Toughness Is Back In The T-Dot

It is rare that anything the Raptors do is met with a general positive reaction. When news broke yesterday, to a man(or woman) everyone loved this move the Raptors made. Bryan Colangelo in his end of the season address to the media, said that this team was to nice and not tough enough and he was going to do something about it. True to his word, yesterday he pulled the trigger on a deal that sent Jason Kapono to the Sixers for Reggie Evans. Evans is a guy that a lot of Raptor fans had mentioned as a good fit in the past. Now we will find out if he is indeed that. He is a tough guy that will go bang and fight on the glass and he has a bit of an attitude that he does it with. Not since Charles Oakley have the Raptors had a guy like this. Evans is not Oakley in terms of skill. But in terms of approach and attitude he is very similar. Kapono just never could live up to the big number on the contract that he signed to come to Toronto. That is the other nice thing about this deal the Raptors save a nice sum off the cap.

From the Sixers point of view they lacked 3 point shooting. In bringing in Eddie Jordan and his Princeton offense the need for that shooter became glaring. You can make a strong case that if the Sixers do not hire Jordan that this deal may not happen. Kapono may in fact do very well in Philadelphia under the Jordan system on offense. It is not that Jason Kapono was not a good guy in his time in Toronto. It was just a case of having to many of them and the fact he never matched his production to his contract number.

The addition of Evans calls into question if Pops Mensah-Bonsu will be back with the Raptors. The early indications are he is not going to be. He may even end up in Europe and not the NBA. However fans will likely adopt Reggie Evans fairly quickly given the stuff that we expect him to do. Evans is expected to join Bosh, Bargnani, Humphries, Jawai and O'Bryant. If Evans can have some of his toughness rub off, on the younger guys like Jawai, Hump and O'Bryant, that would be a great thing.

Bryan Colangelo in his comments after the trade also made it pretty clear he is not done with the changes. This is just the start of the re-tooling of this roster. He also made it pretty clear that even though he might listen that if people are thinking Chris Bosh being traded is part of that..think again. Colangelo said that Bosh was a big reason to why he came here in the first place. Colangelo seems willing to stand firm and not be pushed into making a trade for the sake of making a trade. He makes a valid point that if Bosh wants to get the most money even if it is not with Toronto it must go through Toronto. Chris Bosh would need to sign with the Raps to get the roughly 127 million he could get in a max contract with an extra year. That in comparison to roughly 97 million if he walked and did not sign with the Raps. Those are Colangelo's numbers but as he said they are subject to change with the Cap always a fluid number from year to year.

He also seems pretty confident that if Shawn Marion is not a Raptor next season that he will be moved in some type of sign and trade move. He said that of the 4 teams that have money to spend he only sees one that has an interest in Shawn and sees that as an unlikely landing place. As for how much the Raptors have to spend? He said after this move The Raptors will have somewhere between 9 and 10 million in cap space. That is of course subject to the new cap numbers yet to be set.

In addition he said that Quincy Douby has been working out 8 hours a day in Las Vegas and he is doing very well in those workouts. He also has some optimism about Patrick O'Bryant. I am not sure why that is beyond the size and potential he may have. But in listening to Bryan yesterday it is clear he has a plan and it is clear that plan might be a lot different from the ones others might have expected.

For the first time in a long time Raptor fans had something to be optimistic and positive about. Reggie Evans is never going to be an all star but he can be part of the changing of a culture of a team that has worn a soft label for a long long time. Go Reggie Go and get out there and kick some a$$!!!

Going to be doing a few interviews on the draft over the next couple days so make sure you look for them over the next few days. Also I have my own section over at Hoops Doctors now where you can read all of the articles I have written for them.

Back From The Madness To The Reality Of The Raptors

I had a weekend of Madness and was live blogging 3 games over the weekend. I also was hanging out in the Score Live Blog with D.J Bennett making some new basketball friends. I was unable to watch the complete version of the Raptors and Clippers. However the result is not a shock. The Clippers truly suck. I mean as bad as it has been in Toronto, it is nothing in comparison to the Clippers. Raptor fans had high expectations and that may be why it hurts a little more. Clipper fans, if there truly is such a thing, have been use to failure. They might have had hope with Baron Davis and Marcus Camby. However hope in Clip Nation is like a moth to a flame it doesn't last long. The same can be said for the Raptors win on Sunday. The one thing folks may remember is a steal and a dunk but Jose Calderon. In his entire time as a Raptor I can not recall Jose throwing down a dunk. I am thinking it will be a rare event that you can tell you grand kids you saw it. Raptors will have till Wednesday to enjoy a win. Bucks will come in still very much alive in a playoff race and Charlie V will be twittering away from the ACC. The sad reality of things is the Raptors have been reduced to the roll of a spoiler. They will be playing a lot of teams fighting for the right to get demolished by the Boston Celtics.

James Harden Off My Draft Board

I kept hearing Raptor fans talking up James Harden and that he was the guy for the Raptors. After watching to less than impressive performances in the NCAA tournament from him for ASU. I am not convinced. What people do in the NCAA Tournament means a lot to me and scouts tend to look at it close as well. What do you do when the lights are the brightest? How do you perform under the glare of them? The answer for James Harden is not so hot. If the Raptors are some how lucky enough to hit the lotto and get in the top 3. The guy that I would like to see is Haseem Thabeet. The big guy from UConn is a defensive beast and has drawn comparisons to Mutumbo. Not the old Mutumbo you see now, the you finger wagging shoot blocking force. If not so lucky and Raptors slot in around where they are suppose to select which would be 7th currently I believe. The guy that I think might make sense as much as I hate the school is Gerald Henderson. The Duke product is a slashing scoring guy that sticks out in a Duke system that is not exactly designed for a player with his skill set. Yet he still funds ways to be very effective in it. Those are some early draft thoughts from me. There is lots of time before the draft to break down the entire draft class. But those are some thoughts on 3 guys that should be hearing their name called in June.

Nathan Jawai Back From His D-League Mission

I was surprised to see Nathan Jawai in a suit at the ACC on Sunday. He had a nice run in the D-League and put up a some decent numbers. What I also learn about Nate is as nice as he is the big guy has a temper on the floor. It was not an uncommon thing to see technical foul and Nathan Jawai in an NBDL boxscore. I welcome that kind of aggression and anger to this squad. Raptors need much more of it. Pops Mensah-Bonsu and Nathan Jawai are two of the bigs the Raptors should have moving forward. Both bring some defense and rebounding which have been sorely lacking on this basketball team. Jawai still has a long way to go. However he does have an impressive skill set and showed it much more in the D-League than he had with the Raptors. That was the point of his trip to Idaho in the first place. But he is heading back to Idaho and was in town for some tests and should be back with Stampede by mid-week according to Doug Smith in the Star.

He has averaged in 10 games:

12.2 points, 6.5 rebounds and 1.2 blocks in an average of 25 minutes on the floor.

It will be a key summer for Nathan to take all that he has learned this season and apply it this off-season. I have not given up on the big man and think he can come back next season and hopefully have an impact. Upon further review it seems Nathan may be sticking around as Andrea Bargnani missed yesterday with a heel injury. Jawai may stick around for the end of the season and get some time as Raps reality sets in as a playoffs math is almost done.

Sorry for the lack of production on behalf of the Dino Blogger over the weekend. I am always working hard though know that. Sometimes it takes awhile to see that as I do a lot of work behind the scenes in getting guests for the Dino Nation Blog and setting up things that hopeful will add to you enjoyment of this blog and keep you coming back for more. In what has been a very tough season I am grateful for all of you that keep coming back. It is always good motivation to keep working hard and grinding it out. Raptor fans are first rate and have a ton of passion, love and support for this team and hopefully this blog as well.

Big Nate Talks with Dino Nation Blog

One of the things the Dino Nation Blog can take pride in is being one of the first places outside of Australia to tell you about the story of Nathan Jawai. In the past, we have had Aaron Fearne come talk with us about Nathan and his journey. However we are now pleased to talk with Nate himself. Nathan has recently made his way to Idaho to play with the Stampede in the D-league. It has been a season that has had a lot of bumps in the road but Nathan is now getting out on the floor and seeing time with the Stampede. I started there with Nathan asking him how it felt to be getting out there and playing significant minutes for the first time in a long while.

