Past
Archives
Raptors Finalize
Roster
The Toronto Raptors placed Dell
Curry, Mamadou N'diaye and
Michael Stewart on the injured
list Monday to reach their roster limit of 12 active players.
Link: tsnmax.ca
Injury Report
Dell Curry:
Hamstring (10/29)
Mamadou N'diaye: Back (10/29)
Michael Stewart: Knee (10/29)
Jerome Williams: Ankle (11/1)
Link: sportingnews.com
Raptors Makes a
Deal
The Raptors sent Brian Skinner to Cleveland. The Cavaliers
sent Chris Gatling to Miami. The Heat sent Don MacLean and cash to
Toronto, and Ricky Davis to Cleveland. The three teams all wanted
something very different, and they all got what they wanted out of
the trade.
Link: realgm.com
SportingNews - Top
25 Centers
9. Hakeem Olajuwon, Raptors
The lowdown: Fresh start in Toronto could mean big things for
The Dream this season, but only if he stays healthy. When he's on,
Olajuwon can still be a productive offensive and defensive force.
When he's not, you realize he is nearly 40.
Stat fact (2000-01 season): Olajuwon scored 10 points or more
39 times and grabbed 10 rebounds or more 14 times. He led the
Rockets in rebounding in 19 games.
Link: sportingnews.com
More Krause Fans
The Davises (Antonio &
Kendra Davis), forced to put up with a $64 million pact with the
Raptors, apparently have not gotten over the disappointment. Krause
was in Toronto for the Bulls-Raptors game on Tuesday when Kendra
saw Krause in the hallway outside the Bulls' locker room after the
game. She walked up to him, shook his hand and with a big, fake
smile on her face said, "Nice to see you, Jerry. Good luck this
season." Then, while beginning to walk away, Kendra Davis
called out for the assembled masses to hear, "You'll need
it, you fat (alliterate expletive.)"
Link: chron.com
SportingNews - Top 25
Power Forwards
10. Antonio Davis, Raptors
The lowdown: With the arrival of Hakeem
Olajuwon, AD returns
to his old power forward spot. Davis is a handful in the lane,
especially when he is working the glass. A solid jumper rounds out
Davis' offensive game.
Stat fact (2000-01 season): Davis ranked ninth in the NBA in
rebounds (10.1 a game), 13th in blocks (1.94) and was fifth in the
league in offensive rebounds (274).
Link: sportingnews.com
Top 10 Open-Floor
Players Not Named Jordan
3. Vince Carter, Toronto Raptors:
Carter is a fabulous scorer and shooter. But he doesn't have the
floor skills of Jordan, Bryant or McGrady. They are improving, as is
his defense under the prodding of coach Lenny Wilkens. He did well
in the playoffs last season, so we'll see if he's on a continuous
path to greatness or has topped out.
Link: sportsline.com
Sean Colson - Gone
The Raptors today released free-agent guard Sean Colson. Colson
played in one preseason game with Toronto recording two points and
one assist in 14 minutes. The roster stands at 17 players.
Link: nba.com
Nuggets Looking to
Break the Deal
From Bskball.com:
The Nuggets appear to be close to a deal that would send Voshon
Leonard to the Raptors for Brian Skinner
and a toss in salary. Late yesterday word broke, the Nuggets might
have also offered Leonard to the Warriors for Adonal Foyle. The
Nuggets had been mentioned having interest in Keon
Clark from Toronto, but both the Raptors and Clark say its
not a likely deal. Clark went on to suggest he'd have problems
playing in Denver, saying they had their chance with him.
Link: bskball.com
Raptors, Nuggets
Talking Trade
Both teams are talking about possible deal. Nuggets might want
to reacquire Keon Clark, whom the
Nuggets sent to the Raptors last January as part of a six-player
deal. But the Raptors like Clark's potential. They are thought to be
interested in sending power forward Brian
Skinner and/or center Eric
Montross instead.
Link: thestar.com
ESPN Team Spotlight
- Toronto Raptors
The Good: Carter could be
the league's top player -- a Michael Jordan type, if you don't mind
the comparison.
The Bad: There's also a worry in the backcourt because
someone needs to spread the defense out other than Carter.
