A win against the Hawks would have been nice, but you have to believe that the game went a long way in helping this team mature. From what I saw, the Raptors played a great game until the final couple minutes where the Hawks experience and skill level was just too much to overcome. While the loss was a heart-breaker, the team shouldn’t hang their heads low and mope. They weathered a ridiculous 62 point outburst from Crawford and Johnson and were in it until the final seconds.

The one thing to take away from the game was that you have to always be playing for the win. Jose’s attempt to draw a foul on Horford on his last drive makes the point. From the moment he picked up his dribble, you knew nothing good was going to come of it. Horford did a great job of maintaining position and challenging the ball, while Calderon wasn’t able to draw enough contact to get the call. Would Kobe/LeBron/Wade got that call? Maybe, probably; but the Raptors don’t have that luxury. There was plenty of time from the inbound pass to run a play, and Calderon just lost his nerve and tried to force the issue.

If you want to blame anyone, lob it towards Triano for scripting a brutal out-of-bounds play that was doomed from the moment they left the huddle. There was nothing creative in the set, the Hawks switched on everything and defended with relative ease…

The last time these guys played, I had the fortune of not witnessing a 22 point embarrassment on the Raptors home floor. McGrady and Hamilton combined for 52 (seems to be a reoccurring theme of the Raptors losing when the opposing teams shooting guards go off); 17 of which coming from McGrady who seemed to have found his mojo against the Raptors and has been pretty good since.

Had a great chat about the Pistons with Patrick Hayes from Piston Powered:

Lots of drama with Kuester since day 1. I know he needed to have a loud voice with this team, and not pander to players like the whole Iverson fiasco, but it seems to be coming at a cost. What’s your assessment of this situation and Kuesters abilities? Will Kuester last, or will both Prince and Hamilton need to get traded for this team to have any chance?
John Kuester waited as long as he possibly could to bench Rip Hamilton. Michael Curry was fired after one season as coach largely because he couldn’t fix his relationship with Hamilton, so Kuester trudged on last season and most of this season with Hamilton as his starter, even as it became painfully obvious to everyone who watched the team that Hamilton just isn’t the same player he used to be. He’s in the midst of his third straight poor season, and Kuester, understandably, tried to make things work because of Joe Dumars’ reputation as an executive who will side with the players over the coach when there are conflicts.

Kuester inherited a horribly imbalanced roster with too many rotation players in the back-court to get them all sufficient minutes, no depth in the front-court and a point guard in Rodney Stuckey who might not be a point guard. There are plenty of things that aren’t his fault in that regard. But still, the team looks poorly prepared at times, the Pistons routinely give up leads in the third quarter, suggesting that halftime adjustments are a major weakness of the coaching staff and Kuester hasn’t established any type of legitimate rotation his entire tenure as coach.

It’s hard to predict whether or not he’ll last. I’d be surprised if he’s back, based on Dumars’ belief that this was a playoff caliber team. The ownership situation further clouds things — the team is on the verge of (hopefully) being sold, and there’s no guarantee that anyone will be back right now.

Over the last 4 games Greg Monroe is averaging 13.5pts 11rebs, coinciding with his inclusion in the starting lineup. What’s changed for him and what do you think of the kid?
Monroe’s development has been the best part of the season, by far. He looked lost at the beginning of the year. He couldn’t finish in traffic (he was shooting below 40 percent his first month or so), he was not strong enough to hold position on defense and his passing, which was what he was known for in college, was rarely ever seen.

Now, he’s their best front-court player. He’s confident, he’s become craftier around the rim (a necessity since he’s not the most athletic guy) and, to everyone’s surprise, he’s consistently been the team’s best rebounder. Monroe wasn’t known for that in college, but it has been a pleasant surprise considering the Pistons are one of the worst rebounding teams in the league.

I don’t know exactly what has changed, other than he’s the one player Kuester has done a good job managing. The better Monroe has played, the more he’s been rewarded with increased minutes. Not everyone on the roster can say that.

If the Pistons/Nets/Nuggets trade goes through, and you guys land Murphy/Petro, how much will the Pistons improve?
A lot depends on how healthy Murphy is. He’s been terrible in New Jersey. But if he can return to the double-double caliber player he was in Indiana, the Pistons still have an outside shot at the eighth seed. Hamilton being gone would remove a big part of the locker room tension/chemistry issues, it would free up more playing time for Ben Gordon and Austin Daye, who are both better than Hamilton at this point even though Gordon also is having a poor season and lost his starting job just a couple weeks after being rewarded with it, and Murphy/Petro would certainly make the Pistons a bigger team.

Of course, I’m not sure getting that eighth seed will be a positive thing when it would cost a lottery pick to do it, but some team has to make the playoffs I guess, and the Pistons have as good a shot as any of the bottom feeders to string a few wins together and get in.

If Hamilton gets moved, can we expect Prince to be jettisoned as well? What is the market for him and what do you think the Pistons get back, and want, in a trade?
Again, a lot of this depends on the ownership situation. The Pistons have been in a position where they can’t add long-term salary with the team up for sale, so that’s severely limited Dumars’ trade options. I would suspect that if Hamilton is moved, they’d be more inclined to keep Prince, who also has an expiring contract, then use the money to pursue free agents in the off-season.

If Hamilton isn’t moved, then maybe they’d look at some options for Prince. He’d certainly help a contending team, and as an upcoming free agent, the investment in Prince wouldn’t be significant. He’s still a reliable fourth or fifth option-type player on a good team. He defends, he’s smart, he’s a good passer who can run an offense in a pinch, he hits shots from the perimeter and has a decent post-game. If they can’t trade Hamilton, Prince becomes basically the only chance to improve, since I can’t see any other team taking on Hamilton’s contract.

If Rip is traded, I’d be Prince stays while the Pistons pursue a smaller scale deal, possibly finding someone to take Jason Maxiell and the remaining years on his contract.

