NBA Season Preview - Eastern Conference

The NBA actually tips off tonight, but it isn't too late to get all the knowledge you need for the season. Yesterday we had a look at the Western Conference and delved into some preview and predictions. Today is the Eastern Conference. Where the West is top heavy with several of the elite teams in the league, the East has one powerhouse and a bunch of maybes and some maybe next years.

Here is your Eastern Conference preview and predictions;

1. Miami Heat - D'uh...the defending champs still have their big three in place and have added additional veteran help with Ray Allen and Rashard Lewis. LeBron James is the best player in the league and will continue to show it. The only thing the Heat really have to worry about is do they want to keep up the blistering place all season. There closest competitors aren't really that close and although teams will be gunning for them every night because they are the champs, motivation towards the end of the regular season could be difficult.

2. Boston Celtics - The Celtics aren't getting any younger but somehow still manage to stay relevant. They have a big three of their own in Pierce, Garnett and Rondo, plus they have added former sixth man of the year Jason Terry. They also get the boost of Avery Bradley returning from injury to help on the defensive end. Their draft picks, especially Jared Sullinger are enigmas and could either end up being superstars or superstar busts. Barring injury, they are the only real challenge to the Heat dominance in the East.

3. Indiana Pacers - The drop off after the Heat and Celtics is pretty significant. Spots 3-6 are pretty much up for grabs. Indiana will finish third because they have an asset in Roy Hibbert that many of the other teams in the East can't match. A real centre. After Hibbert the Pacers still feature Danny Granger who can carry the scoring load most nights. The Pacers had a great year last season and they must continue on their upward trend to be a force.

4. Brooklyn Nets - New home and a new roster. The Nets have retooled most of the roster starting at the trade deadline last season. With the acquisition of Gerald Wallace and Joe Johnson to go along with Deron Williams and Kris Humphries, this team has scoring. They might put up the most points in the league this season and rival the 1990's Nuggets teams. Unfortunately, they have some real holes on the defensive end. There is no one to protect the middle and be a lock down defender when a stop is required. They better hope they have the last possession on most nights.

5. Atlanta Hawks - They lost their franchise player in Joe Johnson to the Nets in free agency, but it might be a blessing in disguise. Johnson was always the go to player because he was paid like it, but the supporting players might have been the better choice in crunch time. Now they have the chance to prove it. Josh Smith is in a contract year and has the skill set to be an all-star and a health Al Horford can be dominant. The Hawks could surprise people.

6. New York Knicks - Yes, they are old and made a bunch of weird roster decisions in the offseason, but all the experience has to count for something. Carmelo Anthony is a scorer, and the Knicks have to accept that for them to be successful. They will be tough and play good defense led by Tyson Chandler. The health of Amar'e Stoudamire is now a question mark, but his absence might give the rest of team time to come together and develop an identity.

7. Toronto Raptors - Surprised? A great pre-season offered some hope in Raptorland and although GM Bryan Colangelo has continued to manipulate the roster, it seems like his moves might be paying off. European rookie Jonas Valuncianias has earned the starting centre spot which allows Andrei Bargnani a chance to play forward where he is more comfortable and take advantage of mismatches on the offensive end. DeMar DeRozan was upset by some predictions in national publications and fans can only help this helps to motivate him and develop his game. Although rookie Terrence Ross hasn't looked spectacular, new point guard Kyle Lowry and Landry Fields have both looked good. After 4 down years with no playoffs, the Raptors will return and see some post-season action.

8. Chicago Bulls - The depth that the Bulls had for the past couple of seasons (Bench Mob) has been decimated and this really affects them more than even the Derrick Rose injury. Without the depth, and injury to anyone makes life difficult. Rose is really the swing vote in the whole Eastern Conference. If he comes back healthy, the Bulls are automatic title contenders and a first round match-up with the Heat could actually be quite interesting. 

9. Detroit Pistons -The Pistons have a developing young roster and they would be much closer to winning if not for the huge misguided contracts they gave to Ben Gordon and Charlie Villanueva a few seasons ago. Draft pick Andre Drummond looks like the real deal, but was often knocked while at Georgetown for losing focus, it might be a challenge for him to keep focus for 82 games, especially if losing. Greg Monroe is a good young big man which could pose match-up problems for the teams in the East.

10. Milwaukee Bucks - The Bucks are going to see if two of the best pure scorers can live in harmony and take them to the playoffs. Brandon Jennings and Monta Ellis are each capable of putting up 40 points in a night, but if nobody else scores can they still win? Other than these two, you will know this team but not be able to pronounce any names - Illyasova, Udoh, Udrih, Mbah a Moute and Harris round out the line-up.

11.Washington Wizards - While most of the teams in the NBA have started going small and athletic, the Wizards seems to be going the other way. They acquired Nene, Emeka Okafor, and already had Jan Vessly in the fold. Can these bigs fit with run and gun point guard John Wall? Trevor Ariza will provide some quality defense, and rookie Bradley Beal needs to live up to his draft position.

12. Philadelphia 76ers - The 76ers made a bold move in the offesason trading away all-star Andre Igudala and acquiring dominant centre Andrew Bynum. Bynum gives them a force in the middle, but only when he is healthy and he is already out injured. Like many other teams in the East, Philly lacks depth and will struggle against the elite teams.

13. Cleveland Cavaliers - The Cavs have something special in point guard Kyrie Irving. He is going to be worth his share of wins this season. Tristan Thompson is starting to come into his own and Anderson Varejo hasn't slowed down at all. Unfortunately for Cleveland, LeBron isn't walking through the door and three guys aren't enough to win you a championship or even get you a playoff spot.

