The Raptors this year experienced a very successful season after swinging a big deal in the offseason to send malcontent T.J. Ford and Rasho Nesterovic to Indiana. While Jermaine O'Neal exceeded expectations handily, averaging 18 points, 9 rebounds and 2.5 blocks per game, 2008-09 Executive of the Year favourite Bryan Colangelo swung a deal to send O'Neal and Jamario Moon to Miami for Shawn Marion and Marcus Banks - both of whom experienced complete rennaissances in their own rights in Toronto. Marion put up a fantastic stat line rounding out the frontcourt with franchise player Chris Bosh and first-time All-Star Andrea Bargnani, and Marcus Banks assumed the backup shooting guard position behind First All-Defensive Team member Anthony Parker. Jose Calderon also qualified for his first career All-Star appearance (he insisted that he did not want other guards to feel left out, and refused to play), posting an average of 19 points and 10 assists per game. After the trade, the Raptors played extremely well as a team and, while they were unable to catch powerhouses Orlando, Boston and Cleveland, qualified for home-court advantage in the first round, losing to NBA champion favourite Philadelphia 76ers, led by Elton Brand, Andre Iguodala and above-average point guard Andre Miller. The 76ers battled injuries all season, when all three members of their core played, they went an astounding 23-1, led by all-around good guy Brand's monstrous 29 and 14 per game.
As well, the Raptors' future looks extremely bright, especially since CB4 has verbally committed to staying in Toronto for his entire career. Expect many accolades to come the Raptors' way this summer.
Showing posts with label Jamario Moon. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Jamario Moon. Show all posts
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Saturday, December 13, 2008
Raps Learn to Love Karma - 101-79 Raptors
In a game that most likely had every single Toronto Raptors fan in the world smiling, the Raps pulled out another big win for their second in a row in their journey back to .500. Vince Carter had the first game in his career in which he did not make a field goal while playing at least 10 minutes. He spent 29 minutes bricking shot after shot, finishing with a line of 3 points on 0-13 from the floor including two missed threes and 3-4 from the line, 3 assists, 4 rebounds, 4 fouls, 3 turnovers and a +/- rating of a Stephon Marbury-esque -32. Remember Vince's 39 points last meeting? Raise your hand if you like justice, Raptors fans.
NBA.com recap
Player of the Game:
Jamario Moon gets his first Player of the Game nod with a very strong all-around game. He finished with 8 points (4-10 FG), just shy of being the seventh Toronto player in double figures, to go with a team-leading 9 rebounds, 5 steals and a block. Excellent defensive game to help shut down Vince and the Nets.
Notables:
Jason Kapono - 16 points (6-15 FG, 4-9 3FG), 5 rebounds. Had another big scoring night as a starter. Didn't shoot as well as last game, but Kapono taking shots and missing is still better than Will Solomon taking them in the first place.
Joey Graham - 16 points (5-8 FG, 0-1 3FG, 6-6 FT), 3 assists, 2 rebounds. It appears that Joey "OM" G has finally found his niche. He's consistently bringing energy on both sides of the ball and is playing with great confidence. It's also nice to see a thunderous dunk nearly every game to get his teammates pumped.
Roko Ukic - 10 points (2-2 FG, 1-1 3FG, 5-6 FT), 5 assists, 4 rebounds, one turnover. Led the team in assists, contributed on both sides of the ball and had his most efficient scoring night of the season. PH bias, you say? Perhaps, but it looks like Hot Cocoa Roko is learning a thing or two from Jose.
Full box score
Stat of the Game:
Well, this one is easy. The Raptors played great defence for the second straight game (and second straight win - pattern anyone?) in holding the Nets to just 31.3% shooting (26-83) and 26.1% (6-23) from three-point land. The great defence helped counteract a fairly unimpressive shooting performance from the Raptors, in which they shot a mediocre 43.8% (32-73) themselves.
NBA.com recap
Player of the Game:
Jamario Moon gets his first Player of the Game nod with a very strong all-around game. He finished with 8 points (4-10 FG), just shy of being the seventh Toronto player in double figures, to go with a team-leading 9 rebounds, 5 steals and a block. Excellent defensive game to help shut down Vince and the Nets.
Notables:
Jason Kapono - 16 points (6-15 FG, 4-9 3FG), 5 rebounds. Had another big scoring night as a starter. Didn't shoot as well as last game, but Kapono taking shots and missing is still better than Will Solomon taking them in the first place.
