Ford Tough Forever

I woke up to some really sad news for myself as basketball fan. Learning that T.J Ford has shut it down for the rest of the season and most likely his NBA Career. T.J was the first NBA player to talk with us here in the Dino Nation Blog. He was one of my all-time favorite NBA players. When Bryan Colangelo acquired Ford from the Bucks it was one of my personal most exciting moments. I had become a fan of Ford during his career at Texas. There was something about the way he played the game that appealed to me on some level. He was far from the biggest guy on the floor. However he played at such a high rate of speed with an aggressive nature and swagger to it all. He may not have been the biggest dog in the fight but he played like he was. That fearless nature he had would lead to some great moments and some devastating injuries. As tough as Ford played the game it was perhaps his mental toughness that I would grow to admire more. After his injury in Milwaukee his bright NBA future was put in serious doubt. However after a long rehabilitation he came back and was that same aggressive T.J Ford.

Still, with Ford gone for the Bucks it would lead to the emergence of his back up Mo Williams and led to T.J being expendable for Milwaukee. That would bring him to Toronto and make me one of the happiest people on earth at the time. He would bring all that fire and passion to the Raptors. He would team up with Chris Bosh and it was an optimistic time for the Raptors. Perhaps for the first time since Vince Carter had left town. He would be backed up by Jose Calderon and the two became an unstoppable 1-2 punch for the Raptors at the point guard position. They were the perfect compliments to each other. All would be fine until some started to feel that Calderon maybe should be the 1 in that 1-2 punch. Still Ford remained as the starter and Sam Mitchell would juggle between the two. It would lead to a point guard controversy. Ford would be a spectator watching Calderon turnover the ball in game six to the Nets and the Raptors season would be over.

T.J would start to be painted as a villain by some. The only reason being that he was unwilling to surrender his starting role. He was not afraid to say that he wanted to be the starter and that was that. In contrast Calderon would say he would do what was best for the team and just wanted to win. It seemed to be suggested by omission that Ford didn't want to win. He did want to win, he just felt that he as the starter was the best way to achieve that. Still, Ford would remain in the starting role and everything remained fine until that fateful night in Atlanta. T.J Ford was having perhaps one of the best games of his NBA Career and as he was about to finish off a lay-up in a game that was basically done it happened again. Ford would be sent crashing to earth by Al Horford. I to this day maintain it was a stupid and unnecessary play by the then Hawks rookie. Ford would leave the court on a stretcher with fear in his eyes. No doubt going through haunting memories of his last serious injury at the hands of Mark Madsen. While Ford never held any ill will towards Horford, as one of his biggest fans I sure did. This would cause a series of events that would lead to the ultimate implosion of "Forderon". While T.J faced another long road back to getting on the floor, Jose Calderon was coming out and taking his game to another level. Late that season Ford would return and at first would not be given his starting job back. He struggled in a reserve role to Calderon. Some labelled it as T.J sulking. Which was grossly unfair, this guy had to fight back from physical injuries and no doubt some mental hurdles to return. All to be told thanks for that, but were not going to give you your position back. This after a game before his injury where he had perhaps his best game as Raptor. Eventually Sam Mitchell was forced to once again make Ford the starting point guard. Mitchell said at the time it was at the suggestion of Calderon. Again Ford was painted as the selfish villain and Calderon the hero. The Raptors would limp into the playoffs and play the Orlando Magic. Aside from one game in Toronto both Ford and Calderon were out played by Nelson for the Magic.

It led to the off-season where it all came to an end. Ford stayed consistent in his desire to remain the starter. Jose Calderon was about to become a free agent which made this even more of an issue. After a season of saying he wanted what was best for this team in his first interview back in Spain Jose was singing a different tune. It was the same tune that T.J had said consistently for two years. I have always seen this as a pretty cowardly act on the part of Calderon. Still in the end it worked for Jose, as he got a brand new big money contract and Ford was moved in what turned out to be a horrible trade for both the Raptors and him to the Pacers. T.J would never really have the same success with the Pacers. Still the Pacers clearly won this trade for the other part of the deal, that saw them collect the Raptors draft pick that season and turned it into Roy Hibbert. The Raptors got stuck with Jermaine O'Neal who lasted less than half a season in Toronto and a second round draft pick in Nathan Jawai that never panned out.

After watching his role with Pacers melt away to next to nothing by the end of his time there an older and more accepting T.J Ford would find a new home not far from his home of Houston with the Spurs. He would also have a fellow Texas product to mentor and teach behind him in Cory Joesph. But sadly, Ford once again had to battle injuries and has decided to shut it down for the season and perhaps his NBA Career. He has two kids a son and daughter and he seems to worry about his own quality of life and ability to be there for them. I hope the best for T.J Ford in whatever he does going forward with his life. He was not the bad person that some in midst of a heated point guard controversy tried to paint him out to be. He was and is a person with a lot of fire, drive and determination. All qualities that I personally have always admired.

He has always been known for having a big smile on his face more times than not. I never did get a chance to talk with him his last time through Toronto. It was not through lack of effort on my part. He is still loved by so many people here in Toronto. He really made a impact in his time here. In fact he has done that all along his basketball journey. He loves the program that took him to the NBA in Texas. If it is possible to bleed burnt orange it likely pumps through T.J Ford's veins. He through that love of Texas has had a positive impact on three young Canadians with that love. Sam Mitchell once said he would want his daughter to date a guy like Jose Calderon. I personally if I had a daughter would rather she found a guy like T.J Ford. He is someone that has overcome a lot all in just trying to follow his dreams and his love of the game.

When you look back on his career there will be lots of "what if" moments, it does not change the thing that made him great. The tremendous heart and determination he brought to the game of basketball. I don't think he is done in that either. While he may never play another NBA game the chances he remains involved in basketball in some form or fashion is high. He has always been one to share his knowledge help others grow. I would venture to say that will continue in some form and he will contribute to the game in that way.

For myself, I am sad to see someone that I enjoyed no longer a part of the league anymore. But I am proud to have had the chance to have talked with one of my favorite athletes on a few occasions. He was the first guy in the NBA to be a part of this blog as I mentioned and that is something I will always remember. I wish him the best in whatever he chooses to do and will hopefully talk with him again down the line. The fact some people still love him as Raptor fans after all that went on, speaks to what he brought as both a player and person. He helped me love this game more and for that I am thankful too.

After The Circus Here Comes The Rodeo

We did a live chat last night so I never did a re-cap of last night's game. Jeremy Lin was the star going in and he left that way, hitting a dagger three to complete the Knicks comeback. This season the Raptors have both battled back from some large holes and blown some large leads. Last night after one of their better first halves of the season they let it all get away from them in the 4th. Jose Calderon put together arguably his best to games back to back in his NBA career. At least from a scoring prospective. Lin who had his struggles in this game came alive in the 4th and started to find some chemistry with Amare Stoudemire, returning to the Knicks line-up after the death of his brother. Only the 2nd sellout crowd of the season at the ACC, many of whom came to see Linsanity, got to see what they paid for. The Raptors gave a good fight overall but let one slip away. Lin's 3 pointer left the Raptors just .5 seconds to respond and they could not, 90-87 Knicks and the Raptors face a back to back with the Spurs tonight.

San Antonio with little hype and fanfare has quietly made their way to 2nd in the Western Conference at 20-9. They are on their annual Rodeo Road Trip with Toronto being stop 5 of the 9 games away from home for the Spurs. They are a perfect 4-0 so far with the latest win coming at the hands of the Pistons. After an injury early in the season Manu is back and Spurs seem primed to make a push at getting first place in the West.

Canadian Cory Joesph makes his first appearance here in Canada and his home of Toronto. Joseph has seen some time in the D-League, while he has been hard pressed to see any action with Spurs because Tony Parker is having an All-Star season. Also his back-up being T.J Ford the former Raptor it has been hard to find time but has to be quite the learning experience. Ford never content to be the back-up in his time here is happy it would seem to accept the role and live close to his home of Houston. T.J after being traded from Toronto fell out of favour with the Pacers and signed with the Spurs as free agent once the NBA Season got started after the lockout.

Also, when the Spurs come town, that means the return of Toronto resident and former Raptor Matt Bonner. The Red Rocket married a girl from Toronto and makes it his off-season home. He has been trying to this point unsuccessfully become a Canadian to play for the national team. He is one of the more loved figures in Raptors history. The biggest highlight that made him so, might have been a game vs Minnesota, in which he got into a mix-up with Kevin Garnett still on the T-Wolves at the time. Bonner would get ejected and leave the floor to cheers from the ACC faithful. Since leaving Toronto in a trade that landed him with the Spurs, he has become a key role player for them and can be found a top the NBA in terms of 3 point percentage for the past few seasons. He has really developed into a legitimate NBA player. He was also in the front lines as a VP in Players Union during the NBA Lockout.

