Toronto Raptors News: Pro Sports Daily

February 4

Toronto Sun

"Asked about his recent skid after practice on Thursday, Amir Johnson looked and sounded almost apologetic. "I have to do it for my teammates," he said. The personal issues that were contributing to his struggles were in his own words not an excuse. Whether it was admitting the off-court issues or the one-on-one talk he had with Dwane Casey on Thursday morning, Johnson put that whatever issues were behind him for the 21/2 hours it took to play Friday's game and looked exactly like the Amir Johnson that Raptors fans were starting to get concerned they would never see again. On Friday night, Johnson was as active as ever at the rim and a big reason the Raps snapped a two-game skid with a"

Andrea Bargnani loosens up, reveals secrets to success

February 4

Toronto Star

columnist Cathal Kelly

"Sprawled across an oversize couch in a rumpus room tucked behind the Raptors' ACC training facility, Andrea Bargnani is doing something weird. He's laughing. On the court, in front of cameras and anywhere there's a crowd, Bargnani wears an expressionless mask that his critics have spent six years trying to interpret. The least charitable have decided he isn't grinning or grimacing or generally clowning because he doesn't care. And he doesn't care, but not in the way they mean. When you get him in a room alone, he is an entirely different person. He is solicitous and engaging. He is more articulate in his second language because he can focus on a single conversation, rather than several"

Toronto Raptors overpower Washington Wizards

February 4

Toronto Star

"Dwane Casey makes his coaching bones on the strength of his defensive knowledge and ability to teach, but he might have won a game for the Raptors on Friday with a couple of key moves to generate some offence. With his team stagnant — little ball movement, less people movement — and a significant lead slipping away, Casey made a subtle change to his substitution pattern that kick-started the Raptors to an eventual 106-89 rout of the woeful Washington Wizards at the Air Canada Centre. A 12-point lead had been cut to five three minutes into the second half and the Raptors were reeling. Knowing he had to do something to inject some energy into the offence, Casey called on Linas Kleiza for the"

No offence, no defence

February 3

Toronto Sun

"Wednesday's 100-64 disaster of a loss in Boston was the neon-lit, can't miss example, but really, things have been going sour for the Raptors defensively for a while now. Whereas earlier in the year teams were unable to crack the 100-point scoring mark or achieve 50% shooting against a franchise that was shocking the rest of the league with its defensive turnaround, now, big offensive nights by opponents are becoming commonplace. The Raptors only surrendered 100 points or more once in the first 16 games, but have now conceded at least that many in four of the past seven. Tired legs surely have played a part in the defensive decline — nobody has played more road games than these Raptors —"

Embarrassed Raptors attempt to regroup

February 3

Toronto Sun

"As starting forward James Johnson pointed out following a brief non-contact practice Thursday, it's fine to lose once in a while "but not like that." "That" being the near 40-point loss in Boston on Wednesday that was so bad in all facets of the game that head coach Dwane Casey could not in good conscience follow it up with a day off regardless of the fact the team had just played on back-to-back nights and have another game Friday. "We just went back to the basics," Casey said. "I thought we looked punch drunk from the Atlanta game. A little reeling, kind of lost our bearings a little bit and (Boston) poured it on and we caved in. Today it was back to our fundamentals. That's the only"

Raptors thrashed by Celtics

February 2

Toronto Sun

"The head coach was angry. The general manager could just shake his head. Ed Davis simply slumped in the locker room, holding his own bowed head. That's what happens when a team gets hammered 100-64, shooting 34.2% from the field the way Dwane Casey and Bryan Colangelo's Raptors did in Boston on Wednesday night. "I told the team, for the rest of your basketball career, remember how this feels tonight, getting beat by 40. I can't remember getting beat by 40 and it's the worst taste you want to have," Casey said. "That's something you never want to forget. You take that, you learn from it, you build from it. You never want to feel it again.""

