quote:

Originally posted by Floorwhore [color=white][b]07/24/2006 The Raptors on Monday signed forward Jorge Garbajosa, the MVP of the last two Spanish Cup Finals, to a multi-year contract.

Wicked, keep it coming Bryan. Looking good so far.

so it's all done with Jones and Garbajosa signing (and a big f**k you to Salmons and his agent for talking shit to get a sweeter deal from the Kings, if that's indeed how it all went down).

Jones is good...a 6'2" dunk champion!

depth for the first time on this team...it's going to be an exciting season once all the players gel.

07/25/2006

Raptors roster completely retooled

TORONTO (CP) - How quickly a roster can be remade.

Bryan Colangelo has completely revamped the Raptors over the past few weeks. The Raptors president and GM wasn't kidding when he said recently it's "safe to say that when you come to opening night next year you're going to see an entirely different team, almost one through 12."

Gone from the team that went 27-55 last season are Mike James, Charlie Villanueva, Matt Bonner, Eric Williams, Rafael Araujo and Loren Woods.

In their place are T.J. Ford, Italy's Andrea Bargnani, Spain's Jorge Garbajosa, Slovenia's Rasho Nesterovic, Anthony Parker, Kris Humphries, and P.J. Tucker. The Raptors signed Tucker, whom they picked 35th in the 2006 draft, to a multi-year deal on Tuesday.

The starting lineup will likely consist of Ford, Parker, Morris Peterson, Chris Bosh, and Nesterovic.

But with the Raptors' new-found depth, head coach Sam Mitchell has plenty of options and playing time will be at a premium.

Here's a closer look at the new-look Raptors:

STARTERS:

Ford: Young, fast and unselfish. Ford is a pass-first guard who will get the ball to Bosh. His lightning-quick speed makes him a perfect fit for the fast-paced, free-flowing game Colangelo wants to play. The 23-year-old Ford, acquired in the trade that sent Villanueva to Milwaukee, missed more than a year after suffering a contusion to his spinal cord but rebounded to have a solid season with the Bucks. Ford says he's completely healthy.

Parker: Athletic and versatile, Parker has been touted as the best player not in the NBA. He's the reigning two-time Euroleague MVP, probably best known in Toronto for hitting the winning shot in Maccabi Tel-Aviv's pre-season win over the Raptors last year. The 31-year-old will also provide some leadership in the locker-room - his departure after six seasons hit Maccabi hard, one Israeli newspaper saying the team's "heart had been ripped out."

Peterson: One of the team's best defenders, and a versatile player. Peterson has grown up the past couple of years, and always puts in a solid effort.

Bosh: The all-star forward and team leader only gets better. Watch for him to flourish this season with Ford running the point. Bosh spent far too much time last season begging James to give him the ball. With the addition of Nesterovic, Bosh will slide back to where he's most comfortable, at power forward.

Nesterovic: Finally some decent help up front for Bosh. The seven-footer, acquired in the deal that sent Bonner and Williams to the Spurs, fills a gaping hole at centre. While he struggled in San Antonio last season, he still started 51 games for one of the top teams in the league. Plus, he's a huge improvement over Woods or Araujo.

First off the bench:

Bargnani: Has been compared to Dirk Nowitzi and Pau Gasol. He has excellent passing skills and a quick jump shot for a seven-footer, but his defence and rebounding need work. Adjusting to the NBA game may also prove difficult - he picked up 10 fouls in a summer league game in Las Vegas.

Jones: Could be the first guard off the bench ahead of Jose Calderon. An athletic player who won the 2004 NBA slam dunk contest, Jones' speed and ability to penetrate defences fits in well with Colangelo's plan to play an up-tempo game - think Phoenix Suns of the north.

Calderon: Will battle for the top backup spot with Jones. The Spanish guard is a work in progress, showing glimpses last season, but sagging in confidence in the second half of the season.

Garbajosa: The big Spaniard brings much-needed toughness, with the size and the guts to battle anybody in the paint. The 11-year veteran of European basketball will be a backup at power forward and centre.

Battling for minutes:

Joey Graham: The forward was inconsistent last season as a rookie, showing few signs of the intensity that he was known for in college. He'll be pushed by Tucker, the rookie out of Texas.

Humphries: Colangelo sent the much-maligned Araujo to Utah for Humphries - to cheers all around from Raptors fans. The six-foot-nine Humphries will fight for playing time with Garbajosa and Slokar.

Tucker: Intensity and defence. The six-foot-nine forward made a name for himself as one of the most physical players in the NCAA last season, and he was one of the top rebounders Big 12.

Slokar: The 6-10 Slovenian is a decent rebounder and shot-blocker with good agility. Slokar will step in for Pape Sow, who fractured a vertebra in his neck in practice.

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alvin got released today so jones could be signed


sorry to see alvin go, but glad to see jones signed

07/26/2006

Raptors waive Williams to add Jones

TORONTO (CP) - The Raptors parted company with veteran Alvin Williams on Wednesday, giving his No. 20 jersey almost immediately to newcomer Fred Jones.

The handover was the latest move in the Raptors' roster overhaul this off-season.

Raptors president and GM Bryan Colangelo said the team agreed on a settlement with Williams, restricted to just one game the past two years because of knee problems, to free up a roster spot. The team used it to sign Jones, the 2004 NBA slam dunk champ, to a three-year deal worth about $11 million US.

Williams, who spent eight years in Toronto, said the move was not unexpected.

"I really wanted to get another chance to play for Toronto," he said in a conference call from Philadelphia. "I think it was more of a business situation that I got caught in the middle of, that's the more disappointing thing. I felt that I could play . . ."