Joey Graham - 16 points (5-8 FG, 0-1 3FG, 6-6 FT), 3 assists, 2 rebounds. It appears that Joey "OM" G has finally found his niche. He's consistently bringing energy on both sides of the ball and is playing with great confidence. It's also nice to see a thunderous dunk nearly every game to get his teammates pumped.
Roko Ukic - 10 points (2-2 FG, 1-1 3FG, 5-6 FT), 5 assists, 4 rebounds, one turnover. Led the team in assists, contributed on both sides of the ball and had his most efficient scoring night of the season. PH bias, you say? Perhaps, but it looks like Hot Cocoa Roko is learning a thing or two from Jose.
Full box score
Stat of the Game:
Well, this one is easy. The Raptors played great defence for the second straight game (and second straight win - pattern anyone?) in holding the Nets to just 31.3% shooting (26-83) and 26.1% (6-23) from three-point land. The great defence helped counteract a fairly unimpressive shooting performance from the Raptors, in which they shot a mediocre 43.8% (32-73) themselves.
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
2008-09 Fantasy Preview: Raptors Edition
For all our readers who love fantasy basketball as much as we do, here is a fantasy preview of the most fantasy-significant Toronto Raptors.
Christopher Wesson Bosh - last year our franchise player averaged 22.3 points, 8.7 rebounds, 2.6 assists per game, added with his average of .9 steals and 1 block per game makes him a great fantasy pick. He's also great for above 80% free throw shooting with plenty of attempts and 48+ FG%.
That being said, taking Bosh could have some downsides.
He doesn't grab as many rebounds as one would hope from a first or second round pick, and doesn't really produce much statistically beyond points and boards. He might hit a three from time to time but not often enough to be significant.
Jose Calderon - last year Jose broke out with a borderline All-Star performance, and his game may be even better in fantasy. He's incredibly consistent and reliable - last year his numbers were 11.2 ppg, 8.3 apg, and 2.9 rpg. Pretty decent numbers for a starting point until you factor in the rest of his production: 52 FG%, 91 FT%, 1.5 TOpg, 1 spg, 1 3pg. He played all 82 games last year. And finally, barring something huge, his numbers will only get better - he's improved every year in the league, and he only played 28 minutes a game last year splitting time with T.J. Ford. Jose should be an All-Star this year - he's a very good pick.
Jamario Moon - a player who is better on paper than in-game. He is spectacular at filling in holes, and he'll provide you with some difficult to acquire stats. Last year's stats: 8.5 ppg, 49 FG%, 74 FT%, 6.3 rpg, 1.2 apg, 1.3 bpg and 0.7 spg. Before you say, "But he was a rookie, he'll be even better this year," keep in mind that Jamario is 28 years old. While NBA experience is important, NBA teams will now have a full year's worth of scouting reports on him. Nonetheless, Jamario worked on his ball skills and shooting this summer and figures to improve his 0.5 3pg numbers, his scoring, and his free throw percentage as well. Expect his numbers to be roughly similar to last year's. Moon is a good pickup in the later rounds.
Jermaine O'Neal - the "wild card" of this Raptors team. If you draft him in the top-5 rounds, you're gambling - but high-risk, high-return. If he pans out and returns to his All-Star form, he'll average 21 ppg, 10 rpg and 2 bpg, and will shoot a good percentage from the floor and the line, and could play over 75 games. If he's not actually healthy, however, his numbers will look more like 10 ppg, 6 rpg, 1 bpg, 43 FG%, and most importantly, 50 GP. If Jermaine falls to later than the 5th round in a deep draft, grab him (fairly likely since his numbers last year were so poor) but don't bet your team on him.
Anthony Parker - a pretty average fantasy player. Averaged 12.5 ppg, 4.1 rpg, 2.2 apg, 1 spg, 1.6 3pg, and shot 48 FG% and 83 FT%. He's a good pickup in late rounds, but will probably never carry your team.
Jason Kapono - this year, he could be anywhere from bad to a solid contributor, and he'll likely be everywhere in between at some point. Last year he produced 7.2 ppg, 1.5 rpg, 0.7 3pg, 0.8 rpg, 0.4 spg but shot very well: 49 FG%, 86 FT%, 48 3FG%. However, in the playoffs Kapono turned into Ka-pwn-o (sorry) and started playing like a $6 million man. If Smitch is telling the truth about playing Kapono at the 2 with Moon or Graham providing needed athleticism at the 3, it should mean more minutes for him and he may look more like playoff Jason.
