Raptors Wrap-Up

The Worst is Over! Or Is It?

2009-12-08T06:29:00.000-08:00

So we come out of our difficulties with a 9W-13L record. Since this team is at pace with giving me high blood pressure and cholesterol from all the stressful nights let's not put anything past them. This upcoming stretch seems very mild compared to what we've had to deal with. We play Minnesota and Milwaukee back to back(Milwaukee being on the road!). Then we have a chance at revenge facing Atlanta at home. Converting that Atlanta game would be an achievement for these guys. Being blown out really puts a dent in your pride and I know they have this game in their minds as an important win. I'm looking forward to it because no matter what, it will certainly be an intense one.

The Raptors can play ball. When they are on it's exciting basketball no doubt. All these on and off court communication issues were blown out of proportion. I could not imagine a locker room divided into two continents. It sounds unrealistic. Antoine Wright spoke up to the media about this communication issue. I just love how the one guy who has done nothing special this year speaks up the most. In Chicago he was more capable but if anyone is having communication problems it's Antoine Wright with Antoine Wright. When he jacks up three's or decides to take it to the rim it seems like a rather selfish effort to pad his stats. He is on a contract year. Wouldn't it suffice to play your ass off on defence because teams do have game tape.

Is it a communication problem or has Bryan Colangelo assembled a group of guys that are laid back and passive-aggressive? Look at the roster from top to bottom and you really only have maybe one or two guys that are fiery. Maybe Calderon or Wright? When you watch the scene unfold during the Bosh, Paul Pierce incident you can see my point. I think it's on Triano to challenge these guys. If one player is having communication problems with another it's not a language barrier on this team. Do you think Kevin Garnett would have trouble communicating with anyone? I think it's a symptom of new team, new place and undefined roles. The only defined role on this team is Triano's.

I think these guys have the same destiny as the 06-07 Toronto Raptors. They will have a winning record and get in around 4-6 in the standings. The only chance we have in advancing to the second round has to do with who we match up against. The best case scenario would be Atlanta or Boston in the first round. I guess we are a long ways away from that.

Cool Hand Luke

Who the Heck Is Driving This Bus?

2009-12-02T11:49:00.000-08:00

It's 8:30pm. The Raptors are playing and I'm contemplating. Contemplating whether I should turn off the game or keep watching the train wreck before my eyes. As the season roles on I'm certain there aren't many of us who thought it would start like this. At 7W-13L and a light schedule ahead this team is in disarray. This is the NBA and anytime a team drops 140 points on you and your no where near in it, there is something horribly wrong.

With the tough road schedule at the start, it was obvious it would either make or break team chemistry. We've got 4 losses in a row, players calling each other out and a coach with a failed defensive strategy. The "House" has been ram shackled by almost every NBA team we've faced. The living rooms been taken over. The kitchen's been raided and the toilet has been used and abused.

Who is driving this bus? His name is Bryan Colangelo. The architect of this team. Will he blow it up and reconstruct barely into the quarter of a season? I highly doubt it. He will not give up on his first round pick. He will not give up on his newly acquired big money free agent and he will not give up on his newly appointed coach. Not yet. He admitted to the Jermaine O'Neil mistake and barely found a trade. Struggling through last season if you can recall, it wasn't until after the all-star break we swapped for Shawn Marion. No team will make big trades this early in the season, it's never quite a busy market(the only changes we ever see are coaching changes).

The odd-man out in the group in my mind is Jose Calderon. He hasn't been consistent and he's the only player other than a 4 time all-star that is from the Babcock era. Although he was given an extension, there could very well be something in the works later this year. Do I think it's the best idea? Sure, it depends on the right deal.

If you can remember in the 06/07 season the Raptors struggled in the first quarter. We had a similar situation with a lot of new players. They found their niche and finished 47W-35L. I'm not predicting success but there is a lot of Basketball to be played. Right now everyone is playing for themselves. There is no team when they are struggling. I see them forcing too many shots, getting demoralized and blaming each other. Instead they could be listening, communicating and taking responsibility. As players trying to get used to each other this is a tough moment. It could however bring them to a turning point as a group instead of individuals. They are athletes after all. They have played their whole lives as competitors at different levels to bring them where they are today. Losing in Atlanta they way they did could be a bottom for them. The splash of cold water in the face. This ain't no joke. The fun's over and there is time to make things work. They can be better.

Do we bring in another defensive specialist assistant coach? I'm not sure that would work because the "House" strategy was our best option. It was supposed to play to our strengths and keep players out of the lanes. I think the only wild-card here is Reggie Evans. He's yet to play in a game and his interior toughness has been needed. It doesn't end there. Antoine Wright needs to stop calling people out and realise that he hasn't done anything special. He was preaching defense when he was traded to Toronto but I've yet to see him dominate his man and shut him down. I'd rather he understand that offense is not needed on this team and the only way he gets more than a minimum value contract next year is if he plays sound defense.

The only asset we have right now Is Bosh and there is no way I'd move him. One thing I know for sure is Bryan Colangelo will not sit idle while this team starts to endanger their playoff hopes. Once the playoff picture gets murky I'm looking at the trading wire. Until then, these players are stuck with each other and we fans are stuck with this team.

Cool Hand Luke

4 Players We Could Use If We Keep Getting Abused.

2009-11-30T16:13:00.000-08:00

Raptorland is currently under a state of uncertainty. While some blogger's and beat writers called for a record of around 7W-11L, the Raptors fandom is starting to waver in it's hope for a successful season. I think many of us see this season as a "Statement Season". With so many different scenarios that could play out by the end of the year, it is stressful to see this team have it's struggles. Nobody wants an unhappy Chris Bosh. At least I don't! I sure as heck would love to see him in a Raptors Jersey for a long time. I'd rather see the likes of Bargnani and Jose Calderon traded away than see a 4 time all star who puts up a double double almost every night walk away for nothing. If Bosh re-signs there is no reason to think we are stuck with the likes of Turk, Bargs and Calderon for 4 years as a core. Barnani being a 7 foot Centre with a shooting stroke could find a home on numerous teams in this league. If the Raptors don't see a rebounding improvement or a defensive role for Andrea he would be a great bargaining chip at the table. Calderon is a steady Point Guard in this league. Out of the 30 teams there is no way Colangelo wouldn't be able to find a GM in need of a solid point. There are 100's of variables for the big chip players. I thought I'd go over a few small deals we could make come trade deadline(since Raptorland is abuzz with trade scenarios).

4 Players we could Use:

Matt Barnes
Currently under a 1 year contract worth $1.6mill. He can play a variety of positions but is best used as a wing. He can shoot the three and is a shot blocking rebounding presence. He is buried on the bench in Orlando behind Pietrus and Lewis. He would be a great addition to this team and the rotation behind Turkoglu. The problem in acquiring him is the fact that Orlando has to pay him so little just to keep him and he may stay as insurance in case of injury. But, with Brandon Bass competing for the same minutes of playing time he ought to give a call to his agent seeing as it's another contract year for him. Starting for Orlando he put up some solid numbers while Lewis was suspended. I'm not sure why they don't use him more often. It's probably a testament to how deep Orlando are as a team.

courtesy of: AP

Brandon Rush:
Currently on a Rookie scale contract with a Team Option for 2010-2011. The Pacers acquired Dahntay Jones in the off season to be a primary backup behind Rush. Unfortunately for Rush, Jones is having a career year and giving reason for Jim O'Brien to start him over the second year player. Jones has 4 years on his contract with a player option in his 4th year. When Mike Dunleavy steps back into his starting spot, things will get tight in Indiana. I see Rush being the one to go seeing as he is having his inconsistencies this year. What could he offer us? He is a great defender who isn't afraid to get tangled up with the opposition. He would also be great at relieving either Turkoglu or DeRozan off the bench.

courtesy of: USA Today

Rasual Butler:
The lesser known Butler(the other one being Caron) has a contract of around $3.9mill ending this year. While Eric Gordon was out with an injury he had his share of good games for the Clippers starting at Small Forward. He can rebound and defend with vigour. The Clippers don't regard Butler as being part of their future. There is a great chance they would be willing to part with him for the right deal. What could we offer for him? I'm sure B.C. could put something together.

Courtesy of: L.A. Times

Luc Richard Mbah a Moute:
With a salary of a mere $736,420 with a Non-Guaranteed 2010 year he could be a cheap and reliable addition to this team. Our old friend Carlos Delfino has found his niche on the team and won himself a starting spot while Moute was injured. Moute can rebound and guess what? He can defend his man. A great young guy to have on this team.

