They run incessantly, they hustle, they play hard, there is a bigger commitment to defense, the bench is deeper; that’s the good news…the bad news is that this team is full of 2nd tier role players and lack an all-star caliber player who can put all the pieces together and lead them to .500 and beyond. I’ll take it though because they have been playing a real infectious brand of ball that I can’t ever recall seeing played by a Raptor team. Let the rebuilding begin…

The Knicks got first; my second favourite team in the league (I was a sucker for the bruising Knicks teams of the 90s). The two teams just played in Montreal, where the Raptors handled the Knicks, weathering a furious comeback in the 4th that fell short. The Raptors defense shined, forcing the Knicks into 26 turnovers, and keeping them to 69 field goal attempts.

I checked in with Mike Kurlyo, of Knickerblogger fame to get his take on the Knicks, some of the players and Carmelo Anthony:

The Knicks had a really busy offseason; what are the teams expectations? What are your expectations?
The team expects to make the playoffs this year. New York has gone 6 seasons without a playoff game, and they’ve sacrificed the last two seasons for this year. For the Knicks, not making the playoffs would indicate failure. I guess my expectations are about the same.

Raymond Felton has given the Raptors problems over the last couple seasons, averaging 17pts, 5rebs 5ast over that span. I thought he was a good signing for this team, and he seems to have the tools to be a nice fit. How is he meshing with Stoudemire in D’antoni’s offense?
The relationship between Felton and Stoudemire has been slow to develop. However I think the notion that Stoudemire relies on his PG is overblown. Amar’e isnt a pick & roll leech that requires someone else in order to score. He’s a 5 time All Star who can work the post and shoot from outside. As for Felton, the big question is: Which player will the Knicks receive this year? Last year he had career highs in shooting percentage (including three point percentage), but the rest of his career he’s been sub-par. And this preseason, Raymond hasn’t looked comfortable in the offense. If October is any indication of what’s to come, Amar’e is going to excel offensively while Felton is going to struggle.

D’Antoni is very high on Mozgov, what can you tell us about him, and how does he matchup against Bargnani?
Mozgov has been surprisingly impressive in some areas, and head scratching raw in others. For his size, he’s quite agile and can run the floor. He has a nice touch from outside, and I don’t have a good sense of how strong he is around the hoop. He’s looked competent at times, but has blown a few gimmies in the paint. Additionally he’s a foul machine that’s still learning how to defend in the NBA, his rebounding is suspect, he turns the ball over too frequently, and he could take a course in setting picks. Specifically against Bargnani, he’d obviously be susceptible to the long ball, as he defends better in the paint. However Bargnani doesn’t defend well either, so Mozgov will probably have some easy opportunities of his own.

Anthony Randolph was a (the?) key piece in the David Lee trade; what is his upside? What would classify as a successful season from the kid?
Randolph is already a fantastic rebounder, defender, and shot blocker. On the other hand he’s clueless on offense, especially in regards to shot selection. As often with many young and improperly trained athletes, he doesn’t have good instincts with regards to what constitutes a good or bad attempt. If he improves his shooting efficiency to league average, he’d be an All Star, without a doubt. This year, a successful season from Randolph would be for him to play 24 to 30 minutes a game. That would mean he’s entrenched in the rotation and getting much needed experience. Oh and don’t sleep on Azubuike, who will likely be the SG starter once he’s healthy.

Andy Rautins has a lot of fans here in Toronto, what are your thoughts on him?
Not sure what to make of him. He’s a guy that obviously lives from downtown, which meshes with D’Antoni’s style of play. He’s made some nice passes, but he’s also looked overwhelmed at times. I’m not expecting much from him this year, as I think he still has a lot to adjust to the NBA game. On a side note, he was a nice guy to interview, and we had a laugh over my ancient iPod/recording device.

I can’t let you go without getting your take on Carmelo Anthony…go!
I’ve answered this question so many times, I can do it in limerick form.
There was an All Star in Denver,
To move to New York, he wished for.
‘Melo didn’t rebound,
Defend or astound,
And wasn’t worth Gallo, Randolph, and Chandler.

