The Future of Demar

I think that in a post Bosh world, the Toronto Raptors will be counting on the group that is known as The Young Guns to grow and develop. We do not know the future for one of them in Amir Johnson, who will be a free agent this summer. Sonny Weems has a team option for less than a million dollars. Which in NBA terms is a bargain basement deal. While Demar enters year number two of his rookie contract. There was a great amount of expectation for DeRozan. He was the people's choice last year heading into the draft. In one of the rare occurrences in Raptors history where they would select the player fans wanted. Ed O'Bannon was the peoples choice in the Raptors first draft. In the end the people got it wrong as Ed only lasted 2 years in the NBA. While the Raptors choice Damon Stoudamire went on to win the Rookie of the Year. Demar had a ton of hype that only grew when upon being drafted he tweeted to the world that Air Canada was back. Which immediately made the Vince Carter comparisons made of DeRozan's athleticism by some scouts, turn into for some fans the replacement for Vince had been found. Heir Canada was a nickname that caught on with many including this blog.

While there are some similarities as both would represent the Raptors in the dunk contest. Vince won it and Demar made it to the finals and had the best dunk of the night in his contest. Vince had the best 3 or 4 in his when he won the contest. But the reality is that Vince and Demar are not a like in many ways. First and foremost in their personality. Vince Carter has an ego that is as big as the Air Canada Centre, that he called his house even after he left. Carter has always been a story of unfulfilled potential. You only need to read the press clippings from the Magic vs Celtics series to see that not a lot has changed about V.C. While Demar has a work ethic that is so impressive it even got praise from Kobe Bryant. In fact if you are a dedicated follower of Demar on Twitter, you already know he is hard at work getting ready for next season. He is what people lovingly refer to as a gym rat. Something that is said of Canada's favourite baller Steve Nash.

My expectations for DeRozan next season are likely higher than a lot of people. I expect a huge jump in production from him and a much sounder defender. I thought it would be interesting to see where Demar stacks up historically to some comparable players. The high end examples of that would be Kobe Bryant and Tracy McGrady. Both who skipped college and went straight to the pros. Demar because of the new rules for the draft spent a year at USC, but is roughly in the same age bracket. So here is how they stacked up.

DeRozan played more minutes than both Bryant and McGrady with DeRozan logging 1,664 minutes and Kobe and McGrady played 1,103 and 1,179 respectfully.DeRozan also started more games than McGrady and Bryant combined. He also had a better FG% shooting 49.8% while Kobe was just 41.7% and T-Mac was an even 45% .Kobe leads this trio at the free throw line shooting 81.9% while DeRozan was 76.3% and McGrady 71.2%. But DeRozan averaged more points with 8.6 points. While Bryant averaged 7.6 points and McGrady was 7.0 even.

Pretty surprising isn't it? This is not to suggest that Demar is going to be as good as these 2 in his career. However it puts into perspective what Demar accomplished in his first season. Judging by the numbers on Bryant and McGrady my hopes may be ahead of schedule for Demar. Bryant and McGrady made the big jumps in their careers in years 3 and 4.

Some folks closer to Demar in experience would be O.J Mayo also out of USC and Courtney Lee of Nets. They just finished there 2nd seasons in the NBA. Mayo saw his scoring totals dip. While Lee added to his ppg playing for a much less talented Nets team.

An X-Factor in Demar DeRozan and his development could come to the Raptors in a Bosh sign and trade. If Chicago is the winner of the Chris Bosh sign and trade derby, it would make a ton of sense to see Taj Gibson coming back as part of a sign and trade. Is their room for a 4th young gun? That or would Gibson replace Amir Johnson as the 3rd young gun. The addition of Gibson would be interesting as he himself had a successful rookie campaign in Chicago.

I guess the point to doing this is to remind people that Rome was not built in a day. Andrea Bargnani still isn't and we are at year 5 coming up. DeRozan may not have made the splash that Vince Carter did. He may not have even made the splash the top of his rookie class has with Evans, Curry and Jennings. A NBA career is not a 100 meter dash it is a marathon. At least you hope it is. If you continue to improve and grow. Given the character and make-up of Demar DeRozan that is a safe bet. How good he can be is just speculation. But I always remember Demar saying to me in an interview that he wants to be not just good but great. Sure those are just words, but when you combine it with the work ethic this young man has shown. It might be wise not to bet against him. Should Chris Bosh be done with the Raptors an opportunity will be there to be the "next one" for this franchise. That is a challenge that DeRozan may just embrace.

