What should Arsene Wenger's targets be this transfer window and at what price?

Arsenal are currently lying in fifth place in the standings, three points behind Villa for the fourth spot. They are six point behind first place United and have played one more game. This season has been very up-and-down and reinforcement is neccessary to help try to obtain a champions league spot and win the FA cup.

It is clearly obvious that we need a defensive midfielder. Song and Denilson may have potential for the future (which I doubt) but Song is crap and Denilson is too offensively minded and does not have the physical and mental attributes to be a defensive midfielder for Arsenal.

Another problem that has sprung up is the lack of creativity because of injury to our first team players. Rosicky and Eduardo have been out long term because of freak accidents, and recently Theo, and Cesc have been out for a while now. This lack of creativity, especially in our midfield, makes it difficult to break down teams that have 10 behind the ball. It would be good to get another quality player for the sake of competition, as some players on the squad have been complacent in their place. Considering how young some of these players are, this should not be the case.

Note: These are potential targets Arsene should consider, I am not endorsing that he should get every target, but pick one or two.

1. Andrei Arshavin

My favourite picture of him

Possibly the biggest newspaper story around was Arsenal's pursuit for the Zenit St. Petersburg player. The 27 year old player has won a ton of accolades in Russia including the Russian player of the year in 2006, included on the Euro 2008 team of the tournement and was voted the 6th best player in the Balon D'Or voting this year. His has willed his team to the UEFA cup last year, including beating Bayern Munich 3-0 on aggregate.

He is a very good player, with two good feet and strong creativity. He makes intelligent runs and can shoot from distance. He would be a welcome addition to Arsenal. Zenit are willing to sell, but are negotiating hard and have not really adjusted from their inflated 20-25 million asking price.

Fee: 16-18 million pounds (Arsene has had bids of 12 and 15 million pounds)

2. Mate Toth

I personally had no idea of who this guy was, but apparently Arsenal has already signed him. He is a 18 year Humgarian who impressed Wenger on trial. The fee is believed to be around 250000 (typical) He is a defender, but I am assuming that he will be one for the future. I went to look for some highlights, but this guy doesn't even have a youtube video!

Fee: 250,000 pounds

3. Miguel Veloso

Veloso is a 23 year old defensive midfielder who plays for Sporting Lisbon. He is a quality defender and can break up attacks. Veloso is also a very technical player and can fit within Arsenal's style of play. He is an integral part of the midfield at Sporting Lisbon, and as a result, it may be difficult to pry him away.

Fee: 12-14 million pounds

4. Joao Moutinho

A personal favourite of mine, this 23 year old is another midfielder playing for Sporting Lisbon. I watched him play for Portugal during Euro 2008 and he is a player who can play any position on a flat midfielder. He is a creative midfielder who preferred position is just behind the forwards. Everton tried to loan him last summer but Sporting refused is also is considered a very important figure at the club. He got serverely injured during the Euro Tournament, but has managed to come back to full fitness

Fee: 18-20 million pounds

Is Arsene Going to Sell?

People were worried that Arsene might decide to sell during this window. He, in fact, got a bid for a player. The funny bit was Arsene categorically rejected the bid but also said that Eboue is going to get an improved offer. An improved offer for what? What has he possibly done to deserve a better contract?

Bendtner recieved a bid from surprise German leaders Hoffenheim, but rejected it and says he wants to stay at Arsenal.

Conclusions

Interesting times at Arsenal. There is just over a week left in the transfer window and it is as likely for Arsene to get three of these targets as he is to get zero. Hopefully some reinforcements come and we can sustain a challenge for the FA cup, Champions League and Premier League in the second half of the season.

Raptors Sing the Motown Blues

Raptors 76 - 95 Detroit

Maxiell was a force against the Raptors

The Raptors continue to fall into the depths of the Eastern Conference basement with a loss last night against the Pistons. This was their seventh straight loss and the Dino's record now stands at 16-28. The possibility of reaching the playoffs is quickly becoming out of reach and our attention should turn to developing our young players and figuring out what we are going to do in the off season. (hopefully it involves grabbling a wing; whether it comes from the draft or as a free agent signing)

We limped into the Palace of Auburn Hills and the Prince abused us. He must have been thinking he was in a dream considering how favourable the matchups were for him. First Jamario Moon then Jason Kapono, this guy had a field day. He scored 25 points on 11-16 shooting; abusing us everywhere on the court and creating countless opportunities for his teammates.

