Banks – he was seen working on his tan behind the bench.

Bargnani – if I told you he had 1 rebound in 33 minutes, would you be surprised? The guy rebounds as well as a bag of water thrown at a brick wall.

Belinelli – must be his turn in the moon cycle, because he (and his mouthguard) hit stride in this game. Seemed to be raining 3s (even though he only hit 3) and they hit at times that seemed to crush the Clippers spirit. About as efficient as you’ll ever see him.

Bosh – top 5 in the NBA right now. No question. 21 pts and 14 boards…and it seemed like he had 4 times that. He has made the paint his home and his hunger for the ball is only matched by RapsFan’s hunger for lapdances on a Friday night. Bosh’s fire lit this team up tonight.

Calderon – his delayed reaction to getting hit by an elbow was Arsenal-esque in its beauty. Other than that, his game continues to improve (18pts on 8/14 and 9 assists), he still needs to drive more and for those of you with video editing prowess, you can easily use tonights game and make a DIY music video using Jose as the star for this song.

DeRozan – I have to feel sorry for the kid. First game home, 11 minutes, 2 points, and a shameful display of basketball in front of his friends and family. He saw more positive airtime in the 3minute halftime segment than he did on the Staples Center floor.

Douby – DNP – GF

Evans - faker.

Jack – had about 4 minutes of worthy play tonight. The remainder of his 16 minutes meant as much to this victory as sunlight means to a vampire. Not sure what is wrong and why he isn’t sliding into his role as anticipated. Maybe he is taking the news that he isn’t bunking with Bosh on the road a bit too hard.

Johnson – probably the best 19min of ball played by a Raptor reserve this season 7pts/7rebs, he was all over the floor.  Loved seeing him in the face of the officials fighting for calls and, just as importantly, taking up the cause of talking on D.

Nesterovic – he reminds me of that uncle at your family picnic. You know, the one that is a bit older than you last remembered, but just active enough that he wants to take part in the picnic games. You let him throw the ball a bit and then put your arm around his shoulder and walk him back to his chair so he can watch the rest of the game. That is your 2009/2010 Rasho Nesterovic.

O’Bryant – Triano pointed to him tonight, but that was just to ask who he was.

Turkoglu- damaged goods? Beginning to think so. Sure, he “recently” hurt his hip, but that’s like saying I “recently” felt the need to eat. Something is wrong with our big signing and if it means sitting him, then do it. He looked like a hockey player trying to play a game of ball at the gym.  Sit him out.

Weems – nice black outfit tonight. Pimpin’ ain’t easy, brother.

Wright – nice effort again. Perfect example of how this team can click if all the role players play slightly above their average ability. Nice to see him involved in some ball movement tonight as well…something he seemed to forget how to do in the past few games.

Driving The Bus:  Marco Belinelli

Under The Bus:  DeMar DeRozan

Game Theme:

Banks – you ever watch Finding Nemo? You know that school of fish that swam behind the stars of the film? Well, if you used the Raptors as a real-life version of that school of fish, Banks would be the seaweed in the distance.

Bargnani – his five fouls made him somewhat a diminished factor in this game, but in that role he still found himself with double digit points and a six rebound night. His steal and conversion of a clear path foul in the fourth was a game changer.

Belinelli – his shooting was off tonight but he did a passable job guarding his man. Still get the sense he is finding himself within the defensive schemes more than the rest…and that’s saying something.

Bosh – another double double. Not often I agree in spades with Leo, but Bosh was working hard all night and deserved a lot more calls than he deserved. He also made a great point in that Bosh didn’t grandstand or show up the refs, he thrust himself back into the play and busted his ass. Great leadership. If only Jose could add that to his game.

Calderon – maybe if we put some churros on the rim, he would continue to attack it. He did so early in the game, went away from it, and re-attacked in the fourth, pretty much unchecked the whole way. Not saying it’s there every night, but at least keep doing it until they stop you.

DeRozan – proof that the players read RR. He deserved to be ripped over his last few games, but tonight he showed what a #9 pick should: desire, passion, intensity. Great to see. Unfortunately right now he is more like a Belinelli or a Mensah-Bonsu in that he only appears to want to play every 5 games. That needs to change if he wants to remain a starter.

Douby – DNP – MQOHT

Evans - faker.

Jack – poor poor night. He looked as interested as I would at a tofu buffet. Hopefully this is a passing fad and he steps it up out west.

Johnson – anybody else wondering what it would be like to have Evans and Wright on the floor at the same time? It could be dangerous for the paint on the ACC floor with all the jumping and running.  Great job of holding the Bulls off the boards and even better at bringing a kickstart to the team.

Nesterovic – word on the street is that the letters H, N and the number 1 are as pissed off at being referred to as a disease as the swine were. So, let’s just call that nasty flu the Nesterovic. Hell, they both suck, so why not.

O’Bryant – looking into getting a sponsorship deal for his mouthguard since it gets more TV time than his game does.

