DNB 2011-12 Season Predictions

So it has reached that time of the year where I must become a educated guesser on what will happen in this NBA Season. So if you are ready we will begin with the guess work.

Your Playoff Teams in the East:

1. Miami

2.Chicago

3. New York

4. Atlanta

5.Boston

6. Indiana

7. Philadelphia

8. New Jersey

Obviously a Dwight Howard move to New Jersey could mess up the order of this quite a bit. But think these are the 8 teams you see in the playoffs the order I could see changing based on moves and injuries could make it tough on teams the biggest of those could be Boston.

As for the Raptors they will not be in the Playoffs yet again but no one is expecting them to be. The big question for most is will they be the 15th team in the East and likely 30th in the NBA. That answer is no. Detroit will be worse than the Raptors. Think the Wizards will be as well. Also the Bobcats will not be up to snuff. So that would leave the Raptors finishing 12th with more wins than expected at 20-46. I think the Raptors will hang around in enough games to steal a few here and there. They also have the advantage of some young players that will be able to handle the grind of this crushing schedule.

Now on to the West:

1. OKC

2. Dallas

3. Portland

4. L.A Clippers

5.L.A Lakers

6. Denver

7. San Antonio

8. Memphis

The West is a lot tougher to figure out. I am convinced that OKC is the class of this conference now. Dallas got worse, Lakers got worse and the Thunder stayed the same for the most part but have a Kendrick Perkins that looks in fantastic shape and a year of experience at playing as an elite team. The Clippers are the real wild card with Chris Paul. Think 4th is a conservative approach as to where they will end up.

What Raptor Fans really care about is your Lottery Top 5

1. Detroit

2. Washington

3. Charlotte

4.Utah

5. Toronto

Now on we go to the Awards:

Defensive Player of the Year: Chris Paul

Dwight Howard has owned this award for years but with the issues of getting out of Orlando and how long that takes think it will be a Destraction and a less focused Howard. Chris Paul will rack up a ton of steals and get the Clippers running. I thought about going with Dwayne Wade or Lebron James but decided to go with Chris Paul and I am sure David Stern will be on hand to give him his award. Tyson Chandler in New York would have been a more conventional pick to make.

Rookie of the Year: Kyrie Irving

I wanted to say Tristan Thompson but that would be my Canadian Pride talking. You may say that picking Irving is going the easy route but it is not a lock the number one pick always gets the award. Irving has the opportunity and the ability to cash in and win the award. He is starting from day one and has little challenge for minutes in Cleveland.

Coach of the Year: Scott Brooks

The first time I picked him people thought I was nuts. He ended up winning the award. This time my pick will be viewed in a lot different light. Eric Spoelstra will not get the credit for the Heat dominating. While same will be true for Vinny Del Negro with the Clippers. Want a long shot? Frank Vogel will have a nice group with Pacers and they should be much improved.

6th Man of the Year- Taj Gibson

Boozer has been losing favour in Chicago and in a season that has injury issues at the forefront given the schedule it is not looking good for Boozer given his history. All this says to be big things for Taj Gibson. Think that is a good a guess as any. Want a total shot in the dark. Norris Cole the rookie in Miami. They love him and getting to play with the Big 3 in Miami can only help him wrack up some impressive numbers off the pine backing up Chalmers.

M.V.P- Lebron James

People have started to hate him a little less and he has had a extended off-season to get upset how we were all mean to him and his friends. So Game On. Kevin Durant, Rose the defending M.V.P will be in the conversation. Chris Paul could also get a serious look if he is able to make the Clippers the better team in L.A

So what is left to do? Oh right who is going to win it all? Last year I picked this and it almost happened so this year I will pick it again with the same two teams and a different winner.

The OKC Thunder will defeat the Miami Heat in 6 games.

Your Finals MVP : Kevin Durant.

You can bet that I will brag about everything I get right and hope that you all forget everything I get wrong but those are my educated guesses for this season. If you want to share yours feel free to leave them in the comments or hit me up on Twitter @Dinonationblog.

Raptors Win But So Did Montreal

Over 22,000 people in a packed Bell Centre it had all the energy of a Habs game or a UFC event. No Hab Jersey or GSP to be found. While sanity has come to Raptorland with Jarrett Jack playing as a starter tonight. There were some scary moments along the way with Demar DeRozan injuring his finger. It would turn out to be just a dislocation and he would return. Then a few minutes after the exit of DeRozan it was Barbosa crashing to the ground with a thud that reminded me of when T.J Ford was injured. But the result for Barbosa was not nearly as bad as he was able to pop back to his feet. Through out it all, the fans were loud and into it. There is a lesson in that for Raptors fans here at the ACC. Maybe 16 years of having basketball has made folks forget what it is like not to have it. Cheering for pizza is silly and stupid. This Raptor team is what many people have said they wanted in some ways. This team is going to fight hard and have to scrap for everything they get. The attendance at the ACC for the pre-season was pretty sad. When the season starts will see what it looks like. But if this team struggles will the people still come. I think we learned that people in both Vancouver and Montreal would love to have that option.

As for the Raptors the talk has been all about team effort and that is what Raptors gave with 7 players in double figures. One of those the recently benched Jose Calderon with 11 points and 7 assists. Jack as the starter only 7 and 5. Will we ever get this to work in Toronto? 16 years and only years we had a clear number 1 point guard it was in the beginning with Damon Stoudamire. But still the overall battle was clearly won by Jack and he deserves to hear his name on Wednesday.

Andrea the good....15 points 6/13 and 3/4 from 3 point range. The Bad...1 Rebound in 23 minutes. Reggie Evans in 3 less minutes had 10 more rebounds with 11. As a team some good and bad as well. The good....12 Steals lead by your new starting point guard Jarrett Jack with 4. That is the biggest reason Jack deserves the starters minutes. Jack can make the overall team D better and Jose is a massive liability. The bad....just 1 block for the entire Raptors team. I know you are wondering who got the block? Joey Dorsey but the bad news in Dorsey is suspended so make that 0 blocks for the team that will play the Knicks on Wednesday.

Now as with all pre-season games it is not always just about who plays. It is about who doesn't and how much some people play. The Knicks did leave one of their weapons in the holster in Danilo Gallinari. They also sat Toney Douglas. While everyone in a Raptor uniform saw the floor at some point.

In the end the Raptors leave Montreal with a 108-103 win over the Knicks. Finishing the pre-season at an even 4-4. But the true winners on this night were the people of Montreal. I put this on Twitter and if you happen to be on twitter give this hashtag a tweet- #NBAINMTL . On a day when the NBA was talking tough and making a lockout seem almost unavoidable. Even throwing out the word contraction. When cities like Montreal, Vancouver and Seattle don't have teams with all due respect to Commissioner Stern there is no need for contraction more like re-location.

Pre-Season is over. Come Wednesday will see how much it actually meant.

Raptors Draft Was Not Sexy

It was pretty easy to figure that Draft Night was never going to meet fan expectations. Rumours of a Hedo Turkoglu draft day deal being done were just that....Rumours. In fact there was no Hedo trade, No Jose trade or a Jack trade. Not even the widely expected 2nd pick in the first round. In fact the Raptors remained at 13 and drafted a player they did not expect to be there. Ed Davis dropped to the Raptors at 13 as some unexpected picks ahead of the Raptors left Davis the odd man out. The Jazz were one of the teams that went a different direction that set off a chain reaction that led Davis to the Raptors.

Normally in most years drafting a player out of UNC in the first round would be a great move. But these are not the Tarheels you know and expect. This was one of the worst seasons for Carolina in years and years. They were in the NIT not March Madness. Davis was injured and that was a part of the Tar Heel free fall. However it was already well underway. A Texas team that featured 3 players in the Draft (Bradley, James, Pittman ) at Cowboy Stadium pounded this UNC team. After that game Damion James and Avery Bradley looked like the lottery picks not Davis. Duke demolished UNC this season as well. Davis injured his wrist in one of those games. The Raptors say they think the wrist is ready to roll. After Medical staff check out Davis it is expected he will be cleared and at summer league.

Ironically Davis is a Chris Bosh fan. Last year Demar DeRozan was a Vince Carter fan. Just like Demar was not the second coming of Vince, although I still love the "Heir Canada" nickname. Ed Davis is nothing close to Chris Bosh. While Davis is a solid force on the glass and a shot blocker and solid defender on the college level. His offensive game is far from polished and needs a ton of work. He likely never comes close to being the dynamic force that Chris Bosh is on offense. While the things we measure are the same with 6ft 10 and 225 frame while being left handed. The comparison ends there.

In the end the Raptors hope the have drafted a solid post defender and a shot blocking presence. It still remains a question how this team intends to score with no Bosh, Turkoglu and Calderon or Jack potentially. Bargnani even at his max will give you 20-25 points? Demar and Sonny hope you get 15 each? I am just saying that taking for granted this team in a post Bosh Era can score is a mistake. Andrea will now see double teams perhaps. Whatever the case the Raptors become easier to defend. Even a sign and trade for Bosh would unlikely produce a number 1 scoring option in return.

The Raptors would make another minor move on draft night. Not minor in terms of size, with a 7 foot 1, Nigerian Giant coming their direction. It would take dollars and 2nd round pick in 2013 to acquire Solomon Alabi out of Florida State. It goes without saying that this guy at his height is another shot blocking presence. He is very raw but unlike a Nathan Jawai of a few years ago, he has some experience here in North America playing in the ACC with FSU. This is another player that has limited offense and has a lot of work to do.

What the Raptors have done speaks to a couple things. First of all if you were holding out any hope that Chris Bosh was coming back, this would appear to be your answer. He isn't it would seem. The Raptors also have Amir Johnson, Patrick O'Bryant and Rahso Nesterovic all not under contract. The only of those 4 you have a decent chance of seeing is Amir Johnson. So by drafting these 2 kids it is a clear sign the Raptor believe they will need to restock their big positions.

The second is the Raptors are trying to focus on improving the terrible defense of the past. Still it is my belief you need to unload Jose to truly do that. However if you add a shot blocker behind him that can save him a lot of times when he gets beat. At least that would be the thinking. Raptors have clearly focused on D heading into this draft. So if you wanted to see the Raptors D improve these 2 picks should help. However, it also is another clear sign the Bosh Era is coming to an end.

Raptors fans expected so much more from this night. It is nothing against these young men at all. They could both turn out to be decedent selections at the end of the day. However there is no sizzle to these guys. Demar DeRozan had TONS OF SIZZLE with jaw dropping athletic talent. The Raptors this season have drafted two real lunch bucket type of players. They could develop into fan favourites but will not replace the star this team is going to be missing. The bar of expectations has been set to an impossible level for Colangelo and the Raptors to match it. If you are expecting miracles from this Raptors team you may be setting yourself up for a rude awaking.

You have to hope that their two picks can be part of the solution going forward. This is going to be a long summer for the Raptors, and at the end of the day it is not Chris Bosh who is to blame. The Raptors have had many chances to get it right to build around him and they have failed to do so. Raptors are fighting long odds as teams are going crazy trying to cut salary. The most extreme example is Miami with just 2 players under contract. The Raptors may have got tougher tonight but not better in the short term.

"Basketball Beyond the Floor"

"There are a few things in the game of basketball today that can be said without debate. This is one: The deepening battle to become the 'sole influence' over the best twelve year-old is bad for the game" (Dan Wetzel and Don Yaeger of Sole Influence: Basketball Corporate Greed, and the Corruption of America's Youth). This pretty much sums up the most in your face and detailed account of the money games played in the NBA today. It paints a different picture than the smiles and hugs you see on NBA draft night. Before the book you may have thought, 'Look at those kids up there celebrating with their families and wearing a cap from the team who just signed them. Dreams are really coming true for these young men'. According to Dan Wetzel and Don Yaeger who wrote Sole Influence, the National Basketball Association is a nasty place where money is concerned and you may just get eaten alive if you are not careful. And after getting through all 288 pages, you begin to believe it.

The Marriage of Michael Jordan and Nike

This is what the book claims really started the whole 'sole influence' war. Big time corporations looking to find the next MJ would go to great lengths to achieve this. And what kills me is, this actually starts at 12 years old now. So in order to even be considered for corporate sponsorship, now you need to have a reputation for excellence in grade school? Does this mean we have to be working our kids in preschool to get them up to an exceptional level by the time they are just hitting puberty? Amazing, isn't it? Think about how it all started. In the early 1920s to 1970s, Converse was the sole influence on players like Bob Cousy, Jerry West, Magic Johnson and Larry Bird. It began at the college level, where a company would go in to a Head Coach and say something like 'Hey. Here are some shoes for your kids and here's some money for you if you preach from our Bible'. Most coaches would welcome the give aways and subsequent stipend since it would make them look good in the eyes of the school administration since they didn't have to budget for the shoes now and they get some monetary credit for the development of that player. Remember when Tracy McGrady was drafted by the Toronto Raptors in 1997? He was fresh out of Mt. Zion Christian Academy and penned a 6 year, 12 million dollar deal with Adidas that included 6 figure payouts to his high school coach and the scout who discovered him. You and I deal with people everyday that you have to put on a happy face for and figure out who's in and who's out. But can you imagine playing under that pressure cloud? Unreal.

No doubt about it - Michael Jordan has been one of the biggest stories in the history of sports marketing. But what is really sad is, the whole 'be like Mike' campaign paints the wrong picture and the book really explains why. The book offers the comparison of Steve Kerr. Authors Wetzel and Yaegar feel it's more realistic to get kids to aspire to be like a Steve Kerr since he works hard at being good. This is not to say that MJ didn't work hard in his playing days but he was also an extraordinary talent and that got him ahead. I think the funniest thing about his whole story is Michael Jordan was quoted as saying, "I've never worn Nike. I'll probably sign with Adidas". Never say Never.

The Nike School of Basketball

This storyline is what struck me most about Sole Influence. The idea that 12 year-olds are being courted by big name corporations to wear their product is creepy but I get it. But the fact that athletes are now turning down colleges because they are an "Adidas school" or "Nike school" absolutely floored me. I remember covering the Reebok Invitational (DNB James will remember this) a while back thinking, 'How cool is this that a company will sponsor a high school basketball tournament, hand out some swag and prizes and give these young athletes a chance to develop their talents'? I would like to believe it was out of the kindness of their corporate hearts but after reading this book I realized they may have had other motivations. Nike does these kind of camps and tournaments, too. The book claims they set up shop (a sponsored tournament or basketball camp) to scope out potential players they can sway to be 'solely influenced' by their respective company. Then when a fraction of these kids actually make it to the NBA, the conundrum starts - does the athlete work for the team that signed them or the company that sponsors them? And I love how the book refers to March Madness as a "multi-million dollar TV orgy and better than any fashion runway in Paris".

The most positive thing coming out of the book was in chapter 9 when an argument was made in favour of the WNBA. Authors Wetzel and Yaeger say the WNBA has a sense of purity with less trash talking, violence or insubordination. Speaking from experience, I don't think this makes any female athlete less aggressive or tough as a player, they are just smart enough not to do anything stupid in front of a referee - most of the time. I have never heard anything in the NBA like the story I read in this book about Chamique Holdsclaw. She was photographed wearing Nikes when Adidas was trying to win her over. She claimed the Nikes were more comfortable, so Adidas flew down a team of designers to find out how they can improve the product and better serve Tennessee (the college basketball team she was playing for at the time). After improving the shoe, Chamique later switched to Adidas. Now that's customer service.

Flick Pick of the week

So if you haven't read Sole Influence yet, I hope today's discussion compels you to. This week's flick pick choice is in the same flavour as greed and corruption: He Got Game. If you haven't watched it already, it is a must see most definitely. It is written and directed by Spike Lee. It stars Denzel Washington as Jake Shuttelsworth, a prison inmate released for a week by the state governor to get his son Jesus Shuttlesworth (played by Ray Allen of the Boston Celtics - at the time the movie was made, he was with the Bucks) to play for the governor's Alma mater. All in exchange for a reduced prison sentence. Something you might find interesting about this movie is Kobe Bryant was considered for Jesus Shuttlesworth but was not available at the time. Tracy McGrady and Allen Iverson were passed over. Even Rick Fox, Travis Best and Walter McCarty tried out for the Jesus spot but ended up with supporting roles. Spike Lee approached Ray Allen after a Bucks-Knicks game to be in the movie and the rest is history. As a basketball fan, you will not be complete without this movie.

Next week we will be discussing the book: Shooting Stars by Lebron James and Buzz Bissinger. It's a nice read after reading about today's heavy subject but some parts made me shake my head. I'll tell you why next Thursday, along with another flick pick - one of my all-time favourite movies. Happy reading and see you on Tuesday for another serving of "Jiggly Bits".

DNB'S NBA DRAFT PARTY LIVE BLOG

Now there are a ton of Live Blogs on draft night. But if you are a Raptor Fan and looking to have a good time then our live blog is the best for you. Get all your favourite snacks and gather around your T.V with your computer and come experience the NBA Draft with your friends in the Dino Nation. We get rolling at 6:45 pm and we will not stop till all the picks are made maybe even longer.






So go tell a friend and bring them along. Polls as the night goes on and lots of input from you the audience. Along with my 2 cents along the way. I look forward to spending the night with all of you that make up the Dino Nation.

Starting 5 with Ray Bala from CanBallReport

The DNB is happy to welcome back Ray Bala from CanBallReport to talk about the future of basketball in this country, and the upcoming NBA Draft. Ray was at the All Canadian Classic that was recently held at the ACC. We talk about that event and why Texas is about to become Canada's favourite NCAA school, with 3 Canadians heading down to the school in the next 2 years. Everyone is World Cup crazy, but we look ahead to an event Canada is actually involved in. The World Championships in Turkey. Canada is also taking part in Women's World Championship and both teams on the junior level. It is a big summer for Canada Basketball. We also get into the Raptors and the NBA draft as well. It was a great conversation and hope you enjoy it.

Ray Bala From CanBallReport

DNB Productions

Great talking with Ray and will have him back around World Championship time, to go in depth on Canada's chances in Turkey. Ray does great work keeping on top of all the young talent this country has produced. He has even had some of his work appear online for Slam Magazine.You can also follow Ray on Twitter @CanBallReport. Thanks to Ray for his time and his dedication to keep people informed on the up and coming kids in basketball in this country.

The Starting 5's #1 Draft Choice Jack Armstrong

We at the Dino Nation Blog are very fortunate to have many great regular guests. If we had to draft our guests, this would be our number 1 pick, out of Fordham University, the former coach of the Purple Eagles.... Jack Armstrong. He also of course has been a fixture with the Raptors for over a decade. At this time of year Jack is always a great guest to have for his knowledge of the NCAA game. He was once the youngest head coach in division 1 college basketball. He still even with his Raptors schedule works on broadcasts covering the NCAA during the college season. We talk about a number of the prospects in the draft that the Raptors could consider. Before we get into that we talk about Ron Artest and his winning a championship last night with the Lakers. Jack actually coached against Artest in his college days with St John's. We also get into a discussion on just what the Raptors future could be in a post Bosh world. It as always is a very insightful and interesting conversation. It has been a pleasure and an honour for me to talk with Jack for these past few years. I greatly respect his honesty and straight forward no nonsense attitude. There is only one Jack Armstrong, he is a true original. Hope you enjoy our latest conversation as much as I did having it.

JacK Armstrong on Draft and Raptors

DNB Productions

Some interesting thoughts from Jack as always. Like I said at the end of the interview, it promises to be an interesting summer, and as things go alone we will have Jack back for his take on things as they develop. A lot is being made of a couple interviews Chris Bosh did in L.A and N.Y in where in both he suggested that things could change after the draft. What that means is up for debate. But there have been rumours that Bryan Colangelo has a Hedo deal in place for draft night. There is also the old rumour that Bosh would be moved to the Lakers for Andrew Bynum. Andrew is heading for surgery regardless of where he plays next year. How has the Lakers winning another championship impact on their desire to acquire Bosh? It is an interesting question. They did take on Artest instead of Ariza after winning a title. Guess the point is that many rumours are out there, and who knows what is fact or fiction. But as the NBA Draft approaches next Thursday Raptors fans are left to ponder the future and that likely begins at the draft.

Starting 5- Count Down To Draft Day

I know the NBA Finals are not even done, but believe it or not the NBA Draft is a week from tomorrow. To get us prepared for the draft I will be talking with a number of folks. I started last week talking with Ed Isaacson of NBA Draft Blog.We talk about a number of topics related to this upcoming draft. From John Wall to Evan Turner. Ed has planned on going to Vegas for Summer League, if he does I am going to hook up with him again to see what he thinks of the Raptors. We discuss the Raptors draft options at number 13 as well. It is a lengthy chat that I hope you will enjoy. Later this week going to talk with both Ray Bala from CanBall Report on Raptors HQ and Jack Armstrong who is from all things Basketball and the Fan 590 and TSN. Those interviews will focus on the draft as well.



We start with Ed with just some general talk about NBA Draft and draft websites.

NBA Draft Blog (Part-1)

DNB Productions

In Part 2 we talk just about the Raptors with a little more info on NBA Draft Blog.

NBA Draft Blog (Part-2-Raptors)

James Borbath's Podcast

Ed can be found on Twitter as well @NBADraftBlog . Thanks to Ed for taking time to talk with us and we may hook up again as I said. But for now just 8 days to draft day. We will do are best to prepare for something that you can not really ever prepare for fully in the NBA Draft.

Tuesday's Draft Workouts Feature Whiteside

Toronto Raptors continue with draft workouts in preparation for the NBA Draft in just over a week. Hassan Whiteside leads a group of 4 players to hit the practice floor at the ACC.

Hassan Whiteside 7ft (Center) Marshall
Solomon Alabi 7ft 1(Center) Florida State
Dominique Jones 6ft 5 (Guard) South Florida
Lance Stephenson 6ft 6(Guard) Cincinnati

Raptors will have more workouts Thursday and Eric Bledsoe of Kentucky may be part of that group. Will have to wait and see. NBA draft goes next Thursday if you can believe it. Game 6 of the NBA Finals goes tonight.

Draft Workouts Continue

The Toronto Raptors will continue workouts today at the ACC with 6 players scheduled to be in attendance. Here is a list of who is expected to be on hand for the workouts today.

Ben Uzoh (Guard 6ft 3) Tusla
Michael Roll (Guard 6ft 5) UCLA
Latavious Williams (Forward 6ft 8) Tusla (NBDL)
Devin Ebanks (Forward 6ft 7) West Virginia
Samardo Samuels (Forward 6ft 9) Louisville
Gani Lawal (Forward 6ft 8) Georgia Tech

A varied group of talent today, including a D-Leaguer in Williams. Should be interesting to see how these kids work out. I was told Avery Bradley(Texas) and Gordon Hayward (Butler) made solid impressions yesterday. While Robinson (UConn) was more athletic than people thought. I am going to be doing an interview later today talking with a local writer that covers the Longhorns. We will discuss both Bradley and Damion James entering the draft out of Texas. As well as some future Canadian stars in Tristan Thompson and Corey Joseph both committed to Texas for next season. Look for that later today or tomorrow. Still no official announcement on P.J Carlesmio who is expected to join the Raptors coaching staff. It was reported on ESPN, Fan 590 and here on Dino Nation Blog yesterday. Word is the 2 sides have agreed on a contract.

Draft Work-Outs Underway

The Toronto Raptors have started the process of draft work-outs this week. The first workouts are scheduled to begin Monday morning at the Raptors practice facility at the ACC. Here is a list of who is scheduled to be working out for them today.

Willie Warren 6ft 4 (G) from Oklahoma

Avery Bradley 6 ft 2 (G) from Texas

Gordon Hayward 6 ft 8(F) from Butler

Stanley Robinson 6ft 9 (F) from Connecticut

It will be interesting if we hear any comment from the Raptors on the Hedo Turkoglu matter. Even thought the main purpose will be the incoming players and the draft. We also could get some indication of what the Raptors plans might be based on who comes to town in terms of the draft. Hayward and Robinson are slotted slightly below where the Raptors would select according to Draft Express. While the other 2 are late first round selections according to their mock draft.

Dino Nation Blog will keep you posted with who is expect to be coming in for workouts and keep you in the loop.