Demar DeRozan Gets A Call From Uncle Jerry

Demar DeRozan's summer plans will include team USA according to Jerry Colangelo the father of Raptors GM and head of USA Basketball in an interview on the Fan 590. Now DeRozan will be part of the select team which is not in contention for a spot on team USA for the upcoming Olympics in London this summer but as part of the select team. That said it was the first step for many players to be part of the USA program in the future including Kevin Durant as the best example. This was also the part of the program that was run by former Raptors Head Coach Jay Triano. It is designed to prepare the main team as a sort of scout team for them to face. That said it gives the members of that team the chance to be around some of the NBA's elite talent and learn from that experience. This should be nothing but a positive experience for DeRozan.

The fact that Colangelo's father runs team USA might raise some eyebrows as to if DeRozan would be there on his own merit. That said he is there and that is the important part. Raptors have had many players play internationally but only two that have played for Team USA. Vince Carter and Chris Bosh who both had key roles for Team USA in their time with the program. Carter of course shocked the world in Sydney as he jumped over french man with the greatest of ease. While Chris Bosh was a key contribute to the redeem team that won gold in China. DeRozan may not be heading to London for this Olyimpics but this makes the chances he could be part of the World Championships in 2014 and or 2016 in Brazil.

While on the topic of DeRozan check out the handy work of Andy from Game Entertainment. This is an amazing production looking back on DeRozan's 3rd year as Raptor in the NBA:




Check out more of his work on Youtube the guy is pretty friggin amazing at what he does.

Starting 5 with Zack Cooper from Fan 590

Last season, he was one of a number of people that made me feel welcome in my 1st season covering Raptor games down at the ACC. He does a little bit of everything on the Fan 590 from updates to hosting and everything in between. Zack Cooper is our guest and we talk in depth about the Toronto Raptors heading into this new season, that is not that far away. Among the topics that come up are Jay Triano's new attitude, a lot of love for Jarrett Jack and a breakdown of all the key parts of this Raptor Squad. While many don't put a lot of stock in the pre-season Zack does and feels it is even more so for this Raptor team. It was a great conversation and we manage to get in some educated guesses on where the Raps will end up, The NBA Finals and the MVP from Mr. Cooper.





Zack will be back, as it says at the end, to talk some NBA 2K11 look for that on the weekend. Thanks to Zack for making time for me and being one of the friendly faces I get to see at the ACC. Which is where I will be tomorrow for Raptors and Bulls. The Raptors last pre-season date at the ACC, before they head up to Montreal to close out the pre-season vs New York.

Important Time In Franchise History

In lack of actual basketball news, the conversation on the Toronto Raptors has turned to this whole concept of Toronto and it is viability as an NBA Franchise. The one thing that you have to admit, is that with MLSE as the owners of this franchise, it is stable in terms of financial support. While many can disagree with the choices they have made in running of this franchise, the fact it is on solid foundation is something to be thankful for. How many of you think Dan Gilbert will stick it out in Cleveland in a post Lebron James world? The Cleveland Cavs are far closer to being a franchise in danger of moving than the Raptors. That being said the Raptors continue to face these same issues that have been a part of this franchise for 15 years.

Jerome Williams a former Raptor was on the Fan 590 today speaking about this topic of American players coming and playing here in Canada. It has been our pleasure to have him as a guest here on a couple of occasions in the Dino Nation Blog. He is a guy that clearly loves the city of Toronto and the city loves him back. He is also a very intelligent individual as well. He did something in this interview that is not talked about enough. The advantages of playing here in Canada and in Toronto. Why do we not hear more of this? Why isn't MLSE at the front of the line doing this. They can't sit back and let people go off half baked talking about high taxes in this country and let that go unchallenged. The reality of the matter is 5 NBA teams offer better tax situations. In the states of Florida (Orlando, Miami) and Texas ( Dallas, Houston and San Antonio).

Instead of investing time in a public relations war with Chris Bosh, it might be better served going on the offensive and promoting this franchise in the U.S. Get out and educate the young basketball players about Canada and the Raptors. Attack these bozos that attack this franchise and say things that are flat out ignorant about this country. Also get in the ear of the league office and demand they do something about this. The Commissioner came out and said he would rather see Lebron James stay in Cleveland. Well what about Chris Bosh and what about all the misconceptions and lies that are stated about your lone Canadian franchise. There use to be 2 of them, but Vancouver went to that thriving NBA city of Memphis. Yeah that has really worked out well hasn't it?

It is the Canadian thing to do to sit back and just allow people to be ignorant about things here and laugh about it. Finding it amusing that some people in the United States actually still in this modern world think we live in igloos up here. But that is not going to cut it. The Toronto Blue Jays faced many of these same challenges that the Raptors do. What were they doing in year 16? They were winning the World Series. They did it by changing perceptions and spending money. Many top stars in baseball made up those championship teams. Jack Morris, Dave Winfield, Dave Stewart, Paul Molitor Rick Henderson and others. The Raptors are about as far from the NBA Championship as they were when the franchise started. Maybe not that far, but pretty close to it.

Raptor fans have remained loyal through many challenging seasons, with very little payoff for that support. Just one playoff series win and one division title in 15 years with a handful of playoff appearances. Just how long are Raptor fans expected to sit back and watch star players leave going home to the United States? While the Raptors have tried to find a way around this problem going for European players and trying to win that way. It ultimately has failed and really cite the example where a team with a European player as the main player has won? The odds are just not good. Dirk came close with Dallas but beyond that I can not think of an example.

I am not saying that this is an easy process here...it isn't. But the Raptors need to start working to fix these problems rather than try to find ways to work around them. Canada can be a great place and offer things that while being different can be better. It is time to start pointing out these things and making people aware of them. I think it also would be a good thing for Toronto to host an NBA All-Star game. There seems to be some issues in making that happen. However it is up to MLSE to solve those issues and go to the league and strongly request they be given this game. They are one of only a few cities that has never hosted the event. Another thing that needs to change is allowing your television partners to bury your product on alternate channels that not everyone has or wants access too. TSN 2 and Sportsnet 1 (starting in the middle of August) are not helping the Raptors or doing them any favours. Sure they may have got the big score money wise in selling the rights to the games. Is that really seeing the big picture though?

