Bobkittens Invade ACC

I am pulling double duty today with covering the game and hosting the MGDDNBVIP Contest winners. So I thought instead of your normal preview, I would ask the guys from the Round Ball Review to handle it. See how they made out?



There was actually a valid point mixed in with all that comedy. The Raptors have indeed been playing better against good teams. It would be easy to over look the Bobcats and think this has an easy win written all over it. Raptors have made it "Fan Night" as well. On Fan Night it is usually against a bad team as some way to draw some interest. Having Naughty By Nature in to perform at halftime is all part of that. It is without saying it, a game on the schedule that both has little interest, and looks like an easy win. To prove my point when Vanilla Ice started this strange tradition of novelty Rap performers at halftime; Do you remember who the Raptors played? The Answer is the New Jersey Nets. I honestly can't remember who was here for Rob Base but I will bet it wasn't anyone good.

While they suggest in the video we cancel the season if the Raptors lose might be a tad extreme. It is worth noting the Bobcats are 1-15 on the road and only have 3 wins on the season. They are on a huge losing streak of 16 in a row. The Raptors need to make it 17 and move along to the next one. If they don't it will wipe away to an extent all the good basketball they have played of late.

Also, be honest how many of you could have named 5 Bobcats? I also wonder what those people that had the draft Kemba Walker sign in their condo window think today? Maybe they will be out at this game to see the guy they wanted the Raptors to draft? Honestly they were not alone though. He has been hot of late with 21 points in his last two games. But as the old expression goes, someone has to score on a bad team. Kemba on the season is averaging 13.1 ppg and is shooting just 36.8% from the field while averaging just 3.6 assists. That doesn't exactly sound like the successor to Jose Calderon does it?

The Starting 5 With Oak

It is a pleasure for me to have talked with for many, one of the most loved Raptors of all time Charles Oakley. We chatted about his thoughts on all this 2010 madness. We look at his time with the Raptors. He also give his thoughts on his desire to coach in the NBA. He gives his thoughts on that and a number of things in the league. We also get into what Charles has done off the floor and what he is up to these days. Charles is looking to start his own cooking show and is involved in a bunch of things including producing movies. It was great to talk with Charles and get his take on a number of subjects. Like any interview I have ever head with Charles there are some interesting and honest answers. This was a great treat for me and I hope it will be for you as well.

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It is always interesting to hear from Charles Oakley and it would be great to see him back as a part of the NBA in some way. If that happens or not is hard to say. However, Charles Oakley will always have things going to keep himself busy and happy. Oakley if he does come back to the NBA, would bring some old school mentality with him and that is a good thing for the league. Whatever Oak does though, he does it with his full effort and it has earned him respect in Toronto, New York and with all NBA fans that watched him play. Much love and thanks to Charles Oakley.

You can follow Charles on Twitter.

Response to this interview was so large it crashed the bandwidth on are normal service. We thank you for the overwhelming response and if you were unable to listen the problem has been corrected and we apologize for this issue.

DNB 5 and 5

This is going to be a short little mini feature that I am going to do in the Dino Nation Blog once in awhile. Feel free to play along at home. I find that in this crazy world of Raptors basketball some of us tend to be far to negative while others are living with their head in the clouds. So in this blog feature we try to bring those 2 ideas together. 5 things to freak out and worry about and 5 things to be excited and happy about. They say life is all about balance. This is my small attempt to bring balance to the Raptor Universe.

5 Up!!!

1. Granted it was not a great night last night but Demar DeRozan is bringing back that WOW factor to the Raptors. You remember how that felt when Vince Carter would throw down a dunk and make you jump out of your chair. Heir Canada has that ability to do it and it is great to have it back in the mix.

2. Charles Oakley- how I missed his no nonsense reality, it may have only been for one night, but it was nice to have it back. Oakley has no filter at all and tells you what he thinks and believes with no apologies.

3. Twitter always gets a thumbs up. I enjoy it for hearing from readers players and broadcasters. I may not have embraced all the changes in this modern world. But Twitter is one that I have. Yesterday I made my 5000th tweet. It has been a fun ride on Twitter. Thanks to all the folks that follow me @dinonationblog.

4. CB4- He has been doing all he can every game. If you buy into the fact he is as good as gone next year. You sure could not tell it from his play on the floor. I don't of course and hope that Bosh can continue this amazing start and have a great season and bring the Raps along for the ride.