14. Orlando Magic - The Magic traded away Dwight Howard in the biggest move of the offseason and got NOTHING of substance back in return. The Magic are trying their hardest to finish last. It will be nice to see Hedo Turkoglu lose a lot of games.

15. Charlotte Bobcats - Can you have worst luck? After a year of sucking and hoping to secure the first pick in the draft, that didn't even work out for them. They are rebuilding slowly and painfully.

Across The Pond - Raptors vs. Nets in London, England

A change of venue could not help the Toronto Raptors win over the weekend. The Raptors and the New Jersey Nets played two games at the 02 Arena in London, England on Friday and Saturday. These were the first two regular season NBA games ever played outside of North America. After the weekend, the Nets now have the honor of having the only wins on foreign soil as they beat the Raptors in both contests.

In the Friday night’s game, the Nets came out on top 116-103 with newly acquired Nets guard Deron Williams controlling the contest by scoring 16 points and adding 11 assists, even though he was listed as questionable to play due to injury leading up to the game. This gave him his fourth straight double-double since joining the Nets at the trade deadline. Other Nets didn’t seem affected by the time change and media responsibilities during the visit to London as Brook Lopez contributed with 25 points. The Raptors managed to score points, but the defense once again let them down. DeMar DeRozan had a game high 30 points and is really blossoming into a well-rounded player, but it wasn’t enough to beat the Nets
Saturday’s game was a treat for the London fans as they received some free basketball. The game went into triple overtime, and in the end it was the Nets who came out on top 137-136. Andrea Bargnani had a chance to win the game for the Raptors at the end of both the first and third overtime periods, but failed on both attempts. Fans were treated to some great performances during the 3.5 hour game though. Brook Lopez once again came through for the Nets by scoring 34 points, grabbing 14 rebounds and blocking 8 shots. Deron Williams wasn’t too bad himself with 21 points and 18 assists. For the Raptors, Bargnani did have 35 points and 12 rebounds and DeRozan had another 30 point game in the loss.

Now that fans in the UK have seen live NBA basketball will they become fans like the NBA wants? Will they become fans of the Nets or the Raptors? Only time will tell, but history really isn’t on the NBA’s side.
The Nets are trying very hard to become “Europe’s Team”. Since being purchased by Russian billionaire Mikhail Prokhorov, they have added a Russian version to their website and have started to sign promotional deals and run basketball camps across Europe. Winning games during the inaugural NBA international series will help their profile (all fans like winning teams), but it will still be an uphill battle for them. Traditionally, in areas that don’t have pro teams, the franchises that become popular are the ones that win championships or have the best/most recognizable players. The Yankees with their 27 World Series trophies or Manchester United’s popularity across Asia are prime examples. In this case, the Nets and Raptors are not in that class.

The NBA shop had a sale prior to the weekend, and instead of using NJ or Toronto players to sell to European fans who may be visiting the website shop during this period of time, they featured Kobe Bryant of the LA Lakers, LeBron James of the Heat, Kevin Durant of OKC, Joe Johnson of Atlanta and Derrick Rose of the Bulls. If these are the players and teams that are the face of the NBA why wouldn’t the league consider sending at least one of them?

This has been common practice of leagues of the major North American sports leagues. They have never really send their best product overseas and it is baffling as to why. When soccer comes to North America, the teams that tour are the top clubs – Manchester United, Chelsea, Celtic FC, and Real Madrid have all played games during the past few years. The NBA sends two teams that are out of the playoffs. You could argue that they wouldn’t have known that at the beginning of the season, but neither team was predicted to have a good season.

The NFL has played an International game for the past 5 seasons. Only one of the games was exciting (Saints 37 vs. Saints 32) while the other games were poorly contested and featured the likes of the perennial losing teams such as the Arizona Cardinals, SF 49ers (twice!), Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Miami Dolphins. The New England Patriots did play in one contest, but they did that because their owner, also owns Liverpool FC. Next season it is rumoured that the Pittsburgh Steelers will be one of the teams featured in the International Series since the game is being played in Ireland where the Steelers owner is the US ambassador.

The NHL sends more teams over than any other league to kick off their regular season schedule each year for the past couple of seasons. This season it was the Bruins, Blue Jackets, Coyotes and Wild that traveled to Europe for games. Of those teams, only the Bruins have had any success recently. Next season the Washington Capitals are already rumoured to be one of the teams travelling. This finally makes sense. Send your most marketable player in Alexander Ovechkin to promote the game and show the fans the best brand of hockey possible.

If the big four sports in North America want to make any in-roads in Europe, they can’t force the issue. They will have to let the love for the game and the leagues come naturally. The things they can do to help fast track the passion for the game is to bring the best product when they do play games in Europe, continue to promote the best teams and players because if you have no allegiance to a team, you want to cheer for winners and of course, don’t run out of beer during your games.

A Potential Star

We have reached the mid-way point of the NHL and NBA seasons and once again and the all-star games of both leagues are just around the corner.This game is a showcase for the immense talents that both leagues have and it gives sports fans in Toronto another chance to wallow.

The teams in Toronto - Leafs and Raptors are both struggling this season and neither squad boasts talent that gives the fan base hopes. The Leafs have one all-star, Phil Kessel, but only because they have to. The other players that were supposed to be all-stars have fallen well short and this will leave the Leafs on the outside looking in April again this season.

The Raptors are in a similar situation. They lost their all-star in free agency and currently none of the 20 players that have seen time for the Raps this season could crack the top 12 of an all-star roster. Unlike the Leafs, there may be some hope for the Raptors. Andrea Bargnani has developed into a scorer who can hit the big shots, but unfortunately he can't play any defense. This holds him back from cracking the top echelon. If he did play a lick of defense and rebounding just a bit, there is no way he could be held off the all-star team. He would be a younger KG. Demar DeRozan should have a place in the all-star game - dunk contest. As DeRozan matures he might have a chance to crack an all-star line-up, but right now the position is just too loaded, he is making the leap. One other unlikely all-star candidate for the Raptors in the years to come might surprise you - Jarryd Bayless.

