Where's Alvin Willaims when we need him the most, this guy would gel the team together, and you gotta bring Coach clemons in as inaugral coach for a game or 2 so that he can turn this team around? :'( everythings starting to screw up for the raptors, i say trade vince carter, and rebuild and look forward to haiving a nice lottery pick...
i remember hearing this from the commentators on what sam mitchell said " you and you (points fingers at skip and woods) go to the locker room get off my bench."
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting DerfZ:</div><div class="quote_post">Where's Alvin Willaims when we need him the most, this guy would gel the team together, and you gotta bring Coach clemons in as inaugral coach for a game or 2 so that he can turn this team around? :'( everythings starting to screw up for the raptors, i say trade vince carter, and rebuild and look forward to haiving a nice lottery pick...</div> well not rebuild but just get rid of carter and have a new start because the teams's good.. MoPete is playing again like 2 years ago Bonner's a solid third PF... so just get rid of carter maybe to the hornets for like the first overall pick lol i don't know
This is bad, I would be unhappy too if I was in Rafer's shoes. Rafer has been playing like an allstar up until the games VS the Knicks at MSG and the ACC. Rafer was playing amazing, and just because he got off to a bad start Sam benched him and he ended playing only 18 minutes a piece in both knicks games, and after that his minutes have increased but he's in a slump. Milt on the other hand has been playing terrific, thank god we have someone to back up Rafer so we dont get screwed over when Sam Mitchell throws a hissy fit and bench's him. I hope Rafer doesnt leave T-Dot.
werd^ he worked so hard to get in this league and now hes jusst going to give up and retire? this is uncharachteristic, and if he retires now he wont have enuff money to fall back on, becuase his contract will expire if he retires, wont it?
It's an emotional outburst. Rafer's put in a lot of work to get to the league, and it would be a waste to abandon it like that. He's a perfect fit for this team, but it's not always gonna be the same environment as Miami. They were a cinderella team, and we're struggling to reach .500. He already said he hopes to talk to Mitchell and Babcock, and I'm sure they'll be able to get everything settled. On another note, Loren Woods took the benching suprisingly well.
I agree with deception. on a side note, He claimed in the interview that he wasn't speaking out of frustration, when he clearly was. He'll be fine and I bet he will continue to play, but either way there is some evidence that the Raptors locker room is in a mess.
I think the whoole "stop playing" was out of frusttration, but I think that is furstration with the team as a whole. II think the players are more responsible for this tahn Sam or anybody else. IMO, this is why his threes have not been falling. Say it ain't so skip!
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting Franchise:</div><div class="quote_post"> on a side note, He claimed in the interview that he wasn't speaking out of frustration, when he clearly was. He'll be fine and I bet he will continue to play, but either way there is some evidence that the Raptors locker room is in a mess.</div> i think it was residual frustration, a buildup of horrible emotions. to be perfectly honest, i'm suprised something like this doesn't happen more often. remember keon clark, chris childs, oakley, ad and even jyd have been vocal with their beefs with vince after they departed.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting deception:</div><div class="quote_post">guys u know the problem is vince and jalen dividing the locker room against rafer and coach mitchell. its so evident on the court at times, i think us raptor fans need to stand up for rafer, if the raps as whole had 1/10 of his heart the raps would be winners. i was the soothsayer on this forum predicting eminent doom for this team. i think jalen and vince should consider being politicians, cause they are really good at persuading others to do their bidding. rafer is the most politically meek, understandable for a ball player, thats all he is and thats why us legit hoop fans love him. sure he jacks up questionable shots and lets his emotions get the better of him, but he wants to win. Rafer is a paradox, what makes him great at times, makes him horrible at times. nonetheless, i know where is heart is, conversely, vince and jalen like making appearances in music videos.</div> The only people I'd think would ever side wtih Vince are MoPete and Milt I agree that the locker room is divided though, but Rafer seems to like Rose since he always gives him the ball, and I feel bad for Rafer when he runs the break and no one runs with him and fills the lanes consistently except Woods. Carter, Bosh and Jalen just kinda jog down the court most of the time. I wonder who's padding their stats on the team... Attacking the little man: Rafer: [Thinking]Stupid Idiots <div class="quote_poster">Quoting "Peja King":</div><div class="quote_post">well not rebuild but just get rid of carter and have a new start because the teams's good.. MoPete is playing again like 2 years ago Bonner's a solid third PF... so just get rid of carter maybe to the hornets for like the first overall pick lol i don't know</div>
<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">"I'm not doing it any more. This is my fourth team and the only time I've really had fun was last year when I was on a team with a bunch of people where we just played hard together, we enjoyed being around together, and we didn't worry about who shot the ball. Even when we had an off night, the guys still pulled for each other. I'm tired of looking like the bad apple in the tree. I'm looking like the bad guy, and it's not right." </div> We miss you too Skip!
I was at the game and couldn't see Skip doing anything out of the ordinary, I didn't even see him toss the ball. At first, we all thought the tech was on Woods, who was complaining after a close foul (he got it a minute later). To be honest, I think that Mitchell freaked cause neither team had played well and the Raps' lead had been slipping away - the Celtics could have made it a four-point trip had anyone made some freaking free throws. He probably should have sat them for a couple minutes, but just to let them cool off and then put them back in. Its an emotional game, let them show some emotion. I have to say, Mitchell's substitution pattern all night was kind of weird to me.
i tihnk Mitchell is trrying to hard to make every1 do things he wants, but benching them isnt right, he should have a chat with each player
Benchign two players playing well in a close game is extremely stupid. I don't care what you're trying to prove Sam but you're here for one reason: WIN basketball games. Obviously we didn't win this one. If he had done this and we would have won then that would have been one thing, but we didn't so as far as I know, had Rafer and Woods been on the floor during that quarter, the outcome could have been quite different. I'm a huge Sam Mitchell fan but I found this benching absolutely absurd. Games get heated, players get heated, techs are bound to happen. Benching 2 key players, espcially when the lead was gaping to a close is utterly stupid and inexcuseable in my eyes. Even Doc Rivers put back Pierce in a close game after he was benched and he nailed a clutch shot. Players are motivated by this kind of stuff, especially hardworkers like Rafer and Woods. They would have played better and they would have played hard. Benching them for some time to let them cool off or teach them a lesson is one thing but to straight frustrate and disgruntle your (hardworking) players is another. If Vince was benched, I wouldn't have cared but Rafer and Woods attempt to show up and play great every game so this benching, in one word, was unnecessary.
I was shocked when I watched Alston make those comments to the media last night. Here it is again for those who missed it. <div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">"It's tough right now for me,'' Alston said. "I'm going to talk to Sam and (general manager Rob Babcock). I think it's time. I'm tired of getting into it with my teammates and my coaches. I don't know if I'm a good fit for this team and I don't know if I'm a good fit for this league."</div> He'll be benched today with Woods, and who knows what the future of Rafer is going to be at this point. Does this situation remind you of Mighty Mouse at all? Team chemistry was a key to the Raptors being successful this year, and it's crumbling fast. When a player gets to a point he needs to speak out to the media, you can only imagine how long this storm in the locker room has been brewing. In all this mess, I feel bad for Bosh to have to go through this. As a young player, it has to be eating him up to watch his team fall apart and hear the constant trade rumors surrounding Vince and Rose. He has to ask himself daily if this is the "right situation" for my career to be in Toronto. So what should the Raptors do with Alston? Trade him? Cut him? Bench him?
