Halloween Treat For You- Matt Devlin Joins Us

I am happy to give everyone here at the Dino Nation Blog a Halloween surprise. I had a chance to chat with Matt Devlin. He has been a guest with us on several occasions and he manged to multi-task and talk with us as he was getting ready for Halloween yesterday afternoon. In the starting 5 Matt Devlin gets his Halloween Treats while he talks some basketball with us. We talk O’Neal and Bosh as well his thoughts from broadcasting his first Raptor regular season game. We catch up with Matt as he is Halloween shopping.

Starting 5- With Matt Devlin

So that was a lot of fun. I also got a kick out of the reference to “Good” Joey in last night’s game. Joey was good in that game even I said he was. But it was also proof that Matt is learning the Raptor fan language.  But it comes to mind that Matt Devlin has a fresh perspective on Joey Graham. He has not been here to have experienced the frustration of the whole “Good” Joey and “Bad” Joey saga. Maybe he can have an answer to how we see the “Good” Joey remain and leave “Bad” Joey behind. Matt’s thoughts on how we can make “Good” Joey stay and what it will take.

Matt Devlin- Consistency, and how do you get consistency? That is an unknown. Joey Graham is a player that if he could bottle up the “Good” Joey and be consistent, he becomes the player everyone expects him to be. How do you answer that? Who knows. Some guys get it and the get it early and they ride it out. Some guys they struggle to get it and it finally happens for them. You just hope for Joey that things are going to come together for him. Because the Raptors ultimately need him to be a consistent player and a consistent force. Because that is a important position in this league.

I understand the frustration of fans because there are players like this throughout the league. When I was in Memphis Stromile Swift was a player was a player like that. From an athletic standpoint was just so over the top. You just looked at him and said if he could only put it altogether. Boy we would really have something.

Despite what some might think I do hope Joey can come through. I just have been let down to many times by Joey. I am going to be the last one to believe or among the last. But I do hope he can prove me wrong. As for Swift he was a lottery pick for the Grizzles back when they were Canada’s Grizzles and he like Big Country and a host of other picks did not work out well for them. Joey Graham did play a lot of zone in his days as an OSU Cowboy. The Raptors last night did a lot of zone defense vs the Sixers. So was this a sign of things to come or was it a case of match-ups versus the Sixers. Matt Devlin gives us his take:

Matt Devlin- I think it has to do with the match-up. I thought it worked really well against Philadelphia, a team that struggles beyond the 3-point line. Dead last in the NBA a season ago. I thought it was brilliant on their part to mix that in. They mixed it in at the right time. They trusted in it even though they got out rebounded in it. But at the end of the day it paid off.

The fear of fans about the lack of depth at point guard got a major test last night. Jose Calderon went down at a key point of the game down the stretch. It turned out he had whacked his funny bone and it forced Roko Ukic back into the game for some unexpected minutes in crunch time. I asked Matt for his thoughts on that and an overall opinion on how Roko did.  Here is what he thought.

Matt Devlin- He really did well. I thought he was steady as you could be. I thought he really did exactly what you hoped he would do. I really liked what I saw from him. Forget about the 2-7, he didn’t turn the basketball over.

A guy Matt Devlin does knows really well is Jason Kapono. He has been called ” The World’s Greatest Shooter” on air by Matt. But I did not realize the man that coined the phrase was actually Anthony Parker. Matt Devlin was quick to give the credit to A.P. Is Kapono that. I am not sure if he is or if he isn’t. But it is clear that with back to back 3-point shooting titles to his credit and career percentages that are among the best all time. He is a very good shooter. The Addition of Jermaine O’Neal to this Raptor roster has had many point to Kapono’s time in Miami. He was asked about it last night and he does see the same type of things for himself as he had back in those days. I asked Matt to give his take on what this will mean for Jason Kapono with the Raptors this year. Will it be like that time in Miami?

Matt Devlin- That is because (The Comparison) with that presence on the inside, with teams having to look to the inside defensively. All it does is give Jason a split second. That is ultimately all he needs. Cause he is that deadly of a shooter. That reference back to Miami is obviously based on the fact he had Shaq O’Neal on the inside.

When we headed into the season when people were asked who will be that 4th guy beyond Bosh, Calderon and O’Neal,  Kapono and Andrea Bargnani were the most common answers. Kapono was scoring and making shots but not so for Andrea. But still he did get some boards and was hanging around the paint. In fact, despite the lack of points on the board. Matt Devlin found things to be positive about in relation to Andrea Bargnani. He tells us about what he liked about Andrea and his efforts:

Matt Devlin- You know I think he played a really solid game last night. Forget about the 0-4 from the floor he had 5 rebounds and 2 blocked shots. He was a presence on the inside. If you combine Bargnani, Bosh and O’Neal and their rebounds, in comparison to the team rebounds they had 24 of 33. So the three of them did what they needed to do. I do think he has made great progress.

I was not as impressed as Matt to be honest. But I am happy to give credit to the fact that Andrea did stay engaged in the game. I had said to Matt that last year if Andrea did not score there was no way he would have got 5 rebounds and 2 blocks. I will also say that he is staying in the fight and trying to play more in the paint. It is going to be a process and the signs he is at least willing to keep at it in the paint have been clear. Some will look at the 0 points and just be frustrated by that.  But I do see that Andrea also can contribute in other ways. I think he sees that as well, more than he has in the past.

I asked Matt about his thoughts on the Sixers. He thinks they are a good team and they will be fine. He gave credit to the Raptors gameplan for why the Raptors were better on the night. The fact by playing the zone and sticking to it caused the Sixers to think they could make shots. But when all is said and done the Raptors stayed in the zone and the Sixers struggled to shot. In fact Matt pointed to that as the big need for the Sixers is a guy who can step up and being a long range shooter for them. But to keep with the Raptors and what they are doing. Matt gave a lot of praise to the Raptors gameplan. That is set by Sam Mitchell and we have heard Mitchell get hammered by many folks for his lack of X’s and O’s skill. But not just Matt Devlin but Jermaine O’Neal was impressed by Mitchell. O’Neal gave credit to his coach and the staff for the “Genius” of how they had several plays running out of the same sets. He thought it confused the Sixers and was a key to victory. So given all of that I asked for Matt’s thoughts on Sam Mitchell as a coach from a tactical point of view.

Matt Devlin- Last night when you look at the game plan, it was carried through and they executed. From a coaching standpoint, you gotta have your game plan in place, you have to be able to make adjustments and then your players have to ultimately execute.  The game plan was there and the adjustments that were necessary were made and the players executed. So from my stand point, Sam did a fantastic job. It is always the case it doesn’t matter what town or what city, people are always going to look at the coach and that is just the name of the game. People even come out and get after a Phil Jackson or a Pat Riley. That unfortunately is just all part of it. Sam recognizes that.

I often have said in this blog that Sam Mitchell for whatever you care to say is good at motivating his team to play hard. He commands his teams attention and is able to get guys that make millions of dollars as athletes to give effort. That is a skill to that is far to often over looked. Matt Devlin agreed with me about that. We both to agree that Sam is also very entertaining. In fact if the day came that Sam was ever not the coach of the Toronto Raptors, Matt Devlin had a suggestion for a career move for Sam.

Matt Devlin- Listen, Sam could sit next to Charles Barkley on Thursday Night’s on TNT.

The games on TNT on Thursday nights are part of the package that has been scheduled for TSN 2. That is a important issue with Raptor fans. I have expressed my rage and displeasure. Matt Devlin is going to be on the network as well as TSN. But he has made an effort to keep fans in the loop on the issue in his blog. I asked him for his thoughts on the issue from the fans perspective. He had this to say on the TSN2 matter.

Matt Devlin- I am a rogers customer as well. I would love for it to work out. I hope that it works out soon. Tonight (Interview was Yesterday Afternoon) TNT double header and it is on TSN 2, I want to watch it. That is what I have been doing for a long time. I just hope that everybody can come together and work on it, for the fans sake, fans of the NBA. I hope it all gets worked out.

On the main network of TSN this Saturday we will get to see Matt, along with the one thing TSN did get right, the recently hired Jack Armstrong. He may be new to TSN but Jack has been part of basketball with the Raptors for over a decade. He is also not new to Matt Devlin and I asked if Matt was excited to get back on the air again with “The Coach” Jack Armstrong.

Matt Devlin- I am also excited to have Jack. Jack and I have known each other for years and worked together before. He is a great man. I can’t wait to do it, because he is a guy that is just a great person and everyone knows that. Jack, Leo and Sherm, all three of them, they are all outstanding with what they do. There is not another team in the NBA with the depth that the Raptors have in the annalist chair.

I joked with Matt that people may have questions about the Raptors depth on the court but in the broadcast booth they have major depth. He got a laugh from that. But he may not be an annalist, he is the play by play man, I will take him to be my annalist here. The Toronto Raptors take on the Golden State Warriors tonight. So I asked him for his thoughts on the Raptors versus Warriors match-up which he will be calling tonight on The Score. A different challenge for the Raptors in the Warriors?