One reason we might have to start paying attention to Bayless is because of Kevin Love. The Timberwolves rebounding machine was on the Bill Simmons Podcast this week and was asked about players from his generation that could still make the jump into the NBA elite. He only had one answer - Jarryd Bayless. What made Kevin Love think of Bayless? He talked about other players from that 2008 draft class like himself, Derrick Rose, Eric Gordon, Michael Beasley and Russel Westbrook who he has played against and with since he was 15. He mentioned that all these players, and he lumped Bayless in with them, have an intense desire to be great and to leave a legacy when they leave the NBA.

Now I understand that just because a player has a desire to be great doesn't mean that he will be. But, as Love mentioned, he hasn't been wrong too many times when he has evaluated talent. He picked out Westbrook and Griffin at the age of 15. So besides effort and finally a chance to play what does Bayless have going for him.

Bayless plays fast and hard, gets to the rim, can definitely run the team and he has the right attitude to be a team leader and an all-star. Here's hoping that Kevin Love's prediction comes true.

Is Chris Bosh the New Vince Carter

Toronto Raptors fans have that sinking feeling. The Raptors are about to lose their marquee player again. This is a road they have been down before. Whether it is Damon Stoudamire, Tracy McGrady, Vince Carter and now Chris Bosh (likely), all the super star players that have worn the Raptors jersey have left the city and the franchise high and dry.

After being the 7th pick in the Damon Stoudamire had a great run as a Raptor. Time finally came in 1998 when the team felt it was time to move on and dealt him to the Portland Trail Blazers. Unfortunately, all the Raptors could get back was a couple of role players and some draft picks.

Then came Tracy McGrady. A high school phenom, the Raptors took a chance on the tall lanky, athletic shooting guard with the 9th pick in the 1997 draft. McGrady was a great asset to the franchise. He sold jerseys and became the face of the team that was building and starting to contend in the NBA. A year later he was paired with Vince Carter and the duo wrecked havoc on the rims at the Air Canada Centre. Unfortunately, McGrady didn’t like the idea of sharing the floor with the new star in town (and his cousin) Carter, so when free agency finally came calling for McGrady, he decided to leave for greener pastures in Orlando.

The Raptors fans felt slighted when McGrady decided to leave the Great White North for the Sunshine State. McGrady had been nurtured in Toronto as he developed from a high school player into a legitimate NBA starter and scoring threat. By teaming McGrady and Carter together the Raptors made their first playoff appearance and fans could see the tides turning on the franchise. With two marquee players and the cache of having two of the best dunkers, the buzz around the 2000 season was huge. Unfortunately, with McGrady leaving via free agency the Raptors could only manage a first round draft pick in a sign and trade with the Magic, this made fans just a little angry with McGrady. Upon his return to the ACC, he was greeted with a chorus of boo’s every time he touched the ball and the public address system paid hefty fines to the NBA so they could play baby crying sounds. It was fun to have an enemy on an opposing team, but then it happened again.

Only four years later the Raptors fan base had another dilemma on their hand. The team had been struggling, but at least they still had the excitement of Vince Carter. He was a scorer that could carry the team on any given night…that is until the 2004 season. Carter’s play tailed off drastically in 2004 and many thought this was because of he did not agree with the direction the team was taking in rebuilding. Management and fans were under the impression that Carter had quit on the team and then General Manager Rob Babcock pulled the trigger on a trade to New Jersey for – three players and a couple of draft picks. Of those players, not one actually ended up playing meaningful minutes for the Raptors. One of them, Alonzo Mourning decided to retire instead of joining Toronto (only to come out of retirement later). Again, Raptors fans were jilted by the franchise player and received nothing of value in return. Tracy McGrady was no longer the most hated Raptor, that designation now fell to Carter, especially after an interview he did with John Thompson were he said "In years past, no. I was fortunate to have the talent. You get spoiled when you're able to do a lot of things. You see that you don't have to work at it." This was taken by Raptors fans to mean he was not trying his hardest while playing in Toronto. Although, Carter has been gone for almost six seasons and moved teams, he is still booed loudly when he makes an appearance at the Air Canada Centre.

Toronto Raptors fans have been bracing for the summer of 2010 for a couple of years now, when the most recent franchise player, Chris Bosh could explore free agency and leave the team for a new start. So with it all but settled that Bosh will be leaving the Raptors this summer it comes with a couple of questions. Can the Raptors get anything back for their former star player? In the past, as we saw, the Raptors have not been successful in gaining any compensation for their players. This time fans are hopeful that GM Bryan Colangelo can get something in return for Bosh in a sign and trade. The best case scenario that are being floated around internet rumour boards is Joakim Noah from the Bulls or Michael Beasley from the Heat. The other burning question is how Raptors fans will treat Bosh when he returns to the ACC next season. At the moment he will probably get a mix of cheers and boos. Unlike Carter, Bosh tried right up until taking the elbow in the face, so that will earn him the cheers, and unlike McGrady leaving when the team was good, Bosh is leaving when the team is constantly rebuilding and without a real chance to win. Even though these are points in his favour, Raptors fans cannot help but feel like they have witnessed the development of an NBA superstar to again have him walk away in his prime.

So will Chris Bosh take over as the most hated Raptor player of all time, I don’t think so – that mantle will always belong to Vince Carter. Congrats!

