A Game Not On ESPN Or TNT.

Unlike Jose Calderon, I still remember Chris Bosh and who he is, or maybe it is was. I say that based on Chris making comments that apparently if you don't get your games broadcast on TNT or ESPN you don't exist according to him. If you are on T.V that is all that matters. Really? I mean even Vince Carter never made such stupid statements after leaving. However, Vince would have no need to say that, as when he was on the Raptors they did get broadcast on national T.V in the U.S. So even though in Chris Bosh's world the team he left and the team Lebron left won't exist, trust me the Cavs and Raptors will play a game at the ACC. The Cavs coming in with a record better then the Heat as they beat the Celtics in their home opener. Raptors in their opener came up short against lesser competition in the Knicks.

Much like the Celtics had a letdown in their loss to the Cavs, could the same happen to Cleveland on the road at the at the ACC. Raptors will hope so but should not count on it. The Raptors really need this win badly as the team is off on a early season western road swing. It is crazy to call game two of a season as must win but for the Raptors this gets as close as it can get. Given the opposition they face the Raptors would be hard pressed to even get a split on this road trip. Not to be negative but it would not shock to many people if they went 0-4. The one some what winnable game is the first one vs the Kings. After that it is the Jazz, Lakers and Blazers.

At least in this match-up with the Cavs there will be 3 familiar faces for Jay Triano to game plan against. Anthony Parker, Joey Graham and Jamario Moon all former Raptors playing for the Cavs. No one will ever confuse Joey and Jamario with Lebron. But like the Raptors the Cavs do have some pieces. The one that most people seem to be excited about is J.J Hickson. He is young and will have a much larger role for this Cavs team. He did lead Cleveland with 21 points in the win over Boston. The Cavs also got this win with no Mo Williams. Will see if he suits up tonight in Toronto.

Not suiting up, but starting the road back is Ed Davis. He practised with team in all non contact drills for the first time. It will be a long road back for Davis and a rather larger learning curve. Missing half his college season and now all of training camp and pre-season is not going to make things easy for him at all. People should not expect much from this kid right now. It is going to take a lot of time. The Raptors have depth at his position so there is no need to rush him back.

I am going to be in the building but not covering this one. Doing some research for the DNB, and if all works out you folks will hear about it at a later date and you will be happy about it. In the short term will we all be happy as Raptor fans? Hey if you can't beat the Cavs there is no way you are going to be a playoff team. So forget it Celtics you are not making the post season. But seriously, for the Raptors a loss to the Cavs means a lot more then it does for Boston. The amount of winnable games for the Raptors and Celtics is vastly different.

The only other thing I will say is the artists formerly know as the Young Gunz now the Young Onez all need to step up and be counted tonight. The opener was not great for any of them. It is great they all love the city and the fans. However fans want effort and results and these guys need to learn to do that consistently.

The J.O And Moon Return Game

20 games left to go in a season that has been the most disappointing in Raptors history? I would say yes. When you consider all that has gone on it is hard to argue. Chris Bosh still says this team can make the playoffs. If that were to happen it would take a totally new Raptor team that we have just not seen all season. Even if that was to happen they would still need a ton of help. I have said for a longtime this team would not make the playoffs and every move including the trade seems to suggests that they would not. It is vital for the Raptors to hold the rights to the first round pick they have. Making the playoffs would turn that pick over to Miami. What would that accomplish for the long term improvement of this franchise. The answer is not a lot. While Chris Bosh as a player wants to hold out hope that this team can make it, seeing the bigger picture beyond this season it makes sense.

However what also makes no sense is thinking this team can be better without Bosh. I just can't see a deal that makes this team better if you move Bosh. People are so focused on the here and now but fail to see the past. Not just the past of Bosh but the past of this franchise. I have told you how I think all of this goes away. Get Steve Nash. If you do Marion maybe views the situation differently here in Toronto. Jose Calderon has to learn a running system and Nash is the master of a running system. Calderon is a square peg in a round whole for this running system the Raptors seem fully committed to playing. Bosh is a running system with Nash could thrive. Bargnani could also gain from it as well as Nash has made many a 3 point shooter look very good and made them very rich.

But why would the Suns do it? For the same reason that Raptors would look to move Bosh according to everyone. Why should the Suns feel any more confident that Nash would return? There is also the issue of his age and if they would even want to re-sign him. After all Bryan Colangelo brought Nash to the Suns not Steve Kerr.

People talk of Roko Ukic and his potential well who better to mentor that than Steve Nash? You want prove of his impact just check out D.J Augustin who got help from both Nash and T.J Ford. Instead of trying to blow up the Raptors why not try to fix them. Everyone says this team has talent. People were truly shocked by what has happened to the Raptors this season. Could making that one move I am suggesting change this team into a team that can be highly improved? It just might and if I am wrong you still could move Bosh and you have the cap room added by taking on Steve Nash. You can still rebuild and start over. However what does it hurt to not try one last time to get it right with Chris Bosh. Is it not worth one last shot?

The Miami Heat have much the same challenges as the Raptors when they look to the future. Wade could walk away from the Heat as well in 2010. However given the re-birth season he has had and the rise of the Heat from the ashes not to many people are focused on that. It is all about the Playoffs for Miami but in reality can they beat Cleveland, Boston or Orlando? I am thinking not. That being said the hope that they could makes all this 2010 talk go away. Here in Toronto that hope was long gone a long time ago.

As bad as it all seems for the Raptors you can look at the Heat last season and see a lot of the same things. They had a star in Wade that a lot of people wonder rather loudly if he could return to the player that was known as flash. Maybe think about that before you want to demolish the Raptors and start from scratch. If Wade were to declare he was leaving in 2010 how good would the Heat be? Not so good right?

Jamario Moon on the other hand has been much better of late for the Heat.

Shooting % with Raptors- 47.3%, With the Heat 52.5 %

3 Point % with Raptors- 34.5%, With the Heat 42.9%

In his last 3 games with the Heat he has averaged 15 points, 6-14 from 3 point range, 8.3 rebounds.

His defense has still been pretty bad and his blocks and steals have actually gone down with the Heat. He is play on average 27 minutes a slight bump from the 25 he was getting in Toronto. Why the change in performance on offense? Dwayne Wade and winning seems to be a simple answer. Even Jamario himself last night could not figure out what changed for him or the Raptors this season. He made an appearance on Hoops. Moon was also talking it up from almost the start in Miami declaring the Heat could make the conference finals. I mean what the heck? I like Jarmario he is a nice guy and I think his dedication to the sport is truly remarkable. However he seems to just be a guy that is dependent on others for any success he can have. He needs others to do things for him to be successful. In Toronto this season he was not getting the help in other performances and it exposed him.

As for Jermaine O'Neal his numbers do not show much difference. A slight improvement in is FG% and a dip in rebounding. However Miami made this trade to secure D-Wade and they can say whatever they like that is why they made this deal. If J.O can add to the Heat great but the bottom line of it all was to gain cap space and make a serious pitch to keep Wade.

As for tonight and the return of these 2 guys I am not sure what the reaction of fans will be. For me personally it ho hum. I mean Moon was only hear over just a year. As quickly as he gained the attention and love of the fan base he lost it just as fast this year. A nice guy and still a great story but in the end I don't feel much of anything about him going or returning. I guess if he can do well with the Heat he will get another NBA contract and based on him being a good person and his story I guess, I am happy about that. When he first was traded to Miami his staying in the league to me was in serious doubt. If he can continue his improvement with the Heat he should be able to remain in the league. That for Jamario Moon is a very good thing. He was just happy to have made it to the league and was grateful of what it means to be an NBA player. That is something that sometimes is not the norm for the NBA these days.

When it comes to J.O. If you read this blog back in the summer my original reaction to the Jermaine O'Neal trade was not positive. I allowed myself to have my mind changed. Guess that was a mistake. I did learn that J.O is not the bad guy that I had always thought he was. However from a basketball perspective he did pretty much what I had expected. His injury issues were still there and always will be. The days of him being an All-Star in this league are far removed. I am puzzled how so many people became so attached to this guy in his short time here. Seeing posts about keeping J.O and getting rid of Bosh were just comedy to me. I guess that J.O as Raptor is just some trivia question that 5 or 10 years from now that will stump people that do not pay that much attention to the Raptors. Beyond that J.O being here will not have many warm fuzzy memories. So his return is a pretty much a non event. It is not like I can boo someone for being pretty much everything that I expected basketball wise.

So that is about all I have to get you ready for this one. Stampede weekend continues on with the results of their game against Utah and interviews with Brent Petway on Saturday and Nathan Jawai on Sunday. Actually my bad the Stampede don't play till Monday.