5. Andrea Bargnani- 12 rebounds...12 rebounds....I never thought I would see the day. Andrea really has turned a corner and in the past I had my doubts about this guy but I have become convinced he is going to at very least be good. So pasta for everyone and the 50 million contract that concerned me at first is more and more looking like a steal.


5 Down

1. Jose Calderon's Defense is a growing concern and a problem. We heard all the excuses last season with injuries and all of that. He was injured but he was not a good defender before the injury and he is not after it. Bottom line is talking about is great but like the man listed about at #2 you got to be about it and back up that talk. Jose Calderon is an expert in spelling NBA players names and the numbers they wear. Why? Simple because he sees them all blowing past him on the back of jerseys.

2. Raps TV. What did we do to deserve 30 minutes less of pre-game and post game? Why do I care about the Leafs, Toronto FC or what band is coming into the ACC? Oh that is right, I don't and the fact MLSE is so obviously turning the station into an MLSE infomercial is sad. I like Matt Devlin, Adnan Virk, Paul Jones, Jack Armstrong and some of the other folks on there. IT IS NOT THEIR FAULT. The fact this network has taken steps backwards instead of forwards makes me sad. Raptor fans deserve far better.

3. NBA Schedule Maker sure does not like the Raps does he? The month of November is no fun at all. Look for him (NBA Schedule maker) to return to this feature in the up section in Feb/2010.

4. Raps have the silly streak of games making a consecutive 3 pointer. I lost count at where it is at. But in that same streak how many 3's have we given up. It is time to FINALLY ADDRESS GUARDING THE PERIMETER!!!

5. My fantasy teams. I did my best to draft quality teams and I have players dropping like flies and am taking a fantasy beat down in the early season. If this keeps up I may have to fire myself as Fantasy GM of my teams.

So that is it. Share your 5 ups and downs in the comments or we have that lovely chat feature over on the right there. You can use that to talk about this or any other blog as well as the Raps and the NBA. It is free to use so take advantage of it..so few things are these days.

Oak, V.C and Pistons

How Ironic is it that a team struggling on the defensive end of the floor they are going to honour and celebrate Charles Oakley. It was said Oakley has some interest in coaching. I suggested why not here? If for no other reason that quotes would be entertaining. Sam Mitchell has nothing on the Oak man for telling it like it is. Jay Triano might be wise to have a talk with Oakley and see if he has interest in coaching as an assistant. If you think I am lying about the quotes, go check out this article in The Toronto Star. Charles Oakley would bring accountability to this organization or die trying. You already have Alvin Williams on the staff so why not add another former Raptor to the mix? It made sense when I thought about it in the summer and it makes sense now. Maybe even for one night by just his presence in the building the Raptors can find that defensive effort that has gone MIA.

This is long over do to honour Oakley here in Toronto. The guy was a big influence on some of those teams that had V.C and the rest. Jeff Van Gundy as it says in that article in The Star speaks highly of Oakley. Calling him the smartest player that Van Gundy has personally ever coached. Reggie Evans is the first guy since Oakley to be anywhere close to him. Good news on that Reggie front as he is said to have started walking around without that protective boot. It won't be long before Reggie is back and he is needed. When I spoke with Reggie at camp he had nothing but respect in terms of talking about Oakley. If you ask any Knick or Raptor fan you would be hard pressed to find one that does not respect Charles Oakley. If you are at the ACC tonight and don't get out of your seat, something is wrong with you.

I am sure Charles Oakley would have a good quote about this next item. The Raps also plan on honouring Vince Carter when the Magic return on the 22nd. When I heard it, I was like are they serious? Vince Carter being honoured in Toronto is just to strange for words. The fact Raptor fans boo the guy has been made part of the video game NBA Live 10. No idea what this acknowledgment or ceremony will be but it should be truly odd. Vince is a huge part of the history of this franchise. It is not a question on if in terms of what he has done should be honoured. However the Raptors know and pretty much everyone in the NBA knows Toronto fans HATE this guy. The Raptors plan on doing the same for other former Raps that come town like Moe P and Matt Bonner. However both left on good terms and are still loved by the fans. I have said in the past that love him or hate him that Vince Carter likely should have his #15 (Currently worn by Amir Johnson) retired. Is this some kind of test balloon to see if that would ever play well? If it is, much like the Balloon Boy, it may leave most filling empty in the end at the results. Some day Raps fans may turn the page and maybe even make it possible to have Vince's number 15 retired as it should be. However that day is not November 22nd 2009, and fans will not cheer V.C in any large numbers. If the Raptors have an arch enemy it is Vince Carter.