We started the game very well as usual, running up to a 10-2 lead through the aggressive nature of Bosh. He started the game off with a drive and score; something he does not do often. He was also spreading the offense well and in the right position for offensive rebounds, grabbing three ones in the opening minutes. The offensive rebounds led to easy points for CB4 and he score 8 of the Raptors first 10 points. Detroit called a time out and substitued Maxiell for Johnson. The Raptors still played well and held a 14-6 lead when Jay made a huge mistake by substituting Roko for Parker. Stuckley saw Ukic and abused him into a foul, a offensive turnover and blew by him for a layup. Maxiell was a huge energy spark off the bench, and he managed to throw down four enormous dunks through screen and rolls and in transition. Raptors held though and lead 22-17 at the end of the first.

In the second quarter, the Piston were just smarter than us. Their backup Will Bynum consistently made the right pass either to Rip or Prince off screen. He also had the tools to brake down our perimeter defense and create easy baskets for his teammates (I know, its pretty easy). Tayshaun Prince started to heat up and that was because Kapono was guarding him. He is such an awesome player, if I would wish for a three for the Raptors it would be the Prince. The Pistons clawed back and led by three by halftime outscoring the Raptors 29-21.

The wheels just feel off in the third quarter. The Detroit offense was so efficient, with all of their weapons scoring at ease. The Raptors decided to settle on the jumper and went away from the fundamentals which made them successful early in the first quarter. Rodney Stuckley was using dribble penetration, posting up and passing well. Rip Hamilton and Tayshaun Prince was scoring at will through screens and Rasheed and Maxiell were scoring on the inside. There were too many options for the Pistons and the Raptors could not contain them all.

The fourth quarter started and it had already felt like garbage time. Maxiell started off by showing O'Neal how to scoring with a fadeaway (probably Maxiell's first of the season), and McDyess scored on a nice layup and jumper. Rip Hamilton scored five straight points and the game was now out of hand at 87-67.

Best moment of the game was Nathan Jawai entering the game. Aussie Shaq started his career with a walk, must have been watching Kapono too much. He really didn't do anything else for the final three minutes, but at least he played! Will Solomon decided to hog the ball at the end jacking up shots, which was something I would expect to do.

Ukic showed some big problems when he entered the game. He got exposed on defense because he doesn't know the defensive awareness yet and can be forced into easy turnovers for the opponents. He needs some seasoning in the D league, but it would lessen the little depth we have.

Bargnani had an off-shooting night shooting 6-16, by still made the right decisions, he just missed shots he was making during this run. Joey scored 0 points in 22 minutes, he really did not get himself into the game. Parker continued playing the point, and played reasonably well and hopefully this would increase his trade value going into the deadline.

Chicago up next and hopefully the Raptors can stop the bleeding.

Game Day Preview: Raptors against Detroit

Raptors roll into the Auburn Hills to face the Deeeeeeeeeetroit Pistons. The Pistons are having some issues of their own, especially since acquiring Iverson, and are at 23-17. They are well off the pace of 55 wins and have solved the 3 guard problem by placing Rip Hamilton on the bench.

The Raptors have traditionally never matched up well against the Pistons and today is no different. If Bosh is KG's bitch, then Rasheed is Bosh's creepy uncle teddy, he'll just have his way with Bosh. Stuckey should abuse Parker/Solomon/Ukic both with his size and his athleticism. Prince is just an extremely rich man's version of moon, so we are at a disadvantage there and Graham can only dream of keeping up with Iverson.

I don't think we have a chance tonight, but I have been enjoying watching Bargnani play recently and I can see the starting of a system, so maybe just maybe, no ... we're not going to win.

Raptors Republic have a good preview of today's game, and includes cheerleaders, which is always good.

NBA roundtable has an analysis of Rip as the man of the bench. I still can't believe they chose Iverson over Hamilton as Iverson would destroy bench players and Rip is used to playing with this group. Rip has my favourite routine for making free throws, I use it in pickup hoops and it works for me.

The globe and mail has an interesting article about Prince comparing the Pistons and the Raptors, saying both teams have had some difficulty adjusting to a 'big time' new player. He also mentions that he can't believe Smitch was fired and that he was a good coach (which I find funny, seeing how he has played under Carslie, Brown and Saunders).

Obama as a Basketball Player

With Obama's inaugaration into the White House today, I thought it might be a bit interesting to compare his personality and leadership style to current players in the NBA and see if any are similar. I want to also compare the role of the player's team.