Turkoglu- poor shooting night but active on the boards. That positive was taken away by some poor turnovers that negated some good play by the team. I think we are starting to see some signs of him being involved in the offense a bit more…now he just needs to hit shots.

Weems – I was hoping to see him out there against the baby Bulls just to get some confidence and some burn. Ah well, there’s always the Clippers.

Wright – still a magnet for ticky tack fouls, but he brought the D in bushels tonight. Keeping the Bulls honest, running the floor and covering the corners. Great stuff.

Driving The Bus:  Chris Bosh

Under The Bus:  Jarrett Jack

Game Theme:

Banks – more chance of this game taking place at the Alamo Dome than Banks seeing the floor.

Bargnani – saw a little bit of all of his game tonight. Indifference, a rare block on a meaningful shot, his usual silky touch. His D on Bonner was brutal at times and it made you pray for switches or subs. Something that hasn’t been said very often this year.

Belinelli – evidently he has big balls if you are to believe Devlin. For a stretch he and Bargs were playing as advertised and it made you wistfully think of what might be in a few months. Not a huge fan, but he did enough tonight to make you notice he was on the floor. For once.

Bosh – hell of a job getting to the line and a nice job shooting from the floor.  That said, he should have been a beast on the boards. Instead it took him a while to get past 5. Far and away the best on the floor tonight, but his inability to command the paint should be looked at as one of the factors in the loss.

Calderon – the only thing missing from his game tonight was a purse. Hands over his mouth, arms stretched wide, running to the ref like a 4 year old who just had his GI Joe stolen by the neighbours kid. Sure, his game continues to improve from pre-season, but floor leadership is something this squad needs.

DeRozan – son, hope you like that chair you sat on for most of the game tonight because, soon enough, you’ll start the game there. Flashes of athleticism? The only flashes he has shown would be from the flipbooks the coaches give him to show him what he should be like. 9 minutes of nothing and he couldn’t keep up with any of his assignments.

Douby – DNP – EHIB

Evans - faker.

Jack – this guy should get a sponsorship deal with a menopause product. Hot, cold, aggressive, passive. I’m beginning to think he plays up or down to the level of his own teammates.

Johnson – good game full of something this squad has issues with: hustle. He seemed to be all over the court and zeroed in on the ball whenever he was on the court. Still overly aggressive and a foul magnet, but we’ll take what we can get.

Nesterovic – here’s a thought: a big, playing against a former team, possible ability to surprise. Pregame he was rumoured to be the guy to be on Duncan for stretches. No Duncan and therefore no Rasho? Makes no sense.

O’Bryant – he may have followers, but he don’t have minutes.

Turkoglu- better game from him. He seemed much more loose and active. Still, is it just me or does his ability to coast overshadow his game? He reminds you of a hippy that just took a nice bong hit and is more fascinated with all the pretty colours than the task at hand.

Weems – I want to say that I see him as being in the 8 man rotation come February, but I shudder to think what that means as to where we will be as a team. I like his game but, unfortunately, there isn’t room for him right now.

Wright – bizarre shot selection, but he was playing D like a fat man guarding the desserts at the Mandarin. He needs to bring his guys in a bit more often to set stuff up on the defensive end. Would love to see him be the floor leader in that respect when he is out there with Jose.

Driving The Bus:  Chris Bosh

Under The Bus:  DeMar DeRozan

Game Theme:

The fact that teams are cutting costs these days is nothing new ? the fact just about every corporation in the world is cutting costs these days is not new, in fact – and the Raptors point was hammered home a little bit yesterday. Counting heads when we got into practice ? it’s something we do every day – there was one guy missing: Assistant coach Micah Nori. Figured he hadn’t gone off to help the Evil Empire Yankees hit with men in scoring position (he was a Mighty Yankees hitting consultant this summer) but where in the world could he be? Then it him me: He had to be off scouting the Cavs before opening night.

Raptors? Johnson back on familiar turf

Johnson, a reserve forward with the Toronto Raptors, spent 22 games, or the better part of three months, in South Dakota three years ago, playing for the Sioux Falls Skyforce of the National Basketball Development League. He’ll be back there Friday, when the Raptors close out their NBA pre-season schedule against the Minnesota Timberwolves. It was pretty good, Sioux Falls. It kind of grows on you, Johnson said. ‘there’s not too much to do. The fans are great. The food was great, actually. Johnson might not know everything about Sioux Falls – population: almost 155,000, as of last year; area code 605 – but the Raptors might learn a little bit about themselves there Friday.

In Raptors’ final pre-season tuneup, Johnson knows role – thestar.com

Johnson's had a solid pre-season and, with an injury to Reggie Evans taking one Toronto big man out of the rotation, seems poised to play significant minutes once the regular season begins Wednesday.

Toronto Raptors-roster analysis 2009-2010 NBA preview – NBA – SI.com

DeMar DeRozan is going to be a premier rookie, Hedo Turkoglu was a good get and they have better backups up front and at point guard. I like this team now. They're going to be back in the playoffs. The big story is going to be whether they can keep Chris Bosh as a free agent this summer. It's important for them to have a good year because if they don't make the playoffs, it will be devastating.

