Asdf's RaptorsDynasty: A dynasty no more

I'm not going to update this too often because of school and stuff, but I'll try my best to update it. Even though I started this dynasty in the .org forums, I guess I'll post where all the big fish are

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Sliders: Ben's
Rosters: Andrew's (with some updates)
Games: 28 game season
Playoffs: 3-3-3
Team: Toronto Raptors

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Introduction: Stuck in Raptor Limbo
With a rookie head coach, a new general manager and their superstar traded, the Raptors appear to be left in shambles after trading away their franchise player Vince Carter to the New Jersey Nets for 3 players all in their thirties: Alonzo Mourning, Eric Williams and Aaron Williams. Alonzo does not wish to play for the Raptors, Eric Williams left unhappy with the trade and Aaron Williams just seems unproductive, the Raptors must find a way to turn this season around and avoid disappointment lasting for the previous 3 seasons. Second year foward Chris Bosh is now the Raptors' new future, the 6'10 foward out of Georgia Tech is hoping for another solid season. Veterans like Donyell Marshall, Jalen Rose, Morris Peterson and Newly acquired point guard Rafer Alston can only hope that their efforts will help guide Bosh and the Raptors into the right direction.

Raptor Roster

Centre - Rafael Araujo: With Babcock knowing the Raptors thin upcourt, he decided to draft this Brazilian Beast as the 8th overall pick of the draft. Many critics and fans alike are shocked to see Babcock choose Araujo, but only time will tell how this rookie fares.


Foward - Chris Bosh: One of the few bright spots of last season, Chris Bosh is a very good post player with a nice mid-range jumper and a defensive presence. To reach his full potential, however, he would need to bulk up a little bit more, which he has done in the offseason.

Foward - Jalen Rose: Aquired from a big Chicago trade last year in December, Jalen Rose has put up solid numbers and has shown a lot of versitility in his NBA career, playing shooting guard, small foward and even point guard. Even though he is reaching the end of his prime, Jalen is still devastating in the post and a threat from 3 point territory, the lanky 6'8 scoring machine's only weakness is his large contract and his weak defence that keeps getting him some negative attention.

Guard - Morris Peterson: After following a disappointing season leading to career low in points under coach O'Neill's system, Morris Peterson vows to play harder and step up his play. Maybe 15 million over 3 years was able to motivate the 5th year pro.

Guard -Rafer Alston: After being a superb backup point guard for Miami's successful playoff run and averaging career highs, Rafer decided to go back to Toronto under a multi-year dear from Babcock. People are still questioning whether or not he can handle the point full time here in T.O.

Bench

Donyell Marshall: Coming off an impressive stint with the Raptors last season via trade, Donyell approaches his contract year, and many teams might be interested in Donyell's sniper-like abilities from 3-point land and his consistent rebounding numbers.

Eric Williams: Aquired through the Vince Carter trade through New Jersey, this 6-8 vet is the type of rugged player Sam Mitchell wants his players to be like. Bringing effort and hustle, he may not put up big numbers, but stats aren't reflective of his impact in a game.


Lamond Murray: Even though this jump shooting veteran was riding the bench for O'Neill's club, Lamond is out to prove his jumpshot is still deadly as it was before.

Milt Palacio: The backup point guard for Rafer.

Matt Bonner: Another hustle-type player for Mitchell's club, Matt is hoping for a good start to his rookie NBA career.

Loren Woods: Signed through from the offseason by Babs, Loren is another Raptor hopeful wanting a place in the team.

Pape Sow: The third Raptor Rookie that looks to impress the coaches with his athletic abilities and his shotblocking.

IR
Aaron Williams - A big body that can play with heart.

Alvin Williams - After spending most of last season under the injured list, Alvin is out for the full season this time due to surgery. If he can return to the Williams of a few years ago, he might give a strong contribution to the team next year.

Last edited by Its_asdf on Sat Jun 04, 2005 11:32 am, edited 74 times in total.

Training Camp: Welcome to Your New Home

Sam Mitchell started the day off slowly but briskly marching toward the sideline of the practice facility. He began to lean against a table when the doors at the opposite side gym opened. Sam could only smile as he saw the hulking Araujo in his brand new practice jersey begin stretching and take a few low post jumpers.

"Practice doesn't start in 2 hours today," said Mitchell. Aruajo gave Mitchell a relaxed look and replied "There are a few things I'd like to work on today. I just wanted to work on those until practice." Sam Mitchell couldn't help but break into a bigger smile.

Sam knows, Raptors GM Rob Babcock knows, and probably even Araujo knows that some fans weren't happy with Araujo being selected eighth overall in the draft; heck, even talent-wise he probably wouldn't have even cracked the top 20 picks. Even if he doesn't have the talent, even if the majority of the people doubt him, Araujo has very strong work ethics and is till a servicable player who can rebound and maybe help second year foward Chris Bosh defend the low post.

"I know there are still many people doubting me," said Araujo gasping for air after a tough practice. "I just want to be given a chance to prove myself and prove that I can make something happen. Coach Mitchell told me that if I set hard screens and take pressure off Chris on the boards, then I'll be fine."

"Hoffa worked his butt off this practice, I can see a lot of passion and grit in the way he plays," replied Sam Mitchell. "He's not a naturally gifted superstar, he's not a Lebron James. But I think that if he works hard enough then at this pace he'll be able to make an impact with this team."