How do the Pistons match up with the Raptors, and what will be the gameplan heading into the game tonight?
In a word, poorly. The Pistons don’t defend the three particularly well. They struggle to defend athletic big men with high motors like Amir Johnson. They struggle with stretch fours like Andrea Bargnani. They struggle with athletic wings like DeMar DeRozan. And competent point guards like Jose Calderon often have their way picking apart the Pistonss’ defense. Detroit finally got some revenge with the 22-point win in Toronto in December, but before that, the Raptors had delivered three really embarrassing losses to the Pistons. And with their lineup changes — Tracy McGrady, Chris Wilcox and Greg Monroe are all starting — the team is far from a sound defensive bunch.

Injury Report

Toronto
Reggie Evans – Out
Peja Stojakovic – Out
Sonny Weems – No idea
Jose Calderon – Day to day
Jerryd Bayless – Day to day

Detroit
Ben Wallace – Day to day
Chris Wilcox – Day to day

Match-ups

Point Guard
While Bibby stuck that game winning 3 like a champ, Calderon did a solid job of disrupting his flow from the perimeter up until that point; you can’t even blame him for losing Bibby through the screen, there was more than enough of that to go around. Tonight against Stuckey he has himself a different kind of beast to deal with. Rodney is more a combo guard than a traditional PG, so he’s not a natural floor leader and does very little to get people involved and execute plays; assisting on just 1 in 5 of his possessions. He does very well at getting his shot off in the short to mid-range, but struggles to get to the rim and hit long jumpers/treys.

Expect Jose to be back-pedalling most of the game. The danger will be when Rodney posts Jose/Bayless; his size and strength give him a huge advantage. Defensively, he’s going to give Jose/Bayless a tough time with his size and agility in one-on-one situations.

Offensively, off the high-screen, Calderon will pick apart the Pistons all night. I’m actually worried about Will Bynum, who’s torched us in the past with his speed, shooting and play-making. He hasn’t played a great deal over the last couple games, 4 DNP-CD, but could be a match-up that Kuester would want to roll.

McGrady could start at the point as he did against Memphis, which could be bad if his shot is on. While he sees the floor well, he’s not a playmaker off the dribble. He’ll probably get whatever shot he wants, but as long as Jose doesn’t give him too much space, and doesn’t give up a lot of good looks, I can live with McGrady trying to take matters into his own hands.
Edge: Raptors

Shooting Guard
Sadly, there’s nothing satisfying about seeing a broken down T-Mac end up on a dysfunctional Pistons team; the guy had his run. At this stage in his career, Tracy should be providing spot up shooting and play-making for a contender off the bench, but dems da breaks yea? What’s hurting the Pistons is some really brutal play by Ben Gordon, and Kuester’s inability, up until recently, to manage Rip Hamilton. Don’t get it twisted, all these guys have hurt the Raptors in the past, and can go off if left unchecked.

After that beating that DeMar took at the hands of Crawford/Johnson on Wednesday, he should be looking to exact some revenge, and can get off early by taking it to a broken down McGrady, who will have to rely on his veteran savvy to deal. Off the bench, Barbosa should have no problems taking Gordon off the bounce, and has shown enough defensive resiliency to not give Ben the space needed to find his rhythm. If DeRozan rebounds from the a bad game against the Hawks, he can really put pressure on Detroit.

A quick note on Hamilton: the guy seems to have checked out, and with the trade rumours going around, his recent benching might have sucked all the drive out of him. Still, doesn’t mean that the Raptors should let up, since their defense has been known to rejuvenate guys and give them career nights.
Edge: Detroit

Small Forward
Prince has also had friction with Kuester, but unlike Hamilton, he’s hasn’t checked out and has been able to produce when he’s playing. I’m calling a big game from him since Kleiza sucks. Not only does he suck, Triano is indulging him for reasons unknown. I’d love to see Wright get 30 minutes tonight, but he won’t. My hope is that BryCo will turn Peja into a starting small forward who’s athletic and comes to play, a Wesley Matthew’s type…to dream…
Edge: Detroit

Power Forward
I don’t know a great deal about Monroe, but the Georgetown product has flipped the switch and is one of the few bright spots for this team. He’s a big boy who plays exclusively in the paint and on the glass. He has the ability to step out and hit a mid-range jumper, but if he lives out there, it will be to the Raptors advantage. Defensively, he doesn’t have the speed to keep up with Amir or Bargnani in transition, and will probably lose his fair share of 50/50 balls off the rim against Amir/Ed. However, he has had some nice games against solid front courts in the last few, so he needs to be accounted for.

Off the bench, Villanueva brings a totally different dynamic to this, and will force Amir/Bargnani to the perimeter and out of the paint. He’s averaging 17.5pts in 24min against the Raptors this season; so he’s been scoring at will and making a mess of the Raptor defense.
Edge: Even

Center
It’s getting hard to say the same thing about the majority of Bargnani’s match-ups: he can score at will, poses match-up problems, doesn’t rebound. I’m not even going to try…Bargnani for 27/8 tonight.
Edge: Toronto

Keys to the Game

Crash the Boards
The Pistons are the second worst rebounding team in the league, and with Ben Wallace injured, will have trouble dealing with the Raptors size in the front court. Both Stuckey and Prince rebound well at their positions, and with Monroe coming into his own, it wont be a cake-walk. However, the Pistons just don’t have horses to battle the Raptors for a full 48.

Post Play
Another benefit of Wallace’s injury is the lack of defense in the paint against the Raptors bigs, and hopefully, a slashing DeRozan.  While the Pistons have a couple big boys to plant in the key, none of them has the defensive chops to challenge and change shots. Bargnani could have a field day backing Wilcox into the paint, turning and shooting; leaving Amir/Ed to clean up the boards and do the dirty work.

