we don't need a play from the Jason Richardson mold anymore really (and how could we get him I suppose...) what we need is the Kyle Korver, Jason Kapono type now. Obviously if we can get an athlete that is an excellent long range shooter, then great. But, as of now, to drive two rounds into the playoffs. A sharpshooter might be all we need. Well probably a stopper too. That is all..

Colin

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Victor Page

I was surprised and disappointed by the crowd's reaction to James last night.

He came here in a trade for Rafer - he was just a throw-in - we would have taken anybody to get rid of Alston. Then he performs WAY above expectations - like 100 times better than anyone dreamed. He was a good guy - from what I hear, you could walk up to him at random at a mall or in a bar and he'd talk hoops with you for as long as you wanted. He played his heart out, and put the team on his back for brief stretches here and there.

Sure, he wasn't a great passer but then again when have the Raptors ever had a point that could pass the ball?


Anyway, it's not really a big deal one way or the other but it just reflects the level of basketball IQ that exists in this city.

shookem

I find it funny how many people hear say that MJ shouldn't have been booed yet slammed the crap out of him everytime he didn't look to Bosh last year.

I wouldn't boo MJ but I also cheered for him last year.

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