Matt Devlin- You know what from a standpoint of the principles they used last night. Transition defense is going to be extremely important against Golden State. That is number one because Golden State they do want to get out and go. All five of there guys want to get it on the floor and go. So you are going to have to get back. If you don’t get back they are going to burn you. I watched them last night when I got home against New Orleans. They took New Orleans down to the end. So from my standpoint that is going to be the most important thing. That along with don’t turn it over because if you do they are going to be successful in the transition game.

How bout some key match-ups to look at?

Matt Devlin- Jose Calderon he has a good match-up there that he can take advantage of. When you look inside to the guys on the inside. Do what you did against Philadelphia. That is the truth. If you can do that all season long your really going to be in a great position. But here is the thing about Golden State in Comparison to Philadelphia inside. They might be smaller but they are also athletic and that is thing you have to remember with them.

I am always thankful for some expert help. Matt makes very valid points and I would add that Corey Maggette has a history of being a guy that has given the Raptors fits in his time with the Clippers. It should not change with a change of uniform. Moon and Graham or whoever is guarding Maggette will have to do a good job. I look forward tonight’s game.

I want to wish all of you a Happy Halloween. Please whatever your plans for the evening are be careful and keep your eyes looking for those kids looking for the goodies that Matt was getting for his home. Also if you are going out for a more adult night out. Please be safe and don’t drink and drive. It is important everyday of the year. But on a night when kids are out on streets looking for candies it is even more of a message that needs to be taken seriously. So have fun but be safe and have a HAPPY HALLOWEEN FROM YOUR FRIENDLY DINO BLOGGER.

Raptor Hit Philly For Game 1- Raptor Rewind

We have been waiting for this for a long time. The Raptors will get an early start the season. It is going to be interesting indeed all year long. The one question that has been answered is that Jamario Moon will be back as the starting role for now. But how will Bosh and O’Neal perform together? Is Andrea Bargnani going to bounce back this year? Can the Raptors manage with only one experienced Point Guard? Will the defense be improved? Can this bench be any good at all? Well the time has come to start to find out some answers to all these questions. It is a brand new season and if you are any kind of a fan you have to be excited. So let’s see what happens when the Raptors take on their Atlantic Division rivals the Sixers. I was asked to Live Blog this puppy so what the heck. I am going to let you see the Raptor Rewind as it is being done.

So from the toss up state of Pennsylvania, we are ready to do just that. It will be Matt Devlin’s regular season debut in the booth. He has been good to the blog so I wish him well. Not a good start as Thaddeus Young hit a 3 pointer to start for Philly. Bosh misfired on his first attempt of the year. Elton Brand meanwhile would score in the paint and it was 5-0 for Philly. Bosh would split a pair of free throws and Raptors were on the board. But Elton Brand would follow up with another basket and an early 7-1 lead.

Raptors had started the season 0-6 from the field that is not good. Raptors still had not made a basket 5 minutes in. That would be broken by Jose Claderon with a 3-ball. But Iggy had an answer with 2 point of his own and the score was 11-4 Sixers half way through the first. The Raptors were looking lost on offense and a time out was called as they trailed 13-6.

Jose Calderon had 5 of the Raptors 6 points but that is not exactly the game plan. Sixers were killing Raptors on the glass as well with an 11-2 advantage on the glass. Jamario Moon hits a 3 point shot not exactly his strength but at this point will take it. Bosh hooked up J.O on a high low feed and despite all of the bad things the Raptors trailed by just 4 points at 15-11. Andrea Bargnani enters the game for his first action of the year and he was the first off the bench. Leo Rautins “favourite” player Sam Dalembert had a pair of free throws. But from there J.O had another basket and A.P hit a three point shot and the Raptors were down just 1 point. The Raptors had a chance to take the lead which they would not connect and the Sixers ran off 4 straight points to get the lead back to 5 points.

Chris Bosh would get a steal and than hit his first shot of the year cutting the lead to just 3 points. But after another nice defensive effort the Raptors gave up an offensive rebound. The Raptors would cause a shot clock violation and allow them not to pay the price this time. Jamario Moon had a chance to cut the lead to just one from the line with a couple of free throws but he would not hit them and the Raptors trailed after one 21-18.

The Raptors were in this game despite being beat down on the glass and getting off to a terrible shooting start. Raptors were out rebounded 22-5. Both team’s were shooting horrible at under 35% for both.  Joey Graham and Roko Ukic and Kapono were all in the game.  Bosh would get a score and Lou Williams hit a 3 on the other end and Sixers lead 24-20. Joey Graham with a spining scoring effort. But he would get beat on the other end. Jason Kapono would reply and it was Philly up a basket 26-24.  Joey Graham showing some hustle got a basket on pure hustle and we were all tied at 26. Roko Ukic would get his first NBA basket on a long outlet pass from Bosh on a rebound and the Raptors were in the lead 28-26.

Raptors were showing some hustle and it lead to a Bosh dunk. Joey Graham was having an impact of the bench. I know, I am giving Joey some love you are shocked, but it was true this had been a good Joey night so far. Sixers would tie the game up at 30 only to see Jason Kapono answer their 3-ball with one of his own. Keep in mind this was all being done with Roko Ukic on the floor running the show. He did not show any signs of nerves in his first NBA game.

Joey Graham checked out for Anthony Parker but like I said good effort from Joey. Raptors were holding on to the lead as Chris bosh was heating up and Raptors had a 37-33 lead. Sam Dalembert would convert on a basket and foul and the lead was just one point. An A.P three pointer on a mis-match with Dalembert on him and the Raptors had it going. Chris Bosh would score on the next trip up the floor Raptors were leading by 8 points after the less than impressive start. The score on “The Score” was Raptors 44 and Sixers 36.

O’Neal and Calderon had checked back in for Toronto. Jermaine O’Neal got Matt Devlin excited with a left handed throw down and a foul. He would hit the foul shot and Raptors had their largest lead of the night at 47-38. The game was going back and forth and Raptors were not being able to play this way with Philly. The Sixers would cut the lead down to 4. But Chris Bosh would answer with a jam of his own. Andrea Iguodala had a chance to narrow the lead from the line but he would miss both. Making the score at the half 51-45 for the Raptors.

Chris Bosh after a slow start had 15 points and 7 rebounds at the half to lead the Raptors and all scorers in this game. Jermaine O’Neal had 9 points and 4 rebounds for his efforts. Sam Dalembert had 12 rebounds and 7 points for the Sixers. Even Leo has to be impressed with that. So with that knowledge it is almost time for the second half.

Bosh would start the second half with a miss on a jumper. Elton Brand scored on his first effort of the half his total up to 10 on the night. Raptors had misfired on thier first 3 trips up the floor. Sixers meantime got a basket from Dalembert and had lead down to 2 points. But Parker would hook up O’Neal and than a stel for A.P would lead to a Bosh basket and the lead was back to 6 points at 55-49.

One thing that was clear the Raptors defense was much better than it had been at the end of the pre-season. While on offense they had been very careful with just 2 turnovers. They now had a 8 point advantage on a Jamario Moon basket. Sixers would get very unique three point play with a goaltending call and a foul it would make the score 57-52 with 7:30 to play. Raptors had gone cold and the Sixers had a 7-0 run going and cut the lead to just one. Chris Bosh would draw a foul and but an end to that run. Raptors lead 59-56 now. Jermaine O’Neal returned for a less than effective Andrea Bargnani. J.O would get right to work with a basket and than on defensive end caused a jump ball.

J.O was continued to bring it on defense cause Andrea Iguodala to alter a shot and miss. The next time around Iggy would draw a foul on J.O and the Raptors had a 62-58 lead. A. Parker out of a time out would hit a 3 point shot from 18 parkerville court in the corner.  Raptors would cause a 24 second violation thanks to a CB4 block. Bosh would head down on the other end and draw a foul on Sam Dalemebert. He would hit both foul shots and the lead was back the largest of the night at 9 with the score 67-58. J.O would get the Raptors to a double digit lead with a jumper and a now 11 point lead.  The Raptors slow start was a distant memory. Now Calderon hits a shot and Raptors lead 71-58. Sixers would score only to see Jose hit a three pointer  the next time up the floor and Raptor lead was 74-60.  A mistake by Roko Ukic gave the Sixers a chance to cut the lead down to single digits at the end of the quarter with 3 shots from the line. The would make them all and the score was 74-65 after 3 quarters of play.

36 points, 17 rebounds and a block each was a nice three quarters of work from Bosh and O’Neal. Raptors also had 21 points off Sixers turnovers as well. Jason Kapono hits the first shot of the quarter for the Raptors. But the Sixers would answer with a 3 point shot and the lead was down to 6 points. Jose Calderon was back in for likely the rest of this one.  J.O would have a basket taken away on a travel. Jose Calderon would hit a 3 point shot and the lead was back to 9 points for the men in black. The Raptors were wearing the new third jerseys on this night, sorry I forgot to mention that earlier.

7:50 left to go and the Raptors still had the 9 point lead on the scoreboard with a time out on the floor. Jose Calderon was a bit banged up and Roko Ukic had checked in. Jose seemed to bang his elbow or hand on an offensive foul prior to the time out. He seemed to have taken a hit on his funny bone but it was not funny for the Raptors at all. But Chris Bosh would drive to the basket Jose or no Jose. He would get fouled and make both and Raptors had an 11 point advantage. J.O would foul Brand and there was a time out with 5:51 left to go. We will see if Jose returns after the time out.