Courtesy of: Sportsbubbler

As you can see the trend, these pickups would adhere to our problems of defending the wing and transition. All these players have rebounding skills which would help Turks lack there of. Unless Antoine Wright gives us anything and Sonny Weems turns into a reliable back up, there is just no way we can keep struggling along with the rotation at the wings. Guys like DeRozan and Belinelli have major upsides to their game but Antoine Wright has been in this league long enough to know what he's got to do and he's just isn't doing those things. I don't see Colangelo doing anything in the near future. We have 4 games in 5 nights coming up and we haven't been much of a team when the schedule gets tough losing all our back to backs so far. After this stretch we should have a clear definition of this squad and their capabilities. The games are all winnable. Do the players want it bad enough? In my opinion they are under achieving and could be at 9W-9L or 10W-8L easily. If things don't get better on the defensive end look for Colangelo to make a last ditch switch around the trade deadline.

Cool Hand Luke

Panic & Peril the De-Evolution of a 3rd Quarter

2009-11-28T06:41:00.000-08:00

The last two games offensively have been dismal. Particularly in the 3rd quarter. Both in Boston and Charlotte at the end of the half we had competitive and winnable games. In the 3rd quarter we were outscored 66 to 38 by both teams. There has been fairly good production by this team in the 3rd quarter so far this season. Triano has made some great adjustments in games past. But, that quarter alone in a close game on the road will take the life out of you when/if you don't stick to the refined game plan. During the first half coaches on both teams are analyzing opponents for weaknesses to exploit and preparing to veil the deficiencies of their respective teams. Instead of bucking up and tightening the chains we've collapsed like a house of cards in the wind.

How do we fix this?

-We are 3W-6L trailing at halftime

-1W-6L trailing after 3 quarters of play

-0W-5L when trailing on the road after the 3rd quarter

-we're averaging 25.3pp 3rd quarter (second lowest quarter other than the 4th which would be the average because teams play hard defense)

-we are 0W-2L on the road when leading at halftime

-we are 2W-4L if trailing after halftime*

*Both those wins came with strict adjustments in the 3rd quarter that were followed. Against the Clippers, we gave Chris Kaman the double team coming from the weak side and forced him to make bad passes out of the lane forcing turnovers. In New Orleans, they came out of the half aggressive on defense and gave Paul no room.

Can you coach a team into developing focus? Is it up to veteran leadership to take a stance? It's difficult to decipher what really went on in the locker room at half in the last two games. It's still early and there are plenty of games ahead. Unfortunately, the "9 new players" excuse is starting to run its course. Simple execution is brought on during tough times on the road by effort and commitment to the plan. If shots aren't going in, you have the crowd against you and your opponent seems to be making all the right moves. You still dig in. You make the stops. You impose your will. It's desire.

A certain play comes to mind where Bargnani was not willing to drop to the floor for a loose ball that was right in front of him. Isn't that just a plan for mediocrity and passivity? What would KG do? He would sacrifice a bum knee and a career for his team I'm sure. Every time I watch Garnett play I am truly amazed at how dedicated he is to defense. He has an elbow on his man at all times and never loses focus. He plays with blood lust in his eyes and is a true warrior in every sense. Now, Bargnani on a scale with Garnett would be on the opposite end. He loses sight of his man and is completely lost at the defensive end most nights. If he's not producing offensively, he's not doing much of anything out there. Bargnani needs to watch game tape of Garnett at work. Seriously, your shot won't go in every night but your defensive effort is with you at all times. You just have to tap in and ask yourself: "What would KG do?"

How important are fouls in this game? Turkoglu going into the half shooting(I think) 6/7 from the field and simply on fire gets his forth foul in the 3rd and sits. There is a flow to this offense when it works and Turkoglu took that flow with him when he received his 4th and took a seat. From then on Boston solidified theie grip on Bosh and no other Raptor could get going. Where were we when KG got his 5th foul to knock him out? What about attacking Wallace who was also in foul trouble? We do that and all of a sudden Boston has no one left who can possibly guard Bosh.

On a side note I'm not going to get into the Paul Pierce dunk on Bosh(that's the full video with melee afterwords). It's not surprising to me no one got into it from our side. Intimidation during the game when it matters is what counts not in between.

Phoenix comes to the ACC tomorrow and these guys need to show the fans that they can win against a competitive team.

Cool Hand Luke

With the Charlotte Debacle behind us...Could We Spoil the Boston Tea Party?

2009-11-26T15:21:00.000-08:00

Seems like an interesting position we have found ourselves in once again. A winnable game in Charlotte turns into an ugly Raptor whipping at the hands of Stephen Jackson and Gerald Wallace. Back to back games can be rough but losing the Charlotte game will make the game in Boston mean a lot more. The powerhouse Celtics could stampede over us because we have been non-existent in parts of road games(Denver, Utah, Memphis come to mind) this year going 2-7. Boston has the defense to stop us.

Just like Charlotte, Boston is at the top of the defensive world in the NBA. One thing I'm certain of is the Celtics had some trouble covering Turk last year in the playoffs and we could see Turk being a factor in the game tomorrow. Boston is no push over on offense either. These guys can score and push the action but they sure like to control the tempo. It will be yet another tough assignment for DeRozan as he'll be chasing the sharp shooting Ray Allen around. I'd like to think Bargnani could have a big game against Perkins. That is an exploitable match up which would leave Boston having to counter and switch up. Yet Bargnani is prone to disappear against physically imposing teams.

Would you not think a win in Boston would heal the wounds of Charlotte? It would be an impressive road win and it's perfectly doable. We are competitive against Boston on most nights and with a revamped line-up it could be a stellar game.

Antoine Wright should be in this game early. We don't want Ray Allen getting hot because he's burned us before. He just plays great against the Raptors partly due to the lack of talented wings we've had in the past. So, Wright getting in there and doing his job is key. I'm not sure Belinelli will be as effective with his risky play. His style is suited for the uptempo and Boston knows how to slow it down.

Rajon Rondo 1 on 1 against Calderon is an ugly match up for us. Calderon needs to sag off of him and cut off the lanes. Nuff said.

Key Factors for the Raptors:

-Exploit Perkins inability to defend Bargnani.
-Keep things up tempo and don't let the Celtics dictate the pace.
-Keep Ray Allen quiet and don't let him go off on the stat sheet.
-Bait Rondo into shooting and keep his dribble penetration at bay

Cool Hand Luke

The Times They Are A-Changin' In Raptorland...

2009-11-25T13:11:00.000-08:00

I doubt I can find one fan declaring this team a is bore to watch. The Raptors have become one exciting bunch. With more ball handlers than ever on this roster, we have such a poignant offense that has some sweet flow.

How exciting is Marco Belinelli to watch? I have mentioned on this blog before, that he could potentially be a solid contributor. From reading about his desire to work hard in the gym to his on-court prevails he is truly hitting his stride. I see resemblances of Manu Ginobli in his game. Especially when he dribbles and cuts in between two defenders or his on-court vision for finding a teammate. We knew this guy could shoot. We knew he could handle the ball. All the kid needed was a chance. His minutes have gone up since Wrights injury and he could be a valuable asset during close games. He has been a good sub in when our offense is stagnant or when we need that little push to get a solid rhythm. He's only 23 years old and he has a lot of upside.

Our defense is showing glimmers of improvement. We're yet to see Reggie Evans on the court in regular season play. I wonder what he can contribute to our lackadaisical defense. I know our rebounding numbers will be higher. But, what about the flow of the game? How will they use Amir Johnson? Will his numbers diminishes? I'd frankly be sorry to see the kid lose playing time. It's still one of the mysteries of this young season. It would however have been nice to have Reggie playing with us against Boston that's coming up in the schedule. He is the perfect fit to go against the Celtics and bang bodies. Inside presence is certainly not our strong point by far.

What do we do with DeRozan? I've heard more chants for a point guard change than a DeRozan for either Wright or Belinelli. Why could we not get Wright in when we play Wade, Carter, Granger or Kobe? Why could we not start Belinelli when we have a match up we can exploit from the start? I'm not sure about the stance they have taken on this starting line-up. Of course I'm no NBA coach nor do I pretend to be. I as a fan don't understand the hard line stance against trying different things. Its glaringly obvious the Rookie is struggling and having some serious growing pains. I personally would love to see either Wright or Belinelli start things off with us. Having another strong shooter in Belinelli to work with could give even more space for Bosh, Hedo and Bargnani. As I've mentioned before, having Wright start could give us a defensive attitude that would help control the pace of the game. This would be especially important during road games where we don't want the Home team to get on a roll and wake the crowd up. I just don't see DeRozan staying in the starting line-up for too much longer. Unless I'm proven wrong. Which I would love to be! They invested their ninth pick and the future of that position in DeRozan. I plain and simple would not want him getting demoralized each and every night.

