Raptors sweep January Eastern Conference awards

[Basher]

The NBA announced Thursday the Raptors turned some heads in January. .

In the Eastern Conference:

Bargnani - Rookie of the Month

Mitchell - Coach of the Month

Bosh - Player of the Month

Mike Ulmer - Raptors.com

You know you’re hot when Sports Illustrated dispatches a reporter to your town.

You know you’re hot when your best player is voted on to the all-star team.

And you know you’re hot when the boys at NBA New York take notice.

The on-court arrival of the Toronto Raptors won’t be confirmed until they qualify for the playoff for the first time since 2002.

Thursday, the off-court rebirth of the team was confirmed with a stunning three-peat: rookie of the month, Andrea Bargnani; player of the month, Chris Bosh; coach of the month, Sam Mitchell.

Game, set, match.

It is believed to be the first time the league has bestowed all three monthly awards on the same franchise.

It comes after a month in which the Raptors surged past the .500 margin for the first time this season with a 10-5 mark for the month.

"It is great to see the NBA recognize Sam, Chris and Andrea for their contributions to the turn-around of the Raptors franchise,†said general manager Bryan Colangelo. “The awards also speak to the contributions of the entire team and the progress we have made."

Bargnani has flashed spectacular upside while chipping in with an average of 11.1 points per game. He has averaged 27 minutes a night.; He and fellow rookie Jorge Garbajosa will participate in the NBA’s Rookie Challenge and Youth Jam this weekend in Las Vegas.

Bosh, voted to his first all-star game start, averaged 25.4 points a night. He is the first Raptor, by that I mean the first, ever to win the award.

Mitchell, in his third year with the club, and Lenny Wilkens are the only past winners of the award.

Expectations of the Raptors have sharpened dramatically since the outset of the season. The spectacular second season turned in by Jose Calderon, Rasho Nesterovic’s strong play and excellent work from T.J. Ford and Anthony Parker have transformed the club.

The Raptors are worth watching in a way they haven’t been for years. Thursday’s awards are a benchmark in that renewal. New York is noticing. The rest of the NBA won’t be far behind.

[Booche]

Awesome news. I love Brian and not the one that started this thread.

[afro poppa]

hell yea!!!

i Love the Raps!! all the hard times as a raps fan have paid off...hopefully soon the jays will pay us back soon as well!

[lickthecoil]

They've been fun to watch this year and I think they're in position to continue to get better. Watching Bosh in the Washington game hit from 60ft was awesome. The look on his face after - like he expected it. He's a warrior and a leader.