Darren Rovell On NBA, CB4 and More

For readers in the Toronto area you may know Darren Rovell from his appearances on Fan 590 on Prime Time Sports. He works for CNBC on the sports business beat. There has been a lot of talk of economics lately and what the state of things is in the NBA. Darren is an expert in that regard for all sports. So who better to talk about these issues with than him? I can't think of to many people. We talk about the state of the NBA. The NBA All-Star Weekend...Geico and all. Along with the trade deadline and the impact of the economy on that. Also a couple Raptor issues. What about CB4 and his future as relates to 2010. Also you may have been reading about my latest thoughts on Steve Nash as a target for the Raptors. What does a sports business expert think about my plan to bring Nash home to Canada? All answers are in this interview:

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I hope you enjoyed this interview as much as I did in doing it. I have always enjoyed Darren's work and think he is great a what he does. You can check out his work on all sports not just the NBA at www.darrenrovell.com

He is also a regular guest as mentioned on Prime Time Sports. I hope to have Darren back in the future to talk about NBA issues from the business point of view. People keep telling me sports is a business after all. Combine that with the economic times we live in, makes sense to get someone who is an expert on these topics to give his take on how things are doing.

Round Ball Review- From The Home Of The King?

I decided instead of breaking down another painful loss, I would invest some time in making some laughs hopefully. J.B and Joey G when we last saw them were in New Orleans. They have now made their way to Memphis for the Raptors game tonight against the Grizzlies. Which no joking around has been switched to TSN from the orginally scheduled for TSN 2. No mention of that in this episode of the Round Ball Review. There is talk of....well just watch and you will see.



So that is all for them as they will be heading off to close the trip with T-Wolves and Raptors. If you are a college basketball fan I will be live blogging Michigan vs UConn and that is a 6 pm start right before the Raptors game. At this rate you should be checking out some college ball to see who is out there. UConn has some talented players but I like Chuck Swirsky am a big Michigan guy. So it should be fun. I will add a link to it as soon as I get it on just go to the score.com and click on liveblogs link and look for it. After that it will be right into Raptor Rewind for me. Take care and have a great weekend.

At 6pm(EST)...Come be part of The Score liveblog Huskies and Wolverines

Raptors Rewind- The O.J Show Hits T.O

So let's get started with a roster update. Jamario Moon is back the proud papa of a baby girl. Could having that behind him inspire him to play well. I sure hope so. He was back in the starting line-up. But no Jermaine O'Neal and despite some hopeful signs it looks like no Jose Calderon as well. Will Solomon would be your starting point guard tonight for the Raptors. This is a big game for the Raptors who could make it 4 out 5 wins for them. Also you have a back to back with a recently struggling Boston Celtics who are taking on a Cleveland Cavs team on a mission to keep them that way. That may not mean good things for the Raptors and it is why tonight against a Memphis team that is 11-25 is a must win type game. Raptors are starting to get it on track at home as well. They have won their last 2 at the ACC but are still only 7-9 on their home floor. Can Bargnani and Bosh keep things rolling as they have been of late? They will hope so as the will see a young and talented Marc Gasol.

1st Quarter

Raptors take the opening tip and we are off. Chris Bosh gets in going right away and he hits his first jumper. O.J Mayo would miss with his reply on the other end. Rudy Gay would make his first attempt count with a 3 pointer. Andrea Bargnani answered with a 2 not a 3 and Raptors were back on top. Jamario Moon made his first shot as a dad and Raptors had early lead 6-3. Anthony Parker the veteran with a basket and Darrell Arthur the rookie with the reply. Chris Bosh took a nice looking jumper from top of the key and he made it. Will Solomon found Jamario Moon for the easy score and it was Raptors off to an impressive 12-5 start with 7:15 left to go in quarter number 1 of 4.

Turnover for Memphis as Marc Gasol got called for 3 in the key. Bosh would make them pay with another jumper. O.J Mayo had another miss and his Canada debut was not off to a great start. Bosh though was having a wonderful start as he was at the line and made a pair. Raptors were building a lead that was up to 11 points with the score 16-5. Will Solomon would find a cutting Bargnani for the easy layup. Raptors would surrender a bucket to Rudy Gay and a turnover and a forceful jam for Gasol. The Grizz were on a roll as Rudy Gay scored another and it was a 6-0 run and Jay Triano had seen enough and called a time out. Raptors still had the lead 18-11 with 4:48 left to play in the quarter.