Injury Report

Toronto
Joey Dorsey: Serving a suspension
Leandro Barbosa: Wrist Injury – Will be in the lineup

New York
Anthony Randolph: Sprained Ankle – Status not known
Timofey Mozgov: Hip – Status not known
Wilson Chandler: Calf – Not playing

Match-ups

PG – Jack vs Felton
Felton pretty much had his way with Calderon and Jack last season, and in 26min on Friday, put up 12pts 4rebs 5ast. Jack did a solid job of keeping Felton out of the lane (1-2 in the paint), and will need to maintain that streak tonight.

On the offensive end, Jack needs to give us a bit more; 2-5 from the field in 24min isn’t enough scoring, even though he chipped in 3rebs 5ast 4stl. Jack brings that bull-dog mentality that Calderon doesn’t; he puts his head down and gets into the paint. If he can get into the paint, he can create some space for Bargnani and Kleiza on the perimeter.
Edge: Draw

SG – DeRozan vs Fields
I love what I see in DeRozan’s shot-chart, a concentration of shot attempts in the paint:

Doesn’t matter that he was 4-9 from the field and 3-5 from the line, what matters is he got into the paint at will, and put pressure on the defense. If this keeps up, he will give teams a lot of headaches, and make up for the 8-10 free throws a game Bosh used to give us. Last season, DeMar averaged 17.7pts against the Knicks, he likes going at this team.
Edge: DeRozan

SF – Kleiza vs Gallinari
We didn’t get to see Gallinari on Friday, but the kid elevated his game last season; especially against the Raptors where he averaged 19.8pts. Gallinari is going to score, but I’d like to see him take contested shots on the perimeter, Kleiza wont need to come over for the double on Amar’e (DeMar or Jack have that), which should keep him at home defensively. What I like about Kleiza is how diverse his shot selection is:

Inside-outside-weakside-strongside, he takes what the offense gives him, and makes something out of it. Danilo hasn’t been 100% during the pre-season, so I’m looking to Kleiza to take it to him from the tip.
Edge: Kleiza

PF – Evans vs Stoudemire
This is more a case of limiting the damage. While Evans started slow out the gate Friday, he got himself back into the game, and lifted the team with his energy and rebounding. If that’s all he does, he can be an asset for this team; but the moment he shoots the ball…lets just say that a missed shot by Evans out-weighs a grabbed rebound. Last games shot chart is a joke, Stoudemire did what he wanted:

I seriously don’t think we can expect any more than what we got last game. Amar’e is a polished offensive player who can get his shot whenever he wants, and the Raptors have no one to man-him-up and get him out of his comfort zone.
Edge: Stoudemire

C – Bargnani vs Mozgov
Riddle me this, which Bargnani are we going to get? The biggest question left unanswered from the pre-season is how will Bargnani do without Bosh creating space for him? As far as Mozgov goes, Bargnani had the best of him on Friday: limited Timofey to 4 points and 2 field goals. Defensively, the only thing we could have asked of him was a few more rebounds.

Offensively, 6-13 from the field isn’t bad, but he almost missed as many shots from the perimeter, as he took in the paint.
Edge: Bargnani

Prediction

Vegas has the Raptors as 2 point favourites with an over/under of 211. Like I said earlier, during the pre-season, we saw the Raptors beat the teams they should have, this is one of those games that is very gettable. I gotta go Raptors: home opener, the crowd will be nuts and they’ve already beaten them.

You can follow our updates on Facebook and Twitter. If you’ve got something to say, air it out during the live chat (which were killer during the pre-season).

Photo Credit: AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Paul Chiasson

Q. How did the Knicks do this off-season? Talk about drafts, trades and free agent signings as well as ownership/management changes.

Kevin McElroy: The answer to this question is necessarily relative to expectations. By any normal measure, this was the Knicks best summer since the mid-90’s. Their failed pursuit for LeWyane Bosh aside, the Knicks brought in Amare Stoudemire, a five-time all-star with three top-ten scoring seasons who also happens to be the active career leader in true shooting percentage. While concerns about the riskiness of the acquisition (especially those relating to Stoudemire’s injury history) are understandable, the rarity with which players of Stoudemire’s caliber can be had without forfeiting any tradeable assets makes the signing a worthwhile gamble. The David Lee trade — in which the Knicks gave up a player that they had already made redundant and received two valuable role players and a freakish athlete with world-class upside in return — was the best player for player(s) swap the Knicks have made since they brought in Latrell Sprewell and Marcus Camby; if Anthony Randolph develops, it will go down as even better than those trades.