I live this stuff everyday. It is in my best interest for the Raptors to be as successful as possible. More people are going to read this blog if the Raptors are successful that is not rocket science. However, before there was this blog to do everyday, I was just a fan like you that just wanted my team to be successful. The fact I have an interest in it now based on what I do has not made me any more passionate about it. I have always had passion for basketball, and since 1994 for the Toronto Raptors. I grow frustrated, and to a point angry, that we continue to have the same conversations over and over again. We need people to start thinking out of the box and coming up with the solutions to these problems. For 15 years the basketball paying public in this country have supported the Raptors, to levels beyond what any franchise with a track record of the Raptors could hope for. In payment of that support you deserve people doing more to fix these issues and build a team that is worthy of the support it receives.

If this is not done the Raptors could be doomed to failure for years to come. Even if the Young Guns become a raging success, what is to say a Demar DeRozan does not just become the next one to thank Toronto for helping make him a star, as he leaves to go elsewhere in the future. At some point you need to accept there is a problem and find a soloution to it. That time has come for the Toronto Raptors. It doesn't matter if the preceptions of people in the U.S are wrong or even ignorant. Preception is in fact reality and it is on the Raptors to change their reality.

The Former CB4 Hits Toronto Airwaves

So in a case of to little and to late for many, Chris Bosh decided to take 15 minutes to do interview in Toronto. He appeared on the Fan 590 and for a guy that is normally sharp as can be with interviews, he was stuttering and searching for words. Still thoughtful and mindful, but a bit scattered is the best way to describe it. But if you are searching for the sound byte of the interview it is this.

Chris Bosh " I would not change a thing in how I handled things"

That was in response to how he handled free agency. Which would include the fact of not talking to the Toronto media until he is taking his pre-mature victory lap. It would include by all accounts having little to no contact with the Raptors according to most reports. He claims that he had not made his choice till the very end. Which flies in the face of his own words in which he said the 3 had talked for months about this. Some say that it even dates back to the Olympics. Bosh claims to still love Toronto. That is right out of the Vince Carter playbook. However to be fair, I do believe Chris more than I do Vince. There was a general lack of responsibility on his part for what went on for 7 years on his part.

In the end CB4 is now dead. I liked that guy, and he was someone that gave all he had to the Raptors. Chris Bosh the person handled his departure from Toronto awful and it is a shame. He does not feel the least bit guilty about it. Bosh says he knows that people are going to be upset and that he had to step on some toes. He also knows that fans are likely to let him hear it when he returns. He did point out the great passion and support he always had here in Toronto. He said he was grateful for it, how we all took him in and accepted him as one of our own. I believe that part as well. Bosh painted this out as hard choice for him to make as he considered Toronto his home. I am not buying that it was all that hard for him to do. He saw an opportunity to advance himself and he took it. He wasn't getting on the cover of Sports Illustrated here, which I am pretty sure never happened as Raptor. Wade and James were on the cover to though.

At the end of the day I walk away disappointed in Chris not angry at him. He had a great opportunity and he took it. Let me try something out on you and see what you think. This is what Chris Bosh should have said.

I gave all that I had to the city of Toronto. The fans of the Raptors gave me a lot of love in 7 years here. I am sad that we as an organization, and I as the face of this franchise, were not able to bring you the championship that you people crave and deserve. It is unfortunate and personally disappointing to me. I am sad to have say... good bye. However, I feel that this is a unique opportunity to play with 2 of the best players in the game, and have a chance to win championships. It is unfortunate to me Toronto could not be the destination for this to happen. Any success that I have even if it is not with Toronto as a Raptor, you and this organization helped make this possible. I am deeply grateful and will always respect and love all of you in Toronto and Canada. I understand that people will not be supportive of my choice. I would expect nothing less. But know that this was not personal and if it was just about that, my choice would likely be different. But at the end of the day I have to do what is best for me. You will always have my love and respect.

Does that not sound a lot better? It is a little longer than 140 characters but so is 7 years with a franchise. Bosh may feel a number of those things but he projected the attitude in this interview that,stuff happens, know it sucks for you, but hey what can you do? Think seven years of support deserved more than that. Think the organization that selected him and built him into the face of it's franchise deserved more as well.

There was once a Chris Bosh that said this.

"I want to be part of the solution in Toronto"

Somewhere along the line that obviously changed. Chris Bosh had hopes to be a leader of a team and take them to a championship. He now has decided to be the 3rd guy in perhaps the greatest 3 some in history of basketball. But make no mistake that despite his number change to 1, he will always be 3 in that trio. If that is enough for him and he will be happy with that...great. However, I thought Bosh wanted more than just to be "a guy". Somewhere along the line he lost the desire to be the guy. He no doubt sees it differently. He will sleep sound as he is very confident he made the right choice. If he wins as many rings, as Lebron is talking about it may not ever matter. If it was me personally I would look at those rings with a bit of regret no matter how many their happen to be. I thought Chris paid attention to how Vince Carter left Toronto and learned from it. During the season he seemed like he had. But when he left the floor that final time injured, it all changed. He made many of the fans that cheered him for 7 years angry. A lot not because he is leaving. most just in how he did and went about it.

To come mop up after the fact and say he loves the city and the fans is not going to cut it. Bosh has been here long enough to know that. But like he said he wouldn't change a thing. Many Raptor fans would.

The Starting 5 with Alex Seixerio From Fan 590

Alex does everything on the Fan590 from updates, to hosting, to reporting, to working sidelines at TFC games. He also is the host of The Fantasy Show on the Fan as well. He was out doing great work at the Olympics in Vancouver and that is about the time things went south for the Raptors. That would only continue leading us to a premature end of the season address from Bryan Colangelo. Alex like all of us was watching and give some thoughts on what Colangelo had to say. He gives his take on CB4, Bargnanai and Triano. In addition to a lot more. It was a fun time and I was happy to have Alex back for I believe his second appearance in the Starting 5. Even at the end, I ask him who has a worse defense TFC who Alex covers or the Raptors. I know zero about soccer but given they lost 3-1, that is a lot of goals for soccer. I also never even knew Colorado had a team in the MLS so that can't be good. But this interview is.

Alex Seixerio

DNB Productions- Starting 5

Thanks to Alex for his time today. Love all of our Fan 590 regulars that include Jack, Paul, Eric and Zack. They all are fun to talk with and bring solid knowledge and opinion to the table. Which is why we are always happy when any of them pay us a visit.

Starting 5 from Sac-Town With Paul Jones.

