DeRozan and Johnson: The Sole Survivors Of The Post Bosh Era

They are the sole survivors of the Post-Bosh era of the Raptors. Amir Johnson and DeMar DeRozan are the only two guys on the roster that remain from when Bosh last wore a Raptors jersey. It has been a tough few years to be Raptors fans let alone on the front line in the battles on the court.

Johnson has in a sense filled the role that once was Chris Bosh’s maybe not in terms of being the Raptors' best player but clearly it’s most visible and socially active. Bosh once was the twitter darling or the Raptors' fan base but that role now clearly is the title for Amir Johnson.

Amir holds the distinction of being the last ever high school player to be drafted. He continued his education in Detroit on a scholarship to the NBA. Johnson learned a lot from his time there as he reflected on at Media Day on Monday:

“It was huge because it was kind like my college days.  I didn’t really know anything; I didn’t know how to play in the NBA coming from high school to the pro level.  What do I need to learn? What do I need to do? They kind of took me under their wing and taught me how to play. “

Amir also talked about how he is trying to pass along that knowledge to younger players like Jonas Valanciunas, as well as being a more vocal leader. This is something that DeMar DeRozan talked about as well being more vocal on the floor and off it.  DeRozan also talked about being tired of watching friends of his go to the playoffs while he sits on the sidelines. You see it in his eyes and feel it in his voice when he says this. This makes this whole concept of asking players about tanking a silly one. Players on every team always want to win and when they fail to feel that way you have a serious problem.

DeRozan has grown so much from the shy young man that I met back in Ottawa when he and Johnson first joined the Raptors' franchise. They saw Bosh take his talents to Miami and they were left to endure the fallout. DeRozan feels that frustration of enduring through the losing but desperately wants to see the good times.

“I hate to say it feels like we’re the last men standing but we just got to take advantage. Myself and Amir, this is where we want to be. We went through the bad times, we definitely want to be here when the city gets (what it is) deserving, the enjoyment and the good times.”

DeRozan enters into his much talked about contract extension that he received prior to the start of last season from Bryan Colangelo. DeRozan is starting to accept the responsibility that comes with the money. He agreed when asked that he now a young veteran and you can sense he feels ownership of this team.

Much like Bosh had things thrust upon him far too soon with the departure of Vince Carter, the same can be said for DeRozan when he came in just prior to the exit of Bosh. He has grown and developed but not always to the rate that people wanted him too. He has grown up a lot in the 5 years and you see the changes in him. Both in life and on and off the basketball court a great deal has changed.

Regardless of what happens with this Raptors season be it positive or negative, you hope that DeRozan and Johnson can make it to that other side when things do turn for the better for this franchise. You can not deny how both have fought through losing and improved as individual players and people to become the guys that had to lead this franchise through the Post-Bosh era.

Raptors Last Day Of School

It was a long day in Toronto for me yesterday. First there was the annual end of the year press conference for the players. Normally commonly refereed to as locker clean out day, but the Raptors still had a game to play. A concert by the Red Hot Chilli Peppers allowed this uncommon event to take place. The common theme of those exit interviews was a general consensus that things had changed for the Raptors. This was stated from longest serving Raptor Jose Calderon to second year man Ed Davis. What was also a common theme was a desire to grab the brass ring and make it to the NBA Playoffs next season. To say it is one thing, to believe it is another. The respect this team seems to universally have for Dwane Casey has been obvious throughout the season. Ultimately the Raptors seem to feel they now have an identity and blue print to build on towards that goal of returning to the post season.

No one seemed to have any answers or be willing to share thoughts of what they needed in terms of additions to the roster that will help in that goal of being a playoff team in 2012-13. They all deferred to Bryan Colangelo who has a massive off-season in front of him. The days of everyone just accepting the genius of Bryan Colangelo is no longer just accepted anymore. The first thing that he will be judged on is his draft choice from last season in Jonas Valanciunas who if you hadn't heard will be coming next year. While the Raptors odds of landing Anthony Davis seem bleak at this point, if Valancinus lives up to the considerable hype it might not be the disaster it appears to be for some. In my opinion the Raptors would actually be better served in some respects to wind up the runner-up and select Michael Kidd-Gilchrist also of Kentucky. The Raptors need a better option at the small forward position. James Johnson can be a good player for this team but ultimately does not have the overall skill set to be in the starting line-up. Johnson spoke of his late season blow up with coach Casey and said it is in the past and that he respects him. If the Raptors add someone that ultimately will play in front of him, it will be vital that he is able to stay motivated and contributing. While he still strongly believes in his game on the offensive end, it will be his defensive game that will be what is required for him to be part of the solution.

Andrea Bargnani looked like another person when this season began. When asked what was his best memory from this season, he said it was two minutes prior to ultimately re-injuring his calf muscle in Utah. When that happened you saw some rare raw emotion from Andrea Bargnani. After that we saw little of Bargnani and the Andrea we saw after that point looked a lot more like the Bargnani we had seen in the past. Dwane Casey in his post season remarks today praised Andrea for allowing him to push him. Ultimately heading into next season there will be two main questions. One is if Andrea Bargnani can be healthy and when injures happen can he grind and play through them. The fact this same injury was a factor no less than three times this season has to be a major concern. In addition Andrea Bargnani needs to prove the guy that many were saying was playing at an all-star level is the guy that shows up next season. Italy will not be going to Olympics so Andrea unlike some other players will not be part of things in London. He will have a entire off-season to figure all this out.

Jose Calderon will be in London and likely playing major minutes for Spain given the fact Ricky Rubio is no longer an option for the Spanish Team. Raptor fans outside of Spain may not be so thrilled with that. The Raptors have not exactly had the best of luck in terms of players participating for Spain. Calderon had one of the more solid seasons he has had in the past few years. Colangelo dismissed any thought that Calderon will be going anywhere in his remarks to the media today. He praised Calderon's defense which has improved to some degree under Casey. I would debate how much it has in comparison to Colangelo's assessment.

There seems to be a common consensus that both Ed Davis and Amir Johnson can not both remain as part of this team moving forward. I would tend to disagree with that given the uncertainty to Bargnani's health moving forward. You can throw Linas Kleiza is in that mix as well but given the coming of Jonas, if for no other reason than to help with his transition to life in the NBA and North America it would make sense that he remains on the roster.

In terms of Ed Davis this off-season will be vital for him and his long term future with the Raptors. He has yet to have a full off-season and training camp based on injuries and the NBA Lockout. I personally have concerns about Ed and his ability to develop. He seems to need to be constantly pushed. Casey consistently as mentioned his desire to see Ed and Demar both hit the weights in the off-season and get stronger. Davis when asked about it responded in a rather concerning way. He felt that people will always be questioning his size throughout his NBA Career. This sounded a lot like what use to be said by a young Chris Bosh. That said, the comparison between Bosh and Davis ends there. It is one thing to put up 24 points in a game that the other team had no desire to win and doing it in a game that matters. The organization has stated that he will be the primary focus of the Raptors Summer League team in Las Vegas. Colangelo in his remarks today basically stated that Ed Davis will be held more accountable moving forward and there will be less tolerance in terms of allowing him to develop.

There will be not much said about Demar DeRozan in this post because I had a chance to talk with him later in the day prior to the game last night. Colangelo in his remarks today said that the sky was the limit for DeRozan and he mentioned the same things that Coach Casey has stated about Demar getting bigger and stronger. He also made the point that Demar was the youngest player on this roster on a team full of young players. Colangelo also broke some news in his remarks as he stated that Dwane Casey has got his contract extended. He also made reference to Casey earning bonuses based on this teams dramatic improvement on defense.

