getting a 30-year-old who’s probably happy to be back in North America doesn’t hurt. Sure worked out okay with AP, not that Solomon is going to have nearly the same responsibility but it’s something to take into account.
What’s his role?
Well, he’s going to be given a chance to compete with Roko for that backup point guard position but right now, it’s Ukic’s to lose. And I don’t presume he will, from what people tell me about his game.
I know Solomon does come with the Sam Stamp Of Approval, having met with the coach last week just to make sure they were on the same page and could co-exist.
That’s a key because one of the knocks on Solomon over in Europe was that he had a tendency to get a bit out of control, trying to do too much. I’m pretty sure Sam would have laid it out in pretty plain terms – you’re here to be a part of the team, not the dominant member of it.
How’d they find him?
Bryan was at a game in Turkey, watching Omer Asik (a second round Portland pick) when Solomon killed Tau Ceramica in the same game. Bryan kept Solomon’s name in mind and when it came time to find that combo guard, the memory of that game came flooding back.
Goes to show you, you make all these long goofy scouting trips and who knows what might come up. The guy you want, you can’t get; the guy you need falls into your lap.
Both Jack Armstrong and Leo Rautins will be returning to their roles as analysts, with the distribution of games split up a little differently with Rogers Sportsnet out of the basketball business. Armstrong will replace Rautins as the analyst on TSN, with Rautins serving as a studio analyst alongside Rod Black on the network. Armstrong will also serve as “an insider” on TSN’s SportsCentre.
Rautins, meanwhile, will continued to serve as the lead analyst on both CBC and The Score. Both men will work along side play-by-play man Matt Devlin, who was hired last month to replace Chuck Swirsky, who is leaving Toronto to become the radio voice of the Chicago Bulls.
As well, both Armstrong and Rautins will work on various roles on Raptors NBA TV, including contributing to the network’s pre- and post-game shows. There will be no games shown exclusive on Raptors NBA TV in the 2008-09 season, though, after it showed 12 games last year, with Armstrong as the lead analyst.
I don’t think they’re anywhere near a title, but I like this shakeup. O’Neal has the potential to make the Raptors front line really strong (playing alongside Chris Bosh). I think he, of course, has to healthy and he needs to show that he has something to prove. His stock has been hurt over the last couple of seasons because of injury and the fact that his team was spiraling out of control. He needs to come into training camp with Kobe-like competitiveness. That will send a message to the guys that, “hey, we aren’t as bad as the Canadian national team!”
it’s apparent that this year’s squad (as constructed) will not be taking a step up the ladder in the Eastern Conference anytime soon.
Jose Calderon is a significant upgrade at the Starting PG position over TJ Ford but other than that lone improvement the ‘quality depth’ on this roster is far below where it needs to be (and once was, at the height of the Glen Grunwald regime) in order to be considered a LEGITIMATE CONTENDER in the NBA.
Needing to upgrade their 2007-2008 roster with improved REBOUNDING & Defense the Raptors addressed neither of those primary concerns with the acquisitions they made this off-season
The Toronto Raptors will be the 2008 – 2009 Eastern Conference Champions.
My hope is this opening line won’t resonate with the fans this upcoming season. I can vouch for the team on the basis that with the acquisition of Jermaine O’ Neal this team is much improved on the inside, which means players such as Kapono should find the open shots inside and outside the paint more often.
Jamario Moon should be an improvement from last year; the guy, in my opinion, is an absolute steal. Calderon is the now the point supremo, Ukic, the Croatian coming over from Spain, is Calderon’s new backup, and Il Mago should benefit more from coming off the bench.
My hope is that with a thirteen man roster Bryan Colangelo has figured it out. We wouldn’t want to find ourselves next April wondering what if.
If the Raptors want to avoid that, perhaps a playoff victory or two down the road might actually propel fans and skeptics alike that the Raptors are a team to be reckoned with, and that Sam Mitchell can finally lay claim that his Coach of the Year award is not a fluke.
Either way that remains to be seen.
In one year, the Raptors went from 1 all-star, and a deep bench (allegedly) to 2 all-star’s and a depleted lineup. They went from a run and gun offense (again, allegedly) to a half court one. They are maxed out, and still have holes in the armour…yea, that sounds about right. Uhm…13th player? Yea, that sounds about right too. I had a sick feeling the last next move by BryCo would be grabbing someone from Europe.
