Finalists For T.J Ford Contest

Once again thanks to all that entered. Thanks to Raptorman.ca for providing the prize. Congratulations to our 3 finalists. As it was stated in the rules I will be allowing the readers to vote for a winner. Along with my vote and a third vote will be made by a third independent party. The winner will be contacted sometime on Saturday with details on how to claim your ticket. Good Luck to our 3 finalists. The winner should be the best fan of the Raptors and the Dino Nation Blog as contest stated. So with that here are the 3 finalists.

Entry #1- Brett L

I distinctively remember seeing that huge Raptor Mascot in the back of the court in the Skydome (no one like to call it Rogers Centre so stop trying to change the name Ted) when I first saw the Raptors. To me, this was the highlight of the game. I was 6. It was the Raptors first of many sold out games against MJ and the Bulls. That huge Raptor did it for me. That along with the fact that I was sitting up close and personal with the best player to ever grace a NBA court. My love for the Raptors has grown exponentially since that day. I think it was potentially, errr perhaps, ahh PROBABLY the acquisitions of Dee Brown and Dell Curry that set my heart in Raptorland. I, like every other little kid, loved the three ball and there were my two heroes raining threes for Mcdonalds charity like it was going out of style (Can hear it now... "DEE FOR THREEEEE BA DA BA BA BA..IM LOVING IT...). I have a huge passion for the game and watch every Raptor game I can (barring me having an exam. If not my eyes are fixated on the tele). The Raptors are the first team that I ever grew up loving, and will always cherish for being in my hometown. What sets me apart from any other Raptor fan in winning this competition? Not much. We Raptor fans stick together and are very similar. We know we want a winning franchise and we all seem to know exactly how to build one (Gerald Wallace?). We all would put our lives in Colangelo's hands because we have that much faith in him. We all would bleed purple and red if given the choice of what colour our blood could be. We all unite in Dino Nation and cheer collectively because we are the best fans in the NBA. I cannot possibly differentiate myself from the other hardcore Raptor fans, that would be way too hard. What I can do is put my name into the pot and try to give you a whole night of insightful commentary and chatter while watching TJ Ford run circles around us. Now that would be bad. Thanks for this opportunity James! Entry #2 Jonathon G I have been a Raptor fan since day 1. I remember Zeke being named GM and thinking "this is it! We are legit!" I was so disappointed when BJ Armstrong dissed us, and yes, I booed when we pick Damon over Ed O'Bannon. But I was there opening night in the 'Dome vs. Jersey and he made me a believer. I remember the big win over the Bulls in '97. Probably the highlight of the year. I fondly remember the tough guy years with Oak and Willis. Even named the family dog Oakley. I feel lucky to have seen Alvin in his prime and Muggsy suit up in T.O. Chauncey, too for around 15 games. We've had class guys like Doug Christie and MoPete. And the Thin Towers. Vin-Sanity was both an incredible high an incredible low. And now, we have a true world-class player who is still developing and maturing in CB4. We as fans should feel lucky to witness what he brings to the floor every game. The Air Canada Centre opened its doors on my 19th birthday. I was there, 2nd last row in the Sprite Zone. Unfortunately, I have only been back once since. Like many of you, trying to earn a living, basketball tickets unfortunately do not fit the budget. I would love to sit side by side with the Dino Blogger and see The Little Engine That Could match up head-to-head with Numero Ocho and know we made the right move. I sit at work and hear all the suits talking about taking their kids or clients to a game, and after missing half the first, they leave in the third. I think my desk has an imprint from me banging my head on it. Please, I have suffered enough concussions playing ball, I don't think I need anymore. Help me save my brain. Entry #3 - Maurice W In my younger days I spent many years playing and watching basketball. Although my knees have many kilometres on them it has been some time since I have played, it was time to hang up the laces. I now resort my passion to the sport by simply watching and teaching the young my knowledge. My basketball experience not only was taught by good coaches but digesting games in the late 70's on tv and the advantage of living in a city close to Buffalo to see live games. Watching the likes of Bob McAdoo , John Shumate, Randy Smith and Ernie D facilitated a better understanding of the game. From a fan perspective it was all we had in southern Ontario at the time. Eventually Buffalo made their way to San Diego and Toronto was left with NBA exhibition games and Toronto Tornadoes(cba). Having to resort to a cba team (which folded after 1r and half) and odd games on tv , increased the demand of a team in Toronto. Forward to 1995 and finally an NBA team to conquer Toronto. After many years of rumours, a Canadian team arrived and my dream finally came true. I spent many years following Julius Erving and the Sixers and of course MJ thereafter. However, having a team you can call your own changed everything. Win or lose I have followed this team from day one. The Raptors still have many ups and downs but to spend several years watching other cities' teams , it simply can't match how blessed we are to have team of our own. My passion for the Raps and the organization exceeds their abilities at times, simply because of the many years of anticipation. We have seen many changes through out the years and I will continue to support change necessary to improve our team but true fans always believe, no different than believing the Raps would eventually arrive here. The organization for the most part provides great entertainment, charitable to the community, and influential to younger ballers strivng to hopefully someday live their dreams. We should also be thankful for the exposure the raptors have created across our beautiful country Canada. In conclusion thank you Raptors ,John Bitove, and MLSE for fulfulling many Fan's dreams. With so many supporters one day we will see the ultimate dream, an NBA championship banner. Dino Nation Blog helps me feed in my passion for that dream.

