Rested Raptors Take On Detroit Basketball

The Raptors will not be able to say they didn't have time to prepare for this one. They have not played since Friday with that ugly loss at the hands of the Bobcats. We saw Kemba Walker in that one, a guy some Raptors fans wanted in the draft. Tonight we see another in Brandon Knight. We also get to see one of the candidates for the Raptors coaching position in Lawrence Frank. He ended up going from being an assistant coach in Boston to the head man in Detroit. It has been a long season for him, but has his team playing well of late winners of 7 of the last 10. The Pistons have played two games since the Raptors last played. They like Toronto had earlier in this home stand upset Boston 96-81 on Sunday. Last night they blew a sizable lead in the 4th and lost to the Cavs 101-100.

Detroit looks nothing like the Pistons teams that were contenders and won a title with Larry Brown over the Lakers. Since Rip Hamilton left for the Bulls really the last remaining piece from those days is Tashaun Prince. Ben Wallace is back for a second and likely final run in Detroit as well. They also have former Raptor Charlie V who has only played in just two games this season and has been plagued with an ankle injury. He along with Ben Gordon signed massive deals with the Pistons and it has been a massive failure by all accounts. Joe Dumars the former Piston legend player was at one time considered one of the best G.M's in the league. His selection of Darko, the trade to acquire Allen Iverson and these signings are just three of many reasons not many think that anymore.

Still despite all that the Pistons do have then own core of young talent starting with former Georgetown center Greg Monroe who is leading the team in scoring with 16.3 points per game and is close to averaging a double double on the season with 9.7 rebounds. We already mentioned Brandon Knight who started slow but has been showing signs of improvement after that slow start. These two combined with a number of younger players like Austin Daye, Jonas Jerebko and even Rodney Stuckey make up that core. These in short, are not your father's Pistons. Also is gone is the normal sellout crowds that were common place for Pistons. The decline in the economy in Detroit has been mirrored the decline of the Pistons. That makes for a bad combination in trying to sell tickets.

3 Keys:

Full 48: Raptors have no excuses to go flat out in this game. Having not played since Friday and this being the last game before the All-Star Break. So nothing short of a 48 minute effort will be acceptable.

Run Run Run: Take advantage of the fact you are the fresher team and push the pace of this game. Get out and run in transition. Try and wear the Pistons out and make them give in. They are also wrapping up the schedule prior to All-Star Weekend so give them a reason to punch out early.

Best D Wins: Frank was being considered for the Raptors job for the same reason Casey got the job and that is defense. Both are considered to be known for that and you can expect both with be matching wits with there limited talent to try and stop the other from having success.

I am down at the ACC for this one once again so no re-cap tonight. Also no Radio tonight as the station is doing some sort of charity try and the show has been given the week off. But I will be down at the ACC looking for some stuff to keep you entertained over the All-Star Break.

Raptor Ramblings

So now that another season is in the books we will shift our attention back to the home team. Toronto Raptors are a team without a coach as you know. Just curious if the Miami Heat are going to part ways with Eric Spoestra if he would jump to the top of the list for Raptors coaching search. I wouldn't mind having him personally. Despite being young he does have a ton of experience. He does have a defensive mindset even if he couldn't stop Dirk for most of the finals. While he might not be able to coach the three super egos in Miami he is a solid coach overall in my view. You look at the job he did the season prior with very little beyond D-Wade as evidence of that. But all that being said the Heat at least for the moment have given no indication that they are not going to bring him back next year. The Raptors appear to be looking at Dwane Casey an assistant coach for the Champion Mavericks but are not alone as so are the Detroit Pistons according to Slam. Also on both the Pistons and Raptors lists include Lawrence Frank the one time Nets head coach that beat the Raptors in the post season under Sam Mitchell. Given the narrow perspective Colangelo has given in terms of what he is looking for there can't be to many coaches that fit that bill.

Draft workouts are set to resume in Toronto on Wednesday. I will be in town to check them out. No list as come out as of yet but I have a hunch we might see some local talent in the mix. Raptors already worked out Brandon Knight and Kemba Walker who if they were to go point guard would be at the top of the list of player that could be available for them. Colangelo has been in Europe checking out his options over there. He also and stated publicly he is the market for a 2nd first round pick in the top 10. If that was to land a Tristan Thompson with it I would be all for it. If not I really can't see much point to it. If the Raptors bailed out of this draft altogether it would not make me sad in the least. Other than the fact we are having a draft party and would have no draft pick to celebrate. But basketball wise this is a weak draft class. I would venture to say even weaker than the class that landed us Andrea Bargnani at number one.

