The Toronto Raptors have kicked off their training camp in Treviso, Italy, home of Benetton Treviso, Andrea Bargnani's former team. They'll be the first to take on the new-look Boston Celtics, opening their pre-season schedule on October 6th in Rome. They'll play Lottomatica Roma, then Real Madrid in Madrid, before returning to Toronto for 4 home pre-season games. Season opener at home on Halloween night vs. those scary Philadelphia 76ers.

Dining Italian style:

The Toronto Raptors take a break from training camp to see the sights in Venice. Many of the players brought their wives or girlfriends. Kris Humphries even brought his parents along for the trip.Toronto StarGlobe and Mail

Jason Kapono and his wife. Jason Kapono attracting pigeons at the Piazza San Marco.


Juan Dixon and Chris Bosh laugh as Dixon's wife is swarmed by pigeons (Juan had put birdseed in her hair). Carlos Delfino and his wife.


The pigeons are liking Kris Humphries.

Okay, ew! I'd be filing for divorce if I were Mrs. Dixon!

The Raptors were guests at a reception given by the Canadian Abassador to Italy, Alex Himelfarb, in Rome.

The Raptors drop their first pre-season game vs. Boston (in Rome) 89-85. The Celtics worked the big 3 heavily (Garnett, Pierce and Allen all clocked in 30+ minutes, and scored 50 of the Celtics's 89 points), while Sam Mitchell distributed the minutes (Bosh and Ford played less than 25 minutes; Bargnani played only 14:24). The Raps shot a lowly 38% (and took 28 treys) while giving up 46% shooting to the Celtics.

Spike Lee was in attendance at the game sporting Yankee gear and talking about, of course, the Knicks. Poor Spike, saddled to two losers.

The Raptors played their first pre-season game at home last night (vs. Zalgiris Kaunas of Lithuania) following their European adventures. They manage a 105-99 win with Chris Bosh not dressing for the game. T.J. Ford lead with 13 points and 11 assists in 24 minutes. Next up: hosting Chicago Bulls on Friday.... and I will be going to that game. Go Raps!

Hey Mark - I'll be there too!

Travelpat, where were you sitting? I was in the Sprite Zone. Mis-take. View was good, but hate all that screaming and stuff when they give away t-shirts and tickets and other crap. Hello, some people are trying to watch the game! Noticed lots of Spanish-speaking fans, and people holding up the flags of Spain and Brazil.

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The Raptors finished off their pre-season schedule last night with a 98-64 romp over the Wiz, to finish with a 5-2 record. Their only losses were the first game vs. Boston in Rome (89-85) and to Real Madrid in Madrid (104-103). Their final 3 games were all lopsided victories. Of course, pre-season is meaningless.

First game is Halloween night at home to the Sixers (guaranteed win night, anybody?). I've got tickets and will be wearing my Jose Calderon jersey. Then away at the Nets and home to the Celtics.

Let's go Raptors!

Hey Mark:
The seats I'll have for most of the games I go to are my friend's new season tickets. 4th row end blues - upper level towards one corner. I think it was section 301? Not bad actually especially for just $25.00. That was the season ticket price - the face value on the tickets is $40.00.

Very good pre-season for the Raptors - let's see if they carry the solid play into the real games. I think they will.

Be still my beating heart. Just discovered that my beloved Jose Calderon has his own website. (Now if only I could read Spanish... )
It should also be noted that other Raptors have sites: Chris Bosh, T.J. Ford, and Juan Dixon,

Hey Mark:
Humphries is my #1 in terms of eye candy for the Raptors - but Calderon is a close second. Just as he is a very close second to TJ Ford as the Raps point guard. All signs are that coach Mitchell is going to use TJ and Jose much as he did last year with Ford starting but Calderon getting lots of minutes every game. In fact in an article about Ford and Calderon in today's Star is headlined:
' Raptor pair effectively combining their skills - Ford, Calderon praised for near-flawless play'
Last year their excellent point guard play as a tandem was one of the big reasons for the Raps rapid rise. And apparently the coaches and management are very happy with their efforts in pre-season as apparently they feel the two have each improved from last year. The article describes them as 'the two-headed Raptor point guard that could be known as T.J. Calderon.'

