K.D's Bosh Comments Video

I mentioned the Kevin Durant Comments in the blog this morning but here is the video of those comments in regards to Chris Bosh:





no retort from Chris and if he is smart...which can be debated of late...there won't be.

DNB Top Ten: Big Threes

Last week we took a look at the top ten point guards in the league and in this weeks installment, we'll be looking at the top Big Three's in the league. So here's the top ten 3 player combo's in the league.

1. Pierce, Garnett, Allen and Rondo, Celtics ( 62.6 PPG, 23 RPG, 22 APG)

Kind of had to cheat on this one because the Boston Big 3 just won't be the same without Rondo. When these guys are on the court together good things always happen on the defensive end, which usually results in great plays on the offensive end. With players like Shaq, Big Baby and Nate Robinson surrounding them and with the return of Kendrick Perkins in a few weeks, this trio is poised to lead the Celtics to the NBA Finals once again. That's if they can stay healthy.

2. Wade, Bosh and Lebron, Heat (69.3 PPG, 21.8 RPG, 13.3 APG)

After getting off to a very mediocre start in which many questioned whether they can co-exist and many trade rumors involving Bosh started, the South Beach trio has responded and shown just how good they can be, by going 15-1 in the month of December and winning 21 of 22 games. It looked like they were going to continue that trend into January. Not to mention that this trio currently has the highest +/- amongst 3-man combos with +290. Though they may lack the bench production and depth as the original Big 3 in Boston, each of these guys can take over a game at any point and led their team to victory, unless Lebron tweets about "karma" again.

3. Kobe, Gasol and Odom, Lakers (59.1 PPG, 25.3 RPG, 11.5 APG)

These guys have helped the Lakers win two consecutive NBA titles and it's been mostly due to these guys. With probably the best closer in the league in Kobe, a threat in the middle in Gasol, and an all-around big man who can handle the ball and spread the defense in Odom the Lakers, are gearing up for another shot at the NBA Finals and a chance to complete the 3-peat and the franchise's 17th title.

4. Parker, Manu and Ginobli, Spurs (50.1 PPG, 16.8 RPG, 14.6 APG)

The most experienced of the Big 3.s on this list. These guys have won three NBA titles together and currently looking for their 5th title in franchise history all of which have come after the 1999 season. With the best record in the league right now at, 35-6, the Spurs are looking in great shape to complete that goal and bring the championship parade back to San Antonio for the 4th time since 2003.

5. Rose, Boozer and Noah, Bulls (58.8 PPG, 26.5 RPG, 12.9 APG)

With the acquisition of Boozer last offseason, the Bulls have propelled themselves to title contenders status. With Rose running the offense and Boozer and Noah patrolling the paint, the Bulls will be a force to be reckoned with come playoffs time. Though the trio has only played 9 games together this season due to injuries to both Boozer and Noah, we haven't gotten a full glimpse of what they can do yet, but when that happens opposing teams should beware.

6. Durant, Westbrook and Green, Thunder (65.9 PPG, 16.8 RPG, 13.4 APG)

One of the best up and coming trios currently in the league. Coming off a great season last year, in which they put up quite a fight against the Lakers in the first round, these three are looking to lead the Thunder to a top 4 seed and get them past the first round. These guys may only be together for a few more months though, as the Thunder have yet to offer Jeff Green a contract extension, and may let him go as a free agent. Either way this is a trio worth watching even if it is for a few more months.

7. Kidd, Dirk and Terry, Mavericks (47 PPG, 13.9 RPG, 15.4 APG)

These three have been apart of many successful seasons with the Mavs, but have yet to win and NBA championship. The Mavs had a shot in 2006, without Kidd, but ended up losing to D-Wade and the Miami Heat in the Finals. With all three in their 30's and entering the final seasons of their careers, the window for them to win that title is slowly closing. If there was ever three players who can lead the Mavs to their first franchise title, it's the two Jason's and the German, but with that window closing will they be able to accomplish that or once again see another team walking away with the prize.

