Davis Debuts As Raptors Light Up The Wiz

First a little bad news before we get to all of the good news from the night's action at the ACC. Apparently the person that informed via my Twitter about Reggie Evans recovery time was on the money. They had said 6-8 weeks and after surgery today it was released during the game that Reggie Evans is indeed expected to be out 8 weeks. The procedure was performed by Dr. Robert Anderson in Charlotte, North Carolina. So not sure if Reggie Evans was in any condition to watch his team take on the Wiz, but if he was able to he would have had a big smile. The Raptors were also without Peja Stojakovic who missed his 2nd straight game with swelling in his knee. But the Raptors would have Ed Davis fresh off his shortened re-hab stint with the Erie Bayhawks. The lesson Ed Davis learned from that experience is, he never wants to go back to the D-League again. At least from his performance in his debut that may not be an issue.

1st Quarter

Andrea Bargnani got off to a sluggish start and Amir Johnson who got the start in place of Evans was injured himself in the very early moments of this one. Raptors were forced to call a time out with Wizards up 4-2 and looking like Amir might be lost. Ed Davis was at least planned to only play limited minutes in his debut. An Injury to Amir would have thrown that plan out the window. But after the time out Amir was able to keep going. Watching on was John Wall from the Wizards bench as he was expected to play but not to start. So Wall didn't get to do the Dougie in front of Toronto Hip Hop Star Drake who was in attendance. Based on how the Raptors played tonight we would like to encourage him to come to more games. After that 4-2 lead the Wizards were pretty much blitzed the rest of the evening. Well that is not exactly true Wizard did hang in the game in the early going. Ed Davis would check in and have an instant impact with and offensive board and a put back for his first 2 points of his NBA Career to tie the game at 19. Not long after Davis would have a block leading to score for himself on the other end. Raptors Rookie from last Year Demar DeRozan had a dunk that was 10 worthy in a dunk contest and worth 2 in the game. Couple of Barbosa baskets would help build a lead. Andrea Bargnani would check back in after getting an early hook. He would be a totally different player for the rest of the night. He dominated down the stretch and when the music stopped to end the first Raptors had a 34-25 lead. They were also shooting an insane percentage of like 62%.

2nd Quarter

Wall was very quiet and Wizards defence was non existent. While Bargnani was dominant coming off the bench. He along with Barbosa and some others build at 42-27 lead and were crushing the Wizards. Raptors refused to stop as a Barbosa bucket made it an 18 point lead. The Raptors it seemed could not be stopped on offence. Well maybe it was more the Wizards couldn't stop anyone. Maybe it was both. Regardless the Raptors point total kept climbing and climbing. If the Raptors offence was a stock you would be yelling sell as there was possible way it could be better. The highlight might have been a Calderon pass to DeRozan that he would drop off for Ed Davis for a huge slam. The lead would climb to 21 on a Weems highlight reel jam. Leaving you to wonder was this the Washington Wizards or the Washington Generals. When the tot board or make that scoreboard was done it was 72-52.

3rd Quarter

By the time it was done Raptor fans at the ACC had free Pizza enough said.

4th Quarter

Garbage time at the ACC. Wizards actually out scored the Raptors 56-55 in the second half. Raptors lost 109-94 in Washington with out Wall. In Toronto with Wall it was the Raptors winning 127-108.

Yeah that wasn't much of a second half summary was it? But honestly this game was over long before even half time. Raptors had 7 players in double figures including Davis in his debut with 11 points 6 rebounds and 2 blocks in his debut in 24 and change on the floor. Perhaps the best story of the night beyond Davis' debut was their rookie last season Demar DeRozan. Demar had not played well for a number of games but he had a team high 20 and looked solid with 6 boards and 3 dimes. I declare his hamstring healed and he looked the best he has in a long time.

Have Raptors finally found a point guard combination that works? Forderon and Jackeron both ultimately failed. But maybe Calderless works. Jose had 11 points 8 dimes with 2 steals and Bayless had 16 points and 5 dimes and 6 rebounds. All together we had 27 points 13 assists 9 rebounds and 2 steals. That is pretty good.

Andrea at times was dominate but only had 18 points but the big stat for him was 8 rebounds. We mentioned Bayless 16 off the bench and Barbosa had 16 as well. All totalled the bench had 56 points. Outscoring a Wizards bench that had just 44 that included normally a starter John Wall with 19. But that number was a not exactly as impressive as it looks like. A lot of Wall's points came long after this game was decided.

Raptors move on to play OKC on Friday and Dino Nation Blog will be in the house for this one. The Thunder needed triple OT to beat the Nets with K.D not in the line-up. Much like many fans wanted to see John Wall tonight at the ACC. I would love to see Kevin Durant, but if K.D doesn't play the odds for the Raptors chances to win go up a lot. Tonight was a good bounce back for a number of players and the team as whole. This was one of those winnable games and Wizards are now 0-9 on the road. But the Raptors got some revenge and played with some serious purpose on the way to that win.

A VERY SHORT Recap of Raps and Wiz

So I had to work for The Score doing some college ball. Never to early to start that draft research. So I hoped on twitter and turned on the game. Was about 1 minute left in half and Raps were losing. So I threw it out on Twitter asking how the game had gone to that point. Here is a sampling of the responses

@oveofthegame10

@dinonationblog Raps were down big early, Raps have been getting owned on the boards all game! Raps been slowly getting back in the game

@Raps_fan

@dinonationblog boring...really ugly start. but they're hanging around.

@Ronny006

@dinonationblog Raps trail 47-54, game is boring, Bargnani is crap, Weems is Money, McGee is a beast and did I mention Bargnani is crap

O.K this is not sounding good is it. But the best was yet to come. Jack Armstrong asks Jay Triano something to the effect of what are the problems the team is having. Triano responds by saying pretty much everything and that teams effort was horrible. and wait for it. Was playing like Horses#!t.

