Dino Bloggers Bad

Before we get to Raptors and Bobcats game tonight, I want to talk about Richard Peddie. He was on The Game Plan this week and was asked about MLSE and their role in the TSN 2 mess. Peddie would conclude his answer by saying that it was "Their Bad " about the situation. Aside from the fact Peddie saying their bad makes me think of Kurt Angle trying to be cool back in the WWE. That is an acceptable answer? So I guess this entire season that has gone wrong with the Raptors is MLSE's bad. No worries after all the Raptors are still drawing fans and attendance is still in the Top 10 in the NBA. But what MLSE fails to realize or at least acknowledge is that they are damaging the growth of their product. They are also doing damage to the sport of basketball in this country. Yes, they contribute and support Canada basketball. They hold clinics for kids and do great work in the community through the Raptors foundation. However to truly grow the sport of basketball and the Raptor brand it takes an effort better than "Our Bad" as a response to the reduced coverage of the team across this country. This type of response from Peddie does nothing to do that. It is the same type of response he gave on Leaf Fans getting ticket prices hiked in the worst economy in most of our lifetimes. This is a company that is building luxury condos around the ACC and has lost touch with the average supporter of their brand in my view. Richard Peddie is the person that most seems to represent that out of touch attitude with the average fan. He no doubt does a good job at making MLSE money and that is why he continues to hold his job. But when it comes to public relations to the costumers that are the fan base of both the Leafs and Raptors he is a horrible voice to be used in any form of media. The less we hear from Richard Peddie the better. It does give us a look at how out of touch the folks at the top of MLSE seem to be with the fans. I support the brand they are selling. In some sense I make a bit of a living based on it. So when things like this happen it angers me both as a fan and as someone who at the end of the day needs this brand of Raptors basketball and basketball in general to grow. If Richard Peddie were not to like this critique of him it real is no problem. My Bad. Some how when the shoe is on the other foot I am thinking he would not enjoy that response. I don't expect he will read this, but none the less, the people he has ignored and is out of touch with will and that is you the Raptor Fan Base.

That is all I have for now. Bobcats and Raptors go at it tonight we can only pray that at the end of it the Raptors will not be saying OUR BAD for another horrible performance.

10 Reasons To Watch March Madness

It is a Raptor Off Day. So Bring On The Madness. So here is 10 reasons to Watch The NCAA Tournament this year.

#10- It will be more exciting the rest of the Raptors Season
#9- Advanced scouting for the draft
#8- Because you can and it isn't on TSN 2 it is on The Score
#7- To Cheer on Schools you have never heard of.
#6- When else can you watch 12 straight hours of basketball?
#5- It is a great way to get away from your kids if you have them
#4- Blake Griffin, Hasheem Thabeet, DeJaun Blair, Johny Flynn and many more.
#3- To flex your basketball knowledge or lack of it.
#2- Cause it is more exciting than any Toronto Sports team.
#1- Your Office Pool, Money, Prizes, Pride.

With that I am off to get pie eyed on basketball. It is just about an hour away. I can't wait!!!

Madness 12 Hours Away

Just a final reminder for your chance to win a Sony MP3 player you need to sign up and fill out a bracket by 12 noon tomorrow. So go to sign up for Score Bracket Buster contest. After that make sure you join the Dino Nation Blog's group.

DNBMadness
Password is: raptor

simple as that. If you are a loyal reader of the Dino Nation Blog give yourself a chance to win something and fill out a bracket. Everyone is doing it. Some proof below:

Obama Has March Madness






That is what the basketball President thinks but what do you think? Take your shot at it and you can win.

Matt Devlin On The Raptors and March Madness

Matt Devlin the Raptors play by play man drops by the Dino Nation Blog today. He talks with us about March Madness and the Raptors of course. Matt will be in attendance at the Raptors Red Party tonight in Toronto with all the proceeds of that event going to the Raptors Foundation. It is an annual event that sees the entire team come out and interact with the fans. In what has been a really tough season I think all folks connected with the Raptors could use a night to forget about things for one night for a good cause. Raptors foundation is for the most part a charitable organization that focus is children. Here is our conversation with Matt.

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If you happen to be at the event and have some photos from the event and would not mind sharing them with the Dino Nation Blog, I would be happy to use them in the blog. Don't forget about our Madness pool on The Score. Sign up for the Score Bracket Buster contest and join our group.