That sums up the interviews of the players and we touched on what Casey and Colangelo had to say. Will have more on that later today or tomorrow. However let's shift to the game from last night briefly and touch on a few points.

First the crowd was addressed by Jaamal Magloire and as I had mentioned I was not looking forward to this. It was all I expected and even more. Keeping in mind that Magloire is not even under contract for next season at this point. It is thought that the Raptors might be willing to keep him around and it is clear he is desperate to be around. All of that said he when out and thanked the fans and encouraged them to stick with the team. That is your standard stuff no shock in that. The next part was, in which he more or less gave a promise of the playoffs next season. I am fine if that is Andrea Bargnani talking or Demar DeRozan stating that. We are confident they are going to be here and be a huge part in making that happen. Jaamal Magloire for all of the praise he gets has little impact directly on the floor. Everyone will tell you about his impact off of the floor and that is hard to evaluate in it's actual impact. If he is back I would not be happy about it, but that will not shock anyone.

This game was a utter shame on so many levels. The Raptors and Nets played in effect a glorified Vegas Summer League game. The only thing that made this somewhat bearable was the performance of Ben Uzoh. He got a triple double and became the first Raptor to do so since Alvin Williams in 2001. Sure this game was utterly without meaning in almost every way. That said to get a triple double under any circumstances is not easy to achieve. If it was than surly someone on the Raptors would have done it in 12 years. If you want to earn some respect or dough in the future remember the name Ben Uzoh and triple double and you will have the ultimate trivia question in about 5 years. Who is to say what the future holds for Alan Anderson and Ben Uzoh and if they will ever wear a Raptor jersey again. What you can say is good for them in doing a solid job in building a case for themselves to be in the NBA even if that isn't here in Toronto. They had an opportunity and they ceased it and took advantage of it.

Ultimately this season was about Dwane Casey establish a positive identity for the Toronto Raptors. Everyone from the players, to the fans, to other NBA Teams now have an understanding of what it means to be or face the Toronto Raptors. It seems almost comical now how some people at this time last season were still convinced that Jay Triano would still be the coach of this team heading into this season. The best decision the Raptors made this past off-season was hiring Dwane Casey and nothing else comes even close to that. The fact he earned an extension based on his performance this season will surprise no one. The Raptors will pick up the option year on his contract. He has brought back an accountability to the Toronto Raptors that had been lacking for years. When you go in the Raptor locker room it is very clear who the boss is on this team and it is him. To earn the respect of NBA players and be able to get them to buy into what you are selling is a tough job and a constant struggle. In a season that was challenging for any coach in the NBA, it allowed Casey to thrive and survive his first season exceeding almost all expectations that may have been made on what he could realistically achieve.

Up next on our off-season madness of work will be taking a look at Demar DeRozan and hearing his thoughts on what lies ahead for his future and off-season. So be on the look out for that. Also as I was making people aware on Twitter I have lined up a number of guests to talk with us about the season that was and get their thoughts on the future. That begins with my favourite guest Jack Armstrong sometime next week. Many of you missed him on the broadcasts during the final stretch so you will get you fix of Jack here in the DNB. He always has some interesting thoughts on what is going on with the Raptors and I just love having him in the blog. He even helps me learn some things when he is. So that said the season is over but the Dino Nation Blog marches on the entire off-season for the most part. So make sure to stick with us through the off-season which promises to be an eventful one for the Raptors.

Raptor Fans Are Like Elephants

People have a hard time figuring out Raptor fans. Like why on earth were they still booing Tracy McGrady after all these years. I saw a tweet from someone with the Hawks that stated that Raptor Fans are like elephants they never forget. I think that is kind of true and it is kind of what I dig about writing about this team and for Raptor Fans. To often in this modern world, so much gets forgotten and swept aside. A guy can honestly go to jail and comeback and be a hero in this world. Scandal is only temporary and it steals all the headlines. For whatever you personally think about how Raptor fans act towards guys like Vince Carter, T-Mac and Chris Bosh, it to me will always be cool. It is a collective way of people calling someone out for in their opinion doing them wrong. If it was just a one sided thing I might not be as supportive. Thing is that it isn't. If a guy like Jerome Williams, Morris Peterson or Alvin Williams show up at the ACC they are met with cheers. This is because fans believe that these players and a few others showed them respect. They did it through how they played on the court and how they treated folks off the court. Basically people in Toronto are pretty good at figuring out who is genuine and who isn't.

That leads to what Amir Johnson did last night for Raptor fans and his own fans with his Roll with Amir Event. I can't imagine the likes of Carter, Bosh or McGrady reaching into their pocket and with little fanfare taking out 50 fans for the night on their dime. But not just to give them tickets to a game, but to go out with them after the game and interact with all of them and give them stuff. All just to say thanks for their support and love throughout the season. That is what Amir Johnson has done his last two seasons here in Toronto. While on the floor he models the effort and energy and attitude of Raptor fan favourites of the past. He has taken it to a whole new level off the floor with this event. I have the good fortune to talk with anyone on the Raptors I care to with covering games. That is not the case for fans. It is something I always keep in my heart when I cover games. The average fan getting a chance to talk with an Amir Johnson or a Demar DeRozan is a rare and in some cases once in a lifetime experience.

When Chris Bosh decided to check out for South Beach it created the birth of something new. It was the Young Gunz, better known as the more politically correct Young Onez these days. Amir along with Demar and Sonny Weems took Bosh's exit as an opportunity to embrace Toronto fans. It was what they needed badly after watching yet another star player get what he could out of Toronto and then leave them behind saying thanks for the memories. Toronto needed some players to step up and say they were loved and appreciated and that is what Amir along with Sonny and Demar did. While it has been tough times for the Raptors on the floor in the past few years since Bosh has left, it never stopped these guys from being out front and still there doing their part to embrace fans. It is easy to show love for people when everything is going great and your riding high. It takes some true character and genuine love to do it even when things are not so good.

While the Young Onez may still be miles away from bringing a championship to Toronto they have had an impact on Toronto. Sonny Weems still keeps in touch with all the people that supported him here on Twitter even when he was half a world away playing ball in Europe this past season. Amir Johnson had some personal issues that never were made public other than that. Still, he keeps a smile on his face and goes out of his way to embrace the support he gets from his fans. It is something that even in a season like this Raptor fans appreciate.

The Raptors future on the floor finally seems to be turning in a positive direction. Which is great news for everyone. However, don't forget all that was done by guys like Amir Johnson in the days that were darkest after Chris Bosh left. It should be remembered and cheered as loudly as the boos that rain down on the likes of Bosh, Carter and McGrady. But like that Atlanta person tweeted " Raptor Fans are like Elephants they never forget." Make sure you remember that in terms of Amir Johnson because he more than deserves it.

All Signs Point To Celtics Blowout Win

The Boston Celtics are getting a ton of media love from all the same folks that declared them dead at the start of this NBA season. Yeah it is like that in this world. For myself the Celtics are still about the simple fact of how in Rajon Rondo playing? If the answer is good than so are the Celtics. If the answer is bad so are the Celtics. Rondo is now what drives the big three and so goes the circle of life. For anyone that thinks the Celtics are going anywhere beyond the 2nd round of the playoffs you are dreaming.

The Raptors would just like to remember what the playoffs are like? It has been a long time after all. But for now it is just another all expense paid trip to New Jersey for the NBA lottery. That is a fitting place to hold the NBA Lottery. Raptors are a banged up group with Calderon getting a second gash above his eye, Bargnani is out with his calf again, Kleiza has a sore knee and so does Amir Johnson or is it his back? Bayless gone for the season and you might have a guy on a 10 day contract trying to guard Rondo? Yeah this has every indication that it will be a complete blowout.