Wow so I really missed an entertaining first half. Keeping in mind the Wizards had no John Wall or Yi. Can't tell you how glad I was that I worked and how much I was not looking forward to the 2nd half.

It did not take long before I understood what people had been watching and why Jay was totally frustrated with his team. A team that was competitive when last I saw them with 2 solid efforts against what will end up being the top 2 teams in the East. They looked nothing like that. In fact the Ohio State team that I just finished watching may well have been able to beat the Raptors the way they were playing. On a side note remember the name Bullinger you will be hearing it around the draft I can almost guarantee it. He is a freshman big at OSU and he looks like he can make the jump to the NBA without breaking a sweat. Unlike Greg Oden without breaking his body as well.

So where was I. Oh that's right the Raptors completely sucking. Seriously on defence as times they were just standing around like pylons on the court. When Marcus Banks is getting minutes you know we have issues. I was told Jose Calderon had foul troubles among other things. To be completely honest at some point Twitter became more entertaining than the game.

Granted I only saw one half but if the assessment of my Twitter Followers and the Coach is correct I will take them at their word. So that combined with what I witnessed equals perhaps the worst overall performance of the season by this basketball team? Seems about right. How they figure this out in less than 24 hours to play a team, like Washington, that they are capable of beating in Philadelphia is any one's guess.

For the record the Raptors lost 109-94 and quite honestly the score flatters the Raptors. I am suppose to be heading to Toronto to watch the game at Real Sports tomorrow. I am not sure I can be out in public and around alcohol if they play like that again. I am only joking mind you, drinking never solves anything, and it won't change the fact the Raptors are a team that without effort will be killed by anyone in this league. I am glad I am not on that plane heading to Philadelphia.

Draft Lotto Re-Cap- Lucky 13?

So the draft lottery went down last night and nothing good happened for the Raptors. In fact it couldn't have gone much worse. All 3 of the top picks in the draft in June will call the Eastern Conference home. Two of them will be in the Atlantic Division. The Wizards did win the top pick however, and that likely means John Wall will be a Wizard. What that means for Gilbert Arenas is anyone's guess. But the Sixers moved up to 2nd spot and likely will select Turner from Ohio State. While the Nets with their new billionaire owner from Russia had to settle for the 3rd pick. The Nets along with the T-Wolves and Kings were the big losers on the night all moving down 2 spots. So the Raptors remain selecting at the 13th spot in the draft. This is assuming Bryan Colangelo hangs on to his current pick.

I did some research on the 13th pick yesterday. I had forgot about one famous number 13 pick. Who is it? Well it isn't Marcus Banks who was a 13th pick out of UNLV. No this was a pick made by the Charlotte Hornets and they would move the player for Vlade Divac from L.A Lakers. He just scored 40 points and has 4 rings, and yes it is Kobe Bryant. That is some serious value at number 13. That being said Kobe came straight out of high school and this was long before a Kwame Brown or a Lebron James would be picked number 1. But in general the only other name that stood out in researching the 13th pick was Richard Jefferson in terms of good players.

I mentioned Banks but there were a number of other former Raps selected in the 13 spot including Corrliss Williamson and Keon Clark. But the Raptors have never personally selected someone from the 13th spot in the draft. In the history of the Raptors they have averaged selecting 10th spot over their history. They have also been in the lottery 12 out of 15 years. The lottery has been around since 1985. The team that has been there the most is the L.A Clippers with 22 trips to the Lottery. The team with the least appearances is in the same city with the L.A Lakers who have been there just twice. The latest appearance they drafted Andrew Bynum.

While the draft experts all seem to agree that John Wall will be selected number 1 and Evan Turner will be selected number 2 after that not a lot of agreement exists. Some names the Raptors can likely forget about though would include DeMarcus Cousins and Greg Monroe who both would have been nice options especially if CB4 indeed goes bye bye. The draft gurus suggest this is a deep talent pool in this draft class. Deep does not mean great thought. I am not sold on anyone in this draft personally to be a superstar. Even John Wall. Many might disagree with that but that is cool. Evan Turner also does not blow me away like many. Not every draft year is guaranteed to have superstars. But only time will tell in the end. That being said we now know where the Raptors will pick and will start to examine what might be available for them at 13.

If you are superstitious and worried about selecting 13, aside from the Kobe pick, here are a couple good things about 13. Steve Nash wears 13 and he is Canada's greatest baller. Also for people who are Italian like Andrea Bargnani and Marco Bellinelli the number 13 is lucky. The Raptors could sure use some luck these days. Demar DeRozan was representing the Raptors at the lottery and he looked good but saw little camera time given the results.

Jack Goes Wild On Wiz

The Toronto Raptors were going for the 2nd night in a row without Chris Bosh and they once again found a way to escape with a W. Jarrett Jack came to life in a major way to spark a rally for the Raptors in the 4th quarter as the erased a 10 point decit and beat the Wizards 109-104. It was Jack's 23 points and 8 dimes that lead the way for Toronto. Calderon was also good in relief and playing with Jack at times with 10 points 4 dimes and 4 rebounds with a key one down the stretch that secured the win. Andrea Bargnani also had a solid night at the office with 18 points on the night. Hedo Turkoglu did a solid job as well with some big moments down the stretch. He had left the game briefly with an injury but returned. He and all the Raptors including Bosh will have lots of time to recover as they do not play again till Wednesday vs Portland.

The Raptors did a terrible job on the glass in this game and looking at it with an impartial eye the Wizards overall probably played well enough to deserve the win. Blatche was a man on a mission for them with 24 points and 6 rebounds and seemed to be the guy that every time the Wiz were on a run he was right in the middle of it.

Raptors did not play defense most of the night. However at the end of this one Bargnani turned into a blocking machine and single handed made key stops for Toronto down the stretch to secure the win. He had 4 blocks overall and most of them came when it matter the most at the end of the game.

