Captain Cupcake Leads Nets To Victory

So here we go, on the night before the trade deadline. All is quiet for the Raptors and it is likely to stay that way given the goals of this franchise at the moment. So, we can focus on if this team can actually win two games in a row. Deron Williams is out for the Nets and so is Calderon for the Raptors. I would consider that advantage Toronto. Is that enough to get them a win? Time to find out.

Sloppy start by both sides as the teams trade turnovers. Raptors got the first two baskets of this game to get the jump on the Nets. Kris Humphries was all over the place in both good and bad ways. He made a jumper and that was followed by a Raptor turnover leading to easy two in transition and this puppy was tied at 6. More Hump with the two handed jam and Nets had their first lead on the night at 12-10. Hump had a career high 31 point and 18 rebounds on Monday, so far in this one he has 8 points and 3 rebounds. Raptors went on a 8-3 run capped with a DeRozan slam in transition on the nice hook up from Bayless. Barbosa would make that 10-3 as he was playing and showing why he might be the most attractive trade piece in a Raptor uniform. In what was a very sloppy quarter for both the Raptors and Nets the Dinos had a 22-19 lead.

Anthony Morrow opens the scoring and makes it a one point lacking excitement contest. Nets get the lead back for first time since 12-10 with back to back hoops to open the 2nd. Barbosa audition continues with steal followed by a drive and behind the back pass to Linas for the easy 2. For a game tied at 25 this had all the excitement of watching paint dry for the most part. Gaines the Raptor for a couple 10 day contracts last year gave the Nets the lead 27-25. A quiet night for Bargnani so far as he makes his 2nd shot on the night to tie the game at 27. The Barbosa audition was the only true excitement as he adds a jumper made as he is fouled. Missed the and one but the Raptors had a 32-29 lead. Bragnani makes up for a turnover with a nice drive and finish and the Raptors lead was 5 with a time out on the floor. James Johnson kept the Raptors roll going on a 9-0 run now but the Nets finally had an answer and it was back to a 5 point game at 36-31. But the Raptors keep rolling make it a 13-2 run for Toronto and a 40-31 lead. Raptors get a bucket from Bayless he had 8 dimes doing his best Jose Calderon impression only he was playing defense too. Raptors had slippage near the end of the half and were trying to hang on to the lead. But they did manage to hold on with a 46-41 halftime lead.

Raptors continue to build your expectation levels for Jonas coming. I think it is pretty irresponsible to hype this kid to the moon all to serve as a distraction to the fact this season has been terrible. If he is not as good as advertised I urge you not to blame the kid and blame the people responsible for building your expectations to high. Anyway, back to the guys actually playing here that are up 5 on the Nets. New Jersey opens the half with a 3 pointer to cut the lead to just two. The one thing Bargnani has stuggled with since his return ironically is hit 3 point shot. he had a wide open transition three that he missed. Nets would tie the game up on the next possession at 46. Nets would eventually nose ahead with a 52-50 lead. Kris Humphries takes an ill advised jumper, gets his own rebound and kicks the ball out and possession ends with a Hump dunk. That sums up the good and bad of Kris Humphries in one possession. Bottom line it worked out and the Nets had a 4 point lead. Nets had a chance to make that an eight point lead but Hump threw the ball away. Demar Derozan took a knock to his face. He made the basket and the free throw than took a seat to get checked out. Nets were starting to pull away with this one. Jerryd Bayless after a solid first half with 8 assist had 0 in this 3rd quarter and was making some turnovers. Raptors limped to the end of the 3rd and the Nets had a 12 point turnaround in that quarter to lead 66-59 after 3.

Ed Davis angry he gets no halftime features makes a basket to start the 4th. Raptors were making just some awful and unforced turnovers and the Nets were happy to take the gifts being thrown their way. Nets had methodically built an eleven point lead. Bayless scored on a transition layup and Avery Johnson was quick to call a time out. There was roughly 7:40 left to play and out of time out Hump knocks down a jumper to restore the double digit lead. DeRozan than tries to put Hump on a poster but has to settle for two free throws. He missed both and the Raptors trialled 80-69. Nets would push that lead to as high as 14. Raptors would roll off 6 straight points and get it to an eight point advantage with 4:30ish left to go. Gerald Green who is most famous for blowing out a candle on a cupcake was blowing out the Raptors with 21 points. His latest two made the lead climb back to 10. After a dump tech by Anthony Morrow and the Raps hitting that Green again with an insane jumper to make the lead 10. Raptors needed a huge change in momentum as James Johnson scored to cut the lead to 8 points but their was just 2:20 left to play. Raptors go zone after the time out and Gaines makes them pay with a three point dagger giving the Nets an 11 point lead. Nets would take this one 98-84 and clobber the Raptors in the 2nd half.

Gerald Green had 26 points and former Raptor Kris Humphries had 16 points and 21 rebounds. It was yet another case of the Raptors not playing a full 48 minutes and paying for it in the end. They only shot 38.3% on the night. It was ugly even when the Raptors were winning. It got uglier when they started losing. Trade Deadline tomorrow if the Raptors do anything will be on top of it. That said if you plan on holding your breath for that...Don't.