The Dino Blogger Has A Very Canadian Plan To Fix The Raps

I'm not sure if this is a good sign as we are less than 24 hours into the Raptors All Star break but I am already playing with a trade machine. I came up with 2 trades that drastically change the Raptors. 5 players go and 4 come back. If you like Canadian content you will love this idea. So are you ready to see my master plan?

To Raptors:

Steve Nash

To Suns

Jose Calderon

Jason Kapono

Jamario Moon.

That is part 1 but wait there is more

To Raptors:

Shawn Marion

Joel Anthony

Jamal Maglorie

To Heat:

Jermaine O'Neal

Joey Graham

I have added to the Canadian content of the Raptors. In fact in 14 years the Raps have had 0 Canadians and in 5 minutes on ESPN Trade Machine I have given them 3. Now does any of this make any sense that is the real question right? Well let's walk through it and see. I will at least defend myself.

The Suns Deal

Would the Suns really move Steve Nash? Why wouldn't they when it seems that he is not exactly thrilled with the new system and Calderon fits that system better than Nash. They also add Kapono who has experience playing with Shaq and as bonus you through in Jamario Moon who is expiring anyway and maybe could provide a spark if he caught fire who knows.

So why would the Raptors make a 3 for 1 trade for Steve Nash? Before we even talk basketball as I have been saying the marketing of Steve Nash coming back home to Canada is worth it. Seriously can you imagine what that would do for the national profile for the Raptors? In a season in which you have had this team take a hit in that regard for bad play and a worse T.V contract that leaves many people shut out from seeing the Raptors this is a move that can turn the page on all of that. Now for the basketball. Did you happen to see Roko Ukic last night? Pretty good right? How good could he be working with Steve Nash for a year and a half at least? I would venture to say pretty good. Chris Bosh gets a two time MVP as a team mate that is sure a lot better than a washed up six time all star isn't it? I think so. Bosh may as well after playing with Nash for a bit. Jay Triano and Nash have a solid relationship and to have a coach with a point guard that thinks the same way as him and has an understanding of what you want is great. It could save Jay Triano his job and buy him time.

The Miami Deal

The answer for this one is pretty simple. Save D Wade. It is not about what the Heat get in J.O and Graham as much as it is about the contract you get. Recruiting players to play in South Beach is a tad bit easier task as opposed to Toronto. Anthony and Maglorie are expiring contracts and have far more appeal for people in Toronto. Riley is said to be high on Anthony but if he can have J.O and not have the headache of trying to resign Anthony why not. Graham can replace Marion as a much lesser player but perhaps is on the rise and you would have his rights as a restricted free agent.

Why Raptors? Well if you made deal number 1 and have Steve Nash that may help Marion. He may hate to admit it but he has not been the same player since leaving Nash in the Shaq trade. If it fails and he is still the same Shawn Marion. No problem he is off the books and you have some money to build the new Raptors around Nash and Bosh. You also were able to hang on to Anthony Parker at the end of all of this. His money is off the books. Anthony and Maglorie are not long term guys as well with expiring deals. Although the Raptors should look to keep Joel Anthony. I think he has talent. So there you have it. 3 Canadians and a whole new look for the Raptors. By this point I am sure you have formed opinions. Is this me having played to much NBA 2k9 or is it a case that has some merit. I think it is possible and makes sense for all the parties involved.

This is not a rumour or anything like that. I am just thinking on my own and seeing if it makes sense. It does for me. I mean let's face it from my perspective I am not going to miss any of the guys I have sent away. But I can make a case for the teams they have been sent to in wanting them. Is it a strong case? Not sure but it is case none the less. Colangelo convinced Utah to take Haffa so why can't he make this happen? I think he can. But it is a tough trick as individually I am not sure if the deals make sense standing alone. But together I think they add a whole new level of interest in the Raptors. Not that it could make them a playoff contender this year. However does it make them a much different team to watch? Hard not to be when you have moved 5 players.

For Reference sake these deals do work.

Suns Trade
Heat Trade

I have to admit it got me excited to think about this. In a season that has had very little to be excited about. You may not agree with my deals. But I think everyone is thinking big about trade deadline and that is the type of expectation Bryan Colangelo is up against. However don't feel sorry for him because even he admits that he raised our expectations with his comments prior to the season. There has always been this talk of Colangelo wanting to make the Raps the Suns of the East. Well bringing in two of the biggest stars from that team is an interesting way to head down that road isn't it? That is my plan. What is yours?

Raptors Rewind- So Long V.C For Another Year Edition

So Jalen Rose is more talked about now then when he was a Raptor. All this talk about Chris Bosh and 2010 is making me sick to my stomach. It doesn't help that the snow is falling outside and add the fact this game is on TSN 2, boy am I happy about the state of things. Oh yeah and Raptors are still in a hole with no signs of help coming. It really all is quite depressing. But at least I know Vince Carter will be smiling win or lose for his Nets. If you could have wrote a worse script for this season for the Raptors I could not imagine how you could top the reality. Nets lead this season series 2-1 winning both games in Toronto. So if you still have playoff hopes for this team this is a big game. A win by the Nets would give them a important tie breaker over the Raptors.

1st Quarter

Here we go. The tip went all the way out of bound and Nets would inbound from base line and Anderson nailed a 3 pointer. Anthony Parker made a baseline jumper and Nets answered with 3 pointer. Jose Calderon would answer with a 3 pointer of his own. Vince Carter who turned 32 on Monday would make a 3 pointer. I once again forgot to send Vince a birthday card, what was I thinking. Andrea Bargnani would get a nice basket in the paint. But as they say at the IZOD did you see V.C for 3? I think that is how it goes. Parker hit a jumper but V.C had another 3 pointer he had 4 early on. Nets lead it 15-10 with 7:15 to play in the first. Devin Harris would get to the line fouled by Bargnani. He would make both from the line. Harris would later get the steal and score and the Nets had a 9-2 run and lead 21-12.

Vince now taking it to the hole driving by a helpless Jose and had an average variety dunk. He would have another thrown down later that was more impressive. Carter had 16 points and Nets lead 25-12 with about 5 minutes to go. Chris Bosh would get to the line and split a pair. A.P was about the only Raptor having a decent night as he made another jumper. Jose Calderon would make a play on defense and get a steal and scores a lay up on the break. But Simmons would make a 3 pointer for the Nets in response. J.O would take it at the rookie Brook Lopez for a score.The Nets would still lead 27-19 with a time out on the floor. Andrea Bargnani would make a long 2 pointer and pull the Raptors to down just 6 on the strength of a 9-2 run for the Raptors. But Keyon Dooling would make a 3 pointer but the shot clock expired before the shot left Dooling. Raptors would have .7 seconds left. A long pass would get stolen and that was the end of the first quarter. Nets lead 27-21 after 1 quarter of play.

2nd Quarter

Thanks to long delay to determining things about Dooling and his shot there was no break and we got going right away with the second quarter. Joey Graham would start the quarter getting to the line but he could only split a pair. Najera would get a basket for the Nets. Graham would answer with a basket. Nets lead it by 5 with the score 29-24. Roko would turn it over and Dooling would get to the line fouled by O'Neal. Dooling would make his pair from the line. Devin Harris would have a nice stop on a dime jumper. Kapono would make a 3 pointer and Dooling would answer with a 3 pointer of his own. However Bargnani would add another 3 pointer for the Raptors. It was 36- 30 in a 3 point shot a-thon at the Izod Center. Bosh would have back to back baskets with a Dooling 3 pointer in between the Bosh scores. Brook Lopez would get set up by Devin Harris and he would get an easy two. Nets still leading it 41-34 with 5 minutes to play in the half.

J.O would get caught fouling Devin Harris from behind the arc. Harris would make all 3 from the line. The Nets were now up but 10 with the score 44-34. Anthony Parker would make a pair from the line. However Bobby Simmons would make a 3 pointer. Parker would answer for the Raptors with a 3 pointer. Parker would get another 3 pointer later on and he had 16 keeping the Raptors in this game. Raptors had cut the lead to just 4 points with the score 49-45 Nets with 1:56 to play in the half. Vince Carter would get to the line and make a pair as he had been quiet after a hot first quarter. Chris Bosh would make a jumper. The Raptors would be in foul trouble after that as Bargnani picked up his 3rd foul and J.O already had 3. Simmons split a pair from the line. Bosh would drive on Lopez and score plus a foul that he would make. Raptors were down just 2. But Vince Carter would make a jumper to extend that to 4. Raptors would call a time out and look to get a final score with a last possession. The Raptors would throw the ball away and not be able to close any closer. Nets have not trailed in this game as they lead 54-50 at the half.

