Well, those were a couple of disappointing losses. I know it’s early and I’m not panicking or anything. But, as others have said all around the web, there are always going to be losses, sometimes in games you should win, and you accept that. But poor effort is much, much harder to accept.

We all knew coming in that this team was not going to be a defensive juggernaut. We knew they’d struggle on the glass. But man… I don’t think anyone expected the Raptors to make THAT many mistakes on the defensive end. Why are we sending double-teams from the strong side? Why aren’t helpers rotating? Why can’t we box out? Why are going under screens on shooters? Why didn’t we adjust the “protect the house” strategy against Orlando, a team with only one inside threat (Howard) and four 3-point shooters? Anyone with a wit of basketball sense knew that wasn’t going to work, yet there we are, four Raptors collapsing into the paint when such offensive juggernauts as Marcin Gortat and Brandon Bass get the ball on the block.

Offensively, you can see this team is still gelling. We all expected that, and despite that, they’re still scoring in bunches. But defensively, what is the excuse? There is absolutely none. ESPECIALLY for the rebounding. When Zach Randolph took a 15-footer, beat FOUR Raptors to the offensive rebound and laid it in, I nearly turned off the TV I was so disgusted.

The effort was better in the second half against Orlando (other than Calderon’s retarded insistence at going under screens) and we just have to hope and pray that that was a sign things are moving in the right direction.

Individual thoughts…

Bosh – hey, he’s been fantastic. No complaints. But if his teammates don’t start backing him up, he’s not gonna wanna wait till summer to leave.

Bargnani – not sure what happened in the Memphis game or the first half against Orlando; also not sure why the rest of the team seemed to go away from him in the fourth Q of the Orlando game when he was burning up the nets. Defensively, well, he’s been OK in man-to-man down low, but he didn’t step out fast enough on several three-point rotations against Orlando, and as usual, his rebounding his been atrocious. It’s not that he doesn’t get enough (which he doesn’t), it’s just that he never bodies anyone on the other team up to prevent them from getting the board. Turn around, stick out your ass and spread your arms wide, man.

Calderon – needs to find his shooting stroke. I can overlook his defensive deficiencies when he’s playing well on the other end, but he’s stinking it up two ways so far.

Turkoglu – much like Bargnani, he was on fire in the second half against Orlando but didn’t get enough looks. As alluded to above, the offense is still getting in sync, but it shouldn’t be hard to recognize a hot hand.

DeRozan – exactly what I expected from the rookie so far. Occasional good shots/drives, occasional mistakes on defense, occasional spectacular play. Happy with what I’ve seen.

Jack – has been fine defensively, but hasn’t found his groove offensively. I wouldn’t be too worried about him if Calderon were playing better, but when both of them are bricklayers on offense, it hurts. Especially when Triano plays them both at the same time, which I don’t understand. Why not get Bellinelli in there some more? Why not let Turk run the offense more? There are too many ballhandling options to keep going with the two PGs, when it very clearly is not working.

Rasho – he’s been solid, and I love the guy, but I do look forward to Reggie Evans taking some of his minutes. I believe Evans is faster, more aggressive, will get to a couple more balls that Rasho just can’t. not a knock on Rasho – he’s done everything expected – but we need the different look Evans can provide.

Wright – has been great on defense, and has hit a couple big shots, but has occasionally forced his offense a little more than I’d like. I don’t mind rewarding guys who give great efforts on D with some shots, I just wish they were slightly better shots.

Bellinelli – Why so few minutes? He was great against Cleveland, solid in limited minutes against Memphis, and pine-riding against the Magic. Even though he matched up well with their guard-heavy rotation, is (supposedly) a decent defender and even though Calderon and Jack were having a shared bowel movement on the floor. He should be playing more.

Triano – needs to call more timely timeouts when teams make runs. Don’t wait for the TV timeout – especially in the first half. Jay, you don’t get to carry those timeouts over to the second half, man. Also, put the ball in Turkoglu’s hands more in the fourth. That’s what we brought him here for, after all.

Well. I’m disappointed but not upset. If, after 10 games, we’re still seeing the same mistakes, then I’ll be upset. I just want to see a little more effort on D and the boards, especially early in games. Let’s go, Raptors.

Tags: Andrea Bargnani, Chris Bosh, Hedo Turkoglu, Jay Triano, Jose Calderon, Memphis Grizzlies, Orlando Magic, Toronto Raptors

Well, that was a nice win. Not without its ups and downs, but it’s always nice to win your first game, at home, against a good team.

Of course, I thought the Raptors were gonna blow it in the second half and the refs sure didn’t help, but they toughed it out. A 21-point lead evaporated midway through the third quarter, but after settling for jumper after jumper the Raps finally settled down, rebuilt a 7-point lead by the end of third and built on it in the fourth. The Cavs kept it close down the stretch before Jose Calderon sealed it on his only bucket of the night, and and-1 layup with less than a minute to go.

Biggest thing to note on the box score is the Cavs’ 35% shooting. I don’t want to say the defense was great, since the Cavs were on the second night of a back-to-back (and hey, they let the Cavs score 32 in the third), but it was definitely a better effort than they gave at any time last year. Other than a raft of open threes in the third and the occasional slow rotation, the defense was generally where it needed to be.

Offensively, during the second quarter the draw-and-kick was working really well, and the pick-and-roll worked well, and the high-low with Bosh and Bargnani worked well. But way too much settling for Js in the second half – in the third, I don’t think they pick-and-rolled once! Still. It appears there are plenty of scorers on this team, and I liked the way Jay mixed in the starters and subs ensuring there was always some firepower on the floor.

And while the rebounds were ultimately pretty even (Cavs won the battle 49-48) the 13 offensive boards the Cavs pulled down are disappointingly familiar. I know it’s expected that a team that misses 65% of their shots has more opportunities to get offensive boards, but nevertheless, there were a few that the Cavs simply outworked the Raps on.

I have to say, I hate watching the Cavs. Honestly, there is nothing at all enjoyable about watching LeBron barrel to the hoop and get foul calls as soon as he’s breathed on (that offensive foul call on Bosh was just unbelievable. I half-expected people to start throwing beers on the court – and frankly I would have encouraged it). But seriously, that’s their go-to offense? Didn’t they learn from the Orlando series that they need a few more options? I mean in the third they went small and started swinging the ball on the perimeter, and got back into the game… but then it was back to LeBron-on-five. Bo-ring.