Raptors had the good fortune of the meeting the Nets and Wizards without CB4. However the Wizards did come in off a big win over the Nuggets and were playing good basketball. Raptors will move on and face the Blazers who have a string of injuries and now have former Raptor and 2nd overall pick way back in the day in Marcus Camby.

As rough as the OT loss was to the Grizzlies, the Raptors seem to have bounced back strong without their star player. That will help build confidence in other players on this roster hopefully and in the end that can be important as the Raptors push down this stretch to the playoffs. 31-24 is their record in February that is a far cry from last season.

Week Ahead Featuring "The Wiz"

I want to start today by encouraging all Rap Fans to vote for CB4 and do your best to get him in the starting line-up in his hometown of Dallas. Let's show him at least the fans have his back. He has played like the All Star that he is this season. If fans could ban together and pull off some kind of miracle and get him voted in, I am sure that would mean something to Chris. So if in the past you have filled out 1 ballot this year full out 10. If you vote 10 times...vote 20 times and so on. This maybe the last time you get a chance to vote for Chris as a Raptor to go to the game. If you have enjoyed watching Chris Bosh grow into one of the great players in the NBA take the time to vote for him.

Now on to the matters at hand and that is the Washington Wizards. The Raptors can say at least were better than the Wizards. Well not really but record wise it is true. While everyone was wildly predicting great things for the Washington Wizards I was one of the few that did not. In true Wiz Fashion they have already had a major injury in Antwan Jamison and yes Gilbert Arenas is still talking a better game than he plays. Although at least he is playing for a change. The worst thing the Wizards ever did was re-sign him. How you can commit the amount they did to a player that has a long injury history and a longer history of being a self centered diva is beyond me. Some still hold out hope the Wizards can turn it around. Let's just hope it doesn't happen this week. Jamison has played 6 games since returning to the Washington line-up. His numbers are what you have come to expect from him 21.7 points and 9.3 rebounds. Coming back to earth slightly after a huge debut in his return to the line-up.

This week that sees the Raps take on the Wiz twice and Hawks and the Bulls. I watched the Bucks (who Raps play Next Week) and the Bulls play last night and Milwaukee pulled out a 2 point win over Chicago. I had not seen a ton of the Bucks this season but safe to say that this team is for real and will be part of the race for the playoffs. Even though it is early both teams sit in front of the Raptors and it is always important to get wins vs the teams in front of you in the playoff race even at the start of December. This is a key week if the Raptors hope to start turning things around.

At least the will not have to worry about Mike Miller dropping 3's tonight for the Wiz as he has been injured. But they will need to figure a way to stop Arenas as he can still get hot and is still faster than Jose Calderon even with his repaired knee. The Raps issues really are the same each game of late and it is not as much about individual match-ups. They need to get some things right before you even consider the match-ups.

• Better Defensive Effort ( Transition and Perimeter most of all )
• No Second Chances ( Offensive Rebounds can kill a Defense )
• Less Help More Do ( Players need to stay in front of their man )
• When the Offense Stops the Defense Never rests. (If shots don't fall still have to defend)
• Heart, Hustle and Overall Effort (Full 48 minutes)

Those are just some of things that stick out. Really regardless of who the Raps are playing these things need to improve. Also the Raps need to figure out how the heck to sweep a back to back. They get 2 more chances to do that this week . The time for excuses and talking is rapidly running out. This week in December is going to tell us a lot on if the Raps can get this thing on the right track sooner than later if at all.

Playoffs In July?

First off today there was an issue that occurred in early morning hours that rendered the Jack Armstrong Interview unplayable. I have fixed the problem and apologize to anyone that was not able to listen to it. You can hear it now here is a link to it.Thanks to a number of readers that made me aware of this problem. It has been a big couple days for the blog and thanks to all of you that have made that happen.

I have no guest today it is just me. Maybe I should interview myself? That would be odd wouldn't it? Something you might see in say the WWE? I admit that I totally forgot about Shaq hosting Raw on Monday night. But I was able to see the highlights yesterday. It was classic Shaq and I got some chuckles but WWE is not what it use to be. But the line of the night was not said by Shaq. It was said by Chris Jericho.

Jericho- " When I heard we were having the most dominant player in the NBA(As guest host of Raw) I naturally assumed it was Kobe Bryant "

Shaq could only respond by calling Jericho... Christina. That was pretty old and dated. WWE writers have gotten old and predictable. Same might be said for Shaq himself. No doubt the big man will be in the spotlight playing Robin to Lebron James as Batman. Will it work? That is one of the bigger questions heading into this NBA season.

In fact all top 4 teams in the East have made moves that they hope will upgrade their talent. Orlando has Ex-Raptor Vince Carter. Who I was reading the new NBA Live 10 when it comes out will get booed by Toronto fans in video game as well. Truly EA tries to live up to there motto of "If It's in the Game, It's in the Game". Rasheed Wallace is going to be a Celtic. Boston has had a number of trade rumours still buzzing so it is clear Danny Angie is not done. The Atlanta Hawks also have added Jamal Crawford to the mix. I think it is safe to say all 4 of these teams make the playoffs again unless something goes drastically wrong.

So that leaves 4 spots that last season were held by Miami, Chicago, Philadelphia and Detroit. All of which have done very little in terms of getting better this off-season with exception of Detroit. Philadelphia has a new coach in Eddie Jordon. But they have lost there point guard Andre Miller. Miami has not exactly been loading up to keep D-Wade happy have they? Chicago lost Ben Gordon to the Pistons and he was a big part of what they did in the playoffs. Gordon along with Charlie Villianeuva are now Pistons. But really will this help the Pistons be better? The are former teammates at UConn.

Bottom line of all of it is for Raptors to make playoffs it takes one of these teams to fall back for them to get in. Truth be told you could make a case that all 4 of these teams could miss the playoffs. If I was going to rank who is most likely going to miss out it would go like this. With most likely team at top and least likely at the bottom.

