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

Sixers vs Raptors-Rivals Again…But Not Today

The Sixers have been the sexy  choice for a lot of folks in the media the pre-season. Elton Brand despite playing less than 10 games last year is not thought to be as big a risk as Jermaine O’Neal. I think Sixer fans should be just and concerned if not more so than Raptor fans. After all they signed Brand to a long term deal while the Raptors are on the hook for just two years. The reality is the risk over the long term is greater for the Sixers and they are banking on Brand being healthy. The Raptors meanwhile are positioned to be a player in the 2010 free agent market which is the most anticipated that anyone can recall. Lebron Jame, Chris Bosh, Steve Nash and a number of other big names could be on the market.

The Two Year War On The Floor?

But in the next two years the Sixers and Raptors can expect to be rivals until that time. Both face the challenge of trying to be the team that will challenge not only each other but the Celtics for the Atlantic Division title. Both Sam Mitchell and Mo Cheeks have been survivors and manged to keep their jobs despite going through some tough times. Sam Mitchell was able to see Vince Carter era end in Toronto but not his own. While Cheeks was able to Watch Allen Iverson make his way to Denver but not see his own job come to an end in Philadelphia.

Sam vs Leo

Sam Dalembert had all of his summer drama with a war of words with Raptor broadcaster Leo Rautins over his other job as head coach of team Canada. Rautins recruited Dalembert into the program and helped Dalembert become a Canadian Citizen so he could play for Canada Basketball. The two would end up at odds this summer in Greece as Canada was trying to qualify for the Olympic in Beijing. Rautins questioned the dedication of Dalembert and suggested he was not a “team” player. Dalembert says the Rautins was totally off base and he did all that he was suppose to and Rautins was wrong. I have talked about this over the summer and I actually mentioned that I met Sam here in Hamilton prior to a team Canada exhibition game. He seemed happy and content and was excited to be part of the program. Only about 2 weeks after that meeting we had in Hamilton this whole thing was blowing up in Greece. How does this impact on the Raptors? Well it sure will make Dalembert wake up and take notice when Raptors are on the schedule. But it is a sub-plot of what could be a great rivalry over the next few years.

Not Today

But despite all this talk of being rivals do not expect any of that kind of excitement today. October 29th is far to close to expect to see anything that will look much like it will on that night today. I would not expect ether team to show much of anything. A lot of time for both team’s bench players to show what they can do today. So it still should be fun to watch in that sense. But if you are expecting a lot of fancy well designed plays this will not be the game for you.

So Who Is Better?

I think both these teams are extremely close in many ways. But what breaks the tie for me is the Raptors ability to make three point shots. The Sixers to this point do not have the proven shooting that the Raptors do. The Sixers dealt away Kyle Korver who was the one proven shooter they did have. That trade was last season with the Jazz and did not work out for the Sixers. When all is said and done the Sixers have a lot of talent but none of it is proven and most are banking on this being the year that it will. That is why many are picking the Sixers to be ahead of the Raptors in the standings. I agree the Sixers will be better but not as much as people are thinking. They are still the 3rd best team in the Atlantic Division. But the fight to prove me wrong starts on opening night.

Busy Day For Dino Nation Blog

So we have this pre-game blog. A Raptor Rewind after it is all over and than our first Fantasy Draft. That is a busy day indeed.  So I just want to wish you all luck in our Yahoo draft and if you missed out on this one you have a few more options that you can give a shot just check our fantasy sports page. See some of you at the draft tonight. But for everyone I will be back with Raptor Rewind after the game this afternoon. Tip time is 1pm. As for our draft that gets started at 7pm. I look forward to both.

Coverage Of Game

Radio: Fan 590

T.V: Raps TV

Game Time is 1pm

Sam Dalembert MIA For Amazing Comeback Win

No Sam? But Canada Finds Way To Win Without Him

Team Canada started this game looking like how I feel being that it is 6am. You may have guessed that is not good. Korea who is just a team that likes to shoot the 3 point shot did just that. despite the sleepy uninspired start Canada was tied 20-20 after one.

Sam Dalembert was not in the line-up for Canada(update below) but he would not have helped with the problem. The broadcast suggested that he was not hurt. Korea was doing what they do and Canada was not defending the the 3 point line as a result Korea built up a double digit lead. Canada finally started to show signs of life cutting the lead down to 6. But Canada much like yesterday it was turnovers and bad defence were killing Canada. Korea had a huge 16 point lead at halftime. Leo Rautins had many questions to answer. Like what the story was about Sam Dalembert who on the broadcast they suggested he walked away from the team? As for the players he did have they were playing with little of the style and performance that I saw personally here in Hamilton.

3rd quarter starts with a Korea layup and extending their largest lead to 18 points. Rowan Barrett would score the first points of the second half with a 3 point shot. Joel Anthony would then split a pair at the line. a steal and another Canada basket. Signs of a small rally but the still trailed by 13.  A dunk by Olu Famutimi would force a Korean time out. Canada got it back to single digits on a Levon Kedall score. But Korea responds with a 3-ball pushing the lead back to 12 with the score 54-42. Rowan Barrett in his mid thirties was Canada’s best player. His 3-ball cut the lead to 9 again followed by an Anthony dunk cutting it down to 7. But Korea fought back to a 11 point advantage. Canada finally had some energy but would it be a case of to little to late. Did the whole sitiuation with Dalembert cause the flat start? That is a question for after the game. But as of now Canada was showing signs of life and some how had chopped the once 18 point lead down to just 4 points on bucket and one from Carl English making the score 63-59. Canada would end up trailing by 5 heading into the final quater. Canada seemed dead but from out of almost no where had life.