Quincy Douby loves Toronto, despite the trade that wasn’t – Posted Sports

The situation was this: Raptors president and general manager Bryan Colangelo had signed free agent Hedo Turkoglu, but he was in the midst of turning that signing into a four-team sign-and-trade to ensure the Raptors could keep some of their salary cap exceptions that they would otherwise have had to forfeit.

Raptors just what Toronto needs

But for the Raptors, who open the NBA regular season against Cleveland next Wednesday at the Air Canada Centre, things might just be getting good. Toronto is craving a winner, and winning creates bandwagons crammed with casual fans that, once upon a time, helped the Jays set those attendance records.

Can Toronto Build a Winner Around Bosh? – The Wages of Wins Journal

The Toronto Raptors appear to be on a mission. Somehow, someway, this team needs to convince Chris Bosh to stay in Canada. The issue for the Raptors isn’t money. To convince Bosh to stay, Toronto must convince Bosh that he will someday play for a winner. So far, though, the facts presented to Bosh haven’t been too convincing.

HIP HOOP JUNKIES – The blog highlighting the Canadian flavour of the NBA: The Throwback: Where in the World is Bryant “Big Country” Reeves?

Not Raptor related, but I always wondered what happened to Bryant Reeves: After six seasons as a Grizzly, "Big Country" retired from the NBA in 2001 at the ripe old age of 28, with chronic back pain. The big man from Gans, Oklahoma (population 208) was a big scorer at Oklahoma State University and also a great rebounder.

What Makes A Great Scorer? : The Picket Fence

Bargnani's big enough to score over smaller defenders inside, which makes him a bit of a matchup nightmare. It’s no wonder many Raptor fans foresee stardom in Bargnani’s future. The problem, however, is that despite Bargnani being a great shooter, he’ll simply never become a great scorer. Why? The answer lies with his inability to get to the line.

Match Ups – Toronto Raptors v/s Indiana Pacers – Heels on Hardwood

A lot of the hopes for moderate success in Indianapolis hinge on the health of Mike Dunleavy, Jr. The offseason loss of Jarrett Jack means that TJ Ford, Danny Granger and the recently acquired Earl Watson are really the team’s only capable perimeter ball-handlers other than MDJ, who was essentially the Pacers de facto “point forward” much of the time he was on the floor the last time he was, you know, actually on the floor. So if he can’t suit up and be 100% for more than, say, 60 games, that doesn’t bode well at all for Indiana.

Is 2010 Jose Calderon’s All-Star Year? | Bleacher Report

But this year, Jose Calderon has slipped below the radar of many NBA analysts and, sadly, many Toronto Raptors fans. Sometimes we need to be reminded that each season Toronto fans have witnessed the development of one of the better point guards in the NBA.

Toronto Raptors Starting Shooting Guard Dilemma – Brothersteve’s Green & Red Raptor Blog

The contrarian view says DeRozan just isn’t ready to start. He is too young and too inexperienced to be asked to guard a NBA starting shooting guard on a nightly basis. A bad experience could hurt his confidence and retard his development. This is definitely a decision best left up to the coaches. If Jay Triano believes DeRozan’s development is best served by starting, he is in the best position to make this determination.

RAPTORS: Raptors Video Player

Devlin And The Czar: Part 1 – Oct. 22, 2009
Check out part one of Matt Devlin's audio interview with Mike Fratello!

Banks – as badly as we played, he is in midseason form: DNP-CD.

Bargnani - played well, not great. His long range game was off, but he looked like he was trying to concentrate on his spot on the floor a bit too much. But, better now than later. Highlight of the night for him was a trailing three and a buzzer beater at the end of the 1st.

Belinelli - at times you would need a spotlight to find him, but that’s his game. Took some guys off the dribble, flashed to the basket, looked for his teammates. This was an Anthony Parker performance if ever there was one.

Bosh - his first back-to-back, and it showed. Got to the line, but his shots from the field were off. He was getting beat by guys he should have owned and he didn’t talk almost the entire game. Not good.

Calderon - 3ast and 8pt from your starting PG who, six games into the preseason, should be starting to get into rhythm. Jose has about as much rhythm and balance right now as a 600lb unicycle rider.

DeRozan – 21 minutes that may have showed you the type of player he is: a mediocre rookie. No highflying, no defending to make you stand up and take notice, and he has yet to gain any respect from anybody that matters. Still, it’s preseason and as long as he learns from these challenges, he’ll be fine.

Douby - going to bed tonight wondering how he should spend his (not so) well earned money.

Evans - faker.

Jack – aggressive, a talker, great job getting in his players ear…you know, kinda like a point guard. Not a great performance shooting the ball, but creating and finding his teammates gave him 9 asts in 27min. He needs to rely even more on his drive and kicks…oh and watch the turnovers.

