Summer Dog Day Thoughts.

So the Raptors get a win in Summer League and keep hope alive of having a winning record. However really that is not the point. It is about seeing what players can do against players on the same level. It is also about pulling for guys like a Brent Petway to make it into the league. When you consider there is only 30 guys drafted in the first round and only 30 more that get no guaranteed contract in the second that is not a lot. There are so many players in the NCAA that play each year that it is easy for some to fall through the cracks. Even guys that played at major programs like Brent.

You also have the guys like a Jamario Moon that went to a school no one ever heard of. That just kept playing ball and never let there dream die. The evolution of the NBDL is a place for all of these guys to keep playing and stay connected to the NBA. I don't know this for a fact but Brent Petway likely ends up on Raptors Summer League roster at least in part because of Nathan Jawai. Nathan Jawai went down to the Stampede the affiliate of the Raptors this past season. Petway played there and has for 2 seasons and likely got noticed. He also has been in the NBDL Dunk Contest for a few seasons winning the first one they ever had.

When people love the game enough to keep playing and trying to make it to the next level you should respect that. I will never know what it is like to be able to dunk and fly like Brent Petway. I played defensive line in high school and my vertical leap is less than a ruler or close to it. There are lots of these stories every summer. So if you follow college basketball try to keep tabs on these guys and still root for them.

There is also the actual elite guys that do get picked in the first round that are getting there first taste of the next level. Demar Derozan being the latest example of that. Admittedly a lot of NBA fans do not watch a ton of college basketball and that is even more true here in Canada. It has come a long way but for the casual fan they may see a guy in the NCAA Tournament and that is all. So you truly get to know a players game and see it for yourself. Prior to that you are just basing your opinion on what people say from various sites and networks.

I find it kind of funny that people already are debating if Derozan can be better than Vince Carter. I had a comment yesterday that said there is NO WAY the Derozan will ever be as good as Vince. Can anyone know that in reality? I am not here to tell you if he will or won't be. However, I will say this much in the short time that Demar Derozan has entered into the Raptors mix, he seems to be a much harder worker than V.C. Carter as many have said is truly gifted and highly talented. However things came very easy to him and I think people would question how hard he truly works at it. To be truly great is the combination of having the ability but also to have the work ethic to go along with that. It appears on the surface at least the Derozan has a much higher level of that.

Heir Canada may never live up to Air Canada. However it is far to early to be certain one way or the other. That being said I am excited to watch this guy try. He grew up as a fan of V.C and just like V.C he cares about is mother and is in the NBA in part to ensure she gets the best medical care possible. She suffers from Lupus and Demar said to help her was part of his decision to jump to the NBA. The whole idea of the nickname "Heir Canada" at least for me is the acknowledgment of Raptor fans that there can be a next one. To leave V.C and his era in the past where it belongs. Demar does have a shot at creating his own legend and story.

In closing today I wanted to mention the Chris Bosh vs Charlie V battle on Twitter to get to 50 thousand followers. I know some people do not like it and see it as silly and childish. Personally I just see it as something fun and take it as such. It really isn't hurting anyone. I think part of the appeal of Twitter in general is the fact that we get to interact with people that if not for internet and the evolution of it we never normally would. I don't think the fact that Charlie and Chris are battling for Twitter supporters has stopped them from working on their games. It is just a fun thing to promote themselves but have some fun with it and get others involved in it. Perhaps it has gone a little further than some think it should. But at the same time in a summer day in July is there really much else going on?

Raptor fans on Twitter tried to get Bryan Colangelo Day to be a trending topic. Is that not pretty much the same thing? Was it a bit silly and fun. Absolutely it was. However as much as we talk about basketball being a business and it is. We still all need to have some fun, be we NBA Superstars, Bloggers or fans. So the Dino Nation Blog is happy to throw it's support behind Chris Bosh in his Twitter battle with Charlie V. Follow @chrisbosh on twitter if you don't already. While your at it follow me to @dinonationblog .

I just think the world we live in is pretty cool. There was no way when I was a kid, to interact with sports stars that I loved as a kid like there is today. Chris Bosh for me has been on of the more intelligent guys and has been at the forefront of using technology to build up himself but also make him accessible to his fans. I have seen people take shots at Chris for all his extra stuff he does with his videos and what not. I just think we have a world that is changing and Bosh is a pioneer in that way. I guess the message of this blog today from the beginning in pulling for a guy like Brent Petway, to the future of a Demar Derozan and Chris Bosh having fun on twitter is don't forget what it was like to be a kid.

Have dreams, have fun and enjoy basketball. It doesn't always have to be so serious and life and death. It can also be just pure fun and joy. Just like it was when we were kids.