But it should be said Roko was not making any mistakes in what is a big time situation to be put in for your first NBA game. Calderon was not back it was still Ukic as the Raptors lead was at 10 after Brand split a pair at the line. Jason Kapono was stroking it and he hit a 3 point shot on the offensive end. Jose was back as Andrea Miller was at the line shooting two. He would only make one and Jose would have an 11 point lead to defend with the score 86-75. Chris Bosh went right at Sam Dalemebert who had 5 fouls and he would score. Sixers would cling to life and started a mini 4-0 run the score was 88-79. Lou Williams would score and draw a foul causing Sam Mitchell to call time.

Lou Williams made the shot and the lead was 88-82 with 2:27 to go. CB4 gets a clutch basket to push the lead to 8. Sixers would send the ball out of bounds on their offensive trip and Jason Kapono would make them pay with a 3 point shot. The lead was right back to 11 in the blink of an eye with 1:41 left to play.  Sixers would misfire again out of a the time out. Less than a minute to go and the Raptors had a 9 point lead after Andrea Miller would finally come through for the Sixers.  J.O was at the line with 44 seconds and he would hit both and this game is about done as the Raptors had this one wraped up. Someone some where was talking about Salami and Cheese. Sixers missed on a couple of attempts and Raptors just took a shot clock Violation as they had no need to score anymore. The Raptors new look had a win in the first game that mattered.

Bosh had 27 points and 11 rebounds on the night that is a strong effort for the franchise player. 44 points 19 rebounds for Toronto’s Dynamic Duo. Bryan Colangelo was in Philly and had to be very pleased with what he saw. The final score was Raptors winning 95-84 over the rival Sixers. Your boxscore  with eveyone’s numbers.

Sixers and Raps- Boxscore

My Podcast is on the way. I think I will have a lot of good things to say. It will be here very soon. Raptors are 1-0 and that is a good thing.

Dino Blogger’s Post Game Podcast

Dino Blogger 1 on 1 with Eric Smith

One of the first people connected to the Raptors I got to interview was Eric Smith. He was a guest back in the days of Vince Carter on the Round Ball Review Basketball segment on C101.5 here in Hamilton. When I decided to start the Dino Nation Blog I reached out to Eric again and he not only has been a guest himself on several occasions he also got me in touch with his fellow Hoops co-hosts Paul Jones and Jack Armstrong. I have been extremely fortunate to talk with all of them and have them as guests in the Dino Nation Blog. The Round Ball Review is now gone but Hoops has become a staple of Thursday nights for all people that love basketball. It is back on the air on the Fan 590 starting November 6th 2008. I will be calling in as I have for years before there was a Dino Nation Blog. You can also catch Hoops on Raptors TV. So it was a bit of a trip back in time for me to talk to Eric as part of the Starting 5.  In this edition we talk about the recent mention of M.V.P by Chris Bosh, Expectations for Jermaine O’Neal, Raptors Pre-Season and Joey Graham and his chance to break into the starting line-up. Have a listen to what Eric has to say on these topics.

Eric Smith in the Starting 5

The conversation with Eric continues and we start by talking back-up point guard. I asked Eric for his thoughts on Will Solomon and Roko Ukic and who will be the man behind Jose Calderon for the Raptors as we start the season. Eric shares his thoughts:

Eric Smith- I would say assuming that they are both healthy, If Will deals with this quad thing and assuming it is not an issue by the time Tuesday rolls around. I think that he has the inside track on the back up minutes right now. Just based on age and experience if nothing else. I don’t think that is a knock on Roko. Like any player be it form NCAA or Euro coming into their first year, I think many times you are sitting back watching, learning and trying to take it all in. I think that is probably a better role for him. If he is thrust into the spotlight and he does end up playing a little bit more I am confident he can succeed in the long term. But you have talked about it and we all have talked about it, you think of Jose Calderon in his first year as opposed to where he is now. Calderon struggled and didn’t look great at times. Other times he looked flashy and great at times. But all and all it was a rough rookie season. I would expect a similar path for Roko. I like his speed, I like his handle and his decision making so far. So overall I think if he gets in there for extended periods of time, you are going to see those highs and lows of a rookie. Especially a rookie point guard.

Will Solomon has gotten labeled by some fans as a Mike James type of point guard. So I asked Eric as maybe a warm up for when Hoops gets started if he thought the fan comparison was a fair one or not?

Eric Smith- I guess there is a little bit to it. People have to understand that Will Solomon is coming to a team right now and he asked to play a different role. Now the Raptors wouldn’t have brought him in and paid him that money to do that role if they didn’t think he was capable of adapting and filling that need. But here is a guy that has been playing overseas for how many years now and he is a guy that is use to being the scorer and go to guy. Handling the ball but also controlling the ball, deciding what’s going on, hitting the big shot, being the go to guy. Now he is coming in and he is being asked to essentially transform again. Be a distributor and be a guy that is not always looking for your shot. But at the same time look to attack and look for your shot when it is there. It is a fine balance that any point guard has but especially  for a point guard that is not use to being that traditional pass first guy. I actually spoke to Jose about this a couple of weeks ago. Jose was saying pretty much what I just said. He has to tell both Roko and Will to find that fine balance between making the proper decisions. Knowing when to pass but at the same time knowing that you still need to be aggressive and play your game and you need to play the game that people saw to bring you here. Bryan Colangelo knew that he had a guy that was an attacker that could score but he also that he needed a back up guard or that depth guard. I think you got to watch that fine balance which is hard for any point guard to do. Even for Jose Calderon when you come off that screen and roll are you going to shoot? are you going to pass? should you be always looking for the pass. You got to find those holes and know when to attack and when not to attack. It’s difficult and that much more for a guy like Will that is taking a new role he is coming into with this team.

Point guard as I have said in this blog and ask any basketball expert and they will agree, it is the most challenging position to play in the game and has the most responsibility attached to it. In the starting 5 we talked about numbers for J.O and Eric concluded that wins were the most important measure for Jermaine O’Neal. I asked Eric if Jermaine needs to look at the example of what Kevin Garnett did in Boston. Garnett took hold of the Celtics and gave them a team goal to be better on the defensive end of the floor. I also asked how J.O is fitting in with the Raptors as Eric is around the team on an almost daily basis. Eric talks about that and than gets to the Garnett example:

Eric Smith- I think personality wise he is fitting in fine and getting along with everybody. I don’t think he looks or feels like the “new guy” just in terms of dealing with a guy on a man to man basis. In terms of team concept itself and on the floor. I think he is doing alright but I still think there is definitely work left to be done. It’s learning and it’s a new system, a new team a new plays and everything else. Where he needs to be on the floor. He hasn’t played with a guy like Chris Bosh in his career either. A guy with some similar styles to his game. I think that is going to take some time. I think it is going take time for Bosh as well to get in sync. I would say it is good but not great. There is definitely work to be done with that.

As for the first part of your question about defense. I would agree. If it is the same as K.G or if it is his own way. He does have to be the leader on defense. He does have to help Sam Mitchell, the coaches or whoever to get through to the rest of the team that it is going to be done on the defensive end of the floor. I think the Raptors have gotten better over years under Sam Mitchell as a defensive squad. But there is clearly room to improve. I think Jermaine has been if not Toronto’s arguably best defender if not second or third in the pre-season. He is putting his body on the line, he is taking charges and blocking shots. He is picking up guys on screens and jumping out and showing on the perimeter . I think he is doing a pretty good job overall defensively. If you best player or one of your best players and definitely your highest paid player is setting that kind of tone, that kind of example. You would hope even if just by proxy that the rest fall in line.

Eric will be heading off to Philadelphia next week along with the Raptors. The entire off-season has been about the Sixers and the Raptors and this issue of who is better. I asked Eric for his views on the topic of Sixers versus Raptors and the added nugget of these 2 teams that have been compared to each other facing off on opening night. Eric gives his impression on all of that:

Eric Smith- I think it is a good test right off the bat against each other. I think it allows Elton Brand and Jermaine O’Neal who i would argue were two of the biggest off-season acquisitions showcased  against each other. I wrote this in my blog ( The Rap ) I think a couple weeks ago. I wish no ill will on Elton Brand at all. I think he is one of the great forwards in the game. It was unfortunate what happened to him and I hope he comes back to an all-star level again. I truly mean that. But I don’t understand how that a guy coming off a major surgery and a major injury like Elton Brand is being given so much love around the NBA. Where Jermaine O’Neal coming of an injury and surgery is getting just killed by people. I don’t get it. I know they are different injuries I know they are different players but similar age for the most part, Jermaine is not even 30 years old. A guy that is a six time all star versus a guy like Elton Brand who is an all-star in his own right and premier forward. I think at the very least they should be getting the same kind of pub. But I just don’t understand why Elton Brand is getting so much love by so many people. I hope he lives up to it. I hope it works out for Philly. They are a hell of a team with a lot of young talent and a lot of athleticism. I think they are going to have a solid season. They crept up last season and surprised a bunch of people with their made run at the end of the season. I see no reason why all 3 of those teams from the Atlantic (Philly, Toronto and Boston) shouldn’t be back in the playoffs again. But also, don’t count out New York either, with the right guy pushing the buttons in Mike D’antoni. I might be crazy. But that is another team that could be knocking on the door for one of those final playoff spots in the east. So the Atlantic has quickly become one of ther better divisions in basketball as opposed to being the Titantic just a few years ago.