DNBMadness
Password is: Raptor

You have till Thursday at noon to get your brackets in order and entered. The winner of our group will get a Sony MP3 player courtesy of The Score. Well unless the winner is me. In that case second place will earn the prize.

Dino Blogger Goes Court Surfing

Well last week there was no blog. The reason for that was I was invited down to Toronto to be in the crowd on Court Surfing and also to do something else. It was to tape a segment for The Score with a couple of guests I have had on from The Score, D.J Bennett and Randy Urban. The 3 of us along with a member of Real GM talk Raptors and MVP. So forgive the shameless self promotion but here is a link to the segment of the sixth man with your Dino Blogger and the aforementioned

6th Man- Score.Com

Or Watch It Here:



This was fun to do and hopefully there will be more of these things for me down the line in the future. The Dino Nation Blog has had a lot of cool things it has lead to me doing. I am grateful for all of them. I thank all of you that check out this blog for that as well. I work really hard and that combined with the support of readers has allowed me to do things that have been life long dreams. No matter how far things go for me in the future I will never forget that it started with the support of lots of great people that read the Dino Nation Blog. It has been a great journey and I am loving ever minute of it. In a Raptor season that has been truly awful, for me personally It has lead to a lot of great things. So I can't help but smile despite all the doom and gloom that surrounds me. It is always a thrill for me to meet any of the folks that read the blog and enjoy it. This may appear has shameless self promotion but to me it is promotion of not just myself or even the Dino Nation Blog but of the dedication of all Raptor fans and the readers of this blog most of all.

There will be other seasons and more things in the future God willing but I have made a point of always stopping at points in this journey to reflect and thank all that have helped get to the point where I am at. So thanks to all of you and thanks to all the folks at The Score for making the Dino Nation Blogger a tad more known than he was when all this got started. Thanks to Scott Carefoot opened a door for me by inviting me to be part of The Score Sports Federation and I have done my best to walk through it. Thanks to Brendon Lynch, Randy Urban and D.J Bennett as well as "way to be" who is known as Peter to his friends and family. Also to Anas Amhed who worked behind the scenes letting folks know about me.

I know some may wonder why I am always so grateful and thankful. The answer to that is the Dino Nation Blog was an idea that in some ways was a last shot at making a lot of dreams I had come true. So when stuff like this happens it is a great thing for me. I have been through a lot in life that some know more than others and maybe that is why. Regardless it is never a bad thing to appreciate people who have helped you and that is hopefully a lesson beyond basketball that folks can learn from me. Whatever dream you have never let it die. Keep it alive in your heart and hopefully you can have a ride like I have been on. That is a lesson the Raptors could learn from as well. Being in the NBA even on a team that is struggling is a great thing that only few people on the planet get to do. If I had the athletic ability to play basketball I would be out there busting my butt like Pops Mensah-Bonsu. That is just the type of person I am.

O.K, that is the end of my little speech. Life as the Dino Blogger has been a lot of fun. I hope it continues to be fun for many years to come.

What Do You Say After That- Holy Bobcats Batman!!!

I have sat here for about hour and half thinking about what to write today. There have been low moments in the season, a lot of them, but some how I have always figured out something to say. Today I have not that much to say. I mean honestly what can you say? The Raptors got smoked it really is as simple as that. The smile from Sunday quickly washed away.

All year I have tried to avoid, to a point, not to go to far about Jose Calderon. I mean it is no secret he was not my choice to be point guard of this team. But seriously gloves off for me. This goes far beyond who is better him or T.J. This is about the fact that he just isn't good enough and that is the bottom line. Kenny Smith earlier in the year suggested Calderon was not even a guy who should be a starter in this league. I am not going quite that far. He does have skill but is he the All Star Point Guard that he was projected to be? Not even close. He gets numbers when it comes to assists and if you want him for your fantasy basketball team you should pick him up. However in basketball, in reality he is a failure and the Raptors over paid to keep him. There has been talk he has been injured throughout this season. I have no reason to think that is not the case. However if you are going to put on a uniform and play than you can not use it as an excuse if you don't perform. Now Jose personally has not but it has been out there enough that he really has not had too. I just don't see with the changes that the Raptors have made from a standpoint of offensive system. Calderon is a point guard that operates in a half court system. He has his entire life played basketball a certain way. To expect him to change and suddenly become a run and gun point guard is far to much to expect in my view. If Chris Bosh leaves part of the blame in that will be the failure of Calderon to live up to expectations. Calderon is not the point guard for this basketball team. The point guard for this basketball team is wearing 13 for the Suns. Nash is older and may only have a few years left. But the impact he can have on a young Roko Ukic could help speed up the learning curve for him. I am convinced of this fact and no one will change my mind about it. This is the move that will fix a lot of the problems with the Raptors.