Andrea Bargnani - this is important: if you are playing in a league that counts fouls (especially) and turnovers, DO NOT GO NEAR ANDREA BARGNANI. If you're not, Andrea could be a solid contributor. He really doesn't have much choice but to step up this year if he'd like to play in the NBA. Last year he regressed from his rookie campaign, but still posted a serviceable line of 10.2 ppg, 3.7 rpg, 1.1 apg, 1.1 bpg and 1.1 3pg. On the downside, he shot a brutal 39 FG%. In deep drafts, Bargnani could help your team, and he's also bound to churn out a big game every so often. Grab him in the last few rounds.
Christopher Wesson Bosh - last year our franchise player averaged 22.3 points, 8.7 rebounds, 2.6 assists per game, added with his average of .9 steals and 1 block per game makes him a great fantasy pick. He's also great for above 80% free throw shooting with plenty of attempts and 48+ FG%.
That being said, taking Bosh could have some downsides.
He doesn't grab as many rebounds as one would hope from a first or second round pick, and doesn't really produce much statistically beyond points and boards. He might hit a three from time to time but not often enough to be significant.
Jose Calderon - last year Jose broke out with a borderline All-Star performance, and his game may be even better in fantasy. He's incredibly consistent and reliable - last year his numbers were 11.2 ppg, 8.3 apg, and 2.9 rpg. Pretty decent numbers for a starting point until you factor in the rest of his production: 52 FG%, 91 FT%, 1.5 TOpg, 1 spg, 1 3pg. He played all 82 games last year. And finally, barring something huge, his numbers will only get better - he's improved every year in the league, and he only played 28 minutes a game last year splitting time with T.J. Ford. Jose should be an All-Star this year - he's a very good pick.
Jamario Moon - a player who is better on paper than in-game. He is spectacular at filling in holes, and he'll provide you with some difficult to acquire stats. Last year's stats: 8.5 ppg, 49 FG%, 74 FT%, 6.3 rpg, 1.2 apg, 1.3 bpg and 0.7 spg. Before you say, "But he was a rookie, he'll be even better this year," keep in mind that Jamario is 28 years old. While NBA experience is important, NBA teams will now have a full year's worth of scouting reports on him. Nonetheless, Jamario worked on his ball skills and shooting this summer and figures to improve his 0.5 3pg numbers, his scoring, and his free throw percentage as well. Expect his numbers to be roughly similar to last year's. Moon is a good pickup in the later rounds.
Jermaine O'Neal - the "wild card" of this Raptors team. If you draft him in the top-5 rounds, you're gambling - but high-risk, high-return. If he pans out and returns to his All-Star form, he'll average 21 ppg, 10 rpg and 2 bpg, and will shoot a good percentage from the floor and the line, and could play over 75 games. If he's not actually healthy, however, his numbers will look more like 10 ppg, 6 rpg, 1 bpg, 43 FG%, and most importantly, 50 GP. If Jermaine falls to later than the 5th round in a deep draft, grab him (fairly likely since his numbers last year were so poor) but don't bet your team on him.
Anthony Parker - a pretty average fantasy player. Averaged 12.5 ppg, 4.1 rpg, 2.2 apg, 1 spg, 1.6 3pg, and shot 48 FG% and 83 FT%. He's a good pickup in late rounds, but will probably never carry your team.
Jason Kapono - this year, he could be anywhere from bad to a solid contributor, and he'll likely be everywhere in between at some point. Last year he produced 7.2 ppg, 1.5 rpg, 0.7 3pg, 0.8 rpg, 0.4 spg but shot very well: 49 FG%, 86 FT%, 48 3FG%. However, in the playoffs Kapono turned into Ka-pwn-o (sorry) and started playing like a $6 million man. If Smitch is telling the truth about playing Kapono at the 2 with Moon or Graham providing needed athleticism at the 3, it should mean more minutes for him and he may look more like playoff Jason.
Andrea Bargnani - this is important: if you are playing in a league that counts fouls (especially) and turnovers, DO NOT GO NEAR ANDREA BARGNANI. If you're not, Andrea could be a solid contributor. He really doesn't have much choice but to step up this year if he'd like to play in the NBA. Last year he regressed from his rookie campaign, but still posted a serviceable line of 10.2 ppg, 3.7 rpg, 1.1 apg, 1.1 bpg and 1.1 3pg. On the downside, he shot a brutal 39 FG%. In deep drafts, Bargnani could help your team, and he's also bound to churn out a big game every so often. Grab him in the last few rounds.
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