You just never know when you will be able to get a guest for the Starting 5. But the DNB Hotline is always open to all our fine guests. Paul Jones gave us a shout from Sacramento and we got a chance to talk some basketball. Reflecting on what was a great game despite the outcome. Both Paul and I agreed prior to the interview what a fantastic basketball that was last night. We talk about Hedo and if fans are right to be upset with him. We talk about the playoff race and a bunch of topics tied into that. We also talk about Demar getting back on track in L.A. We were going to also talk about Paul experiences in Haiti. But Jonesy had to run to do another interview so we will talk about the topic the next time he drops by. But I have said it on Twitter if I did not mention it in the blog how great it was for Paul to head to Haiti for a day to help out with a number of other folks from MLSE. So that is next time for now we have Basketball Talk and Raptors Playoff drive stretch.

Paul Jones In Starting 5 from Sac-Town

DNB Productions

Thanks to Paul for taking time out to talk with us. He has been one of the many folks that has made me feel welcome when I have had access for some games this year. He is a great person and always enjoying seeing him and talking with him. Be it here for Dino Nation Blog, in person, or over the year's as a caller on Hoops that he does with Eric Smith on Thursday's When Raps are in town. Zack Cooper will be holding it down on that show this week and I saw him Sunday getting some good stuff for the show. So here is hoping the Raps can keep up the effort and get a more favourable result.

Starting 5 With Jack Armstrong

It is always a pleasure to welcome Jack Armstrong to the Starting 5. He is always good for some solid insight into the Toronto Raptors and some fun along the way. We talk about the now famous "Ball" interview and get Jack's thoughts on the whole thing. We move on from there and talk about the upcoming trade deadline in terms of the Raptors. Jack gives his thoughts on Reggie Evans and Amir Johnson and how you play them both together. Along with the point guard situation going forward if Jose Calderon remains a Raptor after Thursday. In addition we talk about the future of Chris Bosh with the Raptors. Also his thoughts on the development of Demar DeRozan and the shooting guard position as a whole. This and a whole lot more in the Starting 5 with our guest Jack Armstrong.

JacK Armstrong in Starting 5

DNB Production

It is always a great joy for me to talk with Jack. I feel he is one of the best people at what he does. He is straight forward and direct and gives you his honest feelings on the issues that surround the Toronto Raptors. It is always a great thrill for me to have Jack as a guest and it always produces some quality info and usually some fun as well. Jack does a great job with the Raptors and on his Radio show "The Game Plan" on the Fan 590 2-4pm on Monday to Friday. You can become a fan of the show on Facebook. Not that Jack is on the Facebook or Twitter but we love him all the same. At least I do and I know many Raptor fans share that love.

Just A Reminder:

If you have still yet to vote in the Pros vs Joes Contest on Whotheman.com. Voting closes on Thursday at around 6pm. So get out there and support the Dino Nation Blog if you would like to support me and hopefully agree with me in the question we are battling about.

Jonesy From NYC- In The Starting 5

Raptors fans are truly lucky to have such hard working folks covering their basketball team. One of the people at the top of that list is the Radio Voice of the Raptors Paul Jones. From calling games on The Fan 590 to his work on Raps T.V, Hosting Hoops on Thursday nights and making appearances on pretty much ever show the Fan does to talk about the Raptors. He even writes for Sportsnet on the web on basketball. I joked with Paul that I have been able to see him more than have him in the blog this season. In getting to cover the Raptors a bit this year Paul has been one of the many folks that has helped me feel comfortable in what can be a pretty intimidating environment. I am going to see Paul again next Wednesday as the Dino Nation Blog will be in the house for the Raptors and the Nets. However before that I was able to catch up with Paul in NYC to talk about the Raptors. We both admitted before we started recording that their is a buzz in the air about these Raptors. Another big win over Miami securing at least a split of the season series and a win over the Lakers. The Raptors have given Toronto sports fans some hope in a city where the Leafs, Argos and Jays have done little of that. We had a lengthy chat covering a lot of topics and it as always was interesting to hear Paul's opinions and try to validate a few of my own. We talk about Demar, Chris, Hedo, Jose, Jarrett, Jay, Reggie and a heck of a lot more.

Paul Jones In Starting 5 from NYC

James B's Podcast

Paul refers to his article (in the Interview) well there is a link to it so you can read he was referencing. I can't tell you how much it means to me to have someone that I respect mention how hard that I work. It is always nice to know that people see the effort you put in and to have them acknowledge in a public way means a lot. I really enjoy any chances I get to talk with Paul he is a great person and has a great passion and love for the sport of basketball. Like I said off the top Raptor fans are lucky to have so many folks that care so much about what they do and for the fans of this team. Granted I have never worked in other NBA markets but you would be hard pressed to find so many good ones as we do here in Toronto. Also the fact that people in this market are willing to interact with folks in the Blogging community is also something that I would venture to say does not happen in all places. It is a two way street though as I am sure Paul would agree that Raptor fans are some of the most passionate and dedicated fans not just in the NBA but in all of pro sports. Paul and Eric have the call tonight of Raptors and Knicks on the Fan 590.

Starting 5 with Alex Seixerio

Today we welcome a new guest to The Starting 5 to talk some raptors basketball. Alex has been pinch hitting for Jack and Eric hosting The Game Plan on the Fan 590 this week. He had a great interview with The Score's own Cabbie that you can check out on The Fan Website. He also hosts The Fantasy Show as well and you hear him reporting and doing updates on the Fan as well. The Dino Nation Blog has had a whole bunch of guests from The Fan 590 and they are always very great people to talk with. Alex was no exception in that regard. We chat about CB4 and his take on his future in T.O, some Andrea Bargnani talk and a bunch of other things. Including a little fantasy advice for those of you that enjoy your Fantasy Basketball. Alex unfortunately took Gilbert Arenas in a league so for those of you in the same boat you can share is pain. Hopefully you enjoy are conversation as much as I did. Alex also is of course the brother of Sid of Court Surfing fame on the Score among other things.

Alex Seixerio of Fan 590

The Starting 5

Hope you enjoyed and I will look to get Eric Smith back for the Starting 5 when we can reschedule him. Also have another Interview lined up tomorrow with someone who everyone who is a Raptor fan will know. Who? Well sometime tomorrow afternoon if all goes as planned you will find out. Thanks to Alex it was great to talk with him as I have got to know him over the past year a bit through Twitter. I hope to have him back as a guest in the future.

Raptors and Bucks in a few hours and my Radio Appearances in Montreal have moved to Wednesdays on CJLO so you can hear me with my thoughts on the Raptors and NBA at 12:15am and maybe I will give a hint to our guest tomorrow.

Net Loss Or Net Gain?

