Toronto's restaurants are already getting a thumbs-up from new Toronto Raptor DeMarre Carroll. But the city's traffic is definitely a downer.
"There's a lot of good food," the six-foot-eight 215-pound Carroll said Monday at the Raptors' media day. "I'm an Italian (food) guy myself, so I've been in a lot of restaurants.
"The people here are nice. Wherever I go, people say 'Hey, DeMarre.' So it's kind of cool, man, to have this many fans, have this many people who recognize you and understand what you did, and how much they love you."
Carroll joins the Raptors from Atlanta after stints with Memphis, Houston, Denver and Utah.
Argentine veteran Luis Scola, who had previous NBA stops in Houston, Phoenix and Indiana, also spoke highly of his new home.
"I think the city is amazing," he said. "I thought the city was amazing before I got here and I'm actually even more impressed with the city. I think it's probably the best city in the NBA to play (on).
"It has some challenges -- the winter obviously, the traffic obviously -- but those are challenges you have in all the cities of the north. And those are challenges you have in any big city. And I'm from Buenos Aires so I've dealt with traffic since I was born. So it doesn't really bother me that much.
"So I'm happy to be here. I believe it's going to be a great outside basketball experience for me and my family, especially for my family. They have a chance to live in another country and get to know another culture and get to know another city."
Rookie Delon Wright has also noticed the city gridlock.
"I like it so far, besides the traffic," said the 23-year-old guard from the University of Utah. "It's be better if I walk but I have a car now. But I like the city, I love it."
