Surprisingly to some the Raptors won 10188

And getting assists really does matter to this team’s success.When the Raptors get 22 assists per game, a number they should easily achieve, they are a very good 7-2. But when they fail to get to 22, they are a disappointing 3-13.How can a team with this many quality jump shooters fail to get assists on 75 percent of their shots If ever their was an indication of a group that had failed to “gel”, this is probably it.Raptors rebounding is yet another page from this “Jekyll & Hyde” story.In half their games the Raptors are grabbing 43 or more rebounds and have a respectable 8-5 record.In the other half, where the Raptors fail to grab 43 boards, they are an awful 2-10.So what seems to define a Raptors win this season The Raptors are most likely to win when:They pass the ball;They rebound;They shoot their threes; and,They hold their opponent to under 115 points! (Under 100 is better but one shouldn’t over-reach.) Somehow that doesn’t sound like it should be all that hard to doAnd on Sunday afternoon, the Raptors hosted a very solid 13-9 Houston Rockets team that had won five of their past six games. Surprisingly to some, the Raptors won 101-88.The Raptors kept their opponent to under 100 points to go 8-0 whenachieving this mark and the Raptors got 22 assists to prove that they can share the ball.The rebounds were 41-40 in favor of the visitors and apparently the Raptors can win without 20 or more long bombs as they hit on 5-12 from three. Sorry Jay, I guess you'll just have to live with the victory.The Raptors were without Jose Calderon again due to a hip injury but Jarrett Jack came in and did what Bryan Colangelo expected he'd get from his big free agent signing. Jack was 17, 8, and 8 on the day and played one of his best games as a Raptor. And just maybe the team has found a leader in Jack T.B.D.The athletic Sonny Weems took Antoine Wright's spot in the rotation and had an immediate impact with 11 points and four rebounds, plus he played effective defense. Weems is a "virtual" rookie in terms of NBA experience but he looked very good in this game.It was all smiles and accolades from the Raptors post-game crew after this game. . Maybe today’s the day Milton becomes a Tampa Bay Ray It appears that’s the only legit option left on the table for Hendry anyway.I’ve said all along the Cubs should take Burrell in exchange for Bradley.

You eat most of Bradley’s contract, flip Burrell for low-level prospects and move on.Letting this circus drag on is the last thing the Cubs wanted, but is exactly what’s happening. Another idle week of chit-chat and it’s likely the Cubs release Milton, eat all of the $21 million still owed on his contract and get nothing in return And that bomb, like Bradley, is ticking. This article is also featured on Bullpen Brian. As you may or may not know, a good friend of mine has turned me onto the wonders of the University Of Tennessee strong safety. In the short time that I've been following Eric Berry personally, I've loved every second of what I've seen. Think an Ed Reed coverage type that's going to have success at the next level. Maybe not the degree of success that Reed has enjoyed, but their styles of play are very similar. Though I'd give Berry the edge as far as tackling goes, Reed of course will always stand out in my mind as the best safety in the game.Think about the options and versatility it would give the Pittsburgh Steelers secondary Berry can play any position in the secondary. He has the speed and cover skills to play corner, as well as the mental edge, toughness, and ability to read an offense, which safeties need to excel.Should Ryan Clark be re-signed we could play the Tennessee star at cornerback opposite of Ike Taylor.

A few Steelers fans are going to be on board for that suggestion simply because of the venom that is spewed when one mentions William Gay. If Clark isn't re-signed, though I expect him to be, then a safety combination of Troy Polamalu and Berry could be a lethal combination for the next few years. He recently won the Thorpe award and was voted a consensus All-American for the third time in his three year college career. He is without a doubt a player that could step into a starting role in the defensive backfield and make an immediate impact. The only problem is that a lot of teams are going to want him and already want him. The only viable solution is for the Steelers to trade up to get him. Perhaps it's a pipe dream but maybe not. After all - dreams do come true sometimes. Sign your name to this petition if you're on board with the Berry To Pittsburgh Movement. . On June 29 earlier this year. ECW announced its New Superstar Initiative with the debuts of Abraham Washington, Yoshi Tatsu, Tyler Reks and last but not least Sheamus and with the likes of Jeff Hardy & CM Punk headlining Smackdown each week it seemed WWE was finally getting passed the nature of "playing it safe" and failing to recognize new talent, however on RAW; the flagship show of the company things couldn't get staler.So it was a breath of fresh air at Bragging Rights when the stipulation that surrounded the match made it impossible for a rematch of what was the tenth time John Cena & Champion Randy Orton were opponents in a WWE Championship match on pay-per-view.The next night, Sheamus signed from ECW made his RAW debut in a total squash match against Jamie Noble and this was the first sign of new talent being pushed on the Monday Night brand.

Of course they went for the obvious option of D-Generation X to face the Chain Gang Soldier at Survivor Series, despite the fact both Triple H & Shawn Michaels have had their own fair share of battles with John Cena for the title in recent memory.D-Generation X has been done so many times since their first comeback in the Summer of 2006 and because the crowd cheers for them and buys their merchandise is no reason not to be creative and original with them on TV and having Michaels & Helmsley in the title picture wasn't new and John Cena overcoming in impossible odds in defeating the team wasn't either. However, the night after Survivor Series, WWE took a hugeunprecedented step towards fresh programming on RAW when guest host Jesse "The Body" Ventura announced what was being called a "breakthrough battle royal" in which Superstars would compete against each other throughout the coarse of the night to gain entry into the aforementioned battle royal. Either way a new opponent for John Cena meant something fresh so any of the above would suit.However, it was Sheamus who picked up the victory in a move which shocked many. Following the battle royal when it was announced the title match would take place at TLC in a tables match, Cena stepped inside the ring with Sheamus for a contract signing that lead to to the Celtic Warrior to slam the champion through a table after Cena questioned why he should take Sheamus as seriously as his previous challengers.6 days before their match at TLC, they met in the ring for a "Championship Showdown" where once again Cena talked about how foolish Sheamus was to think he was in with a chance after only being on the big show a number of weeks. Sheamus like their previous encounter laid out the champion and stood tall as the announcers asking "How can Cena overcome the odds", a quote as lethal as a kiss of death for Cena's challengers in the past.So should Cena to drop the belt at the pay-per-view he would have to come off as foolish and naive to misjudge and underestimate Sheamus so much, he would have to look weak physically having never got any offense on the challenger despite not one, not two but three Irish Curse Kicks and a slam through a table; and WWE would have to do the unthinkable and give the victory to the Superstar who came off on top in every encounter leading to the match and with all these factors added to the fact that the person challenging being a new talent just didn't seem possible.On December 13; in SanAntonio, Texas when they began running the promo package for the WWE Championship on the 1 hour mark of the pay-per-view this writer certainly didn't expect to see his fellow Irishman Sheamus leave with anything other than his first loss. The match itself was looking good, the stipulation of the table seemed to limit them in what they were able to do and both men had decent offense.