Raptors have had 3 impressive performances and only 1 win to show for it. They will need a 4th impressive performance if they hope to hang with San Antonio.

3 Keys:

Value Possessions: Last night how the Raptors let the game get to that dramatic moment with Lin nailing that three was very simple. The Raptors committed far to many turnovers and it cost them in the end.

Jose vs Tony: Jose Calderon has been playing out of his mind. Even at times on defence which is something I don't think we have ever said in the DNB. Tony Parker is playing at an All-Star level and will be heading to Orlando. It is going to be a tough challenge for Calderon to compete for a 3rd straight game. Jerryd Bayless is said to be a game time decision and might make the load on Calderon a little less.

Perimeter D: Manu leads a cast of characters that can make their shots behind the three point arc. Be aware and get after them or it could be a very long night at the office for the Raptors.

I am heading down to the ACC to cover the next 3 games. Looking forward too it. That and hosting our contest winners on Friday. I figured in this NBA Season I should pull a back to back to back. Although mine is over the span of a week. Raptors are just 1-3 on this 7 game home stand despite some great efforts of late. Making it 2-3 will be no easy task at all. What will be an easier task is trying to win our final set of tickets for our MGDDNBVIP Contest that with happen sometime Thursday before Noon.

Hook'em Horns Eh!

Last night I watched the much talked about Fab 5 documentary. Their impact on college basketball was massive and it impacted on the game of basketball. If it ever does make it to air in Canada you owe it to yourself to watch it. Something is happening with three Canadians in Texas that might have an impact on Canada in the NCAA that could be remembered 20 years later. The Texas Longhorns have Tristan Thompson and Cory Joesph who will be representing Canada in Longhorn burnt orange in March Madness. We have had Myck Kabongo in this blog who will be joining his fellow Canadians at Texas next season. These three young Canadians might not be as brash as the Fab 5 were, but their impact on kids in this country could be pretty big. Thompson and Joesph have already opened up eyes in their rookie year at Texas. Both start for Texas and were battling in the Big 12 tournament this past weekend making it to the Final and falling to Kansas who they beat earlier in the season. They enter March Madness as the 4th seed in the West and are in the same bracket as the defending champion Duke Blue Devils.

We have spoke often in this blog about the chances of these 3 kids taking there talent to the NBA level. Earlier in the season when Oklahoma City rolled through Toronto, Kevin Durant spoke about these kids in glowing terms. He compared Tristan and Cory to himself and D.J Augustin who scored 23 vs the Raptors yesterday. He also spoke in the same glowing terms of Myck Kabongo as well. He talked about a pick-up game down in Texas in which Myck and Cory were on the floor playing against some Texas Alum in T.J Ford and others on the floor. He suggested that they more than held their own on the court. Here is what K.D had to say back in December.

T.J Ford is a former Raptor and Longhorn and was in town this past Friday. Ford has had his struggles this year with the Pacers being pushed to the background in favour of youth. He will be a free agent this summer and hopefully finds a home where he can revitalize his career. T.J was misrepresented in his time here in Toronto as a bad guy. The reality could not be further from the truth. He has always been a guy that has helped others coming up especially those that come from Texas. D.J Augustin benefited from that and now so are Cory Joesph and Myck Kabongo. T.J's passion for his former school has always been great and he, Kevin Durant, Lamarcus Aldridge and other former Longhorns have always given back to the program even after they have come to the NBA. Durant earlier in the interview above talked about Texas as a real family and spoke with some praise and respect for Coach Barnes and the program as you just heard. When you consider he only was there a season, it speaks to how much an impact the program had on him. Ford who led the Longhorns to Final Four also has much love for Barnes, the program and the new Canadian additions to the mix. Here is T.J speaking with me on Texas and it's Canadian kids.

I saw Myck Kabongo playing for Canada in the summer in San Antonio. He blew me away and caused me to reach out to him. He has been in the blog on several occasions and when I started getting the pieces to put this thing together I was able to talk with him back at the start of 2011 to get his thoughts for this feature. We start by talking about that visit that Kevin Durant referenced above. Where Myck and Cory were on the floor with T.J Ford, D.J Augustin and others. We go on to talk about his thoughts about going to Texas and there was a brief point where he was not committed to Texas. He explains about that and how his game was coming along at the time, as well as his thoughts on how Cory and Tristan were doing earlier in the season.

Myck before he goes to Texas will be taking part in the McDonald's High School All American Game at the end of the month in Chicago. We had a interview with him around the All-Star Break in the NBA just after he was named to participate in this game. If you missed that interview here is a link to check that out. While Cory and Tristan's first March Madness will begin at 12:15 on Friday kicking off CBS/TSN coverage taking on Oakland. Texas is the West Region and will be playing in Tulsa on Friday and Sunday. Their bracket includes last year's champion Duke, Former Coach of the Fab 5 Steve Fisher and surprising San Diego State, The UConn Huskies and Kemba Walker who won 5 games to win the Big East Title and Arizona who would be a potential 2nd round opponent for Texas. Others in this bracket include Michigan, Penn State, Cincinnati. It will be interesting to see how they do as Texas had a bit of a slide late in the season but did make it all the way to the Big 12 final before falling to Kansas who they beat earlier in the season.

We have talked a lot about the prospects of all three of these kids not just making the NBA but the chances they could be Raptors in this blog. As well as Tristan and Cory have done, this may just be the start of something big. Both Kevin and T.J really thought of the 3 players Myck potentially could be the best of this trio. When you look at the potential of an NBA work stoppage next season basketball fans could be desperate for some hoops to watch. These 3 kids, should both Tristan and Cory remain at Texas, which with the lockout looming is more likely. It could make their profiles grow by leaps and bounds in Canada with no NBA potentially.

In a world of Big 3's it might just be the start of Canada's Big 3. I have got to speak with Myck on several occasions and he is one of the nicest young men I have ever come across. He is humble and respectful but still very confident and highly skilled. The same can be said for his fellow Canadians at Texas. They are just 3 examples of the growing amount of Canadian Talent that has invaded the NCAA. But these 3 represent a chance for something that has never happened. A Canadian that could be good enough to be a lottery pick in the NBA. Regardless of that it seems they all have NBA in their future if you listen to all the experts and guys around the league that know them.

March Madness is starting to mean more than just your office pool if you are a fan of basketball in this country. If you are a fan of the NBA in Canada it makes you hopefully that the NBA will have more than just Steve Nash to be proud of. If you are a Raptor fan you hope that all 3 of these Toronto based guys can be as good as advertised and some day come home to Toronto and the Raptors. There is still work for them to do but these kids work hard and play just as hard. They are young men that if you love the sport of basketball and are Canadian you can be proud of.

Raptors Visit The New and Improved Pacers.

The Pacers are a .500 basketball team which might be a surprise to a lot of folks. They made some changes in the off-season and it seems to at least early worked out. They also have former Raptor for about a couple weeks in Roy Hibbert. I was a huge fan of Roy Hibbert and actually endorsed the Raptors drafting him. They did of course draft him but were picking for the Pacers as part of the ill-fated J.O trade that saw T.J Ford and Hibbert go the other way along with Rasho Nesterovic. I don't think anyone would realize perhaps the worst part of that trade was Hibbert going to the Pacers. Nathan Jawai the 2nd round pick the Raptors got in the deal is no longer in the league. While Roy was become one of the better young centers in the league. The Georgetown product is averaging 15.6 points per game and 8.8 rebounds along with 3 assists at the Center position. In his third year in the NBA he has improved his numbers ever year just like he did at Georgetown. As you watch the Raptors and Pacers tonight you might be like me and wonder what might have been.

The Basics: Pacers 9-9 (4-5 at Home) Raptors 8-12 (2-7 on Road)

When Last We Saw Them: Raptors defence was getting taken to school in a major way. It was a disappointing start and it never really got much better the rest of the day. The closest the Raptors would get was to within 5 points of the Knicks only to watch them pull back away. Great efforts from Amir Johnson and Jerryd Bayless were wasted. The Raptors looked like the road team that stayed out way to late and could not answer the bell.