In other off-season news in terms of the Raptors it would seem Leandro Barbosa is leaning toward declining his option for 7.2 million for next season. I am not sure if this makes much sense for him. But in terms of the Raptors it would make them a team with a lot more cash to play with under a what is expected to be more restrictive CBA. Colangelo's old Suns ties were able to have him work out a sign and trade that landed as it turned out a championship ring for Shawn Marion. It also helped Colangelo pull off the move to land Hedo. While that was a complete failure the fact that Colangelo was able to work with Marion was not. Now Barbosa is looking to turn down an option but Colangelo has stated he would be interested in signing him long term. It seems Colangelo might just have been able to work with a former Sun once again to get himself some much needed cap space.

I briefly mentioned our draft party which will be going down at St Louis Wings at the Bay St location just up from the ACC. On Friday I will be giving away one VIP guest pass for our party. That just like with our Bosh Bash will give you a night out on the good folks at St Louis Wings. Food and drinks for free and a chance to party with everyone else that shows up. Also for everyone will be having X-Box 360 with some NBA 2k11 to keep you entertained in between picks. That and I am sure some other fun and surprises will be on the agenda for a fun night for all. I hope to see many of you decide to come out and spend draft night with me and folks at St Louis Wings. So Friday in the blog will have some way for you to have a chance to win. Also check on Twitter as I will post something there to make you aware of the contest.

That is a wrap for today. I will be in Toronto tomorrow so may not hear from me. Ryan should have his weekly DNB Top 10 for your enjoyment though. I will have some stuff from the workouts on Thursday. Raptors will be having workouts on that day as well but I am only heading down for the Wednesday workouts as of right now.

Colangelo Does A 180 On Triano To Fans Delight

The fact that Jay Triano is out as Raptors Head Coach is welcome news to many fans. It should not be surprising news either except for the fact it sure seemed like he had the support of G.M Bryan Colangelo. Prior to Colangelo being brought back as G.M he even went as far as to say if he did not return as G.M he would endorse Triano to return as Head Coach to a new G.M. Well that new G.M was in fact him and we do not see Jay Triano as head coach. It is a bit of a head scratching moment. What exactly changed in that month or so? Jay Triano never won or lost a game in that time. Colangelo in a telephone conference with the media last night talked about Triano not reaching standards that were set. These performance standards were not based on wins and loses although Colangelo would not get into specifics of what these standards were. Here is what he said specifically on the subject.

Bryan Colangelo:

" Some of those performances standards were certain things that we put in place to measure our progress as a team and an organization. Again not necessarily being measured by wins and losses. That was something that we both acknowledged was not going to be an easy task last year. But it was more about environment and direction. As I said at the time (His End Of Season Press Conference) Jay fared well in a lot of areas. But at the end of the day in terms of a gut feeling about where this needs to go and how we need to get there and how quickly we want to get there. "

Colangelo went on to talk about his conversation with Jay and the conclusion of that conversation being the feeling that there was need for a new voice and a new leader to take this team to the next level. Colangelo went on to praise Triano and speak of his basketball knowledge and how he looks forward to working with him in his new role as his special assistant. What exactly that role could be is up for debate. According to Colangelo you might even see Jay back in his old job as an assistant coach if the man he hires would want Triano.

But reading between the lines of what Bryan Colangelo had to say it would appear that Triano's lack of ability to get his team to play defence ranks high in the reasons why he is no longer the head coach of the Raptors. That also may speak as to why P.J Carlesimo will not be considered for the job.

Bryan Colangelo

" I was not hiring P.J to be Jay's ultimate replacement. That was not the case. What we were looking to do was to amp up Jay's staff, amp up defensive focus and effort. That was the sole purpose of bringing in P.J last year."

Which clearly didn't happen. While P.J is still under contract it would be a surprise if he remained given that he is not even being considered for the head coaching position. In terms of the rest of the assistants they all are not under contract and would likely have to be selected by the new head coach to remain. Who that will be is up for debate. Bryan Colangelo made it clear he wants someone with experience and pedigree and a better defensive mindset combined with a free flowing offence. Ideally more balance in a approach leaning to defence. Here is how Colangelo defined it.

Bryan Colangelo

" Candidates that have a great deal of experience. I think that is something that is important in this regard, I think this young team that was obviously developing well under Jay need to see some that has a pedigree or resume that would indicate that this is some that has achieved success. Clearly someone that has somewhat of a defensive minded prospective. Someone that has had success putting solid defensive units out there. That have had success limiting points while still having some flow to the offence. Finding a perfect blend in someone that does have a good feel of the offensive side of the ball. But at the same time can really drill down on the defensive side of the ball which is something that we need to dramatically improve on. "

So it would seem that the lack of defence is ultimately what cost Jay his job. Some would point to the fact with Bargnani and Calderon as starters that might not have been possible for Jay to do. If both remain under this new coach we will find out. Given what Colangelo desires to have it makes for a very short list you would figure. Raptor fans have long mentioned the name of Jeff Van Gundy as a potential coach for the Toronto Raptors. Colangelo's description sure sounds like him. However it would appear he seems very content in his current role with ESPN as commentator. Other names that have been put out there include Rick Aldeman who also would fit the description Colangelo laid out. Lawrence Frank the former Nets coach now an assistant with the Celtics could also be considered. If you want a long shot how about Jerry Sloan who was the longest serving coach in NBA History until last season when he left the Jazz. But there is no indication that Sloan has any desire to get back into coaching.