Against the NHL Playoffs and the Blue Jays playing down the street this could be a pretty small crowd of on lookers both in person and on T.V. The Raptors season is coming to a familiar ending and it lacks any reason to be interested. Safe to say the Raptors will be hard pressed to find a win in their next 3 games they play. After tonight with Boston it is a Sunday/Monday back to back with the Hawks.

Ed Davis will have lots of minutes to showcase himself to 29 other teams. A lot was made of his comment post game against the Sixers. I really didn't take much from it considering that Ed Davis had a father that played for several teams in the NBA and even as kid Ed was introduced to the business of basketball with his father having to change addresses. Should Ed be concerned about what the 29 other NBA teams think of him? Sure he should because if the ping pong balls come up with the name Anthony Davis that means someone is going to be voted off the island.

DeJa Vu For Two

The Raptors will get to repeat their last two games and hope for better results. The venues will be different for both but the same two teams stand in their way. First up is a re-match with Knicks that dismantled the Raptors down the stretch in the 4th at MSG. In that game Jerryd Bayless had a coming together that left him with a left hip pointer. He tried to go vs the Bulls the next night and was unable to go. Will see what his status is for tonight. If he can't go that leaves Jeremy Lin for Jose Calderon to deal with for the most part. It is hard to imagine the Raptors can change much in just a couple days to find a way to beat the Knicks or the Bulls for that matter.

Just 19 games remain in this season and for the Raptors it is much more about the individual parts than the wins and losses at this point. A number of players future with the Raptors will be decided in part based on how things go down the stretch. Ed Davis would be at the top of that list who has struggled for the majority of his 2nd season to this point. Still to move someone on a rookie contract is highly unlikely and it is next to impossible to get fair value in return. Amir Johnson has had a rough season as well. Depending on where the Raptors go in the draft it could make his future in doubt. If the Raptors hit the lottery and got Anthony Davis from Kentucky that would almost make it certain that Davis or Johnson would likely be out. When you consider the Raptors would have Bargnani and Valanciunas who are not going anywhere. There also might be a place for Aaron Gray moving forward. The rest of the Raptor additions have been a disappointment for the most part. Magloire and Butler it is safe to say will not be back. Carter is already gone. Gary Forbes may have an opportunity to prove his worth in these last 19 games. The trade of Barbosa perhaps benefits him more than anyone else. The Raptors will also have to decide what they want to do with Jerryd Bayless. He will be a RFA and have the chance to go elsewhere. The Raptors would be able to maintain his rights by matching any offer he would see come his way.

The Raptors will be looking to evaluate many things over these last 19 games. It is safe to assume some will confuse this with tanking. That ship or tank is silly to suggest at this point the Raptors are going to finish pretty much where we predicted them to finish on their merit. It was not with tanking in mind that I wrote the Raptors would finish 20-46 and 12th in the East. We are just over a month from the end of the season and yet again the focus is about the long term future and not the immediate future. Still this team is a long way from being competitive. While many look to next season as the year things finally start to turn around. That still could be true but if you expect an instant turnaround that might be a little much to expect. Bryan Colangelo will have a lot of tough choices to make this off-season and the start of those decisions is going to happen over this next month.

Things To Consider When Bargs Is Back

The Raptors are on the verge of welcoming back Andera Bargnani to the line-up fairly soon. Which on the surface seems like a major bonus for the Raptors. Which it very well could be. That being said, this will be an important moment for this season in a season that doesn't offer many of those given the Raptors 13-26 record. The Raptors in the 13 games that Bargnani did play, were 6-7 and with 27 games left, it is not like his return is getting them into the NBA Playoffs even as bad as the Eastern Conference is. However, this is still important for a lot of reasons.

First one is likely the most obvious one. After his miraculous transformation under Dwane Casey people were throwing all kinds of praise the way of Andrea Bargnani. He was a legit All-Star player according to some people and should garner consideration for a trip to Orlando. Bargnani was in Orlando but it wasn't as anything more than a spectator. When Bargnani returns we will get to see if people that thought that were right or just drunk on Raptor Kool Aid. While no one will deny the 13 game stretch from Bargnani has been perhaps the best of his career. Not just because of his offensive numbers but the fact he was more aggressive on the other end of the floor. He seemed to fit well in the new defensive scheme of Dwane Casey. Really what we saw was the effort that we had not in seasons past.

So, does Andrea Bargnani return and just continue on his redemption season, for a guy that this off-season some fans, would not have minded seeing him traded and moved along. If we do than that is great and Raptors can feel very happy to have a legit piece to build around. If we don't than many will be quick to question if that was just a mirage at the beginning of the season. Even if we get the same Andrea Bargnani back this season, it has at least for me, called into question his durability and ability to recover from injuries. This is basically a calf strain here it is not like Bargnani has had to have any kind of procedure and needs to recover from that. The fact he re-injured that same calf is troublesome too. While most will say the long lay-off has been based on the Raptors having not much to play for and are not upset at the fact they have lost a lot of games with out him. That might me the case. Still you saw Amir Johnson bang a knee and sat one game and was right back in their fighting hard. Alvin Williams back in the day was that type of guy. Vince Carter wasn't that type of guy and would miss large amounts of time for even what seemed as a pretty minor injury. It sure seems to me that Andrea trends more to the Vince side of this equation than the Williams or Johnson side. You can say so what? He is the star player and both he and the Raptors are being cautious. Still, the guys in the looker room might not see it that way. Demar DeRozan takes a beating on a nightly basis but always pops back up and never seems to miss anytime. So do they believe Andrea is injured or hurt? Wait isn't that the same thing? If you are injured, you can't play and would not help your team by being out there and could damage yourself more in the process. If your hurt, but can still contribute without any risk to your long term career, or even maybe a minor one, you owe it to the guys in that room to be out there. There were a lot of reasons Vince Carer fizzled in Toronto but one of the biggest was he lost the respect of the guys in his locker room.

Will assume that Andrea has been injured and not just hurt, but still we have more to consider. This team is just 7-19 without Bargnani this season. Early on this team might not have been able to beat some D-League teams without him. However, over time and after some embarrassing losses, this team has found a way to be competitive and even win a few games without him. Demar DeRozan after struggling out of the gate as emerged to be the second best option on this team on offense and shown some consistency of late. Many guys have stepped up their game and as team this group has played hard and fought. When the time comes that Andrea Bargnani comes back will this continue? That becomes a big question. The Raptors have got contributions from throughout the line-up from Barbosa, Kleiza, James Johnson, Calderon even Aaron Gray. Will this team continue doing those things or will they take a collective sigh of relief that Bargnani is back. As an example of what I am talking about let's take Jose Calderon, who has in the time Bargnani has been out shown some of the most aggressive nature in terms of looking for his shot that we have seen in his career. Will it continue or does he revert back to the Jose Calderon that rarely would take his own shot and was more happy to defer to others. How will other people that have seen more shots than they normally would react to getting less of them all of the sudden? There is lots of things to consider.

Will everyone be glad to see Bargnani back in the fold. Obviously the answer is yes. Still if you think that this will just magically turn into the Raptors winning games all of the sudden it might not be that simple. If they can maintain how they have played and add Bargnani's offense to that mix a lot of these close games could start falling the other way. The trick is can they still maintain that effort. It isn't as easy as it seems. That is the great thing about basketball it is a great example of a group dynamic in action. Dwane Casey we at least know will crack the whip should some folks revert backwards, for the Raptors to actually benefit from Bargnani returning need both him and them to keep playing at the same level that he did and they have.

