Raptors drop a stinkbomb in Okc

Kevin Durant and the Thunder laid a predictable beating on the Raptors who left like a beaten dog with their tails tucked between their legs. Like they were on the wrong end of a Chong Li ass kicking. I say it was predictable because when you look at this OKC team you get the feeling that it's a team put together just to beat slow, no-hustle teams like Toronto.I really don't know what to say other than it was a obviously a huge disappointment especially coming right after the high of watching Team Canada send the Americans packing.

The Raps were crap and played uninspired. It's very similar to the roster mismatch they have against a team like the Atlanta Hawks. The Thunder were too fast, too athletic, and too energetic for this Raps team to keep up. Seeing this, in the future the raptors should forge some sort of counter measure in order to slow down the pace of the game. In contrast, the team turned the ball over like turnovers were going out of style. It reminded me of the team the Raps had before Bryan came here. Turnovers are a clear indication of a bad team, an immature team, and obviously carelessness. I am not saying our team is bad, but they certainly played like that on this night. It's like you weren't cool unless you gave the ball away. Well Raptors, tonight you'd be the Fonz.

The Raps got beaten like a visible minority in a rich American suburb. I don't even want to get into specific players because everyone played poorly. I think the effects of missing your team captain, your MVP, your All-star, is starting to kick in. Let us all as Raptor fans pray that Chris has a speedy recovery and returns to the lineup soon. On a night where Team Canada played all out, winner take all type of athletics, it's sad to see the contrast that the Raptor's performance played out. I know this team is better and I know this team is going to bounce back. Go Raps Go!

Lebron Whines, Cleveland Shines

First things first, the Raptors really have nothing to be ashamed of taking the top team in the league to overtime without their top player, before finally running out of gas. In the end I do question some of Triano's late game substitution choices keeping Hedo in the game and keeping Reggie... who was an absolute animal tonight, on the bench down the stretch. Hedo did have his hand in bringing the Raps to OT but a few ill advised shots and wasted possessions by him were frustrating. 

Here's the problem I have with Lebron, and it's similar to the Boston thing. He whines and complains like a little baby. He already gets most of the calls going his way from the refs but when he doesn't.... whoa go cry to your mommy pal. He moans and bitches and I am sure he comes close to stamping his feet on the floor. Jack Armstrong echoed my sentiments. I felt like slapping Lebron on the side of the head, or just backhanding him. Boston does this too except they're worse cause they have a really asshole-ish cockiness that makes you want to vomit. Pierce saying that he's one of the greatest shooters in NBA history, made me throw up in my mouth a little.

Shit you might have noticed:

• Hedo for the most part played well. He shot it decently and took what the offense and defense gave him as he was the beneficiary of some nice passes from Jack and Bargnani. He still displayed some of his signature jackass moves though like just putting his head down and running his defender over and then looking at the ref as if he was surprised that he got called for the charge. It's like he's got some sort of deal with the devil where he has to do that at least once a game. The other irritating plays i could think of were his rushed bricked three-pointer to try to win the game at the end of the fourth, and the one near the end where he kept holding on to the ball and running the shot clock down to waste a key possession.

• Bargs played his best offensive game in a while. I think his best move is his pull up jumper from the top of the arch, hoping in close to the free throw line and he just pops up a nice clean looking mid range jumper. Same problem for this team that I have been complaining about for years, they just stop giving him the ball in the second half of games. He had about 18 points in the first but rarely touched the ball the rest of the way. The only thing he does when he has the ball is create. Give the Italian his penne pasta!!! He looked particularly good on the head fake 180 dunk from baseline and the head fake, step out jumper he had on Lebron. Totally faked him out, bravo il Mago.

• Attack of the Jack. Jarrett continued his strong play of late and came up big again in this game. He was absolutely fearless diving into the lane, slithering through defenders and scoring with a lot of duck-ins and drawing all sorts of attention and fouls. He's exactly what we need from a floor general. Clearly the best off season acquisition by Bryan. When I heard we got him, I was ecstatic. When I heard we got Hedo, I said to myself: Why? He's not what we needed. 

• The bench came up big and came to play. Reggie in my opinion had his best game as a Raptor. I couldn't believe all the points he was scoring and just wreaking havoc on the offensive glass and was like a tiger on a wildebeest carcass. Sonny Weems was also exceptionally good. Case in point, the fake out on James, shedding him for the two handed cram job. His shot was on and the Cavs were letting him shoot. Well done. Antoine also had a strong showing, he played as well as one could play on James. 

