Gaines Out, Johnson In , Ajinca ???

Raptors may be lacking wins this year but not roster moves. It would appear that the Raptors have decided to not renew Gaines to another 10-day contract and have decided to go with another option from the D-League. Trey Johnson is the latest to become a Raptor it would appear. Scott Carefoot of The Score had a link to this article on Fanhouse with info on the latest Raptor. Johnson as you will read he is a combo guard and in effect could play both positions where Gaines likely could not. That would be my guess as to why we see Johnson in and Gaines out. Still no official word from Raptors on Gaines being gone other then we know his 10-day contract ended on Saturday. Also no confirmation on the Johnson signing so if he is in the house for the Raptors game tonight at the ACC vs Memphis is up in the air at this point.

I have to say that with all these guys getting signed to 10 day contracts it gives the Raptors the feel of an expansion team. But we are in year 16 now. Obviously injuries have been a major factor in this as well. Mark Cuban meantime says he is confident the signing of Peja will go through and a move that would see Alexis Ajinca come to the Raptors in a deal. Cuban in the article suggested it could all be done as early as today. But again the Raptors have been silent on this issue as well.

All this news a side I still have groceries to shop for so if any of this gets confirmed check for something from me via Twitter @Dinonationblog. Will have a re-cap of the Raptors and Grizzlies regardless of who happens to be in uniform or not by 7pm.

Pops Mensah-Bonsu To Sign With Raptors

Pops Mensah-Bonsu is said to be signing with the Raptors as soon as today. A few weeks back he was brought in for a look. He is now said to be getting a look from the Raptors for the rest of the season. Here is an old video from You Tube to help you get to know the newest Raptor?



He had a call up with the Spurs and is a player that has had a look from the Mavs as well. He has been a big star of the D-League and averaged 20 plus with the Austin Toros

This is another sign that the Raptors focus is clearly shifting to next season as it should.

Jawai Gets His First Win In D-League

Well I attempted to live blog it, but that didn't work out so well. Nathan Jawai got his first D-League start, wearing 00 like Robert Parish did back in the day. He would see 31 minutes of action, shot 2-7 but 8-11 from the the line and end up with 12 points, 5 rebounds, 3 blocks and 2 steals. Former Raptor Luke Jackson would lead the Stampede with 24 points as they got revenge on division rival Utah. Idaho would get the 104-96 win and go back to first in the Division. Jim Kelly was interviewed at halftime and had some things to say about Jawai. He revealed that Nathan is going to be monitored monthly in regard to his heart condition. He did not feel it was a major concern. He said that the Raptors have no specific plan for Nathan and that how he played would dictate if he remained in Idaho. Not from a numbers point of view but from just getting into game shape. He brought up the fact the Nathan is still very raw and new to the sport of basketball. It seemed that the Raptors would be content to have him be there for the near future at least. Kelly expressed confidence in Bryan Gates who is a former D-League coach of the year. The plan is for Nate to remain and have someone from the Raptors check in on him in about 3 weeks was the time line suggested. It seems clear that Nathan's defense is ahead of his offense at this point and after fouling out in his debut he only had 3 fouls on this night. Below is a complete Boxscore.

Boxscore Idaho/Utah

Dino Nation Blog will continue to keep tabs on Nate while he is in the D-League and keep working with the good folks in Idaho at bringing you some information on both Nathan and the Stampede. Idaho has a break and will not be playing for awhile so Nathan should have a chance to learn things and get to know his team better. They will be playing Utah once again on the road this time.

Dino Nation Blog Heads To D-League

Last week the Raptors acquired Patrick O'Bryant as part of a minor move at the Trade Deadline. O'Bryant was a draft choice of Golden State and spent some time with the Bakersfield Jam who are the affiliate of the Warriors as well as the Orlando Magic. Head Coach of the Jam is Scott Roth and I had a chance to talk about O'Bryant and also got into some things about the D-League itself.

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Some interesting stuff on not only O'Bryant, but the D-League as a whole. Thanks to the folks with the Jam for helping set this interview up. The Raptors, if you didn't know, are now affiliated with the Idaho Stampede. In the future I will attempt to talk with them as well. Nathan Jawai who I mentioned in the blog earlier today may wind up there playing for them. Time will tell on that. O'Bryant seems like a guy that could offer some upside if he can figure things out. Raptors will hope he does and not become a guy stuck on potential like a Jerome Mosio anyone remember him? If you don't it is not a sin. But he was a guy that you would hear a lot about his upside and potential and it never worked out for him. Here is hoping things work out better for Mr. O'Bryant. Thanks to Coach Roth for his insight on Patrick and the league he coaches in. The D-League is something that has opened up doors for a lot of guys, and I would say has been something that has been successful to this point for the NBA. The Raptors have talked about having a team closer to home that they could run in perhaps Hamilton or Buffalo someday. It would be cool for me if it was here in Hamilton. Several teams in the D-League have went that route. Running their own exclusive NBDL franchises. L.A Lakers,San Antonio and Oklahoma City all have their own teams with a single affiliation. It is something the folks at MLSE have looked at doing in the future, at least there has been talk that they have.

Dino Blogger Chats With Eric Smith

Eric Smith stops by for a visit here at the Dino Nation Blog. He has been a big help to the Dino Nation Blog in many ways. The one thing that is obvious is when he pops by to visit and talk with us here. It is always great to have Eric as a guest and I am always happy to have him visit. Today's chat was interesting. Thoughts on Raptors win this past Sunday, Chris Bosh, Shawn Marion, Jay Triano and some other good stuff for you listening pleasure.

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It is great to get Eric's take on things. He is a hard working guy that has done a lot of great work covering the Raptors over the years. I have always had a tremendous amount of respect for Eric. He is always willing to share his thoughts and interact with the fans. I hope he enjoys being a guest here as much as I enjoy having him as one.

Big Nate Speaks

One of the guys I have taken a great interest in on this Raptor Roster is Nathan Jawai. The Dino Nation Blog was one of the first places to tell you about his amazing story and that is something I am proud of. Ryan McNeill over at Hoops Addict had a chance to catch up with Big Nate for a chat. Here is a link to that interview.

Nathan Jawai Interview in Hoops Addict

Dino Blogger In Other Places

Some of you might be aware that I write for a couple magazines beyond just writing the Dino Nation Blog. Here is a link to my latest effort in T.O Sports Magazine. I talk about all that has been going on with the Raptors and it leads me to going back to one of my old dreams or wishes for the Raptors that I just can't seem to let die. I also have an article in the Industry Magazine that talks about Toronto as a future home for All Star Weekend. Eric and a number of others are quoted in that article. When it hits the website I will hook you up with that feature as well.

It maybe a day off on the Raptors schedule but the Dino Blogger is hard at work today. I am going to be doing another interview later today gathering some info on the newest Raptor Patrick O'Bryant. I am going to talk with Scott Roth who is the coach of the Bakersfield Jam in the D-League and coached Patrick there. Hopefully he can give us a look at what type of player he is and what he brings to the Raptors. We may also get into a little bit about the D-League itself and what life is like as coach in that league.