Raptors check out Big V

February 2

Toronto Sun

"Due to the lockout and the late start of the NBA season, Bryan Colangelo had not had a chance to see and talk live with top prospect Jonas Valanciunas since last summer. Toronto's president and general manager rectified that situation recently by having productive meetings with Valanciunas, Lietuvos Rytas head coach Aleksandar Dzikic, its owner and Lithuanian national team head coach Kestutis Kemzura. "It was just more than anything, an expression that all of our interests are aligned. We want what's best for Jonas, want him to be as prepared as possible to make the best possible entrance into the NBA," Colangelo said before his Raptors took on the Celtics on Wednesday night. "Everybody"

Toronto Raptors take a 100-64 beating from Boston Celtics

February 2

Toronto Star

"The Raptors are so not going to get away with dropping a couple of stink bombs on back-to-back nights. Coming off consecutive games, even consecutive losses that have opened gaping holes in all aspects of their game, most NBA teams would take a day to catch their breath, reflect and relax and get entirely away from the game. Not Dwane Casey's Raptors. Not after one of the worst beatings in franchise history, an abject mail-in of a 100-64 drubbing administered by the Boston Celtics here Wednesday night."

Celtic starters catch breather in home rout against Raptors

February 2

Boston Globe

"The Celtics needed nearly a third of this compacted season to start producing blowout victories. A 100-64 decision over the Toronto Raptors last night was the Celtics' largest winning margin of the season, accomplished nine days after a 31-point wipeout of Orlando. This was the Celtics' sixth win in seven games and vaulted them over .500 for only the second time this season."

Captain takes Celtics lead over Raptors

February 2

Boston Herald

"For all of the hand-wringing over Rajon Rondo's sprained right wrist, the Celtics are climbing up the Eastern Conference ranks. Last night's 100-64 win over Toronto boosted the C's to 6-2 in their point guard's absence, and pushed them over .500, at 11-10, for the first time this season. Just as important, they have gone 6-2 with Avery Bradley and rookie E'Twaun Moore as their point guard rotation, and Paul Pierce in the Larry Bird role as a point forward."

Toronto Raptors fall hard to Atlanta Hawks, 100-77

February 1

Toronto Star

"Joe Johnson is everything the Raptors could want in a player — big, strong and savvy, with myriad offensive skills and the ability to take over a game when the opportunity arises. And you can imagine Dwane Casey sitting on the Raptors bench watching Johnson dismantle his team and thinking, "Oh, how I'd like one of those guys." But those guys don't exist yet on the Raptor roster and neither does anyone who can stop Johnson as the Atlanta Hawks all-star poured in 30 points in just 30 minutes in a 100-77 rout of Toronto in front of 16,117 fans at the Air Canada Centre on Tuesday night."

Raptors starting to believe

January 31

Toronto Sun

"Eleven days ago the Raptors headed to the west coast for the one and only time this season. They left with an injured Andrea Bargnani in tow, and a burdensome seven-game losing streak on their shoulders. They returned Monday to a rare and unexpected day off. Normally, they would have practised. It's as good a sign as any that this team is making progress. Dwane Casey doesn't give away practice days, especially this season, without good reason. A 3-2 record on this road trip, combined with the toll it took on his team were reasons enough. Consider Monday's off day part reward, part survival maintenance."

Raptors' DeRozan gets full points for aggressiveness

January 31

Toronto Star

"DeMar DeRozan will look at the boxscore from his most impressive outing in weeks and the Raptors can only hope something clicks in his brain when he does. In Sunday's 94-73 triumph over the New Jersey Nets, DeRozan did all the attacking with all the aggression his coaches have wanted all season and it turned into a career night for him. The third-year swingman got to the free-throw line 16 times — a single-game high for him — in the first game in weeks in which he was a dominant offensive force. "Getting to the free-throw line 16 times was huge for him," coach Dwane Casey said after the game. "That's what he has to continue to do, to attack, because he's too athletic and too quick not to"

Raptors in the D-zone

January 30

Toronto Sun

"In less than a full season, the Raptors have gone from among the worst defending teams in the NBA to the 13th best. Dwane Casey changed that culture putting an emphasis on defence but also with some tweaks to the way the Raps go about defending. On this road trip a very effective defensive response to teams starting to pull away has been Casey's unique zone defence that he has brought with him from Dallas. Early on in the season, with his players still learning the Casey zone, it wasn't used quite as much but now with a comfort level having been achieved with it, Casey is more likely to use it. It slowed down Utah the other night after they got off to a quick start and was effective the"

Coach Casey points Raptors in right direction in 94-73 win over Nets

January 30

Toronto Star

"Andrea Bargnani may be the most impactful, Leandro Barbosa the most electric, James Johnson the toughest minded, but the Toronto Raptors most consistent performer is coach Dwane Casey. After lashing his team for their lack of effort in Denver, one would have allowed Casey to indulge himself a little after whipping New Jersey 94-73 with a tired, short-handed squad. No chance. Rather the opposite. He was working hard to draw attention away from his boldest stroke of the evening. Already missing Bargnani, who's off the crutches but limping badly, the coach was also robbed of his best bench option, Barbosa, who is nursing a sore ankle."

