The Greatest Toronto Raptors Roster Ever Assembled

As a Canadian, loving the Raps is like having a nerdy little sister, you're forced to love them. Of course, I've been a Spurs fan before the Raps were even born but you just grow to love the Raps, no matter how bad they stink. If you like basketball and you live in Canada...you're pretty much forced to be a Raptors fan. It's the only team you can get extensive coverage on and you can catch every game on TV. After watching the Raps lose another one last night, I was looking at through Wikipedia and the all-time Toronto Raptors roster. I was like "Damn, I never knew he was a Raptor" or "Wow, I forgot about that guy"

Well, if I could assemble one Toronto Raptors all-time greatest roster (past or present, that at one time in their playing career sported a Raps jersey), this would be it:

At point guard, Chauncey Billups
Chauncey had a brief stint with the Raps in '98 but if his prime was on the Raptors we'd have a killer team. He's been a NBA champ and an NBA Finals MVP and look at how well he's turning around the Denver Nuggets. Look at us now, we're dealing with Will Solomon and Roko Ukic at the point, Mr. Big Shot would be a blessing at this point.

At the shooting guard, Vincent Lamar Carter
The most hated man in Toronto. Arguably, he's the best player to ever play for the Raptors and whether you like him or hate him, he's taken the Raps deep into the playoffs and put the city of Toronto on the map. 8-time all-star, Olympic gold medalist and 2000 slam dunk champ (and probably one of the best dunkers to ever play in the league)

At small forward, Tracy McGrady
Sure he hasn't been passed the first round of the playoffs and he's always injured but this guy has turned into such a dominant scorer since his days in Toronto. The guy averaged 32.1 points in 02-03 with Orlando and is a 7 time all-star and 2 time scoring champ.

At power forward, Chris Bosh
What's not to like about this guy? He loves playing in Toronto, Olympic gold-medalist, he is a product of one the best draft classes in NBA history and he is currently the face of this franchise. He's only 24 and will only get better. He has set Raptor all-time records in rebounds, blocks and double doubles.

At centre, Marcus Camby
Camby was ok when he played with the Raps from 96-98 but after his stint with Toronto, he had developed into a defensive monster. He has always wore the "injury prone" label but in the past couple of seasons he has stepped up to be a premier defender, rebounder and shot blocker. He was the Defensive Player of the Year in the 2006-2007 season.

The Bench

Jermaine O'Neal
C'mon, the Raps aren't dishing out 20 mill for nothing, he is a 6-time all-star and a 20pt-10 reb with a couple blocks kind of player.

Matt Bonner
The Red Rocket is a baller. He's a Toronto fan favorite and is a three point threat when in the right system. Man, Matt Bonner is the guy who threw down KG! Probably one of the greatest Matt Bonner moments.

Jose Calderon
Jose has four Olympic medals including a gold one from the '06 Summer games. His international experience alone warrants a spot on this team.

Morris Peterson
MoPete is a fan favorite, Toronto loved him as a player. He's probably best known for nailing ridiculous shots.

Hakeem Olajuwon
Well, he may not have done much with the Raps but this guy has such an impressive resume. Former MVP & 2-time NBA champ and probably one of the greatest centres to ever play in the league.

Damon Stoudamire
But it would have to be the Toronto Damon Stoudamire, the Rookie of the Year that averaged 20 pts and 9 assists not the marijuana smoking "Jail Blazers" Stoudamire.

Coach
As far as the coach, Lenny Wilkens or Smitch. Probably Lenny with Smitch as the assistant, Lenny got the Raps to the conference semi finals.

What do you think, who would be on your roster?

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Good News Raps Fans: Voskuhl Scores 4!!!! Raps Lose.... Again... But Voskuhl Scores 4!

Oh yeah. Good energy from the Raps tonight. Jamario Moon and Jake Voskuhl wore their "rally" headbands and I think Jose Calderon got a haircut. The Spurs are my team and have been for the longest time, long before the Raps were even born, so either way I was going to be pleased. But I really wanted the Raps to get out of their funk, and they did, kind of.

First quarter, the Raps looked a lot different tonight and it was for the better. They were moving the ball up the floor faster getting some easy baskets. The Raps led 25-20 after 1.

In the second quarter, there was a Jake Voskul sighting!!! San Antonio outscored the Raps 36-21 in the second and led 56-48 at the half. Raps shot well, shooting 46% from the field.

The second half was all about runs. Raps would pull within 7 but then the Spurs went on a run to go back up by ten, then the Raps would go on a run to get within 4, Spurs run and then Spurs were up by 10. The Raptors made smarter decisions with the ball (well, in comparison to the last few games). Tonight, just when Bosh would normally take a three, this time he passed it down low to J.O. for the easy basket to pull within 9. That was it though, Jason Kapono hit a three to pull within 5, Joey Graham had a chance to get it closer but the layup didn't fall during the closing minutes. Tim Duncan iced it with consecutive baskets and the Spurs capped off the Raps, final score 107-97. The Raptors played better tonight and just got beat by the three ball and on the boards. If the Raps played with this energy this whole season, I really think their record would be more like 13-14 as opposed to their 10-17 record right about now.