Nathan Jawai-" Yeah, it is exciting. It is great to be back out there playing some minutes. I'm just excited after 3 months I am able to be back out on the floor and being out there is great."

Nathan had been sidelined from the start of the year with a concern about his heart that came up from testing prior to training camp. So that kept him out of action. I had been told by Aaron and others that Nate had really just been frustrated and wanted to get back on the floor. Here is what he had to say about that.

Nathan Jawai-" I was worried about the condition I had but now that I am back I don't even think about it. Basically it was nothing anyway, and I was just worried if I would be able to play again. It has been frustrating for me and it has been hard but it is all behind me now and I am just looking forward to be back on the NBA court."

The road to that will go through Idaho with the Stampede. I asked Nathan what the Raptors and he were looking for him to work on while he was down with the Stampede.

Nathan Jawai-" Basically it is getting back into basketball shape that is the biggest thing for me while I am down here. Also to work on my rebounding and my defense and getting use to the speed of the game, because back home it is totally different."

Back home for Nathan is of course Australia and I asked him how it had been for him through all of this season as far as support from back home.

Nathan Jawai-" They have been great. I have a lot of friends that support me, I have my girlfriend that supports me, I got a lot of support. They have been great for me. If I didn't have them it would have been harder for me to return to the court. Right now they have all been great for me. I keep in contact with home a couple times a month. They are all happy to hear that I am back on the court and that I am all healthy."

It is important to realize that Nathan is fairly new to the sport of basketball this time for him on the court be it in Idaho or anywhere is valuable. Nathan talks about his quick path to this point he is at.

Nathan Jawai-" Yeah, this is my 5th year. Looking back on what I have done so far it is unbelievable. When I look back 5 years ago I wouldn't think it would take me this amount of time to get to the NBA. It is unbelievable and I can't believe that I am here. But I am blessed that it only took me 5 years to get here. Now that I am here, I just want to achieve and do the best that I can to get back on court and be a force in the NBA"

In making the choice to enter the NBA draft it cost Nathan a chance to play for Australia this summer in the Olympics in Beijing. I asked Nathan for his thoughts on having to make that choice.

Nathan Jawai-" It has hard but I had 2 options to come to the draft or stay and play for the national team. The rules for the draft if I was in college I would have had another year before I would have had to enter the draft. But because I played professionally in Australia I had to go in this year. So with the Australian team I will always have a chance to go back and play for my country. So, probably in the future I will be wearing that green and gold uniform and I am looking forward to that as well."

While Nathan was unable to play for the his nation. A good friend of his was. Pat Mills made an impact for Australia and people noticed. NBA scouts and high praise from NBA stars like Chris Paul. I asked Nathan how it felt to be watching his friend do so well on that stage.

Nathan Jawai-" I mean yeah it was a big surprise. He has come a long way himself. This year he may be entering (The Draft) I don't know but I hope that he does. To see him get on the court and compete against the Americans and other countries the way he carried himself and played was really amazing because when I was at the Institute ( The Australian Institute of Sport) I saw a different Patty."

Mills took that Olympic experience and translated to his play with St. Mary's this year in the NCAA. He had been having a great season until breaking his hand in a game in conference play. I asked Nathan if he had been following how he had been doing. He said he got a chance to see him play live in San Francisco and kept close tabs on him watching on T.V and he saw the game that he was injured has hand. He says he talks with him on a regular basis about once a week. Mills if you have not seen him is an under sized guard that for me is a lot like a Jameer Nelson. They even look a like a little bit. He has amazing speed and his highly skilled. Aaron Fearne in a past interview had glowing things to say about his play, his ability and his potential. His St. Mary's squad, thanks in part to his injury and not being able to play, sit on the bubble for getting in the NCAA Tournament.

As for Nathan what are his plans for the off-season to come. What will he be doing this summer?

Nathan Jawai-" Basically what I am down here for. To get in shape and get use to the speed of the game. Working on my shot and my skills. Try to get better so I can secure a long NBA contract after my season next year. That is what I am looking out for. So my summer will be a pretty hard one this year. I am looking forward to that and trying to get back to where I left off."

What has Nathan learned about the NBA game?

Nathan Jawai-" How to defend in the post is different from back home. Basically it is the speed for me that is what it is. It is basically the same but the tempo and the speed is a lot faster. The thing is the guys playing at this level everyone is good. There is no one on a team that is a bad player. That is why it's hard. You always have to be ready that is what I have learned from practicing and sitting on the sidelines."

Given the season that the Raptors have had some have lost patience with everything. However from all the basketball people I have talked with they all see great potential in Nathan and what he can become. Nathan I had been told by everyone that he is a great person and has a great attitude. The folks with the Stampede have been impressed with him and see that potential. It has been hard for Raptor fans to see that in the limited time they have got to see Nathan but if you get the chance fire up your computer and check out the Stampede and watch him and I think you will be impressed. I watched him play in the Las Vegas Summer league and he had an impressive game against Golden State. He has flashes of great plays and you can see why people were impressed by him. It was unfortunate, that his progression was halted for 3 months and there is work for him to do just to get back to the point he was at heading into his first NBA season. However, he is more than willing to put in that work. He also has come so far so fast it would be foolish to bet against him at this point. I know here at the Dino Nation Blog we are not going to do that. In fact we do the opposite and wish Nathan nothing but success in his future heading forward. I want to thank Nathan and also thank the Idaho Stampede Organization for helping set up this interview, and all the interviews we have been doing with the recently. They have been very willing to work with the Dino Nation Blog and that is a great thing.

Brent Petway Goes 1 on 1 with the Dino Blogger

Brent Petway was a star with the Michigan Wolverines and he can flat of sky. It was a great thrill as a fan of the Michigan Wolverines to get a chance to talk basketball and dunking with him. The Dino Blogger can only dream of what it is like to dunk a basketball. This guy does it very well. He also is trying make his way to the NBA with D-League Idaho Stampede. He is in his second year in Idaho and he talks with us about a number of things from dunking, his thoughts on how his old school is doing and thoughts on newest team mate Nathan Jawai. One of the things we talk about is a YouTube Video in which he throws down a challenge to "Superman" Dwight Howard. Check it out.



So what ever happened with that challenge? Did Dwight ever answer it?

Brent Petway-" Nah he never did. But I think next year we are going to actually be able to do that, the winner of the D-League contest against the winner of the NBA contest I think, I am not sure. But next year it might actually materialize."

If it did that could mean that Brent could end of facing Lebron James. James of course made it known that he plans on entering the contest next year in Dallas in front of what could be over 100,000 people according to what Mark Cuban the Mavs owner is said to be hoping for. I asked Brent about the chance of a James vs Petway dunk off.

Brent Petway-" Yeah, that would be really fun. Any of those guys really. It would be a good little show off."

Brent was in the Finals and lost in this year's D-League dunk off. He was the defending champion of the event. He had a chance to check out the NBA version and I asked him for his thoughts on that.

Brent Petway-" It was actually pretty good. We had are D-League dunk contest the night before and that was great. I watched the NBA one and Dwight came with some stuff and Nate Robinson I liked the nice little kryptonite thing he had. It was a nice little contest they had. It was fun to see Nate get up and jumper over Dwight that was a good little dunk right there."

I had my 2 cents on the dunk contest this year and I was not as big a fan of it. However Brent knowing what it takes to do all those things likely has a much different prospective. Speaking of which I asked him about who some of his idols were as far as dunking goes. Growing up in Georgia he was a big fan as a kid of the "Human Hi-Light Reel" Dominique Wilkins and remembers his battles with Michael Jordan. Brent earned his own nick name of "Air Georgia" and he was also a fan of "Air Canada" Vince Carter as one of the guys he liked to watch. He credits Carter with putting the dunk contest back on the map. Which as much as Raptors fans may hate Vince now is 100% correct. Vince Carter really brought life back to the dunk contest after it had been gone for a few years and gave it a new life for guys like Dwight Howard, Josh Smith and guys like Brent.

I mentioned that Brent is a former member of the Michigan Wolverines here is a little visual reminder of him and his skills as a dunker back then.



Michigan is a huge sports school and part of the Big Ten of course. They have the crazy fans and basketball has always been a big deal at the U of M going back to Glen Rice and a National Title to the Fab Five era. So I wondered what the differences were from life as a Wolverine to life as a member of the Stampede. Here is what Brent had to say about that.