On to the current day Raptors that have opportunity knocking as Detroit comes in missing 2 key players in Rip Hamilton and Tayshaun Prince. In the case of Prince it will break a lengthy ironman streak for him. Still the Raps had 3 key guys out for the Magic and could not get the job done. Amir Johnson plays against his former club in Detroit. Perhaps he can add a spark to this game. In addition the Pistons are playing the second half of a back to back coming in off a win over Orlando 85-80. Orlando with V.C back in the line up by the way. The Pistons enter tonight 2-2 and will be one of those teams battling to make the playoffs in the East.

The Raptors need a win bad in this one as they hit the road to play a desperate and frustrated Hornets team, Dallas fresh off a win over the Lakers and the Spurs. None of those games look very promising in finding a win on the road. The pressure on this team is only going to increase as we move forward so they need to get wins when possible and tonight is a night where it should be.

If the Raptors hope to get a win they need to push the pace and try to use the one thing that is going fairly well it's offense. Chris Bosh has been on a tear, and with no more Rasheed Wallace in the Piston line-up, I would expect that will continue. If the Raps are going to have a decent chance at winning, they want to get the score into that magic pizza level and not in the 80's. Take advantage of the Pistons being on that back to back and come out focused and attack early, much like they did against the Cavs in the same position. When the schedule offers you a gift you need to answer the bell and take it.

Jay Triano was on Toronto's Fan 590 talking about his players still trying to get use to Hedo Turkoglu and what he can do in terms of passing and making plays. There is no question that Hedo taking that extended rest in the pre-season is at least costing the Raptors in the short term. Raptors if you think about have yet to see this roster altogether at full strength from the very first day of camp till today. Evans and Wright have also been in and out along with Bosh at the start of camp.

The point guard that finds his game first in Toronto may actually rule the day. Both Jarrett Jack and Jose Calderon have struggled. If it lasts much longer I am going to call it the curse of T.J Ford or the curse of the Horns. The day is fast coming that Jose Calderon will have to prove he can be a decent defender or run the risk of not being a starter or at the very least not playing in the 4th quarter.

Jack Armstrong and Eric Smith were talking about the Raptors defense yesterday on the Game Plan. Jack seems to think the Raps should mix in some zone looks and try to hide the face that this starting 5 is lacking in terms of defense. However you care to look at it the Raps have said they need to get better on defense and that will be the test of Triano as the coach. If he fails to get this team to improve on the defensive end he will unfortunately fail as head coach of this team. That truly is the bottom line of it all. Perhaps Oakley could return on a staff with Jeff Van Gundy some day. He has always been a name you hear thrown out by Raps fans as a possible coach for this team. He fully admits that he would like to go back and coach someday. I would hate to lose him on T.V because he truly has become one of the best at that in such a short time. Jay Triano's job is safe as we speak but if that ever were to change the name Van Gundy will be mentioned as long as he is still sitting at a broadcast table.

Let me make it clear that I am not suggesting Jay Triano's job is in jeopardy after 2 bad losses. Just stating that his time however long or short it will be is going to be defined by how this team will play on the defensive end of the floor. Still regardless of all that is going on with the Raptors it is great to have Charles Oakley back even if it is just for one night. Still it would be nice to have him sitting somewhere on that Raptor sideline on a nightly basis. Coach in charge of accountability ...Charles Oakley!!!!

Jack Armstrong In DNB..But On Twitter?

It is always great to have Jack Armstrong come visit us here at the Dino Nation Blog. Who better to follow up having T.J Ford than one of my favourite guests in Jack. The last time Jack joined us I believe was prior to the NBA Draft. A lot has changed since that time and we go through a lot of the changes. As well we talk about Chris Bosh and his future this season and long term. Demar Derozan, Hedo Turkoglu, Jarrett Jack and others are all talked about. We also address something that a lot of people on Twitter want to know. When will Jack Armstrong be on Twitter? I talk with Jack and give some creative ideas on how we might be able to get Jack Armstrong to join the Twitter Universe. I would not have even tried if I did not feel it was something the people wanted. I also would not have tried if I had not known Jack would have some fun with it. But regardless of if he makes it on to Twitter or not I am always happy to say hello to him and talk basketball. Which is the majority of what we talked about. But I gave it the old college try at the end of the interview to give some ways for Jack to consider joining Twitter. I should have mentioned to him the Jeff Van Gundy is on there. Anyway it is always great chatting with him so hope you enjoy this latest visit from Jack Armstrong.