The comment on the Knicks may not be so crazy as I doubted that D’antoni could bring his style to New York and be successful. I admit I was amazed to see how well the Knicks looked in their first pre-season game versus Toronto. They have no doubt built on that from that point. Making the playoffs or being close would be a big step and bring a smile to Spike Lee’s face no doubt.

I asked Eric as we are almost ready to go for another season of Raptors Basketball what he is looking forward to for this upcoming season. Be it for the Raptors, NBA or just from a personal standpoint:

Eric Smith-I am just looking forward to the season period. I am surprised, shocked that is was 5 months ago that the playoffs ended. It really feels like 6 or 8 weeks ago that game 5 was going down the summer flew by. As much as I enjoy baseball and the first 6 weeks of the NFL and the fact that my bills are doing a solid job. It’s Basketball man  to get back in the booth so to speak calling the games, being courtside, doing the shows.  Even back at home on the couch watching the other games with the other teams. it’s a passion for me and it is something that I truly enjoy. I am looking forward to everything that comes with the season. The storylines, and the travel and the interaction with the guys on the road. Chatting with the players of the course of the year, interacting with the fans. Everything, I enjoy it. I have told you before and I have told everybody, this isn’t work. This is kind of like living a dream and it is a great thing to do. I look forward to it unlike like a lot of people in the off-season and  having my summers off and not doing a ton of work . A bit but not a lot. I am excited to get back to work and were less than a week away.

I think that sums up for me why I have always enjoyed Eric and his work on the Raptors. He gets it and he knows what a cool job he has. I have always enjoyed his passion for what he does and have always while having my own goals wanted nothing but the best for Eric and his career. I know by the things he has done for me and my blog he shares that same feeling for me.  I can say a lot of the same things for myself in doing this blog. I am hopefully I can get to do some of the thing Eric does in the sense of talking with players and getting more info to put into my work. Anyone that can make a living in the world of sports in what ever form that is be it as a coach, a player or in the media should feel blessed. We get to talk about games and it is our job to do that. The Dino Nation Blog is starting to look more like my job in some ways. But it is or will be the best job I have ever had. The reasons are because I get to talk with people like Eric and share that with all of you. I get to met a lot of fantastic people and that includes the people reading this. We are almost a year into the Dino Nation Blog and It has already provide so many experiences for me that I will remember for the rest of my life.

I have also got to know some other folks that do what I am doing in the blog community. I was asked to take part in a for lack of a better term Blog Summit on the Raptors. Taking a look at the season ahead for the Raptors. I was more than happy to accept the invitation to be a part of that with some of the great folks that cover the Raptors. The host for this event is the Raptor HQ and here is Part 1 of that blogger season preview:

Raptors HQ with Guest Appearance From Dino Blogger

I am not one for getting into self promotion to much. But for the blog and getting it known to more folks I am willing to do what I can. So the Dino Nation Blog is up for being the “Best” Raptor blog on another site so if you want to support it and me take this link and show the blog some love if you feel the desire too:

Best Blogs In NBA Contest

It is a busy time for the Dino Nation Blog and more than you know but you will soon learn there has been a lot of stuff going on behind the scenes. Well there always is but more than usual lately. I am excited about all of it and I hope you all will be to. Some new stuff is coming that will hopefully help the Dino Nation Blog grow and it is a really exciting time. Thanks To Eric for his time today. I wish him all the best and look forward to talking to him on the first HOOPS show of the season on November 6th on Fan 590.

Raptors Pre-Season Offers Few Answers

The Toronto Raptors entered the Pre-Season with a lot of questions. Well the Pre-Season is now done and we have perhaps even more questions and few answers. In today’s blog we will take a look back at the pre-season and what we wanted to learn but really have not got the answers too. Things like who will be the back the back up point guard?  How bout the starting small forward how did that battle turn out?  The Raptors bench did they let us learn anything about them? Is Andrea Bargnani ready to impress in year number three? How bout J.O how would he look in that red and white number 6 jersey.  That is a lot of questions and there are probably a few more as we go along. So we better get going.

Is it Moon? Kapono? or Joey G?

Well based on who started in the pre-season it seems you can count Jason Kapono out of this mix off the top. Although I am not totally sure if you can even do that. Kapono had a good but not great pre-season.  The main negative against Jason Kapono and him playing as the starting small forward is his lack of defense. But the addition of J.O was suppose to help the defense and Kapono but did that happen? We will talk defense later.

The front runner heading into camp was said to have been Jamario Moon. This came as a bit of a surprise as it had been said by Doug Smith that Moon was not in the good books for his late arrival to Canada. He made it back just before the official training camp was set to begin. But many of the Raptors had been hear long before that. Smith in his blog made a suggestion that Moon late return had put him in the bad books with some in the Raptors Organization. But those things did not seem to have merit as it was Moon that started the first 4 games of the pre-season. Though Joey Graham was also injured during that time with a hamstring injury.  Regardless Moon had the job he had most of last year at the start of camp.  Moon through in the pre-season had not exactly impressed anyone though. We had been hopeful to see a slightly bigger and more driving Jamario Moon. But what we got was a Moon that was not even on the same level as the guy that caught the imagination of the fan base last year. I think anything above disappointing would be misleading people in talking about Jamario and his pre-season.

So Joey Graham is now in the hunt? I was there to see the big pre-season debut of Graham vs the T-Wolves at the ACC. He would get the start on that night and the next two games after. But last night it was Moon who was back in the starting line-up last night. We saw some “Good” Joey. A couple nice poster dunks vs. Lakers and last night versus the Nuggets. We saw some “Bad” Joey. He just struggles to be a consistent scorer and he has taken steps on defense but still is not the lock down defender we were promised on his draft night. If Joey Graham is the starter vs. the Sixers on October 29th it would be as much about Moon struggling as it would be about Joey earning the spot. But I give credit to the Joey Graham fan club, they never lose faith in their guy. I admire that even though I really do not understand it. The one thing I think we all can agree on is that this is the last chance for Joey to finally get it right. As of right now Joey Graham is not in the Raptors long term plan beyond this season. It will be Joey’s job to change that regardless of it he starts or not.

So we had hoped to see someone step up and take the starting job at the 3. Instead we got a lot more of the same. It is one of the most disappointing aspects of this pre-season to me. Jamario Moon needs to do better and remember all the things that got him to this point. He did not get to the Raptors because of his great skill as a shooter. To quote ex-football player turned announcer Dieon Sanders, ” Do what you do”. Actually that is not right. Do more than what you did. Sarah Palin says ” Drill Baby Drill”. I say “Drive Jamario Drive”. Basically Sam Mitchell is still looking for someone to step up and say they want this job. If no one does maybe we see that idea that Bryan Colangelo floated about Andrea Bargnani at the three might be something we see. I don’t think that is the answer the Raptors want or need but at this point who can really say has earned the spot at this point. The answer is nobody and that is not what the Raptors had hoped for at this point.

Roko or Will

O.K we did learn at least one thing from the back-up point guard battle. Will likes to shoot and Roko likes to pass. Both have some issues with the others strengths. But if anyone thought the Raptors would be able to just not give a second thought to dealing T.J Ford away. Sorry to break the news to you but the Raptors are going to have some serious issues at this position. Look at is this way in a sense the guy that takes this job is basically replacing Jose Calderon. Both are a far cry from him or T.J Ford.  That being said most fans understood this was going to be a step back. Will Solomon is banged up at the moment but he is drawing comparisons to Ex-Raptor Mike James. People are not meaning it as praise to him. They are making reference to James and his shoot first attitude. Let’s give the guy a break, He was counted on to score in Europe and it will take time to adjust to a new role here with Raptors.

Roko Ukic is a lot of what people should have expected. There is a lot of comparisons of year one Jose to year one Roko. I will say that I think Roko may be a touch better than that. I think we all forget that Jose Calderon was no where near the player he is now when he was in his first season. I like what I have seen from Roko. He has the base for what could be a solid back-up point guard eventually. But he has a lot to learn and is not ready to be effective in any long periods of time.

Unfortunately I walked away from the pre-season having some concerns about this position as well at least in the short term. I think by say January I will feel more settled about things. But how the Raptors get to that point in time where Roko is ready to be a legit back-up is a real concern. Jose Calderon will need to play huge amounts of minutes and remain healthy and that is a concern. Calderon goes down and this whole Raptor team is in serious and likely fatal trouble.

J.O…Come On…Yes!!!…Oh No

That title sums up the Jermaine O’Neal pre-season. So let’s get started and that was what Raptor fans were saying to J.O early on. It was not exactly the J.O people wanted to see of the start. He was slow and some people were concerned about his overall shape and health. But it was about to get better when the Raptors took off for L.A.

