Did We Really Lose To The Bobkittens? No Really?

So I had this dream that I some how ended up having to cover the Bobcats vs Raptors, on the same night host a party for readers of the DNB, and get this the Raptors lost. Wait, I am being informed this actually happened. The Raptors and deservedly so, have been praised for their effort in the last four games, despite the fact they have been 1-3 in those games. But based on their performance last night it made those 3 losses become pretty irrelevant. While it was great to see them raise their game to a level to compete with the Lakers, Knicks and Spurs, it should have carried over to a winnable game vs the struggling Bobcats. They had lost 16 in a row and brought a 1-15 road record with them to Toronto and just 3 wins on the season overall. This game was lost almost before it started by the Raptors. Dwane Casey in the post game was very honest and stated off the top he was disappointed in his team's performance. The Raptors approach to this game was the problem according to Casey. He clearly felt his team over looked the Bobcats.

This was a close game throughout never seeing one team lead by more than 8 points in it. When you consider the Bobcats who had lost their last 10 games on the road by an average of over 16 points, this was a clear sign the Raptors were in trouble. It was a lacklustre performance almost from the opening bell. The one thing that you have to do against a struggling team the Raptors failed to do. They let the Bobcats build hope and feel like they had a chance to win. Despite getting off to decent 10-4 advantage by the end of the 1st quarter the Raptors lead was just a single point 23-22. DeRozan had a good start on offence but an equally poor one on defence. His assignment on the night was Reggie Williams. Mr. Williams heading into this game averaged just over 10 points a game. He would end up on the night with 22 points shooting 9-13 from field and 4-6 from behind the arc.

Not only was Demar struggling on defence he was on top of it getting himself into foul trouble. If not for those facts, he could have had perhaps an even better night on offence which was pretty good with 24 points going 8-15 from the field. On top of that, he also had a nasty coming together with a Bobcat in the 4th Quarter that left him down on the floor for a bit. After the game he was fine and said the coming together just made him a bit dizzy, but was o.k eventually and he did comeback later. The only thing that was hurt was his pride at the end of the night.

The Raptor would trail by 2 at the half. The fans would get treated to Naughty By Nature at halftime. The Raptors likely to a verbal assault from Dwane Casey. Whatever was said didn't take long as the Raptors had wondered out before Naughty By Nature was done performing. Jerryd Bayless did return in this game but Casey said post game he felt that Bayless wasn't right in his view and did not play him at all in the 2nd half. Bayless only played a shade under 5 minutes and was 0-2 from the field making 2 free throws for his 2 points on the night.

The Raptors did respond in the 3rd to some degree but they had already made the mistake of giving a desperate team hope. The Raptors won the third quarter though out scoring the Bobcats 24-21 and took a slim one point advantage to the 4th quarter. However in that 4th the Bobcats had the hope and smelled blood and a rare chance at win and took advantage of that. They started to build a lead and would be able to hang on to it out scoring the Raptors 30-22 in final quarter and walking out of the ACC with a 98-91 win.

A couple of guys that were considered options for the Raptors in the draft were on display in this game. Kemba Walker was a lot of the people's choice for the Raptors in the draft. He had 14 points and 8 assists on the night. But the 5-15 shooting is the problem with Kemba he is struggling to shot a good percentage on the next level here in the NBA. Until Jonas Valanciunas fell into their lap the Raptors were strongly considering Bismack Biyombo from the Congo. He on the other hand looked like something the Raptors could use. Bismack laid the smack down in the form of 7 blocks to go with 8 points and 13 rebounds a strong showing for him. Still all the reports and things you keep hearing suggest that Jonas will be far better than both when all is said and done. Given how this season has gone the pressure on him to perform like it will be here from the moment he arrives and not a second later.

Jose Calderon who has been coming back to earth in terms of scoring had 14 points and 8 assists in over 41 minutes on the floor. He seemed frustrated from the losing in general in the post game. It makes you wonder if the rumours and rumblings that he wants to move on to somewhere else have some merit. How ironic would that be? A guy that has frustrated a portion of this fan base leaves out of his frustration in the franchise. Jose will never be a guy that will say he wants out publicly. He never once uttered that he wanted to be the starter in North America. If he were to survive the season as a Raptor it would not shock me if we heard news from Spain that Calderon is unhappy and wants to move to another NBA team. That is how he does things. It is also part of why I have never been thrilled with Calderon over the years.

Despite this recap of the game itself, I had a fantastic time being both media member, than host, than media member again. Our MGDDNBVIP night was a success in every way except for the one thing that is out of our hands the game on the floor itself. Thanks to all that came out and to Forest Kenney and the folks at MGD for working with us on a big event for the 2nd season in a row now. It is becoming a great tradition for us in Dino Nation Blog. They do a wonderful job in making these events a success. Will have some pictures and photos from the night over the weekend.