Other thoughts…

Bargnani was amazing. I know we won’t see that every night, but he looked so smooth on everything he did. Some awful foul calls “limited” him too… but inside, outside, mid-range, solid D, 28 points on 15 shots in less than 30 minutes. Only five boards (and he got seriously outplayed on a couple that he should have had) but I think we’re just going to have to accept that that’s who he is.

Bosh was OK. Still with that awful habit of standing there thinking about it, then settling for fade-aways instead of using his quickness. When he catches it and goes, no big man outside of KG has the quickness to stay with him… still, the 16 boards were nice, and he, Bargnani and Rasho outscored/outrebounded Shaq, Z and Varejao 48/23 to 26/14.

Calderon: Actually got out and ran on the break! So used to seeing him take it slow, it was nice to see. Last year I got annoyed that he didn’t shoot/score enough, maybe this year he won’t have to. Though I couldn’t believe he missed two free throws!

Turk: Wanted him to have the ball a little more in the fourth, given his “clutchness,” but ultimately it didn’t matter. He didn’t have a great game, stats-wise, but overall I liked what I saw from him. He moves well, knows where he should be and where the ball should go. The “high basketball IQ” we heard about all summer is evident. And he managed to stay in front of LeBron when called upon.

DeRozan: Really liked what I saw from the rookie. LOVED that he blocked Shaq’s shot, and buried the jumper on LeBron… good confidence builders. Got lost on D a couple times, but that’s to be expected. Great start for the kid. Didn’t try to do too much, and performed when needed.

Bellinelli: Surprisingly effective! Wasn’t expecting that, to be honest. He’s like the anti-Kapono - he can actually handle the ball when he puts it on the floor, and he’s not afraid to jack it when he’s open.

Jack: Only real disappointment on the night. Missed way too many shots, and lost his man on D too many times. Then pulled the Anthony Parker “make one of two free throws when we really need both” routine at the end…

Wright: Didn’t particularly think that 3 he took in the fourth was a good shot, but hey. It went in. What’d he take, 3 charges? That’s about as many as the whole team took last year. Picked up 5 fouls but at least one of them was a bad call; he certainly gave 100 per cent on the defensive end. If he can develop the three as a weapon he should have a good future in the league.

Overall, nice to see a win against a quality opponent, nice to see them weather a run and hang on. Overall it’s just great to have basketball back again (well, other than the same old brutally bad officiating. Sigh. Some things never change…).

Tags: Andrea Bargnani, Chris Bosh, Cleveland Cavaliers, Hedo Turkoglu, Jose Calderon, LeBron James, Shaquille O'Neal, Toronto Raptors

Well, training “officially” opens today on the Raptors 2009-2010 season. I’m excited. Are you excited? I’m excited.

It’s a very different Raptors team, as we all know. If you want to see these guys’ stats, who they are what they’ve done, etc., there’s plenty of that info on the Web - I’m just gonna throw out some general thoughts on the team, because, well, I have thoughts and I have to put them somewhere.

On Chris Bosh: Huge disappointment that he’s missing the start of camp with a hamstring injury. It’s not so much the “training” portion I’m worried about - I’m confident he’s in good enough shape - but it’s working with his teammates. Nine new faces, and none of them get to practice with the team’s best player for their first two weeks with the Raptors? That is a huge blow. This isn’t San Antonio where you’re three best guys have been together forever and everyone else revolves around them. This team has no identity right now, and it won’t have one for as long as Bosh isn’t practicing with his teammates.

On Andrea Bargnani: I think the $50 million contact extension was… a little much. That’s a lot of money - and a long time (five years) - based on 1.5 years of solid play (his rookie year and the second half of last year, and 1.5 years of brutally awful play (everything in between). Yes, I know it’s a bargain if second half Andrea is what we get from here on. But that is one VERY large “IF.”

Don’t get me wrong, I hope he does prove to be worth it. Obviously I want the guy to succeed, and I’d much rather it happen here, than he goes elsewhere and develops. But five more years after this one…

On the starting 2-guard: So this is the only spot up for grabs coming in to camp. Some think DeMar Derozan is a lock; others think it should be Antoine Wright; still others, Jarret Jack.

Personally, I think giving it to Wright makes for the best overall starting lineup, but I’m OK with Derozan in there, for the most part (and Jack should not even be in the discussion; I want him backing Jose). I like that there will be little pressure on DeMar on the offensive end, what with four other scorers out there. He won’t need to do too much, and he’ll get a good feel for the game playing with his team’s best, against the other team’s best.

But, on the other hand, those four scorers are terrible defenders. And he’ll be playing against a lot of top-teir two-guards. He might get overwhelmed, and then painted as a scapegoat, when the Raps can’t stop anyone. Meanwhile Wright is probably the best defender on the team.

Really, this is the first test for the coaching staff: who makes the best starter? I’ll leave it up to them to decide, but I hope they make the right call.

On Hedo Turkoglu: Comes in a little banged up from his international play, but I’m not too worried about that; it’s not like he relies on his athleticism. I’m a little concerned about the lack of PT with Bosh, as mentioned; after playing with low-post threat Dwight Howard for three years, it’s going to be a huge adjustment for him to play pick-n-roll with two guys in Bosh and Bargnani who are allergic to the “roll” part of the equation. It’s something the staff needs to train Bosh and Bargnani to do more of, even if they don’t want the ball in that situation, because it keeps the defense honest. The pick-n-roll is useless if the defender know the picker isn’t going anywhere.

That aside, I’m obviously looking forward to seeing a guy in a Raptors uniform who actually knows what to do with the ball when the clock goes under 10 seconds. Thank God, we never have to see Chris Bosh iso’ed with the ball and the clock winding down again! (And if we do, I promise you I will be calling for Triano’s head the very next day.) That’s why we brought Hedo here. Chris Bosh should never, ever be anything more than a rebounder in those situations. You hear me, Jay? NEVER. EVER.

On Jose Calderon: Big year for Jose. He’s never had as many weapons around him, and he should be healthy after not playing internationally this summer. He’s still one of the best value-for-dollar players in the league… but there’s still the feeling that he could be even better. Probably not gonna happen at age 28; most players have reached their potential and plateaued by then (and please, no Steve Nash comparisons).

One good thing is that, with Turkoglu and potentially DeRozan around to score, not to mention Bosh and a hopefully consistent Andrea, my biggest complaint against Jose - that he’s not aggressive/doesn’t look to score enough - should be nullified. Last year, given Bosh’s struggles after December and lack of trust in Bargnani, I felt Jose was the team’s best offensive option - but he didn’t shoot enough; this year, there should be plenty of options.

