sports

Leg Injury Spoils Historic Run for Raonic

Posted on by gregchow28

Canada's Raonic puts his hand on Britain's Murray's shoulder after losing their semi-final match at the Australian Open tennis tournament at Melbourne Park

Canada’s Milos Raonic (L) puts his hand on Britain’s Andy Murray’s shoulder after losing their semi-final match at the Australian Open tennis tournament at Melbourne Park, Australia, January 29, 2016. REUTERS/Tyrone Siu

After four hours of fast-paced, well-played tennis, Canadian Milos Raonic failed to qualify for the Australian open finals after losing to Scottish phenomenon Andy Murray.

Raonic in fact led 2-1 after three sets and was poised to take control of the match until a gruelling fourth set which included what appeared to be a serious leg injury for Raonic. He was set to be the first Canadian male tennis player to make it to a Grand Slam singles final.

Wayne Ho-Fang, the Head of the High Performance program at Blackmore Tennis Club, stresses how important the lower body is, especially the legs, in the sport.

“Aside from the racket, they’re the next most important thing.”

Midway through the match, Raonic seemed to be favouring the upper part of his right leg, particularly the forehand side. This was a substantial blow as the Canadian’s plan seemed to be to serve through his opponent as he had throughout the tournament. His second serve against Murray clocked in at 213 km/h compared to Rafael Nadal’s or Roger Federer’s quickest first serve which came in at 207 km/h. Raonic’s serve never looked the same from there.

Registered Massage Therapist (RMT) James Gomez of Athletes Care: Sports Medicine Centre in Toronto shed light on the possible reason why the dominance of Raonic’s serve slowed.

“In the game of tennis everything pretty much takes place below the waist before the contact of the ball. Lower body disfunction could definitely hinder the overall game. It’s going to change the mechanics of the swing. It’s going to change the mechanics of the whole game.”

The injury of Raonic is not yet disclosed. According to Gomez it’s due to the fact leg injuries are usually kept hushed until doctors can confirm the ailment. Until then, the tennis world will be left in the dark.

 

The Base and the Beard

Posted on by gregchow28

If you haven’t heard of Lil B or the BasedGod, as he’s more commonly known, you’ve probably have heard of his curses. Not only a cross dressing rapper, Lil B also boasts a bevy of hexes that have done wonders but also disasters for major sports teams and their athletes.

As a Toronto sports fan, it was generous of him to bestow whatever anti-curse remedy which he keeps in the sleeves of his ridiculously coloured, circa 1995 sweaters, on the Blue Jays. Yes indeed, the infamous “Taylor Swift Curse” was lifted. Every time she played a show, the baseball team in that city would find its way into the losing column. But in Toronto, we saw the Jays come back against the Texas Rangers, and give those rib loving Royals a run for their crowns.

Many athletes, such as Oklahoma City Thunder star Kevin Durant, also took a major loss on route to the 2011-2012 NBA Championship (The Thunder loss). Durant has also suffered injuries that have limited him to half a season or less since he called B’s music “wack” on Twitter.

Most importantly, and why I’m bantering today, is that Houston Rockets guard James Harden received his second curse today. Oh yes! The first in the history of B. The REAL reason Harden bolted from the Thunder was to escape the plague of constant diss tracks being thrown Durant and company’s way in OKC, right? Harden was initially cursed for copying Lil B’s “cooking dance.” It seems a bit odd that a fella that has clearly stated his favourite snack is pizza rolls, do so much stirring after draining long range bombs. I’m sure rolling make believe pizza dough would look way less dumb anyways. Was this a case of inception?!

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How much is Tristan Thompson worth?

Posted on by gregchow28

I’m not only a basketball fan, but a Canadian as well. It’s as both of these things that I say, the Cleveland Cavaliers overpaid Tristan Thompson.