Canada would start the fourth with a defensive stop and a series of offensive rebounds which eventually lead to 2 foul shots for Levon Kendall who was having a great game.  He would split a pair and the lead was 4. Korea coming out of a time out would hit a big 3 point shot to extend the lead back to 7. If Canada had the same effort in the first half this could have been a much different basketball game. But another 3 point shot and the Korean lead was back to 10 points. The clock was just over 5 minutes and Canada was facing a uphill battle to stay alive and not be heading home much earlier then expected. Rowan Barrett as if he sensed that hit a 3 point shot but it would be answered at the other end by Korea. A basket plus one for the foul for Korea looks to be the end for team Canada as they trailed by 12 with only about 3 minutes on the clock. Canada would cut the lead to 77-69 and force a 5 second violation and they would then score plus a foul from Carl English and suddenly Canada had cut the lead to 5 with 1:41 to go. Canada would foul right away and Korea went 0-2 from the line. Canada was still alive. Rowan Barett nailed a 3 point shot to cut the lead to 2. Carl English then stole the ball and thought he was heading to the line to try to tie the game. But it was called a charge on English and Korea would get the ball with just over a minute to play. Defence stepped up and got a shot clock viloation and Canada came down the floor and hit a 3 point shot to take the lead 78-77.  Korea missed another shot and Canada would get the rebound this was amazing. Anderson was heading to the line. Anderson only could split a pair and Canada had a 2 point lead with just 11 seconds to play. Korea would miss on thier final attempt. Canada gets truly on of the most amazing comeback wins I personally have ever seen winning 79-77.

Canada took control of the glass and player outstanding defense in the second half and some how find a way to make it to the quater-finals to face the winner of Croatia vs Peurto Rico. Rowan Barrett really kept tt together for Canada and was the one guy that played well from start to finish. He had 22 points and Jermaine Anderson is not Steve Nash but he is good in his own right as he had 17 points and was a big part of the comeback at the point guard spot.

It will be interesting to know the story behind what happened with Sam Dalembert but the fact this team won without him was a credit to them. I have to say it one last time this was one of the best comeback I have ever seen. It was like a crazy March Maddness finish in middle of July. When Info on Dalembert is known I will add it to the next blog. But for now CANADA WINS CANADA WINS!!!

UPDATE 10am: Still no word on Dalembert and what happened. But Canada will be facing Croatia as they were 95-81 winners. Seeing as this is a Raptor Blog, Soon to be Raptor Roko Ukic is playing for Croatia and had 12 points in this game in the win. Canada vs Roko should be interesting for both fans of Canada and the Raptors. Which most reading this are likely both. Doug Smith is working on the Sam Dalembert thing so check his blog for news if you don’t see an upadte here.

Update 11:20

Eric Smith in his blog(The Rap) was saying that Dalembert is said to have had a run in with a coach or player and is disciplined for it. He (Eric) said this is not confirmed and is just rumour at this stage. What this means going forward is anyone’s guess for Canada’s Match-Up with Croatia

Update 12:20

Fan 590 and Doug Smith (Toronto Star) have more details but it would appear that Sam Dalembert is OFF the National Team. There is some reference that Sam was not being much of a “Team Guy” and this is said to be behind the events of today.

Fan 590 Coverage On Sam Dalembert Off Team Canada

UPDATE 3:20 PM:

Based on all that has gone on today I wanted to express my thoughts on it. So I wrote a blog on the events of Today and I invite you to read it and add your own thoughts after you do. I hope the blog will at least get people thinking. It is titled What Is Up With Team Canada? I think many of us are asking that based on the events of today.

Canada Rewind

Canada Falls Hard In Opener

It is 6am and hard to keep my eyes open but there is basektball to be played. Canada in general would get into some foul trouble and Slovenia was making shots from the line that was the major story of the first half. Both Andy Rautins and Derrick Anderson had 3 fouls. The Ex-Raptors for Slovenia Both had good starts to the game. Rasho and Uros Slokar. It was hard to follow the first quarter be cause there was no commentators. I swear this was not me being half awake. Joel Anthony would lead Canada to a rally in the second quarter but Slovenia would push back to have a decent size lead of 41-34.