And you read that right, my biggest concern was Jose’s offence, not his defense. Yep, Jose sucks on D. Deal with it - it is what it is.

On Marco Belinelli: Totally have no idea what to expect from this guy. Seems to have lots of offensive potential, seems to have a rep as a poor work ethic guy… but honestly, I have no idea if those are accurate. He’s never gotten consistent minutes. Maybe he’s our best bench player… maybe he can’t even crack the 10-man rotation? I don’t know. But we gave up nothing (Devean George) for him so anything we get from him will be a bonus.

On Reggie Evans: Might only play a few minutes a game, but Bryan Colangelo told The Star that he’s already upped the intensity level of “informal” practices. Hooray for that. Hopefully it translates into games because the Raptors have been shockingly lackadaisical when it comes to getting after boards and loose balls over the past two years.

All right, that’s it for today, we’ll be back with more throughout camp!

Tags: 2009-2010 season, Andrea Bargnani, Chris Bosh, Hedo Turkoglu, Jose Calderon, Raptors 2009, Toronto Raptors

All right, it’s been a busy couple weeks in the personal life, but things are rolling for the Raptors. Five straight wins? Two of them against playoff teams? Outrebounding the opponent in every single one? Not bad, not bad at all!

Of course, it’s ultimately meaningless since the playoffs are a practical impossibility and other than Orlando, none of these teams are particularly talented; Oklahoma City, the Clippers, Chicago and Milwaukee are all under-.500 teams, and only Chicago is playing meaningful games. And let’s not forget that right before this little streak, this team lost nine of 10, including two absolutely disgusting stink-bombs to the Bobcats.

But, there is something to be said for finishing on a positive note, especially for a guy like Jose Calderon, who’s playing extremely well after playing poorly for 60 games. If he can play like the Calderon of last year for the final few weeks games and get his confidence up for next year, that’s huge; it’s never a good thing to have a bad year and then have nothing but negatives to think about for a whole summer.

Same can be said about Bosh, and even Marion; both are playing well after having bad stretches. Meanwhile you’ve got guys like Joey Graham and Pops Mensah-Bonsu playing for contracts, their play of late has probably ensured they’ll at least be in the league next year.

Then there’s Andrea Bargnani. Has any one Raptor ever had such a big turnaround in a single season? I mean, the home crowd was booing this guy in December when he missed free throws! Now he’s become one of their most effective all-around players and a go-to guy? Unbelievable, but true. Check out these stats:

December: 24 MPG, .346 FG%, .273 3PT%, 3.4 RPG, 8.6 PPG
Jan-Feb: 36 MPG, .454 FG%, .420 3PT%, 6.5 RPG. 18.9 PPG
March: 33 MPG, .518 FG%, .519 3PT%, 5.9 RPG, 20.3 PPG

And the numbers don’t even tell the whole tale. For one thing, he’s added (or if not added, is suddenly using) things we haven’t seen before – pump-fakes, crossovers, pull-ups – and the latter is most significant since it’s helped him avoid all those charges he used to get called for.

On defense, he’s not picking up as many cheap fouls (except for the Orlando game, where he was brutalized by the referees) and his defensive improvements that we saw earlier in the year, in terms of moving his feet and boxing out, have remained solid.

He’s certainly not perfect – he’s still averaging 1.75 turnovers to only 1.1 assist, and he could definitely get those rebounding totals a bit higher – but the improvement in only a few short months is remarkable. I remember back at the end of January, when the improvement first became evident, we all said, “let’s wait to see him do consistently for a while before we say he’s back on track.” Well, it’s been almost three full months of solid, consistent play, so I’m saying it. He’s here, he’s on track, he’s doing what we need, at the position he is best suited for, on a regular basis.

Of course, for most of those three months, the Raptors were routinely terrible so it’s hard to say his improved play has had any impact. But once again, it’s a huge positive going forward, and as we all know, Bargnani is probably the only player that is guaranteed to be here next year, so his improvement is a definite positive.

As for what this team might look like… who knows? It’s pretty much all up in the air. Bargnani will be back; I think Calderon will be too. Ukic, Humphries, yes; maybe Pops. But Bosh? I think Colangelo will talk to him and unless he’s convinced that Bosh will re-sign, I think BC will quietly try and move him. If he goes, Colangelo had damn well ensure that one or both of Marcus Banks and Jason Kapono are packaged with him.

I suspect Graham will be gone; I like Joey, but let’s be honest, he hasn’t really worked out here. I think he deserves a chance to give it a try somewhere else.

Parker is a big mystery. I love the guy, you know that. But he can’t be the starting two guard on this team, he can’t be playing 35 minutes a night. He’d be a great steadying influence off the bench… you know, provided there are actually quality starters ahead of him. If you can bring him back for two years at 1.5 per year? I’m OK with that.

Marion? Well, what’s his value? Who knows? Anyone have any interest in him? I still think he thinks he’s worth a lot more than anyone else does. I have no interest in him at anything more than 6 million a year. And even then, that interest is tempered by what else is out there; in other words, if there’s anyone better to throw that money at, we need to be aware and not just give it to Marion.

There’s also Carlos Delfino to consider. The Raps still have his rights. I like Delfino; I didn’t think he was utilized well last year. Mitchell jerked his minutes around too much, and he never had the opportunity to initiate the offense, something he’s proven in international play that he can do. I think with consistent minutes and a better defined role, he’ll be much more effective, and he won’t feel the need to jack up threes. But how much is that worth? 4 mil, maybe 5… anything above that, I’m not biting. Not in this economy.

Anyway, there’s only a couple of weeks left, then we can forget about the Raps for a while we watch what should be an exciting 2009 playoffs. Come June we can start to think about what’s gonna happen this summer.

For the next few games, let’s just hope they’re as exciting as the past few!

Tags: Andrea Bargnani, Chris Bosh, Jose Calderon, Shawn Marion, Toronto Raptors

… and it wasn’t even that close.

Sigh. Another disappointing, yet not at all surprising effort. Sigh again.

I guess getting solid effort from everyone involved would be too much to ask. How is it that Bargnani, who had the flu, was the team’s best player? He started out strong and slowed down (11 in the first, 10 the rest of the way), but I think you could expect that from a guy who’s sick. What you’d also expect is for everyone else to pick it up for him. But no one did, the Raps were outscored by 15 in the second and it was over.