At 6’9 and an athletic 240 pounds, he fits the prototypical NBA power forward mould. Draymond Green and Harrison Barnes were in the starting frontcourt for the reigning champion Golden State Warriors, in a finals that saw the Cavaliers succumb to the small-ball lineups of their opponents. Keep in mind neither Green or Barnes stands taller than 6’8 and weighs more than 230 pounds. Whatever reference point Tristan and his agent Rich Paul chose (great name for an agent, eh?) it should not have been those games against the Bay. Yes, he played fantastic, but the argument is that he still didn’t get the better of any of the Warriors’ frontcourt players and looked at certain points like a weeping willow down on the block. His branches, I mean arms, waved in the wind but caught nothing but air.

I’m not sure how any team can justify paying this much money while already buried in cap debt to someone who started all of 15 games in place of the injured Kevin Love, and who only managed 9.6 points and 10.8 rebounds per game. This stat is particularly vomit inducing when factoring in Cleveland played without star point guard Kyrie Irving. He was, by default, the second best player on the Cavs but was instead left in the post to be out played by a bunch of small forwards.

When the Toronto Raptors were rumoured to be after him, I cringed and remembered all the times I yelled at my laptop due to him being on my fantasy squad. Thompson, despite all his hustle and bounce, managed only a block per game, only when playing more than 30 minutes. Every team values rebounding and being able to grind in the post, especially in a bench player who is a fringe starter.

The fact is though, Cleveland got out shot, out rebounded and basically outplayed at every turn in the most recent NBA finals. Tristan was responsible in large part for letting this happen. If he couldn’t force Golden State’s hand by his size and rebounding ability, how much money is he worth? According to ESPN, that worth is set as 34th highest paid player in the ENTIRE league. Thompson will be getting paid more than close to 120 other players who are starters. Just because the leagues cap goes up still doesn’t justify misusing money. Both Al Jefferson and Joakim Noah averaged more rebounds than Thompson but get paid less.

The Cavs big man isn’t in a game changer or leader like Steph Curry and Kyle Lowry BUT got paid more. Thompson has one advantage, and that’s that he’s still young and has enough upside to improve in areas that were left blank on stat sheets last year. If that doesn’t work he also has enough money to retire about two decades before any of us.

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Top 5 Free Agents for the Toronto Raptors to target in 2016

Posted on by gregchow28

The 2015-16 season hasn’t even started, yet there is a huge focus on next summer, which is when OKC Thunder superstar Kevin Durant will be eligible to sign with any team he sees fit. One of those teams has been rumoured to be the Toronto Raptors. From showing up at a Drake concert, to taking in a Blue Jays game, Durant seems very fond of The Six. But, this doesn’t mean we will be favoured next summer.

LeBron James will also be available along with our own DeMar DeRozan, if the team doesn’t reach an extension agreement with the 26-year-old in the near future. With Jonas Valanciunas re-signed and DeRozan’s future up in the air, the Raptors could be shopping for more than just bench depth in 2016.

For now, here are five free agents who should be on the Raptors’ radar going into next summer’s free agency.

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Will the Toronto Raptors Contend Soon?

Posted on by gregchow28

The Toronto Raptors are on the precipice of being an elite team. It might be sooner than you think before the Raps are in the position of battling the Cleveland Cavaliers or the Atlanta Hawks in the Eastern Conference Finals.

Upper management has already secured the future services of our All-Star point guard, Kyle Lowry, and starting centre Jonas Valanciunas well into the future. Other off-season moves included signing Hawks swingman DeMarre Carroll and the defensive-minded point guard with a championship pedigree, Cory Joseph. Adding two starting calibre pieces to a core, which contained the youngest starting five among division leaders in the NBA, is just another reason to believe the Raptors are ready to dominate the East sooner rather than later.

It was only a couple of months ago that NBA.com rated the backcourt of DeMar DeRozan and Kyle Lowry the best duo in the East and second overall, only to that of the Golden State Warriors.

Unfortunately, injuries played a large part in limiting Toronto’s backcourt duo and eventually forcing head coach Dwayne Casey to rest them going into the playoffs last season. Even throughout the first-round sweep at the hands of the Washington Wizards, Lowry looked exhausted while still wearing a knee brace and DeRozan was left to fend off multiple double teams.

