Toronto Raptors

Master P says he's the perfect man to take the reins up in the north, now that Dwane Casey's been fired ... and he's stating his case to TMZ Sports.

Before you even start wondering ... P's serious ... he's been angling for an NBA coaching job for some time now, citing his on-court experience and knack for developing players.

The Raptors punted Casey last week, and when we got P in L.A. ... he broke down what Casey did wrong in the playoffs, and how he would've handled things differently if he was running things up there.

BTW ... Toronto is one of the teams P played with during his attempt at an NBA career, so it's not like he doesn't know the lay of the land up there.

SUPER BTW ... remember, P goes WAY back with Raptors star DeMar DeRozan, having coached him during his high school years in Los Angeles.

With Dwane Casey out as the head coach of the Toronto Raptors, Metta World Peace says he knows the right man for the job ... Drake.

We broke the news about Casey's firing to Metta on the streets of Beverly Hills -- and since Metta's been vocal about wanting to be a coach, we asked if he'd be interested.

Of course, Metta said he'd be down ... but seemed more excited about the idea of Drake taking over the role, since he already has an official position with the team.

(For the record, Metta says Drake has an ownership stake, but it appears he's wrong -- he works with the team as the global ambassador).

The NBA has warned Drake about using bad language at NBA games after the rapper reportedly called Cleveland Cavs star Kendrick Perkins a "f***ing p*ssy."

Drake had gotten into it with Perkins on the floor of the Cavs vs. Toronto Raptors game at the Air Canada Centre ... with one reporter claiming Drake essentially challenged the guy to a fight.

Now, the NBA has issued an official warning to Drake about "the use of bad language" ... this according to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.

In fact, Woj says the NBA's exec V.P. of basketball operations, Kiki VanDeWeghe, spoke with Raptors president Masai Ujiri to help get the point across.

Drake's beef with NBA player Kendrick Perkins went from 0 to 100 real quick ... the two shouted at each other during the Raptors vs. Cavs game -- with Drake reportedly calling him a "f***ing p*ssy."

The two started exchanging words at halftime ... with things getting so heated one of the Cavs players was holding Drake back.

Things continued after the game when Drake shouted to Perkins that he's a "f***ing p*ssy" and challenged him to come out of the tunnel, according to the Toronto Star's Bruce Arthur.

FYI, Perkins is 6'10" and 270 lbs.

After the game, Perkins told ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, "What happened was I was talking to my old teammate Serge [Ibaka] walking into halftime telling him 'We about to win this game,' and Drake butted in talking sh*t to me. So I said something back to him."

Drake's a Raptors superfan -- but he's also friends with a ton of NBA stars.

Toronto Raptors fans got straight-up PERSONAL when taunting Tristan Thompson during Tuesday night's playoff game ... with hundreds of people in the arena shouting, "KHLOE!!!"

Tristan and the Cavs were at Air Canada Centre for Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals -- when Tristan stepped to the free throw line in a VERY close game.

The fans tried to do their part in messing with Tristan's head ... and began chanting the name of his baby mama whom he famously cheated on with multiple women.

But somehow, Tristan was able to tune out the haters ... and hit ALL FOUR of his shots from the line. The Cavs ended up winning the game in overtime.

NBA star DeMar DeRozan doesn't want people struggling with depression to feel alone -- telling TMZ Sports that's why he opened up about his own issues during All-Star Weekend.

"We all go through stuff," DeRozan told us in D.C. ... "You can't name nobody that don't go through something."

The Toronto Raptors All-Star first revealed his struggle on Feb. 17 -- when he tweeted out, "This depression get the best of me."

He later opened up about his mental health situation with the Toronto Star saying, "It’s not nothing I’m against or ashamed of. Now, at my age, I understand how many people go through it."

Jalen Rose is taking the vegetarian approach with Joel Embiid -- NO BEEF -- 'cause the ex-NBA star has nothing but love for the Sixers stud ... despite being the butt of his joke the other day.

ICYMI -- Embiid poked fun at Rose in an interview with SportsCenter when he said his conditioning level was at 81 percent ... followed by "shoutout to Jalen Rose."

Of course, that's the number of points Kobe Bryant scored on Rose during his career-high performance against the Toronto Raptors back in 2006.

Rose says he's not pissed at all by the comment ... and showers the young baller's game with props.

Hopefully it's just an abundance of caution ... but Phoenix Suns star Devin Booker was spotted in a wheelchair -- and clutching crutches -- after suffering a groin injury Tuesday night.

21-year-old Book suffered a strained left adductor during the 4th quarter of the Suns vs. Raptors game Tuesday night ... and he appeared to be in a ton of pain, having to be carried off the court.

Booker was wheeled through the airport in Toronto after the game -- and while he didn't say much, you can see he looks pretty sad.

Hopefully it's nothing serious for the young baller ... he's been off to a hot start in his 3rd season in the Association, averaging 24 points a game.

Get well soon.

