See - it can be done

[Eggcentric@xxxxxxx]

Rafer Alston and Damone Brown? Tell me it ain't so, Joe.

It has happened so many times ... the All-Pro quarterback goes 
down in the first period and since the 2nd-string QB is also
incapacitated, on comes the 3rd stringer who just happens to 
throw for 320 yards and... VOILA, a stolen victory. 

Last night, Toronto dragged their sorry 9-28 asses to Washington 
as 8 pt. dogs.  The Wiz might well have been favored by 15 but that 
their bright light, Stackhouse, would be in street clothes.  What a
difference the loss of one key player can make.

No doubt about it, Toronto is currently the top contender for this 
season's walking wounded award.  Vince Carter, Lindsey Hunter, 
Voshon Lenard, Mamadou N'diaye, Michael Bradley, Chris Jefferies, 
and Nate Huffman all missed last night's game with assorted 
injuries.  So far, Carter has missed 28 games, Antonio Davis 17 
games, Hunter 12 games, Lenard (a solid vet. min. contract pickup)
15 games, and on and on.

But a funny thing happened on the way to Toronto's 29th loss 
last night.... THEY WON. 

My point?  Just maybe Obie should stop being so damn stubborn, 
insecure, and retro.  Damn it all, if your preseason, close-to-
the-vest strategy isn't working, then loosen up, Obie.  Stick 
in Baker, Bremer, Brown, the  "if you loved me in Sept. than 
you'll love me in ... "  Sundov, even skeletal Mikki Moore.  
And just see what they can do. 

You might be very surprised.  And it just might afford your 
overworked, oppressed, and tired-of-your-coaching
7-man rotation,  the relief and support and psychological lift 
they need.

It was never as much about needing a thirteeth man as it was 
about not utilizing the twelve.

Egg

----------------

Roundup: NBDL Products Alston, Brown Lead Raptors
Toronto Wins Second Straight After Skid
.c The Associated Press 

WASHINGTON (Jan. 14) -- A couple of pickups from the Mobile Revelers 
and North Charleston Lowgators stunned Michael Jordan into silence.

Rafer Alston and Damone Brown, both playing on 10-day contracts 
from the National Basketball Development League, scored 13 points 
apiece, and Alston added 11 assists as the Toronto Raptors upset the 
Washington Wizards 84-75 on Tuesday night.

The injury-ravaged Raptors won their second straight despite 
dressing just eight players -- including 10-day signees Alston from 
the Revelers, Brown from the Lowgators and Art Long, who was cut 
this season by Denver. Alston and Long were playing their third game 
with the Raptors; Brown joined the team earlier Tuesday.

"I don't think I've ever been in a position where guys don't even know 
each other, don't know their tendencies or nothing,'' said Antonio 
Davis, who scored just 10 points and was in early foul trouble. 
"We were drawing up plays as the game was going on, and the guys 
didn't even know the plays. But we stuck together for 48 minutes 
and came up with a victory.''

Jerome Williams scored 14 points and had a season-high 20 
rebounds, and Morris Peterson had 21 points for the Raptors, who 
had lost 12 straight before beating Minnesota and Washington 
back-to-back.

Alston, who made 6-of-10 shots, was hot enough to engage Jordan 
in some trash talk.

"We play in the summertime together, and he would leave me open 
and I wouldn't hit my shots,'' said Alston, who earned the nickname 
"Skip to my Lou'' playing street ball in New York. "I told him tonight: 
'I'm hitting these shots now.'"

Jordan and the Wizards couldn't have been more embarrassed. 
They had won six of their previous seven, and on Monday they talked 
about sweeping this four-game homestand and getting home-court 
advantage for the playoffs.

Instead, they lost the first one, prompting an unusually speedy 
locker room exit by Jordan and most of his teammates.

"No comment from me tonight,'' Jordan said. "No comment at all.''

Jordan scored 22 points, but he was just 3-for-12 in the second 
half and 1-for-6 in the fourth quarter. The Raptors took the lead 
in the third quarter and gradually increased it the rest of the 
game -- and neither Jordan nor anyone else on the Wizards could 
respond. They were outrebounded 29-14 in the second half.

"We had zero energy. We just were flat,'' coach Doug Collins said. 
"It's about energy. It's about will. It's about going and doing it.
 We just didn't do it.

"I don't want to disrespect Toronto, but this has got to be more 
important to us than it was to them. Yesterday, we were talking 
about home-court advantage.''

The Wizards played without Jerry Stackhouse, who has a pulled 
left groin. But that pales in comparison to a lengthy Raptors injury 
brigade headed by Vince Carter.

The Wizards opened the game by racing to a 10-0 lead, then played 
the rest of the contest as if they thought their work was done. 
No doubt they were comforted when the Raptors cute-passed 
their way out of a 3-on-1 break, leading to a turnover and a 
Wizards basket at the other end.

But Washington took the foot off the accelerator, and Toronto 
pulled within 20-18 by the end of the quarter. Still, the 12 minutes 
produced an amazing stat for the Raptors: Temps Alston and Brown 
came off the bench to score as many points (9) as the five starters.

The second quarter sped along in similar fashion. The 10-day 
connection looked nice when Alston fed Brown for a layup, and the 
Raptors headed into the break down 43-38, even though they had 
been whistled for 11 fouls to the Wizards' four and were being 
outrebounded 30-18.

Williams led the Raptors to their first lead, outrebounding the 
entire Wizards team 6-1 during a 6-0 run to open the second half. 
Larry Hughes (8), Jordan (4) and Brendan Haywood (1) were the 
only players to score for Washington in the third quarter, and 
Toronto took a 59-56 lead into the fourth.

The lifeless Wizards went nearly five minutes without a field 
goal midway through the fourth quarter. Williams scored the 
first five points in an 11-5 run during that stretch.