The Retrun of "The Baller" Adnan Virk

It is great to welcome back Adnan Virk To the Dino Nation Blog. I am not sure if this was explained in the first episode with Adnan but we worked together at another T.V Network and since getting with the Score we have re-connected. I mention this because he refers to me as "Jimmy" which was his nickname for me back then. I do not remember the reason why? I would not want people to think he doesn't know who I am. Adnan is the only person that I will allow to refer to me as that name.

In this visit we have some fun and tackle some issues from as simple as athletes twittering to the more complex issues that face the Raptors and CB4. Hopefully you will find it entertaining and enjoyable.

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I have had a chance to be invited down to The Score a few times. Adnan has been a friendly face and has made me feel welcome. I am happy to have been able to have brought him to the Dino Nation Blog and had a chance to work with him. I am also proud to have the Adnan Virk endorsement as his favourite blogger. Adnan is a great guy and every bit the funny entertaining person you see on your T.V screen in real life.This maybe be news for Adnan seeing as he is not on Facebook but he does have a Facebook Group and I am a part of it. Thanks to Adnan for taking the time to be in the Dino Nation Blog as a guest.

Charlie V Twittering From Toronto

I have an interview set up for later today. So we will keep this morning brief. If you have not heard, Charlie V Twitters and he love to tweet. Even at halftime, pre-game whenever and where ever. So I thought for fun I would give you 10 things Charlie V might Tweet from his visit to T.O. So a drum roll please.....

10. How is Toronto liking T.J Ford now?
9. Where was my invite to Chris Bosh's Birthday Party?
8. Vince Carter says ACC is his house, He is wrong it is Charlie V's House.
7. I got you CB4.
6. Pops Mensah-Bonsu? I got him too no sweat!!!
5. 20 and 10 believe it
4. I miss Jose Calderon bringing my Gatorade to me.
3. Jay Triano is really the coach of the Raptors? That is what Sam gets for letting me get traded.
2. All Raptors Fans cheer for Charlie V and the Bucks to make the playoffs.
1. Bryan Colangelo...How you like me now?

So that is my list feel free to add your own as there are no wrong answer for this. As for what the REAL CHARLIE V will Twitter about. You can find out for yourself here at his Twitter Home.

I always like Charlie and despite supporting the trade that saw him leave, he is a good guy. There is no question he gets up for these match-ups with the Raps. All the best to him in his NBA Future.

Bosh's Ex- Girfriend Lawsuit Goes Public On CB4's Birthday

Well this is a heck of a way to spend your 25th Birthday. A story breaks that your ex-girlfriend has filed papers in court that claim you are a "deadbeat" dad. Dave Feschuk has all the details of the story in the Toronto Star. The suit is for 14.4 million dollars which is a heck of a lot of cash. I really question a lot about this and think in my opinion there is no doubt there was some intent in the timing in this lawsuit being made public. I question if this even belongs in this blog at all. It is something for the courts to figure out. The suit was filed on November 26th and the baby was born on November 2nd. If you read the story you can draw your own conclusions about it and will no matter what I have to say. I just finding the timing and the amount of this suit seem to say the least excessive. I also find a lot of the other details to be a bit hard to believe. There is a long list of these type of stories that involve pro athletes and I think sometimes athletes get targeted by people. Truth is we don't the entire story and it is not fair to comment on it. In today's society will that happen? Not a chance. Feschuk makes the connection to Bosh and his play dropping off to the lawsuit being filed. I am not a fan of Feschuk but to make that comparison is fair. If there is an off court matter that was impacting his play. What does all this mean for the future of Chris Bosh is interesting as well. Suddenly that extra 30 million dollars the Raptors can over Bosh suddenly may have a bit more of an appeal for Bosh. It is all a sorted mess and I dread reading comment boards on this topic. It would stink for anyone to have their personal lives across the papers and the media not to mention the Internet.

I still support Chris Bosh. I still wish him a happy birthday and hope the best for his future. This kind of tabloid journalism I am not a fan of at all. It has been a pretty awful season for Chris Bosh and it seems there was a lot more than anyone even knew. This to go along with people who are suppose to be fans turning their back on him. It really has been a terrible season on all levels.

I guess the point in all of this is everyone has things in their personal lives that you would not to play out in the public. People will say that when you are a pro athlete that is part of the price you pay for the fame and the money that goes with that. I have always said that athletes are people just like you and me. Do they live a far different life from us. Yes they do. However they are human beings as well. Chris Bosh has always been a stand up guy. I hope that when all the smoke clears in this he will remain that. I wish that I could say this will be the last we will hear about this but in the world we live you know that is not going to be the case.

Will this be the final nail in the coffin that sees Bosh end up elsewhere by 2010? It could be. However it also could be a reason to think long and hard about what life would be like in a place like New York. If this same story breaks and Bosh is a Knick it would be in the headlines for days on end and he would get far more attention than he will here in Toronto. I like to believe that here in Canada we are a bit better than the sensationalism and B.S that goes on in the New York media. I guess we are going to find out just how different things are in Toronto in comparison to a place like New York thanks to this story.