Triano
After the loss to the Hawks, there is potential for the Raptors to come into this game deflated.  Here’s hoping that the coaching staff can keep morale up and remind the team about the 22 point loss the last time out. Also, calling some proper out-of-bound plays would be nice, whatever…

The Line

The gamblers have the Raps as 5.5 point favourites with an over/under of 207. I may not have painted a real rosy picture for the Raptors, but they definitely have what it takes to win this game. You can bet your ass that they remember that embarrassing loss and will want to exact some revenge.

Check out Raptors Fan Fridays at the Sports Center Cafe if you’re in the area and want to hang, otherwise, hit us up on Twitter, Facebook and Live Chat.

Late last week, Chris Bosh’s camp released a wish list of teams he would play for, and the Bulls happen to be one of them (shocking all the teams are linked to either LeBron or Wade or Kobe). The Bulls will be frustrating to deal with (if we in fact do a deal with them) since the guys we would want (Noah, Rose) wont be the guys we would probably get (Gibson, Deng, Hinrich). Not to say those guys wouldn’t provide the Raptors any value, but you know, you trade Bosh, you expect a Noah back while not handing the Bulls a championship lineup since you know, we should be the one building a championship team.

I check with Matt McHale from the ESPN TrueHoop blog By The Horns, to get his take on the Bosh rumours, as well as the situation with Vinny Del Negro:

Sam Holako: Vinny Del Negro got the axe, and probably would have got it earlier in the season if the team didn’t pull together and play so well down the stretch. Looking in from the outside, it seems that he was dealt a bum hand by Paxson, who let Ben Gordon walk, traded John Salmons for rags and didn’t give a good enough team to a rookie head-coach to win with. If you ask me, Paxson should be the next change Reinsdorf makes to this team. What are your thoughts on this whole situation?

Matt McHale: Well, I do feel like Vinny was hired to be fired. Chicago’s front office had a plan that was two years in the making: Hire a “placeholder” coach, cut salary, and then try to go all in during the free agent bonanza this summer. All I can do is speculate, but Bulls management never showed strong support for Vinny nor did they ever do anything to indicate that he was part of their plans past this season. And yet all Vinny did — for all his faults as a relatively inexperienced head coach — was get the team to overachieve based on their talent and how they were constructed.

Speaking of which…who put this team together? John Paxson. And his management of the team hasn’t been stellar. His biggest mistakes — among many — include breaking the bank for Ben Wallace (who worked out so poorly he had to be traded for Larry Hughes!), trading LaMarcus Aldridge for Tyrus Thomas (who worked out so poorly he had to be traded for a couple expiring contracts) and vastly overpaying for Kirk Hinrich and Luol Deng. The only thing that has prevented his stewardship of the Bulls from being a complete and utter disaster was the team lucking into the number one overall draft pick they used to get Derrick Rose. Just think of where this team would be without that kid. Yikes.

And yet during the 2008-09 season, after calling the team a “disaster” and “embarrassing,” team owner Jerry Reinsdorf said: “When you have a team that’s not performing it’s an organization failure. You win and you lose as an organization. But if there’s one person that is not responsible for what’s going on right now, it’s John Paxson. I have tremendous confidence in John Paxson. He’s really one of the best people that I know. He’s a great general manager and a great judge of talent.”

What can you do about a guy in that tight with the man who’s funding the team?

And although I would like to see Pax given his walking papers, this is a huge summer in terms of looking for a new head coach and trying to lure a big time free agent or two to the Windy City. Firing the team’s executive vice president would make the team seem in even more disarray…which could be costly.

SH: Wow, talk about a ringing endorsement; guess clutch 3-point shooting in the 90s pays off beyond a couple championship runs. So what’s the plan now? There has been very intense rumours about LeBron joining the Bulls this year. If he can handle playing in Jordan’s shadow, it seems to be the best fit for LBJ on any team in the league, and propel the Bulls back into championship contention. It would also redeem some of those poor personell moves Paxson has made over the years (lucking into the #1 pick shouldn’t have saved his job IMHO).

MM: Well, it goes without saying that the Bulls — and every other team — would love to have LeBron James suiting up for them. And I’m sure Chicago’s front office will reach out to him. But the larger plan is to land somebody big: LeBron, Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh, Carlos Boozer, Amar’e Stoudemore…a superstar or borderline superstar who can address some of the team’s glaring needs (scoring first and foremost, and an inside game if possible). That’s priority one in terms of player personnel. Then the Bulls will need to bring in a couple crack three-point shooters to help with spacing. But right now, every iota of energy that isn’t expended searching for a coach will be used to land one of the “White Whales.”

SH: Who’s the front runner for the coaching gig? Calipari’s name seems to be coming up left and right.

MM: Honestly, I have no idea. Cal has been very firm about the fact that he has no plans to leave Kentucky. And anyway, Chicago’s front office has stated that they want a coach with extensive regular season and playoff experience. Calipari compiled a .391 winning percentage over 184 games with the New Jersey Nets, and his only playoff experience was presiding over a three-game sweep of his team in the first round of the 1998 NBA playoffs. That doesn’t exactly fit the bill.

Bulls management is being very careful about this coaching search. Read that: slow.

And in all honestly, they could be waiting for a better idea of who they might be able to land in fre agency. After all, it could have a serious effect on the kind of coach they would want for the team, in terms of offensive/defensive philosophies.

SH: Speaking of free agency, there has been talk of LeBron, Bosh, Wade as possible targets, but each is a very different kind of player. What kind of player do you prefer the Bulls land?

MM: Well, let’s face it: If you can get LeBron James, you get LeBron James. I think the same thing could probably be said about Dwyane Wade. If you can get a bonafide superduperstar, you do it and then rebuild (even if only partially) around them.

But assuming those two are out of reach, the Bulls need — and have needed for years and years — a frontcourt scorer to complement Derrick Rose. Someone who can score from the low post and run the pick and roll successfully. From that standpoint, I think the Bulls should target Chris Bosh, Carlos Boozer and/or Amar’e Stoudemire.

