DNB Top 10- Things I Will "TRY" To Forget About 2011-12 Raptors Season

We have not done one of these in a long time. We even started doing a few top ten's in video but this is not one of those. This is what many would class as a forgettable season for the Toronto Raptors. There have been many of those lately. So what will I want to forget about this season most? So many options to choose from. Let's get this rolling.

#10 The NBA Lockout- I think I may be one of the last people still kind of ticked off about it. I mean the CBA never turned out to be what it should have been. The league lost 2 months of the season. This schedule has been a painful experience to do my job well. I probably won't forget this but most of you have and some even likely believe those NBA Cares Ads. Dwight Howard cares about Orlando as much as Shaq did.

#9 Anthony Carter- I honestly never really spoke to him in his time here. He kinda looked like a scary dude and with no Reggie Evans this year to have my back I felt keeping my distance was wise. I never saw the point in him being signed and actually was the first and maybe only to suggest the Raptors should have signed some kid named Jeremy Lin instead. He was cut and no one cared so what really was their to remember.

#8 Pound The Rock- This likely has no hope of happening. I mean it is written on stuff all over the ACC and their is that big rock as you enter and exit the Raptor Locker Room. That said, I am all for a good story and some inspiration. But people using this expression made me more feeling like pounding my head than any sense of inspiration from it. If the players like it and buy into it great. I am out of the Rock pounding game if I was ever really in it.


#7 Jamaal Maglorie's Raptor Career- Wait he is still on the team? This is true but he will be long gone this off-season if there is a God and he likes me even a little bit. This whole thing was a complete shame and an insult to the history of this franchise. Now when kids 25 years from now look up who was the first Canadian to play for the Raptors it will be him. If a kid asks me in 25 years about it here is what I will say. He was a guy that stopped being good 9 years before he ever was a Raptor. If you want to know about actual good Canadian Player read about Steve Nash who is in the NBA Hall of Fame (He will be).

#6 Leo Rautins and Rod Black- On their own they both can be annoying and provide no sort of entertainment what so ever. Together they are a toxic waste of time that makes 90% of viewers glad the mute button was invented. We as basketball fans have evolved since 1995 the way both of these individuals present the game to fans has not. They have not grown or cared to understand that this fan base is a lot more intelligent and smarter to basketball than it was back in 1995.

#5 Andrea Bargnani's Calf- This will be a good thing if I forget about this. It will mean that Andrea comes back next season and is healthy.Why do I know this is not going to be the case. Why do I think that Andrea Bargnani has the healing power of a Vince Carter in his prime. I don't know let's just call it experience.

#4 Primo Pasta- Please GOD SOMEONE END THIS AD. I CAN NOT TAKE IT ANYMORE!!!

#3 Camo Uniforms- Again I would like to believe I can say good bye to these things. Sadly I don't think I will be. MLSE has found a way to hide behind doing something good and pocket some money for themselves. That is fantastic isn't it. No it isn't, and this, above all things is what got me the most angry about this season.

#2 Ed Davis- It will be for one of two reasons. He is on one of those 29 other NBA Teams he was auditioning for down the stretch or he actually had a full off-season of improvement and is sticking around as part of the core of this team. One way or the other it was a forgettable season from Ed Davis and some inspired play in games that don't matter won't change that.

and now the number one thing I would like to forget about this season. I was going to say the entire thing but that seemed like a cop out. So here we go get your hashtag ready.

#1 Rasaul "Friggin" Butler- From almost day one I was like what the hell is this guy doing here? It got me so upset I started a hashtag that became somewhat popular with Raptor fans. It was simple and to the point #CutButler, which the Raptors eventually did and stated they were allowing him to go to pursue options with a contender. Shockingly enough not even a contender for the D-League Championship let alone the NBA Championship came calling. What do you know. This was one of a trio of signings in the off-season that were just a joke and insulting to Raptor fans. No surprise that all three got mentioned in this. But if there was one guy that everyone could agree offered absolutely nothing it was THE BUTLER!!!

I will try to forget all of this, kind of like we forget things like Yogi Stewart....The Banger Brothers....oh wait that is right I was the guy that wrote an article Raptor Fans are like elephants and never forget. Sadly I guess I will remember all of this!!!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Looking Back On The Season So Far.

