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Post by Pacer Pride on Nov 4, 2005 21:49:19 GMT -7
Toronto Raptors forward Matt Bonner ice cold so far
November 5, 2005 TORONTO (CP) - The sophomore jinx has quickly settled in for Matt Bonner.
The second-year Toronto Raptors forward is ice cold two games into the 2005-2006 season. Affectionately dubbed the Red Rocket for his red hair and travels on Toronto's public transit, last year's fan favourite has connected on just 2-of-11 attempts from the field thus far in the season.
"I'm getting open looks, I'm just not making them," said the 6-foot-10 sharpshooter who has yet to find the comfort zone he thrived in a year ago.
"I'm doing everything I normally do but for some
reason they're not falling in the game."
Bonner is one of a host of first-and second-year players Raptor coach Sam Mitchell is working into his regular rotation.
It's been a struggle thus far for the 0-2 Raptors.
But Bonner isn't making excuses.
"Even though we lost both, you can't fault our
effort," the 25-year-old said. "We're making a lot of mistakes but we don't want to credit that to being a young team because we don't like to make excuses."
Bonner had a solid first year in the NBA.
After a productive year plying his trade in the Italian professional league, Bonner joined the Raptors last season as an unheralded rookie and quickly acquired a reputation as a legitimate long-ball threat.
He ranked first among all NBA rookies with a .424
average (39-for-92) from beyond the arc, and his .533 field goal percentage was second best among first-year players.
Bonner was one of only two Raptors to appear in every game and averaged 7.2 points, 3.5 rebounds in 19 minutes a game.
Raptor fans caught glimpses of Bonner's brilliance
last season on several occasions, most notably on
March 11 at the ACC.
The New Hampshire native came off the bench versus the Atlanta Hawks to score a career-high 21 points, which included five three-pointers.
Going into the off-season free agent, Bonner was
hopeful the organization would reward him with a brand new contract containing a hefty pay increase.
After several tense months waiting for a call, Raptors brass finally pulled through on Aug. 22 with a two-year deal.
Toronto has opened the season with two home losses and in each Bonner has not played well.
In Wednesday's season-opening loss to the Washington Wizards, Bonner was a paltry 1-for-7 from the field, scoring three points and missing both of his three-point attempts.
In Friday's 102-92 defeat to the New Jersey Nets,
Bonner again was ineffective.
He went 1-for-4 from the field and made 1-of-2 three-point attempts in just 11 minutes of action.
Bonner says he's his own harshest critic.
"I'm tough on myself. Normally I can carry (a bad
game) with me until I get back on the court and do
something about it," he said.
But Mitchell isn't alarmed with Bonner's early woes.
The second-year coach is confident in Bonner's skills and figures it's just a matter of time before he
regains his previous form.
"He's proven that he can make (shots) and he will.
He's just got to continue to shot them."
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Post by mweir145 on Nov 4, 2005 22:10:34 GMT -7
Your point being?
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Post by Pacer Pride on Nov 4, 2005 23:46:35 GMT -7
My point being,oh no A sidenote Keeping Croshere Andrew Perna - 21st July, 2005 10:26 PM There has been a lot of debate by NBA analysts and Pacer fans as to whether Austin Croshere is worth his hefty contract. He is due $8.9 million dollars this upcoming season, second only to Jermaine O’Neal on the Pacers list of highest salaries. Croshere signed his lucrative contract after his breakout 1999 season during which he averaged 10.3 points and 6.4 rebounds per game. He proved his worth for Indiana during the 2000 NBA Finals versus the Lakers. He showed guts and determination while averaging 15.2 points and 6 rebounds in just 24.4 minutes per game. Following his breakout season and an impressive performance in the Finals of 2000, Austin lived up to his contract and put up similar numbers in the 2000 -2001 campaign. Croshere was selected by Indiana with the 12th overall selection in the 1997 draft out of Providence College. Since he was drafted, he has been a fixture in Indiana. Every year, he and his wife serve Thanksgiving dinner to hundreds of people in need from the Indianapolis area. He is also - other than Dale Davis who returned late season - the only remaining Pacer from the 2000 Finals team. Since the 2001 season, Croshere has gone in and out of the rotation. Until the 2005 season when Indiana was often short-handed, he rarely received consistent playing time. With more playing time on a nightly basis, Croshere put up his best numbers in three years. He averaged 8.9 points and 5.1 rebounds per game. However, his importance to the team, following the suspensions resulting from the basket brawl on November 19th, could not be quantified in numbers alone. Croshere was the lone veteran leader for Indiana when they were down to just six players and continued to contend in the Eastern Conference. Croshere fell out of the rotation again when the Pacers healed from both injury and suspension. He saw minimal playing time in the 2005 postseason and failed to make much of an impact in either playoff series. Despite the lack of playing time in the postseason, he showed he could contribute to the Pacers with consistent playing time during the regular season. This summer, it has been speculated that Croshere might be released by Indiana to help relieve some salary cap space. If Indiana were to get rid of him, releasing him is likely the only option because his high salary has made him virtually untradable. Getting rid of Austin Croshere is a mistake. His heart and determination are qualities Indiana can’t afford to give up. Also, his shooting range is something hard to find among players of his size, 6'10" and 240 pounds. With the possibility of losing both James Jones and Dale Davis this off-season, Croshere would be in line for more consistent playing time in 2006. His three-point shooting ability is also something the Pacers will desperately need. Over the past few seasons, the Pacers have struggled with the three-point shot and that was when Reggie Miller was still hitting dagger after dagger. Pacer president Larry Bird has always been a fan of Croshere and that should help Austin’s chances at remaining a Pacer. Sure, he may not be worth nearly 9 million dollars a year but releasing him won’t give the Pacers all that much freedom under the salary cap. He’s also contributed a lot to the Pacer organization and should continue to as long as he is given the opportunity. Croshere deserves a legitimate chance to earn his pay and legitimize his contract, only consistent playing time will give him that chance. Austin Croshere is an important part of the Indiana Pacers . He has the gut and character that Indiana needs. Cros-here, stays here.