Round Ball Review: The Joey G System

The guys from the Round Ball Review are back for another fun filled episode. Joey G has some strange ideas of what is going on in the world and NBA. Even a little stranger that usual. Hopefully you enjoy and check out the guys new and improved set.



If you enjoyed this video please go on YouTube and like it. I love doing this segment and it would be great if more people became aware of it. But even if not the Round Ball Review will keep on rolling. It is just to much fun to stop doing. Hopefully it amuses you half as much as it does me in making it.

The Newark Layover.

If it is hard for me to get excited for this game wonder if it is the same for the Raptors. How about you folks are you pumped up for Nets and Raptors? The Raptors do have something to play for in that they could return home with a winning record from a road trip that few expected them to do much in. It saw the return of Bargnani only to be short lived as it would last almost 2 games. The Raptors last game in Denver was typical of the other games without Bargnani this season. The Raptors did have Bargnani the last time they faced the Nets but still lost 97-85. Two things stick out from that game. The Raptors got dominated on the glass, they also got killed from long range as Nets shot 15-31 (48.4%) from beyond the 3 point line.

Rumours have been flying around the Jose Calderon may want out of Toronto. Those rumours be they true or false can serve as some motivation for Jerryd Bayless. He comes in off his best game of the season in which he had 18 points and was 7-10 from the field and 4-5 from the 3 point line. He was not part of the match-up the first time these two teams hooked up. But it may be his ability to stop Deron Williams that will determine his playing time. Jose Calderon has never had much if any success trying to stop him. Williams and Calderon have meet 14 times here are the numbers:

Deron Williams: 18.9 PPG, 8.9 Assists, 1.6 Steals, Shooting % 43.8 with 2.9 turnovers
Jose Calderon: 9.9 PPG, 5.6 Assists, 0.9 Steals, Shooting % 41.5 with 1.6 turnovers.

But the most glaring stat is this one, Deron Williams is 14-0 in games vs Calderon. He has never lost against him in his NBA Career. In a road trip in which the Raptors have beat a couple losing streaks this is another one they look to change today. But I wouldn't hold my breath waiting for it to happen.

3 Keys:

Defend The Arc: We mentioned how well the Nets did the last time from behind the arc. If you let them getting going again it could be a long night. Be alert for kick outs as Williams attacks the paint.

The Broken Record: We keep saying it but the Raptors have to find a way to get off to better starts. If they don't figure this out they will not be winning many games regardless of who is in or out of the line-up.

Limit 2nd Chance Points: Kris Humphries heard boos in Toronto the last time and really didn't care. He got on the offensive glass early and often and was a big key to the Nets winning the battle on the glass.

Whatever happens I have a request it happens quickly. I would like to watch the Royal Rumble so the quicker the better. Please no triple overtime like last year in England. Not that it is basketball but my pick to win the Royal Rumble is Chris Jericho.

Just When You Think The Raptors Are Better....

Honestly being a Raptor fan is a tough existence. They have a way of playing with your mind. Most Raptor fans came into this season expecting the worst. But after 6 games they had been pleasantly surprised. Confident...maybe even a little cocky. The Nets were not going to be a problem. O.K... Deron Williams and Kris Humphries were back for Nets but we got this. Not so fast. The Nets came into the ACC and the crowd was going after Hump and he in the end would get the last laugh.

It didn't start off like it was going be a bad night. But if you looked closer the signs were there. New Jersey had just a one point lead after 1 quarter 23-22. But the Raptors were getting killed on the boards. Also the Nets were not shooting well but were from beyond that 3 point line. That with second chance points and Deron Williams looking to be 100% would be the theme for the rest of the night. Williams had 24 points 9 assists and 5 rebounds with a couple of steals in his return to the Nets line-up.

The Nets would have their best quarter of the game in the 2nd outscoring Toronto 26-19 and taking a 8 point lead to the break. While Raptor fans would boo Kris Humphries, which is honestly pointless and stupid. He would do what he does and had a huge night on the glass with 9 offensive rebounds and 16 rebounds overall. He only had 6 points on 2-8 shooting but the Nets had more than enough offence on this night.

Anthony Morrow was the biggest contributor for the Nets from behind the arc going 6-10 and ending up with 24 points to match Williams scoring effort. That would be Deron Williams. The Nets actually made some obscure NBA History with at one point having 4 Williams on the floor at the same time. This was not the excuse for the Raptors troubles though as the Nets shot 48.4% behind the arc despite shooting 38.8% overall. If the Raptors could have just shown up on the glass this win was there for the taking. Amir Johnson had 10 boards and Ed Davis had 8. but they needed some help. Davis had a nice night with 11 points as well and that will get lost in the fact the Raptors did not play well as a group.

Demar DeRozan after a magical performance on Wednesday had one of his worst nights of his NBA career to this point. Just 3 points on 1-6 shooting with a couple rebounds and a couple assists. Andrea Bargnani finally came down to earth tonight. His improved defence was MIA and his numbers across the board were down. He had just 17 points shooting 6-12 with just 4 rebounds on the night. Jose Calderon had a nice stat line but his lack of ability to guard Deron Williams was on full display. Even when the Raptors put him on someone else he was getting exposed. If he is on your fantasy team you will be happy with the 19 points and 8 assists. But in reality he was not that good.