Jamario Moon missed a jumper badly out of the time out. He would make up for it with some hustle on the defensive glass but Raptors could get a score off of that as Kapono would miss. Raptors had gone cold as Bargnani had a lay up pretty much roll out. Kyle Lowry would finally make the Raptors pay cutting to the lead 5 points. But Jason Kapono answered that with a 2 pointer. After a 20 second time out for the Grizzlies Rudy Gay continued his great opening quarter with another basket he was 4-4 on the night. Marc Gasol was trying to make it a 3 point lead for Toronto but Bosh had other ideas with the block. But the next time down Gasol would get to the rim and be able to lay it in for two. Jason Kapono would get hooked up by Roko Ukic and he would make a 3 pointer. Gasol from the top of the key shows that he has a jump shot as he drained it. The Raptors were hanging on to a 23-19 lead after one quarter of play.

2nd Quarter

Teams exchange baskets to start the quarter. Raptors had most of the reserves in the game. Bargnani was still out there though and he grabbed a rebound on defensive end. But it did not turn into points. Both teams were looking sloppy with back to back travels on Conley and Graham one for each side. Warrick split a pair from the line. Raptors lead had been trimmed to 25-22 early in the second quarter. Jake Voskhul had his way to the line and massaged a couple through the hoop. Warrick would get a quick response for two for Memphis. That would get answered by Joey G who was set up by Kapono. Jason was not done as he hooked up Jake Voskhul for another 2 points for him. Raptors had build back up to a 7 point lead it was 31-24 with 8:08 left on the clock.

Jason Kapono would turn it over on a travel proving he was not exactly a point guard yet. Chris Bosh was back and he had a thunderous jam to let you know it. Memphis responded with a basket. Bosh would look to hook up Bargnani but instead it was stolen for a turnover for the Grizz. Raptors had really cooled off after a hot start but the Grizzlies were not taking advantage of chances. Joey Graham would get a basket driving to the basket and The Raptors were kind of on cruise control as they lead 35-28 with 4:49 and a time out on the floor.

Warrick made his way to the line and made a pair. Chris Bosh had a jumper rim out and Rudy Gay would come back and score and the Grizzlies were back to just 3 points down with the score 35-32. Bosh would get himself to the free throw line and he would make a pair. O.J Mayo apparently was suffering from a hip pointer but had checked back into the game. It was Mike Conley at the line and he split a pair. Rudy Gay was making up for a lack of Mayo he made a 3 pointer. The Grizz would score again to take a lead 37-36 and that brought boos from the crowd that was not impressed with the Raptor effort and honestly they had reason to be upset. Jay Triano in the time out did not have much love for his team as well. Chris Bosh would respond and get to the line. O.J Mayo got his first bucket on the night. Bosh answered that one with a basket. But the Grizz were inspired and made a basket to answer that. A slam dunk for the Moon man as the teams kept swapping a one point lead. Raptors would score again to end the ping pong match. O.J Mayo since checking back in looked better as he had another score. Will Solomon would close out the second quarter with a basket and it was 47-44.

3rd Quarter

Chris Bosh had 16 points shooting 5-7 from the field and a prefect 6-6 at the line. He also had 7 rebounds and 2 blocks but the rest of the team was sluggish at best. Rudy Gay had 14 for his side a perfect 2-2 from 3 point range and 6-8 from the field overall. Jose Calderon said in a halftime interview that he wants to return to the line-up on Sunday he said in a halftime interview with Rod Black. The will need him against the Celtics who were losing to the Cavs at the moment. But this game here was back underway. Rudy Gay was still hot and opened the half with a long 2 pointer. Chris Bosh also hot would answer with a basket for his side. Lowery had a score for Memphis and Bosh answered that. Rudy Gay as another answer for that. Defense was just a rumour at the ACC at the start of the second half. Marc Gasol decided to foul Bosh that was at least an attempt at defense. Nobody can stop Rudy Gay as he had another basket and had 20 points and we had a tie basketball game at 52. Bosh would take the ball at Gay and draw the 3rd foul on him that may be the only way to stop him on this night. Bosh who was perfect from line in first half started the second 2-4. Grizzlies scored a runner in the lane for O.J Mayo and they had the lead 54-53 with eight and change to play.

