Chris Bosh is BLACK SWAN

With the Oscars last night and the King's Speech taking Best Picture, Natalie Portman winning Best Actress in her role in  Black Swan,  I thought it would only be fitting if we honoured one of the greatest acting performances in this NBA season.  I present to you....former Toronto Raptor, the "fake tough guy", the Rupaul of Big  Men....Christopher Wesson Bosh in "Black Swan".



Subscribe to RAPS TALK, our audio podcast on iTunes
If you don't have iTunes, you can subscribe here
Check out our Facebook Page
Follow @hiphoopjunkies on Twitter

"Inside The Purple Room" at the NBA All-Star Weekend's Jam Session

So NBA All-Star weekend came to close on Sunday and fellow Toronto Raptors vlogger/blogger, Payal Doshi of insidethepurpleroom.com made the trip to the City of Angels to take in some of the events. She took her "Inside the Purple Room" segment to the All-Star weekend Jam Session where she talked to some hoops fans, showed off her hoops skills and did her best John Wall impression, check it out.

Be sure to follow Payal on Twitter, @Raptors_Central


Subscribe to RAPS TALK, our audio podcast on iTunes
If you don't have iTunes, you can subscribe here
Check out our Facebook Page
Follow @hiphoopjunkies on Twitter

Hip Hoop Junkies & Hoop Heads North present RAPS TALK Ep. 9 (02.22.2011)

Episode 9 of RAPS TALK (02.22.11) - What does MVB stand for?  Most Valuable Bieber.  Welcome to the All-Star edition of Raps Talk.  The Raps Talk crew welcome their second guest to the podcast, Rey Moralde (@thenolookpass on Twitter) of the No-Look Pass hoops blog and The Chronicles of Crotty basketball podcast.  The guys of Hip Hoop Junkies and Hoop Heads North ask Rey about his time at All-Star weekend, his favourite obscure Raptors players and who he thought was the best baller of the bloggers at the Blogger Throwdown over the weekend.

Also on the podcast, Romy, Sean and U-E discuss their thoughts on All-Star weekend, they break down DeMar's performance at the dunk contest, talk a little about the Carmelo Anthony trade, Chris Bosh's return to Toronto and Justin Bieber's new haircut.  That's right....more Bieber talk.

Make sure you subscribe to the podcast on iTunes.

Click here for the MP3

If The NBA Ever Wanted To Make The Dunk Contest Fair

written by U-E Sampang (@uesampang)


So this past Saturday night, I was watching this show where some random Asian kid lost his toy, but then a large man in shorts helped him get it back. Then suddenly a choir came out of nowhere to sing while another large man in shorts jumped over a car's bumper while a loud New Yorker with a beer gut sang his praises. Was this a cheesy Disney feel-good TV movie, Space Jam meets Sister Act?

Nope.

Former Raptors PG, Jarrett Jack, Arrested for DUI

From wwltv.com:

Snellville Police Chief Roy Whitehead said in an e-mail Monday the 27-year-old former Georgia Tech star was pulled over early Sunday by an officer who clocked him at 66 mph in a 45-mph zone. Police say Jack's Mercedes was also weaving.Whitehead says Jack failed a field sobriety test, then was taken to the Gwinnett County jail and given a breath test, which measured just under the legal limit of .08 more than an hour after Jack was stopped.

Tough break for the former Raptors point guard, negative press can haunt players.  I'm sure the team will come down with some type of suspension after the break.  Jack has been averaging 6.6 ppg for New Orleans over the past month, playing behind Chris Paul.

Subscribe to RAPS TALK, our audio podcast on iTunes
If you don't have iTunes, you can subscribe here
Check out our Facebook Page
Follow @hiphoopjunkies on Twitter

DeMar's Dunks Impress without Cars, Choirs or Child Actors

NBA All-Star Weekend 2011 Day 2 is in the books and DeMar DeRozan put on an impressive showing at the Staples Centre but his first round dunks in last night's Slam Dunk contest weren't enough to put him through to the finals.  DeMar didn't use any gimmicks, or props in his first two dunks and was just a few points shy from moving onto the finals.  Blake Griffin took home the crown with his game-winning dunk over a car....well, the hood of a car.

Hold Up, Blake Griffin Could Have Been a Toronto Raptor?