SH: What do you make of the phone call between LeBron and Rose?

MM: I think LeBron is, as Mr. Spock said in the latest Star Trek reboot, “cultivating multiple options.” It’s entirely possible he also called Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade, too. To me, it seems like LeBron is feeling things out, getting a sense of what’s available out there, whom he might want to play with, and who might want to play with him. It seems to suggest that LeBron is at least considering Chicago as a potential destination…but that’s about it.

Of course, maybe LeBron is just buttering Rose up to get him to join the U.S. national team. Remember, back in December, this was what James said when asked if he’d like to team up with Rose: “Yeah, especially on an Olympic team. He did a great job this past summer holding it down for some of the older guys, giving them some rest. He’s a great point guard. He’s a great player. I love watching Derrick play, man, he’s unbelievable. All he’s going to do is continue to get better — with every game, with every practice. Hopefully in the 2012 Olympics, he can be a part of that team and have some fun.”

SH: Make me an offer for Chris Bosh in a sign-n-trade situation.

MM: Here’s my suggestion: Taj Gibson (and solid, up-and-coming PF) to replace Bosh and Kirk Hinrich. No, wait, here me out. I checked 82games.com and noticed that opposing PGs averaged 21+ PPG with an eFG of 52% and a PER of 20.1 against the Raptors this season. That’s like facing an All-Star PG every night. You don’t necessarily have to start Kirk, but you could bring him in as a defensive stopper off the bench against opposing PGs and SGs (whom I see average 22 points with a PER of 17 against the Raps). Hey, you guys need defense, and Kirk can bring that. So can Taj, actually. He was second on the Bulls in DRating this season as a rookie and will probably improve with experience.

I’m sure we can throw in some other filler to make the salaries work…

We have about a month until the NBA Draft and free agency kicks in, so I decided to talk to some of the teams around the NBA that have been linked to Chris Bosh and the Raptors in one way or another to get a feel for their franchise, and what we could expect back in a sign and trade.

While the early offers for CB4 have not been very exciting (you’ll see when we get to them), they do paint a picture of why trades are so difficult, especially when you have your back to the wall. While I don’t think the picture is so bleak in regards to Bosh (I still think he resigns; there is no sane reason why he would either), I concede that we wont even get 40 cents on the dollar for our franchise player.

First stop, I check in with Rahat Huq from The Houston Rockets TrueHoop blog Red94. Overall, he’s a good guy, a bit delusional, but he knows his stuff (I can’t wait till we resign Bosh so I get my face on his website banner for a week or so):

Sam Holako: Are you guys regretting replacing Artest with Ariza? Maybe I’m just being biased, but Artest took pretty much the same team to game 7 against the Lakers last year, and Ariza couldn’t even get them into the playoffs.

Rahat Huq: Not at all. I fully appreciate the contributions Ron made to this team last season, and it was definitely a surreal ride. But let’s be clear – he didn’t take this team anywhere against the Lakers and in fact, was a complete liability offensively.

For the series, Ron shot just 38% from the floor (28% from 3) in averaging his 15.6 points per game and was even more dreadful when we needed him most upon the injury to Yao, averaging just 9.5ppg in the last 4 games, on 28% shooting (and a terrifying 15% on his 26 3-point attempts.)

Ariza wasn’t brought here to get the team anywhere; Trevor was signed to be a complementary piece. He struggled early due to being forced into a high usage role out of necessity, but settled in very nicely after the arrival of Kevin Martin.

SH: Let’s not beat around the bush; make me an offer for Chris Bosh.

RH: These are my two offers:

1) Jordan Hill, Chase Budinger, Jared Jeffries, Dave Andersen, Jermaine Taylor, one Knick draft pick
2) Jordan Hill, Shane Battier, Dave Andersen, Jermaine Taylor, one Knick draft pick.

Andersen and Taylor included to make the numbers match – I could be slightly off on the figures.

SH: That offer makes me sad…very very sad. While Hill and the Knicks pick could have big value, I think I can speak for the rest of The Republic when I say that we expected more of an offer. I honestly haven’t even heard of Dave Andersen and Jermaine Taylor. The problem with your offer is that you think the Raptors have no leverage in this, but they do. Everyone knows that Chris Bosh wont leave the franchise high-and-dry for no other reason than if he does, he’s out 1 year and $30mill. Just for being insolent, Colangelo can use this S&T as a means to get rid of some dead weight in the form of either Calderon or Turkoglu. Let’s figure Jose since Brooks isn’t really a point guard, and you guys will need someone who knows how a pick-n-roll works.

RH: The inclusion of Andersen and Taylor would simply be for salary matching purposes. As far as our offer, I think you are coming in with unrealistic expectations. Look at the history of sign&trades for max players. From Chucky Atkins and Ben Wallace (when he was a nobody), to draft picks for Rashard Lewis and Kenyon Martin, you won’t find a package even approaching the attractiveness of Jordan Hill, Chase Budinger, and a lightly protected probable lottery pick.

SH: I have a feeling we might get into a fist-fight…so lets talk about Yao. The guy misses a whole season, is largely forgotten around the league, but should make a full recovery and be Über effective next season. The prospect of playing against a Bosh/Yao front court is scary; what are the plans for him going forward?

RH: He’s resumed workouts and is on schedule with his recovery.

I think the organization plans to limit his minutes and usage next season, and that shouldn’t be too great a concern considering some of the other parts that are in place. Still, Yao’s greatest value to the team is on the defensive end where, while he is not the best of shotblockers, he is as good as just about anyone at protecting the paint.

Yao/Bosh would indeed be scary simply because their skillsets mesh so perfectly. I’ve long felt that Yao was a finisher rather than an initiator. With Bosh’s high post abilities, he would provide the team a focal point from which to start its offense.

