Start Of A Tough Home Stand For The Raptors

These next 4 games at home are not going to be easy starting with the team with the best record in the NBA on their annual "Rodeo Trip" the San Antonio Spurs. So far the Spurs are 3-1 on the trip after dropping the opener to Portland 99-86 who the Raptors will see Friday, from there the Spurs have beat the Lakers, Sacramento and Portland since. This is right smack in the middle of this 9 game road trip for San Antonio. The Raptors come in off a very ugly loss last night in Milwaukee and have lost 13 of their last 14. But the Raptors are on a one game home winning streak with the win over the T-Wolves. Prior to that they had not won since January 9th vs the Kings. No word on status of Jerryd Bayless tonight who did not travel with the team to face the Bucks. Reggie Evans is still at least a week away by all accounts but is looking pretty good from what people are saying. Let's be blunt about it, the Raptors are in tough tonight matched up with the best team in the NBA record wise this season.

The Basics: Spurs 43-8 (4-3 vs East On Road) Raptors 14-38 (4-4 vs West at Home)

When Last We Saw Them: It was ugly pretty much all night as the Raptors shot a terrible percentage and eventually the Bucks pulled away from the Raptors in this one. Beyond Andrea and Demar the Raptors were hard pressed to get points and only managed 74 points just two off the season low vs Orlando of 72 on January 21st. Andrew Bogut again proved to be a problem for the Raptors and they did not have an answer to stop him or Brandon Jennings in this one.

Key Match-Ups: Matt Bonner has been recently out for the Spurs so Toronto may not have to worry about the Red Rocket. Bonner despite the efforts of The Basketball Jones is not going to the 3 point contest either. Bonner has had a nice season with Spurs and has become a decent player for them. All the Red Rocket love aside the most important guy on Spurs to deal with is Manu Ginobili. Sonny Weems struggled guarding the Bucks wings and this is a step up in class from that. The Raptors will also need to deal with DeJaun Blair who ripped apart the Raptors when the teams met up in San Antonio. All this and you also have Tim Duncan and Tony Parker to account for as well. It is in short going to be a tough night for the Raptors and they may not have a clear advantage in any match-up on the floor. If it is DeRozan that guards Manu that would still leave Sonny with Richard Jefferson to deal with. Nothing easy about this one for the Raptors. A glimmer of hope DeRozan poured in 28 in that 104-95 loss vs Spurs. But the Raptors really got beat badly in that game in the paint by Blair and Manu had a big night as well.

Other Things Of Note: I will be liveblogging this one for the good folks at The Score. Also today on Twitter will be announcing the Trivia Question that can make you our VIP Guest at our (Un) Welcome Back Bosh Party that goes down next week. Reggie Evans is going to be a Dad for the 3rd time and the due date is the day the Heat come to town. Not sure if Reggie will be ready for that game and even if he is may have to tend to the newest member of the family. I offered him my best wishes to him and his family, and do the same here in the Dino Nation Blog. Reggie is a good dude and the Raptors really have missed him. They were 8-11 when the big fella went down, and since things have not been as good with other injuries that followed, and a lot of losses. I am down covering the next game as the Raptors may have Brandon Roy to deal with as well as the rest of the Trailblazers on Friday.

Where Is It On? TSN2 ( Sorry Spurs you are the best team in NBA but TSN has to start getting ready for NHL Trade Deadline I am sure you understand )

"Jiggly Bits" - Danielle de Graauw

It was hard not to get excited this weekend. The Olympics were on and the NBA found its way to permeate this with Steve Nash helping to light the flame. Then he wins the skills competition and participates in Sunday's All-Star game. Fine, Dwayne Wade wins MVP of that contest but Steve Nash is my vote for weekend, season and all around awesome player to watch MVP. This wasn't even my most favourite part of the weekend. So I am watching the Rookie game Friday expecting a low key mix of some up-and-comers and was completely blown away. We knew Tyreke Evans was the lay-up king and would quickly prove to be the Rookie All-Star MVP; however, it was his move during the trophy presentation that truly inspired me. He complimented fellow Rookie All-star DeJuan Blair on his skills and invited him to hold the MVP award together. No egos here, folks. Let's hope this lasts.

The trade deadline - things to watch

We could talk about the rumours and speculate who will go where but really, it all boils down to this. With 30 games left in the season, the championship contenders are trading to get that final piece to an NBA Championship victory and everyone else is looking to make the rest of the season not so painfull. I really want you to think outside the box in the next week when the trade deadline comes and goes. This is how you can properly evaluate whether a trade was good or bad.

