The Starting 5 With Ryan Wolstat

Ryan became someone I got to know in having access to games, and has been a regular guest here in the DNB since last season. He covers the Raptors obviously, but also has covered some NCAA Basketball in his work for the Toronto Sun. In today's interview we talk about the Raptors latest surge of positive play. Then the story that everyone in the NBA seems to be talking about in Jeremy Lin. He and the Knicks are the next team up for the Toronto Raptors. In addition, we look at where the Raptors sit in terms of the draft this year and based on that what will they do? This and some conversation about the trade deadline this season and if the Raptors will be actively looking to sell? If so, who might be at the top of that list. This along with thoughts on what has been a NBA season to forget in some ways, with the 66 game schedule marching along. All that and some good conversation and laughs about Ron Artest and Allen Iverson. All this and more in this edition of the Starting 5.



It will be interesting to watch how this season plays out, the one thing that seems to be universal in talking to the media and in my own opinion, is the respect for Dwane Casey and the job he has done. Thanks to Ryan for taking the time to talk with us and remember to check on the site and on Twitter for our promotion working with MGD this week. Where you and a guest could join us in a VIP Box for the Bobcats and Raptors as I mentioned off the top of the interview.

Starting 5 Season Wrap with Ryan Wolstat.

The Dino Nation Blog will be trying to hook up with all of our regular guests and get their thoughts on the Raptors season and uncertain future. Today in the guest chair is Ryan Wolstat from the Toronto Sun. I had got to know Ryan through social media and then have met him a few times in covering games together. I enjoy his work and his honest approach in evaluating things. We look at the future of Bargnani, Triano, Colangelo, Calderon and others. Yes there are a lot of questions to be answered for sure. MLSE has certainly made this situation a lot more cloudy then we might have expected. Heading into an uncertain future in the NBA you have to question the wisdom of that. Hopefully you will find some actual wisdom in this conversation on the future of the Raptors in the short and long term. I always enjoy having are various guest share there opinions with me and thus with you. There is no shortage of opinions on the Raptors future and this franchise that is for sure.

If you do not already follow Ryan on Twitter, I would recommend you do. He can be found @WolstatSun offering solid takes on the Raptors and NBA in addition to his work for The Sun. Also knows his stuff in terms of college hoops as he referenced covering the Final Four this year and was also in Chicago covering the McDonald's All American Game with Myck Kabongo and a couple other Canadian kids in that game as well. In short he is a basketball junkie and knows his stuff.

Starting 5 With Ryan Wolstat

We have always from the very beginning of doing the Starting 5 tried to bring you many different opinions and viewpoints from the main stream media. While we have been successful in doing that to a large degree, there has been one omission to that. We have never had anyone from the traditional print media to be a guest here. You know newspapers, well that changes today as we welcome Ryan Wolstat from the Toronto Sun to join us in the Starting 5. As with many of the guests we have had got to know Ryan through twitter (@WolstatSun) and eventually we met in covering the Raptors. So it is great to have him aboard and talk a lot about the uncertain yet certain future of the Raptors. That seems confusing, but if you listen to the interview it will not be. We talk about the futures of Bryan Colangelo, Jay Triano and some of the players that make up this roster. If anything we accomplish showing that bloggers and newspaper writers may not in fact hate each other as many assume. It was an enjoyable conversation and hopefully one you will enjoy as well.



Thanks to Ryan for helping us break some new ground with the DNB's Starting 5 and who knows maybe it will open the flood gates to more people from his world coming into our world here in the Dino Nation Blog. One of the great things of having access to games beyond the obvious things you see in talking with players and covering games is being able to build relationships with people in the media. It is something I have worked hard to do, and am so happy that so many people when asked to come join me here, have been happy and willing to do so. Hope to have Ryan join us again and become one of the many regular folks will call on to talk with here in the Dino Nation Blog. Another Ryan in the blog tomorrow as Ryan Richard our DNB Intern makes his debut in audio form, as we start doing a weekly DNB Podcast with myself and one of the members of my loyal staff. That will become a regular weekly feature on Wednesdays unless we have a guest booked to talk with on that day.