 

Kevin Durant... "YOU'RE NEXT!!"

 Like I said, the Raptors have absolutely nothing to be ashamed of tonight. Only thing I could complain about is them fading in OT. Toronto just doesn't seem to have the knack for pulling off games in extra time. I don't know what the stats are but I only remember like 2 or 3 OT wins by this team through the last bunch of seasons. As soon as they made it to OT, I knew they were done. It's a trend that must stop and hopefully something the coach can better prepare his team for. So that Raps have Saturday off before they meet up with OKC. Get some rest, a good practice in, maybe head down to the local Massage Parlour, and prepare for a shootout on Sunday.

Coming to Canada: Bargnani Style

So the Samsquanch has been a little sick lately and has been coughing up hairballs. Well I have been coughing up stuff but a lot grosser. Anyways, since I missed the postgame for the Blazers. And really, I think we can all agree that I didn't miss much. I wanted to link you guys with this old Bargs vid. It's quite the contrast to the bargs we know. He's getting more and more expressive and emotional during Raptors games but in Italy where he is presumably  more comfortable, there's no comparison. Also it's funny to see him in the Volvo station wagon. I can't understand a lick of Italian but it's not hard to figure out what is going on. If some of you Italian friends out there could translate a little that would be good. It kind of makes you wonder how big an obstacle language and the comfort of your surroundings could play a part in a foreign athlete's progression. The fact that he has made such progress is encouraging. You can also note that when he's interviewed, there isn't that weird awkwardness.

This video is just one i came across on youtube. Not mine.

Italian Block Party... leave the guns at home please

"Having Antoine in your back pocket to pull out there when you need is like carrying an unloaded handgun. If things aren't going right you take it out, wave it around a bit and your enemies usually yield. That's what happened tonight. Too bad for the Wizards they took that too literally."

Nothing sweeter than victory and the Raptors tasted it again tonight. This game was a tale of two halves. First part of the game for the Wizards was pretty much all Josh Howard.  It was a Andrea vs Howard gun show in the first quarter. Howard abused the slower stepping Hedo and rattled off a string of points and trips to the line quick. Bargs ran iso-low post or high post pushing his man, (big or small) close enough for him to use his turn-hook or fader, aka "double barrel blast". The gameplan early on for the Raps was running screen and roll with Bargs to start the game. He posts up and gets himself points or shots from the line.  I understand they shouldn't go down with the same play every time but I am not sure why they went away from this play so quickly since it was working. Bargs also added a sweet block on McGee, a foreshadowing of what was to come. He was also active on the glass and stood his ground on his man during post ups. 

The start of the second half saw the Raptors go cold and forget the definition of boxing out as the Wizards made a buffet line to the basket with all you can eat offensive rebounds. It was a blood bath with bodies hitting the floor, Wizard's D turned it up a notch, Reggie mauled Blatch for a bloodied nose, and Sonny got a bloody cut lip. Yes, blood was spilled as there was one shot of Blatche's pool of blood on the court. I told you Reggie is in actuality a beast.

They tried iso with Hedo way too much and once again stopped going to Bargnani who was a major reason for their first half success. They seem to do that a lot and go away from what works. They seemed to completely forget he was on the floor. At the same time, Andray Blatche changed the game for his team and was on fire. He kept posting up, then stepped back for a jumper or fader over Bargs. Luckily the Raps countered with a very aggressive Jarret Jack who at one point ended up in the third row. He looked like he was gonna cannonball that rich kid just trying to have a good time.

Shit you might have noticed:

• Jack was very aggressive especially in the fourth quarter where he took the game and put it on his shoulders. He ran  early on drive and kick or drive and dump off underneath. He directed the team well and slash towards the basket for many free throws and lay ins. In the absence of CB4, this is a perfect example of stepping up.

• In the first half Bargs had that assertiveness back. Or were his teammates looking for him more? A bit of both I think since the obvious strategy was to get him the ball early and get it to him often. Unfortunately his team forgot he was the floor in the 2nd. What's Italian for "gimme the frick'n ball!!" He scored 16 points in the first half and got zero looks in the third. Not discouraged, Bargnani stepped up defensively with several key blocks. His key blocks helped fuel the Raps down the stretch. Forza Il Mago!