Raptors D Helps Create A Rare Home Win.

I can't lie there is nothing about this game that I really find all that exciting. You have a bad Western Conference team playing against a worse Eastern Conference team. It did teach me Mark Jackson only played 54 games for the Raptors. I would have guessed he was hear longer than that. Oh well, excited or not we have a game to play. Steph Curry is not in the line-up for Golden State. This is where he started his road to the NBA up in the Raptors practice gym.

Early on this looked sloppy and very Summer League like as both teams looked like they had a nice Saturday night in Toronto. Monta Ellis hit a long 2 in the corner to open the scoring. Warriors were off and running up 6-0 and the Raptors were 0-6 from the field. DeRozan after no free throws vs Memphis got to the line for a pair and made both. After a Johnson and Johnson hook up for to David Lee sticks a jumper. Jose Calderon hits a running jumper and despite a pretty ugly start it was only 8-6 Warriors. Raptors were shooting 2-11 and the Warriors 4/12, a true classic this was not. The Monta basket to start the game was changed to 3 so make it 9-6 Warriors. At this rate this game may need every point it can. This game was not pretty with score 11-10 with 3:40 to play in first. Jose Calderon tried to hook up Bayless for a lay-up at the Raptors decided to go small. Bayless would have a chance to tie this thing at 14 with 2:42 to play. Bayless did just that and this game was tied and I pray it doesn't go to overtime. This game was crawling to life and the Warriors were crawling in front up 20-16 with 1:01 to play in the first. Nice slam by James Johnson might have awoken anyone that was napping. The Quarter ends in terms of scoring on that slam leaving it at 20-18 Warriors heading to the 2nd.

Warriors get the first four points and Linas Kleiza hits a long two on a pass out of the post from Ed Davis. It was an Aaron Gray type game and he made a pair of free throws, but Thompson hit a triple to to double the Warriors lead to 6. A rare DeRozan three his first in 9 game and he has 9 points Raptors again get the game within three points and single possession. Warriors were starting to pull away matching their largest lead of 7 with the score 39-32. David Lee would add two to that with a score in the post. Only good news for the Raptors was Demar DeRozan was looking good he had 11 points on 4-6 shooting after making a nice running jumper. But Warrior despite not being all that spectacular themselves still had a 47-38 halftime lead.

Took over 2 minutes for anyone to score but Amir Johnson finally did on a pass from Derozan. That opened the flood gates on both ends as Monta Ellis had a 3 and 2 and it was 52-42 Warriors. Raptors have played like they are in a comma for most of the game but found themselves down just 54-48. Raptors went back down 10 points and then finally decided to wake up and cut the lead to just 2 on Derozan bucket to make it 56-54. Raptors would even things up at 56 and like the Raptors the ACC crowd had woken up. Demar DeRozan would continue that with a dunk off a steal in transition the Raptors had their first lead since the first quarter. They would take a 60-58 lead to the 4th quarter.

Raptors held the Warriors to 5/22 in that 4th quarter. Raptors found themselves in another close game and the Warrior would get this game back to even at 62 points. But a Amir bucket in the paint followed by a Barbosa 3 gave the Raptors a 67-62 lead their largest of the early evening. DeRozan makes a pair at the line to push that lead to 7. After an Ellis bucket DeRozan answers with a jumper of his own. Raptors had a 71-64 lead with 7:30 to play. Raptors were all of the sudden a different team full of energy after a lethargic first half effort. Barbosa would go down and was shaken up...this will not help trade talks if he is not ok? That to be determined as was this game with 6:08 to play it was looking good for the Raptors. Under 5 to play and Raptors had the ball looking to make their lead double digits. Barbosa remained in the game but missed the shot to push lead to double figures. Raptors would have things go wrong for them in a couple ways. The first is the Warriors would get to within 4 points. Second was Amir Johnson went down and stayed down. Raptors would make a 3 with him lying on the floor to get the lead to 7. He would eventual get up and to his feet checking out on a foul by the Raptors. He appeared to bang knees on the play. No Twist so that is good....Raptors meanwhile looking to hang on with Ed Davis in for Amir up 80-75. Ed was having a good night getting on the glass keeping on his recent roll of decent play. Fitting of how this game started it would end with little drama as the Raptors would hang on to win it. Raptors take it 83-75.

Demar DeRozan had 25 to lead the way. Raptors won the battle of the boards 51-41 and played good defense for most of the night and it helped them hang around to have a chance to win this game after a first half effort that was just not good in terms of the offense.

This Week In Raptorland Is Born

I have said many times that the ultimate goal of the Dino Nation Blog is to be truly a multimedia site at the end of the day. This is a step in that direction as we launch our second podcast brand. This Week in Raptorland is what is called. It will take a look back at the last 7 days in all the things going on with the DNB and the Raptors. Your weekly catch up on the Raptors. We will mix in a few clips of things you might have heard in the past week along with some things you may not have heard. This along with a segment for you the readers,listeners and viewers of the DNB to not just listen to the show but be part of the show. Every week we are on the look out for a loyal DNB/Raptors fan to be our guest in the "Fan 5". It is your shot at minor fame as part of our podcast. You get 5 minutes to talk about anything Raptor related you choose and I will be your co-host and help you keep the car on the road. Enough of this writing stuff, time to get to show. Hope you enjoy it.



As far as a first effort goes, I am pretty pleased with how this turned out. Hopefully you enjoyed it as well. This is just the starting point so it hopefully keep growing and getting better as we roll. One of the biggest challenges is going to be getting you folks to interact and be a part of "The Fan 5" but it is a segment that I wanted to be part of this so you folks can be a part of the show. So get at me if you interested in being a guest for that in future episodes. Thanks to Lanny for doing a good job in getting that segment off the ground. I do realize that segment is in mono and the rest is in stereo will try and get it sorted out eventually.

Hope you enjoyed and will be looking to do more audio and video features in the future for your enjoyment.

From One Johnson To Another.

Yesterday we had James and today we have Amir. Some of the questions are the same as well we talk about the fact Amir will be an answer to a trivia question someday. We talk about how Amir has changed from his days in Detroit and what is the same. Amir is as many know the last high school player to enter the NBA. Recently on Twitter, was kicking around the idea of bringing back the high school players in some kind of H.S round of the draft. What did Amir think of the idea and what was his idea of what you could do? He tells us, along with his thoughts on how coming straight from high school has worked for him. In addition, we talk about the season with this crazy schedule, how things have been under coach Casey and his goals for the second half of the season.



Always a good time talking with Amir. He is one of the more fun guys to talk with, and is always happy to chat with us here in the Dino Nation Blog, which we appreciate. He, as I have said in this blog before, is a fun loving warrior. He plays hard and has fun and it shines through on and off the floor.

Raptors Showed Some Fight At The ACC

The Raptors and Wizards started off with a sluggish start in the first quarter. The two teams took turns leading this game only to let the other come back and even things up. The one thing the Raptors did consistently for most of the game was getting on the glass at both ends. They ended up with 61 rebounds, 64 points in the paint and 28 second chance points. That is always going to be a recipe for a win. Raptors took control of the game in the 2nd. After a three for Washington to close out the first tied at 22. The Raptors would dominate the 2nd out scoring the Wizards 33-23 and have a 10 point half time lead for there effort. The start of the 2nd half was not as good as Wizards came out and got the game to with in a single point. The Raptors got to the edge of the cliff and slammed on the breaks and hit reverse. Dwane Casey decided to make a move and take out Demar DeRozan who was getting exposed on defence. Linas Kleiza would replace him in the line-up and he fixed the issues on D and added some offence. The Raptors slowly took back the advantage they had built. By the end of the third the lead had increased to 11 and the Raptors would close things out with a strong 4th quarter to end up with the 106-89 win.

