Want to start today and address something I read in Doug Smith’s Blog that went against what I found out in my interview with Matt Devlin. The question was asked of Doug about the coverage of Raptor Pre-Season Games. Here was his answer:
As far as I know right now, none of the games are to be televised but I would expect the two out in L.A. as part of that four-team pre-season tournament might turn up on one of the American networks because in the past, they have.
Will let you know more when I find out.-Doug Smith Toronto Star
What Dino Nation Blog said:
The first thing I wanted to ask Matt was something I have been hearing Raptor Fans asking about. That is about the pre-season and coverage of games. Matt said that the details are not all set but you can expect to see Raptor Pre-Season Games on television(Raps T.V likely). You may even to get to see games live as opposed to the game in an hour format. He suggested that all the exact details should be made public at a later point so make sure to keep an eye out for that info.-Dino Nation Blog…Sept 12th
Did the Dino Nation Blog get a scoop? I guess we will have to wait and see but based on the conversation I had with Matt Devlin I would say we did. Also it is the Dino Nation Blog Policy to send a copy of all interviews to the person I talk with to confirm all info is correct. This was done in this case and I got an e-mail from Matt confirming he looked over the interview. Whatever the case will see what happens and Matt did say to wait for the details so that is what we will do. But since the start of Raptors TV, I can not recall a season in which they did not have some form of preseason coverage even if it was in the “Game in an Hour” format.
In the same blog by Doug Smith he mentioned that several Raptors are in Toronto already getting set for the season. Anthony Parker, Hassan Adams and Aussie Nathan Jawai were among the names he menntioned. Andera Bargnani is also expected to be in town very soon. These are all signs that it will not be long until this new version of the Toronto Raptors is hard at work preparing for the season. It has been a long summer and it is nice to see the signs of the season coming to start appearing.
How You Can Help Dino Nation Blog
This will be the second season of the Dino Nation Blog and the first training camp and pre-season. I am excitied about it and look forward to providing info and opinion for another season of Raptors basketball. I wanted to reach out to folks in the Ottawa and Edmonton areas that will be going to events in those cities. Dino Nation Blog is interested in any photos or news reguarding the Raptors that you may be able to get or have knowledge of in your local market. That way the Dino Nation Blog can share it with everyone. This also is a good time to mention that we have a new contact e-mail. So for this and any other reason you may have to get in contact with the Dino Nation Blog you can use this address going forward:
dinonationblog@sourcecable.net
The reason for the change is that I have changed to a high speed internet connection. It has been a eye opening experience to have the full power of the internet and not to have to wait for long peroids of time to watch videos and what not. It may mean in future I will add more video based content as it is far less trouble for me personally to access it. But whatever it means it will make it easier for me to access more infomation so I can do a better job for you the readers of the Dino Nation Blog.
Coming Soon….Dino Nation Blog Chat
Speaking of which I am thinking of holding one of our Chat Events soon. It seems like a good time to have one with Fantasy Basketball Drafts almost ready to start and training camps about to begin. If you have a suggestion for a good time for this to happen your free to leave a comment. I will do my best to pick a time that allows folks to have a chance to be a part of it. I enjoy the chance to interact with the readers of this blog and I feel that some of the loyal longtime readers have become friends to me. I love the passion that you all share for the Toronto Raptors and for this blog. It is great to have the support of such great fans of the Toronto Raptors.
Team Dino Nation Blog -CB4 Fantasy Football
On The weekend I had a good run in the CB4 fantasy football league on Rotohog. So go team Dino Nation Blog. I have three Dallas Cowboys still to play and hopefully they come through for me. If you are signed up for the league as well would love to know you team name. If you want to still sign up read the blog ” Can You Beat CB4 ” or go to Chris Bosh’s website listed as part of the website list on the blog.
The Week Ahead
I am always hard at work looking for people to talk to about the Raptors and other basketball related things. I have one interview I will be working on. The focus of that is going to be about sports collectables. I am not big into this sort of thing personally but I do own a Vince Carter and Damon Stoudamire rookie cards. Will they ever be worth anything? I guess we will find out among other things. If you ever have a suggestion for things you want to read about in the blog you can always send an e-mail or join the blog’s group on Facebook if you like like. There is a link to on the main page of the blog among our listed sites. You the readers of the Dino Nation Blog can always have a voice in what you would like to read about. I can’t promise you that I will always be able to make it happen but I think it has been established that I work hard to provide as much info as possible and if I can make something happen I will.
So thanks for reading and being a part of the Dino Nation Blog. The response to the most recent interviews with Matt Devlin, Paul Jones and Eric Smith have been outstanding. Seems each time I do an interview the more people find out about the Dino Nation Blog. That is part of why I do them but the main reason is to get you folks more info. So if you have recently discovered the Dino Nation Blog I want to welcome you and encourage you to share this blog with your friends and family that have a love for Raptors and basketball. It says in the Dino Nation Blog History page that I value the readers of this blog and I do.
CB4 and Superman
Thought I’d close today with some wacky fun from Youtube as Chris Bosh and Dwight Howard were very excited about being guests on Oprah. Check It out:
Tags: Andrea Bargnani, Anthony Parker, CB4 Fantasy Football, CBTV, Chris Bosh, Dino Nation Blog, Doug Smith, Dwight Howard, Hassan Adams, Matt Devlin, Nathan Jawai, Toronto Star
September 16, 2008 at 8:04 am |
i got a few questions for you regarding the raptors
1. Do you think Bargnani can win Sixth man of the year and do you think he has a shot at most improved player?
2. Do you think he can become an all-star one day and if you do do you think he can be one in toronto
3. Where do you see the raptors in the eastern conference and if you cant decide do you see them closer being in the 1-4 seed range or 5-8 seed range?
4. And whos the better team in your opinion between the raptors and sixers?
5. And do you think Jermaine will be back to his all-star level?
September 16, 2008 at 9:30 am |
Thanks Nate Ok here we go.
1. It is hard for any Raptor to win an individual award based on how they are selected. But of the 2 awards you mentioned I’d say he has a better chance at MIP than 6th man.
2. It is unlikely he becomes an all-star in Toronto. I say this because I think am not convinced he can play at 3 or 5 at an all-star level. Chris Bosh is always going to be playing at Andrea’s natural spot of 4. That is how I see it for now until Andrea proves he can effective at 3 or 5 I would say it is unlikely he is an all-star.
3. Somewhere around 3-5 range. I think they will be in the hunt for home court advantage. Health is going to be key in any success the Raptors have. But I think after Boston it is really wide open in the east with a number of teams thinking they are the second best. Raptors can feel confident in making that claim as well.
4. Raptors to me are better until further notice. Brand to me is in same spot as O’Neal and has to prove he is healthy and same player he was. Raptors to me have better outside shooting and that is why I give them a slight edge. With the 2 post players in Bosh and O’Neal they have a lot of shooters that can take advantage of more open looks. This is a very close call though the Sixers are an improved and mostly young squad.
5. Well people that have been around him and know him better than me think he is back to 100% health wise and have been impressed with what he has been doing down in Las Vegas. Seeing it for myself would be nice though. But I think the wait of the events that went on with the Pacers are off his shoulders and he will get a nice bump from change of address. The safe answer to say would be he will be back to a level just below that of an all-star. But the other thing those same folks are saying is that he is highly motivated. Motivation is a powerful thing. So the sky can be the limit.
Thanks for all the great questions hope the answers were just as good.