During actual practice, Sam Mitchell was mainly introducing his brand new system to the team and was trying to throw Kevin O'Neill's old system out the window - running and gunning. The previous system was ineffective for the Raps, focusing mainly on defence and a slow paced half court offense, which wasn't exactly exciting to watch; especially since O'Neill would go at his players throats if they made a mistake.

"I want to rectify a few mistakes and a few concepts that I do not really agree on with Kevin's coaching style. We want to run. We want to push the ball against their defense and create some easy transition baskets. That way we can get a good flowing offense and set a good tempo against opposing teams."


Araujo won't be a good player right away, but he can chase after loose balls, set hard picks, and play defence to the best of his ability, which should earn him a good spot in Mitchell's books.

Training Camp: Final Days

At the last day of training camp, Sam Mitchell gathered up his players and lectured them. He spoke about what the team needed to improve on, what they shouldn't do, and what they did well that surprised him. No, he didn't yell at them like Kevin O'Neill. No, he didn't speak to the team softly like Lenny Wilkens. But yes, Sam Mitchell might be the man for the job.

"I've been a player myself," said Mitchell. "I can relate to a lot of the guys on the team, and I think that my player experience might help me control the team a little better. Sometimes yelling at the team to get the point across won't work. You have to address the problems in a way that helps the player mature his game, but at the same time you have to tell them up front whats wrong."

When asked about Chris Bosh's progress, Sam could only answer "Phenomenal. He is a very coachable and likable kid, he listens and has respect for all of his teamates. If he's going to be the future of this franchise, he definitely has the right mind set and attitude toward that. He has tremendous upside to his game."

Sam also has a lot to say about his new rookies: Rafael Araujo, Pape Sow and Matt Bonner. "All of them are willing to work hard. They do the right things in practices and are really trying hard. I have to admit, its going to be tough to come up with a rotation because I would like to play all three of them."

During the week at camp, Mitchell had the team participate in a lot of running and quickness drills. Mitchell had said that the team was a little rusty in running after the stagnant half court sets that the Raptors used to run with O'Neill running the show. He wants his team to run and get transition baskets and play an up-tempo style of play.

"The team still has a lot of bad habits from last year, we're trying to correct those problems and maybe try and get some of the players back into running shape."

Sam had better get his guys into shape, because the 2004-2005 NBA schedule has been announced. Even though the Raptors have 3 weeks until their first game, it might be one of their hardest, as they square off against the defending world champs, the Detriot Pistons, in their new post-Carter era.

Which brings us to our problem of guarding Ben Wallace at the center positon. The Raptors have quite a few options in Araujo, Woods, and maybe even power fowards Bonner Marshall and Sow, but Marshall isn't a full time post player and the Raptors could use a three point shooter off the bench. Bonner and Sow might be too weak for the position.


"I'm not going to try and think about it, we still have many more weeks until we play them," said Raptor veteran Jalen Rose. "We just have to go to practices and prepare ourselves. I don't think we should doubt ourselves, we just have to compete and play the hardest we can."






Mitchell has nothing but good things to say about Chris Bosh.[/i]

Raptors Sign Free Agent Kedrick Brown



Info on the Player

A few days after training camp, the Raptors have announced that they have signed free agent Kedrick Brown.

Brown is a 222 pound 6-7 foward-guard out of Okaloosa Walton CC. He was drafted 11th overall in the 2001 draft and has had spent 2 full seasons with the Boston Celtics, while being traded mid-season last year with Tony Battie and new Raptor foward Eric Williams to the Cleveland Cavaliers last season . He was later sent with Kevin Ollie to the Philadelphia 76ers for Eric Snow in the offseason. Yet to play a single game this season, he was waived by Philadelphia to make room for a trade that sent Glenn Robinson to New Orleans for Jamal Mashburn and Rodney Rogers. Kedrick has career averages of 3.6 points per game and 2.4 rebounds per game.

Although Brown is known as a bust at the 11th pick of the draft and many people have felt that he hasn't developed enough in the time that he is given, the Raptors organization have done him a big favour and have shown faith and patience in him.

Comments by Players and Staff

"I felt like we needed a little more athletiscm in our team, so I have decided to sign Kedrick Brown. We have picked up a much needed athletic, exellent runner and finisher on the break in Kedrick Brown," said Raptors General Manager Rob Babcock. "Hopefully Kedrick will show us more glimpses of his fabulous potential this season."

Rob Babcock's comments were mirrored by Kedrick Brown himself. "I think that I can make a solid contribution to this team. I'm pretty confident that I can make something happen with some playing time. If I work my butt off on both ends of the floor, than I think that I'll be fine."

Even though Kedrick is pretty confident in himself, there are 4 other guards and fowards that are on this team. Morris Peterson, Jalen Rose and Eric Williams will probably log a lot of minutes for the Raptors, and maybe even Lamond Murray will be given a chance to play under new head coach Sam Mitchell.

"We still have 3 weeks," said Mitchell. "That will give Kedrick some more time to get used to our plays and I can get a better look at his game at practice. I think I'll come up with a more concrete decision on playing time later on as I see them all on the court. Everyone will hopefully get a chance to play, as long as you try your hardest and do what you're supposed to do, you'll get the minutes."