Brent Petway-" The Major difference is probably the fans definitely, because in college the fans are much more hardcore when it comes the fans. Alumni and students when you walk around the campus everyone pretty much knows you. As opposed to in the D-League people might not even know who you are unless you have a Stampede shirt on or something. Unless they were season ticket holders or something like that."

So which is better being known or having ability to go around with out getting noticed?

Brent Petway- "I don't know it goes both ways. When your known you have to sign a whole bunch of autographs and stuff when I was in the city when I was at Michigan. So sometimes when you are out you just want have fun and chill. Then there are other time when you are doing community relations and things where you are expecting to do those things. So it can go both ways."

One of the things that we in Canada do not have is the pride people have for the schools they attend. A lot of times here in Canada many of us will graduate from a college or university and may never set foot on campus again or follow the sports teams and programs. In United States it is a totally different story. If you are a Wolverine, Longhorn, Tarheel or whoever it is a lifetime thing. So I was pretty sure Brent would still be keeping tabs on the U of M. I asked him if had been following the Wolverines this year and what his thoughts were on how the program was doing and where it was heading.

Brent Petway-" It has been fun to watch. I have been keeping up with them as much as I can. On Sportscenter, catching there games when they come on and I still have a couple people in Detroit that I talk to now and then that are keeping me updated. They are fun to watch and they were ranked for a bit. Now they are on the bubble and hopefully they can get off that bubble and get in."

Toronto has a player on that U of M squad Jevohn Sheppard, and I asked Brent about how he got along with him?

Brent Petaway-" Yeah, Jevohn is a good guy I was there with him for 2 years. He has a little sky to his game as well, he can get up a little bit. He is a good guy to be around and he is having a good year as well"

Brent I am sure was happy to learn that the Wolverines were winners today on the road at Minnesota.Holding on for a hard fought come from behind victory 67-64. Still a week till we find out if it is the Tournament or the NIT for the Wolverines but this are going the right way. So, I think Brent would be cool with me saying Go Blue.

We have spent a lot of time talking about dunking which Brent is one of the best you will find at any level of basketball. However what else is he working on to take his game to that next level to get to the NBA?

Brent Petway- " I have just been working on what I can to get up there where big Nate(Jawai) is. Trying to be not just a dunker and I am trying to work on my outside game. There is a lot of stuff I am working on. Hoping that I get up there(To NBA ) and be one of those rotation players hopefully."

I asked Brent what his thoughts were about his new team mate from Australia in Nathan Jawai.

Brent Petway-" He is a good player. He came down here and he wanted play right away. He is a joy to be around and he always has a smile on his face. He loves to play the game, he likes to pass the ball, so he is always tell us to cut when he gets the ball. So I think he is going to be a great fit"

One of the things in the various things we having being doing about the D-League that I personally come back to is the challenge it must be for everyone to adapt to the ever changing rosters. There is constant player movement. I asked Brent about the challenge of that as a player.

Brent Petway-" Yeah it is really tough. Cause you have guys from the NBA coming down here. You'll have teammates leave and go overseas. So it is real tough just trying to keep the team chemistry. That is a big thing for the program to have a chemistry with your teammates. But it is just being a professional and you have to keep playing ball and let the chips fall where the may."

The Stampede are currently in a dog fight leading their Division and have Utah who they will play again on Monday and Bakersfield close to them in the standings. I asked Brent for his thoughts on what lies ahead for the Stampede?

Brent Petway-" It has been going well. I think we have like 14 games to go. We got a team right on our heels in Utah. They are playing good ball and we have them a couple more times. So hopefully we can keep doing what we have been doing and stay in first place and have some momentum heading into the playoffs."

Brent was really great to talk with. He also said that Pops Mensah-Bonsu is a good player and should help up here in Toronto. He is a guy who Bent said is very athletic. He knows a bit about him even back from his college days at George Washington. Brent had a friend from back home in Georgia who was his teammate on that squad at GW. Pops was pretty nice in his debut last night against the Heat. As for Brent he continues to work hard with the Stampede and is hopefully of making it to the NBA. He is also hopefully of doing what former Raptor Jamario Moon did and get a chance to shine on All Star Saturday night. He said to me he thinks if he ever gets that chance he will definitely try to turn some heads. Here is more evidence to why he could be right.

All the best to Brent with the rest of his season. Here is hoping he can make his way to the NBA. It was a great deal of fun to have him as a guest and I would welcome him back any time.

Download Wallpaper of Brent Petway (Photo at the Top)

Stampede Weekend Hits The Dino Nation Blog

The Dino Nation Blog has been hard at work and touching based with our friends in Idaho. Today we had a chance to talk with Joel Abelson assistant coach of Idaho Stampede. He has worked with such NBA stars as Jermaine O'Neal, Baron Davis, Paul Pierce, Al Harrington, and Chauncey Billups, in working with Joe Abunassar with Impact Basketball in Vegas. He has also worked with the Charlotte Bobcats as well. He is now working with Toronto second round pick Nathan Jawai who joined the Stampede last week. He also chips in with a scouting report on Pops Mensah-Bonsu. We also talk about the current and future of NBDL league and prospects for the defending champion Stampede.

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That is the kick off to our Stampede weekend. By time Sunday rolls a round you will also hear from Brent Petway who is a member of the Stampede in his second year with the club and a former Michigan Wolverine. He is a guy that is one of the best dunkers you are going to find. He once challenged Dwight Howard to a D-League vs NBA dunk off. We talk about Wolverine, Dunking and his career. We also ask him about his new team member Nathan Jawai. That will be the cap off for Stampede weekend as the Dino Nation Blog talks with Nathan Jawai. Both guys were on cell phones and quality was a little bit off. So these will be it written form. Hopefully you will enjoy it all. The Stampede organization has been really great to work with and the Dino Nation Blog has been happy to form a relationship with the Raptors affiliate in the D-League. Stampede will not be in action till Monday night and will have an update on how the make out but the Raptors will be hosting that Heat and Jazz before that. Stampede are fighting for first place and are looking to defend their D-League title. That is a lot more exciting than waiting for the draft lottery.

Jawai Gets His First Win In D-League

Well I attempted to live blog it, but that didn't work out so well. Nathan Jawai got his first D-League start, wearing 00 like Robert Parish did back in the day. He would see 31 minutes of action, shot 2-7 but 8-11 from the the line and end up with 12 points, 5 rebounds, 3 blocks and 2 steals. Former Raptor Luke Jackson would lead the Stampede with 24 points as they got revenge on division rival Utah. Idaho would get the 104-96 win and go back to first in the Division. Jim Kelly was interviewed at halftime and had some things to say about Jawai. He revealed that Nathan is going to be monitored monthly in regard to his heart condition. He did not feel it was a major concern. He said that the Raptors have no specific plan for Nathan and that how he played would dictate if he remained in Idaho. Not from a numbers point of view but from just getting into game shape. He brought up the fact the Nathan is still very raw and new to the sport of basketball. It seemed that the Raptors would be content to have him be there for the near future at least. Kelly expressed confidence in Bryan Gates who is a former D-League coach of the year. The plan is for Nate to remain and have someone from the Raptors check in on him in about 3 weeks was the time line suggested. It seems clear that Nathan's defense is ahead of his offense at this point and after fouling out in his debut he only had 3 fouls on this night. Below is a complete Boxscore.

Boxscore Idaho/Utah

Dino Nation Blog will continue to keep tabs on Nate while he is in the D-League and keep working with the good folks in Idaho at bringing you some information on both Nathan and the Stampede. Idaho has a break and will not be playing for awhile so Nathan should have a chance to learn things and get to know his team better. They will be playing Utah once again on the road this time.

Raptors Have No Answer For Big Cactus

Wow was that something. I mean as a basketball fan I feel good for Shaq, as a Raptor fan I just am left feeling empty. It gets no easier as the Raptors get set to head to Texas for a double dip with the Mavericks and Rockets. I could not help but think if the Raptors could not have an answer for Shaq it would seem logically they will have no answer for Yao as well. Not to say beating the Mavericks will be an easy task. That will be tough as well. Bosh will at least have some support in the home town in Dallas and likely in Houston as well. He sure has not had a lot of it from Toronto of late. The whole issue with Bosh is making me sick. Fans are not helping matters in thinking he is as good as gone. Toronto and Raptor fans need to wake up to the fact that we need to start supporting our guys. If we continue to live in the past it will only help serve to watch it repeat itself. You might say well who cares what I do is not going to change anything. I can not argue or dispute that. However if you turn your back on someone before he has on you that is not helping things at the very least. Just because times are tough is not reason to turn your back on Chris Bosh. He has had a great career with the Raptors. It has not turned into playoff success but he has done more than his part for a long time. He is not Vince Carter or T-Mac or Damon. However the more fans turn their backs on him the more he is likely to head down that path.

