Raps Lose The Thrill and Add Size.

Turns out the Raptors have made a small move. It is a 3 way deal that sees Will Solomon head to the Kings. While Raptors bring in Patrick O'Bryant from the Celtics. With the addition of Marcus Banks in the Marion deal it was clear Will was not getting any minutes. A conditional 2nd round pick head to Boston. The Celtics also unloaded Sam Cassell earlier in the week. O'Bryant is a big that has spent time in D-League with Bakersfield in between time with Golden State who drafted him in 2006 and Boston signed him in 2008. He has played little for the Celtics averaging just 4.2 minutes in just 26 games.He is another 7 foot guy and has something in common with a Raptor on the roster. What is that? He is a Bradley Braves Alumni just like Anthony Parker. This deal was reported on Raptors T.V so it is highly likely it will be confirmed and it is being reported by all the media outlets you would expect.

Raptors Turning The Corner?

Chris Bosh felt on top of the World last night. At least that is what he was telling the folks on Twitter and Face book. In fact here is what was posted exactly.

Bosh From Twitter

"I'm on top of the world right now. I've seen the new light!"

That sure sounds encouraging doesn't it. I mean he has reason to think that way as well. The Raptors have won 3 out of 4 games and are starting to figure out how to hold leads and get wins. Sure the Wizards are a bad team but they did the same against the Magic and Rockets. At this point it really isn't as much about who the Raptors are playing as much as it is about if they are winning or losing. A brilliant football coach once said " You Play To Win The Game" now Herm Edwards may not have been able to get his Chiefs to do that very often but he is right. It is what it is all about when you cut through all the stuff that is written and said. It is about getting wins. When the season is over they don't ask you who you beat or how you beat them. They just ask how many times did you win. But it does seem clear the Raptors are starting to see the path back to the playoffs.

Andrea Has Figured It Out?

One of the biggest changes has been with Andrea Bargnani. I really was in the camp of the folks that wanted to trade him and move on. But he has shown some things that we have not scene from him in his two plus years in the NBA. The guy we have seen in the last 5 games is much more the one Bryan Colangelo had in mind when he drafted Bargnani with the first overall pick. A confident shooter that has ice water in his veins and makes and takes big shots at key points in games. When Andrea displays these kind of skills it makes the Raptors a much different team. The Wizards last night did all they could to make sure that Chris Bosh did not beat them last night. They succeed for the most part. What they did not count on was that Andrea Bargnani would.

The fear and concern is what happens when Jermaine O'Neal becomes healthy? Jay Triano when asked about if O'Neal would start when he returned ducked the question altogether. He said he had not even thought about it. I am not sure if that is true but eventually he will have to think about it. Bargnani when asked about if it matters if he started or not claims it does not. He seemed to suggest that it was more about the amount of time he gets on the floor and not if his name got called in the starting line-up. The biggest test of Triano as a coach will be when all three (Bosh, Bargnani and O'Neal) are healthy and able to play. The Raptors tried unsuccessfully for the most part to play all three together. Bargnani as an over sized small forward was a failure. So can Triano come up with a rotation that allows Andrea to get his floor time that he thinks he needs and based on his play of late as earned. It may be possible to make it work as you can try to keep O'Neal healthy by reducing his minutes and same for Bosh. You can use Andrea to fill the bulk of those minutes. It will take Triano to be able to convince all 3 players that it will be the best thing for the group as a whole. Based on the recent developments he can make a strong argument for it. The one problem will be when it comes to those last 6 minutes of games. I think it is clear that all 3 players want to be on the floor for those. Bosh as the franchise player is going to be 99.9% of the time. So it becomes a choice between O'Neal and Bargnani for those minutes. O'Neal is the better defender but not by as great a gap as you would have thought heading into the season. Bargnani is the better offensive weapon when he is on his game and going well. Just with the range he has he becomes a match-up problem for any team. I have no doubt Jay Triano wants to be the coach of this team going forward. No one likes to be interim anything. How he handles this issue will define him as a coaching candidate and will impact on what Bryan Colangelo might do in terms of moves for this roster. If Triano can show a way that Bosh, O'Neal and Bargnani can all play together and be productive it may allow Colangelo to feel he must hang on to all 3 players. Despite all of that this team still badly needs a slashing and scoring wing player. I am not convinced that player on a night to night basis is on this roster. So it will be interesting to see what happens. But some new questions have started to become part of figuring this all out.

Jose When He Returns Will That Help Or Hurt

Seems a bit silly of a question on the surface. But if you have been playing close attention some things have improved with no Jose. Those improvements are mostly on the defensive end of the floor. Jose Calderon when he returns must answer the challenge and work as hard on defense as he does on offense. It has to happen or this house of cards of improvement will all come crashing down. I am not saying he needs to be an all world defender. He needs to take a man blowing by him as personally as he takes it when he makes a rare turnover.

That will be what Jose will help with and improve on what has been happening of late. He is very good at protecting the ball and getting his team to play with less mistakes on the offensive end. He will need to take the odd chance as well to not break the momentum that has been built in his time away that was being established. But he was starting to show signs of starting to make those king of plays and choices. Jay Triano is slowly getting Jose to understand the benefits of taking chances and making it work at times in a game. I will give you an example from last night's game made by Will Solomon. He looked way up the floor and hit Anthony Parker( I think ) with a long pass and it lead to an easy score as Parker was ahead of the play. In the past if Jose was in the game he likely sees that same pass to make but views it as to much of a risk and just sets the team up in the half court. Transition points and easier chances can make life much more easy for any basketball team.

I have always said that Jose Calderon was a very good point guard. But he is not a great point guard. However if Jay Triano get work with Jose and tweak his game in some ways along with a true commitment to defensive improvement by Jose he could grow into being a great point guard. Jay Triano worked with Steve Nash on team Canada and Nash credits Triano with helping him a lot. It is not that Jose will become a Steve Nash like point guard. They are very different in a lot of ways. But can Triano give Jose the direction to make improvements in his game as he did for Steve Nash with his game. I was hopeful that he could and was starting to see signs that he was. Calderon is a great guy and people rush to his defense at times based on that. I like Jose but I just expect and want more from him. That is what signing that contract in the summer meant. To be the starting point guard in the city has always been a focus from day one with Damon Stoudamire and it continues to be to this day with Jose.

Matt Devlin last night suggested we may see a Jose return as soon as tomorrow against the Grizzlies. So it will be really interesting to see what the impact will be on the Raptors on both ends of the floor when he does. No one is saying Will Solomon and or Roko Ukic is going to steal his job. But maybe they could see more minutes if Calderon is not as effective in some aspects. Ultimately maybe it should happen any way as Calderon is really showing signs of wear this season. Sam Mitchell had no confidence it Solomon or Ukic and really over played Jose through the early part of the season much like he did with Chris Bosh.

Live Blogging on Monday

Just a note for all of you and an invitation. I am going to be working doing live blogs for The Score from time to time. Most of the time it will be for Raptor games. On these nights I will not being doing Raptor Rewinds as you have become use too. But I will provide you links and access to the live blog instead. The first of these is going to be on Monday for the Raptors and Celtics and as soon as I have the details of how you can take part I will provide you a link. These live blogs are great for those of you who are on the go and have the tech toys like Iphones or Blackberrys. If you want to keep up with what is going on with the game. If you are out on a date or visiting family and have to miss a game. Now you won't have to on these nights. Even if your watching the game it is a cool way to have interaction with your fellow fans. I will when I live blog try to show up a bit early and have a bit or an open pre game chat like portion and same for halftime and post game. You are all welcome to be a part.

So that is about it for today unless we have any breaking news to pass a long. I will be doing my usual Thursday thing in taking in the "Hoops" show on Fan 590 and Raps TV. Show has been gone last bit for holidays. I am not sure if Eric, Paul and Jack will be hosting but I will tune in regardless and likely call and have my view. So have a great day and take care. Tomorrow the O.J Mayo show hits Canada that should be fun.

Raptors Rewind- Hassan Adams Era Edition

No Raptors Rewind Logo tonight as we pay tribute to Hassan Adams Raptor Career. O.K well it was not much of a career was it. Earlier today the Raptors traded Adams to the Clippers with Cash for a future second round pick. The Clippers would turn around and waive Adams and he is currently looking for a job. I would like to say something nice about the guy. I am told he was a good person and all of that. But where it counts on the floor he showed nothing and that is why the Raptors in a sense had to pay someone to take him off their hands. As for the game the Raptors will also be without Jamario Moon who is becoming a daddy in Alabama. He left the team to hopefully make it back to Alabama for the birth of his child. So that means Joey G will get the start tonight and the Joey G fan base will be no doubt excited by that news. It is Joey's first start of the 2008/09 season. Ex-Raptor Mike James will be matched up against a player many might have had flashbacks to James based on his poor performance the other night. That would be Will Solomon. So the Raptors would only have 9 players on the roster for tonight. It is time to get going in Washington D.C where history will happen on Jan 20th as Barak Obama will get sworn in a President.

