Universe

I feel sorry as hell for this coach, haha. The team was full of crybabies.

He deserves more minutes. I really am looking forward to this group of bigs.

He hasn't said anything all summer because he was working on his game.

Flat tire today....I hate 2009.

If they are like the new side bars and team logos then I'm in love.

Very nice. Can't wait to watch Wright play!

Atlantic Canada was trying really hard to get a D-League team but I doubt even D-League officails would allow it because it would crush other teams due to the cost of travels since most teams are located in lower USA. I think it's either Quebec or BC too but unfortunately we will never get to see it. Canada has the best risk/reward out of all the cities in the USA just because of the shere numbers compared to teams. If done right like testing Oklahoma before moving there, Canada and the NBA could work out really well.

The Toronto Raptors have had the title of Canada’s team ever since the Grizzlies move to Memphis. But is it time for Canada to make a run for another NBA team? There is no doubt that basketball is more popular than ever since the NHL lockout, as the Raptors have consistently sold out games. The former Vancouver Grizzlies, suffered being crushed by a lockout, as the bad timing created money loss and lost patience. With the Raptors gaining a league known star in Vince Carter, Steve Francis just didn't cut it in Vancouver. But with the recent success of Toronto FC in the world of soccer, Vancouver was awarded a team. With that in mind, it is easy to see why the Vancouver Grizzlies failed having two Canadian teams, rather than one being known as “Canada’s team”. So should the NBA move another team to Canada? Here are some pros and cons: Canadian markets offer large number of fans compared to small American cities like Charlotte and Oklahoma City. While population doesn’t equal financial success, it sure doesn't hurt during these tough economic times. Another positive is that more Canadian teams, equal more money back into Canadian basketball. With the Canadian program in limbo of success and failure, more money and attention is needed to help create better basketball players; much like Canada has done in baseball and in hockey. While the questions linger about Toronto signing any NBA talent due to higher taxes and bad weather, the Raptors recently signed star free agent Hedo Turkoglu to a long term contract, and are currently looking to lock up star forward Chris Bosh. While the NBA may not want to be in Canada, here’s a list of the top six cities the NBA should take a look at north of the border. Montreal, Quebec. With the loss of the Expos and the miss of Major League Soccer (MLS) with the Impact, Montreal has the recipe for success for an NBA team looking for a new home. On a list of the most populated cities in North America, it ranks 7th with 1,620,693 people living in the city, which also ranks it second in Canada. Montreal’s main facility is the Bell Centre where the Montreal Canadiens currently play. The building can hold 21,700 for a basketball game, which is almost 2,000 more than the Air Canada Centre can hold for Raptor games. Currently, Montreal has an ABA team called the Montreal Matrix which is a part of a league that has had financial trouble, and has taken a beating from the rise of the Development League, which is run by the NBA. While many know about the sucsess of the Canadiens in Montreal, their (Canadian Football League) CFL team also gains big crowds in the summer as they hold 14 out of the top 20 attendance records in CFL history; resulting in a two sport town, but is that enough to gain an NBA team? The basketball season is during the hockey one which means ticket competition. Canadiens games are hard to get tickets. But would fans be willing to pay and root for a team in a hockey market? It’s definitely hard to tell, but Montreal has to be a huge option if David Stern ever decides to put another team north of the border. Ottawa, Ontario Could Ontario support two NBA teams? The capital of Canada, Ottawa, has a population of 812,000 people and is behind Toronto in highest population in Ontario. Facility wise, Ottawa can hold 20,500 in the Scotiabank Place where the Senators play. 40 out of the 41 home games were sold out, but the location of the arena is considered a pain to get to by many. Though Ottawa has not had a basketball team from any league enter the city, it rules the world of college basketball in Canada. The Carleton Ravens have won six out of the past seven Canadian Interuniversity Sport championships in men’s basketball. The success of college basketball did not find it on the football field, as Ottawa has failed twice with the CFL due to money troubles; which means if any NBA team was to come there, the owner might need money to handle the tough times that have cost Canada numerous teams, including Ottawa’s CFL team. Aside from the money problem and proximity to Toronto, Ottawa is a great destination for a basketball team. The border to Quebec is only kilometres away, which allows a French Canadian connection without having a team. The "Battle of Ontario" has also become a huge draw in the hockey world, in which the basketball world could benefit as of right now. The Raptors have no