Key Match-ups: Danny Granger will likely match-up with Sonny Weems who was not great vs New York and draws a tougher assignment today against Granger. Some Raptor fans wanted to take Danny Granger back in the day instead of Joey Graham. Retrospect is a beautiful thing isn't it. At the time knee concerns made a lot of teams back away from Granger as a result. While he has had his share of injuries he has become the leader of this Pacers club. While Graham is now on his 3rd NBA team. Granger can take and make the 3 if you do not respect him shooting 39.3% from 3 on the season. The biggest piece the Pacers added in the off-season was Darren Collison acquired in a 4 team deal in the off-season. In 15 games with the Pacers his scoring and 3 point % is up slightly and his FG% and assists have taken a slight dip in comparison to his numbers in New Orleans. Jose Calderon was ill prior to the game yesterday vs New York. Not sure how he is feeling today but he has a tough match-up to deal with in Collison. Oh yeah T.J Ford is still a Pacer as well and if those two hook up it will be on. Finally we mentioned him off the top Roy Hibbert is a force to be dealt with. If the Raptors stick Bargnani on him that could be ugly. If they don't and use Amir that would be a big size advantage for Roy. On the offensive side of things, Bargnani should have no problems with Hibbert if he takes him away from the basket. Unless the Pacers decide to try what New York did, with an unconventional match-up against him.

Other Things of Note: The Raptors are 7-21 in Indiana all time and have lost 4 straight @ Indiana. The last win came in February of 2008. Pacers average 6.7 blocks per game in comparison to the Raptors just 3.2. The Raptors average 12.6 offensive rebounds per game on the season. You are saying but wait a second that was with Reggie Evans in there. But in the 4 games since Raptors have averaged 12 rebounds on the offensive glass including 14 in the loss to the Knicks. Pacers average just under 10 with 9.8 rebounds on the offensive glass. Pacers are returning home from a trip out west in which they dropped the last 2 games of the trip to the Jazz and Suns. How you start is important if your the Raptors. If they lead after opening quarter they are 5-1 and when they trail after 1 they are 3-11.

Is Calderon The Man or Auditioning?

The one thing I will say about Jose Calderon is he is at least a survivor. Some how, some way, he has been able to do that here in Toronto. After his rookie season it was pretty clear the Raptors did not have faith in him to be the man. How else could you explain the trade for T.J Ford that sent Charlie V packing to the Bucks. Ford was brought in to be that guy. Which he was for the most part until he was injured in Atlanta. That opened up the door to Jose Calderon. To his credit he performed well in the absence of Ford and took his game to another level. Perhaps the best play of Calderon's career came in that stretch. It also came in a contract year for him. So one way or the other Jose Calderon was going to get paid. When Ford would return he would feel he deserved his job back. Based on his play prior to his injury he felt justified. In the game he was injured Ford himself had perhaps one of the best nights in his NBA career.

It created a dynamic in which right or wrong Ford was painted as the bad guy. T.J was not shy about saying that he felt he deserved to be the starter and eventually he was put back in the starting role. Some would say at the suggestion of Jose Calderon. Jose has always been labelled as a team first guy and this was the ultimate action in him earning that label. T.J would not regain the form he had prior to his injury. In fact to this day T.J Ford has never really got back to being that guy. So while Ford would continue to profess that although he liked Jose and they got along that Ford saw himself as the starter. Jose kept tight lipped on the issue and would just go back to his role as the back-up.

The seed to all of this was planted before Ford's injury though. In Game 6, a must win for the Raptors, it was Ford sitting on the bench watching just like us see Calderon throw away the Raptors chance to extend the series to 7 games vs Nets. That was how the season would end with the supposed starter sitting on the bench watching his back-up cost the Raptors the series. Injuries played a role there as well. Not only Ford but Calderon both were injured in that series. The only other playoff series these 2 were a part of was the series vs Orlando. Heading into the series most experts were saying, the Raptors had the best two point guards in this series and that Nelson the Magic's point guard was a distant 3rd. By the end of that series with the exception of the lone game that the Raptors won in Toronto it was Nelson that had out played both.

All of these events took place under Sam Mitchell. It was Mitchell that made the choices on minutes and who was the starter and who wasn't. It seemed clear by the end that T.J and Sam's relationship had gone south. The Raptors would not have Mitchell in place when Ford would return in his first game after he was no longer a Raptor. Mitchell was fired just days prior to Ford's first meeting with his former team in Toronto. T.J would claim that his motivation was not the same coming back because things were different with the Raptors. In other words without saying it, his goal was not as much to stick it to Jose, as it was to stick to Mitchell. Why such hard feelings? No one really knows the exact answer to that. But when Mitchell once stated that Jose Calderon was the type of guy he would want his own daughter to date, that spoke volumes to his opinion and perhaps bias on the issue.

So what type of guy is Jose though? While Ford was direct and maybe all to honest about his desire to start Jose would stick to the do what is best for the team mantra. Calderon would leave Toronto after the season with his contract set to expire with that being his party line. However, in the first interview he did upon returning to Spain he would be singing a much different tune. That he felt that he deserved to be the starter. That he wanted to be the starter and this left the Raptors in a tough position. Ford was already being paid like a starter as the Raptors had extended his contract not long after acquiring him. If Jose thought he was a starter he would want to be paid like one as well. The Raptors needed to make a choice and they picked Jose. Signing him to his deal for slightly more then what Ford was earning. They then flipped Ford to the Pacers with Rasho and a pick that turned out to be Roy Hibbert. For Jermaine O'Neal and a pick that turned out to be Nathan Jawai. While Ford and Hibbert remain Pacers, Jawai is out of the league and J.O did not even last a season with the Raptors.

Jose since the trade has had numerous injuries and his play has never reached the level of where it was when Ford was out. It became so much of an issue it led to the Raptors signing Jarrett Jack who not only could challenge Jose but happened to be good friends with the star player in Bosh and his college team mate. Just like Jack had done in Indy to Ford, he would do the same to Calderon in Toronto. Jack had out played Ford to earn the starting role with the Pacers and then came to Toronto and did the same to Jose Calderon.

It seemed very clear that Jack was the guy the Raptors wanted to keep. Jack showed leadership and became a mentor to some of the Raptors young players. Something that Calderon, despite his team first attitude, has failed to do as Raptor in his entire career in my view. The Raptors tried unsuccessfully to trade Calderon to Charlotte. The Bobcats at the last minute backed out and it would appear that the Raptors could not find another place to move Jose. He didn't help matters with a terrible pre-season and a less then thrilling beginning to the season . The worm started to turn in the past few games and the dreaded point guard controversy was back in vogue. But before the blogs and talk radio could get the debate rolling Jack was packaged up and sent to New Orleans with Banks and Andersen. Jose once again survives and becomes the USPG. What does that mean? Undisputed Starting Point Guard. Some fans are already wondering how long before Bayless, acquired in the trade with New Orleans, will change that status for Jose. If he is any kind of Raptor, it will be sooner as opposed to later.

So what ultimately does this mean? Is Jose now the guy or is this just an audition for him to play his way out of Toronto? The Raptors have 2 draft picks and a boat load of cap space and with all of that you would think they could use some of it to get a quality point guard. I remember when Kenny Smith on TNT few years back referred to Calderon as nothing more than a good back-up in this league. Now I am not saying Kenny Smith is right about a lot of things. But on this one he may have hit the nail on the head.

Jose Calderon for whatever you may think of him good or bad this next point is fact. Since Calderon's arrival in the league the position he plays has evolved and not in his favour. The speed of point guards in this league has increased. Rajon Rondo, John Wall, Tyreke Evans Derrick Rose and a few other names you could add are all blessed with speed. Calderon's lack of defensive quickness, and is lack of ability to fight through screens makes him easy to expose for these guys. Just like the center position has evolved and the Shaq and D-12's of the world have become rare exceptions to the rule, the point guard position is changing too. A point guard with Jose's skill set on the defensive end of the floor is doomed to failure. He has never been a good defender and at his peak his offensive skill set allowed that to be over looked. But on a Raptor team that is trying to change it's image and become at least more of a two way team that can play on both ends it would appear Jose Calderon does not fit in that.