Andrea Bargnani with a nice pump fake was able to draw a foul. He would make a pair to put the Raptors back in front. A turnover forced by Bargnani playing good D on Gasol. Anthony Parker who had been really quiet made his way to the line. But he would miss his first attempt and make his second. Rudy Gay was showing the whole package with a running hook in the lane. Andrea Bargnani would answer with a much needed 3 pointer for the Raptors.That made the score 59-56. However Andrea was not done as he makes back to back 3 balls and it was a 6 point lead all thanks to Andrea with the score 62-56 and a time out called. The Grizzlies defense needed to be reminded to find number 7 and not let him do that.

Gasol out of time out drove to the hoop but missed. Bargnani tried to take advantage in the post matched up on Mayo but he could not score on the inside. He would look to drive the next time and drop it off for Bosh but it was stolen and lead to easy score in transition. Chris Bosh would get the ball the next time though and make a jumper. Gay had a rare miss from 3 point range that could have cut the Raptor lead to just 1 point. Andrea Bargnani would find his way to the line and have a chance to make a pair. But he missed both. Grizzlies again were getting chance to take control and not cashing in. Chris Bosh would make them pay with a basket. A steal that lead to a score for Will Solomon and just like that raptors were back up by 8 points with score 68-60 with only 2:42 to play in the quarter.

Out of a time out Grizzlies have an empty trip with a shot and miss. Jason Kapono makes them pay with a 2 ball from the corner. Raptors finally were showing signs that they wanted to put this one away. Jamario Moon was having a good effort as he got a rebound and then make me look bad my missing a 3 pointer. Warrick spilt a pair from the line to cut the lead to single digits. But an O.J Mayo turnover would lead to a raptor basket in transition. It was clear Mayo was not right but Raptors could care less leading 72-61. Will Solomon attempted a fading jumper in the lane at the buzzer but no dice. Raptors would have to settle for there 72-61 lead after 3 quarters of play.

4th Quarter

So the title of this Raptor Rewind was not looking like it would make sense tonight. O.J was not the guy it was Rudy that was the man for Memphis. Bosh was that man for the Raptors as he is on most nights. But Andrea Bargnani was starting to help out and he opened the quarter with a 2 point effort. Warrick and Mayo would answer with back to back baskets. Mayo looked for back to back buckets but his jumper would not fall. Bargnani wound O.J guarding him again and he took it right at him with the huge size advantage. Bargnani would dunk it on Mayo. Chris Bosh was resting up for a big finish as he would enjoy a Jason Kapono jumper as the Raptors had their largest lead of the night 78-66. Bosh had come back in the game at that point.

He entered the game for Andrea Bargnani who had heard his share of boos at ACC but on this night cheers would rain down on him. He had 18 points and Bosh was checking back in looking to build on his 22. Matt Devlin and Jack Armstrong were refering to them as the Killer Bees. But the look nothing like B. Brain Blair and Jumping Jim Brunzell. Busting out my old 80's wrestling knowledge. Kris Humphries could maybe have a career as a wrestler.He was in there and got himself a basket in his chosen profession of basketball player. Not starting trade rumours but Bryan Colangelo was working his blackberry hard as he looked on from his little bunker by where the players go in and out from the floor. Roko Ukic with a pretty feed knows who to pass it to. He found Bosh with the jumper from the top of the key and the lead was 82-69. Ukic later on made a pretty runner in the lane for himself. Chris Bosh was looking to close it out as he drove to the lane and would get sent to the line after the time out.

Bosh stepped to the line with 5:29 left. He would make both and it was an 86-72 lead for Toronto who had a much better effort in this second half. Kapono was making passes and dropping dimes a bit tonight. He found Joey G for the basket. Kapono had 5 dimes and so did Anthony Parker despite a quiet night scoring wise. Bosh had it going on tonight as he made the fading jumper and it was all falling for CB4. He was 11-13 from the field and had 32 points. Andrea Bargnani was back in the game and wanted a piece of the action he made a 3 pointer that caused Jose Calderon to stand up in his suit and do his 3 point deal when he makes one. It was all smiles as the Raptors were heading to winning 4 of 5, before a very tough test in a back to back with a Celtics team thinking they have a lot to prove. Bargnani had 21 on the night and they had a 21 point lead 95-74. Bargnani was not showing any sign of giving up he blocked a shot. But he and Bosh had done enough as they would leave to cheers from the fans. Raptors after a sleepy first half effort were putting it to the weaker opposition in the second. Kris Humphries was owning garbage time with back to back baskets. Will Solomon would deliver the pizza with a jumper in the lane. Raptors were running away with it leading 101-78. It was all over but the final score. The lines for Bargnani and Bosh. 53 points 18 rebounds and 4 blocks combined that is a heck of a night. You can make the final 103-82. Check it all out in a very fan friendly boxscore from The Score.