Ex-Raptor Uros Slokar would start the second half with a dunk extending the lead to 9 points. The next time down the floor Slovenia would nail a 3 point shot pushing the lead to 12 there largest of the game. Canada was really having trouble and Slovenia was making shots from beyond the arc. Canada was on the brink of getting put out of this game for good. Joel Anthony had a block and it would lead to an easy transition bucket. Canada was missing chances on the offensive end and could not provide the offense required for a rally. Another heartbreaking 3 point shot would extend the lead to 15 for Solvenia late in the 3rd quarter leading 64-49 

Andy Rautins hit a 3 pointer to start the 4th quarter and Canada would need a lot more of that if they hoped to climb back in this game. Sam Dalembert was out there on the floor but really not a big factor in this game and with Solvenia up double digits he was not going to be able to help much at this point. Slovenia pushed there advantage back up to 16 with yet another 3 point shot and Canada was really in trouble and did just not seem like they could recover. Slovenia was playing a great inside out game with Rasho and Slokar on the inside and pleanty of shooters on the outside dropping 3 point shots. You could see the frustration on the face of head coach Leo Rautins as his team was also making silly mistakes and turnovers. Rasho Nesterovic would exit the game with his team having the game well in hand up 78-62 with just 3 minutes left to play.  Slovenia would advance to the quarter-finals with the win as a result of defeating Korea and now today Canada. While team Canada would face a must win game vs Korea tomorrow in order to advance in the tournament to the quarter-finals. The final score was 86-70 for Slovenia.

Slovenia shot 58% from the field and 89% from the free throw line 24-27. Canada struggled shooting just 43% from the field and just 31% from beyond the arc. Slovenia was able to make 8 long bombs and they all seemed to come at the worst time for Canada. Sam Dalembet had just 4 points and Joel Anthony just 9. Rowan Barrett the returning veteran had 16 points to lead the Canada cause on the score sheet. For the complete boxscore click on link below:

Canada vs Slovenia

For those who would like to see it for yourself, you can catch the re-air of this game on The Score at 9pm.

Raptors vs Nuggets and Raptors in Athens

Raptors Start Slow and End The Same Way

The Toronto Raptors dropped their second summer league game to the Denver Nuggets. The Nuggets out scored the Raptors 28-14 in the first quarter on route to a 90-79 win. Joel Bosh saw some playing time but did not score going 0-2 in just 4 minutes of play.Nathan Jawai did debut, there was an error on NBA.Com and he is listed as Jawad Williams. Jawai played 19 minutes had 2 point and a few rebounds. Sorry for the mistake. Thanks to a fellow blogger for pointing out the mistake. Joey Graham lead the way for the Raptors for the second game in a row with 16 points and 7 rebounds. He also got his shots in on people as he had 7 fouls. John Lucas got some serious minutes in this game(32) but again shot poorly despite getting 11 points. For the complete boxscore and recap check them out below:

Raps vs Nuggets Boxscore

Game Recap

NBA Ref Scandal Is Back In The News

David Stern has always said that Tim Donaghy acted alone.Did He? For details on the story here is a link to it on Yahoo:

Tim Donaghy the Latest News

Olympic Qualifying Tournament Report

Canada will get started in their quest to make it to China tomorrow. The man who will be key in that effort is the Sixers Sam Dalembert. He is a great person as I found out first hand here in Hamilton when Canada was here getting prepared to take on the world in Anthens, Greece. In getting ready for the match-up tomorrow you may want to read this interview I found on the FIBA basketball website. To get yourself ready to cheer on Sam and the rest of team Canada. So just click on the link to read Sam’s thoughts as he heads into this tournament looking to help Canada make it all the way to the 2008 Olympics in China :

Sam Dalembert Interview

Keep Up To Date On Tournament

To keep update on all the action from Greece you can use this link for the home page to the Olympic Qualifying Tournament in which 3 of the 12 teams in action will advance to China to be part of the Olympic Basketball Tournament that will have U.S.A, China, Argentina and the defending World Champions from Spain among the teams already in the Tournament:

Home Page For Olympic Qualifying Tournament

Raptors Past, Present and Future Already in Action

Raptors Second round pick from last season Giorgos Printezis who was acquired from the Spurs as part of draft day trade in 2007 draft.  He was in action for Greece at the qualifying tournament for Olympics in his home country. He had 10 points and 3 rebounds as part of a win for the home side 119-62 over Lebanon. Roko Ukic who will be Jose Calderon’s back-up this season did not play in a win for his country Croatia defeated Cameroon 93-79. Ex-Raptor Rasho Nesterovic had 28 points (High Scorer On The Day In Tournament) in a win over Korea. Slovenia will be taking on team Canada tomorrow.

Canada’s Olympic Dream Starts Tomorrow

( Carl English vs Germany Photo from Canada Basketball )

The Dream of getting to the Olympic Games begins tomorrow for Sam Dalembert, Joel Anthony and the rest of team Canada. Standing in the way some former Raptors in recently traded Rasho Nesterovic and Ex-Raptor Uros Slokar. The road to making it to the games begins with Slovenia. It will be a tough task for Canada to get one of the three spots up for grabs. But a recent win over Germany gives people some reason to be hopefully.

I personally got to talk with Sam Dalembert when he was in Hamilton and see Joel Anthony in action. Both will be key to any success Canada is going to have. But beyond them Canada has what most feel is a team that is more talented form 2-12 than the team Steve Nash lead to Sydney in 2000. No Nash on this squad and that is a shame. But who is on the squad will have to be good enough.

One key difference beyond the addtion of Joel Anthony will be having a healthy Andy Rautins. Rautins was only on the floor for seconds before he was down and out trying to defend Leandro Barbosa of Suns in Canada’s opening game in Vegas Last Summer. Syracuse Fans are hoping Rautins can come back strong for them in the fall. They much like Raptor fans will be more concerned with his health as opposed to the outcome for Canada, just like Raptor fans are more concerned to have a healthy Jose Calderon back despite the result for Spain in the Olympics.