Man, our defense stinks. How do you shoot 53%, have all five starters in double figures, and still lose - and not even be close?  Raps were outscored 92-74 through three quarters, and were still down 17 with 2:30 to go, which is when garbage time started. And how does Sam Dalembert - who, from published reports, Philly was about to throw in the doghouse, then padlock the doghouse shut for eternity - go for 19 and 13, with 3 blocks? The guy is a human foul machine with terrible footwork, yet he only had two PFs against us. Way to take it to him, guys! Argh.

Bright spots for the Raps, other than Bargnani’s hot start? Well, there were some transition opportunities, and Marion took advantage, scoring 18 on 7-12. Also questioned the team’s effort after the game, which is becoming a regular post-game staple. He’s definitely not wrong, but is anyone listening?

Hey, does anyone else think Marion is having a positive effect on Bargnani? I haven’t actually seen enough of the games (thanks, TSNFU!) but in the 10 since the trade, Bargnani’s averaging 21/6 on 51% shooting. Of course, they’re 2-8 in those games, but those are good numbers; he was averaging 16/6 on 38% shooting in the 10 pre-Marion games.

Of course, it’s just as likely that it’s plain old inconsistency that’s caused the spike. On the season, Bargnani’s still only averaging 16/5.4/44%. I guess I’ll take that, though I’ll note this: his per-36 stats are only marginally better than his rookie season - when the team was winning. Improvement? It’s a start, but I need more, especially in the W department.

Anyway, back to last night; it’s official, I am becoming a fan of Pops Mensah-Bonsu. Guy’s averaging 8 boards a night in 14 minutes! Of course, that’s in three losses, but still, I like the hustle. He pulled a post-game Marion himself, wondering about effort; not sure he’s in any place to do that, as the new guy who’s bounced around the league (and world) in the past year…

Still, the fact that the two newest guys are questioning other guys’ effort is pretty telling.

It’s not hard to guess who they’re talking about. I don’t know what is up with Chris Bosh this year. Only 4 rebounds, in 34 minutes? Really? Even last year when things weren’t going well I always thought he played hard. This year, he doesn’t seem to be into the games at all. And he’s clearly not stepping into the leadership role, otherwise guys wouldn’t be saying stuff like that.

It’s disappointing because I know Bosh is better than that. I know he’s got talent, and I know he’s got fire. Where is it? I want the Bosh from the past two years back! Where’s the guy that started the season out averaging 30 and 12, with 10 trips to the line a night? Bring him back!

Calderon is also bearing the brunt of a lot of frustration, and if I hear about that hamstring one more time, I’m sending him to Rocco Baldelli’s doctor. Seriously. I mean, we all knew he was a bad defender, but he’s been unbelievably awful this year; is that hamstring really to blame? And hey, what happened to the guy who would turn the corner off a screen every few times, to keep the D honest? I know he still shoots it well and I know he takes care of the ball - I love those traits about him. But we need more than that. We need a little fire, a little scrap, a little aggressiveness!

Still, I think the biggest disappointment has to be Jason Kapono. (Is that ’cause I said aloud, often, in the pre-season that he should be the starting 3, and he’s made me look like an ass? Absolutely. Nobody makes a fool of me!!)

Seriously, though, I always knew he was overpaid, but I had to assume a great pure shooter like that had a place on a team - especially a team of shooters like the Raps. And he seemed like he knew what he was doing out there, despite his physical limitations. Last year, I thought maybe Mitchell just didn’t know how to use him, and that with the tighter rotation (i.e., more minutes) and new big man (O’Neal), he’d find his niche.

That didn’t happen. Then Mitchell got axed and I thought, maybe Triano knows how to get him involved. Well, he had a couple good shooting nights in December, but has since regressed even more! Not only can’t Triano find a way to get him into the offense, the guy’s shooting is worse in all three categories than last year, despite averaging 6 more minutes!

If he was overpaid as a shooter - and now he can’t even do that - then he is utterly worthless. I mean, he does nothing else well. Nothing. I can’t believe we’re paying him $6 a year for the next two. How did BC not see that his success in 06-07 was purely due to Shaq and Wade drawing the defense all game long? I know that’s easy for me to say, and hindsight is 20/20, but as GM, isn’t it BC’s job to see these things?

Well, it’s officially the Raptors’ first sub-.500 season of BC’s Raptors career. I hope it hurts. It should. I hope it motivates him to clean house, to try extra hard this summer to turn it around.

Tags: Andrea Bargnani, Chris Bosh, Jason Kapono, Jose Calderon, Philadelphia 76ers, Toronto Raptors

What can you say about two teams that have played each other three times already? Especially when each team has one easy victory and the other time, it was one of the most thrilling basketball games of the year?

As I’ve discussed before, the Raptors and Nets really had a chance to be a great rivalry, what with the trading of Vince Carter to New Jersey in 2004. Unfortunately the Raptors sucked the next two years; hard to have a rivalry when one side can barely win 30 games. Then in 2006-2007, both teams were pretty good, and they met in a classic playoff series.

But then the Nets sucked last year, and now, they both kinda suck. Fighting over the final playoff spot isn’t quite the same as fighting over a division title. Is a one playoff series a rivalry?

So, now you’ve got two mediocre teams going head to head, and when you look at what we’ve already seen- one classic game, two crappy games - you can expect tonight will likely be more of the latter. I mean, let’s face it, neither one of these teams is setting the world on fire. The Raps are 8-15 since their last meeting; the Nets are 8-14, and both teams have lost seven of their past 10. Not exactly seizing the moment, are they? (Each team also holds the “distinction” of having lost to the “Thunder”… ugh.)

Still, I guess this game does have meaning. The Raps are clawing for that playoff spot and they need to beat the teams in front of them; New Jersey is one of them. They also need all the wins they can get before they play the murderer’s row of Orlando, Cleveland, LA and New Orleans. For the Nets, well, same deal - they gotta keep beating the bad teams to hold their ground.

This is the Nets first home game back after a four game Midwestern trip. Generally, teams are either so happy to be home they blow the opponent away, or else they’re so tired they come out flat and get killed. I have to say, as much as I’m down on the Raps this year, I like them in this game, and the latter point is a big reason. The Nets already appeared tired in their Monday loss to the Thunder (Harris and Carter, combined 6-29), probably went out last night to celebrate VC’s birthday (I somehow doubt they went out and celebrated in Oklahoma City on Monday, his actual birthday), and now have to play a game against a well-rested Toronto team.

Meanwhile the Raps’ve had big leads on the Nets all three times they’ve played; yes, they blew them twice but I would really like to believe they’ve learned from their mistakes, and if they get up on the Nets this time, I believe fatigue will hold the Nets off from making a comeback.