Obama recently sat down with SI's Alexander Wolff to discuss the role of basketball in his life . Obama credits basketball as a way he:

"won a reputation as a consensus builder while playing recreational in college and law school. A pickup game with Robinson did nothing less than confirm Obama as a worthy suitor to his wife-to-be. In Chicago, basketball helped him connect with the South Siders he worked with as a community organizer and with the circle of professionals who would help launch his political career."

But basketball was so much deeper for him. Mr. Obama learned much about himself on the basketball court. He discovered the attitude the game carried; you can talk trash, but you better back it up. The president also lived out a 'black man's adolescence' through the game, as it was difficult for him to understand his place as a half black half white male. Basketball was an outlet for him, and he grew an undying passion for the game.

There were some comparison's made in the article of which players Barack Obama could be, such as:

"Kenny Anderson, Dick Barnett, Manu Ginóbili, Lionel Hollins and Delonte West (sans neck tattoos)."

but I think there is a player which match him better; both as the player's personality and with the team's expectation. The first player who I think he would represent is...

Brandon Roy

Brandon Roy has been the main instigator of change in the mindset from the old "Jail Blazers" team. In the article, Wolff mentions "He was a passer despite the fact he could score," and this is a characteristic that Roy embodies, he just makes his teammates better. Roy, like Obama, liked to take over at the end of games, but was humble on the court. Roy is the shining face of the new NBA, a player who stays calm at adversery, but gets pumped at the end of games and stays clutch. The Blazers are a team challenging the NBA's comfortable elite and are planning on staying there.

Coming out of college, people were questioning Roy. Was he strong enough? Is he athletic enough? Will he stay injury free? He overcame those who opposed him and rose to the occasion, and is now widely considered the best player out of the 2006 draft. He was the ROY, and has already played at the all-star weekend in the rookie/sophomore game.

People also questioned if Barack was capable of being president. They asked: does he have enough experience? How will he manage to beat Clinton and the Republican candidate? People were undoubtedly also implicitly thinking, how can this guy think he would be president. He's African American. But Barack stepped over the challenges. He proved that America is a place of equal opportunity and anybody could strive to be whatever they want. He proved that people can believe in government again. He became the face of change in the country through the mantra of 'yes we can'.

Barack backed it up, he's allowed to talk. Besides, in a game of pickup hoops, how could not not choose him first?

Critical Mistakes in Crunch Time

Raptors 84 - 87 Hawks

Bargnani is just bringing it

This game was really lost by the Raptors' habit of making bad basketball decisions late in the game. There has been much debate on who was responsible for this loss, but it really comes down to team personality and attitude. This is not the first time we have lost in the last minutes, and I believe the ability to make crucial decisions at this time is what seperates great teams from mediocre ones.

The Raptors outcomes from their possessions in the last two minutes of the game:

1:46: Roko turnover
1:15: Joey missing 9 foot jumper
0:50: Bosh turnover (bouncing ball off foot)
0:35: Jamario Moon missed three (18 seconds left on clock)
0:02: Kapono missed three (after almost losing ball)

Even with players who are not gifted at creating their own shot, it is still possible to manufacture solid shot opportunities through dribble penetration, swinging the ball, correct spacing and most critically, allowing your best 'under-pressure' shooter taking the shot. The Raptors, in my opinion, should have designed plays for Bargnani to take the shots in the final two minutes. I would have had Bosh in the post (fighting for position to make the entry pass easy), with Bargnani the closest player. This type of two man interaction would have caused some defensive concern for the Hawks as Bargnani is capable of shooting, driving and now able to make a pullup j.

On the other side, Joe Johnson took over for the Hawks in the final two minutes. Driving at will and finishing while drawing contract and making ridiculous shots, he is a very dependable player in crunchtime. The Raptors need a player with his personality to truly take the next step as a team.

The Raptors started the game off well, as usual, by playing inside out, and making their jumpshots. The game was close through the first quarter, with Joey Graham and Andrea Bargnani being very aggressive. We managed to get some easy fast break opporutnies with Joey Graham the outlet from a defensive rebound and making a strong jam. Joey Graham looks very comfortable in the open court and this is when he is able to take advantage of his athletic ability. The Raptors entered the second quarter nursing an one point lead 24-23

The beginning of the second quarter was similar to the first quarter, as both teams were going toe-to-toe and keeping the score close. Roko Ukic was playing well, using his smarts and athleticism to drive past the defenders to make easy scores. This type of dribble penetration has not been visible under Calderon this year and help create easier shot opportunities for the other players. Unfortunately, Roko started making some rookie mistakes throughout the game by overdribbling and giving up crucial turnovers. The Raptors turn up the heat late in the second quarter going on a 10-2 run to end the quarter. This was made by playing great defense and forcing turnovers which lead to easy opportunities in the paint.