Three guys you will not see from the team last year in Vegas are, Denham Brown, Juan Mendez and likely Jessie Young. Brown was a no-show for Canada’s training camp and we have yet to hear an explanation as to why this happened. Juan Mendez was cut from the roster in favour of Rans Brempong. Leo Rautins made this move prior to the team leaving for Europe. Jessie Young could still play for Canada but it is very unlikely according to Rautins as he is struggling with an injury. He will be replaced on the roster by Aaron Doornekamp.

So set your alarm clocks if you are hardcore team Canada supporter. The game will be on the home for the hardcore The Score. 6am tip time. If you are not that hard core you have two options. If you want to watch the replay of the game score will be re-airing it at 9pm. If you want to just know what happened you can read the Dino Nation Blog Canada Rewind and decide if you want to watch based on that. But if you do not want to know the result please don’t read the blog till after you have watched the game. I don’t want to spoil your viewing experience.

Raps Hit Hardwood Again In Vegas

The Toronto Raptors will look to get it’s first win in Summer League today taking on the Denver Nuggets. Joey Graham will look to build on what was an impressive return to summer league action. But more importantly for Joey he is trying to build a case that he can be a someone that can be part of the mix when Raptors start playing for real. We also may get are first look at Nathan Jawai who did not dress for opener as he is battling a groin strain he suffered in pre-draft work outs. Raptors were hoping he would be ready for today. Also many Raps fans want to see Bubba, better known as Joel Bosh brother of Chris. The Alabama State grad did not see any action in the Raps opening loss to the Kings.

The Raptors are set to tip off with Nuggets at 6pm eastern. For Info on how the Raptors have been doing and all the info on them in Summer League here is a link to their Summer League Home Page on NBA.com:

Raptors Vegas Summer League

Check Back here later tonight for a re-cap of sorts on the game. A Mini-Raptors Rewind. Also I am going to be talking with Jack Armstrong very soon. I hope to have that all put together for you folks by Wedensday. Beyond that I am working on a major feature on the newest Raptor Nathan Jawai. When that all gets done is anyone’s guess. But from what I have got so far it should be interesting for you all. We all know the story of Jamario Moon and his rise to fame with the Raptors. Well the story on Nathan Jawai is in my opinion just as interesting. He has only been playing basketball for 6 years and is a big story in the land down under. I hope you all will be as impressed with his journey as I have been in working on telling you about it. I am going to be pulling for this guy to be a big success and I think after reading this feature you will be too.

Mail Room at Dino Nation Blog Is Always Open

Don’t forget about our new feature NATION SPEAKS. I have decided to make it a weekly feature throughout the summer on Saturday or Sunday. So for it to work well it takes you the readers of Dino Nation Blog Family to take part. That is your chance to ask me questions or make your own comments on Raptors, Baskteball or this blog. You can send those to me at dinonationblogger@hotmail.com

Not Your Older Brother’s Titanic Division

So the Atlantic Division is getting to be a rough neighbourhood. The latest resident comes from the mean streets of L.A. Not the Hollywood Laker side of L.A but the rough side where Clipper fans live. Elton Brand is heading to the 76ers. Sam Dalembert just got a big helping hand in his front court. The Sixers shook up the front office last year and they had some positive results. This is a huge step in making sure they build on what they started. Brand is returning from major injury but seems to be healthy and well rested for this new challenge.

The Celtics not only broke a streak of not winning a title for their franchise but the Atlantic Division as well. The Nets, Knicks and Sixers all made the finals in that time but never won it. So is this a new start for a once proud division in sports? It sure seems that way.

No one hopes this is true more than fans of the New York Knicks. Mike D’Antoni and Donnie Walsh have been put in place to clean up after the Thomas years in New York. Knick fans have suffered for a long time now. Spike Lee has had little to smile about when it comes to his favourite sports team. Chris Duhon is the first part of the change in New York. They also drafted what they hope to be a future star from Italy. The nice thing about all of it. Is can they honestly do any worse from what Knick fans are use too?

While everyone else in the division seems to be taking a step forward the Nets seem to be taking a step back to move forward. Vince Carter looks to his left. No Jason Kidd he is gone. Looks to his right and No R.J is there. So Vince is right back where he started in Toronto prior to when he left. Many Raptor fans will say it serves Vince Carter right. But all that being said Devin Harris is a young and solid point guard. China’s Yi is a player that could become a very good to great player. But many feel that New Jersey is just killing time till they can move to Brooklyn and sign Lebron. Well it is a nice plan but what if it doesn’t work out? Least they will have some young talent that hopefully works out. Guys like Williams and Boone could be great role players on this team for years to come.

The Celtics are the defending NBA Champions and have brought back Celtic Pride. Even though they did not get Cory Maggette they will still be a top squad no matter the minor tweaks they may or may not make this off season. I think they have a window of about 2-4 years with the big 3 of Pierce, Garnett and Allen being able to be in the Title mix. Rajon Rondo and Kendrick Perkins have grown a lot from the experience of playing along side of them. Rondo is rapidly climbing the ranks of best point guards in the league. Some would say he already is pushing the top 10. I was never worried about Rajon Rondo heading into last season. He is very good and he proved it this past season and in the playoffs even more. Perkins has been a great surprise as well. Under the radar a bit you have guys like Powe and Davis. Glen “Not Big Baby Anymore” Davis was a second round pick and it has worked out well for the Celtics. He was more Shaq like in his days at LSU. But to his credit he has worked hard to get his weight down and has found a role on a championship team.