Johnson – fantastic hustle against a team he is well suited to play. Try this on for size: 18min, 4of6, 7rebs.  Sure, 5 fouls, but he played with the intensity our starting five could learn from.

Nesterovic – shook the rust off around the basket offensively, but defensively he was about as useless as nipples on a kneecap.

O’Bryant – Dr.Hustle showing his stuff!!! MIP took a red-hot Pops and made him feel the pain. 9 points in 10 minutes and showing the passion that is NBA basketball.

Turkoglu- Wow. Either he has a mancrush on Battier and wanted to get lit up by him so Shane would leave him his hotel room key in the locker room, or his half closed eyes don’t have a great field of vision. You’re tired? From WHAT? If you can’t play 10min of NBA ball without getting lit up on every possession, you need more than rest. A completely pathetic performance and one that should be re-run all day tomorrow to motivate this team. 

Weems – this guy reminds me of a chinese buffet: going in you don’t know what’s in store, but if you are lucky it knocks you on your ass. Weems is a find for this team and is deserving of every minute he gets.

Wright – his XBOX Live onscreen name is:  PLSDNT4GETABOUTMEICANPLYD. We can only hope because, right now, this team can’t.

Driving The Bus:  Andrea Bargnani

Under The Bus:  Hedo Turkoglu

Game Theme:

Toronto Sun

"I had a good practice (yesterday) and hopefully another one (today) and hopefully get some playing time (tomorrow) and hopefully be part of the team from now on," said a hopeful Turkoglu, adding that he’s been both mentally and physically worn down since the end of the summer. "I want to try to work my way up to the best shape I can before the regular season starts."

The Raptors open up the regular season on Oct.28 against the Cleveland Cavaliers at the Air Canada Centre.

Turkoglu told the Turkish media this summer that he hopes to become an NBA all-star this season.

He certainly had a good year with the Orlando Magic last season, averaging 16.8 points, 5.3 rebounds and 4.9 assists.

Toronto Sun

Johnson, the last player to go right from high school to the NBA, is also averaging 4.5 fouls, including five, along with 12 boards, in Toronto’s 100-93 win over the Washington Wizards on Sunday afternoon at the Air Canada Centre. However, Triano believes Johnson will cut down on the fouls once he gets comfortable with the new systems.

"The better you understand the schemes, then you’re not rushing, you’re there ahead of the play," Triano said. "He can learn a lot of that from Rasho (Nesterovic). Rasho’s a guy who isn’t quite as quick or explosive, but certainly knows where to be all the time and I think they’re a nice pair.

"His ability to understand when to show and when to get back, and his help-side defence is very good," added the coach. "He’s extremely aware at the defensive end."

Toronto Sun

“We have a lot of talented guys who can do a lot of good things, but we have to be a group,” said Turkoglu. “Coach Jay is also giving a lot of young guys an opportunity. So we’re in a learning process as a team. Hopefully, as we get close to the season, we’ll all become ready.

“Our expectations are high but we’re capable of (living up to them),” he added.

Turkoglu has only played with one other current member of the Raptors, centre Rasho Nesterovic. The two played for the San Antonio Spurs during the 2003-04 season.”

Toronto Star

The 6-foot-9 forward-centre has brought a measure of athleticism to Toronto’s frontline that had been sorely lacking in recent history. He’s shown a willingness to get to loose balls and take up space in the paint and protects the rim as well as anyone on the team.

He’s still raw, but at just 22 years old, there’s lots of promise there.

"I’ve been working a little on my offence this summer, shooting that jumper, but I know the offence will probably come later," he said. "I’m just trying to focus on the things I can do right now."

Coach Jay Triano is reluctant to admit the Raptors had any doubts about Johnson before they acquired him and Sonny Weems from Milwaukee in a trade for Roko Ukic and Carlos Delfino.

Players like to hear that they’re wanted and the coach is accommodating.

National Post

Jarrett Jack has done this before. Just last year he had to get used to a new team, the Indiana Pacers, after spending his whole career up to that point with the Portland Trail Blazers.

Last year, he had a new offence to adapt to. This year, the same is the case.

"It didn’t come easy," Jack said yesterday of learning Jim O’Brien’s system in Indiana. "They had a really unorthodox system down there, too. It took us maybe two months to get it down to where we were running it the way we were supposed to. Who knows? Hopefully it won’t take us that long."

Lest they want the Chris Bosh rumours to heat up quickly, the Raptors do not have two months to get the offence clicking. Toronto needs to come out hot when the season kicks off.

Dime

Then again, expectations were high for the Raptors last year before their colossal flop. Bosh still hasn’t proven himself as an elite go-to guy, and Calderon’s stock is down from a year ago when he was considered an up-and-coming star point guard. Turkoglu could be the answer, or he could just be a product of the Orlando system who doesn’t perform with a bigger load on his shoulders in Toronto. DeRozan and Johnson will make highlight reels, but also have noticeable holes in their respective games. The wing positions still aren’t ideal: There isn’t a true small forward on the roster behind Turkoglu, and if DeRozan doesn’t make an impact immediately, two-guard is stocked with career role players like Antoine Wright, Belinelli and Quincy Douby.