Drake looked like a Degrassi High student who got busted by a teacher when he was caught sneakin' a drink at Wednesday night's Raptors game.

Yeah, it was a soft drink -- very soft ... looks like Perrier, but Drizzy hammed it up for the camera as he sat courtside in Toronto. The vid's actually gone viral with the Internet wondering what kinda drink he was hiding.

After the game Drake tried his hand at sports reporting, interviewing Kyle Lowry. Someone tell the new guy he's gotta share the mic with the athlete!

There's a brand new trick shot challenge -- ya gotta hit 2 tough shots in a row -- and Drake not only pulled it off ... he's challenging two huge NBA stars to follow suit.

It's called the #OneAndDoneChallenge -- first, ya gotta hit a QB style overhand 3-pointer ... then immediately sink a half court shot FROM YOUR BACK (with no video edits)!

Drake got the challenge from the guy who invented it -- rapper/skills guru Dribble2Much -- and hit both shots like a champ.

Now, we're told he's calling out Raptors stars DeMar DeRozan and Kyle Lowry -- who better put some NBA-style flair into their videos!!!

4:18PM PT -- The Bulls released a statement addressing the incident.

"Chicago Bulls forwards Bobby Portis and Nikola Mirotic had a physical altercation during today's practice. As a result of the incident, Mirotic suffered a concussion and maxillary fractures. Surgery is likely required. Mirotic is out indefinitely."

Bulls forward Bobby Portis socked teammate Nikola Mirotic and broke his face and gave him a concussion at practice today.

Portis and Mirotic reportedly got into a shoving match ... that ended with Bobby cheap-shotting Nikola ... The Vertical reported.

Mirotic was taken to the hospital with multiple broken bones in his face. He was also evaluated for a concussion. The report says N.M. has since been released from the hospital.

Mirotic was expected to begin the season as the team's starting PF, ahead of Portis.

Drake might be the rap king of the 6 but the "Swag Daddy" is none other than Raptors star DeMarre Carroll, who proved it to us by wearing a pair of insane joggers when we got him at LAX.

Carroll told our guy his joggers were Dolce & Gabbana ... and while we scoured the Internet trying to find them, we couldn't, which tells you all you need to know about his swag.

He also told us that among his Raptors teammates he's known as the "Swag Daddy," a name he's apparently earned for his impeccable style.

Impeccable, and expensive, the cheapest pair of joggers we could find on the website was around $400 ... that's expensive lounging, at least for us swag orphans.

It was stank on a plane for the Toronto Raptors ... when 7-foot center Jonas Valanciunas blew a fart on the team jet and nearly killed all of his teammates.

P.J. Tucker captured the aftermath (asstermath) on video -- showing stars like Demar DeRozan, Kyle Lowry and others struggling to breathe.

But the funniest reaction is Serge Ibaka -- who looks genuinely pissed about the ass gas at 30,000 feet.

P.J. says the fart was so bad the team needs to burn the seat.

The Toronto Raptors will NOT ban Meek Mill music from the locker room this season -- despite the fact his rival, Drake, works for the team ... so says Patrick Patterson.

Of course, Drake is the team's global ambassador -- and Toronto is Drake's home turf -- so, we asked PP if the team would rally behind Drizzy and support him in his beef with Meek.

But Patterson says there are guys on the squad from Meek's hometown of Philly (like superstar Kyle Lowry) ... who like to support Philly rappers like Meek.

And if those guys want to play Meek ... no beef with Drake is gonna stop that from happening.

There's a lot more ... Patrick also has advice for 76ers rookie Ben Simmons and weighs in on the Kim K. robbery.

Talking about pressing your luck ...

Two Toronto Raptors players were spotted at a Cleveland casino -- AT 2 IN THE MORNING -- hours before they took the court against the Cavs in a pivotal Game 5, this according to the Toronto Sun.

To make matters worse, DeMarre Carroll and Cory Joseph played like crap after the 8 PM tipoff -- with the two hitting a combined 3 of 12 shots for 8 points.

The Raptors lost the game by 38 points ... leaving many wondering, what the hell were they thinking?!?!?

Toronto head coach Dwane Casey played down the alleged casino run when asked about it after the game. "This isn’t why we lost ... This is the NBA, they’re grown men."

This ain't the first time NBA players got ROCKED following a late-night before a game.

Earlier this year, a bunch of Milwaukee Bucks turnt up at an L.A. strip club ... hours before getting shellacked by the woeful Lakers.

Game 6 is Friday.

The Lakers may have lost to the Raptors Monday night -- but Metta World Peace didn't seem too bothered ... 'cause he got to party with Justin Bieber after the game!

Metta and the Lake Show were in Toronto for the game -- and lost 102-93 -- but afterward, Peace found time to kick it with the Biebs ... though it's unclear where they were.

Kobe didn't appear to join along -- but he got love in Canada too ... getting custom Black Mamba shoes and a hat from the Raptors as a token of the their appreciation.