SH: Suppose in a bizzarro NBA world the Raptors sign-and-trade Bosh for Jordan Hill and spare parts, how do the Rockets matchup against the rest of the Western Conference? What can we expect from them?

RH: They won 42 games without Yao and Bosh and with a major personnel change midway through the season. If they can add what would have to be the best power forward – center duo in basketball in Yao – Bosh to the quintet of Scola-Lowry-Brooks-Martin-Ariza, along with a lottery pick, you would have to expect a significant increase in wins. Will they contend immediately? The talent is certainly there, but I think it could take a while and at least some growing pains to reach that level.

Based on your indignation over my proposal, I think you’re really suffering from delusions of grandeur. If a package of Jordan Hill, Chase Budinger, and a future lottery pick would not suffice, in light of what has been bartered in past sign & trades of this type (Atkins/Wallace, only picks), I must ask, what exactly are you hoping for? It’s true that the Raptors hold leverage, but to a certain degree. They’ll pick the destination, but they won’t exactly be able to extract a king’s ransom, nor will they be able to offload their garbage (Calderon, Turkoglu.)

This game went down exactly how I said: the Pistons came out guns blazing from the tip, the Raptors weathered the early storm then put them away. This was what we wanted to see from our boys, facing an injury riddled team who is playing on the second night of a back-to-back, they beat the hell out of them. The Pistons were easy pickings with their top three players out with injury, and Villanueva walking wounded.

You have to hand it to Toronto’s strategy here, winning through attrition. The Pistons came out ugly. Missed shot after missed shot, but their bigs cleaned up the boards. Bosh and Bargnani were totally asleep on the defensive glass. Sure Bosh finished the game with 9 rebounds, but he did next to nothing in the 1st quarter when Wallace/Maxiel/Jerebko grabbed 7 offensive rebounds. Bargnani was no better, but at least he gets a pass for carrying the offensive load early.

I want to pick on Bosh here a bit, he didn’t seem very into this game. He wasn’t active, he didn’t really do anything, sure he got hung out to dry on two defensive rotations in the first half, but he was off. We didn’t get a great night out of him, 12pts/9rebs on 4-5 from the field and 4-4 from the line – in 33min of play, unacceptable. He didn’t take his first shot until the 4:43 mark of the 1st for crying out loud. While the Pistons front court is nowhere near where they used to be, they still have very active guys that can make you pay; and they made the Raptors pay last night. In all fairness though, Triano played him more then he needed too, 33min in this type of game, seriously?

One thing I was very pleased with was how Turkoglu and Jack were both in sync running the offense. They took turns creating off the bounce and got the rest of the team great looks to the tune of 18 assists on the night that led to 42 Raptor points. They ran that pick-n-roll to perfection, with half of the plays ending in a dunk or layup for the Raptors. 12 of the Raptors 35 made field goals were at the rim, with Turkoglu/Jack assisting on 7 of them.

Turkoglu’s playmaking is so important, I don’t even care about his scoring numbers. If he can drop 6-10 assists a game, grab 5-7 rebounds and play some defense, then anything he scores is icing on the cake as far as I’m concerned.

Anyone else pull out there hair when that elite/all-star level *cough sarcasm cough* Detroit front court pulled down offensive rebound after offensive rebound? They had 30 second chance points off of 23 offensive boards. The Pistons grabbed 41% of all available rebounds on the offensive end. That’s insane! To put into perspective how important that was for them last night: their eFG% was 28.4% on the night were they scored 30 points at the rim. Had they not grabbed so many offensive boards, they might not have had more then 40 points for the game, no joke, that’s how bad they were shooting last night.

It was good to see the Raptors drop 94 points on a night where Bosh only contributed 12. Bargnani carried the scoring load, but Jack and Turkoglu accounted for 67 of the Raptors 94 points last night (they scored 25 and assisted on 42). Brilliant, just brilliant.

Also, Free Amir man. The kid needs more playing time. It’s a thing of beauty seeing him active in the paint.

Just wanted to wish all of you Happy Holiday season. From Christmas to Chanukah to Kwanzaa, all we can hope for is that Santa doesn’t take away the defensive intensity he brought us over the last few games. Stay safe and enjoy the break.

It’s been a minute since the last Raptors game. With five weeks of back-to-backs in a row (2-3 on the 1st night and 1-4 on the second night) and the toughest part of our schedule behind us (the Western road swing and 16 road games overall) the Raptors still have a chance to close the gap to .500 by the end of 2009 with games against the Pistons (tonight and Sunday) and Charlotte. It wont be easy, but if there is some effort and consistency, this team can get to 15-18 heading into the New Year.

The Raptors currently have the 7th seed, gotta love the East right? Better yet, the Pistons have lost 5 in a row and are close to free-fall status, but sit half a game out of 8th (.407 seems good enough to get you into the playoffs).

The Raptors head into Auburn Hills to face the Pistons on the first night of a home-and-home. This Pistons team is on the same level as the Raptors: middle of the pack/can fall anywhere form 5th to 10th in the East depending on how they battle on a game by game basis. They are free-falling a bit, half in part to a tough road schedule they just came off, and the other half due to some nagging injuries to important players (Prince/Hamilton have both played only 3 games this season, Gordon’s been injured and almost everyone else is listed day-to-day).

Coming off a loss to Charlotte last night means the Pistons will have to come out of the gates with their guns blazing if they hope to have any chance of taking this one. Ben Gordon is key tonight, if he is injured again, finding that instant offense will get challenging considering Hamilton will probably sit too. If you remember the last game, when Wright checked in to cover Gordon, the Pistons struggled long enough for the Raptors to take full control of the game.

Detroits injury situation will dictate how much burn Wright gets. The guy’s been in the doghouse, but he plays solid defense and was the only reason Ben Gordon didn’t score more then he did last time. Both Gordon and Hamilton thrive on taking their man off screens and creating great scoring opportunities. I just don’t trust DeRozan/Weems/Belinelli to play the type of defense necessary to shut them down, I’m sorry. I know there is a huge love-fest going on for Weems now, but the guy is a 9th man off the bench kind of player, can’t expect too much from him.

