Checking in before the Holidays

Hello,

It's been a while hasn't it? I feel somewhat like I am in an awkward first conversation with an ex-girlfriend soon after a break up. Is there any ill feelings fluttering about? I have not been in communication for a while, it really is a flaw of mine.

I will not bore with the details because in the end this is about semi-professional basketball (the Raptors) here not about my life but a convolution of work, school, life and a vacation to Florida with a few buddies that would write better as a screen play then a blog have kept this page stale for far too long.

But I am back! (to the delight of maybe half a dozen)

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8 wins to 11 losses

This is the Raptors record since I last chimed in on the landscape of Toronto basketball. Many things have unfortunately stayed the same but one key aspect on the Raptors' outlook has changed, and unfortunately for the worse.

The Same

Have they tried that key aspect to the game yet that most call 'defense'? Didn't think so... The boys in red (or black, or white, or now blue) are still by far the league's worst defensive team giving up 115.1 point per 100 possessions. Being last in the league in defense is embarrassing enough for any team but if you look a little closer things get worse.

Few things have remained the same around the Toronto Raptors over the last 5 years. Bryan Colangelo looks deadly in an Italian-made, perfectly tailored suit, Chris Bosh looks like a dinosaur which in the very least should prevent him from leaving, Jose Calderon's hair keeps thinning and The Raptors cannot play defense. In the past, excuses were be bandied about that the system was the problem, the overall talent was the problem, and finally that the players had tuned the coach out.

But now heading into the season, there was a new coach, a major injection of talent with some supposed defensive stoppers in Johnson, Jack, Wright and Evans, and more than anything the focus would be on defense to the point where they even hired a coach specifically for that end of the court.

The result have been awful. Not only are we last in the league in defense but we are 3.4 points behind Memphis with Zach Randolph as their anchor and 8.4 points behind the league average. For a team with this much talent, and with such a 'commitment' to defense, to call the season a disappointment thus far is as much of an understatement as claiming Matt Bonner doesn't seem to fit into the NBA image.

The Difference

We are not 10 games into the season anymore. There can be no prevailing wisdom that this team still needs to find itself, needs time to gel or that a better reflection of the team will come with time. The team is what it is, it has found itself and what it has found so far has been mediocre at best.

Some of the most alarming change has been in the verbiage people around the team are using to reason the lack of success the team has had on most nights. Instead of words like patience, learning or improvement we are hearing lack of heart, hustle and focus most nights after a loss.

This team has the ability to play some semblance of defense and has the talent to be a top 6 team in the Eastern Conference, in that there is no doubt but this fact makes things even worse. Fans only want to see a team compete and play their hardest every night. This team runs the risk of alienating a superb fan base in the way they play every other game.

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Touch Passes

Barometer

Remember way back in early November I had posted a piece on how the Raptors seemed to be a barometer for teams around the NBA?

Lets revisit that idea. Let us take December as a sample, they have a record of 6 wins and 6 losses. 4 out of the 6 wins were against teams with inferior records than the Raptors and most would acknowledge that the Raptors are a better team then both New Orleans and Houston (the two wins with better records) based on talent alone. 5 out of the 6 losses have come against teams with better records than the Raptors with the exception of Washington on the 1st of the month. More alarming and poignant is that the average margin in a win is 12 points and average margin of defeat is 18 points.

The point is that while after the last two wins where most analysts and pundits may be making a case for hope in that the Raptors are improving defensively the reality is that they are simply the Mendoza line for NBA teams. Bad teams will loose to the Raptors based on talent alone, good teams will beat them because the Raptors still at this point approaching the midway point do not have any command on most games.

They are a product of the other teams inequity or superiority.

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The upcoming schedule and aftermath

Onto some hope?

It has been well documented that if the Raptors are going to make a move to save the season, it will be over the next month. Before the last 2 wins, Toronto played 8 out of the next 12 games against teams with loosing records with plenty of time off in between games. They have started off well wining the first two, but here are two scripts that could be written:

The Romantic Comedy

- Hedo gets hot, starts to perform well and hit shots at the end of the game
- Belinelli shoots himself out of the slump and is a solid consistent contributor off the bench
- The second unit continues to be a strength creating turnovers and transition baskets
- DeRozen dunks, Weems dunks, Johnson dunks
- Raptors win 8 or 9 out of 12
- Calderon and Evans come back and the Raptors look like the team we thought they would be

The Horror Film

- Continued games where Turkoglu and Bargnani do not show up and look disinterested
- Banks and Weems gain too much confidence and try to do too much
- Team takes games for granted and is unfocused opposition easily scores over 100 points
- Raptors only win 4 or 5 games out of 12
- Calderon and Bosh both silently put on the trading block
- A new rebuilding process starts

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The Young Guns

Apparently a security guard who has been working for the Raptors for the past four years has taken a shine to the young members of this years squad and has created a nickname for the energetic group that has done its fair share of damage over the past few games. Willis Richardson, who would seem to be a more interesting story then the Raptors most nights, has named the trio of DeMar DeRozen, Sonny Weems and Amir Johnson the 'Young Guns'.

While these 'cute' nicks have come up in the past, usually created by the self proclaimed 'Swirsk', like the 'Banger Brothers' referring to little used much forgotten about big men Robert Archibald and Lonny Baxter (who is now in the joint for arms possession) and the Killer B's referring to front-court mates Chris Bosh and Andrea Bargnani, none have really had staying power.

This group is intriguing though. Sonny Weems has firmly supplanted himself in the rotation ahead of Antoine Wright and now with Marco Belinelli in a most egregious shooting slump Weems has played upwards of 30 minutes some nights. DeRozen has had his ups and downs this season and Amir Johnson's outstanding play has been well documented and deservedly so. This group has done a great job of turning good defense into turnovers into fast break opportunities into highlight reel dunks.

This a group that has to be exciting on two levels, both for the present and future. It says here they should get increased time together to build on the cohesion they already seem to have and are all young with plenty of potential and most importantly controlled by the Raptors for at least one more year after this.

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The injured player dichotomy

There is no doubt that Amir Johnson and Marcus Banks have been everything the Raptors have expected and in both cases more. Johnson has been the most consistent Raptor outside of Chris Bosh in his ability to compete every night and bring energy and hustle off the bench. Marcus Banks, in his limited time coming off the bench has taken advantage of the minutes he has been given with Calderon out. He has defended well and brought enough stability to a young second unit to either keep us in games and on the odd night the unit has become game changers.

What do you do when the injured players come back? Banks' situation would seem to be more clear cut, there is no doubt that Jose Calderon and Jarrett Jack are the more talented players but if this team wins the 7 or 8 out of the next 10 games and the and Banks' second unit continues to be a strength causing turnovers and run outs for dunks is there any wavering? The one thing Banks is doing is proving that he is an asset as a competent back up point guard and that turns him into an asset.

With the Raptors 3 point shooting slumping lately may we see the Matt Carroll trade revisited in the next month?

The Johnson/Evans situation is murky. Throughout the early part of the season the saviour for everything bad that has happened to the Raptors has been Reggie Evans. Toughness, rebounding, grit, hustle, athleticism are the common denominators that Evans brings but don't those attributes sounds familiar? Ah yes, that is what Amir Johnson continues to provide all season long.

The prevailing wisdom is to find a way to get Johnson more minutes and while I do think we need Evans' overall impact on the game it will be hard to cut into Johnson's minutes.

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It is truly hard to say with team will show up throughout the remainder of this soft part of the schedule or whether internal improvement is still possible but for now the outlook looks good. That is to say until they play a team with a winning record and loose by 18.

Check in then and the mood will be quite different...

- J.Moore

Posting up the Regular season- Sometimes these things write themselves...

The script was written, sent out to the studio and immediately was put into production, but instead of using their improvisational skills the Raptors stuck to the words on paper and payed for it in the end.

No, this is not a career ending film, like say 'Look who's talking?' by Travolta, it may only end up being a blip in the radar like 'Stuck on you' was for Matt Damon. The Raptors may still have a 'Bourne' franchise or a 'The Departed' in them, but until Triano is more Scorsese than Schumacher and the Raptors are collectively more the ensemble cast of 'Crash' than 'High School Musical' things are not going to turn out well.

Entering into last night's game all the ingredients were their for a bad Raptors performance, and the Nuggets used them. The problem is that the Raptors struggle with athletic, dynamic, physical players. They just do not have the personnel to match any of those attributes.