I worry about Raymond Felton eating up valuable cap space, but I get the feeling that his signing was about keeping Amare happy enough to keep telling his buddies how great things were in New York — Felton’s contract should be moveable if he becomes the final obstacle to bringing in another star. I hated the Knicks’ play-it-safe strategy on draft night, but based upon the summers that Landry Fields and Lance Stephenson have had, my opinion on the matter has softened. Fields will hang around for 10 years and be a useful role player for the Knicks in the near term.

Q. Who came out the bigger winner AND loser in the Atlantic Division?

KM: I’ll exclude the Knicks from the conversation here since I’ve already discussed their offseason. I think the Celtics are the winners by default, mostly because they were the only Atlantic Division team good enough to focus their off-season on filling their remaining needs rather than blindly overhauling the team and hoping it would work out. I’m not crazy about their Shaquisition for the same reason I wasn’t crazy about it when he was Shaquired by Phoenix or Cleveland, but at the veteran minimum it’s a low risk move and they can always tell him to go away if he becomes a problem.

As for the biggest losers, the Nets’ mind-bendingly bizarre assortment of free agent signings gets the nod even in a division where Toronto lost their franchise leader in scoring and rebounding just as he was entering his prime. Better build that arena, Brooklyn, or Johan Petro will be plying his trade elsewhere!

Q. Last season we saw a dog fight from 5-9 in the East for a playoff appearance (the Raptors dropped from 5th to 9th rapidly at the tail-end of the season). What are your predictions for this upcoming season? Who are your dark horses to watch out for?

KM: Obviously the Heat jump out of that dog fight and into the top 3, arguably the top 1. I think this will be another season in which the Eastern Conference can be separated into pretty well-defined tiers. The Tier 1 teams — Miami, Orlando, Boston — seem fairly insurmountable at the top of the pyramid, although if the Celtics all get old at the same time, they could feasibly drop into Tier 2. For now, Tier 2 is Atlanta, Chicago, and probably Milwaukee, all of whom should qualify for the postseason comfortably and will be primarily concerned with finishing 5th or better and thus avoiding the Tier 1 teams in the first round. Tier 3 is where it gets a bit hairy: Charlotte has to be viewed as the 7th best team going into the year, but New York has much greater upside and is the only team outside of Tiers 1 and 2 with a chance to vault into the top 6 if everything goes right.

If things implode for the Knicks — and, let’s face it, why shouldn’t they — The Pacers, Sixers, and Cavs are all in the picture for one of the last two playoff spots. One more quick point that nobody is talking about: I will not be surprised if strength of schedule becomes a decisive factor in the Eastern Conference this year. The Bobcats have to play a whopping 15 games against the Heat, Magic, and Hawks, while the Knicks and Sixers will play each other five times and have 10 games each against the Nets and Raps. Could be enough to bump the Bobcats down to ninth in a tight East.

Q. Is what happened in Miami bad for the league? On the one hand, players are taking control of their own futures (as best as possible); but on the other, the rich just seem to get richer.

KM: I swore a lifelong oath of hatred against the Miami Heat the day that Pat Riley hopped the fence back in 1995, but the answer to this question is still “no.” In the long-term, this has to be viewed as good for the league, and not just because it will allow us to see something we’ve never seen before (which it will) and give other fan bases a unifying enemy (which it also will). The reason I’m glad it happened, and happened when it did, is that it has placed everything from cap rules to player tampering to the merits of “Superteams” at the forefront of the conversation, just before a watershed CBA renegotiation. This is the best way for basketball fans and writers to have any kind of a voice about the future of the league. Maybe I’m dreaming on that but, at a time when the NBA seems desperate to drum up demand for its product, it will have an unprecedented opportunity to gauge public opinion on nearly every issue that is likely to come up this summer. We may all be thanking LeWyane Bosh before this is over.