J.O must love L.A because he started to hit his stride vs the Clippers. The new Raptor Dynamic Duo never looked better in the pre-season than they did in L.A. We got to see what this combination can do together and the signs were very encouraging. But there still is a long way to go and we need to see more of that defense we saw from J.O in the game versus the Clippers. As for that overall impact on the defense one was hoping for by the addition of J.O. That has not been the case to this point. J.O will need to take this team by the neck just like Kevin Garnett did with the Celtics last year and convince them to work harder on defense.

That health question seemed to have an answer up until the second half of last night’s game versus Nuggets. J.O would not return for the second half and what was reported to be a sore right knee or was it a hip as Sam Mitchell suggested in his post game comments. Let’s go with the hockey injury speak of lower body injury to the right side. So lower right body injury?  Not exactly what fans wanted to hear after the last pre-season game. J.O and his health have always been a major question mark from the day this trade was learned about. So I guess the question of health is going to linger on for the rest of the season like it or not.

(For those wondering the knee that had all the issues for J.O is the left one not the right.)

Defense??? Thought It Was Suppose To Be Better?

I think coming off an Olympics that we saw much better defense from Chris Bosh than we have ever seen from him, along with adding a shot blocking threat in J.O it was looking good. But the results on the court have not made the Raptors the defensive force some might have thought they could become. At times they have looked awful on the defensive end. It takes time to develop trust which is a big factor in playing good defense but still I expected more. There have been flashes of good defense but when the reserves have been on the floor the defense has been truly brutal. Much more work needs to be done. Thankfully there is a whole week to get it looking better by the time the Raptors head to Philadelphia.

Andrea- Bigger, Faster, Stronger?

It was all the talk heading into training camp. Andrea was in fact bigger and he in turn had to be stronger. But could he rebound and had he learned where the paint was? I think we do have an answer for this one. At least a start of an answer. Andrea has shown signs of more aggression and a very at this point basic post game. I have to say I am optimistic based on what I have seen from Andrea. I think we will see the outside stuff added back to his game now that we are playing for real. The combination of the two should be good for Andrea as long as he does not revert back to old habits.

It is going to be a process for Andrea as he learns to use these new tools as part of his overall game. I think we are starting to see a much more confident Andrea and even when he struggles he continues to put in the effort. At times last season when he was having trouble he would seem to grow disinterested and frustrated. So I think Andrea is on the right path as he was second in scoring for the Raptors through the pre-season.

CB4 FOR M V P ???

I am pretty sure pre-season results like playoffs results don’t count towards M.V.P. Just ask Dirk about the playoff results thing. But seriously, Chris Bosh said he wants to be in the running for M.V.P. I am not going to get into how realistic that is because that to me is not the point. The point is that he thinks he is in the running to be a contender. This is no doubt that his Olympic experience is a huge factor in this.

Remember when Bosh was working for Jay Leno. He wanted to borrow the M.V.P Trophy from Kobe for a day. But now he wants it all to himself for an entire year. He considers himself one of the top players in the NBA and he is coming to understand just how good he really is. He did nothing but add evidence to the fact of how good he is in the pre-season.

The challenge for Bosh to make his goal come through is to get the team around him to rise to a level that is much better than what we have seen to this point. It is going to be a very hard challenge for him to do this. I am not sure if he can but I am sure that he will do all that he can to make it happen. Chris Bosh has come so far since coming here from Georgia Tech a skinny kid that a lot of folks really didn’t know a lot about here in Toronto. Now everyone in Toronto and Canada know Chris Bosh. Thanks to YouTube even people that are not basketball fans probably know who he is. Bosh is the best thing about the Toronto Raptors and you can bring in a guy like J.O and even he realizes that this is Chris Bosh’s team and he accepts it. But it still has to be good to know for Bosh that if he is healthy J.O will allow him to have a much easier time at getting to his goal of being M.V.P. I think we all wish him well in the attempt.

The Bench

This will not be very long. The fact is they need to do much better. It was made painfully clear in the game versus the Lakers that this group needs to do a lot more if the Raptors are going to win more games and be successful. Much like in Boston last year this bench is a very huge question mark. They need to step up and answer the question in a positive way.

Not to make excuses but they did have a lot of injuries to contend with. No one expected Nathan Jawai to be sidelined with a heart issue that still is to be determined. Others had a lot of bumps and bruises. But still this is not enough to justify the brutal efforts we saw from this group as a unit on the floor.

So What Have We Learned?

I think we have learned that all the questions we had about this team heading into the pre-season have merit and are indeed valid. Unfortunately we are not closer to the answers for a lot of them. I think at this point there is a lot to be concerned about and a lot more than you would like at this point. There were flashes of good things and some truly awful things. The Raptors were 41-41 last year and they were 4-4 this pre-season.  So status remains the same at this point. But the hopes are much higher than being just a .500 team this season. The Eastern Conference is a better place as well and no one can guarantee .500 is even good enough to make the playoffs this season. So the Raptors have a week to learn from what went wrong in this pre-season and build on what they did get right.

That is a RAP…Let’s get started already!!!

Raptors vs Nuggets – From Edmonton

So a sold out crowd in Edmonton was excited to see the Toronto Raptors. That is great to see and I wrote about it earlier today the Raptors want and need to build a national indentity. Also it was reported in an Australian newspaper in Cairns that according to Arron Fearne a coach and mentor of Nathan Jawai. I have interviewed Aaron in the past and he confirmed that Nathan Jawai is going to under go more tests and will be out at least 3 more weeks. Unfortunate news for the big Aussie and I hope we get to see him get his chance at his dream here with the Raptors. People will jump to conclusions about this but let’s just wait and see what the verdict is on Nathan before we look to talk about his future. We obviously offer him the best here at the Dino Nation Blog. Will Solomon injured his hamstring in a lose to L.A so we will get to see a lot of Roko tonight in the City of Champions Edmonton Alberta. It is time tip it up western style so let’s go.

Jamario Moon is back in the starting line-up after 3 straight starts for Joey Graham. The rest of the starters are the same as they have been the entire pre-season. Raptors get the opening tip and a Bosh jumper did not fall. A Jermaine O’Neal block on the other end lead to another chance for Bosh which he would nail this time. The Nuggets would respond to take control early though leading 7-4. The Raptors were off to a slow start shooting just 2-8 from the field. The Raptors would get a couple baskets back to back from Bosh and O’Neal and it was 8-7.

Raptors looked a little rusty after being on the road for a bit. a couple silly turnovers and Carmelo Anthony took advantage giving his Nuggets a 13-10 lead. Jose Calderon would lead the charge back and he had a chance for a basket and one but he would miss it from the line but had put Raptors back in the lead 14-13. Roko Ukic was in for Calderon and he had a big chance on this night to learn and impress. By the was Allen Iverson must have heard Sam Mitchell talking about these games being an extension of practise because he was not in Edmonton. But the really reason is A.I had an ankle issue and has missed the last couple games for the Nuggets. But if A.I was watching he was happy to learn his Nuggets had a 17- 14 lead. Andrea Bargnani had check in and made his first attempt of the night. But the Nuggets were looking strong early as a Smush Parker jam had them leading 21-16. Turnovers were the big story on the Raptor side in this opening quarter. 8 turnovers in total and that is why the Nuggets lead 24-17 after one.

O.K we had some technical issues here at Dino Nation Blog head quarters. The Raptors started the second in a positive way as Hassan Adams had a basket and one. He was coming off a 14 point effort versus the Lakers, by far his best of the pre-season. But from there while the computer was rebooting, J.R Smith was putting the boots to the Toronto Raptors. He was looking more like Allen Iverson than J.R Smith. He was the biggest reason that Nuggets had a 48-38 lead. We also saw Andrea Bargnani stuggling to find his way on this night through out this second quarter. Chris Bosh was doing his part with 13 points but the Raptors still were behind 52-44.  The team also had 13 turnovers which was not helping. Nuggets were scoring far to easily and it was a real concern to watch the way the Nuggets were being allowed to own the paint. A Nene dunk at the buzzer summed up what was a forgetable half of basketball for the Raptors as the score was 58-47.

The Raptors for lack of a better term continued to look disfunctional early. This is not a good term to be using when it is your last pre-season game. Kris Humphries would start the second half as J.O after two good performances in L.A was looking to get some rest prior to the start of the year? Hump had 4 points for the Raptors in the early going of the half. But it was the Nuggets still with a comforterable 67-55 lead. A Jose Calderon three point shot gives some hope that the Raptors may find some life as the lead was cut to single digits. Joey Graham has another highlight put back dunk for his fan club you know who you are.

But Carmelo Anthony would pour some water on this little Raptor fire with a basket and one. Word that J.O was out for the rest of this one with what was being called a sore right knee. Um…that is not good. I will be honest if I wasn’t blogging I may be putting in NBA 2k9 at this point. But no worries I am hanging in there for you fine folks of the Dino Nation. Raptors were down 10 with the score 74-64. Joey Graham missed an east 2 to 3 foot shoot and it lead to a turnover and I have stopped counting how many of those in this game. Jose hits another 3 pointer as if to say hey you it isn’t over. But another turnover and J.R Smith who had been quiet after his 15 point first half was back on the floor and scoring. Jose Calderon was doing his best to keep me interested in this basketball game.  The lead was down to 8 with the score 77-69. Nuggets would look to get out of the quarter up 10 as Carmelo Anthony had a chance to make 2 at the line. He would split a pair and it was Bosh now at the line with a chance to cut the Nugget lead to 7 points after 3. He would miss both and the Nuggets lead 80-71.