One - Don't just look at players, look at systems. This is really key. We can all get caught up in the emotion of whether Amar'e Stoudemire would be a good fit for Lebron James and the Cavs but this may not translate well on the court. There is a reason why coaches are fired over dismantling a team entirely. We can't just look at players and how they play together, we have to consider the systems coaches present and how it affects their game. I remember playing under one coach who pushed his defensive systems over offense and my game was remarkably different under the next coach who's philosophy was to keeps things even and simple. Look at the player and their style of play and see if it fits in the team's coaching style. A better predictor of a successful trade in my opinion.

Two - Remember the game is played OFF the court and on the court. You may think your favourite player is safe and may not be traded but don't get too comfortable. It's a fun game to watch and play but at the end of the day, the NBA is a mulit-million dollar business and the players are assets to be protected. This is this cold-hearted truth. I've been a fan of the NBA since I came out of the womb (and yes, the doctor wrapped me in purple and gold) so please don't get the impression this means I'm cold hearted. Consider this: Antoine Wright knows how a trade can come out of no where and disrupt a player's life. He also understands, I think more than any other Raptor, how cruel this business can be. He's making shots and playing the strong game that brought him to Toronto from the Mavs but I am sure he is fully aware that his expiring contract is pretty attractive to Raptors Execs who want to trim the budget. So look at contracts and how much it costs to keep a player on a team and how much value a player has.

Three - Be mindful of how a mid-season trade will affect the existing chemistry of a team. This is why I am almost positive Chris Bosh is safe. I know what I just said about games being played off the court but truthfully, the Raptors have a momemtum at home that can take them into the play-offs and the fans are really rallying around the team. A Bosh trade now can really break that momemtum. This is the hardest adjustment period for a team and the traded player. Players don't like it when you take away starters or players that mean alot to the team. And on the other hand, adjusting to new offensive and defensive systems make it a challenge for the player coming onto a new team. So consider all this in the next few days.

David and the "Stern" Press Conference

So David Stern calls a press conference during the NBA All-Star weekend and I'm thinking *yawn* big deal. Oh, so Team U.S.A. will compete at the Word Championships in Turkey? Ok. And the NBA is opening an office in Africa and is also looking at India and the Middle East? Cool - peaks my interest. But this is where it gets interesting. He announces the NBA is projected to loose $400 million dollars this year and ..wait for it...they are looking for a "sustainable business model" where every NBA team can compete. Oh yeah and he'd like the deal "if possibile please" before July 1st of this year. Before the free agency trade deadline? I am with Charles Barkley on this one - totally inappropriate to discuss during "the greatest pick-up game on earth" as Kobe Bryant describes All-Star weekend. So really, David Stern has admitted to the world the NBA hasn't learned anything from 1983. This was when the league and the Players Association made an agreement that saw the first revenue sharing plan in league history. Although Stern was not the NBA Comissioner at the time, he acted behind the scenes as a major player.

This is what really bothers me. I don't understand how anyone can get up there and essentially say the organization I represent is loosing $400 million dolllars and we want a deal asap. David Stern's argument is he just wanted to start discussions early. Seriously? The current deal expires in a year and a half, after the 2010 -2011 season. He says the NBA's books are open but I am really questioning where the loss is coming from. Is it from the NBA's books or the other businesses they own? If I were a player in the NBA, I'd be asking the same question.

"When the Game was Ours" - Larry Bird, Magic Johnson with Jackie MacMullan

Loved this book. It really made me appreciate how the landscape of the game has changed over the years. It described how some players like Boston Celtic M.L.Carr put himself and his family at risk just to play NBA basketball. He arrived in Boston as a free agent in 1979, a few years after Boston public schools were integrated by forced busing. And of course, it went into detail of the rivalry between Magic Johnson and Larry Bird. Gotta love how a commercial can bring two players together who couldn't stand each other up to that point. I was ten (you do the math) when that "Choose Your Weapon" campaign was born back in the late 80s and I am sure I would have been all over a pair of purple and gold Converse sneakers. So if you are an employee of Converse and are reading this, I wouldn't mind a pair if you have any left over. I'm a size 9.5.

Opportunity Is Knocking Will Raps Answer The Door?