Cool Hand Luke

15 Games Into the Season...are the Raptors who we thought they were?

2009-11-24T07:08:00.000-08:00

15 games have gone by and it's fair to say we have been an inconsistent bunch. There was much hype surrounding the Toronto Raptors due to the reconstruction of our line-up. Speculation has surrounded this team and it's franchise player. Big league contracts where dished out to Bargnani, Turkoglu and Jack. Were they worth the cap space and future? Our bench is revamped and energetic at times. Will they stay the course through 82 games? Our rookie is extremely raw and has struggled through some ugly games. Is it worth benching him and potentially stunting his growth? Many standards were set for this team by Bryan Colangelo. We certainly could not expect all of the moves to pan out. It's just unrealistic. But, what have we done right and what have we done wrong so far in this still uncertain season?

Chris Bosh is having the year he was hoping for so far. Contract year usually equals contract numbers. In my opinion he is certainly a max player on the "right team". The problem is that I'm not sure this team is the right team for him and us to succeed. I'm not sure what MLSE and Colangelo have in their minds as a standard of success. I consider success not to be a 2nd tier team in this league. I consider success to not be a guaranteed win for Orlando and Boston when they face us. I follow this team with pride. Chris Bosh I feel plays with pride. We as a team have committed our cap space to Turkoglu, Calderon, Jack and Bargnani as our core. Does Bosh fit into the long term? There are too many scenario's that could play out so it's not an easy answer. Let's look at the top tear teams:

Boston:
PG: Rajon Rondo
SG: Ray Allen
SF: Paul Pierce
PF: Kevin Garnett
C: Kendrick Perkins

Success came quickly with a championship title. How did they get there? They teamed up the big three.

Orlando:
PG: Jameer Nelson
SG: Vince Carter
SF: Michael Pietrus
PF: Rashad Lewis
C: Dwight Howard

They were representing the East in the finals last year and had a record of 59W-23L. The Finals were not enough for them and they made a big trade acquiring Vince Carter to push them all the way. Maybe we could learn something from that?

Los Angeles(Lakers of course)
PG: Derek Fisher
SG: Kobe Bryant
SF: Ron Artest
PF: Pau Gasol
C: Andrew Bynum

The Lakers are defending champions and represented the Western conference in the last two NBA finals. In 2007/08 they stole Pau Gasol in a game changing deal with Memphis and he elevated them to the upper echelon instantly.

Toronto:
PG: Jose Calderon
SG: DeMar DeRozan
SF: Hedo Turkoglu
PF: Chris Bosh
C: Andrea Bargnani

This is a team riddled with uncertainty and what if's. With Calderon's defensive woes and Bargnani's weak rebounding game could we manifest ourselves that one true goal for a professional sports team? To win the championship?

We picked up Hedo Turkoglu this off season to boost our starting line-up. It looks great on paper and so far we have reaped the benefits of a stellar offense that can shoot the lights out with consistency. We are currently standing in 4th place for points per game. That's very impressive. He looks great in the 4th quarter and almost won us the game back in Phoenix. I'm sensing Triano will use Turkoglu as the main ball distributor in the 4th quarter and we will see a lot of Calderon and Jack in the corner's. Unfortunately Calderon and Jack are both struggling with their shot.

Bargnani's offensive game is still on the rise. Right now he's averaging around 17ppg and 6rpg. His free throw percentage is one of the best in the league. Yet he is a defensive liability and does not look to be improving on the other end. He is best against slower offenses but seems to get lost too easily against uptempo teams. His rotation is weak and he manages to get out rebounded by his opponent more than not. What does he need to do? Defense generally is about focus and a solid plan that's executable. By executable I mean having able bodies playing to their strengths instead of their weaknesses. The house system they implemented is slowly coming together. If the Raptors honed their focus in crucial parts of the Orlando game on Sunday they could have pulled out a win. Focus and execution of a plan.

Triano is smart. He adapts to the moment and is not afraid to change things up. It's very admirable. With the "House" style of defense he is playing to the strengths of our team. Dribble penetration is a major issue and he implements a strategy that forces players to make shots by blocking off the lanes with clever rotation. The problem we have had is often enough the fellas seem to lose their man. The opponent slips into the key for an easy put back or a gimmie offensive rebound and a fresh shot clock. What happens next is demoralization and mental exhaustion which leads to more defensive lapses. We need to give them time to gel on this but I think change must come soon.

Our guards have been an intriguing story. Calderon and Jack sharing back court duties has failed. Some are calling for a simple point guard rotation and that the experiment should end. I'd have to find a grey area in this argument. I believe once Jack becomes more comfortable we could see much success out of the combo guard. He played well for Indy last year and could find his form soon. I do however believe we are seeing some of Belineli's best so far in the NBA. When his shot is on he knows how to get open. He is extremely active which I'm sure gives Jay something to smile about. If we see more of Belinelli's emergence, there may not be a need for the Combo guard in Jack and the pressure is off. However, there is no offensive game in Antoine Wright and he tries to do too much. You can't play a guy who's taking shots away from your key starters. It's a shame because he is our best defender and most nights should be defending the best wing players in the league. If Triano can pursue a more defined role for Wright I could see him starting over DeRozan. It's only a matter of time before we start the Vet over the Rook.

Cool Hand Luke

The Bench That Turns the Smoldering Ash Into a glorious Blaze!

2009-11-21T13:37:00.000-08:00

They may not need good performances from all the starters to win games this season. It is a new day in Raptor land with a decisive victory over the struggling Miami Heat. I had the pleasure of attending this game and was able to choose what I stare at instead of a camera lens choosing for me.

How better off are we to not have an inconsistent bench? I don't miss the 08/09 season and I think I will pay for extended psychotherapy to remove it from my psyche. How I never have to worry about Jason Kapono the shooting specialist that couldn't buy a shot and thinks he's Michael Jordan. To never have another big man named Kris Humphries taking jumpers because he thinks he's Michael Jordan and to never have another athletic wing player named Jamario Moon who is scared shitless to drive the ball and convinces himself he is the second coming of Reggie Miller. Special mention goes out to Joey Graham who actually had marginal talent but had no Basketball I.Q.

Yes, my fellow Raptor fan's it brings a tear of joy to my eye every time I see DeRozan, Weems and Belinelli drive the ball without hesitation. It brings ease to my shell shocked Raptor fanatic body to see the rebounding machine and athletic big man Amir Johnson respect his team and play his role without Shakespearean tragedy(a quick note to you Amir I saw that shot you took from the top of the key in the 3rd. Please don't.). To see Reggie Evans though wounded the warrior, still supporting the troops in the march to certain victory. Special mention goes out to Antoine Wright who thinks he's Michael Jordan.

The Raptors are at the ACC on Sunday facing the Magic. With Carter in the line-up we are looking at a true battle. He definitely lights it up when he takes on the Raptors so it should be entertaining. I'm looking at two keys to us stealing this game. Our bench needs to play solid and we need to expose the weakness at the point. Jason Williams is starting in place of the injured Jameer Nelson. If we get ahead early and keep a good pace we could steal this one. Hopefully the majority of the building will be awake at 12:30pm for the game.

Cool Hand Luke

Things To Do In Denver When Your a Toronto Raptor

2009-11-17T15:15:00.000-08:00

Man, was that an exciting game over in Phoenix or what? You can't be mad at that performance whatsoever. I will say this group has been by far the most entertaining of teams we've had since the Carter era. They have more heart, desire and focus than last year. They play to win and don't let their opponent dictate the game. A lot of the credit should rest on Triano's shoulders. He does an excellent job adjusting to the nature of the moment. We really don't know what to expect from the lads other than an entertaining shoot out most nights. I thought Phoenix had a chance of looking ugly(especially when Turk was questionable for the night) but they pulled out the heart and went toe to toe with a hot team. Now, the mile high city is a whole other ball game.

I think Denver could be compared to a team like Atlanta. Both teams have haven't made too many line up changes in the last couple of years other than a couple key moves. Both teams have had a steady rise in their respective conferences and now are on the cusp of being considered title contenders.

Can the Raptors pull out a win tonight? I would be very impressed. If Wright is out tonight Jack and Belinelli will have to step up against Anthony and Smith. Denver is unbeaten at home and getting the hometown crowd out of the game surely makes a difference as we saw in Phoenix for large stretches. This could make itself out to be a high scoring affair. But I think both teams should try and control the tempo and I don't expect much more scoring than the other night.

Some keys to the game....

-Jack needs to step up in this one. If he gets his shots early look for this game to be his best so far.

-Belinelli & Johnson need to continue being the energy guys off the bench. This will basically be a bench game. Bench scoring is critical.

-Help defense is always big but look at these match ups(not sure if Triano will have guys cover positionally)
Chauncey vs. Calderon
Carmelo vs. Turk
Nene vs. Bargnani.
Those are three reasons to help your teammate tonight. If not than lets hope it's a race to 150points and we finish first.

