Anthony Carter Out? Let Trade Talk Begin

Yet to be confirmed, but Doug Smith has said (Via Twitter) the Raptors are expected to release Anthony Carter. This would leave the Raptors with just 2 point guards and with trade deadline coming people will read more into this minor move without question.

However, at this time of year every move be it minor or not, it will lead to speculation of some bigger move to be made based on the small move. Does this mean the Raptors are shopping for a point guard? This could also mean the opposite in that the Raptors are not going to entertain the idea of moving Jose Calderon at all.

It could just be that Carter was honestly been a train wreck and never brought anything to table at all for the most part. Guess his veteran leadership is no longer required if it ever was to begin with. I would suspect will hear something on this from the Raptors at some point today prior to their next game on Wednesday at home vs the Rockets.

It is 9 days till March 15th so all your rumours or actual moves will be confirmed or denied by that time. I would suspect the Raptors main chip to move is Barbosa and beyond that anything else would be a bit of surprise to me. But will see what happens. I am sure many will be rushing to their trade machines to make up their fantasy trades so have at it. If only trades were that simple.

More on this if it becomes official later today. If not will have something for you in the DNB tonight so either way enjoy your Tuesday and talk to you later.

The Waiting Game

Remember when you read Lebron James would decide by today? Forget about that it would seem. King James has a basketball camp with Nike so maybe Thursday we will find out? James is not a free agent from Nike after all. This likely means we will not get a decision from Chris Bosh as well. It seems pretty clear that Bosh will wait to see where James lands before he decides. There were also stories that The Raptors are not exactly thrilled with the sign and trade options they have from 4 teams that they have on the table. They could decide to just let Bosh walk, rather than make a sign and trade deal and give Bosh his extra year and money. The Raptors keep working regardless of waiting for Bosh.

Doug Smith in the Toronto Star reports the Raptors are close to signing someone to and MLE(Mid Level Exception). Smith suggests a number of names that include Matt Barnes, Ronnie Brewer, J.J Redick, Ryan Gomes and Shannon Brown. Obviously the most interesting on that list is Shannon Brown. He would fit right in with a guy like Demar Derozan and Sonny Weems. The Raptors team dunk contest could be far more entertaining than the NBA one. I am not sure if any of these players are worth a mid level exemption to be honest. However the way this free agency has gone likely everyone on that list will get one from the Raptors or elsewhere.

Some old business gets wrapped up today with the introduction of Ed Davis to the Toronto media. He was without a passport and with the G-20 summit it delayed his introduction until now. Amir Johnson now re-signed it would seem that Davis will be a back-up at this point. Solomon Alabi will also be there to address the media.

It is very hard to figure out what to expect from the Raptors next season without knowing who will be here and who will not. But based on what we do know the Raptors look to be a team that is looking to improve defensively and continue to be a team that runs on offense. While the rumours continue to go on it is important these days to remember the difference between fact and fiction. There have been lots of rumoured sign and trade packages for Chris Bosh. Including one from Houston that many find appealing. There is no guarantee that deal is real.

I would also suggest the Bosh is using Houston as leverage to get another team to commit to giving him max money. I find it hard to believe if Bosh was serious about returning to his home state he would not at least talk to Dallas. I just don't see Bosh playing for a team in his home state. This is my opinion of course and could be wrong. However it seems to me that Miami and Chicago are the top 2 on the depth chart and anywhere else for me would be a surprise.

So welcome to a week of waiting Raptor Fans.

Rasho Return A Done Deal

According to Doug Smith of the Toronto Star the Toronto Raptors will be getting back a familiar face in that of Rasho Nesterovic. After a year in exile in Indiana Rasho has returned to the birth place of his first child to play for the Raptors once again. Nesterovic is said to have signed for the for the Bi-Annual Exception which is basically about 1.9 million dollars. If the talk was correct, it is very likely Rasho left money on the table to return to Toronto. It was said that other NBA teams were looking to sign the veteran big man. It was also said he could have taken several offers in Europe. So this likely means the Raptors roster is just about complete. The Carlos question remains or if not the Raptors would have to sign someone to a veteran minimum contract. Which at this point I would favor given what we know about the Raptors cap and the likelihood the NBA Cap number is expected to dip.

But start the parade cause on of the nicer guys who has rolled through Toronto is back where he belongs.This Raptor Roster is looking pretty impressive on paper. Rasho struggled at times in a reserve role in his time with the Raptors. However in Indiana by the end of the year he was back in a reserve roll playing behind "Raptor Draft Pick" Roy Hibbert.

Here is a link to the story from Doug Smith(Toronto Star)- Rasho Deal Is Done

Chris Bosh also just Tweeted this- @chrisbosh Welcome back Rasho. To which The Dino Blogger total agrees.

The Jake Voskhul Era Will Not Be Broadcast For A Lot Of Folks

Well there is a lot of nothing to talk about today. Jake Voskhul signing is not exactly getting the Raptor fan base excited. I would agree with the general "So What" attitude of Raptor fans. Even if you were totally jacked up about the Jake Voskhul era you may not be able to watch it anyways. That is because Rogers and TSN still have not figured out how to make the on switch work for TSN 2 on Rogers Cable and a number of others around the country like me here on Source Cable in Hamilton. I am totally enraged that basketball fans are being treated this way by these companies. It is insulting and frustrating. The Toronto Raptors need to speak up and say something about this. They are the ones paying in the end. Fans will find other things to do if they can not see the games. The truly loyal will find ways to see the game on the Internet or they will turn on radio and listen to two good friends of Dino Nation Blog Paul Jones and Eric Smith on Fan 590. But the bottom line is get these games on the air. The next 3 games are scheduled to be on TSN 2 and with the holidays and everything the Raptors for the casual fan are going to become less a priority for them. So basically I am a pretty fired up Dino Blogger for a Monday Morning. So please adjust the volume on your blog reader, computer or mobile device.

Let's Start With Trade Talk vs Trade Reality

So this is the day that all the rosters open up around the NBA. Raptor fans thought the signing of Jake Voskhul would mean another shoe was about to drop. Well it did for George W Bush. It was thrown at him. But as for the Raptors the other shoe has still not dropped and it may not for awhile. People are scratching their heads saying how did the Raptors afford this contract? Our we paying Tax to have Jake Voskhul? Well the tax number is not figured out till the end of the year. So the Raptors could make several moves that could still see them fall under the Tax level by the end of the year. If this was always the case, why were we painted this picture of the Raptors being in handcuffs and unable to do anything? Guess that was not the case all along.

Don't misunderstand though. Bryan Colangelo is still hard at work looking to improve this roster. But the Voskhul deal is not connected to anything else directly. But it may speak to one of a few things being possible. It could mean that Nathan Jawai and his situation may not be heading to a positive outcome as far as him playing this season. There have been a few articles that suggest he may have to be forced to retire before ever playing a game in the NBA. But to this point we have heard no news on the Jawai front for a long time. The other possibility is that the Raptors are in serious talks to move a big from the roster. I think it is safe to assume that big would not be Jermaine O'Neal or Chris Bosh. So Kris Humphries or Andrea Bargnani are the only other people that would qualify. There was a crazy rumour last night on a Golden State based blog that suggested an 8 player swap that would have included Bargnani. But if you are going to make up a rumour do your homework. It also included a 2nd round pick in 2009 that the Raptors do not have. I try not to get in the rumour creating business because in the short term it might get you a lot of attention but in the long term it kills your credibility with you readers. That is something I value and am not willing to put at risk.

You can expect all of the rumours and trade talk to heat up around the league now that we have reached December 15th when all the signings and players traded for this past off season now become in play for all of the NBA teams. Here at the Dino Nation Blog, I will do my best to make it clear what is just a rumour and what is reality. I know people like rumours and hype but I am not going to waste your time with stuff that is not based in some form of credibility.

TSN 2 What Can You Do?

Well this is a two fold question. The first is what can you do to see the games. Well there are options on the Internet out there for you to find the game. The last game on TSN 2 I was able to find on Raptors Republic. But there are other options that the folks over at Raptors Forum have found for watching games on the net. It is frustrating but if there is a will there is a way. I also mentioned you can always tune in on the radio. In fact all audio for games in now free on NBA.com for all games. So those are your short term options. When it comes to the long term ones. It takes you investing time to write e-mails to the various parties involved in this mess. Rogers, TSN and the Raptors. If you say all of this is pointless and they won't listen. I can understand that point of view based on where we are at with this thing. However last year many folks sent in letters of support for Jack Armstrong to remain a part of Raptor Broadcasts. Well Jack is still here and ironically working for the network that is a part of this mess. He actually works for both with his radio show being on Rogers owned Fan 590. I have no idea if the e-mails and support that was shown for Jack impacted on him staying with the Raptors broadcasts. But I like to think it helped. I do know Jack was grateful for the overwhelming support. The one thing I do know is that if people had not wrote those e-mails of support and Jack was gone it would feel bad and I personally would wonder if I could have made a difference. This is a different case but the fact remains the same if you do not express you point of view no one is going to listen to it and that is 100% guaranteed. Doug Smith in the Toronto Star gave you some thoughts on this topic and how to maybe make your point a little more clear to the folks involved.

Vince Carter Will Be In T.O Even If We Don't See Him

Vince Carter would have preferred that it was Friday's game that many folks would not be able to view. He had one of the worst games of his career against the Raptors on Friday night. He did not make a field goal and Devin Harris was kept under control. Now we see Vince return to the place he once proclaimed even after he left was his house. I do not think the A.C.C is the house that Vince Carter built. I mean sorry to Vince Carter but he is far from the Babe Ruth of basketball. But the one thing that I will say is it is the house that he makes loud. Be it as a Raptor to boo him or cheer him and as a Net just to boo him. The hate for some of Vince Carter will just never die. Just when you think it is starting to change something like the game in which Vince scored 39 points and made the two key plays to win the game happen. The rage and hate come back like the memory of a bad relationship from your past.

Triano had a great game plan for the re-match in which the Raptors humbled the Nets. The pressure is on Lawerence Frank to make the adjustments to find a way for the Nets to win. Triano and Frank will get to match wits and see who can give their team a path to victory. Often in the Sam Mitchell era many fans would say that Sam Mitchell would be out coached by people like Frank and Van Gundy in the playoffs. Well let's see if Jay Triano has the stuff to match wits with Frank and get a much needed win for the Raptors. You know that it is not going to be as easy as it was on Friday.

Dino Blogger Has A New Place To Talk Ball

I do the majority of my writing and work here at the Dino Nation Blog. But if chances to write other places and it makes sense to do so I will. So I am pleased to announce that I am writing on the NBA and Raptors for a new exciting magazine that covers the Toronto scene. The Industry Magazine is a magazine that is focused on Toronto night life and music and a lot of other things. Well people that are into Hip Hop music and the whole urban culture are some of the same folks that love basketball. So that is why I decided to write on basketball for them. It is a bi/monthly publication that is on the net and on the streets. This is the third issue of the Magazine and I hope to be contributing to it on a regular basis in each issue they put out. So for those of you from around the Toronto area give it a look and see what is happening in the T.O. If you are one of our readers from places far a way it might give you a taste for what Toronto is like should you want to visit. There is a link to the website it the blog directory and it has been there for a bit. But now you know why it was there and what it is about.