Good Luck to all 3 Finalists and please everyone else show them support by voting for who you feel should win.

Good Bye Sam And Good Luck Jay

I know not everyone is going to miss Sam Mitchell. But I will miss him and maybe that is why I used the picture I did for this. Sam Mitchell the person was a funny stand up person that I truly got to enjoy and always wanted to meet and talk with. I keep a list of people that I dream of talking to in this blog or in my career period. Sam Mitchell is near the top of that list. I truly enjoyed the way he interacted with the media. He said that he was they way he was because he wanted to challenge people to ask intelligent questions. I wish more people would challenge the media to ask intelligent questions. I think anyone that does interviews is always looking to be challenged to do a good job and asking great questions. Sam was a personality that was one I have truly enjoyed. After all of this had started to sink in I was driving in my car to pick up a late meal after the unexpected work that fell in my lap. I heard someone calling in on the radio saying that over the last few weeks Sam did not seem like the same old same. I had thought the same. One of the things I looked forward to everyday was turning on Raptors Today to hear Sam and his daily press scrum. I had come up with a name for that 5 minutes of my day. I called it my Sam Mitchell laugh of the day. I have had some lousy days that Sam Mitchell has mad bright by just being the way he is. Just on that along the last 5 years have been worth it for me.

But he also gave all Raptor Fans the first division title for the franchise and the coach of the year award that would follow. I know many try to discredit that award and some blame that award for Sam getting re-signed. I get angry when people do that. Sam earned the award and regardless of what you think. All awards are political to an extent. Does Jerry Sloan deserve to have been Coach of The Year. But that is not Sam Mitchell's fault that blame belongs to the media. Sam also deserves some credit for what Chris Bosh has become. When he is an old man in a rocking chair and is watching his T.V to see Chris Bosh have his number raised to the ACC rafters. He can say to himself that he was a part of making that happen.

The sad truth is as I had said yesterday, not knowing this information that would come later of Sam being fired, that I felt his time was coming to an end. I had no idea that I was so right about that. Whatever you think of Sam Mitchell he has done good things for this franchise as Bryan Colangelo stated in his announcement of Sam being replaced by Jay Triano. I am happy for Jay Triano and happy that Bryan Colangelo intends to give him a chance to show he could be the coach of this franchise for it's future.

Despite the interim tag Jay Triano is likely going to have a chance for the rest of his season to prove his worth. This is a great chance for Jay personally and I think it is a great moment for Canadians in basketball. I offer him the best of luck not just because it will benefit the Raptors but it will benefit all Canadians in basketball. So a new era of Raptors basketball will begin in Utah on Friday.

Contest Results

I have selected the 3 finalists for the contest to see the return of T.J Ford with me on Dec 10. I will be posting the finalists later today and you will get a chance to vote on who you think the winner should be. So on behalf of the finalists I ask you to vote and throw your support behind one of them. That will be out later this afternoon. Sorry for the delay but with all the news going on with Raptors and myself personally made it needed to be delayed. But I should have the contest entries finalists posted by late this afternoon. Thanks to all who entered and even if you are not selected as a finalist I still am grateful you took the time to enter.

