"NBAz in 7 Dayz"

This is "Jiggly Bits" with a new title. You are still getting the same great NBA coverage and stories crossing my radar from around the league in the last 7 days - not to worry. I just felt we needed a jazzier title to befit our lively discussions. I am just wondering what Mr. Flynn, my high school English teacher, will say about the title. "Danielle, Z's instead of S's?" My response? Sometimes, creativity forces you to bend the rules a little. However, this does not apply to New Jersey Nets' leading scorer, Devin Harris. The Nets played the Clippers Monday night and Devin Harris decides to vent on DeAndre Jordan's interception of his pass. Jordan goes long to Blake Griffin and Harris decides to pull him down to the floor from behind with 6:42 left in the second quarter. Do you know what they called it? A Grade Two flagrant foul committed against Griffin. Perfect title since Harris' behaviour is reminiscent of the grade school playground variety. Really? You are upset someone intercepts your pass and you take it out on the rookie who received the pass from the player you are really upset at? Even with all "it was the game emotions talking" arguments aside, wouldn't you just suck it up, go to the bench if you had to, cool off and take it out on the Clippers by coming out full force in the third quarter? Grade Two or even gravely juvenile is right. Incidentally, Blake Griffin landed hard on his left shoulder, but stayed in the game and made one of his two free throws. Not bad but the key words here are "stayed in the game". Devin Harris needs to work on this through mind, body and spirit. Today, let's discuss LeBron James' Person of the Year Award nomination, Kobe Bryant speaking out on NBA salary reductions and "Cablegate".

LeBron James - TIME Magazine's Person of the Year?

Let's just say LeBron James would not have unanimous support for this title, not even from himself. Every year since 1927, TIME Magazine gives this recognition to the person or group who "has done the most to influence the events of the year". Clearly, he meets the criteria. But look who he is up against: President Barack Obama. But he won in 2008 and by defacto he is nominated because he is the President of the United States. I would go with others on the list of nominees like Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert for their Stop the Insanity Campaign or to the Chilean Miners who were trapped underground for two months and captured the attention of millions around the world. LeBron James agrees by saying it's just crazy he's even nominated in the same breath as the miners and should be nowhere near that list. Maybe. However, the qualifying criteria for this award doesn't specify what you did to influence the events of the year, it is recognizing who was the biggest story good or bad. So maybe it is a good thing if LeBron doesn't get it. This may be the reason he's distancing himself from it. Just another reason to fuel the fire.

"Owners need to look in the Mirror" - Kobe Bryant

When asked about the $750 million to $800 million dollar reduction in players salaries being looked at by owners, Kobe Bryant told CBSSports.com "I think the owners need to look in the mirror. They need to make the right judgment themselves and stop trying to force us players to be the ones to make adjustments". Kobe Bryant is the highest paid player in the league and surely does not want to see a pay cut. This is the way I see it. Look at your Hydro bill. You give a company money to provide you with a much needed service. They take your money and use it however they see fit to administer the service. If those decisions lead to shortfalls, they are not going to cut their own salaries, they will put the burden back on you in the form of a debt retirement charge of some sort. I see the same thing happening in the NBA. Sure, it's hard to relate to a $30 million a year salary but look at it from a purely employer-employee perspective. The employer makes some bad business decisions, have got themselves in a hole and now the employees are pegged to pay for it. This is the source of any lockout or strike of any kind. Let's pretend the players agree to a pay cut. Do you think for one second the owners will say one day "Ok. We are back on track. Here's your old salary back"? That would be a big no. Let's face it. This dispute over salaries will not be resolved anytime soon. There's a good chance we will have an NBA lockout next season so enjoy this one while you can.

"Great teammate, great friend" - Jose Calderon on Chris Bosh

Chris Bosh had a chance to reunite with old friends and foes Saturday night when the Heat hosted the Toronto Raptors. For once, Chris Bosh was getting the bulk of the media attention since he was playing against his old teammates. His Miami Heat beat the Raptors 109-100 and was willing to speak to the media, as he always has, to share his thoughts on the game. I think it's funny how he gets the Magic Johnson Media Award this year for being so accessible, so understanding of the nature of a journalist's job and has been described as: "never been disrespectful, never shied away from what was asked for him and has been a superstar without the superstar attitude". Yet, he is not being afforded the same respect. Take for instance the issue surrounding his cable while living in Canada. I think someone of his stature would know whether or not he gets NBA League Pass. He was regarded as anti-Canada because he claimed he did not have good cable while in this country. He actually said he did not get NBA League Pass in the building he was in and was not complaining about the cable in Canada or living in Toronto for that matter. I agree his "should I stay or should I go" tweets may have been a little suspect but there have been worse tweets than that. He stayed true to himself and made a business decision as a free agent. Plain and simple. Want to know what I respect most about him? When asked the "would you do anything different" question, he didn't bow to the pressure of winning over the haters and said yes like LeBron did. I respect Chris Bosh both as a player and as a person. I think he is entertaining to watch and will follow him no matter what team he is on. However, the image of him in a Raptors uniform is far from a distant memory.

Be sure to join me this Thursday for more pre-game Raptor opponent analysis in "Behind Enemy Lines". I want you armed with the right tools when watching Raptors' games next week to help you think outside the box. See you then.

Raptors Rewind- So Long V.C For Another Year Edition

So Jalen Rose is more talked about now then when he was a Raptor. All this talk about Chris Bosh and 2010 is making me sick to my stomach. It doesn't help that the snow is falling outside and add the fact this game is on TSN 2, boy am I happy about the state of things. Oh yeah and Raptors are still in a hole with no signs of help coming. It really all is quite depressing. But at least I know Vince Carter will be smiling win or lose for his Nets. If you could have wrote a worse script for this season for the Raptors I could not imagine how you could top the reality. Nets lead this season series 2-1 winning both games in Toronto. So if you still have playoff hopes for this team this is a big game. A win by the Nets would give them a important tie breaker over the Raptors.

