Big Easy, Nothing Is Easy In Raptor Land

So both Jose Calderon and Chris Bosh have travelled with the team. Calderon is listed as probable and Bosh as doubtful. Bosh had an MRI on his knee and it is said to have shown no structural damage. But I would be pretty shocked if you see Bosh play on this trip. Calderon playing again is not a wise move to me as well. But the Raptors also still see a chance to make the playoffs for them. I am not thinking that is the case as well. Whoever is healthy is going to get out on the floor and try to go at it. Hornets have their own injury woes as Chris Paul sat out their last game and they lost to the Bulls.

This is a TSN 2 affair so find you favourite internet feed, radio or satellite link up to find the game to watch it. I have grown tired of talking about the issue. We all know it and it has been a shame that people have not stepped to the plate and got it fixed. Basketball fans lose and that sucks.

Hard to tell you what to expect in this game with the status of two key players in the air. If Paul plays as opposed to Calderon I think the advantage is greater for the Hornets to have Paul in the line-up. If Jose plays it will help but not as much given what I have seen from him of late. More on the Hornets in a new feature- Better know a Hornet. It may be a feature will see. But Ryan of Hornets 247 does stop by for a visit.

Jake Voskhul Getting Some Love

I gave Jake a hard time when he was first signed. It was more about frustration with Bryan Colangelo needing to do more. However in the brief time he has got out on the floor I love him not be afraid to lay the wood on someone. He also wears the Dino Blogger's old football # of 77. I was asked a few questions about Jake that was part of an article written on Jake. Have a look at a nice write up on Jake in the Good Point.

Better Know A Hornet (The Guest- Ryan from Hornets 247)

Steven Colbert has on his famous show better know a district. Where he interviews politicians. Well I tough once in awhile it would be cool to get know the other NBA fans, bloggers and others. So we kick this off with Ryan from Hornets 247.

1. Hornets had high expectations and have not matched the performance of last season to this point. Does that have fans concerned or is it just a case of get in the playoffs and how the team performs there?

No, this definitely has the fans concerned. They understood how close they were last year before falling to the Spurs, and since then the Hornets Front Office has operated on the premise that they are only a player or two from taking a championship. This team isn't built to make any easy major shakeups or player additions over the next few years, so if this team is weaker than expected, we're stuck with it.

2. Chris Paul was an M.V.P candidate last year and this year is not a big part of conversation. Is he still playing at that M.V.P level and it is just a case of others playing on a higher level?

Chris Paul and LeBron James are the best two players in the NBA. By any measure, Paul is doing more than he was doing last year - shooting better, producing more in less minutes, rebounding more, etc. Why is he not being recognized? Because the rest of the Hornets squad is weaker this year than last, they play in a small market, and LeBron James is probably the best player in the League and is on a team that has a crazy record. Despite Paul's greatness, I think the MVP discussion so far should be LeBron James, open and shut.

3. Deadline approaches and Hornets have a lot of injuries. Does that mean the Hornets might be shopping for some depth at the deadline?

Oh, I'm sure the Hornets are shopping for depth, but none of the assets they'd be willing to put on the block are particularly tradeable. They have no expiring contracts, and the positions they have redundancy at are the wings, where none of their players are particularly enticing. Unless they bundle a mediocre player with a draft pick in a trade, I don't see much happening.

4. Many folks were saying David West should not have got the All Star Nod in the West. I am guessing you disagree but maybe not?

There are players who were left off that I feel outproduce David West, but all of those players (other than Paul Millsap) were on teams with terrible records. The major complaint I keep hearing is how Al Jefferson was robbed because David West is a second banana and Al Jefferson is carrying his team. Carrying it to a 17-31 record? That's awesome? Really? The other complaint is that Carmelo should have been on the team. I'd be more willing to take Nene than Carmelo - the guy simply hasn't been that fantastic this season.

5. If Steven A Smith had a story on the Hornets how likely would your fans believe him?

People believe Steven A Smith? The last big story Steven broke was that Kobe wasn't going to be going back to the Lakers. Steven has good contacts, but he uses them to dig around for a bit of juicy gossip, and then yells it to the rest of the world. Literally yells.

Being the good polite Canadian that I am, Hornets 247 had questions for me and I was happy to answer them:

Dino Blogger Behind Enemy Lines

Jack Armstrong Answers Questions From Raps Republic

The guys over at Raptors Republic were able to catch up with Jack Armstrong and have him answer some questions from the readers over there. Here is link to that. I was glad to see the guys at Raps Republic were able to hook up with Jack. I know they had been trying to make that happen. So good for them he is a favourite guest here and always will be. Jack will be back here at the Dino Nation Blog at the end of the season.

Raptors Drama Is Starting To Get Serious

So If you have been under a rock you may have missed that Stephen A Smith is saying Bosh has told Colangelo he is leaving in 2010. I consider the source of this info so do I take it seriously? Not really but that being said once a ball starts rolling down a hill it can start moving faster and faster. The Toronto crowd yesterday was less than kind to the Raptors and Bosh. Who can blame them though given the performance that they paid to watch was far from worth the cash. Bosh is still getting paid for yesterday as is everyone else. Fans don't get a rebate on the money they paid out. In this tough economy to put out the money it costs for a Raptor game you expect to get value for it. Fans were not happy with that value and expressed that.

I think it was about a week ago when I said if Bosh leaves I am done cheering for players on this team. I mean it as well. I am going to treat the Toronto Raptors as I would my Michigan Wolverines or some other college programs that I support. It is not a statement by me saying the Raptors are playing to a level of a college team. I mean they are playing bad but I don't think it is to the level of an NCAA team being able to beat the Raptors or anything. Just that I can not have any faith or belief that anyone is here for the long term. Why invest in players if they are not as loyal to the team as I am to them. It doesn't make a lot of sense. So I will cheer for the Toronto or Raptors on the front of the jersey. The numbers are just to identify the different players and the names on the back of the jersey mean nothing.

It is really starting to get out of control with all the losing and rumours that are flying around this team. It all means bad things for the Raptors moving forward. It seems that up to the trade deadline is going to be crazy times around the Raptors. The schedule offers no form of relief. Cleveland and the Lakers back to back. The cherry on this sundae that Laker game in on TSN 2. Oh Joy. It sometimes is a painful life as a Raptor fan isn't it?

Colangelo Says Stephen A Is Wrong- Update Noon Monday

Michael Grange has got reaction from Bryan Colangelo on the ESPN comments of Stephen A Smith. Colangelo says the story is a fabrication.

Globe and Mail Story With Colangelo Reaction.