Amir Johnson had a monster throw down that prompted Matt Devlin to proclaim he was back. He did have a huge bounce back game as it turned out with 18 points, 13 rebounds with 7 of those coming on the offensive end. In what has been a tough time for Amir, who coach Casey said has been having some personal issues in terms of his family, was able to put it aside and perform. It is something that Raptor fans were happy to see from a guy that is so active with the fan base. When Amir is going good it usually has something to do with Jose Calderon. The two over the years have developed a wonderful chemistry. Calderon seemed to be trying to aid Amir in his efforts to have a great night. We saw Jose at his distributing best with 17 assists to go along with 8 points and a rare 8 rebounds from the point guard position.

In the end it was a team win with the Raptors having 5 players in double figures including 3 coming off the bench. Barbosa who was under the weather and was sent home earlier in the day came back for the game and poured in a team high 19. Kleiza who was the spark off the bench that kept this car on the road in the 3rd had 15 points. Johnson we already mentioned had 18. If my math is correct the Raptors had 63 points coming off the bench in total. James Johnson had 13 and DeRozan 11 as the other two double figure scorers. It was a rough night for Demar again shooting just 4-12 and having his issues on defence. But he like everyone was active on the glass with 7 rebounds. Easier to take a tough night for Demar when the team plays well. But still a concern as we move forward. He could use a night like Amir Johnson had sooner rather than later.

All these good feelings are great but how much it will help the Raptors come Sunday afternoon remains to be seen. They travel to Miami and face Chris Bosh and those two super friends of his Lebron James and D-Wade. The Miami Heat are a challenge for any team in the NBA. In terms of the Raptors it might be mission impossible. Dwane Casey was able to find a way to stop Miami as an assistant in Dallas, but as the head coach in Toronto that will prove to be a much more difficult task. But that is why tonight's game was so important. Instead of looking at strong possibility of facing a 4 game losing streak heading in Miami, they come in off a strong performance feeling good about themselves. In fact not just them, but fans can feel a little better about their Raptors after a performance like this tonight.

Amir Johnson is All About The Fans

It has been a rough season on the floor for Amir Johnson. But in good times or bad he always is active in giving back to his fans. He has had some of the more unique ideas in promoting himself while giving back to the people who support him. Last season, as a way to say thanks to his fans, he treated about 50 fans to a Raptor game and an after game meal with him at a pretty high end restaurant in Toronto. His latest idea encourages fans to hit the streets and take photos of his jersey or just a Raptor jersey on various things like statues or whatever I guess. This is called "Draping", rather than have me explain just go to his website for a full explanation. The deadline to get your picture posted on his facebook page or tweet it to him @IamAmirJohnson is Feb 9th which is a week today. Winners get a autographed poster from Amir and the ultimate winner 2 tickets to an upcoming Raptor Game. I really admire the creativity of Amir in his promotions. I had a brief chance to catch up with him and get his thoughts on it. There is also some thoughts on a feature I was going to do on "What you would never want to forget on a road trip?". It seemed like a good idea but never really panned out. It does lead to a funny story about how he use to steal Reggie Evans lotion a couple seasons back. So I left it in.



It is these kind of things that even when times are tough, by and large the fans will stick with you. Amir has went out of his way for fans since coming here to embrace them. In times when things are not as good that goodwill comes back to you. Most Raptors fans instead of complaining about any problems they see with Amir on the floor, more are likely just to keep rooting for him to find the answers. I make a point of this often, how players are people the same as all of us. If a player goes out of his way to appreciate you, that can only serve to help him in the long run. There was some speculation Amir might have some issues beyond basketball right now. I have no idea what they are or if that is the case. But what I do know, is that based on my interactions with him whatever the case maybe I wish him nothing but my heart felt best wishes. Fans because of who he is would agree with this I am pretty certain. Amir Johnson is an example of a guy that gets it in terms of promotion and in terms of giving back to the people that support him. That is something you love to see in any pro athlete. Something that is rare enough these days to be admired.

DNB Game In Pictures IV

For the first time doing game in pictures we have a win to talk about. So let's get at it and call your momma cause it is time to ROLL'EM!!!



If you like this video head over to You Tube and give us some love. I am off to cover the Raptors and Hawks live from the ACC tomorrow so will see what we get from that.

DNB Game In Pictures II

So we had so much fun we decided to do it again. Unfortunately another loss for the Raptors but that does not stop DNB Pictures from having some fun. So let's get ready set ROLLEM!!!

Raptors Refused To Lose

Somethings stand the test of time. The Raptors have not lost to Minnesota in Toronto since 2004. That was so long ago K.G was still on the T-Wolves. However what was different was how the Raptors would beat the T-Wolves this time around. The Raptors are making you redefine what you have come to expect from this team. The poster boy for that change is Andrea Bargnani. In his 6 years prior to this one he was never good enough to live up to his selection at number one in the NBA draft in 2006. But it is not like that draft was without other failures. A draft that saw Adam Morrison go number 3 to Charlotte, Former Raptor Patrick O'Bryant was picked in lottery at number 9 by Golden State. Brandon Roy was not a bust talent wise but he now sadly is no longer around. But there is something about that tag of first overall pick that makes you either a complete bust or a franchise changing superstar. It was 6 years of trying to avoid that label of being a bust. But this year everything we thought we knew about Bargnani has changed or it seems that way. He can't defend but this year he can. He can't be consistent but this year he has been the most consistent Raptor night in night out. In a season that Demar DeRozan was suppose to take the mantel as the face of this franchise, DeRozan has been more like Bargnani than Bargnani.

The Raptors as group have with few exceptions in there history won games based on their offence and three point shooting and flashy dunks. This Raptor team can at times be challenged to score and they feature some players who clearly have nothing going for them on offence at all. Tonight James Johnson did nothing much on offence. He did make a three pointer but by and large his shooting is not good enough for most D-League teams. What he is though is the Raptors best defender. The Raptors lack the scoring and 3 point shooting that most teams get from the small forward position. But the defence part they seem to have covered. Still it is hard to watch Johnson and even harder to watch Rasaul Butler on the offensive end of the floor. In football this wouldn't be a problem but in basketball you need to play both offence and defence. It is probably the reality that the Raptors will be looking for a small forward in the draft or spend some of that cap room to find a true starter at the position. Truth is since Rob Babcock (who now works with T-Wolves) traded Vince Carter there has never been anyone close to replacing him.

Not everything has changed with the Raptors though. Amir Johnson is still the same player he just has a lot more help in terms of defence. His chemistry with Jose Calderon remains the same. But actually one thing has changed about Amir. No it isn't his bigger muscles that he bragged about here in the DNB. He has found a way to remain in the fight. In a game that was foul filled Amir Johnson managed to stay out of foul trouble and contribute. He was able to balance five fouls and play 30 minutes having a fantastic night with 19 points and 11 rebounds and 8 of those came on the offensive end extending possessions. That was the grit to go along with fantastic 31 point and 9 rebound night for Andrea Bargnani who played 45 minutes of a possible 48.

It was a scrappy night that featured a fired up Jose Calderon that was taking on his fellow countryman Ricky Rubio. Which in the end proved to be a pretty even battle in the boxscore. Claderon finished the night with 14 points 6 assists and a steal. Rubio had 10 points the same 6 assists and 3 steals. Kevin Love meanwhile did get some numbers but had a night full of struggle to get them. He had 13 points and 14 rebounds but shot 3-16 and T-Wolves as a team shot just 33. 8% on the night.