The Raptors were ahead 52-43 at the break, with good control of the game and were playing well. However, in this quarter the Raptors defense really let them down. They were giving up dribble penetration far too easily, which gave the Hawks open looks at three, a shot they can make. Josh Smith was driving at Bosh, Joe Johnson was driving by our perimeter players too easily and Bibby was camped out at the three point line, making three after three. It would have been worse if their role player Flip Murray could convert on the shot opportunites he was given. The Raptors held though and carried a two point lead into the fourth quarter.

The Hawks started building on their lead through the good habits they had established in the third quarter. Josh Smith continued to exploit the inside, Joe Johnson could get whatever shot he wanted and made it and Bibby exposed us at the perimeter. We just didn't have the athletes to keep up with this youthful Hawks team. The Hawks pulled into a six point lead before the Raptors pulled it back, but as explained above, we made mistakes down the stretch that gave the game to Atlanta. It was a game we really should have won having lead most of the game, but the Raptors managed to give it up.

Andrea Bargnani has really impressed me during 2009. His three point shot was not falling today, but still managed to be productive by hitting pull up jumpers and abusing their undersized bigs in the post. He is really developing quite nicely and complements Bosh very well. I disagree with those we argue we should trade Bosh and put Bargs at the 4, Bargnani has a much better speed advantage against 5 and can guard the 5 very well. This tandem works well, we just need a sg/sf who we can rely to make the neccessary shots and this team will be well constructed.

Anthony Parker continued at the pg poistion and played very well. Credit to Khandor for calling that, and he right in theory and in actuality he matches very well against the less quick point guards. He had a line of 12 points, 9 assists and 9 rebounds and this should boost his trade value. He would be a quality guard coming off the bench for a contending team.

The short-term future is not looking good for the team, with this season basically lost but there are positive signs for the long-term with Bargnani's improvement, Bosh's work ethic and the development of Ukic and Graham. Take heart in the fact that we have some of the pieces needed to be a contending team, the hard part is trying to get the rest of them without giving up what you already have.

A potentially great weekend turns into an indifferent one

Arsenal 3 - Hull 1

Nasri scoring a well taken goal in the 82'

Scoring Tally
Arsenal
Adebayor 30'
Nasri 82'
Bendtner 86'
Hull
Cousin 65'

Arsenal Starting Lineup
-------------------Almunia-------------
Clichy------Djourou---Toure-----Sagna
Nasri------Denilson---Diaby-----Eboue
--------Van Persie--------Adebayor----

I was pretty excited at halftime of the Chelsea / Stoke game I was watching. The scores of the four games I was keeping tabs besides Arsenal/Hull were:

Halftime
Man U 0 - 0 Bolton
Sunderland 1 - 0 Aston Villa
Chelsea 0 - 0 Stoke

If the games were to end at these scores, it would have been a perfect weekend for Arsenal. All of the gunner's major rivals except Liverpool (who play tomorrow) would have dropped points. Unfortunately Man United, Aston Villa and Chelsea all won which made it mandatory that Arsenal win to keep pace.

Hull started off very brightly, creating some pressure through crosses and corners. Mendy was causing some problems for Clichy and Geovanni had a few long range drives on Almunia's net. Arsenal started to get a foot on the game by playing neat passes and keeping possession well.

In the 27' minute Van Persie whipped a free kick which came inches from scoring. Myhill made a fantastic save fingertip save to keep the shot off.

3 minutes later, Adebayor proved to us all of the time practise jumping was worth it as he jumped higher than the Hull defenders to head a looper to the far corner. Quality goal from the Togo hitman and helped settle some nerves. The rest of the half went without incident and Arsenal took a 1-0 lead into halftime.

In the 53' minute Manucho replaced Halmosi as Hull employed a two-striker system to take the game to Arsenal. Manucho, a Man U player on loan, was very involved in the action and had a legitimate penalty appeal shot down when Djourou missed the ball and headed him. He came off with a swollen eye but kept playing, fair play to the lad. Daniel Cousin worked very hard throughout the game and was rewarded in the 65th as Mendy swings a deflected corner in and Cousin powered it past Almunia. Clichy played too far off Mendy due to his pace and the partial deflection took the ball over Toure and Cousin had a free header.