Complacent Nets routed in Newark

January 30

New York Post

"A truly frightening, bone-chilling development seeped last night through the Prudential Center, where 14,319 utterly unsuspecting souls watched the Nets get dismantled, 94-73, by the Raptors who were going without two of their top three scorers. It was suggested the Nets were cocky, took the Raptors lightly and might have looked past this game. And so ended the Nets' two-game winning streak. "I don't think we put as much emphasis on this game as we should have," admitted point guard Deron Williams (24 points, six assists), who saw two personal streaks snuffed — the Nets had been 5-0 when he scored at least 24 this season and he had never lost to the Raptors (he's now 14-1 against them)."

New-look Raptors beat Nets

January 30

Toronto Sun

"On a road trip that saw futility streaks broken left and right, the Raptors saved one more for the finale. First it was a win in Phoenix that ended the Raptors' 14-game losing skid in the desert. Then it was another against Utah on their home court, something the Raps had not done for 12 consecutive games. Sunday in New Jersey, the Raptors got their first victory against a team that included Deron Williams. The Jersey point guard had played the Raptors 14 times previously as a member of first the Jazz and then the New Jersey Nets. In all 14 games, Williams went home a winner — until Sunday."

Raptors in the D-zone

January 29

Toronto Sun

"In less than a full season, the Raptors have gone from among the worst defending teams in the NBA to the 13th best. Dwane Casey changed that culture putting an emphasis on defence but also with some tweaks to the way the Raps go about defending. On this road trip a very effective defensive response to teams starting to pull away has been Casey's unique zone defence that he has brought with him from Dallas. Early on in the season, with his players still learning the Casey zone, it wasn't used quite as much but now with a comfort level having been achieved with it, Casey is more likely to use it. It slowed down Utah the other night after they got off to a quick start and was effective the"

Extended road trip gives Toronto Raptors plenty to think about

January 29

Toronto Star

"The longest road trip of the season — during which they will have visited both sides of the continent, the desert and some mountains — ends in Newark, N.J., on Sunday night. The Raptors, 6-14 heading into a game against division rivals New Jersey Nets, have discovered a few things about their team, their season, their fortunes during a journey that also included stops in Los Angeles, Phoenix, Salt Lake City and Denver. A few points: IN THE ZONE If there's one thing the Raptors seem to have accomplished on the trip, it's fine-tuning a zone defence that can befuddled teams for long stretches of games. It's a trademark of coach Dwane Casey and it was a key part of a come-from-behind win over"

Raps no match for Nuggets

January 28

Toronto Sun

"As far as Dwane Casey was concerned, the Raptors beat themselves before the Denver Nuggets even had a chance at them. What Casey saw Friday night in Denver was a team that was missing its leading scorer and because of that wasn't even giving itself a chance. "Our guys have to believe," Casey said. "We can't sit back and wait for Andrea to come back. As has been said famously before, he's not walking through that door. It's us against the world for a while. We don't know how long it's going to be and we have to play like it." The 96-81 final was actually a much closer game than it appeared and was only that way because the Raptors reserves led by Leandro Barbosa and Jerryd Bayless had that"

Raptors in the D-zone

January 28

Toronto Sun

"In less than a full season, the Raptors have gone from among the worst defending teams in the NBA to the 13th best. Dwane Casey changed that culture putting an emphasis on defence but also with some tweaks to the way the Raps go about defending. On this road trip a very effective defensive response to teams starting to pull away has been Casey's unique zone defence that he has brought with him from Dallas. Early on in the season, with his players still learning the Casey zone, it wasn't used quite as much but now with a comfort level having been achieved with it, Casey is more likely to use it. It slowed down Utah the other night after they got off to a quick start and was effective the"