• Hedo had is mask on, had his mask off but Hedo provided enough offense to make himself look useful. He also provided a key post up deuce and a offensive board at the end of the game. 2 good games in a row for him, good job. We need 18 a game from him though me thinks, as that's roughly the per game average he showed at the end of the season with the Magic. I don't think it's too much to ask for and I know he's capable of it. Only time will tell.

• Antoine Wright helped neutralize Howard a bit when Hedo took a foul too many in the first. He was also locked in from the arch. On another team he could be starting but the team is right, they have to get the young rookie some playing time. Having Antoine in your back pocket to pull out there when you need is like carrying an unloaded handgun. If things aren't going right you take it out, wave it around a bit and your enemies usually yield. That's what happened tonight. Too bad for the Wizards they took that too literally.

• Colangelo answered a fan's question, stating that he thinks the Raptors have one of the deepest teams in the league.It was easy for him to make a formula for building this team. Basically he did the opposite of what he did the season before where he got Jermaine and plugged in the lineup with pieces of garbage like Will Soloman and Roko Ukic.

• I found it hilarious one point in the fourth where the whistle was blown on a Hedo out of bounds, Bargs hits a three after like 5 or 6 seconds of the blown whistle and the crowd was still dumb enough to think it counted.I thought NBA basketball had been in this city long enough for the fans in general to know the rules. Actually it's kind of embarrassing.

It's haircut/grooming day down at the ACC apparently. Hedo looks like he shortened his hair back to the faux-hawk he usually has and is sporting his so-called Zorro styled mask. Jose looks like he got a trim too  however, I would suggest some Rogane. I shouldn't make fun of Jose, male pattern baldness is no joke.

I could barely recognize Mike Miller who got himself a men's haircut. If i didn't already know Fabricio Oberto had a long hairdo, I woulda thought he stole Mike Miller's hair and made himself wig. Mike was all over the court though, sneaking in and grabbing the types of offensive boards that had fans tearing their hair out at the roots. That being any type of offensive rebounds that the Raps seems to give up more often than not.

Funny moment: Towards the end they showed a shot of Jarrett Jack trying to explain some plays to Hedo. Hedo looked like he was art student freshman sitting in on a fourth year physics course. However, Hedo scored immediately afterward. I guess looks can be deceiving.


-Does anyone know why Mike Miller wears a one-sleeved shirt under his jersey a la tarzan or andre the giant?


-Gotta love how the ref reversed his called when the Wizards complained. Made me wonder what he was gonna do next, get the team some coffees? Shine their shoes? I guess he had to be scared. I mean they are packing heat. 

-Non-Obvious guys I wouldn't mind the Raptors having:
Earl Boykins who seemed to be giving Jose issues on both ends. He's quick, deceptive, and has is usually locked in on his jumpers.

that is all

Boshless in New Jersey... Rash Nest of fury

So the Raptors roll into the big swamp without the services of their ace, Christopher "the Animal" Bosh. So someone needed to step up on both ends of the court. It's like a car missing it's steering wheel, or missing 2 pistons in the engine. Luckily they had an ace up their sleeve in Rashman and the whole team turned it up a notch to compensate. Especially considering that they were facing former Raptor, The Humpty Hump. Nah, I am just kidding but in all seriousness I miss having the services of Kris Humphries. I always thought he could have provided a lot more if given more steady minutes. He has a good jumper, decent footwork, and hustles more than most Raps did last season. The only knock on him was he took a few jumpers you wouldn't want to see but how do you expect a young player to develop his game without taking some shots. I wouldn't be opposed to the Raptors re-acquiring him.

Hedo Turkoglu bounced back well and it really was a good opportunity for him as he would be getting more shots with Chris out of the lineup. After his horrible 1 pt performace, Hedo came back with 14 pts, 6 boards and 6 assists. It's the type of performance that you want from him on a more consistent basis and here's hoping he strings together a few more games like this so he can get back into the flow. One thing I did notice tonight is that he had a more serious demeanor out on the floor, not smiling at everything and he seemed more focused on the court than I have seen. Even more so than that season best performance he had against the Knicks. It was against the Nets but it's a good building block for him.