I wont hold my breath that Solomon will be Moon pt. II, I just hope he is more then Martin pt. I. With scoring/defense on a wing still an issue, we get a combo guard who will be used sparingly except for when he will be holding the gatorades for Calderon as he passes them around at half time. Maybe Moon can show him and Hassan Adams where the best spots for all-day breakfast and day old bread in the city is. Am I the only one who feels like he got his nuts kicked in by BryCo for the 73rd time this off-season?
we think that our friend Jon Givony of Draft Express has an opinion worth listening to. Jon and the guys at Draft Express have actually scouted Solomon, albeit mostly on tape.
Upon hearing of the signing by the Raptors, Givony commented, “Great signing. Came highly recommended from my end. Will is an NBA talent all day long, a clear-cut rotation guy.” Givony’s only reservation is whether or not Solomon’s personality fits. According to the Toronto Star, Will and Sam Mitchell met in advance of the signing and at this point both coach and player are on the same page.
Back in February 2008, Draft Express provided this assessment of new Raptor Will Solomon on www.draftexpress.com:
So lots of questions to be answered. But there is also lots to be excited about. I was talking about these things today with Matt Devlin. I am going to be having him by for an interview very soon and he was kind enough to talk with me so we could get to know each other. He too is excited about his new role here in Toronto and like all of us hopes for good things being ahead for the Toronto Raptors in this coming season. After spending time with the Bobcats Devlin is looking forward to having a team that can win a lot of games and be a playoff team which was not in the cards for the Bobcats. What is in the cards for the Raptors this year is not known but they have added a few good cards to their hand.
The Euroleague American Tour tips off on October 10 in Orlando, Florida, when six-time Euroleague champion CSKA Moscow makes its North American debut against the Orlando Magic. CSKA’s second preseason game will take place in Toronto, Canada, when CSKA plays the Toronto Raptors on October 14.
FC Barcelona play two games as part of the Preseason Shootout, hosted by the Staples Center in Los Angeles, Calif. The 2008 NBA Western Conference champion Los Angeles Lakers will be Barcelona’s first opponent on Oct. 18, followed by the either Los Angeles Clippers or Toronto Raptors on Oct. 19. For Barcelona, founded in 1926, the games in Los Angeles will be their first played in the United States.
Toronto Raptors forward Chris Bosh said Donaghy’s sentence, for helping gamblers and betting on games he officiated, would serve as a warning against corruption.
“That was an unfortunate circumstance but I’m sure that other guys have seen it and they’re taking note to it and they won’t walk up that path,” Bosh said.
“It’s an unfortunate situation. You just have to hope that every ref should be honest in their job.”
Bosh didn’t want to rely just on the video to get him into the All-Star game. It was mostly for exposure, and to help him get closer to the likes of the bigger stars who were ahead of him, like Kevin Garnett and LeBron James.
Plus, he knew he had the personality to pull it off.
“I wanted to be in a position where I didn’t want to rely on that, because after I made it, I was like, ‘OK, now I have to play well.’ You know?” he recently told The Salt Lake Tribune. “I just don’t want to rely on that. Plus, I just wanted to make the voting competitive, because K.G. [Kevin Garnett] and LeBron [James] were hundreds of thousands – probably millions – of votes ahead. So I just wanted to make something fun.”
The feedback was wonderful, Bosh said. He knew he started something that peers would have to live up to.
It was his idea, though his girlfriend and brother helped with the filming of the video.
“Everybody was real surprised,” Bosh said, “because I guess people didn’t know I had that sense of humor.”
There’s no word yet if the Jazz’s Williams – who expressed his disappointment to the media about being snubbed from the past two All-Star games – will follow Bosh’s lead.
Will he do it again?
That’s not the question. Bosh knows he’ll try the gimmick again.
The question is: How far is he willing to go?
Will he pull off a stunt in which he jumps out of an airplane just to get a vote or two?
Will he risk his life in front of, say, an Aston Martin?
OK, that last one has already been done – by Kobe Bryant, who shot a commercial for Nike (in YouTube fashion) in which he appears to leap over the speeding car to prove that his new Hyperdunk shoes can save your life if necessary. The video had the feel of Bosh’s plea for All-Star votes.
