NeoSamurai

http://www.thestar.com/Sports/article/266096

Should have made a move for Reggie Evans...

Who else is out there that could bang inside for us? I like Craig Smith in Minnesota, if we could swing Dixon for Smith I'd be happy...

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Diversity, Our Strength...Lets Go Raptors

jayisthebest88

Danny Fortson is a free agent.

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Jizzy

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Here is something you can't understand

ballocks

it's one of those things, i think, that's easier said than done. i mean, we've been talking about getting tougher, getting better on the glass and on defense, for ages now, and what results have we seen? it's just talk. we can't ever believe that that's enough because that's like being in denial. can't just say it, have to do it; can't just say it, have to do it; can't just say it, have to do it; etc. we have to drive that point home to our team. it won't get done by itself. and if we've been trying to drive it home, but it just hasn't been able to drill through, maybe that's enough for us to now say with confidence that it never will.

it's like our lack of leadership during the vince years. we were talking about vince changing into more of a leader non-stop - it didn't end. coming into every season, it'd be, "he's (or i've) got it now." and then, inevitably, it wouldn't show. it'd be the same thing over and over. but we'd (fans, coaches, management) just deny it until we couldn't deny it anymore. we were good at defending that.

when it comes to leadership, i think it requires real change- personnel change. i think we harboured onto a good thing (through pure luck?) with sam mitchell. also, we were incredibly lucky (imo) to see chris bosh turn into the man and leader he has. i don't think many people were expecting that from a one-year collegian out of georgia tech. i think the one thing that we may have done well- intentionally- was trade for mike james. i think he was the one player who (ironically) got into our psyche (and helped it) the way he needed to. with him, it was a couple steps backward to take the many steps forward that we have. but the rest was, for lack of a better term, probably fluke.

when it comes to defense, it's the same thing. we can be in denial about it forever, saying things like "i think andrea's offense speaks for itself but it's his defense that i'm excited about" forever, but it's one thing to say it and quite another to believe it. i think this team will be unable to get better defensively the same way we were when it came to leadership, until something unforeseen happens: either one of our players becomes an artest-like surprise or we bring in new personnel to affect a new mentality. the ideas we've tried to date have not worked.

we are so bad defensively, and have been for years under a reputedly defense-oriented head coach, that i'm thinking we have to go out and make change to see our desired results. believing in your players is one thing, but i think we've collected enough of a sample size to say that "they're not good enough" in this category, for whatever reason. i think we'll have a really difficult time competing for the nba title with this group of matador defenders. there's no use denying it anymore, no use living in fantasy land anymore (imo). "we need to get tougher." didn't we say we were going to get tougher a few months ago? what happened? case closed, imo.

peace

southeasy

well you cant really complain when you have moon, hump & baston on the bench, all defensive, energy & rebounding guys, especially when baston hasn't even got a real shot yet & that's what he was brought here for, the steals, blocks...

i need to find out the reason behind him not even getting a look, BC brought him here for a reason.

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Twenty with the Disease of Illness
1AJosh Howard/1BGerald Wallace/2Amare Stoudemire/3Rajon Rondo/4Sean Williams/5Chris Bosh/6Renaldo Balkman/7Al Thornton/8Stromile Swift/9Jose Calderon/10Dwight Howard/11Antawn Jamison/12Dorell Wright/13Leandro Barbosa/14Samuel Dalembert/15Thabo Sefolosha/16Caron Butler/17Ronnie Price/18Trevor Ariza/19Jamario Moon/20Travis Outlaw

Close but No Puro: Julian Wright, Jeff Green, Amir Johnson, Louis Williams, JR Smith, Quincy Douby


RIP to the Career & The Man, Jonathan "Best Practice Player In NBA History" Bender & Eddie "Most Known Unknown" Griffin

butr

I think its always going to bean issue until one of 2 things happen. Bargs has to get a nose for the ball or we need a 3 that can overcompensate at that position.