Enjoy the game.

Cool Hand Luke

L.A. L.A. big city of dreams but everyone in L.A. forgets they have two teams...

2009-11-13T14:38:00.000-08:00

Big showdown tonight between the Raptors and Clippers. Yeah, I do think it is by the standards set for both teams. This is a game that should be winnable for our boys. It is the first of 4 road games against tough western conference opponents. The Clippers are the only team that are do or die to make the playoffs. After this we play a rejuvenated Phoenix Suns team and I expect that game to be a 157 - 135 loss, since both teams are like 1 and 2 for best offensive squad in the league right now. Lets continue where we left off with this roster so far...

Jose Calderon

The fiery Spaniard has crept back into our hearts with his recent play. Scoring in double digits the past three games will definitely erase his poor start to the season. The man has been trying on defense and that's about all we can ask of him. There is only so much athleticism he has and I don't expect him to go Raja Bell on anyone anytime soon. If anyone honestly thinks Calderon at this point in his career will be putting a defensive lock down on Rondo or Paul better start following another squad. Colangelo and co. have invested in him and believe he will be a great starting point guard for many years. Now I'm not completely sold on him leading us to the glorious NBA finals but I'd still take him over T.J. Ford.

DeMar DeRozan

He shows flashes of brilliance. His athleticism is undoubted yada yada yada...
Now, one thing I just don't understand or care to understand is why they start the kid. I'm pretty sure he will develop at the same pace if he came off the bench. The difference would probably be so insignificant that I'd rather have confidence over raw athleticism and that's where Antoine Wright comes in(more on that later). DeRozan will be great in a couple of years. There is no need to start him just so he can play significant minutes with our main guys. If he comes off the bench he's still playing NBA professionals who are far better than the college kids he played with and against last year. I've heard the argument that those are the best minutes for his development and I just disagree. Bargnani in his first year came off the bench and Bosh if I'm not mistaken came off the bench. Both the B's were far more seasoned than DeRozan when they came into this league so...where am I wrong here?

The Bench

The bench has been quite inconsistent this season. They are by far the deepest we've had for some time but they are a group that's still finding their way.

The disappointments so far have been Marco Belinelli and Jarret Jack. Both have not found their shots and are forcing play. Jack is not looking worthy of the mid-level exception he's being payed. Marco was brought in for his shot and his shooting is inconsistent.

Props should go out to Antoine Wright and Amir Johnson. Both have been steady defensive anchors. I do think Wright deserves that starting 2 spot in the line-up. We need a good role player to off set our scoring power. I think he would be well-suited in being a guy that starts and sets the defensive tone early. Amir Johnson is my man. The guy just never gives up on a play. He is constantly a bothersome presence for the opposition when he is on the court. He forces turnovers and is all around a guy who has received well deserved playing time.

Rasho Nesterovic is at the end of his career. Yet, I feel he is still of importance to this team whether it be veteran leadership or wily play to shutdown opposing Centers. I still think we will see glimmers of old Rasho this year but I do expect him to only be used for certain match ups.

How will they handle the Clippers? Tune in tonight 10:30 eastern time.

Cool Hand Luke

What if...the Raptors were the number 1 offensive team in the league and the worst defensive team?

2009-11-10T14:57:00.000-08:00

The Raptors are a tough team to watch. They make you laugh, cry and shriek in terror. These guy's have made me sweat watching them play. To get an idea of where this team could be at the end of the year is complicated and riddled with What ifs...

Chris Bosh

What can we say about him? This guy is a franchise player. He's come running out of the gate like a bull looking for blood. I enjoy his new found focus and determination on the court. This is a big year for him and he knows it. His averages are at the MVP level and I think it's safe to bet on his 5th all-star appearance this year. I do think the team needs to find him even more on the court and exploit the match-ups he's given night in night out. With Duncan out of the line-up on Monday night against the Spurs I think he could have scorched McDyess and Blair for 40+points if they gave him more looks. He had 16 shot attempts but it should have been around 25. He did however get to the line 17 times which put the Spurs in foul trouble. That will be a key to success for these guys. Both in Dallas and San Antonio they did not take advantage of being in the bonus during certain moments in the game. That's when you hit the post heavy and rake in gimmie's. Look for CB4 to continue his recent success. There is no stopping him.

Andrea Bargnani

I've stated before if he averages 22points per game I won't be so upset about his rebounding woes. As we now know our defence is non-existent. Frankly, I knew our defence wouldn't be the best in the league I certainly didn't expect them to be this bad. So, I will need a mulligan on that one. He is shooting great averaging 20points but I'm not sure what we can do about his rebounding. The Spurs killed us with second chance points and it's tough to fix that when your out at the three point line with your hands up. I'm definitely not hating on him for scoring. I'm just concerned that there may not be a fix for that in his game because he's not a traditional big man. Hopefully when we see Reggie Evans back in the line-up his rebounding stat won't be such a glaring mark on this team.

Hedo Turkoglu

I thoroughly enjoy watching the game when the ball is in his hands. This offence becomes exciting and unpredictable with a high rate of success. There are still some kinks in his game but it's coming together. I am pleased he received that time off from basketball during training camp because we could have ended up with the Gasol situation in L.A. I was reading a few post's from fans comparing Hedo and Pau. Both had played the finals and both had teams in the Eurobasket go deep. Hedo opted to rest and Pau started training camp right away. Now we are 2 weeks into the season and Gasol is yet to play a game. Goes to show you a little rest goes a long way. I'm not completely sold on the fact Hedo was the best option this summer. I really liked the way this team looked with Marion and was disappointed that there was no way he would stay on. Hedo does not have the best defensive skill set. Although, not having any trouble keeping his man in front of him, he does give up on a play far too often. I'm not sure if it's a mental thing or simply fatigue but it can be tough to watch when the team is still in the game.

I will get into Calderon, DeRozan and the bench with my next post.

Cool Hand Luke

Post Game: Celtics 101 Raptors 82

2009-10-18T17:41:00.000-07:00

So 7 down 1 to go before it really matters. I'm not going to lie, I chose not to watch too far into the fourth quarter. I personally can't bare to see the combination of replacement referee's and players that would never get meaningful time in a meaningful game closing things out. This particular one had a similar feel to a regular season game than the rest have, with both teams tightening their rotations.

So, I think Garnett's knees are alright. Good news for the Celtics. He was running the transition and diving for balls like a new man. They will dominate us throughout the season. I do however think the guys are just dying to beat this team. Garnett knows how to get under an opponents skin during play. He is a ferocious presence and his defensive pressure gets under my skin when I watch him play. They are by far the best team defensively in the entire league. They just shut things down whenever they need to. Any of the Raptors with time on the bench should have a pen and notepad handy to take notes. In the first quarter the Celtics shot 76% from the field. The defense was non-existent. They did however get it together for the next two quarters. It could have gotten quite ugly on the scoreboard.

Hedo Turkoglu had his best game of the preseason. He scored a team high 16points and took in 5rebounds. I really enjoy the game when he is on the court. Although his turnover rate will be high this year, the offense is by far more exciting to watch when he has the ball. Anything can happen while Turkoglu is setting up. His court vision just gives this offense a lot of options. I'm positive he will have much success on the court with any combination of players. He meshes well with any style and draws so much attention whether he has the ball or not.

Well we know Weems should never take a jumper. It is an extremely weak part of his game. I do feel like he could contribute something on the court when things get rolling but it also makes him very easy to cover when you can give him the room to shoot.

Man, do we need Reggie Evans when we play the Celtics this year. We need him to impose his will in the paint. He is the guy that's gonna make the front court rotation of the Celtics work.

Triano has some time to make tweaks and changes to the line-up. I'm sure he has a pretty good idea of how he will use the pieces on this team. It is crucial they hammer down this new defensive strategy. If they keep their heads up during the tough opening month of the season this team has a chance to make some noise.

There isn't much more to say about these guys during preseason play. They play Minnesota on Friday and open the season against the Cavaliers on the 28th. I'm counting down the days until it all matters.

Cool Hand Luke

Post Game: Rockets 124 Raptors 112 Preseason Oct 15th, 2009

2009-10-16T09:16:00.000-07:00

I'm not sure how much more 4th quarter preseason basketball I can take. I may have to turn the game off when the 3rd quarter ends. The Raptors offence is slowly coming together but we have a long way to go. Well, let's take a look at the positives and negatives.

The Positives:

-Bargnani played another aggressive game scoring 16points and getting 5rebounds.

-Another great show of athleticism from both DeRozan and Weems.

-Calderon is getting back to his old habits and that is a good thing.

The Negatives:

-Turkoglu received some more minutes but his defense is sloppy. I'm not sure if he is pacing himself or just gets gassed out, but it looked pretty bad.