• Rasho showed what he's made out of. He's a classic styled centre that you don't see much anymore. He relies on his clean, smooth jumper and has a variety of moves in the post. He possesses a good hook, and good instincts which I suspect comes from his years of veteran experience. As bad as he's looked sometimes this season, he's shown us what he can provide given solid minutes. He's making Colangelo look like a genius. Or... more of a genius than he already did.

• Bargs only had 13 points. I expected a lot more points out of this guy tonight but Bargnani played within the confines of the team's gameplan and the flow of the game. The rest of the team was scoring and didn't need him to score 20 in order to win. He had a good shooting percentage and played well on the defensive end. That being said, he seems to have cooled off and needs to step it up. There's something missing in his game. Perhaps it's aggressiveness, more likely assertiveness. He needs to impose his will on the offensive end like we've become used to seeing. It's almost like he's mentally tired.  He needs to pick up his britches and find some way to spark his game. Another factor that I might not be considering... at least for this game, is the dynamic that he and Bosh have together when they're both on the floor. The operating space that they create for each other was obviously not there.

• Turkoglu, like I said looked really focused. He didn't toss up too many ill-advised shots, ran off screens well, tried his post up game and took what the game gave him. People may say I have been too harsh on him and too harsh last game since he had some family issues. I did not know about his issues till after I blogged but I still think it was fair since he has been off his game the entire season. He needs to concentrate on himself, instead of pouting about him not getting "Ball". This game was a good example of what he can do. Let's see some more of this and hope it's not another case of a blind squirrel finding his acorn. He is a highly skilled forward but in my opinion he hasn't shown the mental toughness or the assertiveness he's capable of. I for one pray he brings it together down the stretch of this season. Will he be Dr. Turko, or Mr. Hide?

• Double J and Mr. Jose. Jarrett more than made up for his off game against the Griz. He ran the offense well and didn't embarrass himself at all. He pushed the ball well and found his teammates. On the defensive end he looked like he was more awake than previous.  Jose came off the bench and sparked a 7-0 run. He really is the sparkplug off the bench and is exactly what we need from a 6th man. His shot was on which is very good to see for Raptors fans cause we know the type of damage he can do when he's nailing those shots off screen and rolls and off curls.

• Demar stepped it up a bit and played the type of aggressive game that he needs to play. He attacked the basket and got a good variety of dunks and more importantly, put-backs. He seems to have the skills and just needs to develop naturally as wings of his types do. Hopefully he develops into a top tier player. He seems to be getting more comfortable as the season goes along and that can only mean good things for this up and coming team.

• Swamp monsters. To be fair to the Nets, this team was as much won by the Raptors as it was lost by them as they were playing their usual NJ Nets style basketball. They don't have the talent to compete but at the same time, also don't have the confidence and all the other little things that make a good cohesive unit. They've lost too many games and even if they did have the talent, they certainly don't have the will anymore. The cupboards aren't totally bare in NJ though as they have some quality players. Obviously Devin Harris, Brook Lopez, and Yi Lian Jian are the bright pieces they have but Yi hasn't played to his ability and to his potential. 

• If the last Raptor loss could be blamed on the absence of Turk's game, then this NJ loss can be at least partially blamed on Yi's brick show. In fairness to him he still played well defensively at least from a numbers standpoint. Perhaps he needs a change of scenario much like most of these Nets. I suggest he enlists to services of a good big-man coach much like the way Patrick Ewing is for Dwight Howard. In fact, I would suggest that for Bargnani too. So far he's been an embarrassment to his Chinese people but he's got the tools to turn it around and I hoping to see more from this guy.

I just got HDTV thanks to my cousin Julie and I absolutely love watching the Raptors on HD. It makes a world of a difference. Of course when my favourite team wins, it certainly doesn't hurt. Tonight, they face a Wizards team that I don't know. I don't even know who they have on the team anymore, seriously. I am going to have to look up their roster cause they have pillaged this team worse than the Nets did. No Jamison, no Butler, and thanks to his gunshow, no Agent Zero... now just Plain Zero, (thank you Arnie!). What I worry about is that it is a second end of a ROAD back-to-back. This is a game Andrea should be able to dominate but we shall see.