3rd Quarter

So Vince Carter had 20 but the Nets only lead by 4. Still I just did not like what I was seeing from the Raptors. The Nets were getting to many looks from long range and making a high percentage of them. Raptors were shooting a blazing percentage behind the arc but had not as many attempts. Bosh makes a jumper to open the scoring in the second. Jamario Moon would get a big block that went out of bounds. The Nets would not score though. A.P would hit another 3 pointer and give the Raptors their first lead. Calderon would follow with another 3 pointer and the Raptors had an 8-0 run to start the quarter and lead by 4. Nets would end the run with a Brook Lopez score he would score again on an alley oop feed from V.C. It was all even at 58. Brook Lopez was not done scoring with a jumper over Bosh to give the Nets the lead back with score 60-58. Vince Carter would miss get his own rebound and make a jumper. The Nets answer the Raptors 8-0 run with one of their own. Raptors would call a time out to talk it over.

Out of the time out a terrific alley oop feed from Calderon to Moon. After that though bad news for the Raptors as Andrea Bargnani picked up his 4th foul. Bosh missed a turn around jumper that could have tied it but he missed. Nets got the rebound and Harris would drive and score and was fouled by Bosh. Harris made the and one and the Nets leaf by 5. Jose Calderon would hit a jumper to get the Raptors to with in 3. Jamario Moon would make a 3 pointer to tie the game at 65. The Raptors were getting it done from long range. The Nets would get baskets from Lopez and Harris. Calderon would answer with a 3 ball he had 11 points and 11 assists. Raptors still trailed 69-68. Vince Carter would get fouled by J.O which normally I would encourage. However that would be J.O's 4th foul to go along with Bargnani with 4. Back to back baskets by Jose and he had 15 points and the Raptors had the lead back 72-71 with 3:16 to go in the quarter. Keyon Dooling out of the time out would hit a 3 pointer to put the Nets back in front. Jamario Moon would make a jumper and tie it at 74. Jamario was having one of the best games he has had in a long time. Joey Graham would get to the line and make a pair to put the Raptors back in front. Kapono would get to the line as well and make a pair and Raptor lead was 4 with 1:30 to go. Nets had gone ice cold from long range. They were now a 9-25 from behind the are. The Raptors mean while would get a split 1-2 effort from Parker at the line but Raps got the rebound and Jason Kapono would make a 3 pointer. Devin Harris would get fouled right at the buzzer by Jake Voskhul. sending him to the line. Raptors had an 8 point lead that Harris would look to cut to 6. He could only go 1-2 and the Raptors lead it 84-77 after 3 quarters of play. It is clear my bad feeling heading into the quarter was dead wrong. Not that I am unhappy about that.

4th Quarter

So could the Raptors hang on to the 7 point lead. Not a good start as Devin Harris opened the quarter with a 3 pointer. Josh Boone would be fouled to cut the lead more but he is not a good shooter. He missed both from the stripe. Jason Kapono would get the first two points for the Raptors in the quarter. Calderon continues another great night in his return to the line up making a jumper and a time out for the Nets down 8 points with the score 88-80 with 10:13 to play. Dooling would miss an easy lay up and Joey Graham would score on the other end. The Raptors had their largest lead of the night at 10. A Dooling 3 ball would cut the lead to 7 points but Jermaine O'Neal would answer with a basket and they lead 94-85.

Devin Harris had a nice play but it was called back for offensive interference. Brook Lopez would get a basket but Graham would answer and Joey G had a dozen. Lopez would get another basket and Devin Harris would draw a foul and get to the line with the score 96-89. That would be number 5 on J.O. Harris could only split 1-2. Raptors would not be able to score and Nets would get the ball only to have it eventually picked off by Moon. Raptors lead it 96-90 with just under 6 minutes to go in this one. Chis Bosh would beat the Nets zone defense by making a jumper to give the Raptors an 8 point advantage. Joey Graham would score and get fouled and have a chance to give the Raptors a 12 point lead which he would. Joey had 15 and Raptor lead 102-90.

The Nets would get a much needed 3 pointer. Devin Harris would get fouled with 3:39 to go and Harris looking to cut the lead some more. He would make a pair. Devin Harris would get called for a travel as he was looking to cut the lead some more. He took a shot in the face as well. But The Raptors had suddenly gone cold and Keyon Dooling hit a 3 pointer and the Raptors 12 point lead had been trimmed to 4. Raptors lead was 102-98 with 2:59 to play. Chris Bosh would make a much needed jumper out of the time out. But Bobby Simmons would make another 3 pointer. Bosh would get to the line looking to extend a 3 point lead at 104-101. He would make the pair with 2:17 to go. Bosh would get a block on a Simmons shot and Parker would be fouled. He could only make 1 of 2 and Raptors lead 107-101. Simmons would air ball a 3 point attempt and Raptors were looking good to win 3 in a row for the first time sine the season started. But Vince Carter said not so fast making a 3 point and the score was 107-104. Lopez would block a Bosh shot but clearer looked like he was fouled. No call and ball went out of bounds and the Nets would have the ball with 43 seconds left. A time out for Lawrence Frank to try and make a play that would help his team get a win. Devin Harris would drive to the hoop for the easy 2 points. Raptors had the ball only up 107-106 and would be Jay Triano now calling for time out. There was still 37.8 on the clock as Harris took little time to get that score. Jose Calderon would miss a jumper and the Nets would not call for time and play it out. Devin Harris would make a great move and have an open jump shot he would create but he would miss it. Parker had the rebound and it was all over. Raptors hang on to win 107-106.

Raps/Nets Boxscore

Jose Calderon was huge with 17 points, 11 assists and 3 assists. The Raptors also get good news with a Bucks lost on the out of town score board. That is who the Raptors face next heading into on a 3 game win streak. This will be one of those was the glass half full or half empty kind of games. Raptors have had their share of bad breaks this season so it was about time karma let one fall their way.

Jack Armstrong Mid-Season Chat With Dino Nation Blog

Jack Armstrong is one of my favourite guests to have in the Dino Nation Blog. Since we have started our chats he has starting doing his own blog. It is part of the list of sites we have over on the right side of your screen. He also hosts his radio show and is on Hoops when he is in town. In short he is a very busy guy. I am always happy to talk with him for the Dino Nation Blog. Today's interview takes a look back and look forward at this Raptor season. It is an interesting 15 minute chat we have that talks about a number of issues. Jamario Moon and the Raptor wing spots. Bryan Colangelo and the overall outlook for this team. As well as a look at what has gone wrong and why. It starts off with a little fun as well. Given the Raptors recent struggles we can use that. So with that all said here is my interview with Jack Armstrong from earlier today in Chicago.

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We talked before we got started and he has yet to hear anything in terms of movement as relates to Jermaine O'Neal. Reports were out this morning that Raptors and Heat had been exchanging medical records. But as of 10am Chicago time there was no news to report.

I thank Jack as always for making time for the Dino Nation Blog. He is one of the most straight forward guys you will find in the Raptors media and I have always respected in honesty in talking about this team be it here in the Dino Nation Blog or any of the other many places you can hear Jack talking about the team.

Bad Moon Rising In Raptorland As Good One Rises For America

Before we start talking basketball today. It is a truly exciting on this historic day. I set my alarm clock to wake up early. I wanted to get this blog written to watch the history of Barack Obama being sworn in to be the 44th President of the United States of America. It is well known the connection he has to basketball. However this is bigger then sports and perhaps bigger then anything I have seen in my lifetime on this earth. If you can watch this event you really should. This is something, that will become part of the shared culture that we all share as people. I wish nothing but the best for Mr. Obama he has a much harder job then any g.m or athlete faces. The hope we all have is that he can bring the change he promised not just to America but to the world.

CB4 Directs Frustration At Moon

I made note of Chris Bosh and his displeasure with Jamario Moon at the end of yesterday's game. In fact that displeasure would not be restricted to the floor. Here is what Bosh is quoted saying in the Toronto Star:

Chris Bosh-"Watch the film. He gives him a straight line to the basket," said Bosh. "Joe Johnson. All-star. Whatever you want to call him, one of the best players or two-guards in the league and you give him a straight line? You can't. That's the mental thing we are talking about. We're up by two. If he hits the jump shot and you contest it as good as you can what are we going to say? But don't give him a straight line drive. He's too talented for that. He's too good for that and that's what made me upset."

That speaks to what I saw with I my eyes watching. Moon would get tagged for back to back fouls. On both times, Moon would get blown by and forced to foul. Moon on the second foul was laughing a bit and had a smile on his face. That is the happy go lucky nature of Moon. I can not recall a time I have seen him with an angry look on his face. However the camera would cut to Bosh who had an angry stare locked in on Moon. This was before Jamario decided to jack up a very ill advised 3 pointer and everyone collectively was he was wrong. Now Bosh was not blameless as he to would make a turnover that was costly.