1st Quarter

Here we go. The tip went all the way out of bound and Nets would inbound from base line and Anderson nailed a 3 pointer. Anthony Parker made a baseline jumper and Nets answered with 3 pointer. Jose Calderon would answer with a 3 pointer of his own. Vince Carter who turned 32 on Monday would make a 3 pointer. I once again forgot to send Vince a birthday card, what was I thinking. Andrea Bargnani would get a nice basket in the paint. But as they say at the IZOD did you see V.C for 3? I think that is how it goes. Parker hit a jumper but V.C had another 3 pointer he had 4 early on. Nets lead it 15-10 with 7:15 to play in the first. Devin Harris would get to the line fouled by Bargnani. He would make both from the line. Harris would later get the steal and score and the Nets had a 9-2 run and lead 21-12.

Vince now taking it to the hole driving by a helpless Jose and had an average variety dunk. He would have another thrown down later that was more impressive. Carter had 16 points and Nets lead 25-12 with about 5 minutes to go. Chris Bosh would get to the line and split a pair. A.P was about the only Raptor having a decent night as he made another jumper. Jose Calderon would make a play on defense and get a steal and scores a lay up on the break. But Simmons would make a 3 pointer for the Nets in response. J.O would take it at the rookie Brook Lopez for a score.The Nets would still lead 27-19 with a time out on the floor. Andrea Bargnani would make a long 2 pointer and pull the Raptors to down just 6 on the strength of a 9-2 run for the Raptors. But Keyon Dooling would make a 3 pointer but the shot clock expired before the shot left Dooling. Raptors would have .7 seconds left. A long pass would get stolen and that was the end of the first quarter. Nets lead 27-21 after 1 quarter of play.

2nd Quarter

Thanks to long delay to determining things about Dooling and his shot there was no break and we got going right away with the second quarter. Joey Graham would start the quarter getting to the line but he could only split a pair. Najera would get a basket for the Nets. Graham would answer with a basket. Nets lead it by 5 with the score 29-24. Roko would turn it over and Dooling would get to the line fouled by O'Neal. Dooling would make his pair from the line. Devin Harris would have a nice stop on a dime jumper. Kapono would make a 3 pointer and Dooling would answer with a 3 pointer of his own. However Bargnani would add another 3 pointer for the Raptors. It was 36- 30 in a 3 point shot a-thon at the Izod Center. Bosh would have back to back baskets with a Dooling 3 pointer in between the Bosh scores. Brook Lopez would get set up by Devin Harris and he would get an easy two. Nets still leading it 41-34 with 5 minutes to play in the half.

J.O would get caught fouling Devin Harris from behind the arc. Harris would make all 3 from the line. The Nets were now up but 10 with the score 44-34. Anthony Parker would make a pair from the line. However Bobby Simmons would make a 3 pointer. Parker would answer for the Raptors with a 3 pointer. Parker would get another 3 pointer later on and he had 16 keeping the Raptors in this game. Raptors had cut the lead to just 4 points with the score 49-45 Nets with 1:56 to play in the half. Vince Carter would get to the line and make a pair as he had been quiet after a hot first quarter. Chris Bosh would make a jumper. The Raptors would be in foul trouble after that as Bargnani picked up his 3rd foul and J.O already had 3. Simmons split a pair from the line. Bosh would drive on Lopez and score plus a foul that he would make. Raptors were down just 2. But Vince Carter would make a jumper to extend that to 4. Raptors would call a time out and look to get a final score with a last possession. The Raptors would throw the ball away and not be able to close any closer. Nets have not trailed in this game as they lead 54-50 at the half.

3rd Quarter

So Vince Carter had 20 but the Nets only lead by 4. Still I just did not like what I was seeing from the Raptors. The Nets were getting to many looks from long range and making a high percentage of them. Raptors were shooting a blazing percentage behind the arc but had not as many attempts. Bosh makes a jumper to open the scoring in the second. Jamario Moon would get a big block that went out of bounds. The Nets would not score though. A.P would hit another 3 pointer and give the Raptors their first lead. Calderon would follow with another 3 pointer and the Raptors had an 8-0 run to start the quarter and lead by 4. Nets would end the run with a Brook Lopez score he would score again on an alley oop feed from V.C. It was all even at 58. Brook Lopez was not done scoring with a jumper over Bosh to give the Nets the lead back with score 60-58. Vince Carter would miss get his own rebound and make a jumper. The Nets answer the Raptors 8-0 run with one of their own. Raptors would call a time out to talk it over.

Out of the time out a terrific alley oop feed from Calderon to Moon. After that though bad news for the Raptors as Andrea Bargnani picked up his 4th foul. Bosh missed a turn around jumper that could have tied it but he missed. Nets got the rebound and Harris would drive and score and was fouled by Bosh. Harris made the and one and the Nets leaf by 5. Jose Calderon would hit a jumper to get the Raptors to with in 3. Jamario Moon would make a 3 pointer to tie the game at 65. The Raptors were getting it done from long range. The Nets would get baskets from Lopez and Harris. Calderon would answer with a 3 ball he had 11 points and 11 assists. Raptors still trailed 69-68. Vince Carter would get fouled by J.O which normally I would encourage. However that would be J.O's 4th foul to go along with Bargnani with 4. Back to back baskets by Jose and he had 15 points and the Raptors had the lead back 72-71 with 3:16 to go in the quarter. Keyon Dooling out of the time out would hit a 3 pointer to put the Nets back in front. Jamario Moon would make a jumper and tie it at 74. Jamario was having one of the best games he has had in a long time. Joey Graham would get to the line and make a pair to put the Raptors back in front. Kapono would get to the line as well and make a pair and Raptor lead was 4 with 1:30 to go. Nets had gone ice cold from long range. They were now a 9-25 from behind the are. The Raptors mean while would get a split 1-2 effort from Parker at the line but Raps got the rebound and Jason Kapono would make a 3 pointer. Devin Harris would get fouled right at the buzzer by Jake Voskhul. sending him to the line. Raptors had an 8 point lead that Harris would look to cut to 6. He could only go 1-2 and the Raptors lead it 84-77 after 3 quarters of play. It is clear my bad feeling heading into the quarter was dead wrong. Not that I am unhappy about that.

4th Quarter

So could the Raptors hang on to the 7 point lead. Not a good start as Devin Harris opened the quarter with a 3 pointer. Josh Boone would be fouled to cut the lead more but he is not a good shooter. He missed both from the stripe. Jason Kapono would get the first two points for the Raptors in the quarter. Calderon continues another great night in his return to the line up making a jumper and a time out for the Nets down 8 points with the score 88-80 with 10:13 to play. Dooling would miss an easy lay up and Joey Graham would score on the other end. The Raptors had their largest lead of the night at 10. A Dooling 3 ball would cut the lead to 7 points but Jermaine O'Neal would answer with a basket and they lead 94-85.