Philadelphia (Sorry Jason Kapono and Eddie Jordan)
Chicago (Sorry Chuck Swirsky)
Detroit ( Joe Dumars prays I am wrong)
Miami ( D-Wade on his own can save the Heat )

I could see easily that 3 of the 4 may not make the playoffs. If that is true who the heck moves into those spots? Well here are my 3 picks to fill out the playoff field.

Toronto Raptors ( Seriously with all the moves if they don't it is a disaster of an epic nature)
Charlotte Bobcats ( Young and up coming Bobcats. Tyson Chandler might push them over top)
Washington Wizards ( Subject to Gilbert Arenas making it to opening night )

So what will it look like (Subject To Change)

1. Cleveland
2. Boston
3. Orlando
4. Atlanta
5. Toronto
6. Washington
7. Charlotte
8. Miami

Remember when people laughed about the the Southeast Division? 4 teams in the playoffs can that be right? It could be. Washington and Charlotte have a very small margin of error for me. Detroit and the Bulls should be teams right there if they should slip. This is just a snapshot thought and things can change. As for the Raptors being 5th? It seems the right place for them. They are not better than any of the top 4. Atlanta maybe is the closest with the other 3 miles ahead.

If I change my mind on this over the summer I will let you know. If you want to doubt this hey by all means. Predictions are subjective. I will point out though that I did predict the NBA Finals last year prior to the season. Not to many folks had the Orlando Magic playing the L.A Lakers did they? I got to brag about it now because really can I successfully call it 2 years in a row? That would have some long odds I am thinking.

B.C Speaks, We Listen And Trades Happen

Why wait for tomorrow when you can do it tonight? Right? So 1,2 and 3 trades go down. But first this is the Dino Nation Blog and Bryan Colangelo was front and center for the media today. Colangelo has always been a pretty straight shooter and today was no exception. So what did we learn? From the mouth of B.C barring something totally unforeseen the next Raptor will be one of 5 guys.

Jrue Holiday (UCLA) - Expected back for a second look prior to Thursday. Just my take they are trying to convince themselves he is better than Jonny Flynn. But I am here to say no way. Size may matter but heart matters more. That being said Eric Smith in his chat today was high on him and thinks Raps are as well.

Demar DeRozan (USC)- Let's call him the people's choice. I remember another people's choice. Ed O'Bannon. Not saying Demar DeRozan is going to have that awful a career. Let's all hope so if the Raps to take him. But I am not digging this private workout against no one. I am just not digging when people say Vince Carter and this guy in the same sentence. They mean in potential talent not in attitude. I have been told and read he is a tremendous kid and I have no doubt of that. But 19 with upside is not making me get as excited as everyone else. But he could indeed be the top guy on the board for the Raps at 9.

Gearld Henderson (Duke)- Love the player hate the school. I have seen him play and I like what he can do. If I am endorsing anyone that played for Duke they have to be good. Henderson just seems to me a guy that I can trust is going to be good. I am more confident in what I am getting in him than I am convinced in what exactly I get in DeRozan. Here is something to chew on. Henderson is more ready now to play in NBA. Where have I heard that before? Brandon Roy was the most draft ready and some guy named Bargnani was drafted for his upside. Just something to think about when you compare DeRozan and Henderson. The gap in Mock drafts may make it look like these players are not close at all. But reality is that I think they are.

James Johnson (Wake Forest)- B .C likes this guy. At least he keeps saying his name. But I am not sold on this guy. He does have a black belt so please don't hurt me. He does seem like a guy that would help on defensive side of the ball. But I just don't see it even though draft express has replaced him as the Raptors pick instead of DeRozan. Seems I am not the only one not as high on DeRozan as he has be on a steady decline and now sits at #11 on their draft board going to play with the Nets and if he is V.C like he would get to see the real V.C or what is left of him.

Jonny Flynn (Syracuse)- I am putting my one year streak of being right on the Raptors draft choice on the line with Jonny Flynn. If you read this blog on a regular basis you know how much I think of the point guard position and it's importance. I also like small scrappy guys like T.J Ford, Rajon Rondo, D.J Augustine and my new fav Aaron Brooks. Jonny Flynn is an athletic freak of nature despite his lack of size. The only thing bigger might be this kid's heart. To but that type of player in a gym with Alvin Williams...OH I LIKE IT AND I LIKE IT A LOT. Jonny Flynn is going to be not just good but great. In a point guard heavy draft I am convinced that he will be in the debate for the best in this class at the point. I am more willing to bet on Jonny than Roko and after last season I am not willing to go into another season without a legit back-up. Jonny Flynn is more than legit and if Roko does turn out ok...can you say trade Jose? It could happen. But regardless of that Flynn is a guy I trust if Calderon goes down like last year. The kid flat out wants to win and he showed you that in the NCAA post season at the Big East Tournament and the NCAA Tournament. There was a tiny point guard named Damon Stoudamire that Raptors fans booed. He turned out to be rookie of the year. Don't make the mistake of booing Jonny Flynn. He will make you sorry for doing it. Trust me.

More on what Bryan had to say tomorrow. But on to the deals....

On To the Trades

To The Spurs- Richard Jefferson

Can't stand the guy and trust me this is not the answer to save the Spurs. Jefferson has done NOTHING since Jason Kidd left Jersey. I admit that I have never liked R.J even before he insulted Toronto fans in the playoff series with the Nets. I think he has been an under achiever for the majority of his career. Over hyped and not as good as everyone says he is.

To The Bucks- Bruce Bowen, Kurt Thomas and Fabricio Oberto (For a few hours)

Said to be a cap move for the Bucks. But they add some toughness and I actually like this deal for the Bucks. At least I did when they were keeping Oberto. But as you will see he was not a Buck for long.

To The Pistons- Fabricio Oberto

Minor move but I like it for Pistons.

To The Bucks- Amir Johnson

saving money seems to be a theme for the Bucks.

To The Wizards- Randy Foye and Mike Miller

Interesting not sure what to make of it but Miller could be a nice fit and add some 3 point shooting pop. Foye will never be Roy and a fresh start can only do him good.

To The T-Wolves- Etan Thomas, Oleksiy Pecherov and Darius Songaila and the fifth overall pick in Thursday’s NBA draft

Why main question is why did the T-Wolves feel the need to move up. What does this mean for their other picks in the draft? All solid questions. On the players they take back minus the draft choice I don't like the trade but add the pick and we will see.

So it is almost Midnight do you know where your favourite NBA Star is? He might not be there in the morning. The moves and trades are starting to heat up getting ready for Thursday. So hope you enjoyed this special late edition of the blog.

Summer League in Springtime In Washington

I watched last night's game and needless to say President Obama was not at this game. He was hosting kids at the White House for an Easter egg hunt. Last night looked a lot like a summer league game. Despite a great finish in which Jay Triano gave his supporter some fuel to support him. He did a solid coaching job and was able to draw up to great plays that lead to the scores that gave the Raps a win in Washington. Chris Bosh would hit the game winner on a 3 pointer where he was left wide open. Before the fantastic finish to this one there was a lot of lack luster basketball as the 2 teams seemed to take turns caring about wanting to play. The Raps and Wizards even when it means nothing still find ways to make dramatic finishes happen. Butler made his run off shot at ACC just days ago. Mo P with his 3 ball that Chuck Swirsky and I still can't believe went in. They just always seem to find a way to come up with some great finishes to games. Last night was another of those it was just the ride to get there was less than entertaining or important.

Speaking of Chuck Swirsky his Bulls are heading to the playoffs if you can believe that. Derrick Rose was the prize for the Bulls hitting the lotto. Even I am willing to admit it would be a crime if Rose was not the rookie of the year. For a longtime O.J Mayo was my pick for the award but when you can get your team to the playoffs as a rookie you have done something pretty special. That is who the Raptors will close out the season against on Wednesday. It all seems so strange. I think back to when Chuck announced he was leaving and if anyone had said to me the Bulls would make the playoffs this year and the Raptors would not, I think that it would have brought me to laughter. However that is the reality of things. It also is reason to be hopefully I guess. Even though things seem very bleak right now, it can turn around fast in basketball. Part of why that is can be traced to the fact it is the team sport with the smallest roster size. It also is the sport that can have the best chance of 1 or 2 guys making a huge difference.

The Playoffs should be exciting despite the fact the Raptors will not be in the mix. The road to a Kobe vs Lebron final. Can anyone stop that from happening? It seems hard to imagine at this point. We will also find out the Raptors draft number as well. Still as I am writing this the realization that the Raptors will not play a basketball game that means anything again till late October is on the front of my mind. Who will be playing on that team will be determined over the summer months. The coach seems like it is going to be Jay Triano and I am happy for Jay and maybe he can get it done. I have a little bit more confidence based on last night. Maybe it didn't mean much but he did make 2 great play calls to give the Raps a win. I still would feel more comfortable with a outside and someone that has more head coaching experience. However it seems clear Bryan Colangelo has a confidence in Jay Triano and thinks he is the guy for the job. Chris Bosh seems to believe as well. That is a good thing if Bosh is back. The fact I am saying if Bosh is back kind of turns my stomach as well.

Last season I had to watch T.J Ford go. I really hope this summer will not be the same for Chris Bosh. It would be a clear sign to me that the short term outlook for this team is bleak. Will see how it all pans out. I just want to be excited about something or someone and other than a bit of love for Pops Mensah-Bonsu I really have not felt that way in a longtime. The one thing I do know is that this team needs a major make over and I would not be shocked if we saw Bryan Colangelo do all he can to turn over a big portion of this roster.

The Butler Did It, Thank You Caron

I admit I did not get a chance to see the game last night. I saw the part that mattered which was the end. I can not thank Caron Butler enough. Seriously I may take cheap shots at Gilbert Arenas whenever I get a chance. Think it is because I am bitter that he is the world's highest paid blogger at 111 million. He plays the odd NBA game as well I am told. But regardless of that Caron Butler deserved to be cheered off the court as he ran off the court with his finger in the air. It was not even the middle one. I guess he was referring to keeping hope alive for the Wiz to get that number one pick. However his undressing of Shawn Marion actually helped the Raptors from screwing their chances any further. The Raps have went into a tail spin since the 6 game win streak out of no where. But the Raptors OUR who we THOUGHT THEY WERE and there is NO LETTING THEM OFF THE HOOK. Change has to happen and this is a way to enforce that. This team is flawed and needs to fix a number of issues. I still have faith that Bryan Colangelo is the man to do that as well. He will turn this around and has a history of being able to. This man was able to restore this team from the mess Rob Babcock left it in. If he can do that, he can do this as well.

The question will be if he wants Chris Bosh a part of that mix to fix it. He should but the question of how much is the largest one for Colangelo. I think if Bosh wants out the answers are far easier. However I have yet to see a clear sign that he does. In fact from what he has said and done he gives very little indication that he wants to go. He wants this team to be better and who doesn't after this season. It will be interesting indeed.

I guess my biggest fear is if Bosh goes I see an Andrea Bargnani reverting back to the Andrea that lacked confidence and was so inconsistent. I am not so sure how mentally tough Bargnani is. Could he handle being the best player on the Raptors? To be the guy that everyone looks at? I don't think he can now and I am not sure if he ever could. That is not a knock on Andrea. After all he was not drafted to be a Batman we already had one. Jose Calderon for all his energy and team play is not exactly a leader as well. You may get all upset about that but it is how I see it. On Spain the leader of that team is Pau Gasol not Jose. Here Bosh is the guy and not Jose. Calderon may be a lot of things but leader is not one of them. Do you think Obama goes around and hands out Gatorade in the breaks in meetings in the Oval Office? I am thinking that does not happen. It is also hard to be a leader when you are one of the worst defenders on a team. Improving he may be but at his best Jose Calderon is an average defender.

