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-- The Official 2008-2009 NBA/Toronto Raptors Discussion Thread
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first basketball game i caught in a while. was pretty good actually ;]

and they pull it off yet again....awesome.

Wasn't the most polished Raps game, but being able to hit those open jumpers helped.

3-0!

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Originally posted by Yohan Wasn't the most polished Raps game, but being able to hit those open jumpers helped. 3-0!

Even though the Bucks were in the penalty and for every foul we could've gotten 2 free shots Will this team ever learn?

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Originally posted by infinity HiGH Even though the Bucks were in the penalty and for every foul we could've gotten 2 free shots Will this team ever learn?

Eh. Bosh had rough time going to the bucket and got blocked/stripped a few times 4th q. Though he was the only one consistently going to the bucket.

Sam Mitchell was the reason why this game was close. Playing 4/5 starters for the entire 2nd half on the back end of a back to back, overtime game no less. I realize it's early in the season, and yes, our bench is weaker than last year, but we still need to give our guys a blow every now and then.

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Originally posted by Sly_Guy Sam Mitchell was the reason why this game was close. Playing 4/5 starters for the entire 2nd half on the back end of a back to back, overtime game no less. I realize it's early in the season, and yes, our bench is weaker than last year, but we still need to give our guys a blow every now and then.

When the bench did not produce in 1st half, what choice does Mitchell have?

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Originally posted by Sly_Guy Sam Mitchell was the reason why this game was close. Playing 4/5 starters for the entire 2nd half on the back end of a back to back, overtime game no less. I realize it's early in the season, and yes, our bench is weaker than last year, but we still need to give our guys a blow every now and then.

Mitchell left them there on purpose. They're off until Wednesday so he wanted to see how the starters stamina is holding in close games like that.

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Originally posted by Yohan When the bench did not produce in 1st half, what choice does Mitchell have?

You're right, they didn't produce, but that doesn't mean the starters can continue to produce for 40+ minutes a night.

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Originally posted by infinity HiGH Mitchell left them there on purpose. They're off until Wednesday so he wanted to see how the starters stamina is holding in close games like that.

Potentially at the cost of losing the game? That just doesn't strike me as the right thing to do. When the Bucks were making their run with under 4 to go in the 4th, it looked like our entire team was gassed. Bosh, Jose turning the ball over, O'Neal fouling out, defense starting to slack, jumpers not falling, all symptoms of a tired squad. By that point, it's too late to put your bench on, so he was stuck, and luckily for him, it worked out.

I miss Chuck too..the new guy is lame..

I have high hopes for the raps this year..of course the key players need to stay healthy....

Calderone is the man..and he should have been our starter last year....the way i see it with a few more moves in the off seasons..i see this team going all the way in the next 2-3 years..

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Originally posted by Sly_Guy Potentially at the cost of losing the game? That just doesn't strike me as the right thing to do. When the Bucks were making their run with under 4 to go in the 4th, it looked like our entire team was gassed. Bosh, Jose turning the ball over, O'Neal fouling out, defense starting to slack, jumpers not falling, all symptoms of a tired squad. By that point, it's too late to put your bench on, so he was stuck, and luckily for him, it worked out.

After the game he mentioned that he told his starters to be prepared to close the game out. Parker knew that as long as Michael Redd is on the floor, so is he. Building mental toughness, learning how to play through fatigue is more important than losing a meaningless game at the beginning of the season.

In other news...guess who's back in the East:

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Pistons acquire Iverson, send Billups and McDyess to Denver The shakeup promised by Detroit Pistons president Joe Dumars after last season's Eastern Conference finals has materialized just two games into the new season. The Pistons and the Nuggets have finalized a trade that sends guard Allen Iverson to Detroit and Pistons mainstays Chauncey Billups and Antonio McDyess to Denver. "We just felt it was the right time to change our team," Pistons president of basketball operations Joe Dumars told The Associated Press. "Iverson gives us a dimension that we haven't had here and we really think it's going to help us." The Pistons will introduce Iverson at a news conference Tuesday in Auburn Hills, Mich., at 3:30 p.m. ET. His debut with the Pistons might come Wednesday night in Toronto. "He was very excited about the trade," Iverson's agent, Leon Rose, told the AP. Young center Cheikh Samb, selected by the Los Angeles Lakers for the Pistons with the 51st overall pick in the 2006 draft, will also be going to Denver in the deal. The Nuggets are expected to waive the 34-year-old McDyess, ESPN.com's Chad Ford reports. McDyess has no interest in playing for any team other than the Pistons, meaning he could choose to retire or negotiate a contract buyout with Denver. Billups is in the second season of a four-year contract worth a guaranteed $46 million with a $14 million team option for a fifth year. The Pistons kept McDyess off the free-agent market by giving him a $13.5 million, two-year contract extension, and they would love to have him back if the Nuggets don't want his salary and buy out his contract. Dumars put the entire Pistons roster on notice after they lost to Boston in the East finals, saying that there "are no sacred cows" on his team and vowing to consider trading anyone -- even a major contributor to the Pistons' 2004 title run like Billups -- in addition to firing coach Flip Saunders and replacing Saunders with the untested Michael Curry. The Pistons could not find a workable deal over the summer after talking with numerous teams -- Denver included, according to NBA front-office sources -- but it emerged then that Billups, MVP of the 2004 Finals, was the most likely Piston to be dealt. With Denver's desire to acquire a dependable point guard growing, Dumars moved quickly to finally consummate this deal with the Nuggets, who acquired Iverson from Philadelphia shortly before Christmas in 2006 but failed in two attempts to get out of the first round with a three-man core of Iverson, Carmelo Anthony and Marcus Camby. Camby was jettisoned to the Los Angeles Clippers in a straight salary dump in July for luxury-tax purposes. After playing sparingly in the preseason, Iverson was stripped of his captaincy last week and averaged just over 13 shots per game as the Nuggets opened with a 1-2 mark. The Nuggets will be hoping now that the homecoming of Billups, a Denver native who starred collegiately at the University of Colorado, meshes better with Anthony, given that he's more of a natural point guard than Iverson. Yet there is some risk for the Nuggets, since Billups is 32 and has three more seasons left on his deal after this one, with the four years totaling in excess of $50 million. Both Billups and McDyess were Nuggets in the 1990s. The Pistons, meanwhile, will undoubtedly contend that their risks are mitigated by the fact that Iverson, who turned 33 in June, is in the final year of his contract at $20.8 million. Dumars loves to gamble on players who are reputed to possess as many minuses as pluses, as seen with the trade-deadline acquisition of Rasheed Wallace in 2004 which spurred Detroit to its first championship since Dumars was playing in 1990. If this gamble doesn't work, swapping Billups for Iverson would give Detroit financial flexibility to pursue a more aggressive makeover next summer, with the highly regarded Rodney Stuckey staying put as the long-term cornerstone of the Pistons' backcourt. "Two teams had one common problem, or challenge," Nuggets executive Mark Warkentien said, according to AP. "I think the Pistons looked at Stuckey and saw him as the point guard of tomorrow, and you have an All-Star in Chauncey who was in his way. "We're just thrilled with the way J.R. [Smith] is progressing and he had a Hall of Famer in front of him. You understand the motivation of both teams." Iverson brings considerable star power to Detroit. The 20th-leading scorer in NBA history was the league MVP in 2001 -- four years after being the rookie of the year -- and is a nine-time All-Star. He has averaged nearly 28 points for his career and has led the NBA in steals three times, tying a league record. Philadelphia drafted Iverson No. 1 overall in 1996 out of Georgetown and he spent 11� seasons with the franchise, leading it to the NBA Finals in 2001. He was traded Dec. 19, 2006, to the Nuggets and helped them reach the playoffs twice.

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Originally posted by gummybear I miss Chuck too..the new guy is lame.. I have high hopes for the raps this year..of course the key players need to stay healthy.... Calderone is the man..and he should have been our starter last year....the way i see it with a few more moves in the off seasons..i see this team going all the way in the next 2-3 years..

i haven't even had a chance to catch a game this year...

but definitely not looking forward to watching it without Chuck