You can be my Roko Uno
You can pass to me when J-Kap won’t go
Be my (be my) be my (be my) be my Roko Uno

• Hot Cocoa (Prehistoric Hoops) — My supporting argument in Haiku:

Your sweet, sweet floater
Like marshmallows in my mug
Fourth quarter goodness

• Roko Mocha Latte (U-E, Hoop Heads North) — Brings energy off the bench

• The Bellboy (via Paul Jones, Joey Graham, Hassan Adams) — “No. Tonight you pack my bags.”

• Roko B. Ware (J.E. Skeets, BDL) — Goes to the hoop “just like a piledriver”

Nice Roko-centric Spurs/Raps game recap by Eric Koreen:

Roko Ukic was trying to hold court. Jamario Moon felt the need to interject.

Ukic, the Raptors’ reserve point guard, was reflecting on his virtuoso 22-point evening that propelled the Raptors to an unlikely 91-89 victory over one of the league’s elite teams, the San Antonio Spurs, Wednesday night at the Air Canada Centre. His performance included a game-winning running jumper [Pete's note: I thought it was a "floater."] with just 20 seconds remaining.

Moon was screaming over his teammate’s thoughts.

“Roko, tell them you live for it,” Moon hollered.

The sizzling line: 30 mins., 22 pts on 9-13 shooting (69.2%), 2 treys, 2 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal, +14.

Haht.

More from Koreen:

But nothing was more impressive than the game-winning runner. Still trailing by a point with just 21 seconds remaining, Ukic, with no passing lanes available, drove at Spurs all-star guard Tony Parker and hit a floater [Pete's note: Aha!] over all-star Tim Duncan.

And from our Roko, our rock star:

I really like those situations when I have got the ball on top [of the key], and I just need to score. I feel pretty comfortable in that situation much more than, for example, shooting the free throws in the end or something like that. I really like live play and trying to make something happen. I didn’t feel much pressure. I just took him to the basket because I saw nobody was helping and the lane was pretty much open.

What did you think, Coach Jay?

When he gets into the game, we like to put him in the screen-roll situation because he’s good at getting to the basket and he’s good at making other guys play him. When San Antonio started to switch, he started to attack the bigger guys and he was pretty effective.

Your Spurs just didn’t show up, right, Coach Pop?

The Raptors won the game, not because we were down or came off of Boston or anything else. We busted our asses tonight and down the stretch they hit about two or three [three-pointers.] They earned the victory so it has nothing to do with us not being ready. Give them credit.

I’m sure Pop meant “give him credit.”

Need more evidence that Roko’s a rock star? Here are a couple photos of Roko in his trademark Mick Jagger pose (thanks, Mookie):

UPDATE: Oops! Missed this nice quote from The Sun:

When noted jokester Jason Kapono stopped by to add his own pat on the back he did so with the parting shot, “Just don’t forget to pack my bags.”

Ukic, not missing a beat, replied “No. Tonight you pack mine.”

Jay Triano tells us the problem with Roko’s shooting stroke: his off-hand.

The answer? Watch Larry Bird, says Adam Reed. Specifically,

The non-shooting hand, or the “off-hand”, is there merely to balance the ball so that it doesn’t slip off your hand. You should never push the ball with your off hand.

So, Roko, stick this pic on your locker.

10. Update his Facebook page

9 . Download iTunes of Dad’s band

8. Keep up his gypsy drum skills

7. Prank-call a certain teammate (let’s call him “Will S”)

6. Rate the funky-ness of his road trip

5. Track down local Croatian restaurants

Roko: so when r u dropping will?
Bryan: i know. he is such a n00b.
Roko: btw dont get marcus banks.

…

Roko: r u still there?

3. Distribute photos of Will S’s ineptitude

Reasons for poor A/T ratio, Exhibit A. (Francis Specker/AP)

Exhibit B. (Reuters)

2. Fake calls to avoid Will S

1. Read Pete Marasmitch

Paul Jones relates the following interchange with Our Roko:

Ukic, who was all of about four years old when the Pistons were in the midst of their glory years in late 80′s says while looking up at the banners “Detroit had the Microwave, Vinnie Johnson, right? Do you think he was as good as the other guy in Boston, Dennis Johnson?”

Jones didn’t give an answer. Well, Roko, Pete Marasmitch is up to the challenge. Here is your best-of-seven matchup,

Vinnie Johnson vs. Dennis Johnson

1. Best picture

(from The Legend of Cecilio Guante)

vs.

