Following up on a question that we asked several Toronto Raptors including DeMar DeRozan, Ed Davis, and Terrence Ross during 2012-13 Training Camp in Halifax, "what sneakers do you like to wear on court?", we've decided to feature what they have been wearing so fans can get an up close look that you can't always get while watching the game in person or on TV.

Our friend, Holly MacKenzie who covers the Toronto Raptors for Sportsnet.ca, will be taking pics throughout the season when she gets the chance and is using the hashtag #RapsKicks on Twitter so Raptors fans, NBA fans, and sneaker enthusiasts (sneakerheads!) can check out some of the exclusives various players will be rocking all season.

Here is a list of the 2012-2013 Toronto Raptors roster and what brand of sneaker they wear on the court with their specific preference(s) within that brand in parentheses.

Adidas: Quincy Acy

Li-Ning: Jose Calderon

Nike: Alan Anderson, Andrea Bargnani, DeMar DeRozan (Jordan & Kobe), Ed Davis (KD & Kobe), Landry Fields (Kobe), Aaron Gray, Amir Johnson (Jordan & Nike Retros), John Lucas III (Jordan & Kobe), Linas Kleiza, Dominic McGuire (Jordan), Terrence Ross (Kobe), Jonas Valanciunas

Peak: Kyle Lowry

I've decided to highlight two players specifically in this blog post, DeMar DeRozan & Amir Johnson, because of the exclusives they love to wear on the floor each game. Personally I'm a sneakerhead at heart, so it's only right that I specifically acknowledge a couple of players on the team who have been going out of their way to step up their kick game up on the court. In seasons past both DeMar and Amir have shown Nike's 'Kobe' sneaker line a lot of love, but there seems to be some extra love to 'His Airness', Michael Jordan, this season so I'd be remiss not to highlight them!

Despite the current injuries to Kyle Lowry, Landry Fields, and Alan Anderson, the Raptors are still finding ways to win and be competitive. One may think that the triple overtime loss at home to the Utah Jazz would be enough to suck the wind out of the sails, but the Raptors weren't having any of that! They travelled to Indianapolis right after the loss and laced up their kicks the next night to face the Indiana Pacers; who they suffered a tough loss to on opening night at the Air Canada Centre.

Time to avenge that loss?

Courtesy of our friend, Akil Augustine, here is how the final 30 seconds of the Pacers/Raptors game looked from the viewpoint of some passionate Raptors fans in Toronto watching the game from the comfort of Akil's living room.

Enjoy...and welcome to Couch Life!

                                                                       (Photo: Ron Turenne/NBAE/Getty Images)

The Toronto Raptors have now lost their 3rd straight game at the hands of the Philadelphia 76ers by a final score of 93-83. The Raptors were leading 26-20 after the 1st quarter, but followed that up with possibly the worst quarter in Toronto Raptors history. Philadelphia tightened things defensively and shot lights out in the 2nd quarter, outscoring Toronto 32-7 in that span!

On this night the injury bug continued for the Raptors, as Alan Anderson suffered a sprained left ankle in the third quarter on a drive to the basket. He now joins Kyle Lowry (ankle) and Landry fields (hand/wrist) with injuries that will sideline these players for the foreseeable future. Kyle Lowry was ruled out of last night's game after the afternoon shootaround, erring on the side of caution. Landry Fields will visit another specialist early this week for his hand/wrist injury to be re-evaluated.

On a positive note, the Toronto Raptors wore their special 'Canadian Forces Collection' jerseys in support of the Military Families Fund, on the eve of Remembrance Day in Canada, and Veterans Day in the United States.

The Toronto Raptors are now 1-5 on the season and other than their 105-86 home win vs. the Minnesota Timberwolves on Nov. 4th, key lapses during the games have either cost the the Raptors the win or have caused them to expend too much energy playing catch up for long stretches in the game.

Let's review:

The Raptors had designs of going into the brand new Barclays Center and taking the home opener away from the Brooklyn Nets, with Jay-Z & Beyonce in attendance for the home opener's festivities watching from their first row courtside seats....but on this night, that wasn't to be.

The Raptors opened the game on fire, putting up 35 points (on 15 of 24 shooting, for 62.5%) in the 1st quarter and held a 12 point lead over Brooklyn after the 1st. Unfortunately, the Nets adjusted and turned the table on the Raptors - posting 33 points of their own in the 2nd quarter, while holding Toronto to only 17 points. The 2nd half was a hard fought contest on both ends of the floor with the Raptors scoring 48 points the rest of the way, and the Nets scoring 47.

The letdown by the Raptors in the 2nd quarter proved to be fatal. They shot 5 of 15 (a paltry 33%) in the 2nd quarter, as the Nets went 13-24 (52%) in that same span. Kyle Lowry had another dominating type performance, for his second straight game, but it was not enough to push the Raptors past the Nets.

On a histortic note, Kyle Lowry becomes the first Raptor player to record 20+ points, 6+ rebounds and 6+ assists in back-to-back games since Morris Peterson (Mo Pete) on April 2-4, 2006!