rivals since the Grizzlies moved to Memphis. Rivals or no rivals, Ontario has the population and fan support to welcome another basketball team to their ever growing province. Winnipeg, Manitoba An underdog to gain any sports team, Winnipeg. A big city with a small town feel like Oklahoma City and Utah. What Winnipeg does have is a state of the art facility in the MTS Centre. The building was built in 2004 and can seat 15,015, which seems small, but eight teams in the NBA only average 15,000 or less a game, which means they can still bring in the money. Currently, the building is being used by the Manitoba Moose of the American Hockey League, and is a building block towards them regaining a NHL hockey team since they lost the Jets to Phoenix. As for the city, Winnipeg is one of the fastest growing cities in Canada, and is aiming towards a business style, rather than an agriculture lifestyle. Money is coming in at a quick pace, as the city has already started developing the new CFL stadium for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, and has many other projects on the go. The problem with the town is that it ranks as North America’s coldest big city. While critics say Toronto is too cold for NBA players, Winnipeg could see the same fate happen, as nobody wants to go outside -23°C temperatures, when you can sign in Miami and be in the heat all year. Edmonton, Alberta Edmonton holds the title of Canada's sixth-largest census metropolitan area, with a total of 730,372 people living in the city. Edmonton does have a semi professional basketball team in the International Basketball League as they are one of two Canadian teams in the league. The Edmonton Energy were founded in 2007 and play their home games in downtown Edmonton. The city also has a well run senior and junior program. Despite all this, basketball isn't popular in Canada. Edmonton also has the largest mall in North America making it a great place for the wives of the players to enjoy themselves. Though Edmonton still does not have the same flare as a big city which has resulted in some complications as some big star wives have had a hard time adjusting to the Edmonton way of life. The city holds a NHL team and a CFL team which are both successful with their province rivals in Calgary. The arena most fitting for an NBA team in the city is the Rexall Place. While the building is not one of the biggest (holds 16,839 for a hockey game), it is known to be one of the loudest arenas in Canada. While the town might not be a basketball hot spot, Edmonton is far enough away from Toronto that it can steal the fans from Western Canada, and also fill the missing void of the last Western Conference team. Calgary, Alberta A rival of Edmonton, Calgary is known for its beauty in winter and its love of sports. Sitting around at just under one million people, Calgary is one of the most diverse cities in Canada, and one of the fastest growing. It is known as the “Nashville of the North” as the Western scene is high, but also has bits of every culture, much like Toronto. Calgary has three prominent sports teams in the Flames, Roughriders and Roughnecks, which can all draw a crowd. The Flames have been in the top eight for attendance since the hockey lockout. They sell out almost every game. The Pengrowth Saddledome is home to the Flames and the Roughnecks, and can hold 19,289 for a hockey game or a lacrosse game. Plans are to have a new arena for around 2014, when the lease is up with the arena; but if a basketball team came, money for the arena would arrive much faster, creating a new home for the Flames and the basketball team. Much like Edmonton, it’s definitely not a basketball playground, but the potential is there. Hardcore fans who root for anything in a city is key when creating a franchise, and Calgary has proved they are willing to do that with numerous franchises all being successful and making profit. Vancouver, British Columbia Vancouver part two? Why not! While the NBA has came and went in Vancouver, better planning could make the franchise live again in Western Canada. Vancouver has been ranked as one of the most liveable cities in the world, and has a wealthy atmosphere to add resulting in a wonderful place for a millionaire basketball player to reside. With the Olympics coming to Vancouver this winter, General Motors Place will get some small updates to hold all the hockey fans who will be watching Canada take on the world. The building could already hold 19,193 fans when the Grizzlies were in town, but may fit even more with the recent updates. Vancouver is home to the other Canadian team in the International Basketball League, the Vancouver Titans, which were created in 2008. Aside from basketball, Vancouver is also home to an NHL, CFL and soon to be MLS team. The MLS team, Vancouver Whitecaps, are a prime example of why the Grizzlies failed the first time; as it takes time and fan support of one team, before you can bring out another; and the time is now for Vancouver to be back on the NBA’s map. The weather in Vancouver is one of the best for winter's, as it ranks as the fourth warmest city in Canada through the winter. Snow fall is also not a problem, as it only snows on average 11 days per year, resulting in a not so Canadian winter.