Rap/Grizz Boxscore

So the Raptors will hope to add some healthy folks back to the line-up but with no Jose and no J.O things were still A O K for the Raptors of late. They now will have an early Sunday date with the defending champs who had been playing like chumps of late. Should be fun.

Fans, Blogging and Grizzlies...Oh My!!!

Last night's Hoops Show was all about the Raptor Fans. It was a lot of talk on the Raptor Fan Base and if it has changed and how it has changed. The guys Eric, Paul and Jack came on and talked about the feeling in the ACC was not the same. They were trying to come up with reasons as to why that was. There was mention of the economy and the growing gap between the folks in 300 level and the lower bowl. I have in my life had the funds at certain points to sit in both. It is massive difference. But I think the answer is more a lack of faith in people and I have some examples of what I am talking about.

Bryan Colangelo was once thought as the man who saved the franchise. He took the Raptors from 5 years removed from the playoffs to a first ever division title. But now fans loudly question the man they once just excepted as a genius for the most part. The faith in Bryan doing the right thing has been lost.

Jose Calderon was the people's choice for the starting point guard position on this basketball team. If they gave approval ratings for players like they do for players like is done for politicians, Jose would have had numbers like Barak Obama. But he is now got what the fans felt he deserved in the starting job at point guard. But many fans have not been as happy with the results of that. Calderon was billed as the best point guard in the east by some. He was a serious threat to make the All-Star Game in February. But it would seem clear after a start with minor injuries and a record that does not scream All Star to folks. Not to mention getting ripped on TNT by Kenny Smith who claimed Calderon was not good enough to be a starter. I don't think I would go that far. But people have become aware of the weak points of Jose and that have been made clear this season. Again it causes some to lose faith in him based on all of this.

Jermaine O'Neal was billed as a huge move that was going to make the Raptors contenders. He was refereed to time after time as a 6 time All Star. That is a fact but a misleading one. He had not been in awhile and to think he was going to be would be a mistake. He has also had his share of injuries prior to coming to Toronto. He has not had any major injuries in Toronto but has had some minor bumps along the way and has been in and out of the line-up. The guy that was billed as the answer to the Raptors problems has instead been just another question for the most part. I think he has done a good job personally. But the impact I felt he would have on the team as a whole just has not materialized. It all leads to a lack of faith in Colangelo for making the deal. It also leads to fans questioning if it is worth it. O'Neal has a massive contract and is the highest paid player on the Raptor roster. The serious fan understands that his contract is part of why he was brought here because it runs out in 2010 and offers the Raptors a huge amount of cap space in a year that could have the best free agent class ever? Chris Bosh is also one of the players that could be part of that list.

Andrea Bargnani has been taking a beating until recently for his play. Many fans were loudly calling for him to be traded. They have not been able to accept that guys like Brandon Roy and Lamarcus Aldridge were out there and had not been picked instead. But that is not looking at things rationally but fans tend not to be. Bottom line is Bargnani gets judged by that huge #1 that he was selected with and he has struggled to carry that weight. Some are growing a restored faith in him in recent days. But it is a shaky faith at best.

Even Chris Bosh was booed at the ACC this season proving that truly nobody was exempt from this lack of faith that has grown over the fan base. But as Jose Calderon became aware there is one other thing that I personally feel is the cherry on top of all of this. Calderon was not able to see the Raptors play the Wizards from his home as he recovered from his injury. He would learn that he was not able to get TSN 2. I seem to recall mentioning this issue before. Yeah that is the kick to the groin in all of this for fans. Even if you can find a way to be positive after all of the issues above. There were 25 games hanging out there that the average fan would have to scramble to find and watch. It all has lead to fans becoming upset about the Raptors as a whole. That is my take on why the buzz is gone.

More News From Radio

Jack Armstrong yesterday brought mention to the topic of trade rumors on the internet and mentioned the growing number of websites that spread these rumours. He asked about who you believe is these matters. I wanted to call in and give my take as someone who runs a site. I said to Jack that some sites will make up rumours as a way to get attention and after a few times people would start to get it and disregard it as bunk. I said that from my perspective it was all in the words you use to express things. I do my best to not misrepresent anything here. I am not going to tell you something is a fact if I do not know it is. I will not say something is going to happen if I can't confirm it. Will I say that I think some things may happen? For sure at the end of the day be it in the real or new media we all live by the reputations that we build.