When you think about the San Antonio Spurs you think Matt Bonner...well some Raps fans do, but to be serious you think Tim Duncan and you think Tony Parker. One of that dynamic twosome will be on the shelf for tonight's match up vs the Spurs. Parker suffered an injury on Friday and reports are he could be out a week and will not be in the line-up tonight for the Spurs. The Raps have been catching some breaks in this early season and have had mixed results in taking advantage of them. They faced a Magic team down 3 key players and got beat badly anyway. While they faced a Detroit team down a couple key players and got the win. Parker is a key part of what the Spurs do on the offensive end and would have given them an advantage based on his skill and speed. That being said the Spurs have added to their overall talent with the likes of Richard Jefferson and drafting Blair from Pittsburgh as well. They also have "Raptor Killer" Roger Mason Jr and a healthy Manu. George Hill will be replacing Parker in the starting line-up. The Spurs also come into this game on a rare for them 2 game losing streak and are below .500 at 2-3. So based on that alone the Raps should not take the Spurs for granted.

Not to mention the Raptors own awful performance in Dallas. It was the second half of a back to back for the Raps but that was an awful effort on the defensive end. The Spurs are a team that has a number of shooters and can take advantage of the Raptors lack of a perimeter defense. The Raptors are one of the best offensive teams in this league so far. While the Spurs traditionally have been one of the best on the defensive end of the floor. However like the Raps they are trying to get some new faces into the mix and gave up 113 and 96 points in loses to Utah and Portland.

Some Keys To the Game:

Rebounding- The Raps will need to fight and claw on the glass as the Spurs have only got better on the boards with the addition of Blair he has been averaging 7.6 boards in just 18 minutes on the floor and Duncan 11.8 but after that there is a drop off and Spurs have actually averaged on the season just 39 boards a game while giving up 42. Toronto needs to win the battle on the glass and help use defensive rebounds to launch transition offense. Also getting on the offensive glass and getting some second chances points as well.

Tempo- Raptors should look to push the pace on both ends of the floor. We have seen the Raps break out a press defense a few times this year. Might not be a bad idea tonight with no Tony Parker to handle the basketball. While on offense an easy basket via the transition is always welcomed, any easy score you can get on the Spurs is helpful. The less times you have to line up and play this team in the half court the better.

No 3's Please- The heck with the house, get those darn kids chucking rocks and breaking windows. Yes beware of Duncan on the inside but not at the expense of watching Manu, Roger Mason Jr and friends light it up from the outside. Basically if you are guarding a 3 point shooter your HELP is not required, leave it to the others on the floor to sort out. If you have ever seen the movie Top Gun, the Raptors need to stick with their wing man in the basketball sense. If Tim Duncan gets 40 and Raps lose I will say I was wrong, but pretty sure that is not happening. 3>2 and that is not changing anytime soon.

Some Key Players

Spurs: Roger Mason Jr. - He is shooting just 29.4 % from 3 point range. For whatever reason Mason has been a thorn in the Raptors side and always has had great games vs Toronto. What did we do Roger? I may never know but what I do know is this guy always brings it against the Raps

Raptors: Jose Calderon - No excuses with no Parker this is a game that Calderon must dominate and play like the Jose that some people see as a top 10 PG in the league. He has had to decent nights on this road trip he really needs to break out and have a good one tonight.

X-Factors

Spurs: DeJaun Blair- NBA scouts flat out dropped the ball on this kid. He can provide energy and effort and will be a load to deal with on the glass. He played his college ball in the rough and tumble Big East and the guy is a beast. Always need to know where he is when a shot goes up.

Raptors: Antonie Wright- He has been showing hustle and energy out on the floor and the Raps will need some of that. While many would like to see him in the starting 5...I remain happy with seeing him come off the bench and it is a role he has embraced. Manu, R.J and a few others are tough guys to guard and Wright can be a factor if he can help quiet on of them.

I just got word from The Score HQ that the Dino Blogger has once again been called to duty to cover this one for you on The Score.com and Score Mobile...this is a game on Raps T.V so if you don't have that you might want to come hang with us. Even if you do it is a great way to interact with a bunch of Raptor fans like yourself. Your own virtual Raptor Party if you will.

Raps and Spurs Live Blog Link

Also if you follow my Twitter @Dinonationblog you likely already know. However I am pleased to say tomorrow the Dino Nation Blog welcomes back Chuck Swirsky a day before his Bulls hit the T-Dot. The interview was taped today and I hope you will enjoy it. Chuck always is great to talk with and has some interesting thoughts about the Bulls, Raps and 2010. Look for links to that interview on Twitter as well as to tonight's game with Spurs and Raps. Following the Dino Nation Blog on Twitter is the best way to stay on top of what I am doing and things going on with the blog.