Raptors showed some signs of life with a couple of three pointers back to back from Kapono and Bargnani.  The Raptors would cut the lead down to just 5. But Jason Kapono would need to get attention as he was bleeding from the nose. A new clean white jersey and some work from the Raptors corner man and he was ready to go for a few more rounds. But he should have had the corner throw in the towel and the Nuggets had now built the advantage back up to 13 points and the focus for the Raptors would be the Sixers and the knee of Jermaine O’Neal for the next 8 days. Meanwile J.R Smith had 21 points and making a case to be my newest fantasy sleeper. Andrea Bargnani had 7 rebounds that is something good on a night with not much good to talk about he had 15 points as well. A bunch of turnover though too. Bargnani added to his total to 17 and the score was 94-85.

The Raptors were not exactly giving Edmonton fans an A effort performance. This was more like a D- through 43 minutes. Roko Ukic showed a flash of brillance with a score and a steal and another score. Good stuff from Roko. Andrea Bargnani had an open look with chance to cut the lead to 4 but he would miss and the Nuggets would quickly go the other way and score. So from almost down 4 to down 9 in the blink of an eye. 99-90 with three and a half to play. The Birdman is back in the NBA that is fantastic news as long as he agrees to NEVER enter the slam dunk contest again. He gave an education to Roko Ukic swating his effort driving to the basket. Andrea Bargnani finished his night with 19 points. The Raptors were heading to a 4-4 pre-season and still many questions to answer as they lose to Denver 105-94.

The crowd in Edmonton gave the Raptors a standing ovation and it was really not deserving for the effort on this night.  But the fans deserve lots of cheers for staying to the end of this one. I got to tell you folks I am not exactly leaving the pre-season feeling that confident about what I have seen.  But they have just over a week to make it look better for when it matters.

Raptors/Nuggets Boxscore

Sam Mitchell said it was J.O having a hip issue not a knee that is better news. If Sam is telling us the truth which I would say he is given we have 8 days to start of the year. Sam did not seem concerned at all so I guess we can not be concerned to much about J.O.

I Have Seen The Future And It Is Good

Because there was no T.V and no Audio of last night’s game it is almost like a rumour of what happened last night in L.A. But I said in my re-cap based on the numbers I was seeing, this was what Bryan Colangelo was thinking when he made the trade for Jermaine O’Neal. I have been waiting all season for some sign through this pre-season. I think 46 points, 20 rebounds, 5 blocks and 2 steals was as good as any. That was the combined numbers of Chris Bosh and Jermaine O’Neal last night. Both played over 30 minutes and looked every bit the dynamic duo that Sam Mitchell though he was getting this summer. Sam talked about Jermaine and Chris being a combo that could be like Tim Ducan and David Robinson. Last night was the the first signs that Bosh and O’Neal could match-up to that lofty comparison.

Many had been concerned with O’Neal getting off to a slow start so far in the pre-season. But I had said that we needed to be concerned but not lose sight of the fact that October 29th was when it really mattered. Same can apply for this great performance, but it was a great sign of how things can be when both Bosh and O’Neal bring their “A” games. It was the type of encouraging sign that Raptor fans have wanted to see. Well we didn’t exactly get to see it but the stats speak volumes as to what we would have seen.

Not All Is Good….Right Joey?

If you were hoping that Joey Graham was making a big late run at getting into the starting line-up. Your and Joey’s dream took a massive step backwards. I don’t take joy in pointing this fact out on a fairly regular basis. But it is important to look at the history of things. This is not like we have all not seen this movie before. Joey will do some good things and all of this hope will build up and he than falls back to earth as fast as he climbed. I refuse to get sucked in now when it comes to Joey. If you are truly a fan of Joey Graham I truly feel sorry for you. It can be frustrating when you watch a player that you like does not do well. T.J Ford had his bumps in the road last year and I am a big fan of his. I know what it feels like to be frustrated and concerned for the player you like. If you have stuck with Joey this long I doubt you are going to abandon ship at this point. The truth is though that you like me could be cheering for him on another team just like T.J Ford. I do not see the Raptors offering him another contract if this whole “Good” Joey and “Bad” Joey continues. It will be time to move on for Joey Graham.

Be Like Hump!!!

If Joey is in need of a role model I would say look at Kris Humphries. Hump may flew under the radar last night based on the performances of Bosh and O’Neal but he is getting it done. I call him a bull in a china show and he may break the odd dish but he gives you 100% every time he hits the floor. If everyone had the effort that he did the Raptors would be in very good shape. I really often wonder why things did not work out for Kris with the Utah Jazz. They had to really not wanted him to make a trade for a guy like Hoffa. The point is I am glad Hump is now our guy and I am happy to have him on my team. The former Golden Gopher is a guy who played a large role in college and has had to adjust to the fact of in the NBA he is now a role player. He sometimes forgets that fact but based on his overall effort I am willing to forgive the odd misguided jump shot or drive.

Roko Gets Some Time In The Clutch

Also lost in suffle of a great night for Bosh and O’Neal was the fact that Roko Ukic was in the game down the stretch and several times he got himself to the foul line in key moments down the stretch. It was a good step for Roko Ukic and it will allow Sam Mitchell to see what Roko can do in key points of a game. Roko and Will Solomon have much different skill sets and give Sam Mitchell to have clear choices of what he feels his team needs out of his back-up point guard position. This was a step in what will be a long process in Roko Ukic getting comfortable in playing in the NBA. It should be noted that Roko Ukic has always dreamed of playing in the NBA and he has been focused on that dream for a long time. He is now living that dream and he is trying to make the most of it.

I am enjoying being able to provide polls to seek your opinions on things so I think we will use this topic as a question for today:

So that is it for today. I am encouraged by things from last night and am more optimistic about the up coming season.

Lakers and Raptors Tonight….Andrea Bargnani was out with a bruised leg last night that he suffered vs. T-Wolves but it is minor and he is expected to play tonight. Raptors Rewind will be done for this game as in all games. Hopefully we can get some audio at least for this game. Late Start in L.A of 10:30 EDT. If there is going to be sound here is link to NBA.Com for it.

Raptors vs Lakers

Raps And Clips From L.A

Well I could not get an audio feed and no t.v on this one so I am following the game on the good old courtside live and yahoo. It is to bad because this seems like it would be a good one to be watching. Jermaine O’Neal had 10 points to lead the Raptors in the first quarter and the score was tied 27-27 after 1 quarter of play.

The teams continued to have a close battle as the Raptors lead 43-41 with 5:22 left in the half. Jermaine O’Neal lead all scorers with 14 points. Joey Graham after a decent performance against the T-Wolves got his second straight start in this one as well for those who were wondering. To this point Joey has 0 points in 8:33 of floor time I guess this is a “BAD” Joey night. But it was a great night for J.O along with those 14 points he had 3 blocks and we are still in the first half. Chris Bosh was having a nice half in L.A as well he had 12 points and was a perfect 6-6 from the free throw line. Bosh would even up with J.O with 14 of his own for a combined 28 but the Clippers were hanging in the game as we are tied at 50 with less than 2 minutes to play. Bosh would end the scoring in the half with a dunk and that made it 16 for him and 30 for him and J.O. They both were perfect from the line(10-10 combined) and 9 rebounds ( Bosh 4, O’Neal 5). But despite all of the The Raptors lead was only 1 point at 53-52.

Both teams got off to a slow start and it would be Jermaine O’Neal hitting 2 more from the line that would open the scoring in the 3rd quarter of play. In fact J.O would score the first 4 points of the half making a layup after that. In this game of anything you can do I can do better, Chris Bosh made a 3 pointer and the Raptors had a 7-0 run to start the half all thanks to J.O and CB4. The two had combined for 37 point 12 rebounds and 4 blocks all by O’Neal. This is what Bryan Colangelo had in mind when he made the trade for Jermaine in the summer. Chris Kaman would finally get the Clippers on the board with 7:26 left to go in the quarter. That would spark a 6-0 run for the Clippers making the score 60-58. With less than 5 minute to play the two teams had combined for just 17 points( Raptors 9 Clippers 8). A totally useless fact that I didn’t know. Jelani McCoy the former Raptor and Laker was on the Clippers roster and in the game. Sadly for any McCoy fans his impact was not being felt as the Raptors had a 66-60 lead in the third and more importantly(Than J.McCoy) Bosh had 21 for the Raptors.

2:45 left to go in the third quarter and Jamario Moon enters for Joey Graham who had just 3 points all from the line and 5 rebounds in 21 minutes. Chalk up 2 more from the line for CB4 8-8 on the night and he has 23 with 8 rebounds. J.O would look to hold up his end on an Ukic pass he would hit a jumper to get his total to 20 that is 43 combined for all you math majors out there. A Mobley 3 pointer followed by a 1-2 effort at the line would cut the Raptor lead to 4 points and that would leave the score after 3 at 72-68.