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

Raptor Surprises?

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

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

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

Raptor Disappointments

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

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

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

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

DNB Game In Pictures

This is something new will try for the odd Raptor game that has some extra time between games. Basically we have some photos from last night's game with some fun captions to give you all a laugh so if your ready...Roll'Em

Raptors Better Than Advertised?

I generally take pride in having a good take on the Toronto Raptors. To have that feeling of knowing what to expect. It is not unlike when you are a wrestling fan you know what is coming next before it happens. As an example fans had been told someone was coming to the WWE and they already had Y2J signs ready to display. How did they know? Mainly because wrestling is predictable and scripted. Sports does not follow a script and as much as you can think you know sometimes you don't know. Could anyone have predicted the Denver Broncos would make the playoffs with Tim Tebow as their quarterback when the season began? He wasn't even the starter. Life and sports are dynamic.

In a lot of ways despite the Raptors making big strides under Dwane Casey some of the same old issues are still lingering around. Raptors no matter what defensive system they have employed have all seemed to have issues with defending the three point line. The Raptors traditionally have always had issues holding leads even with some of the best rosters they have put on the court.

It gets to the point as a long time fan you don't just hope it won't happen but you know it will happen. The Raptors could have as big a lead as you like at any point in the first three quarters of a game and you wait for that other shoe to drop. To not expect that to happen makes you incredibly loyal or ignorant to history. But the history really shouldn't apply after all this team has many different parts, but this has been a theme that has lasted longer than anyone on this roster.

The idea of changing culture gets thrown around a lot in this organization over the years. You know when that really happens? When people honestly don't go into a 4th quarter expecting the worst and hoping for the best. When you have enough confidence to sit there calm and secure that your team can win the game.

When you start to break this down to the individuals there are positives and negatives. Dwane Casey is all positive to this point. You can't help but applaud his effort to take a core group of players, that many felt it would be next to impossible to get them to play defence and he has made it happen. The poster boy for that lack of belief was Andrea Bargnani. If you had never seen the first 6 seasons of this guys career you would not believe how awful he has been in terms of his effort and defence for 6 years. Is 5 games enough to wash away 6 years of a bad taste in your mouth? No not really, but it is enough to make you stop and wait and see.

The player that has been wildly inconsistent has not been Bargnani it has been DeRozan. Last night we saw his most complete performance of the season. Ed Davis who many had high expectations for has had his issues. He also has had his opportunities reduced by the improvment and position change of Bargnani. About the only thing that seems to be consistent in what we have known about the Raptors in the past is Jose Calderon. If you love Jose you point to how he is still one of the most efficient floor generals in the NBA. If you hate Jose you point out he still can not stay in front of almost any point guard he faces. You point to his shooting and on one night his fans will see glimpses of the shooter he once was, on another you will see the shooter he has become for his detractors.

In terms of the new Raptors you have seen a Jamaal Magloire that is offensively challenged but has at times made an impact on the glass. Much as I hate to admit it a lot like what you could get out of Reggie Evans. If not for the other factors that bother me about Magloire I would almost like him. The main difference to me is Reggie is so genuine and I find Magloire to be the opposite. He has embraced this role has the hometown guy that has finally come home. But I can't help but think the chance was there long before the end of his career and his lack of playing for this country ever makes it hard for me to accept him as any kind of Canadian Hero. But if we keep it to basketball a game like last night is what a Reggie Evans could do on the floor.

Anthony Carter really would not have been playing at this point if not for Bayless and his injury. If you take that into account it is hard to tear the guy apart. Would he have been my choice as the 3rd point guard for this team? No. But given his role I don't expect much. He to me is a different more defensively sound version of Derrick Martin. Who was half coach and half player. Now we get on to perhaps the most puzzling of all. Rasual Butler who until the 2nd half in NYC last night did not look like he belonged starting in the D-League forget about on an NBA roster. He came alive late to make some key shots and boards to help secure the win last night. Maybe it was to harsh to expect more given in a normal season last night would have been the second last game of the pre-season more or less. In terms of Aaron Gray he has been sidelined with heart issues. Makes you wonder if Raptors were aware when they signed him? Same thing happened with Nathan Jawai in terms of finding out about heart issues with him on eve of training camp. Is this simple bad luck or did the Raptors miss something? Never going know the answer. But it is hard to be angry about something like that with the player. You just hope the best for their lives screw basketball. As for Gary Forbes seems like a great guy have not seen near enough of him to have any strong opinion.