1st Quarter

Raptor would get off to a 7-2 run started by a 3 pointer from A.P and continued by Bosh and Joey G. The Raptor run would march on though with a basket from Andrea Bargnani. After a 10-2 start a time out on the floor for the Wizards to regroup with 7:49 left in the 3rd quarter. Wizards after the time out would get it going a bit and get it to a 12-6 score with an Andray Blatche jumper. But an Anthony Parker basket and that was followed by an Andrea Bargnani with a 3 pointer. Raptors lead now 17-6. Chris Bosh would score and make the lead larger but Mike James would answer the Bosh score with one of his own. Will Solomon would make a shot and he was off to a better shooting night.

Andray Blatche would make another jumper. Chris Bosh was looking for a foul but not whistle was coming as Caron Butler went the other way and scored a second basket in a row for the Wizards. Raptors lead 21-12 and Jake Voskhul was in for Bosh. Raptor forced Wizards into their second shot clock violation of the quarter. Jason Kapono would make a basket and he needed it as he has struggled. Antwan Jamison would get a basket for the home side. Raptors would make a turnover and Wizards would turn that into 2 points as well. It was 25-16 late in the quarter. Will Solomon would close out the quarter with the basket and the Raps had an 11 point lead after one with the score 27-16.

2nd Quarter

Raptors were shooting an amazing 70% from the field. Jason Kapono would keep it rolling as he would make a 3 pointer and extend the Raptor lead to start the second quarter. Chris Bosh would get to the line and the Raptors looked good as a lesson may have been learned in Oklahoma City. Bosh would only go 1-2 though. Kapono was hot and how long has it been since you heard that. He was 4-4 with his latest a 3 ball from the corner. The youngster Nick Young would respond with a 3 pointer for the Wizards in response. Raptors still lead 34-21 with 8:18 to play in the half.

Chris Bosh was committed to drive and he was drawing fouls he was back at the line. Bosh mad both from the line. Jason Kapono was hooked up for the open 3 pointer but he would miss. But Jake Voskhul would draw the foul working hard on the offensive glass. But the Raptors would not get anything off the second chance. Antwan Jamison would hit a 3 pointer the other way. Roko Ukic would drive and score to answer that. AP would hit a jumper as he was on the move off a pick and roll. Raptors had built a 15 point lead and it was 40-25 Raptors with 5:29. Matt Devlin had mentioned that Jose Calderon had been recovering well and may be ready to come back as soon as Friday. But as for now Will Solomon was hooking up AP for a 3 pointer. Andrea Bargnani would take his time and gave a fake and then blasted in a 3 ball and Raptors lead had grown to 46-25. Antwan Jamison was one of the few Wizards that seemed interested. He scored and got a fouled and made the shot. Mike James would hit a 3 pointer and the Wizards had a much needed 6-0 run. Antwan Jamison was heading to the line fouled by Andrea Bargnani. He would be replaced by Bosh as that was his second. Another foul as Jamison missed the second free throw after making the first. Caron Butler would head to the line. It was a 9-0 run and Jay Triano had seen enough.

A Will Solomon missed jumper in the lane was not what Triano had in mind I am guessing. But Kris Humphries would draw a charge on Antwan Jamison. Will Solomon would make a shot after his miss out of the time out to end the Wizard run. The Wiz would respond but then it was a Hump throw down on the other end. But Jamison answer that with a basket. The Raptors shooting had cooled in this second quarter but the still had a 50-38 lead after one half. This was with only 5 points for Chris Bosh. Bargnani, Parker and Kapono all shared the Raptor scoring lead with 10 for each in the first half.

3rd Quarter

Raptors still were shooting 57% after a half of play. Raptors out rebounded the Wiz 20-14. Joey G gets the first bucket of the second half for the Raptors. Antwan Jamison would hit a 3-ball to get the Wizards started in the second half. Wizards would get a 7-0 run but Triano was letting Raptors play through it. Bosh would find Bargnani and he would dunk it and and get fouled for the 3 point play. It was back to 55-45 and Raptors were looking to hang on to control. Chris Bosh had a turnover and he was having a tough night shooting 1-8. Both teams were playing sloppy and Andrea Bargnani fumbled the ball out of bounds. Andray Blatche would score and the lead was down to 8 points. Raptors were giving the Wizards a lot of chances to come back but Washington was not converting on most of them thankfully for Raptor fans.

Chris Bosh had enough and just took it to the basket strong for the score to restore a 10 point lead. Andrea Bargnani would hook up Will Solomon for a score. He would follow up with a finger roll for himself the next time down the floor. Raptors had build back to a 61-47 lead with 5:14 to play in the quarter. Antwan Jamison was one of about a thousand folks that the Raptors have been rumoured to having interest in. If it was true after tonight they will be more interested as he had another basket as part of a great night for him personally. But unfortunately later on he would pick up his 4th foul of the night and got forced to the bench. AP would make a basket as he left. Raptors lead 65-51.

Andray Blatche would get another basket and he was looking good as well for the Wizards on the offensive end. Wizards had cut the lead to single digits again at 9 down. But Chris Bosh would make a key basket to push lead back to 11 points. Jake Voskhul would get a score and all 9 Raptors that could play tonight have and had scored. A steal and lay up for Mike James and it was 71-60 for the Raptors. Will Solomon would get a basket to extend that lead to 13. That would be how the 3rd Quarter would end as it was 73-60 after 3 quarters of play.

4th Quarter

Raps had 2 chances to score on their first trip and Ukic and Graham both missed. Jamison was back in the game and he scored and the Wizards had the first 4 points of the quarter. Roko Ukic would get a score to open up the books for the Raps in the corner. Jamison would get another basket. Score was 75-66 and Jay Triano decided to get Chris Bosh back in the game a little earlier than usual. The lead had been cut back to 7 points but Andrea Bargnani would make a big 3 pointer. But Antwan Jamison kept rolling and scored. Chris Bosh would answer for his side with a basket to respond. A turnover by Bosh would give Washington a chance to cut the lead to 5 and Nick Young would deliver and a time out was called and the Raptors needed it.

Bosh out of the time out would drive and draw a foul and get to the line and it was on Jamison which was huge. He would make both free throws and Jamison had to go to the bench and with foul number 5. Wizards would score and lead was back to 5 points. But Bosh would come back and make a jumper and draw a foul for a 3 point play. Caron Butler would score and the lead was cut to 6 points with the score 85-79 with 6:15 to play. Washington had a chance to cut lead to 4 points but Bosh stuck a hand out and caused a turnover. He would then make his way to the line for another pair. Which he would make and they had a 87-79 lead and that was a big moment. Jason Kapono who had been quiet hit a buzzer beater as the shot clock was expiring. Antwan Jamison would score again he had 27 on the night but his team was still down 8 points.

After a Kapono miss from the arc in transition Jamison would score and get fouled and the Wizards had cut lead back down to 5 points again. A Will Solomon turnover and Wiz had a chance to make it even closer but could not. They would have another chance and they would get called for traveling and anther chance was lost. Raptors lead 89-83 with just 2:21 to play. Andrea Bargnani has been clutch and he did it again hitting a dagger 3 pointer late in the game as Raptors lead was 92-83. Wizards refused to go away though as they got 4 straight points and the lead was down to 5 points again. Wizards were forced to foul Bargnani with 27.1 seconds left. He was calm and cool and made two from the line and it was 94-87 Raptors with under 30 seconds to play. Will Solomon would make a silly foul on Mike James sending him to the line. James had a chance to cut the lead to 5 but he would miss his first and make his second. Soloman had a very up and down night. Solomon had 14 points and 5 dimes and only 2 turnovers. The man of the night was Andrea Bargnani, who was not heading to Dallas he was in this game and scoring 23 points.Many of them that were clutch shots that Raptors needed. The foul shot game was dragging this thing out but the Raptors were going to have win number 15 on the year and the Raptors have won 3 out of 4. The Final score would end up 99-93 and Bargnani added two more points to have 25 points on the night. So happy times for the Raptors as Jamario Moon had a new baby girl and his team back in Washington had a win. All good news on this night. Check out the happy details in our Score Boxscore.

Raps/Wiz Boxscore

So the Raptors next face the best Rookie in this league in my opinion O.J Mayo. He and the rest of the Grizzlies will pay a visit to the ACC to take on the Raptors. Raptors will hope to win their 4th game in their last 5 games. They may have Jose Calderon back to help in that regard.

Raptors Rewind- The Buck Doesn't Stop Here Edition?