Jack did make an excellent and lost point that I have said on this site before. Those rumours often can impact on players. You may say who cares if it does. But what he also said was their families. As an example Anthony Parker has children and they may love the school they go to and have friends. To hear your dad may be moving to another city would not exactly sit well for a young child. They just love there dad and have no interest in the Raptors cap or his contract. They care about their family and the world they live in as far as school family and friends. So it does impact on people.

Doug Mclean who is a growing basketball fan he says on his show with Jack. He was joking if I worked out of my basement and was in my 40's. Bob McCown on the same station referenced that same characterization of bloggers. I don't take it personally myself. I find Doug to be amusing and Bob as well. But let's set the record straight not all bloggers are huddled in basements. Blogging is slowly becoming a very professional like source of media and entertainment. I welcome the chance to prove these ideas with anyone that wants to have the conversation. Blogging has had a big impact in politics as well. We are no different from any other form of media we have the good, the bad and the ugly too. But I personally take what I do here seriously and am trying to make a living at it. I think and hope I do a good job each day. I know that I work just as hard as anyone and do my best provide something that I can be proud of and that hopefully can stand against anything else that is out there based on it's merits. I thank the many folks that have respected the work I am doing Jack is one of those people. I expressed on the show what I feel people like him add to the mix in what I am doing. For the record as well I should point out that beyond the jokes Doug Mclean agreed with the points I was making. I doubt he could make me much of a hockey fan. But I respect people in all sports and understand that I am in the minority when it comes to Hockey. I use to like Hockey but have grown less and less interested as my love for basketball and my work around it has increased. That doesn't mean if I ever had the chance to go route on the Sabres the team I cheered for when I cared with Jack Armstrong that I would not cause I would for sure.

Mayo is restoring the name O.J

The Toronto Raptors will face the guy who I have voted for all year to be the Rookie of The Year. Mayo was much talked about in high school and built a level of hype that was not to the level of a guy like Lebron James but it has high. He would not be able to jump straight to the NBA like James based on the changed rules for entering the draft. He would play a season at U.S C where he would not match the hype that he went there with heading into his freshman year. People though he was very good but just not meeting the very high expectations that had been set out for him. He would end up being drafted lower than that #1 overall pick which based on what was thought in high school was a disappointment. The Minnesota Timberwolves would draft him and trade him for Kevin Love. Grizzlies fans are happy that they did. He has been nothing but spectacular for them and he joins a team with a lot of youth and talent.

The Raptors have long given up the right to over look anyone. Memphis has a lot of young players that will or should develop into great NBA talents. Marc Gasol is a beast of a player as well and has shown that the talent in his family is beyond his brother Pau. Mike Conley, Darrell Arthur and Rudy Gay are all young talented players as well. If the Grizzlies had drafted and been managed this well I think they would still be in Vancouver. It still hurts me at what a poor job Stu Jackson did with the Vancouver Grizzlies. You want to talk about irony the one pick that Grizzlies made that may have been the worst at least based on what they did, was that of Steve Francis. He would pout his way to the stage and was traded to Houston for a package that was far from ideal. Now Francis is a Grizzlies at the later stages of his career. Go figure.

So it will not be easy as you think. But if the Raptors get a win that will be 4 of 5 and they would head into a back to back with the Celtics with a lot of momentum something that has not been there for the defending champs of late. So see you later tonight with the Raptor Rewind.

The Raptor Roller Coaster- All Aboard!!!

When you choose to be a sports fan you are basically taking your emotions on a roller coaster ride. It has those extreme highs where you think you are just going to keep climbing till you can reach the moon. Suddenly without warning you go falling back down crashing towards the ground and you scream. That is what it can be like and from game to game you never know what might happen. If you have ever been to Disney World and got on the ride Space Mountain that is basically what it is like. Sometimes you just want to close you eyes tight and wait till the ride is over. The Raptors who had fought hard to beat a good team in Orlando in almost the same position exactly last night the would crumble down the stretch. Last night may have given folks T.J Ford or Mike James flashbacks based on Will Solomon's actions down the stretch. Andera Bargnani and Chris Bosh have over 50 points combined and Will Solomon is having a terrible shooting night. But yet we see Will Solomon not once but twice jack up long range bombs. That just goes against common sense and logic. I mean if you have an open look sometimes it is because a team doesn't think you can make a shot. The Raptors will say that is why they didn't worry about Luke Ridnour as he took two long range shots as well. He would make both of his. That is the difference between a goat and a hero. If he were to have missed his shots, Buck fans would have the same reason to complain. Michael Redd and Charlie Villanueva had even better nights going for the Bucks. No one said being a pro athlete was fair did they? It is anything but fair.

