Friday, July 16, 2010
Goodbye, Hedo.
Hedo Turkoglu was now a member of the Toronto Raptors. Everything seemed swell in Raptorland. After all, Turkoglu was a major reason why the Magic made the finals in 2009, and his impressive season would only carry over to Toronto, right? The Raptors would now become a major force in the Eastern Conference. 5 years, $53M? So what? No defense and all offense? I don't care. I mean, it's Hedo Turkoglu. Hedo quickly embraced the fans, organization and city, claiming he "loved Toronto because of its diversity". We loved him, he loved us.
July 14, 2010: The best day ever.
Hedo Turkoglu was now a member of the Phoenix Suns. Hedo's annoying, don't give a damn tactics are now out of Toronto and are left for someone else to deal with. Hedo Turkgolu didn't live up to expectations at all, and actually made Raptor fans cringe every time he got the ball. Sure, we knew the mask refusing, "ball" saying, cap busting, no effort, skip game then go to club the same night Hedo, but Raptor fans unforuntetly never got to see the Hedo everyone around the NBA got to know back in his Orlando days. That Hedo never showed up. The sad thing is, he made $10M for doing absolutely nothing other then cause embarrasement and humilation to a team that wasn't in that good of shape in the first place. Blame Bryan Colangelo all you want for the terrible signing, but at the end of the day, Hedo was a big reason why the Raptors didn't make the playoffs. He didn't care. He didn't even like us. He skipped a game because of a "stomach virus", but was spotted clubbing later that night, then had the nerve to he wanted to leave the team because he got benched for the incident. What a joke. Hedo Turkoglu went from being one of the most loved athletes in the city, to the most hated in less then a year. I'm not sure what I find more funny--the fact that Hedo failed to live up to every expectation placed on him, or the fact that the Phoenix Suns are willing to take on his massive contract. Good luck, Phoenix.
Keep in mind...this is the same person who raved about Hedo one year ago. I fell immediately in love with the guy. I believed he'd make the Raptors a serious contender in the East, and fill a gaping hole in the frontcourt. It turns out, he didn't do that. He made every Raptor fan including myself, look dumb.
On that note, so long Hedo. Take your annoying tactics and get as far possible away from Candada as possible. I guess Phoenix, Arizona is far enough.
Friday, July 2, 2010
Raptors re-sign Amir Johnson
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
So long, Chris Bosh
Friday, June 25, 2010
Recapping the Raptors Draft Night
Positives
• Active big man
• Plays even bigger because of excellent length
• Motor runs very high
• Excellent rebounder on both ends of the floor
• Good shot-blocker
• Effective scorer from about 12 feet and in
Negatives
• Needs to add strength
• Needs more experience, playing limited minutes right now
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
Previewing the 2010 NBA Draft
Positives
• Explosive scorer
• Very quick
• Long arms
• Wiry strong
• Big-time vertical leap
• Terrific first step
• Good midrange shooter
• Lockdown defender
Negatives
• Undersized for his position
• Lacks NBA 3-point range on his jumper
Positives
• Long, athletic big man
• NBA body and strength
• Explosive leaper
• Excellent shot-blocker and rebounder
• Good finisher around the rim
• Has range on his jump shot out to 15 feet
• Plays physical in the paint
Negatives
• Lacks ideal size at the 4
• Needs to be in better shape
• Still very raw with his low-post moves
"The Raptors could go in a number of different directions here. With Bosh likely out the door, Hedo Turkoglu pining for a trade and the team shopping Jose Calderon, you can expect the team to look radically different next season.
Finding a center is atop GM Bryan Colangelo's list. If Bosh leaves, he'd like to move Andrea Bargnani to the 4. But of the top big men left on the board -- Orton, Whiteside and Solomon Alabi -- none of them is close to being ready.
The Raptors have been looking closely at Avery Bradley, but their inability to find a trade for either Calderon or Jarrett Jack makes taking Bradley a risk. So look for them to focus on the best big man left on the board: Patterson. He may not be a flashy player or filled with upside, but he is tough, plays hard and will be solid at the next level. At pick No. 13, that's all you can ask for. Think of him as this year's Tyler Hansbrough".
Although I wouldn't mind Patterson, my ideal draft choice would be Cole Aldrich. Considering I'm a Kansas Jayhawks fan, I had the pleasure of watching Aldrich throughout the college basketball season, and I loved what I saw. Aldrich is a 230 pound, 6'10 center who can cause havoc in the paint. Aldrich averaged 11.3 points, 9.8 rebounds, and 3.5 blocks per game in 27 minutes of play time last year. Here's his scouting report:
Positives
• Very skilled big man with soft hands
• Good basketball IQ, tough
• Solid perimeter shot
• Solid rebounder and excellent shot-blocker
• Excellent passer for a big man
• Soft touch on his jump shot
• Shooting range extends all the way to the 3-point line
• Better athlete than you think
Negatives
• Questions about his motor
• Not particularly explosive or quick
• Not great in the transition game
I love Aldrich's game for a number of reasons. For one, he's a beast down low on both offense
and defense. He nearly averaged a double double. He averaged 3.5 blocks per game, thanks to his freakish 7'4 wingspan. He's NBA ready and could be an impact, whether coming off the bench or starting. Most importantly, he's a center. Last season, Bargnani and Bosh didn't have the defensive tools to cause problems in the paint--Aldrich would certainly fill that need.
Aldrich had his second workout today at the ACC, along with West Virginia's Devin Ebanks. Bryan Colangelo hinted today that he is pursuing a second first round pick.
Thursday marks the beginning, of a very long off-season for the Toronto Raptors. Buckle up folks, this is going to be one hell of a ride.