So the off-season and perhaps the play of Jerryd Bayless may determine what becomes of Jose Calderon. For the moment he is the Undisputed Starting Point Guard. It is a title he has earned perhaps by default. The fact that he himself was untradeable. In addition Jarrett Jack was not playing to the level, that could allow Bryan Colangelo to not follow through on his ultimate plan, of getting the Raptors a ton of cap space for the New CBA have made it so. So if your thoughts on Calderon are similar to that of mine, you need to see that this might just be short term pain for a long term gain. Jose Calderon is just not the long term answer at his position and the fact he is here and Jarrett Jack is not does not mean Jose is. It speaks more to the fact he has a contract that far exceeds his talent level and that the Raptors based on that could not move him. So as crazy as it sounds Calderon fans and his haters may want the same thing for different reasons. Jose Calderon to perform well. The haters because it can be an audition to get rid of him once and for all. For the fans of him a chance for him to establish himself and become the starting point guard going forward. But for those people I would not hold my breath waiting for that to happen. Jose at this point is what he is.

DNB Scavenger Hunt Clue 3- He is the only person responsible for the Video "Like A Bosh" to appear in the DNB.

We have had 3 clues for 3 different guests so far. You have till Tuesday at Midnight to send us one clue with one correct link to an interview with that person in that clue. Email them to Dinonationblog@Gmail.com for your chance to win a pair of tickets to sit in the MGD Best Seats in the House Box with me for the Nuggets and Raptors on December 10th. You can't win if you don't enter so make sure you do. Good Luck to all. All successful entries will be added to the mix and a random winner will be drawn.

Calderon Still A Raptor.... Again

It would appear that Jose Calderon for the second time this summer almost was a Bobcat. While the Raptors did see Marco Bellinelli get dealt to New Orleans there was another trade being talked about. Apparently the Raptors were willing to take back T.J Ford if it meant getting rid of Jose. How ironic is that. But the fact Ford's contract ends after this year at a price tag of 8.5 million would be the motivation. It was suppose to be part of a 4 way trade that would have seen to 2 former Raptors back court mates involved. But it never happened. The Pacers have been trying to move Ford for the entire off-season. It has even got to the point that the Pacers have been trying to buyout Ford. However according to Mike Wells, Pacers beat reporter, he says Ford is having none of that.

Things have gone just as bad for Ford since he was voted off the island here in Toronto. He once again will be relegated to a back up roll if he is lucky in Indiana. You can't help but wonder, if Al Horford doesn't send him crashing to the ground what might have been. Not just for T.J but the Raptors. It is safe to say Jose Calderon doesn't have his over priced contract for a start.

I had joked about Ford coming back in a straight up trade for Calderon. This wasn't that, but we almost saw Bryan Colangelo reverse his decision on the point guard spot. Well not exactly, because the one thing that Ford and Calderon share other than being on same team in Toronto, is that Jarrett Jack beat out both for their starting jobs. When you consider part of that Ford trade also gave up Roy Hibbert for Nathan Jawai it looks even worse. When you add in the fact, J.O and his expiring contract contribute to the cap space in Miami you just want to scream. Some how acquiring Julian Wright doesn't make me forget all about that.

In fact for everyday Calderon remains a Raptor, it only reminds people more of the deal that Colangelo was not able to close with the Bobcats. In fact everything Colangelo does from now until that starting of the season is going to be overshadowed by that. It was really such a fantastic trade and in the end it was to good to be true. That now becomes the bar that Colangelo has set for himself thanks to some help from M.J and or Larry Brown. It is a bar that at least for me is going to be hard to top.

It also doesn't help that everywhere I turn I see Chris Bosh. He was on Regis and Kelly this morning and he is going to be on one of my favourite shows Entourage this Sunday. If leaving Toronto was about getting attention Bosh is getting it ten fold. Bosh having his effort called into question by Colangelo was not a wise move on B.C's part as well. It really served no purpose other than to attempt to deflect attention and blame away from himself.

I thought the summer T.J Ford was traded would be the worse off-season that I would personally have to endure. I was wrong about that, as this summer has been far worse for a variety of reasons. Even if T.J Ford was coming back to Toronto, I am not even sure if that would bring a smile to my face at this point.

Closing things out today, if you are in the Toronto area and have 20 bucks you can afford to spend, go tonight or tomorrow night to support the Canadian Men's National Team taking on France at the ACC. A couple years ago I went to games in Hamilton and the crowd that turned out for those games was pretty depressing. Especially when a good third of the crowd was cheering for the other country they were playing against on that occasion. Canada Basketball is developing some talent and on the youth levels has enjoyed some success. Support them and support the sport. If you need motivation beyond that, the Raptors Dance Pak is going to be in the house I am told. Whatever it takes to get people to go support Canada Basketball, I am down for doing it. To bad the people in our government are not the same. Matt Bonner is still not a Canadian Citizen as he remains tied up in red tape. He should have lied on his application and said he played hockey.

Battle is On For DNB & The Raptors

The Battle has begun for the Dino Blogger in the Pro vs Joes contest on Whotheman.com. I am debating in favour of Jarrett Jack remaining as the starting point guard. I know this will shock no one. But he has been good you have to admit. So please if you can go check it out and vote for me that would be great. Help me make it all the way to finals. You may have to register on the site to vote but please take the time to do so and support myself and the Dino Nation Blog in the process. That also lead to a nice transition to today's game where Jack takes on his former team in the Indiana Pacers.

The Pacers and Raptors have split a pair of games this season. I was in the house covering the game when the Raptors won 123-112 in November. Danny Granger had 36 points in that loss. Jack was on fire and was perfect from the field coming of the bench at the time scoring 18 and Calderon was good as well with 21 as the stater. CB4 had an awful shooting night going 5-19 from the field and had 16 points and 12 boards. But the Raptors walked away with the win despite that.

Earlier this month the Raptors would travel to Indy and not be so lucky. Bosh was better with 27 points but the team around him was not. The Pacers meanwhile has a full team effort and had 6 players in double digits on the score sheet and it was enough to hold off the Raptors 105-101. Granger in that game lead the Pacers with 23. This hopefully will serve as a reminder to not take the Pacers lightly as Toronto will face them in the next 2 games starting with an early evening tilt with Pacers at the ACC tonight and travel to Indy for the re-match on Tuesday.

It has been a tough season overall for the Pacers. T.J Ford has fallen out of favour and can't get minutes behind Watson and rookie Guard from UConn A.J Price. Who in that game earlier this month Price had 16 and was one of those 6 players in double digits. In Addition Danny Granger has not looked like the franchise guy that Indy was hoping he was on the path to becoming. The one positive in Indy is Roy Hibbert who came to them via the J.O deal with the Raps. Hibbert the former Hoyas standout is doing the school's legacy of big men in the NBA proud and has really started to crank it up in his second season in the NBA

The Raptors have been lights out at home of late but have failed to answer the bell for the opening quarter in the past couple. Indy can shoot the 3 ball and Raptors will need to have solid perimeter defense if they hope not to have a mis-step on their home floor. No word on if Demar suits up today and Andrea Bargnani has been has some issues as well. However even if the Raptors were short handed today there would be no acceptable excuse to dropping another game to the Pacers.

In fact when you look towards the sked heading into the All-Star Break Raps have many of those "winnable" games in front of them. However if they do not start coming out and falling behind the odds eventually are going to catch up with them. No one loves a good rally more than the Dino Blogger but for my personal sanity and that of the Raptors fans like you that I care about, I think we can agree we can do with out the drama.

Raptor if they can do what you would expect and beat the Pacers twice that would put them 5 games over .500 and facing the 4-41 Nets on Wednesday. Raptors can really start to make some distance from .500 and the back in the East. Miami lost last night and the Bobcats were winners. Oh and coming from around the outside and passing the Heat is Chuck Swirsky and the Chicago Bulls. Raptors enter today just 1/2 game in front of Charlotte and a full game in front of Miami and Chicago.

So the margin for error for the Raptors is slim at the moment. Lose a couple you are suppose to win and you could be in 8th from 5th in the blink of an eye...Just ask the Heat.

T.J Ford Back In The DNB

I have made it no secret how much I am a fan of T.J Ford. The passion and desire he takes to the basketball court is far greater than his physical size. It was one of the true personal hi-lights for me to talk with him in the summer time. It has been a career for T.J that has been filled with challenges that a lesser person would have given up. So it goes without saying it was great to meet him in person and chat with him from Tuesday Pre-Game In Toronto.

T.J Ford In DNB

DNB Starting 5

Thanks to T.J for talking with me. The website we mention is called Texas360now.com and is a website that has players that went to Texas and are now in the pros. Kevin Durant, D.J Augustin , T.J and many others contribute to the site. They also give away stuff the odd time on there. So if you are a Longhorns fan or just a fan of a former Longhorn it is worth checking out. Happy Thanksgiving to T.J and any of you folks reading this blog in the United States.