Charlie V Is Same Old Charlie

Now I admit that I have not went out and confirmed this as fact. Still I am willing to bet on a few Raptor fan sites and posting boards someone is saying see Raptors never should have traded Villianueva. I would also bet they never watched the game couple nights before where he stunk against the Bobcats. You might have taken notice that he was not starting for the Bucks as well. There is reason for that I am sure. It might just be that Charlie V remains the same talented but inconsistent player that the Raptors traded to Milwaukee. Remember when ESPN ripped Charlie on draft night and he went on to have a successful first year here in Toronto. Well one of the knocks from the guys on ESPN was his desire to work hard and be consistent on a nightly basis. Look back on his career and can you debate that they were wrong? I can't make the case despite the fact Charlie as a person may be one of the best people you will find in going around the league. There was a reason that the Bucks drafted Yi Jianlian and Luc Mbah A Moute. It had nothing to do with giving their announcers headaches in trying to learn to say those names. What it had to do with is they are not sold on Charlie Villianueva as the answer for them at that position. It is not like the Bucks are drafting a shooting guard in the first round or a Center. They have faith in both Michael Redd and Andrew Bogut to play starters minutes at those positions.

The problem is that most Raptor fans only watch Charlie Villianueva in the few times he plays the Raptors in a season. There is no question that he has a chip on his shoulder for these games against the Raptors. I think he truly took in personally that he was traded by the Raptors and it shows every time he suits up against them. It is much like how Andre Iguodala feels about the Raptors passing over him in the draft for Haffa or Hoffa or complete bust take your pick. But they do not watch the rest of the games the Bucks play and see highlights or read boxscores the rest of the time. The truth is Charlie V is that same guy he was when he was dealt in a lot of ways. He has the talent to have nights like last night or the time he poured in 48 points against the Bucks as a Raptor. But he also can just as easily play with disinterest and be a complete non factor. Raptor fans complain at the lack of consistent play from Andrea Bargnani well Charlie V can be just as inconsistent with his game as Bargnani. The one thing he would provide when he is on his game more than Andrea is rebounding. However Andrea when he is on can provide more shoot blocking and offers a much more consistent shot from long range when he is on his game. Charlie is a great guy and I am not here to say that if he had remained with the Raptors I would not still like him and cheer for him. What I am saying is he is not as good a player as he gets made out to be by some Raptor Fans. In the end he is a lot closer to the player that ESPN thought he was than the one Raptors fans think he is.

Opportunity Is Still Knocking If Raptors Can Answer

Sure last night was a disappointment and the Raptors basically cancelled out one of those surprising wins they earned over Houston and Orlando. Still they have a chance to keep it rolling in the right direction with games against the Wizards and Grizzlies. It is even more important when you consider the next two after that. Back to back, home and home, with the Boston Celtics who have suddenly dropped a few and have people questioning if they are truly the best in the league. That could make the Raptors the perfect platform to make a loud statement against. It all means that you need to take care of your business in these next two games.

The Wizards can laugh at how disappointed and frustrated Raptors fans are at their season. I mean they are going through a cruel version of deja vu. Last year they had a star player that was writing more blogs then he was playing games. This year the re-signed that player for over 100 million dollars and he still is blogging and not playing. Lot of folks like Gilbert Arenas and think he is a truly colourful character. That is true and he was at one time a very talented player. After two years of being on the IR and blogging more then he has been playing does not seem good. I think he may just end up being a huge elephant in the room with his large contract. The Gilbert Arenas prior to injury was worth that contract. The one that sat out the majority of last season was not. That mistake of re-signing Arenas may cost the Wizards for a long time to come. If only it was just Arenas who was getting injured but Jamison and Butler have had their share as well. It would all lead to Eddie Jordan being shown the door. I feel bad for him because I think given what he has had to deal with in Washington he had done a remarkable job. If he was a name that came up for the Raptors job I would not be disappointed to have him. Washington is 3-7 in their last 10 games which for them is improvement. They are a sad and pathetic 7-25 on the season and dead last in the Eastern Conference.