I think Bosh is right though to call out Moon as some are saying he did. Moon has made silly mistakes and not been the player he was last season. Bosh is growing more and more frustrated in general with a season gone wrong. Who can blame him to be honest with you. He will not be all that happy with what his G.M was quoted as saying as well. Colangelo was suggesting that he was active but it could take until the actual deadline for something to happen. That could be just talk to quiet the trade rumours about Jermaine O'Neal and Shawn Marion.

Still when all is said and done I think we can all understand the frustration of Chris. Things may not get any easier as well because I think for the first time in a while you may have to be concerned about him being an all star. That may be the ultimate slap to his face of how bad this season has gone. It will be extremely interesting to see what is to come over next month. I will be here. But a much different thing happens today. So if you are Chris Bosh or just a fan of his, even if your not. Like it said off the top, watch Obama become President. It is history that extends far beyond sports.


This is what today was all about:

Mid-Point Blues For Dino Blogger

Here is the honest truth I do not have a lot of time today. So I was trying to come up with something that would be short but entertaining for you all. So I figure why not a top ten list. Seems to have done well for David Letterman. It also offers you a chance to add things you feel should have made the list. The reason for the rush is I am having a busy work day. I was up early on the air on CJLO this morning. After that ran through some quick things I had to do. Game prep for a live blog for Duke and Georgetown. Duke won which sucks cause I don't like them. I am doing this then it is supper and game prep for another live blog of NCAA ball.

Don't get me wrong I love being busy. Just like when the majority of that busy is about the blog. But hey this will be a good list. The 10 things I have been most disappointed about this season. I said that it would be good not uplifting. After last night if you can find someone with a positive thing to say about the Raptors please let me know. I would like to talk with them or read what they have wrote or hear what they have said.

#10- Sam Mitchell Getting Fired- I liked Sam and given how this team has performed since he has been fired why exactly was this done again? I feel bad for Jay Triano. I think he has been set up as a fall guy for Bryan Colangelo. It just is not fair for Jay in a lot of ways. Watching last night I really felt his pain.

#9- Jamario Moon Fairy Tale Ends- I am really sad that the guy that stormed on to the scene. His first NBA season had a fairy tale quality. This season it has been a rude awakening to the weak points of his game. There was no progression in fact we have seen regression in a lot of ways. To many 3 pointers and not enough driving and no improvement his handle and overall ball skills.

#8- People Turning On CB4- I am sick of people hanging things on Chris Bosh. I mean sure he is the face of the franchise and that comes with a certain amount of blame/responsibility. But all of this talk of him being like Vince Carter and he is going to leave in 2010. There is no proof of that. I think that the legacy and the growth of Chris Bosh has had mud thrown on it by some and that is just sad.

#7- Parker is Just Not The Same- A.P has just faded and become a shadow of the player that came here from Europe. He just as had age catch up to him and that often comes fast for players. He has had some brief good moments but they have been few and far between. It is likely a sad end to his run with the Raptors. To bad for a quality stand up guy.

# 6- Defense or lack of it- I honestly thought that Jermaine O'Neal could do what Kevin Garnett did for the Celtics to a lesser extent. But it was not happened at all. I think you can argue that the Raptor defense has got worse and not better. It was suppose to be one of reason the Jermaine O'Neal trade was made. More on the trade later

#5- Jose Calderon is not an All Star- I hate to be right about things when it means bad things for the Raptors. I have stood behind that I was not sold that Jose Calderon could just walk into the starting job after getting the job in the summer and be the man like that. I warned it would not be as easy has people thought. Well here we sit and Jose Calderon is not an all star and is not even close to being the best point guard in the league of the conference. The lack of a true back-up did not help matters. Sam Mitchell would show no faith in what he had been given to play behind Jose. He would play him large amounts of minutes and Calderon who was injured at the Olympics has had those injuries trouble follow him back from China.

#4- The Bench or lack of one- The lack of depth on this team is obvious and glaring and ultimately disappointing. From Jason Kapono to Joey Graham and everyone that makes up that group. They have both individual and as a group failed. I will give a pass to Roko Ukic and Nathan Jawai as they both are rookies and in Jawai's case has been unable to play to this point. That in itself has been disappointing. But the bench has flat out sucked.

#3- Expectations that were to high- Everyone said this team was going to be great and Raptors were going to be in the race to be contenders. Well not everyone but so many that it created a wave of expectation. I think that the complete failure of this team to meet those expectation is the most painful on this list. It has the making of a long hard winter turning into a spring with bleak playoff prospects. Not fun at all.

#2- The Trade- It is what has set up so many of the things on this list. You can go into a lot of details but to put it as simple as possible it is a short term total failure. It is in danger of being a complete failure if Bryan Colangelo does not turn the O'Neal contract in a team that has Chris Bosh with a group of talent around him that can help him win. If that happens now or in 2010 that is when finally judgement on this trade will be passed.

#1- Bryan Colangelo- A Man once rightfully thought of as the saviour of this franchise. From that he has turned into a mortal G.M and president. From the failure of the Raptors and MLSE to represent the fans and fix the mess that is TSN 2. The trade gone wrong, the lack of depth, the bad signings of people like Hassan Adams. When you are the President and General Manager it falls at your feet. I have had my faith in Bryan Colangelo shaken but not broken . But I think like most fans I know longer just accept that he knows what he is doing and will do the right thing.

Raptors Rewind- The O.J Show Hits T.O

So let's get started with a roster update. Jamario Moon is back the proud papa of a baby girl. Could having that behind him inspire him to play well. I sure hope so. He was back in the starting line-up. But no Jermaine O'Neal and despite some hopeful signs it looks like no Jose Calderon as well. Will Solomon would be your starting point guard tonight for the Raptors. This is a big game for the Raptors who could make it 4 out 5 wins for them. Also you have a back to back with a recently struggling Boston Celtics who are taking on a Cleveland Cavs team on a mission to keep them that way. That may not mean good things for the Raptors and it is why tonight against a Memphis team that is 11-25 is a must win type game. Raptors are starting to get it on track at home as well. They have won their last 2 at the ACC but are still only 7-9 on their home floor. Can Bargnani and Bosh keep things rolling as they have been of late? They will hope so as the will see a young and talented Marc Gasol.

1st Quarter

Raptors take the opening tip and we are off. Chris Bosh gets in going right away and he hits his first jumper. O.J Mayo would miss with his reply on the other end. Rudy Gay would make his first attempt count with a 3 pointer. Andrea Bargnani answered with a 2 not a 3 and Raptors were back on top. Jamario Moon made his first shot as a dad and Raptors had early lead 6-3. Anthony Parker the veteran with a basket and Darrell Arthur the rookie with the reply. Chris Bosh took a nice looking jumper from top of the key and he made it. Will Solomon found Jamario Moon for the easy score and it was Raptors off to an impressive 12-5 start with 7:15 left to go in quarter number 1 of 4.

Turnover for Memphis as Marc Gasol got called for 3 in the key. Bosh would make them pay with another jumper. O.J Mayo had another miss and his Canada debut was not off to a great start. Bosh though was having a wonderful start as he was at the line and made a pair. Raptors were building a lead that was up to 11 points with the score 16-5. Will Solomon would find a cutting Bargnani for the easy layup. Raptors would surrender a bucket to Rudy Gay and a turnover and a forceful jam for Gasol. The Grizz were on a roll as Rudy Gay scored another and it was a 6-0 run and Jay Triano had seen enough and called a time out. Raptors still had the lead 18-11 with 4:48 left to play in the quarter.

Jamario Moon missed a jumper badly out of the time out. He would make up for it with some hustle on the defensive glass but Raptors could get a score off of that as Kapono would miss. Raptors had gone cold as Bargnani had a lay up pretty much roll out. Kyle Lowry would finally make the Raptors pay cutting to the lead 5 points. But Jason Kapono answered that with a 2 pointer. After a 20 second time out for the Grizzlies Rudy Gay continued his great opening quarter with another basket he was 4-4 on the night. Marc Gasol was trying to make it a 3 point lead for Toronto but Bosh had other ideas with the block. But the next time down Gasol would get to the rim and be able to lay it in for two. Jason Kapono would get hooked up by Roko Ukic and he would make a 3 pointer. Gasol from the top of the key shows that he has a jump shot as he drained it. The Raptors were hanging on to a 23-19 lead after one quarter of play.