You know who was a leader despite not being the main guy. Alvin Williams was that guy. He was the guy that hit the biggest shot in the history of this franchise. Vince Carter he was short on a jumper in Philly. Williams made the dagger shot that clinched the only playoff series win in franchise history. Williams was as tough as you get and that maybe why his career did not go as long as it could have. He played through pain and never used it as an excuse. Did you hear that Jose Calderon supporters? No Excuses just went out and balled with all he had. No one asked if Alvin was healthy or at a 100%. He never was and it never mattered. The fact the ACC crowd gave him cheers was great to see. I think it is clear how much Toronto misses Boogie Williams. If I could put the talent of a Jose Calderon in a guy with the heart and grit of an Alvin Williams I would have a point guard that I could get behind. Look even in the NCAA at what Ty Lawson did and how he played through injury. Calderon gets a really soft ride from people in part because he is a great guy. I understand that and as a person Jose is first rate. Sam Mitchell had said he would want his daughter to date a guy like Jose someday. You don't get any higher amount of praise as a person. However this is not about who is the most beautiful person in the world. This is not People Magazine. This is basketball and it is about wins and loses. If people are great beyond the lines of that basketball court great. However I do not care as much about that if they are not. Go out and win keep your nose clean and I got no problem with you.

I like guys with an edge. They are not bad people as much as you may want them to be. Terrell Owen is all about him, but he is also about winning with him scoring the touchdown to win the game. Is he a bad dude when you get down to it? How bout Ron Artest. He is another guy that is deep down a guy that can have some fire. If you go into a crowd of people on a visiting court and try to fight a guy that maybe nuts. O.K it is nuts. However Artest is a talented guy that takes pride in defense. You need that before all else. Any great defender wants to have the challenge to stop a guy. Last night you saw that kind of pride between Kobe Bryant and Brandon Roy doing battle. Raptors need guys willing to give all they have to stop the best. To embrace that role and that challenge. Anthony Parker was said to be the team's best defender the past few years. Do you ever recall A.P being disgusted with himself for getting burned? He always would have some comment like you do what you can to stop (Insert Star Player Name) and try to contain him. Screw that. I want a guy that is going to accept the challenge and try to shut someone down. Is it realistic he will do it. No but if you go in with the attitude of trying to shut some one down even if you lose a few times along the way it will likely be a better result.

The era of the soft nice guy Raptors needs to end. It is never going to get them anywhere. I remember J.O when he was here talking about the Raptors having in the past been a bunch of nice guys and they would help up the other team. Screw that as well. I want warriors for 48 minutes guys that are going to shake hands at a start of a game but kick your butt all the way through it or die trying. That is the Raptor team I want to see. This group of Raptors is rapidly not showing any of the qualities that I respect and enjoy. I think a lot of people share that desire and you only need to look back in the past to see it. JYD, Alvin Williams,Matt Bonner and today Pops Mensah Bonsu. None of them are going in a hall of fame. They are not going to All Star Games. They are likely not even going to get to star in their own You Tube Video. However they are guys that busted there tail and gave what they had to try to win. I said the other day about Hustle, Loyalty and Respect. If I didn't think WWE had it copyrighted I would say that should be the theme for this next season. That is what we want and need from our Toronto Raptors!!!

The End Of Some Dreams

When I was a kid there would be times at a family gathering or something with adults around where an adult would try their luck playing me at a video game. The outcome was usually bad for the adult. I remember how bad they would be and said to myself that I would never be that adult. That was a goal of mine, never to be that adult. When I was older that was not going to happen to me. However thanks to modern technology you can now play games online. I get my butt beat by someone on the other end that is likely far younger than me.

When I started this blog there was another goal I had to walk the fine line of being a fan and still being a professional. People I know in the media suggested it was impossible. After all the root of the word fan is fanatic. There is also a pain that goes along with being a fan. You grow attached to players and teams. I have dealt with that pain all season in having my favourite player traded to Indiana. It would be something that would be easy to accept if the team got better but they did not. Now we head to another summer and a lot of folks are talking about Chris Bosh and his time being with the Raptors being done. I have loved as a fan watching Chris grow and become one of the better players in the NBA. There is always a debate in my head between objectivity and being a fan. Through out this season I have noticed the fan part of me is slowly going the way of my video game skills. The truth is I always some where stuck in the middle between being a fan and trying to be a journalist of sorts. It is becoming a painful experience to be a fan of this team in a lot of ways.

You also have this issue of fans saying you are a homer if you try to support the team and say something positive. The fan in me and the journalist in me agree this team needs changes. However does it need to get blown up and start over from square one? I honestly don't think that as well. This season on every level for everyone has been a horrible failure. The one exception to that might be Andrea Bargnani. However beyond that it has been a horrible year. The irony of that is for me personally it has been a great year. I have worked hard and got to accomplish a lot of things. So that is a good thing for myself and the Dino Nation Blog. Which hopefully is good for all of you that read it as well. But it is hard to be happy or proud when the main focus of this blog is in the state it is in.

The other thing is no matter how hard you try to fight it, we are all tied to the success of this team. That is the one common bond that Management, Coaches, Players, Media and Fans all share. It is all connected and each of those elements is impacted by this team and how it performs. If they under perform eventually that will mean less readers and viewers for folks in the media. I can't tell you how many times I have heard people say I am sick of this team and can't take it anymore. People frustrated with the whole T.V mess and TSN 2. Could you imagine if this team was on a playoff run? The 3 games (Pacers,Wiz, Sixers) down the stretch are on TSN 2. Ironically this game tonight was suppose to be on ESPN between the Raps and Wiz. The point is for everyone it is in the best interest of all for this team to be good. Sadly this season they were not.

I often wonder as well what makes fans tick these days. I mean there just does not seem to be the loyalty there was when I was that same kid kicking adults butts at video games. People just don't seem to care about the individuals like they use to. Fans have bought in and accepted that sports is a business. I understand that as the journalist in me. The concept of sports being a business. However as a fan I truly can't. I love players to much for that. Maybe I am old school in my thinking about some things. I mean there is something to be said for old school values. In wrestling which I often jump to for examples. John Cena wears a T-shirt that says Hustle, Loyalty and Respect. All great qualities and all things that are part of this blog. I think there is no question that I hustle. Scott Carefoot has referred to me as the hardest working Raptor Blogger out there. I do work hard and invest a ton of time into this thing. It has not been until this last little while that I have taken a day off here and there. Sometimes even my day offs are not really days off. I live blog for the Score and in fact am doing 2 games tonight. There are also the many things that go into getting all the guests I am able to get. Loyalty is something I also can say I truly am. I have stuck to my guns on many things and stayed loyal to the people that I feel strongly about. Lastly I do my best to respect everyone from the guests that I have to all of you out there. My father always told me when he was alive to respect those that respect you. I do my best to do that. Even sometimes when people don't respect me I do my best to take the high road. I may not be a fan of John Cena but I am of those values.

Sure we could have talked about the Raptors and Wizards in a game that means very little. However hopefully this was a lot more interesting. I pour a lot of myself into this and some people like that and others do not. I just feel it is the best way to do it. Gilbert Arenas is actually playing basketball again. Why that is another question altogether. I mean practice with the Wizards and get back healthy. However to play in these last few games screams to me as a look at me move. Arenas will say he is doing it for the fans. Do the Wizards have any fans that are still paying attention at this point? In fact do the Raptors? Oh what a classic it should be. Two teams that have been playoff teams now as total outsiders playing out the string. FUN WOW!!!

Raptors Rewind- Hassan Adams Era Edition

No Raptors Rewind Logo tonight as we pay tribute to Hassan Adams Raptor Career. O.K well it was not much of a career was it. Earlier today the Raptors traded Adams to the Clippers with Cash for a future second round pick. The Clippers would turn around and waive Adams and he is currently looking for a job. I would like to say something nice about the guy. I am told he was a good person and all of that. But where it counts on the floor he showed nothing and that is why the Raptors in a sense had to pay someone to take him off their hands. As for the game the Raptors will also be without Jamario Moon who is becoming a daddy in Alabama. He left the team to hopefully make it back to Alabama for the birth of his child. So that means Joey G will get the start tonight and the Joey G fan base will be no doubt excited by that news. It is Joey's first start of the 2008/09 season. Ex-Raptor Mike James will be matched up against a player many might have had flashbacks to James based on his poor performance the other night. That would be Will Solomon. So the Raptors would only have 9 players on the roster for tonight. It is time to get going in Washington D.C where history will happen on Jan 20th as Barak Obama will get sworn in a President.

1st Quarter

Raptor would get off to a 7-2 run started by a 3 pointer from A.P and continued by Bosh and Joey G. The Raptor run would march on though with a basket from Andrea Bargnani. After a 10-2 start a time out on the floor for the Wizards to regroup with 7:49 left in the 3rd quarter. Wizards after the time out would get it going a bit and get it to a 12-6 score with an Andray Blatche jumper. But an Anthony Parker basket and that was followed by an Andrea Bargnani with a 3 pointer. Raptors lead now 17-6. Chris Bosh would score and make the lead larger but Mike James would answer the Bosh score with one of his own. Will Solomon would make a shot and he was off to a better shooting night.

Andray Blatche would make another jumper. Chris Bosh was looking for a foul but not whistle was coming as Caron Butler went the other way and scored a second basket in a row for the Wizards. Raptors lead 21-12 and Jake Voskhul was in for Bosh. Raptor forced Wizards into their second shot clock violation of the quarter. Jason Kapono would make a basket and he needed it as he has struggled. Antwan Jamison would get a basket for the home side. Raptors would make a turnover and Wizards would turn that into 2 points as well. It was 25-16 late in the quarter. Will Solomon would close out the quarter with the basket and the Raps had an 11 point lead after one with the score 27-16.

2nd Quarter

Raptors were shooting an amazing 70% from the field. Jason Kapono would keep it rolling as he would make a 3 pointer and extend the Raptor lead to start the second quarter. Chris Bosh would get to the line and the Raptors looked good as a lesson may have been learned in Oklahoma City. Bosh would only go 1-2 though. Kapono was hot and how long has it been since you heard that. He was 4-4 with his latest a 3 ball from the corner. The youngster Nick Young would respond with a 3 pointer for the Wizards in response. Raptors still lead 34-21 with 8:18 to play in the half.

Chris Bosh was committed to drive and he was drawing fouls he was back at the line. Bosh mad both from the line. Jason Kapono was hooked up for the open 3 pointer but he would miss. But Jake Voskhul would draw the foul working hard on the offensive glass. But the Raptors would not get anything off the second chance. Antwan Jamison would hit a 3 pointer the other way. Roko Ukic would drive and score to answer that. AP would hit a jumper as he was on the move off a pick and roll. Raptors had built a 15 point lead and it was 40-25 Raptors with 5:29. Matt Devlin had mentioned that Jose Calderon had been recovering well and may be ready to come back as soon as Friday. But as for now Will Solomon was hooking up AP for a 3 pointer. Andrea Bargnani would take his time and gave a fake and then blasted in a 3 ball and Raptors lead had grown to 46-25. Antwan Jamison was one of the few Wizards that seemed interested. He scored and got a fouled and made the shot. Mike James would hit a 3 pointer and the Wizards had a much needed 6-0 run. Antwan Jamison was heading to the line fouled by Andrea Bargnani. He would be replaced by Bosh as that was his second. Another foul as Jamison missed the second free throw after making the first. Caron Butler would head to the line. It was a 9-0 run and Jay Triano had seen enough.