The Raptors have damaged their profile not just locally but nationally. They always talk about wanting to be Canada's team, well go get Canada's greatest player. Jose Calderon from a marketing stand point does nothing. You think people care about some guy from Spain in Calgary, Halifax, Montreal or any city you care to insert. I am not talking hardcore basketball fans. I am talking the average guy on the street. Would that same average person on the street be excited about Steve Nash coming to play for the Raptors. You bet they would. There is a legit basketball debate to have on if Nash could have an impact. However I think Nash would welcome that debate and the challenge of playing for Canada's team. Who in this country has the guts to bet against Steve Nash? I mean this guy avoids playing for Canada basketball and people hardly make a peep about it and are more than willing to give him a pass. So if he comes to play for the Raptors is anyone going to challenge that he can't play anymore? Not a chance and if they do people will jump on them and bash them with no mercy.

There is also chatter that Mark Ivaroni is going to be around Toronto for a few days. He was an assistant with the Suns and there seems to be suggestions that Ivaroni may in fact become the lead assistant and the coach in waiting should the struggles for Jay Triano expand into next season. If there is no Steve Nash I would think this is a stupid idea. However if the plan is to run and Ivaroni was the lead assistant to Mike D'Antoni. I think with Nash in the mix it would work well and give Triano a bit of job security based on their relationship. I just think when I look around I see the table set for a Steve Nash move to Toronto. Maybe I am crazy and the losing is getting to me. Maybe I am just looking for some ray of hope. But I think there is more than just a crazy idea in this. When you take time to think about it given all that has gone on this season it really makes a lot of sense. It really is the only short term answer that could perhaps save this team from having it totally blown up and starting over. I am just thinking that is not the case and not what MLSE wants or will do. An empty ACC at playoff time is not something the folks at MLSE want. The Leafs are already in a rebuild mode and I can not imagine they are willing to send the Raptors down the path again.

March Madness @ DNB

The folks at The Score are putting up a Sony Mp3 Player for the winner of the Dino Nation Blog's Madness group on the Score. So sign up for the bracket buster contest and than join the Dino Nation Blog group with the info below.

Group Name: DNBMadness
Password: Raptor

If you have trouble signing up please contact me and I will send you a personal invitation and get you set up. Use the e-mail over on the right to get in touch with me anytime. It is dinonationblog@sourcecable.net. If you had signed up for the facebook Madness pool please note that NO PRIZES will be awarded for that and you only way to be eligible to win the MP3 player is to be in The Score Bracket Buster in the DNB Madness group.

Raptor Rewind- Beware The Bobcat Edition

1st Quarter

I was doing a little interview on March Madness on the radio in B.C. Doing my part for March Madness on The Score. So we will jump into this one with Raptors doing well and off to a nice start up 12-6. Raymond Felton scores and a steal and Boris Diaw who was part of the Jason Richardson deal he gets the dunk. Maybe I should leave things were going better before I started writing. Jose Calderon has got into early foul trouble and that throws Roko Ukic into the fire. Speaking of fire Bosh is vexed over a foul call and that was his second. Raptors no Chris, no Jose and just up 2 with score 12-10. So much for the Raptor lead a 3 pointer for the Bobcats. Back to back turnovers and the Raptors had 8 so far in the first quarter. Bobcats having a serious run of 9-0 and lead 15-12 and heading to the line after a time out. Gerald Wallace at the line drains a pair and the lead was now 17-12 with Bobcats on 11-0 run. Andrea Bargnani makes a jump shot to break up the Bobcat run. Pops had a block on Okafor and Okafor would block Pops on the other end. Diaw would score after the blog and Bobcats lead by 5. Bargnani draws a foul on Okafor. He makes a pair at the line. But Bobcats would string together a couple scores before Pops Mensah-Bonsu would answer. A.P would get the next score and Raptors had the lead down to 3 with the score 23-20. Bobcats were getting it done on inside as Gerald Wallace had the easy score inside. Pops would answer with a slam of his own. But a Bell score at the end of the quarter would give the Bobcats a 27-22 lead.