3 More Sleeps To Draft Night.

So much talk and speculation in the air. The NBA draft goes down this Thursday and all those Mock Drafts can be thrown out and the REAL DRAFT BOARD takes center stage. Shockingly last night no one on the MMVA's asked Bosh about his thoughts on the draft. O.K maybe it isn't so shocking. If George Stroumboulopoulos still worked for Much he would have asked. I could go on and on about how much that the MMVA's left me feeling old and less than entertained. I liked Kelly Clarkson and they should have cancelled the show American Idol once she won the first show. But this is a basketball blog not some gossip rag like Perez Hilton does. How does a guy like that get popular and tell others what is cool? If that is what determines if you are cool the Dino Blogger will pass on being cool. Although the NBA Draft process is not full of rumours and gossip. But if people expect Chris Bosh to have his name mentioned on draft night as part of a trade you will be sad and disappointed much like a little girl who did not get to touch her favourite Jonas Brother. Bosh is not getting traded on draft night. I will gladly but my streak of predicting things correct on the line.

Also, when you consider all the promotional work Bosh has being doing lately in Toronto. Can anyone seriously say that Bosh hates the city? He could stay home in Texas and not come back to Toronto until training camp for the most part. In fact lots of NBA players really do like the city. Playing for the Raptors and how folks feel about the city are not as connected as people like to believe. Demar DeRozan has been the latest who had been tagged with this anti Toronto and anti Canada label. DeRozan when he did finally workout for the Raptors said he loved the city. What concerns me far more from his thoughts on Toronto is the fact he worked out solo. I would much rather have seen him do a traditional workout against others. Unfortunately that did not happen. That likely has more to do with DeRozan's agent and not the kid himself. Agents have a lot to gain or lose on draft night just as much as the players they represent. In the way that NBA is set up the lower the player goes the less money they make. So some agents go out of their way to protect their clients from being exposed. But just in trying to avoid that sometimes that costs them just the same.

Jonny Flynn on the other hand is on the rise with most people as DeRozan and his stock for some is dropping. It is hard to find anything bad to say about Jonny Flynn. He is a small point guard that can jump out of a gym. He is a much better defender than he is given credit for. You can blame the school he played college ball for that. Syracuse using the zone as the primary defense has left many an NBA scout wonder what kind of defenders players from Syracuse can be on the next level. Joey Graham was thought to be a good defender coming out of college but playing in mostly zone at Oklahoma State perhaps helped that reputation live. The obvious issue for Flynn would be his size. However there have been a number of smaller guards to hit the league that have made that risk seem a lot less.

There has also been talk that Flynn could end up replacing what the Raptors traded away last year in T.J Ford. In terms of defense Jack Armstrong said Flynn in his opinion will be better defender than Ford. I think it is pretty common knowledge that I am a T.J Ford fan. However I agree that T.J could be a much better defender than he shows. I would also agree that Flynn is going to be more Rajon Rondo like in terms on defense. If both Flynn and DeRozan are on the board I am taking Jonny Flynn. But would Bryan Colangelo is the real question.

The worst case for the Raptors would be if both Flynn and DeRozan were gone. What happens if that is the case? Well if it is that may mean that a couple of guys have fallen down the draft board. Who are they? Could be Tyreke Evans and Stephen Curry. Long before a lot of Raptor fans knew who Demar DeRozan was, Curry was the people's choice. His dad Dell a former Raptor and it seemed like a logical fit. To the best of my knowledge Curry has not worked out for the Raptors and I would expect at this late hour is not going to be. I think the major concern for Curry is defense. The two most likely teams that could hide that weakness would be the Warriors and the Knicks. Now take it for what it is worth because believe it or not people tend to lie as the draft gets closer. I know that is shocking isn't it. However the talk is the Knicks have not been in love with Curry as much as they once were. Evans has been the name I would hear tied to Derozan. Some were for Evans and others were for DeRozan. Evans is a combo guard out of Memphis and if the Raptors drafted him he most likely plays the 2. This may not be fair but when you consider all the questions the surround the Memphis program you might have some concerns about Evans. Draft Express also lists in terms of weak points his decision making and 3 point shooting.