-Overall the defense was pretty rough to watch. The preseason air rolled over the game and things became decidedly ugly.

-The team has found some chemistry but has yet to maintain it through 3 quarters of play(no mention of the 4th because it is called mandatory garbage quarter from now on in preseason).

I should give a shout out to Bargnani. I personally haven't always believed he could reach higher levels, mind you he made it very easy not to. Last night was another display of his maturity as a player. He has in my opinion achieved a new sense of confidence that may have been carried over from last season. He plays with a steady aim and his offensive effectiveness has greatly improved. On the defensive end, the rebounding could be better but he is showing signs of toughness while boxing out his opponents on a regular basis. Marco and Andrea both should see playing time on the court together because the chemistry from the national team has obviously spilled over to their NBA game.

Sonny Weems has made quite a case for himself this off season. Talk about a guy taking his career into his own hands and making things happen. If he hasn't done enough in the past 5 games to convince Triano to seriously consider using him in the rotation then I'm not sure what else he can do. It turns out the guy was a steal for the Raptors and eases the question of depth at the small forward position.

How bout a round of applause for Pops Mensah-Bonsu! He had a great game and makes some fans scratch their heads at why we were not able to re-sign him in the off season. There are several factors but it doesn't hurt as much having Evans and Johnson as a replacement. I do believe Bryan Colangelo thinks two moves ahead in his dealings and Pops just would have hindered a couple moves after the fact. I am however glad he has found a home in Houston cause they will need all the help they can get.

I'm not sure if Houston will be playoff bound this year. They lost Artest and signed Ariza. If T-mac comes back healthy and hungry it could make the difference. This is McGrady's final year in his contract. I would seriously be surprised if he was a Rocket next season or is able to demand the kind of money he makes this year. He has been plagued with injuries and I could see him playing a reduced role on a team that's a championship contender. His departure will give Houston 23mill in cap space to sign 1 or more free agents this coming off season. It's a matter of time until it hits the list as another possible destination for Bosh next year(because it's not fathomable whatsoever that he would even consider re-signing here, right?). If they can land a top FA they will be again be a troublesome team in the West. Until then it seems to be their destiny to have a lottary pick due to the competitive playoff seeds in the West

Next game is on Sunday at the ACC against the Celtics. I'm looking forward to seeing more minutes with Turkoglu on the floor. It should be a decent game since they will have some time at home to work on some of the kinks in their game. I'll have a pregame for you in a couple days.

Cool Hand Luke

Pregame: Rockets vs. Raptors @ The ACC Oct 15th, 2009

2009-10-15T13:05:00.000-07:00

No pregame for today's matchup...(update) and no Reggie Evans for the remainder of preseason play. He will be out with a left mid-foot sprain (via Doug Smith). Expect a full detailed post for after the game!
Again, it's on Raptors TV at 7pm.

Cool Hand Luke

Post Game Raptors 90 Celtic 106 Oct 14th, 2009

2009-10-14T19:11:00.000-07:00

We got our first glimpse of the true starting 5 tonight in Hartford. Turkoglu started the game with limited minutes and had a relatively quiet night. The game had a a few interesting moments and then fizzled away into preseason oblivion. Some Positives and Negatives perhaps?

The Positives

-Bargnani played a tough game against Kendrick Perkins. The two of them tangled up quite a bit and Bargnani came away with 7rebounds for the night which was a preseason high.

-Bosh was on fire in the first half and ended the night with 21points in 27min played.

-The point guard play was decent with Jack and Calderon leading.

The Negatives

-Evans left the game after he rolled his ankle.

-They lost the battle on the boards with 32 points against the Celtics 44.

-Belinelli had limited minutes now that DeRozan slides back to the two. He was a non-factor in this game.

It was a game of experimentation for the Raptors with Turkoglu joining the line-up. He ran the point with Calderon and got a lot of touches during his time on the court. He made a few plays and passes the ball very. I'm looking forward to seeing him get extended minutes because he looked pretty good for not having played in a month and a half.

Bargnani had a small but entertaining battle under the basket with Kendrick Perkins. His experience showed and was he was not easily intimidated.

Next up is Houston tomorrow night at the ACC. It will be on Raptors TV.

Cool Hand Luke

Pregame: Raptors @ Celtics Preseason in Hartford.....Hartford? Oct 14th, 2009

2009-10-14T11:41:00.000-07:00

We are back for another preseason shindig between the Raptors and the Celtics tonight. This is a first of a back-to-back for the Raptors who will be facing Houston tomorrow night at the ACC. Tonight's game will mark the first time we will see the full starting line-up that includes our biggest off season acquisition Hedo Turkoglu. That means the line-up tonight will be Calderon, DeRozan, Turkoglu, Bosh and Bargnani. How bout some keys...

-Turkoglu being a rare talent at his size that can dribble and pass so well will definitely get a lot of handles running the offense. It will be important to get him involved as much as they can during his limited minutes.

-Bosh needs to get his minutes because as we approach the start of the season he needs to have the gas to play 38-40 minutes a night.

-This should be a true test for our front court as our opponents will be Garnett, Big Baby Davis and Kendrick Perkins. Rasheed Wallace will most likely sit out the night.

-Rajon Rondo is by far one of the quickest point guards in the league. I don't expect much from Calderon in regards to stopping him but they need to implement their defensive strategy of cutting off lanes and working on their help defense.

The Boston Celtics are regarded as one of the favorites to represent the Eastern Conference in the finals. I personally disagree. Their big move this summer was the addition of veteran Rasheed Wallace. He is aging and his skills are declining. Sure, he makes them stronger but I don't think it will make a significant difference. Especially when you compare it to Orlando acquiring Carter, Cleveland getting Shaq, L.A. switching Ariza for Artest and San Antonio stealing Jefferson from the Bucks. If you look at that list of acquisitions you'd have to rank Boston last in significance. Boston is an elite team. They won the championship two season's ago and I don't see them having the same will power as Cleveland or Orlando in the post season.

This will be a tough match-up all around for the Raptors. They will struggle with this team all year. It seems every time they play Boston they stay competitive until a defensive breakdown at the end of the game. Boston is a defense first type of team. This doesn't mean they don't have the offensive firepower at the other end. It strictly means that offense will keep you competitive but defense will win you the game. The Raptors could learn allot from the Celtics. Jay Triano has implemented a new strategy that will close off the lanes and force up shots. It makes complete sense for this team. No one on this roster is an exceptional defensive player. This will help with the dribble penetration that we suffer from every game. It will also get guys like Calderon some help after Rondo blows by.

The players that have impressed me so far have been Evans, Belinelli and Johnson. All three have specific attitudes on the court which rub off on their teammates. The offense flows much better when Belinelli is on the court. The team plays intensely when Evans is working and Johnson brings an athleticism that inspires the guys around him. They will only get better as time passes. I'm certain this is the tip of the iceberg we are seeing. But, it will all be in vein if we cannot hold it down defensively, which would be a shame.

Turkoglu creates interesting arguments around the league. Was he an integral part of Orlando's offence or was he the benefactor of Dwight Howards presence on the court? Will Orlando regret not resigning him or will their trade for Carter go down as the winning move? Turkoglu having backed out of a deal with Portland at the last minute and signing with Toronto raised some eyebrows. There was an initial deal on the table but Bryan Colangelo moved quickly to secure Turkoglu's flight into Toronto. Otis Smith commented on the dealings as Portland's gain by not signing him. He(Otis) and many sports writers belive Turkoglu is over hyped and was over paid by Toronto. At 30 years old and with a contract of 5 years guaranteed we as Toronto fans would hope that he is not. I think Otis Smith was a little frustrated that Turkoglu exercised his option. The facts are pretty simple. Turkoglu was the only consistent player on that team in last year's playoff run. Jameer Nelson was out with an injury and at critical moments Turkoglu was running the offense. Turkoglu may not be regarded as an all-star but he can thrive on this team as a solid 2nd or 3rd option on the court. He is also a great clutch shooter at the end of games which is a role that has needed to be filled ever since Carter was shipped out. The issue here is whether he can gel with Bosh and Bargnani. There is a worry that Turkoglu and Bargnani will clog the perimeter and stagnate the offense. Basically, Turkoglu creates match up problems because he can dribble. They will use that aspect of his game the most. With the dribble penetration he will create the space needed for Bosh and Bargnani to operate. He is also an adept passer and and has great court vision. I could also see him working well with the likes of Belinelli and Calderon. It is a matter of trial and error. They will use what works and discard the plays that don't. Jay Triano wants the ball to move and have a flow in his offense. Turkoglu could provide that. It is all speculative but our questions will be answered very soon.

This is a non televised game but you can catch the live blog from Doug Smith here.

Join me for a post-game analysis tonight.