TJ is learning to slow down sometimes - as last year most of his mistakes were when he was operating at out of contol speeds. In the pre-season his assist to turnover ratio was a fantastic 4-1. Calderon - feeling more confident has been showing more speed, making faster decisions with the ball and has stepped up his play on the defensive end. With the great shooters the Raptors have added in the off-season like Kapono and Delfino the Raptors success is going to depend upon TJ and Jose getting the ball to those guys at the right time and place. And obviously TJ and Jose were doing that very well in the pre-season - which may help explain all the blow out wins the Raps have had since they returned from Europe.

Obviouisly Mitchell feels that way. This quote from him:
'Coach Sam Mitchell said the pair is providing near-flawless play so far, not so much by what they are doing themselves but because of what they're doing for others. "We don't really need them to score when they're getting the ball to guys, where they're getting the ball to them," the coach said.

Let's face it - the Raps are going to be challenged trying to play a strong inside physical game with their current roster, but if Ford and Calderon continue distributing the ball the way they have in the pre-season things are looking good for the Raptors. They have shown the ability to successfully spread the court resulting in open 3 pointers for the likes of Kapono, Parker, Bargnani or Delfino and then once the defence made adjustments by having their defenders move out a bit to start to cover those outside shots, the two headed point guard altered their attack by taking advantage of the space created inside by driving to the hoop or getting the ball inside to someone like Bosh.

I heard that.

Despite a dismal first half performance (31 points), the Raptors took the Celtics to overtime, losing on a Ray Allen 3-pointer. Not an auspicious start to their national coverage on CBC (I wonder how many people switched to the Colts-Pats game?).

But, not time to hang their heads. The Raps have 4 games in the next 6 days, against the Bucks, Magic, Sixers and Bulls.

Yikes, the Raps are now on a 3-game losing streak, looking very bad in the last 2 losses. Thankfully, their next game is against Philly.

Plenty of tickets available. I mean, plenty. And they're practically a bargain since I hear the exchange rate is strong.

I read in the paper this morning that Rasho Nesterovic will be moved back into the starting lineup tonight, with Andrea Bargnani coming off the bench.

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As predicted, the Sixers were the tonic the Raps needed. Although they should have won by 10 points, the Raptors settle for a 2-point victory thanks largely to a late block by Chris Bosh. The Raptors were also helped by Jamario Moon's 9-point, 8-rebound night in his NBA debut. The Sixers got an impressive performance from Louis Williams, who scored 21 points in 20 minutes, including a big 4-point play late in the game. Andre Igoudala continues to relish torching the Raptors, scoring a game-high 26 points.

Coach Mitchell made another tweak to the starting lineup, replacing Jason Kapono with Jamario Moon. Moon responded by going 6/10 from the field with 6 rebounds, Kapono went 5/7 off the bench, and the team rolled over the Bulls by 30 points.

Ford/Calderon continue to be one of (if not the) top point guard tandems in the league. Presently, Calderon is 1st in assists/48 minutes (16.5) and Ford is 5th (13.9).

Impressive win against Chicago! WOW!!

I hear Gargo is angry with his playing time, and is chain smoking and cursing (more than usual)? Any truth to that?

I figured that the Kobe trade talks would be completely destabilizing, but I was thinking the victim would be the Lakers, not the Bulls!

I only saw part of the game, but apparently during their 13-point 3rd quarter, Bulls fans were chanting "Ko-be! Ko-be!"

I have not heard much about Garbo complaining - although I'm sure he's not happy. Still a fan fave though - got a huge ovation off the bench the other night at the Orlando game I was at.