Detriot Pistons (2-2) vs Toronto Raptors (0-0) Preview

The Detriot Pistons will try to win two in a row against the Vince Carter-less Raptors in the Air Canada Center. After winning their first game, Detriot went on a two game losing streak, but managed to pull off a win to even their record to 2-2.

Toronto will be looking get a good start to the season, as they try to fend off the reigning world champs. Rip Hamilton is currently the Piston's leading scorer and passer, averaging 21.3 points per game and 6.8 assists per game.

"They're the defending champs," said Raptor head coach Sam Mitchell. "everyone knows that and everyone including us will go at them with full force. It's going to be tough with the two big Wallaces in their frontcourt and Tayshaun Prince is a pretty good defender at the 3 spot as well."

Starting 5
C - R. Araujo(N/A) vs B. Wallace(9.8ppg, 10.5rpg)

PF - C. Bosh(N/A) vs R. Wallace(17ppg, 7rpg)

SF - J. Rose(N/A) vs T. Prince(8ppg, 6.3rpg)

SG - M. Peterson(N/A) vs R. Hamilton(21.3ppg, 6.8apg)

PG - R. Alston(N/A) vs C. Billups(19ppg, 6.8apg)

Key Matchup

C - R. Araujo(N/A) vs B. Wallace(9.8ppg, 10.5rpg)

Ben Wallace is an exellent shotblocker and rebounder, but he isn't supposed to be a big offensive threat. He can still hurt your team if you're not careful in the post. This will be Araujo's very first NBA game, so experience is also in favour of Big Ben. Hoffa has to play smart and physical on the defensive end and shouldn't look to score too much on offense.

Last edited by Its_asdf on Mon Mar 21, 2005 12:37 pm, edited 2 times in total.

Pistons Pulverize Raptors 117-105

Rasheed Wallace dominated in the first three quarters, and Detriot's backcourt of Chauncey Billups and Richard Hamilton handelled the rest in the fourth. The Pistons were looking for their second straight win to put them above .500, and the Toronto Raptors was the perfect team to demonstrate that the Pistons were still the defending champions. Playing their first game without their superstar Vince Carter who was traded to the New Jersey Nets, Toronto gained confidence as the game went on, but it unfortunately it was too late.

Detriot's Rasheed Wallace led the team in scoring and rebounds in this game, with 36 points on 16 for 24 shooting and 16 rebounds, with 9 of those rebounds coming from the offensive end. Wallace and his counter-part Ben Wallace each had a strong game downlow, with 7 blocks as well. Hamilton and Billups finished the game with 20 and 26 respectively. Jalen Rose led the Raptors in scoring with 28 points on 9 for 16 shooting and dished out 9 assists and pulled down 5 rebounds. Raptor sophomore Chris Bosh also had 24 points and 6 rebounds.

"We were outrebounded rediculously," said new Raptors head coach Sam Mitchell. "They had 19 offensive rebounds in the game and 44 rebounds in total; I find that extremely unacceptable. It was a complete lackluster effort on the defensive end."

The onslaught started in the first quarter, when the Pistons outscored the Raptors 26-18, going on a 6-0 run in the beginning of the game and never looked back. Rasheed Wallace was carving up the Raptors in the inside, and finished the quarter with 13 points, 5 rebounds (4 of them on the offensive end), and 5 blocks. Bosh had 10 points in the first quarter, but the rest of the team struggled, shooting 31% and was outrebounded 17 to 8.

The Raptors tried to fight back by going on a 9-0 run during the middle of the second quarter, with Rose scoring 11 points and had 4 assists in the quarter and Bosh chipped in with 8 points. However, the Pistons eventually outscored the Raptors 31-25 by halftime. Rasheed Wallace had 24 points and 11 rebounds, while the Raptors were trailing by 14 during halftime, 53-47.

The Pistons attacked the basket and got the Raptors into foul trouble in the third quarter, resulting in 15 freethrows being attempted compared to 2 by the Raptors. Wallace finished the third scoring 12 more points and adding another 4 rebounds, giving the Pistons an even larger 91-75 cushion. The rebounding margin also widened yet again, with the Pistons more than doubling the Raptors rebounding 36-15.

Toronto came to life in the fourth, closing the gap to 93-87, but thats as close as they got. Jalen put up 15 points and grabbed 3 offensive rebounds this quarter, but it just wasn't enough as Billups and Hamilton constantly nailed uncontested mid-range and three point jumpers. Hamilton and Billups scored 8 and 12 each in the fourth. Rafer Alston ended the game with a meaningless three pointer as time expired.

"We let up defensively in the third and fourth," said Piston head coach Larry Brown. "We kept our lead intact thanks to some incredible rebounding by Rasheed. He was definitely playing hard today."

"I just wanted to get us out of the funk," said Wallace. "Those two losses that we had were from two teams that we should have beat. This was also a game that we should have won, and we did just that."

Picture of the Game

Rasheed Wallace was basically a bulldozer that helped flatten the Raps.