2nd Quarter

Teams exchange baskets to start the quarter. Raptors had most of the reserves in the game. Bargnani was still out there though and he grabbed a rebound on defensive end. But it did not turn into points. Both teams were looking sloppy with back to back travels on Conley and Graham one for each side. Warrick split a pair from the line. Raptors lead had been trimmed to 25-22 early in the second quarter. Jake Voskhul had his way to the line and massaged a couple through the hoop. Warrick would get a quick response for two for Memphis. That would get answered by Joey G who was set up by Kapono. Jason was not done as he hooked up Jake Voskhul for another 2 points for him. Raptors had build back up to a 7 point lead it was 31-24 with 8:08 left on the clock.

Jason Kapono would turn it over on a travel proving he was not exactly a point guard yet. Chris Bosh was back and he had a thunderous jam to let you know it. Memphis responded with a basket. Bosh would look to hook up Bargnani but instead it was stolen for a turnover for the Grizz. Raptors had really cooled off after a hot start but the Grizzlies were not taking advantage of chances. Joey Graham would get a basket driving to the basket and The Raptors were kind of on cruise control as they lead 35-28 with 4:49 and a time out on the floor.

Warrick made his way to the line and made a pair. Chris Bosh had a jumper rim out and Rudy Gay would come back and score and the Grizzlies were back to just 3 points down with the score 35-32. Bosh would get himself to the free throw line and he would make a pair. O.J Mayo apparently was suffering from a hip pointer but had checked back into the game. It was Mike Conley at the line and he split a pair. Rudy Gay was making up for a lack of Mayo he made a 3 pointer. The Grizz would score again to take a lead 37-36 and that brought boos from the crowd that was not impressed with the Raptor effort and honestly they had reason to be upset. Jay Triano in the time out did not have much love for his team as well. Chris Bosh would respond and get to the line. O.J Mayo got his first bucket on the night. Bosh answered that one with a basket. But the Grizz were inspired and made a basket to answer that. A slam dunk for the Moon man as the teams kept swapping a one point lead. Raptors would score again to end the ping pong match. O.J Mayo since checking back in looked better as he had another score. Will Solomon would close out the second quarter with a basket and it was 47-44.

3rd Quarter

Chris Bosh had 16 points shooting 5-7 from the field and a prefect 6-6 at the line. He also had 7 rebounds and 2 blocks but the rest of the team was sluggish at best. Rudy Gay had 14 for his side a perfect 2-2 from 3 point range and 6-8 from the field overall. Jose Calderon said in a halftime interview that he wants to return to the line-up on Sunday he said in a halftime interview with Rod Black. The will need him against the Celtics who were losing to the Cavs at the moment. But this game here was back underway. Rudy Gay was still hot and opened the half with a long 2 pointer. Chris Bosh also hot would answer with a basket for his side. Lowery had a score for Memphis and Bosh answered that. Rudy Gay as another answer for that. Defense was just a rumour at the ACC at the start of the second half. Marc Gasol decided to foul Bosh that was at least an attempt at defense. Nobody can stop Rudy Gay as he had another basket and had 20 points and we had a tie basketball game at 52. Bosh would take the ball at Gay and draw the 3rd foul on him that may be the only way to stop him on this night. Bosh who was perfect from line in first half started the second 2-4. Grizzlies scored a runner in the lane for O.J Mayo and they had the lead 54-53 with eight and change to play.

Andrea Bargnani with a nice pump fake was able to draw a foul. He would make a pair to put the Raptors back in front. A turnover forced by Bargnani playing good D on Gasol. Anthony Parker who had been really quiet made his way to the line. But he would miss his first attempt and make his second. Rudy Gay was showing the whole package with a running hook in the lane. Andrea Bargnani would answer with a much needed 3 pointer for the Raptors.That made the score 59-56. However Andrea was not done as he makes back to back 3 balls and it was a 6 point lead all thanks to Andrea with the score 62-56 and a time out called. The Grizzlies defense needed to be reminded to find number 7 and not let him do that.

Gasol out of time out drove to the hoop but missed. Bargnani tried to take advantage in the post matched up on Mayo but he could not score on the inside. He would look to drive the next time and drop it off for Bosh but it was stolen and lead to easy score in transition. Chris Bosh would get the ball the next time though and make a jumper. Gay had a rare miss from 3 point range that could have cut the Raptor lead to just 1 point. Andrea Bargnani would find his way to the line and have a chance to make a pair. But he missed both. Grizzlies again were getting chance to take control and not cashing in. Chris Bosh would make them pay with a basket. A steal that lead to a score for Will Solomon and just like that raptors were back up by 8 points with score 68-60 with only 2:42 to play in the quarter.

Out of a time out Grizzlies have an empty trip with a shot and miss. Jason Kapono makes them pay with a 2 ball from the corner. Raptors finally were showing signs that they wanted to put this one away. Jamario Moon was having a good effort as he got a rebound and then make me look bad my missing a 3 pointer. Warrick spilt a pair from the line to cut the lead to single digits. But an O.J Mayo turnover would lead to a raptor basket in transition. It was clear Mayo was not right but Raptors could care less leading 72-61. Will Solomon attempted a fading jumper in the lane at the buzzer but no dice. Raptors would have to settle for there 72-61 lead after 3 quarters of play.

4th Quarter

So the title of this Raptor Rewind was not looking like it would make sense tonight. O.J was not the guy it was Rudy that was the man for Memphis. Bosh was that man for the Raptors as he is on most nights. But Andrea Bargnani was starting to help out and he opened the quarter with a 2 point effort. Warrick and Mayo would answer with back to back baskets. Mayo looked for back to back buckets but his jumper would not fall. Bargnani wound O.J guarding him again and he took it right at him with the huge size advantage. Bargnani would dunk it on Mayo. Chris Bosh was resting up for a big finish as he would enjoy a Jason Kapono jumper as the Raptors had their largest lead of the night 78-66. Bosh had come back in the game at that point.

He entered the game for Andrea Bargnani who had heard his share of boos at ACC but on this night cheers would rain down on him. He had 18 points and Bosh was checking back in looking to build on his 22. Matt Devlin and Jack Armstrong were refering to them as the Killer Bees. But the look nothing like B. Brain Blair and Jumping Jim Brunzell. Busting out my old 80's wrestling knowledge. Kris Humphries could maybe have a career as a wrestler.He was in there and got himself a basket in his chosen profession of basketball player. Not starting trade rumours but Bryan Colangelo was working his blackberry hard as he looked on from his little bunker by where the players go in and out from the floor. Roko Ukic with a pretty feed knows who to pass it to. He found Bosh with the jumper from the top of the key and the lead was 82-69. Ukic later on made a pretty runner in the lane for himself. Chris Bosh was looking to close it out as he drove to the lane and would get sent to the line after the time out.

Bosh stepped to the line with 5:29 left. He would make both and it was an 86-72 lead for Toronto who had a much better effort in this second half. Kapono was making passes and dropping dimes a bit tonight. He found Joey G for the basket. Kapono had 5 dimes and so did Anthony Parker despite a quiet night scoring wise. Bosh had it going on tonight as he made the fading jumper and it was all falling for CB4. He was 11-13 from the field and had 32 points. Andrea Bargnani was back in the game and wanted a piece of the action he made a 3 pointer that caused Jose Calderon to stand up in his suit and do his 3 point deal when he makes one. It was all smiles as the Raptors were heading to winning 4 of 5, before a very tough test in a back to back with a Celtics team thinking they have a lot to prove. Bargnani had 21 on the night and they had a 21 point lead 95-74. Bargnani was not showing any sign of giving up he blocked a shot. But he and Bosh had done enough as they would leave to cheers from the fans. Raptors after a sleepy first half effort were putting it to the weaker opposition in the second. Kris Humphries was owning garbage time with back to back baskets. Will Solomon would deliver the pizza with a jumper in the lane. Raptors were running away with it leading 101-78. It was all over but the final score. The lines for Bargnani and Bosh. 53 points 18 rebounds and 4 blocks combined that is a heck of a night. You can make the final 103-82. Check it all out in a very fan friendly boxscore from The Score.

Rap/Grizz Boxscore

So the Raptors will hope to add some healthy folks back to the line-up but with no Jose and no J.O things were still A O K for the Raptors of late. They now will have an early Sunday date with the defending champs who had been playing like chumps of late. Should be fun.