Raptors Rewind- Live From The ACC

Pacers and Raptors and I was in the house. It is a great thrill to say that for me. It is not everyday that you can do this so I tried to make the most of it hopefully. Some cheers for T.J Ford unlike the boos that fans had for V.C. All hands on deck minus Reggie Evans as Wright and Belinelli were dressed and back in the line up. Not exactly a full house at the ACC but folks in Toronto tend to arrive late it would fill up a it more later. Raps need wins in the next 2 badly vs Pacers and Bobcats. After that it is Celtics and Suns.

The Raptors would come out and have a first half for the ages. They scored 74 points just shy of the team record of 79 for a half. This was done with little help scoring wise from Chris Bosh and Andrea Bargnani. Jose Calderon and T.J Ford went at it. Calderon had 15 points and Ford 10 as the 2 former PG's did battle. It was clear both had a little extra in the tank for this one. Calderon also had 5 dimes to just 1 for T.J. The other member of this PG triangle Jarrett Jack was facing the Pacers for the first time and he lead the bench with 10 points. The bench accounted for 30 of the 74 points that Raptors racked up. It was a 74-53 lead for the Raptors at the half.

The Pacers would come out in the 3rd Quarter and make a run. They would get as close 5 points but the Raptors would hang on. Danny Granger was leading the Pacers charge scoring 13 in the quarter. Like in the win over Miami, Jarrett Jack was getting some timely baskets for the Raptors including a score near the end of the 3rd quarter to push the lead back to 8 points. It seems that Jack has been the right guy in the right place of late and is making big shots when this team needs them. He would have this to say about that after the game.

Jarrett Jack- " I got to credit that to my teammates being aggressive and making the proper reads and finding me when I am open. All I try to do is knock down the shot when the ball swings my way."

Jack also talked about this team needing to be able to step on the throat of teams and close them out. In addition to not just rely on the offense to drive them. The defense that went MIA in the 3rd quarter would return in the 4th. The Raptors saved there best defensive quarter for last. After giving up 39 points out of the locker room they would only surrender 20 in the 4th. It was not CB4's night offensively shooting 5 of 19 and just could not make his jumper fall. He would still be a factor with 12 boards 4 blocks and a steal. On a night with T.J Ford in the building, it would be a very Fordron like effort from Jack and Calderon. Check out there combined numbers. 39 points 13 assists and 2 steals, Calderon was 8 for 11 from the field and Jack a perfect 7 for 7. In the end it was an impressive offensive display just a few points shy of a team record for offense.

Bosh seemed happy with the win and happy that his team played well around him. There have been some nights where there have been big efforts from him and not much help to be found. Despite the offensive explosion the team remains focused on the defense. When I asked Chris if he felt the offense had been over looked at how well it had been and the fact they can score with anyone was being overlooked he had this to say.

Chris Bosh-" No...We know that we are going score the ball. We know that we can score and that is not the issue and it never will be. If you want to win basketball games it's all about Defense. If you can't D Up your not going to win"

That being said it still has got to feel good to know that you can score to the level the Raptors can. The Raptors still have time to improve on defense. When we get to later stages of the season Chris is 100% correct that it is all about the defense. In the playoffs where Bosh and the Raptors hope to be it is even more so. but when you can shot it at 58% and score the way they did tonight, offense can sometimes win as well. Not that you want to make a habit of it. The win tonight has the Raptors leap frog Indiana in the standing. Raptors will take the 123-112 win and hope to get back to .500 tomorrow with a win in Charlotte.

Had a chance to chat with Reggie Evans and T.J Ford as well as a it with Amir Johnson...All of that in the coming days. It was a great night at the ACC and for 2 years running I have been in the house to watch the Raptors beat the Pacers. Although as I joked with T.J that I must be doing something right as I was sitting in the stands last year and this year had media access. I just had my birthday yesterday and meeting my favourite NBA player in person and watching my favourite NBA team win makes a heck of a belated birthday present. I always will remain a fan in my heart and that will not change nor will I hide the fact that I am.

T.J Ford Visits The DNB

This is by far the biggest starting 5 ever. I have never hidden the fact this guest is one of my favorite players in the NBA. The two years he had as a Raptor were a great personal treat for me. I have been a fan of him even back to his days as a Texas Longhorn. Which is actually part of what we talk about. T.J along with some of his fellow Longhorns have put together a site called Texas 360.com. It is a site that is going to feature a lot of former Texas players and let fans get to see them in new exciting ways. We also talk about some NBA stuff as well. He talks about his two now former teammates in Jarrett Jack and Rasho Nesterovic. We talk about his return to Toronto and his thoughts on his time with the Raptors. This is a big moment for the Dino Nation Blog and hopefully it is only the start of bigger and better things for the future. Just like with all the guests we have it takes them willing to take time out to talk with me. I want to thank T.J for his time and wish him the best of luck in this upcoming NBA season and with his new venture with this website.

Dino Nation Blog Interviews T.J Ford

James Borbath's Podcast

So hope you enjoyed that as much as I did doing it. The Dino Nation Blog has brought me a lot of cool experiences in the almost 2 years I have been doing it. This ranks right at the top of the list. So if you are still a T.J Ford fan like me go check out his website and show a former Raptors some love. Sign up and become a member on Texas 360.com. Other guys already on board include Kevin Durant, D.J Augustin, T.J Ford and many other former Longhorns. Hook'em Horns!!!

Oh and if you want to follow T.J on Twitter(If you don't already) he is @tj_ford

Fun For Friday

First off the top if you are home late tonight and want to listen to be online on the radio you can check me out on Off The Bench on CJLO. Should be on at 12:15 am. We will talk about the week that was for the Raptors and the NBA.

If you don't follow the blog on Twitter now is a good time. @dinonationblog on Twitter. Seems I had a bunch of spam accounts following me. My followers dropped by like 200. I was like what the heck did i do to offend 200 people? Oh well I still have over 500 real followers(Thanks Tweet Followers) . But there is always room for more.

I have noticed that a lot of Raptor fans are excited/restless for the season to get going. But there is still all of August to get through. There is no rush is there? Not that I would not mind hitting the fast forward button myself. It is not easy to come up with ideas to keep writing a blog each day with very little new to go on. But some how I manage to do it as do others on a daily basis. But after awhile you run out of ways to say that Bryan Colangelo is a pretty smart dude. There is only so many times you can debate the last 2 spots on the roster. You can only rave about Demar DeRozan so much. I mean it is true he has yet to play a game in the NBA. There are only so many Marcus Banks jokes that any one person is capable of.

I suppose we could talk about the WNBA but really do many people pay attention to that league at all. Realistically would it even still exist without the support of the NBA. The fact the Shaq is the guest G.M of WWE Raw to be honest is more exciting to me. The WNBA is in reality much like NFL Europe in terms of it is a league that could not stand on it's own 2 feet. I mean when have I paid attention to the WNBA? Let me think about it. There was that pathetic display when they had a dunk and stopped the game. That was a few years ago. I did watch the debut of Candace Parker. I also watched the outdoor game they held last season. But I admit, the fact Johnathan Coachman was calling the game was more interesting to me, than the game itself. Oh and we had that brawl last year between the Sparks and some other team. I think it was Detroit? They are the Shock right? Not exactly a great set of events to get me to watch is it?

You know what would be cool actually? A Video Game League of NBA players going at. A lot of players are into it and I would watch. T.J Ford is involved in a website of former University of Texas ballers called Texas360now.com. He took on fellow Texas Longhorn Kevin Durant as the two went to battle playing NBA 2k9. Check it out.




Find more videos like this on Texas 360 Now

Sadly looks like T.J took the L. But I think it be a hoot to see a series of NBAers going at it through out the summer. EA makers of NBA Live have had in the past held a 8 man tournament at all-star weekend. There is also a similar style even the NFL puts on for NFL players. From the Raptor prospective I remember when The Score's Cabbie took on CB4 at a game of Madden and was soundly thrashed. Cabbie lost a bet the two had made and had to be a ball boy at Raptors game wearing the old school short shorts.

It's clear baseball is not the answer as the Jays have not been a contender and by the looks of things won't be anytime soon. I personally watch the CFL but here in Hamilton there has not been much to cheer about in years. But hey the Ti-Cats are 2-2 after losing to Montreal last night.

I could throw out the idea of a Canadian Basketball League that could run through the summer months. However let's face it in a good economy would that idea have a snowballs chance of working? In this economy clear there is no chance at all. Hamilton once had a team in some lesser league of basketball called the Skyhawks. I have no idea what a Skyhawk is? I mean is there some form of hawk that does not fly that I am unaware of? Anyway that was short lived. To be honest as much of a basketball fan as I am never even attended a game.

Once Summer Leagues ends you really understand that the dog days of summer are here for the NBA fan. People tend to be so basketball starved that Summer league itself gets overblown. However I am not to the point I was willing to cough up 15 bucks. I know it is tough economic times and all but the NBA charging for that really did not make a ton of sense to me. Thanks to the TSN 2 mess last season most Raptors fans have learned that there are ways to find these things without having to pay the piper so to speak. That will be the first and last time TSN 2 gets thanks in this blog.

Looks like Brent Petway will only be a Raptor for the Summer League. He is taking his game to Europe to play in Athens Greece next year. But I am going to be talking with him for the Dino Nation Blog to get his take on Raps Summer League and his own career.

Got a number of guests coming for the blog coming up. Working on getting bunch of interviews booked. What I do know is Jack Armstrong should be stopping by sometime next week. There has been a demand for him to sign up on Twitter. I doubt I will convince him too. However there is a heck of a lot of lot of Raptor moves to talk about with him. Also going to have Eric Smith coming soon as well. Those are the ones I know for sure. Some others are being worked on as well. I am going to really do my best to load up on guests for August. After all like this whole blog has talked about there is not a lot going on. So that always makes a good time to hear from others and get their thoughts and opinions.

Tweets and Twits

I have an Interview later today so I am just going to have some little things in like Twitter form on some things from around the league. Speaking of Twitter some Twitter NBA News. My favourite player is now on Twitter. T.J Ford is now the latest player to embrace the Twitter generation of the NBA. Another Ex-Raptor was moonlighting on the NBA TV Twitter. Charlie V who has one of the more famous Twitter moments when he started tweeting from the locker room at halftime.

Keeping with are Twitteriffic theme. The man who perhaps is the most famous tweeter, or at least one of the biggest in Shaq. The big man has been a movie star, he has been a Rapper but never a Raptor, Officer of the law and now coming soon....Sports Broadcaster. The big man has enrolled in a crash course on sports broadcasting for ex athletes and current ones that is done at Syracuse University. The Cuse has been a university that has produced a ton of broadcasting talent and there are to many to mention. So TNT or some network better find a really big chair for the big man to sit in once he decided to call it quits.

Chris Bosh of course did the broadcasting thing for NBA-TV and The Tonight Show. Could Bosh and O'Neal be battling some day off the court in a broadcasting booth? Maybe some day but Bosh still has a lot more years to go. Shaq also plans on playing ball for a few more years.

I mentioned yesterday the battle between the WWE and the Denver Nuggets. Well it is all over and you do not have to worry about any Nuggets getting hit with steel chairs prior to game 4. The WWE Monday Night Raw has been moved to the home of the Nuggets opponents in this series the Lakers. So Kobe and Melo are at the Pepsi Centre and John Cena and the rest of the WWE will be taking over Staples Centre. I would expect there will be lots of NBA references in that show. Vince McManon has never been known as a good loser about these kind of things. Maybe WWE can swing getting Blake Griffin to show up. He will be playing in that arena as well. Not as a Laker but as a Clipper. If you doubt the Clippers are going to take Griffin the ad campaign they have launched makes it seem pretty much a lock.

So that is all for now. The guest this afternoon to the best of my knowledge is not on Twitter. Maybe I can convince him to hope on board the Twitter Nation. I can not believe how big Twitter has gotten it is crazy. Is it here to stay or is it just a passing fad? Who knows time will tell. All the links in this article are to the Twitter accounts of the people mentioned. The Dino Nation Blog is on Twitter as well. Follow the DNB if you are not already.

Raptors Rewind- Ford Return Take 2

If it was said that the Pacers would still be in the playoff hunt and the Raptors would not be at this point most would have laughed at the start of the season. However that is the reality of things. Not that the Pacers have a very good shot at the playoffs. They sit in 13th place just one spot ahead of the Raptors but only 2 games out of the final playoff spot in the East. A terrible road record has held the Pacers back with only 9 wins on the road. They have already lost in Toronto. A game that T.J struggled in and he admitted that the fact Sam Mitchell had been fired impacted on him and took some motivation away from him. Jose Calderon became the all time leader in assists for the Raptor Franchise. That being said T.J Ford has had a better season than Jose Calderon. When you consider the direction this team has gone you have to wonder why Ford had to go. In a running style system give me Ford as my point guard. Not to mention that the Raptors have lost 7 straight heading into this Sunday afternoon tilt with the Pacers. In happier more optimistic times, I had targeted this point of schedule as a chance for the Raptors to make up ground. It seemed reasonable the Raptors could have gone 12-3 down the stretch. Games against the Magic, Hawks and Sixers were games the Raptors would have been hard pressed to win. Now you wonder if they can even snap this losing streak against the Pacers and then a back to back with the Bobcats. Charlotte actually has been making a playoff push of their own and has been one of the hotter teams in the East of late. Well they were, 3 straight losses after a 5 or 6 game winning streak. The one thing I can say for sure is a view more people respect T.J Ford more than the last time he rolled through Toronto. That does make me feel good as someone that is a fan of T.J. However there is nothing that can make me feel that good considering the season this has been. I have kind of taken it easy this weekend because what more can you say about this team that has not already been said by everyone at this point. We all expected far much more, a win or loss today will not change that fact. Another fact is that a month from today this Raptor Season will be over far sooner than anyone might have expected when this started in late October.

Late word that Danny Granger will be active today for the Pacers. That will make the task a tougher one for the Raptors indeed. Oh and joy the Raptors are busting out those ugly green uniforms. Also after battling with the flu over last couple games Andrea Bargnani will be in the starting line-up.

1st Quarter

Raps win the tip and off we go. Bosh missed a fading jumper. Indiana failed to score on it's first possession as well. Bargnani missed on an easy lay up. Both teams were of to an awful start. A steal and score for T.J Ford and Calderon matches with a jumper on the other end. Pacers would get back to back baskets. Daniels would turn it over and AP would get the easy score in transition. Pacers would get another Ford bucket. This one would be answered by Bargnani. Murphy and Bosh would exchange baskets. Ford would miss a 3 pointer but later hit a fading shot in the lane. Pacers lead 12-8 at the mid point of the first quarter. Bargnani would get a score in the paint. He would get another basket on a Calderon feed in transition. Make it 3 in a row for Bargnani and Raptors take the lead 14-12.

Dainels would answer and tie it up for the Pacers. He would make it back to back baskets and Pacers were up 2. Anthony Parker would make a jumper and it was all tied at 16. Ford had 6 points and Calderon had 4 dimes. A terrible stretch of misses for the Raps as both Bosh and Graham had several chances to score and could not. Pacer make them pay with a 3 ball. Pops Mensah-Bonsu checks in and he impacts the game right a way with a jam for 2. Pops in a bright light in an otherwise dark time for the Raptors. There are not many people I can honestly endorse to return to this team who has a contract due this off-season, but Pops in one that I can say that I hope he returns next year. Rush makes a 3 pointer after a time out for the Pacers. Jarrett Jack the former teammate of Chris Bosh at Georgia Tech scores and Pacers lead 24-18. Danny Granger had checked in off the bench and missed his first. Raptors get back to back baskets from Calderon and Kapono and the lead was cut to 24-22. Kapono would score again and it was tied at 24. In a forgettable season for Kapono one of his best games of the season was against these Pacers on the ACC floor. I was in the house for that one and JK was very good on that night. Granger draws the foul and can give the Pacers the lead back which he would making both at the line. Calderon tried to shoot it or was it a pass to Pops Mensah-Bonsu? Regardless it did not work and the Pacer would lead 26-24 after 1 at the ACC.

2nd Quarter

Not one 3 point attempt for the Raptors in the first that is odd. Both teams shooting 44% and it was a close contest so far. The second quarter starts with a Granger charge drawn by Pops. Bosh was struggling and had a shot blocked but Pops Mensah-Bonsu would clean it up with a basket. The Pacers would answer and go back up 2 points. A.P draws a foul and makes both at the line. Danny Granger would get going with a basket. Sloppy play by both teams and several turnovers. Pops Mensah-Bonsu would go up strong and draw a foul. He would make both foul shots and we were tied at 30. Granger was getting his legs back after significant time off the floor. He made another basket and pushed the Pacers back in front by 2. Meanwhile the Raptors All Star CB4 was struggling going 1-8 on the day and not able to find anything that would work for him at this point.