Bryan Colangelo no doubt has to do his part and make this team better. However fans need to do your part as well. I think when Jameer Nelson earlier this year commented on the booing of Bosh that should have been a wake up call. If other NBA players notice this how likely are they going to be willing to come here. Toronto has a tough enough time as it is to attract players having a fan base that shows no loyalty to it's star player is not exactly a selling point for free agents to come here. There is already enough stuff you need to fight through to convince folks to come here. Let's not be part of the problem in people wanting to be here. It may be a small thing and I have no idea if it truly matters. I can just say as a person I would not want to come to a place where I didn't feel fans would show me loyalty and have my back. People will point out cities like New York and Philadelphia as examples of fan bases that are extremely tough on it's stars. That is fact no doubt. However it is also fact those cities do not face the challenges of being the only franchise in a different country. New York and Philadelphia are no doubt unique cities but they are part of America.

At some point this needs to end. I mean this is becoming a growing thing to me that I personally find annoying. How many players is it going to take to get driven out of town before people wake up and get it. I find it is unfair to compare Bosh to Vince Carter. Chris has given his all and is always a guy that when he is out does all her can to get back in the line-up. I am just tired of watch fans turn on guy after guy. If some walks away after that point I get it. However while they are still part of this team it makes no sense at all. It would make me laugh how some people were talking about picking O'Neal over Bosh. I mean what the hell is that. J.O was a Raptor for a few months and played no where close to an All Star at any point. Yet some people out there were embracing him and turning their back on Bosh. Insane is the only thing I can say about that.

Here is the bottom line of all of this. Maybe we forget that the fact we even have a team is something to be thankful for. Ask people in Vancouver and Seattle if the would take this team warts and all. I am thinking they would in a heartbeat. I know that in writing all of this I am not likely going to change most peoples minds. But seriously how good do you think this team can be without Chris Bosh? The same people that want to seem him gone will be the ones that will be moaning when the Raptors can not attract someone better and they truly suck. Give you head a shake and realize that CB4 has done nothing to disrespect you or me. He goes out and plays at a level that is of an All Star on more nights than he doesn't. I will go down with the ship if need be. I watched my favourite player get railroaded out of Toronto and yes he was part of it. However so were all of the people that blow with the wind and the trend. Here is my best advice for all of you out there. Just stay true to yourself and do not allow a bunch of angry people or bad history impact on your judgement. I respect Chris Bosh regardless of what lies ahead. I am also confident that his behaviour will be nothing like that of Vince Carter or Tracey McGrady. Listen to broadcasts of other teams and how they talk about Bosh. It seems he gets a lot more respect outside of Toronto than in it. That script is backwards.

Nathan Jawai Is Off To Stampede

I had mentioned a feature we were going to be doing for the Dino Nation Blog. It was and is a feature series on the Idaho Stampede. It is said in life you have to be good to be lucky and lucky to be good. I say this because on the day of the first interview that is part of this feature, Nathan Jawai was assigned the Stampede about an hour prior to the interview I had scheduled to start this feature series. So it took the scheduled conversation with Steve Brandes the President of the Idaho Stampede to a few different places than I had planned. But it makes the conversation all the more interesting for you. We talk about Nathan as well as getting to know the Idaho Stampede, which no doubt many Raptor fans will be doing to follow Nathan's progress. His first game should be on Friday. Jim Kelly of the Raptors scouting staff will be in Idaho to help the Stampede be aware of what the Raptors are looking for Nate to work on in his time with them. There is also talk of the D-League as a whole, that actually just announced they will be expanding to Portland,Maine. It was a very interesting conversation that I hope you will enjoy.

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Thanks to Jinny Giery the Head of Public Relations and Game Operations for helping put all of this together. Dino Nation Blog is going to continue on as planned with the feature on the Stampede and as we do keep taps on Big Nate and his progress. Nathan has also been special to this blog as I did a lot of work in the summer getting to learn his story and have had Aaron Fearne his coach and mentor as a guest several times. It should be fun and the Dino Nation Blog looks forward helping you get to know our D-League cousins so to speak. In the interview it was mentioned about how you can watch D-League games online. Some thing Raptors Fans have become experts at. So I will provide a link tomorrow so if you care to watch Nate play you can. You can find the links for D-League games on the their website

You can expect more on the Stampede in future editions of the blog. They are leading their division and the defending champions. Given the Raptors season and how it has gone I can only say...Go Stampede. Go Idaho and Go Big Nate. Obvious, I still love the Raptors as well but it has been a hard season to love them for Raptors fans.

Dino Nation Blog Heads To D-League

Last week the Raptors acquired Patrick O'Bryant as part of a minor move at the Trade Deadline. O'Bryant was a draft choice of Golden State and spent some time with the Bakersfield Jam who are the affiliate of the Warriors as well as the Orlando Magic. Head Coach of the Jam is Scott Roth and I had a chance to talk about O'Bryant and also got into some things about the D-League itself.

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Some interesting stuff on not only O'Bryant, but the D-League as a whole. Thanks to the folks with the Jam for helping set this interview up. The Raptors, if you didn't know, are now affiliated with the Idaho Stampede. In the future I will attempt to talk with them as well. Nathan Jawai who I mentioned in the blog earlier today may wind up there playing for them. Time will tell on that. O'Bryant seems like a guy that could offer some upside if he can figure things out. Raptors will hope he does and not become a guy stuck on potential like a Jerome Mosio anyone remember him? If you don't it is not a sin. But he was a guy that you would hear a lot about his upside and potential and it never worked out for him. Here is hoping things work out better for Mr. O'Bryant. Thanks to Coach Roth for his insight on Patrick and the league he coaches in. The D-League is something that has opened up doors for a lot of guys, and I would say has been something that has been successful to this point for the NBA. The Raptors have talked about having a team closer to home that they could run in perhaps Hamilton or Buffalo someday. It would be cool for me if it was here in Hamilton. Several teams in the D-League have went that route. Running their own exclusive NBDL franchises. L.A Lakers,San Antonio and Oklahoma City all have their own teams with a single affiliation. It is something the folks at MLSE have looked at doing in the future, at least there has been talk that they have.

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.

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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.

Names Change Results The Same

Toronto Raptors have shuffled the deck, but let's face it the first test was a tough one. When you add the fact no Chris Bosh in the line-up and it was an expected result last night. Big Z was a big factor with no Bosh and Cavs successfully attacked Andrea Bargnani early and getting him into foul trouble. Jay Triano showed his frustration and got ejected from this basketball game. But this had nothing to do with not getting calls and everything to do with the Cavs are just miles ahead of the Toronto Raptors even with Chris Bosh that can be said. No Chris and it is no contest and it wasn't. That is the Coles notes version. I will make some actual game notes below.

Raps and Cavs Game Notes:

1st Quarter:

• Cavs first possession right at Andrea and Big Z draws foul
• Bargnani nice drive and score.
• Marion gets a turn around posting up in the lane
• Bargnani another drive with reverse lay up
• Shawn Marion rebound and long hook up for AP, Nice play
• Cavs right back at Andrea and he has 2 early and sits.
• Raps looking to push it lead 14-8 at this point.
• Calderon drive and score
• King James 0-4 start.
  