Wiz And Raps Share Common Ground

When this season started both Wizard and Raptor fans expected much more. Eddie Jordan and Sam Mitchell were coaches that had earned some level of success. Jordan was a coach of an All Star Game for the Eastern Conference not all that long ago. Sam Mitchell of course was the Coach of the Year just a few seasons ago. The Wizards have been without Gilbert Arenas for the majority of last season and all of this season. The irony is the Wizards made the choice to re-sign Arenas for over a 100 million dollars worth of contract. You would think they would know his health better than anyone else. But still they made the choice to bring him back. The Raptors have had issues with health that some might say they should have known better about as well. Jose Calderon after an injury at the Olympics after he had resigned with the Raptors has continued to have some minor injuries that have plagued him through out the year, Jermaine O'Neal has had a long history of injuries and time missed. He has had some minor injuries as well. Both will be out for this game as they did not travel with the Raptors on this mini two game road trip. Two teams with playoff goals are not even in the playoffs as it stands now. While there is still hope Raptors could sneak back into the playoff race it would seem that the Wizards are done as far as that idea for this season. After all they sit in dead last in the conference and to be able to just pass all the teams in front of them would seem unlikely. After winning their first back to back games of the season the Wizards have lost 3 of 4 games since that time. The Raptors have not been able to string wins together as well. After winning the first 3 games of the year the Raptors have not been able to win more than 2 in a row since. They had a chance to change that against the Bucks but would fall short. So two teams desperate for a win it should be fun.

Trade Winds Continue To Blow

A day does not go by without another rumour about the Toronto Raptors. It has to be difficult for the players and their families. That is a fact that often is lost in all of this thirst for change. But unless you name is Chris Bosh you have heard your name in some rumour if you are a Toronto Raptor. Even Nathan Jawai who has yet to play a game I saw in a trade rumour. But the latest and most loudest of the rumour mill has been talk that Bryan Colangelo has been shopping around Jermaine O'Neal and his big contract with all that cap space in 2010. Colangelo has only confirmed that he has no interest in trading Chris Bosh. It is not like he has done much to stop all of the talk about his players. It makes sense to let the rumour mill run wild if you are Colangelo. If he can build interest in players on this roster it can only help his chances of making a move. I personally am starting to think Colangelo is looking to make a major move. If he wanted to just do some minor tweaks you have to think he could have made a move by now. What is clear is with each passing day the expectation level of fan base for what Colangelo will do increases. The chances of people feeling that he has not done enough will increase as well.

But the challenge that faces Colangelo is a difficult one indeed. If you accept that the plan is to keep Chris Bosh in 2010. Which Colangelo has given ever indication that it is. He faces the difficult task of trying to improve this team and keep or restore the confidence of Bosh in him. But in doing that he may have to give away some of that massive amount of cap space he has been able to acquire. The majority of which lies in the contract of Jermaine O'Neal. The performance recently of Andrea Bargnani has left some to think the Raptors need to leave him as the starting center. But for that to happen Jermaine O'Neal would have to be put on the bench. This is not a good thing on any level. You can only expect that O'Neal would be less than happy about that. A drop in his performance and production would likely follow. This would all impact on his value as a player for the next season and a half. Now if a team is making the move just to get the cap space his contract and is not concerned with anything else that is not as big an issue. But that would mean he would need to go to a team that is not it the playoff hunt but still could be a reasonable option to attract free agents in 2010. That would likely eliminate a lot of Eastern Conference teams as there are still a lot of teams thinking they can make the playoffs in the Eastern Conference. Still would you really want to bash your brains out to make the playoffs only to have to try and beat the Celtics, Cavs or Magic in a 7 game series. Sure the Hawks took Celtics to 7 games and they did drop an overtime loss to the Bobcats and have struggled in recent days. But a better draft choice and a way to sell your fans that help is on the way in 2010. It is a nice way for a G.M to buy some time. These are the type of thoughts that could be going on for G.M's that might be considering taking on Jermaine O'Neal.

Is Bosh A Lock For The All Star Game?

It seems farily clear at this point that Chris Bosh will not be getting voted into the All-Star Game as a starter. So that will leave it in the hands of coaches in the league. Bosh has been well respected around the league and the fact he played so well for Team U.S.A doesn't hurt as well. That should have nothing to do with this but hey the coaches making the choices are all Americans and proud ones I am thinking. But with the Raptors less than impressive record will that cost Chris Bosh? I am thinking that it will not and Bosh will make it to the roster for the Eastern Conference. He is still one of the best at his position in the conference. I will say it will not be the slam dunk guarantee that it has been in the past. I think it will be something that will be interesting to watch. If Bosh some how got left on the sidelines how would he re-act to that? Hopefully we will not need to find out. I would think it would be a personal disappointment. That being said it is not as huge an event to Bosh as it might have been to a guy like Vince Carter who missed the All-Star Game last year for first time in a long time. Bosh would also get a rest if he was not in the game and it may not be a totally awful thing if he was able to relax for a bit. Although the Raptors do get an entire week off based on the schedule around the all-star game. They face the Spurs on the 11th and do not play again till the 18th taking on the Cavs. They are both games that are at home at the ACC. This could be a chance for Triano to get some of that much wanted practice time he has needed.

Almost Forgot

So that is about it for today. Oh yeah one last thing. I have kind of been having some fun about this on facebook. Chuck Swirsky is returning to Toronto next week but he will be coming to the Dino Nation Blog in the Starting 5 before that. I have not figured out the exact day that I am going to have that interview in the blog. But it has already been done and is all ready to roll. I just wanted to let some folks know about it and try to get a few more people aware of the blog. I mean it is how things work. Cabbie interviewed Kobe Bryant and that is not going to hit the air till February. I am looking forward to that. Maybe I can convince Cabbie to visit here and talk about it. I will see if I can. But for now it is the Dino Blogger one on one with the Swirsk. I think I can post him up and score. Well no it is not that one on one it is an interview. I am not sure how I'd fair in b-ball against Cabbie. We both are of the same body type. It would not be a classic contest by any means.

Update- Joey Graham will Start Tonight In Place Of Moon- Noon

Jamario Moon is heading back to Alabama to be at the birth of his child. That has Joey Graham getting the call to start in tonight's game against the Wizard's. News comes from Eric Smith of the Fan 590. So all of the Joey G fans will get a chance to see a lot more Joey against the Wizards. This makes a even shorter roster for the Raptors who are already without Jose Calderon, Jermaine O'Neal and Nathan Jawai who has yet to make his NBA debut as he works back into shape after being sidelined with heart concerns. Calderon has the bad hamstring and J.O the bruised knee.

While I am writing should give this a mention the latest trade rumour that has been floating around. Andrea Bargnani and Anthony Parker to the Mavs for Josh Howard and two other players. Hoopsworld claims this deal is close to happening.

Raptors Rewind- TSN 2 Or Not Edition

The Raptor Rewind marches on be it rain or snow or not TSN 2. I really am tired of this non-sense. To have to scramble to find a way to do what I consider my job. I talked with my cable company today and they say that they are doing all they can. It was a nice person I talked to and she was a basketball fan and hopefully will now be a reader of the Dino Nation Blog. But I just am angry that this is an issue at this point. I am not sure who to blame for that. Is it Rogers? Is it TSN and their parent company Bell Globe Media? Should the Raptors be blamed for not taking a more hard line stance with these companies to get this fixed. I mean MLSE I think would take a different approach if this had to do with the Maple Leafs and not the Raptors. Point is as fans we are the ones who suffer. But that being said I will not let that stop me from doing what my mission is here to provide fans with my brand of coverage of games. I tend to think I care more about fans than the parties involved. Someone needs to wake up and stand up for the fans of the Toronto Raptors. That being said a game will be played and be it somewhere on the Internet or on the radio I am going to do my best to follow along and give you a recap of the events of the night at the ACC. I hope the folks who make the choices about these matters understand, when you complain about the ratings for basketball on your networks you are part of the problem. If you don't respect the sport and treat it's fans like garbage you have no right to complain about the ratings. Sports fans do not care about your bottom lines and whatever issues this may cause. All they want to do is watch the game and cheer for their team. They deserve the right to do that. I mean why exactly do we have a CRTC if they sit back and let these things go on? Sorry for the rant but I think all of you share in my rage. I promise the rest of this will be about basketball. However, I wanted to express my opinion and hopefully represent you the readers who have been effected by this.

1st Quarter

Well I have a combo of radio and video feed. Bosh was fouled by Yi and went to the line and made the free throws. Jason Kapono would nail a 3 pointer and raps had an early 5-0 advantage. A couple of buckets for J.O and it was a 9-0 run for the Raptors to start the game causing Lawrence Frank to call a 20 second time out. Jamario Moon would get a couple free throw and then later get an alley opp feed from Jose Calderon. Calderon would then get a 3 pointer and the Raptors had a 16-2 lead early on. It was like continuing on from the game in New Jersey.