Well here we go ready or not. The Raptors face the prospect of total meltdown should they not find a way to hand Nets loss number 25 of the season for them. If they don't the heat around this Raptor team will reach the boiling point. I listened to the show Hoops last night on the Fan 590. They took a ton of calls and you could hear the anger and frustration in the various calls. I can only imagine the posts on twitter should the Raptors drop this one. The Raptors have made some offensive units that were struggling look great. It is pretty sad when you lose count how many times teams have scored 60 points or more in a half against the Raptors. It is hard to recall a Raptors team that had this rough a time on the defensive end. There was lots of blame being handed out by the various callers. A lot of folks are on board with me in terms of having major concerns about Jay Triano. Some others went straight to the top and took aim at Bryan Colangelo. Credit to Paul Jones and Eric Smith for allowing fans to basically vent for 2 hours.

What was lost in all of the frustration was a pretty interesting interview with Chris Bosh earlier on Prime Time Sports. He was there in part to promote his recently released DVD "First Ink". Although that was interesting and in general people that have seen the DVD have had positive reviews of it. It would be the conversation after that would be interesting. The most of which, how Bosh expressed a feeling that Toronto has started to feel truly like home for him. It was very genuine and it seems to support something that I have felt. In the past I had suggested that I felt Chris Bosh was looking for an excuse to stay and not go from Toronto. I just got that feeling and impression. If you were hoping Bosh would declare his desire to stay in Toronto and with the Raptors it did not go that far. However it did offer some hope that if this basketball team could turn things around that Chris may be willing to stick around.

In terms of the team itself he did seem pretty calm about things. He said that it is taking time for this team to come together. He also said that you have to remain positive because regardless there is 50 or so games left in the season and they are going to be played regardless of what happens. The truth is though what happens will likely greatly define if Bosh is going to continue to enjoy Toronto as his home.

While this individual game in the grand scheme is not life and death for the Raptors. The fact the Nets have been so horrible and the fans are on the brink, it could be much like that game vs the Thunder last year that I referenced yesterday. If the Raptors can get past this one they have a schedule that should offer some opportunity to bounce back a bit. The Hornets, Pistons twice and Bobcats are all games that Raptors should feel they can win. It is not something to take pride in, but thanks to the fact the East is brutal the Raptors are really not in terrible shape in terms of playoffs. You can likely write off the idea of home court advantage in the playoffs but to finish 5th is still a goal with in range.

The Raptors have some things to sort out before we even attempt to consider playoff positioning.This game tonight can be the slow start to the slow road back or it could end up being the car going off the cliff. It will also mark the first time the Nets have rolled into town without Vince Carter. Let's hope there is no booing tonight because if there is it will be directed at the Raptors and not Vince. The Nets and Raptors Rivalry appears to be pretty much dead now. The Raptors did of course play their first ever game against the Nets and they won it at the Skydome. The Raptors will hope to do the same tonight at the ACC because it is badly needed not just for the players and organization but for the loyal fans of this team. They feel like they have been lied to again. They got their hopes up and have once again had them come crashing down. This would be the final insult to that. Raptors face a must win tonight for their fans personal sanity.

Starting 5 Welcomes Back Zack

It is my pleasure to welcome back Zack Cooper to the Dino Nation Blog's Starting 5. Since the last time Zack joined us he has added to his basketball resume. He now is the host of Hoops when Eric and Paul are on the road with the Raps which is Thursday @7pm on the Fan 590. We talk about last night's loss to the Nuggets. Also look ahead to tonight in Utah. We also talk about Chris Bosh, Amir Johnson, Sonny Weems, Demar DeRozan and others. We talk about the Raptors Defense and it's lack of consistency. We also give some love to the Raptors offense. Zack is also huge into the video games and we talk a little basketball video games. Zack is the host of Got Game and is one of many people that told me I should have got 2k10 first. Well I now own both and real enjoy my 2k10 when every I get a chance to play it. Zack has been great in bringing some more basketball from the internet to the airwaves Fan 590 when he is hosting shows and has had Holly Mackenzie from (The Score and Slam) on several times, J.E Skeets from Yahoo and The Basketball Jones, Nat from Heels on Hardwood and even had me on as well. Hope you enjoy the conversation about the Raptors and am happy to have Zack as one of the growing number of regular guests we have as part of the starting 5.

Starting 5 with Zack Cooper From The Fan 590

DNB's Starting 5

You can keep up with Zack on Twitter @Zcooperstown on Twitter. If you are a fan of basketball or video games he is a must have on your Twitter follow list. Look forward to talking with Zack down the line as the season moves along. He is also leading his division in a Fantasy League we both are taking part in. Where am I? Don't ask...injuries have crushed my fantasy team from the jump. Day after I drafted Jamison he is out till tonight. He is expected to be back in the line-up tonight for the Wizards and I need him. More important for Raptors is Deron Williams is also expected to be back for the Jazz as we mentioned in the interview.

Mr.Jones From Memphis, Tennessee

It has been awhile since we have had the Radio Voice of your Toronto Raptors in the Dino Nation Blog. However had a chance to track down Paul today as he gets prepared for the Raptors and Grizzlies to get it on in Memphis Tennessee. Paul always is great to talk with and has been one of the guys that has been a guest here on a regular basis. So who better to help us preview the Raptors and Grizzlies. This game can be a (Bear) trap game for the Raps stuck in between the Cavs and Magic. Let's hope the Raptors can bring the same level of effort that they did against Cleveland. A.I status was up in the air. But Paul tweeted earlier today no A.I. God will be disappointed about that as he told A.I to go to Memphis. You can follow Paul on Twitter @Paul__Jones. A.I sat out in the Memphis opener in which they lost to Detroit. Rookie Hasheem Thabeet from UConn did not score a point in his NBA debut and had just 2 rebounds. That is not good news for Grizz fans and Demar DeRozan playing at the shooting guard spot had 5 boards in his debut for the Raptors. Speaking of Demar a very funny cartoon of him in Heels on Hardwood today. Go check it out for a good chuckle. Always good for a laugh and dropping some serious basketball knowledge on us is Paul Jones so away we go with Mr. Jones.

Paul Jones In Starting 5 from Memphis

James B's Podcast

Great to talk with Paul as he mentioned we have been trying to get our schedules to fit together. I have seen Paul in person twice in between his visits on the Blog. He is always helpful in not just doing interviews here but in giving me some added knowledge which is always appreciated. It was great to talk Raptors ball with him and he will always be a welcomed guest here at the Dino Nation Blog, he is one of my favourites for sure. Paul is going to hitting the airwaves with Eric Smith an 8pm tip time from Memphis,Tennessee on the Fan 590.