8. Williams, Millsap, Jefferson, Jazz (56.4 PPG, 20.4, 13.4 APG)

With Jerry Sloan's coaching the Jazz are once again poised for another 50 win season and a deep post-season run. After acquiring Jefferson, they now have a presence in the post alongside Millsap, who can scored, defend and grab rebounds. Add that to D-Will's ability to make plays and shoot the ball and you have a great inside-out game. Toss in Millsap's hustle, rebounding and clutch shooting and you have a dangerous trio. Not sure if they'll be able to win the title this season, but with these no still in their mid-20's and entering the prime of their careers, the Jazz may just win a title within the next 5 years.

9. Turkoglu, Howard, and Nelson, Magic (46.4 PPG, 20.8 RPG, 14.1 APG)

After about a season and a half apart, the Orlando trio has been reassembled once more and looking to make some noise in the Eastern conference. The last time these three were together they made in the the NBA Finals, though Jameer wasn't 100%, where they would ultimately lose to the Lakers. Now with a healthy Jameer, and a not so crappy Hedo along with the insode force that is Dwight Howard, the Magic are poised for a deep playoff run, but would the Celtics or Heat put an end to that run.

10. Stoudemire, Felton and Gallinari, Knicks (59.5 PPG, 17.3 RPG, 13.4 APG)

At this point last season the Knicks were already looking at who they'll select in the draft, but it's a totally different story this year. With the additions of Amare and Felton the Knicks have made themselves a playoff team once more. With Amare's relentlessly attacking the rim, Gallo hitting threes and Felton making plays the Knicks have become and exciting team to watch. Though they are a long shot away form being a title contender, mostly due to their lack of defense, they would remain a force in the East for years to come with their Big 3 and it's supporting cast.

Up and Coming:

Griffin, Gordon, and Davis, Clippers (57.2 PPG, 18.5 RPG, 15 APG)

After year's of being viewed as "That Other LA team" the Clippers are out to make themselves known with their trio of Baron Davis, Blake Griffin and Eric Gordon. With wins against the Heat, Spurs, Thunder, Bulls and Lakers ( all of which have Big 3's that appeared on this list) this season the Clippers have shown that they have a really bright future ahead of them and maybe their days of being an automatic lottery team may be over in the near future. Not sure how long Baron will remain there, but he can provide that veteran experience needed in clutch game situations.

That concludes another edition of the DNB Top Ten, if you feel like anyone was left out of shouldn't have been included, feel free to leave a comment below or in the DNB chat. Stay tuned for next weeks installment.

Thunder Rolls Into Toronto

This has been a season with a lot of low points. One of the lowest came on December 19th. Sam Mitchell was still the coach of the Raptors. They would roll into Oklahoma City for the start of a 6 game road trip that would extend through the Christmas Holidays. Raptors needed to get their road trip off to a good start after blowing a game to the Celtics and coming off a lose to the Mavs. We all know what happened. The Thunder who at the time had just 2 wins would defeat the Raptors. It was a loss that many felt was based on a total lack of effort on behalf of the Raptors. Sam Mitchell would no survive that road trip as another awful lose to Denver later in that same road trip would mark the end of his coaching run in Toronto.

Future Prospects For Raptors

Press the fast forward button and the Thunder although still struggling have what most experts would agree a solid young core and perhaps a bright future. Kevin Durant I had said should have been the number 1 pick in his draft year. I was total at the time that was crazy as Greg Oden was the choice of many. But look at it now. Durant is looking on the verge of being a break out star. Some even thought he deserved a trip to the All Star Game this year. I am not one of those who thought that. But it is clear that the Sonics now the Thunder can thank Portland for Kevin Durant. Westbrook is another talented kid. You add in a former Big East player of the year in Jeff Green it is an impressive young core. The point is Thunder fan have a lot of reasons to be optimistic when they look to the future. It makes you think what exactly do Raptor Fans have to look forward too? Andrea Bargnani has developed a bit that is something. However I would be much more excited about the prospects of a Durant or a Westbrook. You have a Superstar in Chris Bosh that many feel is on his way out the door in Chris Bosh. The Raptors just don't have a lot of young talent that people are excited about. I was very excited about Nathan Jawai and still am to a point. However his first season in the NBA has been not what anyone would have expected. If Jawai is going to develop into something or not is a real question mark. Roko Ukic has talent and shown signs of perhaps being something when all is said and done. But again still you can not be sold on him to any great degree. I am not thinking anyone would lay money Roko or Nathan becoming great NBA players. They are both second round picks and you rarely see a second rounder turn into any kind of star.