So the last time Raptors won 3 games in a row it was a win over these Milwaukee Bucks to start the season as 3-0. Things since that time it has been tough times for Raptors. But a couple of big wins and a whole lot of new questions have started. None of which involve the Raptors being in the NBA Lottery. So the Bucks will be taking on the Raptors and may be with out a very big man in there line-up. Andrew Bogut has a bad back and is listed as day to day. Should he be out it will be a much tougher challenge for the Bucks to deal with Bosh and Bargnani. Andrea has taken off since Jermaine O'Neal went down and he was inserted into the starting line-up. The trade talks have died down and Bryan Colangelo in an interview on the Fan 590 today said that he has not been looking to move Andrea. He said they get many calls that come in about his availability but that they have not made any calls looking to move him. So I guess the folks like me will not be happy about that. However if Andrea could continue to play like this no one myself included would want to trade him. The fear now becomes is what will happen once J.O is healthy. But the first issue will be prior to that if Bargnani can continue at this pace for the next few games. The same applies for the combo of what I have called Soloic. That would be Will Solomon and Roko Ukic for those who did not read yesterday. They need to do there thing as well. Both Jose Calderon and Jermaine O'Neal did not make the trip with the Raptors.

1st Quarter

The Raptors win the opening tip and went to Bosh would would draw a foul. But the Raptors would misfire on the inbound play. The Bucks would take down the floor and score with a dunk in transition. Jamario Moon would answer on the other end with a basket. Chris Bosh was able to hit a jumper to give the Raps their first lead of the night. Some sloppy play by both teams and it was ugly looking. But a steal and Will Solomon hooking up Jamario Moon for an alley opp would end the ugly for a bit. The Bucks would respond with a bucket that was answered quickly by Chris Bosh. Another Buck basket and quick Bosh answer and it was 10-6 Raptors early on still in the 1st.

Chris Bosh continued his hot start with a basket plus a foul that he would make. Raptors lead was 13-6 with just over 7 minutes to play. Andrea Bargnani had a block and was doing nice on defense despite he had yet to get going on the offensive end. Will Solomon would make a long lead pass to Anthony Parker who would draw a foul and get to the line. He would split a pair as he was coming off his best performance of the season yesterday against the Magic. Andrea Bargnani would get the offense going as Bosh kicked it out to Andrea that would nail a 3 pointer. Bucks would finally get a response with a basket that looked like it went in off a Raptor. A.P would score in response and it was 19-8 Raptors. The Bucks were shooting 1-10 for their last 10 attempts. That is 10% for all you math majors out there. Andrea made his way to the line and drained a pair of free throws. Michael Redd would get a drive and score but it was the Raptors leading big time early 21-10. Redd was fouled on the drive and added the free throw so make the Raptor lead 10. Michael Redd would get to the line again fouled by Jake Voskhul who had checked in and already had 2 fouls. Redd would make both. Roko Ukic was also in and he would find Andrea Bargnani would would make another 3 pointer and the Raptors lead was 24-13. Redd was driving and scoring at will as he had another drive and score and had brought life to a lifeless Milwaukee offense. Jake Voskhul would get hooked up by Andrea Bargnani for a score. Milwaukee would get an answer and cut the lead down to 8 despite shooting 36% for the quarter. Raptors lead after one 27-19.

2nd Quarter

The Bucks continued to struggle with a miss on their first trip of the second Quarter. Kris Humphries was in and he would get a dunk. Roko Ukic would follow that with a nice reverse lay up. Charlie V would have an answer for that with a jumper from the top of the key. Ramon Sessions would get a score. The Charlie V would hit a 3 pointer and the Bucks had a 7-0 run going. Time out was called with 8:49 left in the quarter. Jason Kapono would score out of the time out. Bucks continue to fight and got back to down 6 points. Kris Humphries answered the call with a big hump slam. Joey G would show is dunking skills which were a bit different from Hump and Raptors lead was back to 10. The Bucks continued to try to get back in the game and cut the lead down to just 4. The Raptors were able to keep the lead and build the advantage back to 10 with a 48-38 lead.

But once again the Bucks would start to push back and Micheal Redd hit a 3 pointer and the Bucks had a 5-0 run to get the game back to within 5 points with the score 48-43. Redd had 14 correction make that 16 as the Bucks run continued and the Raptors lead that was once 13 points had been shaved down to 3 points. The Team U.S.A Team Members Michael Redd and Chris Bosh were leading the way for their teams. Redd with his 16 points and Bosh was 7-8 from the field with 15 points. It was the Raptors hanging on to a 48-45 lead at the half.

3rd Quarter

Raptor hung tough and were able to hand on to the lead but just barely. Raptors were shoot 12% better than the Bucks but 7 turnovers and some costly offensive boards and it was just a 3 point lead. But Chris Bosh was having a big night and it continued to start the second half. He would score and get fouled but miss the free throw. Michael Redd was just as good for the Bucks and he scored and Bosh answered. Another Buck basket by rookie Mbah a Moute and a Michael Redd 3 ball and the Bucks had taken the lead. But Andrea Bargnani would answer with a 3 pointer and it was the Raptors with a 55-53 lead. A.P would extend that lead with a 2 ball from the corner. Another difference from the Orlando game was Will Solomon who had 9 assists but was 1-8 from the field. His 9th assist was a feed to Bosh who was looking to be on the verge of a big night. Andrea Bargnani was having a good effort as well as he made a 2 pointer and followed that up with another 3- ball and The Raptors had once again built the lead back to 9 points with the score 63-54. Jake Vokhul was excited on the bench about that one. Holly Mackenzie in her game notes from the home stand made not of Voskhul's cheering ability on the bench. A cheerleader on the bench and a tough as nails guy when he is on the floor. Reminds me a little of the J.Y.D. I don't think Voskhul has a dog pound but he is growing a fan base.

Charlie Bell would score for the Bucks out of the time out. Chris Bosh would miss only his second shot of the night. He would get tagged with his third foul on the other end of the floor sending Elson to the line for a pair that he would make. Raptors would lead by 6 points with score 64-58 there was just under 5 minutes remaining in the quarter. Charlie V would get a bucket with the mid range jump shot. He would have another chance to cut the lead to just 2 but would miss badly. Anthony Parker would score on the other end. Michael Redd would come down and knock down another 3-ball and it was a tight 66-63 lead with just 2:59 to play in the quarter. Bosh out of a time out would get the ball from Ukic and drive on Elson and draw the foul. He would make both. Bosh on the other end would get a defensive board and it would lead to Joey Graham getting fouled by former team mate Charlie V. Joey would split a pair. The Bucks would get a score on the next trip down and the the would score again all thanks to Ramon Sessions and it was a 69-67 lead for Toronto. Roko Ukic would get a basket and it would extend the lead briefly till Michael Redd answered. Raptors had been making turnovers as well. Charlie V would drive at Bosh and get the score and the foul which he would make and the Bucks lead 72-71. Another turnover late almost cost the Raptors and in fact it would as Jason Kapono got called for a foul after the Raptors had thought the quarter was over. So Michael Redd would be heading to the line with .5 second on the clock for a pair of free throws. He would make both and the lead for the Bucks would be 3 with the score 74-71.

4th Quarter

Raptors had only their second 4th quarter comeback of the season yesterday against the Magic. The lead was just a one point advantage. The Bucks only had a single possession lead as well with a 3 point lead. Raptors were shooting 54% but had 12 turnovers and those were the reason the Raptors trailed. Raptors would not get a basket on their first chance of the 4th. Charlie V was becoming a factor on the glass and in the game. He would get on the glass for an offensive rebound and score for the Bucks. Michael Redd would score as well and the Bucks lead was 78-71. Andrea Bargnani would score a 2 point effort. But Charlie V would nail a 3 pointer and he had 17 off the bench for the Bucks. Andrea would match the 3 ball with one of his own. Roko Ukic had a basket and the Raptors trailed 83-78. Roko Ukic was coming up big in a 4th quarter again. He would get another score plus a foul shot to come.

Roko would hit the free throw and he would make it and the score was 83-81. Ramon Sessions would score and Chris Bosh who was back in answered that with a basket and he had 25 points. Charlie Villianueva was hustling and got another bucket working the glass. Anthony Parker would score in response. A steal right after his score and he would hook up Roko Ukic who would get credit for the basket on a goaltending call. The score was tied at 87. But the Bucks would score to take back the lead. Mbah a Moute would get called for a foul on Bosh and he would step to the line looking to tie the score. He would only make 1-2 and it was 89-88 with 6 minutes left to go in regulation. Bosh would have a pass stolen but the Bucks could not add to the lead. Roko Ukic would also turn it over but again the Bucks miss a chance to extend the lead. Chris Bosh would make them pay.Raptors now had taken the lead 90-89. But Charlie V answered for his Bucks with a basket. Roko would get the ball to the franchise player always wise. Bosh would get fouled and was back to the line. He would again only split a pair. The game was tied at 91. Bosh would grasp a key defensive board and the would turn into 2 points for Jamario Moon with a jumper. A Bucks turnover and Will Solomon who had checked in for Ukic made a big basket with his foot on the line so it would only count for 2 points. But it would extend the Raptor lead to 4 points with the score 95-91 with 2:39 to play in the 4th.