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Post by mweir145 on Nov 5, 2005 0:32:55 GMT -7
So basically your point is Croshere=good, Bonner=bad?
Well I can't argue with that right now, especially when you look at the stats.
But please remember, Croshere is a starter, Bonner is a softmore, and we are only two games through the season....
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Post by Pacer Pride on Nov 5, 2005 1:39:47 GMT -7
NO NO NO!!! Bonner does not totally suck(just sucking right now).My point is will this carry on during this yr. or will it carry on longer?It will be interesting to see... For you to ever doubt Cro as a decent to good NBA . player was foolish of you He has experience to back it up.Bonner does not.That means Bonner has to work harder then Cro to make up for experience and good play.They are starting to call Cro a "hussle player" and that is very scary because he has the skill for sure if the hussle is there ;D The Isiah ghosts I think have left the building for good,R.I.P. b****!
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Post by fnamazin on Jun 21, 2006 15:35:57 GMT -7
This is a sad day for The Game who probably has his walls covered in posters of the "Red Rocket" and its equally a sad day for fans of paper sack lunches in Toronto...
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Post by Pacer Pride on Jun 21, 2006 15:37:09 GMT -7
Face of the franchise! :-/You guys are getting smart!(can't believe I am saying that).Bonner out (bum pretty well),Stash' in (Morrison for PM. should be the signs if you draft him #1 overall).This trade really signifies Morrison is going to Toronto now.Cro beats Bonner again(I thought Bonner would stay in T.O. longer then Cro would in Indy ).Guess not ;D I like how Bonner doesn't even beat out Rasho' for name on the headline of the trade ;DRadoslav Nesterovic: Dealt to the Raptors RotoWire.com Staff - RotoWire.com Wednesday, June 21, 2006 Update: The Spurs traded Nesterovic to the Raptors on Wednesday in exchange for Eric Williams and Matt Bonner, ESPNews reports. Recommendation: Nesterovic became expendable for San Antonio, who prefer Nazr Mohammed at center and were looking to dump the remaining $23 million on Nesterovic's three-year contract. Nesterovic averaged 4.5 points, 3.9 rebounds and 1.1 blocks per game in 19 minutes per contest for the Spurs last season and will be used much more frequently by the Raptors.
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Post by thefranchise on Jun 21, 2006 15:46:06 GMT -7
I dont think well take Morrison. But i dont care about the raptors anyway.
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Post by kramedawgz22 on Jun 21, 2006 19:04:12 GMT -7
Morrison isn't a SG, he's a big relatively slow SF...they could just keep Mo Pete at SG and keep Villanueva as a supersub if they take Morrison. Anyone else (maybe not Aldridge, he and Bosh would be a nasty frontcourt) would probably come off the bench if everyone else comes back
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Post by kramedawgz22 on Jun 21, 2006 19:07:11 GMT -7
I personally think the Raps should trade down and get Marcus Williams or Randy Foye in case Mike James skips town
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Post by mweir145 on Jun 22, 2006 0:29:36 GMT -7
I like it. It finally gives us the starting center we need, and we don't have to go out into free agency and get one this year. It's sad to see Bonner go, but that's the way the business works. He really is nothing more than a 10th man on a good team anyway (though it looks like San Antonio could use him as a 3 point specialist). We also got Eric Williams and his contract off the team which is another big plus. The 2nd round pick in 2009 is basically meaningless, and we also got cash considerations. Rasho can definitely bring some rebounding and defense, which are 2 things this team has been sorely lacking for the past 5 years.
It also leaves us open to take the most talented and best player in the draft (whoever that may be).
BTW, everything has indicated that the Raptors will be taking Bargnani, not Adam Morrison, but we'll see what happens.
A recent trade rumour has the Raptors trading down to the Bobcat's pick and acquiring Brevin Knight while dealing away Alvin in the process. That would be a great deal as they could still probably pick Bargnani at the #3 spot.
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Post by Pacer Pride on Jun 22, 2006 13:39:17 GMT -7
So Game ,your not pissed at all your boy is gone and you have a Cro look-alike on the team now I don't know that Rasho is ideal or the top guy you were looking for but it might work out. I can tell you this ,better then that bum Aarujo You guys have dealt a lot of dead weight off your club this summer,congrats. Now it's time for the Pacers to deal some of their dead weight/airheads/shootaholics (JAX,Tins,Pollard etc...)
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Post by mweir145 on Jun 23, 2006 1:15:56 GMT -7
So Game ,your not pissed at all your boy is gone and you have a Cro look-alike on the team now I don't know that Rasho is ideal or the top guy you were looking for but it might work out. I can tell you this ,better then that bum Aarujo You guys have dealt a lot of dead weight off your club this summer,congrats. Now it's time for the Pacers to deal some of their dead weight/airheads/shootaholics (JAX,Tins,Pollard etc...) Nope, not mad at all. Bonner probably has a better chance to win a championship this way anyway. I also trust that Colangelo is doing the right thing.
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Post by mweir145 on Jul 5, 2006 20:32:57 GMT -7
Croshere was traded to the Dallas Mavericks tonight.
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Post by Pacer Pride on Jul 5, 2006 21:11:24 GMT -7
Croshere was traded to the Dallas Mavericks tonight. Just heard ,deserves it's own thread
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