I hate to say it, but with Calderon out, it seems as though the defense at the point guard spot has improved. Jack is playing at the same level, but Banks was right, he is a game changer on defense, lol. Ok, he’s no Artest, but he’s better then Calderon which means that Stuckey, and especially Bynum, wont be running as rampant as they were the last time out. Bynum especially makes me nervous with his speed and dribble penetration, Stuckey does a pretty good job of that too, but Bynum comes off the bench which makes that attack constant on the Raptors defense. He lit the Raptors up the last time, and we had no answer for him.

There isn’t much standing in the way of Bosh and Bargnani to both have big nights again. Villanueva is great, but he givs up as much as he takes and Ben Wallace only brings rebounding and some defense to the table (the Pistons are effectively short-handed on offense with Big Ben on the court).

The game will probably be ugly, but it is very winnable for the Raptors. The Pistons are on the second night of a back-to-back, injury ridden and in the midst of a 5 game losing streak. You really couldn’t set the stage any better. Not much of a leap here, but expect a win tonight. The Pistons don’t match-up well against us at all when they are healthy, much less when they are mangled.

Little did you know that today is Canada Basketball Day. Join a bunch of ball-loving folk for some pick-up action at Hoop Dome around 1:30PM or so, and then head over to SCC for Raptor Fan Fridays.

While the Raptors still are finding their legs as a team, Bosh certainly hasn’t been slow out of the blocks. The seven-year Raptor, who spent the off-season working unusually hard to build up his strength and endurance, is in the top three in the NBA in both points (31.3 per game) and rebounds (14.7) — with the idea of keeping it that way throughout the season. “I’m just trying to stay consistent,” he said. “That’s my main thing this year. Last year, I got off to a really good start, and I really, really digressed as the season went on. So I’m trying to keep it steady this year. Not only for the second half of the season, but the second half of games.”

Pistons-Raptors Preview – Nov. 3, 2009 – NBA – CBSSports.com

"We have to learn from these games, especially being a young team," Turkoglu told the Raptors' official Web site. Though the Raptors are allowing 110.3 points per game, they're playing well on the offensive end thanks to Bosh, who's averaging 31.0 points per contest. Also pulling down 14.7 boards per game, Bosh is averaging 23.1 points and 10.1 rebounds in his last seven contests versus Detroit.

Raptors will need defence against Detroit | The Toronto Observer

“We didn’t do the things defensively that we’ve been talking about since the preseason,” veteran forward Chris Bosh said after the loss to Orlando. “Have all contested shots and give them one rebound.” Toronto had only a total of two steals and six blocked shots against the Magic. Head coach Jay Triano will also want to emphasize rebounding, particularly on offence.

In their last game, Toronto was out-worked on the offensive boards by the Magic 14-9. They are currently ranked 21st in the National Basketball Association in recovering the ball.

Raptors Need To Stick With The Plan | Hoops Addict

You don’t scrap what you spent the past six weeks working on because of two frustrating losses. You regroup and tighten things up during practices. You continue to allow Antoine Wright and Hedo Turkoglu some time to get acquainted after missing most of October. You let Jose Calderon snap out of the early season funk he’s found himself trapped in.

Bosh bashing on offensive boards – The Globe and Mail

For a guy who is tied for third in NBA scoring heading into last night’s play (averaging 31 points in Toronto’s first three games) and is second overall in rebounding (14.7), Bosh is more concerned with the number 12 – the rebounds he has plucked off the offensive glass (an average of four per outing, ranking him fourth in the league). It represents a significant jump for a man who, last year, averaged 2.8 offensive rebounds over the course of the season.

He is not sold on Raptors all-star Chris Bosh – “They’re going to pay him $20 million to shoot jump shots?” – or on starting centre Andrea Bargnani. “You ain’t going nowhere with 7-footers shooting three-pointers.”

Strong start only a beginning for Bosh – thestar.com

"That's one of the things Jay (Triano) and I talked about over the summer, even if the play was designed a certain way, I was floating around the elbow and the wing a little bit too much," Bosh said. "So that was really a point of emphasis for me, to roll a lot more and get down closer to the basket a lot more, be a more traditional big."

Raptors Notebook – Toronto Sun

Former Raptor Charles Oakley will be honoured tonight as part of the team’s 15th anniversary. The Raptors play host to the Detroit Pistons, 7 p.m., at the Air Canada Centre. Oakley played 208 games for Toronto over three seasons, averaging 7.9 points and 7.9 rebounds and was part of two playoff teams, including the 2001 squad that defeated the New York Knicks to reach the second round.

Bosh toughens up for second halves – Posted Sports

“That was one of the major concerns coming into this summer was not only the second half of the season, but the second half of games and just being able to stay strong and keep it going, it’s easier said than done,” he said. “I’m just trying to stay consistent. That’s my main thing this year. I know last year I got off to a really good start and I really, really digressed as the season went on, so I’m trying to keep it steady this year.”

Bosh sees | Basketball | Sports | Toronto Sun

While the Raptors still are finding their legs as a team, Bosh certainly hasn't been slow out of the blocks. The seven-year Raptor, who spent the off-season working unusually hard to build up his strength and endurance, is in the top three in the NBA in both points (31.3 per game) and rebounds (14.7) — with the idea of keeping it that way throughout the season. "I'm just trying to stay consistent," he said. "That's my main thing this year. Last year, I got off to a really good start, and I really, really digressed as the season went on. So I'm trying to keep it steady this year. Not only for the second half of the season, but the second half of games."