Starting 5 with Zack Cooper From Fan 590

The Dino Nation Blog is always looking to add to our guest list. Zack Cooper works for the Fan 590 and does a lot of work for the Fan 590 in covering the Toronto Raptors. He can be found on many days covering Raptor practices or games. So to have someone like this as a guest is obviously something that will add some insight for us. It has been an off-season full of changes and the faces have changed quite a bit. Zack also hosts the the show Got Game on the Fan 590. That is on Sunday's at 5pm. He has a passion for the whole gaming world, as well as the sports world. So we do talk a little bit on that as well. I also recently had the pleasure of being a guest on The Fan 590 with Zack and was grateful for the opportunity to do that. He gave me my debut as a guest on the station. So it only seemed right to bring him to the Dino Nation Blog for his debut in The Starting 5. It is growing to become quite the impressive line-up. So is the Raptors line-up for that matter. We talk about the latest trade to go down off the top and get into all the moves that have been made. In addition some thoughts on what all of this will mean for Chris Bosh. I hope you will enjoy this latest edition of the Starting 5. There are a few more guests scheduled for this week. Zack is hitting in the lead off spot and does a great job in kicking off what should be a good week for the DNB on the interview front.






It has been great to recently get to know Zack. I am very lucky to have got to know so many talented folks thanks to the Dino Nation Blog. I consider Zack to be one of those talented folks. I had always enjoyed his work and hope to have him as a guest moving forward. I think you will agree he offered some excellent informed opinion and is someone that is around this Raptor Organization and can offer an insider point of view for us. Zack mentioned about Twitter and loving to chat gaming or sports so if you want to follow him on twitter he is @ZCoopertown Two more guests this week so make sure you check back in with us. Both are returning guests to the Starting 5. I am on Twitter as well if you want to keep on top of what is going on with the Dino Nation Blog that is one of the better ways to do it @dinonationblog

NEWS NOTE:

The trade for Roko Ukic and Carlos Delfino for Amir Johnson and Sonny Weems mentioned in this interview is now OFFICIAL the Raptors have issued a press release. Thanks to Holly Mackenzie for the heads up.

DNB Radio Back On The Net

It was quite a night for the Dino Nation Blog and me last night. I have always been someone who has been a caller on the Fan 590. I call in a lot of times on "The Game Plan" and "Hoops". However last night the Fan 590 called me. I was on the air on "Sports Central" with Zack Cooper. This was a last minute thing so I never even thought to ask for a copy. However was able to spread the word through Twitter and Facebook and got some positive reviews. Most important to me thought is my mother got to hear me on the radio again. That was pretty special for me. The Dino Nation Blog continues to amaze me in how far it has come. I feel that is because of two things. First my own hard work and drive. Second and just as important is the support of all of you. Thanks to Zack for the opportunity to be on his show. When I started doing all of this I am not sure that I ever thought things would grow as fast as they have. I feel very lucky and blessed to have had so many people help me get to the point I am at. That being said there is still way more to do and come for myself and the Dino Nation Blog. I really hope for those of you that have been here from the start that you feel a part of the success the Dino Nation Blog has had because you are even if you don't realize it.

The one thing I never expected to be talking about was the recently created DNB Radio. However expect the unexpected is more than just a catch phrase on the Big Brother Reality Show. Tonight is showtime once again. The show hits the air at 11pm and will once again be an hour in length. To this point there is no guest booked. It will just be me talking ball with you. However if you had asked me if I was going to be a guest on the Fan 590 last night I would have told you that was nuts. However guest or no guest I want the people listening to feel this is their show as much as it is mine. So if you want to hear about something on the show let me know. Leave a comment here or shoot me a tweet on @dinonationblog. The beauty about doing a show on the net like this is that you can truly have a impact on what you want to hear.

The other way you can get in on things is to actually call in to the show itself. Even though, I am in Hamilton and you are where you are, the show is based out of NYC. So it will require a long distance call (347) 994-2767 is the number to call to get on the show. I would be happy to talk with you let you have your comments heard or if you have a question I will do my best to answer it.

Show survived week 1 and this is week 2 and it is always going to be about you. So hope you will listen and enjoy this latest venture of the Dino Nation Blog. I am committed to making this something successful and who knows where it will lead. If you had told me, the Dino Nation Blog would have got this far this fast when it started, I am not sure I would have believed you.

So thanks to all of you. Also there may not be a blog tomorrow cause I am going to be heading to Toronto and doing some things. Including going to the anniversary party for the magazine that I write ball for The Industry. Party is at the Guverment so that is where I will be Friday night. So if you see a large guy not on the dance floor that is white it likely is me or a bouncer. I will be the nicer of the two. I may have the size to be a bouncer but not the mentality.

These are the "Dog Days" of the basketball year but that does not mean people don't have lots on their minds and that is what I want to hear from you.

Update 3:05 PM

I got a surprise in my mailbox. Zack Cooper sent me a copy of my debut on the Fan 590 as a guest. So if you missed it last night now you can have a listen for yourself. So thanks to him and this is of course courtesy of the Fan 590

Paul Jones Calling In From Indy

It is always great to have Paul Jones pay a visit to the Dino Nation Blog. He stops by and we talk about a number of things. The recently completed NCAA Tournament, Triano, Bosh, Bargnani and a lot more. Hope you enjoy our conversation.





It is always great to have Paul and we will have him back sometime between the draft lottery and the draft. I am sure we will have a few visits from Paul in the summer months as well. Jack Armstrong will be dropping in for a visit at the end of next week. It is that time of year where I try to touch base with everyone and get their various takes on things. Basically the season is done. So it is time to hear what people think both about what has happened and what will happen. It should be a very interesting off-season.

Dino Blogger Chats With Eric Smith

Eric Smith stops by for a visit here at the Dino Nation Blog. He has been a big help to the Dino Nation Blog in many ways. The one thing that is obvious is when he pops by to visit and talk with us here. It is always great to have Eric as a guest and I am always happy to have him visit. Today's chat was interesting. Thoughts on Raptors win this past Sunday, Chris Bosh, Shawn Marion, Jay Triano and some other good stuff for you listening pleasure.

Powered by Podbean.com

It is great to get Eric's take on things. He is a hard working guy that has done a lot of great work covering the Raptors over the years. I have always had a tremendous amount of respect for Eric. He is always willing to share his thoughts and interact with the fans. I hope he enjoys being a guest here as much as I enjoy having him as one.