Verdict: I like the creativity of LCG’s poster, but it’s hard to beat Larry Bird’s short shorts and li’l can of celebratory beer. Dennis

2. Nicknames
“Microwave” vs. “D.J.”
Verdict: Vinnie

3. Most viewed video

Vinnie’s:

vs.

Dennis’:

Verdict: Vinnie

4. Rings
Vinnie’s: Detroit Pistons in 1988-89 and 1989-90 (2)
vs.
Dennis’: Seattle Supersonics in 1978-79; Boston Celtics in 1983-84 and 1985-86 (3)
Verdict: Dennis

5. Last championship teammates

Vinnie’s:
Joe Dumars
Bill Laimbeer
Dennis Rodman
Isiah Thomas

vs.

Dennis’:
Danny Ainge
Larry Bird
Rick Carlisle
Kevin McHale
Robert Parish
Bill Walton

Verdict: Tough one. Vinnie’s mates have more star power; Dennis had more stars. Tie

6. Peak PERs
Vinnie’s (17.6 in 1982-83, Detroit Pistons)
vs.
Dennis’ (17.0 in 1980-81, Phoenix Suns)
Verdict: Vinnie

7. Career PERs
Vinnie’s (15.2 over 13 years)
vs.
Dennis’ (14.6 over 14 years)
Verdict: Vinnie

And the win goes to: Vinnie Johnson!

You’re welcome, Roko.

(Interesting note: The Johnsons were teammates in Seattle in Vinnie’s rookie year.)

Check out Prehistoric Hoops for a statistical comparison between Our Roko and the Other Manuel.

And courtesy of PH, another nickname for Roko:

“Hot Cocoa.”

I sure hope this deal gets done. As sources say, it hinges upon Jermaine O’Neal proving himself healthy enough, which is significant considering how the Raptors have gone lately; I wouldn’t be surprised if JO hurts himself against the Hawks today going up against Zaza Pachulia’s big noggin.

“Head, move!!!”

So, if we can get over this Sputnik-like hurdle, maybe Pat Riley would deign to give us Shawn Marion and Marcus Banks, resulting in:

C: Bargnani, Voskuhl, Jawai (IL)
PF: Bosh, Humphries, J. Graham
SF: Marion, Moon, Kapono
SG: A. Parker, Solomon
PG: Calderon (IL), Banks, Ukic

With the addition of the Matrix, our mediocre perimeter D would improve for the balance of the season. On the other hand, Jamario Moon would lose a few minutes, I dare say; he’s practically a Marion Lite, isn’t he? What do you say, 2RR and GMTR: Time for fantasy GMs to trade Moon?

And with the addition of Banks, our point guard slot gets pretty crowded. Don’t know what he’s capable of, but I’m guessing the answer is “not much” judging by his lack of minutes for the Miami Heat. On the other hand, Banks got $9 million remaining over the next two years, which kinda demands that you find some use for him — maybe he can rediscover that 12-points-a-game form that got him that big contract in the first place. So it could mean fewer minutes for Roko.

Anyway, this move would be great for the team overall. Even if Marion pulls a Mourning, we still have his expiring contract. Hurray for cap flexibility.

Roko’s Facebook page. Maybe the much-sought-after video of Jason Kapono interviewing him will be posted there.

And hey, maybe I’ll find a new header for the blog there, too!

UPDATE: This used to be his Facebook page (maybe). And, before it gets dumped from Google’s cache, this was the picture:

It was a great, unexpected win against the Magic yesterday, with Our Roko playing the entire fourth quarter and winning the game with a floater. Here’s a Ro-quote, courtesy Doug Smith:

If I have one special shot, for sure that’s it, going left and try to throw this floater. Since I’ve been here I’ve been trying to find the most effective way to finish. I had to completely change my finishes from the way I did in Europe because the first 10 games I got maybe 15 shots blocked. I just came up with this little floater, I try to work on it a lot and it just came.

I don’t know if he just came up with this shot. From a DraftExpress article, looking at Roko’s performance at the Euroleague Final Four 2006:

Roko Leni proved once again that is very hard to keep him out of the lane, as most of his points came from slashing all the way to the basket or pulling up for a reliable floater.

Ah, it’s all just semantics, ainnit? Let’s just enjoy the beauty of his floater (see 5:36 of the video).