Vince Carter had his second basket of the night and the only points for Jersey to this point. Vince would hit a 3 pointer after a Bosh miss and he had all 7 points for the Nets to this point. Jermaine O'Neal would respond with a jumper. O'Neal would later make a pair from the line they had a 20-9 lead. J.O was hustling on defense to drawing an offensive foul. Ryan Anderson was fouled and heading to the line for New Jersey. He would make both and the Nets were now down 9. The Nets would cut it to seven but Bargnani would get a kind roll on his jumper to extend the lead back to 9 points. The Raptors had a 26-15 lead and aside from Vince Carter scoring a bit this looked much like the game in New Jersey. Ryan Anderson hit a 3-ball for the Nets. Raptors had made a turnover the second in a row. But the Nets could not convert this second time. Antony Parker missed a 3-ball from the corner that would go out of bounds off a Raptor. Keyon Dooling would get a steal and score the Nets were back to within 6 points. Roko Ukic would get a basket and Vince Carter buzzer shot would not fall. Despite going over 4 minutes without a field goal the Raptors still lead 28-20 after one.

2nd Quarter

The Nets would end up on the line with two free throws from Ryan Anderson. He would make only 1-2 from the line. J.O would get to the line himself but he would miss both. Josh Boone was able to score on the other end for the Nets and it was a 28-23 Raptor lead. A Ryan Anderson 3-ball and the lead had shrunk to just 2 points. Jermaine O'Neal would finally respond for the Raptors. The Nets would score again but Roko Ukic would find J.O and set the table for an O'Neal throw down. J.O had 12 points to lead all scorers in the game and Raptors lead 32-28. Chris Bosh would hit Joey Graham streaking to the hoop and Joey would throw it down. Brook Lopez would score a basket from in the paint for the Nets. Joey Graham with a spin and a pass to Kapono who would hit a big 3 ball for the Raptors. Raptors lead was back up to 7 with a 37-30 lead. Chris Bosh had a huge block. But Raptors could not convert it into points.

The Nets had pulled to down just 5 and Jermaine O'Neal who was having a good game would have to sit with 3 fouls. Jason Kapono would make a long 2 pointer from the corner to make the lead 7 again. But Brook Lopez would get a thrown down off a V.C pass. Yi JianLian would hit a 3-ball and this was a 2 point basketball game with the Raptors up 37-35. Chris Bosh was with out a field goal but he would drive strong and get sent to the line. He would make both and Raptors lead 41-37. Josh Boone got offensive board on a missed 3 pointer from Yi. Boone would put it in the basket to pull the Nets to with in just 2 points. Andrea Bargnani was fouled and made 2 from the line. Bosh was blocked and then had it stolen away. He wanted a foul called. But instead Jersey would score in transition and he would get called for a technical foul. The Nets had their first lead of the night 44-43. The Nets would score again on a second chance opportunity. Jose Calderon would get a 3 pointer or was it a 2. For now it was a 3 pointer and Raptors trailed 46-45 at the half.

3rd Quarter

The Nets had 14 second chance points and Raptors 0. That was the big reason the Nets were in this basketball game and actually winning it. Seems Jose got credit for the 3-ball after all so it was 46-46. Chris Bosh hit a jumper and Raptors had a lead. Jamario Moon had a jam the lead was 50-48. Vince Carter would score to tie it. Bobby Simmons would hit a 3 pointer to give the Nets a 53-50 lead. Chris Bosh would score ot pull back to just 1 down. But Devin Harris who had been quiet got a basket and the Net lead was back to 3 points. Raptors found a cutting Moon who would take it to the hoop and score. Bobby Simmons would answer with a 3-ball and Kapono answered with a 3-ball of his own. The Nets had a 58-57 lead with a time out on the floor.

Vince Carter out of the time out would hit a jumper. Chris Bosh would answer with a score for the Raptors. Raptors would get a turnover and a J.K 3-ball in transition and the Raptors had the lead back at 62-60. Raptors battled on the glass and it turned into two free throw for Jamario Moon at the other end. Moon made both and he had 9 points and 8 rebounds to this point for the Raptors to this point. Bosh denied Ryan Anderson's attempt and that would get converted on the other end by Jose Calderon with a jumper the Raptors lead was 66-60. Raptors continued to play better defense and Andrea Bargnani on the offense would drive and get to the line. He would make both and the Raptors were on an 11-0 run if my math is right. Joey Graham would block Vince Carter and it would lead to a double foul call as Andrea and Vince would get tied up. Carter would exchange words with Andrea. Calderon would extend the run with another basket. Vince Carter would end the run with a 3-ball but his Nets were still down 7 with the score 70-63. Both the Raps and Nets would get a chance to change the score but both failed. So it was 70-63 after 3 quarters of play.

4th Quarter

So the Raptors came into the 4th quarter with a 7 point lead. They needed to hold on to it unlike the last time these two teams hooked up in this building. Both team came up empty on their first couple trips of the quarter. Andrea Bargnani was playing hard on defense, He would get rewarded being sent to the line on the offensive end and he would make both for the first points of the quarter. The Nets would have a turnover and Raps had a chance to extend the lead to double digits. However they could not and instead Harris would get to basket for basket plus the foul shot. Devin Harris would again get to the line and make both the Raptors lead was 4 at 72-68.Devin Harris had 7 straight points for New Jersey and the lead was now just 2 points 72-70 for Raptors. Jay Triano had seen enough and called a time out.

Jose Calderon would miss a 3 point shot out of the time out but it would not fall. Devin Harris would get fouled by J.O and Devin Harris was back on the line again with a chance to tie the game. He would do just that. Raptors were 0-7 in the quarter and Brook Lopez would score on the offensive put back to give the Nets the lead 74-72. Raptors were ice cold and Vince Carter who had been watching the Nets take the lead was now in the game looking to close it out for his team.

Vince out of the time out would drive and get sent to the line on an Andrea Bargnani foul. He would get the basket and the foul and the Nets had a 5 point lead. The Raptors continued to miss and Devin Harris drove and was sent to the line to take a couple free throws and he would make them. Jose Calderon would final give the Raptors a chance to score by driving to the basket and drawing the foul. He would make both which is nothing new for Jose he has made 58 straight to start the season. Devin Harris would come down and drain a bucket in response. Ryan Anderson would hit a 3 pointer, and a once 7 point Raptor lead had turned into a 10 point Nets lead.

Raptors had been out scored 21-4 to this point in the 4th quarter. Jermaine O'Neal would miss a pair off free throws for the second time on this night. The Nets would take advantage and score and had an 86-74 lead and were totally out classing the Raptors in this 4th quarter. A Jose Calderon 3-ball after Anderson made a pair from the line but the lead was 11 for the Nets. Jason Kapono would get another 3 pointer after a rare pointless trip for the Nets. Rookie Ryan Anderson was back at the line he would make 1-2. The young rookie had 21 points and 8 rebounds for the Nets.The lead was 89-80 for the Nets with under 2 minutes to play. Raptors were starting to wake up but it was far to late. Jay Triano frustrated with a call would get his first technical foul as a head coach. Carter would miss the Tech and Chris Bosh would hit a 3 pointer and the Raptors were down now just 5 points. Just 53 seconds left to play and it was the Raptors looking to make the unreal late comeback to steal a win. Vince Carter missed a fading mid range jumper and Jose Calderon would get a look at a 3 pointer to get the game to just 2 points down. But it would miss and the Raptors chances were pretty much over despite making it a bit more exciting down the stretch. The Raptors were extending this game but their fate was sealed. The Raptors let one get away losing by a final score of 94-87. The boxscore tell the tail of how the Raptors let this game slip away.

Nets/Raps Boxscore

It doesn't get easier for the Raptors to watch for those with or without TSN2. The Dallas Mavericks come to town and that will be far from an easy win for this Raptor Basketball team. The fall to 10-14 on the year and 4 games below .500.

Raptors Face Early Challenge To Save The Season

Seems a bit extreme to say in late November. But back to back loses and a fan base that is clearly as frustrated as the Raptors if not more. The time has come to define just who and what this 08/09 Raptor season is going to be. Nothing in life is a sure thing but if I was to bet on it, I would say when we look back on this Raptor season we will point to this time period. Last season was defined by the injury to T.J Ford. It would shape everything that would follow that moment. That happened in early December so it may not be so crazy to suggest this. After back to back loses one that was heart breaking and the other humiliating the time has come for everyone to take a step back and evaluate what is going on. The trade for Jermaine O'Neal brought with it a ton of expectations from fans, media and the Raptors as well. But everyone understood that there was some risk to this move and that even though the Raptors could be better, it also left issues that could cause trouble. A lack of depth, no real back-up point guard and the health of Jermaine O'Neal. I also was concerned about Jose Calderon and his health given the lack of depth at point guard.