But perhaps the biggest change came in the 4th quarter. The Raptors nearing the end of the 3rd quarter had a 12 point lead and by the early stages of the 4th quarter it was gone. That is nothing new for the Raptors. However what happened next was. The Raptors had an extra gear on this night and picked up their defence and got their offence on track, in the end building back the lead they had given away. They fought through and were able to find a way to win. They had no breaks the whole night from the refs as the T-Wolves got to the line 33 times making 26 of those free throws. Dwane Casey earned one of those free throw attempts with a technical foul. However unlike in the past the Raptors did not complain about it, they did something about it. In the end they got a much needed 97-87 win to start the first game of 3 straight.

The Raptors move on to Washington to face a desperate Wizards team that is the only team yet to register a win in the 2011-12 season at 0-8. They have already had one of those famous players only meetings and Rashard Lewis missed their last game for apparently getting into a fight with assistant coach Sam Cassell prior to tip of the game. It is clear who is in charge in Raptorland his name is Dwane Casey. He has brought an accountability back to this franchise that has been lacking for a long time. Maybe not since Charles Oakley laid down the law in the locker room as a player. Casey demands maximum effort and will accept nothing less. It doesn't mean he will always get it as the last two games before this one proved. However he is always going to demand it. His demands might just have changed the reality that we have known as the Raptors. Change has come to the Raptors and it is starting to take shape.

Bigger and Badder But Same Amir

Since Amir Johnson arrived in Toronto he has really embraced it. In fact sometimes the L.A native sounds like he is Canadian. In talking with him about his new more bigger look for the 2011-12 season he sure sounded like one. "Can you tell" Johnson said while flexing his bicep like a WWE Wrestler, " Like I said this summer the beer has been good to me, been drinking a lot of beer and it has been helping my arms." That sounds like most Canadians workout program in the summertime. But Amir Johnson is not looking like that typical Canadian guy and is not sporting any Molson Muscle that you can see. But when getting serious about things Amir talked about the work he put in while he was recovering from surgery on his ankle. "Real talk, I've been hurt all summer and I had chance to work on my body and gain some muscle," Johnson continued "So the injury kind of helped me put on some muscle and then I rehabbed on my foot all summer."

Johnson has had his position on the floor change some what playing more at the center position with move of Andrea Bargnani to the power forward. But be it at 4 or 5 according to Amir it is pretty much the same. "For me, It really doesn't matter 4 or 5, in the mean time your guarding in the same positions on the floor it doesn't matter." Johnson says. In terms of his roll on this team he sees it as the same. "I have the same role which is to play hard, play defence and rebound and block shots and control the defence." Johnson stated. Another thing that has not changed is his chemistry with Jose Calderon. It has been on full display in the Raptors first few games of this new season.

Prior to last night's match-up with Canada and Toronto's own Tristan Thompson I asked Amir for his memories about when he returned to his home in L.A for the first time. "Absolutely man, I remember myself like him being very excited to play in front of family and friends." Johnson continued and talked about the future for Thompson, " Sky is limit for him I think he is going have a bright good year this season." Amir ended up being part of the defensive effort that made it a rough homecoming for Thompson. But there will be many other chances for Thompson as perhaps the most famous Canadian baller of all time said on Twitter. Steve Nash was on Twitter late last night wishing he was able to watch Thompson make his return. He offered some encouragement to Tristan via Twitter " @RealTristan13 will be back in Toronto showing out for years. Good to get the 1st 1 out the way."

Amir Johnson has made his own impact since coming to Toronto and making it a second home for himself. He has along with Demar DeRozan and when he was here Sonny Weems as the Young Gunz turned Young Onez have reached out and touched a lot of the youth in Toronto. Amir is aware of the impact that the Raptors have on the youth of not just Toronto but across the country. "It's like a cycle and it is big" according to Johnson. We are only at the tip of the iceberg in terms of the impact of the NBA in Canada. Be it Tristan Thompson, Amir Johnson, Demar DeRozan or Steve Nash, Canada's youth have NBA stars that they now get to see on T.V or live down at the ACC. It is something that I as kid growing up never had. Amir said that he is happy to have the NBA Back and I think all of us that love the sport agree with that.

Amir is a little bigger, playing now with the starters but ultimately is the same person on and off the floor that he has been since his arrival in Toronto. Which is a fun loving warrior that gives all he has both on and off the floor. He is an example of someone that has a good balance between working hard and still having fun. Which makes for a pretty good role model even though Charles Barkley says NBA guys are not suppose to be those. If I had a son and he was an Amir Johnson fan and that was his guy, I would be cool with that.

Can The Raptors Keep Up The Pace In The Home Opener?

It is the Home Opener a little later than originally advertised:



Kardinal Offishall will be in the house for halftime as well. Not to mention prior to the game there is going to be a tail gate party that is free for everyone tickets to the game or not at Maple Leaf Square. All this because the Raptors are of course 1-0. Well not exactly but once all the hype that goes with the home opener is finished the Raptors have a tougher task in front of them than they did in Ohio.

See the Pacers actually signed good players instead of punchlines for a TNT Segment with Charles Barkley and Shaq. On a side note Shaq is going to be huge hit on TNT. But between the trade the Pacers made with Spurs and signing David West it has made them a sexy pick to be one of the improved teams in the East.

While the Raptors were making short work of the Cavs, The Pacers were doing much the same to one of the East's other bottom feeders in Detroit. Roy Hibbert the Raptors draft choice for the Pacers as part of the J.O deal got off to a nice start to the year with 16 points and 14 rebounds. He will be a load to deal with for the Raptors tonight. Pacers had 3 players with double doubles in that win and 5 were in double figures as they beat Detroit 91-79.

Key Match-Up: Could go with Roy Hibbert vs Amir Johnson but instead let's go with Paul George and Demar DeRozan. Two young rising stars in the league doing battle at the shooting guard. DeRozan did not look his best in Cleveland till near the end of the game. Tonight he will have a legit test on both ends of the floor.

Other Things of Note: Pacers got to the line 25 times vs Detroit making 20 of those. They also shot 46.7% from beyond the 3 point line. They also feature a deadly duo of point guards with Darren Collison and George Hill. Lou formally Louis Amundson was also added to the Pacers and did not play in the opener.

Raptors are 10-6 in home openers last year snapping a streak of 4 straight wins in their home opener with a loss to the Knicks. It is hard to find any stat in Raptor history where they have a winning record but this is one of them. It is just the rest of the season that has been the problem. Those other 81 games or in the case of this season 65.

So the atmosphere should be off the hook to start. Will it be by the time this one is over becomes the big question. If the Raptors can hang with Pacers that would open a lot more eyes than beating the Cavs. But it will not be easy. Pacers look to have a very talented team that I predicted in this blog should be one of the 8 teams left standing for the playoffs in the East. Early Start time for this game of 6pm? Why that is I have no clue. But it is on once again as basketball officially has returned to Toronto.

Raptors K.O The Cavs.

The Raptors went to Cleveland and they showed us some things we have not seen in a long long time. Hustle and heart and an overall team effort that we haven't seen in years. The defence first was as advertised and much improved. But the offence was not left at the border either. The Raptors had 10 players play in the game and 8 of those 10 were in double figures scoring. Calderon and DeRozan led the group effort with 15 points each. For DeRozan the majority of that came late in the 4th quarter. Calderon was great on offence and not nearly the liability he has been in the past on defence. Amir Johnson might have been the best of the bunch getting the start at the center position and he had 13 points and 13 rebounds some key ones down the stretch.