Outside The NBA

Speaking of salary dumps, they sold Marco Belinelli to the Raptors for just over $1.5 million in the summer (yes, they got Devean George, but the Raptors gave the Warriors cash to cover his contract this season). Not to say Belinelli’s an all-star or anything, but unless we’re talking soccer the phrase “sold a player” should be reserved for when asking for a loosey. They were rumoured to be interested in Amar’e, until Stephen Curry fell to them at #7 in the draft. Now, they’re being linked with Bosh again, but that’s pure speculation. There’s no way Colangelo is interested in trading Bosh until closer to the deadline at least. And as a Raptors fan, I certainly hope it’s not for a package “centered around Andris Biedrins”.

Jurassic Hoops

Triano hasn’t given DeRozan any free-rides; he was yanked out of last Wednesday’s loss to Philadelphia after making a couple of terrible decisions shooting the ball.  DeRozan responded to his coach’s tough-love on Friday by picking up a sloppy 11 points against Minnesota, but poured in 19 on Sunday versus Washington when the Raps won their second pre-season contest in a row.  Triano will have a difficult decision to make on how to handle this young specimen of athleticism.

The Picket Fence

CHRIS BOSH WILL HAVE A CAREER YEAR, LEAD THE RAPTORS BACK TO THE PLAYOFFS AND RE-SIGN

Yes, I’ve started out with a bold prediction. First of all, Bosh has never entered a season with so much pressure on him, not only individually, but as a team. Three years ago, when Colangelo took over and remade the roster, no one really expected the Raptors to make a huge impact. The new players were nice, but only T.J. Ford was a proven commodity. It’s different this year.

Banks – his worst game of the preseason, but he only saw the floor for 2 minutes. Still, that was enough to provide flashbacks (premonitions?). 3 fouls, 1 assist and providing a face to acid reflux.

Bargnani – speaking of worst games of the preseason, Andrea was off tonight. His already suspect D was magnified today when he saw more of the backs of the jerseys of the guy he was defending than the front. He did grab 5 boards, but he seemed completely disinterested most of the game.

Belinelli – by far his best game.  He was poor from the outside and Miller beat him badly twice, but he cut down on his off-balance shots and seemed more stable when he attacked today. Gotta keep this up to prove your worth.

Bosh – Jamison absolutely torched him to start the game….that tattoo on Bosh’s body might just be a Wizard’s logo with a #4 attached. He had as brutal a game as can be expected from a guy in his second game back, but the way he was neutralized and knocked around was concerning.

Calderon – if he isn’t clapping, he’s pointing more than a compass. In a rare sight, he actually had more rebounds (5) than assists (2) in nearly 30min of play. Yes, 30 minutes, 2 assists. His line also featured a –17.  Time to start wondering.

DeRozan – Great job at getting to the line and an incredible clean-up dunk brought the game to a successful result. He seems to start games on a bit of a slow and steady pace, then the coaches get in his ear and he takes it to heart. A lot more stable with the ball in his hands today and 36 min (!) should hopefully never be seen again this early.

Douby – wow. Looking off a wide open Bargs then, in the same sequence, committing a bone-headed foul on the other end of the floor. That squeaking you hear is coming from the hinges on the door starting to close. I’m really disappointed after how he played in summer league. Bigger flash in the pan than Aunt Jemima.

Evans – 2 early offensive fouls courtesy of his bull-in-a-china-shop style, but he settled down, got to the line, and provided that down-low spark we desperately need. Looked like he was in his teammates face a lot more today than the last few games.

Jack – poor shooting day but a great job in setting up plays and finding open guys. Still needs to assert himself more and take charge in the offense, especially when sharing the floor with Jose. His offsetting style will provide other teams fits.

Johnson – fantastic job on rotation defence, a couple monster blocks, and more consistent than trips to the washroom after eating Wendy’s chili with 5 packets of hot sauce.

Nesterovic – nailed to the bench. Maybe the baby kept him up.

O’Bryant – he shot 100%!!! He is a scoring machine! A slam dunk for the MIP Raptor!!! Peanut butter jelly time!!!

Turkoglu- good to hear he was putting up shots in the pregame. Need him on the floor and settling into this offense. Say what you want, but the early part of this season could be more important than the later part.

Weems – He started again and was having a monster game until jamming his toe. He was kept out as a precaution, but before heading out after 10min, he had put up 4 points, grabbed 6rebs and was all over the court. He was an unknown quantity entering training camp and is quickly becoming a sleeper pick for top 8.

Wright – have to wonder if the longer he is out, the more minutes he is losing in the regular season. Some guys are biting into them right in front of his bench-sitting eyes. Gotta get up and at ‘em.