So while a front court of Nene and Martin do not scare the rest of the league with any large degree, they are precisely the kind of players that kill the Raptors and defend our two best players (Bosh and Bargnani) well. The Raptor bigs had to attack early to get the Nugget big men frustrated and in foul trouble and because of either the officiating or lack of execution that did not happen.

The Raptors had to either try to shut down 2 of the Nuggets best 3 offensive players or more realistically hope they had an off game. Well, Carmelo Anthony looked extremely impressive (thats an understatement) scoring 16 points in the first quarter, seemingly at will, on route to a 32 point performance on 12-15 shooting from the field.

When he took some time off in the 2nd quarter, JR Smith simply outdid him scoring 19 points in the 2nd quarter hitting 4 shots from 3 point range on route to a 29 point performance and even though the score was tied at half, the game was essentially over.

When the eventual 3rd quarter run came by Denver, their players were too hot at that point and the Raptors were too gassed from the physical beating and the mile high city's thin air.

The Good

Marco Belinelli

Even though the record overall is not where the players or Raptors' brass want it do be, and even though they are in the midst of a 2 game skid on a tough road trip, things are starting to slowly fall in place the way Bryan Colangelo envisioned in the offseason.

Marco Belinelli is one of those moving parts. Colangelo saw him as a scorer off the bench that could do multiple things on the offensive end challenge for most improved player.

Well it has started to take shape on this road trip. Belinelli has averaged 14 point per game and has now consistently over 3 games given the Raptors the kind of offensive spark they have needed, at times hitting back breaking 3 point shots and getting to the basket enough to keep his defender honest.

Coming into the season, I had likened him as the anti-Kapono in that he is a streaky shooter that will shoot his way into the game if he needs to, can drive the ball to the basket without turning the ball over and is willing to accept contact. The other less tangible element is that unlike Kapono, it seems when the Raptors are going on a run and need a big 3 point shot,elinelli is there to take it and usually makes it.

DeMar DeRozen

For most of the first half of the season at least, this is what DeMar is going to look like. He is going to have games where he plays just under 20 minutes and for the most part looks invisible. Then there are going to be those good games every 4 or so that give the fans hope.

DeRozen hit a couple early jumpers last night that were in the flow of the game and seemed to get him engaged. He ended the night with 17 points (career high), some of which were on athletic plays at the rim which we expect but he also hit a couple mid range shots and even a corner 3 point shot, which he looks more comfortable taking.

If DeMar can continue to work on his jump shot, and utilize it in the efficient way he has so far, the second half of the season he could play more of a meaningful role.

Sonny Weems

I have always said this about Weems; when Sonny is on the floor things happen. Sometimes they are good things, sometimes they are bad but they happen and overall that's a good thing.

Too often players come in the game and are spectators. There is a fine line between forcing the action and letting the game come to you, but so far in the time that Weems has gotten he has been on the right side of that line.

Coming out of College, the scouting report was that he had a decent jump shot, and it has looked better in the last few games. The two main things that Sonny has done to earn the coach's respect though, is that he has gotten to the rim and has a good nose for the ball that allows him to track down loose balls and long rebounds.

The Bad

Stagnation

There were more then a few times last night when you saw exactly why the Raptors like Turkoglu so much and why they paid him so much money. Last year, the Raptors still had a good enough offense to win games but at certain key times in the game like at the end of quarters/game or during key runs by the opposition the offense would get stagnant.

Hedo Turkoglu keeps the offense fluid. He knows where to pass the ball and if in the event that the pass isn't there, he is offensively talented enough to score at any time and thus end an offensive drought.

There are going to be times this year where the defense is not there, and what keeps the Raptors in games is the fact that they can go shot for shot with anyone in the league. Last night, without Turkoglu, they could not keep pace because their offense went stagnant a few possessions too many.

Antoine Wright

I am no where near ready to give up on Antoine Wright as a good veteran rotation player because of one bad game, but defensive stopper? I am having my doubts.

Wright is a very good team defender in that he rotates well, communicates on defense and takes charges because of his anticipation. I have yet to see him stop or slow anyone down and last night was no exception. As sated above Carmelo scored half of his points (16) in the first quarter where his primary defender was Wright.

Anthony is a great player and no one in the league can really guard him but he missed only two shots in the first quarter. Lets not be so willing to appoint Wright as our defensive saviour.

Andrea Bargnani

For one night at least Andrea reverted to some old bad habits. He picked up some early fouls which took him out of the line up. He was not tough enough inside on Nene and let the Brazilian big man to get position early and often right under the basket and on offense stayed on the perimeter shooting jump shots rather then attacking the paint (with the exception of a massive dunk on Chris Anderson).

If the Raptors had any chance of winning they needed Bargnani to have a big game. He needed to have one of his games where he got the the foul line, used an assortment of post-ups, drives, crafty pump fakes and the long ball to score and right from the opening tip he just did not seem to be engaged.

Coach Jay Triano might be wise to run a couple plays early for Andrea to get him involved and have the ball in his hands early. This may open up all other facets of Bargnani's game.

Referees

For the most part I think that blaming the referees is a cop out and a bad excuse because a few bad calls seldom cost you the whole game but much of the Raptors success last night was predicated on Bosh getting to the line, abusing the Nuggets' big men and getting them in foul trouble so that when Toronto decided to double team Carmelo Anthony, he did not have Kenyon Martin or Nene to dump the ball off too.

Bosh came into the game averaging 12 free throw attempts per game and finished the night 1-2 from the free throw line. This was not a case of Bosh being jump shot happy, there too many times to count where Bosh would take the ball inside on a drive or offensive rebound, get hit and have nothing to show for it.

Conversely Carmelo Anthony got to the line 10 times last night.

The Outlook

Tonight the Raptors are in Utah where the Jazz have been idle for a few days with plenty of time to prepare for the tired Raptors. The Jazz will also have the services of one of the best point guards in the game Deron Williams.

The Raptors do match up well with the Jazz so it will be important to bring the same kind of effort they did against the Suns and bring it early. If Toronto can get off to a good start and get some confidence it will be a winnable game and be a good finish the the road trip.

It will be interesting to see how they respond on a back to back and hopefully Turkoglu will be back in the line-up to give them a jolt. If not, we may see more Sonny Weems and maybe even Pops Mensa-Bonsu in more meaningful minutes because Toronto will be tired.

- J.Moore

Topical Tuesday

Wow, I am topical today.

It seems just as I was typing about him, the Legend has returned.

Pops Mensah-Bonsu has been successfully claimed off wavers by the Toronto Raptors. His contract is not fully guaranteed, thus posing no serious financial obligations to the Raptors. Mensa-Bonsu will be good will serve as insurance while Reggie Evans is out due to injury and will no doubt increase his legendary status in his second stint with Toronto.

Pops will be in uniform tonight when the Raptors face Denver. We will proclaim him the x-factor for tonight based purely on the emotional lift the team's fan-base will get.

Read below for more insight on the move.

- J.Moore

Touching on this and that

Touch Passes

Turko-Time

How much money is a player really worth and how exactly can you quantify it. This is the question that has plagued sports for as long as sport has been a business. Obviously no player in a business built from a children's game can be worth 32 million dollars a year? Or 20 million? Or 5.9 million (average salary in 2009/20100) or even 1.3 million (veterans minimum salary). What about roughly 10 million dollars a year for the next 5 years?

That is what the Turkish delight is making this year and will be for the next 4. Hedo Turkoglu and his off-speed-pitch type style of basketball has quickly made the 'slow is the new fast' style he plays very wealthy because he is seen as a guy (and rightfully so) that makes big plays at the end of games that win his teams basketball games, and as a byproduct make his employers a lot of cake.

So is Turkoglu worth the 10 million dollars he makes after he missed a shot in Phoenix that would have allowed the Raptors to punctuate the best game they have played this year with a win? An all or nothing approach would tell us no, but what about the fact that he shot the Raptors back in the game with a huge momentum changing 3 pointer then a step back jumper over Steve Nash?

This is when it gets murky. Turkoglu went 2-4 (50%) in the last 5 minutes of the game, compare that to LeBron James last year who shot 55% from the field last year in the last 5 minutes and therefore is deemed the 'most clutch' performer in the NBA (at least statistically) and maybe Turk is worth the 10 million.

We will never really know but I guarantee you that the masses will flip with every game winning shot he hits or misses and it says here that as long as Hedo goes 10-20 on game winning shots, the money is good by me.