I'm a little late on this but I just saw this on Doug Smith's blog:

You have to trust me on this but it comes from a guy I trust without doubt and it works like this.  Way back after the Clips [won] the lottery, there was a call made to determine if there was any interest in a deal that would have sent Chris Bosh to the Clippers for the No. 1 overall pick with Toronto willing to take back the then-monstrous contract of Baron Davis in the deal.

Didn’t happen, too bad.

Well.  If hindsight was 20/20, we'd be in a better position than we are now...

NBA All-Star Weekend: DeMar DeRozan's Sophomore Performance

Well, All-Star Weekend Friday is in the books.  DeMar's Sophomores lost to the Rooks 148-140 last night in the first night of All-Star festivities. DeMar represented Toronto well in his home state of California, scoring 14 points (7-10), dishing out 4 assists and grabbing 3 boards

Bieber Gets Blocked By Scottie Pippen

With just a handful of Canadian representatives in this year's All-Star weekend, our biggest star was Justin Bieber aka The Beebs aka Celebrity Game MVP. The dude was voted Celebrity Game MVP last night (fan voting, of course) even though he only scored 8 points on 3 of 11 shooting, his West squad lost the game and he also got blocked by NBA legend Scottie Pippen.


CANADA! CANADA! CANADA!

Subscribe to RAPS TALK, our audio podcast on iTunes
If you don't have iTunes, you can subscribe here
Check out our Facebook Page
Follow @hiphoopjunkies on Twitter

Chris Bosh Shows His Sarcastic Love for Toronto

Miami's Big Three put out a series of quote gems for the Toronto media at the post game press conference after Miami's win over the Raps last night.  CB1 had 25 points in his return to Toronto and topped off his night with a few blown kisses to the Toronto fans.  Bosh elaborated on the kisses at the press conference:

“It was because I miss them, I love them so much,”  

When asked if his comments were sarcastic:

“Sarcasm? What is sarcasm?  It was sarcastic to all the naysayers. It was real to all the supporters.”

Has your opinion of Bosh after last night?

Subscribe to RAPS TALK, our audio podcast on iTunes
If you don't have iTunes, you can subscribe here
Check out our Facebook Page
Follow @hiphoopjunkies on Twitter

Hip Hoop Junkies & Hoop Heads North present RAPS TALK Ep. 8 (02.15.2011)

Episode 8 of RAPS TALK (02.15.11) -  The Raps Talk crew invites their first guests to the podcast, Dave Mendonca and Audley Stephenson from The Breakdown Show.

The guys of Hip Hoop Junkies and Hoop Heads North ask Dave and Audley a little bit about the history of their podcast, their thoughts on the Toronto Raptors and if Andrea Bargnani can be a cornerstone of the franchise.

In "The Bounce" section, Romy, Sean and U-E discuss their thoughts on Jerry Sloan, the DeMar viral video, whether or not DeMarcus Cousins is a spoiled brat and their all-star predictions.  Sean also throws his rating of Justin Bieber's "Never Say Never" movie.

Make sure you subscribe to the podcast on iTunes.

Click here for the MP3

Dunks with DeMar, Dawkins and Jus Fly

So last week, DeMar worked out with his dunk coach, Darryl Dawkins in Toronto and they got a little help from Canadian dunk phenom, Justin "Jus Fly" Darlington. "Jus Fly" is a McGill track star who is also a pro dunker with Team Flight Brothers, whose dunk reels are all over Youtube. Check out DeMar practice a few dunks including a sad attempt at a cartwheel dunk:

The Red Rocket Matt Bonner aka Coach B is in town

Tonight, the 43-8 San Antonio Spurs are in town to most likely lay a beatdown on the 14-38 Toronto Raptors.  Even if you reversed the Raps record to 38-14, they're still worse than the Spurs.  This game also marks this return of former Raptor and wannabe Canadian, Matt Bonner.  I was reading Eric Smith's FAN 590 blog tonight and caught this gem of a video below, it's some funny sh*t:



Subscribe to RAPS TALK, our audio podcast on iTunes
If you don't have iTunes, you can subscribe here
Check out our Facebook Page
Follow @hiphoopjunkies on Twitter

Hip Hoop Junkies & Hoop Heads North present RAPS TALK Ep. 7 (02.07.2011)

Episode 7 of RAPS TALK (02.07.11) - Rejoice Raptors fans, we're not Cleveland Cavaliers bad! In this week's podcast, the guys of Hip Hoop Junkies and Hoop Heads North talk about the Raptors win over Minnesota...snapping the losing streak, DeMar on this year's Sophomores squad, Trey Johnson is a D-League All-Star and Linas is done, son.