Sam Mitchell Has Been Fired...Jay Triano Is To Replace Him.

Breaking News. (Live Blog Updates)

Eric Smith of the Fan 590 is reporting that Sam Mitchell has been fired and is said to be replaced by Jay Triano. This will make Triano the first ever Canadian head coach in the history of the NBA. More news to come but Sam Mitchell has been let go and it is been reported on the Fan 590.

Eric Smith The Rap

Sam Mitchell was longest serving coach in Raptors History and is the Leader in all time wins for the franchise. A Press Conference with Bryan Colangelo and Jay Triano sometime later tonight. As more becomes known I will update you here on Dino Nation Blog.

Raptors Press Release

Raps TV is on the air(NOW) with coverage and I would expect the will be covering this press conference?

Watch Presser Online on NBA Broadband Or you can catch it on Raps T.V ...Starting Soon?

There is going to be a conference call and not a presser and it is now being covered on both Raptors.com and Raps T.V.

Conference Call has begun- Bryan Colangelo

-Colangelo said it was a hard choice to make.

-He felt being it at 8-9 that is was time to make a chance.

-He felt the limiting of moves was not the an issue in this choice. He did not feel that they were getting the full amount out of this roster.

- There was talk of both last year and this year about the teams under performance.

- Triano will have job on Interim basis but does not expect to make a change for the rest of the season.

- Triano will given a chance to earn consideration for the job.

- Has a lot of respect for Jay Triano over the last 3 years. He thinks he is well respected through out basketball circles.

- Several big names in basketball think highly of Jay

- Jay will have control of the team and it is up to him to make personal choices for the line-up

- He needs time to put his stamp on the team

- All of the other assistant coaches will remain minus Sam Mitchell

- Jay gets along with rest of staff and thinks it would help to keep it together.

- Colangelo pointed to the game vs Boston and the loss to New Jersey, He said it was a number of things that impacted on it.

- He gave Sam credit for his success here and the way he took the news.

- This was not all about Sam failing as a coach, everyone has to take a share of the blame for being 8-9

- At the end of the day every team has injuries

- Jermaine O'Neal and his shape could have been better.

- Got of to great start and things went bad from there

- Did not have a problem with Sam's strategy as a coach. By resigning him Sam was Bryan's choice in his mind

- He said he never said that he planned on playing in the same way his old Suns teams did.

- Sam is a very smart basketball guy. He is sure Sam will have success elsewhere

- He never told same a style to play. He did say he made suggestions in regards to players and playing time.

- They are not a team without flaws in it's roster. We are still looking to improve the team

- I went on record saying it was the most talented roster we had since I had come here. I have not lost faith in the Roster

- There are no more excuses.

- I felt fine with him returning to coach the team this season based on our exit interview moving forward after last season

- There is a lot of interest in the roster from other teams. Trades are out there to be made it it just a case of if they are the right moves for this team.

- He has had offers that would go over the cap and deals that would add to the cap room.

- There comes a time when the best thing to do was to make a change to this team to give it a shock.

- A lack of belief in the defensive scheme was just a one thing of many that made it come to this choice being made today.

Jay Triano Conference Call

- He says he has different options to try on defense but for short term it will be tweaks

- The roster is what it is. we have seen what we have and with guys like Calderon, Bosh and O'Neal. We will look to work the ball inside

- To Run the first thing is to get stops. Running is a mindset that we have to put into these guys

- Jack Donahue was a big influence on him as a coach. Along with other coaches I have worked with in the NBA. I learned a lot from Sam.

- He has not thought about the history of it.

- He talked with Sam this morning. It was a great conversation and he said he was at piece with it. He was hopeful that one of the assistants who be given the job.

- He talked with the players and just had talked about who he was as person and did not get into offense or defense

- He has talked about playing a bit more of an uptempo game and that could reduce Chris Bosh's minutes a bit

- My experience as coach of both Team Canada and College. 6 years as broadcaster in Vancouver and then 6 years as an assistant with the Raptors.

- He did not want to get a job in this way. He doesn't know if you are ever prepared. I am confident and excited about the chance.

More thoughts on all of this later tonight in Dino Nation Blog.

The Morning After A Bad Night In Denver

It is just not as easy to wake up and say it is a new day is it. The Toronto Raptors should have got a boost with the return of Jermaine O'Neal. But aside from the 6-0 run to start the game, in which J.O scored 4 of the 6 points, beyond that it was ugly. This team has serious flaws and it is causing people to ask some serious questions. So I think today we will look at what those questions should be and the answers if there are any that Raptors can respond to them.

Sam Mitchell as coach of the Raptors, is it time to make a move and change the coach?

The answer to this question is rapidly becoming yes. I have for those who read on a regular basis know not been against Mitchell. In fact quite the opposite. I really like Sam a lot and watching his post game press scrum last night was as painful for me to watch as it was for Sam. I mean he just looked like he had no really idea as to why his team had just come out flat and played one of the most uninspired games of his career with the Raptors. It was always a strength of Mitchell team's that regardless of talent they would fight hard win or lose. I saw no evidence of that fight and it was disturbing to me. You can debate the skill of Sam as an x and o strategist but I always said it was his skill as a motivator that outweighed that for me. But if Sam does not have that going for him he is not the guy that won the Coach of the Year just a few seasons ago. If he does not turn things around I have no confidence he can keep his job for very long. Bryan Colangelo has stood behind Mitchell since he came to the Raptors but I have a feeling that relationship is not going to last. There was a meeting between the two and what was said in the meeting has not been made public in any form that I have seen. But I think everyone can assume that if the boss is calling you in for a meeting given the state of things it can not be viewed as a good sign.

If Sam is doomed to be removed as head coach the question will be who steps in. There are a lot of names out their but those names are not likely to race to Toronto and get in line to talk to Bryan Colangelo. All the names we have heard for the most part are getting income from a T.V job or another team or both. Also Bryan Colangelo may want to find a coach in the off-season in which he would have more options to choose from. If that is the way he is going it would likely be Alex English or Jay Triano that could get the job on an interim basis. They would be given the chance to make the case they should be considered in the summer for the job. If Colangelo is truly confident he knows who he wants he could bring in a big name right away but they would want a long term deal. That will be a factor to consider as Bryan will have to decide if he wants to commit to that with not knowing who could be available if he waited till the off-season. So if he makes this move one can make the conclusion that he had been thinking about this for awhile and is very comfortable with his choice to make that move.

Is Jose Calderon part of the problem?

I understand many love Jose Calderon and I am a fan of him as well. But unlike most I was not sure about him stepping in and being able to take on the role as starter. The two concerns I had have been realized. The first was Jose Calderon as a defender. He is not a good on the ball defender and as a result the breakdowns that have been glaring at times usually start with him. Yes it is true Jose has been injured but that only makes this lack of defense a more glaring problem. But it always has been even at 100% healthy. He often gets beat by quicker point guards and that is the first break down in a chain reaction that cause people to help and it eventually leads in most cases to open looks as the help leads to other help and in the end a breakdown. Jack Armstrong has an expression and it is that help is the weakest word in the defensive vocabulary. Jose Calderon needs to make himself a better individual defender. As much as he values the ball on offense he must bring that same pride to the defensive end of the floor.

The second issue is pushing the ball and creating fast break chances. I have watched many times and seen Jose Calderon pass on a slightly more risky option to push the ball. Risk can equal reward in the sense the Raptors can get easier points based on those risks. I will gladly take the odd extra turnover if it leads to more easy points for the Raptor offense. The Raptors are dead last in fast break points and that falls on two things. The effort of your team to run the floor. But also your point guard rewarding the players when the do make that effort. If the effort is not made the people stop running. The Raptors can not get trapped into running it's pick and roll game in the half court all of the time. They are not the Utah Jazz in the sense that even though they run that offense on an above average level. It is not something that can work over the long haul of the 48 minutes of a game. That is why we see the slumps on the offensive end that we do. Even the Jazz are a team that also will look to score in transition if that is available. The easier the Raptors can get points the better it will be for them in the long run. On nights like last night when they are not shooting well it can become quite ugly. This is not to say that Jose Calderon is not able to be a starter in this league. I think he can indeed. But he does need a back-up that offers the skills that he lacks and I am not sure that he should be playing the number of minutes he has been. It is not to say that Raptors could not have made this work without T.J Ford. But they needed to offer more in a back-up than what they have provided in Ukic and Solomon with all due respect to them. Also the thing that should be said that both Jose Calderon and T.J Ford both had flaws. That is what made the Ford vs. Calderon that was so debated to length that it was by Raptor Fans.

The Lack Of A True Wing Option

The Raptors have decided to go with a Big 3 line-up of Bargnani, Bosh and O'Neal. But this move was made based out of lack of performance by the true wing players on this team. Andrea Bargnani has really stepped up his game this season. He deserved to get into the starting line-up with no real legit person who deserved it more. But it was pretty clear why this line-up can not be used for long periods of time last night. Carmelo Anthony is a true small forward and Bargnani is not. The defensive match-up is just unfair to Bargnani. He can play as good as he is capable of playing and still would not be able to be effective. The Raptors could try to hide him in a zone but that can only work for so long as well. The lack of defense from Moon, Graham, Kapono and even Parker has been glaring at times. The real answer is the Raptors need a wing. That seems clear to most who have watched this team with any amount of frequency. That would take going over the salary cap and luxury tax would need to be paid. But honestly it needs to be done.

Dino Bloggers Plan A

Here is just one example of something that might solve a few issues for the Raptors. Stephon Marbury is not a wing but is expected to be bought out by the Knicks. He is someone that both Bryan Colangelo and Sam Mitchell know well. That is assuming Mitchell is here. Which to this point he is. The Raptors should sign him and they should make a trade for a wing. The Dallas Mavericks have a player that fits the bill. Josh Howard has fallen out of favour for his actions in Dallas. So if I had my hand on the controls I would trade Jason Kapono and Joey Graham to Dallas for Howard. The Marbury signing would keep the Raptor roster legal at 13 players. This is just one example of what could be done if the Raptors truly mean that they will go over the tax threshold. It is one option that I think answers 3 major problems. A true back up point guard, A solid defender and scorer on the wing, more depth for the bench as Bargnani and Marbury would be added to what the Raptors would have coming off the bench.

Final Thoughts

What was made very clear is that this team as it stands is not good enough and it needs to be fixed sooner rather than later. The Raptor do not want to sink to a point that they can not recover from. The vision for this Raptor season was not to be a .500 team and just slip in the playoffs. In fact the way things have started in the East this year I am not convinced that .500 even gets you a playoff spot. Bryan Colangelo holds all the cards in his hand. He needs to throw some away and get a new hand to work with moving forward. Even if he has an Ace in Chris Bosh that is not going to win many hands without some other nice cards to go along with that. The one thing that I do know and have faith in, is that Bryan Colangelo is a good poker player in the sense of his job as G.M. He may not always draw the right cards for his hand but he is never afraid to shuffle the deck. This deck of cards that is the Raptors is in bad need of that. After a performance like last night the most shocking thing that could happen for most would be nothing.

Contest and Nation Speaks

Because I have been late today I am going to delay entry deadline till Noon tomorrow. I am also going to put of the Mail Bag featue the Nation Speaks till next Thursday. I have had a number of personal issues that have made this a bit of a challenging week to be taking on extra work. So this is you FINAL CHANCE to enter the Contest to come see T.J Ford with Me at the ACC. Just send your email or video to me and tell me why you are the best Raptor Fan and Fan of Dino Nation Blog. Simple as that. Send your entry to me @:

dinonationblog@sourcecable.net

Good Luck to all that enter the contest.

Raptors Rewind- The J.O Return Take 2

O.K I have solved both the Raptors problem and the country of Canada's problem. Chris Bosh for Prime Minster of Canada. He will make those politicians get to work and in running the country he will need to stay beyond 2010. Now back to reality and that could be good for the Raptors. Jermaine O'Neal is said to be ready to go. This is according to report from Matt Devlin earlier today. The bad news is so is Carmelo Anthony who was forced to leave with an elbow injury vs Houston. Anthony said he could not even dribble the ball or pick up his child. But he is expected to play tonight a couple days later. Raptors will be hard pressed to get a win over the Nuggets who have found new life from bringing back Billups. Mr. Big Shot has been welcomed back to Denver and has been returning the love with wins for the Nugget fans. So lets get to see what happens with the Raptors and Nuggets in the high heavy air in Denver.

1st Quarter

It is true J.O is here and in the starting line-up. A.P is playing with a black eye he got in the L.A game from Jordan Farmar. J.O was off to a good start as he hit his first shot of the night. A.P even with the black eye could see the hoop and he scored on his first shot. J.O would head to the line and was perfect. Raptors had a 6-0 lead to start this game. Carmelo Anthony would get by a slower Bargnani and draw a foul and get to the line. He could only hit 1-2. Chris Bosh hit a wide open jumper and the Raps had the jump on the Nuggets 8-3. Andrea Bargnani picked up a foul having a tough time guarding Carmelo. It was non-shooting and Denver did not convert. But the next time up the floor the Nuggets would get a Billups 3 pointer and it was tied at 10. Raptors had gone cold after a hot start.

Joey Graham is the first off the bench to replace Andrea Bargnani who had two early fouls. Joey would look to pass it to Bosh but instead turned it over. Nene had a dunk and the Nuggets had a 13-12 lead. Chris Bosh would pick up a foul that was his second as well. Foul trouble was mounting early for the Raptor big men. Nuggets took a Raptor miss and turned it into points on the other end. The Nuggets had built a 17-12 lead. Nuggets continued the run and now had built the lead to 20-12 and it was time to talk it over for Toronto.

Out of the time out Raptors get back on track with a 3 pointer from Jose Calderon. A Jermaine O'Neal block was something that we had missed seeing. He would remind Nene that he was back for the Raps blocking his shot. Bosh hit a long jumper but still were down 6 points with the score 23-17. Joey Graham would pick up a charge and it was showing signs of being a "Bad Joey" night. The Nuggets may lead the league in number of tattoos. But as for the game they lead 27-17. J.R Smith would nail a 3-ball to make the lead 13 points. Joey Graham would get on track with a little hook shot for a score. Nuggets got a Kleiza 3 pointer for a handy 33-19 lead after one.

2nd Quarter

Chancey Billups started the second the way the first ended with a 3 pointer. Andrea Bargnani would answer with a 3-ball of his own. Raptors defense with the second unit looked awful and their shooting was not much better. Nuggets lead was 38-22 early in the quarter. The Raptors were shooting 1-7 to start the second quarter. The lone bucket the Bargnani 3 pointer. Nuggets were scoring at will and this game was looking like the 4th quarter in L.A. The Nuggets lead was 19 points at 45-26 and Sam Mitchell called time but really what could he say? Play defense? Make some shots please? It was really that bad. This bench is just flat out not good and it has been exposed badly thus far on this road trip.

Chris Bosh was back with his 2 fouls. Both he and Bargnani were on the floor with 2 fouls. But given the score the fouls were the least of Raptors concern. A Jose Calderon 3 pointer would get the Raptors a much needed basket. But the score was still a lopsided 47-31 for Denver. Chris Bosh was at the line looking to chip away at this large Denver lead. Bosh would return to the line for another 2 free throws that he would make. Carmelo Anthony would end the little Raptor surge with a basket. But Jermaine O'Neal answered that with a score. Bosh had a basket and thanks to 12-2 run the Raptors cut the lead to 49-39. Chris Bosh and J.O were fighting hard to get the Raptors back in it. J.O had another basket in the post. But Raptors were still down 10 points and could not seem to crack through to get it back to single digits. Carmelo Anthony would score to put the Nuggets back up by a dozen with score 55-43. Jermaine O'Neal had his 3rd foul and now all 3 Raptor bigs were battling foul trouble. Chris Bosh had 16 points and 10 rebounds but his Raptors were still getting handled despite that. Late in the half and Bosh picked up his 3rd foul and the Nuggets lead had expanded to 16 points at 61-45. A Joey Graham turnover seemed a fitting way to end the half. But the Nuggets would get 3 more from Billups at the buzzer. He had 21 in the first half and the Nuggets lead 64-45 at the half. Brutal stuff.

3rd Quarter

These are the times that being the Dino Blogger is not so fun. Raptors shot 37% in the first half and the Nuggets 52%. That is why this game was the way it was. The second half was more of the same. Less than 4 minutes into the third quarter it was 71-49 for the Nuggets. But I am stuck here having to watch the rest of this. If I was just a fan I'd be hitting the video game by now. The story of this game if not for a miracle had been told. The beat down was continuing as Nene scored. The Nuggets were flat out embarrassing the Raptors with a score of 77-51. The Raptors had combined lousy shooting with an equal effort on defense and this was the result. The return of Jermaine O'Neal would not serve as any kind of inspiration.

I have long been a supporter of Sam Mitchell but if he does not get this team on track in short order I think his days are numbered as coach of the Raptors. It is not the fact the Raptors are losing to better teams. It is how they are losing these games. It seems that this team is lost and not with any fight in it. The Raptors were down 31 points with the score 84-53. I mean this is just totally unacceptable. I can only imagine what Bryan Colangelo is thinking in watching this game. He can not be pleased on any level at all. If this is the end of the Sam Mitchell era it is a brutal ending for him. Not saying he could be fired tomorrow but if I heard that he was would I be shocked after this performance? Not really. In defending Sam I always pointed how his teams always fought hard and never gave up. This team was showing no signs of that fight and spirit. As I debate Sam Mitchell's future with you his Raptors gave up 100 points in 3 quarters. The Raptors were getting brutalized 100-68 after 3 quarters.

4th Quarter

I have no idea what to write about at this point. Down 32 points in the 4th quarter says about all that needs to be said. Nothing was changing and this was getting to be humiliating for everyone connected to the Raptors. 109-70 and it was far from over. Matt Devlin was trying to point out that these were key minutes for guys like Ukic and Adams and the rest. But sorry, Matt may be right but I really did not care. Joey Graham was playing well in garbage time but he played like garbage when it counted so does it really matter? The score was 111-75 and the 8:30 could not roll of the clock fast enough.

I want to say it again. It is not that the Raptors are losing. The Nuggets are 11-3 since Chancey Billups had come to Denver. It was the way this team was losing the game. It just was an awful lack luster performance that needed to be addressed. Hassan Adams couldn't even make a free throw shot I mean gimme a break. How the heck did he make this team in the first place. As I debate a lot of things in my head the score line was still just as brutal 121-81 with a little under 5 minutes to play. The Raptors will not play again until Friday on national t.v on ESPN. If things are anything like this we are talking a North American wide disaster. I hope at least for a Sam Mitchell classic blow up after this game. Any sign to show me that people care about what is going on here. I mean they obviously do care. No one wants to be humilated like this. Speaking of which the score was 128-87 with 2:18 to play. I am happy to report this game is almost over. That is likely the happiest news of the night. Make the final Nuggets 132-93.

I will not be responsible for anyone that is brave enough to look at the box score of this game. But if you want to see what a truly brutal boxscore looks like this would be about as bad as it gets.

Raps/Nuggets Boxscore

Raps Look To Take Advantage

The Toronto Raptors could catch some breaks in the next two games. The key is can they even take advantage of this at this point? Those breaks? Well let's start with tonight. Carmelo Anthony may not be in the line-up for the Nuggets. Here is what Carmelo had to say about his injured elbow.

Carmelo Anthony- "I couldn't even dribble the basketball," he said. "I tried to lift my son up after the game and I couldn't even do that."-NBA.Com

So could he be recovered enough to play a game just 2 days later? If you are a Raptor Fan you hope not. Meanwhile the Raptors have their own injured star they wait for to return. Could Jermaine O'Neal be ready for tonight in Denver? I have no information on if he will be or not. But to start a return in the high altitude of Denver? That would seem like a bit of a challenge for a guy that has not been on the floor for a little bit. The more likely return date for O'Neal seems to be in Utah on Friday. There is more chances for Raptors to catch some breaks. Both Carlos Boozer and Andre Kirilenko are having injury issues for them.

But the one thing that both teams will have is two great point guards in Chancey Billups and Deron Williams. Billups has brought change to Colorado. He played his college ball at University of Colorado and had been with the Nuggets in his NBA career. But now as a veteran and one of the top point guards in the game he has had a huge impact on Denver. The Nuggets are 8-2 in their last 10 games under Billups direction. They have been 6-2 overall on their home floor this season. In short it will be tough for Toronto, with or without J.O, and if or if not Carmelo Anthony plays regardless.

Rogers Loses It's Leader

Ted Rogers the head of the Rogers empire has passed away. Rogers was the owner of the Fan 590 and many other media companies under the Rogers empire. The Fan 590 is the radio broadcaster of the Raptors. But it is the cable company that has been the issue for Raptor fans. The lack of a deal between Rogers and TSN over TSN2 has been a sore point for Raptor Fans. It is unclear if this will have any impact on those issues. But regardless of that fact Rogers death or the death of anyone is sad event for many people. Rogers is also the owner of the Toronto Blue Jays. I offer my condolences to all of the people who have been impacted by this news. Many of the guests in this blog are employees of that company. Eric Smith, Paul Jones and Jack Armstrong all work for the Fan 590. But most of all to this man's family I offer my condolences to them. Despite what anyone thinks about the business dealings that have impacted the Raptors and the fans, it is not as important as life and death. Rogers was 75 years old. If you would like to read more on this there is a link below.

Article From Toronto Star On Rogers Death

Nets Are A Playoff Contender?

It really seems like the Nets are for real. Devin Harris is on fire for the Nets and Vince Carter has not had reason to be concerned about what was suppose to be a rebuilding process in Jersey. The Nets have had big wins as they like the Raptors have been on the west coast. The comeback win they had in Toronto has served as a spring board for the Nets. The Raptors will be watching the Nets with interest in both the short and long term. In the short term the Raptors will be facing the Nets twice before Santa comes to visit us. But also being in the Atlantic Division they will also be a rival for playoff position. It was though heading into this season that it would be the Sixers and Raptors in a battle for second place behind the Celtics. But now add the New Jersey Nets to that mix. They have shown at least early that they are a factor. Beyond Harris and Carter the play of rookie Brook Lopez who was expected to be drafted higher but fell to the Nets has been doing very well for them off the bench.

Blogger M.V.P and ROY Rankings

This is the 2nd edition of the Blogger rankings for M.V.P and R.O.Y. These rankings come from bloggers from around the NBA. My personal votes for M.V.P went to Lebron James and R.O.Y to O.J Mayo. To see the results of voting and some music to go along with each spot you can check out round 2 of our NBA Countdown of sorts. That is about as close as I will ever be to sounding like a V.J on Muchmusic.

Blogger Ranks For MVP and ROY- Round 2

Our Contest Deadline Is Almost Here

Contest for Tickets to see Return of T.J Ford with me the Dino Blogger is running out fast. You have till December 3rd midnight to tell me why you are the best Raptor Fan and Fan of Dino Nation Blog. Thanks to Raptorman.CA for providing the prize for this contest.

Send those entries to me at dinonationblog@sourcecable.net

I had made an mistake yesterday and it said .ca instead of .net. But it was corrected sorry for the mistake.

Personal Note

So that is it for now till tonight in Denver. On a personal note my mother will be having some minor eye surgery tomorrow so if there is some delays or issues over the next few days please understand that is why. But I will still be doing my work just might be a little out of the normal routine you have become use too. Thanks for understanding as I am sure you will. May have no impact at all but just wanted to leave a note in case it did.

UPDATE INJURY NEWS ( 2:30 PM)

Matt Devlin is reporting that both Carmelo Anthony and Jermaine O'Neal are expected to play tonight for their respective teams. Seems that despite my thoughts both are going to go. That is why I am a blogger and not a doctor I guess. This game is on The Score at 9pm with Matt and Leo calling the action. To check out the details please visit Matt Devlin Blog. linked for you below:

Devlin Says J.O and Melo Are Expected To Play Tonight

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.