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Toronto- 100, Phoenix- 101

As stated above, that was without a doubt the best game the Raptors have played this season. Historically the Raptors are awful against the Suns, especially in their valley and the fact that Toronto dictated tempo for close to the whole game, as well as never let the big run that was inevitably coming actually arrive says a lot.

Yes, they allowed Amar'e Stoudemire to eat them up in the most but that was as much by design then it was by fault. Toronto switched every screen with Nash and enticed the commanding point guard to throw the ball into the post to exploit the mismatch Phoenix had with Calderon on Stoudemire.

Any day of the week they will take having the ball out of the hands of Nash, and it seemed as though at the end of the game the bigger defender Toronto had on Nash threw him off enough that he missed a few jump shots.

In the end the Raptors held Phoenix to under 45% shooting, dictated tempo, had their usual 100 point night and were 6 inches from winning a game that would have put the road trip victory total at 2, and thus made the road trip a success with two games to play.

This team is getting better and as long as there is no major regression, December is going to have a lot of people talking about the team North of the border (check the schedule).

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Open Roster Spots and Legends

As most of us know Bryan Colangelo has decided to release Quincy Douby, the young journeyman combo guard that was relegated to a suit at the end of the bench most nights. This was done for two reasons, and not one many people believe.

The Raptors will save about 600 thousand dollars, which while in the grand scheme of things is nothing when the budget for players is $67 million, every penny saved does address the Teachers Pension Plan's (majority owner of Maple Leafs Sports and Entertainment, the company that owns the Leaves and the Raptors) fiduciary duty to make as much money as possible.

The other reason is simple; it is good for Quincy Douby. There is no doubt that Douby had almost no chance of getting any significant playing time on the Raptors so Colangelo let his agent know that he was going to be released so that Quincy had some time to find a job. It looks like Douby will be headed overseas on a fully guaranteed contract.

This is one of the small things that spreads good will to agents around the NBA and makes Colangelo the most popular guy in any room, which is important for a General Manager.

What it was not to do is sign Pops Mensa-Bonsu specifically. Colangelo acknowledged that it was purely a coincidence and he is not a man who historically takes to misleading.

Colangelo also acknowledged that he would consider adding Mensa-Bonsu or as the Raptors faithful like to call him 'The Legend' if everything added up properly.

While there is no obvious drawback to adding an energetic rebounder (especially in the offensive end) to the end of your bench, there is also no real need. Pops will not beat out Amir Johnson for playing time and would be competing with Rasho Nesterovic for minutes as the 3rd big man off the bench behind Evans (when he is back) and Johnson.

If 'The Legend' is signed it will tell you a lot about the healing process of our coveted bruiser Reggie Evans. Something just hasn't spelled right since he has been injured and the only reason I see in signing Mensa-Bonsu is if you think there is a possibility Evans might be out longer then originally thought.

Either way, we should find out sometime tonight when the waiver claim period ends (teams have 72 hours to claim a player that is released).

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Tonight's Game

Tonight the Raptors are in Denver for a game that has the word 'letdown' written all over it. Coming off 3 very good efforts (Chicago, LA, Phoenix) that resulted in 2 wins the Hogtown hoopsters arrive in a perfect storm. Take the emotional letdown of a tough loss, combined with a team that matches up very well with them, add a dash of mile high air and a pinch of history and you have a sh@t storm brewing.

Toronto will have to do many of the same things (dictate tempo, play with high intensity for a full 48 minutes, add in some defense) they did against Phoenix and hope that at least 2 of Carmelo Anthony, Chauncy Billups or JR Smith have bad games.

The problem is that the tempo they want to play is one of running and about halfway through the third quarter Toronto is going to find itself gassed because of the thin Denver air. If they can keep it close, and limit the run Denver will go on during that time of the game, the boys have a chance.

Prediction- Jose flaps his arms, Bosh has a good game and Belinelli's mouth guard never ends up making it in his mouth...

What? You were expecting a score or something?

-J.Moore

Posting up the Regular season- Trends are a funny thing

Did anyone really think they were going to loose?

A funny thing basketball is at times, there are days when a team can do nothing wrong but you just have this feeling they are still going to loose (see games versus San Antonio and Dallas).

Then there are games where to locals can do nothing right and the prevailing instinct is one of optimism. So when I looked up at the television in the local watering hole and saw that the Raptors were down by 20 to the Clippers, one of the leagues worst offensive teams, without 2 of their best players (Blake Griffin and Eric Gordon), I immediately looked over at my partner in crime and debauchery for the night and said 'the Raps are going to win, and Belinelli is going to score 20.'

One for two isn't bad, and I was close on the 2nd.

Trends

1st Quarter Ineptitude

It's getting to the point where the more surprising thing would be if the Raptors had a good defensive quarter and the combined point total is under 60. Toronto might as well spot the opposition 10 points and just start the tilt in the 2nd quarter. It would save everyone a little time, keep the players a little more fresh and presumably not impact the game in any significant way.

Something has to be done to buck this trend. Triano has to look into his bag of tricks and use anything he can as a motivational tool. Against bad teams, these 1st quarters may not be the devil that takes them down but over the course of the season more times then not, bad 1st quarter performances are going to cost Toronto wins. Those wins may end up being the difference between being in the valuable 4 or 5 spot (not having to play Orlando, Boston or Cleveland), or could even cost us a playoff spot.

Some would suggest a change to the starting line up. This has to be a last resort for Toronto. The biggest flaw in our first quarter performances is our defense and in particular our lack of lateral quickness. Those who lack lateral quickness in the starting line up? Bargnani, Calderon and Turkoglu and none of those men are going to the bench anytime soon so the logical choice would have to be DeMar.

Bringing Antoine Wright into the starting line up would be the only move that makes sense and restore some balance to the starting line up. Those who read here often know that I have been a proponent of Wright starting over DeRozen since the offseason but at this point it has to be handled very carefully.

Coming off a tough game, maybe his worst of his young career DeRozen's confidence might be shaky and I think Triano has to let the rest of the month play out and see where the 1st quarter defense is come December 1.

The 4th quarter defensive juggernaut that is the Toronto Raptors

As someone far smarter and experienced then I put it, if your going to be really bad for a quarter it might as well be the 1st, and if your going to be really good for a quarter, it might as well be the 4th.

Now two games may be to soon to call it a trend because the 1st quarter woes have been around since the second game of the season but if this mini aberration continues into a trend this will be a fun team to watch, especially if they can manage to just play even in the 1st quarter.

The intensity levels are a mystery. I have no idea, and I don't think anyone connected with the team has any idea, why the Raptors come out so flat to start the game and continually raise their intensity level by quarter but it is pleasantly frustrating.

The one piece of tangible evidence that I can point out that allows this team to win is the coaching. Jay Triano seems to be a step ahead of opposing coaches on most nights and it is becoming more and more impressive. Against the bulls he made the decision to switch on the pick and roll to prevent the point guards getting into the paint. Against the Clippers he made the decision to double team Chris Kaman to throw off his rhythm.

Double teaming an opposing big man is not hard to come up with, and not necessarily the impressive part. Just when Kaman is getting comfortable with the double team, and starting to see where the double team is coming from Triano pulls the rug out from under him by not sending an extra defender.

That game of cat and mouse wins the Raptors only a few defensive possessions, but those few are enough to change the momentum.

Rebounding

It was pointed out in one of the local media hubs lately that the Raptors are one of the worst rebounding teams in the league at an average of only 40 rebounds per game. This of course is why they are loosing games.

The rebounding is actually very misleading. While they are near the bottom with only 40 rebounds per game there are two very good reasons for that; their great offense and bad defense. The bottom line is that when the Raptors play neither team misses often and as a product of that, there are not many boards to get.

The real statistic to look at is rebound differential. Take away the one game against San Antonio which is an outlier on the scatter plot graph and the Raptors are about even in rebound differential. The return of Reggie Evans should actually make us a pretty decent rebounding team.

The Bench

From the 'not entirely surprising' variety of statements, our bench has been one of our strengths. The crew has burst into the games with energy and defense and have usually been the cue for the turn-arounds in the 2nd and 3/4th quarters. They average close to 30 point per game and that is a huge lift.

The catalyst for that attack Friday night was Marco Belinelli. Scoring 15 points and playing 30 minutes, he was the key to the victory and without his energy, defense (ya, you saw it right) and efficient scoring the Raptors would not have been able to cut the deficit to under 10 in the second quarter and give Toronto a chance to win.

Amir Johnson for the second consecutive game came up big (7 points and 7 rebounds) off the bench and to steal a puck-head phrase, was the 2nd star of the night. His rebounding and tenacity under the basket was paramount to our finish.

If these two guys could develop these performances into trends it would go along way to getting us into a high seed in the playoffs.

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Tonight the Toronto plays the Raptors South in the Phoenix Suns at 8:00pm eastern time and this one should be a lot of fun to watch. These are arguably the two best offenses in the league and hopefully the two teams show up with their A-game's and we can all see a defensive classic.

The one thing that separates Phoenix from Toronto though? Steve Nash, plain and simple.

My prediction- Toronto-173, Phoenix 199

- J.Moore

Posting up the Regular season- Taking on a bigger sample size

It has been a while since this space has produced anything new, or anything of value.

I thought the opinions cast in url code were starting to get stale, combine that with the fact that life had begun to get a little busy and the results are clear, not a heck of a lot.

The hiatus is over now, and it's time to get into everything Raptors.

So, here we go...

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The Raptors are what they are, and realize it may not be good...

One thing that has become abundantly clear over the past 5 games. Over 3 wins (Detroit, New Orleans, Chicago) and 2 losses (Dallas, San Antonio) the Raptors do not seem to have any influence on the outcome of the game. I know your probably thinking, Moore, that may be the boldest and dumbest thing you have said in a while.

Maybe your right, but here me out.

The Raptors have shown that they can score, that is well documented and obvious. The boys have only once managed to not score 100 points in a game and that was last night to Chicago. What else is well documented and obvious is that the Raptors cannot play any semblance of defense. In the two losses to San Antonio and Dallas the Raptors gave up a combined 265 points, which by the way is mind-blowing.

The silver lining coming into the game against Chicago last night was that, when the effort was there, the Raptors could play defense, but for the most part, they just didn't feel like it most nights. Against Cleveland, Detroit, and New Orleans the Raptors held their opponent to under 100 points which seems to be the magical Mendoza line.

The problem is, that through 7 games I was convinced that the Raptors had no influence on the opponents bad shooting percentage and thus 'holding' their opponents to under that magical line. There was no defense being played, it just turned out that the opposition had bad shooting nights.

Look at the Cavaliers last night against the Magic who were one of the best defensive teams in the league last season, and arguably have even more defensive talent this year. Cleveland put up 102 points, and probably could have put up more but the game was over after 3 quarters.

Do you really think that the mighty defensive juggernaut that is the Raptors shut down the Cavs? No, the answer is they had a bad night. The same case can be made about the other wins they have attained.

What is funny about this years version of hardwood heroes is that they may be the barometer for every team in the league. The Raptors are going to beat the bad team because they put up a lot of points, but if they play a good team they are going to loose because good teams will take advantage of their defensive ineptitude, plain and simple.

That is one scary conclusion if you are a Raptors fan. Realizing that your team had no influence on the outcome of the game. If the opponent hits open shots, they loose, if they don't hit open shots, they win.

That was until last night.

Find Hope in- The win against Chicago

Heading into last nights game the keys to winning were all too familiar and repetitive. Give effort and intensity on the defensive end, limit the point total to under 100 by your opponent, and you will win. The way to do that as I have said before is to come out strong and step on the other teams throat.

Like clock work, the Raptors came out flat defensively, allowed the Bulls open shots and offensive rebounds and the general thought must have been, here we go again, this is going to be a long frustrating season.

Then something happened. Something unfamiliar yet surprisingly pleasant. Intensity showed it's face... And it was the Raptors that showed it.

Chicago did miss some shots in the second half that maybe good teams make but that being said, the Raptors did a lot more good then they or the Bulls did bad. The bottom line is when a team only scores 29 points in a half after scoring 60 points in the previous half, you have to give credit where it is due.

The Raptors came out and in the 3rd and 4th quarter played with a play-off like intensity that if persists, will make them one of the tougher team to beat in the league. On a night where their collective offense wasn't clicking on all cylinders (40.9 FG%, 25 3FG%) the Raptors influenced and won the game with defense and rebounding.

Note: Previous statement may never be written here again, so take it in

Find Hope in- DeMar DeRozen

The young rookie, who is usually green with inexperience and awe put those attributes aside for a night and played basketball. Much has been made about how the rookie will be brought along slowly and how the expectations are low on the young high flyer. The conventional wisdom is that whatever he gives is gravy.

Well at least for one night it looked like the young man decided that green wasn't his color and was a spark plug on the floor, especially in the second half. DeRozen was aggressive early and often but what was most impressive was that when Chicago came out and scored a few early baskets and pushed the lead to double digits in the third quarter, it was not Bosh that cued the comeback, or Hedo, it was DeMar DeRozen that spawned the 'TSN turning point'.

He did it not by scoring, but with great weak side defense blocking Lual Deng and pulling down 7 rebounds in the 3 quarter alone on route to an early career high 9 rebounds, taking the Raptors from -10 rebounds in the first half to +1 rebound to end the game.

This is the kind of energy, intensity and hustle you would expect from a veteran not from a player in his second month of professional basketball and it had a contagious effect on his team. If young DeMar has more nights where he can utilize and harness his athleticism to produce these kind of results, the byproduct might be a decent Raptors defense.

Find Hope in- The Coaching

Two things that concerned me about Jay Triano coming into the season, and early on this season.

His ability to motivate, and his ability or more appropriately willingness to change what doesn't work.

Coming into the season I thought that the one thing former coach Sam Mitchell had over Triano was his innate ability to motivate his players. Sam had a way of getting maximum effort and output out of his players but lacked the 'x's and o's' of the game. Triano, many thought may have been the opposite.

The other concern after 7 games was that the defensive system that he had implemented had not seemed to compliment the skill set or to be frank lateral quickness, of his team. The results, poor rotations and losses.

Well after the first half Wednesday night both of those questions were answered.

Whatever he said at halftime produced intensity, a tactical change produced a win. One critical change he made at halftime confused the Bulls just enough to prevent them from gaining any offensive continuity or rhythm. Triano decided to switch on the pick and roll instead of having the screened player (usually Jose Calderon) go over the screen. In the first half the decision to go over the screens resulted in blow bye's and opposition points. The switch (particularly with Amir Johnson) threw the bulls off.

That subtle change, and others like putting Antoine Wright (a bigger stronger defender) on Rose are the details that can win teams ball games.

- - - -

So for at least one night the collective panic button has been depressed.

Onto a western road trip, get your hands on the button and ready...

- J.Moore

Posting up the Regular season- Sticking to the game plan.

Orlando Magic- 125

Toronto Raptors- 116

Did they play well, or did they not play well, that does seem to be the question.  Either way, they did not play well enough because they lost but overall the Raptors did what they wanted to do to the Orlando Magic, almost.

The Raptors are going to be a team that scores points, that is not the concern.  The concern is defense, and whether or not the team can play any, or just enough to win.  In response to this query Jay Triano implemented a system that predicates itself on packing the paint, making sure the opposing team shoots a low field goal percentage, and take your chances contesting 3 point shots.

The Raptors stuck to that game plan Sunday afternoon and achieved almost all that criterion, but still ended up on the loosing end.  They scored points (116 on 54.1% from the field), packed the paint and held the Magic to a low field goal percentage (43.9%), and took their chances giving up the long ball and it backfired (17 made 3 point shots).  Early in the game the Raptors were late on their rotations and for the second straight game came out flat and let the first quarter decide the game. 

The Good

The Offense

Over the last 3 games the Raptors' point totals are as follows: 101, 107, 116.  So they are improving in certain areas (unfortunately the opposing point totals are exponentially higher).  The Raptors shot 54 % field goal percentage and 59 % 3 point field goal percentage and if you give just about any team in the league that kind of offensive production they would take it and believe hole heartedly they would win.

The big 3 (our version) are clicking and firing on all cylinders, Bosh (who is having another MVP start to a season) had 35 points and 16 rebounds, Bargnani had a bounce back half and finished with 26 points and Turkoglu was hot especially in the second half finishing with 19 points on 8-13 shooting.

The Bad

Defense/System

The biggest concern at this point has to be the fact that they talent is carrying out the coaches requests and playing the system that has been implemented and not only is it not working, it is killing them.