Nets outscored the Raptors in every quarter and I have consulted with math experts and they assure me that means the Raptors will lose 100% of time in this situation. Dwane Casey will no doubt have lots to say to a captive audience on a plane to Philadelphia. The Final Score was flattering to the Raptors as this game was over in the early 4th quarter. Nets get just there 2nd win of the year 97-85 at the ACC.

While tonight was no doubt disappointing. I will wait to see how the Raptors respond tomorrow night in Philly before I get to upset with anything. Raptors can ill afford to go on a bad skid now as the games will be flying at them fast and furious. After Saturday in Philly they have the dreaded back to back to back to deal with. Which includes a trip to Washington and back right in the middle. The Raptors will not have time to improve relations and meet with Obama. Tonight started a murderous 7 games in 9 days a daunting task for the Dinos or any NBA team.

Raps Face Atlantic Division Back to Back

Toronto Raptors are going to be some busy damn Dinos in the next little while. The NBA Sked offers them 5 games in just 6 days. It starts tonight at the ACC vs Nets. That means the most hated player in the NBA comes to town. What a joke that is. Kris Humphries is far from that. He is a good dude and I have been saying on Twitter Toronto Fans should cheer hump because we know better. He has become a much better player since his days in Toronto. All that being said with Williams banged up and Brook Lopez out it has been a struggle for the Nets. Even Hump himself has been banged up and missed the Nets last game on Wednesday. Deron Williams also practised with the Nets yesterday and will play.

In terms of the Raptors Jerryd Bayless did practice a little but I think is likely doubtful. Raptors might be wise to save him till Monday if he is ready. Given the way Jose Calderon has played of late it is not like he would get a lot of minutes anyway. After this one the Raptors travel to face believe it or not the Atlantic Division leading 76ers. But first thing is first let's give you three keys to tonight's Nets vs Raps Game.

1. Make It Tough On Deron- I have actually had cracked and bruised ribs. It is a terrible amount of pain. But the pain is not the really problem it is the fact it makes ever breath you take hard. So the Raptors should make sure to bump and bang Deron Williams as often as possible within the rules and hey maybe even outside of them a little. If he is not back to 100% (Which is likely) he will feel it.

2. Battle of the Boards- Humphries is a fantastic rebounder now. It is why he will survive this whole marriage gone wrong. But I meant on the basketball court. The Raptors despite the win vs the Cavs did lose the battle of the boards. It has been a team effort on the glass this year under Casey. So they have to do that tonight to have a chance at winning their 3rd in a row.

3. Lots of Bargnani- The Nets really don't have anyone that can match-up with Bargnani so feed him early and often and let him do his thing. Bargnani is like a player in NBA Jam on fire right now and the Nets have no fireman to put him out. So make sure you take advantage of that. It should be simple for Andrea to get 30 but against the needs be greedy and get him 40.

So that is all. If your heading down to the ACC #CheerHump because the idea of him being the most hated player in the NBA is a joke. Raptors are on a nice roll and if they could sweep this back to back might even go somewhere they haven't been in a long time. Sitting on top of the Atlantic Division. In a short season these games in the division take on more significance.

Raptors vs Nets Round 1 In London

From the home of the 2012 Olympics the O2 arena the Nets and the Raptors will make some NBA history. The first ever regular season game in Europe will go down. Raptors come in off a surprising win on Tuesday night vs the Hornets. Deron Williams recently acquired at the trade deadline is questionable for this game. He has been having an issue with his foot and also a banged up wrist. But as Williams said the Nets did not trade for him to watch him sit. He also said on the prospects of re-signing with the Nets he would play in North Dakota if the team was committed winning. Which given where he played before in Utah that makes sense and is believable. Raptors and Nets have been doing a number of events together and are even staying in the same hotel but today they get it on.

The Basics: Toronto 17-44 (5-24 on the Road) Nets 17-43 (0-9 in Atlantic Division)

When Last We Saw Them: It was a retro performance by Jose Calderon that lead the Raptors to a surprising victory. He out played Chris Paul and led the Raptors making clutch shots to seal a victory. Five Raptors were in double figures including James Johnson who had 13 and is quickly becoming the 2nd coming to some fans out there. Raptors hung on for the 96-90 win.

Key Match-Ups: If he plays Williams vs Calderon will be the key match-up in this game. Calderon has been facing some of the elite at his position in the game of late. Williams is yet another in that list and on paper is the huge favourite in this match-up. Brook Lopez and Andrea Bargnani should be a match-up that favours the Raptors. But what is going to be tough for the Raptors is winning the battle on the glass and that is in part because of former Raptor Kris Humphries. He is playing some of his best ball of his basketball career and off the floor is dating Kim Kardashian. No clue is she made trip to London. But Hump has and will be a load to deal with. James Johnson matches up with Damion James. I loved James at Texas last year and think he can be a solid pick for the Nets.