Cool Hand Luke

Post Game: Wizards 93 Raptors 100 Oct 11th, 2009

2009-10-11T15:56:00.000-07:00

Did you miss them? Being without a broadcast, it was sort of difficult to asses what the heck happened in Minnesota. Fortunately for us die hard fans salivating for preseason action we were in luck, as the game was played live on Raps TV. The Raptors pulled out the win and some players that have struggled here and there impressed me this afternoon. Some positives and negatives...

The Positives:

-Belinelli had a fine offensive game contributing 15points 5assists and 4rebounds. He keeps that up and I think I will be wholly satisfied.

-Something clicked inside DeRozan's head and he looked great on both sides of the court. He also had a team high 19points.

-Amir Johnson is just a young and hungry player. He had a game high 12rebounds and on top of that blocked 3 shots.

-There was more calm at the point with both Calderon and Jack having steady games. Calderon fending off Arenas in the first half. Jack leading the bench and leading it well in the 2nd half.

-They finally out rebounded their opponents 49-41

The Negatives:

-The y finished with 100points but their their field goal percentage was a weak 38%.

-The biggest gaping hole on this team is that it just cannot defend the dribble penetration whatsoever. I know Wright is missing from the line up as I type this but he is only one man. They need to figure out there defensive schematics to stop this because it will kill them this year.

-they shot the 3 ball horribly with 1-12 on the day.

It was a youth full revolt today at the ACC. With DeRozan, Belinelli and Johnson taking charge. Bosh and Bargnani had a rather quiet night and the three young players stepped up and took over.

DeRozan does not mind a bit of contact. Driving in and taking the hit from NBA bodies probably wouldn't be the first thing a Rookie would want to be doing. But, DeRozan doesn't mind and it helped him get to the line and shoot 9/10 at the free throw line. This kid likes to work on his game and it is truly showing. Out of the top 10 draft picks from this years crop you wouldn't have to argue him into the top 5 of best performance so far. If you disagree take a look at the 2 minute mark in the 4th quarter. Need I say more?

We have needed someone on this team to step up and help with point production at the 2 spot on a consistent level. The past 2 years we have seen the likes of Parker, Moon, Delfino and Kapono try and fail. I think from what I have taken in the past few games, Belinelli has more talent and is more well rounded than all 4 of those players(disregarding Anthony Parker's first year with us). I'm not saying he is the second coming of Del Curry or Doug Christie. I am not saying he has a Manu Ginobli type ceiling. What I am saying is this kid is with an organisation that is supportive and a fan of his talent. He fits very well with this teams roster and system. He has compatriots in Bargnani and Gherardini. Colangelo thinks he has 6th man of the year potential(let's not get too out of hand here). Browsing the Internet you read the words streaky, weak defense, can play the point. Doesn't sound exciting. This is a win win situation and it is all up to him. It's the pivotal moment in his career where all the cards have fallen into place and it is the time to make it or break it. This team has potential to be exciting and he needs to fit that format as well. 12-15points on average would be more than enough per game and he is young enough to mold into a better defensive presence.

The Toronto Raptors 2009 season will be determined by their defensive ability. If they don't patch up the weaknesses and commit to a defense first attitude like the Celtics there is no way they will make the noise that some fans are hoping for this season. It's easy to predict a playoff birth but getting past the first round will be nearly impossibleif attitudes don't change. The perimeter needs to be locked down tighter than a Casino floor. They have the tools in Marc Iavroni being a defensive specialist. The solid front court rotation of Rasho, Evans, Amir and a steady veteran who has had a life in this league due to his defensive prowess, Antoine Wright were all brought in. These are all stepping stones. Calderon, Bargnani and Turkoglu need to buy into the defensive system the coaches have designed if they want to succeed.

I believe this team's bench can match up well against most if not all benches in the east. Jack is the perfect point guard for our bench players. He runs the court with such calm and ease. Our guys would have a tough time letting the game get out of control(as it usually has when the starters aren't on the court) with Jack at the helm.

The Raptors have been written off this year by a load of sports writer's(cough, cough John Hollinger, cough) and TV personalities. This team has had it's highs and lows. This is potentially the most talented group assembled yet. They need to out perform out hustle and out shine as much as possible. They need to stand up during tough losses and take charge coming out of the gate in the next. We are 17 day's away from the Cavaliers stepping onto our home court. November will be a grind and could set the pace for the season.

Next up we have a game against Boston at a neutral site. It'll be interesting to see the big three in action. Check back on Wednesday for the pregame post.

Cool Hand Luke

Pregame: Wizards @ Raptors Oct 11th, 2009

2009-10-11T09:05:00.000-07:00

Quick pregame post for everyone today.

Keys to the game:

-keep the offense rolling

-stay cool on defense

-contain their starters

-out rebounded last 3 games. We need to step it up.

It will be interesting to see Gilbert Arenas back on the floor. Will he be the Gilbert Arenas of old? How will Flip Saunders guide this team?

The Raptors are at home and coming off a strong performance. The fans who were thrown off by the lack of coverage of the game will be happy to know this one is being broadcast on Raptors TV at 3pm. This was a short post but I will have a Post-game report later today. This one was short but it is Thanksgiving now.

Enjoy the game folks and have a Happy Thanksgiving!

Cool Hand Luke

Post-Game: Raptors 112 vs. Timberwolves 97 Oct 9th, 2009

2009-10-10T07:47:00.000-07:00

Having not watched a TV or radio broadcast nor having been in Minnesota to casually attend last nights game, I will try and put together from whatever evidence I can gather an idea of what the heck happened last night! How bout some pros and cons?

The Positives:

-hot off the presses we won the game!! The season is not lost and all that jazz....

-Bosh according to Doug Smith looked strong, agile and gave much needed presence in the post. He also gassed after 8minutes which is not surprising as it was his first run around with semi-real opponents.

-Bargnani had another dominant scoring game with 21points.

-5 players were in double digits for points. Much more support on the offensive end for sure.

-Evans with limited minutes coming off the bench still produced 11points and 5rebounds

The Negatives:

-another bad night at the free throw line with 61.8% made free throws

-according to Doug Smith, Belinelli is a streaky shooter. It also seems he may be a turnover machine.

-we won the game but lost the rebounding war with 36 total rebounds against 45 for the T-Wolves.

The Timberwolves have young talented players but I don't see them giving us too much trouble(barring injuries of course) in the regular season. They just don't have a deep enough bench to be competitive. I think Ramon Sessions was a much needed pick-up this off season and it will take a lot of pressure off of Flynn and fill the void of a certain Spanish point guard not named Jose Calderon.

Chris Bosh at this time is the face of this Franchise. The success we will attain this season rests sorely on his shoulders. Sure, there are other factors that may impede that success, but I think they were taken care of this off season. There is ease with a much deeper bench. The toughness factor has been addressed (which I will get to further on) and the athleticism on the wings may not be an issue anymore. But it all still boils down to the 4 time all star, Olympic gold medalist and 20/10 contributor having another successful all-star caliber season.

I think both Bosh and Jay Triano have a good working relationship. They have worked together during the coaching tenures of Kevin O'Neil and Sam Mitchell. Now that Jay is in charge, it will be interesting to see how Bosh thrives and grows under his system. They both seem to have a calm and collected demeanor mirrored by a fire and intensity that breaks through in tense situations. Sam Mitchell had a very dominating personality and from reports I've read he was an in your face kind of guy(which in some cases isn't a bad thing). Jay seems to be the type of coach that is a strong listener and communicator. Through interviews and articles one can easily determine that he is a man with deep knowledge of the game. I think having those qualities will make it easier for a strong respectful working relationship.

I'm not sure if I can run out of good things to say about Reggie Evans. This game was more an example of how he will be used this season. He is our go to big man off the bench. He is an intimidating presence on and off the court. For example, during a moment in the game Flynn being covered by Douby, you could hear Reggie on the bench dogging Flynn for trying to do too much and taking the intensity away from him(via Doug Smith).

Amir Johnson may not need a mask this Halloween anymore. That's 2 cuts out of 3 games that have have required stitches. He never had much of an impact last night and received 4 fouls in 12 minutes of play.

Triano gave Calderon a break tonight and primarily used Jarret Jack at the point. He was not impressive on the stat line for 28 minutes. According to the podcast from Raptors Republic he looked more like a back-up point guard than the other two nights. So, no starting point guard drama yet.

I have no problem with Marco Belinelli struggling a little in preseason. If he doesn't turn out to be a solid contributor there is nothing we have lost. We gave up Devaen George to get him. Now, I may lose my membership card to the Devaen George fan club but we acquired potential for absolutely nothing. He has to be more controlled on offense and play a little more conservative on defense from what I have seen so far. I think factoring in his limited playing time with Golden State and the lack of support he received from Don Nelson, the guy deserves another chance. It definitely came at the right time in his career. He is 23 years old and knows the opportunity ahead of him. It really comes down to consistency and showing up to play each and every game.

