Who says the Raps get no attention from the US media!!!

[KaioKev]

That article at Grantland is basically saying "read nothing into that Wizards win last night against the Raptors. They played terrible basketball that should warrant a loss and only God know how they managed a W"

From the Raptors end. I think US sports writes would like to talk about the Raptors, but only positively. Just when the Raptors have an opportunity to rid themselve of SOME of the stigma of being the butt-end joke of the NBA, win at least 2 out of 3 very winnable games on a back-to-back-to-back and go 5-5 on the season, last night happens. I believe that many US writers see last night and shake their heads and say "why bother".

Sometimes its tough being a Raptors fan when Kobe drops 80 on you or you loose to the Nets and Wizards - teams that can't win. But as much I already vented earlier on article by Sam about history in the making I'm still a Raptors fan and I will still watch tonight and hope the Raptors win.

[Doc]

This one (insider only) appears to have Bargnani making Hollinger's "All Surprise Team"
http://insider.espn.go.com/nba/story...surprises-team

* Can somebody with ESPN Insider access please post it! :-)

Here's what Hollinger had to say about Andrea:

Andrea Bargnani: Il Mago always could score -- even last season, he averaged a scintillating 24.0 points per 40 minutes while disappointing in virtually every other phase. What has stood out this season is that he's doing every thing a little better -- rebounding, passing, shooting -- and the visual is that there's more of an attacking mentality and a confidence to everything he's doing. It's easier to envision that, of course, when the ball is going in. Bargnani's 51.5 percent shooting from the floor is unlikely to stay this elevated for long, though.

But there's another reason to put Bargnani on this list: It appears he's actually trying on defense. It's early, and I don't want to get carried away, but the standout feature when I've watched Toronto is the lack of glaring breakdowns that used to be a nightly treat. I've yet to see an opponent score while Bargnani stood 3 feet away with his back to the play, for instance. Baby steps, I know, but it appears Dwane Casey's defensive message is getting through. In the meantime, his 23.53 PER is miles ahead of his previous career bests, and at age 26, it appears he's finally realizing the potential Toronto saw when it drafted him six years ago.

[CalgaryRapsFan]

There's actually 2 ESPN articles on the front NBA page with Bargnani.

This one (free) is about Bargnani's improvement, as well as Casey's positive impact on the Raptors' defense
http://espn.go.com/blog/truehoop/pos...bargnani-and-d

This one (insider only) appears to have Bargnani making Hollinger's "All Surprise Team"
http://insider.espn.go.com/nba/story...surprises-team

* Can somebody with ESPN Insider access please post it! :-)

[c_bcm]

Check out the article dedicated to Bargs on the front page of espn.com/nba. Shows that winning and performance trumps location.

[stretch]

Funny article, thanks. The Raptors-Wizard game was a nightmare. Bring on Jimmer!

[yertu damkule]

not that he actually talks about the raptors. which, all things considered, is probably a good thing...

[yertu damkule]

http://www.grantland.com/story/_/id/...izards-raptors