Danny Granger was showing no rust as her nailed a 3 pointer. Raptors would answer with a 2 point effort. Andrea Bargnani would follow that up with a 3 pointer and we were tied at 35. Jack would match that 3 ball with one for the Pacers. His Georgia Tech mate CB4 would draw a foul and head to the line. Making a pair and he had only 6 points so far for the Raptors. The struggles would continue with a missed jumper and Troy Murphy would make the Raptors pay with back to back 3's. Pacers stormed out in front 44-37. Raptors offense looked a mess and they would fumble and bumble there way to another turnover. Daniels would draw a foul on Shawn Marion who also was having a very poor effort thus far. Daniels would make a pair at the line.

Illegal defense call and Calderon would make the tech and make a jumper on the possession that would follow. After some free throws from Jack and Bosh it would be Jose Calderon making a jumper and he would pull the Raptors to down 5 with the score 47-42. Calderon having a good first half with 8 points 7 assists and 2 steals. However that being said the Pacers were leading. Chris Bosh looking to get back on track would get a dunk off a Kapono feed. The Pacers were letting the lead they build slip away. Bargnani would draw a foul on Danny Granger and look to cut the lead more. He would make both and Pacers lead was just 47-46. Jack was fouled and split a pair from the line. Bargnani would be fouled and at the line again missed both though and Raptors remained down two. Pacer fail to take advantage and Bargnani would make them pay with a 3 ball to put the Raptors in front. Brandon Rush would put up a 3 pointer and miss. In some ways watching the Pacers is like looking in a mirror to how the Raptors can play offensively. Calderon would be fouled and make a pair at the line. Bosh continued to fight through a tough day missing a easy one inside but got his own rebound and through that one down. Ford on the other end would break a Pacer offensive drought. Ford had a chance to tie the score at the half with a 3 point attempt off a Raptors turnover but it would not fall. Raptors lead 53-50 at the half.

At The Half

The Ford and Calderon battle. Calderon 10 points, 8 assists and 2 steals, Ford 8 points, 5 assists and a steal. Calderon when asked about the battle between the two players he down played it and praised Ford. Something tells me if the question had been asked of Ford you would get a different answer. I do agree there is not a personal dislike between the two but let's face it this is a match-up that will be focused on for years to come. But beyond that battle Andrea Bargnani and Troy Murphy were having a mice contest of their own with Bargnani with 16 and Murphy with 14. The other story of the half was the Raptors has a slim lead despite Bosh being a 4-13 shooting effort with 11 points. He was active on the glass with 8 rebounds. Given the way the Raptors have played of late it is anybodies guess if they can hang on to this lead. If the Pacers have any real chance at the post season this is a game they must have.

3rd Quarter

Raptor lead is 3. Well it was as Jack opens the half with a 3 ball. Jose Calderon would answer with a 3 of his own to restore the Raptors 3 point lead. Shawn Marion would get a score plus a foul and Raptors after the Marion make would have a 6 point lead. That was Marion's first points of the afternoon. Jack would miss a open look in the corner for 3. Ford would miss on a leaner but would find the ball back in his hands and make a shot in the lane. Raptors had a quick answer for that with an Anthony Parker score the other way. Pacers a turnover and they now looked like an offense with no direction. 3's were flying all over the ACC but not many were falling. Jack and Calderon the latest to miss from the arc. Foster and Bargnani would both score on the inside. Ford would make another score. But Bargnani would find a mismatch against Ford and hit a 3 pointer with Ford on him not able to do much. Raptors had a 66-59 lead. Pacers would look to go inside and that would lead to getting to the line. They would hit 4 free throws and cut lead down. But Raptors would be energized by Shawn Marion in transition with a great jam plus a foul. Raptors had an 8 point lead with score 71-63. Calderon would hook Marion on an alley opp and it was converted. Raptors had a 10 point lead with score 73-63.

Give the Raptors credit for the effort and energy. As for the Pacers if this is how they respond to a mush win game like this for them, they will be accepting that they are going to have a seat in the NBA Lottery with the Raptors. Marion with 8 points in the quarter after 0 in the first 2. A Bargnani block and Marion could no convert on the transition chance for Marion. Ford would score and get fouled and make it. That gave Ford 15 on the afternoon. Bargnani would get fouled and make a pair at the line. Yet another Pacer turnover and Shawn Marion would draw the foul on the transition break. He made both at the line and the Raptors lead 77-66. Danny Granger had cooled off and he was short on a jumper. Indiana was giving the Raptors chances and they were taking advantage of a lot of them. Bargnani got the offensive rebound off a Kapono miss and slammed it back home. Raptors leading by 13 now with the score 79-66. Could the losing streak be coming to an end? It sure seemed like it at this point. The Pacers looked awful and the Raptors were looking the best they have in a very long time. Calderon after 2 of his worst efforts of the season has had 2 of his best. While Bargnani has 25 points and I now truly am a believer in Andrea Bargnani. He has just been to good for to long to doubt him any longer. Raptors run was on going as they would keep adding to it. Raptors lead 83-66. Travis Diener would finally get a basket for the Pacers. Calderon would check out with 15 points and 12 assists. Raptors lead was 18, make it 20 as Bosh would go inside and score. Raptors lead 88-68 and you have to ask yourself what the heck is going on here on both sides. Roko Ukic would close out a quarter that saw the Raptors out score the Pacers 37-19 with a drive and score. Raptors lead 90-69.

4th Quarter

Raptors were shooting 50% and the Pacers just 39%. If you are thinking it is the green uniforms the Raptors lost the only other game they played in green. That feature a T.J Ford meltdown that saw him ejected. On this afternoon Ford had to feel dejected as he was one of few Pacers that decided to show up today. Pops Mensah-Bonsu had an alley opp jam and this game was going to be a win. Raptors leading 94-71 and there was no way they were going to lose this one. Seriously if they did I think the Raptor Rewind would just be put in moth balls for the year. But I am not expecting to have to do that.

Travis Diener hits a 3 pointer and maybe makes you worry just a little. But Pops would answer with a dunk a career high 13 so far for him. Pops averaged over 20 in the D-League so he can put the ball in the basket. He was the main contributor off the bench toady. Pops took a shot from Roy Hibbert and would had to his career high at the line. He would not be done by a long shot with a jam plus a foul that would deliver the pizza. Raptors lead was 100-76 and Pacers were melting down before our eyes. Pops got a well deserved standing ovation from the crowd. A steal and an A.P jam. Everyone for once was happy at the ACC. I think everyone from players to management to Dino Bloggers all needed a game like this. Does it change anything as far as this season? No but that being said just as being human the toll of losing can be a lot to endure. At least if for just one Sunday there can be some reason to smile about the Raptors. It is going to be a very happy flight to Charlotte for the Raptors. It will be interesting to see if they can carry this momentum over to a rare Monday night affair with the Bobcats. The Raptors had still 5:32 left to enjoy this one as they led 104-76. The Pops show marched on and so did the Raptors. Pops had 21 points and Raptors had a 110-84 lead. A rare event at the ACC this year as the fans would offer a standing ovation down the stretch. It would be a 110-87 final.

The Ford and Calderon battle both had 15 points but Calderon had 12 assists to Ford's 6 and 2 steals as opposed to 1 steal. That being said even the 27 points and 9 rebounds of Andrea Bargnani took a back seat today to Pops Mensah-Bonsu. Seriously can Bryan Colangelo avoid not re-signed this guy? He is part of whatever solution that Colangelo is going to have for this basketball team going forward. He almost has to be at this point. The JYD of the Y2K is bringing a dawg pound back to the ACC. Somewhere Jerome Williams in barking his approval. Here is the boxscore of a very excellent Raptor victory and you have not been able to say that many times this season at all.

Raps/Pacers Boxscore

So in a season with few moments to celebrate enjoy this one Raptor Fans we have all earned it.

One Less Game To Endure After Tonight

So Chris Bosh did the weather last night on CTV. Roll The You Tube Footage:




He did a pretty decent job unless you happen to live in Peterbrough. Chris was not sure how many people live there. Thankfully he did not say that about Hamilton where I am from. That may have been grounds to end our facebook friendship. I learned something I honestly didn't know. He started his charity foundation when he was 18. Bosh in his time here in Toronto has done a great deal of work to bring smiles to kids be it directly or through his foundation. Maybe that is part of why I get so angry about people attacking this guy. He is a solid human being and that fact is more important than any win or loss total at the end of the day. This season has been a bad one for everyone and Chris Bosh I am sure feels the worst about it. Just because he continues to be himself and do various things like moonlighting as a weatherman or making a video for You Tube does not change that. If you have a bad day at work at whatever you do, would you not try to have some fun in your off time as well? I mean at least the guy is doing constructive things. In my view he has been a guy trying to lead a collective group that has lost it's desire to follow.