Devin Harris had a nice play but it was called back for offensive interference. Brook Lopez would get a basket but Graham would answer and Joey G had a dozen. Lopez would get another basket and Devin Harris would draw a foul and get to the line with the score 96-89. That would be number 5 on J.O. Harris could only split 1-2. Raptors would not be able to score and Nets would get the ball only to have it eventually picked off by Moon. Raptors lead it 96-90 with just under 6 minutes to go in this one. Chis Bosh would beat the Nets zone defense by making a jumper to give the Raptors an 8 point advantage. Joey Graham would score and get fouled and have a chance to give the Raptors a 12 point lead which he would. Joey had 15 and Raptor lead 102-90.

The Nets would get a much needed 3 pointer. Devin Harris would get fouled with 3:39 to go and Harris looking to cut the lead some more. He would make a pair. Devin Harris would get called for a travel as he was looking to cut the lead some more. He took a shot in the face as well. But The Raptors had suddenly gone cold and Keyon Dooling hit a 3 pointer and the Raptors 12 point lead had been trimmed to 4. Raptors lead was 102-98 with 2:59 to play. Chris Bosh would make a much needed jumper out of the time out. But Bobby Simmons would make another 3 pointer. Bosh would get to the line looking to extend a 3 point lead at 104-101. He would make the pair with 2:17 to go. Bosh would get a block on a Simmons shot and Parker would be fouled. He could only make 1 of 2 and Raptors lead 107-101. Simmons would air ball a 3 point attempt and Raptors were looking good to win 3 in a row for the first time sine the season started. But Vince Carter said not so fast making a 3 point and the score was 107-104. Lopez would block a Bosh shot but clearer looked like he was fouled. No call and ball went out of bounds and the Nets would have the ball with 43 seconds left. A time out for Lawrence Frank to try and make a play that would help his team get a win. Devin Harris would drive to the hoop for the easy 2 points. Raptors had the ball only up 107-106 and would be Jay Triano now calling for time out. There was still 37.8 on the clock as Harris took little time to get that score. Jose Calderon would miss a jumper and the Nets would not call for time and play it out. Devin Harris would make a great move and have an open jump shot he would create but he would miss it. Parker had the rebound and it was all over. Raptors hang on to win 107-106.

Raps/Nets Boxscore

Jose Calderon was huge with 17 points, 11 assists and 3 assists. The Raptors also get good news with a Bucks lost on the out of town score board. That is who the Raptors face next heading into on a 3 game win streak. This will be one of those was the glass half full or half empty kind of games. Raptors have had their share of bad breaks this season so it was about time karma let one fall their way.

Matt Devlin Part 2 From California

Before we get to the second half of my chat with Matt Devlin. Some thoughts on last night. The Raptors had chances to win that basketball game and did not make it happen. It was made painfully clear that this team needs more talent plain and simple. Chris Bosh and Jose Calderon both had excellent personal nights. Jermaine O'Neal was for the most part not able to play in this game with the flu. The team beyond that produced very little. Jay Triano was giving everyone a chance for the most part and no one was really answering the call. It was an extremely painful loss when you consider what lies ahead for this team in this 3 game homestand. Now on to what Matt Devlin had to say yesterday in our interview as it continued after the starting 5 audio portion.

In this conversation with Matt it was more along the lines of topics as opposed to individual questions. The first topic we got into was Andrea Bargnani. Jack Armstrong has been firm in sticking with Andrea and feeling he can be a productive player. I started this topic with Matt's general impressions of Andrea as of late (This Interview Was Conducted Prior To Last Night's Game )

Matt Devlin-" I think that over the last two games you have seen the flashes that we talked about. Number one he has scored in double figures in back to back games for the first time since November. That is certainly significant. Ultimately for Andrea it is up to him. Forget about the pressures, forget about everything. It is up to you, it is your 3rd year. While there has been coaching changes and position changes, he really just has to come to grips with things and let it go. I got to be me and just play. I think if he does that and tries to play free and easy that will really benefit him."

I went on to ask Matt if there is concern in moving Andrea because he may finally get it. There is also the fact that on another roster that Andrea could be able to play as a 4. Which has to been to me what Bargnani sees himself as in terms of a position.

Matt Devlin-" That is a good one, I don't know if you have an answer for that. That answer is for Andrea. I think one of the most difficult things to do is figure out why someone is struggling. Why are they doing this when it appears that they have the ability to do special things. How do you get inside Andrea's mind? You can ask him the questions but is that ultimately how he is really feeling? I don't know.

It is like one of the great unknowns in sports and in life. When gifted talent.... Jack and I talked about this... you are gifted and everyone knows you are gifted. There is another part to that and that is putting it altogether and that is part of the gift. Do you have the ability to put it altogether? That is an unknown right now when it comes to Andrea. Bargnani is in my opinion extraordinarily talented, he has the capabilities to do a lot. But can he do it I don't know."

It is the same type of situation with a guy like Joey Graham. However people expect more from Andrea based on where he was selected and perhaps they should. But that may be part of the problem as well that Andrea Bargnani will always be judged by that first overall selection. In a recent conversation with Paul Jones we had talked about the idea of a sports psychologist being on staff. It could benefit a number of the Raptors you would think with all that has gone on with this team as individuals and as a team. I asked Matt for his take on the idea.

Matt Devlin " This is the third organization I have been with and they have all the resources. Bryan Colangelo is first class at everything that he does. He has surrounded this team with the best of everything. If it is needed it is there.

Technically they do not have one on staff but they have the resources for that. There is technically no team in the league that has one on staff full time. But if they feel or a player feels they need something like that they get it. From my understanding with the people that I have spoken to that they have that ability. If anybody on the team want to go to someone that is there. Everybody now uses like these "life coaches". They will tell you to unleash the power with in. Those things are important for people to reach their potential for any player or in life. But I think it comes down to the individual themselves and do they want it. Do you want to be the best? Michael Jordan said he wanted to be the best and he was gifted and made himself the best. Kobe Bryant is gifted but still puts the time in on the floor. There is a lot of people that say they want to be but then they don't back it up. There is the odd person that is just truly talented and doesn't have to work that hard and take it for granted."