Other Things Of Note: Nets have lost 6 straight games coming into this one. Nets are 2-8 in last 10 and Raptors not much better at 3-7 in the last 10. Raptors won their first ever game against the Nets and in fact lead the all-time series 30-28. Deron Williams in first 3 games as a Net has recorded a double double and that is first time that has happened since the NBA kept track of back in 1976-77. Raptors have played games in Euro before and held a training camp in Europe but this is there first visit to London and the O2 arena.

Where is it on: Sportsnet Main Network 3pm (Yes the Raptors are more important than Poker to Sportsnet!!! WOOO!!!)

A Home For Hump With The Nets?

Kris Humpries joins a growing list of former Raptors we have talked with. I have always thought it is something important to do when the opportunities come along to do so. He came to the Raptors in a trade for the poster boy of the Rob Babcock Era in Rafael Araujo. The fact Colangelo was able to trade Araujo for anything beyond some athletic supporters was amazing. If you think that is harsh by all means check out the stats from his 3 year NBA Career. It only took Utah a year to give up on him, it took Raptors two. Humphries meanwhile, entered the draft early from Minnesota. He was the freshman of the year in the Big 10 and decided to jump into the draft and was taken 14th by the Utah Jazz. Life under Jerry Sloan clearly was not working. So he was off to to Toronto. He was a pleasant surprise and turned some heads in the pre-season in 06-07 his first year as a Raptor. He always seemed to have potential to be more than he was with the Raptors. But he often seemed to forget he was not number 1 option on offence at times. His numbers would suggest his career has taken steps forward at each stop along the way.

In his words he says, "I came into the league and nothing was really easy for me." Humphries continues on to say "Everything has just been kind of a process, and I improve along the way." Which he has and no more so than in his most recent stop in New Jersey. He has started more games this season for the Nets with 21 than he had in his entire NBA Career prior to that with just 8 starts (2 with Raptors). He has taken advantage of the struggles of Favors the 3rd overall pick of the Nets who you would have thought would be starting for Jersey. Favors has not started a game and is scoring 6.5 points per game and has averaged 5.5 rebounds. In comparison Humphries has 7.9 points per game with 9.1 rebounds and is shooting 53.8%, which are all career highs if he keeps it up, at his current pace.

It really seems like Humphries has found a basketball home with the Nets. Humphries said "It feels like it, but in the NBA you never know what happens. We just had a couple players traded off our team" in reference to the trade with the Lakers and Rockets. Sasha Vujacic would be making his debut with the Nets that night at the ACC. Joe Smith and Terrence Williams were off to L.A and Houston as part of the 3 team deal. Humphries added, " The NBA is just a constant cycle," which for a guy that has played on 4 teams in his 7th year in the NBA seems a logical way to think. But you hope for his sake he might have found a place where he can stay awhile.

Part of that cycle he refers to applies to coaches as well. His head coach in Toronto is now his assistant coach in New Jersey in the form of Sam Mitchell. Hump had these thoughts on being reunited with Mitchell, "Sam is a real good coach and he is part of what were doing here." He continues on to say " He always keeps it interesting." Has Sam actually mellowed at all from his days with the Raptors? Hump says "How People see him now versus than is a little different. But it is a different role." He continues on talking about the differences in Sam, "It's interesting, it is probably different for him going from being the head coach to an assistant but he is doing a great job with it." Still there might be some of the old Sam left and he has not changed entirely. When asked if there were flashes of "the old" Sam, Hump said the following, " Every once in awhile something will happen and I wait to see if he is going say something. Sometimes he does and sometimes he doesn't, because he is an assistant now and has different responsibilities."

It sure seemed like the same Sam earlier in a scrum with the Toronto media with perhaps one large exception. Sam use to always refer to how easy the media had it in comparison to him. Some work with NBA-TV in his time away from coaching has changed his opinion. On his brief stint in the media he had this to say, " It was fun, it was different. There is a lot of work that goes into it. It is not just showing up doing it. There is a lot of research that goes into it so you actually know what you are talking about. Numbers and stuff." Mitchell continued to say "It gave me a different impression of little you guys really work." Which got a laugh from everyone. He mentioned that he liked everything except for the Friday night shifts at NBA T.V, where he would end up leaving somewhere around 3 am. See Sam Mitchell this is not so easy!!! But I truly miss Sam and I regret that I never got to cover the team in his time here. I miss my Sam Mitchell laugh of the day. Which happened almost everyday that he was coaching the Raptors.