Andrea Bargnani was not the scoring force we are use too. But he was able to make some key baskets down the stretch as well. Calderon clearly made his case for why he should be the starter for this team with 15 points as mentioned but 11 assists and 6 rebounds as well. The Raptors battled hard and had 9 blocked shots and won the battle of the boards 45-37. Ed Davis looks much improved as well as he got a key offensive rebound and a put back score when the Cavs had crept back to within 2 points.

Tristan Thompson had a solid debut for the Cavs. He had 13 points and 5 rebounds in just 17 minutes on the floor. Kyrie Irving the first overall pick struggled with 6 points shooting 2-12 and was able to get 7 assists despite his troubles shooting. The Cavs looked like the team that was well on the way to returning to the lottery more than the Raptors on this night.

There were bumps in the road along the way but the Raptors for the most part gave 100% effort on both ends of the floor and were rewarded with a win for their efforts. Forget pounding the rock the Raptors were passing it and doing it well. They had 35 assists on 42 made field goals shooting 53.2% from the field. While the Raptors held the Cavs to just 41.2% from the field.

Give the Raptors credit for taking apart a team that they should beat. The home opener should be a step up in class with the much improved Pacers coming to town for the Raptors home opener on Wednesday. But if the Raptors can perform like they did tonight the ACC will be more filled than expected this year and fans will have a lot more to get excited about.

This was in it's truest sense a team win. The Raptors are never going to beat to many teams any other way. If you were told that DeRozan would do little in the first 3 quarters of this game and that he and Bargnani would combine for just 28 points what would you think the result would be? Chances are a loss and likely a bad one. But the Raptors may have answered a question that I asked in the preview for this game. Who is going to be the third scorer for this team? The answer might be everyone. The simple fact is the Raptors will need a team effort to have any chance to win games. Against some of the better teams in this league even with that team effort it will be tough to pull off a win. But without it the chances are next to impossible.

This is a long way from being a fair tale story just yet. But the Raptors matched apathy in terms of expectations with energy and hustle that people who have followed this team have not seen in years. So far so good but this is just step one of what is going to be a tough grind of a season for everyone in the NBA. But it was about as good a first step as you could have hoped for. The Raptors showed they can play defence and not let it stop them from being able to score on the other end.

After a long lockout and more gloom and doom talk than you can shake a stick at, the Raptors provided fans a performance they can be proud of and a win. Dwane Casey deserves a lot of credit for changing the attitude of this team. Under Jay Triano the Raptors would have folded at some point and lost their lead and given up. That didn't happen tonight. Things have changed and the change was badly needed. Raptors win 104-96 and cruise into the winner's circle.

Who is Core Worthy?

Toronto Raptors by almost anyone you will talk to are playing for the 2012-13 season in the 2011-12 season. The Raptors talk about have a young core that they are building around. But who really belongs in this core and will survive to the other side when this team is actually good. At least we hope will be good.

Demar DeRozan is the obvious lock on this list. Everyone hopes to see the same strides from DeRozan we saw last season. Casey would obvious like to make his future star player into a better player on the defensive end. He will have more chance of success with him than Andrea Bargnani. DeRozan has the athletic tool set to use on either end of the floor. He will be the face of this franchise and if he isn't this team is in serious trouble.

Amir Johnson is the running buddy and the only remaining Young Gun along side DeRozan. While many question his contract it is impossible to question his heart. If Casey can help Amir find a way to stay on the floor and still keep his aggression he could be an important piece to turning this team around on the defensive end. He likely becomes part of the rotation and a bench player as this team evolves. Given his salary that is a pretty expensive bench player.

The Raptors will say that Andrea Bargnani is part of their future. I will say in the words of Public Enemy not to believe the hype. Casey is not a miracle worker and Bargnani is not Dirk. You can't hide him and many with good reason question if he has any effort or desire to rebound and defend. Sure he can shoot 3's and score in bunches but that alone is not enough. The heat will only increase when Bargnani sooner or later moves to the power forward spot and still sucks. Amir Johnson and Ed Davis are not going to sit on the bench long if that would be the case. A Bargnani trade must happen or a least should happen if this team is serious about rebuilding.

Jerryd Bayless is no doubt young and did show flashes at the end of the season. While I think almost everyone will agree that Calderon is not part of this team's core moving forward the question is will Bayless be? There will be lots of attractive options in the draft including at point guard. For example would anyone not take Austin Rivers today and start him in front of both Bayless and Calderon? This season Bayless needs to make a clear claim that he is the point guard for this basketball team. The easiest way to do that is play on the defensive end of the floor. Jose Calderon has yet to figure out the mysteries of how to play defence in the NBA and is not likely to find the God of Defence under Casey. Ultimately Bayless is likely your back up combo guard when this team is on the path to being good.

James Johnson was everyone's flavour of the month last year other than perhaps me. But honestly people is this the guy you see as you small forward going forward? Really? I remain unconvinced of that fact. I do think he can be a solid option on a bench in a winning situation. But there was a reason this guy didn't get time on a good team in Chicago and that is he is not good enough too. In Toronto with virtually no competition and currently literally no competition it is easy to start. But there is no way I would consider Johnson a top 30 player at his position. If Johnson wants to live up to the hype he created last year he should have the chance to do it. Could he be part of the core going forward? Yes. But would I have him as part of it? No thanks I will pass. James Johnson is becoming the new version of Joey Graham for me. Hopefully it is not as long a painful a process.

Ed Davis is likely a lock to be in this core. His rookie season showed signs of promise. rebounding and shoot blocking are two things currently is short supply. Ed Davis brings you both and the Raptors have some more of that stored over in Europe at the moment. Davis is never going to be the smooth offensive player that Chris Bosh was. But that being said Bosh may not ever be the shot blocker that Davis potentially could be. If the Raptors were to cut bait on Bargnani he could find his way to the starting line-up. If not he still will always find minutes regardless of if he gets his named called. There is no question his skill set can make him someone that can be a solider in the change that Dwane Casey wants to bring on the defensive end of the floor.

Jonas Valanciunas has impressed everyone and for some provided a glimpse of hope for the future during the dark days of this NBA Lockout. If he can bring what people have seen with him to the NBA he will answer the Raptors questions at Center. But can he do what he is doing on the NBA level is still the remaining question. One of the biggest issues in that transition will be foul trouble. He likely is going to have trouble staying on the floor in the NBA. But with Dwane Casey's defensive system with a high use of zone concepts it may prove to be an excellent fit for him and make the transition smoother than it might be elsewhere. In many ways Valanciunas is the Anti-Bargnani. He rebounds, he defends and he likes to get in the mix and get dirty. There is more than enough promise to believe he could have a bright future with the Raptors. You would love to see the Raptors bring in an assistant coach to work with bigs and help speed his development along. Patrick Ewing working with Dwight Howard type situation. Who that guy would be? Not sure. If you look in the Raptors past a guy like Antonio Davis comes to mind. His kids are done school by now and would not have to learn the metric system right? No clue on if A.D has any desire to get into coaching at all but someone like that.

That pretty much is the base of what the Raptors will be taking forward with them to the other side and hopefully grow into a successful team. How the Raptors use this cap space they will have to build around this core they have will be the big question as to if they get to that other side. In the past when the Raptors had a young Vince Carter and Tracy McGrady they surrounded them with a group of veterans that helped them grow and learn. That is what this team is really lacking right now. The leaders they have in terms of experience are guys that hardly fit the bill. That is why a guy such as Reggie Evans may not be a part of the long term future but can at least be a guy that can keep the peace until some more guys of his experience and style come along. Jose Calderon is not going to lead anyone anywhere.

Raptors season will be more about the individuals and their development both individually and as a group. There is little chance this team can go anywhere but the lottery and given the draft class this year that is far more appealing than getting swept by the Heat in the first round as an 8th seed. At least there is only 66 games to endure and not 82. But do not expect anything dramatic from the Raptors unless Bryan Colangelo has been lying to us all. Raptors will have 3-6 new faces on the roster this year but I would not imagine to many of those players will be long term guys as far as the future goes.

Embarrassment Should Equal Change

I was going to do a re-cap of the Raptors latest humiliation but I decided to just give you a quick run down in the first paragraph. The Raptors were against the worst team in the league and a team that they had beaten twice, by 20 at the ACC in late October and by 15 in Cleveland in January. After an embarrassing performance in NYC the Raptors returned home to take the bar even lower as it turned out. To be down 22 to the worst team in the league is totally unacceptable and quite honestly a joke. You can say what you want about the talent on this roster but I think everyone would agree there is more here than in Cleveland. How anyone can not hold Jay Triano responsible for these constant embarrassments is beyond me. True the Raptors as they often do made a run, and made the game closer than it truly was. But when it started and when it mattered they were a train wreck. The effort was awful and obvious. I love Reggie Evans and he never is lacking effort. But when Reggie Evans is leading your team in scoring for most of the first half something is wrong. True when you talk about effort that points to the players. But at this level it is one of the main jobs of a coach in my opinion to motivated and extract effort from your team. Not just effort after you have shown none. Apologists be dammed, Jay Triano owns some of the responsibility for this. We have seen some of the most humiliating and embarrassing losses in Raptor history with him as the head coach.

Jose Calderon and Andrea Bargnani are also part of this problem. They are a defensive liability and when you play point guard in this league and can't stay with Baron Davis that says it all. In terms of Bargnani there has been zero improvement in his game defensively and if you are going to give Triano praise for the development of DeRozan and Davis, you would need to blame him for Bargnani as well. He himself has admitted to his lack of improvement. Has Bargnani ever missed a start? Has Calderon, if it was not for injury? Would Sam Mitchell have allowed this to go on without sending a message to them? Not likely as Sam Mitchell for what he might lack in offensive creativity or X's and O's he knew how to get a message across. Triano may know his O's very well but his X's are sorely lacking. This all becomes a question of not wins and loses but of a culture. If you are the young players that will be part of this team's future how are you going to react to all this? You have a player in Bargnani that seldom brings any effort at all on the defensive end of the floor but is never really impacted by it. Jose Calderon gets blown by on a consistent basis and if you can show me the last time he fought through a pick I would love to see it.

Talking about defence is wonderful. Jay Triano has talked about it a lot. But his actions do not reflect his words to any real degree as long as Bargnani and Calderon are able to exist with no fear of losing their role no matter how awful they play on that end of the floor. Yet Sonny Weems after leading the team in scoring the night before for sent to the bench in favour of newly acquired James Johnson. Weems is not setting the world on fire with his defence either. But is this a consistent message. Is this the culture you want to create? I don't know about you but it sure isn't one that I want any part of. You can talk defence till you blue in the face, until we see it have actual real consequences for everyone on this roster from 1-12 it means nothing. The reality is with and without Chris Bosh there has been on constant in that Jay Triano has coached this team to the bottom of the league in defence. How on earth their is a story floating around that Jay Trinao may stay and Colangelo could be the one that goes is a total joke to me.

Now I am the first to say Colangelo has not done a great job as well. I have felt that major moves he has made since coming to the Raptors have been failures. But I will give him this much he has been able to press the reset button a couple of times and re-position this team to rebuild itself. This with the bad contracts of both Bargnani and Calderon on the books. Colangelo has to come to grips with the fact that Andrea Bargnani is never going to grow into what he had hoped he would. He lacks the drive and desire to be anything beyond an above average scorer in this league. I would also question is true toughness. Amir Johnson has played through so many things that we know of and probably a few that we don't. To have that drastic contrast to Bargnani is something that makes it pretty obvious. I will go into battle with a guy like Amir Johnson and even if I am not going win the fight, I know that at the very least he is going give me all he has. The longer you keep Bargnani the less likely you are able to move him. You only need to look at Jose Calderon for proof of that. He is to the point he is unable to be moved. Colangelo almost pulled a rabbit out of his hat this summer moving him to the Bobcats. But nothing Calderon has done has made him any easier to get rid of now. It just confirms what everyone knows already. Calderon is a talented pass first point guard at times. His shot is on a steady decline. He can't defend a broom and can be taken out of a play with a pick easier than almost any player in the NBA. While he has proven to not be durable on top of all of that.

I am willing to believe in Bryan Colangelo one last time. But only if some things change. Triano needs to go and Bargnani needs to go. While Sam Mitchell and Bryan Colangelo was not the best marriage in the world. Sam had some good core values about basketball that Colangelo is lacking. Colangelo has never put a high priority on defence and this team needs a coach that does. Not just that will talk about it but act on it.

The one thing that is extremely clear to me is this. If Bryan Colangelo, Jay Trinao and Andrea Bargnani all remain when we start playing basketball again the Raptors are doomed to failure. If no changes happen at all to these 3 key positions in this franchise, how is anyone suppose to believe other wise. This team needs to have a culture of accountability, and it is clear with this group it is lacking that accountability. Why this is very important is you have a very young team that could easily fall apart if this does not change. Demar DeRozan and Ed Davis have still bright futures ahead. But if they grow frustrated with losing and nothing being done to change that, how on earth are they going to grow. People are human after all and if they are in an environment of losing after awhile it is going to have an impact on them.

Ever Raptor fan that was been on board with this franchise from day 1 can tell you all about it. For 16 years we have had to endure a team that has seldom performed to a level of a good team in the NBA. We have watched countless stars grow tired and frustrated and walk away from this franchise. The one theme between all of them is that they lost faith in this franchise to produce a winner. Fans don't have contracts or become free agents. Bloggers don't either to any degree. I have been both and still am both. I have endured 16 years of frustration and have had enough of this constant cycle of failure. The Raptors need to make bold aggressive changes if they are going to truly fix things. They need to look into the mirror and honestly look at where this franchise is at. Which is in a really bad place with people clinging to any small sign of hope they can find. Jay Triano is a great guy, he is and will be a real icon in the sport of basketball in this country. But he also is a guy that has shown no reason for people to have the blind faith they do in him. People always point to his job with Team U.S.A. That is not the NBA. Coach K that is the head coach of that program is smart enough to know what Jay brings to the table in that environment. He has a wealth of experience about the international game as a player and a coach. That doesn't make him an NBA head coach anymore than it does Coach K. Have you ever stopped to wonder why he stays at Duke? Simple answer is he is smart enough to know the NBA is a different, and while coaching an All-Star like roster for a couple of months can be successful, coaching even a great NBA franchise does not offer such guarantees

Change must happen for the Raptors and if it doesn't more embarrassing nights like last night are going to happen. Your future stars are going to develop in a losing culture and get frustrated and want out. Ask Chris Bosh, Vince Carter, Tracy McGrady and so on they will all tell you. 16 years of this is more than enough and having some of lowest points in this franchises history only serve to drive that fact home. Change or fail. Simple as that.

Snow in Toronto, Suns in Arizona

It is your DNB preview of the Raptors and Suns. Here is my breakdown as we talk about Suns coming into this one off a triple OT loss to L.A. No secret the Raptors would like to take advantage of that with a fast start in this one. Have a listen to all my thoughts on this one.

Check back for the Recap in the AM. When is SPRING COMING...Like SERIOUSLY!!!