Blackberry Bold man. Really nice phone.

Alvin Williams.

DeSagana Dioppppppppppppp.

It sounds like he's going to retire more than anything, haha.

...your home country in each sport. Canada NBA: Joel Anthony NHL: Josh Gorges MLB: Jason Bay NFL: Nick Kaczur Soccer: Greg Sutton

Yeah I had Manu as my "Sixth Man" and others as role players to make up what a realistic bench looked liked but there was too many good players and I'm damn lazy right now.

This feature is apart of the game itself as it's the first "Be a Pro" type thing from 2K and you can only play as the guy if you buy the full game so it's pretty much advertising 2k10.

Yi Jialian and Bobby Simmons.

Summer ends here on the 9th I believe. It's going to be the first time in 16 years I won't be heading into schoooooool.

I had it as Songalia being a dominant backup, backup when I had the salary wise team and skipped over that part in correcting it. So it really means he'd be a dominant 11th-10th man off the bench.

Yeah my perfect bench was going to be salary wise friendly so a lot of those players were missed but I had very little time to finish the article so just threw the main guys on.

Have you ever wondered what guys would make the perfect bench in an era of starters and high demands? Here are seven guys with seven different abilities, characters and personalities that would make one team quite successful which would lead to what many people would call the ‘perfect bench’. Manu Ginobili – Shooting Guard What is greater than seeing an All-Star guard enjoy and accept the role of sixth man on the team? It just shows what kind of character and determination Manu Ginobili has to accept the role of second fiddle but has the knowledge to know the greater good of the position. The three time NBA champion has been putting up solid numbers since he’s entered the league. He recently won the NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year award as he moved from his starter role to allow Roger Mason to get the start. While injuries killed him in 2009, there is little doubt in anyone’s mind that Manu will be able to get back in stride for the upcoming season as the revamped Spurs look to put a stop on Laker dominance. James Posey – Small Forward Posey was key on the Celtics run to their first title in so many years but decided to sign with New Orleans. It was this season he went under the radar averaging just less than nine points per game off the bench helping the Hornets capture the fourth overall seed. His strong defence was key for New Orleans as there roster looks to make it deeper than their one and done against Denver where he stepped up and almost averaged 12 points per game. With Posey, the possibility of success is just increased. Jason Terry – Point Guard Terry was just two games away from being the front runner for Finals MVP in 2006 before a young man named Wade took over and eventually won the championship for the Heat. While it’s seasons later, Terry is still enjoying the same success off the bench as he’s watched Devin Harris be replaced by Jason Kidd. Though the starters have changed, Terry’s stats haven’t as he averaged nearly 20 points per game which led to being named the 2009 Sixth Man of the Year. Terry’s unselfishness does not go unnoticed as he gets plenty of playing time and plenty of respect from oppositions as many could argue he could start on any team in the league. He will look to build upon his success this upcoming season as Antoine Wright is now in a Raptors jersey and rumours of Matt Carroll’s departure only add more opportunities for him to take over. Lamar Odom – Small Forward Coming off a fantastic season, Odom helped Los Angeles capture the 2009 Championship coming off the bench. His 11.3 points per game was fourth best on the team but his almost nine rebounds per game was better than center Andrew Bynum’s totals on the year and improved even more throughout the playoffs. Odom will likely get a good shot to start again for Los Angeles as Trevor Ariza is in Houston which allows Odom to play some big minutes with the big unit. Chris Anderson – Center The shot blocker of the group sets the tone by sending the ball ten feet into the crowd sending thousands to their feet clapping and applauding the effort. Chris Anderson knows the bottom because he has been there. The 31-year old returned from a two year ban for violating the league's drug policy and came back swinging. He managed to help a Nuggets team taste playoff success for the first time in ages as his 2.5 blocks per game in just over 20 minutes per game were on of the top in the league and top per 48 minutes. Look for Anderson’s stats to only improve as George Karl looks to use Anderson more as Nene and Kenyon Martin will look to be kept fresh for the playoffs. Ronald Murray – Shooting Guard The Atlanta Hawks guard tore up the playoffs and helped a Atlanta Hawks to a second round visit in the 2009 playoffs. The journeyman from Philly has played on six different teams in his young career had one of his best seasons to date 12.2 points per game but somehow has found himself without a team entering September. While Allen Iverson is making the headlines, a team would be lucky to steal a winner like Murray for their team as his character and experience are enough to make any roster. Darius Songaila – Power Forward One of the most underrated players in the league, Songaila is a dominant offensive big coming off the bench. In his six NBA season, he averaged 7.4 points per game and his speed are a great combination of what you need off the bench. His 0.532 shooting percentage is one of the best in basketball as he knows not to take any stupid shots or he will be back sitting beside Gilbert Arenas. This year he finds himself in a new city where he will be the backup to sophomore Kevin Love which means he may see a lot of playing time and even some starts if Kevin Love remains the same or digresses. Honourable mentions: Keyon Dooling, Jason Kapono, Joel Przybilla, Matt Barnes and Jeff Foster.

Defensive power forward.

Cheerleaders here are often fat and not very attractive. As for professional sports, I truely don't care cause I know I can't land one and I'm not watching a sport to see them.

And I'm also not arguing the fact I deserved a ticket either, I just hate how I have been caught twice by undercover cops and this one had the guts to say he could prove I pulled a trick that car theifs use to get away from him. It's St. Catharines at 5 pm, not New York at 4 am.

Everyone goes 120 and it's not endangering anyone when you know how to drive it. It's the people who drive 60 KM on the highway and people who drink and drive that cause accidents.

It was in KM and he said I pulled over to fast which is often used for escaping cops he tells me but I truely doubt it here. Most likely something he learned in cop school and is still waiting to find it.