Bosh and Bargnani had combined for 50 points to this point. They would likely need a few more to win. Luke Ridnour who had not scored all night picked a key time to make a 3 pointer. Chris Bosh would end up back on the line looking to get 2 back for the Raptors. He would make both this time Raptors lead 97-94 with 2 minutes left to play. Charlie Bell would hit from the corner for 3 points and we were tied at 97. Will Solomon would miss a jumper and the Bucks would catch a break as Elson had dribbled the ball off his foot. But the Referee said it went out of Will Solomon. The replay would show the Ref was wrong. But that is not something we use replay for in NBA. Charlie V would make good on the gift and score. Solomon again would shoot and miss and you have to wonder why he would take that shot with Bosh and Bargnani having big nights. Luke Ridnour would make another clutch 3 pointer. The Bucks had a 5 point lead not with just 34.1 seconds to play. Raps would get it to Bargnani who had a look for 3 but he had his foot on the line and missed anyway. Ramon Sessions would make a pair from the line and the Raptors chances seemed lost. Bucks had some good luck and great performances from Redd and Villianuea as well as two key 3-balls from lucky Luke. The Raptors continued to misfire and foul. The final score would not reflect how close a game this was as the Bucks would win 107-97. Milwaukee who sits in 8th spot in the East now had a 2.5 game lead over the Raptors for that final playoff spot. Bosh had 31 and Bargnani 21 but Redd had 35 and Charlie V had 25 and they were the winners. For the rest of the stats check out the boxscore brought to you via The Score.com

Bucks/ Raptors Boxscore

So at least Canada won a gold in hockey so not many will notice that the Raptors lost a game in the closing moments. But the diehard Raptor fans will notice and they will be very disappointed. Raptors will try to regroup to take on the Wizards on Wednesday.

Just A Win Or Something More?

Ex-Raptor coach Sam Mitchell use to say that there were 10 games a year were no matter what you would do you couldn't win. There were 10 games a year that no matter what you did you couldn't lose. It was the other 62 games that determined who you were as a basketball team. Seems clear to me the Rockets were on the one side of that 10 games and the Raptors the other. Give the Raptors full marks as they did beat the Houston Rockets playing very short handed. It was something this team badly needed to get a win. However I am not convinced that it has changed anything at all. In fact you can make the argument that things may be worse now as Jose Calderon left the game with what is being called a mild hamstring strain. Will Solomon was highly effective last night in relief of Calderon. But over the long haul if Calderon misses time I am not convinced he can play to that level. Earlier in the season Solomon had a very good effort against Miami and the next game after that was pretty awful. Roko Ukic had seen little time until last night and is still growing into an NBA talent. So it is not to rain on the parade but I don't think the Orlando Magic will be as easy to roll over on Sunday as the Rockets were last night. Andrea Bargnani has been good as a starter with J.O out for the last couple games. Can he continue that effort when O'Neal returns? That will be the real question. Paul Jones says that he feels that Bargnani sees starting and scoring as success at this point in his NBA Career. Well when the starting goes away will the scoring go with it. That answer will come when J.O is ready to return and with Superman ready to hit Toronto it would be great if that was sooner as opposed to later.

Sorry Chris But This Team Does Need A Trade

Chris Bosh came out in the media and said that this team did not need changes. He stood up for his team and the talent on it. I applaud that as far as being a good team leader. However, he is totally wrong and I think even he knows it. This team has not shown enough to me to make me think they have enough talent. In fact even from the start of the year I had said this team still needed to make a move to reach it's full potential. The lack of depth is glaring and that was made clear when Calderon was hurt last night. Be honest when you saw that Jose was going out of the game you thought the Raptors were toast...Right?

The Raptors were much better on defense last night but it was hard to tell how much of it was them and how much of it was Houston who was truly awful. Even though he had an up and down night how good would a Ron Artest look as a Raptor wing player. He is a solid defender and he can be a difference maker. He also is a little bit crazy and emotional which I think this team badly needs. They need someone that will kick a garbage can and get emotional. Not that the Rockets are looking to move Artest. But a guy like him would be a good fit to replace what has been lacking on the Raptor wing spot. The point is the Raptors are a team that lacks depth in general and talent at the wing positions. It is no great secret to anyone. It has been said almost from the beginning of the year. I would not be shocked if in the privacy of his own home Chris Bosh does not use the ESPN Trade Machine or Real GM Trade Checker. I did the other day before Andrea Bargnani had started to take off. It was a 3-way deal between the Bobcats, Raptors and Warriors.

Raptors Get:

Corey Maggette SF
Marco Belinelli SG

Bobcats Get:

Brandon Wright PF
Joey Graham SF

Warriors Get:

Andrea Bargnani PF/C
Anthony Parker SG
Raymond Felton PG

I think this deal gives all 3 teams something they may want and it gets rid of something they don't want. As with all of these trade you can come up with in your spare time it will have some people that will like it and others that will say it is crazy. But this deal at least is realistic in terms of I am not being unrealistic in my expectations of what you can get in return for Toronto. It also factors in that in the past Toronto has shown interest in both players that they would be acquiring. The Raptors were very interested in Belinelli in his draft year. Maggette has always been rumoured as a guy that Colangelo has had interest in. One of the rumoured deals for T.J Ford was a move that would have seen Maggette come in return from the Clippers. In the end Bryan Colangelo and the 29 other G.M's are the only ones with the trade machines that actually work. The cell phone and blackberrys of those 30 guys are the real trade machines that matter. But the point that Bosh is making about this team being good enough as they stand is about as serious to me as Vince Carter's comment that dunking was overrated. Now Vince said it was a joke on his part. I don't think Chris is joking and he may truly believe it but I think deep down he knows that it is not true.

I Am Sorry Jake Voskhul

I like many was very mean and borderline cruel when the Raptors signed Jake Voskhul. But hey I am big enough to admit when I am wrong. Don't get me wrong Jake Voskhul is not the answer to all that is wrong with the Raptors. But he is a aggressive guy that has been willing to through his body around and bust his butt out on the floor. I like that kind of effort. He also wears my old high school football number 77. If he was more talented he could have more of an impact but he has done what he can with what he has got. He has been a much better signing than a guy like Hassan Adams who truly as been a bad joke all year long. The Toronto Raptors can use more Jake Voskhul mentality players. Jake is even getting a bit of love from the fan base as they have come to admire his grit and lunch bucket style attitude. Voskhul is doing so well he is taking minutes from Kris Humphries and he deserves them too. The biggest difference between Voskhul and Humphries is that Voskhul understands why he is out there to bang and get boards and lay a lick on someone. He does not suffer from the flashes that Humphries has in which he forgets he is not the star of this team. Jake Voskhul knows his role.

Playoffs your talking about Playoffs?

Jim Mora former NFL Coach made this famous rant in a post game press conference:

I think this fits what is going on with the Raptors except that part about not laying blame on the defense. Matt Devlin has been pointing to the fact that the Raptors are only like 2.5 games out of a playoff spot. While that is a true statement they also have a challenging schedule that lies in front of them in January and February. If the Raptors are still behind by 2.5 games in March I am willing to talk about playoffs then. But till that point I am much more closer to Jim Mora in just hoping the Raptors can win a game.

The Raptors really have to just take that approach as far as I am concerned. Another Sam Mitchell line was that this team is not good enough to think they can beat anyone. The Raptors lost the right to overlook anyone when they lost a game to the worst team in the league the Oklahoma City Thunder. Who came oh so close to a win last night losing 122-120 to the Denver Nuggets. That is the difference between a good team and a bad team. Denver did not allow the Thunder to get a win. Good teams are able to find ways to win even on nights when they do not have there best effort or when a bad team as a great effort. The Thunder have recorded another win since beating the Raptors and sit 4-30 on the year.

I also think that the East in general is better and to get a simple 41-41 record may not be good enough to get into the playoffs this season. A lot of teams have got better and some of those teams have rookie players that are going to grow as the season goes along. So please don't talk to me about playoffs at this point. I mean you want to keep everyone's spirit up when things are going bad but that is not the way to do it. Least it is not for me.

When the Raptors had been rumoured to be making the trade for Jermaine O'Neal my initial re-action was I didn't like it. I had a lot of concerns about what it would mean for this team in the short term. I allowed myself to be convinced that this team was better. In the end my first reaction was the correct one. I had thought my judgement was not right because I am a big fan of T.J Ford. But the reality is that Jermaine O'Neal is not the player he once was and his days of being an All-Star are behind him. I had thought his presence would make this team better on defense and allow others to play defense better by having his shot blocking presence in the line-up. But it has never worked out that way. It also has been an issue that his contract has not allowed the Raptors to build any kind of depth. This was still a great move for the long term with the cap room that will be created at the end of his contract. It could also be turned into a major trade for the Raptors should they want to cash in that cap space for a trade.