Game Preview: Detroit Pistons vs Toronto Raptors « New Leisure Blog

Key to a Raptor win:
- Stop Gordon and Charlie V from scoring. Charlie V loves playing against his old team and he will be very motivated. Charlie V is currently having a bad start, he is not getting a lot of playing time and looks like he’s lost on defense.

- Calderon has to play better on both ends. He has to make shots on offense and contain Stuckey on defense.

- Attack, attack and attack. The Pistons are using Ben Wallace as their starting center, if it’s Ben Wallace 5 years ago, it may be relevant, but now he is no longer a defensive force. So the Raptors have to attack with their quickness. Jump on them early, it’s better to play with a lead.

Preview Raptors vs Pistons: The First Big Test! « Brothersteve’s Green & Red Raptor Blog

During the off-season, the Detroit Pistons rebuilt the key components of their roster in an attempt to become relevant once again in the post season.

Not everyone is convinced that the Pistons have made all the right moves and Wednesday night’s tilt versus the Raptors is the first head-to-head meeting with one of the half-dozen teams that they will competing with for one of the last four playoff spots.

The Toronto Raptors have gotten off to a disappointing start to the season. From the high of beating Cleveland in their home opener. Then the low of losing two straight high scoring contests they could have won.

Turkoglu adjusting to new team, new city – Ottawa Citizen

The 30-year-old veteran of nine NBA seasons said he is still figuring out his new team and city, both on and off the court.

“It’s been an adjustment since I’ve been here, I still have to figure out the nice places, the nice areas, the people that are really good people that I can be friends with,” he said. “My teammates, they are going to be my good friends because we’re going to spend most of the year together. Everyday I learn more about either my team or about the city, that makes me feel more comfortable”

NBA affiliate runs tryout at Ryerson – The Eyeopener Online

A Toronto Raptors affiliate hosted a free agent tryout Saturday and Sunday at the upper gym in Kerr Hall.

The Erie Bay Hawks, Toronto and Cleveland’s developmental league affiliate, held the third of three tryouts looking for names to submit to the DLeague’s Nov. 5 draft.

The camps attract a wide range of talent, all looking for an opportunity to further a professional basketball career.

Paul Jones Fast Break: Gotta defend – sportsnet.ca

And why is this important looking at Sunday? Well Sunday was one of the rare times, and it happens about once a month (say 6-7 times a season) where Toronto holds an opponent under the magic number — no pun intended — and loses the game. The difference was Orlando’s three-point shooting which was great. But that is to be expected from a team that was 7th in the NBA last season in three-point shooting percentage and hoisted over a third of their field goal attempts last season from behind the arc. Orlando’s 17 three-point field goals was a record for the most treys made by a Raptor opponent in a single game. Heck, Toronto shot 54 per cent and put up 116 points and still lost. On Sunday afternoon, Orlando shot 43.9 per cent. So what happened and should the Raptors have modified their defensive game plan and coverage?

Tayshaun Prince’s streak of consecutive starts over – Detroit Free Press

The team just announced that small forward Tayshaun Prince will miss tonight's game against the Orlando Magic because of a lower back strain, ending his consecutive-start streak at 439 games.

Prince will not make the two-game trip to Toronto (Wednesday) and Orlando (Friday), either.

Bosh’s New Bulk A Welcome Addition – Mike Ulmer, raptors.com

When Chris Bosh grabbed Dwight Howard to ignite a skirmish of forbidden words in Sunday’s loss to the Magic, it wasn’t because Bosh was sending out a message.

November 3rd – Practice Videos – Raptors.com

November 3rd – Practice Videos

Must Have: Chris Bosh’s DVD First Ink – Dime Magazine

If and when Chris Bosh becomes a free agent, I wouldn’t be surprised if he ended up back home in Dallas. Not because he necessarily wants to play for the Mavericks, but because Mark Cuban could probably give him his own television station. On December 1st, CB4 has a DVD dropping called First Ink, and I’m already trying to get my hands on it.

First Ink features a documentary film which follows Bosh as he navigates one of the most important offseasons of his career, as well as a number of original comic films, exclusive interviews and never-before-seen high school footage.

World Series, Raptors Ratings – Chris Zelkovich, thestar.com

Relatively huge was the audience Rogers Sportsnet attracted for Sunday's World Series game: 840,000. That doesn't include all those who watched on Fox, which I'm guessing was at least another 800,000. That's not hockey huge, but it's huge.

Not so huge were the Toronto Raptors. They got off to a great start last week, drawing a record audience of 420,000 on The Score. But that fell to 240,000 Friday and only 190,000 on Sunday.

Here are the top English-Canadian sports ratings for the weekend, as supplied by BBM overnight calculations:

Placing blame on the wrong players – khandor’s sports blog

Although Dave Feschuk usually does a solid job of pointing out which things are working well in Raptorville, at any given point in time, and which things are in need of improvement, on occasion, even he can “swing and miss”, when it comes to solving the riddle that has now become,

“What is really at the heart of the Raptors defensive woes, when it comes to relentlessly conceding dribble penetration to opponent ball-handlers using a Pick from a Big?”

Practice Talk – November 3rd, 2009 – Court Surfing

Is it important to get a win before heading out on a road trip? "We talked about the importance of the game but nothing to do with the fact that we're getting ready to get on the road. It's one game and we're going to focus on that game. We have an opportunity to watch them tonight, we run through some of their sets today in practice and hopefully make some adjustments based on what we see tonight when they play against Orlando."

Don’t Panic, Toronto – Hoopsworld

It's amazing how quickly the sky starts to fall sometimes. The Toronto Raptors started the 2009-10 season with a bang, defeating the Cleveland Cavaliers, but are 0-2 since then after losses to Orlando and Memphis. An early scapegoat seems to be rookie shooting guard DeMar DeRozan, who has been starting and is averaging just 7.3 points per game. Some wonder if the Raptors would be better off starting Antoine Wright, just back from an ankle injury, who was a regular starter for the Dallas Mavericks last season. Raptors head coach Jay Triano isn't ready to consider a lineup change.

2006 Draft Do-Over, Death of talent in ’06 Draft makes Blazers clear winners – NBA.com

Monday, NBA teams gave their verdict. It was the deadline for contract extensions for the 2006 class, and well, let's just hope a bunch of those players got their degrees. They may need them soon. With a recession and a declining salary cap causing teams to turn thrifty, a majority of third-year players will wonder where their next paychecks will come from. Among the few who were extended were Roy, Aldridge, Rajon Rondo, Thabo Sefalosha and Andrea Bargnani. Most of the rest are destined to work year-to-year, especially with an upcoming labor negotiation adding even more employment uncertainty.

3. Andrea Bargnani, Toronto: As No. 1 picks go, he isn't exactly Olowokandi. But not a franchise player, either. He can shoot with range and he just turned 24, so the Raptors rolled the financial dice anyway.

Class of 2006 Score Only Six Extensions – ESPN TrueHoop

A week ago it began looking like just three first-rounders from the 2006 NBA Draft were going to get contract extensions from their teams.

Brandon Roy got a max deal. LaMarcus Aldridge landed a sweet $65 million extension. And Andrea Bargnani signed a deal worth $50 million.

However, over the course of the past few days there has been a flurry of negotiations and a few other players scored extensions.

The first of a mini-series examining the Raptor players, and how they stack up in regards to a particular facet of the game. In this case: Defense.

The Starters

Calderon
You do a lot of running around, your arms are active, you’re always yelling, but not a whole lot of defense is going on. Amazing really. Yes you were injured for most of the year, but what about the last two years??
Verdict: 2 Thumbs Down
You are destined to defend your pig farm from the swine flu. Fortunately, there is medicine you can give them once you fail at that too.

DeRozan
You have the tools grasshopper, you will have the freedom to put things together and find your groove.
Verdict: 2 Thumbs Up
Expectations aren’t outrageous, and you have a year grace period. I imagine you will block a couple ridiculous shots in the mold of Tayshaun Prince that will make AltRaps clap, hop and giggle like a little girl.

Turkoglu
For now, all folks can think about is that block you had on Kobe in the finals. BryCo got you for your offense, we aren’t fooling anyone here.
Verdict: 2 Thumb Up
You’re tall, coordinated and know how to ball. You can disrupt passing lanes, and make that entry that much harder to toss. As long as you don’t take plays/games off, and grab some boards, you won’t hear a peep from me.

Bosh
While you’re no Duncan or KG, you are a solid team defender who does everything good, but nothing great. Too bad that a team defender needs a team to be effective.
Verdict: 2 Thumbs Up
This years crop is the best lot you’ve had to play with in years. So when you help on defense, someone will actually rotate over to cover your check, and not hang you out to dry.

Bargnani
LOL…VL plays defense like he rebounds – dude is 7ft, so just standing there, something is bound to happen. Yes you get a block or two a game, but when you put your hands up, you approaching 9ft. It’s not like a 6ft9 Ben Wallace who goes after it.
Verdict: 1 Thumb Up
By virtue of your size, you’re going to block some shots. You are getting stronger and tougher to push in the low blocks, but your defensive acumen is very low. I can’t recall a time when you rotated on a defensive play, or played that roll well. You’re a scorer, so put the ball through the hoop. I imagine you will have to put up 27/game to even the rest out. Jam on it son.

The Bench

Jack
Lil-big person, Jose is going to looking over his shoulder, which is a good thing. You are quick and physical and will give the backcourt a different look in more ways then one.
Verdict: 2 Thumbs Up
I don’t have much to add here, just make your presence felt, pick a couple pockets, and get up in peoples grill.

Wright
We were told that we will love your blue collar hustle. I’m not super familiar with your game, but you come with good reviews with your “get-at-it-ness”.
Verdict: 2 Thumbs Up
Long, athletic and willing to grind. That’s all I need to hear.

Evans
If only you would play defense like you molested Kaman. You are tough and intimidating, which is something the Raptors have been missing since Oakley/Davis/JYD left.
Verdict: 1 Thumb Up
The new Humphries, that’s what pops in my head when I think of Reggie. He plays like Calderon, seems like he’s a good defender, but really isn’t. Fortunately we don’t have a defensive game plan for Reggie to eff-up.

Belinelli
Apparently his defense is much more solid then people think, which is great because I think he is just an offensive player. I’ll give him the benefit of the doubt since I don’t know too much about him.
Verdict: 1 Thumb Up
I hope he’s up to task since he will be getting some burn.

Ukic
His defense is far more consistent then his offense, sadly. He’s quick, long, and can disrupt passing lanes.
Verdict: 1 Thumb Up
He has the tools to defend the point well, tall and quick, just has to be consistent and build on the uggg….mole hill he built last year.

Douby
Quick and aggressive on the perimeter. He has long arms, and can surprise if people get sloppy with the ball.
Verdict: 1 Thumb Up
Our boy is known more for his offense then defense, which is quite telling. Ultimately, no matter how good he played during summer league, he is sitting at 4th on the depth chart at the PG, so as long as he doesn’t play bad, he doesn’t have to play good; if that made any sense.

Nesterovic
He never makes the spectacular plays, but he’s consistent, and there is something to say about that on a team full of guys who aren’t.
Verdict: 2 Thumbs Up
Solid, dude is solid. He isn’t the greatest defender, but he brings that veteran presence on defense which means we wont get nervous when he subs into the game in any situation….segue…

O’Bryant
You would think he would be a poor man’s Bargnani on defense (lol first time that has been said); he’s 7″ with a 15″ wing span, a little defense should fall into his lap (blocks, tips, steals…). Sadly it doesn’t
Verdict: Zero
Zero

Banks
Zero
Verdict: Zero
Zero

So, we have 17 of a possible 28 thumbs up. Not great, but better then average.