Not only that, but I believe Andrea Bargnani will be a huge factor in this game. He was pretty invisible (coming off the bench) in the two meetings, but now that he’s starting, and his confidence appears to be at an all-time high, I think he’ll have more of an impact. Who on the Nets can guard his inside-outside attack? Brook Lopez? Ryan Anderson? Look, both those guys are having solid rookie years but can they hang with Bargnani on the perimeter? No way. Unless he makes it easy on them by bricklaying, he’s got a major advantage.

I suspect Anderson will start out on Bargnani and Lopez on Bosh; Lopez can be physical and bang on Bosh, and since Lawrence Frank wrote the book on defending Bosh (remember when Jason Collins and Mikki Moore completely took Bosh out of the playoffs two years ago?) I expect he’s passed the lessons onto young Brook - get up on him, hit him hard, force him to drive. Bosh HAS to realize he’s got the quickness advantage on Lopez (or anyone else on the Nets) and take advantage. Much like Bargnani, this one’s all on Bosh - if he does what he’s supposed to do, the Nets can’t stop him.

I guess the real question is whether the Raptors can stop Carter and Harris. Harris has abused Calderon in the Nets’ two victories and Carter, as we have come to expect, has had one good game, one great game, and one crappy game (and please don’t make me go into the Vince Carter Stats AGAIN). I suspect he’s due for another “good” game, probably about 26 points, 7 boards and 5 assists on 10-18 shooting. Parker’s gonna have a long night, because I bet he’ll see time guarding both Harris and Carter… poor bastard.

If I’m the Raps I simply lay off Harris and make him beat you from the outside. He’s a decent shooter but I’d much rather have him taking jumpers than getting into the lane for easy looks (and creating easy looks for teammates).

I think the Raps have got this one. It won’t be a blowout, but they’ll get the early lead and this time, hang on to it and pick up their third win in a row, this one by nine points.

Tags: Andrea Bargnani, Devin Harris, New Jersey Nets, Toronto Raptors, Vince Carter

Missed yesterday’s game, unfortunately, but two wins in a row is very nice. What’s even better is that the Raps won going away both times, so they were able to avoid the late-game collapses that have plagued them recently.

Does it mean anything in the greater scheme of things? Probably not. The Raps are in New Jersey Wednesday night, and are 1-2 against the Nets this year. Even if they steal that one and beat the now Michael-Redd-Less Bucks at home on Friday, look at the next four: three of the league’s best - Orlando, Cleveland, LA Lakers - in four nights, followed by the Hornets in New Orleans. Following that: Memphis and Minnesota on the road, then the Spurs at home in Toronto. Best case scenario there is 4-4, and knowing the Raptors 2-6 is more likely.

You can’t count out the Bucks; sometimes I think Redd was a bit of a ball-hog, and this should open things up for Richard Jefferson to shine as a Buck. Either way they’re still ahead of the Raps in the standings so beating them and Jersey is key. And shockingly, Minnesota has played well under Kevin McHale. So those two aren’t the easy wins they might look like on paper.

Not only that, it’s starting to look like 40 wins might not be enough to secure that playoff spot. Don’t look now but Charlotte’s heating up - won 6 of 10 to vault ahead of the Raptors. Philly’s won 8 of 10, New York and Chicago are still ahead of us, and Indiana’s right behind. Even if they do get on a roll, it seems like everyone Toronto’s chasing are also about to go on a roll. Raps have their work cut out for them.

36 games to go? 18-28? They need to go 24-12 in my mind…

Oh well, as I’ve said before, let’s just enjoy the games for what they are and wherever they end up is where they end up.

Other notes of interest:

• Check out Jose’s stats from his first two games back: 57 total minutes, 15-19 shooting (2-3 from downtown) for 39 points. Perfect 7-7 from the line, 18 assists, and not a single turnover. Oh, yeah… they missed this guy.
• Jermaine O’Neal had a solid 10-point (4-6 shooting), 11 rebound night, in a mere 22 minutes. Sure, the Kings frontline can’t stop anybody, but hey… as an audition for Miami, it works for me, and if it helps his conditioning and confidence for as long as he’s here, that works too.
• I suspect I’m not the only one who was worried Bargnani’s numbers might suffer with Jose back (who always seems to look to Bosh before Andrea) but in the past two games, he’s 15-27, 4-8 from downtown and has scored 22 and 24. This is a solid month of strong play from Bargnani? Is it time to stop calling this another tease and declare that he’s “arrived?” I’m not there yet, but I’m getting there. He sure is fun to watch when the shot is dropping and he’s got confidence like that - he really is a deadly weapon from anywhere when his shot is on. And I absolutely love that pull-up jumper he’s been rocking lately. Very Dirk-like, and very effective.
• Anthony Parker has been superb of late, taking good shots when available and getting guys involved when he’s been the point guard. He’s also been hitting the boards which is really nice to see (5.8 over the past five games).
• Unfortunately, we’re not getting much in the way of contribution from the 3-spot. You just can’t count on Moon, Graham or Kapono on any given night. Joey played well against the Bulls, and Kapono was all right, but none of them did much last night (although I read that Joey had a good game on D and rebounding, so at least the effort was there). How does Kapono only have two total three-point attempts the past three games? And it’s not like the Bulls and Kings are known for their defense! Argh.

Anyway, a couple days off before heading to New Jersey to see Vince for the last time this year. The Raps have gotten big leads on the Nets three times, and blown it twice. Oddly enough the only one they held on to was in Jersey, so that should give them confidence for Wednesday night. Will they finally get their first three-game win streak since the first week of the year!?

Tags: Andrea Bargnani, Jose Calderon, Sacramento Kings, Toronto Raptors

A mid-afternoon tip (as our American cousins celebrate Martin Luther King day) sees the Raps taking on the Hawks in Atlanta. As I indicated earlier, most of the intrigue today surrounds Jermaine O’Neal and the trade rumours, but there is still a game to be played!

The Raps and Hawks have split their two matchups, each winning at home in November; the Raptors 93-88 victory on November 28 was Sam Mitchell’s last win as Raptor head coach.

The Hawks rode their backcourt of Mike Bibby and Joe Johnson in their win, and the Raps rode the back of Chris Bosh in theirs. Bosh’s 30-10-7 capped off his magnificent November.

So who will show up to play today? Once again, the Raps get schedule-screwed, having to play on the road on the second day of a back-to-back while the Hawks had both Saturday and Sunday off.

