Toronto Raptors: Aron Baynes has chance to rebuild value at Olympics

Toronto Raptors: Aron Baynes has chance to rebuild value at Olympics

Toronto Raptors fans spent a large chunk of the 2020-21 season slinging arrows at Australian center Aron Baynes, as the man they signed to replace Marc Gasol and Serge Ibaka failed to provide either Gasol’s ability to keep the ball flowing in the post and Ibaka’s two-way stardom. His breakout year in Phoenix appears to […]
Toronto Raptors: Aron Baynes has chance to rebuild value at Olympics – Raptors Rapture – Raptors Rapture – A Toronto Raptors Fan Site – News, Blogs, Opinion and More

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Author: Mike Luciano / Raptors HQ

The Toronto Maple Leafs biggest need is Kyle Lowry

The Toronto Maple Leafs have spent much of the 2020 offseason addressing many of their biggest needs. They upgraded their defence with TJ Brodie, they found toughness in Zach Bogosian and Wayne Simmonds, and they added in veteran leadership by finally bringing Joe Thornton to the team after decades of rumours that it might one day happen. However, despite all this the Leafs still lack a key component that has brought success to another MLSE franchise.
They don’t have Kyle Lowry.
Yes, the Toronto Maple Leafs are a hockey team and Kyle Lowry is a basketball player, so asking how Kyle Lowry could possibly help the Leafs is indeed a fair question. The answer lies in something many Toronto Raptors fans already know. Lowry does more than just play basketball. 
The Leafs’ struggles aren’t from a lack of talent. On paper, the franchise is as loaded with skill as any other in the NHL. Yet over the past few seasons, a troublesome trend that continues to plague this team has become increasingly apparent. 
Sometimes they just quit.

Ask a group of NBA fans who the greatest Raptor of all time is and you’ll get a handful of answers. …

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Author: Filipe Dimas / The Leafs Nation

Ranking All of the Reverse Retro Jerseys

The NHL has spent the last week teasing their new Reverse Retro theme around the league, and with them finally being unveiled today, the internet surprisingly loves and hates every jersey.
So with that, I’ve decided to rank every jersey based on it’s looks and how well it matches the Reverse Retro theme. Who better to do a ranking on something about fashion than me, someone who’s wardrobe mostly consists of band or meme t-shirts, jeans, and cargo shorts? I’ll put them into tiers to separate them out a bit, but this will also be a true countdown, don’t worry.
 
Disgusting (the insult)
31. New York Islanders
They literally picked a more boring shade of blue than what they had on their already boring jerseys. Like, either use the current jerseys with the fisherman logo, or use the current logo with an all orange jersey, those were their only plays.
But hey, if anything sums up the Lou Lamoriello era of Islanders history, it’s a bad jersey that is also super boring to look at.
30. Detroit Red Wings
Look, the Wings (and the Leafs) were in a tough spot with this one because they only …

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Author: Scott Maxwell / The Leafs Nation

Toronto Raptors: Defending champs still a threat

The Toronto Raptors spent the summer celebrating their sensational victory in the 2019 NBA Finals. We’re a few weeks into a new season. What do the early results mean and what can we expect going forward? It’s been an interesting summer. The Toronto Raptors only won their first NBA championship! Those huge rings and the […]
Toronto Raptors: Defending champs still a threat – Raptors Rapture – Raptors Rapture – A Toronto Raptors Fan Site – News, Blogs, Opinion and More

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Author: Andrew Gula / Raptors HQ

Trying to understand Marner’s point of view

It feels like I’ve spent a good chunk of the past couple of weeks roasting Mitch Marner on this website. I’m not saying I was wrong. My interpretation of his contract demands are that he is seriously disconnected from reality, and outside the money thrown at Auston Matthews, he doesn’t particularly have a leg to stand on in regards to what he’s asking for.
That being said, Mitch Marner doesn’t seem like he’s the greatest evil to grace the Leafs since Harold Ballard and rather, he seems like he’s an important part of the core of the franchise that has given us a sense of optimism that hasn’t existed in 25 years. I’m willing to bet that for many of us there will be an “all is forgiven attitude provided he is capable of producing at even 90% of what he did last year, so I’m willing to try and understand his point of view a bit better now, even while fundamentally disagreeing with him.
He’s as good as Auston Matthews and should be paid inline with him
Using nothing more than points, you can see why Marner is pushing for …

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Author: Jon Steitzer / The Leafs Nation