Big Nate Speaks

One of the guys I have taken a great interest in on this Raptor Roster is Nathan Jawai. The Dino Nation Blog was one of the first places to tell you about his amazing story and that is something I am proud of. Ryan McNeill over at Hoops Addict had a chance to catch up with Big Nate for a chat. Here is a link to that interview.

Nathan Jawai Interview in Hoops Addict

Dino Blogger In Other Places

Some of you might be aware that I write for a couple magazines beyond just writing the Dino Nation Blog. Here is a link to my latest effort in T.O Sports Magazine. I talk about all that has been going on with the Raptors and it leads me to going back to one of my old dreams or wishes for the Raptors that I just can't seem to let die. I also have an article in the Industry Magazine that talks about Toronto as a future home for All Star Weekend. Eric and a number of others are quoted in that article. When it hits the website I will hook you up with that feature as well.

It maybe a day off on the Raptors schedule but the Dino Blogger is hard at work today. I am going to be doing another interview later today gathering some info on the newest Raptor Patrick O'Bryant. I am going to talk with Scott Roth who is the coach of the Bakersfield Jam in the D-League and coached Patrick there. Hopefully he can give us a look at what type of player he is and what he brings to the Raptors. We may also get into a little bit about the D-League itself and what life is like as coach in that league.

Bosh Gets His All Star Verdict

Chris Bosh has been as close to a lock as you get for being an all star in the Eastern Conference for the past couple seasons. But this season given the Raptors lack of success some wondered if Bosh would be getting an invite to Phoenix, Arizona for All Star Weekend. Well wonder no longer.Chris Bosh is going to the All-Star game for the 4th time. Yahoo Sports is reporting they have the reserves list here it is:

All Star Reserves from Yahoo


One of the main stories on NBA.Com is featuring a story about Bryan Colangelo featured about the upcoming trade dead line that falls just after the All Star Game. The Raptors are figured to be big players at the deadline and in this interview Bryan Colangelo does nothing to think other wise. What are the Raptors though is a more difficult question. Is this team a buyer or a seller? They still are in the playoff mix but they had much better and bigger expectations than a 7th or 8th seed. See if you can get any clues from Bryan Colangelo in this interview:

Colangelo Still Talking Trade

Chris Bosh was not being supported by a former coach in his bid to be a 4-time All-Star. For those hoping Jeff Van Gundy would become the next head coach of the Raptors. He seemed in his interview to be fine with staying in T.V for now. He suggested it works better for his family life. However at the same time he said that he still has a desire to coach and hopes he has learned some things while being in broadcasting should he make his way back behind a bench. He spoke with Jack Armstrong and Doug McLean on the Game Plan today.

JVG was On Game Plan

They also talked to the current Raptor coach Jay Triano. They talked about the current state of the Raptors. Jay remains upbeat and focused on turning the Raptors around. Still many feel Triano is not going to be the guy heading into next season. But here is what Jay had to say for himself.

Triano On Game Plan

Raptors Turning The Corner?

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

Bosh From Twitter

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

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

Andrea Has Figured It Out?

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

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

Jose When He Returns Will That Help Or Hurt

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

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

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

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

Live Blogging on Monday

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

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

What Everyone Else Is Saying.

I just thought I would do something that I rarely do. Shut up and read what everyone else is saying. Well not exactly but I have been running around and do not have a lot to say beyond my recap of last night's game for now. There is some good news. My Score B-Ball running mate is off the IR. For those who do not know Scott Carefoot has been in rough shape lately. But he was well enough to check in over at Raptor Blog. Maybe he has been watching a lot of movies cause he is talking Pulp Fiction and the Raptors. Scott always can take things that I would never put together with the Raptors and turn it into something interesting.

RaptorBlog- Pulp Fiction Raptors Remix

Scott introduced me to this next person on my recommended reading list. Well technically she introduced herself because Scott was running late. She is going to become a regular guest here at the Dino Nation Blog as well if she would stop working long enough to have time to do an interview. She talks about watching a whole lot of work fall into a puddle. Some stuff on the Raptors and a few other things. She is doing it all from back home in Nova Scotia. Holly writes for both Slam and The Score on Court Surfing. I love her work and she is one of the most positive uplifting writers I read on a regular basis. Girls can know basketball and Holly is living proof. So till she visits us hear check her out over on Court Surfing. When she does visit here we are going to take a look around at the rest of the NBA. Holly has had access at the ACC this year and talked to a ton of the guys from around the league that have visited the ACC.

Notes and Quotes From Nova Scotia

Over on Court Surfing Scott and Holly and a couple of the other Court Surfing crew members come up with an NCAA style ranking system for the NBA Teams. It is the " Sweet Sixteen " NBA style. The Number 1 and 2 teams held there rank from week 3 to week 4. The new number 3 team is a team I told you would be good this year and they are. They just are not getting the love that Cleveland, Celtics and Lakers have. But they are Super or they at least have a Super man.

Court Surfing NBA Sweet 16

The Score is like my new family and I am getting to know them bit by bit. The Dino Nation Blog had it's own little family of guests prior to that. Two of the members of that family are Eric Smith and Paul Jones. They both have blogs that you can find in find in the Dino Directory. This is the latest edition of the Vlog that are part of " The Rap " which is Eric's blog. This edition #14 was taped prior to the Raptors big win vs the Clippers. From a back alley in Beverly Hills. Jones and Smith will not get mistaken for cast members of 90210 but they do have fun as they bounce around the NBA. This is a good example of that. I am head of the Vlog fan club. I am such a fan I may be bringing the Vlog concept to the Dino Nation Blog and see if I can keep up with the guys. Not likely cause they are doing some quality stuff.

Smith and Jones Vlog 14

So that is a wrap with some good stuff from a bunch of people the Dino Blogger is high on. They I all hope respect me as much as I do them. Happy Holidays and drive safe out there. I'll be back tomorrow for Christmas Eve.

Second Half Of Jones Interview

Still trying to figure out what went wrong last night? Me too. Perhaps the second half of my interview with Paul Jones from yesterday prior to that lose will help find some answers. The second half of our talk begins with some thoughts on Jay Triano. Who after last night's game looked pretty dejected with his team's performance. I started by asking Paul for some of differences we can look for with Triano and his systems. Which one can safely assume we did not see much of last night.