I can only speak for myself but if this losing keeps up I may need a psychologist. I mentioned to Matt that Jay Triano is a big believer in this kind of thing. It was mentioned in the interview with Paul Jones how he used that resource with Team Canada in 2000. The record has not been good for Jay Triano since taking over the team. However it seems the team is buying into what he is trying to but in place. I asked Matt to talk about Jay and how he thinks it is going with him and the players as far as their relationship and faith in him

Matt Devlin " I think all the players have reacted positively towards him. That is one of the things that I think everyone notices. He is somebody that has earned his stripes that has been around the organization. Players and people respect his opinion and his approach cause they see the amount of hard work he has put in. Those are important things. You have to have that and that is something that Jay has provided. So from an environment standpoint that has been a big bonus for the team.

From a philosophical standpoint everyone has already talked about what he has been attempting and trying to do. There are times in which those things are getting done. From the players perspective I think they all understand now what the approach is going to be game in and game out. That is extremely important. Jay has a respect of the players based upon his work with them, his scouting of other teams and the fact that he has put it his time. Those are important and they help build a positive environment to help build together as a team. This team is very close to putting some things together but unfortunately for them it has just be a very difficult schedule. They just have not had that break in the schedule to catch their breath. You also have to take advantage of chances like they had in Oklahoma City."

Golden State may fall in that same column of chances not taken advantage of. The other thing that has been an issue is getting Chris Bosh and Jermaine O'Neal firing at the same time. Last night was another example of that chemistry and the chance to build on it lost. I am not blaming O'Neal he gave it a try and looked every bit the part of a guy that was sick. But even when both have been healthy Bosh and O'Neal have had few nights where they both have been a force. I asked Matt for his thoughts on that relationship and if it was working on the floor?

Matt Devlin " They had it together the other night and that is important. But it just takes time obviously. I think that it is working but it just takes time. It is a lot easier said than done. When you look to the other night they played well together. But I think key now is they just need some help. In that game the other night the need Kapono to knock down some shots and that didn't happen. They combined for 46 points in that game what more can you want?"

But it just seems that those nights have not been the norm to me. There is still times where you see Bosh and O'Neal not on the same page where one will pass to the other and catch that person off guard. Small minor details that just have yet to come together.

Matt Devlin " I think there is some validity to that. They are still trying to find what works for both. I think both have a bit of different styles. That is just something that takes time to sort out. I know what your saying and it is not easy. You say that if one is able to get it how come the other can not. But when you look at the last game that is more representative with the exception of rebounds from O'Neal. That game was more representative of what you want to see, Bosh had 29 and J.O had 17, from shot distribution standpoint and getting to the line. "

But in that game against Portland the Raptors did not win. They have not been able to find a way to win over quality opposition this season. They have at times struggled even against lesser teams. But to be able to get on the type of run they are going to need to breath back life into their season they must find a way to beat the better teams. I asked Matt for his thoughts on how the Raptors can break through.

Matt Devlin " That is all part of the process. I remember Hubie Brown always talking about, one of the steps is being on the road with 4 minutes to go and being in the game. That is a huge step for a team in the process. For the Raptors they need to get there. The other thing and I have talked about this with a lot of people around the NBA. There is no natural progression. Just because you make it to the playoffs one year or the Eastern Conference Final or The Finals does not earn you the right to get back the next year. There are other teams out there looking to do that same exact thing."

Matt had said he was chatting with assistant coaches with Portland and they were saying how many losses it has taken for the Blazers just to get to where they are at in being considered a team in the playoff mix. But the difference with the Blazers and Raptors from my perspective is look at how young the Blazers are. The Raptors have a lot of established players. Bargnani would be the exception but everyone else beyond Roko and Nathan Jawai are experienced players. The Raptors took a risk to get better and to this point that risk has failed. One of the keys is that reforming of the Raptors was Jose Calderon. Fans had high expectations for Jose Calderon. A night like he had last night is what some were expecting from Jose on a more regular basis. He was talked about has the best point guard in the Eastern Conference. I asked Matt if Jose had not matched the expectations.

Matt Devlin " I'm trying to put this in perspective. I mean he is third in the NBA is Assists. From an expectation standpoint I don't know. It is a new role for him and you look at his number the are solid numbers. So I think that he has done a really good job. He has had two different coaches that want to do things differently so that chances how you approach the game. Also the understanding of who you need to get involved and when you need to get them involved. So I think he has done an excellent job. But I understand when people take a look at it and say that from a fan perspective that we want more. I think from a defensive standpoint people are always going to say that he may be a little bit limited. I think against Portland he did a excellent job and was taking some shots, his shooting percentages are down and his shots are up but yet he is still 3rd in the NBA in assists ."

But Jose was expected to be an Eastern Conference All-Star and a top point guard in the East. The guys on TNT have said that the expectations were to high for the Raptors. Kenny Smith even went as far as to say that Calderon was not good enough to be a starter in the league. I am not going that far myself. But I think people wanted more. I asked Matt about the fact that some folks saw Calderon as an all-star and it is not likely to happen.

Matt Devlin " Right, that will be up to the fans and the process of it. When you look in the East you have Rajon Rondo, Devin Harris and Jose. Also a guy like Jameer Nelson with the Magic. There is a core group of young guys that are pretty talented."

When you look at the seasons that a guys like Rajon Rondo and Devin Harris have had it is hard to say that Jose Calderon is better than ethier for me. I just would not be willing to say it and mean it. Matt does bring up Jameer Nelson as well who along with the Magic have gone highly without fanfare this season. Can Jay Triano bring some of what he brought to Steve Nash in his time with team Canada in 2000. Make Jose take a bit more of a risk taker approach at times. T.J Ford in the past was the guy who would take that chance in the past and sometimes it was great other times not. But Ford still managed to stay among the better players in assist to turnover ratio in the league. Can you change Jose at all to add some risk?

Matt Devlin " I think and recently had this conversation about Jose, that is just not who he is. I think from a system standpoint and the way he has been coached his entire career that is just not who he is. He is not a Steve Nash and honestly how many people in the history of the game have that. Very few from a point guard position winning back to back M.V.P's. There style of play is just completely opposite ends of the game. For Jose , will that eventually develop? I can say that through time because Jose really trusts jay and they are picking more spots to run that Jose will take that chance. But ultimately he has been taught to play the game a certain way and that is not to turn the basketball over. From a point guard perspective that is not a bad thing."