What a frustrating game to watch though. Raps ended up losing by about 8 - but it was like they did not want to win for long stretches. They would coast along missing everything and not getting any rebounds for 4-5 minute stretches - usually to start each quarter, then it was as if suddenly the alarm clock would go off - they would look at the scoreboard and go 'Oh-oh we're down by 15 again!' Then suddenly play with unreal intensity and within a few minutes would be back to within a bucket or two and the 18,000 of us would be ramped up again.

But then.....they would drift off back to sleep for half a quarter - fall behind by 15 again and then BOOM - here we come playing like the team that routed the Nets by 40 in NJ and the Bulls by 30 in Chicago, and the Raptors would completely and I mean completely dominate - but only for 4 or 5 mintes that night and then somebody on the Orlando bench would find that damn off switch again and zzzzzzzz down the Raps would go again and Oops - no time to come back this time. And look everybody is leaving the building. It really was a bit of a strange one.

Moon being added to the lineup for the two games since then certainly helped the on court energy level. He was like an Energizer Bunny out there - and a great addition to the team too.

My next game is versus Lebron and the Cavs at the end of this month - and have swung a deal with my friend who has the season tickets - so now I will be going to that game on the 30th, the Pistons on Jan 4, Hawks on Jan 18, Denver March 21, Knicks March 28 and Milwaukee Apr 8 and by hitting that many games I'll have dibs on few playoff games hopefully.

OK - I'm not going to blame Bargnani's 1 for 11 night shooting, or some of the bonehead plays down the stretch by TJ and others in the loss to Utah at the ACC last night. Nope I'm not going to blame anybody on the Raptors.

I'm going to blame my friend Jim. He is clearly the one at fault. You see Jim is one of my best friends, who for the first time ever bought Raptors season tickets this year to go along with his Leafs tix. Well - so far he has gone to 3 of the 4 Raptor home games. Guess which 3? You are right if you picked the 3 losses.

He's also been to 2 Leaf games so far this year - guess which games? .... If you guessed the two 7-1 embarrassments against Carolina and Washington - step to the front of the line!

The bad news is all of my Raptors games this season are scheduled to be with him! Yikes! And I guess I should pencil in an embarrassing loss for my Leafs this Saturday against Ottawa - because - I'm going with him to that game too.

It has gotten so bad friends who are Leafs and Raptor fans have started to get into the habit of texting him at the games as either the Leafs or Raps fall behind with messages like - 'Just leave now!'.

I'll see if I can break his losing streak agaisnt the red hot Sens at the Leaf game this weekend. If not it will have to be the Cavs game against the Raps November 30th. His luck better change - or else all of us Leaf and Raptor fans are in for a long season.

Great story......and oh yes, now that the Bills are coming to Toronto for a regular season game I am gonna get a Raptors 3 pack at HSBC in return aren't I ??

And Jim is attending all Sabres games at ACC right?

Well, the Raptors are back above .500, and second in the Atlantic to the loss-less Celtics. Interesting stat: the Raps have a better 3-point FG% (.459) than overall FG% (.442).

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Sunday afternoon's game vs. Golden State Warriors will be Italia Day at the ACC. Both teams have Italian players (Bargnani and Belinelli) and an Andrea Bargnani bobblehead will be given out. Bargnani's play has been shakey of late, but hopefully he'll step it up in front of the pro-Italy fans. The Raptors will be wearing their Italian alt jerseys that they wore in Rome (with red-white-green on the sides).

And the other good news out of Toronto for me is that the Leafs beat the Sens 3-0. I know that is hockey not basketball - but I was with my friend Jim at the game - who was 0-5 in Leaf and Raptor games that he attended before last nights hockey game. So it seems his personal losing streak is toast so I won't expect a loss the next time I go to a Raptor game with him in a couple of weeks versus the Cavs.

And sorry Blueraider - no Raptors 3 pack at HSBC. After all - who in Buffalo could afford to pay for the $1600.00 floor seats? Jim Kelly?