Who is telling the truth in all of this he said, she said mess is for a court to decide. However the one with the cameras in his face everyday is Chris Bosh. That is the big difference. I hope the best for Chris Bosh and I do hope the best for the child at the center of all this. It is sad that a child is brought into the world in such a way. Children are priceless and when anyone attaches a dollar value to a child I think that is sad. EVERY CHILD is PRICELESS regardless of who the father happens to be. That is something that should not be forgotten in all of this as well.

Back From The Madness To The Reality Of The Raptors

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

James Harden Off My Draft Board

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

Nathan Jawai Back From His D-League Mission

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

He has averaged in 10 games:

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

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

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

Raptor Rewind- Return Of The Bobcat Edition

I highly debated if I should continue watching March Madness and just watch the recap in an hour of this one. However after much debate I am here for the Bobcats and Raptors. I figured who beyond me would watch this one so it might actually be on of those times where a Raptor Rewind would be important. Well as important as it can be for a team that is heading to the NBA lottery. At the start of this season that team you would have figured would be the Charlotte Bobcats. But they are very much alive in the playoff race as the Raptors are barely hanging on to a pulse. They looked every bit that team when they took on the Bobcats on Monday. I can only pray I will be rewarded for my dedication with at least an entertaining game to talk about. Let's hope so anyway. I am missing the Madness for this. My bracket is taking some shots but my final four is very much alive. James Harden was not that impressive today for all the folks calling for him to be a Raptor. Whoever and where ever the Raptors select they need to pick the best player available that is the bottom line. For tonight the bottom line is effort with a large E. Need to see some. Will we? We are about to find out.

1st Quarter

Bobcats win the tip and away we go. Bobcats have a couple chances to score and do not but kept possession and eventually score on a Gerald Wallace dunk. Jose Calderon scores and Raps create a turnover but can't turn it into points. Wallace another dunk and Bobcats lead 4-2. He is fighting through pain and keeps playing. Raps turn the ball over and Okafor gets the easy score inside. Wallace is fouled and heads to the line looking to add to an early lead which he does going 2 for 2. Bosh answers the Bobcat 6-0 run with a basket. But Bobcats offer a quick reply and it is 10-4 Bobcats. After the teams exchange misses Gerald Wallace drives and scores with pretty much no one willing to stop him. Time out Toronto.

Bosh out of time out has his shot blocked and go out off him. Bobcats quickly score and lead by 10. Andrea Bargnani answers with a 3 point and cuts the lead to 14-7. Boris Diaw one of the new Bobcats gets a basket to extend the lead. Bargnani answers with a 2 point effort. Felton answers that with a quick 2. Graham happy to learn OSU got a win gets 2 points for the Raps. But Bobcats fire right back and there is no D in Toronto that I have seen of yet. Anthony Parker attempts to make this a game, making an open three ball. But as things have been of late Raymond Felton answers with a 3 of his own. Bosh makes a pair at the line and the Bobcats lead 23-16.

Raja Bell cranked up a 3 ball but missed it. Raps can't cut the lead. Bobcats are showing hustle and Raps are sleep walking. Bargnani missed in the lane and Joey Graham cleans up the mess in relief of Shawn Marion who was taken out early by Triano. Bobcats answer the Raptors score to maintain a 7 point lead. Pops checks in for CB4. Calderon fouled and makes a pair at the line. Wallace draws a foul on the other end and heads to the line. He splits a pair and Bargnani is fouled on the other end. He is 2 for 2. Okafor scores on inside guarded by Pops on D. Wallace draws a foul and Triano gets teched up. Who knew Jay Triano was so fiery. He has got more techs than Sam Mitchell ever did. Sam was known for talking but he rarely got teched up for it. After the tech and free throws Bobcat lead was 9. Raptors would score to cut the lead to 7 and after a Bobcat miss have a chance to cut lead to 5 after one. But would not and in fact the Bobcats would add to the lead. Bobcats lead 33-24 after one.

2nd Quarter.

Bosh is fouled and heads to the line to start the second. He makes a pair and the lead was 7 points again. Raymond Felton answers with a score plus a foul. Bobcat lead was back to 10 points. Make that a dozen and I am rapidly regretting my choice not to stick with the Madness. Diaw would score and after the Bosh free throws the Bobcats had rattled off a run to lead by 14. This season is just painful to watch at this point. I would be interested to see the Ratings for March Madness in comparison to this game. I am thinking it would be shockingly bad for the Raptors much like the effort on the floor to this point.

Shawn Marion gets his first basket out of the time out to end the Bobcat run. Diaw drives and draws a foul on CB4 but non shooting and Bobcats don't get a score. But no worries Raptors turn it over and give it right back they have already racked up 7. Diaw would drive and score and Raps would answer but still were down 12 and showing 0 defensive pride. Bosh would get a score and cut the lead to 10. Marion would get a score and the lead was down to 8.