I have to admit last night Jose was one of the best players on the floor. But I can't help but think fans expected much more than what they have seen. The increased work load and lack of production from the back-up position has not helped matters as well. That is a wrap for Matt. I thank him as always for making time for the Dino Nation Blog. It is lots of fun to talk about the team when times are good. But when times are rough it can be rough to do it on those days. All the best in 2009 for Matt and I look forward to talking with him in the new year.

The Blogger M.V.P and R.O.Y Rankings

It is time once again to hear what bloggers from around the league have to say on the M.V.P and Rookie Races. I was able to add some thoughts and some of them made it into the comments as part of the rankings. I am sorry to all T-Wolves fans but I had to say it. Who is leading the ROY and MVP race. Check out the link below to find out.

M.V.P and R.O.Y Rankings

With that it is all over for today just one more day in 2008 left to go. Yippie!!!

Raptors Rewind- TSN 2 Or Not Edition

The Raptor Rewind marches on be it rain or snow or not TSN 2. I really am tired of this non-sense. To have to scramble to find a way to do what I consider my job. I talked with my cable company today and they say that they are doing all they can. It was a nice person I talked to and she was a basketball fan and hopefully will now be a reader of the Dino Nation Blog. But I just am angry that this is an issue at this point. I am not sure who to blame for that. Is it Rogers? Is it TSN and their parent company Bell Globe Media? Should the Raptors be blamed for not taking a more hard line stance with these companies to get this fixed. I mean MLSE I think would take a different approach if this had to do with the Maple Leafs and not the Raptors. Point is as fans we are the ones who suffer. But that being said I will not let that stop me from doing what my mission is here to provide fans with my brand of coverage of games. I tend to think I care more about fans than the parties involved. Someone needs to wake up and stand up for the fans of the Toronto Raptors. That being said a game will be played and be it somewhere on the Internet or on the radio I am going to do my best to follow along and give you a recap of the events of the night at the ACC. I hope the folks who make the choices about these matters understand, when you complain about the ratings for basketball on your networks you are part of the problem. If you don't respect the sport and treat it's fans like garbage you have no right to complain about the ratings. Sports fans do not care about your bottom lines and whatever issues this may cause. All they want to do is watch the game and cheer for their team. They deserve the right to do that. I mean why exactly do we have a CRTC if they sit back and let these things go on? Sorry for the rant but I think all of you share in my rage. I promise the rest of this will be about basketball. However, I wanted to express my opinion and hopefully represent you the readers who have been effected by this.

1st Quarter

Well I have a combo of radio and video feed. Bosh was fouled by Yi and went to the line and made the free throws. Jason Kapono would nail a 3 pointer and raps had an early 5-0 advantage. A couple of buckets for J.O and it was a 9-0 run for the Raptors to start the game causing Lawrence Frank to call a 20 second time out. Jamario Moon would get a couple free throw and then later get an alley opp feed from Jose Calderon. Calderon would then get a 3 pointer and the Raptors had a 16-2 lead early on. It was like continuing on from the game in New Jersey.

Vince Carter had his second basket of the night and the only points for Jersey to this point. Vince would hit a 3 pointer after a Bosh miss and he had all 7 points for the Nets to this point. Jermaine O'Neal would respond with a jumper. O'Neal would later make a pair from the line they had a 20-9 lead. J.O was hustling on defense to drawing an offensive foul. Ryan Anderson was fouled and heading to the line for New Jersey. He would make both and the Nets were now down 9. The Nets would cut it to seven but Bargnani would get a kind roll on his jumper to extend the lead back to 9 points. The Raptors had a 26-15 lead and aside from Vince Carter scoring a bit this looked much like the game in New Jersey. Ryan Anderson hit a 3-ball for the Nets. Raptors had made a turnover the second in a row. But the Nets could not convert this second time. Antony Parker missed a 3-ball from the corner that would go out of bounds off a Raptor. Keyon Dooling would get a steal and score the Nets were back to within 6 points. Roko Ukic would get a basket and Vince Carter buzzer shot would not fall. Despite going over 4 minutes without a field goal the Raptors still lead 28-20 after one.

2nd Quarter

The Nets would end up on the line with two free throws from Ryan Anderson. He would make only 1-2 from the line. J.O would get to the line himself but he would miss both. Josh Boone was able to score on the other end for the Nets and it was a 28-23 Raptor lead. A Ryan Anderson 3-ball and the lead had shrunk to just 2 points. Jermaine O'Neal would finally respond for the Raptors. The Nets would score again but Roko Ukic would find J.O and set the table for an O'Neal throw down. J.O had 12 points to lead all scorers in the game and Raptors lead 32-28. Chris Bosh would hit Joey Graham streaking to the hoop and Joey would throw it down. Brook Lopez would score a basket from in the paint for the Nets. Joey Graham with a spin and a pass to Kapono who would hit a big 3 ball for the Raptors. Raptors lead was back up to 7 with a 37-30 lead. Chris Bosh had a huge block. But Raptors could not convert it into points.

The Nets had pulled to down just 5 and Jermaine O'Neal who was having a good game would have to sit with 3 fouls. Jason Kapono would make a long 2 pointer from the corner to make the lead 7 again. But Brook Lopez would get a thrown down off a V.C pass. Yi JianLian would hit a 3-ball and this was a 2 point basketball game with the Raptors up 37-35. Chris Bosh was with out a field goal but he would drive strong and get sent to the line. He would make both and Raptors lead 41-37. Josh Boone got offensive board on a missed 3 pointer from Yi. Boone would put it in the basket to pull the Nets to with in just 2 points. Andrea Bargnani was fouled and made 2 from the line. Bosh was blocked and then had it stolen away. He wanted a foul called. But instead Jersey would score in transition and he would get called for a technical foul. The Nets had their first lead of the night 44-43. The Nets would score again on a second chance opportunity. Jose Calderon would get a 3 pointer or was it a 2. For now it was a 3 pointer and Raptors trailed 46-45 at the half.