When you look at this team as whole it really is not all that impressive. It looks like the team that many had very little in terms of expectations. But some how they are able to come together and find a way to hang around and be in games. The improved defence is the reason. Some even have fired off things like this team can be in hunt for the playoffs in the East. The people cheering for lottery balls are very dismayed by that. I am just not to the point of being convinced they can be that. However if they can build on what they did in New York and find ways to hang on and grind out wins maybe I can be swayed. When this season started I said the Raptors would be able to hang around in more games than people think. So far that is true. But I also said they would likely lose more of those games than they would win. That is the part I am starting to question. It would make you feel more confident if Knicks had Amare Soudemire in the line-up and the Raptors had the same result. In this crazy season you are going to catch and have to endure a lot of good and bad breaks in terms of the schedule and injuries. The Raptors had the bad draw in terms of the schedule last night but got the good draw in terms of injures. No Bayless vs no Amare is advantage Raptors.

So maybe at the end of it all. The Raptors are who I thought they were. But I remain willing to accept they could be better than that. But I have no real indication of if that is true yet. I am pretty excited to be going to see it in person tomorrow night. Tristan Thompson and the Cavs get a second shot at the Raptors. This will also be a good test to see what a team does after getting a look at the Raptors improved defence the second time around. Tomorrow could hold some answers on if this team truly can be as this blog asks, better than advertised?

Raptors Start Strong And Hang On In NYC

Well the Raptors do catch a break before the ball even went up in MSG. No Amare Stoudemire for the Knicks. The Raptors would take full advantage of that. Andrea Bargnani had in the past had one of his best performances as pro at MSG. Early on it looked like he might top that performance on this night. Bargnani was an army of one in the first quarter. There was not a lot of support other than from Demar DeRozan. The problem was the Raptors were having some issues defending the 3 and Carmelo Anthony was leading the charge behind the arc. He had three triples and 13 points all totalled in the first and the Knicks had a slim 23-22 leading. They shot 5-12 from three point range in the quarter.

What happened in the 2nd was an explosion of Raptor offence and their D had made some adjustments and it all was working well. Bargnani had to take a seat in the first after picking up 2 fouls in the first. But the Raptors would battle hard with out him starting the second quarter on a 8-0 run. The Knicks would take 4 minutes before they recorded a point. Carmelo Anthony would be the guy to get the Knicks on the board finally. But it was an impressive defensive effort from the Raptors and they had a 17 point halftime lead and were holding the Knicks to 28.2% shooting. There is no way the Raptors can mess this up right?

This is the Raptors so where there is a will to blow a lead there is a way. In the 3rd the Raptors offence went into deep freeze and the Knicks led by Carmelo Anthony would chop the Raptor lead down. It took 6:30 for the Knicks to erase 11 points off the Raptors 17 point lead. The Raptors were able to stop the bleeding a little and managed to escape the 3rd quarter with a 9 point lead.

But they had an 11 point lead last night and that was not enough. It sure looked like 9 was not going to be either. The Knicks would get as close as 3 on several occasions. The game was coming down the stretch and after 3 quarters of doing very little, other than getting his butt kicked by Mello, Rasaul Butler made some key shots and rebounds. But after a couple of free throws from Bargnani who after his hot start had chilled. But in being fair the Raptors were not getting him very many touches. But in the clutch Bargnani made to key free throws as mentioned. It would come down to a play out of a time out. Something went wrong for the Knicks. Not sure what the play was suppose to be, but a Mello three with still lots of time on shot clock and 17 seconds left in game was not it. Raps would get the rebound and they made the free throws from Carter to ice it. They hang on to win 90-85 and shock the Knicks at MSG.

