Nothing To Be Mello About In Raptorland

The Denver Nuggets and Joey Graham come to town. No there will not be a 15th anniversary ceremony for Joey G. He was on HOOPS last night on the fan 590. He was confident he would not be booed tonight at the ACC. I am not confident that Santa would not get booed there after the mood in Raptorland yesterday. The Nuggets are not concerned with the Raptors slumping playoff push. They are on their own 3 game slide. Raptors could be the cure to the Nuggets have won in their last 2 visits to the ACC and 5 straight vs Toronto overall. Let's hope Carmelo had a great night out in Toronto and has enjoyed his time here is Canada A LOT. Every little bit helps. But Chancey Billups also will not be honoured as he was a Raptor briefly if you had forgotten. He will be a tough challenge for Calderon who admitted what we all knew in his post game comments after the Utah game. What was that? That Deron Williams beat him down. Jose phrased it in a little less harsh manner, but that is what happened. No reason to think Billups can't do the same.

Chris Bosh still had a birthday party but the pre-party festivities with the Jazz left a bad taste in his mouth. It has sparked a lot of debate on the level of responsibility Bosh has for all of this. He claims that he is doing everything that he can and needs some help. Others will say it is on Bosh to raise the level of his team and lead them. As with most things in life the answer lies somewhere in the middle. I think Bosh is right in terms of needing help. Bargnani, Turkoglu at the top of not helping list. That being said if you are going to call out your team, I am cool with that and I think they deserve it. That being said this comes when Bosh himself is falling off his top level of play.

Bosh has made a lot of turnovers of late and that is in part I think to this lack of faith in cast around him. Bosh now takes that extra second before he passes it to Hedo and thinks do I really want to do this. I mean he has watch HeDON'T happen as well. They say the hardest thing to build in relationships is trust. There is many a marriage that has not survived based on a lack of trust. No I am not setting up for some Tiger Woods reference here. But once trust is lost in any relationship it is extremely difficult to get it back. If Bosh has lost faith in his team around him that is not something that comes back in a short period of time. Basketball is a sport based on trust. Both on offense and defense. The Raptors as a group on defensive end have no faith or belief that players can stay in front of their man. It has led to people over helping and open looks all over the place.

Even the faith of this fan base in this team has been damaged greatly. If the Nuggets were to come out and get say a 12 point lead would it shock anyone if ACC booed the Raptors? If it would you have not been watching lately. Everyone in this franchise could use some therapy at this point. The best thing for all parties involved is winning. When they say winning cures a lot of things they do not lie. If the Raptors could some how find a way to win that would give them some nice momentum heading into their most important road trip of the season to Miami then Charlotte.

That being said please no one hold your breath out there. This game means a ton to the Nuggets and they need this win badly as well. A losing streak in the West is not like in the East. The drop in the standing is quicker and more painful. Maybe not more painful....watching the Raptors slow side to the bottom of playoff race has been very painful to watch. So that is why I am not going to watch. Actually the real answer is I will be doing March Madness for The Score once again and will not be able to watch the Raptors. So once again the DNB staff has stepped up and Danielle will give you her thoughts on whatever happens at the ACC between the Raptors and Nuggets. I joked with her if Raptors win she can't stop doing re-caps of games till they lose. I am not serious about that but some people can be that superstitious. I am not.

Hedo will be a game time decision with his I had to my Pizza at Bosh's Birthday Bash. No just kidding if you re-call he left Raptors loss to Jazz with what is being called a stomach flu. The Raptors fans can relate to this based on the team's play of late. I think they have left more than a few fans feeling ill.

Raptors Rewind- The J.O Return Take 2

O.K I have solved both the Raptors problem and the country of Canada's problem. Chris Bosh for Prime Minster of Canada. He will make those politicians get to work and in running the country he will need to stay beyond 2010. Now back to reality and that could be good for the Raptors. Jermaine O'Neal is said to be ready to go. This is according to report from Matt Devlin earlier today. The bad news is so is Carmelo Anthony who was forced to leave with an elbow injury vs Houston. Anthony said he could not even dribble the ball or pick up his child. But he is expected to play tonight a couple days later. Raptors will be hard pressed to get a win over the Nuggets who have found new life from bringing back Billups. Mr. Big Shot has been welcomed back to Denver and has been returning the love with wins for the Nugget fans. So lets get to see what happens with the Raptors and Nuggets in the high heavy air in Denver.

1st Quarter

It is true J.O is here and in the starting line-up. A.P is playing with a black eye he got in the L.A game from Jordan Farmar. J.O was off to a good start as he hit his first shot of the night. A.P even with the black eye could see the hoop and he scored on his first shot. J.O would head to the line and was perfect. Raptors had a 6-0 lead to start this game. Carmelo Anthony would get by a slower Bargnani and draw a foul and get to the line. He could only hit 1-2. Chris Bosh hit a wide open jumper and the Raps had the jump on the Nuggets 8-3. Andrea Bargnani picked up a foul having a tough time guarding Carmelo. It was non-shooting and Denver did not convert. But the next time up the floor the Nuggets would get a Billups 3 pointer and it was tied at 10. Raptors had gone cold after a hot start.

Joey Graham is the first off the bench to replace Andrea Bargnani who had two early fouls. Joey would look to pass it to Bosh but instead turned it over. Nene had a dunk and the Nuggets had a 13-12 lead. Chris Bosh would pick up a foul that was his second as well. Foul trouble was mounting early for the Raptor big men. Nuggets took a Raptor miss and turned it into points on the other end. The Nuggets had built a 17-12 lead. Nuggets continued the run and now had built the lead to 20-12 and it was time to talk it over for Toronto.

Out of the time out Raptors get back on track with a 3 pointer from Jose Calderon. A Jermaine O'Neal block was something that we had missed seeing. He would remind Nene that he was back for the Raps blocking his shot. Bosh hit a long jumper but still were down 6 points with the score 23-17. Joey Graham would pick up a charge and it was showing signs of being a "Bad Joey" night. The Nuggets may lead the league in number of tattoos. But as for the game they lead 27-17. J.R Smith would nail a 3-ball to make the lead 13 points. Joey Graham would get on track with a little hook shot for a score. Nuggets got a Kleiza 3 pointer for a handy 33-19 lead after one.

2nd Quarter

Chancey Billups started the second the way the first ended with a 3 pointer. Andrea Bargnani would answer with a 3-ball of his own. Raptors defense with the second unit looked awful and their shooting was not much better. Nuggets lead was 38-22 early in the quarter. The Raptors were shooting 1-7 to start the second quarter. The lone bucket the Bargnani 3 pointer. Nuggets were scoring at will and this game was looking like the 4th quarter in L.A. The Nuggets lead was 19 points at 45-26 and Sam Mitchell called time but really what could he say? Play defense? Make some shots please? It was really that bad. This bench is just flat out not good and it has been exposed badly thus far on this road trip.

Chris Bosh was back with his 2 fouls. Both he and Bargnani were on the floor with 2 fouls. But given the score the fouls were the least of Raptors concern. A Jose Calderon 3 pointer would get the Raptors a much needed basket. But the score was still a lopsided 47-31 for Denver. Chris Bosh was at the line looking to chip away at this large Denver lead. Bosh would return to the line for another 2 free throws that he would make. Carmelo Anthony would end the little Raptor surge with a basket. But Jermaine O'Neal answered that with a score. Bosh had a basket and thanks to 12-2 run the Raptors cut the lead to 49-39. Chris Bosh and J.O were fighting hard to get the Raptors back in it. J.O had another basket in the post. But Raptors were still down 10 points and could not seem to crack through to get it back to single digits. Carmelo Anthony would score to put the Nuggets back up by a dozen with score 55-43. Jermaine O'Neal had his 3rd foul and now all 3 Raptor bigs were battling foul trouble. Chris Bosh had 16 points and 10 rebounds but his Raptors were still getting handled despite that. Late in the half and Bosh picked up his 3rd foul and the Nuggets lead had expanded to 16 points at 61-45. A Joey Graham turnover seemed a fitting way to end the half. But the Nuggets would get 3 more from Billups at the buzzer. He had 21 in the first half and the Nuggets lead 64-45 at the half. Brutal stuff.

3rd Quarter

These are the times that being the Dino Blogger is not so fun. Raptors shot 37% in the first half and the Nuggets 52%. That is why this game was the way it was. The second half was more of the same. Less than 4 minutes into the third quarter it was 71-49 for the Nuggets. But I am stuck here having to watch the rest of this. If I was just a fan I'd be hitting the video game by now. The story of this game if not for a miracle had been told. The beat down was continuing as Nene scored. The Nuggets were flat out embarrassing the Raptors with a score of 77-51. The Raptors had combined lousy shooting with an equal effort on defense and this was the result. The return of Jermaine O'Neal would not serve as any kind of inspiration.

I have long been a supporter of Sam Mitchell but if he does not get this team on track in short order I think his days are numbered as coach of the Raptors. It is not the fact the Raptors are losing to better teams. It is how they are losing these games. It seems that this team is lost and not with any fight in it. The Raptors were down 31 points with the score 84-53. I mean this is just totally unacceptable. I can only imagine what Bryan Colangelo is thinking in watching this game. He can not be pleased on any level at all. If this is the end of the Sam Mitchell era it is a brutal ending for him. Not saying he could be fired tomorrow but if I heard that he was would I be shocked after this performance? Not really. In defending Sam I always pointed how his teams always fought hard and never gave up. This team was showing no signs of that fight and spirit. As I debate Sam Mitchell's future with you his Raptors gave up 100 points in 3 quarters. The Raptors were getting brutalized 100-68 after 3 quarters.

4th Quarter

I have no idea what to write about at this point. Down 32 points in the 4th quarter says about all that needs to be said. Nothing was changing and this was getting to be humiliating for everyone connected to the Raptors. 109-70 and it was far from over. Matt Devlin was trying to point out that these were key minutes for guys like Ukic and Adams and the rest. But sorry, Matt may be right but I really did not care. Joey Graham was playing well in garbage time but he played like garbage when it counted so does it really matter? The score was 111-75 and the 8:30 could not roll of the clock fast enough.

I want to say it again. It is not that the Raptors are losing. The Nuggets are 11-3 since Chancey Billups had come to Denver. It was the way this team was losing the game. It just was an awful lack luster performance that needed to be addressed. Hassan Adams couldn't even make a free throw shot I mean gimme a break. How the heck did he make this team in the first place. As I debate a lot of things in my head the score line was still just as brutal 121-81 with a little under 5 minutes to play. The Raptors will not play again until Friday on national t.v on ESPN. If things are anything like this we are talking a North American wide disaster. I hope at least for a Sam Mitchell classic blow up after this game. Any sign to show me that people care about what is going on here. I mean they obviously do care. No one wants to be humilated like this. Speaking of which the score was 128-87 with 2:18 to play. I am happy to report this game is almost over. That is likely the happiest news of the night. Make the final Nuggets 132-93.

I will not be responsible for anyone that is brave enough to look at the box score of this game. But if you want to see what a truly brutal boxscore looks like this would be about as bad as it gets.

Raps/Nuggets Boxscore

Raps Look To Take Advantage

The Toronto Raptors could catch some breaks in the next two games. The key is can they even take advantage of this at this point? Those breaks? Well let's start with tonight. Carmelo Anthony may not be in the line-up for the Nuggets. Here is what Carmelo had to say about his injured elbow.

Carmelo Anthony- "I couldn't even dribble the basketball," he said. "I tried to lift my son up after the game and I couldn't even do that."-NBA.Com

So could he be recovered enough to play a game just 2 days later? If you are a Raptor Fan you hope not. Meanwhile the Raptors have their own injured star they wait for to return. Could Jermaine O'Neal be ready for tonight in Denver? I have no information on if he will be or not. But to start a return in the high altitude of Denver? That would seem like a bit of a challenge for a guy that has not been on the floor for a little bit. The more likely return date for O'Neal seems to be in Utah on Friday. There is more chances for Raptors to catch some breaks. Both Carlos Boozer and Andre Kirilenko are having injury issues for them.

But the one thing that both teams will have is two great point guards in Chancey Billups and Deron Williams. Billups has brought change to Colorado. He played his college ball at University of Colorado and had been with the Nuggets in his NBA career. But now as a veteran and one of the top point guards in the game he has had a huge impact on Denver. The Nuggets are 8-2 in their last 10 games under Billups direction. They have been 6-2 overall on their home floor this season. In short it will be tough for Toronto, with or without J.O, and if or if not Carmelo Anthony plays regardless.

Rogers Loses It's Leader

Ted Rogers the head of the Rogers empire has passed away. Rogers was the owner of the Fan 590 and many other media companies under the Rogers empire. The Fan 590 is the radio broadcaster of the Raptors. But it is the cable company that has been the issue for Raptor fans. The lack of a deal between Rogers and TSN over TSN2 has been a sore point for Raptor Fans. It is unclear if this will have any impact on those issues. But regardless of that fact Rogers death or the death of anyone is sad event for many people. Rogers is also the owner of the Toronto Blue Jays. I offer my condolences to all of the people who have been impacted by this news. Many of the guests in this blog are employees of that company. Eric Smith, Paul Jones and Jack Armstrong all work for the Fan 590. But most of all to this man's family I offer my condolences to them. Despite what anyone thinks about the business dealings that have impacted the Raptors and the fans, it is not as important as life and death. Rogers was 75 years old. If you would like to read more on this there is a link below.

Article From Toronto Star On Rogers Death

Nets Are A Playoff Contender?

It really seems like the Nets are for real. Devin Harris is on fire for the Nets and Vince Carter has not had reason to be concerned about what was suppose to be a rebuilding process in Jersey. The Nets have had big wins as they like the Raptors have been on the west coast. The comeback win they had in Toronto has served as a spring board for the Nets. The Raptors will be watching the Nets with interest in both the short and long term. In the short term the Raptors will be facing the Nets twice before Santa comes to visit us. But also being in the Atlantic Division they will also be a rival for playoff position. It was though heading into this season that it would be the Sixers and Raptors in a battle for second place behind the Celtics. But now add the New Jersey Nets to that mix. They have shown at least early that they are a factor. Beyond Harris and Carter the play of rookie Brook Lopez who was expected to be drafted higher but fell to the Nets has been doing very well for them off the bench.

Blogger M.V.P and ROY Rankings

This is the 2nd edition of the Blogger rankings for M.V.P and R.O.Y. These rankings come from bloggers from around the NBA. My personal votes for M.V.P went to Lebron James and R.O.Y to O.J Mayo. To see the results of voting and some music to go along with each spot you can check out round 2 of our NBA Countdown of sorts. That is about as close as I will ever be to sounding like a V.J on Muchmusic.

Blogger Ranks For MVP and ROY- Round 2

Our Contest Deadline Is Almost Here

Contest for Tickets to see Return of T.J Ford with me the Dino Blogger is running out fast. You have till December 3rd midnight to tell me why you are the best Raptor Fan and Fan of Dino Nation Blog. Thanks to Raptorman.CA for providing the prize for this contest.

Send those entries to me at dinonationblog@sourcecable.net

I had made an mistake yesterday and it said .ca instead of .net. But it was corrected sorry for the mistake.

Personal Note

So that is it for now till tonight in Denver. On a personal note my mother will be having some minor eye surgery tomorrow so if there is some delays or issues over the next few days please understand that is why. But I will still be doing my work just might be a little out of the normal routine you have become use too. Thanks for understanding as I am sure you will. May have no impact at all but just wanted to leave a note in case it did.

UPDATE INJURY NEWS ( 2:30 PM)

Matt Devlin is reporting that both Carmelo Anthony and Jermaine O'Neal are expected to play tonight for their respective teams. Seems that despite my thoughts both are going to go. That is why I am a blogger and not a doctor I guess. This game is on The Score at 9pm with Matt and Leo calling the action. To check out the details please visit Matt Devlin Blog. linked for you below:

Devlin Says J.O and Melo Are Expected To Play Tonight