• Marion a drive and score Raptors having a great start.
• Mo Williams makes a 3 pointer and leakage starting to show.
• LBJ with his first score from field.
• A rare Jake Voskhul basket.
• LBJ block on Jose and it was pretty Calderon never saw him coming.
• Cavs D is picking up and so is the offense and Cavs lead 22-21.
• So despite a solid effort Raps down 1 after 1 with Cavs up 24-23

2nd Quarter

• Jason Kapono missed much like he did in 3 point shoot out.
• Cavs score first possession
• Marion another rebound doing solid job getting on glass.
• Wally World with a long 2
• Shawn Marion 3-3 as he hits the leaner.
• Kapono drive and makes the runner. Raps lead 29-28.
• Bargnani with 2 fouls can do nothing to stop Big Z.
• Kapono makes a 3 pointer after a Marion miss from 3.
• Parker the drive and was fouled. makes 2 at line Raps up 34-32
  
• Big Z makes a mid-range jumper to tie it.
• Marion nice D as he stops Hickson.
• Mo Williams from top of the key with solid jumper.
• Bargnani the drive and score.
• Open look for 3 doesn't wall for Cavs. Raps turn it over
• Mo Williams another jumper.
• James content to be creator sets up Wally Z with a bucket.
• Nathan Jawai getting some early burn with Bargnani having 2 fouls.
• Predictable that Big Z would get a look as Jawai got caught helping.
• Jose Claderon dials up a jumper
• Raps trail 47-41 at the half

3rd Quarter

• Parker turnover to start the 3rd
• Cavs again start going right to Big Z on Bargnani and he scores
• Graham scores and has 9 in the game.
• Big Z continues a nice inside/outside game making mid range jumper
• Joey G back to back baskets.
• Raps turnover as Joey G called for foul on offensive end
• Big Z with sweet feed to James for the jam
• Bargnani drive and Big Z challenges shot and Bargnani had no answer and air balled it
• Parker settles for a jumper that does not fall
• Big Z wide open as defense surrounded Lebron. Z man make corner jumper
• Cleveland challenging everything and Raps frustrated and looking for help from Refs
• James a score with MVP like ease
• Bargnani makes a much needed 3 pointer with Raptor offense labouring
• Jose Calderon gets lucky as his jumper has a Nascar race around the hoop before it falls.
• Marion missed a runner.
• Raptor have a turnover and James picking it up scoring wise with another basket.
• Gibson on the deck for Cavs he fell strange on D.
• Banks checks in and Lebron welcomes him with a post up and score.
• Banks hooks up his Miami team mate with a score.
• Banks out there in 2 point guard set with Ukic
• Cavs could be up by more as they have had several open looks from 3. But they were still up 15.
• Shot of Colangelo tells the story, not happy and with good reason Raps were down 15 after 3.

4th Quarter

• Lebron catching a break to start the 4
• Big Z on Bargnani again but missed turnaround
• Banks in the books with a jumper.
• AP makes a long 2 pointer.
• Hickson makes a foul line jumper.
• Wide open 3 pointer and the Cavs make this one.
• Joey G fans will be happy to learn Joey has 15 to lead the Raps. But as I always say check the scoreboard.
• Banks creates a steal but Raps fail to make points out of it missing a 3.
• Lebron James helping out Jack and Matt telling Hickson to move so they can promote Bosh Bobblehead night against Minnesota.
• AP scores and Cleveland answers
• Jay Triano blows up and had seen enough of his team and the Refs, He is gone.
• James give you a preview of next year's dunk contest on the break. That was a 7 at best.
• Nathan Jawai is back in game. Banks and Marion in late as well being allowed to get some burn.
  
• Shawn Marion makes a new friend on his new team hooking up Nathan Jawai for his first NBA basket.
• That is it Cavs win it easy with a 93-76 win

So that was last night and Raps will now face a very key back to back with the Knicks if you still hold any hope for the Playoffs. Prior to that we will find out today if Colangelo has anything left in his bag of tricks to re-tool this roster. Trade Deadline day is here. I will be keeping my eye on things and will check in if something breaks during the day.

Nathan Jawai- A Conversation About Him With Aaron Fearne

The Dino Nation Blog has been happy to build a relationship with Aaron Fearne. In researching Nathan everyone I spoke with said this was the man to talk with about Nathan. I believe this is the 3rd or 4th time he has been a guest since the summer. He and Nathan have a close bond and he has coached Nathan from pretty much the start and knows him best. So with Nathan getting started in the NBA I thought it might be a good chance to catch up with Aaron and asked him a few questions. I guess the best place to get started is how he felt to see Nathan finally get out on the floor. Something that was in some doubt at times if it would ever happen given the health concerns for Jawai at the start of the year.

Aaron Fearne-"It was great to see him get back on the court and to finally play in his first NBA game. Was a special moment for many people he in the USA and in Australia. He has had a few different coaches over the years that have put a lot of work into him and it was great to see him realize his dream. How he needs to continue to learn, get in great shape and grab every opportunity he gets and run with it."

It was a great moment for myself personally as well. I have really become invested in Nathan and his story. There was a lot of talk that first game back for Nathan would be in the NBDL and not the NBA. If not for an injury to Kris Humphries it was expected he was going to be sent to the Raptors D-League affiliate the Idaho Stampede. However now add an injury to Bosh it seems Nathan will be remaining with the Raptors at least in the short term. I wondered what Aaron's thoughts were if Nathan were to spend some time in the D-League.

Aaron Fearne-"He is just happy to get back on the court after a long laid off. Getting into shape is the first step then working to get onto the court is the next step. Doing the D-league thing will be a Raptors decision of course but a number of the other NBA teams have sent their younger players to the NBDL so I guess it could happen but who knows. If it comes to that it will be another great learning experience for Nathan and without a doubt a chance to get some good court time."

Obviously it has been a long lay off that Nathan faced do to his heart concerns. I asked Aaron where he felt Jawai was at in comparison to where he was just prior to training camp when the news came that forced Nathan to be shut down from basketball and training.

Aaron Fearne-"Nate got himself into great shape leading up to the draft and was without a doubt in the best shape of his life. Of course with the lay off, he has some work to do to get back to where he was but he has been working hard to get there but it will just take some time."

The Raptors given the way the season has gone have the time to wait for Nathan to develop. He may actually benefit from the team's lack of success and get more chances to play. However in Australia I would imagine they were excited and wanting to see Nathan get out on the floor and play. It has obviously been a much different season for him then anyone could have expected. So I asked Aaron what re-action had been like back home. Aaron is here in North America with Nathan. However still keeps tabs on things back home I am guessing. So here is what he had to say about the reaction in Australia.

Aaron Fearne-"Disappointed to see that he was not going to be able to hit the court with the team on day one of training camp and then there was the lengthy wait. Now that he has finally hit the floor Australia and many people elsewhere will be following him with interest."

What about going forward with his heart issues will it be something that is a concern through out the big Aussie's career?

Aaron Fearne-" He just needs to look after himself as we all do "

Jawai is not the only Aussie making basketball news. Pat Mills is a friend of Nathan's and had been tearing it up in the NCAA for St.Mary's. A broken hand in 2 places has taken him out of the line-up for St. Mary's. He was getting a lot of attention as was the team. They seemed a lock to make it into March Maddness. Now that maybe be a question mark but the talent of Mills is not. Maybe even good enough to consider jumping into the NBA draft. I asked Aaron if he thought Mills is ready for that jump.

Aaron Fearne-" He can play in the NBA for sure. He has great quickness and speed, gets up and works the ball in defense and is really starting to shoot the ball well from deep. He proved he can play at the next level after his performance at the Olympics."

I asked if both he and Nathan have been able to keep tabs on him this season while he has been impressing at St. Mary's

Aaron Fearne-" We both follow how a number of Australians are playing over here. Australia is starting to develop a number of very good players and over the next few years you will see a few more Aussies playing in the NBA St. Marys recruits Australia well and for a number of our kids over there the WCC conference is a very good level for them "

Pat Mills could be the next star for Aussies to cheer in the NBA. They will continue to follow the progress of Nathan and given the way things has shaken out for the Raptors it seems Nathan maybe be staying up with the Raptors for near future at least. He is under contract for next season so no one is in a hurry to rush his development at this point. Aaron was in the U.S checking in on another Aussie talent over here in North America and it was great of him to check in with us at the Dino Nation Blog. If Bosh is unable to go tomorrow vs. New Orleans we may get to see Nathan get some time with Raptors short handed. We will see.