Enter DeMarre Carroll. Junkyard Dog 2.0 brings a huge relief on both ends of the court. He offers something most teams do not have: the ability to stop LeBron James.

Having someone who can and will go one-on-one with James or a James-esque player every night might be the only thing the Raptors were missing. James Johnson proved to be a major cog in the team’s defensive system, but his playing time dissipated going into the playoffs. Now, with Carroll as a starter and a similar player in Johnson coming off the bench, the Raptors have the makings of an improved defence. Not only that, but with the signing of mobile centre Bismack Biyombo, the team will be able to keep their defensive presence while playing small ball as well.

Overall, with the arrival of Carroll, the Raptors can use Terrence Ross off the bench, along with Joseph, Johnson, Luis Scola and Biyombo. The team’s bench unit will probably have more defensive stopping power than the actual starters. Thefifth-best bench statistically from 2014-15 will see a dip in production with the loss of Lou Williams and Greivis Vasquez, but will make up for it with the insertion athleticism and defence.

The Raptors are poised to be able to compete with a juggernaut of an offence and a much-improved defence. They should be one of few teams that can flourish playing small ball or going big. Depending on the further development of the young players, contending may be a couple years away, but it is certainly coming.

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Gilbert and his Gatz

Posted on by gregchow28

Gilbert Arenas was a lethal trigger man on the court. He had a quick release and an almost infinite shot range. But in December of 2009, he was a self-proclaimed trigger man off the court. Arenas’ former Washington Wizards teammate, Caron Butler, just released his autobiography and talks about the locker-room incident that Rick Ross famously rapped about. Yes, the gun-slinging showdown brought drama NBA fans hadn’t read about since the 2001 Portland ‘Jail Blazers’.

The excerpt really dissects Gilbert Arenas as a person. At the time, “Agent Zero” had over $100 million in the bank and was fighting over one thousand dollars – cookie crumbs in comparison. Arenas and the ‘09 Wizards really did have a chance at making the playoffs and really did have a chance at being really good for years to come. The Wiz bolstered a lineup featuring Antawn Jamison (in his prime) at the four spot, the excerpt dropper himself, Caron Butler, at the wing along with young guns (no pun intended) Nick ‘not so swaggy yet’ Young and Javaris Crittenton. Still, after a mere thousand dollar card game, Arenas decided that gambling not only his, but the entire organization’s future away was worth it so he could be featured in a rap songs and claim money that he would’ve made just by stepping on to the court for 5 minutes. Butler described Arenas’ behaviour as a “dominating presence.” Team president Ernie Grunfeld had to beg Butler to “talk to them.” Head coach at the time Flip Saunders “was too scared to even come into the locker room.” That’s how much power Gilbert Arenas had over the franchise, that’s how much power he let slip through his fingers into the gutters as he stared down the barrel of Crittenton’s gun.

The victim of Arenas’ cheapskate vendetta, Crittenton, is now serving 23 years in prison for murder charges involving, you guessed it, guns. Gilbert Arenas’ perception of himself vanished as he followed up his tremendously gangster-like career with Washington with a diminished role player spot on an Orlando Magic team he failed to help make any playoff noise. The Washington Wizards at the time were slowly dismantled and are only now recovering from the act that caused both Arenas and Crittenton to be suspended along with the rest of the team being distracted while they were man handled by lesser Cleveland Cavaliers team that year. Butler knew what his former teammate was thinking. “I went too far. I had a gun pointed at me and it was loaded.” Gilbert Arenas had lost every bit of his dominating presence.

UPDATE: Gilbert Arenas recently fired back on Instagram, giving his own version of what happened.

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Are the Toronto Raptors better than last Season?

Posted on by gregchow28

Are the dinos better? This question has been haunting me since word leaked that the Toronto Raptors had inked DeMarre Carroll to a four year $60 million contract. I REALLY liked this move for a team short on grit and grind players over the past couple of seasons. Carroll doesn’t just show he can be a grinder but he can also stretch the floor. He shot a more than respectable clip of .395 from distance last season which gives the Raptors yet another weapon in their up-tempo offense.
This signing also helps with the concern of Terrence Ross as a starter and if James Johnson’s playoff absence means he is on his way out. Ross was a shaky choice in only his third season. What looked like a combination of a lack of confidence and an inability to keep up with bigger wings placed Ross on the bench for the tail end of the 2014-15 campaign. As for Johnson, when a starter he averaged 11 points, 5 rebounds with a block and a steal. With scarce playing time in the playoffs, JJ and coach Casey may be on different pages again.

Toronto did not include retaining one of the longest tenured and hardest working players in Amir Johnson. With him off to the Boston Celtics, it has left a void not only in our starting lineup but also the way the Raptors will play ball. By this I mean it is almost a guarantee that we will be seeing A LOT of small ball. We only have two players signed who measure taller than 6’10″. One of them is still not NBA ready (Lucas Nogueira) and the other one, Jonas Valanciunas has yet to earn enough confidence from coach Casey to play long stints in the fourth quarter. Securing a veteran presence like Luis Scola on a small scale contract was indeed a wise move by the Raptors brass but the aging Argentine still doesn’t fill the void at centre and his days of starting are long gone.

On paper the Raptors look loaded with defensive talent. The Canadian kid, Corey Joseph, is known to be a terrific one-on-one defender. On draft night we picked up Delon Wright and Norman Powell, who were both selected for their work on the defensive end.

Finally, to help fill the void left by Amir and Tyler Hansbrough (now a Charlotte Hornet) we acquired a hyper-athletic shot blocker in Bismack Biyombo. With our All-Star backcourt still intact, JV showing improvement on both ends each year and the addition of Carroll, I see the Raptors as a threat in the eastern conference and the top team in the Atlantic division.

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Which Raptor will Benefit most from New assn’t Coaches?

Posted on by gregchow28

Despite all the signings and Euroleague success among Raptors players, some additions, namely the new assistant coaches are being looked over.

With concern from fans about clashes between James Johnson and speculation of being on the coaching hot seat, Dwayne Casey remains in charge of the bench but is now surrounded by 3 new assistants.

Casey will be reunited with Jerry Stackhouse, who he coached during the 2008-09 Dallas Mavericks season. At the time, Casey was the defensive coach for Rick Carlisle’s team. With all the talk about the Raptors lacking playoff experience, it is a welcome sign to be able to have Rex Kalamian who spent the last six seasons with the Oklahoma City Thunder, the past two as lead assistant. Andy Greer spent the last five years with the Chicago Bulls, another playoff vetted team.
These additions will be a valuable piece to Toronto’s future, especially the part where we continue to fight for the playoffs. Jonas Valanciunas can benefit the most from these additions. Both Greer and Kalamian come from squads featuring skilled big men in Joakim Noah (Bulls) and Serge Ibaka (Thunder).

JV is still young and is far from the weapon he has the potential to be. The most important takeaway linking these new additions with JV is that both the Bulls and Thunder ranked within the top 15 in Team Defensive Efficiency

The Chicago Bulls finished with the 9th best record. OKC spiraled out of the top 10 to finish 15th with the loss of Kevin Durant and Kendrick Perkins mid-season. The Toronto Raptors finished 24th out of 30, a ranking that should improve this season, especially if JV evolves further into the paint protector he is capable of being.

At this point, Valancinuas’ offence is inconsistent but that can be blamed on his lack of touches. Valanciunas still managed the second highest field goal percentage in the NBA.

With such a formidable team of defensive-minded coaches now on the team, JV’s production has nowhere to go but up. With many teams going small, having a centre with a 7-foot frame who can produce on both ends is a rarity. This season, not only will the Raptors and Valanciunas be better but they’ll be willing to play and win with defense.

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