(Was that convincing? No? Darn it. I really hate the Heat.)

Q. Do you share the view that playing in Toronto is similar to playing in Europe, and not very appealing to American born players? What’s your take on the Raptors and Toronto as a destination for the NBA elite?

KM: I think there are five or six “destination cities” in the League right now — LA, Miami, New York, Chicago, maybe one or two of the Texas cities — and I don’t think Toronto is one of them. But I think it’s still a long way up from playing in Europe and doubt the Canadian border has much of a practical effect on players’ decisions. Most NBA cities become appealing destinations if and only if their resident teams employ players and executives that are appealing to NBA free agents, which the post-Bosh Raptors probably don’t. The problem is that Toronto’s previous attempts at building around a franchise player were based upon guys whose personalities were not conducive to being the first major building block on a team in a non-destination city. It only takes one super-talented, super-loyal star — think Tim Duncan, Kevin Durant, Dwight Howard — to attract top players to a place that once seemed to be on the NBA periphery. The problem, of course, is finding that guy. Clearly, Vince Carter and Chris Bosh didn’t fit the description.

Q. What’s your take on Bryan Colangelo and the job he’s done for the Raptors? Could he have held on to Bosh had he made other choices? Did he make a huge mistake by not trading him earlier? What about the type of team he is trying to build in Toronto?

KM: I think Bosh was always leaving — he’s a very good second option alongside an elite scoring wing with good court vision; now he gets to play with two of them. It’s interesting to think about how things would have played out for Toronto if Bosh and T-Mac had come along at about the same time — they would have complemented each other brilliantly, maybe well enough that they both would have wanted to stay. As for Colangelo, I think he was probably doomed from the start. His mandate was to focus singularly on the retention of a player who was 1) probably always going to leave and 2) probably not good enough to be the best player on a great team anyway. To the extent that this strategy has failed (in the departure of Bosh) or set the franchise back (due to the shortsightedness of some of Toronto’s acquisitions), that failure is more associated with the flaws of the mandate (which fall at the feet of ownership) than with any flaws in execution (which would fall at the feet of Colangelo). That said, Toronto clearly needs to dive head-first into overhaul mode and that necessarily involves a conversation regarding whether Colangelo remains the right man for what is now a very different job.

It had all the makings for a disappointing game, but the Raptor killer known as Nazr Mohammed was injured so there was hope. I’ll be honest with you, I’ve come to expect that when a team has been dogging it for 20 games (the Raptors were 6-14 heading into last nights game) that you can’t just flip the switch on a whim and compete. Last night against the Bobcats, it was more like a leaky faucet that slowly got turned on. Like the Atlanta game, the Raptors kept it close, took advantage of every opportunity that reared its head, and pulled out a gritty win in spite of some very poor officiating at that.

Before getting into it, with 9 games left before the playoffs, me thinks Triano has stumbled on a rotation of:

PG – Calderon
SG – Weems
SF – Wright
PF – Bosh
C – Bargnani

BN – Turkoglu
BN – DeRozan
BN – Jack
BN – Johnson

This lineup serves a few things: better balance on the starting 5 (Weems and Wright don’t need the ball in their hands to be effective); better defense at the wing to start the game; a much stronger second unit (Turkoglu should be beating up on opposing benches); and it just seems to flow better.

It’s go time now, so Bosh and Bargnani should be playing 38-41 minutes a night from here on out, giving Amir between 14-20 minutes of burn; a nice tight rotation. As you can see, there shouldn’t be any more than 2-3 minutes a night for Evans (all of which should come at the end of the 1st and 2nd quarters to give the front line some rest)

So back to the game, it started with Calderon attacking the rim early. He was able to blow by Felton and get to the rim for a layup (he missed it, but he got there) and assisting on the first three buckets by Bosh and Bargnani. Penetrate, draw the defender, find the open man. Calderon is really a triple threat (shoot, drive, pass), and needs to attack the defense every chance he gets. The court will open up and give him more options on offense, but when he just throws the ball around the perimeter, or plays the high pick-n-roll, he is doing himself a disservice. Raymond Felton still abused him on offense, but that’s expected, probably not even worth mentioning.