DeMar DeRozan had a solid game for Toronto scoring 25 points and was pretty agressive in attacking the basket. He managed to make 8 of his 10 free throws, but they needed more from their unit as a whole. He provided his thoughts after the game:

The Raptors 18th season kicks off on Wednesday night when they host the Indiana Pacers at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto. After a roughly six month hiatus since their last meaningful (and I do use that term very loosely) action, and a pre-season showing that has taken expectations up a level or two, the anticipation for opening night is as high in Raptor Nation as it has been since the VC days. Here's eight other games you need to circle on the calendar for the upcoming season. 

Toronto Raptors @ Oklahoma City Thunder - November 6th, 2012
The Raptors will get their first peek at the newly modified Thunder team as they travel to Oklahoma City to close out the NBA's first week back. This game gives the Raptors a chance to test their mettle against one of the league's elite franchises in only their fourth game of the season, along with providing Raps fans a chance to check out two of the more entertaining players on Planet Earth in Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook. Jonas Valanciunas will receive his staunchest NBA test to date against the Thunder's big man tandem of Kendrick Perkins and Serge Ibaka, and the entire Raptors team will be in tough against a squad that will be looking to quiet any rumblings about them taking a step back from title contention in the wake of James Harden's departure. 

Toronto Raptors @ Boston Celtics - November 17th, 2012
In a rare Saturday matinee (12:30pm EST tip-off), the Raptors travel to Boston to re-acquaint themselves with the current undisputed champ of the Atlantic Division. Despite winning a pair of late-season contests against the Celtics during last year's lockout-shortened campaign, the Raptors have been flat-out dominated by the C's in recent memory. Since the creation of their now defunct Big Three in 2007-08, the Celtics have gone 16-4 against the Raptors over that span and haven't lost a game to them in Boston since a 114-112 setback in January of 2008. However the talent discrepancy between the two teams appears to be shrinking and I'd expect Dwayne Casey to frame this game as a proverbial "measuring stick" contest for his young squad. The Kyle Lowry versus Rajon Rondo match-up will be worth tuning in for by itself, and Kevin Garnett is almost guaranteed to be doing KG things, which has included barking at Jose Calderon for the full 94 feet of hardwood not too long ago. This game serves up a lot to like. 

Toronto Raptors' Amir Johnson blocks NY Knicks' Carmelo Anthony (photo credit: AP)

The Toronto Raptors and the New York Knickerbockers visited 'La Belle Province' and the city of Montreal for a pre-season NBA game in front of a sold out crowd at the Bell Centre, as a part of 'Canada Series 2012'. The Raptors left the Bell Centre with a 107-88 win over the Knicks, which continued to offer optimism about the work they've put in during Training Camp thus far.

Kyle Lowry and the Toronto Raptors were hot from behind the arc, making a total of 12 of 26 in 3 pointers, including Lowry who went 5-6 from 3 himself. Lowry was a big part of the offense which he will continue to be all season. Kyle scored 17 points, grabbed 4 rebounds, dished out 5 assists, and managed a steal and a block in 30 minutes of play.

Carmelo Anthony had a solid all around game individually, scoring 24 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 blocks, but he went 0-7 from 3 (8-20 from the field overall), and he didn't appear to get his teammates involved through the game. It appears this may be the same ol' theme that will follow the New York Knicks again this season. Amare Stoudemire was the 2nd highest scorer for the Knicks, posting 18 points on 8-11 from the field, and hauling in 5 rebounds.

The Knicks got out to a 13 point lead early in the 2nd quarter with the score 35-22, but the Raptors battled back, re-gained the lead and didn't look back.

The Toronto Raptors are now 2-1 in pre-season play, with 4 pre-season games left in preparation for the regular season (which tips off on October 31st): vs. Wizards, vs. Knicks (in Montreal), vs. Bucks, and at Grizzlies. Kyle Lowry has yet to appear in pre-season play as he and the team continue to be cautious with his leg injury (strained adductor muscle -- groin -- in his left leg). Based on the initial report he was only to miss the first 3 pre-season games, so it appears that he could suit up to face the Wizards on Wednesday night at the ACC.

Coach Dwane Casey has been putting the team through their paces all the way through Training Camp and so far in the pre-season. Up to and including the last game (the win vs. the Pistons on Friday night in their ACC), the team hadn't had a day off since Training Camp & pre-season play began. Jonas Valanciunas got his first NBA start in that game and certainly didn't disappoint. He was extremely active on the floor in his 29 minutes of play, putting up 11 points (including 3-3 from the free throw line - and a NICE free throw stroke I might add!) and 8 rebounds. There will undoubtedly be 'peaks & valleys' and adjustment periods for Jonas this season, but there are many attributes in his game that will make things easier for his teammates simply from his hustle and activity on both ends of the floor. If you haven't seen him play yet, don't miss your next opportunity - whether on TV or in person.