This is going to be a huge move in terms of Colangelo's long term future and one he will not take lightly. After all Bryan only was given a short extension himself and really can not afford to get this wrong. You also wonder if the fact Colangelo was not able to make this move sooner has cost him a candidate he desired? Kevin McHale was just hired by the Rockets and Mike Brown surprisingly ended up with the Lakers job. Colangelo is under the gun time wise in terms of finding a coach prior to the draft. Something he says in a perfect world he would like to do. But with the draft fast approaching on June 23rd that seems unlikely. There also is that whole lockout thing coming too. I am not clear on how that would impact on things. If you go by the NFL example it would suggest that Colangelo would need to hire a coach prior to the lockout taking place. He was asked about this but declined to comment based on the NBA rules about talking about the "L" word and the fact he would likely be fined.

But make no mistake about the search for the next Raptors head coach has begun and it will be a huge step for this franchise one way or the other. Triano for my money was never going to be the guy to lead this team all the way to the end of the road in being a contender. So the fact the Raptors have cut bait with him makes total sense to me. It also is clear at least for me that this team never was buying into what he was selling on the defensive end of the floor. While everyone to a man likes Jay Triano he was not the guy to get the job done in the long term to me. He never seems to lose a job anyway so it is hard to feel to sorry for him. Just as he survived several coaching changes as an assistant. He has survived his own demise with this new job as some sort of assistant to Colangelo. Does this mean he will be getting Colangelo coffee? Likely not but it does keep him still a part of the organization which is much more than many coaches get on being fired. Colangelo himself thinks Jay was given more than a fair shake and I agree with him. Here is what Colangelo had to say on it.

Bryan Colangelo

" There are certain things that I felt we needed to address from a different point of view, with respect to a fair chance I think that by virtue of a couple things. Jay was here for a full 2 and 2/3rds seasons. There was a team that arguably had a lot more talent and a team that had arguably a lot less talent. Again not being measure by wins and losses being measured by overall performance. There was many things that go into that performance beyond wins and losses. It was determined that it was the right time to make a move. I would say by virtue of Jay having an oppurtunity to remain with the organization to continue to be part of this rebuilding plan and still have input into the on going process. I think Jay not only got a fair shake but he has an ongoing fair opportunity to be part of this."

I would agree with that one hundred percent. But it all seems very odd to me that Colangelo even though he gives no indication of it seems to have done a 180 degree turn on Triano. Anyone that walked away from his end of the season press conference that did not feel Jay Triano would be back if Bryan was didn't see same press conference I did. Yet that is not the case. It makes you wonder what exactly happened. I can only come up with two explanations. When Colangelo was brought back there was an understanding between himself and MLSE that he would make a move at the coaching position or he would not be back. Now who was the one pushing for that is unclear. If it was Colangelo it would seem odd that he would keep Jay Triano on as his assistant. If it was the MLSE Board that wanted Jay out that would seem odd as well given they have kept him around for so long in the organization. The only other thing that makes any sense is the meeting that Colangelo had with Triano changed his thinking on Triano's ability to coach this team going forward.

Still I am not going to complain as to why this has happened or how. I am just glad it did. I have expressed it many times how I feel in terms of Jay Triano and his future as coach of this team. I feel this was a positive step in the right direction. I am also encouraged by the type of coach Colangelo wants to bring in to replace him. Ultimately regardless of what you think of Jay Triano you have to respect him for all that he as done as man for Canadians in terms of coaching at the NBA level. He has and will remain a historic figure for others to follow. Give him credit for all that he has been able to accomplish. However that is not enough in my view to keep him on board coaching without having really proven anything to justify it. It will be very interesting to see who in fact Colangelo can land to replace him. When the Lakers are only getting Mike Brown to replace a coaching icon in Phil Jackson you have every right to be a little worried. But Bryan Colangelo has to get this right not only for the franchises future but his own.

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

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

Let's Start With Trade Talk vs Trade Reality

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

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

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

TSN 2 What Can You Do?

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

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

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

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

Dino Blogger Has A New Place To Talk Ball

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

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

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

Nets And Raps With Thoughts Of All Star Weekend

All-Star Voting Is A Joke

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Notes On Tonight's Match-Up.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Become A Fan Of Us On Facebook

I decided to start a fan group for the Dino Nation Blog on facebook. So if you enjoy the blog and want to become a fan of it. Here is a link to the Fan Page on Facebook. It will keep you in the loop on what is going on with the Dino Nation Blog and get to know other readers like you. It is another way to try and build a community for the readers of the Dino Nation Blog to come together. So if you have facebook you are welcomed and encouraged to be a part of this.

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