The Good, the Bad, and the Turkoglu

The Good: Bosh and Jose

The Bad: Bargs

The Turkoglu: Hidayet "the idiot" Turkoglu

The Raptors welcomed the Memphis Uglies tonight who are coming in on the 2nd half of a back to back as they just lost the night before while the Raps have had some more time to rest and practice. This should have been an advantage but typical Raptor fashion, they come out flat. The Raps were a team that looked like they were half asleep in the first quarter. They were hesitant, made bad choices on the offensive end, and almost seemed like they were forcing shots up. The Raps were a lot better in the second quarter and made a game of it but alas, with 37 seconds to go they somehow blow a 5 point lead and get reamed in overtime. Oh, and Turkoglu reeked. If there is some definition of a player who tanks, and plays like shit after signing a big contract, I hope there is a picture of Turkoglu beside it cause whoever reads that definition wouldn't need to read the text. They'd just look at his face and instantly understand the concept.

Turk's Line: 1 pt, 3 turnovers, 2 asst, 3 fouls, 27 mins.

Insults I'd like to sling at Turk:

How's it feel like to be a walking joke?

Maybe you should skip the mask and go straight for a bag over your head.

You're human garbage, actually I'm not entirely sure you're human.

I would like a refund, here is the receipt for a $53 million dollar player. Reason for return: goods not received.

Turkoglu was back to his low standards, turning the ball over, and throwing up bricks with reckless abandon. I know he has had a few good games here and there but like my buddy Steve says, even a blind squirrel finds an acorn eventually. I guess tonight, his acorn was the 1 point he managed to get. How the heck are you a $53 million player who manages to score 1 point in 27 mins of play? I think recruiting one fat dude out of the crowd per game could get you that amount of production and it'd be service that's free of charge. In the fourth quarter, I was praying that they kept Turkoglu out of the game. He snaked in there after Antoine took a Rudy Gay elbow to the face. So I was actually yelling at my TV for Triano to take him out. For the benefit of everyone involved, please trade his ass. He's like a black hole on the court. I blame the loss on his wasted time on the court, his wasted possessions, and the oxygen he wastes that keeps him alive.

It wasn't all bad:
Jose Calderon acted like the spark plug off the bench that the team needs him to be. He and Amir were their usual selves scoring and pushing the ball up the floor. It's like Jose provides a sort of offensive creativity and unpredictability that the other team can't handle. His quick crisp passes swing the ball to the weak side so quickly, it's hard to adjust to and that's what we need more out of Jack. Jack seemed a bit hesitant. The bench seem full of energy and really contrasted the slow stagnant offense of the starters. Teams still seem to be underestimating Sonny as they keep sleeping on him. He does a good job coming off screens and possesses a good smooth jump shot.

The MVP:
Christopher was a beast as usual. Scoring the majority of the team's points. And without the secondary scoring that is usually provided by Bargs, Chris was doing it with more double teams in his face than usually cause they know they can back off the other B. He's proving to me that he's the greatest Raptor of all time. I wasn't sure before... but he's taken his game to another level, to another stratosphere...

The Animal:
Reggie played his second game and he played well. What I worry about is that he becomes some kind of sideshow that is used almost completely out of sequence and off of the flow of the team's game. I don't think they should run too much offensive through him but so far he has done nothing but good when he gets his hands on the ball. However, I suspect he'll look more in tune with the team when he gets some more games under his belt. Maybe I am wrong but I see Reggie more like a Rodman type player who clearly excels at defense and rebounding but not an option on the offense whatsoever.

The Italian Big-Man:
Let's not kid ourselves, Bargs was off tonight. He had 10 boards but he was shaky on defense. He left his man open several times, just long enough for the Raptor's defense to get exposed. He was like the first domino that leads to the Griz knocking down the Raptor's defense. Another indication is his shooting %. It's not good and he kept jacking up those threes. He had a few decent stretches, had a few blocks but he didn't have a complete game by anyone's standard. He has a game like this every once in a while this season and I am hoping he bounces back like he usually has. I chalk it up to him being rusty from the break. He needs to practice that 3 pointer more... not much arc on it and it's lookin really flat.

The Naismith Cup recipients:
The Griz came in with a game plan and have to be given credit. They leaned on their all star,Randolph who had his way with the Raptor's D. Not to mention the hustle and hardnosed play of Pau...*cough cough* I mean Marc Gasol. I wonder what it was like in the Gasol household growing up. I imagine a lot of broken furniture and windows. I just picture these two huge 7 foot guys trying to squeeze into a tiny house in Spain. Almost like carrying around a ladder and swinging it around with no regard for your surroundings. Another Griz that torched them was Rudy. He was making his way into the lane and into the paint more often than any opposing coach would like to see but then again it is Rudy Gay and he has to be considered a star player.