Draft Is Full Of Questions...Raptors Need An Answer

That is why in the upcoming draft which is full of question marks. Blake Griffin the number one pick projected by most is even not a lock to be a star. The Raptors need to find that young star in this draft. Some may question if there will be that guy in this draft class at all. A couple names that people have been high on fizzled in the NCAA Tournament. James Harden was a train wreck for ASU. While Gerald Henderson who I liked a lot, he was a non-factor as Duke was taken out by Villanova. Obama had it nailed. But the issue is who can you believe in when it comes to this draft? I believe in Haseem Thabeet. he is 7 foot 3 and is a great shoot blocker and rebounder. His offense has a long way to go. However what does this Raptor team need most? Defense and rebounding would be at the top of the list. However with UConn on a run in the tournament. In addition to the fact that they could face NCAA actions based on recruiting violations. Thabeet seems a lock to enter the draft and to be selected at the very least in the top 5. That would mean the Raptors would need some ping pong ball help to get him. You are probably saying the Raptors don't need a big. They need a wing man. Well at this point the Raptors need a lot of things. So no matter where they pick it should not matter, they need to take the best player on the board regardless of position. Besides if Bosh is truly to go, Bargnani could slide into the 4 spot and you have a young Thabeet as you center at a legit 7 foot 3. I truly hope Bosh remains mind you. However Bosh or no Bosh the Raptors need to get this draft right in a year where the potential to be wrong is very high.

Final Thoughts

So with that said bring on the Thunder. They may have a bright future ahead of them. The Raptors future on the other hand is very much a question mark. That is the real story beyond if the Raptors can extract revenge for an awful lose that was pretty much their own fault. Win or lose it really doesn't matter. It would be a 3 game winning streak and that has only happened 2 other times that I can recall this season. However people have moved beyond the game to game, wins and loses and are now thinking about the big picture. That big picture is a scary uncompleted mess at the moment. Can Colangelo turn it into fine art by the time he is done this off-season? That will be a question that is answered over the coming months.

Raptors Rewind- Snow Blind OKC Debut

So I am basically snowed in. There is no video of this game to be found for me. So I am listening to two of my favourite guests on the Radio. Paul Jones who I talked with earlier today and Eric Smith. You can catch the rest of that interview with Mr. Jones tomorrow. So the Raptors Rewind may not be to level it normally is but I am going to give it a shot. I also should tell you there will be no Raptors Rewind tomorrow. I am going to be doing a live blog test for The Score. So you can come join in on the fun live with me and take part in the live blog. But there was a matter of this game in Oklahoma City game to take care of. The Toronto Raptors were in desperate need of a win but so were the OKC Thunder.

1st Quarter

The games scoring would begin with a Kevin Durant jumper from mid range. Jermaine O'Neal would get a dunk and a foul and the Raptors had a early 3-2 lead. Bosh would later get fouled and go to the line for 2 shots that he would make. The Raptors had the 5-2 lead. Jeff Green would score a two pointer and than hit a 3-pointer and that would be the start of a 12-0 Oklahoma City run. The Raptors started the game shooting 1-10. Jose Calderon would finally break the run with a long range 2 ball and the score was 14-7 Thunder.

However the Thunder would continue to roll after that with another 5 straight points and it was a 17-2 run after the Raptors early lead of 5-2. Chris Bosh would get a dunk that had a lot of added energy to it. It had a lot of that F-word to it. No not that F- word? Frustration. Kevin Durant would close out the quarter putting Jermaine O'Neal on a poster. The Thunder had a 26-17 lead after one quarter of play.

2nd Quarter

Anthony Parker would get to the line and make a couple free throws that would begin the scoring in the second quarter of play. Damien Wilkins would get Thunder on the board with a long jumper for 2 in response. Andrea Bargnani would get a lay-up but Raptors still trailed 28-21. Both teams would struggle to get the next basket but Earl Watson would connect with Chris Wilcox for the alley oop and the Thunder were back up by 9.