Well, the Raptors let that one get away, scoring only 12 points in the 4th quarter to lose 106-100 to G-State and go 2-4 at home. They're 3-1 on the road, though, and now embark on a trip to Dallas, Memphis and Cleveland. Meanwhile the Argos stunk it up, losing 19-9 in the Eastern Conference final.

I'm looking forward to the game tonight and to see your Raptors up-close. Of course, I still want the Grizzlies to win the game!

Which Raptor team will show up tonight in Memphis?

The team that built up a 24 point first half lead in Dallas last night - a team that looked very much like the one that won by 30+ points in both Chicago and in New Jersey.

Or will it be the Raptors from the second half of last night's game - the team that folded down the stretch - at one point allowing Dirk to hit 4 three pointers within 90 seconds - as they blew their big lead and lost to the Mavs.

Despite Chris Bosh's 41 point performance, it was LeBron James's triple double (37 pts, 12 rebounds, 12 assists) that won the game, as the Raps fall below .500. The Raps need a win tomorrow vs. the struggling Bulls. I may try and go to Wednesday's game as it's Spanish Night (the Raptors and the Grizzlies have two Spanish players each) and they're giving away Calderon and Garbajosa bobbleheads.

I enjoyed the game against Toronto the other night, just wish we (the Grizzlies) would have won. I, also, wish Alex English was one of our assistant coaches. I got to meet most of the players on the Raptors- the only "diva" was Chris Bosh.

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Raptors' Garbajosa done for season?
Last Updated: Saturday, November 24, 2007 | 5:27 PM ET
CBC Sports
Amid reports his season may be finished, Toronto Raptors forward Jorge Garbajosa will undergo medical testing on his injured ankle Monday.

Media in Garbajosa's native Spain reported Saturday that the 29-year-old has elected to undergo surgery on his sore left ankle and will miss the remainder of the season.

Jorge Garbajosa suffered a grotesque injury to his left leg during at game last March in Boston.
(Elise Amendola/Associated Press) But Raptors general manager Bryan Colangelo disputed the report when reached during his team's 111-108 loss at Cleveland, which Garbajosa sat out.

"We have arranged for Jorge to consult with a specialist in Baltimore on Monday," Colangelo said in an e-mail. "Future treatment and therapy options remain undetermined at this point."

Garbajosa was placed on the injured list on Tuesday so team doctors could further investigate the results of an MRI on the same ankle he hurt last March during a game in Boston

Garbajosa was chasing down a dunk attempt by the Celtics' Al Jefferson when he landed awkwardly on the ankle, which bent unnaturally and sent the Raptor to the floor in severe pain.

The grotesque injury required season-ending surgery to repair a displaced left ankle joint, a torn ligament and a fractured fibula.

The six-foot-nine Garbajosa is averaging just 3.1 points, 2.1 rebounds and 10.7 minutes in seven appearances off the bench for the Raptors this season.

Garbajosa averaged 8.4 points, 4.9 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 28.4 minutes in 67 games, including 60 starts, last season — his first in the NBA.

The Spaniard played 12 pro seasons in Europe before signing with Toronto on July 24, 2006.

If Garbo is indeed out for the season, Jamario Moon is filling his shoes admirably. Currently number 5 in the NBA rookie rankings, Moon had yet another breakout game today: 15 points, 9 rebounds, 6 blocks, 3 steals, 0 turnovers.

Meanwhile, Jose Calderon is thriving in the absense (due to injury) of T.J. Ford. In the past 3 games, Calderon is averaging 41 minutes, with 8, 13 and 14 assists (with only 2, 0 and 1 turnovers).

So canmark do you recognize the guy?

I am glad we (the Memphis Grizzlies) don't play Toronto again. The Raptors' perimeter "D" along with the Grizzlies lack of ball movement made for 2 ugly games!

The Raptors had 7 players in double figures versus the Grizz, despite Chris Bosh leaving early with a groin strain and Andrea Bargnani leaving after Stromile Swift went knee to knee on him.

