With the lockout-shortened 2011-12 season at the halfway mark, SI.com's NBA writers make their picks for the league's top performers. (All stats and records are through Feb. 20.) Ian Thomsen James is unsurpassed statistically (27.9 points per game with...

On Feb. 10, the Toronto Raptors earned a surprising win. They beat the Boston Celtics at home, beating a better-than-.500 team for the first time without Andrea Bargnani in the lineup. It seemed like the Raptors were finally starting to understand how...

They beat the Boston Celtics at home, beating a better-than-.500 team for the first time this season without Andrea Bargnani in the lineup. It seemed like the Raptors were finally starting to understand how to succeed in life without Bargnani. Narrow,...

Raptor star forward Andrea Bargnani has been off the court with leg injuries of late. He is seen in the players lounge at the Air Canada Centre in his sweats. RICHARD LAUTENS/TORONTO STAR The Raptors are not going into the NBA’s all-star break whole. ...

Toronto center Andrea Bargnani (calf) will not return to the court until after the All-Star break, according to the National Post. Bargnani has been sidelined since late January after re-aggravating a previous calf injury. There is no immediate...

Wizards' Yi Jianlian (front) of China is guarded by Toronto Raptors' Andrea Bargnani during the first half of their NBA basketball game in Toronto, March 18, 2011. NEW YORK (Reuters) - Yi Jianlian said China's national basketball team, becoming...

Wednesday night in the first of three meetings between the two teams. While Detroit is not known as one of the stingier teams in the league, Fantasy owners should still try and avoid using most of the Raptors' Fantasy options where possible. Toronto has...

By winning 40 and 22 Gs those seasons they played exactly to their talent level and what one would expect. Now this direct comparison with the Dwane Casey era is less possible now because of Andrea Bargnani’s injury for much of this season making up a...

Scouts see very few weaknesses with Barnes but would like to see him take over games more with the great ability that he possesses. He would easily be the most talented player on the roster if the Raptors are able to draft him. Jones III has an...

Bargnani has missed 19 games with the calf injury but he’s been the Raptors' best player when he’s been in uniform. MARK BLINCH/REUTERS When next they put on their uniforms for real — Wednesday night at home against the Detroit Pistons — the Raptors...

If you’re looking for news as opposed to purely set up stuff, there isn’t a whole lot. Jerryd Bayless went through shootaround and they’ll see if his wonky ankle acts up before deciding Friday evening whether or not he’ll play; Linas Kleiza’s sore left...

But so it goes when your offensively-oriented big man decides to finally validate his status as the No. 1 overall selection back in 2006. Unfortunately, Andrea Bargnani is out until at least the All-Star Game and maybe even a little longer after that. ...

The starting backcourt of Jose Calderon and DeMar DeRozan still is not a strong defensive unit, however. But they all try hard and have decent defensive positioning. Scoring is now a weak point, especially with the injury to Andrea Bargnani, who was...

WFNZ-AM 610 Matchup to Watch Jose Calderon vs. Kemba Walker/D.J. Augustin: Calderon is turnover-prone, but he attacks the defense in a way that demands great footwork to counter in these times when you're not allowed to touch the ball-handler. ...

Jose Calderon added 16 points and 11 assists. Toronto guard Jerryd Bayless missed his fourth straight game with a sore left ankle, while forward Linas Kleiza was sidelined with a sore left knee. Leading scorer Andrea Bargnani sat for the 18th time in...

San Antonio is coming off a 99-95 victory over the Pistons while the Raptors are off a heart-brekaing loss to the Knicks on a late three point shot by Knicks' Jeremy Lin. Tonight will be the Spurs and Raptors only meeting of the condensed season. ...

Soon, Anthony will return with his league-high 7.8 points average in the fourth quarter. Currently, Lin is at a 5.9 points average, a mark that is tied for eighth-best along with Oklahoma City's Russell Westbrook, Toronto's Andrea Bargnani and...

He had back-to-back layups early in the third quarter as the Knicks chipped away at a double-digit deficit, then got his fourth foul and was lost for the rest of the period. Toronto dealt the Knicks one of their early disappointments, a 90-85 loss on...

His Nuggets teammates included human billboard Chris Andersen as well as Allen Iverson, Kenyon Martin and J.R. Smith. “Definitely, I like tattoos, but not on myself," Kleiza said. “On white guys, they stand out too much. On black players, they look good."