Oh well, onto the next game I guess. Didn't expect this game to be easy but I also didn't expect the Raptors to lay a big stinky rotten egg for this one. I am tired of saying it, but the Turkoglu idea was bad. Said it when they did it, and been saying it since. I am guessing I will say it till his 5 year contract is up. Where's Rob Babcock when you need him?

The Bosh Identity

So I have adjust the look of the Samsquanch to give it more or a Raptor/Canadian look. I am not sure I am going to stick with it permanently since I found the blue a bit easier on the eyes for readers. If you guys have a preference either way, let me know. I will be covering the All Star festivities as well as the Olympics since they're being held in my home country which I love and hold so dear. GO CANADA. Screw the other countries and bring the Gold home!

On the Raptors side of things, there's been this talk down south about Bosh leaving and that Bryan should trade him. I didn't want to touch on this since everyone knows what the deal is with what Chris has been saying and what the Raptor's stance is on the topic. However, I will say that what Bryan is doing right now is the correct move. You don't find a Chris Bosh type players under rocks, nor are you likely to find them during the draft, or through trades. Chris Bosh is an elite type of player. If you're a hockey fan it's an easy analogy, he's like a Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, or an Alex Ovechkin to the sport of Basketball. Like those hockey players, he scores a ton night in and night out. Also like those elite hockey players, Chris is at the top of his position. He's one of the best, if not THE best power forward in the league. I would like to give a message out to other teams and their fans, Go get your Lebron, go get your Wade and leave Bosh alone. You're NOT welcome.

The Teams options are:

• You trade him now and pray to god one of the players you get back is half the player Bosh is, or one of the picks you might get in the trade eventually, in a few years from now can remotely be as good as Chris. A horrible scenario that is full of risk. It's like gambling with the team's future with a few lousy chips. Plus you're season is gonna be in the poop-chute cause you just lost your best scorer, rebounder and leader.

•  You sit and wait till summer when he whispers in Bryan's ears what he wants for himself. 

         
A. Chris wants to leave. You do a sign and trade for him to maximize Chris's salary and bring back something in return in the form of players and/or draft picks. You still got Chris till the end of this season and see how far you can take the team in the playoffs. You can basically hold other teams ransom unless Chris narrows his list of teams down to like 3. Worst case scenario, you get some picks and players that you can use to build around Andrea.

B. Chris stays and you give him as much money as possible so he's financially satisfied and his conscience doesn't keep him up at night thinking... could I have gotten more? This scenario is the one the Raptors would obviously like. This is the scenario where the prize makes the risk acceptable. The Raptors get to keep an elite level player and he continues to play on the team and the system built around him.

Chris's Options:

• Leave town and join another NBA team. Now in this scenario Chris would most likely want to go to an established team that is on the brink of a championship. Chris mentioned in Dallas yesterday that being the main face of a franchise is important to him and that he deserves to be built around with other players brought in to suit his game and to build on to a winning platform. But when you're leaving a team that is already doing that, it would make no sense to go to one that is worse off, and isn't already full of star players. So more or less, he'd be stupid not to go to a team with Lebron, Wade, or Kobe or some other top tier team. The goal here is a championship but Chris will no longer be the star, can not demand the ball any time he wants, his numbers and minutes would most likely shrink, the offense would not be built around him. Simply, he will not be the bright little center that the world shine around. This can NOT be underestimated. Also, a championship can not be guaranteed.

• Remain a Raptor. He would still get his gazillion dollars. Get max cash here that the cap will allow him to sleep on a mattress of $100 bills, and sleep without his conscience questioning whether or not he got the most out of his deal. Money wasn't the issue since he's gonna get his money no matter what. He's already a perennial all-star. This team is his, this franchise is his and it has been built around him. This is with no doubt in anyone's mind, HIS team.  