Next game is at the ACC on Sunday @ 3pm Raptors take on the Wizard. Look for the pregame post in the morning.

Cool Hand Luke

Pregame: Raptors @ Minnesota 7pm Oct 9th, 2009

2009-10-09T07:41:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone! Glad you could be here. We've got another hotly anticipated preseason game to cover(just a hint of sarcasm) so let's get to it. A quick reminder for anyone looking for some sort of broadcast whether radio or TV! There is none. The only way to stay in touch is to either have a ticket for the game, check the NBA.com box scores or check out Doug Smith's live blog. He will have something up later this evening. The line up for tonight will most likely be Calderon, Belinelli, DeRozan, Bosh & Bargnani. How about some keys to the game:

-Bosh will be suited up and playing some minutes tonight. Get him going early and get him out early. I expect his minutes to be limited and short.

-Calderon will be facing off against Johnny Flynn who even though is a rookie will be a handful.
He should set the precedent early and show the rookie what the NBA is all about

-Let's hope Bargnani gobbles up more than 3rebounds tonight. It will be a true test because both Kevin Love and Al Jefferson are rebounding machines. He will have his work cut out.

Will Reggie Evans come off the bench with the same intensity and rigor? I definitely would not bet against it. Look for him to come in early and bring that Evans energy.

The Minnesota Timberwolves have been in the news this summer mainly due to the Ricky Rubio fiasco. They picked up Rubio in the draft so they could get their attendance up. This hasn't quite panned out for David Kahn and he may use Rubio's rights as trade bait in the future.

They picked up Ramon Sessions from the Bucks as insurance and have a young team with lots of talent. They have a new coach in Kurt Rambis and are moving in a new direction.
The big question will be Al Jefferson's knee. Will it hold up after surgery? He was producing all-star calibre numbers before he went down and needs to get back to that level if this team is to have any chance of being competitive. Kevin Love has been a great draft pick up for this franchise and can consistently get double doubles each and every night. Look for him to make some serious noise in the league this season. He has a bright future ahead.

The Raptors should be able to keep up with this team quite easily. Both teams have a few new players and will be adjusting offensive sets. This will be a great opportunity to get the likes of Belinelli and DeRozan involved even more into the offense.

Jay Triano wants to keep the opponents defense on their heels. Look for him to be pushing the guys up the court in transitional play. This game will be another sloppy affair but they should look more and more comfortable with each other as time goes on. As I have noted before, these games count as much as summer league, d-league and grandma's league put together so don't fret if things are looking bad e.g. Calderon's defense.

It will be very interesting to see the full starting line up of Bargnani, Bosh, Turkogly, DeRozan and Calderon at some point this off season. Turkoglu is still resting and participated in some speedy drills during practice. He may suit up at the end of next week. Wright will stay behind this trip and continue to nurse his sore knees.

Enjoy watching the box score tonight if you have that kind of patience. I will be at the live blog and I will try to put some sort of idea about what happened together for after the game.

At least you have baseball playoffs. Am I right?

Cool Hand Luke

Post Game: Sixers 84 Raptors 79 @ the ACC Oct 7th '09

2009-10-07T19:10:00.000-07:00

Another preseason game in the books, the Raptors finishing a back to back series with the 76ers. They looked much better tonight but still have a ways to go both on offense and defense. Let's look at the good and the bad.

Positives:

-the defense held the Sixers to 49 first half points instead of 69 in their previous affair

-a solid offensive effort from Belinelli and Weems. Both players had 12points each and could see a lot of playing time if they can keep up a high scoring average

-they contained Louis Williams much better and held him to 8points 1assist

-another energetic night for Reggie Evans with 9points and 9rebounds

-turnovers were a lot less with 17

Negatives:

-they may have held Philadelphia to shooting 37% from the field but they shot a weak 39.5% themselves

-the Raptors rarely got to the line and when they did only shot 14 of 23 just over 60%

-the offensive sets were very sloppy which is understandable considering this is only the second game the new group have played

-Bargnani had a quiet game and retrieved a mere 2rebounds

Why not look at this game with the glass half full attitude? They contained their players much better on defense and kept the transition points to a minimum.

Reggie Evans will be the team power booster with his ambitious defensive energy. The man does not quit and has a strong instinct. Unfortunately he was a little too eager on offense. Now, I wasn't too familiar with his offensive game while he was on the Sixers but I've read it is non-existent. Tonight's offensive presence might have had to do with the fact that he was trying to get the team going when no player had the shooting touch . This was a rough game for the offensive minded fan with few sparks whatsoever.

DeRozan played a strong game on D and is showing the fans that he is an upgrade to what we've had at the wing position in seasons past. I quite enjoyed seeing him driving to the rim with no fear, something we had not seen consistently at the 2/3 spot. He again stayed at around the 28min mark and played with poise.

I thought Belinelli had a stronger game. I noticed his transition game was well rounded and he will be able to run with this team on the fast break. With a 12point performance it would be more than beneficial to have him scoring in the double digits on average. Another reason this team failed last year was the fact that no one was there to step up if Bosh or Bargnani were having a bad game. If he fills that role and becomes our insurance scorer it will bode well during close games.

What can we say about Sonny Weems? He has shown his talent in these two games. Being the last acquisition in a busy off season has kept him under the radar. He was the comedic relief for training camp and has been the most surprising player so far. If he continues on this path it will be easy for Triano to get him his minutes in regular season action.

Next game is against Minnesota on Friday. Check back for the pregame post.

Great quote from Grange at the G & M:
He’s wearing No. 72 this year. Why? “It’s a rare number and I’m a rare dude.”
-Jason Kapono

Cool Hand Luke

Quick Pregame: Raptors Vs. Sixers @ ACC Oct 7th, 2009

2009-10-07T15:42:00.000-07:00

So, a rematch from last night on Raptors TV tonight at 7pm. Same starting line up with Calderon Belinelli, DeRozan, Evans & Bargniani. They are sitting out Wright, Bosh and Hedo.

Some keys for tonight's game:

- lowering their turnovers! 29 TO's last night is not a good stat.

-Jose needs to elevate his defensive game and slow down Williams

-DeMar should get more comfortable and needs to be a little more confident in finishing the play

-Belinelli needs to take less risks on defense and should look to get open more

-they need to slow down the transition offense and get back to defend their man

-Philadelphia is athletic and fast so look for some zone defense tonight to change the pace of the game

-Jack should be getting some more minutes, but the rotation won't be much more different than last night

-in back to back situations Teams need to come back and show their grit on home court. I think we are in for more "Reggie" chants

Enjoy the game folks and remember it's only preseason.

Cool Hand Luke

Post Game: Sixers 107 Raptors 98(Preseason)

2009-10-06T20:58:00.000-07:00

I believe we have entered the realm of preseason play. The Raptors having come up short in their first of a back to back series with the 76ers, still have a lot of work ahead of them. Perimeter defense was a glaring mark on what was a rather uneventful game. Lets look at some of the stats:

the positive:

-Bargnani scored a game high 22 points

-Amir Johnson 8points 10rebounds

-DeMar DeRozan 9points 4assists 4rebounds

-Reggie Evans showed some of his energy and quickly became the fan favorite of the evening

the negatives:

-no players other than Bargnani and Weems reached double digits in scoring

-Louis Williams scored a team high 17points and Calderon's defensive ability all but disappeared

-Belinelli was a non-factor in the game with only 9points 4assists and 4turnovers

What can we say about an inconsequential game with both Bosh and Turkoglu out and solid defensive specialist Wright nursing sore knees. Not much. Calderon still has a lot of work to do in regards to his defensive game. If he is to stop or at least slow down the likes of Rondo and Rose he will have to dig deep and stay consistent at the perimeter. The play starts with the point and if you get behind on defense from the start you will be behind for the rest of the play. As we expected Calderon played 16 minutes and took the 2nd half off. That gave Jack the opportunity to work the team. He had a fairly solid yet unspectacular game and did not force the play too much. It was sloppy and unorganized. No player on the Raptors had a perfect game.

Belinelli played 28 minutes but never had much to show. He was brought in to add that extra scoring punch off the bench, but he shot 2 of 8 from the field. It will be interesting to see if he gets his shots wednesday night.

Bargnani however had the scoring touch shooting 9 of 14 and ending the night with 22 points. He however only had 3 rebounds. If we are going to have any success this year Bargnani has to show some rebounding flair. On the offensive end he can be out of position most plays, but there really is no excuse on defense.

DeRozan was impressive and showed some of his athletic ability. He did however have some trouble keeping his man in front of him. Playing time will be the most important factor in the preseason for DeRozan. He needs to play through mistakes, learn quickly and develop fast.