Player of the Game

R. Wallace
Mins - 29
Pts - 36
Rebs - 16
Asts - 3
Stls - 1
Blks - 7
TOs - 0
PFs - 0
FG - 16/24
3ptFG - 0/0
FTs - 4/8

Boxscores

Utah Jazz(2-0) vs Toronto Raptors (0-1) Preview

The Raptors will hope to shrug off an ugly loss to the Detriot Pistons 2 days ago and get back on track as they play the Utah Jazz at home. Jalen Rose pumped out an awesome stat line last game, scoring 28 points on 9 for 16 shooting, handing out 9 assists and pulling down 5 rebounds. Second year pro Chris Bosh also played well, scoring 24 points while having 6 rebounds and assists.

The Utah Jazz will not be an easy team to win against, especially since they are undefeated with a two game win streak in the young season. It is to no one's surprise that Andrei Kirilenko has been on fire and contributing all over the floor in the past two games, averaging 27 points, 9 rebounds and blocking a whopping 3.5 shots.

The Utah Jazz will also have to decide whether to play starting power foward Carlos Boozer or not. Boozer, who has played one of the Jazz's 2 games due to injury to his knee, but is probably going to come off the bench. Boozer had signed a multi-year deal with the Jazz during the offseason.

"To be honest with you, I have no idea if I can play," said Boozer. "The pain might go away for a while but then it usually comes back, so we'll have to wait and see."

"We can definitely win this game," said Chris Bosh. "I think that our guys understood about our effort on the rebounding last game. We are going to work a little harder on the glass this game knowing that we could have beaten the Pistons if it weren't for our terrible rebounding."

Starting 5
C - R. Araujo(3ppg, 5rpg) vs J. Collins(7.5ppg, 7rpg)

PF - C. Bosh(24ppg, 6apg/rpg) vs A. Kirilenko(27ppg, 9rpg)

SF - J. Rose(28ppg, 9apg) vs M. Harpring(12.5ppg, 8rpg)

SG - M. Peterson(8ppg, 1rpg/apg) vsR. Bell(16ppg, 4apg/rpg)

PG - R. Alston(12ppg, 5apg) vs K. Mcleod(11.5ppg, 2.5apg)

Key Matchup

PF - C. Bosh(24ppg, 6apg/rpg) vs A. Kirilenko(27ppg, 9rpg)
AK-47 can simply just do it all: He has a very large wingspan and is a very talented shot blocker, he has the quickness to guard many smaller players and can steal the ball, he has the explosiveness of a small foward and he can score from almost anywhere. Chris Bosh will definitely have his handsfull at both ends of the court when these two teams play.

Last edited by Its_asdf on Mon Mar 21, 2005 12:37 pm, edited 4 times in total.

Raptors Rally in the Fourth 104-91

It seems like without Vince Carter, Jalen Rose and Chris Bosh are stepping up to fill in his shoes. The Raptors were struggling on defence in the first half to say the least, but they managed to tighten up their defence while making exellent plays at the offensive end in the fourth. 20 of their 35 field goals came from assists, and the Raps also shot a blistering 54% from the field and 40% from three point land. This loss was the Utah Jazz's first loss of the season after winning their first two games in dominating fashion.

The Raptors got their first win of the season and are now 1-1 thanks to the exellent combo of Rose and Bosh. Jalen Rose, the highest paid player on the team, notched 19 points on 6 for 11 shooting, 5 rebounds and 3 assists. Chris Bosh, the raptor's star of the not-so-distant future, also notched 18 points on 7 for 9 shooting and 6 rebounds while handing out 4 assists. The Jazz were led in scoring by Keith Mcleod with 23 points and 7 assists on 9 for 14 shooting and 3 for 5 from three point territory. Raja Bell also had 15 points for the Jazz.

"I think our minds kind of drifted off after we had that first quarter lead," said Utah Jazz head coach Jerry Sloan. "Rose also made a lot of tough shots near the end of the game, no matter who played defence on Rose, he still managed to exploit a weakness with every guy we sent at him."

The Raptors got off on the wrong foot defensively in the first quarter, allowing a 12-3 run in the beginning of the game to give the Jazz a 9 point lead, 14-5. Chris Bosh and Morris Peterson each picked up two fouls as the Jazz got it done early, 27-19.

The Jazz also outworked the Raptors in the first three minutes of the second quarter, creating a solid 36-23 lead. The Raptors were held scoreless for those three minutes. After a wakeup call from a Sam Mitchell timeout, the Raptors came out with a 13-0 run that ended with a 3-point play dunk. The Jazz only scored 9 points in the second quarter and the score was tied 36 apiece.

Both teams traded baskets in the third, with Carlos Boozer making a 5 minute appearance off the bench, but was extremely effective as he reeled off 10 straight points and later finished with 12. The Raptors took a three point lead for a brief 2 minutes but Mcleod knocked down a three-pointer and Bell slammed it home to reclaim the lead for the Jazz by the end of the quarter with a score of 66-64. Both teams sizzled from the field as the Jazz and Raptors shot 61% and 58%.