When I asked about Kris Humphries time in Toronto and what he takes away from it? Hump looks back on it in a positive way. " We went to playoffs twice up here. Just winning games and I played with some great team mates." He continues on to say " I Really enjoyed some of the people on the staff. Obviously I think I got better as a player. It is part of my journey." It is strange to me how Toronto has such a bad wrap with folks in the U.S, but if you talk to the players that have been here it is rare they will have anything negative to say about Toronto. They can't all be lying can they? I never bothered to ask if he got NBA League Pass when he was here. I also didn't ask about the whole Kim Kardashian stuff. I don't know if I have developed any rules to doing interviews. But if there is one I try to follow, it is that I won't ask anything that I wouldn't answer myself. If someone asked me about who I am dating my answer would be none of your damn business. We are a basketball blog if you want that kind of thing go check out TMZ Sports or something. Unless it impacts on a player in a negative way, I could care less, even than I really wouldn't want to go there. But as was stated Humphries is currently having the best season of his NBA Career. If Kim Kardashain has a blessed thing to do with that I could not tell you. But if she does, good for Kris Humphries. I wanted to tell him this but chickened out. He was my mom's favourite Raptor, not for how he played, she just though he was cute and adorable. I am not sure if people banging on the glass against him would agree. Hump was part of our journey too as Raptor fans, and at least for me will stand out from the crowd.

B.C Doing WORK!!!

So when you went to bed last night depending on when you did. You went to bed with A.P, Hump, Quincy Douby and Shawn Marion were Raps or FA's. Well Not anymore. There are new Raptors too but let's explain where the old ones are going. A.P is the easiest as he just signed on his own with the Cavs. One of the classy players in the history of this organization best of luck to him. Now the trade that was 3 teams that became 4 teams. The Raptors have traded for Hedo Turkoglu. What? Yeah that's right Hedo comes via sign and trade. Shawn Marion goes to Dallas Via sign and trade. Quincy Douby and Jerry Stackhouse go to Memphis. Also Hump goes to Dallas as well. Raptors get back Wright and George from Dallas and yes the all important MLE is back which means so to could be Carlos Delfino. Have you got all of that? If not perhaps ESPN explains it better than me.

Marc Stein on Marion Deal - ESPN

In short Bryan Colangelo is pretty amazing. I had said that you could not truly judge a half painted picture a few days ago. Well Colangelo as truly added some masterful Michaelangelo type strokes to his Raptors canvas. The Raptors have gone from DeRozan and Douby. To Wright, Delfino, DeRozan and George. That addresses the wing spot. About the only thing he could not manage to do in unload Marcus Banks. Had he done that as well there may well have been a Bryan Colangelo parade today in Toronto.

Suddenly, Chris Bosh wakes up to having a team build around him that is pretty good and has some options at pretty much every position. Hey the roll B.C is on maybe Bosh will sign and extension as well.That is not likely to happen but the odds on Chris Bosh coming back have greatly increased in the last 48 hours. The combination of the info on the cap, The Raptors making massive change. The future of Chris Bosh has become a lot brighter to stay in Toronto.

In the end that is what matters the most. That is why all of this has happened in a lot of ways. However even if Bosh were to walk the Raptors are much better prepared for that as well. I still have concern over some of the contracts in terms of Andrea and Hedo. Having a team with some depth makes me a little less worried about that.

People had said B.C was not done. I was sure that he was not done trying. But I wondered if he could pull anything off. Well B.C did that no doubt about this. Even with all of this the Raptors still at best are the 4th team in the East. Still who was thinking that or saying that as a best case even a week ago?

I still have a wait and see approach to all of this. However the big difference is I can't wait to see instead of dreading the rest of this summer. Will this finally put an end to all of you that were thinking/hoping Chris Bosh would be traded this summer?

I am hopeful this will be enough to convince Chris Bosh to remain a Raptor. I truly hope that he can play his career as a Raptor and one day see a #4 hanging in the A.C.C. I feel like, as I am sure most Raptor fans do, that we have all watched Chris grow as a player and a man before our eyes. That is why I am a card carrying member of CB4 Nation. There are some guys that I will always root for their entire career. Bosh is on that list. I just would prefer I am doing it with him as a Raptor.

I want to close with some thoughts on Anthony Parker. He has been one of the most classy and professional people in his time with the Raptors. He finds himself in a situation where he should have an excellent chance at winning a championship. Can you think of a person more deserving of that then him? It would be a short list. So I am extremely happy for him. I also think we are all better off at getting to know someone of such high character and classy. So best of luck to A.P. Here is a list of truly nice guys from Raptors history. They all had varying degrees of talent but all were people that made me smile and hopefully you as well.

#5- Matt Bonner AkA The Red Rocket.

#4- Dell Curry

#3- Muggsy Bogues

#2- Anthony Parker

#1- Morris Peterson.

There were others that you could add to this list. If you have some you want to include or have your own list feel free to make a comment.

Yesterday I decided to do a live blog of the Andrea Bargnani Press Conference. The numbers and turn out for that was fantastic. So if you came out for that thanks a lot. It went so well that I will be doing another one for the Hedo News Conference and I am going to consider some form of a weekly Chat/Live Blog. I really love interacting with folks as you can probably notice if you follow the blog on Twitter (@dinonationblog). So if that presser happens today look for a live blog to be posted here on the site.

I suspect the majority of Raptor fans will be happy today and after last season you have earned that right to be so. Bryan Colangelo took a large step back towards the super genius that got a standing ovation when he came to town.