Aside from those two player you have Jrue Holiday out of UCLA. Another combo guard that the Raptors would likely be looking to play at the 2. I personally watched a few UCLA games this year and to be honest was not blown away by him. He is said to have good defensive skills. However when I read not ready to contribute right away and limited upside that scares the heck out of me. The Pac-10 had a pretty down year overall. Which is something to consider not just with Holiday but DeRozan as well.

If you want to throw a complete wild card into the mix how about DeJaun Blair from Pitt. He much like Glen "Big Baby" Davis has lost a ton of weight since we last saw him on the floor. Davis when I first saw him in summer league for the Celtics I was truly shocked. Same reaction will be when some people see Blair. However being so undersized in terms of height I do not know if he can be effective on the next level. I can not see him ever playing at 3 and he is to small to play 4. In today's NBA I think you would need to be the second coming of Charles Barkley to be effective at the size. I don't see Blair as that. He does have a good sense of humour like Barkley though.

There is also the whole idea of teams trading up and down. That will make some Mock drafts not worth the page they are printed on. Oh the fun of it all. Bottom line is no matter how much you read or study you still will have to show up on Thursday night to know what truly is going to happen. That is what makes the draft so great. About the only thing we think he know is that Blake Griffin will be picked first by the Clippers. But maybe that is not even a lock. So as the title says 3 more sleeps to answers.

Make it 7 Day- Basketball Editon

Today in Hamilton they are having a huge rally about this whole hockey team mess. I was on Fan 590 this week on Game Plan and suggested I'd rather of a NBDL franchise than an NHL one. Not that I am against my home town getting a hockey team. Just that living here all of my life I have come to doubt it would ever happen. I also have grown to be sick of the media and it's attempt to make Hockey the be all and end all in sports. If there ever is a make it 2 day in Vancouver I would be more likely to hop a plane and go to Vancouver for that than to hope in a car and drive to downtown Hamilton today. Also beyond it being make it 7 day it is The Score's Cabrel Richards aka Cabbie's Birthday. No idea how old he is but he has a child like nature that makes him who he is. So Happy Birthday to him. So in honour of Make it 7 day I have a bunch of lists of 7 for your pleasure today. We had a blog earlier this week brought to you by the letter D. Well today it is lucky 7's.

NBA Draft 7

1. L.A Clippers will select Blake Griffin
2. Memphis will select James Harden
3. OKC will select Haseem Thabeet
4. Scaramento will select Ricky Rubio
5. Washington will select Jordan Hill
6. Minnesota will select Tyreke Evans
7. Golden State will select Demar DeRozan ( OH NO Raptors Fans)

and a bonus pick at 9 your Toronto Raptors select...

Jonny Flynn

It is Friday as well. People who are on Twitter know that as Follow Friday. So I will give a little Follow Friday love here at the Dino Nation Blog with my 7 favourite twitter folks. I can not include myself but if you want to follow me it is @dinonationblog. Now on to my list.

7. @chrisbosh- CB4
6. @Rapsfan- One of the crew from Raptors Republic
5. @ JustinRWalsh- Recent guest in Dino Nation Blog
4- @NBATVAndre- Andre Aldridge of NBA T.V
3- @ Eric__Smith- Raptors own Eric Smith from @fan590
2- @jeskeets & @Tasmelas- Put these two together as they are together on The Basketball Jones
1-@stackmack- The lovely and Talented Holly Mackenzie of The Score Court Surfing and Slam

Honourable Mention to- @Nat77- Heels on Hardwood, @raps_fan- girl who loves basketball, @scottcarefoot- Raptor Blog and A guy I owe a ton too, @tj_ford- My Fav PG no matter what, and lots more should be on this list. But that will have to do.

To close out this list of 7's, Draft Express had a ton of interviews up on there site and You Tube. I watched a ton of them yesterday and here are 7 that stood out. They are in no particular order. Most come for the combine held in Chicago in late May.

DeJaun Blair (Projected 13th pick on Draft Express)



Pat Mills ( Projected 31st pick on Draft Express )



Stephen Curry ( Projected 7th pick on Draft Express )



Gerald Henderson ( Projected 12th pick on Draft Express )



Hassem Thabeet ( Projected 3rd pick on Draft Express )



Demar Derozan ( Projected 9th pick on Draft Express )



Jonny Flynn ( Projected 10th pick on Draft Express )





So that does it for me today. If the mood hits I may write something on the weekend but if not see you all Monday and enjoy your weekend. If you want to see more of these interviews head over to Draft Express I consider it the best draft site out there.