Toronto point guard Rafer Alston has been handed a two-game suspension for "conduct detrimental to the team."

Toronto officials were quiet about the incident that is speculated to have occurred during a practice today.

"There's rules and certain things that we have to follow and a certain code of conduct and professionalism that we're not going to expect but demand," said head coach Sam Mitchell, who added that Alston needed better control of his temper. "It would be helpful for him as far as furthering his career and being the player he has the talent to be.

"His passion is a strength but sometimes it can be a weakness. You have to learn to control your emotions."
Alston is averaging 14 points and 7.1 assists per contest for the Raptors this season.

Jalen Rose had another late-game explosion, scoring 14 of his 22 points in the fourth period as the Raptors beat the Charlotte Bobcats, 103-92.  

Rose is crediting his outbursts to a Toronto radio personality who said Raptors general manager Rob Babcock "would be the GM of the year if he could find a way to trade Jalen Rose."

"That kind of sparked me to go out and play and play with a chip on my shoulder and have some fun regardless of what happens," said Rose.

Morris Peterson also threw in 26 points.  Chris Bosh had 21 points and eight rebounds for the Raptors, who have won 10 of their last 11 games at the Air Canada Centre.

Rose has been looking like the go-to-guy Toronto thought they were getting when they traded for him.  He's passing well, making shots, and inspiring the crowd.

"Jalen is going to be Jalen, he's always going to talk about starting and I understand that," said Raptors coach Sam Mitchell.  "But his role with us in the last 14 or 15 games, the way he has been playing and the firepower that he gives us coming off the bench . . .

According to the New York Post, Isiah Thomas still has interest in acquiring Jalen Rose from the Toronto Raptors.  Any deal would likely involve Penny Hardaway.

"Growing up from inner-city Detroit, I would just hope guys like Isiah Thomas, Magic Johnson, Larry Bird would even know my name," Rose said before his explosive performance. "These are people who've been influential in my life on and off the court. It's been a blessing."

Rose has three years left on his pact, and forward Donyell Marshall is also on the block with Thomas looking to acquire both with a package including Kurt Thomas and Penny Hardaway, the New York Daily News is reporting.

The Daily News reports that Thomas and Raptors GM Rob Babcock spoke Wednesday in an attempt to hammer out a deal.

According to the Toronto Sun there was some worry that key Timberwolf Kevin Garnett or running mate Latrell Sprewell would go after Raptors forward Matt Bonner Monday, who pulled Garnett to the floor following a rebound and was ejected the last time the two teams met on December 15.  

Such talk, according to Raptors coach Sam Mitchell, is unnecessary.

"I hope that's the last thing on Matt's mind, I know it's the last thing on Kevin's mind," Mitchell said. "Hey, Minnesota is in the tough Western Conference. You look at those records out west, there are going to be some teams with .500 or better records who don't make the playoffs."

"I think Kevin's motivation is trying to get his team back into the playoff hunt," Mitchell said. "Same with us. In our conference, we're trying to get to the top of it. We feel we can do that, but we've got to try to win some games on the road."

Bonner said he approached yesterday's match "just like any other game."

Today the NBA announced they will fine Toronto Raptors point guard Rafer Alston $7500 US for verbally abusing an NBA official in a 106-96 loss to the Philadelphia 76ers last Friday.

According to TNT Analyst David Aldridge there has been talk of a four way trade involving Toronto, New York, Miami and Minnesota, four maximum sized contracts exchanging zip codes.

According to the report Minnesota would receive Heat guard Eddie Jones and Toronto forward Donyell Marshall, Miami would receive Wolf Latrell Sprewell, the Knicks would receive disgruntled guard Jalen Rose while the Raptors receive often injured guard Anfernee 'Penny' Hardaway, who has one less year remaining on his contract.

More details as they come into play.

General manager Rob Babcock was in Florida to meet with Alonzo Mourning on Wednesday.

"We had a good meeting," Babcock told The Toronto Sun.

The team might be trying to buy out Mourning's contract. The Raptors acquired Mourning in the trade that sent Vince Carter to the Nets.

"He's still dealing with health issues, which are real issues. He's not down there on vacation."

The Toronto Raptors? Chris Bosh and the San Antonio Spurs? Bruce Bowen today were named the Eastern Conference and Western Conference Players of the Week, respectively, for games played Monday, January 3 through Sunday, January 9.

Bosh led Toronto Raptors to a 3-1 week, recording wins against Orlando, Sacramento and Golden State, while Bowen had a superb week for the 3-0 San Antonio Spurs.

Other nominees included Cleveland?s LeBron James, Dallas? Dirk Nowitzki, Indiana?s Jermaine O?Neal, Miami?s Shaquille O?Neal, Minnesota?s Kevin Garnett, Orlando?s Steve Francis, Phoenix?s Shawn Marion, San Antonio?s Tim Duncan and Washington?s Gilbert Arenas and Larry Hughes.

Raptors point guard Rafer Alston 'Towers' had missed his last 23 shots over three games before his layup launched a 15-2 run in the third quarter. He made his next six shots as Toronto outscored Golden State 36-17 in the third quarter.

``Someone brought it to my attention. 'You know you're 0-for-23,''' said Alston, who clasped his hands together and looked up to the rafters when he finally ended the misfiring streak. ``To go 0-for-23 is incredible. It's just great to get the monkey off my back.''

Vince Carter recently admitted to not giving a full effort while in Toronto and now his cousin Tracy McGrady is admitting similar behavior when he was a member of the Orlando Magic.

In a feature story in this week's Sports Illustrated, McGrady admitted that he was so defeated mentally by the losing that "some nights I did slack off" and also "I'm not going to sit here and say I played my hardest every night." McGrady said he did not trust his teammates on last season's team and that part of his motivation in leading the NBA in scoring was to protect his image as one of the league's elite players.

"Some nights I did slack off -- and I knew that was a terrible thing to do -- and I still was slacking off," McGrady told SI. "That feels so bad. And I'm the leader, these guys are following my lead, so the whole team suffers even worse. That was wrong. Now, I would do it differently. I learned. I have to bust my butt no matter what. Last year was the worst experience of my life. And I learned. And believe me, I'm grateful for this opportunity here."