This was far from perfect let's be honest. But the fact the Raptors did hang on to the win could be the break through this team needed. This could be a breakthrough moment for this team. What happens next will greatly determine that. The Raptors needed this win badly though to re-enforce that despite not winning the last 3 games they had played better. In Casey's mission to keep this team buying into his message it was a win in more than just the standings. The Raptors come home 2-3 which is a big difference mentally than 1-4. A rematch against a Cavs team that has rebounded nicely after dropping there home opener to these Raptors. Tristan Thompson comes home to Toronto it should be a special night at the ACC. Speaking of Canadians it should be noted that despite not scoring a point, Magloire was able to haul in 10 rebounds tonight which contributed to the Raptors winning the battle of the boards 44-39.

Weekend Of Little Excitement

If you were expecting a ton of excitement in terms of the Raptors signings you were not listening to Bryan Colangelo or thought he was lying. It is not that the Raptors moves were horrible but they were far from headline grabbing.

First on of the reported Pietrus trade with the Suns that is now not happening. The trade that would have seen Pietrus come over for the Suns for a conditional 2nd round pick is dead. Raptors had Pietrus in and he apparently is not healthy, some issues with his knee that Raptors medical staff felt could take a month or so to get right. So that was that in terms of that deal. Down the line if Pietrus gets healthy it would be no shock if Raptors re-visited this move. But in the short term it is dead and done.

Another deal still in the waiting to happen mode is for Gary Forbes. The Raptors have signed him to an offer sheet as a restricted free agent and with the new CBA rules an answer from Denver should be coming by today or tomorrow on if they will match or not.

Jamal Maglorie was all done and signed sealed and delivered. He was saying all the right things about being the first Canadian to suit up for the Raptors. It would be some solid PR if you forget the fact he consistently has turned his back on team Canada. That takes some shine off the feel good story of the hometown guy finally coming home. In simple basketball terms he will be a help to the Raptors maybe more as a teacher than a player in terms of defence. As I said his play peaked in about 2003 when the Hornets left Charlotte for New Orleans and went to the Western Conference. He was a little used Center for the Miami Heat. He will get more use here but one wonders if he can last under the grind of this gruelling lockout schedule.

If he can't never fear the Raptors signed Aaron Gray. Yes Aaron Gray. I will wait for you to collect yourself. Gray is every bit the journeyman Center that has had to many teams to mention. His most recent stop was in New Orleans. If the first adjective used to describe a guy is he is 7 foot whatever that is usually a warning sign. You can't teach height. But you also can't teach talent and Gray has very little of it. He is another body in the mix. But what this means combined with Maglorie is it looks like Andrea Bargnani has finally got his way. Yes Andrea Bargnani you get to play your natural position at the four. So now let's hear what the excuse will be if he can't do any better there?

The Raptors attempted to address another concern with signing Rasual Butler. He is a decent defender that can make a three point shot. The Raptors despite the likes of Calderon, Barbosa and Bargnani had one of there worst seasons from beyond the arc in the history of the franchise. Butler should help out with that as well as this defensive makeover.

There is talk that Raptors are still one of four teams in mix for Reggie Evans but it is hard to see where Reggie would fit in this group. The Raptors did also add Anthony Carter who would be the 3rd point guard. That has yet to be made official but whoever the third point guard is makes little difference especially if they go the veteran Derek Martin route.

It is hard to say that any of these signings change the Raptors outlook as individuals. Even as a collective group they do little to shift the bottom line. It will be the impact they have on the existing roster that will determine their worth. If they help establish a better overall team defence and get players to buy in. If Andrea Bargnani is able to thrive with the move to the 4 spot. But ultimately Bryan Colangelo said he was only looking for guys for the short term and that is what he got. Nothing flashy but the hope would be the Raptors added some substance. That remains to be seen.

I don't think you can be all that critical of the moves made. But at same time if any of these signings do much for interest in the Raptors I would be stunned. It also likely will not mean a major difference in terms of the team's ultimate outlook. When teams are lining up to fight for the likes of Dwight Howard and Chris Paul, the Raptors are signing Aaron Gray and Rasaul Butler it just doesn't measure up on the excitement scale does it.