Amir Johnson found his legs in transition play and contributed on the boards with a game high 10 rebounds. If he keeps that up he will see significant playing time and will be a key piece to this team. His success lies in staying out of foul trouble, something that kept him from getting his minutes in Detroit. At a mere 22 years of age he has a chance to shine and show his true skill and talent.

They will end the back to back Wednesday night at the ACC. They should try and set the pace early and get the hometown crowd into it. Belinelli needs to open his game up a bit more. Calderon will have to get the defensive aspect of his game back on track. Look for more experimenting with lineups and the rotation. The minutes should be about the same unless Wright is back in the lineup.

I'll have a brief pregame post so stay tuned.

Cool Hand Luke

Raptors @ 76'rs London, Ontario(Preseason)

2009-10-06T06:57:00.000-07:00

Well, the time has come for us to embrace this team once more as representation of professional basketball in the city of Toronto. Since this is the 15th season of our beloved franchise, let's look at what we have come to expect each and every season.

-we have grown into becoming the 11th highest attendance in the league

-this team has gone through 7 coaches. With Mitchell receiving the coach of the year, a first for this franchise.

Brendin Malone 1995/96
Darryl Walker 1996/97-1997/98
Butch Carter 1997/98-1999/00
Lenny Wilkins 2000/01-2002/03
Kevin O'Neill 2003/04
Sam Mitchell 2004/05-2008/09
Jay Triano 2008/09-Present

-we have been in the playoffs 5 out of the 15 seasons of our franchise.

-we have had 3 franchise(Stoudamire,Carter,Bosh) players.

-there have been 4 Gm's leading the franchise.

If we were to estimate what stage of life this franchise is in, it would definitely be a twenty something young adult trying to find its own identity. Numerous line up changes over the past few seasons have hampered our chemistry on the court. The fact that we are heading into this fresh season with only 3 incumbent players is unnerving. Yet, it is also admirable to have Bryan Colangelo admit past failures and blow the team up when necessary.

So here we are. A new beginning.

Pregame:

What to expect in the game? Allot of fouls! The trend has been set with the replacement referee's. We can expect a slow and stagnant game. What to expect from the players? They will be learning to play with each other against real opponents. Coaches will be trying out many lineup possibilities. Rookies will be learning to adjust their game to the NBA level.

There is a season of doubt with both the 76'rs and the Raptors. Other than being divisional rivals the teams have another glaring fact in common. Both teams tried and so far have failed(Toronto entirely ditching the idea) with their major acquisitions in the off season of 2008-09. Toronto trading for Jermaine O'Neil and Philadelphia acquiring Elton Brand. We know the timetable of events that occurred with Toronto, but Philadelphia is still giving all they've got with Brand.

Brand was a tremendous force during his time with the Clippers and gave that Franchise a new beam of hope. He had taken them as far as they have gone in the playoffs. With Philadelphia however he has bogged them down and turned them from a transition offense into a half court offense. They have so much money locked up into their front court of Brand and Dalembert, that it is imperative they fill the void of a slim bench. They need to produce some serious numbers with Iguodala. They need to mesh into the team style better than they have in the past. Iguodala is in my opinion a star in this league. He just doesn't have a good enough supporting cast for this team to be competitive(remind you of another situation?). I'm not sure Premos Brezac is quite the game changer they needed to acquire this past off season. It will be interesting to see what Eddie Jordan has drawn up as his master plan for this team. He will have a rookie in Jrue Holiday and rising talent with the likes of Thaddeus Young and Louis Williams. There is a definite hole in the point guard spot now that Andre Miller checked out and Williams has the potential to become a solid point guard in the east.

The Toronto Raptors have changed their identity once again and have the deepest bench in franchise history. With a new supporting cast featuring Hedo Turkoglu, Marco Belinelli, Jarret Jack, Antoine Wright, DeMar DeRozan, Reggie Evans and Amir Johnson this team has a well rounded and competitive squad on paper. This has been by far the busiest off season ever. Colangelo has erased the ghost of Jermaine O'Neil and grabbed the number one free agent on the market, Turkoglu. He has brought in one of the toughest off ball competitors and rebounding specialists with Reggie Evans. He has answered the call of athleticism at the wing with DeMar DeRozan. He made a stellar move by acquiring Jarret Jack to back up Jose Calderon at the point. Amir Johnson and Marco Belinelli both young unproven talent have been given a second chance to make noise in the league and turn into solid contributors on the court. Will this be enough to take us to the next level? We are 21 days away from finding out.

The starters we can expect for Toronto are Calderon, Belinelli, DeRozan, Evans and Bargnani. With no Bosh, Turk, Wright and Weems this will not be the full line up. We can however get our first glimpse of what this team can and cannot do. I would expect Triano to keep Jose's minutes in check. There is no need to work him knowing he is coming off of an injury plagued season. DeRozan will get plenty of burn. This will only benefit DeRozen and giving him more minutes will instill in him the confidence needed to be successful in this league. Everyone other than Calderon and Nesterovic should be getting their minutes. This team needs to play and these players need to get comfortable fast. The first month of the regular season schedule is going to be tough. They will need to get their plays tightened up and their possible lineups etched out.

Look for both teams to be experimenting and the referee's putting a stop to any sort of pace this game may try to find. A home game for Philadelphia in London, Ontario? Both teams will face off again on Wednesday night at the ACC. I will do a Post Game/Pregame mix because we really don't know what either team will bring. If you're a die hard Raptors fan, enjoy the first relevant game in a long while. I'm sure you are dying to see the fruits of Colangelo's labour. This is a pivotal year for this franchise. If all the pieces fit, this team will be competitive and no laughing matter. Colangelo has done his job and it's up to Triano and the boys to get it done on the court. I'm not sure if we will get to 50 wins this season, but there is no reason we shouldn't make the playoffs with room to spare.

Tip off or log off....that is the real question:

2009-10-01T19:49:00.000-07:00

There are dozens of NBA players on twitter. Here is a list of a few Raptors you can find/follow on Twitter.

Raptors on Twitter:

Chris Bosh

Reggie Evans

Demar DeRozan

Sonny Weems

Patrick O'Bryant

The NBA and twitter have not always gotten along. We had the Charlie Villaneuva incident last season where Scott Skiles got involved and laid down new rules for the ever advancing social networking technology out there. I thought for the occasion of my first online blog I'd embrace this new world, throw in some thoughts and examine what we may come to accept as the new way we interact with our favorite players.

It has been recently reported that Jay Triano has banned all Cell Phones and Smart phones from being used at training camp. The NBA has gone a step further and banned tweeting during games. Now I respect the NBA's decision on the banning. This has perpetually taken it out of the coaches hands and taken the problem right out of the locker room. I'm pretty sure there are a few coaches happy about not having to address this issue with some players on their respective teams. The Villaneuva situation must have been awkward and should not have even been discussed in a locker room before during or after a game. I think this has direct correlation with athletes finding new ways to market themselves and gain new fans. I'm not too sure how well players will take these new rules that could eventually hamper their personal promotion. This has only been a relevant topic this year and I'm interested in seeing how things develop.

All of your favorite beat grunts, NBA analysts and bloggers are all on twitter. In August the developing story of Allen Iverson looking for a new home turned into a tale for the pages of Twitter, literally. The phenomenon here, is the simple fact that everyone including you and the sports writers were waiting in real time for the source(A.I.) to break the story. Where would Iverson end up? Memphis? Charlotte? Miami? Why not log onto Twitter and get the news straight from the eye of the storm? Could Twitter eliminate the unnamed source in news media? Could we find ourselves the fans receiving information and the quashing of rumors straight from the hornets nest? Should we cancel our subscriptions to our local paper? Not just yet. The NBA is a quick moving and strategical machine. Now we have teams popping up with all kinds of social networking accounts detailing "exciting news' and spreading the good word.
Which brings me to this: Who gets to break the story, so they can gobble up the traffic that will direct you the audience to their site? The player or the team?

I am all for NBA players becoming more accessible to their fans. It doesn't take much time while browsing Twitter to see a few folks on the receiving end of replies from players. Whether a player is leaving a team and the fans are wishing them well. Or, the player is arriving in a new city and the fans are welcoming them with open arms, there is a lot of support from the masses. To me, it must be an exciting moment for a young kid to be getting a direct response from an idol. It also must be quite welcoming to be receiving well wishes and tips on good restaurants. Sure would make you feel more acquainted, no? I may not be that old but back when I was a young kid players seemed to be at such a distance, never reachable.

So go, find your favorite Raptor or NBA player because they are popping up by the day! Send them some shout outs and enjoy the interaction. We are in a new era of sports marketing lets hope the greenbacks don't get in the way. Here is a good page that gives you a list of some NBA players on Twitter.

Cool Hand Luke