More Twitter Talk: Bosh Asks The Fans

Over the weekend, the worst nightmare (or in some cases, dream) of Toronto Raptors fans came true.

Chris Bosh took to his twitter page to ask fans where he should sign in the off season. Now, to most outsiders this would look like he is definitely moving on from the only franchise he has ever known, but this question to fans also gave those in Toronto the chance to show their appreciation for Bosh and to convince him to stay north of the border.

Bosh obviously craves media attention. His most attention grabbing stunts, like the video to gain all-star votes, his war of words with Shaq and now this are what he wants and he just doesn't get enough coverage in Canada. TSN is more concerned with hockey and The Score and Cabbie are too in love with Kobe and the Lakers.

So where does Bosh end up, where the media is the biggest and brightest - NYC. A sign and trade for David Lee and some other minor parts sounds like a possible scenario. Lee will become a fan favorite on a .500 team. Another possibility would be the LA Lakers. Not shy to spend money, having Bosh would almost guaruantee a championship and the return to Toronto would probably be Andrew Bynum which might be a good fit in Toronto.

Management in Toronto have tried there best to accommodate their superstar. This season in particular with the signing of Hedo Turkoglu and bringing in 7 other new players. All those new players weren't what Bosh and the Raptors really needed every year. They have never had a take charge point guard since Damon left or a serious scoring threat at shooting guard or a true centre. With none of those factors ever being addressed, I can't blame Bosh for wanting to explore his options.

Now we wait until July 1 to see the outcome.

At The Half...

It is the mid-way point in the NBA season (the second half of the season starts tonight) and the Toronto Raptors are right where most pundits had put them in the season previews – competitive in the Eastern conference, but in the end will probably not be a challenge to the big three (Cleveland, Boston and Orlando).

The big three have since been joined by the Atlanta Hawks who have graduated to a top echelon team. The Hawks took the experience from last year’s playoff loss to Boston and have exploded this season with the star performances of Josh Smith, Al Horford and sixth man of the year contender Jamal Crawford. Unfortunately, Toronto hasn’t stepped up the same way Atlanta did when they lost to Orlando in the playoffs last season. Although, the Raptors have gotten great performances from Chris Bosh, Andrea Bargnani and there sixth man Jarret Jack, it is still much easier for fans in Toronto to focus on the negative of their teams (haven’t really had a lot to cheer about lately, see Maple Leafs, Blue Jays and Argonauts).

After playing for most of the last decade under defensive minded coaches Kevin O’Neil and Sam Mitchell, Jay Triano’s squad would rather score buckets than protect their own this season. The Raptors are starting to look like the Denver Nuggets teams circa mid-‘90’s who decided they could score more than you and defense be damned! The Raptors are surrendering a mind-boggling 104 points per game. For the Raptors to make a deep run in the playoffs this season, they are going to need to find a defensive stopper somewhere on the roster or in a trade before the deadline of Thursday.

Maybe a shut down defender, someone like Bruce Bowen or Ron Artest isn’t on the roster at the moment, but the Raptors should be able to improve in one defensive category in the second half of the season with some good old-fashioned hard work, and that would be in rebounding the basketball. The Raptors boast a big, athletic front line with Bosh, Bargnani, and HedoTurkoglu but are constantly being out-rebounded on both the offensive and defensive glass. By cutting down on those second chance points and getting a few more themselves, they should be able to cut down that points per game number and increase their own.

Rebounding is a statistic that has the ability to win games, especially on the road. By limiting opportunities and not allowing the home crowd to get involved in the game after a big follow up dunk or second chance three. Since the Raptors have not been winning the battle on the boards, they have been predictably poor on the road this season with a current record of 9-17. Although this isn’t as bad as Milwaukee or the NJ Nets, it still is not very good. They have lost some games they should have won against weaker teams or teams that were devastated by injury. Playing well on the road is a mental aspect of the game that Coach Triano must work on with the team if they want to avoid a tough first round playoff match up.

Although the Raptors could be in for a tough first round playoff matchup against Atlanta, Orlando or Boston, this could be the best situation for the prized free agent acquisition from last summer Hedo Turkoglu. Turkoglu had a fantastic playoff run last year for Orlando. He propelled his team to the finals by hitting big shots and making the most of his dominating center Dwight Howard. He then signed a big contract with the Raptors in the offseason and fans expected the same things they saw in June. Unfortunately, Turkoglu has lost some of his big shot mojo somewhere between Orlando and Toronto – maybe it got stuck at the customs, but other than hitting his two free throws at the end of the game vs. the Lakers a few Sunday’s ago, Hedo has come up short too many times this season. Turkoglu needs to become the dominating late game threat, hitting his patented step back jump shot, that he was Orlando. If he can do that, the Raptors might get enough accomplished in the second half of the season to get an easier first round playoff opponent and the chance to get on a run and challenge for the East crown.

Although, the Raptors have had some struggles with defense, rebounding and Turkoglu’s shooting, there have also been lots of positives from the first half. These are the things that the Raptors need to continue to rely on for a potentially successful playoff run and maybe a chance to keep Chris Bosh in free agency this summer.

Speaking of Chris Bosh – Toronto’s All-Star has had an outstanding first half of the season. Bosh knew coming into the season that this was a make or break campaign in terms of a new contract and he has delivered. Currently second in the league (behind Dwight Howard) in double-doubles, Bosh has controlled games with his energy, been more aggressive on the offensive end (driving to the basket) and played a bigger role on defense (bailing out Bargnani and Calderon consistently).

Even though he lacks some defensive chops, the former first overall pick Andrea Bargnani has developed his offensive game this season, so much so that his work in his own end doesn’t matter any more. Bargnani causes match-up problems because of his size and athleticism for opposing centers and power forwards.

Other standouts this season for the Raptors have been Jarret Jack. Outstanding leadership and contribution coming off the bench behind starting point guard Jose Calderon and for a number of games during Calderon’s injury, the starting point guard. Calderon plays better when his is being pushed and Jack has certainly pushed the envelope this year.

Amir Johnson has provided energy off the bench and some solid defense and unfortunately for him, he could see his minutes reduced with the return of Reggie Evans. Evans had missed the entire season and will hopefully be a Charles Oakley type when he returns shortly. The rotation that Coach Triano has been using in the last month or so has been very effective. The Raptors aren’t going nearly as deep into their bench as they have in the past and this has worked nicely. With the addition of Evans to the line-up Coach Triano will have to adjust that rotation and hopefully everyone can fall into place quickly so the good play can continue. The one guy who has accepted his role well in the rotation is first round draft pick from this year, DeMar DeRozan. Drafted ninth overall (one spot ahead of Brandon Jennings – oops), DeRozan had started the first 45 games for the Raptors until a sprained ankle injury sidelined him. Although he doesn’t play many crunch time minutes, and only averages 8 pts per game, he has been playing better lately (averaged 13.6 points on 52 percent shooting in three games this week) and had a nice performance in the All-Star dunk contest which will hopefully boost his confidence in the second half of the season.

The Raptors have played well in spots this year – an opening night win versus the Cleveland Cavaliers and then recently a home win against the LA Lakers, not to mention the six game win streak to close out 2009, and also winning 9 of 10 including games against the Spurs and Magic. For the Raptors to have a successful second half (lets say .550 ball or better) they have to continue to win multiple games in a row, beat the teams in their own conference (Pistons, Knicks, Pacers) and win some more games on the road. If they can accomplish this, it may mean a happier June for Raps fans and a tougher decision for Chris Bosh come July.

Who To Cheer For?

The saga of Roy Halladay is over. The Toronto Blue Jays finally made the move to trade there second best pitcher of the all-time.

Halladay, the Cy Young award winner for the Jays in 2003 and the ace of the staff has been dealt to the Philadelphia Phillies. In return the Blue Jays get three top prospects from the Phillies. The players they did receive are not names the average fan will recognize;

*C Travis d'Arnaud (from Philadelphia)
*RHP Kyle Drabek (from Philadelphia)
*OF Michael Taylor (from Philadelphia)

The Jays then immediately traded Taylor to Oakland for 1B/3B Brett Wallace (who the A's acquired in the deal last year that sent Matt Holliday to the Cardinals). For more details on those prospects check out Mop Up Duty.com

It doesn't look like any of these prospects will play in the majors next season, which will be a disappointment to fans who will feel the Jays didn't get enough in return for the "best pitcher in baseball". This is probably true, but in the end GM Alex Anthopoulos's hands were tied and hopefully a couple of these guys turn into major league players.

These however leaves Toronto in a bit of a bind. Who do Toronto fans cheer for now?

All of the professional sports teams that play in Toronto, have lost or will lose its major sports figures in a period of two years.
-> Toronto Maple Leafs - Mats Sundin gone
-> Toronto Blue Jays - Roy Halladay gone
-> Toronto Raptors - Chris Bosh - going in June
-> Toronto FC - Danny Dichio - gone

With the holidays around the corner, which jersey does a parent buy for a kid? There is no player currently on any of the Toronto teams that fans will feel comfortable walking around the city wearing that jersey.

Would you were the jersey of the overpaid and aging Vernon Wells? What about Alex Rios who tells fans to fuck off? Nope didn't think so.

What about the hockey team. They can't even name a captain, so who do you wear on your back? The jersey of the goalie that no one trusts (Toskala) or the one of the guy that won't play again because of his bad heart (the Monster).

Don't even get me started on the basketball team. The Raptors try to make the splash and sign a big name free agent in Turkoglu, but 20 games into his first season has been a disappointment and PLEASE don't get your hopes up that Bosh or another big name free agent (Joe Johnson, David Lee) will sign in Toronto.

In these situations, do what I like to do...go for the classics, buy a Sittler jersey, wear that Willie Upshaw jersey to the Dome this summer and by all means break out the Mugsy Bogues jersey.

NBA Watchability Index

Everyone and their mother has power rankings and top 10 lists, so here is another...

NBA Watchability Index

Pretty entertaining list. He even had the sensibility to put the Raptors at #9. Which is true, the Raptors are fun to watch. They have a high uptempo game, score lots of points and they give up a lot of points. That second part is frustrating for fans of the Raptors, but it is something we have learned to live with.

Keep it up boys, but will it change next year without Bosh? To be determined...

2010 Watch: Chris Bosh Edition

The following passage is from Dan Shanoff over at the Sporting News, during his "wake-up call" article yesterday (November 24/09)...

2010 Watch: Chris Bosh is definitely leaving the Raptors, and here's my pop psychology why: Bosh deeply resents that he is virtually anonymous playing in Canada, while other NBA stars have blown up playing in the States.

Bosh WANTS, desperately, to be a well-recognized star, and that will only happen if he is playing in New York, or alongside LeBron or Wade. LeBron and Wade may stay with their current teams; Bosh will join them -- or grab the limelight for himself in NYC. And if the Knicks accept that LeBron and Wade aren't coming to them, they should focus on Bosh, playing to his interest in being a star.

That is a mouthful and shouldn't really surprise any Raptors fans. It isn't a well-kept secret that Chris Bosh wants to test the free agent market next summer with the likes of LeBron, DWade and Joe Johnson among others, but I don't really think that they are for the reasons that Shanoff speaks of here.

Chris Bosh is not anyonymous playing in Toronto. If he was, he wouldn't be an All-Star, he wouldn't have made the USA basketball team, and he wouldn't have gotten into a war of words with Shaq.

Bosh really understands how to market himself (twitter, youtube videos) and he does it extremely well. He might have the desire to be "star" in the basketball community and that is why he does all this marketing, but it has worked. He is a known commodity and he has done it while playing basketball in Canada.

CB4 will probably end up signing with the Knicks so he can be the centre of attention when LeBron stays put in Cleveland, but he won't be any happier. What affects Bosh the most is his desire to win. Bosh only talks of leaving Toronto when the team is on a losing streak or after a bad loss when he puts up exceptional numbers, but doesn't get the support of teammates.

Bosh knows that to be more marketable you need to play for a winner and if he signs with the Knicks he will still be years away from being on a winning team. Toronto GM Bryan Colangelo has tried on a couple of seperate occasions now to put the pieces around Bosh to help him win in Toronto. This would bring the spotlight of the playoffs to him, which apparently is what he craves. Unfortunately, these experiments have failed to date (Marion, Jermaine O'Neal, Kapono). Colangelo has tried again this year, adding nine new players.

Teams vying for his service in 2010, including the Raptors, have to decide if Bosh is actually a star player who can guide a team deep in the playoffs or is he just a supporting player to a bigger star - basically, is he better suited to play Robin to Batman, instead of being Batman.

Bosh understands what being the centre of attention is like. He shares a building with the beloved Toronto Maple Leafs. He sees the hockey-crazed city and how it has treated its star players Mats Sundin and now Phil Kessel. He knows there would be a lot of pressure put on him to win when he arrives in his new destination. As much as he loves the spotlight, how would he react to getting booed at the Gardens? Could he handle the microphones being shoved in his face? Being on the back of the NY Post with the negative headlines? Those are things that are reserved for the hockey team in Toronto, not the basketball team.

The headlines he apparently craves would arrive with wins, no matter what city he is playing in.

Raptor Land

The only professional sports team in Toronto this year with a chance not to alienate and anger its fans are the Toronto Raptors. Although, it wouldn’t take much for the “Raptor Truthers” as Bill Simmons puts it to get upset at the team, they just have some more rope to play with since of all the off season moves.

Bryan Colangelo went to great lengths this winter to save his job and regain the mantle of “executive of the year”. Although, he gets an ‘A’ for effort, all the moves may not pay off this year because of the talent in the east (Cavs, Magic and Celtics) and they may not be good for the future as the moves have a negative impact on the salary cap.

So, a new look Raptor squad will take the floor on October 28 to face the Cleveland Cavaliers at the Air Canada Centre for the first of many Eastern Conference tests. Let’s look closer as to who the Raptors will send out there to try to be the beasts of the east…

Front Court
Chris Bosh – F
The all-star is going into his contract year so we should expect a big year.
Andrea Bargnani – C
Il Magico has put on some extra muscle this off season and if he can work as well inside as he does outside it should give the Raptors some great match-ups.
Hedo Turkoglu - F
The prize off season acquisition will provide some clutch shooting, but no defense.

Back Court
Jose Calderon – PG
Expecting another great year of free throw shooting and running the show from the Spaniard. If he can avoid injury, he should be good enough to guide the attack.
DeMar DeRozan – SG
The high flying rookie will remind a lot of people of Vince Carter – but only for his dunking ability. He will run the court, and is better defensively then the options coming off the bench, the reason he gets the start.

Bench
Marco Belinelli – SG
If Coach Triano opts for energy off the bench, than Belinelli could get the start at SG. He was coming into his own the last few years, so Colangelo is hoping he breaks out as a Raptor.
Jarrett Jack – PG
Much has been made of Bosh’s university teammate. Getting pushed for playing time is good for Calderon (see Ford, TJ).
Rasho Nestorvic – C
Back as a Raptor, he will provide 5 hard fouls a night in a limited role.
Amir Johnson, Antoine Wright and Reggie Evans – G-F
The log-jam at SG and SF is with these guys, all are viable options and it will be a game by game decision on who gets more playing time. Reggie Evans will become a fan favorite if given the chance to play minutes.

If the Raptors have to go to man 11 or 12 it is not a good sign. Although deeper than previous years, the options are not fantastic. Players you might see if the Raptors get into injury trouble include;
Sonny Weems, Quincy Douby, Patrick O’Bryant and Marcus Banks


Where will this team finish in the standings. A lot depends as always on injuries, but more this year, it also depends on how all the new parts are able to work together with the big 3 (Bosh, Bargnani and Calderon). Here is how I predict the finish of the eastern conference…

1. Cleveland Cavaliers
2. Orlando Magic
3. Boston Celtics
4. Chicago Bulls
5. Atlanta Hawks
6. Milwaukee Bucks
7. Toronto Raptors
8. Washington Wizards
9. Miami Heat
10. Detroit Pistons
11. Charlotte Bobcats
12. New York Knicks

Cleveland Cavaliers beat Chicago Bulls in the Eastern Conference finals
Los Angeles Lakers beat San Antonio Spurs in the Western Conference finals

Los Angeles Lakers beat Cleveland in the NBA Finals

To Trade or Not To Trade

Check out the new article posted on Bleacher Report that takes a look at what the Raptors could do on draft night, trades they could make and how they could improve.

Read the article here.

NBA Draft Lottery

The NBA draft lottery happened last night and the Raptors didn't move anywhere. They had a 1.7% chance of getting the first overall pick, the same as the Chicago Bulls last year, but an 81.3% of getting the 9th pick, which exactly where they landed.

There was some movement at the top with the Los Angeles Clippers getting the first overall pick, the Memphis Grizzlies took the second pick and Oklahoma City Thunder got the third pick. Unfortunately, the worst team in the league last season, the Sacramento Kings, who were in line for the first overall pick and Oklahoma Sooners superstar Blake Griffin fell to number four.

So all of Toronto is wondering what the Raptors and the genius General Manager will do at the number nine pick. The current mock drafts and projections have the Raps taking anyone from PG Stephen Curry from Davidson to F Earl Clark from Louisville or PG Tyreke Evans from Memphis. Unfortunately for the Raptors the majority of lottery pick players are point guards/shooting guards and unless BC is going to shake Jose Calderon's confidence and give up on Roko Ukic, none of these players really make alot of sense.

The best move would probably be to trade down or completely out of the first round, save the cap space and pick up a veteran post presence or shooting guard to help off the bench.

Should the Raptors decide to pick at number 9 here are the most likely options;
James Johnson - F - Wake Forest: Part of a talented Wake Forest team that got bounced early from the NCAA tournament, so fans didn't get to see alot of him. Can create his own shot and would play a good energy role of the bench in his rookie season.

Tyreke Evans - SG - Memphis: Championship pedigree, played in a great system at Memphis and is a slasher, scorer with a lot of quickness. Would be a nice addition as he could drive and kick to the outside shooters or dish to CB4 down low.

Gerald Henderson - SG - Duke: Henderson is one of the few Dukies that could be a proficient pro player. Lots of talent, good shooter and a leader on the court. A great compliment player who wouldn't ruffle feathers in the locker room.

Triano the Man

It has been announced that Jay Triano will return as Raptors head coach for the 2009-10 season.

This is a good move because the more stable the coaching staff, the better the chance to succeed. Colangelo can mold the team with players that he wants and has the power to get Triano to coach the style of basketball to fit with those players. Not many coaches would bow to this, SMitch didn't and that was probably a big reason he is out.

Here is the official press release;

JAY TRIANO NAMED HEAD COACH

Toronto Raptors President and General Manager Bryan Colangelo announced Monday that Jay Triano has been promoted to head coach and signed to a three-year contract. Triano took over the head coaching duties on an interim basis December 3, 2008 following the dismissal of Sam Mitchell. Per team policy, financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

“Despite some difficult circumstances this past season, Jay Triano never stopped coaching, teaching and leading this team which resulted in a very strong finish,” said Colangelo. “After undertaking a thorough evaluation process, it is clear that Jay is the right coach to guide this team in the future.”

Triano is the seventh head coach in franchise history. He guided the club to a 9-4 mark in its final 13 outings this past season, including wins over Eastern Conference playoff participants Chicago, Orlando and Philadelphia, and a 12-15 record after the all-star break. He finished 25-40 overall.

Triano served seven seasons (2002-2008) as an assistant on the Raptors’ coaching staff. He became the first Canadian born and Canadian trained coach in the NBA when he was hired in 2002 as an assistant coach to Lenny Wilkens.

A native of Niagara Falls, Triano was the head coach of the Canadian men’s national team from 1998-2004 posting a 52-42 (.553) record. During his stint at the helm of Canada Basketball Triano had the opportunity to coach “Captain Canada” Steve Nash, who was voted the National Basketball Association’s Most Valuable Player in 2005 and 2006. Triano led Canada to a semifinal berth in the 2003 FIBA Americas Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Puerto Rico and to a 5-2 record, second best to the United States, in the 2000 Olympics.

Triano has also served as an assistant coach of the USAB Select Team (2007 and 2008), the head coach of the NIKE Skills Academy in Vancouver (2006) and Toronto (2007), and for the past six years as a coach at the prestigious EURO CAMP in Treviso, Italy.

Triano served as interim head coach for one game during the 2007-08 season when Mitchell was away for a personal family matter. The Raptors defeated the New Jersey Nets, 109-91, on February 13, 2008 at Air Canada Centre.

Raptors Season In Review

The 2008-09 season was supposed to be a banner year for the Toronto Raptors. After finishing with a .500 record in 2007-08 and going out in the first round of the playoffs, GM Bryan Colangelo made a couple of dramatic off-season moves to try and improve the franchise.

The biggest move being the acquisition of Jermaine O’Neal from the Indiana Pacers for TJ Ford. O’Neal was going to provide the inside presence the Raptors have so desperately needed and by trading Ford, the team anointed Jose Calderon as the starting point guard. As we will see, unfortunately, these moves didn’t pay off.

The Raptors started off well, opening the season 3-0, but quickly fell to 8-9 and the axe fell on coach Sam Mitchell. Assistant coach Jay Triano was named the interim head coach and has been in that position all season. Triano wasn’t able to right the sinking ship and the Raptors fell further and further down the standings in the Eastern Conference.

With the trade deadline looming and Colangelo looking to shake things up, he decided to deal his big off-season acquisition Jermaine O’Neal and energetic 7th man Jamario Moon to the Miami Heat for another former all-star Shawn Marion and back-up guard Marcus Banks.

The trade deadline move excited the fan base, but it was short lived. Losing streaks became longer, and back-to-back wins were non-existent. Raptor players looked dejected on the court, playing without energy or passion for extended periods of time. They were not doing the fundamentals like rebounding and scoring in the paint. The team was settling for jump shots and three-pointers, and when they weren’t falling, losses in the double digits became more common. The tendency to settle for outside shots contributed to not only big losses, but also games where they had big leads and let opponents back into the game or outright lost because of poor shooting and the lack of ability to rebound

The Raptors have managed to finish the season on a positive note, winning seven games in a row, before losing to the Knicks on April 5 to break their win streak and officially knock them out of the playoff race. During the win streak, the Raptors got the performances from key pieces (Chris Bosh, Andrea Bargnani, Shawn Marion and Jose Calderon) that they were expecting all season long. In the last game of the year to avoid the 50 loss mark, the Raptors came out against a Chicago Bulls team that needed the win and put in the performance that so many in Raptor nation were looking for all year long. Now the wait is on for the draft lottery and off-season moves to re-work a team that will look to make the playoffs in 2009-10.

Individual Report Card:
Jay Triano: B Triano did the best he could with the talent he was given and has proved he can coach at the NBA level. The Raptors should consider bringing him back because as we have seen in so many situations, consistency pays off (see Jazz, Utah).

Chris Bosh: B- Coming off his performances in the Olympics, Raptor fans had high hopes and he performed extremely well until December. Chants of MVP where even heard at the Air Canada Centre. Come January when the losses started to mount, Bosh began to sulk and couldn’t carry the team in the same manner. He needs to rest, meet with management and come out firing next season.

Andrea Bargnani: B+ Andrea looked more like a top pick towards the end of the season and he needs to continue his development, especially if the Raptors trade Bosh.

Jose Calderon: C Aside from his record breaking free throw percentage, Calderon struggled this season. His defense lacked and without someone to threaten his playing time like TJ Ford, his performance seemed average as opposed to above average when coming off the bench.

Shawn Marion: Incomplete Marion showed he still has some game left, but not sure the Raptors will want to offer him a contract for 2009-10. Younger, cheaper players will be able to fill his role just as well.

Joey Graham: C Hardworking, role player who demonstrated he can rebound and attack the rim if given a chance. Would take him back as the number 8 or 9 man in the rotation.

Anthony Parker: D Often playing against the other teams best player, he sometime struggled on defense. Took lots of outside shots and the threat of him leaving after the season to return to Israel, looks more and more like a possibility.

Jason Kapono: D An outside shooter who doesn’t or isn’t allowed to take outside shots, and couldn’t win the one contest that was designed for him (3pt shootout). Disappointing year and one of many parts that will probably be let go.

Pops Mensah-Bonsu: C- Brought energy when on the court with monster dunks and rebounding, but is not ready for prime time just yet. The Raptors need better offensive players, rather than energy coming off the bench.

Roko Ukic: D- Didn’t want to fail anyone despite the 49 loss season, but he came close. Ukic might have the skills to be a back-up point guard one day, unfortunately for the Raptors it isn’t yet and that let the team and Calderon down.

None of the following players make the grade because they didn’t see the court enough and won’t be around next year to get a grade either. Although Voskuhl still might be the best 12th man in the NBA and Humphries is unlucky due to his knee injury.

Jake Voskuhl
Marcus Banks
Patrick O’Bryant
Nathan Jawai
Kris Humphries
Quincy Douby

Thursday Thoughts

Random mind musings on a slow news day...

1. Lance Armstrong was involved in crash during a race a couple of days ago. Turns out he was injured pretty severely, breaking his collarbone. He had surgery and pins were inserted to repair the break. He is saying that he will still race in the Italian bike race and the Tour de France. Not certain if this is something we should be all be cheering for his resilience and fortitude or is this just another excuse for Lance to take allegedly take performance enhancing drugs. One thing is for certain, if he isn't in the Tour de France, no one of this side of the ocean will watch race.

2. Sad and disturbing story about NFL running back Ryan Moats ...thought we had moved past some of this.

3. Rumour floating around NFL circles that the Bills are looking into the possibility of making a trade for the KC Chiefs TE Tony Gonzalez. Adding this offensive weapon, perhaps the best TE of all time, would make the Bills great on offence if all cylinders are clicking. It would also allow them to draft defence and o-line help in April.

4. Friday night is full of basketball. Beside the four NCAA games that will captivate most fans - the Toronto Raptors will try and ruin their draft position a little more when they go for a win versus the OKC Thunder. This is an opportunity for TO fans to see one of the best young players in the game, Kevin Durant. He is a hungrier version of Chris Bosh. Watch how he will take the ball to the basket, run the floor and rebound. All things Bosh did, but has stopped for now...just wait for next season in his contract year.

5. The Blue Jays are playing some exciting baseball down in Florida, which will hopefully continue when the open the season on April 6th vs Detroit. Stealing home, scoring in bunches, these are all things that will get fans going to the Dome again. They need the pitching to continue to mature and come through for them to have a chance at being competitive though. Don't forget - you can read my full Blue Jays preview over at Bleacher Report.

To The Bitter End

Today is a happy day in Raptor land - it is Chris Bosh's 25th birthday. Now if they can only make his wishes come true with a win over the lowly LA Clippers at the Air Canada Centre this afternoon. Although the game is the first thing Bosh will do today, his mind is probably more focused on his bash after the game.

Unfortunately, I don't think this is uncommon for the Raptors these days. With the team struggling, 1-9 in their last ten games, only 24 wins on the season, this season is over and the players and management need to start evaluating and preparing for the draft and next season. How does a team that has 13 games left (including today) come out day after day knowing that the season can produce nothing? You would hope that the players are professional about it and play hard, try and win, perhaps end the season on a positive, but does that only give false hope to a rabid fan base who is looking for any sign of life? Does that give management a false sense of security?

One goal the team should have for the remaining games is to make them competitive. 11, 8, 20, 11, 10, 6, 8, 9, 4, 26 and 13 are the margins of defeat during their current run of poor form. This is a team that is coming out flat for the second half of games, not executing in-bounds plays properly and allowing other teams to score at will in the paint.

These characteristics might not change before now and the end of the season, so Raptor fans should not be afraid to send the team a message with a chorus of boos when they go down by 15 to the Clippers.