(BTW, I think the cute blond is one of the assistant trainers. Don't know his name.)

Saw assistant coach Alex English betwen Union Station and BCE Place this afternoon.

Jamario Moon shoots up to 2nd in the NBA Rookie Rankings this week. NBA.com also points out that the highest scoring game by a rookie this year was not Kevin Durant... but Juan Carlos Navarro, who scored 28 points twice (Durant's high is 27). 27 year old rookie Moon's season highs are 15points, 12 rebounds and 6 blocks.

Well tomorrow night I'm off to see the Raps play Cleveland - but the question is - who will be playing? Lebron did not play the second half last night against Detroit with a sprained finger. Bosh left in the second quarter last night against Memphis with a strained groin and did not practice today. And those two players combined for 78 points the last time these two teams met two weeks ago in Cleveland.

Bargnani also left last night's game early when he banged his knee but he is expected to play. And T.J. Ford has not played in well over a week now with the stinger he suffered in Dallas although apparently he did paractice today. Although Jose Calderon has played so well as lone point guard in his absence his return may not be as critical. And of course Garbojosa won't be palying for the Raptors with his screwed up leg.

I guess I'll just show up at the ACC at 7:00PM and see who is playing and who is sitting out.

Well - I got my answer as to who would be playing when I got to the ACC last night. No Lebron for them and no CB4 for us. So who would score for them - to make up for the missing 37 points that Lebron scored against the Raps last weekend - and who would step up for the Raps to make up for the missing 41 points Bosh scored against the Cavs last weekend.

The answer - for Cleveland - Gibson I guess with 24. For the Raps it was the Bargnani/Delfino show. Delfino was the best player on the floor last night and he is really proving to be a great acquisition for the Raptors. 13 second quarter points as the Raptors took charge of the game and he ended the night with 24. And Bargnani stepped up big time in Bosh's absence with 26 points as the Raps coasted to a 91-82 victory in front of a sell-out of 19,800.

The other player the fans are quickly falling in love with up here is Jamario Moon. This guy is amazing. It is like his legs are springs. He had one thunderous dunk last night that unfortunately he got called for travelling on - but it still brought the house down. And he had a couple of huge blocks too. The crowd has started to chant Mooooooon! when he makes a play or enters the game. There is currently an online fan poll on the Raptors website asking the question - 'Which of the new Raptors has impressed you most this season' with the choices being Kapono, Delfino and Moon. The results so far have Moon at 68%, Delfino at 31% and Kapono at just 1%. And that is not so much a knock against Kapono at all - he's played well too - it is just an indication of how impressive Moon and Delfino have been.

And T.J. Ford made his return last night. He looked a bit rusty and was out of control a few times but he and Calderon combined for 16 assists with just 5 turnovers last night. Calderon did a fabulous job when T.J. was down but it is nice to have both heads of our two headed point guard back.

That's 3 W's in a row now for the Raps with the potential to up that to a 5 game win streak with two games the Raps hsould win coming up. At Washington tonight and home - on T.J. Ford bobblehead night - to Charlotte on Monday.

Yikes, the Raps were outclassed in back-to-back game, losing to the Suns 136-123 and the Celtics 112-84. 3 of their next 5 games are against quality opponents: Houston, Dallas and Boston (with Atlanta and Indiana in between). Chris Bosh--we need you!

Hey Mark:
They mailed the game in last night. I think they decided they did not stand a chance against a healthy Boston team missing, Garbajosa, Bosh and Bargnani. They just did not show up and that was clear in the first half when they fell behind by over 20 and were turning the ball over with ridiculous regularity.

Against the Suns - again yes they were totally outgunned. Actually to be more accurate - they were the equal of the Suns any time Nash took a break. It was when he was on the court that the Suns killed us. And I know Phoenix has almost no defence - but still to score over 120 points without the same three players that missed the Boston game was not all that bad.

Lets see if they can regroup at home this Sunday afternoon at 12:30 against Houston. And for those close to the border like Blueraider and just Eddie - the Sunday game is a CBC game so it will be one of those rare occassions where some Americans outside the visiting teams city will actuallyhave the chance to see the Raptors play.

On a 4-game winning streak, the Raps play their 3rd game of the season today against the Boston Celtics. The Raps lost in overtime at home in the first game (Ray Allen hit the game winner), were blown out at Boston in the second, but Boston will be without Ray Allen in today's game in Toronto.

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Yikes, the Raptors were dominated by the Celtics 90-77, and now embark on a 7-game west coast trip (Clippers, Blazers, Sonics, Suns, Spurs, Rockets, Hornets) that won't see them return home until the New Year. If they can win 3 or 4 of the 7 I will be quite content.

The cute blond is Keith D'Amelio, the Raptors' strength and conditioning coach.

Raptors 27-year old rookie Jamario Moon is set to be the first Raptor in the slam dunk competition at the NBA All Star Game since Vince Carter. The high-flying 6'8" small forward Moon (dubbed Apollo 33) is having a strong rookie season, averaging 29.3 minutes, 8.2ppg, 6.4 rpg, 1.7 bpg, and playing solid defence.

YouTube link

Great win versus Portland, guys! Double over-time! WOW! Talk about giving the fans their money worth!

Raps get huge 114-112 win over the Celtics in Boston. Great team effort: Calderon with 24pts, 13assts; Bosh and Parker with 23pts; Bargnani with 20pts; Delfino with 15pts off the bench. An uncharacteristic 18 turnovers (Raps are second lowest in the league in turnovers), but 58% shooting, including 15/21 from three.

It's the return of T.J. Ford. After missing 24 games following a mauling by Al Horford, T.J. Ford returns to the Raptors in time for a 114-82 romp over the Heat in Miami.

The Raps go into the All Star break with a 28-23 record.

Snubbed as an All Star coaches selection, PG Jose Calderon continues to shine, racking up these impressive stats:

Ranks #1 in the NBA in Assists Per Turnover(5.51)
Ranks #2 in the NBA in Free-Throw Percentage(0.923)
Ranks #4 in the NBA in Assists Per 48 Minutes(13.3)
Ranks #5 in the NBA in Assists Per Game(8.9)
Ranks #6 in the NBA in Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage(0.472)
Ranks #11 in the NBA in Field-Goal Percentage(0.544)

Just discovered the Kris Humprhies has his own website, joining Bosh, Calderon, Ford, and Dixon, who all have personal websites.

Jason Kapono was strokin' it last night, as he repeated as the Three Point Shootout champion. Kapono won the first round with 20 points, then tied the record with 25 points (out of a possible 30) in the final round (over Nowitski and Gibson).

The Raps made a minor move at the trade deadline, sending Juan Dixon to the Pistons for Primoz Brezec. Brezec joins fellow Slovenian Rasho Nesterovic, and perhaps Rasho can help Brezec revive his career. Brezec averaged 13ppg/7.3rpg and 12ppg/5.6rpg in 04-05 and 05-06, respectively, but has done nothing this year.

In his Raptors debut on Academy Awards night, Primoz Brezec turns in an award-winning performance: 11 points (on 5 for 5 shooting), 3 rebounds and 1 block in 13 minutes. Andrea Bargnani, perhaps in defence of his job (with 2 Slovenian big men looking for minutes), responded with a 25 point performance (9-17), with 7 rebounds, 5 assists and 2 blocks.

A lack of effort doomed what should have been a gimme at home vs. Indiana. But I was thinking: are the Pacers and Raptors the whitest teams in the NBA?

The Pacers started 4 white guys: Troy Murphy, Mike Dunleavy, Jeff Foster and Travis Diener. The Raptors started 2, Jose Calderon and Andrea Bargnani, but can bring many others off the bench: Jason Kapono, Carlos Delfino, Rasho Nesterovic, Primoz Brezec...