Like Scott said, Bosh played harder in the first 4 minutes than he has since the All-Star break. When the franchise is motivated, his production isn’t hollow and it actually leads to results. Up until last night, he would be around his season average, but he did it invisibly. I know you’re frustrated dude, and I realize you like to lead by example, but not many folks are as naturally gifted as you, so when you dog your way to big numbers, others will follow suit without the same result. Something to think about for the rest of the year fam.

The second quarter saw more of the same from both squads. The Bobcats would penetrate, kick the ball and swing it till they got an open three, and the Raptors were led by an energized DeRozan who attacked the basket every chance he got. I really don’t want to gloss over the 3rd quarter, but it was more of the same: the Bobcats got open three after open three, but the Raptors kept it close with Calderon and Bosh attacking from the outside-in.

Calderon especially had a good quarter, going 3-3 from the field while dropping 2 dimes. I’m singling this out because Triano came out in the fourth with Jack instead of Jose, who was having a terrible game up until that point.

At first I thought it was just to give Calderon a rest so he can finish the game strong, but Jack really picked it up, scoring all 12 of his points in the frame, including 7 of the last 8 Raptor points (all at the line). Then I started to get nervous that as the game was coming down to the wire, Triano would snap and play Jack and Jose together, but he didn’t, and Jay rode the hot hand down the stretch.

Have to hand it to Triano who made some great decisions (sitting Hedo to start the game and gambling on Jack in the 4th). You know I don’t think highly of his coaching abilities, but he threw down the gauntlet and always had the right group on the court.

How about that Hedo? Think Triano got through to him? I know I do. Even though he wasn’t happy to start the game on the bench, Turkoglu was stone cold last night, and made some big plays. I know he was brought on as the #2 option, but if he can be the 6th man and hit daggers like that, including the eventual game winner, this team could be a handful in the playoffs (I won’t be holding my breath though).

With a few seconds left in the game, Felton blew by Jack, but turned it over. Part of it had to do with some decent defensive rotations and folks talking, and part of it had to do with Felton just throwing a bad pass. Either way, the Raptors played hard the whole game, and gave themselves an opportunity to win the game, and they took advantage.

The Raptors stayed in the game by protecting the ball, and crashing the offensive glass. They had 10 more shot attempts than the Bobcats, who were able to keep the game close by going 12-24 from beyond the arc (most were open looks) and solid shooting from the free throw line. The difference was Jack though, who went 7-8 from the line, all at the end of the 4th, validating Triano’s decision to play him over Calderon.

Had Carmelo not hit that game winner, and the Raptors held on just a bit longer against the Heat, the Raptors would be 7th in the East (ahead of the Bobcats because they now own the tiebreaker). So as bad as they have been recently, what is keeping this team back is as simple as one possession, or a couple minutes of unfocused play from being a better team. Had Triano laid down the law a bit alot earlier in the season, things may have been different for this team, just something to think about.

That’s how you play basketball. That’s how you bounce back from getting your salad tossed the last time around. That’s how your two best players mesh together and carry this team with Jose and Hedo out. It was electric, it was intense, it was exciting and it was gritty, it was the type of game you wish you spent your lunch money on to go.

We can be happy with the 5th win in a row, it’s actually at a level where it doesn’t matter who we beat to get here, we won games we should have, plain and simple. Last night against the Bobcats was no cake-walk, they were motivated to get out of their recent funk, and with the taste of that beating they laid down the last time, they hit the ground running from the tip. Nazr Mohammed was like Olajuwon in the post, Jackson/Wallace/Felton all got into the paint at will and finished at the rim. It’s no surprise that they shot 73.3% from the field. Everything to start was in the paint, then when the Raptors collapsed to help at the rim, the Bobcats kicked out for open jumpers that they nailed (shot chart).

Had it not been for the copious amount of turnovers, the Bobcats may have put this bad boy away early. They committed 9 sloppy ones in the 1st quarter that paced 17 fast break points (13 were off of turnovers) for the Raptors – the Raps ran back every Bobcat turnover down their throats. It was the classic case of taking what was available. We couldn’t stop them from scoring, but we made them pay for not protecting the ball. DeMar was a beast early. He attacked the rim, slashed to the rim, took aggressive cuts, and made himself available. 8pts in the first, all in rhythm, and all in the natural flow of the offense. It’s all about being complimentary with this team. If you can get yours without disrupting Bosh and Bargnani on offense, you’re a keeper.

