The Future is Bright in Toronto

The Toronto Raptors came up short in game 7 of their NBA Playoff match-up against the Brooklyn Nets. Greivis Vasquez inbounded the ball with 6.2 seconds with the team down 1 after Terrence Ross, the 2nd year player who was waiting to break out of his shell of poor performances, gave the Raptors a chance to win the game after stealing the ball that was inbounded and throwing it off of Paul Pierce. It happened so sudden, Kyle Lowry, "Mr.Clutch", was blocked. Paul Pierce at 36 years old, who could barely get off the ground, was able to execute the game winning block that sent the Brooklyn Nets to the 2nd round and the Raptors packing. One could blame the refs or one could blame anybody on that court for the lose but you can't say that the Toronto Raptors didn't give it their all. With all the blown calls in the series the Raptors did everything that was possible against the Brooklyn Nets and the Officials. Lowry, who was not able to get off the ground after getting blocked, held his head with disbelief and was helped up by his teammates and made his way to the locker room in the glow of a standing ovation from the crowd.

This team, on December 8th, traded away their best player Rudy Gay and Quincy Acy plus Aaron Gray for four bench players from Sacramento Greivis Vasquez, John Salmons, Patrick Patterson, and Chuck Hayes. The Raptors were 6-12 and tanking was suggested an option by many. The Raptors did the opposite. Taking advantage of the poor Eastern Conference the Raptors were able to take the 3rd seed and never looked back. They posted a franchise record with 48 wins this season. This team went from the bottom quickly to the top and made sure they gave a message to the league that they're coming. This team was 15 deep and every single player mattered; whether it was Landry Fields who played only 30 games or even Steve Novak. Every player was ready when their name was called, and made sure they didn't disappoint.

The current incarnation of the Raptors team may look different next season but this team will be built to win. Raptors' GM Masai Ujiri's plans are to re-sign Kyle Lowry who made it pretty obvious he wants to return next season and DeMar DeRozan even feels that Lowry will return by recently stating "He isn't worried about him." with a laugh, when asked about Lowry's future with the team. Ujiri is also planning on re-signing Greivis Vasquez and Patrick Patterson who had a huge impact on the Raptors success off the bench. Ujiri has been proven as a great GM and every Raptor fan should be ecstatic with what he will do. During the off-season Jonas Valanciunas, DeMar DeRozan, and Patrick Patterson will all be working with 2x NBA Champion Hakeem "The Dream" Olajuwon. Simply put, the future for the Raptors couldn't look more bright; even head coach Dwane Casey will be back next season after receiving a three year contract extension. Maybe even the most hated player to put on a Toronto Raptors jersey Vince Carter could be back to end his career here. Things just keep on getting better in Raptor Land and soon enough, the league won't be able to stop it.

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W2W4: New York Knicks vs. Sacramento Kings; March 26th, 2014

By Kenneth Teape (@teapester725)

Wednesday, March 26^th, 2014

New York Knicks vs. Sacramento Kings

Pre-Game News and Notes

The New York Knicks will look to bounce back from possibly their most embarrassing performance of the season Tuesday against the Sacramento Kings tonight. The Knicks were handled with ease by the Los Angeles Lakers, and will look to get back on track with only 11 games remaining on the season and their playoff hopes on life support. The Knicks will have revenge on their mind tonight as well to help add fuel to the fire, as the Kings won the first meeting this season at Madison Square Garden. Here are some keys to the game tonight.

Match-Up of the Game: Tyson Chandler vs. DeMarcus Cousins

cowbellkingdom.com

Chandler was non-existent in the game Tuesday night and will have to step his game up against the Kings and Cousins or else he will get embarrassed. Cousins is one of, if not the most, talented center in the NBA. He leads the Kings in points, rebounds, steals and blocks on the season, showing how great he is on both ends of the court. In the first match-up this season Cousins went for 19 points and 14 rebounds, even though he was unable to finish the game because of injury. Chandler had a strong game as well, going for 17 and 11. Cousins is prone to fouling, so if the Knicks can get Chandler involved in the offense through the pick-and-roll it could frustrate Cousins and get him in foul trouble.

-Player News and Notes

It may have looked like some players were injured last night with how they played, but the Knicks will have the same players at their disposal to use tonight. Iman Shumpert had been battling a virus but was able to suit up last night and should be out there again tonight.

For the Kings, Quincy Acy could return tonight after missing the last two games with an ankle injury. Starting point guard Isaiah Thomas is questionable with a right quad contusion after not practicing Tuesday. Thomas has been dealing with sprained ligaments in his shooting wrist, and it has been hinted that head coach Mike Malone may look to start resting Thomas.