The Raptor would make a push back in this game lead by Jason Kapono and Andrea Bargnani. Joey Graham would make a jumper that would get the Raptors to just down 4 points. The score was 34-30 and it was the closest the Raptors had been in a long time. However the Thunder would stop the run and get back on track score 10 of next 14 points and get the lead back to 10 points at 44-34. If that wasn't bad enough Jermaine O'Neal would leave the game and head straight to the locker room. No word on what was wrong with him. The teams would exchange baskets and the Thunder had a 46-36 lead at the half. They were looking for their first win on their home floor since November 2nd.

3rd Quarter

Shout out to Jeff a loyal reader that found a feed of the game. Raptors shot a terrible 29% in the first half. The Thunder got a dunk to get the half started and they lead by 12. Bosh would respond with a dunk on the other end. Word on J.O is a shoulder injury and he is done for the night as Bargnani started with Bosh for the Raptors. How Ironic is the J.O injury given what just happen to Elton Brand. Let's hope J.O is not that bad off as Brand is out for a month for the Sixers. The teams were trading baskets but Chris Bosh was looking better after a 1-8 first half had made his first couple in the second half. In face he would continue to score and had all 8 point the Raptors had scored in the quarter. But the OKC was matching Bosh. It was 54-44 still for OKC.

Andrea Bargnani and Jamario Moon would give Bosh a hand with back to back baskets and the Raptors had pulled to six points down with the score 54-48 Thunder and Scott Brooks would call a time out. Thunder would miss on a Durant jumper out of the time out. However Bosh would turn it over on the other end. Thunder would get to the line and split a pair and extended the lead back to 7 points. Jose Calderon would have a turnover but OKC would not convert it. Calderon would then hit a jumper on a second chance to cut the lead to 5 points. The Thunder would rattle off a couple straight scores before Jamario moon would nail a 3 pointer to make the Thunder lead 59-53 with 2:53 left to play in the 3rd Quarter. Kevin Durant would make a strange looking lay in. Joey Graham would get a rebound off his own miss and put it back in with a jumper. Graham would get called for a foul going for a rebound. Joe Smith would head to the line as the Thunder were in the bonus. He would only get 1 of 2. Chris Bosh would get himself to the line and would make both to get the Raptors back to down 5 points. Wilkins would score and Bosh would answer with a dunk. However Kevin Durant would close the quarter with a couple a free throws and a basket to make the Thunder lead 68-59 after 3 quarters of play.

4th Quarter

So the Raptors had just 12 minutes to avoid a rather embarrassing lose to extend the losing streak to 4 games heading to San Antonio. Jason Kapono would get a 2 ball. Andrea Bargnani would hit a 3 pointer and he had 13 points on the night. Raptors had quickly cut the lead down to just 4 points with the score 68-64. Joey Graham had a chance to cut the lead to just 2 points but instead would get tagged with the offensive foul. Chris Wilcox would go down on the other end and draw another foul on Graham. He would make the basket plus the foul. Andrea Bargnani and Anthony Parker would get back to back buckets. The lead was down to just 3 points for the Thunder.

Chris Bosh would get fouled and sent to the line. But he would miss both from the line. The Thunder would come back on the other end and get a bucket from Joe Smith. So another chance to cut the lead down would slip away. Bosh would get back to the line and this time make both free throws and the lead was once again back to 3 points for the Thunder. He would get another basket and the lead was down to just 1 point. The Raptors would get the ball off a turnover and have a chance to take the lead but they would end up with a Jamario Moon air ball. Another missed chance and they were adding up. Oklahoma City was handing the Raptors chances to take a win and they were not taking advantage of enough of them to over take the Thunder. Chris Bosh in a time out would get very upset with Moon who would remain on the bench. Jeff Green was at the line for Oklahoma City. The Thunder would end up having a 76-74 lead. Chris Bosh would finally get his team back to even. Raps would have a chance to take the lead and miss. Kevin Durant would step up on the other end and he would make an open 3 pointer. Jason Kapono had a couple baskets but Westbrook and Durant had answers. The Thunder were in front 83-80 with 2:27 left to play.