All of these issues are front and center at the moment. You can also add in a few others that were not on the table. Sam Mitchell and his coaching abilities. For some Raptor fans this issue was on their radar but I think most thought in the organization and the majority of the media that Sam was going to be o.k. Thus far it has been anything but o.k. The more games that pass the more that Sam Mitchell gets put under the microscope. There is also the total lack of production from the Raptor wing players which has caused Andrea Bargnani to play at the 3 spot because no one has shown worthy of the Raptors options beyond him. Anthony Parker at times looks old and out matched on defense and his shooting has been hot and cold to extremes. Jason Kapono has not shown the offensive production that fans would expect and hope for. He also has not shown any ability to be any kind of a defender. Jamario Moon has had is fairy tale rookie season go smashing into a wall of reality. Many wondered why it had took Jamario so long to make it to the NBA. This season may be showing us why that was. Also we have Joey Graham who is rapidly showing that despite his impressive athletic ability he does not have the basket ball IQ and energy to match that prototype body.

You even have just plain bad luck when it comes to the drafting of Nathan Jawai. He got knocked out of the box before he every has got started. Nobody could have imagined him getting sidelined by a heart condition and not being able to play at all. The Raptors in looking for another Jamario Moon in the rough came away with Hassan Adams who has been a complete bust of a signing and shows no signs of changing. The Raptors answer to help spell Jose Calderon while young Roko Ukic learns the NBA was Will Solomon. Beyond a truly great game vs Miami in replacing an injured Jose, he has been a turnover machine. Just about every gamble the Raptors took coming into this season has come up snake eyes.

Along with that while the Raptors have struggled the rest of the division with the exception of the Sixers are doing better than expected. The Knicks and Nets are not the basement dwellers that many might have expected. In fact as of right now the Raptors sit in last in the division they won just a couple years ago. The Celtics as we saw are just as dominate as they were last season. Even the Sixers after a slow beginning have turned it around a bit. So time to work your way through these issues may not be there for the Raptors.

You throw in a really lousy salary cap situation and not many chips that you can move it all is a pretty tough deal for the Raptors. The biggest chip you have to move is one of the few bright spots of an under .500 Raptors squad. Andrea Bargnani has now got to a level that if you traded him you would watch in fear that he may turn out to be the big star that he was promised to be by being selected #1 overall. I do not envy Bryan Colangelo at all. He faces a number of challenges and some of the choices he made are responsible for that. Also I am sure hearing that every NBA G.M is forming a line to sign away your star player in 2010 does not make you feel that good. It also probably was not great to watch that same player be totally frustrated to the point he did not want to talk to his team mates or anyone as he watched his team get humbled at the hands of the Celtics. He was taking a beating and not getting the touches he wanted and he was, as we all were embarrassed by his teams lack of defense.

So how does this team dig itself out of this mess. If you ask the fans they will mostly point the finger at Sam Mitchell and say that he needs to be fired. There is a number of candidates out on the market that could fill his seat. The top 3 names on that list would be Flip Saunders, Avery Johnson and Jeff Van Gundy. All of which would be considered the best 3 coaches not currently with a job in the NBA. If you made that change, the Raptors would have to learn a totally new system. Doing it with out much time for practice, with a lot of banged up bodies and a short roster.You have to wonder how easy that would be to do? It is easy to say fire Sam but that is something that you need to consider. I fully admit Sam Mitchell has not been making much of a case for keeping his job recently. But just by making a change the Raptors will not magically get better. It will take time and it may be time they just don't have in an improved Eastern Conference. I am not saying that makes Sam Mitchell bullet proof by any means. After every loss the chances increase that despite what I have laid out the Raptors may have no choice but to give it a shot.

However that coach will still face all that Sam Mitchell has had to deal with. The lack of depth and a bench, injuries to two of his three star players. A lack of a real option at point guard to play behind Jose Calderon. A team that has not been able to defend consistently. All of these issues will still remain with or without Sam Mitchell. These are issues some of which are things that Bryan Colangelo must address. He after all is the one that put this roster together. He is the one that handed these risks to Sam Mitchell to have to deal with. You can judge how Sam has dealt with those challenges but you have to include Bryan Colangelo in the mix for the construction of this roster. If Bryan feels that this is as much his fault in some ways it may not be as bad for Sam as people think. But still some of things of late are not exactly giving Bryan Colangelo reason to give Sam Mitchell a pass for some of the problems that Bryan put on his plate.

If Colangelo wants to correct his mistakes he has not exactly put himself in a good position to do that. Any move he could construct will almost have to involve going into the Luxury Tax which is a costly thing to do from a pure financial standpoint. Not to mention it seems that a number of teams are on the hunt looking to improve. Joe Dumars already pulled the trigger on the gun to start the race to get better by going after Allen Iverson. A number of teams in the east now search for their Answer. Cleveland, Orlando and Boston have all been teams looking to lure Antonio Mcdyess to not go back to the Pistons.

Raptor fans are always willing to help Bryan Colangelo do his job. They seem to be focused on Golden State and a couple of players on that roster. Marcus Williams and Marco Belinelli as targets for the Raptors. I am not sure about that to be honest. But I will say that at least Raptor fans pay attention. Williams was a guy Colangelo really liked in his draft year. In fact the Raptors were hard at work looking for a late first round pick to select him as he fell in the draft. But in the end they would not find a pick and the New Jersey Nets would select him and end up sending him to the Warriors once they brought in Devin Harris. After watching Harris on Friday it is easy to see why they did. Marco was also someone that the Raptors were rumoured to be high on in the draft. They also at least looked into the idea of moving up in the draft and getting a high pick to try to bring him to Toronto. The question is does that mean the Raptors still like these guys? If they do the question becomes what do they have that Golden State would want. Jason Kapono could be an option in that run and gun Warrior system. But why people think other teams are interested in Joey Graham is beyond me. The truth is if Joey had any value he would be gone already.

Whatever Bryan Colangelo does he must be mindful of Chris Bosh. It is not that Bryan Colangelo needs Bosh's stamp of approval to do anything he likes. But the fact that everyone is talking about 2010 and Chris Bosh is human and can not help but notice all the many articles, blogs and media that are suggesting and in some cases saying they know where he will be in 2010. But I do want to make a point for all of you folks that seem to think this matters. Actually I got 2 points for you. The first is that this is not the first time people have talked about Bosh prior to a contract expiring. Phil Jackson right in Toronto made a suggestion that was good enough to get him fined that he would have interest in Bosh coming to the Lakers. Still Chris Bosh would resign in Toronto and never end up with them. Also you have the example of Vince Carter to look at. V.C re-signed in Toronto and he did it to get the most money. He would after look to be traded out of town with that extra money in his back pocket. I think Chris Bosh is just as smart as Vince Carter and maybe even a lot smarter to be honest. Vince may have his UNC degree in Afro American studies but despite Bosh only having a year of college it is clear he is a highly intelligent young man. So it would make sense for him to resign with the Raptors and get a contract that offers him the most money and if things are not to his liking after that point ask in a much more quiet way to be dealt from Toronto if he was unhappy. One thing I do know is that for as long as Bosh wears that number 4 Raptor jersey he will bust his butt. Happy or not he has far to much character to go out the way V.C did. That would allow Bryan Colangelo to look for a way to convince Bosh he made the right move to re-sign in Toronto by signing another big name to play along side him. There are lots of other names in 2010 that can fill that bill.

But in the short term the Raptors need to look in the mirror and find something. They had high expectations and they are not reaching them. If they needed any kind of reminder a sold out ACC of booing fans sent a clear message to drive home the point. Jose Calderon needs to be honest and admit he needs to do much more on defense. I mean he is battling through an injury but he has always been a poor to awful on the ball defender. That is just one example. But every player has to look and see what they can do to make this group perform better. It may not even be stuff on the floor. There are guys on this team that can say they have given a solid effort this season. Bosh is at the head of that list. But the challenge for him is how does he help raise the bar for the rest of his team. He talked about being an M.V.P. He is playing like one and has the numbers to back it up. However the truly great ones that win M.V.P do it in part because they make all the players around them better. BIrd, Johnson, Nash, Bryant and Jordan all did that. That is the next challenge for Chris Bosh. Everyone can look in that mirror and come up with things they can do. The time for that has come because if it does not happen right now to do it later down the line maybe to late.

It will be a very interesting two days for the Toronto Raptors to re-group and re-focus on the task at hand. They have to find the answers and a trade and coaching change may be down the line but they are not going to magically make all the problems go away. When you dig a hole it takes the same amount of effort it took to dig it for you to dig out of it. There are no short cuts and easy fixes to get that done. This is the time that will define this Raptor team and tell them and us what they are made of.