I got thinking of something yesterday, there really are only a couple players that can lead a team all on their own. At the start of this year there seemed to be an idea that Bosh was going to have help in leading this team from J.O and Jose. That has not happened obviously. I think it needs to happen. The example I came up with of a great player that never could lead his team to anything of consequence was Paul Pierce. He was in a spot much like Bosh and people said he was on his way out of Boston. The Celtics would bring in another guy who could not lead his team on his own to any great success. That is of course Kevin Garnett. Together with Ray Allen they have all come together and lead the Celtics comeback to glory. None of those 3 players indivdually could lead a team to anything better than a conference finals. So is it totally unreasonable what people expect of Bosh? There are very few indivdual leaders that can carry a team without support to a title or greatness. Not just now but in the history of the game.

Few could argue that at the start of this season Bosh was playing at an elite level. However it did not produce the number of victories it should. That is not on Chris Bosh that is on the rest of this roster. If Chris Bosh scores 40 plus points and this team can't win a basketball game that is the problem. Eventually as an individual no matter what Bosh is saying it has to piss you off. I said it once before that this team dragged Bosh down to a degree. If he had that support in leadership maybe that doesn't happen. Maybe those guys get the rest of this team to pick up it's collective socks. That never happened though. So instead of going the easy route and blaming Bosh for all that is wrong with this team people maybe need to consider that. Who were the people to support him and challenge him on this basketball team.

Madness Comes Early To NYC

Normally I would not mention a college game here in the Dino Nation Blog for an entire section. However when you have a 6 overtime classic at MSG that would qualify as special. The Big East Tournament saw one of the greatest basketball games I have seen on any level period. The UConn Huskies and Syracuse Orange battled through 6 overtimes and in the end Syracuse out lasted UConn. Andy Rautins the son of Raptor broadcaster Leo Rautins made a key 3 pointer at the start of the sixth overtime period to lead the Syracuse charge to finish what was an amazing game. Ironically the longest game prior was in 1981 when his dad Leo scored the winning basket to lead Syracuse to a win over Villanova. March Madness is on the way and there is lots of great basketball memories that are made in that tournament. If you are a true fan of basketball you had to love last night's game and love March Madness. This seems like a good time to mention that I have set up a March Madness Pool for you folks here at the Dino Nation Blog on Facebook. Here is a link to sign up.

Dino Nation March Maddness Pool on Facebook

T.J Ford On Hoops

It was very interesting conversation with T.J Ford on Hoops last night. It seemed pretty clear that T.J Ford and Sam Mitchell did not end their coach and player relationship on the best of terms. Which leads me to wonder how much influence Sam had in the choice between Jose and T.J. Everyone pointed to how Jose and T.J could not work together. However after listening to this interview it would seem that is was Sam and T.J that was the issue. Bryan Colangelo always talks about building consensus in making decisions. It seems pretty obvious who Sam was behind in that regard. This all leads to a question for me. If Colangelo and Mitchell were on thin ice and the plan was always to move towards this running system would it not have made sense to fire Sam in the summer and try to make Forderon work. Seems clear that Calderon is not as good without T.J as he was with him. It was obvious the J.O trade didn't work. What was also obvious is that Sam was at the front of the line in support of that trade.

Ford was never the villian he was made to be. A lot more people are loving T.J Ford these days in Toronto and a lot less people loving Jose. A lot of good that does. Where were you all last year? If the plan was to go the way the Raptors have with this running system. T.J ford should have been on this roster. He likely would be the starter given the way Calderon has played. Ford and Claderon pushed each other to be better. Who pushes Jose now? Exactly.

Detroit Basketball come to T.O

If you are expecting the losing streak to end here you are far more optomistic than the Dino Blogger. Pistons without AI and with Rip Hamilton in the starting line-up are on fire. Well maybe not fire. But they are much better than where the Raptors are at. But no need to worry about seeing it because it is a TSN 2 affair and you can be spared the pain. It had been reported that Raptors T.V was going to Simulcast this game but Raps T.V has just been replaying the broadcast after it concludes. Well after what Raps TV has on concludes to be accurate. Regardless we will have some form of recap of what happen. These things need to be documented for the history books.

A Low Point In Franchise History

I have watched just about every Raptor game that has ever been played in the NBA. After last night's game and effort, I struggle to think of a worse game. We have seen some bad ones this season. The loss in Denver that cost Sam Mitchell his job. We saw them loss to the Thunder. A brutal loss to Memphis. But this one was the worst of them all. Here is why I say that. This team has said they still consider themselves in the playoff race. I have not agreed with that. However They have said it and they get their star player back. Playing against on of the many teams they must pass to make the playoffs. They come out with an effort like that? 9-0 run and it just got worse from there. I mean how on earth can anyone think Jay Triano can survive this and be the coach of this team. Paul Jones who is a regular guest on the Dino Nation Blog often has said this is a results based business. He is right and the results for Jay Triano have been bad. I wanted Jay to be a success because he is a Canadian and a good guy that deserved a chance. I never took into account how hard it would be to get promoted with a team that you have been with 7 years. It is hard for you to gain respect of folks when they have thought of you in a certain way for years.

That being said this goes beyond Triano and it goes right into the core of this team. Chris Bosh has always busted his butt for this team. I am not jumping off the Bosh Bandwagon. However this team is not taking this personally and it is part of Chris Bosh's job not only to perform himself but to make the people around him rise to higher levels. It has seemed that the opposite has happened. This team and it's lack of performance has pulled Bosh down. He started the season like a rocket and he has fizzled as the team around him has. The future for Bosh seems very bleak to remain a Raptor. There is 30 million reasons for Bosh to remain a Raptor. However the way this team is playing around him may out weigh any amount of cash. Failed relationships with Ford and J.O as duos to lead this team to higher levels make you wonder a lot of things. It just has not worked out well. Bryan Colangelo is really going to have to do the selling job of his life to keep Bosh at this point. For those who say to trade Bosh and start over, I say with what exactly? Andrea Bargnani? You are going to build a team around him? Good luck with that.

T.J Ford Revisited

Speaking of which if this team is going to run, that is the new plan right? Why did we trade T.J Ford? If the goal was always to be a running team why did we have to move Ford? If I am starting a team that is going to run and push the basketball I am taking T.J Ford as my point guard. Jose Calderon is not a running point guard. It is against his make up to take the risks required to run that style of offense. He can not be the guy to lead an offense that is designed to look anything like the Suns. So if Bryan Colangelo always had this plan to be a running team and it was going to head in this direction why would he choose to unload Ford? It makes little sense to me. He could have done a sign and trade for Calderon with him coming off the season he had. He said himself he took no less than 16 calls about Calderon at last year's deadline. The thought was T.J was traded because of 3 things. His attitude which in all honesty this team lacks. Did T.J handle not being a starter well? No not at all. However he would not handle this team performing at the level it has. He would demand more and expect more. Ford whatever you think of him has a lot of heart and pride. There was not a lot of that last night was there? Second was the fear of injury. Ford has had his bumps and bruises this year with Pacers but he has played more games than Jose. You took a risk on a guy with a bad knee so I am not convinced health was part of the reason. T.J Ford will always have some level of risk given his history. However no one can predict what will happen in future. The risk on Ford was the same as it was the day he walked in the door. Third was money and the fact you could not afford to keep both T.J and Jose under contract. This was a real concern. However many basketball people say point guard is the most important position. You want proof look at how hard the Magic worked to bring in 2 point guards when Jameer Nelson went down. So maybe things could have been worked out with Ford and Calderon. I think the Raptors did not even try to make that happen. There was a problem but is it any worse than the one this team faces now? I don't think so.

What is Ahead?

What can we expect from this team on Sunday? I have no idea. I did expect they would lose to the Knicks. But in the fashion and way that they did? Not a chance. I was really floored sitting at my laptop stunned at what I was watching. Any amount of words I typed last night or today, can not sum up how utterly disappointed and disgusted I was with this basketball team. I do what I am doing cause in part I deeply care about this team and franchise and it having ultimate success. This has been a season that has tested fans on so many levels. There is a real anger and frustration in this fan base and it is justified. It is up to the people running the show to fix it. Do not complain when fans boo. You have earned those boos. It up to you to make people want to cheer and at this point that is a tough task.