Paul Jones-" Offensively he is really trying to get movement, and get the ball moving from side to side. That is where you get the majority of your scores. You force the defense to play for more then 8 to 10 seconds. If you don't get a quick hoop, it is o.k to work deep into the shot clock as long as your moving the ball. Forcing the defense to continue to move and eventually breaking them down. I think that is something that people should continue to look for."

Jay is a guy that as always had his team play hard. I think the fans can look forward to consistent hard and full out effort from his team. The little things he will do in terms of match-ups. Against New Jersey you saw Jamario Moon and Joey Graham all take a shot at guarding Devin Harris. They had used Moon to try to guard J.J Barea to try to disrupt things. The little things like Jay going for ( Substitutions ) offense to defense. Those little things that might make a difference Jay is not afraid to try them. "

Last night to fans dismay we did not see much of what Paul was talking about. At least in terms of it working and being effective. I also asked Paul if he thought Jay Triano had a serious shot to coach his way into being a candidate for the head coaching job after this year. This is a very tough challenge and some feel that Triano has no shot and is a stop gap to the next coach.

Paul Jones- " I think he has got a legit shot. Let's face it this is a performance and results based business and he has to get the results. He is coming in now when he took over on December 3rd they were 17 games in and almost at the quarter pole of the season. There is no time for him to institute a training camp and institute his systems and practice. They have had 3 or 4 practices since he has taken over the team. I think it is legit to think that he might get a chance to hold on to this job and get a chance to start from scratch next year. At the same time Bryan Colangelo has got to look at results, who might be available on the market in terms of a more experienced coach depending on the personnel. So I think there are a lot of factors at work there. At the same time I don't see Jay Triano being the interim and then he is done at the end of the year."

This was Paul's thoughts before last night. I will not speculate on if they have changed for him after last night. I will say that for fans a lot of things have changed after last night. One of the things I asked Paul Jones yesterday was about if he felt Bryan Colangelo would consider moving Andrea Bargnani and his general thoughts on Bargnani. Here is what he had to say.

Paul Jones-" I am sure Bryan gets a lot of call about Andrea because other teams see some potential in him that Toronto sees. I am sure he is fielding those calls. Hang on to him. He is not playing well right now. He is going through a tough time. It is something that I have been saying the whole time. He spends his summer bulking up and working on his inside game. He was on the court with Chris or Jermaine at the start of the year. He knows what his role is. Then his role definition is changed. He becomes a three man. He has to be out on the perimeter. He is trying to guard guys like Lebron James and use his length. He is on the perimeter so he is not rebounding as much. The perimeter mindset is back in his head about shooting the three and playing on the outside. I think it is tough because of that role definition change, because he is not an experienced player. This is not a guy that has been in the league for 8 or 9 years that can handle and be adaptive to that.

It is tough on him. He has to deal with going for a starter to the bench. I think Andrea as a young player still equates scoring and starting with success. The fact that he is not scoring and he is coming of the bench, which is what this team needs him to do to be part of the big man rotation. He may see that has him not being successful. You can see him out there playing very timidly. Very unsure of himself without a lot of confidence."

Depending on what is the deal with Jermaine O'Neal who left the game last night with what was being called a sore shoulder.Andrea Bargnani could find himself back in the starting line-up again. He did play a bit better as a starter for the second half of the game last night. However I agree with Paul in that the Toronto Raptors must at least share in the blame for Andrea and his struggles. That is me saying that. But in Paul's comments he was saying that Andrea has been asked to make a lot of changes and that may just not be something he can do at this point. Many people think that Andrea and his problems are in his head. In fact the entire Raptor team could use some therapy at this point. I asked Paul about if the Raptors have thought about bringing in a sports psychologist on staff?

Paul Jones-" I know that Jay Triano is big on that. That was one of the things that helped the 2000 Olympic basketball team. David Cox who is a world renowned sports psychologist based out of Simon Fraser where Jay went to school. I can admit first hand. I have my masters in sports psychology and boy it helped me as an athlete at the collegiate level. You spend all of this money on strength and conditioning coaches and nutritionists and guys have personal chefs. You have the best in terms of equipment, in travel and in hotels. Why wouldn't you nurture the mental side of the game as well. If it is good enough for Tiger Woods it should be good enough for ever other athlete in the world. I know Jay is considering it. I do not know where that are at with it right now. But it is something that I would not be surprised to see in the future here in Toronto. "

I always knew Paul was a smart guy. Never knew he had a masters degree. I guess that is why after talking with him I feel like I have learned something. I would agree that with all that is going on with this team it may be time to bring in an expert and help this team in between the ears. The link on David Cox's name is a short video of him I was able to find. In the spirit of positive thinking I asked Paul for his thoughts on Roko Ukic and Nathan Jawai who both will be factors for this team in the long term. In Roko's case he is learning on the job. While Nathan Jawai is just trying to get caught up.

Paul Jones-" I think Roko has done well. We talked about the confidence thing with Andrea earlier. There is the confidence for Roko in knowing that he is primary back-up. He is the guy that they want to develop. He is going to get out there and play. He knows when he is going to be put in the game. He is not looking over his shoulder wondering if it will be him or Will. Jay Triano is letting him play through some of his mistakes. I think that is good."

As for Nathan, I just think he has to get himself in basketball shape before he attempts to do anything. It would not surprise me down the road want he does that to get a few minutes here and there."

Paul confirmed what I had been told as relates to Nathan. All he has been able to do before this point is shoot free throws. It will be a long road for Nathan to catch up on the time that he has lost. But at least he is back on the path to doing that.

Jose Calderon had a lot of expectations from fans heading into this season. Fans have felt a bit let down about how Calderon has done. There are two points of his game that I have always pointed to as clear weak points. I asked Paul for his thoughts on those issues. First his lack of skill as a defender and his unwilling nature to take any kind of risks. Paul talks about both of those points.

Paul Jones on Calderon's Defense And How To Improve It: " One he has to work harder. He has to take the challenge on himself. Two and I think Jay Triano is doing this, he is putting in systems so if they are going to get beat he knows where they are going to get beat. People who are helping know where they have to be to help. That is on the first rotation, on the second rotation and the third while Jose is recovering. It was to be both of those things. But the bottom line is it comes down to effort and taking some pride in accepting the personal challenge of staying in front of your man. It is not just Jose. I mean it starts at the point but there is a lot of guys on the wing that are guilty of that right now and it is hurting the team. "

Paul Jones On Jose And His Lack Of Taking Risk On Offense: " I think Jay just has to convince Jose that it is o.k to take calculated risk. Go look at who the leaders are in turnovers in the league. I always say this, home run hitters in baseball strikeout because they swing for the fence. People always talk about the dunk in the face of shot blockers like an Alonzo Mourning well he is a shot blocker so he is going to try and go get it. So every so often a shot blocker is going to get one thrown down in his face. ( happened to Jermaine O'Neal last night ) If you are a point guard that is into pushing the ball and trying to get that part of the game down you are going to have turnovers.