Jack Armstrong Coaching Us On NBA Draft 101

It has been a busy day. After talking with Chuck Swirsky, I talked with Jack Armstrong after he did is show on the Fan 590. Jack and I talk mostly about the upcoming NBA draft from a Raptor perspective. But along the way Jack comments on a number of the current Raptors and how it relates to the draft. Jack still does cover the NCAA along with his Raptor duties. I remember on a Saturday during the Raptors season Jack had mentioned he was doing a broadcast of Louisville and Cincy. In my job live blogging I have an extended sports package and was excited to learn I could see that game. Living here in Canada and not getting ESPN, unless it is picked up by one of our major networks, I had never seen Jack call an NCAA game. I had always wanted to because he use to do such a great job at covering the NCAA Tournament on T.V here in Canada in Studio for Sportsnet. Jack did the same solid job he does on Raptor broadcasts in covering that game. Jack of course is a former coach in the NCAA. So as much as most now after 11 years people think of Jack in terms of the Raptors. He still is very much on top of the NCAA game. In talking with Jack I can't tell you how many times he refers to the many coaches he has known over the years. So who better to get us up to speed on the NBA Draft.






It is always great to talk with Jack and I have really been honoured to have him as a regular guest in the Dino Nation Blog. Whenever Jack has the time to share with me for the Dino Nation Blog I am happy to have him.

Raptors Sunday Surprise

Well raise your hand if you thought Will Solomon would have a double double, Keep them up if you thought J.O would get 18 rebounds and I could go on but point made. That point is that we all were surprised by what we saw yesterday. I don't think anyone saw this coming. But we probably should have. It is the Raptor way after all. When you have the least of expectations the Raptors always come up with some kind of amazing performance. There are many examples throughout Raptors history. My favourite of those is the run the team made without Vince Carter winning like 16 of 18 games to make the playoffs. They would take the Detroit to 5 games(The series limit at the time ) only to have Chris Childs brain cramp cost them the series. But it was an amazing run to get to that point. So just when you think the Raptors are done. That is when they have a trick up their sleeve to pull out.

Just like the Raptors he coaches Sam Mitchell will not die or go away. The fire Sam chants get louder and he finds a way to quiet them. People have many issues with Sam and they feel he is not the coach for this team to reach that next level. I think the jury is still out on that. But I admire Sam Mitchell and respect his never say die attitude. It would be easy for a team without Jose Calderon to come up with a poor effort. But Sam Mitchell in his entire time here has never used any injury as an excuse. He also will not allow his players to use it as an excuse. Sam is famous for saying the last time he checked everyone still got a paycheck on the 1st and 15th. Which means that everyone is expected to do their job when called upon. When you cut to the chase Sam Mitchell is a guy with "Old School" values that I respect and admire. While many cheer and rant to see Sam Mitchell fired. I have always cheered for Sam to prove them wrong. But I have said and I believe this will be the year that will define and end this debate one way or the other. I wrote a blog on this topic and still think everything in that is true. Sam needs to have success in the playoffs and if he does not I think he really is going to be hard pressed to return. But whatever we all think it is what Bryan Colangelo thinks that will count in the end.

3 Big Experiment

So that worked out pretty well as the Raptors busted out the big 3 line-up of Bosh, Bargnani and J.O. Sam Mitchell had only used it in extreme cases prior to this. It reminded me of when all was lost Sam would throw out T.J and Jose together. I had called it the break glass in case of emergency move by Sam Mitchell. But this time it seems to be a case to send a message to the under performing wing players. Not just the starting line-up changed but the entire rotation. Good news for Kris Humphries fans and bad news for Joey Graham fans. The Miami Heat were the perfect test model to give this a shot. They lack the size to match up and it improved the Raptors rebounding and defense overall. The Raptors were dead last in the league in rebounds. Something needed to be done.

Andrea Bargnani has really made a great effort to improve his game and is showing signs that he is getting it. The biggest change is in his overall attitude and effort. It has been far better and you see the results on the floor. Jermaine O'Neal is starting to round into shape and understanding his role on this team. His contributions on defense are getting better and more often. There was a point in the 4th quarter that every shot he could challenge and try and block he did. He already is making goals. He said that he asked what the franchise record is for shot blocks in a season is?(Marcus Camby-230) That is his goal to beat. Meanwhile Chris Bosh is having the best season of his NBA career by far. He has just looked fantastic. His 4th All Star appearance is about as close to a lock as you can get. Putting these three players on the floor together makes a ton of sense from an offensive point of view. What will define it and determine the long term future of it will be the D. How these guys play on defensive end will determine if this can be a long term solution or a short term one that can be used in certain match-ups.

Raptors Face The Reason

The Orlando Magic are the reason. It was how they took like a hot knife through butter as to why the Raptors made the chances they made. Orlando exposed all the weak points of the Toronto Raptors and that is why they took only 5 games to send the Raptors packing. So in the first match-up since that series the changes will be put to the test. The Magic's only major change in the off-season was the signing of Mickael Pietrus. But the roster is much the same as the one the Raptors faced in the playoffs.

But the Raptors have now two options to throw at Superman. Both Bosh and J.O can take turns at taking on Superman. The Raptors also have a shot blocking answer for Howard in J.O. But when it comes down to it the Raptor perimiter defense needs to improve and it will be tested by the Magic who are a team like the Raptors that has a number of shooters that can take advantage of the 3 point line.