But what all that has taught me is I am going to stick to my guns. I do not think without a move this team can get close playoffs. They need some more talent and more defense. Bryan Colangelo's gamble with this trade has not worked. He does have an escape route at the end with the cap space that he will have. But in the short term this has been a failure. When you have players talking about things like chemistry at this point in a season it is a sign you have some major issues. There is still a flicker of hope as the Raptors schedule in March and April is really to their advantage if they are in a position to take advantage of it. The question is can this team be in that spot. I think without help from above meaning Bryan Colangelo and not God, I think this team is in trouble. A little help from God would not hurt as well. So I will pray for better times ahead for the Raptors and hope they will come. But I admit that my faith in this team has been shattered badly.

Raptors Rewind- New Year New Hope Edition?

The Houston Rockets come into town to face the Toronto Raptors. It is quite a cast of characters with Yao Ming, T-Mac, Rafer Alston and Ron Artest. It is quite a collection of attitudes and talent. The Raptors lately could use a Ron Artest or Rafer Alston. There has been a growing level of excuses and a real lack of results on the floor. Chris Bosh today said this team doesn't need to make a trade they have just got to come together and get on the same page. We are 32 games into the season already shouldn't that have happened already? I mean let's be honest the talent is lacking and there have been flashes of brilliance but that is not good enough. I don't know if Bosh believes what he is saying I have no reason to think he does not. But the reality is this team is not good enough. Tonight's game can end up being another example of that. Houston has been have their issues. Mcgrady has had knee issues and they have struggled at times. But the difference in the Rockets and Raptors can be found in that W column.The Raptors are desperate for one of those.

1st Quarter

The Toronto Raptors would get off to a good start scoring the first 4 points.Scola would get the Rockets on the board. Jamario Moon would score for the Raptors. Yao would have an answer for that. Jose Calderon would hit a 3 pointer. Raptors had a 9-4 advantage early. But The Rockets would go back to their big man Yao who would score again. Rafer Alston would add a lay up. Raptors would respond with a basket and the Rockets went right back to Yao who the Raptors with out O'Neal would have a touch time guarding. O'Neal was out for his second game with a knee bruise. Jason Kapono was back and coming off the bench he had a thigh bruise. All 5 Raptors that started had scored and they lead the Rockets 11-10 about half way through the first quarter.

Scola out of a time out would get a score and the Rockets had their first lead of the night. But Chris Bosh would have a quick response on the other end. The Raptors went to Jake Voskhul into the game and he was guarding Yao and making life tougher for Yao. Chris Bosh meanwhile would take it at Yao on the offensive end and Raptors lead 15-12. Both teams were struggling to get points. Jamario Moon would hit a jumper and he would get a steal and get to the line. The Rockets looked like the team with 12 wins early on in this game. Moon would split a pair and the Raptors lead 18-12. Tracy Mcgrady would get on the score sheet with a basket. Jose Calderon would answer that score right away. Andrea Bargnani would get a score on the inside. Joey Graham would be denied but would score on the second effort. Raptors had build a 24-14 lead and looked like the desperate team they were. Houston looked disinterested at best. Much like everything this year things are looking good and Jose Calderon checked out and was heading to the locker room followed by the Raptors trainer. There was nothing you could see in why this was. But it was bad news if he could not come back. Still the Raptors had a 25-14 lead after one quarter of play.

2nd Quarter

A replay would tell the story about Jose he seemed to tweak a hamstring no idea how seriously. Will Solomon who had replaced him would score the first points of the second quarter but after that made a bad turnover. Ron Artest on the following trip for Houston would hit a 3 pointer and he would follow it up with another the only two made 3 pointers for the Rockets on the night. Lead was cut to 27-22. But Chris Bosh would score and push the lead back to 7 points. Calderon returned to the bench and we will see if he will be back. The hope would be it was just a cramp. Ironically Calderon had expressed to Raptors broadcaster Matt Devlin that he felt healthy for the first time this season prior to the game. Calderon's injury is being called a mild hamstring strain and it must have been mild cause he was back in the game. Raptors lead 29-22 and Brent Barry was able to score on a second chance opportunity. Raptors would call a time-out because Calderon was not able to continue as he tried it out but was not able to be out there. This was terrible news regardless of the result of this game.

Brooks would hit a 3 ball for the Rockets and the lead was disappearing almost as fast as Calderon exited back to the locker room . Will Solomon would hook up Joey Graham but Ron Artest would answer that with a 3 pointer. Joey Graham would get hooked up by Will Solomon again for a score and it was 33-30 for the Raptors. Will Solomon to this point was answering the challenge he made a jumper to extend the Raptor lead to 5 points. Chris Bosh was getting frustrated with not getting calls as he was being guarded by Yao. He would finally draw on on the great wall that is Yao. Bosh could only manage 1-2 from the line though after finally getting there. Yao would quickly pick up number 2 as he was trying to guard Bargnani this time. Bargnani would also split a pair from the line. Bargnani on the other end would return the favour sending Yao to the line and picking up his second foul. Yao would make both of his free throws. Andrea would respond with a drive and score. He would follow that up with another score in the paint. Yao had a slam at the other end. Raptors lead 41-34 Andrea Bargnani would nail a 3 pointer to make the lead 44-34 with 1:11 to play in the half. Yao would get to the line again and split a pair. Anthony Parker would hit a jumper. Will Solomon and Rafer Alston would exchange baskets when the buzzer sounded it was the Raptors leading 48-38 at the half.

3rd Quarter

Bargnani and Bosh combined for 22 points. Will Solomon in relief of Jose Calderon who will not return had 6 points, 5 assists, 2 steals and 2 rebounds. Raptors badly needed a win and the injury of Calderon would only make that more important. Andrea after a good first half with 12 point missed his first shot of the second half which was a 3 pointer. He would pick up his 3rd foul of the game right after that but remain in the game. He would score on a drive on Scola and get the 2 points. The Rockets looked very bad on this night and this was a real chance for a Raptor win. Chris Bosh would get a basket on a drive and score. T-Mac would show a rare sign of life as he would get a basket in response. However Chris Bosh would answer back with his second straight basket for the Raptors. The Raptors lead 54-40. Andrea Bargnani would ad to the lead with a 3-ball and it was 57-40. The Raptors were playing better defense combined with a very sleepy effort from the Rockets. Tracy Mcgrady is known for taking long naps and he seemed to be having one during this basketball game. He had just 4 points playing with his sore knee.

Meanwhile Andrea Bargnani was 7-10 from the field and putting together back to back performances in relief of the injured Jermaine O'Neal. Luis Scola would finally end the Raptor run and get a basket for the Rockets. Anthony Parker would drive and score after a Ron Artest turnover for a travel. Raptors lead 59-42. Rafer Alston would score for the Rockets. But Ron Artest's frustrations would continue as he got blocked by Bargnani. But he would get on track with a 3 pointer and then took an elbow from Will Solomon. He would get another 3 pointer after that. Solomon would respond with a 2 pointer on the other end. Raptors lead 64-47 but Andrea Bargnani picked up his 4th foul on the night and he was not happy about it. He would have a seat with 17 points to go along with those 4 fouls with 2:39 to play in the 3rd Quarter.

Rafer Alston out of the time out would look to kick it out to Artest for another 3 pointer but he would miss. Bosh would look inside to Jake Voskhul who had checked in for Andrea and he would head to the line as he was fouled. Voskhul would split a pair at the line. After that Jamario Moon would get a steal and take it all the way to the hoop for the jam. Ron Artest was having a quarter like his personality and he would get tagged for an offensive foul. The Raptors would turn that into points on the other end. Raptors had a 19 point lead to take into the 4th quarter with the score 68-49 after 3 Quarters at the A.C.C. Give the Raptors credit they have not lost a step despite losing Claderon and not having O'Neal at all.

4th Quarter

Stats were glaring the Raptors were shooting 50% and the Rockets were shooting 31%. The Rockets also had been turning over the basketball. Chris Bosh opened up the 4the quarter extending the lead to 21 points. Bosh would look inspired to lead the Raptors to their first home win since I was in the house to watch them beat the Pacers. Bosh was at the line looking to add to his point total. He would make onlt 1-2. The Raptors had a 73-53 lead with under 10 minutes to play. Roko Ukic was in the game and he had a new haircut. More importantly though he would steal the ball from Yao Ming and hook up Kris Humphries with a very pretty pass. Ukic had not seen any time of late so he was ready to roll. The Raptors will need a lot more of that from him if Calderon misses any significant amount of time.

