Hope is Back In the House In Raptorland

I can say that the last year or so has been the most painful in doing the Dino Nation Blog and just in general as a Raptor fan since the very start. There was a long and painful off-season that was all about the NBA Lockout. It was a dark and dank time that offered no signs of hope for the coming fall. Even when the lockout came to an end sometime in November it did not really offer much hope in terms of the Raptors. Bryan Colangelo made it pretty clear by his words and his actions that the Raptors goals had little to do with what would actually take place this season. At least in respect to challenging to be back in playoffs. The Raptors basically were back to square one almost in some senses. They had a new coach that was going to "Change the Culture" of the Raptors. We have heard this before many times. To his credit, if anything this was accomplished this season, Dwane Casey actually did that. It was the flickering of that hope coming back. It had been all but erased when Chris Bosh took his talents to South Beach. The Raptors can say what they like about that, but they clearly got caught with their pants down in that whole situation. They were ill prepared to move on to a new era without Bosh as the centerpiece.

This off-season the Raptors have the chance to move forward from the abyss they have been in since Chris Bosh left. The buzz is back around the Raptors as they have been the most talked about team heading into the NBA Draft and NBA Off-Season. Colangelo offered no hope last season with the promise of hope in this season to come. He even did that in terms of his draft pick last season taking Jonas Valancuinas. Which at the time was not the most popular choice with many Raptor fans. After a year most folks have had a change of heart. That might be in part because of the Raptors marketing of their pick constantly, or it might be that Brandon Knight and Kemba Walker the two guys most fans wanted, have been below expectations at the start of their NBA careers.

The excitement is back in the Raptor fan base and you only need to spend a day on social media like Twitter to see that is. The danger is the excitement is based on rumours, talk and buzz. Bryan Colangelo to keep this momentum going needs to answers this buzz with actions that live up to it. Which could be pretty hard to do when all is said and done. We have heard names like Steve Nash, Rudy Gay, Andre Iguodala and others as being possible Raptors. There is also a buzz around the draft as well and what the Raptors could do with 8th pick if they in fact keep it. Colangelo has done nothing to throw a wet blanket on these expectations so you have to believe he is going to try and match them or exceed them. This is by far the most challenging off-season for Colangelo in his time in Toronto. To say that it is make or break for his legacy and long term job security is not speculation as much as it is fact.

I have said many times that in all sports what a sports franchise is in the business of really doing, is selling this idea of hope to it's fanbase. The Raptors are once again able to do that with fans having some realistic and some not so realistic expectations for this franchise and the players that make up the roster and those who could. If at the end of this off-season the Raptors can be considered a playoff team or a contender to be one that will be the first step in restoring some real hope for this franchise. Something that has been hard to do even when they had Chris Bosh for the last couple years of his run here in Toronto. It is always a good feeling to have hope for the future. Not just in sports but in life in general.

The next step in this process of hope might not be so easy. It is the same one that 27 other NBA Teams will face. That is how on earth can you be a serious contender for a NBA Title. If the first two games of the NBA Finals have not convinced you that OKC and Miami is on another level from the rest of the NBA you will eventually learn this lesson. It is more than logical to think we can be on the verge of a Celtics vs Lakers type of rivalry that could dominate this decade. But the Raptors are far from worrying about those monsters that lie ahead they would just like to get back to the post season and be part of that conversation. In a season that might include the NHL being on the sidelines with their own lockout. This is a time to capture the hearts and minds of the casual sports fans in Toronto and Canada. The Raptors had this handed to them before when the NHL missed an entire season and they  missed out on that golden opportunity. They now  may get a rare second chance to get it right. This a long with the fact you have a fan base that is starting to feel like they have seen it all before and tired of excuses and want to see some results. The time is now for the Raptors to be on the attack. We have 15 days to July the 1st and the Raptors in that time need to find a way to make all the right moves and cash in on all this buzz and hope that has been created.

Matt Devlin In The Starting 5

Had a chance to chat with Matt Devlin today. We get in to the whole Big 3 in Miami. Matt's thoughts on all of that including how the Heat will do on the floor. Take a look back on the Raptors perfect run at summer league. Thoughts on Demar, Sonny and their performance. In addition to talking about the rookies Davis and Alabi. Also if anyone else might fit like say Bobby Brown? We talk about where the Raptors go in the post Bosh era. Is it a good thing that the fans have adopted the Young Guns as the new faces of the franchise? For both them and for Andrea Bargnani. What will be the role of Leandro Barbosa? What becomes of almost traded Jose and Reggie? Lots of question and lots of answers mixed in with a little bit of fun that we always have with Matt.