Raptors dig early hole, lose to Denver Nuggets 96-81

January 28

Toronto Star

"The Raptors aren't likely to ever find enough offence to offset the loss of Andrea Bargnani so they will have to become even better defenders if they are going to win games. They certainly didn't get off to a rousing start in that regard here Friday night. Allowing the Denver Nuggets to score seemingly at will in the first half, the Raptors began their second Bargnani-free period of the NBA regular season with a 96-81 loss at the Pepsi Center. Coming off inspired victories in Phoenix and Salt Lake City, the Raptors were hoping to ride some sort of momentum through the fourth game of an arduous five-game road trip. Instead, they allowed the Nuggets to pile up an opponent-high 54 first-half"

NBA taking notice of Raptors' Bargnani

January 27

Toronto Sun

"The spoon feeding of Andrea Bargnani has come to an end. The career coddling has stopped and Bargnani, when healthy, is suddenly a different player in Year Six of the great experiment, with a newfound body language that speaks confidence and dominance. You can see him taking control when he didn't care or didn't know how to take control before. You can see his eyes so alive, so active — the blank stare with mouth wide open, his personal deer in the headlights look from the early days, is gone. You could see his anger, almost pulling his own hair out late Thursday night, when the calf injury that had sat him down for eight games returned against the Utah Jazz. And you could see something"

Casey pushing right buttons

January 27

Toronto Sun

"This will probably be a long season for the Raptors — though their last two games were terrific — but you have to love some of the things new coach Dwane Casey is doing. Particularly his focus on defence. Even in the losses, Raptors fans are impressed with the way this team — long known for a reluctance or inability to be play defence — is getting back down the court. But perhaps the greatest part about Casey's early reign so far has been the fact he's found the key to turning on Andrea Bargnani. Long an NBA enigma, the 7-foot Italian is playing the best ball of his career (when his sore calf allows it). He's recorded career bests in points (23.5), rebounds (6.4), assists (2.1) and is tied"

Raps adjust to life without Bargnani — again

January 27

Toronto Sun

"Two weeks without Andrea Bargnani earlier this month crippled the Raptors offensively. The team went 0-6 without him in the lineup, scored an average of 81 points and lost by an average of 12 points a night in those games. Outside of the Indiana Pacers game — a five-point loss on Jan. 13 and the first without Bargnani in the lineup — the Raps were never really a threat to win any of them. But in the two games he played after his return, the Raptors went 2-0 with Bargnani accounting for just less than 30% of the scoring himself. If you believe Bargnani's self-diagnosis, his absence this time will be longer. The fact he could not put any weight on the injured left calf on Thursday is"

Loss of Andrea Bargnani a big blow for Raptors

January 27

Toronto Star

"Andrea Bargnani's latest calf injury — one he termed much worse than the original one he suffered — is going to put the Raptors in an eerily familiar position for the foreseeable future. Robbed again of their leading scorer, the Raptors are going to have to figure out again how to manufacture enough points to stay in games. There was no word on Bargnani's fate as the team enjoyed a day off here Thursday; he was scheduled for an MRI but the results won't be dissected by various physicians and trainers here and in Toronto and Italy for a little while. But suffice it to say he won't be available for a while and that's not a good thing for a team that's proven it can't score consistently"

DeRozan sees his minutes dip

January 26

Toronto Sun

"DeMar DeRozan was in an unfamiliar position Tuesday in Phoenix. While the Raptors were closing out the game, DeRozan was on the bench. In fact, he was there for most of the night playing a season-low 22:35. For the first time this season, he did not see the floor for even a second in the fourth. On the same night head coach Dwane Casey shuffled his lineup sending Amir Johnson to the bench and talked extensively about the need for everyone to be accountable, the long stint on the bench for one of his core players had to raise a few eyebrows."

Toronto Raptors win double-OT thriller, but Andrea Bargnani hurt again

January 26

Toronto Star

"The enthusiasm of the moment should have been off the charts, with whooping and hollering and hugging and high-fiving. And, yes, there was some significant celebration going on at the Energy Solutions Arena here Wednesday night, and deservedly so, but they were muted for one very legitimate reason. The Raptors had played as gutsy a game as they have all year, holding off a rested team in a hostile environment to post a stirring 111-106 double-overtime victory over the Utah Jazz, but the spectre of an injured Andrea Bargnani cast at least a little pall over the night."