Hope you enjoyed that interview. Jack is truly a great guy and I consider it a privilege to have him as a guest. He may never get on Twitter but regardless of if he does or does not people will always love Jack. I think that is why so many would like to see him on there in the first place. But he will hopefully always be a guest here on the Dino Nation Blog cause I love having him.

Tough Enough? Got Oak?

Bryan Colangelo made a clear and bold statement after this season. He declared what had been said in the fan base for a long time. This team was not tough enough. So he has gone about changing that this off-season. The most obvious of those moves was his first move in bringing in Reggie Evans for Jason Kapono. Jason had that laid back almost surfer dude approach to life. While Evans is a guy that brings his lunch box to work everyday. I would not expect there is sushi or anything you would find on the menu in the corporate seats at the ACC in that lunch bucket. What defines, what Reggie Evans is all about, is a game where he snagged 20 rebounds and recorded 0 points. Evans knows his role and accepts it freely.

Colangelo would also continue to add some toughness with his draft pick Demar DeRozan. He also was able to bring in Antonie Wright as part of that trade that brought in Hedo Turkoglu to the Raps. Jarrett Jack also was signed and is an upgrade in defense and toughness at the point. This was very lacking last year. Not to mention the Raptors welcomed back tough and gritty former point guard Alvin Williams. He was a selection of Jay Triano to add some toughness to the coaching staff as well.

But with the news a couple days ago that Charles Oakley wants to coach in the league that got people talking. Oakley for years has been the poster boy for when the Raptors were tough. He was the guy who was not afraid to speak his mind about anything. From his belief that 75% of the league were marijuana users, to calling out the team's star at the time Vince Carter. He also once famously popped a guy at a shoot around. Oakley is probably one of the most loved all time players for both both Raptors and Knicks fans.

Jeff Van Gundy in an interview once said that Oakley was the smartest player he has ever coached in the game. High praise from a guy that does not just hand out complements. It is also proof that he just might make a heck of a coach. It sure makes better sense than appearing on the Spike show Pros vs Joes. I can't help but feel sad for any player I see appearing on that show. I think that is like hitting rock bottom in your sporting career no matter what the sport.

Mark Cuban has taught us that there is no limit on the number of coaches you can have. There is no cap to worry about in terms of coaches. I found it so curious why the Raptors seem to have no interest. Why not? If the goal in to get tougher, be better on D, and have some accountability does Oakley not address all of that. He did as a player. Could he not do the same as a coach?

The word is that the Knicks maybe where he wants to land. However why not make a pitch to get him back in Toronto. People don't seem to like when I mention the concept of PR. But there is no question it is a slam dunk in that aspect. However based on all of the that I have said above it may make solid basketball sense as well.

Would Toronto not welcome Oakley back with open arms? MLSE can not really use a tax or a cap and an excuse not to get this done. Sadly it looks like it will not happen. Just another chapter to the Charles Oakley legend in Toronto. What if we had brought in Oakley as a coach? I have no doubt that Oakley could develop into a very good coach. The toughest thing for him to learn will be how to tone down his over the top personality. If you thing Sam Mitchell was over the top at times. Imagine what a Charles Oakley presser might look like after a bad loss? Oh the entertaining possibility much more entertainment than a Terrell Owens reality show or a Starbury Ustream that never ends.

Just want to thank everyone for what was a big day for Dino Nation Blog yesterday. It is really cool when the blog does something big like that. Anytime that happens I get a lot of folks that offer me some praise and get to chat with a lot of my readers. The support of you folks that have found and come back on a daily basis is humbling and greatly appreciated. If you found it through Facebook, Twitter or on The Score.com or somewhere else does not matter. The fact that you read each day and show me both kindness and love is, it also is motivating to keep me working hard not just for myself but for you.

Someone who has shown me a lot of kindness is going to be my guest in the Starting 5 later this afternoon...The Coach...Jack Armstrong. I will be talking with him late this afternoon so you can expect to see that interview up and posted sometime this evening. We have a ton to talk about with all the changes made by this team. Looking forward to it.