Bobcats were finally cooling off and Raps were taking advantage a bit. Bosh would draw a foul and Raptors were making a push to get back in this game. Bosh made both and lead was down to 6. Oakfor would put a stop to the Raptors run with an easy score and the lead was back to 8 with score 44-36. Bosh is fouled and at the line makes a pair. D.J Augstin the drive and score to keep the lead at 8. Raps would get a Bargnani score and had a chance to cut the lead even more. Bosh would do just that as he had 14 and the Raptors trailed by the number on his jersey. But a 3 pointer for the Bobcats would make the lead 7 once more. Radmanovic doing the damage. Raps were staying in this by making free throws they were perfect at the line and got 2 more. Bosh would get fouled again and he could actually cut the Bobcat lead down to 1 if he made both. Which he did and Raps were down just 49-48. Felton would make a much needed jump shot for the Bobcats. Calderon a brutal miss and Bobcats had chance to score again but could not. But an easy Parker miss and Gerald Wallace would draw a foul and split a pair at the line. Calderon would drive and score and the lead was 2 and Bobcats would get a last chance to respond. An Augustin chuck at buzzer would not fall. Bobcats leas 52-50 at the half. Bosh with 20 for the home side.

3rd Quarter

Marion was denied by Gerald Wallace to start the second half. But Bargnani would make a basket after a Bobcats failed first possession. 52 all...and worth noting Bobcats only have 10 road wins on the year. While I type that the Bobcats score to restore a 2 point advantage. Okafor would pick up 2 quick fouls and had 4 in the game and take a seat. Parker would score after Oakfor checked out. Felton would answer and Bobcats leasd 56-54. Wallace would hit a 3 pointer as he was wide open and would take advantage. He would score again driving the the basket and a 7-0 run Bobcats and lead was 7. Bosh would make a couple jumpers with a bobcat score in between them and it was 63-58 Bobcats.

Felton with the easy drive and score off the screen and roll. Bosh was doing all he could to keep Raps in the game as he would answer. Bobcats would turn the ball over with a 5 point lead 65-60. Parker would get fouled non shooting and a time out on the floor. Raps would fail to convert after the break. Felton drives and Bosh would make him change the shot and he missed it. Calderon was left in the dust again by Felton a theme of the evening. Bosh an ill advised jumper would not fall. Give and go play would lead to a score for Brois Diaw who now had 22 in the game. Bobcats leading it 67-60. Calderon would score on the drive. Charlotte would answer with a quick score. Bargnani would comeback with a 3 ball for the Raptors cutting the lead to 4. Bobcats a miss and Pops on the glass gets it. He would get an offensive board on the other end but travel before passing it to Marion.

Bobcats fail to cash in on the turnover and Bargnani would draw the foul on the other end. He would split a pair and the Bobcat lead was trimmed to 3. Diaw would score in the lane over Bosh. Bargnani would answer on the other end for the Raptors. Wallace would return the favour for the Bobcats. He would get a steal and a slam and end the back and forth giving the Bobcats a 8 point lead with score 76-68. The Raptors had never lead in this game and looked like Bobcats were determined to keep it that way. Bobcats split a pair at the line. Jose a miss from 3 and Graham would clean up the mess with a score. But Bobcats would add to the lead and end the quarter up 82-70.

4th Quarter

Wide open look for 3 does not fall for Felton to start the 4th. Kapono would get called for a foul on the offensive end. Wallace took the ball from Bosh and would draw the foul on Bosh as the 2 would riun the other way off the turnover. Diaw would score in the post on the possession off the turnover. Bobcats missed on a lay up that could have made it a 16 point lead. Marion missed on offensive he was a sorry 2 of 8 and Raptors were looking primed for another loss. Bosh taking a 3 pointer was not going to change that. Diaw would score agian the Bobcats had largest lead of night with score 86-70.

After Raps would trail by 18 they would score back to back baskets and cut it down to 14 points. Mark Ivaroni was in the house and got a on camera appearnce on the broadcast. Meanwhile Bargnani would hit a 3 with his new coach watching on? Regardless Raps had cut lead to 11 and the very much employed Larry Brown would call a time out. D.J Augstin would get it done out of time out and this game was pretty much settled. Wallace would take a hip check from Bargnani and was not happy about it. He may have been more shocked than anything. Good for Andrea. Raps were out of it down 16 but they need more of that and honestly they needed it long before now. D.J Augstin with a drive and score and Bobcats lead was 18 and this thing was all over but the final score. Bobcats have got back on track with 3 straight wins after this. They had lost 3 straight prior to the Raptors visit on Monday, 2 wins over the Raps and a win over the Kings in the middle and Bobcats are still in the playoff hunt. Raptors would cut the lead to 11 with just over 2 minutes to play but the damage had been done. A wide open 3 ball would make it 102-86 and all that was left to do is determine the final score. The final score would be 102-89. Bosh had 35 but had little help beyond Andrea Bargnani who had 27. Diaw and Wallace both had 30 to lead the Bobcats.

Cats/Raps Boxscore.

Raptors play Clippers on Sunday and if they can't win that I mean really what can you say. I mean it really has all been said at this point.

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!!!