One could make the case that the defense hasn't been very good, and the rotations and intensity have to be better.  The fact is, the Raptors offense was very good, their defensive objectives were fulfilled and they still lost in what was not even really a close game.

Even if the system will/could/should work the fact that it isn't right now is a major problem because at some point the players are not going trust each other on defense, and as a result, will stop trusting the coaches, or adhering to their will.

The season is only three games in length so far, and all these concerns could be nullified with a few wins but allowing a team that was down three of their best players (Carter, Lewis, Pietrus) to come into your own building and beat you with career nights from Redick and Anderson is not going to help.

Point Guards

Something that is abundantly clear is that opposing teams know the way to attack the Raptors defense is to attack Jose Calderon.  Jameer Nelson said after the game that during every time out his coaches and teammates were not only encouraging him, but begging to keep attacking and looking to shoot, because in essence, it worked every time.

We know that Jose does not excel on the defensive end but what has made him so good has been his offensive efficiency.  Well on the year he is shooting under 40% from the field and is 1-7 from the 3 point line.  This has to change or Jose is nothing but a talking bobble head full of shit and vinegar.  The 3 point shooting is especially key, because it will blow open the door most nights if he can hit the open 3.

Jarrett Jack has been even more ineffective on offense.  He is shooting a blistering 33% from the field and a sexy 12% from downtown.  Jack has been adequate on the defensive end but even his offensive decision making has been inept.  He had 4 turnovers Sunday (compared to 2 assists) and 2 of the turnovers were at key times at the end of the game.

The Outlook

The boys in red will now have a few days on the practice court to try to clear up the problems that have been shown over the first 3 games.  They play one more home game on Wednesday versus Detroit then they go out west to play the also tough Texas teams.

Jay Triano has to find some way to get these guys motivated and ready.  The key will be to get off to a good start early Wednesday night and try to head into the road trip even (2 wins, 2 losses) and give the guys some confidence, especially at the defensive end.

- J.Moore

Posting up the Regular season- Eternal Optimism? Not so much...

Toronto Raptors- 107

Memphis Grizzlies- 115

Any momentum, optimism or hope that was conceptualized on wednesday night was quickly proved false only a few minutes into friday nights loss to the Memphis Grizzlies.  It was clear from the opening few possessions that this was not going to be Toronto's night and what may begin to reveal itself a trend it seems that as Andrea Bargnani goes, so too do the Toronto Raptors.

The two entities looked out of sync early last night with Bargnani failing to catch simple passes and missing shots he would normally hit.  It is a disappointment to a club that with 9 new faces, was looking to turn a loosing culture with a history of defensive ineptitude around for the better.

Wednesday nights successful defensive dominance, or at the very least timely defense was countered Friday night with a soft defensive non-effort that Raptors fans have become accustomed too.

The season is 82 games long, this was just 1 of.  There will be many lessons learned and the true identity of this team will not be revealed until time and games are behind them but if performances aren't closer to those on Wednesday rather than Friday, Raptors fans will not have much to cheer about.

The Good

Chris Bosh

There is not much you can say after a performance by an individual player like that other than dominant.  Bosh, as he tends to do against inferior teams with slow counters, took the Memphis forwards to school friday night.  The Raptors franchise player had 25 points and 8 rebounds in the first half on his way to a 37 point 12 rebound night in a loosing effort.

The offense is not necessarily surprising, there is not much more he has/can add to his arsenal.  He beat men in the post, blew by them with a face up game and even hit a 3 point shot which he has become accustomed to take.  The more impressive part is the tenacity he has shown, and nose for the ball.  Bosh had 8 rebounds in the first half and 6 of those rebounds were in the first few minutes.  His ability to rebound in heavy traffic has been impressive and if he can sustain the effort he had early in the game it will go a long way to help the defense.

DeMar DeRozen

His line will not look overly impressive (6 point 3-7, 5 rebounds) but the way he is playing in limited minutes, along with the patience and obvious quick learning curve he has shown has given reason to think the young guard can become a major player as early as this season.

His athleticism was on display a few times last night.  On one occasion he had been beaten off the dribble by O.J. Mayo and recovered for a Lebron James like block.  Another time he took a hard cut along the baseline and claimed a Chris Bosh air-ball for a put-back dunk.

We knew those parts of his game would be revealed.  The more impressive part is his ability to fit in on offense and let the game come to him without forcing bad plays or shots.  Too often rookies think the only way they can positively effect the game is to score, so when they haven't shot the ball in a while and finally have the opportunity, they chuck.  DeRozen has not forced many bad shots, none last night, and has done his job of going after offensive rebounds and running the floor.

The progress he has made in these areas since the first summer league game, combined with his ability to take the ball to the basket off the dribble could mean big things for he and the Raptors by the second half of the season.

Marco Belinelli

Consistency is the theme of the day, probably will be for the season, and is certainly the case with Marco Belinelli and his career.  Consistency was the problem in Golden State in regards to the minutes he received and as a result, the production he outputted.

Triano went back to him in the second quarter, which seems to be his designated time slot, and while he did not have the same impact on the game as he did against Cleveland, Belinelli put together another solid if not unspectacular game.  Marco had 7 points on 2-4 shooting with a few steals and only 1 turnover.  

Hopefully this trend will continue from both the coach's side and a production side and the Raptors will have a very valuable scorer off the bench. 

The Bad

Focus

As discussed before, the game was really there for the Raptors to take.  Toronto had momentum coming off an emotional win, the FedEx forum was empty and the few fans that were there did not seem to have much interest in the early stages of the game.

If Toronto had come in with a focused, business-like attitude and built an early lead, the young Grizzlies would have reverted back to a young selfish shot happy team, ignored their strengths and in essence given up.  

Instead, the Raptors were lazy on both offense and defense, taking outside shots and recovering slowly on rotations and Memphis took advantage.  The Grizzlies played with a lot of energy, which became almost as contagious as H1N1, shared the ball and worked to their strengths.

Defense

Sometimes you cannot help good shooting nights from opposing players, and the Grizzlies did have a great shooting night (51.2 % from the field), but what the Raptors aloud them to do is get open shots early and as a result facilitated the hot shooting.

The Raptors want to trap the ball high just after mid-court.  This trap will only be successful, if the person who is coming over to the ball to trap, quickly recovers to his man.  Early in the game the trap-man was late recovering which left open shooters, particularly O.J. Mayo.

The Raptor big men were also at fault, despite some good effort by Andrea Bargnani and Chris Bosh, they let Marc Gasol and Zach Randolph get into the paint at will, and the opposing big men took advantage.

Coaching

One of the unsung heroes for Memphis was young DeMarre Carroll.  He provided a spark off the bench, and athleticism the opposing Raptors could not keep contained.  During their two key runs in the 2nd and 4th quarters Carroll was on the floor making things happen.

Triano seemed to have the perfect counter on the bench when Lionel Hollins went small with Carroll at power forward; Amir Johnson.  Amir only saw 2 minutes of action though and instead the minutes went to a struggling Andrea Bargnani, Rasho Nesterovic (who played well) and Antoine Wright who was relatively ineffective.  I know Triano is worried about mistakes but Johnson can be a game changer with his defense and energy and needs to be given some confidence building long runs on the court.

Much of Toronto's offense is predicated on ball movement and unselfishness, Triano does not want the ball to stick.  However the bottom line is that on the road, in a game where the momentum is not on your side, you have to milk to cow and go to what is working.  What was clearly working all night was Chris Bosh.

There was a long stretch in the third quarter where Bosh was not on the floor and when he did return he seemed cold.  Part of his rust could have been shaken off if he was force fed in the post and that didn't happen.  In a close game on the road when you have the luxury of having a post player like Bosh, you must utilize him. 

The Outlook

Fans were on an emotional high after the opening night victory and are now probably at the depths of despair after last night.  While the loss was disappointing the season is long and the Raptors will have more good nights then bad.

Even last night there were glimpses of the mental toughness and defense they will need to be successful and while it did not prevail, the glimpses should develop with time.

Orlando will provide the real true early season test on Sunday.  The Magic have virtually no holes on their roster and the kind of depth and athleticism that does not match up well with the Raptors.

Look for the Raptors to respond with a solid effort and hope that if they provide energy early they can take advantage of a Magic team that will undoubtedly be tired after the Jay Z concert the night before at the ACC.