Miscues costly for Jazz in 2-OT home loss to Raptors

January 26

Salt Lake Tribune

"There was Paul Millsap taking over with a miracle 3-pointer to force yet another five minutes. There was Devin Harris with a breakout game, shaking off his season-long slump with 24 points. And there was EnergySolutions Arena, with 19,802 screaming voices, arguably at its loudest point all year. None of that, however, was enough to get the Utah Jazz a win over the Toronto Raptors on Wednesday night. In what was a deflating 111-106 double-overtime defeat to a five-win team, there was also Harris missing four crucial free throws in the second OT. There was Linas Kleiza, long known as a Jazz killer, lighting Utah up for 25 points off the bench. And there was Jose Calderon with two miracle"

Utah Jazz suffer disheartening loss to the Toronto Raptors, 111-106

January 26

The Deseret News

"Because of an injury, Al Jefferson missed the Utah Jazz's game against the best basketball team from Canada on Wednesday night. The Jazz missed him, too. But he wasn't the only thing they missed, eh. While becoming the Toronto Raptors' sixth victim, the Jazz missed Big Al's inside presence along with a lot of field goals, free throws, their usual spark off the bench, timely defensive stops and clutch offensive execution when it counted most. That all led to the biggest miss of the night for the Jazz, who blew an opportunity to beat a beatable team at home and instead suffered a tough-to-digest 111-106 double-overtime loss to the Raptors."

Raptors rally from 18-point deficit to beat Jazz

January 26

Salt Lake Tribune

"Asked about his team squandering an early 30-12 lead, Jazz coach Tyrone Corbin said, "They made a run. You've got to expect runs. ... It's early in the ballgame; you've got to expect it." The Jazz owned a 90-87 lead with 13 seconds left in regulation when Toronto point guard Jose Calderon drove off a screen and hit a wide-open three-pointer to force overtime. Said Corbin: "Somehow he got open and made a tough shot. We were trying to push them inside. The plan was to not give up a three and somehow he got open." Toronto's Andrea Bargnani, who just returned from a six-game absence, re-injured his calf and sat out the second overtime. "This time it's bad," he said. "We don't know and we are"

What if Steve Nash had played with the Toronto Raptors?

January 25

Toronto Star

"Forget about the marketing dream it would have been with tickets bought and jerseys sold, the thought of Steve Nash ever pulling on a Raptors uniform would have made fans delirious; adding a two-time NBA MVP has a way of bestowing legitimacy on a franchise like little else does. But, alas, not only has that ship sailed, it never even got to the dock, despite the best wishes of everyone connected with the franchise. A confluence of events — the relative merits of teams in Toronto and Phoenix, the vagaries of the NBA's salary cap and collective bargaining agreement and the lack of assets necessary to acquire a player of Nash's calibre — combined to insure the best basketball player ever"

Andrea Bargnani returns, scores 36 points as Raptors defeat Suns 99-96

January 25

Toronto Star

"The three-pointers were silky smooth, the mid-range game was there, the engagement on the defensive end was impressive and Andrea Bargnani made a triumphant return to the Raptors here Tuesday night. It couldn't have come soon enough for coach Dwane Casey and a reeling team. Bargnani, back after a six-game injury absence, poured in a season-high 36 points as the Raptors snapped an eight-game losing streak by hanging on to beat the Phoenix Suns 99-96, their first win in the US Airways Center in eight seasons."

Casey considers changes

January 24

Toronto Sun

"Dwane Casey's night was pretty much laid out for him. His next competition was playing the Dallas Mavericks in the Lone Star State and having already put his own charges through film and a two-hour practice in the dessert, what better way for a coach to prepare for his next assignment than to plant himself in front of the hotel television and scout his next opponent. Were that all that was on Casey's plate it might be considered a relatively easy night in a season where very little has come easy for anyone associated with the Raptors, the head coach least of all. But while Casey and his staff took in the Suns, on the backburner or perhaps the front was the question of what to do with his"

Raptors coach Casey pleased by Bayless's progress

January 24

Toronto Star

"Jerryd Bayless is probably his own harshest critic and on Monday he sounded entirely put off by the simple reality that he cannot yet do what he used to thanks to a prolonged absence caused by a sprained ankle. But even if the Raptors point guard talks about his heightened frustration level at not being able to immediately pick up where he left off when he was injured Dec. 29, his coach was quite pleased with what he saw in Bayless's return on Sunday afternoon. "I saw an air of confidence that we get from that position," Dwane Casey said of Bayless after putting the Raptors through a two-hour workout at the US Airways Center here. "He's still not 100 per cent but he's getting there. He"

Raptors jump back into the fire

January 23

Toronto Sun

"If you're being honest with yourself, you can't say you didn't see this coming. The season is not quite a month old and the Raptors are in the midst of a six-game losing streak that could grow to 12 if the Raps don't catch a break or two. That's not criticism, that's the reality of the 2011-12 NBA season. Even to suggest the possibility of a 12-game skid is admittedly harsh, but it's not completely out of the realm of possibility in the Raptors' current circumstances."

