The Raptors begin a monster 7 game home stand tonight with just a 3-6 record at the ACC on the season. They are 8-18 overall as they get ready to host the Bucks,Celtics, Lakers, Knicks,Spurs, Bobcats and Pistons. When you look at it on paper the Raptors have 3 games that would appear to be loses with Celtics, Lakers and Spurs. Two games you would consider must wins vs Pistons and Bobcats. So in all likelihood this home stand will be determined by 2 games vs the Knicks and the game tonight vs the Bucks. Which also would be two teams if the Raptors were to every get serious about contending for a playoff spot this year would stand in their way. The Bucks are 10-14 and have to hear the footsteps of the Knicks just a half game behind at 10-15. Milwaukee despite being 5-5 and in their last 10 games they have struggled on the road just going 3-10 on the season so far.
The Raptors come in off a disappoint loss in Washington. Some will say it was disappointing that they could not come back and win in OT. Others will say it was disappointing they got behind 18 points to Wizards in the first place regardless. The loss in Washington is one of those losses that could linger with a team potentially. Tonight marks the two week point from another Raptor overtime game that had it's own impact with the loss of Andrea Bargnani. I mention that only because the last time Bargnani was out this is how long it took him to return. At the time he re-injured it he said it was worse. Indeed it seems so as there has been no news that Bargnani close to ready to return. If I were to guess I would say the Raptors may even hold him out till after the All-Star Break. But as I said that is just a guess.
Bucks know all about injuries as Andrew Bogut has been out since January 25th and has appeared in only half of the Bucks games this season. The latest issue is with his ankle and he could be out for 8-12 weeks. That is a big loss in a season like this. So that leaves the Bucks to look for even more from Brandon Jennings. It has been a nice season for Jennings so far with 19.2 points per game, 5.3 assists and shooting a good % for him at 43.1%. The Bucks seemed to go wrong a couple years back when they had made it to the playoffs and then made a number of moves that off-season that seem to have sent them in wrong direction. Tonight marks the first of 3 meetings between the two clubs on the season.
3 Keys:
Identify Shooters : We are not talking shots in a bar but shooters on the floor. Bucks do have a number of them that are capable of getting hot. Being aware of that will be vital. How the Bucks ultimately shoot the 3 ball and how the Raptors defend it could be a huge factor.
Pride In The Paint: The whole aspect of pride for defending and protecting the paint seemed to go missing in first half in Washington. Raptors need a full 48 minutes where they defend their paint vigorously.Lapses like in Washington will almost seal their fate.
Good Start At Home: Raptors need to get this first quarter and first game at home off on the right foot. This home stand is not a walk in the park in terms of opposition as we mentioned. So the Raptors need to get the people behind them early and feed off that late. It is vital the Raptor start showing some pride in defending their home floor.
That just about does it for this preview. Tonight you can catch me on radio in Montreal so the re-cap of this one will likely appear in the blog tomorrow.
Showing posts with label Andrew Bogut. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Andrew Bogut. Show all posts
2/8/11
Cheese Heads On The Menu
So Raptors are on a winning streak!!! Ok it is one game and I guess that can't really be classed as a streak. But with the Spurs, Blazers, Improving Clippers and Heat next on the sked, a road win in Milwaukee might be badly needed. But it won't be easy as the Bucks have Brandon Jennings back and I am still not sure who on the Raptors can stop Andrew Bogut. The Raps do have Leandro Barbosa back though to help out. Jerryd Bayless however remains out, as is the soon to be returning and soon to be a daddy again Reggie Evans. Will see what we get from the Raptors with the pressure of the losing streak off their shoulders.
Bogut goes right to work with the easy score but Bargnani answers on the other end. Jennings drives and the easy drop off for another Bogut two. Demar DeRozan answers that and so far a ping pong match at 4-4. Raptors started a little push to break away a nice pass by Weems to Bargnani pump fakes for 3 and steps in and drains the 2 to make it 10-7 Raptors. Bucks would flip that around and the Raps were looking a bit sloppy as Jennings would get a gift dunk off a turnover to make it 14-11 Bucks. Raps had missed 7 straight attempts after a hot start on offence, make that 8 as Weems can't hit on the jumper. Raptors would get down 5 and finally DeRozan would hit a jumper to end the drought. But Maggette back on the other end had an answer. Triano called a time out and Barbosa checked in for his first action in awhile. Raptors got tagged for a 5 second call out of time out. Ed Davis was in as well and got a rebound. Bogut some nice D leads to easy Bucks basket in transition and it was 24-17 and that would be the score after 1.
Bargnani hits a bucket to get 2nd going on the right foot, but after a Barbosa steal a missed 3 from Bargs. The a Buck basket and a Bargnani charge that he was not convinced was. Raptors were struggling to find anything positive on the offensive end of the floor. Barbosa looked really rusty will a couple shots that were not really close at all. Julian Wright had it stolen away and the Bucks blew a chance to extend the lead with a travel in transition. Bargnani would hit and as bad as Raps had played only down 6. Make that 4 as Barbosa smartly decided to go to the drive to get on the scoreboard and it was 28-24 Bucks. A Davis block leads to a Calderon bucket in transition and the Raptors had an 8-2 run and were down just 2. Time out for the Bucks as they needed to re-group.
Raptors doubled Bogut and it worked forcing ball out of his hand and an empty possession for them. Jose to Double D and this game was back to even at 32 a piece. But the Bucks would get the next two scores and make it 36-32 in their favour and force Jay Triano to call a time out. Raptors were just not looking good at all yet they were in this game 36-34 with just 2 to play in the half. Bogut abuses Ed Davis for an easy to points and DeRozan would answer as his jumper was on point tonight. A steal and Weems slam in transition and were tied at 38. But Bogut would take it at Bargnani and give Bucks a 40-38 halftime lead. This game was as good old J.R you to say in WWE "Bowling Shoe Ugly" and Raps went bowling so this makes sense.
Two turnovers and 4 points to start the half for the Bucks was I am sure not part of Jay Triano's halftime speech. Bucks came out on a 9-2 run and were kick it butt and Jay Triano called a time out to review his halftime thoughts with his team. DeRozan had an excellent first half yet the Raptors refused to give him the ball misses from Jose,Bargnani and others were better options then the guy shooting 6 of 7? Raptors had dug an 11 point hole down 55-44 and still not one shot for Demar. Jose Calderon was El Stinko at 2-15 and he would take a seat. Raptors would cut the Buck lead to 7, but this had been a brutal quarter for the most part. Raptors got the ball to DeRozan and he would deliver late in the quarter but it might have been to little to late. Not often I disagree with Jack Armstrong, but he said Bargnani was keeping the Raptors in this. I disagree he was keeping the Raptors from winning by not allowing the ball to go to DeRozan who was hot.
Bargnani would get to the line and make a couple he had 21 but was a volume 21 if you get my meaning. But Bargnani was getting it rolling I have to admit another bucket and lead was cut to 6. But a Bucks three pointer would make the lead 9 then add on another 3 and the lead was 11. It becomes a concern when Bargs and DeRozan are both doing well and they can not balance out the touches and scoring. Bragnani can't take shots from the bench though and that is where he would head with his 4th foul. Bucks had built their largest lead of the night with the score 75-62 lead. It would only get worse as the Bucks would build the lead to 20 points and the Raptors fate was pretty much decided with 5:15 to play. Raps shot 36% and lose 92-74 to the Bucks.
DeRozan and Bargnani get 41 of the Raptors 74 and the Raptors overall offence was brutal in this one. The defence was not great but when they can hold a team under 100 points that is respectable for this group. But they failed to take advantage of it. Another 0 for night from 3 point land....0 for 10 and the new streak from 3 is very short. As was the Raptors winning ways ending after just 1 win.
Bogut goes right to work with the easy score but Bargnani answers on the other end. Jennings drives and the easy drop off for another Bogut two. Demar DeRozan answers that and so far a ping pong match at 4-4. Raptors started a little push to break away a nice pass by Weems to Bargnani pump fakes for 3 and steps in and drains the 2 to make it 10-7 Raptors. Bucks would flip that around and the Raps were looking a bit sloppy as Jennings would get a gift dunk off a turnover to make it 14-11 Bucks. Raps had missed 7 straight attempts after a hot start on offence, make that 8 as Weems can't hit on the jumper. Raptors would get down 5 and finally DeRozan would hit a jumper to end the drought. But Maggette back on the other end had an answer. Triano called a time out and Barbosa checked in for his first action in awhile. Raptors got tagged for a 5 second call out of time out. Ed Davis was in as well and got a rebound. Bogut some nice D leads to easy Bucks basket in transition and it was 24-17 and that would be the score after 1.
Bargnani hits a bucket to get 2nd going on the right foot, but after a Barbosa steal a missed 3 from Bargs. The a Buck basket and a Bargnani charge that he was not convinced was. Raptors were struggling to find anything positive on the offensive end of the floor. Barbosa looked really rusty will a couple shots that were not really close at all. Julian Wright had it stolen away and the Bucks blew a chance to extend the lead with a travel in transition. Bargnani would hit and as bad as Raps had played only down 6. Make that 4 as Barbosa smartly decided to go to the drive to get on the scoreboard and it was 28-24 Bucks. A Davis block leads to a Calderon bucket in transition and the Raptors had an 8-2 run and were down just 2. Time out for the Bucks as they needed to re-group.
Raptors doubled Bogut and it worked forcing ball out of his hand and an empty possession for them. Jose to Double D and this game was back to even at 32 a piece. But the Bucks would get the next two scores and make it 36-32 in their favour and force Jay Triano to call a time out. Raptors were just not looking good at all yet they were in this game 36-34 with just 2 to play in the half. Bogut abuses Ed Davis for an easy to points and DeRozan would answer as his jumper was on point tonight. A steal and Weems slam in transition and were tied at 38. But Bogut would take it at Bargnani and give Bucks a 40-38 halftime lead. This game was as good old J.R you to say in WWE "Bowling Shoe Ugly" and Raps went bowling so this makes sense.
Two turnovers and 4 points to start the half for the Bucks was I am sure not part of Jay Triano's halftime speech. Bucks came out on a 9-2 run and were kick it butt and Jay Triano called a time out to review his halftime thoughts with his team. DeRozan had an excellent first half yet the Raptors refused to give him the ball misses from Jose,Bargnani and others were better options then the guy shooting 6 of 7? Raptors had dug an 11 point hole down 55-44 and still not one shot for Demar. Jose Calderon was El Stinko at 2-15 and he would take a seat. Raptors would cut the Buck lead to 7, but this had been a brutal quarter for the most part. Raptors got the ball to DeRozan and he would deliver late in the quarter but it might have been to little to late. Not often I disagree with Jack Armstrong, but he said Bargnani was keeping the Raptors in this. I disagree he was keeping the Raptors from winning by not allowing the ball to go to DeRozan who was hot.
Bargnani would get to the line and make a couple he had 21 but was a volume 21 if you get my meaning. But Bargnani was getting it rolling I have to admit another bucket and lead was cut to 6. But a Bucks three pointer would make the lead 9 then add on another 3 and the lead was 11. It becomes a concern when Bargs and DeRozan are both doing well and they can not balance out the touches and scoring. Bragnani can't take shots from the bench though and that is where he would head with his 4th foul. Bucks had built their largest lead of the night with the score 75-62 lead. It would only get worse as the Bucks would build the lead to 20 points and the Raptors fate was pretty much decided with 5:15 to play. Raps shot 36% and lose 92-74 to the Bucks.
DeRozan and Bargnani get 41 of the Raptors 74 and the Raptors overall offence was brutal in this one. The defence was not great but when they can hold a team under 100 points that is respectable for this group. But they failed to take advantage of it. Another 0 for night from 3 point land....0 for 10 and the new streak from 3 is very short. As was the Raptors winning ways ending after just 1 win.
Two In A Row?
It seems like a long time ago the Raptors got their win to snap their losing streak at 13 games. I was there at the ACC and the sense of relief was evident. Can the Raptors carry that momentum with them to Milwaukee 3 days later? Leandro Barbosa is expected to be back as he travelled with the team. Jerryd Bayless did not. It has been a disappointing year for the Bucks that made some moves in the off-season looking to remain a playoff team in the East. But injuries have been a problem for them as it has for the Raptors. Brandon Jennings injuries were to the benefit of his friend Demar DeRozan who got to replace him in the Dunk Contest. Jennings is back on the floor for the Bucks now though, but since his return the Bucks are just 1-4. If you have never checked out the game notes from the Milwaukee Bucks for a Raptor game you are missing out on some good laughs.
The Basics: Raptors 14-37 (4-13 vs East on Road) Bucks 19-30 (On 4 Game Losing Streak)
When Last We Saw Them: Finally the Raptors got a win. The starting 5 all came to play and Raptors were able to take out the T-Wolves at the ACC. Jose Calderon was dropping dimes, Bargnani was hitting shots, DeMar and Sonny were doing what they do and Amir Johnson was a beast it was a winning formula for the Raptors who showed no Love to the T-Wolves.
Key Match-Ups: Brandon Jennings has yet to have a big game since returning to the Bucks Line-Up. Will Jose Calderon provide the chance for the Jennings to go off. You sure hope not if your cheering for the Raptors. Carlos Delfino and Demar DeRozan will be an important match-up for each side to win. But how the Bucks beat the Raptors in OT in Toronto was Andrew Bogut and Andrea Bargnani's told lack of ability to stop him. Ultimately that is the most important match-up in this game for both teams. Andrea if he can score like he did vs T-Wolves is something the Bucks need to be aware of. While the Raptors can not afford to have Andrea left on his own to try to stop Bogut.
Other Things Of Note: Bucks are not exactly blazing in the first game of back to backs they are just 4-9 and only average 89.9 points in those 13 games. We didn't mention him in the key match-ups but Corey Maggette is averaging 18 points a game for the Bucks in the 5 games since they hooked up with the Raptors. If the Raptors can get a fast start their chances of winning will increase dramatically. The Bucks are 7-21 when they trail after the 1st Quarter. Had a great conversation with Ryan Wolstat from The Toronto Sun if you missed yesterday in the Starting 5. Also we are gearing up for our (Un) Welcome Back Bosh Bash on the 16th at St. Louis Wings. You can be our VIP Guest and invite a friend to join you, we will be having details on Twitter @Dinonationblog on how you can come join our party on our tab.
Where Is It On: TSN (On The Big Network See Winning Has It's Benefits)
The Basics: Raptors 14-37 (4-13 vs East on Road) Bucks 19-30 (On 4 Game Losing Streak)
When Last We Saw Them: Finally the Raptors got a win. The starting 5 all came to play and Raptors were able to take out the T-Wolves at the ACC. Jose Calderon was dropping dimes, Bargnani was hitting shots, DeMar and Sonny were doing what they do and Amir Johnson was a beast it was a winning formula for the Raptors who showed no Love to the T-Wolves.
Key Match-Ups: Brandon Jennings has yet to have a big game since returning to the Bucks Line-Up. Will Jose Calderon provide the chance for the Jennings to go off. You sure hope not if your cheering for the Raptors. Carlos Delfino and Demar DeRozan will be an important match-up for each side to win. But how the Bucks beat the Raptors in OT in Toronto was Andrew Bogut and Andrea Bargnani's told lack of ability to stop him. Ultimately that is the most important match-up in this game for both teams. Andrea if he can score like he did vs T-Wolves is something the Bucks need to be aware of. While the Raptors can not afford to have Andrea left on his own to try to stop Bogut.
Other Things Of Note: Bucks are not exactly blazing in the first game of back to backs they are just 4-9 and only average 89.9 points in those 13 games. We didn't mention him in the key match-ups but Corey Maggette is averaging 18 points a game for the Bucks in the 5 games since they hooked up with the Raptors. If the Raptors can get a fast start their chances of winning will increase dramatically. The Bucks are 7-21 when they trail after the 1st Quarter. Had a great conversation with Ryan Wolstat from The Toronto Sun if you missed yesterday in the Starting 5. Also we are gearing up for our (Un) Welcome Back Bosh Bash on the 16th at St. Louis Wings. You can be our VIP Guest and invite a friend to join you, we will be having details on Twitter @Dinonationblog on how you can come join our party on our tab.
Where Is It On: TSN (On The Big Network See Winning Has It's Benefits)
12/9/09
4 For A Buck?
The most important thing off the top is that Jose Calderon is not going to be back tonight against the Bucks. That is according to the Fan 590 as of this morning. In fact he did not even travel with the team.That means that Jarrett Jack will get the call again to start for the second straight night. The Bucks were the surprise team out of the gate this NBA season but they have come crashing back to reality. Just 2-8 in their last 10 and they sit tied for 6th in the east just a half game in front of the Raptors. That is correct the Raptors would be a playoff team if they started today sitting in 8th. That is the wonderful thing about the Eastern Conference you get on a minor win streak and you are in the playoffs.
Brandon Jennings opened up everyone's eyes scoring 55 points. He has struggled recently though and he maybe the best of his rookie class when all is said and done. He did win the Rookie of the month for the opening month and a bit of the season for the Eastern Conference. That being said the Raptors should still be happy with their choice of Demar DeRozan. He offers the Raptors the slashing and athletic scorer that they truly needed. There is no doubt that if the Raptors drafted Jennings the off-season would have taken a much different turn. There is no way they sign Jarrett Jack and he really seems to be someone worth having at this point. Jack is never going to be a Brandon Jennings in terms of skill. However he has proven to be someone who looks like he can be a leader for this Raptor team which they need. Bosh tends to lead more by example and Jack does more with words along with action.
If the Raptors can get a 4th win it would be a huge step in the right direction. The Raptors were truly on the brink of watching the season fall of a cliff. They have been able to turn things around and seem to have figured it out on what it will take for this team to win basketball games. The true test may lie ahead on Friday when they stare in the face of the Hawks that ripped them apart and pushed them to that brink. If they could enter into that game riding a 4 game win streak since it can only help.
Andre Bogut has returned to the Bucks line up. He like Andrea Bargnani has struggled to live up to being a number 1 pick in the draft. Bogut has often been injured and as a result has not lived up to expectations people may have had for him. He is a rough and tumble guy and the big Aussie can be someone that could cause the Raptors problems. The best way to solve that problem is to get him into foul trouble. Bosh and Bargnani both are quicker and if the attack Bogut the fouls should come.
If you want an X-factor that you may not think of for the Bucks...how bout Charlie Bell. In the past he has had some nice efforts against the Raptors. If he is shooting it well he could do some damage. In terms of shooting you have to think the Raptors will bounce back after an off night shooting last night at the ACC. The Raptors have been finding ways to win and let's hope they can do it again.
Another word of warning for the Raps is the Bucks average just over 8 made 3's a game( That is 4th in NBA). So the Raptors will have to do a solid job guarding the 3 point line and do not over commit to stop a Brandon Jennings. Jack in the starting line-up may in fact be a better match-up to go against the young buck rookie. Jack is more capable of keeping Jennings in front of him and not be as dependent on help.
Brandon Jennings opened up everyone's eyes scoring 55 points. He has struggled recently though and he maybe the best of his rookie class when all is said and done. He did win the Rookie of the month for the opening month and a bit of the season for the Eastern Conference. That being said the Raptors should still be happy with their choice of Demar DeRozan. He offers the Raptors the slashing and athletic scorer that they truly needed. There is no doubt that if the Raptors drafted Jennings the off-season would have taken a much different turn. There is no way they sign Jarrett Jack and he really seems to be someone worth having at this point. Jack is never going to be a Brandon Jennings in terms of skill. However he has proven to be someone who looks like he can be a leader for this Raptor team which they need. Bosh tends to lead more by example and Jack does more with words along with action.
If the Raptors can get a 4th win it would be a huge step in the right direction. The Raptors were truly on the brink of watching the season fall of a cliff. They have been able to turn things around and seem to have figured it out on what it will take for this team to win basketball games. The true test may lie ahead on Friday when they stare in the face of the Hawks that ripped them apart and pushed them to that brink. If they could enter into that game riding a 4 game win streak since it can only help.
Andre Bogut has returned to the Bucks line up. He like Andrea Bargnani has struggled to live up to being a number 1 pick in the draft. Bogut has often been injured and as a result has not lived up to expectations people may have had for him. He is a rough and tumble guy and the big Aussie can be someone that could cause the Raptors problems. The best way to solve that problem is to get him into foul trouble. Bosh and Bargnani both are quicker and if the attack Bogut the fouls should come.
If you want an X-factor that you may not think of for the Bucks...how bout Charlie Bell. In the past he has had some nice efforts against the Raptors. If he is shooting it well he could do some damage. In terms of shooting you have to think the Raptors will bounce back after an off night shooting last night at the ACC. The Raptors have been finding ways to win and let's hope they can do it again.
Another word of warning for the Raps is the Bucks average just over 8 made 3's a game( That is 4th in NBA). So the Raptors will have to do a solid job guarding the 3 point line and do not over commit to stop a Brandon Jennings. Jack in the starting line-up may in fact be a better match-up to go against the young buck rookie. Jack is more capable of keeping Jennings in front of him and not be as dependent on help.
1/5/09
Raptors Doing More With Less?
For weeks now we had been hearing about how this team was getting close. After every lose you would hear players and head coach Jay Triano talking about it. There would be a lot of talk about how few practices this team had under Triano. It honestly sounded like a party line to explain the failure. Jay Triano a couple games ago would call a time out and the team came out and did not follow his advice. He quickly called another time out and gave his team a quick and firm message after which he walked away. Chris Bosh would follow that up with his own form of verbal abuse. The Raptors seem to have got the message. One of my points had been I did not see any emotion from anyone and that this team seemed to accepting and to easy to find excuses. Well in the last two games when this team had some really legit excuses in that they had no Jermaine O'Neal or Jose Calderon they would play well with no excuses required. O'Neal and Calderon may not even go on this mini two game road trip to Milwaukee and Washington. But after wins over Houston and Orlando maybe it will not matter as much as we would have thought a few days ago.
I seriously would have bet my house the Raptors would have gone 0-3 for this homestand and sit at 12-22. But instead they have a couple unexpected wins and sit 14-20 and have moved out last place to 3rd in the Atlantic Division. The Raptors have done it by playing with a lot more effort and energy on both ends of the floor. Triano has got this team running more on offense and playing harder on defense. The win over Houston did not impress me personally as I chalked it up to Houston looking bad as much as the Raptors looking good. The win over Orlando I walked away stunned and impressed. The Magic came into Toronto on a serious roll and had won 9 of their last 10 games. I have been very impressed with them this season and think they have been over looked in favour of the Celtics and Cavs. Once is an accident and twice is a trend. So if the Raptors can follow up with a win tonight over the improving Bucks we may just have something. Until the year 2009 came around the Raptors lacked a quality win on their resume. These type of wins get a lot of talk in college basketball. When teams are trying to get into the NCAA tournament one of the things people look at is quality wins and toughness of schedule. The Raptors had the tough schedule but no quality wins to speak of. Now to start 2009 they have back to back quality wins. When all hope was starting to fade in this fan base, the Raptors have given life to the flame of hope in Raptorland.
B.C On The Mic
When Bryan Colangelo does an interview everyone stops and listens. It is like those old investment advertisements for E.F Hutton. When the guy would speak in the ad the entire room would go silent to hear what he had to say. I get that feeling for ever Bryan Colangelo interview. He talked about a number of issues in his halftime interview on CBC. There were lots of interesting things said and lots of lines to read between. Colangelo seemed to down play what expectations they had for this team at the start of the season. He said the the goal was just to advance further into the second round. The question was asked about being expected to be contenders in the east that prompted this response. Colangelo is truly great at spin and staying on message. He would make an excellent political candidate or advisor/spokesman for one some day. Maybe he could run the Barkley Campaign in Alabama in 2014. Although with Charles recent issues that would be tough to spin but if anyone could do it B.C would. In case you have been living under a rock of late, Barkley had been picked up for DUI and was on his way according to him to have some "fun" in his SUV with a woman that was not his wife. But back to Bryan and what he had to say about the Raptors.
The topic of Carlos Delfino came up. Colangelo stated the fact that the Raptors indeed still have his restricted free agent rights. He seemed to suggest that he did not get the impression that Carlos would be coming back to the league as fast as others have suggested. Although if you are a hockey fan you will recall how easy it is to break a contract with a Russian Team. The labour rules in Russia only require you give two weeks notice same as if you managed the Moscow McDonalds. So these things can change quickly. Colangelo did say the Raptors would be interested in having him back and suggested the Raptors would match any offers that came his way be it next year or this season. He did seem to suggest he felt it would be next year as opposed to this year. So for those of you that think Defino could make a difference you should be happy to learn about that.
What would a Bryan Colangelo interview be without some talk about Andrea Bargnani. He talked about how Andrea had been shifted around playing at different positions. Which I would like to point out was greatly encouraged by Bryan at the start of the year. He would go on to talk about him being young and growing and learning. It was pretty much your standard Andrea Bargnani defense speech. It sure did not seem like a man that was read to trade Bargnani anytime soon. Bargnani has been playing out of his mind since replacing J.O in the starting line-up. The question wasn't asked that I would like to know. Which is what happens when J.O is healthy? Will Andrea end up back on the bench despite all of this and J.O just return to starting line-up. The one thing that is true if teams are calling for Bargnani and Bryan would consider moving him he has reason to play hardball now with the recent performance of Bargnani. I got no such impression from Colangelo that he is all that interested in moving Andrea. However being the smart guy that Bryan Colangelo is, that is likely exactly what he wanted me to think as well as every other G.M in the league.
Speaking of that idea. Bryan talked about all the rumours that include his name that seem to be in almost every city in the NBA these days. He suggested that it is people speculating and seeing blood in the water after a slow start for a team that had higher expectations. He said although he is active in looking to improve this team that there are lots of factors that go into making trades happen. He was in no means looking like a guy who was in a rush or panic to get something done. When asked directly if he would consider trading Chris Bosh the answer was a flat no followed by a detailed explanation. When he was asked about the fact that Bosh could leave in 2010 he talked about it being his job to convince Bosh to stay and he was going to work to build the team into something that Chris will want to be a part of. When he was asked if it was accurate that the only players he would not consider moving were Chris Bosh and Jose Calderon he did not answer that question in a direct way and it makes you wonder why. He answered the question about Bosh directly why not Calderon? There was a rumour that Steve Nash could be moved for Calderon in a package to the Suns. Nash in talking about being a free agent in 2010 did express a desire to play in both New York and Toronto as well as returning to the Suns.
Roko Ukic did look very good yesterday. Steve Nash has had back issues in recent days and is getting to the point he may not have many years left. But if you think Roko could end up being a started down the line it might make sense. There has been quiet talk that Nash is not happy with the system under new coach Terry Porter. It would be a bold move for sure if Colangelo was able to make that kind of trade. Jay Triano and Steve Nash have a great relationship and he would fit in quickly in Toronto you would have to think. But Colangelo was not talking about any of this kind of speculation. Honestly that is what is as well. But it should be noted how well the Raptors defense has looked without Jose Calderon in the game over the last 7 quarters of basketball. I am not thinking that is an accident.
Just like all Bryan Colangelo interviews it was interesting and he did not say a lot but he gave hints and lots of lines to read between. Sometimes the things he does not say are just as important as the ones he does say. The one thing that has been clear since the firing of Sam Mitchell is that the spotlight is firmly on Bryan Colangelo and what his next move will be. That is one thing that was not talked about was the coaching position. It is safe to assume that Colangelo is still comfortable with giving Jay Triano the rest of the season to audition himself for being a candidate for the job.
Can The Raps Continue To Roll In Milwaukee?
The last time the Raptors won 3 games in a row the team they beat was the Milwaukee Bucks. It was at the start of the season when the Raptors had stormed out to that 3-0 start. The last of those wins was against Milwaukee. The Raptors would go on to lose to the Pistons after that and it would be the last time and only time this team has won 3 in a row all year. If the Raptors are serious about getting back in the playoff race they will need to put together winning streaks and longer ones than just 3 games. The Bucks have shown signs of improvement lately.
The 16-19 Bucks have managed to go 9-5 at home so far this year. One of those 5 loses as mentioned to the Raptors. They have had a real balanced approach with 6 players averaging double figure scoring and none of them over 20 points. Michael Redd leading the way with 19.4 per game. If Andrea Bargnani is a bust as a number one pick what does that make Andrew Bogut? He has not lit the world on fire with his play for the Bucks in his career. But this season averaging a respectable double double of 11.5 points and 10.5 rebounds. There is also Charlie Villianueva the former Raptor who is averaging 12.3 points and 6.4 rebounds. The Bucks made a big trade for Richard Jefferson and I think they were hoping for more than 17 a game from him. But that is what they are getting. The Bucks also let Mo Williams go to the Cleveland Cavs and he has been having a great year playing with Lebron.
The reason that they let Williams walk was the up and coming talent of Ramon Sessions. He is paired with Luke Ridnour as the PG combo for the Bucks. The other player that they are excited about in Milwaukee or they should be is this guy:
Not saying that Luc Mah A Moute is going to be a household name. It doesn't roll of the tongue as easy as James or Jordan. He is not going to be those guys by any stretch of the imagination. What he is though is an exciting young player that seems to add a spark to the Bucks and can grow into being a solid role player in this league.
Despite having yesterday off the Bucks are playing their 3rd game in 4 nights. They enter this game coming off a disappointing loss to the Bobcats in the road end of a home and home set that they won the front end in Milwaukee on Friday. The Bobcats took advantage of the fact the Bucks were without Andrew Bogut who missed the game and is listed as day to day with back spasms. Raptors with no Jermaine O'Neal would still have a massive size advantage on the Bucks without Bogut in the line-up. The Raptors just need to understand despite a couple wins they have long given up the right to overlook anyone. If they every do the rest of the season if I was the coach I would pop on a DVD of the Thunder game just to make my point.
So the Raptor will look to make it 3 in a row and this is a rare Raptors T.V affair from Milwaukee on a Monday. So if you are not a Raps T.V subscriber your welcome to see what happens here in the Raptor Rewind. It may be possible I may end up live blogging this game. If it happens check back and I will have a link for you to that. Raptors Rolling? I know it just seems to strange but it is the most recent reality in a wacky season.
I seriously would have bet my house the Raptors would have gone 0-3 for this homestand and sit at 12-22. But instead they have a couple unexpected wins and sit 14-20 and have moved out last place to 3rd in the Atlantic Division. The Raptors have done it by playing with a lot more effort and energy on both ends of the floor. Triano has got this team running more on offense and playing harder on defense. The win over Houston did not impress me personally as I chalked it up to Houston looking bad as much as the Raptors looking good. The win over Orlando I walked away stunned and impressed. The Magic came into Toronto on a serious roll and had won 9 of their last 10 games. I have been very impressed with them this season and think they have been over looked in favour of the Celtics and Cavs. Once is an accident and twice is a trend. So if the Raptors can follow up with a win tonight over the improving Bucks we may just have something. Until the year 2009 came around the Raptors lacked a quality win on their resume. These type of wins get a lot of talk in college basketball. When teams are trying to get into the NCAA tournament one of the things people look at is quality wins and toughness of schedule. The Raptors had the tough schedule but no quality wins to speak of. Now to start 2009 they have back to back quality wins. When all hope was starting to fade in this fan base, the Raptors have given life to the flame of hope in Raptorland.
B.C On The Mic
When Bryan Colangelo does an interview everyone stops and listens. It is like those old investment advertisements for E.F Hutton. When the guy would speak in the ad the entire room would go silent to hear what he had to say. I get that feeling for ever Bryan Colangelo interview. He talked about a number of issues in his halftime interview on CBC. There were lots of interesting things said and lots of lines to read between. Colangelo seemed to down play what expectations they had for this team at the start of the season. He said the the goal was just to advance further into the second round. The question was asked about being expected to be contenders in the east that prompted this response. Colangelo is truly great at spin and staying on message. He would make an excellent political candidate or advisor/spokesman for one some day. Maybe he could run the Barkley Campaign in Alabama in 2014. Although with Charles recent issues that would be tough to spin but if anyone could do it B.C would. In case you have been living under a rock of late, Barkley had been picked up for DUI and was on his way according to him to have some "fun" in his SUV with a woman that was not his wife. But back to Bryan and what he had to say about the Raptors.
The topic of Carlos Delfino came up. Colangelo stated the fact that the Raptors indeed still have his restricted free agent rights. He seemed to suggest that he did not get the impression that Carlos would be coming back to the league as fast as others have suggested. Although if you are a hockey fan you will recall how easy it is to break a contract with a Russian Team. The labour rules in Russia only require you give two weeks notice same as if you managed the Moscow McDonalds. So these things can change quickly. Colangelo did say the Raptors would be interested in having him back and suggested the Raptors would match any offers that came his way be it next year or this season. He did seem to suggest he felt it would be next year as opposed to this year. So for those of you that think Defino could make a difference you should be happy to learn about that.
What would a Bryan Colangelo interview be without some talk about Andrea Bargnani. He talked about how Andrea had been shifted around playing at different positions. Which I would like to point out was greatly encouraged by Bryan at the start of the year. He would go on to talk about him being young and growing and learning. It was pretty much your standard Andrea Bargnani defense speech. It sure did not seem like a man that was read to trade Bargnani anytime soon. Bargnani has been playing out of his mind since replacing J.O in the starting line-up. The question wasn't asked that I would like to know. Which is what happens when J.O is healthy? Will Andrea end up back on the bench despite all of this and J.O just return to starting line-up. The one thing that is true if teams are calling for Bargnani and Bryan would consider moving him he has reason to play hardball now with the recent performance of Bargnani. I got no such impression from Colangelo that he is all that interested in moving Andrea. However being the smart guy that Bryan Colangelo is, that is likely exactly what he wanted me to think as well as every other G.M in the league.
Speaking of that idea. Bryan talked about all the rumours that include his name that seem to be in almost every city in the NBA these days. He suggested that it is people speculating and seeing blood in the water after a slow start for a team that had higher expectations. He said although he is active in looking to improve this team that there are lots of factors that go into making trades happen. He was in no means looking like a guy who was in a rush or panic to get something done. When asked directly if he would consider trading Chris Bosh the answer was a flat no followed by a detailed explanation. When he was asked about the fact that Bosh could leave in 2010 he talked about it being his job to convince Bosh to stay and he was going to work to build the team into something that Chris will want to be a part of. When he was asked if it was accurate that the only players he would not consider moving were Chris Bosh and Jose Calderon he did not answer that question in a direct way and it makes you wonder why. He answered the question about Bosh directly why not Calderon? There was a rumour that Steve Nash could be moved for Calderon in a package to the Suns. Nash in talking about being a free agent in 2010 did express a desire to play in both New York and Toronto as well as returning to the Suns.
Roko Ukic did look very good yesterday. Steve Nash has had back issues in recent days and is getting to the point he may not have many years left. But if you think Roko could end up being a started down the line it might make sense. There has been quiet talk that Nash is not happy with the system under new coach Terry Porter. It would be a bold move for sure if Colangelo was able to make that kind of trade. Jay Triano and Steve Nash have a great relationship and he would fit in quickly in Toronto you would have to think. But Colangelo was not talking about any of this kind of speculation. Honestly that is what is as well. But it should be noted how well the Raptors defense has looked without Jose Calderon in the game over the last 7 quarters of basketball. I am not thinking that is an accident.
Just like all Bryan Colangelo interviews it was interesting and he did not say a lot but he gave hints and lots of lines to read between. Sometimes the things he does not say are just as important as the ones he does say. The one thing that has been clear since the firing of Sam Mitchell is that the spotlight is firmly on Bryan Colangelo and what his next move will be. That is one thing that was not talked about was the coaching position. It is safe to assume that Colangelo is still comfortable with giving Jay Triano the rest of the season to audition himself for being a candidate for the job.
Can The Raps Continue To Roll In Milwaukee?
The last time the Raptors won 3 games in a row the team they beat was the Milwaukee Bucks. It was at the start of the season when the Raptors had stormed out to that 3-0 start. The last of those wins was against Milwaukee. The Raptors would go on to lose to the Pistons after that and it would be the last time and only time this team has won 3 in a row all year. If the Raptors are serious about getting back in the playoff race they will need to put together winning streaks and longer ones than just 3 games. The Bucks have shown signs of improvement lately.
The 16-19 Bucks have managed to go 9-5 at home so far this year. One of those 5 loses as mentioned to the Raptors. They have had a real balanced approach with 6 players averaging double figure scoring and none of them over 20 points. Michael Redd leading the way with 19.4 per game. If Andrea Bargnani is a bust as a number one pick what does that make Andrew Bogut? He has not lit the world on fire with his play for the Bucks in his career. But this season averaging a respectable double double of 11.5 points and 10.5 rebounds. There is also Charlie Villianueva the former Raptor who is averaging 12.3 points and 6.4 rebounds. The Bucks made a big trade for Richard Jefferson and I think they were hoping for more than 17 a game from him. But that is what they are getting. The Bucks also let Mo Williams go to the Cleveland Cavs and he has been having a great year playing with Lebron.
The reason that they let Williams walk was the up and coming talent of Ramon Sessions. He is paired with Luke Ridnour as the PG combo for the Bucks. The other player that they are excited about in Milwaukee or they should be is this guy:
Not saying that Luc Mah A Moute is going to be a household name. It doesn't roll of the tongue as easy as James or Jordan. He is not going to be those guys by any stretch of the imagination. What he is though is an exciting young player that seems to add a spark to the Bucks and can grow into being a solid role player in this league.
Despite having yesterday off the Bucks are playing their 3rd game in 4 nights. They enter this game coming off a disappointing loss to the Bobcats in the road end of a home and home set that they won the front end in Milwaukee on Friday. The Bobcats took advantage of the fact the Bucks were without Andrew Bogut who missed the game and is listed as day to day with back spasms. Raptors with no Jermaine O'Neal would still have a massive size advantage on the Bucks without Bogut in the line-up. The Raptors just need to understand despite a couple wins they have long given up the right to overlook anyone. If they every do the rest of the season if I was the coach I would pop on a DVD of the Thunder game just to make my point.
So the Raptor will look to make it 3 in a row and this is a rare Raptors T.V affair from Milwaukee on a Monday. So if you are not a Raps T.V subscriber your welcome to see what happens here in the Raptor Rewind. It may be possible I may end up live blogging this game. If it happens check back and I will have a link for you to that. Raptors Rolling? I know it just seems to strange but it is the most recent reality in a wacky season.
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