Diaby and Eboue were having their usual game, not really contributing and I do not know what Wenger sees in these two. Maybe because of the lack of options due to injury or because he has a fetish for Africans, Wenger stubbornly keeps on choosing those two to play. Eboue was replaced by Bendtner and the Dane instantly brought attacking options. Wenger decided to employ a three striker system and the pressue was turning in Arsenal's favour.

Nasri scored a fine goal in the 82' minute from some nice work from Bendtner and Van Persie. Van Persie recieved the ball just outside the 18 yard box and drew three Hull defenders towards him. He slid it on the ground towards Nasri on the left and the Frenchmen cooly slotted the finish to the far corner.

Just 4 minutes later Bendtner sealed the game with some nice inter-play between himself and Van Persie. Persie was marginally offside when he recieved the pass but the flag was not raised and he played a square ball to Bendtner, who finished it strong. Bendtner has fully grasped the role of super-sub for the team which we need now considering the lack of craft we are playing with. Song came on, but frankly I dont care about him at all.

The last few minutes were very nervy as Hull tried to score and looked close to doing so. Arsenal held firm and escaped with a 3-1 victory. Arsenal had 62% of possession throughout the game which lead to 14 goal attempts; 7 on target. Hull had 7 attempts on goal and 2 hit the target.

The Gunners had a very tough time recently grinding out results and some reinforcements are needed to be purchased in this transfer window if we want a chance of competiting for the FA cup and securing a champions league spot.

You can catch all of the goals at Arsenalist's, thanks mate!

Pathetic, Gutless Display by the Raptors

This accurately sums up last night's game

First, I would like to say that I am more of the more optimistic Raptors fans, you can attest it to my sometimes ridiculous trade rumors, hopeful performances and general support for the team when it is far more logical not to. Last night, Friday January 16, turned me off of the team. For the first three quarters we played as lethargic as I have ever seen the team play.

The first quarter was fought tooth-and-nail. We quickly went down 4-0, not making a shot for the first three minutes. We fought back to a 10-5 lead through excellent spacing, and finding the open jumper. Indiana came back and it was a 20 -20 tie at the end of the first.

The second quarter killed the team as the Raptors were outscored 36 -22. Indiana went a 13-5 run to start the quarter and the raptors didn't challenge the open shooters, kept giving up easy layups on screen and rolls and too many uncontested layups. It was disgusting to watch and it looked like the Raptors didn't care. Mike Dunleavy and Troy Murphy absolutely killed us in this frame scoring inside, outside by the three pointer.

The third quarter was more of the same. The Pacers really blew the game open, even TJ Ford and fricken Stephen Graham were scoring at ease against us. The majority of the shots taken by the Raptors were of the jump shot variety and they were usually missing. We entered the fourth down 24.

The Raptors surprised everybody and started it with a 11-0 run. Indiana didn't score in the first four minutes which greatly aided the raps run. I am not going to give Raptors credit for the huge run; cutting the lead to 1 because it was Indiana taking the foot off the pedal. The Raptors have given up multiple double digit leads and I do not credit the opposition for playing, I am critical that the Raptors do not have the mental strength to stay up. I offer the same criticism for the Pacers. It was false hope and I knew that this year's Raptors would not have pulled it off. We committed far too many silly turnovers (travelling), and if we were to win it would have been tainted victory.

Danny Granger did not impress me at all. He went 8 -24 in the game for 23 points. He is an extremely high volume shooter and his basketball personality would not have fit with this team. I think he is already overrated and should not be getting all the praise he seems to get. Troy Murphy and Mike Dunleavy had great games, knowing when to shoot and drive and keeping hte Raptors defense unbalanced.

Bargnani played well for my money, scoring 20 points and grabbing 5 boards. His shot wasn't falling as easily yesterday but he still managed to get points in other productive ways. He has started to show some offensive post presence and that really impressed me.

O'Neal came back today and was extremely unproductive. He has disappointed me recently with his long injury delay and lack of offensive contribution.

This game left a bad taste in my mouth and hopefully Jay can regroup the troops for the game against Phoneix.

Game Day Preview: Raptors against the Pacers

Raptors against the Pacers tonight and it feels like a close, grind-it-out game between two comparable teams in the Eastern Conference. Saying that, its probably going to be a blow-out for the Pacers now as I have incorrectly predicted two comfortable Raptor wins which turned out to be a blow-out and no-heart loss (NJ and Bulls)

The Raptors should have the advantage at the big men spots with Bosh playing his usual 'jumper, jumper, ... ,jumper, DRIVE!' on offense and Bargnani playing pretty awesome right now. Bosh has been relatively consistent with his jump shot but has proven again that he is not Toronto's answer in late game situations as refs usually swallow their whistle and his attempts are usually misses. Bargnani has had a very impressive 9 game streak; scoring over 17 points and his rebounding has steadily increased to a double double of 31 points and 10 rebounds against the bulls. We really need at him for late game situations as he seems to be the only raptor with ice in his blood who can create and hit his own shot.