Toronto Raptors lose eighth straight after falling 103-91 to Los Angeles Clippers

January 23

Toronto Star

"Dwane Casey had a flight to Phoenix during which to stew and think and he'll have a practice Monday afternoon to watch and listen. And if he continues to see things he detests in the actions of his Raptors, more change is afoot for a struggling team that has now lost eight straight games. "We've got to evaluate everything," the coach said in the wake of yet another disheartening capitulation, this one a 103-91 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers here on Sunday afternoon."

CLIPPERS 103, TORONTO 91: Clippers show no signs of hangover from Timberwolves' defeat

January 23

L.A. Daily News

"L.A. shakes off bad loss, methodically takes care of Toronto enough to give key stars rest. Well, that's one way to avoid losing to an inferior team on a last-second shot. Less than 48 hours after gift-wrapping a win to the Minnesota Timberwolves, the Clippers were back on the floor Sunday afternoon at Staples Center. Making quick work of the Toronto Raptors in a 103-91 win doesn't so much make up for Friday's loss as it does replace it in the Clippers' short-term memory bank. Instead of dwelling on an inability to put away a beatable team, the Clippers took satisfaction in methodically building a big lead against the Raptors and holding on to it."

Mo Williams leads the Clippers past Toronto, 103-91

January 23

Los Angeles Times

"The pain in Mo Williams' right foot surfaced toward the end of training camp last month, becoming more intense as the regular season progressed through January, finally forcing the Clippers guard to shut it down for three games. Since his return from a sore foot, Williams has been playing as if he has been possessed, seemingly making every shot he takes, making plays for the Clippers in the last three games that have been needed with Chris Paul sitting out his fifth consecutive game Sunday because of a strained left hamstring. Williams was at it again Sunday during the Clippers' 103-91 victory over the Toronto Raptors at Staples Center. He scored 26 points, his third straight game scoring"

Raptors pumped about Bargnani's return

January 22

Toronto Sun

"Short of leaving the dead of winter in Toronto for spring time-like temperatures here in Los Angeles, nothing can lift the spirit of a team more than the return of its leading scorer. So when Andrea Bargnani took the floor for a late afternoon practice at the Student Activities Center gym on the picturesque UCLA campus, the effect was palpable. If you had to pick one difference maker on this team as it is currently made up, Bargnani would be right at the top of the list. Whether Bargnani makes his return Sunday in L.A. against the Clippers or Tuesday in Phoenix will be determined by how the big Italian feels when he wakes up Sunday morning. With a 12:30 tipoff local time, it's a short"

Raptors jump back into the fire

January 22

Toronto Sun

"If you're being honest with yourself, you can't say you didn't see this coming. The season is not quite a month old and the Raptors are in the midst of a six-game losing streak that could grow to 12 if the Raps don't catch a break or two. That's not criticism, that's the reality of the 2011-12 NBA season. Even to suggest the possibility of a 12-game skid is admittedly harsh, but it's not completely out of the realm of possibility in the Raptors' current circumstances. Despite it all head coach Dwane Casey and, by various accounts from behind the scenes, the Raps as a whole, remain an upbeat group. But that's not to say they're fine with the losing. Put yourself in Casey's shoes. He's"

Raptors hoping to roll with Bargnani against Clippers

January 22

Toronto Star

"It is the staple of almost every basketball team on Earth, none moreso than the Raptors, and the inability of this team to effectively run something as a basic high screen-roll play is at the root of many of its offensive woes. It will change, of course, when Andrea Bargnani returns from his calf injury — he and Jose Calderon can at times be a lethal combination — but without the 7-foot Roman, things just don't work. "We've got some other things we're looking at in our pick and rolls but that does (hurt us)," said Raptors coach Dwane Casey. "There are other things we're doing with our pick and roll that should create spacing but again, at the end of the day it's making shots.""