-Give Effort

Last night the Knicks looked defeated, playing frighteningly poor against quite possibly the worst Lakers team in franchise history. The Knicks embarrassed themselves with the loss Tuesday and made an appearance in the playoffs extremely unlikely. The Knicks need to come out with more effort tonight or the Kings will run them off the court. The Knicks already suffered a loss to the Kings this season, so it would be common sense to think they will try, but as we have seen throughout the season nothing is certain with this Knicks team.

-Small Forward Battle

This could have easily been the match-up of the game as well, as Carmelo Anthony will be facing off against Rudy Gay. Both players are dynamic scorers and will be matched up together throughout the night. Anthony started slow last night, missing his first six shots, but he finished the game making his next 10-15 and ending with 29 points. He needs to get off to a better start tonight as the Knicks go only as far as Anthony will take them.

Gay is a talented scorer and has looked much better as a second option behind Cousins on the Kings than as the go-to guy. Gay can knock down jumpers and is athletic enough to get to the rim, qualities that can give above average defenders fits. The match-up between the two small forwards will be worth keeping an eye on as well as the center match-up.

-Bench Play

With J.R. Smith and Amar’e Stoudemire being inserted into the starting lineup, the bench has been unable to pickup the slack. Tim Hardaway Jr. has become the go-to option off the bench and teams are focusing on him more defensively, making his life difficult on the offensive end. Where the real problem arises is defensively for the Knicks bench. Hardaway Jr. has become a player opponents gameplan to attack; when he is in the game whoever he is guarding is getting the ball. The bench has become a weak point for the Knicks, and it was never more evident than when they were unable to hold onto a 15 point lead against the Philadelphia 76ers in the fourth quarter last weekend.

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Nets Get Back to Over .500 Against Kings

By Nick Ziegler (@Ziggy26x)

March 9^th, 2014

Sacramento Kings vs Brooklyn Nets Post Game Recap

Final Score: Kings 89 Nets 104

The Brooklyn Nets were able to bounce back on Sunday night against the Kings after a tough loss to the Boston Celtics on Friday night. The Nets victory on Sunday put them back over .500 at (31-30), which makes them four games behind the Toronto Raptors in the Atlantic Division.

Player of the Game: Marcus Thornton

The main player involved in the trade between the Nets and Kings before the deadline was Marcus Thornton, and on Sunday night he torched his former team. Thornton scored a team-high 27 points on 11 for 15 shooting, which included him shooting five of eight from three-point range after a tough shooting game in Boston. Thornton also had the highest +/- of any player going +22, as he was instant offense of the bench for Brooklyn.

espn.go.com

Positives:

Joe Johnson came through with a nice game for Brooklyn, as he was the leading scorer in Brooklyn's starting lineup, and saved them in the third quarter after the Kings were making a run with 11 points in the quarter. Johnson finished with 18 points on seven for 12 shooting with five assists, and two steals. Deron Williams also played well for Brooklyn, as he did a good job setting up his teams with seven assists, and was effective scoring with 10 points on four for eight shooting in the lopsided game. Williams also did a good job on defense chasing around the speedy Isaiah Thomas, as Thomas had a bad game, shooting three for 14 from the field with seven turnovers.

Along with the great game from Marcus Thornton, the Nets got pretty good play from their bench in the victory. Alan Anderson played well in 24 minutes of play, as he scored 10 points on four for 10 shooting, with three three-pointers and four rebounds. Mirza Teletovic also played well scoring nine points with four rebounds, and three assists. Teletovic also had quite the underhanded scoop in the second quarter on a post move.

Negatives:

The Kings duo of DeMarcus Cousins and Rudy Gay was very good in the loss, as they combined for 48 points. Cousins was the games leading scorer with 28 points on 13 for 19 shooting with 20 rebounds, as he was an absolute monster in the paint, as his 20 rebounds were just seven less than Nets as a whole team. Gay was also very good despite having to leave for part of the game with a sprained ankle after landing on the foot of Shaun Livingston on a three-point attempt. Gay finished with 20 points on nine for 18 shooting in 32 minutes.

Brooklyn came into Sunday's game without Kevin Garnett, who has been dealing with back spasms, and the injury bug hit the Nets again during the win. Just a minute into the game Paul Pierce was forced to leave the game with a shoulder injury to his right arm where he has been dealing with a stinger that forced him to miss time in the game in Boston. Later in the game Andrei Kirilenko sprained his ankle and had to leave, so the Nets may very well be playing in one of their biggest games of the season on Monday without three rotation players.

Next up for the Nets will be one of the biggest games of the season against the Raptors on Monday night in Brooklyn.