Out of the time out Andrea Bargnani would get a look at 3 pointer to tie the game but he would miss. The OKC would not be able to extend to lead and Raptors would have another chance to score. Bosh would get to the line and he could only make 1-2 so the Thunder still lead 83-81. Westbrook would drive and score to extend the lead to 4 points. The Raptors would misfire and Westbrook would hook up Jeff Green for the lay-up and a 6 point lead with only 33 seconds to play. Bargnani would miss another 3 pointer and the Raptors were all but done as the Thunder were going to get just their 3rd win of the season. The Raptors would foul and send them to the line. It would only add to the terrible score line. The Thunder get the won 91-83 and the Raptors season was in serious doubt. Raptors shooting percentage was about the same as the temperature outside my front door. For the truly brave folks that want to look at the boxscore it will be provided for you below.

OKC/TOR Boxscore

After this one the Raps head to Texas to face San Antonio. I will be live blogging that game and I could use the support if you want to come out and see how the Raptors respond to this awful performance. Bryan Colangelo is really in need of doing something to fix this mess. I talked with Paul Jones prior to this game and I will be posting the rest of that interview sometime tomorrow. So tomorrow there will be no Raptor Rewind instead we can share in the pain together live. A link for that is provided below

Raps vs Spurs Live Blog Link

I am done for tonight and I am truly at a loss for what comes next. I can here someone saying the NBA Lottery in May. But I really don't have a comeback to say that would be wrong at this point.

Paul Jones In Starting 5 From OKC

Here is a nice added bonus for a snowy day. I had a chance to catch-up with Paul Jones in Oklahoma City. For today we will do the audio part of my interview. The rest of the Interview will be in written form will be in the blog tomorrow. We talk about Chris Bosh, fan frustrations and the importance of this road trip among the topics. Have a listen:

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In the second part tomorrow talk of Jay Triano, Andrea Bargnani, Roko Ukic and much more. So be sure to come back for that Tomorrow. Also check back tonight for the Raptor Rewind and see how the Raptors made out in Oklahoma City.

Also I am going to be Live Blogging for Tomorrow Night with the Raptors taking on the Spurs which you are welcome to take part in. This is the same blog system that was used over on Raptorblog that we are helping test for The Score. Your link for the live blog below:

DIno Nation Blog- Live Blog Raps @ Spurs

OKC Win Or Bust?

I think we are all guilty in the media be it blogging or the established media of using terms like "Must Win". However, I really can not think of a better term for tonight's game in Oklahoma City. The former Sonics turned Thunder have only won one game on their new home floor. They are looking at the Raptors as a chance to get win number two. The next team to come to town is Lebron James and the Cleveland Cavs. Not looking like a winnable game for any NBA team these days. The Raptors should remember that the Thunder do have talent as last year's rookie of the year Kevin Durant is not chopped liver. Russell Westbrook is turning heads as well. Not to mention Jeff Green who was a stand out in the Big East at Georgetown in his college days. However they are a very young team and that explains in part why they only have 2 wins. The Thunder last tasted victory on November 29th with a win over Memphis 111-103. There lone home win came way back on November 2nd against the T-Wolves 88-85.

The damage a lose could do to the Raptors could just be the final straw. The Hoops call in show on Raptors TV and the fan 590 showed you how this fan base is feeling. I had called in and expressed my personal dismay at this team and it's lack of emotion towards the losing. Paul Johnson and Sherman Hamilton responded to my comments by saying the players are programed to not get to high or to low. That it is a long season that is 82 game season that is long. These things are true and generally I'd agree that players should remain calm and not get to emotional. But the point that I was making was in two parts. First is why fans get so frustrated and express that emotion in booing and other forms. They want to see that the players they are cheering for care as much as they do. But the second part of what I was saying was that emotion was needed now. Reason is that we have reached a point that this season is truly hanging in the balance right now. It is not about the season being 82 games long at this point it is about having the games beyond December still mean something. Eric Smith the normal host of the show seems to agree on that point. He wrote yesterday that this current road trip is the season for the Raptors. I think I said in a lesser way that same point yesterday. The Raptors must at the very least split this 6 game trip. In fact going 4-2 at least might be required.