Also this past week, an incredible teaser for the new show 'Open Gym' was released. The show will be an all access look at the Raptors for the 2012-13 season. Episode one premieres Oct. 30th on NBA TV Canada and follows the team at their Training Camp in Halifax, Nova Scotia.



Major shouts to Jeff Landicho, NBA TV Canada, and the Toronto Raptors! Having been a small part of the media coverage the Raptors received during 2012 Training Camp I'm very anxious to see a lot of the footage & behind the scenes access that we didn't witness, and also what we did - but through a professional lense. I can't wait to see it, the production looks outstanding - as all of NBA TV Canada's specials/documentaries do!

In the past, we've done occassional posts called 'Raptors Links You May Have Missed', we're going to continue to provide various links from across Raptors Nation, but we're going with a new name for this season and we're calling them 'Raptors Shots'. Here's our first installment:

Akil Augustine of NBA TV Canada reported tonight that Jonas Valanciunas went through his first full contact practice today and may play on Wednesday vs. the Detroit Pistons. Kyle Lowry will be sidelined for at least 2 more pre-season games due to a leg strain that the Raptors are being cautious with.

Since Training Camp closed the Raptors have now been in on-court action twice. They held an intra-squad game on Saturday at the Halifax Metro Centre in front of approximately 7000 fans to officially end their time in Halifax.

Then on Thanksgiving Monday, the Raptors had their first game at the ACC in the 2012 pre-season vs. Real Madrid. The Raptors started the game slow, but eventually pulled away for a 102-96 victory. DeMar DeRozan, Jose Calderon, Terrence Ross, John Lucas III, Ed Davis, and Amir Johnson all had solid performances for the Raptors. They all seemed to be reaping the rewards of their hard off-season work and putting Coach Casey's teachings from last season & training camp into effect.

The Wednesday night game vs. the Detroit Pistons in Auburn Hills, MI will mark the Raptors' first official game against another NBA team as the 2012 pre-season continues. They will play the Pistons again on the other end of a 'home & home' in Toronto on Friday. There will be a lot of matchups for the Raptors to prepare for due to the likes of Pistons Greg Monroe, Jonas Jerebko, Jason Maxiell, rookie Andre Drummond, and Brandon Knight. The Pistons are chockful with young talent and, like the Raptors, are trying to make their mark this season as well.

As promised, here are our final 5 interviews from Toronto Raptors 2012 Training Camp in Halifax, Nova Scotia that we conducted on the last day of camp, Friday Oct. 5th. We spoke with Jerel McNeal, Chris Wright, John Lucas III, Linas Kleiza, and Dominic McGuire. We hope you enjoy!

John Lucas III:

Day 4, the final day, of practices during the Toronto Raptors 2012 Training Camp in Halifax, Nova Scotia have come to a close. More than one player told us that this was the most intense and difficult training camp they had been through in their NBA careers! Raptors Head coach Dwane Casey is certainly putting them through their paces in preparation of the 2012-13 NBA season.

Today, Saturday October 6th, at noon is the Toronto Raptors Intra-Squad game at the Halifax Metro Centre which is open to the public. We are anxious to see the team out on the floor, who will be matched up with who, and how each player performs. Coach Casey said that he expects to switch up the teams at half time of the intra-squad game and that he is more concerned with execution and performances, not so much which squad wins or loses.

Coach Casey spoke with the media after the morning practice on Day 4 of Training Camp.

Also on Day 4 of practice, we we spoke with Jerel McNeal, Chris Wright, John Lucas III, Linas Kleiza, and Dominic McGuire. We discussed the rigors of training camp, their thoughts on this year's squad, their thoughts about the city of Halifax, and we had some fun talking about Quincy Acy's birthday (which is today, Saturday October 6th!) and Canadian Thanksgiving. We'll have those Day 4 videos up throughout the weekend so stay tuned!

On Thursday, Day 3, Romy Aquino & U-E Sampang spoke with Aaron Gray, Amir Johnson, and Jonas Valanciunas after the lone practice in the morning practice, before the Raptors went out to enjoy the sights and history of Halifax. Check them out below.

Romy Aquino & U-E Sampang speak with Aaron Gray after Day 3 of Training Camp:

Day 3 of Toronto Raptors 2012 Training Camp in Halifax ended with a long morning practice on Thursday. Head coach Dwane Casey wanted to ensure that he got as much work in with the team as possible with only having the one practice. Without an evening practice, the players got out to do some Halifax sight seeing, learning about the history of the city, and to enjoy some Maritime cuisine in the evening. We'll be asking players about their time away from the court when we catch up with players later today on Day 4, the final day of Training Camp practices.

Here are thoughts from Coach Casey & DeMar DeRozan after Day 3:

Coach Casey speaks with the media after Day 3 of Training Camp

DeMar DeRozan speaks with the media after Day 3 of Training Camp

During Day 2 of Training Camp we spoke with several players including DeMar DeRozan, Jamaal Magloire, and Jose Calderon. Here are the brief Q&A's we conducted with each of them:

Romy Aquino & Sean François speak with DeMar DeRozan: