Vinsanity, Linsanity and Insanity

Today starts a new era for the Dino Nation Blog. I am excited to get Team DNB rolling. I hope you will enjoy the contributions of the team I have put together. The hope is at the end of the day we end up with more content and better content for you the readers, listeners and viewers of the Dino Nation Blog. Having people that I can count on will allow me to focus on doing more audio and video content moving forward. It will also give me a chance to work on other things like attempting to get more guests for the Starting 5, planning some events to involve you more in the Dino Nation Blog and focus on building a big and better Dino Nation Blog in general. That in a nutshell explains why #Team DNB was created. I am still looking for more people to potentially be part of our team. The goal is to have a strong well oiled machine by the time the Raptors get ready to start next season in the fall. So I hope you will enjoy this and will enjoy the new people and content and fun this will hopefully create for you as a DNB reader. That all said, I still will be writing here and haven't done that in about a week, as I took some time off to take a break and get these new folks all set up to be part of DNB. So in the famous words of Reggie Evans LET'S GET IT!!

While I was away if you had told me we would be talking about Vince Carter on the first day I was back that probably would have made me chuckle. He did an interview with the guys from Raptorblog on The Score. While the interview was well done and interesting, it in the end was typical Vince Carter. The one thing that seemed to get everyone talking was the fact that Vince said he would be willing to consider returning to Toronto. This seemed to shock people and it was almost like the Raptors were actually considering that. I don't think an older version of Vinsanity is what the Raptors have in mind for solving their issues at small forward. Carter has never been the greatest defender in the world either. I am all for Vince having his day in the sun returning to Toronto to have his number retired some day. I just don't care to see him back for a second run with the Raptors. Antonio Davis did that once for a little while and it only showed that he was a shadow of his former self. Ultimately Vince Carter has reached the point in his NBA career that if he wants to keep playing can he really rule out any team to play for at this point? It is not like people were knocking down his door last year before he eventually signed in Dallas. It is not like how he performed with the Mavs has made his value increase at all. So while it would be interesting for writing and create lots of interest, both positive and negative, the idea of Vince Carter coming back to the Raptors is kind of far fetched and doesn't make any sense.

Speaking of not making sense that brings us to Jeremy Lin and the Raptors supposed interest in him. Keep in mind I was the guy and this was the blog that suggested the Raptors get Jeremy Lin last off-season before there was a Linsanity and a ton of hype attached to him. This was as an economically friendly flyer on a kid that might have some talent. The truth is the Raptors getting into a game of chicken with the New York Knicks for Jeremy Lin only benefits them if they lose. Jeremy Lin is going to get paid too much money by some team based on two things. Potential and buzz, will drive the price for Lin beyond what he truly deserves to make. If the Raptors are in this just to force up the price on Lin and make their division rivals the Knicks spend more money than they want too,  that is a smart move on their part. If not and they bring him in to be the starter that would be a big mistake and a massive change from Jose Calderon. While Calderon has never been liked by me, I am happy to admit he is very efficient and rarely turns over the ball. Even at the height of Linsanity people who questioned if it would last, brought up his high turnover numbers. On a young and developing team looking to take the next step, I am not convinced that you want a starting point guard that is turnover prone. Ideally you would love the idea of Lin as a back up, playing behind a Jose Calderon or perhaps a Steve Nash. That said he is going to demand to many dollars for that to be a realistic situation. At the end of the day the Knicks will likely have the bird rights to Lin and will no doubt use them to keep him. So if you have dreams of Linasinty invading the ACC on a nightly basis they are best left as dreams. I like Lin and still think he could be a player at some point but not willing to gamble on it with a big money contract. This is why it made sense to grab him last season when the cost was next to nothing.

The Raptors getting Steve Nash makes more sense in the short team for them. If they can do that and find a developing young point guard to play behind him, that is the ultimate best case scenario for the Raptors. The Knicks are also interested in him. If you can only have one of two guys between Lin and Nash, the answer should be obvious. The danger for the Raptors is that the Knicks could have a way to have both if Nash is willing to take less money to play in New York. Nash will have many options depending on what his price tag will be and what his intentions are in terms of wanting to win a championship. It is a longer and much more unclear journey here in Toronto. That said when Nash was in this position before it fair to say that the Suns were not exactly a contender in for anyone after a horrible season missing the playoffs. Steve Nash was younger than though and had a long future to look forward too. Now his future is not nearly as long and his window to win a ring is small. The fact he is coming to the end of his career could be a benefit to the Raptors or a curse depending on what Nash is truly thinking.In the past Nash has expressed a desire to end his career playing in Canada and the Raptors are the only game in town to make that happen. However to convince Steve Nash that Raptors can reach an NBA Finals in the East before his time in the NBA is done is a tough job to sell. Bryan Colangelo sold Steve Nash once before but this time around will be much tougher. If it is a case of Nash or Lin the buzz created by Nash will play much better in Canada for Nash while bringing in Lin would open eyes south of the border. The risks with Steve Nash are all about health and age. No one will question his talent as two time MVP and a future hall of famer.

The one thing not being talked about in all of this is what becomes of Jose Calderon. If the Raptors truly are targeting both Lin and Nash this makes you wonder what that means for Calderon. It would seem unlikely the Raptors keep him especially if Nash ends up being the guy. So what would the Raptors be getting if they tried to move Calderon. That is a part of this whole equation that might be interesting. Could the Raptors deal Jose and add some more pieces to make this a better more attractive landing spot for Steve Nash? They just might be able too. One thing is clear based on the off-season buzz that has already started before the playoffs have even ended, it is suggesting the Raptors are going to be active and be a part of a lot of stories. Most of which are based in speculation and not fact. At the end of the day Bryan Colangelo's reality whatever it ends up being needs to be very good. His job could ultimately depend on it.

DeRozan Leads Raps To Big Win, Before Going Down Late.

The Raptors prior to this one took the advice the Dino Nation Blog has been offering from the start of the season They waived which is a nice way to say cut Rasaul Butler who had been a major disappointment the entire season. He had been buried on the bench for quite some time. Raptors may be looking at bringing in some guys on 10 days now with both Carter and now Butler released and the roster down to the bare minimum. That is in the days to come as for tonight they take on the New York Knicks and Jeremy Lin returns to the site of one of the big moments of his Linsanity to run here at the ACC. Knicks are in a tight race to hang on to a playoff spot so expect them to be going all out against the Raptors tonight.

DeRozan opens up the scoring with a baseline jumper and that is followed by a Bargnani three and Raptors open up with 5-0 lead. Bargnani with a nice move draws a foul on a nice pump fake by Bargnani sending him to the line for a pair and Raptors had a 9-2 lead. Raptors had an 11-4 lead and Mike Woodson who was a perfect 5-0 coming into this one as Knicks head coach wanted a time out. Raptors were taking 3 pointers and not making them giving the Knicks a chance to get back in this game but they were not taking full advantage still down 15-9. DeRozan with a nice two point effort nails it. Lin answers with a drive and score to mix of cheers and boos. Raptors were on fire early 8/15 from field and another DeRozan bucket. Amare Stoudemire with a nice score in the paint and the Raptors still had a 19-14 lead. Jeremy Lin had a turnover and was getting the John Cena treatment from the Toronto crowd some cheers and some boos. Raptors had an impressive start with a 25-16 lead in the first quarter. DeRozan the more efficient but both he and Bargnani had 9 points a piece.

Knicks on shot 36.8% in that first quarter. Ed Davis after a sloppy turnover makes up for it on the next possession getting the Raptors lead to 10 at 29-19. Raptors lead kept growing and was up to 12 with a time out on the floor. Knicks cut that lead in half to 6 with 7:26 to play in the half. Knicks had a chance to cut the lead further but after a missed three they would turn it over on a bad Davis pass looking for Chandler in the lane. Again the Knicks had a chance to cut into the lead and the Raptors switched to zone which leads to a deep three from Lin that doesn't fall. But you had the feeling the Knicks were going to get back in this if they cleaned some things up. Anthony got the lead down to 4 but Bargnani nailed a jumper in the lane to make it 35-29 with just over 4 to play. James Johnson took a ill advised three made up for it with a steal and a pretty lay-up to make the lead 6 once again. Despite shooting 5/19 in the quarter the Raptors still lead this game 37-31 with 1:20 left to go in half. A missed dunk by James Johnson on an air ball Raptor attempt summed up the Raptors offense in the 2nd quarter nicely. A Novak three in corner at the buzzer made this a 3 point game at the half in favour of the Raptors. It was 39-36 and these teams looked hard pressed to to get to 80.

An Aaron Gray turnover looked to be a sign of more of the same. Jeremy Lin to cheers followed by Boos hit a 3. Stoudemire scored to get the Knicks as close as they have been with the score 41-40. Back to back Bargnani buckets with an Anthony deuce in between. Raptors would get the lead back to 5 as the Knicks seemed content to chuck up three attempt, after three attempt. The Raptors went on an 10-2 run after the Knicks got to with in one. Demar DeRozan would force the Knicks into a time out with an amazing finish on the alley oop. He had 20 and the Raptors had a 9 point lead. The Knicks offense was just awful in this game. A Chandler dunk over Bargnani out of the time out was nice though. But Amir Johnson answer with two on the other end and Knicks went right back to chucking three's as Lin missed another. Andrea Bargnani with a nice turnaround and the Raptors lead was 11 and trending upwards. Demar DeRozan wanted a three but settled for a long two and the Raptor lead was up to 14. Another DeRozan bucket made it 16 and for DeRozan he had 24 on the night and we still had 15:30 of game action to go. J.R Smith finally made a basket for the Knicks but Amir Johnson answered that score and it was 64-46 Raptors with just over 2 to play. Knicks showed a little life near end of 3rd with back to back hoops but DeRozan added two more to give the Raptors a 70-53 lead to take to the 4th.

Knicks were 1/17 from three point land. Safe to say that will need to improve for them to get back in this one that they have never led. J.R Smith makes it 1/18 from three to start the 4th. Smith would get an old fashion three with a shot and one foul to cut the lead to 14. Knicks started on a 7-0 run capped by a Novak three to make it 70-60. Gary Forbes gets back to back hoops to get the Raptors back on top by 14. Novak another 3 though and Knicks were trying to make a push. Gary Forbes was keeping the Raptors alive with 6 big points in the 4th and Bargnani had a nice slam after a J.R Smith bucket and Raptors had stabilized things and got lead back to 15. DeRozan would take it back to where we started with a huge slam and it was 82-65 Raptors. Salami and Cheese for everyone? It sure looked like it. Back to back steals finished with dunks would look similar to what the Knicks did to the Raptors earlier in the week. This time it was the Raptors rubbing the salt in the wounds on this night. Unfortunately at the end of this one with game pretty much decided Demar DeRozan would land awkwardly trying to block a shot and he would head straight for the locker room with 30 points and not returning. Solomon Albi even got in this one and scored. But the injury to DeRozan cast a damper on what was a tremendous win for the Raptors 96-79.

It was a great night for both DeRozan and Bargnani on this night. More for DeRozan but his late injury makes it hard to get the full satisfaction this win should have provided. Gary Forbes as mentioned really stepped up in the 4th and when the Raptors were on the ropes a bit he was the one that came out swinging. If DeRozan is seriously hurt it is unlikely we see him tomorrow in Chicago. The injury update on him will be vital. Ironically he would have tied Alvin Williams for the most consecutive starts in Raptors his if he were to suit up tomorrow in Chicago. That is in serious doubt now.

UPDATE 9:55PM: News on DeRozan is good. Eric Smith tweeted that DeRozan has tweeked his left ankle but should be good to go tomorrow in Chicago but will be reevaluated. So it appears he will travel with the team and will see from there.

Raptors Sluggish At The Mecca

Jose Calderon returns to the Raptors line-up as mentioned in our preview Jose actually did a solid job the last time he matched up with Jeremy Lin. What will become of the improvement we have seen out of Jerryd Bayless is another issue altogether. The Knicks are trying to hang on to a playoff spot and the Raptors despite what anyone trying to spin positivity might say are playing out the string. So a game like tonight offers the Raptors a chance to play spoiler and build on what they have been doing. A loss to Bobcats was not exactly a building moment.

Demar DeRozan with the cut to the lane and score to get this one under way. Demar sometimes steps up to a big stage will see if that was a start to something big for him. After his first bucket both teams had two empty possessions. Tyson Chandler would get a slam and drop a foul on a nice pass from Stoudemire. He missed the free throw though. DeRozan's second shot would fall of the rim but get put back in by Aaron Gray on the glass. It was just 5-4 Knicks with 3 minutes gone by in this one. A steal by Melo and then the return pass from Lin to Melo for the break away lay-up. Calderon would hit a 3 pointer to make it a 10-9 Knicks lead. But more Jose this time hooking up with his buddy Amir, the lead would not last as Knicks got a dunk at the other end. Lead was ping ponging back and forth between the Knicks and Raptors at the mid point of the first quarter. Andrea Bargnani with a drive down the middle of the lane with a slam. Chandler answers with two at the other end and it was 16-15 Knicks. Raptors got called for an offensive foul and were down 3 with 4:04 to play. Carmelo Anthony would double that lead with a 3 in rhythm. Knicks were starting to get on a bit of a role and playing some defense something that was unheard of with Mike D'Antoni in charge. Demar DeRozan was not shy taking shots tonight and he was making his fair share to cut lead to 4. Bayless made a basket but then on the next possession ran over J.R Smith for a charge. Smith got on the offensive glass for a tab back to extend the Knicks lead to 6. Linas Kleiza nailed a buzzer three from very deep it would be reviewed but looked good to me.

The three would stand and that made score after 1 Knicks leading 27-24. After a good play by Kleiza to close the 1st, a bad play near start of 2nd with a bailout foul with little left on shot clock. Ed Davis showing signs of life with a score and a rebound leading to Bayless bucket to tie the game at 29. Knicks went on a 7-0 run after that and Dwane Casey was forced into calling a time out. Raptors after a Bargs airball out of the time out would get rolling with 5 point push of their own. Knicks would respond and re-establish their advantage and make it even a little more now with a 42-34 lead. Make that a 10 point lead and Andrea Bargnani was getting taking to school on defensive end. Some regression perhaps? Who said that? Jeremy Lin meantime you may have hear of had 6 assists and added a corner three to his stat line to give the Knicks an 11 point lead. Bargnani showing his point guard skills with a nice pass to Amir Johnson for the slam dunk cutting the lead down to 7. But another Lin three...actually make it a 2 and the Knicks would take a 9 point advantage to locker room if they could hold on for 8.5 seconds. Fields would play good D on Calderon and do just that. Knicks take a 53-44 lead to the locker room.

Teams were trading buckets earlier and the Raptors interior defense was lacking. Knicks would star to pull away sparked by Lin with a jumper, than a nice Alley Oop play with Fields and it was 61-50. Then for some reason Aaron Gray blew a gasket and got tossed from the game after the techs and all the Knicks lead was up to 15 points. The Raptors were helping restore Linsainty as he helped his team restore a 15 point lead with a deep 3. Raptor had been having a 3rd quarter to forget much like they did in Charlotte but against a better team. But the Knicks did not exactly take advantage and put them away. Raptors had a chance to cut the lead to single digits. That would happen if a banged up Bayless could make a couple free throws after colliding with A'mare which he did. However, on other end A'mare got an easy put back to push lead back to 11 with the score 79-68 for Knicks. The Raptors based on how they played should feel fortunate to be only down two more points from halftime.

Calderon was in for the 4th and Bayless might be done for night will see. Knicks were doing enough to stay on top and not much more than that. If the Raptors could get a little run together they might be able to get in this game. Still the Raptors looked pretty disinterested and both teams seemed frustrated with the refs at times. Bayless is a tough minded guy and was back in there playing along side Calderon for now. Ed Davis had a nice slam and had a quiet 7 points and 7 rebounds. However when Ed does well more often than not it seldom leads to a Raptor win. Novak hitting a open three after the Davis slam was looking to keep that trend continuing with Knicks up 87-76. Barring something spectacular the Knicks would give Spike Lee a win on his birthday up 89-77 with under 6 to go in the 4th. Bayless tried to give it go but would be done for the night with a left hip pointer. Jermey Lin with a break away dunk...Good Night and tip your waitress. The Knicks would get another dunk on a sloppy Raptor turnover and Chuck Swirsky watching in Toronto has got out the salami and cheese on the Raptors chances in this one. This was getting into a major embarrassment fast. Really fast as the Knicks lead was on steroids now up 101-79 and the Knicks would pull the starters with 3:20 to play. How bad was it? We had a Solomon Alabi sighting. Knicks would take this one 106-87.

I got nothing more to say on this one. Actually Happy Birthday Spike Lee. That is all.

Knicks Running Hot Again

The Knicks didn't make any trades at the deadline but they did make a big move. They fired Mike D'Antoni and replaced him with another Mike. Mike Woodson the former Hawks head Coach is now running the show in New York and has the Raptor flavour with former head coach Darrell Walker and former Jim Todd. So far so good as the Knicks have been on fire since the coaching change. While Tebowmania is now on the trading block, it is not as bad for Jeremy Lin. Still Linsanity has pretty much died down despite to this point he remains the starting point guard. Perhaps the peak of Linsanity was in Toronto when he nailed a game winner to sink the Raptors and was cheered for it in Toronto. Tonight he will be on his home floor in New York and have Carmelo Anthony along side this time around. It was Anthony's lack of a relationship with D'Antoni that seemed to lead to his firing. He also doesn't seem to be much of a Jeremy Lin fan at the end of the day.

The Knicks being a dysfunctional roller coaster is nothing new. The Raptors are far less dysfunctional but are also far less talented. Jose Calderon actually did a decent job matched up with Lin at the peak of insanity. He should be back in the line-up tonight. Jerryd Bayless has stepped up his game while Jose has been sidelined with a bad ankle. One wonders if that will continue. Bayless is starting to look a lot like T.J Ford in a way. T.J was never same player in the back-up role as he was when he was the starter. Bayless has shown he can be something quite different when his name is called. When you take this last week and how he performed at the end of last season without Calderon the numbers are significantly better. So how Bayless plays may be as big a story as how Calderon looks in returning.

Andrea Bargnani had one of the better nights of his career playing at the World's Most Famous Arena aka Madison Square Garden. Almost everyone in the NBA gets a bit of a buzz from playing at MSG and it something the Knicks always have to deal with. It is part of the deal when you play in New York. More times than not you get the best punch from you oppositions stars. The Raptors come off a weekend where they get a surprising win of the Grizzlies and less than 24 hours later with more than a few issues they dropped another game to the Bobcats.

It is a small sample size but the Knicks numbers since the Coaching Change are impressive. Here is some of the key ones to take note of:

• Points For: 112.6 (They have scored over 100 in all 3 games)
• Points Against: 89 (Most was 100 on Road vs Pacers)
• Anthony: 14.6 PPG 43.5% FG% 5 assists 30.7% 3PT Range.

Obviously Carmelo is not lighting the world on fire so what has sparked this New York turnaround? The answer might be their bench which now as an added wildcard to the mix in J.R Smith who was one of those guys that were in China for part of the NBA Season. Knicks have averaged 55 points coming from the bench. Steve Novak has been doing his part as well.

So let's get to the 3 Keys:

1. Perimeter Defense: The Knicks have a number of options that are more than willing to fire it up from three point range. J.R Smith and Novak were mentioned but there are many others to add to the list. Raptors must defend the three point line to stand a chance in this one.

2. Bench Points: Raptors lost a big part of their bench in Barbosa. To expect them to outscore the Knicks might be asking to much. You just can't let it be totally lopsided. The Knicks second unit has a lot of scoring punch in comparison to the Raptors.

3. Ball Movement: When the Raptors have success on offense it is always tied to them having good ball movement. It is safe to say the Knicks are going to score their fair share despite the Raptors efforts on D. So that will put the pressure on the Raptors to score more and when they do it is because of ball movement.

Looking Back On The Season So Far.

I have to say it has been nice to have a break form the grind of this season. Sunday I even decided to take a day off. That will change from now on at least on Sundays. We are going to starting doing a 30 minute Podcast called "This Week in Raptor Land". It will take a look back on the week that was for the Raptors. It should be something fun to try and do. Hopefully it grows into one the the staple things we do here in the DNB. As we close in on the unofficial half way mark of the NBA Season maybe I will just give some random thoughts on the Raptors. Will likely have some of that in the podcast on Sunday as well.

Raptor Surprises?

I will start with a guy that I really don't care a lot for, Jose Calderon has been a surprise to me in many ways. First and foremost, the fact he is playing at all. Given the amount of games, the schedule and the fact Jerryd Bayless has been out more than he has been in that shocks me. I am not alone in having had questions about Calderon's durability in the past. However, this season he has been there night in and night out. He has done more than been there, producing to levels we have not seen in a long time from him. It pains me to say it, but if he wants to remain and play out the final year of his deal, the Raptors might not have any better options. No point guards in the draft look to be the answer long term for Toronto at least not to start in their first season. While I haven't studied it to any great degree, there is no real stud point guard that will be a free agent in this upcoming class either. The idea to amnesty Calderon seems silly at this point. This is not to say that I would endorse going any further with Jose beyond this contract. I still think that he has had a long run here and the team has failed to produce under his leadership or lack of it at the point guard position. He too seems like he would welcome a change, maybe he hasn't said it and never will, but ultimately both he and Raptors have been unsuccessful overall. That said his numbers and durability have been a surprise. You might even be able to trade him in that final year of his contract, or the Raptors can keep him and let him walk and take a run at Brandon Jennings or someone else with the 10 million plus in cap space him leaving would create. But Calderon in a season of a lot of underachievement has overachieved to a great extent. I have even seen flashes of effort on defense.

If you had told me at the start of this season that the Raptors best pick up in the off-season would be Aaron Gray I think I would have laughed you out of the room. After a rocky start with his health issues with his heart, he has been a contributor to the team. He lacks any real skill on offense, but for a team that let it's best rebounder walk away in Reggie Evans he has helped out in that regard. He also is a decent defender, nothing spectacular but decent. He is the best signing in part based on how awful everyone else has been. Rasaul Butler has been a train wreck from the word go. Jamaal Magloire is so bad that the fact he is Canadian does not keep people from stating the obvious that he has been awful. There was lots made about him coming home and playing in his hometown of Toronto. But honestly, did any other NBA team want him at this stage of his career? If they did would they now? Anthony Carter is no Jeremy Lin. In fact he maybe no Darrick Martin and maybe only slightly more valuable than Marcus Banks. Gary Forbes might be the only guy that you would even consider, but he has barely seen the floor and is pretty much a non factor most nights. So is it by omission that Aaron Gray is the Raptors best pick up. Yes in part, but he has done something which is more than can be said for the others.

Dwane Casey's impact on this team. I admit the whole "Pound The Rock" thing didn't play with me a bit. It still doesn't to any large degree. However, the fact the Dwane Casey has been able to make progress with this group on defense so quickly is a surprise to me. I know, he won a ring in Dallas and was the guru behind there D that shut down Miami. However, this was the Raptors, a team that for the majority of their existence have been a team challenged to play even average defense. The fact he has been able to even get Andrea Bargnani to look like he is actually trying to play defense is pretty amazing. In that building of defense first mindset, Casey has brought back something that had been lacking for a long time in Toronto. Accountability was something we never saw under Jay Triano and to be honest you are left to question how much the Raptors truly respected Triano in the role of head coach. No one is questioning if they respect Dwane Casey. I recently came up with an expression I like about Casey. In terms of how he deals with the media. He is a less entertaining version of Sam Mitchell. He like Sam did tells it like it is, but just does it in a very low key way. While Sam Mitchell might have said of the loss to Bobcats, that we let the Washington Generals come into our home and kick our butts. Casey said of his great disappointment in how his team performed and failed to show up. Sam's makes the better quote, but the honesty is there from both. All the candy coating losses and players is pretty much gone. Which is something we can all appreciate.

Raptor Disappointments

Demar and Ed were suppose to be part of what made this season somewhat bearable at the end of the day. To watch them develop into part of this young core that Colangelo keeps telling us we have. Both have failed to show consistency from night to night. They also have shown very few signs of improvement. Beyond the fact that now and then Demar DeRozan can make the occasional three point shot not much has improved. While there are some very legitimate excuses as to why this has been, it does not change the fact it has been. It seems that when Ed Davis has big days, it is on days when the Raptors as a whole struggle. Case and point the last game vs the Bobcats. While DeRozan has had his fair share of issues on both ends of the floor. Andrea Bargnani not being around has shifted the spotlight to DeRozan and made his flaws more glaring and obvious. While Andrea has proven he can play some defense under Casey, the same can not be said for Demar. Also when you are playing along side the team's best defender for many in James Johnson that makes it more obvious as well. While on offense he has at times drifted away from his strengths and been exposed for his below average handling of the basketball. This off-season for both and what is left of this season, are going to be vital for both Davis and DeRozan to step up and be counted. At this point you have to say in terms of both, we have seen regression not progression.

On a team that lacks a roster that is very talented in comparison to many other teams around the league, the last thing you need is injuries. While in the brief amount of time he has played we have seen a much improved Andrea Bargnani, that does very little to help when he is not playing. In fact it does nothing at all. His injury and subsequent re-injury of his calf has been the most glaring and obvious issue. But the Raptors have seen Jerryd Bayless barely play at all on top of it. We touched on this earlier in talking about both Carter and Calderon. Missing Bayless has been also a big deal, if for no other reason than it allows Jose Calderon to have more gas in his tank. You started the season without Linas Kleiza and Aaron Gray both who when healthy have contributed. It has been a season in which we have seen very little of the Raptors at 100% in terms of healthy bodies. This is not unique to them in this crazy NBA season. Almost every team has had to endure injuries and some teams to key players like Al Horford in Atlanta who is out for the season. But the Raptors given their lack of talent to start with are hurt more by this than other teams.

Were almost halfway through this season. When I look back on this year five years from now I probably will just be thankfully that I survived it. This has not been one of the more fun times in the history of the Toronto Raptors or the NBA in general. Sure there have been moments. But aside from looking back on the start of Jeremy Lin's hall of fame career what will I honestly remember? Maybe nothing, and maybe Jeremy Lin is not even around. But at the end of the day as much as we may love basketball, this season will not be one that has made you more of a fan, it will be one that you have endured and looked for reasons to be excited. That maybe a contributing factor in the rise of Linsanity. While it is a great story it makes up for all the ugly basketball that has been seen throughout this season. There has been a lot of that. Raptor fans have seen some of it first hand just like they got to see Linsanity come to town.

But in any case we are almost halfway home in a season that from the outset had never been promised to be anything but a hard season to deal with. It has delivered on that promise to a great extent.

After The Circus Here Comes The Rodeo

We did a live chat last night so I never did a re-cap of last night's game. Jeremy Lin was the star going in and he left that way, hitting a dagger three to complete the Knicks comeback. This season the Raptors have both battled back from some large holes and blown some large leads. Last night after one of their better first halves of the season they let it all get away from them in the 4th. Jose Calderon put together arguably his best to games back to back in his NBA career. At least from a scoring prospective. Lin who had his struggles in this game came alive in the 4th and started to find some chemistry with Amare Stoudemire, returning to the Knicks line-up after the death of his brother. Only the 2nd sellout crowd of the season at the ACC, many of whom came to see Linsanity, got to see what they paid for. The Raptors gave a good fight overall but let one slip away. Lin's 3 pointer left the Raptors just .5 seconds to respond and they could not, 90-87 Knicks and the Raptors face a back to back with the Spurs tonight.

San Antonio with little hype and fanfare has quietly made their way to 2nd in the Western Conference at 20-9. They are on their annual Rodeo Road Trip with Toronto being stop 5 of the 9 games away from home for the Spurs. They are a perfect 4-0 so far with the latest win coming at the hands of the Pistons. After an injury early in the season Manu is back and Spurs seem primed to make a push at getting first place in the West.

Canadian Cory Joesph makes his first appearance here in Canada and his home of Toronto. Joseph has seen some time in the D-League, while he has been hard pressed to see any action with Spurs because Tony Parker is having an All-Star season. Also his back-up being T.J Ford the former Raptor it has been hard to find time but has to be quite the learning experience. Ford never content to be the back-up in his time here is happy it would seem to accept the role and live close to his home of Houston. T.J after being traded from Toronto fell out of favour with the Pacers and signed with the Spurs as free agent once the NBA Season got started after the lockout.

Also, when the Spurs come town, that means the return of Toronto resident and former Raptor Matt Bonner. The Red Rocket married a girl from Toronto and makes it his off-season home. He has been trying to this point unsuccessfully become a Canadian to play for the national team. He is one of the more loved figures in Raptors history. The biggest highlight that made him so, might have been a game vs Minnesota, in which he got into a mix-up with Kevin Garnett still on the T-Wolves at the time. Bonner would get ejected and leave the floor to cheers from the ACC faithful. Since leaving Toronto in a trade that landed him with the Spurs, he has become a key role player for them and can be found a top the NBA in terms of 3 point percentage for the past few seasons. He has really developed into a legitimate NBA player. He was also in the front lines as a VP in Players Union during the NBA Lockout.

Raptors have had 3 impressive performances and only 1 win to show for it. They will need a 4th impressive performance if they hope to hang with San Antonio.

3 Keys:

Value Possessions: Last night how the Raptors let the game get to that dramatic moment with Lin nailing that three was very simple. The Raptors committed far to many turnovers and it cost them in the end.

Jose vs Tony: Jose Calderon has been playing out of his mind. Even at times on defence which is something I don't think we have ever said in the DNB. Tony Parker is playing at an All-Star level and will be heading to Orlando. It is going to be a tough challenge for Calderon to compete for a 3rd straight game. Jerryd Bayless is said to be a game time decision and might make the load on Calderon a little less.

Perimeter D: Manu leads a cast of characters that can make their shots behind the three point arc. Be aware and get after them or it could be a very long night at the office for the Raptors.

I am heading down to the ACC to cover the next 3 games. Looking forward too it. That and hosting our contest winners on Friday. I figured in this NBA Season I should pull a back to back to back. Although mine is over the span of a week. Raptors are just 1-3 on this 7 game home stand despite some great efforts of late. Making it 2-3 will be no easy task at all. What will be an easier task is trying to win our final set of tickets for our MGDDNBVIP Contest that with happen sometime Thursday before Noon.

Your Va-LIN-Tine's Knicks vs Raptors Preview

Happy Valentine's Day. There may not be another Valentine's Day like this ever for the Toronto Raptors. Having covered the Raptors for a normal game a time or two, the amount of media to welcome Jeremy Lin is off the charts. The last time I can remember the Raptors having to use the media lounge to hold a press conference in that room was for the Big 3 and the return of Chris Bosh to Toronto. There could be more people on hand today, for the arrival of the biggest story in the NBA this season. You almost forget that all of this Linsanity has taken place with the Knicks two biggest stars a couple weeks ago on the sidelines. Amare Stoudemire has been away from the team due to the tragic death of his brother. Carmelo Anthony may only be heading to the All-Star Game thanks to fan voting. He has been out with a groin injury.

But people only seem to care about Jeremy Lin these days. Spike Lee, the world's most famous Knick fan has turned his twitter account into basically the evaluation center for your Jeremy Lin nicknames. There is just no real comparable story that I can recall in watching basketball from being a kid back in the 80's.

The Raptors seem to like the big stage of late. They had a solid performance down in Miami not that long ago, Beat the Celtics and came oh so close to upsetting the Lakers. This may sound silly, but in terms of a stage to perform on this season, it might not get any bigger than it is tonight. Yes that includes when Chris Bosh and the Heat roll through in the end of March. Chris Bosh could only dream of having the attention of Jeremy Lin.

If we go back in time when Lin was released by the Warriors, I had thought Toronto would have been a good landing spot. The Raptors are now out in the media saying they strongly considered him. Apparently so strongly that they signed Anthony Carter instead? There is a chance we might see Carter get some minutes guarding Lin, if Jerryd Bayless is not able to go. He is a game time decision for anyone that cares about anything not related to Linsanity. Carter or for that matter Calderon don't seem like much of a match for the Jeremy Lin show. Although, the Calderon we saw vs the Lakers can hold his own scoring with Lin.

As much as I might take credit for seeing Lin as a fit for the Raptors. That was as 3rd point guard flyer that would draw some media buzz. But here is something I got very wrong. I picked the Knicks to win the Atlantic Division, and I really didn't see it as much of stretch. They did lack a point guard, but I figured they would find a way to acquire one and maybe even get really lucky and get a bargin price for Steve Nash. Instead, the Knicks lack of a point guard was glaring and until Jeremy Lin jumped into the spotlight, the Knicks were no lock to make the playoffs let alone win the division. Now you have Lin and Stoudemire expected to return shortly. Not sure if that means as soon as tonight but soon. Mello eventually will be back and that will be the test. Will these two superstars fall in line and let the Linsanity continue. Do they even have a choice at this point? Can Lin do what I thought a Nash would do and give the Knicks the balance needed for both Stoudemire and Mello to be effective. That will be the test.

For the Raptors the test on this night is pretty much how they defend the pick and roll. A lot of what Jeremy Lin does is based on his ability to work the pick and roll in the half court. He is not the world's greatest shooter from the outside yet. But did poke holes in that theory vs the Lakers. My money says that Dwane Casey is going to throw a lot of zone looks at Lin and the Knicks to see how they handle that. The Comparison of the story of Jeremy Lin and his quick rise to the biggest story in sports compares to Tim Tebow. However, the comparison stops there. Lin has not re-invented how you play the game of basketball. He is consistent for most of the 48 minutes of a game that he is on the floor. Tebow used an offensive style that has not been used in the NFL in likely 50 years and had magical finishes after horrible beginnings. That is not Jeremy Lin.

3 keys for tonight:

1. Defend the Pick and Roll: How the Raptors defend this will ultimately determine there fate more than anything else. If Lin is able to work the pick and roll with little difficulty you can expect Linsanity to continue and the Raptors to get carved up.

2. Transition D: In the system the Knicks run it is all about getting the ball and running. Steve Nash was the greatest conductor of this system. He would make the scoreboard pop like a pinball machine. Making stars out of average players. So the Raptors have to be alert in transition and avoid turnovers that can lead to breaks.

3. Attack the hoop: Knicks really lack any kind of shot blockers that you would fear. Especially minus Stoudemire. So attack them and take everything to the paint early and often. You turn this into a jump shooting contest and you are playing into the Knicks hands.

That about does it other than to remind you that we have are MGDDNBVIP Contest #2 that ends at the conclusion of this game. If you missed the video yesterday here is the guys from our Round Ball Review with the contest details:



Good Luck and after this contest will have 2 more chances to win between now and Thursday.

The Starting 5 With Ryan Wolstat

Ryan became someone I got to know in having access to games, and has been a regular guest here in the DNB since last season. He covers the Raptors obviously, but also has covered some NCAA Basketball in his work for the Toronto Sun. In today's interview we talk about the Raptors latest surge of positive play. Then the story that everyone in the NBA seems to be talking about in Jeremy Lin. He and the Knicks are the next team up for the Toronto Raptors. In addition, we look at where the Raptors sit in terms of the draft this year and based on that what will they do? This and some conversation about the trade deadline this season and if the Raptors will be actively looking to sell? If so, who might be at the top of that list. This along with thoughts on what has been a NBA season to forget in some ways, with the 66 game schedule marching along. All that and some good conversation and laughs about Ron Artest and Allen Iverson. All this and more in this edition of the Starting 5.



It will be interesting to watch how this season plays out, the one thing that seems to be universal in talking to the media and in my own opinion, is the respect for Dwane Casey and the job he has done. Thanks to Ryan for taking the time to talk with us and remember to check on the site and on Twitter for our promotion working with MGD this week. Where you and a guest could join us in a VIP Box for the Bobcats and Raptors as I mentioned off the top of the interview.

Starting 5 Chats with Audley From The Breakdown Show

Audley Stephenson is one half of the duo that each and every week bring you The Breakdown Show. It is a unique look at the NBA from a variety of prospective with a guest list of people from both NBA and the entertainment world. You can catch the show live on Sundays at 9pm or listen to on the web where it fits in your life. I have even been on the show last season. They like to say it is basketball talk the way it should be. So we talk ironically enough some basketball and some Raptors as well as the evolution of their podcast and website. You can find them on the web at The Breakdown Show.Com for their show, their book and just some good old basketball information and entertainment. That is Audley on the left as he came and visited us at our MGD Night at the Raptors Nuggets game last season. The other guy is Lanny better known to many as @_Lenito on twitter. Audley is on the Twitter Machine as well @TheAudman as well as his co-host Dave Mendonca who oddly enough is @DaveMendonca on Twitter.

In our interview we talk about the Raptors big win over Boston, thoughts on Dwane Casey, Andrea Bargnani, Demar DeRozan and the thing that everyone is talking about LINSANITY. This and much more in The Starting 5.



Thanks to Audley and hopefully will get both him and Dave back for a visit in the future. I am actually going to tomorrow's game as a fan vs the Lakers so will see if that leaves time for a DNB Preview or not. If not will have a recap of the Laker Game tomorrow night sometime once I get home and settled.

Looking Ahead To The Post Calderon Era

Change is coming for the Toronto Raptors at the point guard position sooner or later. Jose Calderon seems like his days with the Raptors will eventually be done. While he has never been a favourite of ours in the DNB, it seems clear now the end is coming. Calderon next season will enter the last year of the contract he signed back in 2008. In that time the Raptors record has been 103-170. Even Bryan Colangelo talked about the need for a point guard for the future. There have been rumours that Calderon himself wants to play for a contender. If he does I am not sure that it would be as a starter. But whatever the case it seems the longest serving Raptor who came here in 2005-2006 is on the way out. He along the way has averaged 7.1 assists and has 3,201 total assists currently, which is the franchise record all-time. But a lot has changed since 2005 and the point guard position has evolved. That evolution of faster type players at the position has been the problem that has plagued Calderon. While his offence at times has bordered on brilliance his defence has always been the issue.

Now if the Raptors had listened to this blog we could be already experiencing "Linsanity" here in Toronto. I am not going to tell you that I saw Jeremy Lin becoming the NBA's answer to Tim Tebow. I didn't see that coming. But what I did see on the day he was released from Golden State was an opportunity that seemed to make sense. The Raptors needed a third point guard option and this was a kid that was young and could blend in with this young core the Raptors had been trying to establish. But what I also saw was an opportunity from a pure business prospective for MLSE. The Raptors have always thought basketball first but a very close second has always been business and public relations. They are constantly looking at ways to expand their market to bring in people to support their brand. The fact they have a very international based look to them is not an accident or just by chance.

In the past we have seen the impact a Yao Ming has had, and even Yi to a lesser extent. I have to admit when I went to cover a game last season between the Raptors and Warriors I was taken back by the amount of Asian media that was there to see Jeremy Lin. Toronto has a large Asian community and this seemed the perfect slam dunk to cash in on that. Raptors needed a point guard. Here was one that had yet to develop but people felt had upside. He is born in the U.S and speaks English as a first language. He went to Harvard to play his college basketball. He fit the Raptors squeaky clean image of nice guys that we have gotten use too. It seemed like a perfect marriage of business smart and not basketball dumb. After all like I said people thought this kid had talent. Instead the Raptors passed and went for Anthony Carter as part of this veteran leadership movement they were trying to establish. It makes little sense to me at least at the point guard. Jose Calderon is not in need of a vet at this point. Bayless should be able to learn from Calderon to some degree. So why the Raptors went in this direction puzzles me. The fact Lin has found a place in New York who was desperate for a point guard only makes it sting a little more. So the Raptors missed the boat on "Linsanity"coming to Toronto.

So what now in terms of the search to find the successor to Jose Calderon. It seems clear the Raptors don't see Jerryd Bayless as the answer. The Raptors had the ability to extend Bayless but decided to pass on that. He still could be part of the puzzle but as the starter that seems unlikely. There is of course the NCAA Draft and the Raptors looking more like a lottery team by the day. You will have options in this draft class with out question. One of those being Myck Kabongo from Toronto who despite having some struggles in his freshman year at Texas is thought of as an NBA Talent. However, in a draft class that has so many options in terms of guys that play the small forward position, and rank higher than Kobongo, it makes drafting him seem unlikely if not impossible, at least with the Raptor's pick. If they acquire a second first round pick then point guard becomes a possibility. As much as this draft class has been hyped it really does not have that much in terms of the point guard position. Aside from Kabongo who is a freshman and would have to declare for the draft, there are only two other names listed at point guard that rank in the first round on Draft Express, Kendall Marshall from UNC and Damian Lillard from Weber State. I would also say that Austin Rivers who made a huge 3 last night to beat UNC is a guy that can play the point. But all of the players just mentioned at least at this point sit ranked outside of the lottery.

If not the draft then where do the Raptors go? Well Bryan Colangelo has made a point to remind us often of all this cap room he has secured for next season. Brandon Jennings would be a restricted free agent by time Calderon's deal is up. He has been recently noted by Raptor fans about his tweets about his love for Toronto. Let's face it who wouldn't want to live in Toronto compared to Milwaukee. Joking aside this is an option that might solve two problems at once. Jennings is a talented kid who can play the point. He has his draw backs for sure. But what he also has is a relationship with Demar DeRozan that dates back to growing up as kids in L.A. In terms of story lines with the Raptors a close second to the turnaround of Andrea Bargnani has been the inconsistency of Demar DeRozan. There are many theories as to why this has been. However the most common one seems to be a case of confidence. When Demar has it he can be the future rising star that people have seen him as. When he doesn't it exposes the flaws in his game that have become glaring and obvious.

The Raptors are likely to make a push to upgrade at the small forward position. This means the chances that Sonny Weems returning to Toronto to once again to be Demar DeRozan's main source of support seem unlikely. While some will see it as simplistic and not give that much credence, I think the lack of Weems plays a role in the struggles of DeRozan. Even if it is not evident to DeRozan himself. I mean this is a young guy, that saw his best friend on the team for the most part go away, while he was left with an increasing role and more demands on him. So it makes a lot of sense that Jennings could fill this missing piece for DeRozan. Jennings also is a kid that has a lot more swagger to him than Demar DeRozan does. If you brought a Brandon Jennings into the mix that swagger would likely impact on Demar and give him that confidence that has been lacking at times. It all seems to make sense.

The problem is to make it happen might not be so easy. Jennings is going to be a restricted free agent so the Bucks would have the ability to match any offers that came his way. But at times Jennings has clashed with Scott Skiles and the Bucks may not be willing to spend a ton of money to keep him at all cost. If the Raptors were to trade in some of that cap room they have for Jennings it would be something that might appeal to the Bucks. Would the Bucks have interest in a Calderon for a season and take the cap room he would provide for the future? Problem in that is Jose is not going to be Scott Skiles dream point guard. His lack of defence would likely drive him insane as it likely does Dwane Casey. But some how Bryan Colangelo owes it to himself to look at this situation and figure out some plan of attack to make it work. Jennings could be worth the gamble. Colangelo has never been afraid to do that.

Will it happen or will it be a case like the one with Jeremy Lin in which the Raptors miss the boat. Time will tell as they say. But it sure is an intriguing and risky direction to go. But Jennings does offer a skill set that can be one that fits a lot more with the direction the point guard position is heading in the NBA. He would be a huge change for what Raptor fans have become accustom to under Calderon. Both in good ways and in bad ways. However, as we discussed off the top the Calderon Era at the point guard position has not led the Raptors to any kind of real success. In fact the opposite is true. Jennings did little last night to make a strong case for his cause in his performance. Still, he has upside and a built in chemistry and connection in DeRozan waiting here in Toronto. It could be a magical combination for the Raptors. When you put it along side Bargnani, Jonas and a small forward to be named later likely coming from the draft. That is a young core and starting line-up that could be fun to watch for years to come.