Chris Bosh Life Is A Two Way Street

I am a big fan of Chris Bosh as a person and as a player. Some of the crazy talk of trading Bosh and people taking shots at him is uncalled for and not logical. However the fact that they booed him the other night is not wrong. They have that right. Chris needs to understand it is a two way street. He called out the fans near the end of last year. He wanted you to make more noise and make the A.C.C a loud and tougher place to play. I supported him in making that statement. I thought it was a good idea on his part to call on the fans to do more. However that can be a two way street and just as I supported Bosh in his quest to get us as fans to do more, I support fans right to send him a message. It is not that the majority of fans have turned on Chris Bosh. That was the fans expressing to Chris that we need him to lead this team out of this mess.

I will say that Bosh was right in what he said yesterday. I am sure he feels worse about what is going on than any fan does. However we are expecting you to lead this team. Show us that emotion inside. We want to see it. Bosh recently has made some statements that have concerned folks about him and his future here. I honestly don't think Chris Bosh is thinking a bit about 2010 right now. He is thinking about how he can turn his season in 08/09 around. The panic nature of Raptor Fans needs to end. It is not logical to say that Damon left, T-Mac left, Vince left and so will CB4.

The more things get talked about the worse they become. I mean all the talk of the Ford vs Calderon debate did not help make the situation go away. In fact it poured gas on a very small fire that would end up burning out of control until it became a choice of Ford or Calderon. If the media and fans continue to focus on this idea of Chris Bosh and 2010 they will be pushing the topic and in the end could have some small form of impact on it. If this team was winning there would be far less talk on this topic and Bosh would not be as upset as he seems to be.

Back To The Task At Hand

This may point out just how bad the Raptors rebounding has been. The 2 win Thunder have averaged more rebounds than the Raptors[41.1(OKC) 38.8 (TOR) ]. The Thunder have been able to provide scares to a few really good teams like the Suns. But when they play lesser teams they have not been able to step up and bring that type of performance. That has been the focus of the Thunder heading into this game. The Raptors will look to get this road swing off on the right foot. Tomorrow night the Raptors face the Spurs and that will be a very hard win to get even if Raptors were playing well. If the Raptors were not in the struggles they have been I don't think anyone would be concerned about losing to the Thunder. But given the mood around this franchise more than a few fans have suggested what if the Raptors lost to the Thunder. Over on Raptors Forum, They are having folks betting their avatars and if they lose they must have someone they can't stand as their avatars for a week. That is one of the more fun posts I have seen all week. The majority not just on Raptors Forum but everywhere are posts on trades that will never happen, Bashing Bosh, Bashing Colangelo and a general negative tone. Imagine what will be getting posted if the Raptors were to loss in OKC. I try not to think about it. But needless to say if the Raptors lose thing game I think all bets are off for everything. Bryan Colangelo I think would be forced into action sooner rather than later.

Nathan Jawai Back On The Floor

You will forgive Nathan Jawai if he is happy during all this doom and gloom. He has been force to sit on the sidelines all season. He finally was able to get back on the floor and practice with his team. I expressed my best wishes to Aaron Fearne about the news of Nathan's return. He is going to come visit with us some time in the new year and give us an update on how Nathan is making out. But Nathan was speaking for himself yesterday and here is a link to what he had to say.

Jawai From Practice Dec 18th

Maybe there is a lesson in Nathan's return for everyone to remember in all of this craziness. Just to play or watch the game of basketball is a joy in itself. We get caught up in the winning and losing and everything else. But Nathan Jawai yesterday was just happy to be able to be out on the floor and able to play. Some times prospective gets lost in all of this madness. But if the Raptors were to loss tonight I don't think any words from anyone is going to calm down Raptor Fans frustration. I feel that frustration as well. The nice thing is if you are afraid to watch and don't get TSN 2 you won't have too. The Raptors finally return to regular T.V on Saturday on The Score vs the Spurs. The weather outside here in Hamilton in truly frightful a Raptor win would be more than delightful. If you are snowed in as well. Here is a favour you could do for me. tell some friends about the Dino Nation Blog. They can read up and get to know the blog. Not much else to do on a snowy day.