- J.Moore

Posting up the Regular season- Hope Prevails

Cleveland Cavaliers- 91

Toronto Raptors- 101 

One thing that has been clear about sports fans in this country; there are Toronto sports fans, and then there is everyone else.  Fans in this city are not necessarily fans of a sport, they are fans of Toronto.

Over the last few years Argo fans, Leaf fans, Reds fans, Jays fans and Raptors fans have had nothing to watch, or nothing to read once the playoffs in their respective sport because the local heroes were sitting at home or practicing the slice on the golf course.

Hope in the form of wins or success has not come easy and often in this market, but for one night at least Toronto fans were rewarded with a prize they could show off to their inter-provincial neighbors; the Toronto Raptors.

There is always a feeling of eternal optimism coming into opening night of the season when the club is undefeated and tied for first especially with the relatively naive Raptors fan base, but last night the realists (or pessimists) would have told you that by 10:00 pm Wednesday night the feeling of doom and despair hovering over the Toronto sports landscape would be solidified by a Raptors loss to a very good, hungry team expected to win a championship from Cleveland.

For at least one more night though, the eternal optimism will prevail and Toronto fans can breath a sigh of relief.  It was not easy however, the script was written and the plot was unfolding like it had so many times in the past.  Part comedy and part tragedy, the Raptors as expected scored the ball, road the emotion of opening night and the raging fans in the Air Canada Center to a 18 point lead at halftime.

This though, is when the tragedy hits.  Some will chalk it up to poor defense, when really it is just the obligatory run that a team of the calibre of Cleveland with the best player in the world will/must make.  So halfway through the third quarter when fans looked up at the scoreboard and saw the 18 point lead had evaporated and the score was tied, they must have known what was coming next.  Like so many times over the last few years, the Raptors would not have the mental toughness, fortitude or defensive commitment to throw a counter punch, and they would fold like a cheap suit.

Not on this night though, whether it is a one night only aberration or a trend that will set this city on fire, the Raptors counter punched with the force of Foreman and road out the night with an impressive win.  What is more impressive is that the team won it with defense capped with a Turkoglu steal on an  Anthony Parker 3 point attempt that would have cut the lead to 3 points with less then a minute to play and LeBron James looming.

On a night that could have sent the collective masses into a tailspin, it pleasantly surprised with a win that will spring hope until at least Friday night in Memphis.

The Good

Andrea Bargnani

If the night could belong to one man, he would be a 7 foot Italian.  The number 1 pick in the 2006 draft did well to quiet the still lingering nay-sayers and continued his maturation with one of his all around best games as a Raptor.  Setting the tone right from the opening possession with a punk fake, followed by a dunk on Anderson Varejao, Bargnani was near unstoppable for most of the night going 11-15 from the field and made Shaq look like the semi-retired disinterested player he is most nights.

More impressive was the way that he scored and the effort and discipline he showed on defense.  We have seen big scoring nights before from the Italian usually due to hot shooting from the outside but on this night he had more free throw attempts (4) then 3 point attempts (3).  Picking his spots from all over the floor Bargnani used his face up, post and jump shooting game all effectively to confuse who ever was guarding him.  At one point he had LeBron James on him, who is one of the best defensive players in the league, and made him look goofy by posting him up, used two shot fakes and ended the play with a nice up and under layup to score on James.

On defense he competed hard against Shaq, trying to be as physical as possible without fouling out of the game.  While he did get in foul trouble early he used his discipline on defense to keep him in the game where the Raptors utilized his stellar offensive output.

Defense/Mental Toughness

The most important development that revealed itself last night was when the Raptors' collective metal was tested.  As stated above, most nights in the past when an opposing team gained momentum and made a run at the lead, the Raptors would wilt and go meekly into the night.  Last night, they responded emphatically and claimed the game back.

The Raptors held Cleveland to 34.9% shooting and more importantly LeBron James to 23 points on 19 shot attempts (7-19).  While most would chalk up the poor Cleveland offense more to do with unfamiliarity rather then anything the Raptors did defensively the point still remains that the Raptors made key stops when they needed too.  For a team that on most nights is going to be better offensively then their opponent, defensive timing may be the key.

Marco Belinelli

If the most important thing to come out of last night was the timely defense, a close second would have to be the production of Marco Belinelli.  After a preseason where many thought he played himself out of the rotation, coach Jay Triano showed confidence in Belinelli giving him second quarter minutes and Belinelli rewarded the coach by tallying 10 points in the quarter and sparking a run that would extend the lead to over 20 points.

Belinelli also showed great offensive awareness with a few glowing passes that should have been converted for assists and plucky defense that will keep him in games when his shot is not falling.

One of the main keys to this season will be whether the first unit can play defense and whether the second unit can score.  Seeing that Jarrett Jack is still trying to find his way to fit in on offense, the emergence of Belinelli as a scorer off the bench is paramount.

Chris Bosh/Weight Gain

Bosh never really got his offensive game going but still managed to score 21 points due mostly to 12 free throw attempts (9-12), his biggest impact came on the glass.  The 25 pounds of muscle he added in the offseason showed itself to be an asset last night when he repeatedly battled one or two opposing big men for rebounds.  You could credit much of the defense to the fact that Bosh did not allow second shots by gobbling up rebound after defensive rebound.

The Coach

Coach's generally get too much credit and too much blame, but Triano did a very nice job last night pulling the right strings at the right times to give his team the competitive advantage.  Defensively he did not just limit one man to guard LeBron James and one man to guard Shaq.  DeRozen, Turkoglu, Wright and Belinelli all has a turn guarding James changing the defensive looks LeBron saw and spreading the fouls out amongst the wing players.  Shaq saw Bargnani, Bosh, Johnson and Nesterovic and a few times midway through the game Triano based his substitution pattern on Shaq, send Nesterovic to guard him limiting Bargnani's opportunity to foul and letting him be fresh on offense.

At one point in the third quarter Triano realized that the game was being dictated by Mike Brown when the Cleveland coach sent out a small line up that was they key to their offensive outburst.  Once this was realized Triano quickly changed to a big line up, exposed LeBron in the post and few times, and all of a sudden it was Triano dictating not being dictated to.

Jay has also done a nice job of carefully mapping out his substitution pattern so that one of his key offensive big three (Bosh, Bargnani, Turkoglu) was on the floor at all times.  Too many times coach's will just throw on the back ups and hope they can keep the score close.  Last night the coach spaced out his substitutions so that one of those men were on the floor at all times.   

The Bad

Not Much

The offense was fluid and efficient, the best players played like the best players, the bench stepped up when they needed to, and the Raptors even played defense too.  Yes, the Cavaliers did score 32 points in the 3rd quarter and tied the game and many will tell you the defense was not good enough during that stretch.  The bottom line is, good teams make runs.  Cleveland is a very good team, made their run, and most importantly the Raptors responded with timely defense and a run of their own.

Jarrett Jack has still shot the ball poorly and does not look like he knows yet where his shots will come from, but he did enough to affect the game positively in other ways.

Amir Johnson didn't show the energy and tenacity he needs too when he comes in the game.  He was invisible for the 5 minutes and 45 seconds he was in the game, but it was in a short period of time against match up that were not favorable to the athletic big man. 

The Outlook

The Raptors are going to win most nights if they play the way they played last night.  The preseason did not necessarily live up to the optimism the offseason facilitated but last nights performance did a lot to re-warrant optimism around the team.

Memphis will be a good test for this team.  From a talent standpoint there is no contest, the Raptors should win handily.  The test will be from a mental perspective, a lot of talk has been about not putting the preverbal cart before the horse.  Coming off an emotional high opening night win, we will see if the Raptors come out focused and take care of business.

Coming into Sundays contest 2-0 with momentum and confidence would be a great asset against a very talented Orlando team.

Oh ya, and it would be good to beat that Vince something-or-other guy.

- J.Moore 

Breaking down the Eastern Conference

I am sure you have been inundated with various media, blogs, newspapers all telling you how the season will unfold, and ranking the various divisions and conferences.  While I would like to change it up and innovate something new, but I will not.

Here is how I think the Eastern Conference will look:

1. Orlando Magic

The magic are the deepest and most talented team in the Eastern Conference.  Like many of the other top teams they made a big splash by adding a top level talent in Vince Carter.  However, it is moves like acquiring Brandon Bass, Ryan Anderson, Matt Barnes and Jason Williams to add to the depth of players like Marcin Gortat, Mickael Pietrus and Jameer Nelson (back to full health) that will make this team one of the toughest to beat in the league.