I don’t know about y’all, but Weems was killing me in the first half. He took too many jumpers (2-7 from the field) and wasn’t attacking the rim. I lost a slice of pizza because I was cursing him out after his 4th bad one. I don’t mind folks taking J’s, but when they come at the expense of Bosh or Bargnani shooting the rock, it irks me something fierce. At least when Belinelli was missing his shots, he was getting to the line, and being a spark-plug off the bench. I would have personally threw Weems under the bus, but I got death threats last time I did Roll-Call, so I’ll leave it to the experts.

Why didn’t DeMar get much burn after the 1st quarter given how well he was playing? He left a bit to be desired defensively, but so did the rest of the Raptors. 11mins in the 1st quarter, and 9mins for the rest of the game. It was almost like Triano forgot about him, he didn’t even do anything to warrant it, unless I missed that, anyone? It didn’t come back to haunt the Raptors, however, the kid is playing well, so why give his minutes to Wright in the 4th?

The play of Bosh and Bargnani deserves some ink since it was the best I’ve seen to date. Bosh lived inside 10 feet, and Bargnani did most of his damage outside of it. There was some overlap where Bargnani would take his man off the dribble, or post-up on a mismatch, but you could almost see where one would pick up where the other left off. It didn’t even hurt that Andrea only grabbed 4 rebounds because of the clutch shooting down the stretch. On three occasions, Bosh drew the double-team, and kicked out to Andrea for an open shot. Their play was so good, it left us (I assume I speak for everyone here) all asking why this doesn’t happen more? Forget trying to get Turkoglu integrated, spend more time trying to recreate the chemistry from last night.

I’m still pissed I wasn’t at the ACC for this one. The Bobcats shot the crap out of the ball, but the Raptors won this by protecting the ball, big post play that led to second chance points and open shots on the perimeter, getting to the foul line and hitting free throws. This was the most impressive win of this stretch because of how hard the Raptors were tested from start to finish. The Bobcats took a 1 point lead with 1:43 to go in the game, but the Raptors buckled down. They forced a miss on a Jackson jumper, then Jack steals the ball from Felton on the next possession. Defensive stops down the stretch won this game, when’s the last time we have ever said that?

Quick Thoughts:

• While the bench provided a spark, they were brutal from the field shooting a combined 7-27 (27pts 13rebs 8ast)
• Turkoglu dished out 5 dimes in the first half before shutting it down in the 2nd with a knee contusion
• Calderon is clearly reading RR, he was sporting a fitted suit last night, looked good
• Glad to see O’Bryant got to the game on time
• Can’t stop gushing about the complimentary play of Bosh/Bargnani, Triano needs to bottle that, analyze it and duplicate it for the rest of the year
• Amir with a second game weak game in a row, hopefully it’s all that Christmas food he’s been putting down
• I’d make that trade from Steve’s podcast yesterday (Caldeorn for Farmar, Morrison and a 1st rounder)

On behalf of us all here at RR, I wish each and everyone one of you a happy new year. The TTC is free till 4am so be safe and enjoy your night. Go Raptors (Free Amir).

Dramatic I know, but the chips are down, and these are the moments that separate the men from the boys. When everyone is healthy and the shots are falling, it is easy to win games. Unfortunately for the Raptors, nothing has come easy this season. Their early-season success aside (which wasn’t easy btw), they have fought tooth-n-nail for every win they got. The losses…not so much.O’Neal’s knee apparently is fine, swollen ankles seem to be more pressing at the moment. All he needs is some TLC. I’m sure Colangelo is on his knees, between his legs… praying to his Gucci-god for a quick recovery. The Raptors might be better served if he sits out the next two games, and comes back for the Lakers. At least against the Bobcats, I have to think sans O’Neal, the Raptors should be able to beat the Bobcats.