People unfairly at times were all over T.J last year at times. But he still had if I am not mistaken one of the top 20 or 25 assist to turnover ratios in the league last year. He was very effective on the break. Sometimes you have to live with those turnovers. I played with big guys that were great rebounders and every so often they would take a 15 or 16 foot jumper. You would be like, God don't shoot that, but the guy is rebounding and is working his back side off and doing all of that grunt work. You got to live with that. You make a lot of money and your wife is going to spend some of it. You have to live with it. It is just something that comes with the territory. I think Jay has to convince Jose, that it is o.k once in awhile to take a calculated risk or make a quick evaluation of a situation and give something a try. If it doesn't work it is not the end of the world. You are certainly not going to do that at the end of game when possessions are important. You push the ball early and it forces teams to get back and maybe you get stuff from trailers on the play making a jumper. I think that is something for Jay to work out with Jose. "

I made notice of the fact that Jay Triano is getting to work with Jose Calderon at roughly the same time he got to work with Steve Nash on Team Canada. Nash give Triano a lot of credit for helping him get to where he is at. Which is a 2 time M.V.P and an NBA All Star. Hopefully Triano can have some kind of success with Calderon to get him heading in that direction. However there are many issues with the basketball team for Triano to address. I would say at the top of that list would be rebounding. I got into that topic with Paul. I asked if it was a case of the Raptors needed to out rebound teams or just know how to get those key rebounds?

Paul Jones-" I think they have to do both. When you look back at the Suns prior to Steve Kerr making major changes to that roster. That was one thing that they were able to do to get them as far as they went in the playoffs. Although they ran up and down and were not a great rebounding team. They seemed to be able to get those key rebounds and get a stop or two at key points. Maybe it was because of the style of play that the used, that it would force team to take shots, from the wrong people, in the wrong places at the wrong times. If Toronto can do that it will go a long way. You have to do that by getting in there all the time. Sometimes the key ones will come to you if you are trying to be in there all the time. Rebounding and Defense are like working out. You can't do it once in awhile and expect to be good at it and say that you are in shape. If you are going to be in shape you have to work out all of the time. "

I totally agree with that. I know by my photo it may not look like it. But there was a time when I made myself a gym rat. I was able to lose 90 pounds. Everyone asks you when you lose that kind of weight how you did it? I would explain that I would spend like 3 hours a day in a gym like 5 or 6 times a week. I would do a ton of cardio as part of that. People were hoping to hear I had some magic pill or fad diet that made it happen. However it was all about simple hard work. I think on a different topic that the panic and fear of Raptors fans that was growing and is now likely at record levels was based on something. Yes the Raptors have played poorly and there is lots of reasons and fears tied to that. However in the past in the Eastern Conference you could realistically expect to make the playoffs even with a record below .500. A far cry from the West, in which a team who had more wins than when Raptors won their division 2 years ago missed the playoffs. I asked Paul if he thought the improvement in the East was a factor in the panic and quick frustration from the fan base?

Paul Jones-" Yeah, that is a good point. Better than it was 2 years ago when Raptors won the division crown. I think that is part of the panic or issue that causes people to look so far ahead. But Toronto I still think has a decent team. We have scouts that are sitting on media row and they say this team should be better than this. Form an optimistic outlook as a fan you can say that the Raptors have good parts they just have to put it together."

If I asked Paul the same question today instead of yesterday would his answer change? I don't know But even those in the media and the organization had to take that loss last night harder than your average loss. Now the Raptors did not hold a lead for much time at all last night. But through this season they have had very large leads slip away. Paul talks about that whole idea of leads going away and getting a full 48 minutes of effort from this Raptor team.

Paul Jones-" Keep the effort up. It is one of the hardest things to do in professional sports is to play with a big lead. When you get up 13-15 points you can't come down and take a bad shot. You have to get back and get stops like it is a one point game. At the other end treat the ball with care and make sure you get quality shots. You are only like 4 or 5 possessions away from building that 13 point lead to a 20 point lead. It is a bigger whole for them and it gives you a little cushion should they other team push back a little. I think that is something this team just has to pay more attention too. "

I wanted to close to ask a question about what has become a stable of my following the Raptors on the road. In Eric Smith's blog "The Rap", Paul has joined Eric for what the call Vlogs. They started out with Paul and Eric sitting in the hotel room on the road and talking about the Raptors and sometimes about the cities they are in. I have become a huge fan of them. Paul tells me that this was Eric's idea and it was developed at the meetings to start the year down at the A.C.C. I have enjoyed them. Paul and Eric have taken the suggestions of his readers and tried to include them in what they are doing. Sometimes they have found some locations out and about from the hotel room. The main thing is they have been a lot of fun. Paul says both he and Eric have enjoyed doing them as well. It gives me a feeling of connection to the Raptors and what is going on while they are on the road. I will link you up to an example from yesterday prior to the Oklahoma City game.

Vlog 13 OKC

I am a big fan of these things and I am a big fan of both Eric and Paul. So thanks to Paul for this visits and all the ones he has made in the past. I wish Paul and Eric and their families all the best in this holiday season. I am happy that they make time for me and inturn you the readers of the Dino Nation Blog. I love having are guests and I am happy to say I have never asked a question that they have not been happy to answer. When times are tough like this it is not always a lot of fun talking about this team and it's struggles. But in good times or bad times my guests answer the question I ask that I feel you will want answers too.

I will be busy working as I mentioned testing the new live blog for The Score tonight. I welcome you to follow along be it online or via your favourite mobile toy. I am going to try to get started and have a bit of a pre game show where you can have a say on the Raps. During time outs and haftime and post game you can have your input. While the game is going on I will be giving you the blow by blow or play by play. I am looking forward to it despite the kind of lousy mood in Raptorland.

Raps vs Spurs Live Blog


Obviously there will be no Raptor Rewind as a result. This may become a regular thing for me so if it does on those nights Raptors Rewind will be replaced with your invitation to join the Live Blog fun. It is not a chat but I will take your input when I can. Pre, Half, Post and Time outs I will include as much of your comments as I can. All depends on how many folks show up and have something to say. Given the mood of things lately a reminder that all comments need to be PG-13 or Better.