2. Boston Celtics

I have flip flopped on this team for most of the summer but seeing Kevin Garnett back at full strength along with another season of development for Rajon Rondo and Glen 'Big Baby' Davis would be enough to propel them into the top 3.  The additions of Marquis Daniels and Rasheed Wallace eliminates their biggest weakness; depth.

3. Cleveland Cavaliers

This is a huge gamble for Danny Ferry (Cavs General Manager) at a time where he had to try to do something to put the Cavs over the edge and hope that a Larry O'Brien trophy will bring LeBron back.  This could be a colossal failure, or the missing piece that will propel the team to a championship.  Look for injuries and a feeling out process to limit regular season wins but also look for the Cavs to be the most feared team in the playoffs.

4. Atlanta Hawks 

This is another team that made a gamble of sorts when they acquired Jamal Crawford.  All signs point to the fact that he is embracing his role of coming off the bench and is just looking to help the team.  This is a team with no mental toughness though, and if things start to go south the personalities on the team could shut down any chance of success.  The talent level is very good, and continued success over the last few years has proven they are not a fluke.

5. Chicago Bulls 

The loss of Ben Gordon will hurt the Bulls the most in the playoffs.  During the regular season their depth at the wing position with Hinrich, Salmons along with a healthy Luol Deng and the addition of rookie James Johnson should make up for the loss of Gordon.  Look for that group of wings to provide more then enough scoring with the frontline providing the defense and an improved Derrik Rose running the point that will all make for a successful 2009/10 campaign.

6. Toronto Raptors

If the stars align and all things come together properly the Raptors could be as high as the 4 seed, they could also be as low as 10 or 11 though.  Due to injuries and players missing time to rest the Raptors are a little behind schedule as far as conditioning and cohesion are concerned.  Unfortunately the month of November is one of their hardest months.  If the Raptors can stay afloat early in the season they could be poised to make a run for the top half of the conference.  The first line will score, the second line will defend, but if the two cannot learn to do the others role with any consistency the Raptors could be in trouble.

7. Washington Wizards

Will their version of the big three finally make it through a season together healthy?  That is the only key to their success and considering Antawn Jamison is already hurt, it says here they won't.  However unlike other years the added depth of Mike Miller and Randy Foye along with the development of Andre Blatche and JaVale McGee will be able to keep them afloat through any minor injuries.

8. Indiana Pacers

This is a team that has more talent then their record has reflected over the last few years.  I expect them to finally stay healthy (Mike Dunleavy) and put it together this year to be a very scary team night to night.  Troy Murphy might be one of the most underrated big men in the league and with the added depth of rookie Tyler Hansbrough and what I expect will be a big year for Roy Hibbert the Pacers' front-court will be a strength.  Do not forget about Danny Granger and the unsung addition of Earl Watson to make up for the loss of Jarrett Jack.

9.  Philadelphia 76ers

The 76ers will have a lot of athleticism with Andre Iguodala, Samuel Dalembert, Marreese Speights, and Thaddeus Young.  They will have scoring with Lou Williams, Willie Green and Jrue Holiday.  However they have a high priced piece that doesn't fit in Elton Brand and no one to run the show since Andre Miller left for Portland.  Those critical issues will kill them down the stretch of games.

10. Detroit Pistons

Detroit is stuck in the middle of an identity crisis.  From the old regime that was based on team work and defense you have Rip Hamilton, Tayshaun Prince and Ben Wallace.  From the new regime of youth and scoring you have Chuck Villanueva, Ben Gordon, Austin Daye, DaJuan Summers and Jonas Jerebko.  This team may still be good, but it will take time for youth to develop and define the team identity.

11. Miami Heat

Expect Dwayne Wade to do everything humanly possible to make it work, expect development from Mike Beasley but also expect Jermaine O'Neal to continue to be often injured and a shell of a player he once was, and expect Quentin Richardson to enjoy himself in South Beach.

12. Milwaukee Bucks 

The additions of Carlos Delfino and rookie Brandon Jennings to help Michael Redd and Andrew Bogut but the supporting cast just doesn't have enough to over compensate for the losses of Ramon Sessions and Chuck Villanueva.

13. Charlotte Bobcats

The Bobcats went on a nice run toward the end of the season but they have two scoring point guards in Augustine and Felton, one of their best players is a walking injury in Gerald Wallace, Boris Diaw has come into this season out of shape and anyone that tells me from a basketball standpoint trading Okafor for Chandler was a good move is a little loopy.

14. New York Knicks

Might be an interesting team to watch with the likes of Nate Robinson (who they didn't really want) and David Lee (who they didn't really want) and Danilo Gallinari (who cannot stay healthy) but they have already decided to sit this season out and hope that someone will want to come to their franchise because it's in New York.

15. New Jersey Nets

Their only hope is the Russians.  

- J.Moore

Posting up the Preseason volume IV- The last word

Fans were chomping at the bit to finally see their team come together on the court and play competition that wasn't 'intra' and find out how the puzzle would construct.  Preseason was once again well anticipated and as the general rule continued to disappoint overall.  There were injuries, shooting woes, failing player performances, defensive improvements, player coagulation, and a man they call CB4.  Developments were plentiful this preseason, now for details.

The Good

Deconstructing both the offense and the defense it is hard to come up with a definitive answer on how they faired through this preseason.  A comparative approach versus expectations could be implemented to gauge the success or a far more darwinian approach could be taken in regards to the bottom line.  Given that preseason is like a first date, you test the waters at first, then blindly see how far you can push the envelope, I will adhere to the former principal rather then the latter and compare the performance against the expectations. 

The Defense 

The defense was pretty good at times.  More shocking then that (if you can believe something would be) it was pretty good on the first line.  I was one that thought this first line would struggle, to put it politely, on the defensive end the whole season and the second unit would be the anchor.  However the starters have used execution, discipline, attention to detail along with effort and provided some solid defensive performances.  They certainly are not the Detroit Pistons of the earlier part of the decade, but solid defense should be all this team needs to win.

Against the Celtics the starters were up 5 points at the end of the game versus the Celtics' starters and against Minnesota the starters played good enough defense to hold the Timberwolves under 40% shooting in the first quarter.  The sample size has been small, but if the trend continues, this team could be a middle of the pack defensive team, which should translate into battling for a home playoff series.

First Line Cohesion

There was a line of thinking that questioned the Hedo Turkoglu signing on the merit that he, Bosh and Bargnani were too similar.  They all liked to score on the perimeter, and all did not care to play much defense.  

The cohesion that the starting unit has shown has been astonishing when you consider that Hedo had not practiced until the second week of preseason and sat out all of training camp to rest.  There already seems to be a synergy developing between the frontline, Calderon is beginning to find his place within the offense and as soon as he begins to find wide open corner 3 point shots off of passes from Turkoglu, he'll fit in even more.  

The intriguing piece will be DeMar DeRozen.  While I am still not convinced he should be in the starting line-up, his willingness to learn and speed of learning combined with Turkoglu's vision is going to result in some weak side baseline dunks by DeRozen, watch for it. 

Chris Bosh

Chris Bosh is very good.  Sometimes we forget how good this guy is.  There is not a hole in this man's offensive game, he can shoot with range out to the 3 point line, has enough of a post up game to open up his jump shot, and has the best face-up game of any power forward in the league.  

Can he score at will at the end of the game like LeBron, Kobe or Wade?  No, but name 3 others that could.  Is he a great defender?  No, but this is without ever playing with a true center and now with the added weight, he may shut up critics.

Bosh has looked close to his MVP start to last season, and already seems to be in mid-season form.

The Bad

The Offense

Overall the offense has not been good.  This is due mostly to missed shots, and at time overpassing.  As discussed above, the starting unit seems to be in synergy but the shots, and particularly the outside shot has not been falling.  

The 2-20 3 point shooting performance has been well documented but to give you an idea of how worried the players are this is a quote from Turkoglu:

Hedo: “I know we didn’t shoot the ball well, we were like two-for-something from the three.”

When told that the Raptors were 2-2o, Hedo replied:

Hedo: “We could be like 2-for-40, if we didn’t make the turnovers.”

Obviously the players feel like the shots will come and the ball will begin to fall with time.  This will be true on the starting line, but the second line offense is the real worry.

It has been written in this space that the second unit offensively has been out of sync.  The offense will be largely dependent on Jarrett Jack.  He is the only player outside of Marco Belinelli whose role is undefined at this point, that can create his own offense.  He will be responsible for providing instant offense off the bench as well as getting guys like Amir Johnson and Antoine Wright some easy looks.

Jack has been up and down so far.  His shot has been off especially from beyond the arc and he will be counted on to provide more offensive efficiency if this team's second line will be effective.

Marco Belinelli

Do you wonder if this is how they felt in Golden State?  Marco has been an enigma in the preseason.  He can undoubtedly create offense which is something this team desperately needs coming off the bench, but is it the right offense at the right time, and efficiency is the key.

His preseason shooting percentages of .379 field goal and .250 3 point field goal are well bellow his career averages of .429 and .395 respectively so the hope is that the law of averages will prevail.  The problem at this point is Belinelli needs time and shots to work his way out of the slump and with the regular season approaching and with a logjam of wings, these are things he may not have.

Jay Triano is going to have to do something to get him going, and into the games because Jack cannot lead the second line on his own, he will need a back-court mate to play off of. 

The Record

It was only the preseason and everyone around the team will tell you that the wins and losses do not matter at all.  Ending the games was also usually a band of rapscallions named O'Bryant, Banks, Douby, Weems and Johnson who are all primarily (outside of Johnson and including Calderon) in charge of handing out Gatorade at halftime.

At a certain point though, I naively believed that the talent level of the Raptors would win out games.  Houston, Minnesota, Washington, Philadelphia are all teams that the Raptors, if they hope to be fourth or fifth in the Eastern Conference, should beat.

Their record of 2-6 is not a big deal, but if everyone is being honest, is still a little concerning.

Grades

Andrea Bargnani- B+

Outside of two games Bargnani looked like he was in mid-season form.  He scored in a variety of different ways never relying on the 3 point shot, and most importantly was a force on defense a few times.

Chris Bosh- A

Chris looked unstoppable at times, had a high level of intensity, has rebounded the ball extremely well and his attitude towards winning is just what any team wants from their highest paid player.

Hedo Turkoglu- B

Looked good in limited minutes, shot the ball with efficiency, was patient on offense and transitioned seamlessly between Jose Calderon as the primary ball handler.

DeMar DeRozen- B- 

Did not shoot the ball very well, but got to the line with ease, played adequate defense, and grew as a player over the course of the preseason.

Jose Calderon- C

Started the preseason off slowly but as preseason unfolded, picked his spots on offense and was his same efficient self.  Did not get beaten too often on defense.

Amir Johnson- B

First half of the preseason looked outstanding in regards to rebounding, shot-blocking, and playing to his limitations on offense.  The second half of the preseason he failed to bring the energy and disappeared at times.

Reggie Evans- B+

Missed the last few games due to an injured foot, but when was in the line-up he brought the intensity, toughness, and energy that will make him an instant crowd favorite a favorite in the locker room.

Antoine Wright- N/A 

Only played in one preseason game in which he had 8 pts and 4 turnovers.

Marco Belinelli- F

Did not shoot the ball well from outside, failed to provide that breakthrough game that was anticipated, seemed to loose the confidence of the coaches at least for now.

Jarrett Jack- C-

Did not provide the offensive spark that was expected, had poor shooting performances especially from beyond the arc.

Rasho Nesterovic- C

Provided steady offense and defense that was expected, will be looked upon to match up against big centers in the East and will be key in the playoffs.

Sonny Weems- B

Sonny was the biggest surprise this preseason and showed off great athletic ability and energy.  If there is an injury to either Turkoglu, Wright, DeRozen or Belinelli the coaches will be comfortable with letting him play

O'Bryant, Banks, Douby- LOL

Does it really matter?

The Outlook

Overall the preseason was a success.  The most important things that needed to be accomplished were getting through the weeks with no major injuries and making sure Turkoglu fit in with the starters.  Both of those were accomplished.

The second line is shaky at this point, but much of the issues could be solved with familiarity.  If Jarrett Jack and Marco Belinelli can get their game sorted out, and their shots falling the team is going to win more then they lose.

- J.Moore 

Assisting your day with some touch passes?

Before I start I just need to ask, is this touch pass thing working out? Part of me thinks it's really clever, like some writers have their random thoughts or quick hitters, I have touch passes! But then again the other part of me thinks it's just a little too far out as the 1980's would say. Let me know if you are digging what I am tossing out!

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The last game of the preseason is tonight, in case anyone hadn't noticed already, and it brings a few interesting sub-plots that do not mean much, unless your a Raptors fan and your grasping at straws for interesting sub-plots. That being said, let's touch on a couple that might make this journey to Sioux Falls a little more interesting then it normally would be.

Touch Passes

He's back! Yes excitement levels are high for one Antoine Wright. For people that are new to the Raptors, or this space, no he is not our 20 ppg all-star wing that will lead us back to the promised land. No, he is not the hated villain that once was our saviour and now is our goat. Heck, he probably isn't even a starter for this team, but man, excitement levels are high.

Some will finally get a look at the man who was once an afterthought in a trade to get Jason Kidd to Dallas, then later an afterthought that would land us the Turkish beard- Hedo Turkoglu. However, he can apparently play defense, which is something we lack, and will be a strong presence on the court once games start meaning more then this spaces version of 'The View's- Hot Topics'.

It will be interesting to hear reports on how he looks on the defensive end in what I expect will be limited minutes. He has already been a presence on the practice court pushing young DeMar DeRozen with both physical and verbal abuse and hopefully it will translate to some success on the court.

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Another interesting spin-off to the heroes return will be the allocation of minutes. This being the last preseason game, coach Jay Triano will look to shore up his rotation, meaning all the regulars and subs will be getting as close to real minutes as possible.

As discussed previously, Jay likes an 8 or 9 man rotation so who's out and who's in on the wing? DeMar will start tonight, Antoine Wright will get the majority of the back-up minutes but is Jay going to let Sonny try to jump his way into the rotation? Will Belinelli get another chance to shoot his way into our hearts and minds? Stay tuned, but my bet is we get another dose of Belinelli while Weems will be the odd man out. Weems is just too similar to DeRozen, and to have a successful year we need shooting on the second line- enter Belinelli.

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Speaking of the second line, and the observation I have made that the chemistry doesn't seem right as we enter tonight's game. I had a thought, which is dangerous.

Right now the coaches want Jack to come into the game and provide instant offense. Something that Jack himself has said he is not comfortable with yet. Then you have Belinelli who is looked upon to come in the game, and find his offense through the flow of the game. Here's a thought, switch the two job descriptions. Belinelli is a natural scorer and a volume shooter that excels with more touches and minutes. Jarrett Jack is a true point guard that likes to get other involved and find his offense as the game progresses, it only seems natural that the solution to the second lines problem might be letting those two play to their strengths.

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Those who are looking forward to Reggie's return to the line-up opening night against Cleveland to battle with Anderson Varejao (which would be very fun) will undoubtedly be disappointed. Reggie is still on crutches and while there is no official word, my best guess is that he would not be available until Wednesday November 4, 2009 at home to the visiting Detroit Pistons, just before their road trip out west.

What does this mean? Well for the long-term not much, because once his foot is taken care of there should be no real lingering effects. For the short term it will hurt, but those of you who were not sold on the Delfino/Ukic for Johnson/Weems trade must concede that this is exactly why the trade was consummated. Instead of having a depleted front court that is relatively slow, methodical and weak in the rebounding department (Bosh, Bargnani, with only Nesterovic on the bench), we have a horse, in Amir Johnson who will be able to fill in admirably.

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Hey remember that Marcus Banks for Matt Carroll deal that was exciting for a day but was never brought to fruition? Well it turns out the deal ended up falling apart because the Mavericks were worried about the short-term luxury tax implications (Banks makes more this year than Carroll) rather than the long-term savings the deal would have provided. It's a shame too, because with the shaky preseason Belinelli has had, another shooter coming off the bench could really pay dividends.

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I saw a headline the other day that Shaq wants a television show once he is done playing and a few things came to mind. Shaq versus? That doesn't count? In that case, then no kidding! Unfortunately the Big Aristotle has become the Big Media Prostitute in his elder years.

The other thought was, Shaq is still playing? I thought he was at least semi-retired...

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Is anyone else starting to think that Stephen Jackson might be quickly becoming a modern day Latrell Sprewell?

For his sake I hope not because he can be a heck of a player at times.

- J.Moore