Driving The Bus:  Marco Belinelli

Under The Bus:  Chris Bosh

Game Theme:

Banks – considering what he had given us previously, he is already off to his best season in a Raptor uniform. Hustle, took a hard foul, talking on the floor. Has he played well enough to be the 10th man in the rotation?

Bargnani – continued to attack the hoop and take no prisoners (well, in the laid back Italian sense of the phrase). Worth noting he is doing this against some good sized opposition. Promising start. Very.

Belinelli – this guy has the inside/drive game of Kapono: that of a tall guy slipping on a banana peel. Look, I love off balance shots as much as the next guy, but I’ve seen drunks coming out of booze cans that have better footwork in traffic.

Bosh – he forgot his suit. Seriously. Couldn’t he get his keeper to go get it for him? Besides that, it’s your first in-person competitive game of the season. Shouldn’t your iPhone app have reminded you of that?

Calderon – well, the early assist total has some breathing a bit easier, I’m sure. After watching him talk with Jack and using that shooting star motion with his hand again, I’m convinced I would pay to watch a channel that only showed Jose and had him miked for the whole game. Kind of like those NASCAR channels where you follow one car for the whole race. I think it would be fantastic to listen to him try and talk to, say, Reggie Evans…not to mention the responses. I still have that RaptorsTV commercial where he is yelling to Joey before an in-bounds play. I actually have it running on a loop. It’s like my own personal zen.

DeRozan – starting to open up a bit, which is nice to see. Now, how much of that is attributed to the fact that he has seen the same guys 2 nights in a row with a video session in between? I’m also concerned that he might run himself into the ground a bit. I get the sense that he feels pressure to produce and that scares me a little.

Douby – you know when you start a job and, after a few days, you pinpoint a guy that seems cool, works hard, seems bright, but doesn’t hold down a position with any oomph behind it? Then you watch him a bit closer and realize that he is just a loafer that doesn’t really possess the skills you originally thought he had? Is his name Quincy too?

Evans – absolutely deserving of the credit for rebounding like a hot blonde after dumping RapsFan, but if we see him bringing the ball up the court twice in a game ever again, he deserves to be tied to a backboard, covered in chocolate, and having Patrick O’Bryant see how high he can reach with his tongue……  That or Evans on a break up the court..not sure which is worse.

Jack – nice game. Wonder if the substitution pattern of having him come in as the sixth man and stay on the floor with Calderon will carry over. Be nice to see for 2 more games if only to judge how the competition reacts. Think he needs to drive and kick more, keeping the D guessing on his drives.

Johnson – solid performance tonight, again allowing me to smile knowingly at the fools that questioned me picking him as my X factor this year. Love this guys heart and hustle so far, but I wonder if it would be as noticeable in small spurts. I worry that he needs some time to get going, and is there enough minutes to go around to allow him to warm up.

Nesterovic – you know how in S&M you have a safe word when stuff gets a little too scary?  Mine is Rasho.

O’Bryant – Dude. Seriously. What the hell was THAT?  I counted one good play. One. You could tie my right arm to my left foot and I’d still appear more athletic than you..and I have the body shape of an elephant that ate a Mini. I still have high hopes for you, but after tonight I think I might have to unfollow you.

Turkoglu- did you see that suit? Evidently that first cheque hasn’t been deposited yet since he was able to just scrape enough together to get to International Clothiers before the opening tip.

Weems – you have to think Alvin is looking at this guy and seeing his desire in him. He was playing against mostly scrubs, but Sonny was all over the court. They should have tied a mop to his ass and saved some money to offset that $40zillion dollar TV studio that season ticket holders paid for. What does it say about us that Banks and Weems may have more fans leaving the building than came into it?

Wright – now his suit was poppin’. You can bet he has his Lexus all shiny and he’s heading out to some club tonight, ordering some bubbly, telling people he balls and that he knows JayZ. Oh wait, no, that’s me.

Driving The Bus:  Amir Johnson

Under The Bus:  Patrick O’Bryant

Game Theme:

Banks – a few nice passes (including a nice alley-oop), hit a straightaway three, found DeRozan for a timely three, but committed some poor fouls. This isn’t saying much but this was probably his best game in a Raptors uniform.

Bargnani – In the absence of Bosh and Hedo, he showed he may be worthy of that extension after all. Knocking down the shots you expected him to and not pulling down boards, just like you expected. He kept the Sixers honest, though, and showed why he is a tough cover when he moves his feet.

Belinelli – not a great shooting night, but he did a nice job of finding his teammates.More importantly, he has made the final 3 (with TMAC and Hedo) in the race to play “Sleepy” in the new Seven Dwarfs movie.

Bosh – still struggling to take the cellophane off his new copy of NBA Live. No worries, Max Deal Technologies is on the way over to make excus..err…help out.

Calderon – itsonlypreseasonitsonlypreseason. Okay, I know, but is it just me or did he look EXACTLY like he did last season? Hand claps, watching guys blow by him, getting burned by guys who he should pretty much take to school. Jay needs to sit him down and get a feeling for where he is. This game should come naturally to him. The 4 turnovers stick out like a sore thumb.