The Hawks were missing defensive ace and high-flyer Josh Smith in the Raptors’ win, and he’s back in the lineup now. However, Al Horford is out with a knee injury, as the status of Marvin Williams - who hit his head on the floor against the Warriors Friday - is also questionable. Without those two, the Hawks will be on the small side tonight.

As for the Raptors, well, they’re also shorthanded. Even if O’Neal plays, he’ll likely be limited, and there’s no word yet on Jason Kapono, who sat out yesterday’s game with the flu (unfortunately for Raps fans, this looks to actually be the flu, and not trade speculation flu). And of course, starting point guard Jose Calderon is still on the shelf with the Hamstring That Won’t Heal.

So, that means Parker will likely get the start at PG, and although it’s a plus to have him guarding Bibby, I suspect the Hawks will pick him up full court and try and pressure him into a couple turnovers, and will likely have some success.

Of course, given the absence of Horford and perhaps Williams, Chris Bosh and Andrea Bargnani should have no trouble scoring against Zaza Pachulia, Solomon Jones and Maurice Evans, should they? Bargnani has struggled a little the past two games (11-30, 4-10 from downtown, 8 turnovers) so let’s hope the Raps can get him back on track.

Meanwhile, on the defensive end, I suspect the Hawks will get out and run and expose the Raptors’ sloppy transition D. Look for some Josh Smith highlight-reel alley-oops on the 6:00 Sportscenter.

Joey Graham will likely get his second straight start at SG, matching up with Joe Johnson. Johnson has killed the Raps in the past but Joey has the size to guard him. Will he play smart and stay out of foul trouble? Remains to be seen, but if the same Joey shows up today that showed up yesterday, he’ll help the Raptors stay in this one.

All in all, I have to give the advantage to Atlanta. Their frontcourt is small, but Bibby, Johnson and Smith are Raptor killers. Even if Bosh and Bargnani have big games, the Raptors have proven they don’t know how to ride a hot hand and you’ll likely see some forced bricks down the stretch. And without Jose, you’re going to see too many turnovers, leading to too many Hawks fast breaks.

Add to all that, the Hawks are 15-4 on their homecourt. Whoever would have thought Atlanta would have a significant homecourt advantage? But you know what, good for them. They’ve been bad for so long, it’s good to see a team like that finally have some success. And I like the way they built this team through the draft, and added a veteran leader (Bibby) to guide their young guys. That’s the way to do it.

Hawks by six.

Tags: Andrea Bargnani, Anthony Parker, Atlanta Hawks, Chris Bosh, Joe Johnson, Mike Bibby, Toronto Raptors

Well, last night’s lacklustre effort hardly seems worth writing about. Yeah, they teased us with a fun comeback before Jason “Travelin’ Man” Kapono walked away with it, but to get down 24 after three quarters? Pathetic.

As the Raptors have struggled this season, I’ve wrestled with one question in my mind. Actually, there’ve been many questions, but one key one is this:

When does “there’s still time to turn it around” become “it’s too late to turn it around?”

You can never say never in pro sports, that’s for sure. Plenty of strange things have happened.

But barring something miraculous, unexpected, divine, whatever you want to call it, I think this moment, right now - the halfway point of the season, with the Raptors nine games under .500 - we have officially reached the “it’s too late” point.

It’s over.

Think about it. 16-25, with 41 games to go. That means a 24-17 record just to get to 40 wins, which is probably what will be required of the 8th playoff seed.

Given the Raptors’ play this season, do you - does anyone - think that is possible? Again, “anything is possible” but don’t forget another saying: “you are what your record says you are.” The Raps are a sub-par eastern conference team. They have one three-game winning streak all season, and four streaks of three or more losses. There’s simply zero evidence to suggest that this team can go on the sort of winning streak it requires to climb out of a nine-game hole. The team is too inconsistent, doesn’t defend or rebound well enough, to string wins together.

The Raptors won’t win 40 games and they won’t make the playoffs. Heck, even if they do win 40 and sneak in, by all accounts this season is an abject failure. The expectations, I believe, were 48 wins and a playoff round victory. So 40 wins and a playoff loss are still a failure.

For whatever reason - whether it was his own stubbornness or the lack of a good offer - Bryan Colangelo did not make a deal that could push the team to the next level. It was clear after Triano lost 8 of his first 10 games that Sam Mitchell wasn’t the issue - it was the talent on the roster. Yet Colangelo didn’t make a move to fix it. You can claim “patience” if you like, but you’d think a “basketball genius” like Colangelo would realize that a roster whose four best players are three power forwards and a point guard - along with the worst collection of wing players in the NBA - wasn’t going to win many games.

I know, hindsight is 20/20. Nevertheless, it shouldn’t take 40 games to realize the roster isn’t good enough - after 24 it was clear, and a move should have been made right away.

Now, it’s too late. Even a JO for Shawn Marion trade - which, even though I don’t like Marion in general, looks it would be perfect for both teams - would be too little too late.

Nine games under .500! I still can’t believe it’s gotten this bad. And the thing is, the schedule doesn’t really get better until after the all-star break. Before then, the Raps play Phoenix, Altanta, Detroit, Chicago, Sacramento, Jersey, Milwaukee, Orlando, Cleveland, the Lakers, New Orleans, Memphis, Minnesota, and San Antonio. That stretch encompasses two three-game road trips. How many of those are realisitically winnable? Four, maybe five? Even if we go 6-8 that leaves us a record of 22-33. 11 games under at the all-star break? Yeah, this thing just isn’t happening.

It’s a shame because all of this only makes Chris Bosh’s decision in 2010 a lot easier. In fact, he basically gets off scott-free - he may decide to bolt but no one will blame him, as the team didn’t add any talent around him. This isn’t a McGrady situation, where he leaves just as the team is getting good because he wants to get his own. This isn’t a Carter situation, where the team signed all the guys he wanted and then he complained it wasn’t good enough. This is Colangelo’s team, and Bosh signed his last extension with the understanding Colangelo would improve the roster. He hasn’t; all he’s done is add players that play the same position! So who can blame Bosh for leaving? Not me.

So, we get to struggle through, will miss the playoffs and end up picking, what, 10th, in a weak draft? A no-impact player who’s gonna sit on our roster taking up cap space. Great.