3rd Quarter

The Nets had 14 second chance points and Raptors 0. That was the big reason the Nets were in this basketball game and actually winning it. Seems Jose got credit for the 3-ball after all so it was 46-46. Chris Bosh hit a jumper and Raptors had a lead. Jamario Moon had a jam the lead was 50-48. Vince Carter would score to tie it. Bobby Simmons would hit a 3 pointer to give the Nets a 53-50 lead. Chris Bosh would score ot pull back to just 1 down. But Devin Harris who had been quiet got a basket and the Net lead was back to 3 points. Raptors found a cutting Moon who would take it to the hoop and score. Bobby Simmons would answer with a 3-ball and Kapono answered with a 3-ball of his own. The Nets had a 58-57 lead with a time out on the floor.

Vince Carter out of the time out would hit a jumper. Chris Bosh would answer with a score for the Raptors. Raptors would get a turnover and a J.K 3-ball in transition and the Raptors had the lead back at 62-60. Raptors battled on the glass and it turned into two free throw for Jamario Moon at the other end. Moon made both and he had 9 points and 8 rebounds to this point for the Raptors to this point. Bosh denied Ryan Anderson's attempt and that would get converted on the other end by Jose Calderon with a jumper the Raptors lead was 66-60. Raptors continued to play better defense and Andrea Bargnani on the offense would drive and get to the line. He would make both and the Raptors were on an 11-0 run if my math is right. Joey Graham would block Vince Carter and it would lead to a double foul call as Andrea and Vince would get tied up. Carter would exchange words with Andrea. Calderon would extend the run with another basket. Vince Carter would end the run with a 3-ball but his Nets were still down 7 with the score 70-63. Both the Raps and Nets would get a chance to change the score but both failed. So it was 70-63 after 3 quarters of play.

4th Quarter

So the Raptors came into the 4th quarter with a 7 point lead. They needed to hold on to it unlike the last time these two teams hooked up in this building. Both team came up empty on their first couple trips of the quarter. Andrea Bargnani was playing hard on defense, He would get rewarded being sent to the line on the offensive end and he would make both for the first points of the quarter. The Nets would have a turnover and Raps had a chance to extend the lead to double digits. However they could not and instead Harris would get to basket for basket plus the foul shot. Devin Harris would again get to the line and make both the Raptors lead was 4 at 72-68.Devin Harris had 7 straight points for New Jersey and the lead was now just 2 points 72-70 for Raptors. Jay Triano had seen enough and called a time out.

Jose Calderon would miss a 3 point shot out of the time out but it would not fall. Devin Harris would get fouled by J.O and Devin Harris was back on the line again with a chance to tie the game. He would do just that. Raptors were 0-7 in the quarter and Brook Lopez would score on the offensive put back to give the Nets the lead 74-72. Raptors were ice cold and Vince Carter who had been watching the Nets take the lead was now in the game looking to close it out for his team.

Vince out of the time out would drive and get sent to the line on an Andrea Bargnani foul. He would get the basket and the foul and the Nets had a 5 point lead. The Raptors continued to miss and Devin Harris drove and was sent to the line to take a couple free throws and he would make them. Jose Calderon would final give the Raptors a chance to score by driving to the basket and drawing the foul. He would make both which is nothing new for Jose he has made 58 straight to start the season. Devin Harris would come down and drain a bucket in response. Ryan Anderson would hit a 3 pointer, and a once 7 point Raptor lead had turned into a 10 point Nets lead.

Raptors had been out scored 21-4 to this point in the 4th quarter. Jermaine O'Neal would miss a pair off free throws for the second time on this night. The Nets would take advantage and score and had an 86-74 lead and were totally out classing the Raptors in this 4th quarter. A Jose Calderon 3-ball after Anderson made a pair from the line but the lead was 11 for the Nets. Jason Kapono would get another 3 pointer after a rare pointless trip for the Nets. Rookie Ryan Anderson was back at the line he would make 1-2. The young rookie had 21 points and 8 rebounds for the Nets.The lead was 89-80 for the Nets with under 2 minutes to play. Raptors were starting to wake up but it was far to late. Jay Triano frustrated with a call would get his first technical foul as a head coach. Carter would miss the Tech and Chris Bosh would hit a 3 pointer and the Raptors were down now just 5 points. Just 53 seconds left to play and it was the Raptors looking to make the unreal late comeback to steal a win. Vince Carter missed a fading mid range jumper and Jose Calderon would get a look at a 3 pointer to get the game to just 2 points down. But it would miss and the Raptors chances were pretty much over despite making it a bit more exciting down the stretch. The Raptors were extending this game but their fate was sealed. The Raptors let one get away losing by a final score of 94-87. The boxscore tell the tail of how the Raptors let this game slip away.

Nets/Raps Boxscore

It doesn't get easier for the Raptors to watch for those with or without TSN2. The Dallas Mavericks come to town and that will be far from an easy win for this Raptor Basketball team. The fall to 10-14 on the year and 4 games below .500.

Raptors Rewind- From Depths Of IZOD Center

The Raptor team bus got into a fender bender on route to the arena. It has been that type of year. But everyone was o.k and they did make it to the arena in one piece and on time. So with everyone aside from the bus driver accounted for it was time to play some basketball.

1st Quarter

Nets had an empty trip after winning the tip. Raptors were able to score on their first chance of the night. Same starting line-up as it was versus the Pacers. No Parker or Hump as well. Parker an Ankle and Hump a knee. Chris Bosh made a basket over Yi. Raps had an early 4-0 lead till Devin Harris turned on the jets going past Calderon for the score. Bosh would respond with a Jam. Jamario Moon and Jose Calderon missed wide open lay-ups. Nets would make a 3-ball and were 3-3 after a 0-5 shooting start. This game was not looking like an NBA classic to this point. Carter triend to hook up Yi Jianlian for ally opp that turned into an opps as Yi would miss fire and fall to the floor.

Bosh would be fouled and sent to the line and he would put the Raptors in front agin 10-9. He would later hit a jumper and it was now 12-9 for the men in red. The Nets would fire back and it was Yi for three to give the Nets a 14-12 lead. Yi would later leave as he picked up his second foul going over the back of Bosh. Jason Kapono would hook up Jamario Moon with the alley opp. Jose Calderon followed that up with a 3 pointer. Raptors had a 17-14 lead. Joey Graham had checked in for Toronto and got to the line. It was 19-14 and the Raptors had a 7-0 run. But even better news would come moments later. Vince Carter was left in the game with 2 fouls and he would get tagged with a charge giving him 3 fouls in the first quarter and he would now have to sit. A couple blocks for Andrea Bargnani would lead to a net shot clock violation. Chris Bosh would take that next offensive chance and score the bucket and plus the foul. Raptors had a 22-14 lead. Jamario Moon showing the things we liked from last year with a steal. He would turn that into an easy chance to score for Joey G which he would cash in on. Nets would manufacture 4 points to close out the quarter. Raptors still had a 24-18 lead after 1 quarter of play.