DeRozan – Slow start. Was he nervous? Possibly, but you have to wonder if he was nervous playing a preseason game in London, how is he going to feel at the Staples Center? He came on strong in the 4th and ended up with 9pts,4reb, 3asts in 27min. Not a bad statline for a rook and a great jumping off point.

Douby – Quieter than I expected and fewer minutes than I expected (17). Maybe Jay will let him loose a bit more tomorrow. After his summer league stint, he’s worthy of some burn against NBA level talent and a quick up and down team like the Sixers would be a great test.

Evans – already a crowd favourite. If you love him, though, come early. He picked up his fifth foul in the first minute of the third and with these replacement refs calling everything like they were a priest standing over your bed on your wedding night, he’s gotta keep himself in check. His 4 steals offset his lack of rebounding (3).

Jack – he was talking more than Arsenalist on a podcast. Again, on a night full of turnovers, he had his own to worry about, but he had a nice shot selection (hitting almost all of them) and showed that he will continue to drive the lane. Didn’t see the same hard work I saw in Ottawa and we need that from him. He needs to be a spark off the bench.

Johnson – on the last podcast with Arsenalist, I picked Amir as my X-factor. He showed a bit of the reason why tonight. 8pts, 10reb in 22min, showing he can be a viable backup to Reggie Evans in Bosh’s absence.  He’s not flashy, he doesn’t flail like Reggie, but he hustles and marks his territory. If Evans becomes a worry with fouls, look for Amir to steal some minutes.

Nesterovic – ah, Rasho…it’s like you never left. 18minutes of nothing but the best Rasho has to offer: a little more than nothing. He’s lost weight but he hasn’t lost his ability to suck the life out of NBA basketball. 3 of 12, 7 boards and the love of big oafs everywhere. Don’t ever change, big guy.

O’Bryant – my pick for the MIP on the Raps did me like a used cars salesman. Sure, he had a few flashes, but otherwise he looked like .. like .. me if I was a little bit taller. Dude, you are 7 foot and have the wingspan of a knuckledragging Tragically Hip fan. USE YOUR GOD GIVEN ABILITIES!!! Look at phdSteve. God made him a pessimist. He does that very well. Learn from him.

Turkoglu- I think he spent most of the night at Sugar Mountain rocking back and forth sucking on sour keys.

Weems – this guy is the Phoebe on this roster. He could go weeks without contributing anything and then, BAM, he breaks out the basketball version of Smelly Cat and, for a fleeting moment, becomes a shining star. He’ll never crack the lower rotation unless there is a horrible elevator mishap at Bosh’s condo and he and Jack are out for months, but when he does see the floor at the same time as DeRozan, you will probably see the banners at ACC flap in the breeze.

Wright – didn’t make the trip. Hurt his knee driving it into the side of the Ravens mascot’s head after scrimmage. Seriously, have you seen this thing?

Driving The Bus:  Andrea Bargnani

Under The Bus:  Patrick O’Bryant

Game Theme:

Toronto Sun

yesterday took newcomer Hedo Turkoglu out of action for the remainder of the team’s stay in Ottawa.

"I don’t think it would help him at all to get him involved while we are here," Triano said. "I’m going to take the advice of our trainers and our strength and conditioning coaches and find out where he is physically, but I just don’t think it makes a lot of sense for he or Chris to participate this week at all."

Turkolglu is dealing with a strained quad in addition to some fatigue after a busy off-season and a long playoff run.

Toronto Sun

"I’m sure everyone wants to start and I’d by lying if I said I didn’t, but what matters is the impact you have on the game and how long you’re out there," Wright said.

Colangelo admits that he wasn’t really sure what he was getting when Wright was included in the summer deal that saw Shawn Marion head to Dallas while Wright and Devean George came to Toronto.

"The Antoine piece was a little bit of an addition to make the math work," Colangelo said. "In this case it was somewhat surprising that Antoine was that piece because here is a guy who started 53 games for the Mavs last year and we gladly took him.

"But I’m not sure even I realized what kind of perimeter defender he was, but it became very clear, very quickly after talking to Mavs head coach Rick Carlisle that (Antoine) is a tough kid, he’s a great defender and defends multiple positions."

Toronto Star

"He’s more engaged now," Triano said. "I get a text from him now once a week, `Watching tape. I really clogged things up last year. How are we going to eliminate that this year?’ Or, `Coach, we need to move the ball a little bit better.’ He’s wanting to get better, (asking) `What can I do not to clog things up? What can I do defensively?’"

The coach, needless to say, is enamoured with Bosh’s contract-year commitment to both the barbells and the details and he is all too happy to offer suggestions for further advancement.

"I gave him three (things to improve) and he texts back, `Anything else?’ I said, `If the door’s open.’ And I gave him seven more. So now you have 10 things. And he was, like, `Thanks. Love constructive criticism.’"