How were the Clippers still in this game given the performance of Bosh and O’Neal? Balanced scoring as the Clippers had 6 players in double digits after 3 quarters of play.  Jamario Moon starts the 4th quarter with a bang with a slam dunk. Roko Ukic woulld hit the scoreboard with a lay-up and the Raptors started a run in the begining of the 4th quarter. Jason Kapono would push the run to 7-0 with a 3 pointer until the Clippers would finally respond with a 2 point shot of their own. But Roko would get another basket and the Raptors on a 9-2 run had an 81-70 lead.

Seems Like J.O will be done for the night. His line is 20 points 8 rebounds and 5 blocks in a shade under 30 minutes on the floor. Kris Humphries in shadows of the great performances of Bosh and O’Neal was having a good night for the Hump Man with 12 points the only other Raptor in double figures. Raptors still had a 85-74 lead with just over 5 minutes to play. Looks like I was wrong about J.O as he checks back in with 5:08 to go. He was on the floor with Bosh, Moon, Kapono and Ukic to play out this one? The lead was 88-78 with just under 3 minute to play and Bosh now had 26 points and 10 rebounds a massive double double. I am not sure if Bryan Colangelo is in L.A or not but where ever he is I can bet he has a huge smile. The Raptors had stepped up the defense in the second half and were on the way to the most impressive win of the pre-season it would seem. The Clipper would make a late push with both O’Neal and Bosh on the bench after both seeing over 30 minutes of action( O’Neal 33:00 and Bosh 35:58). The Raptor reserves would hang on to the big lead they had built for them and walk away with a 93-89 win.

The big story of this game is Bosh and J.O. Here are the combined numbers for the Raptors Dynamic Duo:

46 points(Bosh 26 J.O 20) 20 Rebounds ( Bosh 11 J.O 9) 5 Blocks ( J.O all 5) and 2 steals (Both had 1)

This is what the Raptors want to see when the season gets going for real in just 11 days. To see the entire boxscore here is the link below:

Raps vs Clips Boxscore

Not sure who the Raptors face next as this is set up like a tournament a bit. But whoever it is I suggest they be afraid!!!

Update Sunday AM:

Andrea Bargnani was not in the line-up based on a bruised to his leg suffered against the T-Wolves and it is minor and he is expected to be in the line-up vs the Lakers tonight.

Details On Bargnani

Raptors Pre-Season Half Done.

So we are half way through a pre-season.  Time to sit back and figure out what we have learned about this Raptor team. Some of those things are still very much up in the air. Joey Graham and Nathan Jawai have basically been MIA. Graham with his hamstring is far less of a concern and I think everyone has already firm thoughts on Joey as a player. For Jawai he is faced with a heart issue and what exactly it means for him is very unclear. The NBA is now part of all of this as Eric Smith in the Rap reported that is these issues of heart concerns the NBA also gets involved and they too will want to see test results. Nathan himself remains frustrated and says he feels fine and is desperate to get back out on the floor. The thing is that each day he sits on the sideline, if he ends up with a clean bill of health at the end of this, Nathan is falling behind in his development. The chances for him to learn are now and once a season starts he is not going to be able to get in games and learn until he proves it through practise.

Back-Up PG

Will Solomon has shown he has some defensive skill and can make a shot. Many feel he has done enough to claim the back-up roll heading into the season. I would agree he has done enough and this should happen. However in the brief chances we have seen Roko Ukic he has not looked out of place. He is much more of a pass first guy. The talk is that he is really like a sponge trying to learn as fast as he can how to play in this NBA style game. I am hopeful Roko can be a quick study and be a contributor sooner than later.

Parker and Kapono

Perhaps these two have been a nice surprise. Both are guys that with the addition of Jermaine many have felt it would benefit them. So maybe this should not be a surprise.  But Parker and Kapono have hit the ground running or should I say shooting.  Parker and Kapono are not only taking shots from beyond the arc but in open spaces all over the floor some created by them on the drive and others just finding that open spot on the on floor. A more aggressive defensive effort has been shown by Parker and a better one from Jason Kapono. That is in large part based on what the have behind them. More shot blocking in J.O and it is not just him Bosh, Moon, and Bargnani have all been able to show some ability at that skill.

Andrea Is Showing Signs

Andrea Bargnani has found the paint. He has shown a new attitude and has been more aggressive in general. Trying to make an effort on the glass, blocking shots and showing a lot more moves in the post and driving to the net. We have not seen as much of Andrea just standing on the outside waiting for a chance to fire away from long range. These are all good signs that Andrea and all the talk of his improvement was not just talk. There is real evidence that changes have been made. The overall success of that is still to be decided but the early returns are good for Andrea. Sam Mitchell who is not one to hand out praise easily had good things to say about Andrea last night in his post game comments. This was on a night when Sam was not exactly in a happy mood overall. That is progress for Andrea in the eyes of the person that matters most.

The 3 Main Guys

Chris Bosh has just continued from where he left off in Beijing. He has been looking to take his own play and this team to another level. The idea of being a league M.V.P has been put on the table by him and that is some kind of challenge to lay out for yourself.

Jose Calderon had a slow start and one could say that was him coming of a bad experience in Beijing and having it carry over. Yes he won a Silver Medal but an injury and struggles to get consistent minutes over Spanish young superstar Ricky Rubio. It was Rubio’s coach that was the head man for Spain and it lead to a rough experience for Jose with Spain. But the injury behind him and the rust has come off. Jose looked the best he has in the pre-season so far. Despite all the love and praise from Raptor fans it will be a bit of a minor adjustment for him stepping into the role as starting point guard. He also is going to be counted on to be more of a leader this year and act as a mentor for Roko Ukic. But I have faith Jose will be able to get it done this year even if his numbers may not match those of last year.

Jermaine O’Neal has had a slow start to life as a Raptor. If you are expecting J.O to be a guy that gets 20 points and 10 rebounds you will not be happy with him this year. But the point is that J.O if he can provide the help on defensive end and he can help others improve their own numbers. J.O’s impact can not and will not be based on just his individual numbers. His impact on the team as a whole is what is going to matter the most. That being said I think everyone wants to see more from J.O. But let’s remember that these are not the games we need to see J.O step up. Those start on October 29th.

The Hump and Moon Show

Kris Humphries I think is always going to be what he is. He hustles he gives you all that he has and at times he gives you to much. Hump sometimes forgets that he is not a main weapon in this offense. But I love his hustle and hair or no hair he will always be a guy I pull for. As for Jamario Moon, I am a little disappointed. I want to see more drives to the basket.  It is clear he worked on his 3 point shot over the summer but this team has people that are always going to be better than him at that skill. Drive Jamario Drive!!! But he is getting on the glass and doing some good things. But I expect and want more from Jamario Moon.

So that is where we are at. Hassan Adams has been going through some injuries and I really have not seen enough to have an opinion of him to this point. But in general even though last night was a bit disappointing to me, I think the Raptors are on the right path so far. One last game in Toronto and I am going to be in the house and am looking forward to it. So there may not be a blog tomorrow we will see. But I will try to get a small one done before I dash off for Toronto.  So that is what I think but what do you think so far. Leave some comments on how you feel about the Raptors so far.

International Edition Of Raptors Rewind

Russia vs Canada. That just screams hockey to most everyone in this country. But on this night it will be basketball center stage. Raptors come of a very typical pre-season NBA contest. This will not be that typical type of game. CSKA Moscow comes in here looking to win and not just looking to get ready for a season. The Raptors will be pushed in a much different way in taking on this Euro-League Champion.

Raptors again go with the exact same starting line-up that they have had the entire pre-season. Anthony Parker gets us started with a nice little runner. But the Raptors would struggle after that as the Russians would  go on a 7-0 run. Jose Calderon would get a steal and a lay-up but the Raptors continued to play sloppy basketball. CSKA Moscow had an early 13-4 lead as they were coming off a beating at the hands of the Orlando Magic and looking for a better showing on this night. Jose Calderon would hook-up Jermaine O’Neal for a jam and the Raptors were trying to get back on track. Bosh would have a monster jam of his own and the Raptors had a 7-0 run going for them down now just 2.

Bosh with a little hook shot as he had back to back buckets for the Raptors but the lead was still 2 for the Moscow squad. The Russians would build their advantage back up to 6 points to 19-13. Bargnani and Kapono had checked into the game for the Raptors. The Russians continued to show some skill with some great ball movement leading to an easy basket. Jose Calderon would respond on the other end with a basket and the lead stands at 5 points for the Moscow. Will Solomon checked in for Jose and made the pass to Kapono who was money hitting his two point jumper. Kris Humpries also checks in now as Bosh is the last of the starters to exit. Hassan Adams was also in for Anthony Parker. Andrea Bargnani was hustling on the offensive glass he got the rebound on a Humphries miss.  He would be rewarded as he was fouled and headed to the line. After which on the next offensive trip he nailed a jumper. But the Raptors were still playing from behind. A Hassan Adams miss at the buzzer of first quarter would allow CSKA Moscow to exit the first up 25-20.