Meanwhile, without an O’Neal trade, we’ll still be over the cap in the summer, with a huge hole at shooting guard (Parker, Graham and Moon will all be free agents, although Graham has a team option). There’ll be about an 8-million dollar gap between the payroll level (about $64 mil) and the luxury tax (probably around $72 million), so the Raptors can use their MLE on someone, but are they going to get a starting two-guard for that, and fill out the bench (Solomon and Voskuhl will also be gone). Now, I believe we can bring Delfino back (as a restricted free agent, we can sign him to whatever and still have the full MLE) but either way, the team won’t go over the cap level, so… replace Parker with Delfino, the minimum salary scrubs with other minimum salary scrubs… and essentially, you’ve got the same team next year that you have this year.

Here’s some Report Cards on how they’ve done and what we can hope to see going forward:

Andrea Bargnani: C
Has been awesome this month. But, was completely awful in December, after being average in November. So, overall, just average. Big question is, can he stay on track and improve and not backslide? Right now, he looks like the starting center of the future, no doubt about it. Please, Andrea, keep it up.

Chris Bosh: C+
Unbelievable first month, underwhelming second month, great third month. Regardless of play, not producing wins, and that’s what franchise players do. Needs to develop some sort of go-to move if we’re going to keep giving him the ball down by 2 with 10 seconds left.

Jose Calderon: C
Still takes care of the ball exceptionally well and gives it to guys in good position to succeed. But overall, has not performed at the same level he was at last year. His shooting percentages are down and he is not as aggressive, doesn’t turn the corner on the PNR the way he did last year. Hopefully that’s due to his injury problems, and it’ll come around. He’s potentially the second-best offensive player on the team, he needs to assert himself more on that end - especially if he continues to be a liability on the defensive end.

Jermaine O’Neal: B
When he’s been out there, Jermaine has been pretty solid. Other than a few instances where he’s forced his offense unnecessarily, his shots have been decent, and defensively, he’s done, well, about as well as anyone can when the perimeter is a giant sieve. You certainly can’t question his effort or passion when he’s on the floor. If only he could STAY on the floor! Mr. Glass just gets injured way too easily. If it’s true that he’s been helping Andrea out in practice, and that he’ll come off the bench (for now) as was reported this week, then I have even more respect for him. Still don’t understand why he can’t sit with the team on the bench, though.

Jamario Moon, Joey Graham, Anthony Parker, Jason Kapono: F
Collectively, the worst corps of swingmen in the NBA. Moon is a slasher who settles for jumpers, Kapono is a shooter who tries to slash. Joey has had good flashes, but still makes too many mistakes. Parker gives his all but has clearly lost a step; he’d be a great sixth or seventh man, the James Posey type role, only he’s the only capable guy in the whole group so he’s got to start, and is asked to do more than what is reasonable for a player his age and caliber. Thankfully, only Kapono is under contract next year, but can they find anyone decent to replace the rest? This has been the Raptors’ Achilles heel the past two-and-a-half years.

Kris Humphries, Jake Voskuhl: D
Everyone keeps expecting Hump to embrace his role as board-crasher / body banger, but he seems insistent that he’s got more offensive game than he really does. Hopefully, Voskuhl is teaching him that effort and scrappiness will get you the PT. Hump will be back next year; will he get it by then? Until he does, he’ll be 10th man. If he embraces the role, and plays within himself, he could be a solid contributor. Voskuhl has committed some hard fouls, and, um, well… that’s about it. But, that’s his role, he knows it, and plays it well.

Roko Ukic: A
The most (only?) pleasant surprise on the team. I expected very little from him this season, but he’s exceeded those expectations 100-fold. He still can’t shoot and he’s gotta learn some tricks for finishing at the rim. But he’s fast, tall, has good defensive fundamentals, and, most important for a young PG, has confidence in himself and his abilities - he’s not intimidated and doesn’t back down from anyone. He’s the only Raptor who consistently takes the ball strong to the hoop - even though the only scouting report out there on him is “lay off and make him shoot,” he still finds a way to get there. Another thing that’s impressed me, he doesn’t pick up his dribble under pressure and he never stops moving, which are two regular rookie PG mistakes - they get pushed into traps when they slow up. If he develops that jumper, he’ll be, at the least, a very good backup PG in the NBA. If he develops range, puts on strength to finish at the hoop, and continues to develop his court sense? Well then the sky’s the limit.

Will Solomon: D
Has been marginally better the past three games, which amounts to “not making me want to stick my head in the oven,” but hey, progress is progress. The problem is that he regularly makes the wrong decision - drives when he should shoot, shoots when he should pass, picks up his dribble, misses the open man, waits too long for the entry, passes to the wrong man… etc. Even that ridiculous haircut is a terrible decision. Hey, for about the same price we could have had the original NBA fauxhawk, Damon Jones, and he would have been much better. Alas.

Hassan Adams: F
I don’t even know where to begin with this one. He won’t be missed.

Nathan Jawai: N/A
Obviously, you can never expect too much from a second-round pick, but it would be nice to see him play. Also, would have been nice for the Raptors to give him a physical before signing him to a two-year contract… sigh. But that’s not his fault, and he gets credit for being with the team every day (unlike say, Jermaine O’Neal) and, from all accounts, working hard to get into shape. Here’s hoping he gets some garbage time minutes in the final two months of the season.

Overall, those grades are low and maybe the individual performances aren’t that bad. But this is a team and the only thing that really matters is winning, and this team isn’t doing that so everyone has to be held accountable.

So, yes, I’m very disappointed in the team’s play this season and not too optimistic about the future. The next 41 games might be a real drag, at least without a trade to spice things up.

But, at the end of the day, as always, I’ll support the team through thick and thin! And I’ll never support tanking; winning is the only thing that matters. So, let’s go Raps! Get out there and win some more games!

Tags: Andrea Bargnani, Chris Bosh, Indiana Pacers, Jermaine O'Neal, Toronto Raptors

Ugh. I don’t even know where to begin with this game.

I had a feeling the Raptors would come out slow, based on my perception of the way they’ve responded to tough losses in the past. They took their own crowd right out of the game by giving up second chance points, by not getting back in transition, and by settling for jump shots.

But I’ll give them credit for playing a six-minute stretch to finish the second quarter. Trailing by 8, we witnessed one of the most pathetic displays of basketball you’ll ever see - a Bulls possession in which, with a lineup of Deng, Gordon, Nocioni, Noah and Rose (not a single player over 6′9″ except Noah who I can’t believe is any larger than Deng), they grabbed FOUR offensive rebounds before Deng finally scored.

You can believe the crowd was upset, and the boos rained down. It was embarrassing. And now the Raps were down 10.