Raptors Rewind- Rare Monday Afternoon Edition

These are exciting times that we live in. Obama becomes President tomorrow and it is Martin Luther King Jr. holiday in the United States today. Even some excitement in Raptor world with talk of a trade of Jermaine O'Neal. The Raptors will play the Hawks in the city that was home to Dr.King. I would like to think we will have a classic to talk about. But I am not sure of that happening. The Raptors on the second half of a back to back after playing the Suns. But here is something to get excited about the debut Nathan Jawai. He has been pressed into action because Jermaine O'Neal is a no go again. Raptors had said he would try to go today but not happening. You can draw your own conclusions as to why that is. Chris Bosh will play after turning an ankle late in the loss to the Suns. Jason Kapono is out of sick bay, as he sat yesterday with the flu. No Jose Calderon in this one still out with a bad hamstring. Kris Humphries is also a no go as he picked up some injury in the game yesterday.I mean that was a long list. Well who ever the Raptors have to throw out there will have a tough task. The Hawks are not flying as high as earlier in the year but are still 4th in the east. In fact they have lost 6 of 8 heading into this one. But the Raptors have lost 5 straight with lots of close calls for the injury filled Raptor roster. After yesterday no surprise that Parker and Graham will start at the point and shooting guard spots. So here we go ready or not.

1st Quarter

Raptors need a win, any way possible that is the bottom line. Raptors lose the tip but get a steal and a score from Andrea Bargnani. The Hawks get an answer from Mike Bibby. Joey Graham has career high 22 yesterday. He gets his first two point of this day with a mid range jumper. Mike Bibby has another basket this time a 3 pointer. The Hawks lead early 5-4 just under ten minutes to play in the quarter. Both teams were shooting a little cold with the early start. But Bargnani was looking good with his second basket. But Mike Bibby again scores and he has 7 and the Raptors have 6. Jamario Moon would give the Raptors the lead with a jumper for 2. The Raptors would get a couple from Bargnani for the line. The Raptors had a 12-9 lead. Atlanta would get a 3 pointer to even up the score. Chris Bosh was looking ok despite the ankle turn and he scored on the glass. Joey Graham would score on the break off a turnover and Raptors. Joe Johnson would hit a 3 pointer to pull the Hawks back again. He was now getting his stroke from range with 2 three point shots. Jamario Moon had an answer from 3 point range. Raptors lead 18-15 with about four and half minutes to play in the opening quarter.

Raptors would extend the lead to 5 points the largest of the day. Raptors would get a chance to build on that after a Hawks turnover. But they would not get it done but an air ball from the Hawks that went out of bounds would give them another chance. However Parker would miss on that chance. A third chance to get it done but a miss and a 4th with offensive rebound. Chris Bosh would get to the line and finally give Raps a chance to extend the lead.

Bosh steps to the line after a time out and makes both. They have a 22-15 lead with under 3 minutes to play. A nice Mike Bibby pass leads to a score. A turnover and another Bibby dime drop leads to another 2 points. Raptors respond with a basket and Josh Smith responds to that with a truly wonderful throw down. Hawks would continue the run from the line making a pair. Hawks on a 6-0 run and cut the Raptor lead to just 24-23. A rookie mistake by Roko Ukic would lead to a turnover. But the Hawks failed to take advantage and grab the lead. They would get a buzzer beater half court chance as well but it did not fall. So the Raptors hang on just barely to a 24-23 first quarter lead.

2nd Quarter

Bosh and Bargnani had 8 each to lead the Raptors. Johnson had 8 and Bibby had 7 for the Hawks. Jake Voskhul had checked in and missed a jumper to start the second quarter. Roko Ukic would get to the hoop and score on the next trip to open the scoring in the 2nd. Bargnani would miss a 3 pointer for his first attempt of the second quarter. Andrea would curl into the paint and make a jumper in the paint to score on his next chance. Raptors lead by 4 points with the score 28-24 and 9:57 to play in the half. Joe Johnson would get his first score of second quarter on a jumper. Jason Kapono as mentioned was back and he made a jumper to reply.

A steal for Raptors would not turn into point as Jake Voskhul missed a turn around jumper. Jason Kapono would get his shoot to fall and Raptors lead 32-26 as the scoring pace had slowed to a slow crawl. Chris Bosh with a nifty little one handed effort in the paint. Joe Johnson would respond with his 3rd make from beyond the arc of the day. Raptors still lead 34-29 with under 6 minutes to play. But the Hawks would get a score to cut the lead a little more. Parker on the move hit a fading jumper.Mike Bibby answered with a score plus a foul but he would miss the shot. Roko Ukic showed his skill and quicks driving to the basket for a score. Flip Murry had a counter for the Hawks as he drained a basket. Raptors hanging on leading 38-35. Chris Bosh would get fouled and head to the line making both. He had 12 points and 7 boards already.

The Hawks would get a score and there was more bad news then that for the Raptors. On the play what looked like a moving screen would send Anthony Parker to the ground in pain. The Raptors already were very short handed. They could not afford another player going down. Parker would get attention during the time out and remained in the game. Perhaps a good acting job to try to sell the non-call. Let's hope so. Bosh meanwhile would get to the line. Making the first but missing the second. Roko Ukic would show some speed and skill again to get a score. Raptors lead 43-38 with just over 2 minutes to play in the half. Bargnani would get to the line and he would make both and Raptors had a 45-38 lead. Bosh had an easy chance to extend the lead miss and Josh Smith would make Raps pay on other end. Bosh would not make a mistake a second time as he scored. He would then find Moon for a score as the Raptors got a turnover and scored on the break. Raptors were showing that they could close out a quarter as they had a 10-2 run and a 51-40 lead. A late foul on Joe Johnson allowed the Hawks to get 2 points closer to make halftime score 51-42.

3rd Quarter

Chris Bosh and Joe Johnson shared game high scoring honours as they both had 15. Bosh had 8 rebounds as well with no J.O helping on the glass. No Nathan Jawai as well I am hoping we get to see the big Aussie get on the floor. I won't lie in saying I am rooting for Nathan Jawai. I have learned a lot about him and think he can still be a great story. Raptors shot the lights out going 50% from the field and 11 of 12 from the free throw line. But the Raptors would miss there first attempt of the second half. After the missed screen in the first half the refs saw one early in second half. But the Raptors could not take advantage of the extra possession. Mike Bibby would make the pay with a 3 pointer on next Hawks trip. He would follow that with a 2 point effort. Anthony Parker would finally get the Raps on the board and they now lead by just 6 with score 53-47. Chris Bosh would get to the line thanks to Zaza who had 4 fouls in the game. Bosh would split a pair. Zaza would take a seat with his 4 fouls. Parker would get the score on the break with a pretty ball fake and then take to the hoop for two. Raptors had re-established their nine point lead they had to start the half.

Hawks out of a time out would have Mike Bibby pull up and nail a jumper. Andrea Bargnani would answer with a jumper of his own. Josh Smith would get a score for the home side Hawks he had 13 on the day. Mike Bibby tried to cut the lead more with a 3 ball that would be short on the mark. Parker made a bad turnover and Mike Bibby was off to the races. But he was looking in his rear view for Jamario Moon and forgot to make the lay up. Raptors catch a break. Joe Johnson was not offering another as he made a jump shot from the baseline. Hawks had closed the gap to 58-53. Raptors had missed 6 straight attempts on the offensive end. Josh Smith did not miss in a chance to cut the lead to 3 points. Flip Murry pressured by Parker would fumble away a chance for the Hawks to close further.

Raptors struggles continued with an ugly miss by Bargnani. But he would get on the glass and rebound a Kapono miss to score and end an 0-9 or 10 effort from the Raptors. Hawks would answer with a score right away. Raptors were hanging on to a 60-57 lead thanks to creating turnovers . Kapono would get a basket and extend the lead. Josh Smith answered to keep the lead at just three points. But a Kapono miss gave Bibby a chance to cut the lead to 1 with another score for him. There was 1:16 to go and Hawks had a chance to take the lead but Joe Johnson had a rare misfire. Roko Ukic not the high end shooter Johnson is but he would find a way to get a score with a nice little fading jumper. The Raptors were not playing well but still on top. Hawks had another chance to tie but Jake Voskhul got on the glass and made a rebound which would end up keeping the Raptors on top after 3. But it was now only a 64-62 lead after 3 quarters on a Monday Afternoon.