Memphis is a much different case as they have a lot of hope for the future. O.J Mayo is the real deal and when you also have Pau Gasol's baby brother Marc you have the start of some pretty nice building blocks. Memphis is 11-23 and far out classed in the Western Conference. But they can look at a team like Portland as reason to be hopeful for the future. The Raptors can not afford to over look anyone at this point. If Jay Triano wants to make that point clear, watching the last 5 minutes of the OKC game is a great way to drive home your point. The Raptors again sit in a spot where they can make a few steps back towards respectability or they can stumble and fall and dig a whole deeper that is already pretty massive. It is a lot to ask of a team that is down it's starting center and point guard but they have shown that they are able to do it. The question now becomes if they can do it consistently. It is a lot easier to bring you max effort against someone that you know is better. It is a different challenge to do that against a team that is struggling like you are.

Bryan Colangelo Is Playing The Game

I don't think anything that Bryan Colangelo does in not done without a thought process behind it. He was been doing interviews of late and sending out some messages. The question becomes who is the audience for these comments. Is it an angry fan base that is starting to question his choices. Could it be that he has not been happy with what he has been hearing on the phone and is sending out a message that this is not a fire sale in Toronto. There is no real way to tell why Bryan has chosen now to start a bit of a media appearance spree. But clearly even with out him taking part in the process he has been the talk around the league as eveyone is waiting to see what move he is going to make. About the only thing that you will not find to read is that Bryan Colangelo is NOT going to make a move before the February trade deadeline. Everyone around the league expects him to make a move. Given his past reputation some even expect it to be a big move. That is a lot of hype and pressure to live up too. I some how feel that Bryan understands that this next move no matter what it is will be key to how people view his career in Toronto. He is as aware as anyone that this is a what have you done for me lately business.

Colangelo has stuck to his guns to this point and has defending his number one selection Andrea Bargnani. He has said that they have not made an offer to another team that includes Bargnani. He says he takes many calls about his availability. Colangelo in his defensive of the pick of Andrea said that he even said that Brandon Roy was going to win the Rookie of the Year. He said that Bargnani was picked for a variety of reasons and he was the best fit for the Raptors. The comment about Roy is true as Colangelo was on the record as saying that Brandon Roy was the most NBA ready of the players in the draft. So that would not be far from saying he would be the rookie of the year. He even went as far as to praise Roy and how he is getting to the level of a superstar player in the league. He said if people are going to compare Andrea to Brandon Roy than Andrea could be considered a failure for some. He suggested that it was more about judging Andrea on his own merits. He pointed to his youth and the fact that they had been asking him to learn several positions. He didn't go as far as saying that was a mistake but you were left with the impression that is what he was saying without saying it.

This season before it started I said would end up deciding the Sam Mitchell debate. Well it has done that in a negative way. Although Sam is starting to do his thing on T.V as he made a guest appearence on NBA T.V on the weekend. Thanks to Holly Mackenzie for giving that a mention. I have no doubt if Sam wants a career in T.V he can have a long and successful one. But I don't think he is ready to settle into a media career just yet. However turning back to Colangelo in firing Mitchell he has now made this season a lot about his legacy as the G.M and President. He will have one last card to play even if he does not find the trade to save the season. In fact he could have a couple depending on what he does. The most obvious is he will be in a spot to hire a coach that is his guy and their will be no debate about it even if that guy was Jay Triano. The other chip he has is that massive contract of Jermaine O'Neal. The 2010 frenzy is only going to grow as the year gets closer. A contract worth 23 million dollars of cap space is almost as valuable as any player in the league at this point given the free agents that are out there to be had in 2010. The longer and closer to that time the more attractive Jermaine O'Neal and his contract will become. There is no question this big chip to play of keep was at the core of why Colangelo made the trade in the summer to acquire O'Neal. If O'Neal was able to perform well on top of that it was going to be a win win situation. It has turned into a lose win situation. That contract is still a valuable asset to have no matter the win total the Raptors end up with this season. Colangelo is not going to give it up unless he gets exactly what he wants in return.

So for a lot of reasons you can expect the roller coaster ride to continue on for the rest of this season and will get really wild as we get closer to trade deadline day. It may not be as fun as you like but it sure does make for a lot of information and speculation to keep up to date on. I'd love for someday a G.M to write a book long after he retired and recount all of the things that happened behind the scenes. If Bryan Colangelo were to write that book I would be in the front of the line to buy it.