Bosh won’t say what he’ll do next.
But he implied that it’s possibly going to be bigger and better.
“I think I’m pretty creative,” he said.
if Jermaine or Bosh gets injured there is a gaping hole at the forward positions. If Bargnani doesn’t show up like he didn’t last season, the Raptors are in huge trouble when one of the “Twin Towers” goes down.
The potential starting line up without Bosh would be Jermaine at center, Bargnani (Who proved last year that his post game, rebounding, and defence in general need a HUGE upgrade) at power forward, Kapono or Moon at the three, and Parker and Calderon as the guards.
If O’Neal is injured, Bosh or Bargnani would have to play center and that would cause match up problems as well. Plus, with one of the “Twin Towers” out, the Raptors will be forced to play small ball and become a jump shooting team, which will cause them to lose games to many of the half court teams in the NBA.
The rights to 2008 draft pick Roy Hibbert however, could hurt Toronto down the road more than the loss of Ford. Not only did they give up a promising young guard, they have let Hibbert, a rare athletic 7’2″ centre, slip through their hands. Hibbert would have been a top-three pick in the 2007 draft had he not decided to come back for a second season at Georgetown.
Let’s see, a forward-centre on the decline, or two promising young stars ready to break out? The Raptors were simply robbed. O’Neal has struggled with injuries the past two seasons spending most of them off the court. On top of that, O’Neal is not an engaged team leader and has a reputation for pouting if he doesn’t get his way.
And, I don’t need to point out the Atlantic Division hasn’t gotten any easier. In fact, other Atlantic teams have made significant improvements over the offseason.
It’s not all bad news for the Raptors. Centre Nathan Jawai will be a nice addition in the middle, and free agent pickup Hassan Adams is a proven leader on the court, even though he is inexperienced.
But the problem facing the team after the shakeup is the same one they faced last year — too much length in the front court and not enough speedy shot makers. Here’s to another season of mediocrity in Toronto.
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Sweet, I just lost Raptors TV a few months ago and was thinking about signing up in time for the season. Now I see there’s no reason to. I guess the next question is whether or not I should even bother signing up for TSN. Chris Bosh — When you see the guy being vocal, leading the team and speaking to the media you forget how young he is. Until you read his blog and you realize he’s just some kid who happens to have great basketball skills. He’s just a kid.
I’m not sure what to make of all this “fire and brimstone” attitude towards the Raptors. On the one hand, it shows people care. But on the other hand it shows people have put far too much of themselves into this team. Come on guys, this is basketball. You read about people feeling betrayed or hurt — it’s the entertainment business, people! I can understand if your wife cheats on you, or your child steals from you.. that is something to feel angry or betrayed about. Basketball — sports in general — it’s just a business. Their goal is to make money while keeping viewers entertained. Winning is in the list of priorities, but it’s never #1.
What’s the lesson here? Try not to invest too much time and money entertaining yourself, and be prepared for disappointment if you do.
Nicely said, ebrian. I agree with you completely. This is basketball, a game, entertainment.
Another point is that these are predictions — guesses. Who knows how the Raptors will perform? What we have on paper (or screen) doesn’t always equal the results on the floor.
Third point: the 2008-09 season is not the be-all-and-end-all. Sure, we’d like to see progress, but the aim is to build a yearly contender for the championship, not just to win it all next year.
I just don’t get the hype around Hibbert. I think he’s largely going to be a disappointment in this league.
I also still have this bad feeling about Devlin. But with Jack on the analyst role, I’ll have a hard time muting the television.
We’re very fortunate to have an analyst like Jack. He’s not annoying, he tells it like it is and he’s a genuine guy.
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The people who run Draft Express are the LAST individuals within the basketball community whose opinion I would trust when it comes to evaluating NBA talent correctly.
Draft Express = Hype, not accuracy.
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I admit I was reserved about Matt as well. I can not say what his future will be. But he was very great to talk with and real is happy to be working in a markey with fans that have so much passion for the franchise.
I hope fans will give him a chance he seems like a person that deserves it. Jack Armstrong said to me in a recent interview that it will take time for people to get use to Matt not being Chuck but that Matt was also very good at what he does and I value Jack’s opinion.
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busy raptor news day! thank god jack is on tsn…black and leo on the same telecast is a bit much.
i’m still confused why everyone is heralding all the scrubs bc brought in this summer. did i really miss something?
In terms of Matt Devlin, I think of replacing your car after an accident.
If you get into a car accident and your car is totaled, do you buy the exact same car back with the insurance money you get from the write-off? The answer is no. I don’t know anyone who bought the exact same car again. Whether or not you loved or hated that car doesn’t factor into your decision, except that you know you don’t want that car again. It’s not that you had anything against that car, maybe you had some great memories in that car. But once you lost it, you don’t want to replace it. You want to get a new car. A different car.
The same applies to the hiring of Matt Devlin. Either you hated Swirsky or you loved him.. but either way you don’t want another Chuck Swirsky. So far, all signs are pointing to him being the same type of guy.
I agree. Devlin is a USED CAR SALESMAN.
Spudzs last blog post..True at First Light | Ernest Hemingway
ebrian/Jeff….there are 4 levels, IMHO: barely a fan, casual fan, supporter, fanatic.
It depends where one falls in those categories as to their level of support or fanaticism. I don’t think I have ever been a fanatic in that I eat, sleep, drink Raptor ball. Heavy supporter, sure. Years ago when I felt a closer attraction to the players and style of play, yes, I would be upset at every loss. Now? Not so much, but that is bred by my contempt of management more than anything.
To me, if you are a big fan, you schedule your life around Raptor games, be they home or away. You check news sites within the first 2 or 3 sites that you check daily. You get frustrated by the lack of media coverage during Leaf season. To just let it go and not get frustrated, you have to fall into the first 2 categories.
ebrian, you speak of not investing much time or money, yet, for example, you have a draft to dispense tickets every year, and then go to a number of games. That just slightly falls into the category you say one shouldn’t be in.
jeff, I find it a challenge to look positively at a year by year growth of a roster that is at its hilt, has no money to spend, is paying a 30 year a top 5 salary for 2 years and, if he stays, I’m sure he won’t be looking for a pay decrease. You’ll also have to re-up Bosh or dump him. All this will happen during one of the most anticipated free agency offseasons in history.
I still, as always, hope for great success. I just feel like a hamster on a wheel at times.
I’m not here to judge..
Anyway, I think you have to factor relative time and money as compared to other forms of entertainment. I will spend up to $40 for a pair of seats, depending on whether my guest is paying for his/her seat or not. On average it means I’m spending about $30 to entertain myself for the next 2-3 hours. It’s not too different than watching a 90-minute movie for $15, or going out for a nice meal for $50. It’s an evening or afternoon of fun for anywhere between $20-50.
I may go to as many as 10 games in one season but I might watch 15 movies in a year. So relatively speaking, I’m not spending copious amounts of money nor time on the Raptors in particular.
I dunno, I am fairly guilty of what you’ve described about checking news sites within the first 2 or 3 sites I check daily. Altraps is the first Raptors-related site I check and it’s probably the 4th or 5th site overall. It is one of 4 sports-related news sites I read, out of maybe 30 total. I think in terms of the Leafs, I am more just frustrated at the amount of coverage the Leafs get, or hockey in general, than the lack of Raptors coverage.
If I go into a restaurant and plop down $40-50 on my meal and it’s not that good, I’m probably not going to that restaurant ever again. And that’s why I respect your decision to give up your season tickets. I may not agree that BC is running the Raptors to the ground like you believe, but at least you are backing it up by refusing to shell out for your season tickets. You’re reducing your ‘investment’ which makes total sense from your point of view.
True, it is reducing my financial outlay, but not my support of the team.
I guess I just take some exception to being told it’s “just a game”. Using your film reference, film is a piece of art. That movie you will watch 4 or 5 times speaks to you. If someone else doesn’t like the film, you are apt to go to great pains to argue its merits. To me, it’s the same thing with a sports team you support. For all the time spent defending the team in its lean years, you find yourself cloaked in passion for the team. As mentioned earlier, in my case it included disappointment with every loss and excitement with every win. To be told it’s just a game, to me, is insulting a passion I have. It would be akin to me going to a friend and saying his wife was ugly and I couldn’t believe he married her.
Ah.. my apologies Scott, I did not mean it that way.