As for my part of the Magazine I wrote about the whole 2010 free agent period that I spoke about here awhile back. In the next issue I am going to be talking about Toronto and the All-Star Game. So that should be fun. Thanks to Lisa and all the folks over at The Industry for wanting to have me on board. If a magazine like this can get that Basketball is important why can't you folks at Rogers and TSN understand that. Basketball has a much larger culture than you think it does. Be it doing radio in Montreal or writing for a magazine like this in Toronto. Even taking a look at my site map of my readers. It all speaks to basketball being a global game that does not get the respect it deserves from the decision makers in the main stream media of this country. One of the reasons this blog went on board with the Score as part of it's Sports Federation was because they respect basketball and I respect them for it.

Still despite the lack of ease to watch the game the Raptor Rewind will be up and ready for you reading pleasure after tonight's game against the Nets. If stuff happens through out the day of note I will add some updates to this post.

Raptor Rewind- CP3 VS CB4 Sunday Showdown

Lots of stuff to get out of the way before we get started on injury front. First on the list is that Tyson Chandler is a scratch for today's game. Meanwhile the Raptors will have both Anthony Parker and Kris Humphries in the active roster. But the starting line-up that has been able to get two straight wins will remain with both Jason Kapono and Jamario Moon remaining in the starting line-up. Some were speculating about a trade and if it involved Parker or Humphries. But this would but an end to that for now. Still with December 15th tomorrow stay tuned for news. Doug Smith in the Toronto Star suggested the Raptors will sign Jake Voskuhl and that could mean one of two things. It could mean a trade is coming or announcement about Nathan Jawai not being able to play for the rest of the year. It is one or the other because I can not imagine the Raptors are going into the luxury tax to sign Jake Voskuhl. But enough of the trade speculation there is a game to be played. A very tough one at that as the Hornets have won 7 of their last 10 after a slow start. But they do come in off a loss to the Celtics. Seems we say that about a lot of teams when they come to visit the Raptors. Mainly because Boston is hardly losing a game and the NBA schedule maker seems to make a Boston and Toronto pairing for a lot of teams road trips. So with all of that news it is time to play some basketball.

1st Quarter

Raptors win the tip but missed a jumper. But the Hornets quickly got it inside for a score and the first points of the afternoon. Chris Bosh after a couple failed trips for the Raptors, he would drive and get fouled and head to the line and make both. Jamario Moon would hit a 3-ball off a pass from Bosh out of a double team. A Raptor turnover lead to a 3-1 break and jam for David West. Jose Calderon would answer that with a 3-ball for him and an early 8-4 lead for Raptors. David West and Jermaine O'Neal would exchange baskets for their respective teams. Chris Bosh would trip and fall getting tied up with Hilton Armstrong. But after a moment was back on his feet and fine.

Jermaine O'Neal would get fouled and head to the line for 2 shots that he would make. Raptors continue to lead 12-6 almost half way through the quarter. Butler would get a 3 pointer for the Hornets and Jose Calderon would respond with a 2 point shot for the Raptors. A concern for the Raptors as Jose Calderon would pick up his second foul and head to the bench. Chris Paul would make the free throws and Roko Ukic who has been showing sign of improvement was in. Chris Bosh showed some hustle saving a ball from going out of bounds that would lead to a Jason Kapono 3 pointer that has become a more common sight under Jay Triano. The Raptors had a 17-11 lead. Kapono would add to his total with a two point shot this time. Andrea Bargnani would get in on the scoring with his first basket. Stojakovic would find a nice look at 3 points for him that he would make. The Hornets had pushed back to get it down to just a 21-18 Raptor lead. Andrea Bargnani with an awkward but effective drive for 2 points. James Poesy would find an open 3 point look that he would take and make and the Hornets trailed just 23-22. Jermaine O'Neal would split a pair of free throws and Raptors would take a slim 24-22 lead into the second quarter.