Jason Kapono who struggled early and may not be at 100% but he even was getting in on the fun with a 3 pointer. The Raptor lead was 23 points. We were in garbage time at the ACC and for once it was the Raptors on the right end of a blowout. Houston had the starter on the bench watching the Raptors leading 80-57. The Raptors were feeling good and extending the lead in garbage time and a Roko Ukic lay-up made the score 86-59 points and this was some kind of effort out of the Raptors playing very short handed. You would have to hope that the news on Calderon's injury would not end up bursting the bubble after a great performance by the Raptors. But even on a great night for the Raptors Hassan Adams still could not find a way to score in garbage time. Every other Raptor that had played found a way to score. Adams missed badly on an east attempt down low. Jake Voskhul I have to admit has been good for this team. He got a tap in and I love what he has brought to the Raptors. Hassan Adams would even score it was a whole new year for the Raptors on this night. The Raptors had a massive 94-67 lead and it was party time at the ACC. Houston had 22 turnovers so they were helping out the Raptors. The Raptors were very good but as good as they were Houston was equally as bad on this night. Roko Ukic would dribble out a 94-73 win for the Toronto Raptors. The Raptors are 1-0 for 2009 but the worry will be the health of Jose Calderon. I can not imagine the Raptors being able to keep things up like this with out him for the long run. But still Raptors had a win let's enjoy it as they have been very hard to come by this season. A boxscore that includes points for all on the Raptor side of things for you to enjoy.

Raptors/Rockets Boxscore

The questions of who will be able to face the Magic on Sunday will be first and foremost over the next couple days. But for tonight enjoy a win Raptor Fans because we have earned it just as much as the players have. Good night and thanks for reading the Raptor Rewind.

West Coast Blues

When the Raptors go on these west coast trips it really can be frustrating. You have to stay up later and your reward more often than not is watching the Raptors lose to a better team from the Western Conference. It happens all to often and it makes those wins on the west coast seem even more special. Chris Bosh was shut down by the Lakers and struggled through a tough shooting night. He will be the first in line to welcome Jermaine O'Neal back to the line-up. He remains sidelined with an ankle and knee not at 100%. He was said to be a 50/50 decision on the Raptors pre-game show on Raptors T.V. Not sure how much can change in two days before the Denver game. It may seem wise for J.O to sit out at this point till Friday vs the Utah Jazz. That is going to be a game on ESPN down in the United States. Not saying that J.O is waiting for the big show case game on ESPN. But with the added rest prior to that game it makes sense. He could likely even get a practice or two in before that game if things go very well.

The Bench Must Improve

There have been signs of life on the Raptors bench. Joey Graham is showing a lot more "Good Joey" than "Bad Joey" of late. Jason Kapono is starting to shoot the ball again. He is even making some of those shots from 3 point range. But the Raptors got a chance to see what true depth is on a team thanks to the Lakers. Lamar Odom is on the Raptors he is in the starting line-up. Guys like Trevor Ariza and Sasha Vujacic would be welcome additions as well. Even Jordan Farmar would be a upgrade at back up point guard for the Raptors. But that is the difference in being a 1 lose team and .500 team at this point in the season. Raptors were counting on Will Solomon to allow Roko Ukic have time to adjust and get use to life in the NBA. But Solomon with the exception of a great game in Miami has not been good. It has push Roko into on the job training. He still has issues with his shot but he has been working on it. He hit his first NBA 3-ball last night in the last seconds of last night's game. Sure it meant nothing but it is a start for Roko building confidence. Still there are many rumours that Bryan Colangelo is working the phones hard in search of some upgrade to this Raptor roster. Last night was just more evidence that he likely needs to keep at it. I was not sold on this Raptor team to remain the same through out this season and still am not. When December 15th rolls around all of those off-season signings become available to be moved. So we are just a few more weeks from that and the Raptors could truly use the help. The fact that some guys are showing signs of life will make Colnagelo's life a bit easier if he is trying to shop them in trades.

The Tough Road Ahead

The Raptors will have no time to feel regret for a poor shooting performance that was made worse by a terrible 4th quarter last night. Perhaps they will catch a break on Tuesday as I mentioned in the recap last night the Nuggets had Carmelo Anthony leave the game against the Rockets with an injured elbow. But the Nuggets went on to win without him for more than half of the game. Chancey Billups has been doing great in his return for a second run with Denver. The Nuggets have been a different team with Mr. Big Shot than they had been with A.I. This could be the Raptors best chance to get a win on this very tough trip. Playing the Jazz in Utah on National T.V is not going to be an easy task even if Jermaine O'Neal is back for that game. Just like the Lakers the Raptors saw this Denver team in the pre-season as the Nuggets made easy work of the Raptors in Edmonton. But this is a chanced team since that trade and in a positive way. The Raptors will need to play a solid complete game to get a win at Denver or Utah. They have had very few complete performances this season. In fact some could make the argument the Raptors have not had a full 48 minutes of solid play in a game. I would not dispute that if someone said it. To beat teams on the road in the Western Conference you need those complete efforts.

December 3rd is Fast Approaching

Our contest with Raptorman.ca is fast approaching it's deadline. All you need to do is tell me why you are the best fan of the Raptors and the Dino Nation Blog. The person who is successful will win a seat right next to me to see the return of T.J Ford. A free ticket to a big game at the A.C.C is up for grabs. So E-mail those entries as time is running out fast.

dinonationblog@sourcecable.net

I encourage everyone that can attend the game to enter and give it a shot and who knows you may be the winner and have a seat next to me to see the game at the A.C.C. That is all for today some more thoughts on Raptors and Nuggets tomorrow.

Raptors Face Early Challenge To Save The Season

Seems a bit extreme to say in late November. But back to back loses and a fan base that is clearly as frustrated as the Raptors if not more. The time has come to define just who and what this 08/09 Raptor season is going to be. Nothing in life is a sure thing but if I was to bet on it, I would say when we look back on this Raptor season we will point to this time period. Last season was defined by the injury to T.J Ford. It would shape everything that would follow that moment. That happened in early December so it may not be so crazy to suggest this. After back to back loses one that was heart breaking and the other humiliating the time has come for everyone to take a step back and evaluate what is going on. The trade for Jermaine O'Neal brought with it a ton of expectations from fans, media and the Raptors as well. But everyone understood that there was some risk to this move and that even though the Raptors could be better, it also left issues that could cause trouble. A lack of depth, no real back-up point guard and the health of Jermaine O'Neal. I also was concerned about Jose Calderon and his health given the lack of depth at point guard.

All of these issues are front and center at the moment. You can also add in a few others that were not on the table. Sam Mitchell and his coaching abilities. For some Raptor fans this issue was on their radar but I think most thought in the organization and the majority of the media that Sam was going to be o.k. Thus far it has been anything but o.k. The more games that pass the more that Sam Mitchell gets put under the microscope. There is also the total lack of production from the Raptor wing players which has caused Andrea Bargnani to play at the 3 spot because no one has shown worthy of the Raptors options beyond him. Anthony Parker at times looks old and out matched on defense and his shooting has been hot and cold to extremes. Jason Kapono has not shown the offensive production that fans would expect and hope for. He also has not shown any ability to be any kind of a defender. Jamario Moon has had is fairy tale rookie season go smashing into a wall of reality. Many wondered why it had took Jamario so long to make it to the NBA. This season may be showing us why that was. Also we have Joey Graham who is rapidly showing that despite his impressive athletic ability he does not have the basket ball IQ and energy to match that prototype body.

You even have just plain bad luck when it comes to the drafting of Nathan Jawai. He got knocked out of the box before he every has got started. Nobody could have imagined him getting sidelined by a heart condition and not being able to play at all. The Raptors in looking for another Jamario Moon in the rough came away with Hassan Adams who has been a complete bust of a signing and shows no signs of changing. The Raptors answer to help spell Jose Calderon while young Roko Ukic learns the NBA was Will Solomon. Beyond a truly great game vs Miami in replacing an injured Jose, he has been a turnover machine. Just about every gamble the Raptors took coming into this season has come up snake eyes.

Along with that while the Raptors have struggled the rest of the division with the exception of the Sixers are doing better than expected. The Knicks and Nets are not the basement dwellers that many might have expected. In fact as of right now the Raptors sit in last in the division they won just a couple years ago. The Celtics as we saw are just as dominate as they were last season. Even the Sixers after a slow beginning have turned it around a bit. So time to work your way through these issues may not be there for the Raptors.

