With A Side Of Red - Feb.11/10

You guys feel that in the air? That - ladies and gentlemen - is the electric atmosphere that is packaged with every exciting NBA All-Star Weekend. Or it could be the odd snow falling in Dallas right now...

Regardless of that, you guys know what this is - another edition of With A Side Of Red! Your stop for your daily dose of random Raptors related news.

First off the menu, according to basketball-reference.com, the Toronto Raptors have the 3rd most loyal fanbase in the entire Association. They take into account a team's actual attendance and what their fans expect of them. Here's the top 5:

1. Chicago Bulls (Makes sense considering their Jordan years)
2. Utah Jazz (Not surprised when you consider how awesome their home games are)
3. Toronto Raptors (The best in my eyes)
4. Dallas Mavericks (Multi-billionaire owner always willing to spend for a good team)
5. San Antonio Spurs (That's what happens when you assemble a dynasty)

To see the rest of the list, check out Most Loyal Fanbases

Next up, TMZ is apparently reporting that our very own rookie DeMar DeRozan will be utilizing "Thriller" elements in the dunk off as a tribute to Michael Jackson. Honestly, I can do without the gimmicks, and would actually prefer straight up dunking. But that's just me. And yes, I understand, these days the gimmicks are just as important as the dunks. Oh well, call me old school, but I miss the days where dunk contests just had exactly that..dunking.

Regardless of that, I think it's smart on DeMar's part. If he plays it right, it could work in his advantage. Check out the article here:

DeRozan To Use "Thriller" Elements In Dunk Contest

The third course of the day is my favorite, and really doesn't have anything to do with the Raptors surprisingly. If you've been a follower of my blog, you might have read my little rant about the media and how they never mention anything good about the Raptors. Sure, that might have worked last year, but surely you can say something nice about the Raps this season...something...ANYTHING! On top of that, the American media always come out with the wildest reports of Bosh leaving Toronto. 100% this. 100% that.

And though the Raptors still don't really get the love they deserve, at least now it's not just the Raps' situation with Bosh they're sabotaging:

Wade Unlikely To Sign; Should Trade Him Now

Speaking of Bosh, the last thing we'll dish out has something to do with what Chris Bosh said last night during his post game scrum. His quote:

"Toronto being a hockey town...it's getting old."

Couldn't have said it any better Chris. Couldn't have said it any better. Check out his entire interview here:



And there you have it, a jam packed edition of WSR.

Whatever it is you're doing, I hope you enjoyed it With A Side Of Red!