2nd Quarter

The Nets only shot 27% in the first quarter but only trailed by 6 points. Devin Harris found a mis-match with Joey Graham guarding him he would blow by and get fouled. But he could only hit 1 of 2 from the line. Keyon Dooling would make it a 6-0 run to start the quarter and the score was tied at 24. J.O would get to the line and bust up the Nets run. Raptors had missed a lot of easy looks in this game. You had to wonder if they would regret that later on in the evening.

Jay Triano had a game plan to deal with Devin Harris. He was matching up the more athletic wings to draw that assignment. It has having some impact as the Nets only had 6 points in the paint to this point. But the offence had gone cold for Toronto and the Nets thanks to work on offensive glass had a 30-28 lead. Lawerence Frank decided to roll the dice and sent V.C back in the game with 3 fouls. But there was some debate about that as the offical score sheet had him with 2 fouls. If I didn't know better I'd say we were in Atlanta. The crowd is about the same size and energy level. The foul is dispute was given to Brook Lopez and not V.C. So with that matter put to bed the Nets had a 34-30 lead with Vince on the floor. Chris Bosh would get a basket and cut that lead in half. He blew by Yi who leads him in all star voting as I talked about in the morning blog. Bosh must have heard about the voting as well. He scored again and he had 15 making a statement. Jamario Moon would score off a turnover not once but twice and the Raptors had a 38-34 lead. Joey Graham broke out with the highlight reel dunk and the Raptors were rolling they were on a 10-0 run. Nets would get one last chance to break the Raptor run but could not. So the Raptors took a 40-34 lead into the halftime break.

3rd Quarter

Under Jay Triano the Raptors looked much different against the Nets. They held New Jersey to 27% shooting and Vince Carter was 0-6 from the field. Chris Bosh was continuing his effort to get to the basket and was heading back to the line. He would only make 1-2. Bobby Simmons on the other end would hit a 3 pointer. The lead was cut to just 3 points but Jamario Moon would score to extend that to 5 with a basket. Jason Kapono after a great night against the Pacers. He was only 1-9 on the night. He need some of luck that Jose Calderon. He fired up a 3-ball that would take it's time before passing through the hoop.

Vince Carter continued to struggle as he was now 0-9 on the night from the field. Jermaine O'Neal would get a basket plus a foul and the Raptors had a 9 point advantage up 51-42. Raptors were making things happen on defense as that was the starting point for the more running attack the Triano has wanted to see. Joey Graham would get to the line off on off those turnovers and make a pair. Another turnover and the cold Jason Kapono would get a little heat going with a huge 3 pointer and the Raptors had their largest lead of the night of 14 points. Devin Harris was the focus of the Raptor defense and he was frustrated. He would pick up a tech and the would add to the lead making it 15 with the score 57-42.

The Nets would run off 5 straight points and cut the lead down to 10. Andrea Bargnani who had been good on defense but not on offense. He was able to get to the line. He would make the shots. On the next trip he would get on the offensive glass and score. Jason Kapono another 3-ball he would make that was two in a row for him. The Raptors were looking impressive with a 64-50 lead in the late stages of the third quarter. Vince continued to struggle as he was 0-10 from the field. Make that 0-11 for Carter. He would also pick up his 4th foul. He and his Nets were down 16 with the score 66-50 for the Raptors. Raptors would build on that and make it an 18 point advantage. Jamario Moon who had a career high 5 steals was getting looked at on the bench. He seemed to have some issue with his ribs. But meanwhilt the Raptors had a 71-52 lead. The Nets would add a free throw but it was still a massive 18 point lead heading into the 4th quarter.

4th Quarter

Chris Bosh and Jose Calderon were on the bench and were not going to be needed. Why you ask? Because Jason Kapono had found his shot and he would start the fire in the quarter. Along with that shooting they were playing tough defense. The Raptors had built up an 88- 60 lead. They refused to let Devin Harris and Vince Carter beat them. Vince still was without a field goal. He was looking for a dunk and instead he would get sent to the line by J.O. Even a person who is not a big basketball fan could see the difference in the Triano game plan as opposed to the Mitchell game plan against these same Nets just about 3 weeks earlier. I had talked about not seeing the Raptors play a complete 48 minute thus far this season. But tonight with 6 minutes to go we were on the way to doing just that.

Only one negative for the Raptors was that it looked like Jamario Moon was injured to what extent is not clear. But they had wrap put on him just below his arm pit. He had been playing well prior to the injury. We will have to wait and see. The Raptors meantime had a 92-62 lead on the floor with over 4 minutes to play. Joey Graham was enjoying the Jay Triano era as he had double figures now in 6 straight games.Graham would end this game with an explanation point dunk as the Raptors win 101-79

Raptors held Nets to just 31% shooting highlighted by an 0-13 shooting night for Vince Carter. After one of his better games in his career in Toronto last time this was one of Vince's worst of his 11 years in the NBA. So the Raptors have now won 2 in a row under Jay Triano.

Nets/Raps Boxscore

Nets And Raps With Thoughts Of All Star Weekend

All-Star Voting Is A Joke

Some may remember last year I started a campaign to get votes for T.J Ford for the All-Star Game. I thought it was a nice gesture seeing as Ford's career was in question. His goal at the beginning of the season was to become an all-star. Well I did manage to get a huge amount of people to get on board with my idea. There was even an article written about it in a San Antonio newspaper. I had no idea it had been written till months after. I feel that it was something I was doing for a good cause. Why am I making mention of this? T.J ended up fine and is healthy and playing for the Pacers. All of that is true. But I was just reviewing how one person can impact or try to impact all-star voting. Gilbert Arenas who is of far more influence than the Dino Blogger. In fact I am told he writes a blog, I am also told he still is under contract to a NBA team. I think it is the Wizards. Joking aside, Arenas appealed to fans to vote for him last year saying that he would be healthy in time to play in the game and he encouraged fans to vote for him. In the end both efforts failed and T.J and Gilbert were not voted into the All-Star Game.

