Summer League in Springtime In Washington

I watched last night's game and needless to say President Obama was not at this game. He was hosting kids at the White House for an Easter egg hunt. Last night looked a lot like a summer league game. Despite a great finish in which Jay Triano gave his supporter some fuel to support him. He did a solid coaching job and was able to draw up to great plays that lead to the scores that gave the Raps a win in Washington. Chris Bosh would hit the game winner on a 3 pointer where he was left wide open. Before the fantastic finish to this one there was a lot of lack luster basketball as the 2 teams seemed to take turns caring about wanting to play. The Raps and Wizards even when it means nothing still find ways to make dramatic finishes happen. Butler made his run off shot at ACC just days ago. Mo P with his 3 ball that Chuck Swirsky and I still can't believe went in. They just always seem to find a way to come up with some great finishes to games. Last night was another of those it was just the ride to get there was less than entertaining or important.

Speaking of Chuck Swirsky his Bulls are heading to the playoffs if you can believe that. Derrick Rose was the prize for the Bulls hitting the lotto. Even I am willing to admit it would be a crime if Rose was not the rookie of the year. For a longtime O.J Mayo was my pick for the award but when you can get your team to the playoffs as a rookie you have done something pretty special. That is who the Raptors will close out the season against on Wednesday. It all seems so strange. I think back to when Chuck announced he was leaving and if anyone had said to me the Bulls would make the playoffs this year and the Raptors would not, I think that it would have brought me to laughter. However that is the reality of things. It also is reason to be hopefully I guess. Even though things seem very bleak right now, it can turn around fast in basketball. Part of why that is can be traced to the fact it is the team sport with the smallest roster size. It also is the sport that can have the best chance of 1 or 2 guys making a huge difference.

The Playoffs should be exciting despite the fact the Raptors will not be in the mix. The road to a Kobe vs Lebron final. Can anyone stop that from happening? It seems hard to imagine at this point. We will also find out the Raptors draft number as well. Still as I am writing this the realization that the Raptors will not play a basketball game that means anything again till late October is on the front of my mind. Who will be playing on that team will be determined over the summer months. The coach seems like it is going to be Jay Triano and I am happy for Jay and maybe he can get it done. I have a little bit more confidence based on last night. Maybe it didn't mean much but he did make 2 great play calls to give the Raps a win. I still would feel more comfortable with a outside and someone that has more head coaching experience. However it seems clear Bryan Colangelo has a confidence in Jay Triano and thinks he is the guy for the job. Chris Bosh seems to believe as well. That is a good thing if Bosh is back. The fact I am saying if Bosh is back kind of turns my stomach as well.

Last season I had to watch T.J Ford go. I really hope this summer will not be the same for Chris Bosh. It would be a clear sign to me that the short term outlook for this team is bleak. Will see how it all pans out. I just want to be excited about something or someone and other than a bit of love for Pops Mensah-Bonsu I really have not felt that way in a longtime. The one thing I do know is that this team needs a major make over and I would not be shocked if we saw Bryan Colangelo do all he can to turn over a big portion of this roster.