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W2W4: Sacramento Kings vs. New York Knicks; February 12th, 2014

By Kenneth Teape (@teapester725)

Wednesday, February 12^th, 2014

Sacramento Kings vs. New York Knicks

Pre-Game News and Notes

The Knicks and Kings will be tipping off Wednesday night for the last time before the All-Star break and ending what has been disappointing first halves for each team. The Knicks came into the season with high expectations after making it into the second round of the playoffs last season. The Kings came into the season with a new coach and outlook and made moves all throughout the first season to try improving their team, but they look to be heading for the lottery for an eighth season in a row. This is an important game for the Knicks as the hot seat for Mike Woodson is on fire and after the All-Star break the schedule is not easy as they will play four games in four different cities in five nights. Here are some things to look for in the game tonight.

-Player News and Notes

Kenyon Martin will be out of the lineup again for the Knicks, meaning more playing time for Amar’e Stoudemire and Jeremy Tyler again. The two have played extremely well recently with the extended minutes and are two of the brighter spots currently on the Knicks.

For the Kings, starting point guard Isaiah Thomas is dealing with and playing through a sprained wrist so it is something to keep an eye on. You would think that would help the Knicks slow down the undersized yet dynamic point guard, but you wouldn’t have known from the stats he has put up in the games since that was announced.

Rob Carr/Getty Images

-Opposite of Road Warriors

The Kings, who are one of eight teams currently with a worse record in the NBA than the Knicks, struggle mightily on the road. The Knicks need to take advantage and take them out of the game early on from the start. The Kings are on a seven game losing streak on the road and shooting only 41 percent from the field over that time. This is a game the Knicks need and should win.

A big problem over that span is Rudy Gay, who has struggled since returning from his Achilles injury. He has scored only 19 points on 6-23 shooting in his two games back. Gay also struggled in his last appearance at Madison Square Garden, going 4-21 from the field last February as a member of the Toronto Raptors.

-Melo Bounce Back

The Knicks were ultimately done in Sunday afternoon against the Thunder because of an uncharacteristic scoring output from Carmelo Anthony, who shot 5-19 for only 15 points. The Knicks will need more out of their leading man to top upper echelon teams such as the Thunder and even the lower tiered teams like the Kings. Anthony had been on fire before facing off against the Thunder and will look to get back on track tonight.

The fourth quarter is the point to keep an eye on Anthony. He is playing heavy minutes this season, leading the NBA at 38.6 per game. This could be having an effect on him down the stretch of games, as he struggles shooting in the fourth quarter with a career low 36.7 percent. He is 0-8 in his last two fourth quarters; both losses to top Western Conference teams in the Thunder and Portland Trail Blazers. 

-Man behind the Mask

J.R. Smith suffered a small fracture in his left cheek bone Sunday afternoon when he fell and was kneed in the face by Kevin Durant. He was able to return to that game but looked like a boxer who had just gone a few rounds. Smith will not let that keep him off the court, as he has been fitted for a mask and is expected to suit up Wednesday night.

Smith, like many of his teammates, struggled to shoot the ball Sunday as Anthony faltered the rest of the team followed suit. But like Anthony, Smith had been playing some of the best basketball of the season prior to that, averaging 18.2 points per game on 46 percent shooting in his last 11 contests. He will also look to get back on track against a soft Kings defense that surrenders 103.6 points per game.

**Update: J.R. Smith will actually not be playing tonight. The mask he was supposed to wear came in late and he was uncomfortable playing with it so he will be out tonight. Tim Hardaway Jr. is expected to see an increase in minutes and Iman Shumpert will be more relied upon as well.**

Match up of the Game: Tyson Chandler vs. DeMarcus Cousins

Chandler will have his hands full tonight with Cousins, quite possibly the best overall Center in the NBA and easily the most talented offensively. Cousins is the main cog in the Kings plans and they go as he goes, evident from the 0-9 record they have in games he did not play in or finish. On the season he is averaging 22.6 points, 11.7 rebounds, 2.9 assists, 1.2 blocks and 1.6 steals per game, all above his career averages and career highs at this point.

Chandler will need to be on top of his game tonight for the Knicks to pull out the victory. He has struggled at times this season, seeming to lack the emotion and toughness that the Knicks expected from him game in and game out as their defensive anchor. Tonight his defense on Cousins will be important but the Knicks would be smart to get him a little involved offensively. Cousins is foul prone and if they allow Chandler to go at him a little with occasional post ups or constant coverage in the pick-and-roll they could frustrate him and take the Kings most important player out of the game completely.

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The Rudy Effect

Written By Clevis Murray 

Rudy Gay has become one of the most talented Small Forwards in the NBA after being originally drafted by the Houston Rockets in 2006 with the 8th overall pick and immediately being traded to the Memphis Grizzlies along with Stromile Swift for one of the best defenders in the NBA at the time in Shane Battier. Gay was off to a great start in Memphis and maintained great health but failed helping the Grizzlies reach the playoffs in his first four seasons without any major health issues.

Gay was off to a great start during the 2010-2011 season with hopes of making the playoffs for the first time still in mind. On February 15th, 2011 Rudy suffered a left shoulder subluxation which would end his season and perhaps his best as a pro averaging 19.8 points, 6.2 rebounds, 47% from the field & 40% from the 3-point line.  With their franchise player going down it was fair to guess the Grizzlies would not make the playoffs.  Surprisingly, the Memphis Grizzlies did in fact advance to the playoffs for the first time in five seasons with a 46-36 record.  The Grizzlies opponent in the 1st round were the 4x NBA Champion San Antonio Spurs led by All-Time great Tim Duncan. The Grizzlies would eventually win the series in six games becoming only the second team in NBA history to defeat a #1 seed in a best-of-seven series thanks to the emergence of Zach Randolph, Memphis would eventually lose to the Oklahoma City Thunder in seven games but proved they did not need Rudy Gay to be successful.

Rudy Gay returned for the 2011-2012 season and played in a career-low 42 games. Despite the low number of games played by Gay, the Grizzlies earned the 4th seed in the Western Conference and a first round matchup with the new look Los Angeles Clippers but would lose in seven games. This was Rudy Gay's first and only trip to the playoffs in his young career and he struggled mightily from the field shooting 42% from the field and 21% from the 3-point line.  During the following season on January 30th 2013, Rudy Gay was traded to the Toronto Raptors in a three-team deal which also included the Detroit Pistons.  The Grizzlies traded their star for Tayshaun Prince who was called the "league's best perimeter defender" by Robert Pera in a salary dumping move which cleared up $37 million in committed salary, Gay was bound to be traded when Robert Pera took over as the Grizzlies owner on October 25, 2012 as he had made previous trades to clear up cap space.

With Rudy Gay now out of Memphis and in Toronto the Grizzlies surprisingly had their best season in franchise history and shocked the basketball community when they made it all the way to the Western Conference Finals but their season ended via a sweep by the San Antonio Spurs. The Grizzlies did improve their ball movement once Gay was traded as their assist rate increased 8.6%. Former teammate Tony Allen believed Memphis improved once Gay was traded saying

"Well, I just think we turned into the team that we were two years ago, without the guy that we traded."

Grizzlies Forward Zach Randolph agreed with Allen "I think we're a better team."

Memphis was 29-15 (.659) before the Gay trade & 27-11 (.711) after.

Rudy Gay had a very brief career with the Raptors which lasted only 51 games and he became known for banning stat sheets in the locker room. With advanced stats only becoming more popular we are now beginning to see that Rudy Gay is one of the worst players with a max level contract. While in Memphis he wasn't known for hurting his team but in Toronto it became more prevalent as he shoot 38% from the field.  The last time Rudy shot .500 or higher in a Raptors uniform was April 16th, 2013.  Gay averaged 2 assists per game while shooting the ball 19.3 times on average during games which hurt ball movement and the development of his teammates. 

On November 11th, 2013 Rudy went 11-37 from the field against the Rockets and finished with 29 points. LeBron James commented on Rudy's 37 shot game by saying "If you give me 37 shots in a game, I’d put up 60 easy" With his shooting woes Rudy was asked a question if he would come off the bench and responded

"Me? Would I ever come off the bench? No. I think this team needs me in the starting lineup. Maybe on a different team, maybe in the long run...But here? No."........The selfishness was evident. 

One should notice that players who love to shoot the ball come off the bench like J.R. Smith, Nate Robinson, Isaiah Thomas & Jamal Crawford. In a different era Rudy would've been known as a player trying to do everything he can to make his team win but in the analytical era it's the complete opposite.

On December 9th, 2013 Rudy Gay was traded to the Sacramento Kings in a salary dumping move by the Raptors due to his contract having two-years and $37.2M left on it and also Raptors GM Masai Ujiri getting the hint that the Rudy Gay & DeMar DeRozan combo wasn't meant to be and hurted the development of Jonas Valanciunas. Since the Rudy trade the Raptors are 10-4, 1st in the Atlantic, 4th in the Eastern Conference and were on a 5-game win streak entering Sunday before losing to the 2x defending NBA Champion Miami Heat. The Raptors offense has also increased by 3.3 per 100 possessions and as for the Kings, well they are still the Kings and are 4-7 since the trade.

With that being said, Rudy Gay is a tremendous NBA Small Forward but takes too many shots and isn't a willing to sacrifice for the team and is now gaining a reputation as being a cancer within various franchises.  With Memphis & Toronto improving dramatically since his departure from the team Gay's value around the league could be going down with Grantland writer Zach Lowe saying "I know GMs who say they wouldn't touch him now in free agency for the mid-level exception."

Keep in kind this is not a hate article about Rudy Gay but more of an observation, thanks for the read.

Twitter: NBAFLASHNEWS 
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