Link: espn.com
Raptors Exhibiting
a Big Limp
The Raptors have gone from injury-free to injury-prone during the
past 36 hours. Guard Dell Curry,
guard Chris Childs, forward Jerome
(Junk Yard Dog) Williams and guard Carlos Arroyo are
suffering from various ailments as the Raptors prepare to take on
the Minnesota Timberwolves in an NBA pre-season game tonight at the
Air Canada Centre.
Link: canoe.ca
Hakeem Olajuwon
Slow to Get Into Shape
Hakeem Olajuwon, 39, is having
trouble catching his wind. "On a scale of one to 10, right now
I'm a six condition-wise," Olajuwon said. "The more I run,
the better I'll be. Your body goes through fatigue, you recover and
you want to run more. That's where I want to be."
Link: canoe.ca
Keon - A Possible
Fit at the 3 Spot?
Wilkens experimented with the 6-foot-11 Clark,
rotating him into the centre, power forward and small forward
positions. "I like the three (small forward) spot," Clark
said.
Link: canoe.ca
Ex-Raptor McGrady
Talking Trash
"We should win 60 games," predicted McGrady.
"Grant (Hill) is back. I'm better than I was last year and so
is Mike Miller. We've got an inside game now. We should be
considered the favorites." McGrady also went so far as to
proclaim himself the best player in the league other than Shaquille
O'Neal.
Link: jsonline.com
NBA Offseason
Report Card
Toronto Raptors (47-35)
Grade: A
This was an offseason that promised to be the most important in
franchise history. General manager Glen Grunwald not only had free
agents Antonio Davis, Jerome Williams and
Alvin Williams to deal
with, there was also the decision of Vince Carter to extend his deal
now or be a free agent next summer. Grunwald turned it into a royal
flush by signing all of them and adding Hakeem Olajuwon to start at
center after letting Charles Oakley go. Top draft choice Michael
Bradley can score inside, too. They could use help at point guard,
but this was an offseason nobody in Toronto will ever forget.
Link: sportsline.com
SportingNews - Top
25 Shooting Guards
3. Vince Carter, Raptors
The lowdown: The Vinsanity just keeps getting better. The
move to shooting guard didn't faze Carter, who has rounded out his
game with strong perimeter skills. Beyond the glitz and dazzle of
his dunks, Carter is just plain scary good.
Stat fact (2000-01 season): He tallied 30 points or more in
30 games (a club record), was fifth in the NBA in scoring (27.6
points), 17th in 3-point percentage (.408) and 16th in minutes
played (39.7 minutes a game).
Link: sportingnews.com
Vince Welcomes
Jordan's Praise
"Anything that comes from (Jordan) is an honour," Carter
said yesterday as the Raptors ended training camp. "I've always
said that it's unfair to compare me to anyone because I'm still
young, but obviously it's everyone's goal to accomplish the things
Jordan has done in this game."
Link: canoe.ca
Yogi Still Hurting
The mystery that is Michael (Yogi)
Stewart has taken a turn for the worse. Not that Stewart
loomed as a key piece in the Raptors' potential
championship-contending puzzle, but he admitted yesterday that his
troublesome left knee has given him more cause for concern.
Link: canoe.ca
NBA Power
Rankings: Training camp edition
7. Raptors - They move up because: Hakeem ain't
30 anymore, but he makes a big difference. Camp question: How
much better will Antonio Davis be at PF?
Link: espn.go.com
Skinner the Odd Man Out?
Raptors forwards. There is a logjam behind starting power
forward Antonio Davis -- Jerome
Williams, Brian Skinner,
Michael
Bradley and Keon Clark. The bet: Williams will get the bulk of the
reserve minutes, and Clark will be trade bait. Skinner may be the
odd man out.
Link: sportingnews.com
NBA 2K2 News
Sega has announced that recently un-retired Michael Jordan
will be featured in its upcoming basketball game NBA 2K2. However,
project manager at Sega Sports Robert Jones said that Jordan's
jumping ability will be toned down to more realistic levels, and the
dunk-master of the game will be Vince
Carter of Toronto Raptor.
Link: consolewire.com
Williams Won't Be Coming to Toronto
Shammond Williams, who played with Raptors' franchise player Vince
Carter at the University of North Carolina and appeared in
Carter's charity game in Toronto back in August, yesterday re-signed
with the Seattle SuperSonics.
Link: canoe.ca
Deals Not in Cards
The Raptors are not planning to extend the contracts of Keon
Clark and Brian Skinner
this fall. Both players -- but Clark in particular -- still feature
prominently in the Raptors' plans. However, Clark and Skinner have
plenty to prove before they get rewarded with the security of
long-term pacts.
Link: canoe.ca
Montross Being Offered to NYK For
Medical Exception
This was taken from ESPN Insider:
The Knicks have been inundated with calls from
teams trying to unload a player for the exception, a league source
told Insider. With the free-agent market thin, the Knicks have
received dozens of trade offers from teams trying to dump a
long-term deal. Of the names being dangled in front of the Knicks,
none seem too appealing. They include Raptors center Eric
Montross, Nets forwards Jamie Feick and Aaron Williams, Bucks
center Joel Przybilla, Hawks forward Chris Crawford and Wizards
shooter Hubert Davis.
Clark Impresses at Camp Raptors
One of the most impressive performers
thus far in practices has been Keon
Clark, almost a forgotten man with all the offseason moves
of the club. His athletic ability and overall basketball skills were
on display for all to see in camp and none were impressed more than Olajuwon,
a 12-time All-Star.
Link: nba.com
Loose, But Intense First Practice For
Raptors
This practice session was noteworthy
for another reason in that it marked the first time that Hakeem
Olajuwon participated in an NBA practice wearing a uniform other
than that of the Houston Rockets. The best description of the
opening of formal workouts came from the man who is now in his
fourth Raptors training camp, the most of any player on the roster,
point guard Alvin Williams.
"Right now we're just getting adjusted to it. I think it was a
pretty good practice, it was loose but really intense."
Link: nba.com
Raptors Announce Training Camp Rosters
The Toronto Raptors announced their 2001 training camp roster
Friday. The Raptors invited 18 players to camp, 15 of those under
contract. Newcomers Hakeem Olajuwon,
Michael Bradley and Brian
Skinner, along with camp invitees Carlos
Arroyo, Sean Colson
and Mark Davis will join last years roster that won a franchise-high
47 games. Training camp commences Sunday, September 30 at Erie
Community College in Buffalo.
Link: nba.com
Best and Worst Of The Off-Season
BEST OFF-SEASON MOVE Michael
Jordan signing Michael Jordan. Or Toronto signing Vince Carter to a
multiyear deal. Either way, they both involve North Carolina
skywalkers. Jordan makes the Wizards formidable and worthy of
watching, if not a playoff team. And who can
gauge what Glen Grunwald, the Raptors' general manager, accomplished
when he convinced Carter to remain essentially the face of Canadian
basketball?
FRANCHISES ON THE RISE You cannot discount
Milwaukee and Toronto. They kept their teams together and they're
only going to get better as their All-Stars approach their primes.
Link: NYtimes.com
Raptors to Host European Replacement
Game
The Toronto Raptors announced Friday they will
play host to the Minnesota Timberwolves on Thursday, October 11 at 7
p.m. at Air Canada Centre in a special game to replace a canceled
meeting between the two teams in Germany.
Jordan's Most Wanted List
Vince Carter,
Toronto Raptors: Vince might be returning to a Carolina
correspondence school for a post-graduate degree. If that step-back
jumper is on, Carter should do well against Jordan's defense. But
his getting-smoked-on-defense breaks will be exposed when Mike has
the ball. It doesn't hurt that taking away Jordan's cushion invites
a rim trip interrupted by senior tourist Hakeem
Olajuwon and nasty Antonio Davis.
Winner: Jordan by split decision.
Link: FOXSports.com
Sporting News - NBA's Top Point
Guards
5. Alvin
Williams, Raptors. Like Daniels, he stepped up his
play in the playoffs. The Raptors are primed for a run to the Finals
and Williams will have to provide steadiness and leadership in
addition to his strong perimeter game.
Link: sportingnews.com
Jazz Offering Stevenson for Clark
& Peterson
ESPN.com reported that Utah Jazz have
apparently been shopping out DeShawn Stevenson, looking to
cash in his potential for some proven abilities. The team is rumored
to have offered him and Quincy Lewis to several teams
including the Portland Trailblazers for Bonzi Wells, to Memphis for
Michael Dickerson, Minnesota for Wally Szczerbiak, and to Toronto
for Keon Clark and Morris
Peterson.
Vince Switches Agent
The Raptors star has trimmed Merle
Scott from his management team, just weeks after the sports
agent helped negotiate a six-year, $94 million contract extension
that will keep him in Toronto until he is 31 years old. According to
two sources, IMG's Mark Steinberg, who manages the portfolio
of golfing superstar Tiger Woods, will take over as point man
for Carter.
Link: waymoresports.thestar.com
Overseas Exhibition Games Cancelled
Association finally confirmed the
inevitable - the cancellation of all six NBA exhibition games
scheduled outside of the United States and Canada because of the
terrorist attacks last week.
Link: globeandmail.com
Raptors, Wolves to Meet in Europe
The
Toronto Raptors and Minnesota Timberwolves will play a preseason
game in Cologne, Germany, on Saturday, Oct. 13, as part of the NBA
Europe Games 2001. On Oct. 11, the Raptors will face a German team
in Cologne and the Timberwolves will meet an Italian team in Pesaro,
Italy.
Link: nba.com
Clark, Curry
for Wells?
According to insidehoops.com,
the Raptors are talking about trading Keon Clark and possibly
Dell Curry
to the Trail Blazers for Bonzi Wells. Also, if the Raptors can
manage to unload Tracy Murray, preferably for draft picks, they
would then buy out Yogi Stewart's contract and do their best to sign
free agent guard Shammond Williams. "
Link: insidehoops.com
Sporting News - Top Fantasy Forwards
Both Antonio Davis & Morris
Peterson made the list.
22. Antonio Davis, Raptors, PF:
With Hakeem Olajuwon manning the middle, he can play his natural
position. He should still have many double-doubles.
32. Morris Peterson, Raptors, SF:
His 3-point shooting is his main strength, and that could
amplify his value this season.
Link: sportingnews.com
Raptors NBA TV Hits The Airwaves
With the flick of a switch, the
Raptors own television channel, Raptors NBA TV, hit the airwaves at 6
p.m. (ET) on Friday. Raptors NBA TV will offer in-depth coverage of
everything happening in the world of the Toronto Raptors and the
NBA, from a Canadian perspective.
Link: raptors.com
Today's Top Sharpshooters
This is a interesting column writing
by Mike Kahn. Vince Carter was ranked #3 on his list. "Carter
proved during the playoffs last season that he's ready to take the
next step, too, single-handedly winning some games for the Raptors.
There apparently is no concern over what was termed as
"jumper's knee" last season, but whether it's tendinitis
or something else remains in question." Also Dell Curry's name
was mentioned as well.
Link: sportsline.com
Dream a Reality for Raps
Olajuwon
was acquired from the Rockets last Wednesday in return for Toronto's
first- and second-round (via Detroit) draft picks in 2002 and their
$5-million trade exception. The move sent shock-waves around
the league and together with the re-signings of Carter (seven
years, $94 million), Antonio Davis (five years, $64 million),
Jerome Williams (six years, $41 million) and Alvin
Williams (five years, $30 million), emphatically sends the
message that Toronto is a serious basketball city.
Link: canoe.ca
Raptors Trying to Unload Little-used
Murray
Team and league sources say the
Raptors are close to finding a new home for the much-travelled Murray,
who played in Toronto during the team's first season and was
reacquired midway through last season. Murray averaged only 11.9
minutes, 5.4 points and fewer than 1.5 rebounds per game in the 38
games he played for Toronto last season. The just-turned 30-year-old
got into only two playoff games for a total of five minutes as he
lost his playing time to Dell Curry.
Link: waymoresports.thestar.com
Raptors Interested in Williams
It
is reported that Shammond Williams, who averaged 6.8 ppg, 2.8
ast, and shot a dazzling .459% behind the 3-point line with the
sonics last year, might demand at least the NBA average salary
of $4.5 million. The Sonics' offer could be much less. Teams showing
most interests are, The Toronto Raptors, Chicago Bulls, Boston
Celtics, and Houston Rockets.
Link: seattlep-i.nwsource.com
Vince Signs Extension
Vince Carter,
deciding there was no sense leaving a city where he is so
comfortable, agreed on Wednesday to a six-year contract extension
worth approximately $94 million. Carter, the leading vote-getter for
the All-Star game the last two years, said Toronto fans played a
part in his decision. He said he couldn't believe his charity
basketball game in Toronto on Friday night is a sellout.
Link: espn.go.com
Raptors Summer League Recap
Marvin Harris shares
his take on the Raps summer league play and the 4 players under
contract who were there to strut their stuff.
Link: nbacourtside.com |
