The New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets announced today that they have acquired forward Aaron Williams from Toronto in exchange for second round picks in 2006 and 2009.

?Aaron will be able to step right in and provide us with an inside presence off the bench,? said Hornets General Manager Jeff Bower.  ?We?ve been looking for someone to help us to solidify our frontline, and he definitely fits the bill.?

Williams, a 11-year NBA veteran, holds career averages of 6.2 points and 4.0 rebounds in 612 games.  He had averaged 1.9 points and 1.2 rebounds through 13 games with the Raptors this season.

Jalen Rose and Eric Williams are players who have garnered interest from several teams, most notably the New York Knicks and Philadelphia 76ers, respectively.

There is a good chance that management felt that Rob Babcock was unlikely or unwilling to pull the trigger on a deal for one or both of them, and could not provide a suitable reason to keep them around eating away at the team's salary cap while providing little in the way of building for the future.

At least one player is happy with the new Raptors regime.

Seldom-used forward Eric Williams, who's been vocal about his desire to be traded, said he's optimistic that with Wayne Embry in charge as interim GM, he may get his wish.

"If Wayne calls, everybody listens," Williams said in the locker-room before Sunday's game versus the visiting Sacramento Kings.

Embry took over as interim GM when Rob Babcock was fired on Thursday, and has since said if any player wants out, he'll do his best to accommodate those wishes.

Williams arrived in Toronto along with Aaron Williams in December of 2004 in the blockbuster trade that saw Vince Carter shipped to the New Jersey Nets.

Williams wasn't happy about the move. He was forced to leave behind his young son who had become settled in New Jersey, and it quickly became apparent that Williams wasn't a great fit in the Raptors' youth movement,

The 10-year NBA veteran has barely played this season, appearing in just 10 games, with one start, and he's averaging 1.6 points and 1.6 rebounds.

Despite rumors that Toronto could be interested in an experienced GM like Kiki Vandeweghe to fill its recent opening, he is under contract until Aug. 1 and hopes to re-sign. "I'm very happy in Denver," he said. "I've got a job to focus on here. That's what I want to do."

The Raptors canned Pete Babcock, the team's director of NBA player personnel, on Friday, a day after his brother Rob Babcock was fired as the team's general manager less than two seasons into the job and as the Raptors' losses continue to mount.

Scott Howard, the team's director of international player personnel, was also fired as the Raptors continued to clean house Friday.

Rob Babcock brought in brother Pete to work with the Raptors organization shortly after he was hired as GM in June, 2004. Howard was hired July 22, 2004.

The Toronto Raptors fired general manager Rob Babcock on Thursday -- just a year and a half after he was hired.

Team president and CEO Richard Peddie made the announcement a day after Toronto was routed 104-88 by the Chicago Bulls, leaving the Raptors with a 14-29 record -- fourth-worst in the league. Wayne Embry, Peddie's senior basketball advisor, will take over for Babcock on an interim basis.

"We recognize Rob's efforts to clear cap space and bring in young talent, but it's time to bring in someone with proven experience as an NBA general manager to take us to the next level," Peddie said in a statement. "In fairness to Rob, once we knew a change was necessary, we didn't think it was right to have him continue."

Babcock made many questionable moves during his brief tenure, including receiving little in return when he traded All-Star Vince Carter to the New Jersey Nets last season. His first round draft pick in the 2004 draft -- center Rafael Araujo -- has been a bust.

"I'm disappointed that Rob was the wrong choice for us," Peddie said. "In hindsight, we should have gone with someone more proven."

Attendance at the Air Canada Centre has also plummeted as fans have become fed up with the Raptors' play.

The Toronto Raptors have scheduled a 2 p.m. news conference for this afternoon where it's reported that GM Rob Babcock will be fired.

In just the second year of his contract, Babcock has been the focus of plenty of speculation about his job security following a number of questionable moves and decisions during his brief tenure.

In Babcock's first year, he was highly criticized for signing volatile "street-baller "point guard Rafer Alson and for receiving next to nothing in return for the trade involving franshise star Vince Carter.  He's also faced significant criticism for the selection of centre Rafael Araujo with the No. 8 pick in the 2005 NBA draft. Araujo has struggled a lot in his first two seasons in the NBA, and is widely viewed as a bust.

The Raptors, having just returned from a 1-4 west coast road trip, looked lethargic last night in a 104-88 loss to the Chicago Bulls at the Air Canada Centre before a sparse gathering of 14,198 fans. The loss, Toronto's third in a row, dropped their record to 14-29 on the season, one of the worst marks in the NBA. They struggled to finish with a 33-49 record, missing the playoffs for the third consecutive season last year.

The Junkyard Dog is back with the Toronto Raptors.

Toronto hired the former Raptor forward Jerome Williams, affectionately known as the Junkyard Dog during his playing days, as the team's new community representative Wednesday.

"I'm excited to back with the Raptors in a city that I love so much," Williams said in a statement. "I look forward to working in the community and making a difference in the lives of our city's youth."

Williams was a fan favourite in his three seasons as a Raptor for his all-out hustle and interaction with fans.

He'll be involved in Raptors' community initiatives, particularly those with at-risk youth and social issues that affect the city.

"He'll play an instrumental role supporting many of the Raptors' key community programs and the entire organization is excited to welcome him back," said Tom Anselmi, executive vice-president and chief executive officer of Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment.

Those Jalen Rose-to-New York rumours are resurfacing again. And the way Rose figures it, one of these days they just might come true.

Reports out of the Big Apple yesterday had Knicks general manager Isiah Thomas once again angling to land the 12-year NBA veteran to prop up a mediocre squad. Rose usually keeps a close eye and ear on such reports but claimed he hadn't heard the latest whispers.

"Being on the West Coast, that time difference messes up my media game," he said.

Rose replaced struggling Joey Graham in the starting lineup for Friday's game in Seattle and responded with 28 points and seven assists. After a slow start, Rose has proven to be far from over the hill.

"Of course I want to be on a winning team, of course I want to try to vie for a championship one day," he said when asked if he'd like to be on a stronger club. "When I got a taste of it in 2000, there's nothing like it. Hopefully that's in my future."

Kobe Bryant tonight showed the world that he is the world's most dominant offensive player, scoring an amazing 81 points on the Toronto Raptors at the Staples Center.

Bryant, the league's leading scorer, scored an amazing 55 points in the second half alone as the Lakers routed the Raptors 122-104.

Kobe finished the game making 28 out of 46 shots (61%), was 7-13 (54%) from behind the arc and was 18-20 from the charity stripe (90%) in 41 minutes.

The performance was good enough to give Kobe the second highest individual scoring game in NBA history.

"I couldn't even dream of this when I was a kid," Bryant said. "There was no way possible."