The Pacers have a huge advantage on the wing positions with Danny Granger and Mike Dunleavy. Both of these players are really coming into their own as scorers and could penetrate at will against our weak wing players. It really is a case of pick your poison of letting them have space to shoot or playing them tight and letting them drive. Considering how weak our collapse and help defense is, I would give them shot all day and hope they don't pull a Ray Allen against us. Letting them drive would create easy shot opportunities for them and the rest of the Pacers; which would increase their offensive efficiency.

The point guard battle is basically a wash with Solomon against Jack. NBA reboundtable has done a nice write-up on the performance of Solomon when he has played 15+ minutes and he has done surprisingly well; much better than what I thought he could do from "what in the world" free willy. If he continues to play within himself, there is no reason why he cannot be a backup calibre point guard in the NBA.

Raptor Republic have a nice write up on the game tonight, predicting that Pacers will eventually pull the game out due to their dribble penetration in spite of our advantage in the bigs. They also discuss Bosh's learning experience and the neccessity to win the game tonight after losing the last three.

The Toronto Star notes that Jermaine O'Neal will be playing tonight. Pretty funny how he is suddenly ready to play against his former team. O'Neal also says that Bargnani should be starting saying:

"He's earned the right to stay in the starting lineup. I have no ego about that. ... Some guys would want their starting position back, but I've been out for two weeks. ... I don't deserve the right to come back and take somebody's position that has been playing well."

People thought he might complain and be angry that he might be on the bench, but he has taken it well and seems cotent to let Bargnani start and prove he is healthy and ready to contribute again.

Hopefully we have a good performance today and pull out a close win. I am predicitng Il Mago drills a late three and the final score...

Raptors 102 - Pacers 99

Go Raps Go!

The Bulls 'Raptored' our Dinos

Raptors 98 - Bulls 102

I could not help but feel like an opposition fan when the Raps beat them. The Bulls went ahead by double digit leads, the opposition came back to make it a close game by half-time, the teams went toe-to-toe in the third, the bull surged ahead in the fourth but the raptors came back and the bulls squeaked out the win. This sequence the bulls had has been the recipe for almost every toronto win this season.

The Bulls raced out to leads of 8-15 in the first quarter due to excellent spacing, hard cuts and sticking the jumper. From 5:26 to 1:23 of the first quarter, the Bulls made a 13-4 run to lead 26-14. This was primarily due to Rose penetration and assisting his team for easy shots. What also really contributed to the run was the obsene amount of offensive rebounds that the Bulls grabbed during the time coupled with untimely turnovers and our reliance to shoot the jump shot.

The second quarter started with more of the same for our Raps. We were taking and missing many long range jump shots and the Bulls raced to 34-21 lead. During this time, Bosh was sitting on the bench due to two early fouls and was quickly brought back in. He was very active with the ball running through him, getting a lay up, getting to the foul line twice and making a jumper. The lead fluctuated between 8-12 points for the Bulls until Bargnani entered the game. Due to our increased effort on defense, we started forcing some turnovers and this allowed us to get on the fast break. We got fouled and started making our foul shots and the lead was cut to 3. One play which I want to point out which showed our increased desire on defense was Bargnani's on Deng with about two minutes left in the half. Deng caught the ball at the top of the key and started to drive against Bargs. Bargs cut off the interior so Deng decided to head back and go right, around Bargs, but Il Mago kept moving his feet and forced the turnover on Deng when he threw it away. This increased defensive awareness has complemented his increased productivity as he had a career night scoring 31 points and grabbing 10 boards. Check the 2:12 mark, this was not the play described above, but it was another excellent defensive possession for bargnani. The Raps ended the quarter up a point thanks to Bosh and Bargnani's contributions.

The third quarter was a scrappy affair where both team traded blows and Bosh and Bargnani were crucial for our success in the quarter. We won the quarter +2 and lead 71-68 entering the final quarter.

