Mid-Point Blues For Dino Blogger

Here is the honest truth I do not have a lot of time today. So I was trying to come up with something that would be short but entertaining for you all. So I figure why not a top ten list. Seems to have done well for David Letterman. It also offers you a chance to add things you feel should have made the list. The reason for the rush is I am having a busy work day. I was up early on the air on CJLO this morning. After that ran through some quick things I had to do. Game prep for a live blog for Duke and Georgetown. Duke won which sucks cause I don't like them. I am doing this then it is supper and game prep for another live blog of NCAA ball.

Don't get me wrong I love being busy. Just like when the majority of that busy is about the blog. But hey this will be a good list. The 10 things I have been most disappointed about this season. I said that it would be good not uplifting. After last night if you can find someone with a positive thing to say about the Raptors please let me know. I would like to talk with them or read what they have wrote or hear what they have said.

#10- Sam Mitchell Getting Fired- I liked Sam and given how this team has performed since he has been fired why exactly was this done again? I feel bad for Jay Triano. I think he has been set up as a fall guy for Bryan Colangelo. It just is not fair for Jay in a lot of ways. Watching last night I really felt his pain.

#9- Jamario Moon Fairy Tale Ends- I am really sad that the guy that stormed on to the scene. His first NBA season had a fairy tale quality. This season it has been a rude awakening to the weak points of his game. There was no progression in fact we have seen regression in a lot of ways. To many 3 pointers and not enough driving and no improvement his handle and overall ball skills.

#8- People Turning On CB4- I am sick of people hanging things on Chris Bosh. I mean sure he is the face of the franchise and that comes with a certain amount of blame/responsibility. But all of this talk of him being like Vince Carter and he is going to leave in 2010. There is no proof of that. I think that the legacy and the growth of Chris Bosh has had mud thrown on it by some and that is just sad.

#7- Parker is Just Not The Same- A.P has just faded and become a shadow of the player that came here from Europe. He just as had age catch up to him and that often comes fast for players. He has had some brief good moments but they have been few and far between. It is likely a sad end to his run with the Raptors. To bad for a quality stand up guy.

# 6- Defense or lack of it- I honestly thought that Jermaine O'Neal could do what Kevin Garnett did for the Celtics to a lesser extent. But it was not happened at all. I think you can argue that the Raptor defense has got worse and not better. It was suppose to be one of reason the Jermaine O'Neal trade was made. More on the trade later

#5- Jose Calderon is not an All Star- I hate to be right about things when it means bad things for the Raptors. I have stood behind that I was not sold that Jose Calderon could just walk into the starting job after getting the job in the summer and be the man like that. I warned it would not be as easy has people thought. Well here we sit and Jose Calderon is not an all star and is not even close to being the best point guard in the league of the conference. The lack of a true back-up did not help matters. Sam Mitchell would show no faith in what he had been given to play behind Jose. He would play him large amounts of minutes and Calderon who was injured at the Olympics has had those injuries trouble follow him back from China.

#4- The Bench or lack of one- The lack of depth on this team is obvious and glaring and ultimately disappointing. From Jason Kapono to Joey Graham and everyone that makes up that group. They have both individual and as a group failed. I will give a pass to Roko Ukic and Nathan Jawai as they both are rookies and in Jawai's case has been unable to play to this point. That in itself has been disappointing. But the bench has flat out sucked.

#3- Expectations that were to high- Everyone said this team was going to be great and Raptors were going to be in the race to be contenders. Well not everyone but so many that it created a wave of expectation. I think that the complete failure of this team to meet those expectation is the most painful on this list. It has the making of a long hard winter turning into a spring with bleak playoff prospects. Not fun at all.

#2- The Trade- It is what has set up so many of the things on this list. You can go into a lot of details but to put it as simple as possible it is a short term total failure. It is in danger of being a complete failure if Bryan Colangelo does not turn the O'Neal contract in a team that has Chris Bosh with a group of talent around him that can help him win. If that happens now or in 2010 that is when finally judgement on this trade will be passed.

#1- Bryan Colangelo- A Man once rightfully thought of as the saviour of this franchise. From that he has turned into a mortal G.M and president. From the failure of the Raptors and MLSE to represent the fans and fix the mess that is TSN 2. The trade gone wrong, the lack of depth, the bad signings of people like Hassan Adams. When you are the President and General Manager it falls at your feet. I have had my faith in Bryan Colangelo shaken but not broken . But I think like most fans I know longer just accept that he knows what he is doing and will do the right thing.