The Sixers said good bye to Billy King and have not looked back. King was let go as General Manager in the middle of last season and since that point the Sixers have taken off. Andre Iguodala has no love for the Raptors for passing him over. He has made it his mission to prove them wrong. He has benfited from the departure of Iverson as the new AI he has been key in the Sixers rise. Also Canada knows all about Sam Dalembert and he too has been having a great rise in his play based on in part to his work with team Canada in the summer of 07. He is back with Canada again and looking to grow his game some more. But the biggest news of the off-season thus far could be the signing of Elton Brand by the Sixers. Others will argue the point but no one will debate that the Sixers have just became a very big force in the East.

I hope by reading this blog you have a good idea of the Raptors and where they are at. By the way Nathan Jawai was signed today to a 2 year deal. Aussie Shaq is someone the Raptors really like and offering a guy drafted in the 2nd round a 2 year deal is not the norm for NBA Franchises. So if you had any doubt that the Raptors have belief in this guy that should tell you something. He could honestly be that 2nd round gem that the Raptors have been looking for. I can not recall a second round selection that has actually turned out well for the Raptors, going back all the way to year 1 and Jimmy King out of Michigan. He never worked out and he is not alone as P.J Tucker from Texas other then getting the cool nickname of “Baby Mule”.  If anyone can think of a good 2nd round pick Raps made add it to the comments. I wrote an article for T.O Sports on this same topic of the Atlantic Division which I am told will be published this weekend.  There is more on Raptors in that. But here I think folks have a good understanding on my views. I also thought we had not talked about rest of the league much so I wanted to focus on the other teams in the Division.

Dino Blogger Not Going On IR

A roster note for the Dino Nation Blog. The Dino Blogger is day to day with flu like stuff. But have no fear the Mail Bag will go as planned. I have gotten some questions and comments and am excited to re-launch the mail bag and give you a voice. I have had no suggestion on what to call it? I will come up with something but if you have an idea pass it along. Also there is always room for more questions and comments. As long as you get it to me prior to me writing it up. Likely Saturday morning the Midnight Friday deadline is a SOFT deadline. So send me your mail at dinonationblogger@hotmail.com

Hassan Adams was on Fan 590 today and so was Scoop Jackson of ESPN. Both were interesting interviews and check out Fan 590 website if you want to listen to those interviews. Also speaking of interviews if you are still someone that likes T.J Ford and are interested in what he has to say. He was on a local Indiana Radio Station and the interview is posted on his website which you can find in the Dino Blogger Favourites. I still like T.J and likely will keep the link to his site as part of mine.

Busy Times Ahead

Canada Basketball and Vegas Summer league are on the way. First off let’s start with Team Canada:

Ooooo The Germans…No Sweat.

Team Canada in a tune up for the Olympic last chance qualifier in Athens Greece took on Dirk Nowitzki and the Germans. Who have recently added the Clippers Chris Kaman to their roster. Despite Dirk having 33 points it was Team Canada lead by Miami Heat’s Joel Anthony who had 22 points to lead Canada to a comeback win 91-86. The game was in Hamburg Germany and to say the least that is an impressive road win for the men in red and white. Kaman was dressed but did not see action for the Germans. Carl English was also key for Canada and had this to say about the win for his team:

They were a great test for us and each step is getting us ready for Greece

Sam Dalembert also was back on the floor. He may have a new team mate in the form of Elton Brand that is a scary duo as well for the Atlantic next season. But for now Sam is focused on leading his Team Canada to make it to China.

I mentioned yesterday that Score Televison Network deserves some thanks from basketball fans. They have come through for fans of Canada basketball. They will be broadcasting the tournament from Greece and showing it Live and later that day in Prime Time. The Score should also be announcing something that Raptor Fans will be happy about as well very soon. Some of the smart folks out there have figured this one out. I will just say it has something to do with a good friend of this blog and leave it at that.

As for Canada they play in a group with Slovenia which features now Ex-Raptor Rasho Nesterovic and South Korea.  You can catch these games live on THE SCORE at 6am.

July 15 Slovenia

July 16 South Korea

I will warn you right now if you plan on watching the re-airs make sure not to read this blog till after. I know it sucks when you find out the result of a game before it happens. A quick story on that from the life of the Dino Nation Blogger. I in my days in High School had a part time job at a video store. I had to work the day of the Dallas Cowboys playoff game vs the Detroit Lions. But I had my VCR set and was going to rush home after work and watch the game. So, everything was going well and I was serving my last customer before my shift was over. He looked really upset and I asked what was wrong? He replied by saying he was upset over the way the Cowboys sucked today!!! OH NO. So that was that.