Williams has been sidelined by an injured right knee that has limited him to one game since March 19, 2004. He had microfracture surgery on the knee in November 2004 and arthroscopic surgery in December.

Williams knew this day was coming, and sold his house in Toronto at the end of the season. He had asked coach Sam Mitchell as the season wound down, and the Raptors were well out of playoff contention, to let him play.

Mitchell told him to ask Bryan Colangelo.

"That's when I basically knew it was a done deal," said Williams.

Williams, who turns 32 next week, is the club's all-time assist leader with 1,791 and second in games played at 417. He averaged 9.3 points and 5.6 assists in the regular season and 12.5 points and 4.3 assists in 18 post-season games.

"It's probably bittersweet," said Colangelo. "I'm sure he would like to play and complete the process here but at the end of the day we felt like it was best, I think from both sides, to move on and that's why both sides came to this agreement."

Williams hopes to catch on with another NBA team. Colangelo mentioned hiring Williams in some capacity with the club down the road, but the point guard said there had been no discussions about possible employment.

Meanwhile, Jones joins the Raptors after four seasons with the Indiana Pacers. The team is also expected to announce the signing of Slovenian forward Uros Slokar, ending a flurry of off-season moves as Colangelo continues to put his stamp on the team.

With the release of Williams, Chris Bosh, Morris Peterson, Joey Graham and Jose Calderon will be the only players from last season that will be with the Raptors when training camp opens.

There's also no more Williams on a team that had three last season - Alvin, Eric and Aaron.

Jones, an athletic player who can play both point guard and shooting guard, earned respect around the league after he stepped in when the Pacers were decimated after the infamous brawl in Detroit, Nov. 19, 2004.

"It was a bad situation for our team, we never got back on track after that," said Jones. "But I had an opportunity to step out and do different things, I think I showcased myself pretty well."

Jones went into the stands during the brawl at Auburn Hills to try to get his teammates out of danger and to the dressing room, and video footage showed he was hit in the back of the head by David Wallace, the brother of former Pistons star Ben Wallace. The Pacers were hit hard by suspensions - Ron Artest was suspended for the rest of the season, Stephen Jackson received a 30-game suspension, Jermaine O'Neal, 15 games, and Anthony Johnson, five.

"It was so tough to get over," said Jones. "The next three games we had six players. It was good at one point that I was on the floor, I was playing 48 minutes, getting to do my thing and play. But we were competing for a championship that year, and that's way more important than getting individual stats or playing."

The six-foot-two Jones averaged 9.6 points a game as a backup last season, and 10.6 points and 3.1 rebounds two seasons ago.

"This is a great opportunity for me," Jones said. "We're putting together a really competitive team. I think the sky's the limit for us."

The announcement comes days after guard John Salmons backed out of a planned deal with the Raptors, instead signing with the Sacramento Kings.

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07/27/2006

Raptors sign Slovenian star Slokar

TORONTO (CP) - The Toronto Raptors signed Slovenian Uros Slokar to a one-year deal Thursday, wrapping up a busy off-season of roster moves for GM Bryan Colangelo.

Slokar was the Raptors' second pick, 58th overall in the 2005 NBA draft. The six-foot-11, 245-pound forward played for Benetton Treviso the past three seasons.

The signing comes a day after Colangelo released veteran Alvin Williams and signed free agent guard Fred Jones. Slokar will fill in for forward Pape Sow, who suffered a broken vertebra in a practice earlier this summer and is out indefinitely.

Slokar adds to the European feel to the team, joining fellow Slovenian Rasho Nesterovic, Italian Andrea Bargnani, Spaniards Jose Calderon and Jorge Garbajosa, and Anthony Parker, who's coming off six seasons playing in Israel.

Slokar, who is in Slovenia preparing for the upcoming world championships, played with the Raptors in their two summer leagues in 2005. He averaged 14.3 points and 7.3 rebounds in the Summer Pro League - including a 20-point, 10-rebound game against the Los Angeles Lakers - and 10.4 points and 4.6 rebounds in the Minnesota Summer League.

In five seasons in Europe, Slokar shot 59.2 per cent from the two-point area, and 43.7 per cent from three-point range. He averaged 4.9 points and 3.1 rebounds in 45 games with Benetton in the 2005-06 season, with season highs of 20 points and eight boards.

Slokar was a teammate of Bargnani (2003-06) and Garbajosa (2003-04) at Benetton.

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I'm more interested in the 2006-2007 Raptors Dancers...

I think getting rid of Lucie Marshall was the stupidest thing they couldda done... Not only is she smoking hot... shes goddamn funny... and she likes to do softcore porn on the internet...

I'm gonna have to try and convince her to give up her addiction to rap and hip-hop and come out dancing with us TOTAs...

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Not everyone understands house music... It's a spiritual thing, A body thing, A soul thing

quote:

Originally posted by newr I'm more interested in the 2006-2007 Raptors Dancers... I think getting rid of Lucie Marshall was the stupidest thing they couldda done... Not only is she smoking hot... shes goddamn funny... and she likes to do softcore porn on the internet... I'm gonna have to try and convince her to give up her addiction to rap and hip-hop and come out dancing with us TOTAs...

pics or stfu - lol

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Not everyone understands house music... It's a spiritual thing, A body thing, A soul thing

she does have nice eyes.... but ummmmmm

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well maybe its just one of my ideas of a hot chick... or maybe she turns me on for things we had in common... i dunno... smack my ass and call my sally... maybe im just crazy

___________________
Not everyone understands house music... It's a spiritual thing, A body thing, A soul thing