But then something unexpected happened. The Raptors actually responded to the fans! I almost didn’t believe it as it was happening, but the Raps went on a 20-6 run, highlighted by stellar defense and punctuated by a Solomon-to-Moon alley-oop dunk that brought the crowd to its feet. Naturally, the Raps couldn’t hold off a Hinrich three at the end of the quarter, but they’d turned a 14-point deficit into a one-point lead.

The Raps continued to play solid ball to start the third, with Bargnani and Bosh eating up the Bulls. They combined for the Raps’ first 14 points of the quarter as the lead stretched to seven, and the Bulls were reeling. But then, instead of dropping the hammer and closing the door, the defense relaxed a little and let the Bulls back in.

And come the fourth quarter, it was Derrick Rose time.

I’m just gonna say this. This Bulls team might have guys in their primes like Kirk Hinrich, Ben Gordon and Loul Deng, up and comers like Ty Thomas and Joakim Noah, plus vets like Drew Gooden and Larry Hughes… but Derrick Rose is the best player on that team and it’s not even close. He is that good. Granted the Raps D isn’t exactly stellar, but Rose was doing whatever the heck he wanted out there and I swear he didn’t even break a sweat. It was all completely effortless.

The beauty of it was, he saved it all for the fourth. He had 8 points and 8 assists at the end of three and finished with 25 and 10. In other words, he spent the first three quarters setting up his teammates and took the game over in the final frame. This is a skill that usually takes players a couple of seasons to learn (and usually takes teammates a couple of seasons to buy into) but it was a flawless display. His teammates put the ball in his hands, gave him picks, and got out of the way.

The Bulls scored 34 in the quarter. 34! The Raps simply could not get a stop. And why they switched on every screen-roll, I don’t really understand; Rose wasn’t shooting it, he was driving (and easily beating Bosh or whichever big switched to him) so why not mix up the look? Why not try going under a screen and see if he can hit the long J? Sigh. Defense was way too passive in the fourth.

Still, despite Rose’s heroics and the awful defense, the Raps were still in it thanks to Bargnani’s hot shooting. 10-14 for 31 points, plus 2-4 from three, 9-10 from the line and 10 boards. Easily his best game as a pro. The Bulls had no idea what to do with the guy, and he was in the zone - everything was going in, even shots that bounced off the rim three times dropped through.

Naturally, in typical Raptor fashion, he didn’t take a single shot in the final 6:13. He only got the ball once in scoring position, and he traveled on a post move. He wasn’t a factor at all in the offense.

Don’t get me wrong, Bosh was having a good game as well, but the two of them work better when they’re working together, you know?

So, Bosh gets the ball down four with a minute to go, and botches a drive. Tough play, lotta contact, but you won’t often get that call in a close game. After a Nocioni miss Anthony Parker - who was solid - scored on a driving, aggressive layup and it was a two-point game.

After the Raps fouled (about 10 seconds too late) the Bulls proceeded to turn the ball over on the inbounds! I couldn’t believe it. The crowd went nuts. 14 seconds to go, Raps have the ball and a chance to tie or win.

You know what happened next.

Bosh executed an extremely sloppy drive and spin, rose up and got his shot blocked back in his face by Noah, who had played all of 13 seconds in the entire second half.

Mr. Un-Clutch strikes again. Sigh.

I don’t understand the play call, to be honest. I get the idea of putting the ball in the hands of your best player. But an iso? For a power forward? Bosh is many things but he’s not Paul Pierce, you know? Compared to other PFs, yes, he is fairly adept at creating his own shot, but still… you can’t be relying on that at the end of the game. Why not get him the ball on a cut through the paint? Why not a simple pick and roll, try and get him matched up on someone smaller? Why not anything with some movement where he can kick out to a teammate who happens to be on fire (like Bargnani)? Anything where all he has to do is score, not create.

Argh. I agree Bosh should be the first option. But as far as I can tell there was no other option on that play. The Raptors have the most success when they move the ball and just dumping it into Bosh and saying “do it yourself” does not strike me as the best play call.

At the end of the day, it was an exciting game and I’m glad to have seen it in person. Few other random observations:

• Kapono hit a couple of shots but was predictably awful on defense, getting out of position and forcing the entire Raps team to scramble. Joey Graham can no longer call himself the Hulk; in fact, if there’s a super-hero name to describe his performance last night, I’d say it was the Invisible Woman. 0-1, two boards, two fouls, two turnovers in 12 minutes? Yikes.
• Moon had a couple nice plays but as usual, settled for WAY too many jumpers. You realize the guy is shooting 8-38 from downtown in his past 14 games? That’s a Roko Ukic-like 21 per cent. Please, stop shooting, Jamario.
• Parker was solid. 7-11, 15 points, held Gordon to 10 points on 4-13 shooting.
• Will Solomon shot two threes, both times the crowd held their breath. Only one dropped. He wasn’t terrible, he wasn’t great, Ukic was the same. Although everything Ukic did was going to the basket, which is good, he’s still struggling to finish in there. It’ll come. I think the kid’s going to be good. He’s not intimidated and he has gotten about 1000 times better at handling pressure than he was at the start of the year.
• You knew it was going to be “one of those nights” when the Raptor missed both of his trampoline dunks during the second-quarter timeout! Yikes.
• Chuck Swirsky got a plaque of recognition and a nice round of applause at halftime. We were sitting 10 rows up, right behind he and Bill Wennington, and if we’d arrived a few minutes earlier I would have gone down and said hello. As it was he was chatting with several fans and I knew there wouldn’t have been time to get a handshake before he had to be in his seat.
• Matt Devlin is quite tall. Wonder if he ever played?
• Decent sized crowd, but it’s true what they say - it’s dead in the lower bowl and it makes you feel uncomfortable to cheer too loud. Nobody in my section got in on the “de-fense” chant except me and my buddy. I don’t know how you could not get excited during the final two minutes of that game… unless you’re not a basketball fan. And I guess that’s the problem with the corporate seats. Too many of these people are just there to be there, not because they’re fans. Real shame.
• Jermaine O’Neal: MIA. Jose Calderon? On the bench. Drew Gooden, injured for the Bulls? On the bench. Nathan Jawai? Inactive all year but has been on the bench every single game. This is getting ridiculous. My buddy speculated that maybe he has a stipulation in his contract that says if he’s hurt he gets to stay at home or something. Which is fine, but why not just say so? Why the smokescreen about treatment? It’s BS. Give us the true story here!

Well, another tough loss in a season full of them. I’ll have a half-way report this weekend, after game #41… let’s just say whatever optimism I had left is all but gone.

Tags: Andrea Bargnani, Chicago Bulls, Chris Bosh, Toronto Raptors