The Bulls started the final quarter on a 9-0 run, thanks to a balanced contribution of Derrick Rose, Sefolosha and Nocioni. Rose, in particular, started to heat up scoring 5 points during the run. Rose was penetrating with ease and this helped open the shooters for the Bulls for easy scores. The space created from the drives coupled with the collapse of help defenders freeing Chicago's shooters was too much for the Raptors to handle, as Chicago pulled to a 5 point lead with around 7 minutes remaining. Bargnani scored four straight points and it resulted to 96-94 lead for Chicago, which set up an interesting final two minutes. Derrick rose scored 4 straight points for the bulls through two dribble penetrations and this was countered by a Bosh score. Anthony Parker scored a driving layup with 29 second remaining which set up a bizarre finish. The Raptors had a foul to give and decided not use it a first; with the 5 second game/shot clock differential. Then, inexplicitily, Solomon fouls Rose 24 feet out with 14 seconds remaining, which reseted the shot clock at 14. This meant that if Chicago inbounded the ball and made their free throw they would win the game, but Hinirich on the inbound threw it straight at Bosh. The Raptors got a gift from god and had 12 seconds to score down two. Jay drew up a play where Bosh was isolated against Noah on the left block. Bosh went baseline, got sealed picked up his dribbed and shot a fadeaway with 5 seconds left, and got blocked. I am not sure why he decided to pick up his dribble and also why he didnt look for Bargnani, who was having a career night. It was a disappointing way to end the game, but the Raptors are good at that.

The Bulls went ahead by double digit leads, the opposition came back to make it a close game by half-time, the teams went toe-to-toe in the third, the bull surged ahead in the fourth but the raptors came back and the bulls squeaked out the win. This sequence the bulls had has been the recipe for almost every toronto win this season.

I was quite impressed with Bargnani's performance. I think he has really turned the corner, producing in nine straight games while contributing to rebounding and defensive. With respect to rebounding, he is going for the ball and is starting to get the tough ones. His offensive does not look forced and is trying to get what the defense is giving him, a sign of offensive maturity.

Joey Graham and Jason Kapono were not productive today, with Joey only contributing two reboundings and missing the only shot he took. Kapono scored 7 points in 22 minutes but the duo were -11 and -10 respectively. Joey seems to be losing his place in the rotation and he really seems like a player who needs consistent burn to remain productive and Jason Kapono is really killing the team in terms of defensive liability. His offensive will never outweigh the negatives that we lose on defense as he is usually the link which make the oppenent's offense easier and therefore more efficient. He does not have the positional awareness and is just not physically capable of staying with the quick guards.

We're at Indiana on friday and hopefully we can end this three game losing streak. Jermaine might be back, but he may start of the bench due to Bargnani's recent performances.

What's the Upcoming Plans?

This post is going to give a taste of what to expect from the blog the upcoming week in additional to Toronto Raptors and Arsenal pre and post game posts.

Arsenal
1. What should Arsene Wenger's targets be this transfer window and at what price?
2. What system is best to maximize Arsenal's player, now and with an injury-free squad
3. How has Arsene Wenger's philosophy affected Arsenal, the Premier League and football in general?
4. A look back at some player Arsenal has let go over the years
5. Arsenal's future kids, a dawn brighter than now?

Raptors
1. The state of the Raptors: what can be done now, and what must be done to start and ensure continual success
2. The optons for the Raptors during the trade deadline
3. The rationale on why Kapono could not fit with the Raptors
4. An in-depth look at the system Jay Triano is implementing and how different is it from Sam Mitchell's

These are all topics which are of great interest to me and hopefully they will be for you. Keep checking this blog as I will try to post a new article a day and answer some of the topics I just rainsed. If you have any suggestions on any topics I should write; post it in the comment section.

Game Day Preview: Raptors against the Bulls

I decided to change the heading for raptor game day preview from 'fast break' to 'raptors game day preview' because I realized paul jones uses the same thing, which I wasn't aware of.

Raptors entertain the Bulls tonight. Chicago is 16-22, a half game above the raptors. They have lost their two last game; same as our dinos. They have a squad not unlike our raptors; they are neither rebuilding, on the cusp or contending. They were lucky to get Rose at the first pick last year, as the rest of their roster looks very weak.

The Toronto Star reports the both Jermaine O'Neal and Jose Calderon will miss tonight's game due to injuries. This is Jermaine's tenth straight game he has missed due to the bruising of the knee.

Jay Triano comments on O'Neal saying:

"You don't want to throw a guy out there who hasn't had a chance to practice.
He's going to have to get a couple of good practices in, or at least one, and
see how his knee reacts to that. Then we'll find out whether he can go or not."

Triano plans on using the same line-up which has brought much success over the last few game; a strech when the Raptors have gone 3-2. Both of the losses have come against the Celtics; one in overtime. Here are some things the Raptors must do to win this game.

1. Contain Derrick Rose

Dribble penetration is one of the Raptor's major weaknesses this year and they play much better defense when they prevent the opposition's point guard getting into the paint. If solomon and ukic can contain the pg, then we will be in a good position to win the game

2. Out-rebound the other team

We cannot give up second chance point due to our lack of rebounding. We must make sure that we boss the glass and win the rebounding battle. Bargnani has been getting strong rebounding numbers of late and hopefully he can continue this trend against the bulls.

3. Be the bigger team

Nobody on the bulls can contain Bosh and Bargnani. Il mago should continue to shoot the ball well against this team and Bosh could get 30+ points tonight. We should win the PIMP battle and hopefully we can carry a comfortable lead the entire game.

I think we have a strong chance of winning this game. We need to play inside-out early and establish Bosh and Bargnani. When they start to double the two men, we can start to pass out to the open shooters. I'm predicing a comfortable win in the high nineties.

Raptors 98 - 90 Chicago

General Catchup and Raptors show some heart

Sorry for the super-long delay, I had to catch up with some university work. I have been around the net recently and found a few great sites. They are:

Raptors / NBA

Raptor Republic: http://raptorsrepublic.com/blog/
NBA roundtable: http://nbaroundtable.wordpress.com/

Arsenal

The Arsenal Column: http://arsenalcolumn.wordpress.com/
7 A.M. Kickoff: http://7amkickoff.wordpress.com/

These are all quality blogs and will be added to my blogroll for future reference.

Raptors came off an emotional and hard-fought battle against the celtics yesterday. The Raptors were up most of the game by around 10 points, but the Celtics made their huge run and led by three with 14 seconds left. Jay called a timeout and ran a weak play where Parker ran off a soft screen and throw an off-balance three. It obviously missed (its parker and late game) but Bosh showed some heart by outjumping Garnett for the rebounding and tipping to an area close to parker, who threw it to Kapono. Kaps saw Bargnani beside him and the italian sensation nailed it with 1 second left on the clock. In overtime we quickly fell behind to a six point lead and could never recover.

Rather than give an intensive play-by-play update, I am going to provide some general observations I made and couple that in with some thoughts from across the web.

• Bargnani is really starting to find his role on this team. He has displayed great confidence and is playing with a consistency he has not experienced in his career. He has averaged 21.3 points, 6.8 rebounds, 1.5 blocks and 1.8 steals over the past 8 games. He rebounding numbers have increased to 8,9,8 over the last three. These are quality stats for Il mago and he has complemented bosh very well. Both players have a perimeter game which allows the other to have space in the paint for their post move.
  
• Graham is really starting to get it in the league. He realizes that he should play tough defense, and always drive to the whole. This new-found aggression is much-needed for the raptors and really helps space out the floor and create favourable match-ups for the rest of the team.
  
• Bosh still needs to show me he can go to work on the elite defenders. He made a nice move when Baby tried to play him too close, but his offense was almost non-existent against KG. He has to get into the post and develop a few post moves, at the very least this will put pressure on KG and he may foul more.
  
• I did not like the fact that Rondo set up Powe for an alley-oop 'and1' style with the game out of hand and with one second left. It was completely unprofessional and only increases my hatred for the Celtics even more
  
• Dave Feschuk's article about the game yesterday provided some insight from the players. Jay Triano replied to the team commitment by saying,

"I liked our fight,"

I appreciate the fact that Jay is trying to implement a new system and we are playing with more competitiveness than last year. This is not his fault but we need some additional depth at the wing positions to make any system work. I will be addressing this in my next raptors post.

Chris Bosh said that the team "shot itself in the foot" last night by over providing on help defense and leaving players open for easy shot opportunities.

• In Doug Smith's blog, he mentions that no one should expect Bosh to do well against Garnett, to be happy with the fight and that Roko should be the primary backup to Calderon. Okay points, but he sounds way too content to be in mediocrity.

Overall, I thought it was a good effort, but I think the Raptors should be able to pull the game out. They were ahead by 10 the majority of the game but they do not have a player who they can throw it to and have them create. This is the crucial player the Raptors need to become an elite team in the Eastern Conference and to finally challenge Boston toe-to-toe. Hopefully we can wipe that ugly smirk of KG's bony face the next time we face him, he deserves it.