The other thing that will have to change is at the point. Both Jose Calderon and T.J Ford were out played by Jameer Nelson and he opened a lot of eyes with his performance in that series. If Jose is going to be the All Star player that everyone expects him to be he needs to be better than a guy like Nelson. The one thing about Jose that has always been a major disappointment to me is his defense. As gifted a player as he is on the offensive end, his defense is almost as bad on the other end of the floor. He is to many times easily picked off by picks that are set. His on the ball defense needs a lot of work. That is were Jose needs to improve his game the most and I think he still has a long way to go. But it will not be easy with more minutes and the concern for him to remain healthy.

Time To Make A Move...Not A Trade...In the Standings

The Raptors have a record of 5-4 and are part of a log jam in the Eastern Conference that sees a lot of teams in and around the .500 mark. The Raptors if they are serious about being a contender need to step up and make a move. They have some games ahead that you would class as winnable games and they must take advantage of those chances. If the Raptors want to be concerned about playoff position and not just making the playoffs in April they need to take advantage of these points in the schedule.

The big thing that cost the Raptors last year was losing Chris Bosh at a time when they had a number of games that were of the winnable variety. They were not able to win without Chris and it cost them playoff position and it really sent the season off course. If the Raptors want to be that contender they think they are the time is now to make a move in that direction. That may be why we saw the changes we did on Sunday. There was no time to endure an early season slump. Besides the East is better and some teams are suprising early. Like the New York Knicks, Atlanta Hawks even the Bulls and Heat are holding their own.

No Good News For Nate?

It really is not looking good for Nathan Jawai. His problems could cost him his career. The future for him is in serious doubt. The Toronto Sun had an article that was picked up on Real Gm on the Nathan Jawai heart issue. Here is a link to it.

Raptors Comment On Jawai

Maverick in Trouble

Just a quick note on this. I was watching CNN and they are reporting that Mark Cuban is being investigated and charged for insider trading. It involves an internet company that he sold stock in. This is some real high brow economic stuff. But what it could mean for the Mavs and Cuban is not clear. But Insider trading can get you put in jail if convicted I do know that. Here is an article on this issue. It deals more with the business angle of this story and not basketball. But if you are interested check it out.

Mark Cuban Article

ESPN also has an Article on this

ESPN- Feds Charge Cuban

Update 6PM

As I have read more and found out more on this it seems that Cuban even if convicted would not be looking at Jail time of any kind. This is a civil matter and would only impact him in sense of reputation and cash wise. There was a very interesting segment on this on Prime Time Sports on the Fan 590.

Tomorrow I will get you set for the Magic and Raptors from sunny (No Doubt) Florida. 2 More Days to Change. It is busy times for Dino Nation Blog. But exciting ones. I will be here in the cold typing. But I will think warm thoughts for the Raptors.

Raptors Rewind- Watching Online...Thanks Raps Republic

The Toronto Raptors without Jose Calderon we think(He would be), taking on the Miami Heat. Thanks to guys at Raptors Rebuplic for putting up a feed to the game. Much better than the Raptors T.V offering of Raptors Game in an Hour at 5pm. Andrea Bargnani has been put into the starting line-up for the Raptors and this game was going to be very interesting.

Raptors first trip was no good but Will Solomon made a steal and got the ball to Bosh and he was fouled and headed to the line for 2 which he made. Andrea Bargnani mad a nice turn round jumper in response to Heat basket. It was Bargnani and Bosh early on pacing the Raptors to an early 8-4 lead. the Heat went on a run of 5-0. But Anthony Parker would bust that run with a 3 pointer off a nice feed from Bargnani. Parker would make another 3 pointer that gave the Raptors a 14-11 lead. Dwyane Wade turns a Raptor turnover in 2 points for the heat. Shawn Marion gets a bucket and Heat had a lead. Andrea Bargnani would take it back.The Raptors were holding their own Kris Humphries was back healthy and in the game scoring to put the Raptors up 20-18.

With this bigger look the Raptors were getting on the offensive glass and that was giving them extra chances which Will Solomon took advantage of one. Andrea Bargnani was looking good in the starting line-up he had another score. Solomon would get a 3 after a slow shooting start. Quinn hit a buzzer beater 3 pointer for the heat but it was still the Raptors up 29-27.

Both teams were shooting well, Heat at 52% and Raptors at 50%. Will Solomon did a great job in relief of Calderon with 6 assists and 1 turnover. Roko Ukic would start the second. Heat scored the first four points of the quarter until Kris Humphries scored and he would score again Raps were up 33-31. Quinn would respond with another 3 for Miami. Humphries had 8 points and 7 rebounds in just 7 minutes. Break out the Hump man. Canadian Joel Anthony got a jam off a screen and roll and Heat were up 36-34. Jason Kapono would hit a big three ball to give the Raptors the lead back at 39-38. Jamario Moon maybe got the message as he drove to the basket and got to the line which has been far to rare this season. He would only make one of two and D-Wade hit for 2 on the other end and we were all tied at 40.