But what if an entire nation of billions got behind a player. It happened with a young Yao Ming. He beat out Shaq to gain starting honours for the Western Conference back when Shaq was clearly the better player of the two. But now here in 2008 it is happening again. Yi is currently beating Chris Bosh and is trailing K.G and Lebron James for a starting spot on the All-Star roster for the East. I say with all due respect to the people of China and Yi, he has no business being in an All-Star game let alone being voted into the starting line-up. Chris Bosh until recently was having an M.V.P like season for the Raptors. But yet he stills 4th in All-Star voting. Bosh last year had some fun with his fate of losing to Lebron James and K.G. We all saw the fun Texas car salesman ad that Bosh made for You Tube and spread like wild fire. It really helped put CB4 on the map in mainstream American media.

But in the end all of this stuff makes me wonder what the heck All Star voting has become. As it suggests in the at the start it is becoming a joke. But not in the funny way that Bosh video was. In the way it can't be taken seriously anymore. Bias and numbers of people voting from all around the world as turned this into nothing more then a global popularity contest. I mean it all has a real high school like feel to it. The NBA will say that the All Star Game is for the fans and that is why they are given the ability to vote. But that is a lie too. The NBA All Star Game has become a corporate event to market the NBA. The real fans at that game are luck to be able to fine a ticket in the cheap seats for the game and the various events connected to All-Star Weekend. Which is in Phoenix if you didn't know that already.

Give me the best players and leave all the bias out of it. If that means fans don't get to vote so be it. I mean it is sad it has to come to that. But if you can't find a fair and objective way to conduct the voting what other choice are you left with? I mean no disrespect to Yi. He could turn out to be a good NBA player. If he really is fortunate and develops to an even higher level than most expect maybe even an All-Star. But that is not this year and he has no business being in a conversation with James,K.G and Bosh. It just is not even a debate to be had by anyone.

Vince Carter Plays The Role Of The Grinch That Stole A Win

Seems fitting to be talking about Vince Carter after a rant about All-Star Voting. Vince was the guy who use to cash in on the popularity contest on a yearly basis. He was always ready to perform for All Star Weekend. Some would make the claim that the All Star Game was the NBA Finals for Vince Carter in his mind. I am not going to dispute that point. I think Vince was always far to focused on what amounts to being a meaningless exhibition game. I think unless something dramatic was to happen in the late stages of Vince's career. The highlight of that career will be that dunk contest in Oakland.

But there have been a few highlights of note for Vince Carter against the Raptors. The most recent two unreal plays that gave the Nets a pretty impossible win. That win would be one of the nails in Sam Mitchell's coffin as Raptor Coach we would learn later on. At the time it was just heart breaking for Raptor fans. The guy that had quit on them and left had come back to haunt them one more time. I am shocked at how well the Nets have played to this point. I thought we would already be seeing signs of a struggling and rebuilding team. But thanks in big part to Devin Harris and the coaching of Lawrence Frank the Nets have been a surprise and as a result they have kept Vince Carter engaged in the process.

The Raptors can not take it for granted that the Nets will fade back to earth and not keep this up. These next two games could be very important. The Nets have the 1-0 lead in the season series if they win this game tonight they guarantee at least a split in the season series. That could mean something come playoff time for both the Nets and Raptors. Playoffs and Nets? Yeah it could be the case and if it is so they will need to win games like this. Raptors just need wins period at this point.

Notes On Tonight's Match-Up.

The Nets do have one thing in common with the Raptors. They are not exactly tearing it up on the home floor. Although the crowds at the IZod (they still call it that right?) and the ACC are not the same at all in numbers or volume. The Nets are just 4-6 at home and come into this game off a loss despite being 7-3 in their last 10. The Raptor on the road are a not so impressive 4-7 coming of the win on Wednesday against the Pacers. They in their last 10 are just 3-7. But the Raptors are preaching patience as Jay Triano is trying to change some aspects of the Raptor battle plan. It was refreshing to see how truly happy this team was when Triano got his first win as the head coach. Technically it was his second as he did coach one NBA game as head man while Sam Mitchell had been given a couple games off to deal with a death in his family. In fact one of the players made sure to get the ball from the win over the Pacers and it was presented to Triano.

Triano is starting to make adjustments to the line-up. Anthony Parker who is said to be dealing with an ankle injury and Andrea Bargnani were out of the starting 5. Jason Kapono and Jamario Moon were in. Parker is rumoured to be in trade talks and some wondered out loud if he could be on the move very soon. Jason Kapono and his offensive outburst sure made it seem like he could handle the role of starting. When he scores like that his lack of defensive ability tends to fade away for a lot of folks. Many NBA experts outside of Toronto figure if the Raptors are to make a major move it would have to include Andrea Bargnani. That is something that to this point Bryan Colangelo has not been willing to do. He has been on the record saying that he gets a lot of chances to do so though. He has stated he has taken many calls on the availability of Bargnani.

But the Raptors can not afford to be worried about the trade rumour mill. They need to get wins and they have few realistic opportunities to do that in a very tough December schedule. So leave the wheeling and dealing to Bryan Colangelo. It is not likely that Colangelo, if he is going to make a major move he will be able to do it prior to December 15th when NBA Rosters become opened up. All signings and players traded for become available.

I want to close with some stats on Bosh and Yi to illustrate the point of how silly this All-Star stuff is.

• Chris Bosh 24.7 points, 10.1 rebounds and 2.4 assists
• Yi Jianlian 11.1 points, 6.2 rebounds and 1.4 assists

Nets rookie Brook Lopez has been averaging more rebounds than Yi and only a couple less points( 9.5 Pts, 7.5 Rebs ) it just drives home the point that Yi Jianlian is no All-Star. I will make one final point on this match-up actually. The Raptors defense has been taken to task and picked a part. It is with just cause that it is. But as far as average points given up the Nets are actually worse than the Raptors. It proves that old theory the team that scores the most points will win the game. So if you can score more you win the game. But how you can get away with being a bad defensive team and have a winning record like the Nets? Simple things key rebounds and key stops. These are things that have been few and far between for the Raptors.

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Thanks for reading and I am back at my usual post for the Raptor Rewind tonight vs Nets.