Are the Toronto Raptors the best in the East?

[Douglas Cook]

Well, maybe not right now..but this team has potential. I'm not a Taranna fan as some people can atest to; however, I enjoy watching the Raptors play.

The Raptors have a good mix of young talent and experienced players. They have Dell Curry Dee Brown and Doug Christie who can shoot the 3, they have great young talent in Carter and McGrady, McGrady has impressed me, and has improved dramatically, he has skills. Not much to say about Carter that hasn't already been said. They have a trio of good rebounders in Davis, Oakley and Willis. However, the one thing they are missing is a legitimate center.

This team has some quality wins, recently defeating Utah, LA on the road and beating San Antonio at home. Other than Miami, Indiana and (insert your darkhorse team)the East is wide open. I think the Raptors can cause some havoc in the playoffs.

[Douglas Cook]

Stupid.....sorry..in the wrong fourm!! Damn!

[Mr. Crazyhair]

Wrong forum or not, I agree.

I especially look for their games against a team that's bound to be tired. This team has shown a killer instinct. They don't seem to give up big leads.

[Hartley]

I don't know if they are the best team in the East, but Vince Carter right now is the best player in the NBA.

[ray]

Saying Vince Carter is the best player in NBA is just the same as saying,

Ricky Martin is the best singer in the world.

[Hartley]

Ray I didn't say he is the best player ever to have played the game, I said that right now he is playing the best of anyone in the NBA. Obviously players like Shaq, Barkley etc. have proven themselves over the long haul but right now I'd take Carter over any of them.

[AussieVamp2]

Ray,

Amazed you restrained yourself and did not actually mention 'Tim Duncan' in your post

Hartley, how long either side of this post does 'best' hold for?

He did do well enough the other day to get on Sports Tonight though

[ray]

Yeah, I thought Hartley will tell me that name.



Well, Carter is a very entertaining player, no doubt about it. And because he is a SF, he has more chances to touch the ball, drive the ball and maybe shoot the ball, especially in this Raptors team.

And he is a good looking young kid.

Then he will get more chances to be shown in Sportscentre.

Pretty similar to Ricky Martin.

But how do you define the best?

Maybe you can still make a argument he is the best SF in this league (btw I still believe Grant Hill is better than him) but how can you compare him with players in other positions?

What are you using?

Scoring? Rebounds? Assists? Steals?

Or how many of those 360' tomma hawk slams on the baseline?

On the same token, do you mean Jason William is the best PG in the league right now, or ever?

As for the Raptors, I've got to agree with you, they are a good team BUT this team won't go too deep in the playoff with their current players.

Their problem is the PG position.

Christie is NOT a PG, he is just a shooter. When you have Oakley having more assists than him in a game, you know its not a good sign.

And then you need to rely on the mighty Bogues, who should retire for good.

When an experienced team run an isolation play with one-on-one, their PG against Christie/Bogues, everytime they can take them to school.

When the 3's doesn't fall and Carter can't score 30 pts every night, they need a good PG to lead this team to another level, winning in the playoff.

[AussieVamp2]

no Toronto team the best, sorry

[reno]

Butch Carter was just canned. Why not bring in his good buddy Bobby Knight to coach the team? And then sign Tracy McGrady and trade him for Latrell Sprewell. The team would be pretty good, but you know they would choke under pressure.

[DrunkenGoon]

Knight would never fly in Toronto... And you can't trade a signed FA for 6 months from the start of the season...

McGrady is not coming back, and that's a fact. Look for Toronto to make a strong move to get Dikembe Mutombo out of Atlanta for Oakley and picks. They will draft a PG and they should be set for a playoff spot in the east.

May all your bets be winners

[Ronbets]

Bobby Knight in Canada? Sounds catchy heh? Well if the RCMP gets their way, theyd extradite his a s s back to Puerto Rico and face the assault charges against the PR cop.

Here we have a state called Indiana that vigoriously prosecutes a high profile black athlete on questionable rape charges. Hires a special prosecutor to nail Tyson in a kangaroo type trial. On the other hand, harbors a fugutive wanted on assault charges from a U.S. possession. I think they have those lyrics backwards...."Indiana wants me, Lord I cant go back there....."