He's got a frontcourt partner that provides space for him to operate, two point guards that he's very good friends with and that can get him the ball where he wants it. He's got two up and coming young guns in DeRozan and Weems. Amir, a competent backup for him that will allow him to rest when he needs to so he doesn't blow out his knees playing 40 minutes a night. A decent second unit that he can count and and not worry cause the team is too pathetic to hold a lead without him. More importantly, he's got a coach he respects and who allows him the freedom to openly provide feedback and allow him to operate any way he wants. Wanna ISO down on the right block, go ahead. Wanna run screen and roll with Jarrett Jack and slip in to the paint for a post up? Go for it! Wanna shoot a three pointer? You're Chris Bosh, who's going to say no to you on Toronto? Wanna spot up on the corners and just hit jumpers? Be my guest.

He has roots in the community, a large market which includes most of Canada. Toronto is not a small market despite what our neighbours in the South might tell you. All I keep hearing is that Bosh wants to go to a bigger market. Why? So he can turn into some nobody schmo? Endorsements hinge more upon playoff success and individual success, not as much on the city that the team is in. If the Raptors make a deep playoff run and Chris ends up getting some individual recognition for it then more endorsements will likely come.

A lot of Americans have this view of Canada and Toronto as a second tier place and that it is too cold. Most of those statements come from people who have never been to Canada or Toronto. They think we live in igloos and eat whale blubber. Although there's nothing wrong with that, the majority of our climate and lifestyle in general is as close to the USA as you can get. Now that's not necessarily what Canadians would tell you but it's not the culture shock they'd want you to believe. NY city is just as cold as Toronto, it snows there too, it snows in Colorado, New Jersey, etc. but yet nobody mentions that. It's cold and snowy in many NBA cities. Basing a choice like this on climate would be childish and moronic. NBA players play in whatever city they want to play in, then go lay on the beach of whatever beach they want to lay on in the off season anyways.The fact is, Toronto is a first class international hub that is full of opportunities for a man with an entire sports franchise, an entire city, and most of a whole nation at the palm of his hand. If he were to join the Knicks for example, he'd just be another bean in a pork and beans can of sport athletes from the Yankees, Jets, Giants, Rangers etc etc. Chris Bosh is the biggest name in Sports in the GTA, in this province. Name me a bigger star.

Let's look at other players that thought they'd have greener pastures down south:

 

• Damon Stoudamire. Became an afterthought the minute he put on a Blazers jersey. To be fair to him he left cause Isiah left and Isiah is an idiot and not exactly someone you want to take career advice from. However, a person is responsible for his own actions and in the end he became that bean in that can full of beans in Portland. He wasn't the star anymore and his potential and stardom came to an end. You know that movie Kingpin, where they explain what a person is who has the entire world in the palm of his hands and he just blows it. The term used was the name of Woody Harrelson's character, Roy Munson. And Damon definitely turned out to be a Munson. 

• Vincezo. Left and went to NJ. New Jersey ok? It's the laughing stock of it's own country. He had a few decent years but again with Kidd, and Jefferson there he was another bean in the Pork and Beans can. He was an absolute Superstar here in Toronto. He was like royalty with Shania, (if i correctly recollect) that sang his name into our national anthem. He was once mentioned in a trade that would have brought Kobe to Toronto, he was that well thought of. Instead, he turned into a selfish whiny little brat that even the Nets fans couldn't stand. He never got past the second round in New Jersey and is now the bane of the Magic Fan's existence. He has showed some life but if he woulda stayed here he woulda stayed "The Man". Now he's just a shadow of the man he once was.

• Tracy McGrady. Went to Orlando, had a few decent years scoring. Never did a damn thing in the playoffs. Known as a ball hog and selfish A-hole. I don't know if that's true since I obviously don't personally know him but when your current team doesn't want anything to do with you it kind of fuels that perception. The only time his name has been mentioned lately is when a trade scenario has him going to a team that wants salary cap space at the end of this season. In other words, Tracy you're this year's Keith Van Horn. A space filler, a door stop, the Styrofoam that gets tossed in the trash when you've collected what you wanted from the contents of a Xmas present. Imagine what you could have done in Toronto if you stayed with your moronic second cousin Vincenzo. I wouldn't be surprised if they're actually blood related with the stupidity they've displayed.

So yeah, Bryan... stay the course big guy. You're doing the right thing and I as a Raptor fan support your decision as I am sure many other Raptor fans do as well. You just don't find players like Bosh very often, and when you do, you do whatever it takes to keep them around. Even selling your first born child. So will the Bosh Identity turn into the Bosh Supremacy or Agent Cody Banks? Tune in this summer to find out.