Rose began to work his magic in the fourth quarter, as he started the quarter off with a jumper to tie the game up. Eric Williams later helped the Raptors pull away as he hit back to back three pointers to extend the lead to 76-70. Bell nailed his only three pointer with a minute and a half remaining to cut the deficit to two, but Morris Peterson, who finished with 15 points, knocked down a three pointer of his own at the other end of the court. Two freethrows by Kedrick Brown exteneded the Raptors lead to 92-83. Mcleod buried two three-pointers and Harpring had an easy layup, but Brown, Rose and Peterson each made their free throws and a Bosh dunk and a Jalen Rose buzzer beating three pointer ended the game at 104-91. Mo Pete and Eric Williams each had 8 points in the quarter, with Jalen Rose scoring 11.

Picture of the Game

Jalen Rose was solid overall, knocking down 6/11 from the field while contributing 5 rebounds and 3 assists.

Player of the Game

C. Bosh
Mins - 18
Pts - 18
Rebs - 6
Asts - 4
Stls - 0
Blks - 1
TOs - 2
PFs - 5
FG - 7/9
3ptFG - 0/0
FTs - 4/5

Boxscores

Denver Nuggets (0-4) vs Toronto Raptors (1-1) Preview

The Toronto Raptors are hoping to get a winning streak going as they play the slumping Denver Nuggets at home after a solid win over the Utah Jazz. Jalen Rose led the team in scoring for the second straight game, scoring 11 of his 19 points in the fourth quarter to put the Raptors over the top. Chris Bosh also contributed nicely, adding 18 points on 7 for 9 shooting.

The Denver Nuggets have underachieved their last few games; playing 4 games and yet to win a single one. The Nuggets are struggling to find their offence, especially from the perimeter as they are third last in the league in field goal percentage (37%), and shooting a terrible 26% from beyond the arc. Rookie of the year runnerup Carmelo Anthony has been underachieving to say the least; averaging only 16.5ppg and shooting 38% from the field and 27% from three, compared to his stalwart rookie season averaging 21ppg and shot 42% from the field and 32% from three. Ex-Raptor and 3 point shootout winner Voshon Lenard also is struggling from the field shooting 31% and 14%. Offseason acquisition Kenyon Martin also hasn't lived up to his expectations as well, averaging a career low in points since his rookie season with 13.8.

"They're obvious struggling, and we have to take advantage of that," said Raptor foward Jalen Rose. "They do have great players on their team and are extremely talented, but since they're slumping right now we can and have to capitalize on that."

Starting 5
C - R. Araujo(3.5ppg, 4rpg) vs M. Camby(10.3ppg, 10.5rpg)

PF - C. Bosh(21ppg, 6rpg) vs K. Martin(13.5ppg, 8.3rpg)

SF - J. Rose(23.5ppg, 6apg) vs C. Anthony(16.5ppg, 8rpg)

SG - M. Peterson(11.5ppg, 2rpg) vs V. Lenard(7ppg, 2.7apg)

PG - R. Alston(11ppg, 5apg) vs A. Miller(14.3ppg, 6apg)

Key Matchup

SF - J. Rose(23.5ppg, 6apg) vs C. Anthony(16.5ppg, 8rpg)
Jalen Rose has to keep the struggling Carmelo Anthony's confidence down and make him take contested jumpshots while keeping his hot hand from the past two games.

Last edited by Its_asdf on Mon Mar 21, 2005 12:38 pm, edited 3 times in total.

Raptors Stammer to Struggling Nuggets 75-71

The Denver Nuggets are struggling early in the season, but for this game the Raptors struggled even more. The Raptors went 27 for 75 from the field and shot 36%, but went on a fourth quarter surge that fell just short to the Nuggets. Leading scorer Jalen Rose had only 9 points and was held to 2 for 9 shooting, but Chris Bosh had his first double-double of the season, finishing with 14 points and 10 rebounds. Morris Peterson picked up the slack offensively as well, leading the team in scoring with 18 points on 4 for 7 three pointers.

The Denver Nuggets got a balanced attack, with no player scoring over 15 points, but five players contributed in double figures. Carmelo Anthony led the team with 13 points, but shot a woeful 5 for 18 from the field. Kenyon Martin had a double-double with 11 points and 12 rebounds. The Nuggets didn't necessarily shoot too well either, going 30 for 79 and shot 38%.

"This was an ugly loss," said Rose. "I was double teamed a lot in the post and some of the shots that I took the opposing team contested very well and they were usually all over me. I felt like I let the team down because some of the shots that I had taken in the previous two games that went in weren't falling."

Jalen definitely let his team down in the first quarter, going 0-4 from the field but Bosh had 8 points that quarter. It was a very close game until the halfway point of the quarter where Denver made a 7-0 run to put them up 24-15.

In the second, Denver went on another scoring run to widen the gap at 37-20, but Kedrick Brown scored 7 of his 10 points in the quarter to help the Raptors make a come back to cut the deficit to 7. The Nuggets eventually pulled away though, when Carmelo Anthony and Voshon Lenard hit back-to-back three pointers, which gave the Nuggets a commanding 44-31 halftime lead.

It was an exact duplicate of the second quarter in the third for both teams, as Denver went on an early run and led by as many as 15, but the Raptors stormed back behind Morris Peterson's 8 points, and the Nuggets were only clinging on to a 65-59 lead by the end of third quarter.

The Raptors finally claimed a 71-68 lead on a timely Kedrick Brown three pointer from the left pocket with only a few seconds remaining. Denver answered back with a 3 pointer by Dermarr Johnson and tied the ball game up at 71-71. An ill-advised foul by Rafer Alston sent Andre Miller to the line where he sank both free-throws. Donyell Marshall seemed to have a wide-open layup but it was blocked by former Raptor Marcus Camby. Kenyon Martin rushed down the court at the other end to finish with a thunderous two handed slam to end the game and put away the Raptors for good.

"We played some sloppy ball, but we still managed to come up with the win," said Martin. "It was a poor game overall by both teams, but we'll take this win; our team definitely needs to get back on track."

Picture of the Game

Kenyon Martin put the punctuation point at the end of the game.

Player of the Game

K. Martin
Min - 24
Pts - 11
Rebs - 12
Asts - 2
Stls - 0
Blks - 2
TOs - 0
PFs - 3
FG - 5/10
3ptFG - 0/0
FTs - 1/2

Boxscores

Inside the Raptors

Alvin Williams Recovering Quickly



The Raptors had just recieved some good news yesterday; Alvin William's rehab is going way ahead of schedule. Unlike the other Williams (Aaron) on the IR, Alvin Williams is a more valued asset to the Raptors who dropped an ugly game to the slumping Denver Nuggets.

Alvin Williams injured his knee last season, allowing him to play 56 games in total, averaging a below average 8.8ppg and 4apg. Electing to have surgery on his knee, Williams was supposed to be out for the remainder of the season. With reports from the doctors and trainers, Alvin might be able to play as soon as late January.

"I have never seen anything like this," said a Raptor trainer. "The state of his knee currently is what we thought it would be in early to mid March. Alvin has definitely made fabulous progress."

"I am just working hard trying to get back on track and getting back to what I am capable of," said Williams. "I'm not rushing this though, I was rushing the healing a lot last season and it didn't give any positive results."

Although Alvin still has long ways to go, he has stepped into the practice facility for the first time in a long time and took part in a shooting drill. Sam Mitchell is very impressed with the 6'5 point guard out of Villanova.

"He has a lot of veteran leadership qualities that we would greatly need on the court," said Mitchell. "He brings a lot to the table in terms of scoring and statistics, but I think that the mental toughness he brings can help us out in the lockeroom as well."

Alvin Williams can't do very much now, but he has definitely made larger strides than anticipated and can only get in better shape over time.

Murray Not Happy With Situation



While the feel-good story of Alvin Williams is giving the Raptors just a little bit more hope, Lamond Murray has been unhappy with his role - For the second straight season. Lamond was riding Kevin O'Neill's bench for the majority of the season, and was hoping for a fresh, new start with Sam Mitchell taking over the coaching situation. Lamond has not played in any of the Raptors 3 games.

"I feel like I can contribute, but the coach doesn't even bother considering putting me on," said the disgruntled Murray. "I can play, and I know I can play, but no one seems to think that I can. If thats the way this organization thinks, than I can find a job elsewhere in a team that needs me."

Even if Murray wants out, not many teams are willing to take him. The aging 31 year old is nearly making 5 million a year and his only weapon is probably his jumpshot, since he doesn't have much ballhandling or quickness to get to the rim, nor does he play much defence.

Part of the reason why they haven't been playing Lamond is because of the recently signed free agent Kedrick Brown. Brown shown a lot of upside, especially during the loss to the Nuggets where he had 10 points 4 rebounds and 3 assists, and not to mention the 23-year old buried a clutch 3 pointer to help the Raptors come within striking distance of winning the ball game.

"I feel disappointed for Lamond, I really do," said Brown. "I wasn't playing too much either when I was in Cleveland, Boston or Philadelphia, but I thank coach Mitchell for at least sticking with me and giving me some quality minutes so far this season."

Last edited by Its_asdf on Wed Mar 23, 2005 6:23 am, edited 1 time in total.

Wow, great start and fine reports you have there. Keep it up, I'll be following this one

Wow, great start and fine reports you have there. Keep it up, I'll be following this one

Thanks man I appreciate it.

Toronto Raptors (1-2) vs San Antonio Spurs (3-2) Preview

Toronto will hope to get an ugly loss to the Denver Nuggets out of their system and get a good start to 2 game western conference road trip when they play the tough San Antonio Spurs at the SBC Center. Morris Peterson led the Raptors in scoring last game with 18 points, while Chris Bosh chipped in with a double-double of 14 points and 10 rebounds.

San Antonio has been hot lately since going 0-2 in the beginning of the season, as they have gone on a 3 game winning streak since then to put them back at .500. The Spurs have gotten great productivity offensively from Tim Duncan, who is leading the Spurs in points, rebounds and blocks with 26.6ppg, 12.6rpg, and 2.2bpg and shooting a blazing 62% from the field.

"They are obviously contenders for the championship this season, and they'll definitely be tough, especially since they play very good interior defence," said Raptors head coach Sam Mitchell. "We have to do a good job defensively ourselves and limit their second chance points. We always seem to forget about our man and not boxout, then we get killed in second chance points during cruicial parts of the game."

Starting 5

C - R. Araujo(2.3ppg, 3.3rpg) vs R. Nesterovic(4.8ppg, 8.4rpg)

PF - C. Bosh(18.7ppg, 7.3rpg) vs T. Duncan(26.6ppg, 12.6rpg)

SF - J. Rose(18.6ppg, 5.7apg) vs B. Bowen(6.4ppg, 6rpg)

SG - M. Peterson(13.7ppg, 2rpg) vs E. Ginobili(16.4ppg, 4.8apg)

PG - R. Alston(9ppg, 5apg) vs T. Parker(13.2ppg, 6apg)

Key Matchup

PF - C. Bosh(18.7ppg, 7.3rpg) vs T. Duncan(26.6ppg, 12.6rpg)
Looking like an MVP candidate for yet another season, Tim Duncan will be all over Bosh on the boards and in the paint. Bosh will need to show that he is the new face of the franchise for the Raptors, and this will be the perfect test for him.

Last edited by Its_asdf on Mon Mar 21, 2005 12:38 pm, edited 2 times in total.

i dont know if i can post now but if not tell me an d i delete it...

Nice to see you posting your dynasty here...
Your right most of the best critics about dynasty were here (no offense meant on datorg). thats the reason i stop posting my dynasty there. (lack of comments)

well goodluck on your dynasty here...
expect some rough start here, you may not get comments here as you start but as they see how your dynasty shaping up, posters will begin to watch this and start commenting...

Again Welcome to the forum and GOOD LUCK!!!

yea it all takes time. you just started out the season so just keep the dynasty up. ill be checkin this one out

My advice would be to not post every player's pic next to his stats after each game, as your dynasty will be extrmely hard to load after a while. I'm already struggling to view it. Just a comment.

My advice would be to not post every player's pic next to his stats after each game, as your dynasty will be extrmely hard to load after a while. I'm already struggling to view it. Just a comment.

an advice coming from a dynaster who started his dynasty with lots of pics...

i dont know if i can post now but if not tell me an d i delete it...

Nice to see you posting your dynasty here...
Your right most of the best critics about dynasty were here (no offense meant on datorg). thats the reason i stop posting my dynasty there. (lack of comments)

well goodluck on your dynasty here...
expect some rough start here, you may not get comments here as you start but as they see how your dynasty shaping up, posters will begin to watch this and start commenting...

Again Welcome to the forum and GOOD LUCK!!!

yea it all takes time. you just started out the season so just keep the dynasty up. ill be checkin this one out

Thanks guys, it means a lot coming from the people who've insipired me to actually post this dynasty

My advice would be to not post every player's pic next to his stats after each game, as your dynasty will be extrmely hard to load after a while. I'm already struggling to view it. Just a comment.

Hmm... I guess you're right, it doesn't seem very 56k friendly. I guess for the next previews and whatnot that I make I'll take 'em off.

I don't mind the loading time cuz I'm not on a 56k, but like the pictures also add clutter to the recaps. I mean, we don't really need to see the faces of the whole roster every game... their appearance won't change . Instead of those kinds of pictures, in-game pics would be cool.

Spurs Rock the Raptors in Overtime 114-109

Tim Duncan is showing us that he's still a strong Mvp candidate, but Tony Parker completely decimated the Raptors on offence. Duncan was quietly collecting 26 points and 6 rebounds on 11 of 13 shooting, but Tony Parker tied his career high of 32 points on 13 for 25 shooting. The Spurs extended their winning streak to 4 games as they torched the Raptors shooting 50.5%.

The Raptors weren't too shabby themselves, as they shot 55% and 40% from three point territory. Jalen Rose had another solid outing with 20 points, 6 rebounds and 6 assists. Chris Bosh also had 20 points and 6 rebounds on 10 for 16 shooting, while Morris Peterson also chipped in generously with 16 points and a team-high 8 rebounds and point guard Rafer Alston had a double-double of 14 points and 11 assists, although it still wasn't enough to beat the 2002-2003 world champions.

"Our defence was terrible, especially in overtime," said Rose. "When you shoot 55% from the field and 40% from three you can't just expect to outshoot the other team, especially if that other team is the San Antonio Spurs. Our guys barely or never rotated on screens, and that led to a lot of easy layups from Tony Parker."

The Raptors and Spurs played an up-tempo style in the beginning of the first quarter, where both teams were racing up and down the court trading baskets and shooting around 50%. San Antonio managed to tighten its defence later on in the quarter though, as Rasho Nesterovic and Tim Duncan had a combined 3 blocks on three straight Raptor possessions in the last few moments in the quarter, but they still were down by one in the end, trailing 24-23 to the Raptors. Rafer Alston had 5 assists and Chris Bosh had a few easy layups and dunks to get 8 points to match Parker's 8 points.

San Antonio retook the lead mid-second quarter and then proceded to go on an 11-3 run, making the Raptors slip away even farther, 57-46 by halftime. Tony Parker had scored 12 points this quarter and had 20 by halftime. Brent Barry also contributed 11 of his 13 points in this quarter, which saw the Spurs outgun the Raptors 34-22 and shot a blistering 60% from the field.

The Spurs continued their dominance into the third quarter, leading 71-55. Jalen Rose then heated up to score 10 points this quarter and 6 of those points in a miniature 8-2 run to bring the score to 71-63 and keep the lead at single digits. The quarter ended with a 75-69 San Antonio lead going into the fourth.