So because of my national pride and my love of what I do the plan is to get up at 6am and watch these games and provide a full CANADA REWIND not unlike the RAPTOR REWINDS you will find after every Raptor Game here at Dino Nation Blog. If I feel I am awake enough I may even do podcasts as well as I do with Raptor Games. So you have been warned if you plan on watching the re-airs of the games which will be at 9pm for the July 15th game and 10pm for the July 16th game.

If Canada advances beyond that The Score will air the rest of the games that Canada will be involved. Hopefully that means a lot of games as it will be required to get to China. Thanks to Canada Basketball’s Website www.basketball.ca for the info on the game vs Germany. On that site you can find lots of info on all the National programs. Canada just recently announced the roster for their Junior Men’s team that is also going to be in action soon. They train right here in Hamilton. I am looking into doing something on this team in the future. I will keep you posted.

Raps Prepare For Summer League

As of yet no word on the coverage of Raptors Summer League games. But as I mentioned in the past, Raps TV has showed the games but they ususally wait till after summer league as completed. But if you can’t wait for results NBA.Com and many of the news sites for the NBA will have recaps and boxscores.

I posted the schedule for the Raps a few days ago as well as the roster. I am excited to get a look at a number of guys, Joel Bosh, John Lucas, Hassan Adams and Nathan Jawai. I did not mention Joey Graham because if I have it right in my knowledge of Joey. I expect we will see the GOOD JOEY GRAHAM and I do not want to get built up and be crushed at the RETURN of BAD JOEY. But to be serious, Joey Graham really needs to make the switch stay on or his days as a Raptor and in the NBA could be growing short. He does not have to look far for an example of how hard it can be to stay in the league. Stephen Graham his twin brother has been on more teams than most of use can remember. I do not understand Joey and I don’t think I ever will. But still it will be interesting to see how things go. Sam Mitchell said yesterday that training camp starts today in Las Vegas. You can see how pumped up Sam Mitchell was about the trade for Jermaine O’Neal. He may even suit up and take Joey Graham to school if he is not impressed. Mitchell was a former NBA Player after all and he did say once in a press conference he had a good 10 mins left in him. So make a note of that Joey Graham and the rest of you folks on the roster.

Some Other Things Of Note From Dino Blogger:

I did something yesterday and I really just got working so hard I forgot to mention it. I decided to make a Dino Nation Blog Hall Of Fame. I wanted to do it to honour the folks who deserve it. I work very hard but without people taking what I do in a serious way it would not matter. The first 3 inductees will not be a surprise to anyone that reads this blog on a regular basis. I won’t spoil the surprise for those who want to see who they are. You can find the Page off to the right on the Home Page of the blog. It is located right under Dino Nation Blog History page. So please go check it out if you are interested. As for the Future of the Hall of Fame? Can you get in? It really has no rules to get put in. So I would say if you are a loyal reader of the blog it could be possible. I have no plan on when I will be doing this again. I just will add folks as I feel the need or desire too. We have had a short but very productive history and I wanted some thing to establish that.

This will not get you into the HALL OF FAME. But it won’t hurt your chances. Just my daily plug for the fact I am bring back your mail to the blog. So send me those questions and comments. We always have room for more just like JELLO. So it is dinonationblogger@hotmail.com

Lastly In the past little while I have been focused mostly on the Raptors and Canada Basketball. I have been paying attention to the rest of the league as well. Just have not been writing about it. But I will once I have some chance to fit it into the mix. The Atlantic Divison is changing a lot and I will likely start there. If you want to help in having some more talk about NBA. Feel free in the above to ask a question on something NBA related it does not have to be a Raptor Question to be part of the Mail Bag Feature.

The First Raptor From Canada Should Be….

As the regular readers of the Dino Nation Blog are aware, I have been spending sometime watching and covering Team Canada. In doing so I have found another cause of sorts. Seems I come up with ideas that I fall in love with. Ron Artest as a Raptor. My support of T.J Ford and some others. But this one may be the most important of all to me. I have always wanted and craved the idea of a Raptor from this country. I hope in the past for guys like Juan Mendez and Denham Brown to find a way on to the Raptor Roster in their draft years. But they were not good enough to make the grade in the NBA as of yet. But a guy that is already crossed that hurdle of making the NBA is their team mate on team Canada Joel Anthony. He caught on with the Miami Heat and in a year where Pat Riley found little to be excited about, he is a fan of Joel Anthony. He is currently under contract to the Heat. I think the heat have an option on him for upcoming season. I do not think they will be willing to move him in a trade based on Riley and his feelings about him. But the Raptors should keep this guy on the radar as a player to add to the mix. He is a good athletic talent. Watching him play for Canada he has no problem with contact and getting to the free throw line. Making those attempts is another thing but it is something he can improve.

I really have always felt that if the Raptors can go after a talent from Canada that is equal to any other talent of better, they should make it happen. So when I look at this Raptor roster and I look at guys like Joey Graham and Kris Humphries do I think Anthony is equal or better? I do indeed think that and there is the added bonus that he is from Canada and a proud member of the national team. Sam Dalembert and Steve Nash are not going to be coming to the Raptors anytime soon if ever. But Joel Anthony is a guy that likely could be part of this team if not now but in the future. Anyone that say the name Jamal Maglorie at this point, please go shake your head. Maglorie is never coming and I think honestly does not want too. Based on his play of late and the way he treated Team Canada through his career I am not the least bit sad about that fact.