CSKA was burning up the nets at the ACC shooting 57% in the first quarter of play. They would make their first attempt of the second to send that percentage higher. The Russians hit a three point shot and they had extended the lead to 9 points at 30-21. Up to this point it was very clear who the motivated team was and it was not the Toronto Raptors. That being said Andrea Bargnani was showing some aggressive play with a block on the defensive end and a drive drawing a foul on the offensive end. Bargnani would make both free throws and the Raptors still were down 32-27.

Bargnani was one of the few stand outs for the Raptors to this point. He hit a jumper and had been showing a lot of jump and aggression. Roko Ukic would get into the game he did not play on Sunday against the Sixers. Roko would not waste anytime as he took it straight to the basket and the Raptors had clawed back to down by just 2 points with the score 34-32. Roko Ukic was doing a good job at the point since he checked in. A drive and find of Kris Humphries would end up with 2 converted free throws for Hump. Anthony Parker was back on the floor and he hit another running effort. But the Russians were doing enough to stay in front. The CSKA team was doing a great job of moving the basketball and it lead to another 3-ball. That would be followed by another basket with no Raptor reply and suddenly the lead was back to 9 points late in the second. A Bosh miss and the lead at the half would remain at 9 for the Russians at 47-38.

Well the first half was not that good. A turnover to start the second was not a great sign. The starters are back to start the second half. CSKA scores first and has a double digit lead of 11 early in the third. Jose Calderon hits a 3 pointer and the Raptors had a mini 5-0 to get it back to just 49-42. Calderon was back at it this time with a 2 point jumper. CSKA had missed 5 shots in a row and had a few turnovers. This was a chance for Toronto to get back in control of this game. The question was would they? Raptors were missing on chances to gain ground. Moscow would end a 8-0 Raptor run with a jumper and the lead was 6 for CSKA. Jermaine O’Neal would answer that basket at the other end.  He would get another chance to cut the lead down to just 2 points but would commit a turnover instead.

Bosh would cut that lead to just two when he was given the chance to do so. Jermaine O’Neal would score and draw a foul after CSKA had responded to the Bosh score with one of thier own. O’Neal with the free throw and Raptors were back to just one down. The Raptors only lead of this game was 2-0 to this point. Bosh would match J.O with his own basket and foul attempt coming. If Bosh could make the free throw the Raptors would be even in this game in which they had looked like they were sleep walking at times.  Bosh would make it and we were all tied at 55. Moscow had gone very cold from the field which had allowed the Raptors to get back in this game. Anthony Parker missed on a chance to give the Raptors the lead. Moon would get tagged with a blocking foul and Moscow would head to the line and make only 1 of 2 and Kapono would get fouled and make both and Raptors were in the lead for first time since the opening tip 57-56. Jason Kapono would hit a jumper late in the third and Moscow would look to respond but did not and the Raptors lead 60-58 heading to the 4th.

Moscow shooting percentage had plunged to just 41% from the field. Raptors were shooting 46% meantime. Bosh would open the 4th with a drive and score. Raptors largest lead of the night was extended by Andrea Bargnani scoring off the offensive glass to make it 64-58.  Jose Calderon was shooting well in this game he hit a 3 pointer and Raptors had a 67-60 lead. CSKA Moscow seemed to be running out of gas and the Raptors seemed to be finally getting things going.

The Raptors were picking up their defensive effort and it was starting to look like the Raptors were going to get a win. Bosh would get credit for a basket on an offensive goaltending call. O’Neal scored after that and the Raptor lead was 13. Moscow would finally score on back to back trips and that was answered by a Kapono 3 ball.

Bosh and Calderon were remaining in this game and they were playing a lot of minutes. It would seem the Raptors may have been a little more set on winning than they will be willing to admit. Raptors had a 78-66 lead with 5:28 left to play in this one.  Calderon, Kapono, Parker, O’Neal and Bosh all playing down the stretch if you had any doubt the Raptors were taking this one seriously. Chris Bosh headed to the line and hit a pair to but the Raptors back to a 10 point lead with the score 80-70 with under 4 minutes to play. But CSKA was not going a way as they had an 8-2 run and had cut the lead down to just 6 points and were heading to the line with just under 2 minutes to play. They would make both and it was a 4 point game with under 2 minutes to play. Chris Bosh came down and made a big bucket but Moscow would come right back and match. J.O than took a Calderon feed and cash that one in Raptors had a 6 point lead at 84-78. Moscow would no respond on thier next trip and Raptor had the ball with under a minute to play. Bosh would head to the line with 22 seconds and he could ice this one. He would make them both and Raptors would get a steal and dribble it out winning it 86-78.

So in the end the Raptors got pushed into working harder than they may have expected. It was not a pretty game in a lot of ways but ended up with a win for the Raptors. Make no mistake though this was not a great effort overall. The finish was good but there were some good and bad in this game and the key is trying to get better at this point. For me it was nice to see the play of Calderon and Bargnani in this game. Both had good nights and it was really clear that Andrea Bargnani has a new attitude foe this season.

Boxscore Raptors/Moscow

Dino Blogger Post Game Podcast

Raptors Pre-Season Marchs On

Well the Pre-Season continues on. There was suppose to be another interview for you today. But I have yet to confirm if it is going to happen. So just in case I am going to write a short blog on how things are going so far in the Pre-Season. So if the Interview happens I will get it up as well but I won’t leave you folks waiting for something that may not happen and need to get re-scheduled. So away we go….

Nathan Jawai and His Status.

No one in the media seems to have an idea of what exactly is up with Nathan Jawai. What we do know is that Nathan saw a Cardiac Specialist last friday. We know that tests were done and it was thought that the results of those test would be known on Thursday. So, if that is the case Nathan and the Raptors should know what is up with him. But that is not known as we can not be sure if the results were on time and they may or could require more tests. That is as close to playing a doctor on the internet as I am willing to go. The bottom line is that as far as media and fans are concerned we do not know at this point.

We wish for the best outcome for Nate who through all of this has said he remains to feel fine. That is not to say he may not have issues but at least on surface everything is good for him. So as soon as we find out something I will share it with you folks. If you find out before me let everyone know.

Other Raptors On The Mend

Joey Graham- Day to Day with a hamstring

Hassan Adams- Right Leg  (Minor)

Jamal Samson- Left Wrist

Roko Ukic- Ribs

With a short roster that is a lot of people with bumps and bruises. It is always going to be the great concern for the Raptors for this season. Health and Depth will always be front burner issues for the Toronto Raptors. But the Raptors knew this when they made the trade for Jermaine O’Neal. His large contract was going to make them have to go with a short roster and do one of two things. Hope for the best in terms of health or decide to take their cap number beyond tax threshold. The Raptors and MLSE would like to avoid the second option at all cost. Because the price tag is pretty large.

Down Goes V.C Down Goes V.C

I know you are all truly SHOCKED at the news that Vince Carter was injured in the Nets pre-season. Why wait for the season to go down in a heap. V.C is suffering from some hamstring issues and is I am guessing day to day for the Nets. But as we all know day to day for Vince is more like week to week. Net fans are about to experience the down side of vinsanity and it his a rough and bumpy ride. But I am betting if it ends in a trade they will get more than Rob Babcock did. V.C is not a leader in what I have seen in his career. He much perfers to follow and with no more Jason Kidd and Richard Jefferson everyone looked to Vince to lead this team. What were they thinking?

Roy Hibbert is A Bad MAN!!!

I knew Roy Hibbert was what the Raptors needed. I know it didn’t work out and he ended up with the Pacers. However I saw him as a tough guy who would not get pushed around. A flagrant elbow in his frist game and ejection was not exactly what I was thinking but I like it. Roy is going be a BAD BAD Man for the Pacers. I miss those kind of tough guys in the league. The NEW Charles Oakley could be Roy Hibbert. Go Roy Go.

Fantasy Sleepers

A little Fantasy Draft Advice- Rodney Stucky is a steal for any fantasy team in the late rounds. Feel like taking a really big risk? Try D.J Augstine with the Bobcats. Raymond Felton better watch his back as I think Augstine is going to be good. Not suprising that I am big on a guy who’s mentor has been T.J Ford. But Augstine has also gotten advice from Steve Nash. The fly in the Fantasy Ointment is Larry Brown the new Bobcat coach. He has never been a fan of rookies and at the point guard I am thinking even less likely to be.

Up Next For The Raptors

This is going to be a game where both teams will likely go out of their way to show the other NOTHING. The Sixers roll into the ACC and with the two teams just a few weeks away from their opening night match-up in Philadelphia. So expect to see a lot of simple offensive sets and little in the way of creative play from both coaches. But it will be interesting to see the team that some are saying is better than the Raptors. Will we get to see much of Elton Brand . I am hopeful but I am doubtful that we do.

So that is it for today unless my interview gets done. Will see if it does. I am not going to say who it was with just because I don’t want anyone to think bad of them. People have busy schedules and a lot of work you never see goes into the interviews I do. We are extremely grateful and thankful for all the great people we get to talk to here at the Dino Nation Blog.