Toronto Star

The Toronto production company behind the film followed Bosh and shot footage in Toronto over a two-month period this summer. Bosh’s first tattoo – from inception to first sitting – is the jumping-off point for a look at the player who may well be heading into his final season in a Raptors uniform.

"It’s a little bit of comedy, and it has a documentary part," Bosh told the Star‘s Dave Feschuk Thursday at Raptors training camp in Ottawa. "It’s maybe a side of me nobody’s ever seen. It’s got that same skit feeling to it (as some of Bosh’s youtube videos). We’ve got some funny ones. There’s some good stuff in there. Hopefully it’ll be entertaining to people, and really interesting and artistic."

Toronto Star

The Raptors have a plethora of players able to play point guard – Jose Calderon, Jarrett Jack, Marco Belinelli, Marcus Banks and Quincy Douby – so coach Jay Triano is experimenting with different combinations.

For parts of some scrimmages and drills this week at training camp, he’s had both Calderon and Jack on the same team and on the court at the same time.

"We introduced a two-guard offence, we had them on the same team and it’s primarily because we want to have different sets and different looks and play to our strengths," he said.

"You’ve got two guys who can handle the ball, two guys who can set up an offence and two guys that can push the ball in transition. It makes it hard for defences to decide who they’re going to shade and who they’re going to pick up and contain."

National Post

"I’ma little bit more aggressive as far as getting in the paint. He’s a little bit better at stretching the defence and knocking down shots," Jack said. "It’s kind of like the best of both worlds."

It is far too early to say how often the Raptors will use the smaller lineup, as it will make them susceptible to bigger opposing shooting guards. But 15 minutes per night or more does not seem unreasonable, as long as the lineup shows some chemistry.

"Some of the teams have decided to go with the smaller lineups," Triano said. "We went against three point guards in New York last year. At the end of the season, they played three point guards all on the floor at once. So we’ll be ready for something like that."

That’s What I’m Saying Guy

Regardless of his role to start the season, I’m pumped to have a kid like this on the team. Just 20 and dubbed by many as the most athletic player in the draft, I’m surprised he dropped to ninth, considering how many teams draft on potential alone these days. Then again, he’ll have to live up to that “next Carter” title. Here’s hoping he does (and that he doesn’t turn into a baby, get hurt, stop trying, leave Toronto and proceed to destroy every other team he plays for. Have fun Orlando!).

Keeping It Real Sports Overtime

The Toronto Raptors will… I repeat… WILL underachieve once again this season. Jose Calderon will shoulder the load as the best guard on the team, unless you count Marcus Banks. The forward-heavy Raptors signed Hedo Turkoglu (forward), gave Andrea Bargnani (forward) a huge deal, and drafted, you guessed it… another forward in DeMar DeRozan. Bosh’s numbers won’t waver, and he’ll have some help in Hedo, whose value should stay the same because essentially, Bosh = Dwight. Sleeper – Marco Belinelli

Globe and Mail

"You really didn’t know what was wrong with him," teammate Chris Bosh said. "He’d practise and then he’d be out again. He kept saying, ‘My hamstring, something’s wrong, something’s wrong.’ It just kept lingering, and by the time he got it fixed, it was too late."

Not too late for the critics to make themselves heard.

"Yes, I read the stuff, I heard the critics," said Calderon, who will benefit this season from the presence of Jarrett Jack as a solid backup, a luxury the Raptors didn’t have last season. "I was the first one who was embarrassed out there, but I’m a professional and I wanted to be out there and help my team and I wanted to play."

Brother Steve’s Green & Red Raptor Blog

This will be Alvin Williams first foray into coaching since he ended his NBA playing career.  At the relatively young age of 35, fans still remember and appreciate his contributions as a player. Also, he should be able to relate well to the younger guys on the Raptors’ roster.

Alvin Williams brings toughness to the Toronto Raptors coaching staff.  Williams played through pain and gave everything he had to his team.  Many thought Alvin could have extended his personal playing days by backing off in his playing style and taking more time off when hurt.  That wasn’t in Alvin Williams make-up.  That is why many fans still respect and admire him as a player today.

Double Dribble

This team has not had a first-rate shooting guard since they lost their Vansanity, and it continues to be a weak spot. They are also looking at a pretty soft rebounding core up front outside of reserve Evans. What they do have going for them is a ton of skilled scorers and one of the great classic distributing point guards in the league in Jose Calderon with an aggressive back-up Jarrett Jack. They will continue to be a very dangerous pick and roll team and now should have the ability to shoot their way into most games with the firepower of Hedo and Marco on the wings. They should be consistent enough to win in the low forties and make the playoffs.

Hoops Addict

While talking with the media this week Bryan Colangelo was asked which player he felt was ready to surprise fans this season. It’s the kind of question where usually a cliche is thrown back at the reporter, but Colangelo took the bait and gave the reporter a great answer about what players he’s expecting to step up this season due to having larger roles with this team than they did last season.

Not only that, but Colangelo provided some great insight into a play during a recent scrimmage that will be sure to get Raptors fans excited about the upcoming season.