Just after this conversation with Matt, the Raptors made an announcement that they have hired David Amber to work on Raptors T.V. Amber was actually at TSN when I was there, and he would move on to ESPN. He now replaces Adnan Virk who after 1 season with MLSE took a job offer to go to ESPN. So in a sense the Raptors and ESPN have made a trade. Will see how it works out for Raptors T.V moving forward. Amber is also going to be contributing web content as well on Raptors.com as Adnan Virk had done. Amber is a grad of both McGill and Syracuse and seems excited to be back working at home in Toronto.

Matt Devlin also remains with the Raps as he declared in our interview and it is always great talking with him. I appreciate the relationship we have built since his coming here to the franchise. He has always been willing to come on and talk with us at the Dino Nation Blog and I thank him for that as always.

Hot as Vegas

Yes it is Summer League, so you have to take it with a grain of salt. This is a league that Marcus Banks scored 42 points in a game, and Marco Belinelli tore it apart. Nate Robinson has his number retired too. But that all being said it is hard not to be a little bit excited about the Raptors performance so far. Another day and another win. This time it was the New York Knicks providing the opposition. The Raptors lead by Demar DeRozan with 23 points would take care of Knicks 102-89. This was perhaps the best performance so far by DeRozan. He has clearly improved his overall game since April. Sonny Weems not to be out done by his buddy had 19 points. The Raptors fell 1 point shy of the Summer League record 103 points they scored in their last game. The offense has been great but the defense has been good as well. After allowing the Knicks to score 34 points in the first quarter, the Raptors locked it down to just 17 points in 2nd and 3rd. Keeping in mind in Summer League the quarters are only 10 minutes in length. Ed Davis after a poor second game bounced back with 13 points and 5 boards after just 4 points and 4 boards in the last game. Solomon Alabi had 9 points and 8 rebounds with a block and a steal. He continues to show steady improvement. Bobby Brown continues to impress me with his work at the point hooking up both Weems and Derozan. Allow me to provide some video evidence.






Brown had 8 points 6 dimes and 2 steals. If we see Calderon move maybe Bobby Brown is earning himself a job? Time will tell on that but if not with the Raptors people are taking notice. Raptors take on the Kings on Friday and Hornets on Saturday to close out Summer League. DeMarcus Cousins is a beast and had a big day for the Kings in other action. Ed Davis and whoever else has to check him is in for a long day. But Raptors continue to look impressive. It may only be Summer League but it always feels good to win and the Raptors are doing just that.

Young Guns Heat Up Vegas

While Chris Bosh enjoys his new found home in Miami, the Raptors started life without him in Las Vegas on the right foot. The Raptors started Summer league with an impressive win over the Suns 103-69 . Toronto shot the lights out going 56.1% from the field and got 42 attempts at the free throw line. Weems lead the charge with 19 points and fellow Young Gun member Demar DeRozan had 16. Ed Davis had 15 points and 8 rebounds in his debut. Weems was making his own personal highlight reel. Here is the an example offering you some proof.

Hedo Gone In A Brazilian Blur?

Some off the court news late Sunday night that Hedo Turkoglu could be off to those same Suns. David Aldridge is reporting the Raptors will trade Hedo for Leandro Barbosa. This would be a huge move for Colangelo getting rid of the 4 years left on Hedo's contract for Barbosa, who is in the final year of his contract set to make 7.1 million for the 2010/11 season. In a sense he would have a 1 year audition with the Raptors and should be highly motivated to be successful in a contract year. Something that Turkoglu clearly wasn't in his one season with the Raptors.

If this turns out to be factual, this is a move that makes sense for the Raptors. It seems clear the Raptors in the "Post Bosh Era" are going to be a team that is looking to run. Barbosa will certainly help in that regard. He is able to play the point and can be an undersized 2 as well. This could pave the way for the Raptors to make a move to unload Calderon or Jack. I had felt things would move quickly once the Bosh drama played out. It would appear that is the case. Colangelo said to the media his goal is not to start a rebuilding project. This is a move that backs up those words. There is still a lot more work to be done.

Suns Vs Raptors- Summer League Blog

Come join me for a live blog of the action from Vegas of Raptors and Suns. This game is being aired on Raptors-TV for those with access to that channel. It actually stars at 4pm but we will do it base on Raps T.V start time of 6.

Vegas Baby Vegas!!!

The Toronto Raptors will once again be taking part in Vegas Summer League in July. They will play 5 games in all and here is the schedule of those games. The times are all local Las Vegas Time.

July 10th- vs Suns 1pm at Cox Pavilion

July 13th- vs Houston 3:30 pm at Thomas & Mack Center

July 14- vs New York 3:00 pm at Cox Pavilion

July 16th- vs Sacramento 3:00pm at Cox Pavilion

July 17th- vs New Orleans 3:30pm at Thomas & Mack Center

For a complete schedule with all the games and time use this link. The NBA draft will be next Thursday if you were unaware.