2nd Quarter

Despite just 2 points from Chris Bosh and an 0-5 start for him the Raptors had a lead. Antonio Daniels recently picked up in a trade for ex-raptor Mike Jame was on the floor and he missed a 3-ball on his first attempt. But the Hornets would get on the board with the first 5 points of the quarter and a 27-24 lead for the Hornets. Jermaine O'Neal would break the run with a basket for him. J.O was looking to score again but had his shot blocked and he looked like he felt he was fouled. But no call and the Hornets kept rolling with another basket. O'Neal would get an easy jam of a nice dish from Anthony Parker who was playing his first game ever as a reserve for the Raptors. Chris Bosh was able to make a shot and Raptors were back all even at 30 with the Hornets.

Jose Calderon would break the tie with a 3 pointer. Chris Bosh would find a miss match and run over an undersized Hornet for a jam. Raptors were all of the sudden hot as Calderon would score again the Raptors stormed to an 11-0 run and had a 37-30 lead. All of this with Chris Paul on the bench unable to do anything to stop it. The Hornets would call time to address what was going on and likely get Paul back in the game.

Jose Calderon looked a little gimpy after he scored but remained in the game after the time out. James Poesy would end the 11-0 run with a 3 pointer for the Hornets. After that the Hornets would get 1-2 from the line which would be answered by an AP 3 pointer. That would be followed with another Raptor basket. The Raptors had got back on track and after a couple free throws by CB4 it was 44-36. James Posey was having a good game and he hit yet another 3 pointer for him. Another two for the Hornets and another Posey 3-ball and the Hornets had an 8-0 run to tie the score at 44. This was an entertaining game for people with no real interest in the outcome. Jay Triano would not be among those and he would call a time out and try to address the leaks that were leading to James Posey getting some open looks.

Chris Paul would find the ball after a Moon block and hit a nice jumper and the Hornets on a 10-0 run were back in front by just two points. Chris Paul would drive and kick to Peja Stojakovic who would drain another 3 pointer. The Hornets had stayed in this game thanks to the 3-ball. They had built their largest lead of the day of five points with a 49-44 lead. James Posey would disagree with a call and get technical foul and that foul shot was made by Jose Calderon to break the run for the Hornets. Chris Bosh would head to the line on the disputed foul call and make 1-2. David West would have a basket on the inside and the Hornets lead was back at 5 points. Raptors had gone ice cold to close the quarter going 0-8 from the field. One last chance to make it closer at the half. But a Parker turn and fire from very long range would not fall. Hornets took a 51-46 lead into the locker room at the half.

3rd Quarter

Chris Bosh was only 2 for 10 and had just 9 points. The Raptors had about 18 minutes of good defense but that last 6 minutes is why they enter this half behind by 5 points. James Posey had 15 to lead the Hornets and Jose Calderon lead the Raptors with 13 first half points. Hornets were shooting 51% and the Raptors just 38%. Both teams would fail to score on their first attempts to score of the second half. Jermaino O'Neal would open up the score sheet for second half with a mid range corner jumper. Chris Paul would have an answer for that. Hilton Armstrong who was replacing Tyson Chandler would get a score on a drive to the paint. David West had a basket as well and Hornets had a 57-48 lead.

Chris Bosh would make a shot and try to change the flow of the game. But Butler would score in response. But Jose Calderon would answer that with a 3 pointer. Raps would get a second straight score and pulled back to down just four points with the score 59-55. David West was quietly having a good game and he had another basket for his totals. Chris Bosh would answer with a basket for him. Jose Calderon would follow that with another 3-ball. James Posey answer with yet another 3-ball for him. The Hornets get another score on a rare Posey miss from 3 point range after that and it was 68-62.

Bosh out of a time out would get the ball and draw a foul on David West and head to the line. Bosh would make both and he was 7-8 from the line on the day. Raptors were picking up the effort on defense but needed to cash in on offense for it to pay off. But a Bosh miss on a fading jumper was not going to get it done. Bosh was not having a good shooting day. Perhaps sensing that the next time he got the ball he would drive again and head to line once again thanks to David West that had 3 fouls now. Chris Paul after the Bosh made free throws would turn on the jets and get to the line himself. He too would make his free throws and the Hornets lead 72-66. Chris Bosh answered his team U.S.A team mate with a jumper for a score. Joey Graham would follow that with his first basket of the day and the Raptors had climbed back to down just two with score 72-70.