Trail Blazers too strong for Raps

January 21

Toronto Sun

"In a season where the losses are coming fast and furious, there are moments a Raptors' fan has to latch on to and savour like it's the last piece of Halloween candy left in the bag. DeMar DeRozan's third quarter was one of those. DeRozan didn't do it on his own — few ever do in a team game — but the third quarter for DeRozan was exactly what has been missing from his game for too much of the season. In the end, it didn't alter the result — a 94-84 Portland Trail Blazers win to stretch the Raptors losing streak to seven games — but it did salvage what was looking even too one-sided for the most forgiving of Raptors fans in this season of development. DeRozan came out of the locker room"

More consistency needed from Raptors

January 21

Toronto Sun

"Different script but same result. That was Dwane Casey's take on the Raptors 94-84 loss to the Portland Trail Blazers on Friday night. On the team's recent three-game road trip, the Raptors twice played solid basketball for the first three quarters only to lose in the fourth. Friday against the Trail Blazers the script was flipped. A poor first quarter followed by three pretty decent one's. "It's kind of a tale of who we are right now," Casey said. "Either we play the first three quarters hard and give up the fourth, or like (Friday night) I thought we started off soft." 'Soft' is actually a nice way to put it. The Raps only barely outscored LaMarcus Aldridge in the first, getting two more"

Inept Raptors overmatched in 94-84 loss to Portland Trail Blazers

January 21

Toronto Star

"Raptors coach Dwane Casey likes to speak in homilies. We've already been repeatedly instructed to "Pound the rock," "Guard the yard," and — most inscrutably of all — stay "Happy on the farm." He's circling around a new one, but hasn't yet come out and actually said it: "Share the monkey." The monkey in this case is his team's AWOL ability to put a basketball inside the metal hoop, which is an important part of the game. With Andrea Bargnani still working his way through a closet full of 58superL sport coats on the sidelines, a few other Raptors have to pick up that damn monkey. Apparently, it isn't going to be hot-and-cold co-star DeMar DeRozan. "I think the (offensive) expectations on"

Raptors jump back into the fire

January 20

Toronto Sun

"If you're being honest with yourself, you can't say you didn't see this coming. The season is not quite a month old and the Raptors are in the midst of a six-game losing streak that could grow to 12 if the Raps don't catch a break or two. That's not criticism, that's the reality of the 2011-12 NBA season. Even to suggest the possibility of a 12-game skid is admittedly harsh, but it's not completely out of the realm of possibility in the Raptors' current circumstances. Despite it all head coach Dwane Casey and, by various accounts from behind the scenes, the Raps as a whole, remain an upbeat group. But that's not to say they're fine with the losing. Put yourself in Casey's shoes. He's"

Raptors get reinforcements in Boston

January 19

Toronto Sun

"The ailing Raptors got some reinforcements back in the lineup Wednesday. James Johnson returned from an ankle injury and head coach Dwane Casey opted to start him at small forward for the first time this season, over Rasual Butler. As well, Aaron Gray made his Raptors regular-season debut after being cleared by doctors. Casey said he went to Johnson in order to help end a five-game losing skid, something that didn't work out. "Anytime you're struggling the way we are right now, you're trying to find a spark," he said. "Change rhythm, change spark, change disposition … when you lose five in a row you're searching for something.""

Toronto Raptors fall in frustrating fashion to Boston Celtics, 96-73

January 19

Toronto Star

"Dwane Casey likes to talk about "disposition" when it comes to the Raptors, a catch-all word for how they go about handling themselves and the intensity and toughness they bring to the game each night. For most nights the coach is okay with those aspects, even if his offensively-challenged group can't make a basket to save their collective souls because it is "disposition" that he most wants to install with this group. But part of "disposition" has to be desperation, a leave-it-all-on-the-floor-do-whatever-it-takes attitude that was sorely lacking here Wednesday night and the one point the coach wanted to hammer home after a 96-73 shellacking by the Boston Celtics was over."

A welcome win for C's

January 19

Boston Herald

"Here's proof the Celtics are stuck right in the middle of this rich man/poor man league. For every Oklahoma City there are even more teams like Toronto. As the Celtics discovered, no team can plunge much deeper than a five-game losing streak before one of the NBA's truly poor relations takes its place in line. As a result of last night's 96-73 win at the Garden, the Celtics broke the worst streak of the new but rapidly aging Big Three era. And the Raptors, who came in with a matching slump, left town with a six-game losing streak."