Will Solomon was back in for his second tour on the floor. J.O would get a score in the post. He was working hard on the glass as well as he had 8 rebounds. Chris Bosh was back at the line looking for 2 more. He would hit both and it was 44-40 for the Raptors. Heat would get back in front with a Michael Beasley bucket and 1. Jamario Moon would hit a basket on a jumper But D-Wade would respond with a score, a steal and another score. Sam Mitchell had seen enough of that and called for time. Raptors would turn it over out of the time out they had 11 turnovers in the first half to this point. Dwyane Wade scored again that was 6 straight for him and 15 in the half. Chris Bosh would come back and score for the Raptors. But Cook would hit a 3 pointer in response. Andrea Bargnani would score on other end for Raps. Wade would have a final miss but his Heat still had a 54-50 lead.

So far from perfect but with no Jose and a new look line up things were not so bad. Jermaine O'Neal would get the scoring started as he was fouled and heading to the line. He had 10 rebounds beyond his points. He would make both at the line.He only had 4 points but was doing a lot of good things. O'Neal hit a jumper to tie the game at 56 early in the third. Andrea Bargnani would score and Raptors had an 8-2 run and a 58-56 lead. J.O now had 6 point in the quarter Raptors had a 60-56 and a 10-2 run. Time out Miami. Michael Beasley would score on the drive out of time out. Andrea Bargnani was aggressive going to the basket and got a questionable offensive foul. The Heat would get back to level with a basket but Bosh would quickly bot the Raptors back in front. A quiet day for Shawn Marion but he would get a bucket and tie us up at 62. Bosh was back at the line and hitting two free throws. D-Wade had the answer and we were tied for the 15th time on the afternoon. Wade would score again slashing to the hole.

Chris Bosh and D-Wade of the same draft class and team U.S.A were having a battle. Bosh this time was tying the game up for his squad. Shawn Marion bailed out the Raptors from a shot clock violation giving Bosh a chance to add to his totals. Bosh would split a pair but he was 10-12 on the day from the line. Raptors lead 69-68. Dwyane Wade had an answer and he had 21 now and his team a one point lead. The lead was going back and forth like ping pong match. Will Solomon had his foot on the line for a very long 2 pointer and we were tied at 76. A lot of folks were missing a heck of a basketball game. We were all tied at 78. A scramble for the ball left D-Wade a little worse for wear, and after that A.P would score a basket to close the scoring in the third as Raptors lead 80-78.

Raptors were maintaining there pace shooting the ball still at 49% the Heat had faded to 45%. Kris Humphries would get first 2 points of the quarter from the line. Jason Kapono would hook up Chris Bosh for the easy Jam for two. The Raptors had scored the first 4 points of the quarter and now had a 6 point advantage of 84-78. Raptors showed good ball movement and Jamario Moon drove to the bucket and got to free throw line and score on both attempts. The 6-0 run would be broken by Micheal Beasley on to have Jason Kapono respond with a long 2-ball. A good defensive stand by the Raptors highlighted by a J.O block. Raptors were playing good defense and had a lot of energy.Raptors were on a 10-2 run and this was with Bosh watching on from the bench resting. Another J.O rejection lead to a Kapono 3-ball on the other end and the Raptors were rolling the had a double digit lead 93-80.

The ACC Crowd was energized and Chris Bosh was back in the ball game. The Raptors defense was really playing at perhaps the best it has all year long. The Miami heat were 1-12 in the 4th to this point as a result of that Raptor defense. Jermaine O'Neal was challenging everything that went up in his area on defense. Will Solomon would hit a 3 point shot and this game was going the Raptors way 96-81. Miami would final get a basket they had only 5 in the quarter. Dwyane Wade scored and Raptors needed to be careful. Wade would score again on a turnover he had 6 straight and the Raptor lead was trimmed to 9 points. Wade had 27 point 4 steals and 8 assists. He was doing all he could. The Heat had an 2-0 run but time was short with just over 2 minutes to play. Cook continued the run to 10-0 with 1:35 left the Raptor lead was now just 5. Anthony Parker was fouled and heading to the line. He made both to break up the 10-0 Heat run. Raptors now lead 98-91. Wade would make with free throws of his own. But Chris Bosh would have a Jam and Raps had 100. J.O would get a basket on a goaltending call. Will Solomon in relief of Calderon had a double double(12 points 10 assists) and Raptors had 7 players in double figures. Raptors answered the Miami push and were going to hang on for a well deserved win. Will Solomon was getting some bonus points down the stretch from the line. a 107-96 win for the Raptors and a lot of folks taking a big sigh of relief. Raptors move to 5-4 on the season and hit the road to face the Magic and this Heat team again.

Much love goes out to Raptors Repulic for giving fans the option to watch where Rogers and TSN failed to do. Good for the gang over there. A great bunch of boxscore goodies for a lot of folks. J.O had 18 rebounds a solid game for Hump and as mentioned Will Solomon opened a lot of eyes today. All of course lead by an outstanding performance by Chris Bosh. Check it all out and smile.

Raps and Heat Boxscore