Raptors Team Report
(Sat, 21 Nov 2009 01:36:29 PST)

The Raptors are among the statistically worst teams in the NBA in points allowed, field goal percentage against and rebounding.

The reason?

Effort.

The system they're playing—shrinking the court, protecting the paint and trying to contest jump shots—isn't rocket science, and until the players want to work consistently, they will remained mired near the bottom of any measuring system. It's a fact not lost on coach Jay Triano.

"There's nothing wrong with the system," he said. "It's about being in stance, it's about committing to a solid effort every single possession, and I think we're a fair-weather team. When things are going well offensively, we really buy in at the defensive end."

That fair-weather assessment is dead on.

NBA roundup: Friday's action on the courts
(Fri, 20 Nov 2009 23:30:00 PST)
The Toronto Raptors snapped their three-game skid Friday night, while the Miami Heat kept on stumbling.

Magic too good for Celtics
(Fri, 20 Nov 2009 22:56:35 PST)
Vince Carter scored 26 points to lead the Orlando Magic to a 83-78 win over the Boston Celtics on Friday, in a reprise of last season's NBA Eastern Conference semifinal. Rashard Lewis had 16 points and 10 rebounds as the Magic extended its winning streak to four. Paul Pierce scored 21 for an out-of-form Boston.

NBA Capsules
(Fri, 20 Nov 2009 22:44:07 PST)
Vince Carter scored 26 points, Rashard Lewis had 16 points and 10 rebounds, and the Orlando Magic beat the Boston Celtics 83-78 on Friday night. Dwight Howard grabbed 15 boards and Mickael Pietrus added 14 points for Orlando, which won the rematch of last season's Eastern Conference semifinal for its fourth consecutive victory.

Hunter plans bargaining meeting with Stern soon
(Thu, 19 Nov 2009 18:55:08 PST)
NBA players' association director Billy Hunter plans another negotiating session soon with commissioner David Stern, and here's something that might come up. The union says total player compensation will fall this season, which would be only the second drop in the salary cap era that began in the 1984-85 season.

Mensah-Bonsu rejoins Raptors
(Tue, 17 Nov 2009 17:48:31 PST)
The Toronto Raptors claimed British forward Pops Mensah-Bonsu off waivers from the Houston Rockets on Tuesday. Mensah-Bonsu played for the Raptors last season. He signed a free-agent deal with Houston on Sept. 3 and played a total of 12 minutes in four games before he was waived last Friday.

Mensah-Bonsu rejoins Raptors, Turkoglu out
(Tue, 17 Nov 2009 17:42:02 PST)
Toronto has claimed forward Pops Mensah-Bonsu off waivers from Houston and he is expected to be in uniform for the Raptors' game at Denver. Forward Hedo Turkoglu has been ruled out for Tuesday night's game against the Nuggets with a sore left hip and will be replaced in the starting lineup by Antoine Wright, who's dealing with a sore left ankle.

Game to pay attention to: Raptors vs. Nuggets
(Tue, 17 Nov 2009 15:30:22 PST)
Toronto at Denver You think Carmelo's licking his chops, thinking about going up against the NBA's worst...

LeBron James, Chris Bosh, and Dwyane Wade teaming up in Miami?
(Mon, 16 Nov 2009 05:29:14 PST)
Before July 1, there will be lots of rumors floating around about where every one of the seemingly seven billion...

NBA roundup: Sunday's action on the courts
(Sun, 15 Nov 2009 21:36:00 PST)
The Toronto Raptors were one near miss away from beating the NBA-leading Phoenix Suns on their own court.

Chris Bosh scores 21 points as Raptors rally past Clippers 104-89
(Fri, 13 Nov 2009 23:31:00 PST)
LOS ANGELES - Usually when a team rallies from a deficit of 20 or more points, it spends so much energy getting back into the game that it has nothing left for the finish. The Toronto Raptors didn't encounter that problem at all.

Raptors release guard Quincy Douby
(Thu, 12 Nov 2009 13:29:44 PST)
The Toronto Raptors have released guard Quincy Douby. Douby had been on the inactive list since Oct. 28 and did not appear in any regular-season games. The Raptors announced the move Thursday. Douby joined the Raptors in March and appeared in seven games last season. He averaged 4.4 points, 1.0 assists and 10.4 minutes a game.

Behind the Box Score, where 'yeah! Go Bucks! Whoo!'
(Thu, 12 Nov 2009 07:00:56 PST)
Milwaukee 108, Denver 102 I don't know if I like Brandon Jennings' shots. He takes some bad ones.

Knicks turning 2010 attention to Chris Bosh and Joe Johnson
(Thu, 12 Nov 2009 04:51:19 PST)
For the longest time, the New York Knicks have been clearing salary space to make room for the summer of 2010 in...