You throw in a really lousy salary cap situation and not many chips that you can move it all is a pretty tough deal for the Raptors. The biggest chip you have to move is one of the few bright spots of an under .500 Raptors squad. Andrea Bargnani has now got to a level that if you traded him you would watch in fear that he may turn out to be the big star that he was promised to be by being selected #1 overall. I do not envy Bryan Colangelo at all. He faces a number of challenges and some of the choices he made are responsible for that. Also I am sure hearing that every NBA G.M is forming a line to sign away your star player in 2010 does not make you feel that good. It also probably was not great to watch that same player be totally frustrated to the point he did not want to talk to his team mates or anyone as he watched his team get humbled at the hands of the Celtics. He was taking a beating and not getting the touches he wanted and he was, as we all were embarrassed by his teams lack of defense.

So how does this team dig itself out of this mess. If you ask the fans they will mostly point the finger at Sam Mitchell and say that he needs to be fired. There is a number of candidates out on the market that could fill his seat. The top 3 names on that list would be Flip Saunders, Avery Johnson and Jeff Van Gundy. All of which would be considered the best 3 coaches not currently with a job in the NBA. If you made that change, the Raptors would have to learn a totally new system. Doing it with out much time for practice, with a lot of banged up bodies and a short roster.You have to wonder how easy that would be to do? It is easy to say fire Sam but that is something that you need to consider. I fully admit Sam Mitchell has not been making much of a case for keeping his job recently. But just by making a change the Raptors will not magically get better. It will take time and it may be time they just don't have in an improved Eastern Conference. I am not saying that makes Sam Mitchell bullet proof by any means. After every loss the chances increase that despite what I have laid out the Raptors may have no choice but to give it a shot.

However that coach will still face all that Sam Mitchell has had to deal with. The lack of depth and a bench, injuries to two of his three star players. A lack of a real option at point guard to play behind Jose Calderon. A team that has not been able to defend consistently. All of these issues will still remain with or without Sam Mitchell. These are issues some of which are things that Bryan Colangelo must address. He after all is the one that put this roster together. He is the one that handed these risks to Sam Mitchell to have to deal with. You can judge how Sam has dealt with those challenges but you have to include Bryan Colangelo in the mix for the construction of this roster. If Bryan feels that this is as much his fault in some ways it may not be as bad for Sam as people think. But still some of things of late are not exactly giving Bryan Colangelo reason to give Sam Mitchell a pass for some of the problems that Bryan put on his plate.

If Colangelo wants to correct his mistakes he has not exactly put himself in a good position to do that. Any move he could construct will almost have to involve going into the Luxury Tax which is a costly thing to do from a pure financial standpoint. Not to mention it seems that a number of teams are on the hunt looking to improve. Joe Dumars already pulled the trigger on the gun to start the race to get better by going after Allen Iverson. A number of teams in the east now search for their Answer. Cleveland, Orlando and Boston have all been teams looking to lure Antonio Mcdyess to not go back to the Pistons.

Raptor fans are always willing to help Bryan Colangelo do his job. They seem to be focused on Golden State and a couple of players on that roster. Marcus Williams and Marco Belinelli as targets for the Raptors. I am not sure about that to be honest. But I will say that at least Raptor fans pay attention. Williams was a guy Colangelo really liked in his draft year. In fact the Raptors were hard at work looking for a late first round pick to select him as he fell in the draft. But in the end they would not find a pick and the New Jersey Nets would select him and end up sending him to the Warriors once they brought in Devin Harris. After watching Harris on Friday it is easy to see why they did. Marco was also someone that the Raptors were rumoured to be high on in the draft. They also at least looked into the idea of moving up in the draft and getting a high pick to try to bring him to Toronto. The question is does that mean the Raptors still like these guys? If they do the question becomes what do they have that Golden State would want. Jason Kapono could be an option in that run and gun Warrior system. But why people think other teams are interested in Joey Graham is beyond me. The truth is if Joey had any value he would be gone already.

Whatever Bryan Colangelo does he must be mindful of Chris Bosh. It is not that Bryan Colangelo needs Bosh's stamp of approval to do anything he likes. But the fact that everyone is talking about 2010 and Chris Bosh is human and can not help but notice all the many articles, blogs and media that are suggesting and in some cases saying they know where he will be in 2010. But I do want to make a point for all of you folks that seem to think this matters. Actually I got 2 points for you. The first is that this is not the first time people have talked about Bosh prior to a contract expiring. Phil Jackson right in Toronto made a suggestion that was good enough to get him fined that he would have interest in Bosh coming to the Lakers. Still Chris Bosh would resign in Toronto and never end up with them. Also you have the example of Vince Carter to look at. V.C re-signed in Toronto and he did it to get the most money. He would after look to be traded out of town with that extra money in his back pocket. I think Chris Bosh is just as smart as Vince Carter and maybe even a lot smarter to be honest. Vince may have his UNC degree in Afro American studies but despite Bosh only having a year of college it is clear he is a highly intelligent young man. So it would make sense for him to resign with the Raptors and get a contract that offers him the most money and if things are not to his liking after that point ask in a much more quiet way to be dealt from Toronto if he was unhappy. One thing I do know is that for as long as Bosh wears that number 4 Raptor jersey he will bust his butt. Happy or not he has far to much character to go out the way V.C did. That would allow Bryan Colangelo to look for a way to convince Bosh he made the right move to re-sign in Toronto by signing another big name to play along side him. There are lots of other names in 2010 that can fill that bill.

But in the short term the Raptors need to look in the mirror and find something. They had high expectations and they are not reaching them. If they needed any kind of reminder a sold out ACC of booing fans sent a clear message to drive home the point. Jose Calderon needs to be honest and admit he needs to do much more on defense. I mean he is battling through an injury but he has always been a poor to awful on the ball defender. That is just one example. But every player has to look and see what they can do to make this group perform better. It may not even be stuff on the floor. There are guys on this team that can say they have given a solid effort this season. Bosh is at the head of that list. But the challenge for him is how does he help raise the bar for the rest of his team. He talked about being an M.V.P. He is playing like one and has the numbers to back it up. However the truly great ones that win M.V.P do it in part because they make all the players around them better. BIrd, Johnson, Nash, Bryant and Jordan all did that. That is the next challenge for Chris Bosh. Everyone can look in that mirror and come up with things they can do. The time for that has come because if it does not happen right now to do it later down the line maybe to late.

It will be a very interesting two days for the Toronto Raptors to re-group and re-focus on the task at hand. They have to find the answers and a trade and coaching change may be down the line but they are not going to magically make all the problems go away. When you dig a hole it takes the same amount of effort it took to dig it for you to dig out of it. There are no short cuts and easy fixes to get that done. This is the time that will define this Raptor team and tell them and us what they are made of.

Raptors Give It Away In Orlando

Who is Will Solomon? Was he the guy that had a double double on Sunday, or is the guy we saw last night who was turning the ball over and getting burned by Jameer Nelson. The game last night was the type of thing I feared would happen on Sunday. Roko Ukic actually looked better than Will Solomon last night. It all leads back to a point I made just a couple days ago. Jose Calderon is the most important Raptor. Chris Bosh played out of his mind last night and it was still not a enough. The Raptors were just making to many mistakes and that were directly related to the play from the point guard position. So the bottom line of all of it is get well soon Jose your Raptors need you.

Sam Mitchell Under The Fans Fire

Raptor fans are very upset and that is understandable. All the same things that happen when the Raptors lose games are happening. Sam Mitchell is under fire again and taking heat. Sure Sam is responsible for his team but playing without Jose Calderon against a Magic team that was on a serious roll heading into this game is not something that coaching itself could have changed. It is the typical way things have been. The Raptors beat the Heat playing short handed and Sam gets little to no credit for that. But every lose is always laid at his feet. All I am saying is that if you are going to blame Sam for a lose that is fine. But you also need to be prepared to give him credit for a win. The one thing I have always respected about Sam is that he will not let his team or himself use any injury as an excuse for a loss.

Chris Bosh Is A Beast

In a game like that many players would have just gave up and letdown. There was another game to play the next night. Save some energy and move on to the next one. That is not the way that Chris Bosh thinks or plays. He goes hard and always has. That is the core difference from a Vince Carter and a Chris Bosh. That effort that burns inside of Bosh. It never did for Vince. I just respect how Chris Bosh just refuses to accept losing and will bust his butt and do all the he can to avoid it. If there is anyone still out there that does not think Chris Bosh is a franchise player, and part of the NBA elite level of stars, I don't know what to say. You just don't see what I am seeing. There are a lot of so called franchise players that I would pass on for Chris Bosh. His attitude and skill are just fantastic. He never settles and is always looking to expand his game and get better. He will be the best player ever in this franchise history and I am confident in saying that. As frustrated and angry as the fans get. I am willing to bet that Chris Bosh is even more disappointed and more frustrated. He gives everything he has to be a winner on a nightly basis and he is the first to point the finger at himself is he has an off night. Chris Bosh is having a great year personally but the thing that matters most to him is that his team is only 5-5. That is the way it should be.