Key Notes:
Raps were outrebounded 48-38 for the millionth time
The Spurs went 16 for 35 from three
J.O. had 24 pts & 10 reb
Chris Bosh had 17 pts & 10 reb
Former Raptors, Roger Mason and Matt Bonner went a combined 8-13 from three
Tony Parker flirted with a triple double with 24 pts, 8 rebounds & 10 assists
Jake Voskuhl with 4 pts in his Raptors debut

For a Spurs perspective, check out PoundingTheRock.com, they've coined a new nickname for Andrea, Andrea "Darko Two" Bargnani. Ouch.

Clippers are up on Monday. This game will be a big challenge as the Raps will have to do everything they can vs the Clips to show the world that they are playing the WORST basketball right now. The Clips lost by 34 tonight, so it'll be a big challenge.

Photo credit: (AP Photo/Eric Gay)

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My Fave Five: Roko, A.I., Manu, Rambis and the Red Rocket

Another "must win" game tomorrow for the Raps. Raps vs. Atlanta. I did a simulation on my Xbox 360, and the Hawks won 120-101. The only thing is that I played as the Raps and I suck at NBA 2K9. Hopefully, tomorrows result will look a little better.

Since the Raps are on an off night, here's the starting 5 for tonight:

At point guard, "WE WILL, WE WILL ROKO" U-kic

Courtesy of thehoopdoctors.com is a nice little piece on Raptors guard, Roko Ukic. The Croation guard is making his NBA debut this year. He looks like he's about 14 but he's had some professional experience in Europe and he's actually 23. His dad played for one of the greatest Croatian rock bands, Daleka Obala.

It's time to get to know your Raptors. Shoutouts to the thehoopdoctors & their piece on Roko Ukic.


At shooting guard, Allen Iverson.

EXTRA EXTRA, READ ALL ABOUT IT! Allen Iverson misses practice.

We've seen this video so many times. A.I. be talking about practice! Not a game, he be talking about practice!

And today he was a no-show to practice. According to the Detroit Free Press, Iverson skipped out on the Pistons Thanksgiving Day practice. Anyhow, looks like he will be fined and coming off the bench on Friday when they play Milwaukee.

Maybe he wanted to catch the Titans whooping of the Detoit Lions today.

Also, check out the rap battle between A.I. & Kobe at fearthebeard.com. Cast your vote today!


At small forward, Manu Ginobili

Spurs took care of the Bulls last night. Check the tasty dish by Manu on spursreport.com. Again......Welcome back Manu!


At power forward, Kurt Rambis

The best moustaches of the NBA. http://www.intentionalfoul.com/nba/great-nba-mustaches/ displays what real moustaches should look like.


At centre, Matt Bonner

Matt Bonner doesn't sport Nike Air Jordans, he sports New Balance Bonners.

Courtesy of mysanantonio.com, former Raptor Matt Bonner sees himself as a boring guy. He loves Subway and drives a 2006 Pontiac Grand Prix. Another fact about Matt Bonner? No cavities. Exciting.

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J.O. - Show or No Show for Wednesday?

According to the National Post, Jermaine O'Neal may be back Wednesday when they face the Bobcats. He's saying his knee is good but it will be day to day. Apparently, he thought if he showed up against the Celtics, it would motivate the team to perform well against the Champs.

Shoutouts to Cuzoogle. There's a contest to predict the date Sam Mitchell will get fired. The winner will get a prize of $25. Raps have a tough schedule coming up with big team opponents like Denver, Utah, Cleveland, LA Lakers, New Orleans and two more games against VC's Nets (ugh) Speaking of firing coaches, Eddie Jordan has been fired as the Wizards head coach according to the Washington Post. The Wizards are 1-10.

According to Out of Left Field, the Red Rocket, Matt Bonner wants to join Team Canada.

Here's props to co-contrbutor Sean and his Bulls, here's the finish to last night's Bull's game. Larry Hughes sealed it with the buzzer beater.

Welcome Back Manu! Manu Ginobili is back in the lineup for the Spurs. The Spurs were able to weather the storm and managed to get wins while Manu and Tony Parker were down and out. He scored 12 points off the bench in the win over Memphis.

Antonio Mcdyess has decided to join the Detroit Pistons again. He will be able to sign with the Pistons on December 3rd. I didn't watch the game two nights ago but where the hell were the Pistons? Losing 106-80 to the Wolves?

The line of the night last night was CP3's triple double, 14, 10 & 17. This was his second straight triple double of the season. His SECOND STRAIGHT triple double....crazy!

According to the New York Daily News, Zach Randolph is officially a Clipper. What are the Clips supposed to do with all those bigs? Randolph, Kaman, Thornton and Camby? I smell a trade....
The latest rumor? Charlotte's Jason Richardson for Chris Kaman, as reported by Hoopsworld.com. The trade would make sense for both teams where the Clippers would fill the shooting guard void and for Charlotte, Emeka Okafor could move to his natural position at power forward. Clips would have a stellar starting 5: Davis, J-Rich, Thornton, Randolph and Camby.


Tonight, Lebron @ NY..it's all the hype. Lebron will debut his "Big Apple" sneaker. Who owns them? Lebron, Ahmad Rashad, Jay-Z and Spike Lee. "Big Apple" Lebrons? Cleveland fans should be worried. Ahmad Rashad predicts 60 pts from Lebron tonight, Gary Payton predicts 35 and Chris Webber predicts 47. We'll see. Lebron NY in 2010 is all the hype.....and it's only 2008.

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