New Blood: Tony Parker to Raptors for the 5th Pick?

Posted on June 22, 2011 by Ry Hinkson

Raptors fans may remember not too long ago when there was a spot on the court at the ACC known as “18 Parkerville”. That spot located in the corner just behind the three-point line was where former Toronto Raptor, Anthony Parker would hoist 3 balls much to the delight of then, Raptors color commentator Chuck Swirsky. Well if this new Raptors Rumor we just heard materializes, there may be a new “Parkerville” on the ACC floor. The only difference is this new Parkerville address may be a marked by a blazing path through the key, ending up at the rack.

The buzz is, that the San Antonio Spurs are looking to trade veteran point guard Tony Parker to the team that lands either point guard Kemba Walker or power forward Jan Vesely in tomorrow’s draft. Both players are considered to be draft day possibilities for the Raptors. (Check out yesterday’s Draft Day Profile, featuring Kemba Walker)

After being knocked out of the first round of this year’s NBA playoffs by the 8th seeded Memphis Grizzlies and being home to one of the oldest rosters in the league, the Spurs are no doubt in rebuild mode. The Raptors also in the midst of retooling, could benefit from Parker’s experience and his ability to score in and around the paint. So this possible deal, does make some sense on both sides.

With the 2011 NBA draft only a day away, this definitely won’t be the last trade rumor we hear involving the Raps and their 5th overall pick. So check back in with us, to stay up on what’s happening in Raptorville.

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We Told You So: Raptors Hire Dwane Casey

Posted on June 21, 2011 by Ry Hinkson

Seeing as “Raptors Rumors” is not even a week old, I thought it would be apropeaux to celebrate the fact that the site’s first post (“Casey to coach the Raptors”) went from Raptors rumor to Raptors fact. Not saying we broke the story but it felt good to see something we chose to report, come to fruition so quickly.

For the uninformed, former Dallas Mavericks assistant coach Dwane Casey has been named as the new coach of the Toronto Raptors. Casey, is coming fresh off of an NBA Championship run with the Mavs and had previously spent sometime as an assistant with the Super Seattle SuperSonics. He was also the head coach of the Minnesota Timberwolves for about a season and half.

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Draft Pick Profiles: Kemba Walker

Posted on June 21, 2011 by Ry Hinkson

With the 2011 NBA draft only 2 days away, Toronto Raptors fans are that much closer to finding out who the team will select with the 5th overall pick. With so many needs to fill, like a dominant small forward, a big physical presence in the post and maybe more than anything a point guard, who the Raptors will choose is still way up in the air.

After listening to a radio interview with Raptors GM and President Bryan Colangelo on the Tim & Sid: Uncut podcast, I’m thinking the Raptors are going after a point guard. And after a great season at UCONN this year that culminated with him leading his Huskies squad to National title, point guard Kemba Walker is someone who should be very high on the Raptor’s Radar. He can score, is an excellent defender and shoots a high clip from the filed and the charity stripe.

Check out this video from NBA TV with Rick Kamala, Steve Smith and Greg Anthony, where they get up close and personal with the star of this year’s NCAA Final Four tournament and explain why they feel he would be a great fit with the Raptors. After seeing the kid boggle, we here at Raptors Rumors think he’d fit right in here in The Dot. I just hope we won’t catch him in the club doing shots like Hedo, hours after sitting out that night’s game due to an illness.

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Raptors Draft Day History (The Good, the Bad & the Crazy)

Posted on June 19, 2011 by Ry Hinkson

On June 23rd the Toronto Raptors will make a first round draft pick for the 18th time in the team’s 16 year history. Throughout the years, under the direction of various coaches, GMs and scouts, the team has made all kinds of first round selections, some good, some bad and some crazy (see: Rafael Araujo in 2004).

Until this coming Thursday when David Stern announces “and with the fifth overall pick in the NBA draft, the Toronto Raptors select….” we won’t know for sure, who the newest Raptor will be. So for now, instead of speculating on who he is, lets take a look at the squad’s draft day history.

And be sure to let us know, which picks you think, were good, bad or crazy!

YEAR PICK PLAYER PPG RPG APG
2010 13 Ed Davis 7.7 7.1 0.6
2009 9 DeMar DeRozan 13.0 3.4 1.3
2008 17 Roy Hibbert 10.6 5.7 1.6
2006 1 Andrea Bargnani 15.1 4.9 1.2
2005 7 Charlie Villanueva 12.7 5.6 1.0
2005 16 Joey Graham 5.9 2.8 0.5
2004 8 Rafael Araujo 2.8 2.8 0.3
2003 4 Chris Bosh 20.0 9.2 2.1
2002 27 Chris Jefferies 3.9 1.2 0.4
2001 17 Michael Bradley 2.8 3.4 0.5
2000 21 Morris Peterson 10.7 3.5 1.5
1999 12 Aleksandar Radojevic 1.7 2.4 0.5
1999 5 Jonathan Bender 5.5 2.2 0.6
1998 4 Antawn Jamison 19.7 8.0 1.7
1997 9 Tracy McGrady 20.4 5.8 4.6
1996 2 Marcus Camby 10.0 10.0 1.9
1995 7 Damon Stoudamire 13.4 3.5 6.1
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Case for Casey Grows Stronger

Posted on June 19, 2011 by Ry Hinkson

 

The much maligned defense of the Toronto Raptors is in desperate need of repair. But if the Raptors can land Dallas Mavericks assistant coach Dwane Casey as their new head coach, the teams ability to stop opposing offenses just may be on the road to redemption. Making the case for Casey a little stronger is the fact that Mavs head coach Rick Carlisle has confessed that he’s “probably going to lose” Casey.

Casey is known around the league as a defensive specialist of sorts and if there is anywhere that the Raptors need to improve, it is on the defensive end. Despite most sources indicating that Casey will in fact land the job, Boston Celtics assistant Lawrence Frank’s name is one that still seems to be floating around.

With the Raptors picking 5th in the upcoming NBA draft, not only will there be a new head coach in town but there will be a new rookie looking to make an impact on a roster that has seen a ton of changes over the past few seasons. This should make for some very interesting times in over the next few days in Rap City.

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Bye Bye Barbosa?

Posted on June 17, 2011 by Ry Hinkson

As a tourist destination I can definitely see the appeal of leaving the chilly nights of Toronto for the heat in Brazil. And it looks as if the same may hold true for where Leandro Barbosa wants to continue his pro basketball career.

Word is that the Brazilian born Barbosa is considering opting out of the last year of his contract with the Raptors and returning home to play next season.

Although Barbosa often provides a much needed spark off of the bench, if he decides to play in Brazil, the Raps would be off of the hook for the remaining $7.6  million left on his contract and be ridding themselves of a player with a host of nagging injuries. We’ll soon see how this one plays out.

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Casey to coach Raptors?

Posted on June 17, 2011 by Ry Hinkson

Despite being nowhere close to making a serious championship run anytime soon, the Raptors could add a piece to their organization, who knows a thing or two about winning an NBA title. After an interview with the team last week, Dallas Mavericks assistant coach Dwane Casey seems to be the guy that the Raptors want most roaming the sidelines next season.

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