Draft Workouts Begin In Raptorland

Nothing like starting off Day 1 of Raptor draft workouts with a bang. Both Brandon Knight and Kemba Walker will be here. Not at the same workout though. Agents would never let that happen. But if the Raptors decide to go point guard it is a safe bet it will be Knight or Walker that they select. It is a lock that one of them at least should be there at number 5. When you consider Cleveland has 2 of the first four picks and Minnesota will not be taking a point guard for sure. Well it is Minnesota so anything is possible but seriously no chance they will. Cleveland will not draft two point guards either so that means at least one of Walker or Knight will be there. If it is both the Raptors will have a choice to make.

This is all assuming the Raptors stay at number five. The idea of trading back could be an appealing one for that Raptors assuming they are not that in love with either point guard. But if the Raptors stay at number five I said even back before we knew where they would pick that if Raptors were not in the top three and kept that pick they would select Kemba Walker. A lot gets made of these workouts, but to me they are really just the final stage to confirming that you are comfortable with taking a player. Workouts as we have seen in the NFL can be misleading.

Even going back to around the time of the NCAA Tournament I had a feeling Walker would be high on the Raptors list. Demar DeRozan seems a fan of him and he mentioned that both he and Ed Davis no Kemba pretty well as they came out in the same H.S Class together going to all the various All-Star Games and getting to know each other. That can't be erased like an NCAA Football championship from DeRozan's former school USC. Kemba Walker and his NCAA title are in the books and on the record.

Walker not only lead UConn on a run in the NCAA Tournament to win the title, he took them on a 6 game run to win the Big East title as well. He won the award as the top point guard in all of college basketball. Irving likely would have won the award but an injury sidelined him most of the year. Walker like DeRozan came on late in the year and has been on the steady climb up mock draft boards. If we are talking in February 2011 there is no way Walker is being picked this high. But combine his play with the draft class shrinking due to the lockout looming and he is in the mix to be a top 5 pick.

Size and the fact he is a shoot first ask questions later point guard are the main knocks against him. Some make the comparison to Allen Iverson but not nearly as talented or as good a shooter. That all being said there is something to be said for a guy that wins games that matter in the toughest conference tournament and then the NCAA Tournament. I see him a lot like a guy like T.J Ford coming out of Texas. Smaller but a fast guy that can get in the paint and can at times be a good shooter but lacks consistency.

Brandon Knight has the fact that he plays for a coach that just happened to coach the reigning MVP of the NBA at the point guard position. That was back at Memphis but now John Calipari has taken his show to Kentucky and there he had another star in John Wall. Knight is no where near Wall or Rose. But he has worked under the same coach in the same system. While people may question his tactics in terms of recruiting and if it is on the level. No on can deny that Calipari has had a ton of success getting players into the next level and having them succeed for the teams that draft them.

If it comes down to one or the other. It seems that if you want the safe pick you take Knight. If you want to take a risk and get the player with the higher upside than you take Walker. Regardless of who the Raptors take unless Bryan Colangelo can work a miracle and trade Jose Calderon it would appear that Walker or Knight will have to share time with him. Calderon for as much as he gets hammered for his defence is still a very talented and experienced guy on the other end of the floor. He will be able to help Walker or Knight tremendously and make their learning curve for the NBA a lot easier. Just don't ask him about how to defend the position. But for a guy like Walker that has a knock of being a shoot first guy having a guy like Calderon that is his opposite should be helpful.

If the Raptors stay at the number five spot I find it hard to imagine they will not select one of these two guys. Bryan Colangelo had stated the Raptors have their draft list down to 8 guys that they are focused in on at the 5th pick. It is a no brainer that Knight and Walker are at the top of that list of 8. Today the Raptors will get to see both one in the morning and one in the afternoon. So to evaluate them in the same day should make it crystal clear for the Raptors on who they like better. But if one or the other is selected before the 5th pick we may never know who that guy was.

Colangelo also made mention of wanting to try to find a 2nd pick in the top 10. This opens up the door to the idea of the Raptors making a play for Tristan Thompson. If it is not for that purpose may God have mercy on the soul of the kid they do select and Colangelo if in fact Thompson ends up the better player. Everyone to a man seems to think that Tristan Thompson if the draft order does not change will be going to the Bucks at #11.

To find out where all these guys go, I am pleased to announce that the DNB will be teaming up with our friends at St. Louis Wings to have a draft party. The draft takes place on June 23rd which is a Thursday. So clear your calender and make plans to join us. I hope to have all the details worked out by this Thursday. If you came to our Unwelcome Back Bosh party you know what a fun atmosphere it is at St Louis Wings and hopefully you will want to come out again. If you missed our Bosh Party well this is your chance to come out and have some fun with us again. Stay tuned to the blog and on Twitter @Dinonationblog and @StLouisWings for details on the event.