Bon Voyage Bosh?

Not saying he will end up on the Lakers but will we see him on another team next year? I hope not!

In the beginning of the season Raptors fans were hopeful. I was hopeful. And now we are let down by another fallout. Remember the month of February? We were talking about going for a run to get 4th place in the East! I was talking about being 10 games over .500! But some how we went on a 9-19 run after the All-Star break. Horrible.

Sigh, who do we blame?
-We can say it was Turkoglu's half shitty season.
-Carmelo Anthony's buzzer beater.
-Chris Bosh's missed lay up against Golden State.
-Larry Brown for not playing Jackson and Wallace their full minutes.

The list goes on. Point is we aren't in the playoffs. We probably would have got swept by the Cavs but I would still paid to watch Lebron serve up the Raps.

Put me in coach, I'll get the Raptors into the playoffs

Big talk now is will Bosh return next year? Sonny Weems thinks so but I have my doubts. Not because I don't think Bosh is a team player but because I think he wants to be on a competitive team that can bring him to the finals and unfortunately the Raptors isn't the best option for that.

Something in my head is telling me the NBA set it up so the Raps don't make it in the 8th seed. Think about it.
-It seemed as if just as the season was coming to an end, a player would get injured every game (Antawn Jamison breaking Chris Bosh's nose).
-Lebron played the Raptors but decided to rest on the Chicago game.
-And Boston... oh Boston, the amount of hatred I have for you is limitless. Pierce, you suck. Garrnett, "Anythings possi...*SLAP TO THE FACE*" - 2008 finals (If you don't understand this joke don't consider yourself a basketball fan) And of course Rashad Wallace, he wanted Chicago to win so bad he decided to score on his own bucket. I HATE YOU BOSTON!

The number 4

The number 4 is supposed to be an unlucky number in Chinese culture, its also our franchise player's number, its also the number of games the Raptors have lost in the past week.We have been outscored by 66 points in the past 4 losses but I do commemorate the Raps during the Cavs game until overtime came. There's no substitute to winning. Did we just get a glimpse of how our team will be in the years to come if Bosh decides to leave Toronto?
We face the Knicks on Friday and Bosh is scheduled to play that game, so hopefully we can finally get back in the W column because Chicago is only a half game back in the fight for 5th place in the East.

Raptors Progress

1) A 5 game winning streak
2) 4 games over 500
3) Victories over the Lakers, Magic, and Mavericks last month
Yes ladies and gentlemen I'm talking about the Toronto Raptors.

So before the season began I wrote a blog about where the Raptors would be this season and I just wanted to see where the progress is.
Raptors will finish either 5th or 6th: Currently 5th
Bosh will have a career year: Averaging 24 ppg and 11 rpg, yes definitely a career year
Raptors will be 10 games over 500: I still think its possible, difficult, but possible
High hopes for DeRosan: Hes getting better as the season moves along and helps bring the much needed energy during the beginning of the game. Also, I can't wait to see him in the 'dunk in' even if I think that idea is retarded.
Turkoglu will be a great addition for the Raptors: Okay, maybe he hasn't lived up to his expectations and I have to say, I've been hating a bit on Turk, but he will be key during the playoffs. He needs to prove to me he can play like he did last year before I call him Mr. 4th quarter.
The Raptors' schedule seems much easier than the beginning of the season and I hope we capitalize on the up coming games. Lets not forget the return of Reggie Evans after the all-star game will strengthen the team's defence.

A win is a win

Its Toronto Huskies night. The Raptors are on a 2 game winning streak. The Raptors are returning to play back home. The Raptors are even facing the second worse team in the NBA! Easy win right? Not when we are the Toronto Raptors.....We shot 32%.... THANK GOD we face the Minnesota Timberwolves! We were 0 for 17 from behind the arch at one point! I was getting pretty scared the Raptors wouldn't be able to make a 3 in the game but Bargnani finally connected from outside with 4:31 left in the fourth. The shot extended Toronto’s NBA-record streak of consecutive games with at least one 3-pointer to 883.Even when everyone else struggles Bosh still ends up with a monster game with another (league leading) double-double. Chris, your youtube videos may not be very funny but you are one hell of a basketball player.

Let the slowness begin....

I hate Sundays because everyone comes back onto res and the internet slowssss down. Fridays and Saturdays are the best because internet speeds up so much more!

I went to the gym again today working on cardio and I was HOPING to be watching the Raptors as I jogged but for some reason there was just poker, horse racing, and Punk'd. What shitty shows. Raptors gave up another horrible 2nd half. Bosh gave another monster game and I liked how he bounced back from the flagrant foul by Stoudemire and the low blow by Pierce. The Raptors need to have more attitude when the opposing teams attacks our franchise player! 1st by Pierce and now by Stoudemire, we need to fight back!

Grey Cup:
You can say what you wish about the CFL being shit compared to the NFL (and it is) but the story ends the same. I'm not exactly a fan of the Alouettes even though I don't pay attention to the CFL but it was a dramatic ending. I know if I lived in Saskatchewan I would be thinking who the heck ran on to the field making it too many men on the field.... They had the cup in their hands for a second before being informed it was going to be rekicked.

04/11/09

Short blog today guys because I have to study for economics midterm and also do the quiz on myeconlab.

Today I went to my first class except the doors were locked and there was a note on the BU111 door saying Jim is ill so no class today. I was so happy! Not that I wanted Jim to be sick because I think hes a cool prof, but this meant I had time to eat lunch which I never do on Wednesdays. I went to my GS101 tutorial and it was so useless, the class was literally 30 minutes and we did nothing but talk about our essay >_>. I thought we would get our midterm back!

I just wanted to say Raps won! Justin, Edwin, and I were watching the beginning of the game on Edwin's laptop because he bought NBA all access which is cool. He gets to watch all NBA games on his laptop, even the gay TSN2 ones which I can't watch on my tv!

I'll post a blog I started yesterday a little later tonight because I need still add some stuff to it. (Its about MMA) Or I might post something about the world series.

The Year of the Raptors

Look at your Chinese zodiacs people because it is the year of the Raptors!

We have alot riding this year with Jay Triano being the full season coach, with the signing of multiple contracts during the off-season, and of course its the last year on Chris Bosh's contract. To be honest, if CB4 is in the NBA for the money, he won't be in the red and white next season unless we pull out a deep run into the playoffs. There are simply too many teams out there with way more money than the Raptors and thats why its a make or break season for the Raps.
So since there are so many new faces on the team, here is whats new with the Toronto Raptors since the 2008/2009 season:

Key Losses: Joey Graham, Nathan Jawai, Jason Kapono, Shawn Marion, Pops Mensah-Bonsu, Anthony Parker, Roko Ukic, Jake Voskuhl
Key Additions: Marco Belinelli, DeMar DeRozan, Reggie Evans, Jarrett Jack, Amir Johnson, Rasho Nesterovic, Hedo Turkoglu, Sonny Weems, Antoine Wright

Our biggest loss was Parker because of his consistant shooting throughout the year and the energy he brings to the game. Of course, our bench lost its key 3-point shooter, Jason Kapono, which could change big time for the Raps. He was definitily not an all-star player but his shooting was 2nd to none and when hes on fire, its vertually impossible to stop his shots from downtown. I'm glad we lost Marion because he was a puzzle piece that has never fit into the Raptors organization, he was basically a waste of money.

I think everybody can agree with the addition of Hedo Turkoglu , we're a better team over all. Hes clutch in the 4th quater and as Raptors fans, how tired are we seeing games slip away day after day throughout the season?Our Starting Lineup:
Jose Calderon: Lets start off with the man who plans the plays, hes none other than Jose Calderon. Is there anyone else in sports who is overlooked more than Calderon? He has been part of the top 5 assists players in the past 2 years but most people wouldn't even include him in their top 10 pointguard list. Hes an allstar player in my eyes.DeMar DeRozan: Straight Outta Compton! Even if this is DeMar's rookie season, I have high hopes for him. Even as a freshman, he was one of USC's best players who can both score and get rebounds. I can't wait to see him on the court.
Hedo Turkoglu: The best addition to the Raptors since the draft of Bosh in 2003. He can do it all. He can make his own plays off the perimeter and he can also be at point every so often to help out Calderon. Hopefully with Hedo there is no need for Raptors fans to get mad over comeback losses.
Andrea Bargnani: As Georges St.Pierre would say "I'm not impressed by your performance" last year. I'm sure Bargnani would not like to repeat his last year's performance with his lack of shooting and rebounding. I don't expect him to be a big threat on the board this year but hopefully we will see more consistent shots.Chris Bosh: We end off with the X-Factor of the Raptors, CB4. He's a 20-10 player and Triano even said he gained 15 pounds of muscle. If he stays healthy this would be a career year for Bosh.So since I'm hyping up about the Raptor's season, some people must be wondering what can the weakness of the new Raps be? They have their all-star leader, a man at point who is great at creating plays, more aggressive rebounders, and the most in depth team the franchise has ever seen. I don't see there being any weakness in the team as we enter the season but even if a problem is found, be sure Brain Colangelo would fix it. Some people argue we don't have a strong enough "big man" and how CB4 can't handle players such as Shaq or Howard but how many teams out there can contain guys like those? Even the champs (LA Lakers) don't have a player on their team that can single handedly handle the power of D12.

If I had to predict the season's outcome it would be 46-36, I think 10 games over 500 is doable but it would definitely be difficult. I will also add I think we will either finish 4th or 5th in the East right behind Atlanta. The top 3 would be the Cavs, Magic, and Celtics.