Announcement Delay

I really want to say I am sorry that I was not able to make the announcement that was planned for last night. There were a few issues that needed to be looked after. These were nothing to do with me and not of my control. I feel like a kid who just got told Christmas is going to be a day later. O.K it may not be that bad. But this issues are being taken care of and everything should be ready to roll just a little later. I guess I could have just kept quiet and not mentioned a date but I wanted you all to share in the excitement leading up to this event. But you will already notice a few changes. We now have some ads and that is part of this announcement. It will all become clear and I will explain it all from my perspective and what I hope it will all mean for the blog.

Miami Been A Long Time

The Raptors will at least be well aware of tonight's opposition. They just played the Heat this past Sunday. Some things for the Raptors to be aware of. Shawn Marion was awful in Toronto and he should be better tonight at least you would hope so if you are a supporter of the Miami Heat. Also Dwyane Wade really was coming on near the end of that game. If not for getting a bit banged up he may have been able to lead an amazing comeback. Last but not least. Miami did not shoot the ball well from 3 point range. If the Raptors think it will happen again that would be a mistake. Perimeter defense is always a concern and the Raptors must respect the people that are shooters on this Heat team.

More Matt Tomorrow

It has been really busy with games going on and working on these other issues. But the rest of my conversation with Matt Devlin will be up for you enjoyment tomorrow. Vince Carter, Jason Kapono, Anthony Parker, Jamario Moon and a number of other things are covered in that part of the interview. So I look forward to bringing that to you tomorrow.

Raptors Rewind will be in effect tonight and hopeful there is a Jose Calderon return to talk about and A Raptor win. There is a real chance for the Raptors to make some ground in the standings if they take advantage of it. They will have their first major home stand of the season after tonight starting with the Nets on Friday.

Raptors Rewind- Watching Online...Thanks Raps Republic

The Toronto Raptors without Jose Calderon we think(He would be), taking on the Miami Heat. Thanks to guys at Raptors Rebuplic for putting up a feed to the game. Much better than the Raptors T.V offering of Raptors Game in an Hour at 5pm. Andrea Bargnani has been put into the starting line-up for the Raptors and this game was going to be very interesting.

Raptors first trip was no good but Will Solomon made a steal and got the ball to Bosh and he was fouled and headed to the line for 2 which he made. Andrea Bargnani mad a nice turn round jumper in response to Heat basket. It was Bargnani and Bosh early on pacing the Raptors to an early 8-4 lead. the Heat went on a run of 5-0. But Anthony Parker would bust that run with a 3 pointer off a nice feed from Bargnani. Parker would make another 3 pointer that gave the Raptors a 14-11 lead. Dwyane Wade turns a Raptor turnover in 2 points for the heat. Shawn Marion gets a bucket and Heat had a lead. Andrea Bargnani would take it back.The Raptors were holding their own Kris Humphries was back healthy and in the game scoring to put the Raptors up 20-18.

With this bigger look the Raptors were getting on the offensive glass and that was giving them extra chances which Will Solomon took advantage of one. Andrea Bargnani was looking good in the starting line-up he had another score. Solomon would get a 3 after a slow shooting start. Quinn hit a buzzer beater 3 pointer for the heat but it was still the Raptors up 29-27.

Both teams were shooting well, Heat at 52% and Raptors at 50%. Will Solomon did a great job in relief of Calderon with 6 assists and 1 turnover. Roko Ukic would start the second. Heat scored the first four points of the quarter until Kris Humphries scored and he would score again Raps were up 33-31. Quinn would respond with another 3 for Miami. Humphries had 8 points and 7 rebounds in just 7 minutes. Break out the Hump man. Canadian Joel Anthony got a jam off a screen and roll and Heat were up 36-34. Jason Kapono would hit a big three ball to give the Raptors the lead back at 39-38. Jamario Moon maybe got the message as he drove to the basket and got to the line which has been far to rare this season. He would only make one of two and D-Wade hit for 2 on the other end and we were all tied at 40.

Will Solomon was back in for his second tour on the floor. J.O would get a score in the post. He was working hard on the glass as well as he had 8 rebounds. Chris Bosh was back at the line looking for 2 more. He would hit both and it was 44-40 for the Raptors. Heat would get back in front with a Michael Beasley bucket and 1. Jamario Moon would hit a basket on a jumper But D-Wade would respond with a score, a steal and another score. Sam Mitchell had seen enough of that and called for time. Raptors would turn it over out of the time out they had 11 turnovers in the first half to this point. Dwyane Wade scored again that was 6 straight for him and 15 in the half. Chris Bosh would come back and score for the Raptors. But Cook would hit a 3 pointer in response. Andrea Bargnani would score on other end for Raps. Wade would have a final miss but his Heat still had a 54-50 lead.

So far from perfect but with no Jose and a new look line up things were not so bad. Jermaine O'Neal would get the scoring started as he was fouled and heading to the line. He had 10 rebounds beyond his points. He would make both at the line.He only had 4 points but was doing a lot of good things. O'Neal hit a jumper to tie the game at 56 early in the third. Andrea Bargnani would score and Raptors had an 8-2 run and a 58-56 lead. J.O now had 6 point in the quarter Raptors had a 60-56 and a 10-2 run. Time out Miami. Michael Beasley would score on the drive out of time out. Andrea Bargnani was aggressive going to the basket and got a questionable offensive foul. The Heat would get back to level with a basket but Bosh would quickly bot the Raptors back in front. A quiet day for Shawn Marion but he would get a bucket and tie us up at 62. Bosh was back at the line and hitting two free throws. D-Wade had the answer and we were tied for the 15th time on the afternoon. Wade would score again slashing to the hole.

Chris Bosh and D-Wade of the same draft class and team U.S.A were having a battle. Bosh this time was tying the game up for his squad. Shawn Marion bailed out the Raptors from a shot clock violation giving Bosh a chance to add to his totals. Bosh would split a pair but he was 10-12 on the day from the line. Raptors lead 69-68. Dwyane Wade had an answer and he had 21 now and his team a one point lead. The lead was going back and forth like ping pong match. Will Solomon had his foot on the line for a very long 2 pointer and we were tied at 76. A lot of folks were missing a heck of a basketball game. We were all tied at 78. A scramble for the ball left D-Wade a little worse for wear, and after that A.P would score a basket to close the scoring in the third as Raptors lead 80-78.

Raptors were maintaining there pace shooting the ball still at 49% the Heat had faded to 45%. Kris Humphries would get first 2 points of the quarter from the line. Jason Kapono would hook up Chris Bosh for the easy Jam for two. The Raptors had scored the first 4 points of the quarter and now had a 6 point advantage of 84-78. Raptors showed good ball movement and Jamario Moon drove to the bucket and got to free throw line and score on both attempts. The 6-0 run would be broken by Micheal Beasley on to have Jason Kapono respond with a long 2-ball. A good defensive stand by the Raptors highlighted by a J.O block. Raptors were playing good defense and had a lot of energy.Raptors were on a 10-2 run and this was with Bosh watching on from the bench resting. Another J.O rejection lead to a Kapono 3-ball on the other end and the Raptors were rolling the had a double digit lead 93-80.

The ACC Crowd was energized and Chris Bosh was back in the ball game. The Raptors defense was really playing at perhaps the best it has all year long. The Miami heat were 1-12 in the 4th to this point as a result of that Raptor defense. Jermaine O'Neal was challenging everything that went up in his area on defense. Will Solomon would hit a 3 point shot and this game was going the Raptors way 96-81. Miami would final get a basket they had only 5 in the quarter. Dwyane Wade scored and Raptors needed to be careful. Wade would score again on a turnover he had 6 straight and the Raptor lead was trimmed to 9 points. Wade had 27 point 4 steals and 8 assists. He was doing all he could. The Heat had an 2-0 run but time was short with just over 2 minutes to play. Cook continued the run to 10-0 with 1:35 left the Raptor lead was now just 5. Anthony Parker was fouled and heading to the line. He made both to break up the 10-0 Heat run. Raptors now lead 98-91. Wade would make with free throws of his own. But Chris Bosh would have a Jam and Raps had 100. J.O would get a basket on a goaltending call. Will Solomon in relief of Calderon had a double double(12 points 10 assists) and Raptors had 7 players in double figures. Raptors answered the Miami push and were going to hang on for a well deserved win. Will Solomon was getting some bonus points down the stretch from the line. a 107-96 win for the Raptors and a lot of folks taking a big sigh of relief. Raptors move to 5-4 on the season and hit the road to face the Magic and this Heat team again.

Much love goes out to Raptors Repulic for giving fans the option to watch where Rogers and TSN failed to do. Good for the gang over there. A great bunch of boxscore goodies for a lot of folks. J.O had 18 rebounds a solid game for Hump and as mentioned Will Solomon opened a lot of eyes today. All of course lead by an outstanding performance by Chris Bosh. Check it all out and smile.

Raps and Heat Boxscore