2nd Quarter

Kapono turnover to start the second. Bosh was in there with his 2 fouls and he would draw a foul on someone else and head to the line. He would hit both and Raptors were again down 3 points despite some pretty awful play on their part through a quarter and a bit. Parker drove to the basket playing at the point and he would be fouled by Diaw. He made a pair. Bobcats hanging on 27-26. Raymond Felton got a much needed basket for Charlotte. He would check out after that and rookie sensation D.J Augstin would replace him. Bosh is long on a jumper and Augstin makes the Raps pay nailing a 3 pointer. Bobcats lead was 32-26. AP was fouled taking a long 2 pointer from the corner. Parker perfect 2 of 2 and he was 5 of 6 from the line. Augstin maybe feeling it would take another 3 but this one was an air ball. Calderon has checked back in. He also with 2 fouls. Joey G who was on Raptor that struggled in the win over the Pacers would get basket. Bobcats would take and make another 3. Bosh would respond with a long jumper for 2. Pops tried to throw one down but could not and Raps wanted a foul. But they would not get it and they would trail 38-32 with a time out on the floor.

Gerald Wallace would get fouled and was back at the line. He would make both and the Bobcats lead had expanded to 40-32. Bosh missed on a jumper but Joey G would tip it back up and in. D.J Augstin made a jumper to keep the lead at 8. Calderon would draw a foul and head to the line. Calderon only has missed 3 times all year and this would not be the forth as he made both. But Bobcats answer back quickly and the Raptors defense was far cry from yesterday. Bargnani and offensive foul and another Bobcat score. Bosh would drive and score plus the foul trying to rally the troops. Augstin would hook up Gerald Wallace for 2 after the Bosh 3 point play the old fashion way. Calderon would find Bosh and he missed the easy 2 but he was fouled with a push to the back. He makes both and the Raptors trailed 48-41. Gerald Wallace was having an impact inside scoring again and he was fouled. Bobcats lead by 12 matching the 12 Raptors turnovers. Wallace was getting whatever he wanted as he scored again. Bobcats lead is 55-41. Just over a minute to play. Raptors would trail by that 14 point margin with score 57-43.

3rd Quarter

After a small effort of a push to get back in the game the Raps would see Bobcats go on a run of 14-5 and this game was off the rails. The Bobcats were abusing the Raptors getting easy scores. Bobcats lead 80-62. Raymond Felton took a shot on a screen set by Pops. That was the biggest concern for the Bobcats at this point. The game was pretty much well in hand. Gerald Wallace had a wide open look from 3 point range and The Raptors looked nothing like the team that was on the floor Sunday afternoon. Calderon was back to struggling as well after 2 games where some folks were thinking he was the guy that was advertised at the beginning of the season. But on this night he was back to the norm for this season which was not good.

Pops Mensah-Bonsu in a win or a loss gives all he has. That can not be said for everyone on this roster by a long shot. Not surprising the Raptors are struggling and Joey Graham is not. That has always been my thing with Joey when games matter where is Joey? A game like tonight with the game pretty much decided Joey Graham stands out and shines when there is little else to notice. That is why I would not offer Joey a contract this off-season. 89-72 after 3 for Bobcats.

4th Quarter

An Augstin steal and score starts us off and a score. Unless there is reason to be optimistic I will save you the pain of having to ready about the 4th quarter. I mean it is bad enough having to watch this I do not want to put others through the pain of reading about it. Safe to say if you were hopeful Sunday meant something more beyond a win. You were sadly mistaken. Just checking in to inform you the Bobcats lead 100-78. Yeah it is that bad. I remember asking Matt Devlin earlier in the year if someone had told you the Bobcats (his former team) would have a better record than the Raptors what would you say? His answer was not possible but unfortunately it has been possible and is happening. The Bobcats are a team that looks to have a future and direction. The Raptors seem to lack that direction and this for the future are cloudy to say the least.

Things are coming unglued even Jose would get a technical foul. He had 8 points and 8 assists but was only 2-7. If Chris Bosh is going to be part of the future of this Raptor franchise it is going to take an off-season of Bryan Colangelo's career. If Bosh is still willing to give Bryan the chance to do so. If not this thing is in serious trouble. The Starters were on the bench watching this one come to a conclusion with the Bobcats up 109-85. the good news was this one was over 112- 86 for the Bobcats. The bad news is the Raptors will need to figure out what they did wrong as they will see this same Bobcat team at the ACC on Friday.

Bobcats/ Raps Boxscore

I wish that I could say that I was surprised or shocked, even angry about what I just saw. But I am none of those things. It has been par for the course for what has been an awful season.