The Raptors began to make a run with 3 minutes left in the fourth quarter, starting with back to back three pointers courtesy of Rafer Alston and Kedrick Brown to close the gap to 80-79. Devin Brown answered back with a 3 point play and Manu Ginobili buried a three pointer, following a Rasho Nesterovic putback dunk to keep the Spur's lead intact. Morris Peterson answered back with 3 straight three pointers to tie the ballgame at 88. Bruce Bowen missed a three pointer at the buzzer, so the Raptors were going to overtime!

Both teams never let up in overtime, with both of them trading baskets. Chris Bosh fouled out with 2 minutes to go and the Raptors were down by 4, so Sam Mitchell made a risky move and put Rafael Araujo back on the floor. The risk paid off as Araujo nailed 2 key layups to retie the ballgame 106 apiece. A bad pass by Alston led to an easy Parker layup, which was followed up by two three pointers from Bruce Bowen and Tony Parker to finish off the Raptors.

"It was a difficult game," said Parker. "The Raptors didn't quit and managed to fight back to bring the game to overtime. I found an opening on the floor and I decided to put the ball on the floor and go strong. If I didn't get the basket I would at least get the foul."

Picture of the Game

Nobody on the Raptors could handle Parker's dribble penetration, which led to an easy layup to put the Spurs ahead in overtime.

Player of the Game
T. Duncan
Min - 27
Pts - 26
Rebs - 6
Asts - 2
Stls - 0
Blks - 1
TOs - 1
PFs - 1
FG - 11/13
3ptFG - 0/0
FTs - 4/7

Boxscores

Parker was a ballhog in that game with no dimes, but 32 points too bad you couldn't get the close win in OT though. i know how that feels.

another well written recap

Raptors and Hornets Swap Players

For


The Toronto Raptors and the New Orleans Hornets have just finished making the first trade of the 2004-2005 season, sending Raptor swingmen Morris Peterson and Lamond Murray for highschool rookie J.R. Smith and low post veteran Dale Davis. Both sides made the trade official at 3:00pm. Rob Babcock, the Raptors general manager, gave us some insight on the trade itself and how it will benefit the Raptors.

Morris Peterson was originally a free agent and was signed to a contract in the offseason, but Rob Babcock matched the offer and Peterson decided to stay. Mo Pete was averaging a career best 16.6 points per game and 4.4 rebounds per game. He was also one of Toronto's best snipers this season, shooting 47% from the field this season and 53% from three point territory.

Lamond Murray on the other hand, probably packed his bags and left for New Orleans already. The 11 year pro was traded by the Cleveland Cavaliers with a second round draft pick to Toronto on August 25, 2002, and has nothing but bad memories playing for the Raptors. Averaging career low in points (6) and minutes (15.7). Murray didn't even play in any of the Raptor's 4 games and was very upset with the organization. Murray has career averages of 12 points per game, 4.3 rebounds per game and shot 36% shooting from beyond the arc, playing for the Los Angeles Clippers and Cleveland Cavaliers.

J.R. Smith is a 6'6 foward/guard coming straight out of highschool and did not fail to impress the Hornets staff, averaging 11.1 points per game and 2.9 rebounds per game. Smith has also shot extremely well and efficiently from the field with 46% and 44% from three point land. J.R. also is also a very exciting player to watch athletically, with a 44-inch vertical leap that can turn almost anyone into a poster.

Dale Davis is a 14 year pro that has career averages of 8.5 points per game and 8.2 rebounds per game. He has played in 1002 regular season games and 108 playoff games, while making one all-star game appearance

Comments from Players and Staff

"We feel like this trade can really set us up for a brighter future," Babcock had said to the flock of reporters. "J.R. Smith is a truely talented young individual who has a lot of potential and upside to his game. Dale Davis is a strong veteran who will get rebounds and will help bring some interior toughness to the team. His contract also expires after this season, so depending on how well he plays, we may be able to re-sign him. Of course we are definitely going to miss the presence of Morris Peterson, but I feel like this trade has definitely benefitted our team."

"I am disappointed, but I'm not angry or anything," Morris Peterson admitted. "This organization has done so much for me and I have no hard feelings toward the Raptors. I have played here my whole career and I thank anyone who was supportive of me throughout my years here, but whenever you're traded you always get a fresh new start, so I can only think positive thoughts about being in a Hornet uniform."



J.R. Smith is going to be an interesting player in the future for the Raptors.

Last edited by Its_asdf on Mon Mar 21, 2005 12:45 pm, edited 6 times in total.

EVETBODY LOVE J.R SMITH!!!

Monthly Statistical Summary

Standings

Pacific


Northwest


Southwest


Atlantic


Central


Southeast


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Transactions


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League Leaders

Points Per Game


Rebounds Per Game


Assists Per Game


Blocks Per Game


Steals Per Game


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Players/Rookies of the Month

East Player


West Player


East Rookie


West Rookie


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MVP Candidates

I know you from .org, but I didn't know you had a dynasty.
Your recaps are good reads, not as boring/serious as nba.com's, I wish I could write them like that (no talent at all+language barrier), I'll stick to graphics.
I admit I haven't read everything in this thread, because in the beginning there was so much text, probably some old stuff from your dynasty on .org.
Nice trade too, JR Smith is pretty underrated, everybody hops on the Josh Smith bandwagon lately, but I still think JR has a better future (and jumpshot too ).