Maybe this is all me dreaming in print. But I really have always been very passionate about the idea of having a live breathing native canuck on the Raptor roster. I still say the biggest mistake beyond drafting BIG COUNTRY for the Vancouver Grizzles was not finding a way to draft Steve Nash. I firmly believe if they had we would still have a team there to this day. Sure no one could have known just how good Nash would become. But the fact he was a legit first round pick and was from B.C should have been enough to make the Grizzles move Heaven and Earth to draft him. But this is the same team that drafted Steve Francis when they knew he would not play for them. The list of draft failures in Vancouver was long for sure.

It is not to say the Raptors need to do this to save their franchise. But could Joel Anthony be a improvement to it on and off the floor? I think so. The other thing I am left to wonder is if this matters to all of you. I would like to think it does but maybe not. The world seems to be global now and things like nationalism here in Canada seem not to be as big a deal as elsewhere. I still think people would want to see this happen. I think it does matter. Why else would we still keep hearing people bang the drum about Jamal Maglorie on a regular basis. It would seem clear to me as I stated that he has little interest in playing for Toronto and does not have a great deal of value in being from Canada. I only met him once back at one of Vince Carter’s Charity games. So I have no idea what he thinks about these things but his actions suggest it doesn’t matter much.

Same goes for Joel Anthony as far as what he thinks about the idea of playing here. I never did get a chance to speak with him down at Mac. But what I did see was a slam dunk that was highlight reel worthy. A lot of effort and energy and that was enough to sell me on the idea of him as a Raptor in the future. Bryan Colangelo I am sure is at least aware of Anthony. Raptors are partners with Canada Basketball and Colangelo would pay attention to the program if for no other reason.

So add another dream to the Dino Blogger’s wish list: Joel Anthony of the Miami Heat. Here are the stats of his brief NBA Career so far:

Joel Anthony Bio Page

I will tell you about Anthony and the rest of his team Canada crew later tonight as they look to take on Lebanon. If you are in the Toronto Area don’t wait for me go to the game yourself tip time is 7pm at Ricoh!!!

One other thing I wanted to mention. I was offer the chance to write for T.O Sports Magazine and have taken them up on the offer to do so. If you would like to read what I write for them here is a link:

Dino Blogger on T.O Sports

My first article is up there now on the whole Raptor Point Guard Civil War of Jose vs T.J. I am going to add a link to my articles on the blog to make them easy to find. Thanks to the folks @ T.O Sports for the chance to write for them.

Jose and Sam(Not Mitchell) and Another Canada Win.

Before we get to Team Canada and the Dino Nation Blogger being at the event. We are called the Dino Nation Blog for a reason. So we must start with the Big Raptor News of the day. I am sure most of you heard while I was off watching Team Canada that Jose Calderon has said he is returning to the Toronto Raptors and that he has come to a basic agreement with the Raptors. On his Website is says I Will Stay In Toronto. Basic as you can get. I think most know I have concerns about Jose and his future. I will never question his charcter as a human being. He went out of his way to make sure it was clear he had no intention of leaving Toronto. We will not know the amount that he will be getting but I think it is safe to say that Jose Calderon has left some money on the table that he could have got had he wanted to do so. He will be getting a huge raise though. I would not say this about many guys in sports but I will about Jose, I think money is not important to him. I think it matters more to him the people that he is around and the fact that they all want to win. That is a really old school way of thinking. But it is something that we frankly could use more of in sports. So good for Jose Calderon. On another day we can look at the very real challenges that he will need to address in his new found role. But on this day I want to keep it on a complete positive frame of mind. Many of you do not understand during all of the Jose vs T.J stuff it was not a case of not respect or enjoying Jose as a player and a person. I do and always have. If I was going to rank my favourite Raptors prior to the Ford Trade. It would have been as follows:

1. Bosh
2. Ford
3. Calderon

It may not have been possible to keep both in the minds of many and of the Raptors. But it was in my case not hard to like and respect both for who they both were as people. I respect different things about both guys and none of that has changed. Jose has always shown a great amount of loyalty towards this franchise and I am truly happy for him getting his new deal.

Canada Playing On Canada Day

Now a few things before we get to today’s Canada Basketball Game. I first want to say that Canada Basketball got in touch with me and unfortunately I got this e-mail after the fact. But they took the time to e-mail me and say that they were sorry for the lack of communication on their part. They also welcomed me to move up a row for today’s game. I was not aware they had contacted me as I had already left for the game. I respect them for taking the time to write me. They went on to say they enjoyed my work on the game from yesterday. I am glad of to hear that. I will look into a way that the Dino Nation Blog can work with them in the future. I think in the end we both want the same thing which is a higher profile for Basketball in this country. I am hopefully that we can work together in that goal in the future in some way that benfits everyone including you the readers.