4th Quarter

How many times have we been here this season? Raptors with a lead but looking like they could lose it at any moment. Raps shooting % had dropped from 50 to 40%. That is how bad they shot it in the 3rd quarter. Josh Smith would waste no time driving straight to the basket and getting to the line. Foul would be on Joey Graham and just like that we were tied less then 10 seconds in. Ukic would commit a ill timed turnover after that. However the Hawks would not be able to score and take the lead. But another Raptor jumper that did not fall. But Hawks again miss. Jason Kapono would make the first 3 pointer of the day for the Raptors. So fans of that 3 point streak can rest easy. More important to me was Raptors managed to take back the lead. Hawks would get a two pointer to pull back to just 1 down.

Chris Bosh would travel and turn it over. The Hawks took the lead on a Flip Murry jumper. Joe Johnson would extend that lead with a short little jumper just outside of the paint on the baseline. Hawks now had a 70-67 lead in a battle of two teams that looked like they were in bad need of a win. Not that they were playing well more like the opposite from both sides. But the Hawks were the team looking the least brutal at the moment. Raptors already had 3 turnovers in the quarter and we were just 3 minutes into it. Parker would make a baseline jumper for 2. Mike Bibby who is on that list of Raptor killers and he would make a big three pointer to answer the Parker jumper. Flip Murry would find himself as open as can be and make a three. But it was not joking matter as the Raptors were looking like they were going to blow another basketball game.

Andrea Bargnani would get a basket plus a foul which he would miss. But that was a good thing as Bosh would tap it back in for a unconventional 4 point play. It had pulled the Raptors back to down just 76-75. Joe Johnson would shoot a technical foul that was called on Bargnani. He got that for arguing a call against him on a foul. To be honest I never saw what happened. Hawks end up with a net two out three free throws. It gave the Hawks a 78-75 lead. Josh Smith would make his way to line looking to build the lead but he missed both his attempts. Jamario Moon on other end made him pay for that by nailing a 3-ball all tied at 78. Bosh after Atlanta could not answer he would make a jumper. Raptors 80-78 lead would be short lived as the Hawks were quick to tie the score. Raptors got to work on the offensive glass and Bosh would eventually cash in and score. Joe Johnson was quick to respond. That would be answered by Anthony Parker and it was Raptors on top 84-82. There was 1:50 left. Could the Raptors close it out this time? Joe Johnson would draw a foul on Jamario Moon. Bosh was upset with Moon's effort. But Johnson only could make 1-2. Raptors still lead but failed to score on offense. Moon would get tagged for another foul. It made Moon luagh but CB4 was not amused. Bibby meantime would make the shoots and give the Hawks the lead. Raptors down 85-84 with 54.4 seconds and a time out called. Raps inbounded ball to Bosh who turned it over but Hawks could not convert. But Jamario Moon took a quick 3 pointer and missed it. Joe Johnson would make Raps pay and extend the lead to 3 points with just 12.5 to play. Raps had two chances at a 3 pointer the first blocked and the second missed. Again the Raptors found a way to lose and that is 6 in a row and this is just starting to become predictable. Hawks take it 87-84. The trip gets no easier as the Raptors head to the Motor City to take on the Pistons. The boxscore of this one for you to figure out how the Raptors lost again.

Hawks/Raptors Boxscore

Moon and Bosh who both made key mistakes had very different looks on their faces. I am not trying to start anything by saying this. But it seemed very clear that Chris Bosh was less than thrilled with Jamario Moon. Fans will not be happy with Bosh or Moon as both made key mistakes down the stretch. This is just starting to have the look of a team that has no answers for the problems they have. Whatever trade or moves that are coming I am not sure what they will do to change that. Not exactly a happy note to end on. But it is an honest one. Even the fact Nathan Jawai never got a chance to get in there left me personally disappointed. FREE BIG NATE. I promise once you do you'll be surprised. He can't do any worse then some of the stuff we are seeing out there that is for sure.

The Round Ball Review Is Reborn

Hi folks I am not sure if you have seen the Raptor Blog News that Scott Carefoot has been doing over at Raptor Blog. I have become a fan of them. They are for sure PG-13 rated at least but a good laugh for sure. I decided to use the idea for use here at Dino Nation Blog. Some may recall me making reference to my old radio show The Round Ball Review. Well is was a segment of a show called Jock Talk actually. I decided to restore that show in this cartoon like format. The host of the show is J.B Superstar which was a nickname I had on my college radio station I worked at. The co-host is Joey G. No not Joey Graham but a Joe that was my co-host for the actual round ball review for a couple years. I am not sure if these guys are anything like us but they at least have our names. I hope you enjoy this first episode of the show. I had a lot of fun making it. They will pop in once in awhile to fill in for me and give us all a laugh hopefully.





So that is a wrap for today I hope you enjoyed it. I had an article to get submitted for the Industry Magazine and was on the Radio in Montreal this morning so I wanted to have a little fun in doing the blog so I hope you enjoyed this and I will try to do a few more as the season goes along. Maybe the guys will work on the weekends and give me a bit of a break. Talk with you folks tomorrow as the Celtics take on the Raptors.

OKC Win Or Bust?

I think we are all guilty in the media be it blogging or the established media of using terms like "Must Win". However, I really can not think of a better term for tonight's game in Oklahoma City. The former Sonics turned Thunder have only won one game on their new home floor. They are looking at the Raptors as a chance to get win number two. The next team to come to town is Lebron James and the Cleveland Cavs. Not looking like a winnable game for any NBA team these days. The Raptors should remember that the Thunder do have talent as last year's rookie of the year Kevin Durant is not chopped liver. Russell Westbrook is turning heads as well. Not to mention Jeff Green who was a stand out in the Big East at Georgetown in his college days. However they are a very young team and that explains in part why they only have 2 wins. The Thunder last tasted victory on November 29th with a win over Memphis 111-103. There lone home win came way back on November 2nd against the T-Wolves 88-85.

The damage a lose could do to the Raptors could just be the final straw. The Hoops call in show on Raptors TV and the fan 590 showed you how this fan base is feeling. I had called in and expressed my personal dismay at this team and it's lack of emotion towards the losing. Paul Johnson and Sherman Hamilton responded to my comments by saying the players are programed to not get to high or to low. That it is a long season that is 82 game season that is long. These things are true and generally I'd agree that players should remain calm and not get to emotional. But the point that I was making was in two parts. First is why fans get so frustrated and express that emotion in booing and other forms. They want to see that the players they are cheering for care as much as they do. But the second part of what I was saying was that emotion was needed now. Reason is that we have reached a point that this season is truly hanging in the balance right now. It is not about the season being 82 games long at this point it is about having the games beyond December still mean something. Eric Smith the normal host of the show seems to agree on that point. He wrote yesterday that this current road trip is the season for the Raptors. I think I said in a lesser way that same point yesterday. The Raptors must at the very least split this 6 game trip. In fact going 4-2 at least might be required.

Chris Bosh Life Is A Two Way Street

I am a big fan of Chris Bosh as a person and as a player. Some of the crazy talk of trading Bosh and people taking shots at him is uncalled for and not logical. However the fact that they booed him the other night is not wrong. They have that right. Chris needs to understand it is a two way street. He called out the fans near the end of last year. He wanted you to make more noise and make the A.C.C a loud and tougher place to play. I supported him in making that statement. I thought it was a good idea on his part to call on the fans to do more. However that can be a two way street and just as I supported Bosh in his quest to get us as fans to do more, I support fans right to send him a message. It is not that the majority of fans have turned on Chris Bosh. That was the fans expressing to Chris that we need him to lead this team out of this mess.

I will say that Bosh was right in what he said yesterday. I am sure he feels worse about what is going on than any fan does. However we are expecting you to lead this team. Show us that emotion inside. We want to see it. Bosh recently has made some statements that have concerned folks about him and his future here. I honestly don't think Chris Bosh is thinking a bit about 2010 right now. He is thinking about how he can turn his season in 08/09 around. The panic nature of Raptor Fans needs to end. It is not logical to say that Damon left, T-Mac left, Vince left and so will CB4.

The more things get talked about the worse they become. I mean all the talk of the Ford vs Calderon debate did not help make the situation go away. In fact it poured gas on a very small fire that would end up burning out of control until it became a choice of Ford or Calderon. If the media and fans continue to focus on this idea of Chris Bosh and 2010 they will be pushing the topic and in the end could have some small form of impact on it. If this team was winning there would be far less talk on this topic and Bosh would not be as upset as he seems to be.