A Will Solomon missed jumper in the lane was not what Triano had in mind I am guessing. But Kris Humphries would draw a charge on Antwan Jamison. Will Solomon would make a shot after his miss out of the time out to end the Wizard run. The Wiz would respond but then it was a Hump throw down on the other end. But Jamison answer that with a basket. The Raptors shooting had cooled in this second quarter but the still had a 50-38 lead after one half. This was with only 5 points for Chris Bosh. Bargnani, Parker and Kapono all shared the Raptor scoring lead with 10 for each in the first half.

3rd Quarter

Raptors still were shooting 57% after a half of play. Raptors out rebounded the Wiz 20-14. Joey G gets the first bucket of the second half for the Raptors. Antwan Jamison would hit a 3-ball to get the Wizards started in the second half. Wizards would get a 7-0 run but Triano was letting Raptors play through it. Bosh would find Bargnani and he would dunk it and and get fouled for the 3 point play. It was back to 55-45 and Raptors were looking to hang on to control. Chris Bosh had a turnover and he was having a tough night shooting 1-8. Both teams were playing sloppy and Andrea Bargnani fumbled the ball out of bounds. Andray Blatche would score and the lead was down to 8 points. Raptors were giving the Wizards a lot of chances to come back but Washington was not converting on most of them thankfully for Raptor fans.

Chris Bosh had enough and just took it to the basket strong for the score to restore a 10 point lead. Andrea Bargnani would hook up Will Solomon for a score. He would follow up with a finger roll for himself the next time down the floor. Raptors had build back to a 61-47 lead with 5:14 to play in the quarter. Antwan Jamison was one of about a thousand folks that the Raptors have been rumoured to having interest in. If it was true after tonight they will be more interested as he had another basket as part of a great night for him personally. But unfortunately later on he would pick up his 4th foul of the night and got forced to the bench. AP would make a basket as he left. Raptors lead 65-51.

Andray Blatche would get another basket and he was looking good as well for the Wizards on the offensive end. Wizards had cut the lead to single digits again at 9 down. But Chris Bosh would make a key basket to push lead back to 11 points. Jake Voskhul would get a score and all 9 Raptors that could play tonight have and had scored. A steal and lay up for Mike James and it was 71-60 for the Raptors. Will Solomon would get a basket to extend that lead to 13. That would be how the 3rd Quarter would end as it was 73-60 after 3 quarters of play.

4th Quarter

Raps had 2 chances to score on their first trip and Ukic and Graham both missed. Jamison was back in the game and he scored and the Wizards had the first 4 points of the quarter. Roko Ukic would get a score to open up the books for the Raps in the corner. Jamison would get another basket. Score was 75-66 and Jay Triano decided to get Chris Bosh back in the game a little earlier than usual. The lead had been cut back to 7 points but Andrea Bargnani would make a big 3 pointer. But Antwan Jamison kept rolling and scored. Chris Bosh would answer for his side with a basket to respond. A turnover by Bosh would give Washington a chance to cut the lead to 5 and Nick Young would deliver and a time out was called and the Raptors needed it.

Bosh out of the time out would drive and draw a foul and get to the line and it was on Jamison which was huge. He would make both free throws and Jamison had to go to the bench and with foul number 5. Wizards would score and lead was back to 5 points. But Bosh would come back and make a jumper and draw a foul for a 3 point play. Caron Butler would score and the lead was cut to 6 points with the score 85-79 with 6:15 to play. Washington had a chance to cut lead to 4 points but Bosh stuck a hand out and caused a turnover. He would then make his way to the line for another pair. Which he would make and they had a 87-79 lead and that was a big moment. Jason Kapono who had been quiet hit a buzzer beater as the shot clock was expiring. Antwan Jamison would score again he had 27 on the night but his team was still down 8 points.

After a Kapono miss from the arc in transition Jamison would score and get fouled and the Wizards had cut lead back down to 5 points again. A Will Solomon turnover and Wiz had a chance to make it even closer but could not. They would have another chance and they would get called for traveling and anther chance was lost. Raptors lead 89-83 with just 2:21 to play. Andrea Bargnani has been clutch and he did it again hitting a dagger 3 pointer late in the game as Raptors lead was 92-83. Wizards refused to go away though as they got 4 straight points and the lead was down to 5 points again. Wizards were forced to foul Bargnani with 27.1 seconds left. He was calm and cool and made two from the line and it was 94-87 Raptors with under 30 seconds to play. Will Solomon would make a silly foul on Mike James sending him to the line. James had a chance to cut the lead to 5 but he would miss his first and make his second. Soloman had a very up and down night. Solomon had 14 points and 5 dimes and only 2 turnovers. The man of the night was Andrea Bargnani, who was not heading to Dallas he was in this game and scoring 23 points.Many of them that were clutch shots that Raptors needed. The foul shot game was dragging this thing out but the Raptors were going to have win number 15 on the year and the Raptors have won 3 out of 4. The Final score would end up 99-93 and Bargnani added two more points to have 25 points on the night. So happy times for the Raptors as Jamario Moon had a new baby girl and his team back in Washington had a win. All good news on this night. Check out the happy details in our Score Boxscore.

Raps/Wiz Boxscore

So the Raptors next face the best Rookie in this league in my opinion O.J Mayo. He and the rest of the Grizzlies will pay a visit to the ACC to take on the Raptors. Raptors will hope to win their 4th game in their last 5 games. They may have Jose Calderon back to help in that regard.

Wiz And Raps Share Common Ground

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

Trade Winds Continue To Blow

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

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

Is Bosh A Lock For The All Star Game?

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

Almost Forgot

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

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

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

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