Dino Blogger Says Hello Sam

That leads into something that happened and had nothing to do with a media pass that was waiting for me that I was unaware of. In the past when I was working in radio and T.V, I was always a nut for being extremely early. I always felt it was a good idea and allowed me chance to talk with people and for lack of a better term network. I was a young kid looking to get ahead. Today I showed up maybe around 2:15 or so. The tip was at 4pm. I happened to notice a very large guy in the upper area of the gym. I took a closer look and it was Sam Dalembert of Team Canada and the NBA Sixers. He seemed to be relaxing and had his phone so I respected that and did not go over. But when he was done on his phone and I walked over. He said hello and we began a very informal conversation. I am going to keep the contents of it between him and myself. I did tell him I was a blog writer but this was what we call in media a “off the record conversation”. Some of it was just personal stuff about me and the rest just general stuff. But I do want to say 2 things based on that conversation. Both are very positive in nature and I would think Sam would have zero issue with being shared. The first is that he is a very nice guy and was very kind and a joy to talk with. I have interviewed a lot of folks over the years and just talked informally so I have seen cases from other side of things. Sam was as nice as could be. The second thing I got from talking with him is that he really wants to help grow the profile of basketball here in Canada. I was happy to share some time with him and I wish him the best going forward in his career. It is funny that I had just mentioned a couple days ago about wanting to talk to NBA players and a few days later it happened. This blog truly is leading the charmed life and has really grown beyond my own high expectations. Sam would not be a big factor in today’s game as he was rested and played only a few minutes and did not score. But make no mistake the Big Man will be a huge part of any run Canada will make to reach the games in China.

2-0 For Canada in Hamilton

The Game itself. I know it took awhile to get here but I think the stuff in front was all worth telling you first. Rowan Barrett has not lost his jump shot in his time away from the national team. He was making 3 point shots from the international range at a comfortable rate. The other 2 players that stood out in a general sense for me were Joel Anthony of the Miami Heat. Honestly this guy is far greater talent to me after having watched him. I understand this was at a level that is below what he faces in the NBA or will face later this month in Greece but still. There is all this talk of Raps need for an athletic option to play at the 2 or 3. He could be one the Raptors should look at in the long term. He has a skill set that could meet the needs of Raps in the future. I may be just dreaming to think finally a person who is a native of this land could be a actual option for being a Raptor. But I will take that dream over the one many fans have had about Jamal Maglorie. A guy that has rejected the national team at every turn. I can’t say that the fact is career has went downhill has been something that makes me sad at all. He never has answered the call of his country. I respect the way Leo Rautins has dealt with the topic of him since he became the coach of team Canada. We should not have to beg anyone to represent their country. I look at the guys that do make up this team and see a common desire to build this program and make it something that they all can be proud of and we all can be proud of.

Lastly Levon Kendall is a guy from a solid NCAA back ground at Pitt. I was impressed with him last year in Las Vegas and in the last 2 days have seen even more from the native of B.C. I could mention other players as well but these 3 guys stood out to me over the span of the 2 contests. Much like the contest with Lebanon, Canada controlled this game from start to finish. The built lare leads of 20 plus points and worked hard throughout the game to earn a 90-63 win over New Zealand.

Rautins Seems Back On Track For Syracuse This Fall

For those of you that may be fans of Syracuse Orange, you would be interested in the progress of Andy Rautins. I will say I am far from an expert in some ways. But as someone that does watch a fair bit of basketball, I saw little to no effect on Rautins who is coming off a major injury suffered last year vs Brazil. He is wearing a brace on the repaired knee. But he seems to be moving without issue or concern. I also noticed him in today’s game playing at times as a play maker as oppossed to a shooter. He made several nice passes and was setting players up with easy scoring chance. Rautins would look for his own offense after the game was long decided in the 4th quarter. It is a good sign that he was able to play a great deal of minutes in a quick evening to late afternoon turn around. So I would say if you are a fan of the Orange it seems you will have your player back at a level that is not unlike when you last saw him.

Canada Day Thoughts From Dino Blogger

So in closing this has been a great couple of days having team Canada come to visit the home base of the Dino Nation Blog. I have had a great time at these events despite the fact the games have not been close. But the right team was winning so that is good. Before I close off this blog for another day. I want to wish everyone a Happy Canada Day. Be proud of you country it is a great place to be. I also want to aknowledge two great people on this day tied to basketball and Canada.

James Naismith he invented this sport and without him there is not a Dino Nation Blog. Sam Mitchell would be doing who knows what? Not to mention Jordan shoes would never have been made. We owe it all to a man who called this country home. Never forget that. Dream Team’s in the United States would never have been if not for this man. Every person that has made or tried to make a dime connected to this sport on a day like this one should give him thanks.

The second is who these Exhibition games are named after. Jack Donohue was the long time coach of Canada’s National team and was really in my opinion the grandfather that made this program able to be where it is today. Leo Rautins the current coach of Canada played under him and based on his past comments I know respects him greatly. Which is something all of his former players like Raptors coach Jay Triano would also say the same. He like Jack Armstrong of Raptors broadcasts was a person from the N.Y.C that found his way to Canada and the program of basketball in this country is all the better for it. He was a great sporting figure in this nation and is a true icon to the sport in this country.

So hope you all have enjoyed the last few days. I know that I have been thrilled. Thanks to everyone that was part of that. If you are in Toronto area I encourage you to catch all of this for yourself on July 4th and 5th at the Ricoh Coliseum the home of the Toronto Marlies of the AHL. I think this is the first time basketball will be played at this venue. Hope you all had a SAFE and Great Canada Day. I know the Dino Blogger sure did.