During the broadcast it was confirmed the Raptors have signed Jake Voskhul. It was said it will not effect the cap and no trade as part of that. Which could suggest that Nathan Jawai may be done for the year. It would seem the only logical conclusion. But Voskhul will be available as soon as tomorrow against the Nets. Meanwhile the Hornets would close the 3rd quarter on a run to take a 80-72 lead into the 4th quarter. The Raptors had trouble closing quarters and that has been a major difference in this game and could be a deciding one.

4th Quarter

Both teams would start the quarter cold as the Raptors had to missed shots and a turnover. But the Hornets also had failed to score. We were over 2 minutes into the fourth and still no one had scored. Jason Kapono 3- ball would not fall and the scoreless battle would continue. Butler would break the scoreless drought with a big 3 pointer on off a short shot clock. Jermaine O'Neal would get a 2 in response. Hornets would answer with a two pointer of their own. Bosh would then head back to the line and had a rare miss going just 1-2 and the score was 85-75 Hornets. Bosh was right back at it after a failed Hornet trip. He would score and get fouled and make the extra point pulling the Raptors to down 7 points. Peja would get a two point response for the Hornets. But Jose Calderon would get a 3 pointer for the Raptors. Both teams had got back to scoring but the Raptors were not in a position to trade buckets as they trailed 89-81 at the mid point of the 4th quarter.

Chris Paul would swipe away the ball for his first steal of the day. That was significant as he had a streak going that was the second longest in league history. He trails former Raptor Alvin Robertson who holds the record for most consecutive games with a steal. But the steal would not turn into points and the Raptors would actually score and cut the lead down to just 6 points. But a missed 3 pointer and a turnover cost the Raptors two more chances to cut into the Hornet lead. Butler off a Chris Paul pass would hit a very big 3 pointer for the Hornets to make the lead 9 points. J.O would score a two in response but time was running out and the Raptors may regret not getting closer when they had the chance.

Jason Kapono had two chances to make a 3 pointer and missed both. Jamario Moon would hustle to get the offensive board on the second miss and make a pair from the line. Raptors trailed 92-87. But the Hornet showed poise and came down and scored to make the lead 7 once again. Chris Bosh would get fouled but could not score and would have to settle for just two free throws. Bosh would make both but the Raptors were down 5 with just 1:24 to play. Butler would get another key 3 pointer off a Paul find and that was about it for the Raptors chances. Hornets had a 97-89 lead and there was not enough time for Raptors to forge a comeback. J.O was at the line with 56 seconds left and he made both. The raptors tried to get a stop but instead fouled David West and he would go to the line with just 31 seconds left and this was over. It would be a 99-91 win for the New Orleans Hornets.

Raptors were competitive but not good enough to beat a top level team in the Hornets. The Raptors will have a new player in the fold and given the date tomorrow who knows what else might happen. The one thing that is for sure is that Vince Carter will be back in Toronto and he will not get a response like Morris Peterson who did not see the floor today for the Hornets. Bosh had 25 points and Calderon 22. But David West had 29 points and James Posey had 20 along with a 12 points and 12 assist effort from Chris Paul. The rest of the boxscore goodies can be found below.

Hornets/Raptors Boxscore

Details on how all of this roster stuff is going to shake out to include Jake Voskhul when they come to light. So check back later tonight to see if there is more on that. If not I am sure it will be clear by tomorrow. It will be an interesting 24 hours in Raptorland or it at least could be depending on who Bryan Colangelo is talking to on his cell phone. Tomorrow marks the opening of NBA rosters so that everyone is available to be moved if their team desires to do so.