In "The Bounce" section, Romy, Sean and U-E discuss their picks for Basement Team All-Stars, the All-Star reserves, Andre Miller's hate on for Blake Griffin, Justin Beiber is a baller and Lamar Odom and Khloe Kardashian have their own fragrance. Enjoy.

Make sure you subscribe to the podcast on iTunes.

Click here for the MP3

Is Reggie Losing the Beard?

(via @reggieevans30)

The Raps Bloggers Make Superbowl Predictions

Well, it's Superbowl Sunday  which means a light day for NBA games.  On top of that, the Raps are on a break for a few days while they travel to Milwaukee for a game on Tuesday night.  So with the light NBA schedule,  I asked a few Raptors bloggers, their predictions onto who was taking home the Vince Lombardi trophy tonight...so check them out:

Eric Smith, FAN590 (@Eric__Smith) 

Pick:Predicted Score: 34-31

"Steelers ... 34-31.  I actually just wrote a similar blog myself. " 

Eric's latest post includes predictions from various Raptor personalities like Leo Rautins, Jose Calderon, Matt Devlin, Jack Armstrong and more, definitely check it out.

Audley Stephenson, The Breakdown (@TheAudman) 
Pick:Predicted Score: 24-17
"Two top defensive teams and I'm torn. My pops was a fan of Steelers and the Iron Curtain I'm going with the Steelers merely on principle."

Linas is Done, Son

QUICK NEWS HIT: Rack up the Raptor injuries, folks.  According to Raptors.com:

The Toronto Raptors announced Thursday forward Linas Kleiza underwent arthroscopic surgery yesterday to address both a meniscal tear and chondral defect of his right knee. The surgery was performed by Dr. J. Richard Steadman in Vail, Colorado.  Due to the nature of the microfracture procedure performed, the recovery time is expected to be nine to 12 months.

This marks the millionth injury that the Raps have dealt with this season.  On top of that, it looks like Jerryd Bayless (knee) will be a no-go for Friday's game against the Minnesota Timberwolves.  The Raps will be up against Kevin Love on Friday, who was recently snubbed from the West All-Star reserves.  I'd expect a big game from Love.

Is loss #14 on the horizon?


Subscribe to RAPS TALK, our audio podcast on iTunes
If you don't have iTunes, you can subscribe here
Check out our Facebook Page
Follow @hiphoopjunkies on Twitter

The Sophomores Select DeMar

Well, at least Raptors fans have something to look forward to this upcoming All-Star weekend besides this losing skid.  Not only was DeMar DeRozan selected to participate in the Sprite slam dunk contest to replace his  Compton homie, Brandon Jennings, he now has been selected to represent the Sophomores in the 2011 NBA Rookie Challenge.  DeRozan joins fellow sophomores: Steph Curry, Serge Ibaka, Tyreke Evans and Brandon Jennings.  DeMar has been a consistent performer for the Raps over the past month averaging 18 ppg, 3.8 rpg and 1.2 spg and put up a career-high 37 points against the Houston Rockets at the end of December.

Hip Hoop Junkies and Hoop Heads North present the RAPS TALK Audio Podcast - Episode 6 (02.01.11)

Episode 6 of RAPS TALK (02.01.11) - The Raptors losing streak is getting uglier and uglier. So in this week's podcast, the Hip Hoop Junkies and Hoop Heads North guys out of Nova Scotia talk about the Raptors continuing struggles, Kevin Love thinks Jerryd Bayless is a breakout candidate, a former Raptors assistant is named a head coach in Halifax and they talk DeMar's potential dunk contest dunk names via his dunk coach, Darryl Dawkins.

In "The Bounce" section, Romy, Sean and U-E discuss the NBA All-Star starters, 'Fake tough guys', a Chris Bosh Maxim shoot and a little Tracy Morgan Knicks-Heat pre-game commentary.  Make sure you subscribe to the podcast on iTunes.

Click here for the MP3