The AltRaps Blog

Halloween 2007, Game 1.  Bargnani puts up 20 points, 5 rebounds, and 2 blocks.  The Raptors romp the 76ers.  It seemed like a season to remember.  Game two, the Raptors defile the Nets by 37 points.  Bargnani puts up 21.  With Bosh and Bargnani playing the four and five, the future was brighter then the Toronto skyline itself.

The rest is a blur until May, when Orlando beats us in 5.  The off-season begins, 41-41. And we face a huge question.  Does Bargnani get amnesty?  His value right now is still high, and we probably could cash in somewhere.  Where exactly, is not important; but if we make the wrong decision, who knows what could happen; maybe it could be the difference between a championship and nothing a few years down the road.

- RaptorsCity

Last night I asked the guys what they thought all the Rumours and Buzz helps or hurts the Raptors off-season plans. They suggested that the rumours that seem endless around this team could actually help Bryan Colangelo in his effort to make deals. We all have heard how Sam Mitchell and many others in the NBA say they do not pay attention to the Rumour Mill that is all over the world wide web. Honestly though do we buy that?

- Dino Nation Blog

The Raptors liked what they saw in Robin Lopez the other day and he could be an option for the team in the first round of the draft later this month.

Lopez stood out as the team held their second pre-draft workout at the Air Canada Centre. Toronto has the 17th pick in the first round if they don’t move it.

- Cuzoogle

Mitsubishi Electric has been chosen by Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment (MLSE) to supply and install a new 17-screen scoreboard featuring a cutting-edge Diamond Vision™ high-definition display system at the Air Canada Centre, home of the NHL’s Toronto Maple Leafs and the NBA’s Toronto Raptors.

The new display system will provide the Air Canada Centre, its Toronto Maple Leafs and Toronto Raptors fans with the most advanced video screens of any arena in Canada. The system will contain 17 new displays with the highlight, or pièce de résistance, being a four-sided 6mm “black package” LED main display.

The Air Canada Centre system will be the first in the NHL/NBA market to feature this new black package LED technology. The black package LED, which is available on Mitsubishi Electric’s 6mm, 4mm and 3mm displays, provides for superior contrast and black levels over existing white packaged LEDs that utilize standard contrast panels to help improve contrast and black levels. The black packaged LED allows the LED chip to be virtually unnoticeable and blend into the black face of the display.

In addition to the black package 6mm main video displays, Mitsubishi Electric is using 10mm display technology for the eight-sided upper displays and four-sided scoring displays as well as the 72-foot long circular ring. Mitsubishi Electric is also supplying a new integrated scoring system consisting of all new shot clocks and ANC’s state-of-the-art VisionSOFT control system.

Toronto fans can expect the new display system to be completed by August 1, 2008 in time for the upcoming NHL and NBA seasons.

- Business Wire

Coaches call guys who bog down the offense ‘patters’ because when the ball comes to them the hold it and pat it while figuring out what they want to do. Chris Bosh does this a little bit. It’s not like there’s some ego-centric conspiracy at work; it just takes them a little while to figure out what their next move should be. When Bosh does this it’s not the end of the world because, well, the Raptors are pretty well served when he finally makes up his mind.

- Globe and Mail