Back To The Task At Hand

This may point out just how bad the Raptors rebounding has been. The 2 win Thunder have averaged more rebounds than the Raptors[41.1(OKC) 38.8 (TOR) ]. The Thunder have been able to provide scares to a few really good teams like the Suns. But when they play lesser teams they have not been able to step up and bring that type of performance. That has been the focus of the Thunder heading into this game. The Raptors will look to get this road swing off on the right foot. Tomorrow night the Raptors face the Spurs and that will be a very hard win to get even if Raptors were playing well. If the Raptors were not in the struggles they have been I don't think anyone would be concerned about losing to the Thunder. But given the mood around this franchise more than a few fans have suggested what if the Raptors lost to the Thunder. Over on Raptors Forum, They are having folks betting their avatars and if they lose they must have someone they can't stand as their avatars for a week. That is one of the more fun posts I have seen all week. The majority not just on Raptors Forum but everywhere are posts on trades that will never happen, Bashing Bosh, Bashing Colangelo and a general negative tone. Imagine what will be getting posted if the Raptors were to loss in OKC. I try not to think about it. But needless to say if the Raptors lose thing game I think all bets are off for everything. Bryan Colangelo I think would be forced into action sooner rather than later.

Nathan Jawai Back On The Floor

You will forgive Nathan Jawai if he is happy during all this doom and gloom. He has been force to sit on the sidelines all season. He finally was able to get back on the floor and practice with his team. I expressed my best wishes to Aaron Fearne about the news of Nathan's return. He is going to come visit with us some time in the new year and give us an update on how Nathan is making out. But Nathan was speaking for himself yesterday and here is a link to what he had to say.

Jawai From Practice Dec 18th

Maybe there is a lesson in Nathan's return for everyone to remember in all of this craziness. Just to play or watch the game of basketball is a joy in itself. We get caught up in the winning and losing and everything else. But Nathan Jawai yesterday was just happy to be able to be out on the floor and able to play. Some times prospective gets lost in all of this madness. But if the Raptors were to loss tonight I don't think any words from anyone is going to calm down Raptor Fans frustration. I feel that frustration as well. The nice thing is if you are afraid to watch and don't get TSN 2 you won't have too. The Raptors finally return to regular T.V on Saturday on The Score vs the Spurs. The weather outside here in Hamilton in truly frightful a Raptor win would be more than delightful. If you are snowed in as well. Here is a favour you could do for me. tell some friends about the Dino Nation Blog. They can read up and get to know the blog. Not much else to do on a snowy day.

Hope Is Fading For Raptor Fans

In part of doing this blog, I try to read a lot of forums and see what fans our saying and thinking. That has been a pretty depressing task as of late. This latest loss for the Raptors has pushed a lot of Raptor fans to the brink. There are emotional and angry posts from fans. They are deeply upset and desperate for change and answers. When I turn on the Raptors post game coverage on Raptors T.V I see a different picture. The players are not happy or anything. But I do not see the anger or fire from anyone as well. It has been a growing concern for me and it makes me deeply concerned for the rest of this season. I have heard it suggested that instead of sending the message that the performance of this team was unacceptable. The firing of Sam Mitchell has instead given this team an excuse to use for it's lack of performance. There is a lot of talk of new systems and learning on the fly with little practice time.

But some of the things going wrong have nothing to do with systems or anything that advanced. Rebounding is basically, if you ask most basketball people a question of just simple desire. This team has not had that desire and has got beat badly on the boards, and given up many key second chances to other teams. I am sure teams keep this stat, but I am not sure where you would find it. But I am guessing that the Raptors defense on the first attempts of the teams they match-up against is pretty good. It is those second and in some cases third chances that are killing the Raptors. The other problem is the long droughts they have on offense and this team just continues to fire shots when it is clear that they need to be taking the ball to the basket and getting to the line. That is one of the things this Raptor team actually does very well. But you can't take advantage of a strength if you never use it. Jose Calderon is on a record streak to start the season for making free throws but you need to get to the line more to make that impact on the Raptors in a meaningful way.

I think at the heart of the frustration is the fact this team shows signs of being good. Last night the Raptors stormed out to a 12 point lead. We have seen this team build big leads against even the Boston Celtics. However they just can not find a way to hold these leads. Being honest who honestly thought we would beat the Mavericks last night? I am thinking not to many. But because the Raptors built up a lead it gave you reason to be hopeful. That hope gets crushed as fast as that lead fades away. Watching the Raptors can be like watching the stock market lately. When they go down at least it isn't costing you money. Well if you were not among those that bought tickets at the ACC. When is the last time you can remember Chris Bosh being booed at the ACC. Normally there are chants of M.V.P and nothing but love. However last night after he blew a dunk attempt the fans let him have it. Some fans are even saying we don't need Bosh and to let him walk in 2010.

That is how crazy it is getting. Chris Bosh even though he has struggled since the firing of Sam Mitchell is the best player the Raptors have by a wide margin. He had an unreal first month of his season. He had high expectations for this season as well. The reality of those expectations not being met could be catching up to Chris Bosh. The talk of what he will do in 2010 and comments made by Jalen Rose, Kevin Garnett and others is not helping. The million dollar question is does Chris Bosh still have faith in Bryan Colangelo and the Raptors. How is all this losing and the failure of this roster impacting on that. This is not the season that Chris Bosh had forecast for himself. It started the right way for him as an individual but the team after that 3-0 start has just gone south. Raptor fans based out of fear are worried that Bosh will go the way of Damon Stoudamire, Tracy McGrady and Vince Carter. I have never seen Bosh has that type of person. He wants to win though and he cares deeply about it. However he has said in the past that he wants to be part of the solution in making things work in Toronto. However he can not do it alone and can the Raptors find someone who can help him carry that load.

T.J Ford was suppose to be the guy that would help in that. The two Texas based stars were all smiles at first looking to build a long relationship that would lead the Raptors to success. Jose Calderon would end up being the reason that was not going to happen. Not that Jose did anything wrong he just got a lot better and challenged T.J for being a starter on this team. So the second try at bringing help for Bosh would be Jermaine O'Neal. However this marriage early on has not got off to a great start. J.O has battled to get back to be being healthy and play at a top level. There have been few nights when both he and Bosh have been good at the same time. Even in those brief times the rest of team as not always been there to support them. It is to early to say that this is not going to work. However the fact there is a rumour that a J.O for Shawn Marion swap has been out there makes you wonder. I am not sure how things have worked out with Bosh and O'Neal. There is no visible sign that the two do not get along. They have battled to find a way to work together on the floor. It has been a major adjustment for both.

This is the question for Bryan Colangelo. How do you help Chris Bosh now and still be able to help build a team around him and have the money to resign him in 2010? Colangelo gambled big time when he made the trade for O'Neal and the hope was he could find a way to build a bench out of the scraps he had left over after bringing in J.O's big contract and resigning Jose Calderon to a big deal. It just has not worked out and by firing Sam Mitchell he has put the spotlight on him. He needs to find a way to make this roster better and fast. This team is sinking fast and a mood for change in the fan base was not going to be met with just the firing of Sam Mitchell and hiring of Jay Triano. Colangelo is expected to make some kind of magic happen and make a trade that can fix this. It is not easy at the top and no one maybe be more disappointed at this point than Colangelo himself.

To give you some small form of hope for the future. Roko Ukic is showing signs of improvement and finally Nathan Jawai has been cleared and can start down the path to building his NBA career. The problem is that both of those things do nothing for the short term out look for this Raptor team. Triano even admitted that Jawai to his best guess may take a month to be actually ready to play a game. The Raptors will play next the Oklahoma City Thunder in the next game. That is a team that is truly in brutal shape. It is a chance for the Raptors to get a win and get that feeling back. However a loss and this season could truly go off the cliff. Even with a win the next game on the next night is against the Spurs who now have a healthy squad and are doing what the Spurs do. Quietly going about their business and winning games. They are always a tough team to play at home. The Raptors need to take advantage of a number of weak opponents on this road swing. If the Raptors can not pull off better than .500 on this trip they will be in pretty bad shape heading into the New Year.

So if you are looking for holiday cheer from the Raptors you may not find much. Beyond Jack Armstrong singing a Christmas tune you will not find much holiday cheer in Raptorland these days. The Raptors will have a lot of work to do in 2009 no matter what happens the rest of this year.