Good morning from Altanta; where's Sam?
By Doug Smith
I think squeezing into the final one or two playoff spots is not going to make this even a passably successful season, although it will be better than the alternative.
It’s always better to be in the playoffs rather than out of them, in my opinion; the draft is too much of a crapshoot, any player you get in the late stages of the lottery takes too long to develop before he makes a significant contribution.
But that’s just me.
Dealing O'Neal could prevent Raptor implosion
By Dave Feschuk
The proposed trade, if it happens as reported, would be more patchwork than masterwork. Then again, Bryan Colangelo, the Raptors president and GM, has essentially changed jobs in the months since last season's first-round playoff decimation against the Orlando Magic. Once an architect with a compelling vision, he's now a repairman with an unenviable to-do list. And the roof, to paraphrase a classic lean-times utterance by former Raptor Tracy McGrady, be leakin'! Yesterday's 117-113 loss to the Suns put the Raptors, losers of five in a row, 10 games under .500. They haven't looked more ramshackle since Rob Babcock was happily slapping mud on his straw hut of a roster back in 2005-06.
Shorthanded Raptors no match for Nash
By Doug Smith
While wildly entertaining in a no-defence, last-shot-wins kind of way, a 117-113 loss to the Phoenix Suns before a soldout house at the Air Canada Centre yesterday will eventually be remembered as just another defeat for the Raptors, No.26 against only 16 wins in a season that began with such promise and has degenerated into one of the worst in the last half decade.
With only 40 games left to even salvage a spot in the bottom part of the playoff ladder, the Raptors can play every one with offensive abandon, as they did yesterday, and they can get big performances from unusual sources, but if they don't start to win, it won't matter.
The Toronto Sun
Raps' hopes Nash-ed
By Terry Koshan
Nash is expected to become a free agent in 2010, and has been asked about whether he would like to finish his career as a Raptor. Nash, easily Canada's highest-profile basketball ambassador, turns 35 next month and thinks he has three more seasons left after this one.
"If the Suns are playing well and I am part of their plans, (they) probably will be a No. 1 priority for me," said Nash, who was caught by TV cameras apologizing to Triano after the game. "If not, Toronto would be at the top of the list as far as considering other markets. I love what the team has done here, but I love playing in Phoenix."
J.O. has got to go
By Frank Zicarelli
Colangelo is under the gun for the first time in his three-year run in Toronto.
Having already fired a coach, he must act quickly in pulling the trigger.
The Heat, for obvious reasons, is waiting to see more of O'Neal on the court before making a move.
Sacramento big man Brad Miller, who played with O'Neal in Indianapolis, also has been mentioned as potentially being Miami-bound.
There is also talk of Miami and Dallas engaged in talks involving Josh Howard.
And there even be more rumours and more teams linked with the Raptors as the Feb. 19 trade deadline nears.
"B.C. is one of the best in the business,'' Anthony Parker said of Colangelo. "He'll try to do whatever is necessary."
The Globe & Mail
Nash can beat you any way
By Michael Grange
Score? Nash barely shot, as he didn't complete a field-goal attempt until there were three minutes left in the third quarter. He finished with just nine points.
But by that time, he had already counted 15 of his season-high 18 assists, tying his own record for most helpers by a Raptors opponent that he set last December. The Raptors have never beaten the Suns with Nash in the lineup.
O'Neal's absence fuels trade rumours
By Michael Grange
With O'Neal having missed nine straight games before returning to the lineup for 17 minutes off the bench against Indiana on Friday, logic dictates the Heat taking a wait-and-see approach to any proposed deal, with any moves taking place only when Heat president Pat Riley can be assured that O'Neal is healthy.
For the Heat, O'Neal represents a hybrid solution to a lack of size in the front court as they try to build on a spectacular season by the NBA's leading scorer, Dwyane Wade, and solidify a playoff spot. While O'Neal's 13.2 points and 7.9 rebounds a game can help them now, the fact that his $22.5-million (all currency U.S.) contract expires at the end of the 2009-2010 season also allows the Heat to maintain the flexibility to participate in what is expected to be a rich free-agent class in the summer of 2010.
National Post
Nash helps Suns down Raptors
By PA SportsTIcker
Anthony Parker scored 26 points for Toronto, who had five players in double figures. Joey Graham had a career-high 22 points for the Raptors, who have lost five straight games.
The Raptors continued to struggle with Nash's Suns. Toronto has not beaten Phoenix since a 101-94 road victory on February 10 2004 - the last meeting between the teams before Nash re-signed with Phoenix.
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Sunshine Girl
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Our New Point Guard (Soloboy)