J.O Injury Update.

This will not be a very long post but there is good news on the Jermaine O'Neal Injury front. It seems that big brace that J.O wears on his knee did it's job. The injury news is fairly good. After some Raptor fans were ready to call off the season. It seems you can get off the bridge and not jump off it. I give you the latest news from D.Smith and E.Smith. Doug of the Toronto Star and Eric of the Fan 590.

Doug Smith on J.O

And

Eric Smith Also On J.O

So everyone can now breath again. Things look about as good as you can expect after a pretty nasty fall. Sean Williams may not want to go anywhere near J.O the next time the two meet. It would seem unlikely J.O will play tomorrow against Boston. Which is understandable, but also to bad because the way he was playing of late, the Raptors could have used him for sure. So that is the latest. See you folks tomorrow to get ready for Celtics an Raptors.

Heat and Raptors Where Are You?

yes here we are just hours from the tip off and where or if we can see the game is up in the air. At this time I think we should all give a big thank you to the folks at Rogers and Bell Globe Media for showing how much they truly care about us. One exec claimed it is only one game and it is not a big deal. I would like to hear that same guy tell us that about a Leaf Game. I think it is safe to say people would gather with pitch forks in protest on both companies. But Raptor Fans have been forced to take it.

So if today's Raptors Rewind is not as good as it always is, please send you complaints to Rogers and Bell Globe Media. In fact maybe I will just forward them to them for you. It really is a pain in the butt. The other question after you figure out how the heck to see this game is if you will see Jose Calderon once you do. That is a question that does not have an answer yet as well. But Doug Smith is suggesting that we could see (Well Maybe) Andrea Bargnani start at the 3 spot. Scott Carefoot who Doug said he wouldn't know if he ran over with a truck, had an interesting thought in Raptor Blog this week. He suggested that maybe it is Bosh that should shift over to play at the 3 spot and put Bargnani at the 4. I admit that is an interesting thought. The thing is that Scott is doubtful Sam Mitchell would do it and there is also the idea of getting you star player to buy into it. Both seem like hard sells. But the point made by Scott is a valid one. Bosh hash more foot speed than Bargnani. In fact to bother Bosh teams in the past have taken small forwards and had them guard him like Richard Jefferson and Rashard Lewis. But one experiment at a time.

THIS HAS NOW BEEN CONFIRMED BARGNANI WILL START ON RAPS TV

Jose Calderon WILL BE ACTIVE BUT Will Solomon Is Starting ACCORDING TO RAPS TV.

( I don't get this one at all, Jose should be in or out )

So Miami enters this game with a 5-4 mark and are 1-3 on the road. Dwyane Wade is back to the old D-Wade that helped the Heat win a title not that long ago. Shawn Marion and Michael Beasley our also big players for this post Shaq version of the Heat. Raptors with Calderon would be a favourite but without him I am not so sure.

But however it happens we will all find out. If all else fails and you are in the dark when 1pm hits. Paul Jones and Eric Smith will have the Radio Call on the Fan 590. Rogers still has that station on the air. I will admit I have not turned on my radio today but I am confident they are still broadcasting. So go old school and listen to the radio if all else fails. Paul and Eric do a good job as well. It is just I think we all would much prefer see the game if we had the choice. A number of places having been saying they are going to find Internet feeds if they do or this game appears on Raps T.V I'll add an update with a link or details on how you can see this game. It is like trying to find the secret location to a bush party. Do kids still have those? Anyway whatever the case I will try to steer you in the right direction. Here is hoping we all get to see this game.

Update 11:38

Well Raps-TV for now is out. But we do have an online link for you. Thanks to a Raptors Forum poster. So give this a shot.

Raps Repulic has the feed.

Rock The Vote For Raptors

I had tried to embed an All Star voting widget on the side bar but it was not working right. So if you want to vote for all-stars I will place it here: