Prior to their Monday night game against the Toronto Raptors, the San Antonio Spurs learned that they would be without both Tim Duncan and Tony Parker — arguably the two best players on the team. The duo was sidelined due to ankle injuries.
By the end of the game, the Raptors were reminded that the Spurs have a few other very good players — namely Manu Ginobili and Richard Jefferson. Ginobili had 36 points, eight assists, four rebounds and four blocks as the Spurs utilized a strong fourth quarter to post a 131-124 victory.
Jefferson, who was acquired via trade from the …read more

Vince Carter was tearing up his old team when he twisted his ankle and missed the rest of the game. Carter, now of the Orlando Magic, had 16 points in 15 minutes against the New Jersey Nets before suffering the sprained ankle.
After the game, Carter was confident that he could bounce back quickly. In fact, he’s aiming to return on Sunday against the Toronto Raptors — another of his former teams.
In the first one and a half games of the 2009-10 NBA season, Carter has been very good. He’s shooting 55% from the field and has hit 5-of-8 three-pointers. The …read more

During the offseason, the Dallas Mavericks have concentrated on adding size to their roster. Right before the beginning of training camp, the Mavs have added another bigman in veteran Jake Voskuhl.
The 31-year-old Voskuhl played 38 games last season with the Toronto Raptors. In 6.3 minutes per game, Voskuhl averaged 0.9 points and 1.6 rebounds. He’s also played for the Milwaukee Bucks, Charlotte Bobcats, Phoenix Suns and Chicago Bulls in his 9-year career.
Voskuhl’s chances of making Dallas’ final roster appear to be remote. He’d have to beat out a player with a guaranteed contract. The most likely scenario is if Tim …read more

Pops Mensah-Bonsu has reportedly reached an agreement to sign with the Houston Rockets. Last season, Mensah-Bonsu split his time between the San Antonio Spurs and the Toronto Raptors. The report of his signing comes from Houston’s KRIV-TV.
The 25-year-old played his college basketball at George Washington and was once upon a time a very highly regarded prospect due to his fantastic athleticism. However, his skill level has taken a while to match his ability to run and jump very well at 6-foot-10.
With the Spurs, Mensah-Bonsu averaged 5 points and 3.4 rebounds in three games. In 19 games with the Raptors, he …read more

Earlier this summer, the Toronto Raptors were reportedly close to signing restricted free agent Carlos Delfino to a contract. However, after a series of deals, they no longer had room for him on the roster. On Monday, the Raptors have reportedly agreed to send the Argentine swingman to the Milwaukee Bucks along with Roko Ukic for Amir Johnson and Sonny Weems.
Last offseason, Delfino signed with a team in Russia after not getting the deal he wanted in the NBA. In the 2007-08 season, he averaged 9 points, 4.4 rebounds and 1.8 assists for the Raptors in 23.5 minutes per game.
With …read more

The Toronto Raptors continued their busy offseason makeover by trading for Marco Belinelli. In return, the Golden State Warriors received Devean George.
Belinelli has showed the ability to score at the NBA level. Last season, he averaged 8.9 points in only 21 minutes per game. He shot 44.2% from the field and 39.7% from beyond the three-point line. The rest of his game, especially on the defensive end of the court, remains a work in progress.
With the Warriors, Belinelli likely wasn’t going to get much playing time. In Toronto, there’s a good shot for him to get significant minutes. Having chemistry …read more

Rasho Nesterovic is headed back to the Toronto Raptors. The seven-foot center from the country of Slovenia signed a deal worth approximately $2 over one year.
He played for the Raptors in the 2006-07 and the 2007-08 seasons. Last year, he played with the Indiana Pacers. He averaged 6.8 points and 3.4 rebounds in 17.3 minutes per game last season. For his career, the 33-year-old has averaged 7.0 points, 5.3 rebounds and 1.2 blocks in 22.8 minutes per game.
With the Raptors, Nesterovic is expected to come off the bench. Although he isn’t the fast player around, he’s a good defender who …read more

The Toronto Raptors and Dallas Mavericks were recently working on a trade but they needed to find a third team to make the salary aspect work. On Wednesday, the Raptors and Mavs found that team — the Memphis Grizzlies.
According to multiple reports, the Dallas Mavericks will receive Shawn Marion, Kris Humphries and Greg Buckner in the deal. As part of the trade, Marion will receive a five-year deal worth almost $40 million.
The Grizzlies will reported receive Jerry Stackhouse, Quincy Douby and approximately $2 million. The Raptors are said to be getting Antoine Wright and Devean George.
Marion is far and away …read more

Yesterday, Hedo Turkoglu told the Trail Blazers that he was going to sign with Portland. But as the hours went on, Turkoglu apparently had a change of heart. Turkoglu isn’t headed to Portland after all — he’s headed to Toronto to play with the Raptors.
Although the Raptors can pay him a little bit more — reportedly about $53 million instead of $50 million — it sounds like the city of Toronto was the main selling point. Turkoglu and his wife reportedly like Toronto’s international flavor and that was the turning point.
For the Blazers this is obviously bad news. Turkoglu would …read more

The former girlfriend of Chris Bosh, who plays for the Toronto Raptors, is saying Bosh is a deadbeat dad. Bosh, in case you were wondering what an NBA job pays these days, makes $14.4 million a year.

Allison Mathis, the girlfriend in this ugly legal battle, says that Bosh planned to get hitched and even wanted her to get pregnant so bad he even paid for fertility treatments. But seven months into her pregnancy he decided to leave the relationship and stopped supporting Mathis.
Mathis also claims that Bosh’s daughter has only seen him twice, both times in hotel rooms …read more