The key will be coming out motivated and possessed from the opening tip. Fortunately they have a few things to motivate them heading into the game:

1. The loss to Jersey
2. The loss to Boston
3. and Bosh…

I fully expect Bosh to come out like a man possessed. Would be very surprised if he didn’t put up a monster 1st quarter. Especially after his sucky-baby in-game antics against the Celtics. I understand where he’s coming from, frustration…we all get that way from time to time. But for Bosh to not go into a huddle (even though a whole lot doesn’t happen in the Raptors huddle), and do his own thing is…weak.

Can you imagine Kevin Garnett doing that? In fact, did Garnett ever do that during those horrible seasons in Minnesota? I can’t remember one instance. For crying out loud, Vince never even did that. Sure he would sulk during the game, but he never isolated himself during a timeout-huddle. Not what a leader does, which adds fuel to my fire that he isn’t the kind of player that a championship team is built around, he’s the Pippen, straight up. Desire to win is one thing, but loyalty to your teammates is crucial as a the team leader/franchise player. If he needs some assistance, I have the perfect idea for Mr. Bosh.

Forgive me, but at the time of writing this, neither the Raptors nor Bobcats starting lineups were published, with some interesting lineup possibilities for both teams, so I am going to break things down a bit differently:

Backcourt

Calderon / Parker vs. Augustin / Felton / Richardson
The Edge: Raptors – There was some talk about starting Augustin/Felton together, moving Richardson to 3, but regardless, we will see 2 of these 3 play the 1/2 for a big portion of the game. Probably the only bright spot for Larry Brown is his PG situation. Augustin and Felton have been playing great. Their shooting, penetration and distribution has been superb. The two of them were the cog in the engine that beat Philly two nights ago. Both these guys will give Calderon a run for his money. They are both quick, shoot the ball well and will penetrate at will on JC.

Cadleron and Parker have played well, but not great. Calderon is clearly banged up some, the degree of which is unknown at the moment. Parker on the other hand, not playing good at all. It hurts me to say it and it hurts you to hear it. Yes he has hit some big shots the last few games, maybe even clutch, but his missed free throw down the stretch cost the Raptors the game against Jersey. Allen LIT him up in the first quarter, and continued to get clean/open looks when he doubled off on the strong side. He did do a pretty good on Richardson last game, and should do a similar job this one. If matched up against one of the PGs, I expect he will probably defend them better. He’s the best wing defender the Raptors have, and is tall enough to keep them off the boards and quick enough to keep up with the young bucks off the bounce.

Frontcourt

Bosh / Bargnani / Humphries / *O’Neal vs Wallace / Okafur / Dudley
The Edge: Raptors – With our without O’Neal, the Raptors front court will own the Bobcats. The Bobcats are so desperate for some size, they are dangling Richardson to the Clippers for Kaman, doubt the Clippers bite. Bosh should have a monster double-double, Bargnani will have another solid game (maybe 20/8), and Hump should get some serious burn, maybe 23 minutes. I can live with his forced offense when he gets the ball, if he contributes rebounds, low post defense, and knocks someone on their ass.

Coaching

Mitchell vs Brown
The Edge: Bobcats – Say what you want about Brown, but the guy is an NBA champion, and one of the winningness coaches in the league. He outclasses Smitch in X’s & O’s, in game adjustments, strategy, wisdom and experience. The only thing Smitch has his number in is style and post-game entertainment.

Sadly, coaching alone can beat the Raptors. Lawrence Frank, though he has Carter and Harris, was able to divine a win with strategy, match-ups and a motivated Carter, which in itself is an accomplishment.

X-Factor(s)

Solomon, Kapono and Moon. These guys need to have good games. Uninspired comes to mind in describing their last few performances. I just have one piece of advice for Solomon: when you want to pass the ball, don’t jump. Simple really. No jump passes. Only Nash can do that, not you buddy. I can live with your offensive game if you just control yourself when running the offense. Nothing fancy, pass with two hands from your chest, makes things easier.

Kapono got zero shots last game. Zero. I can live with him forcing and missing a couple treys if it means he gets a shot off. He needs zero seconds to get a shot off, but I have to believe if I was in the NBA, I would get up more attempts. To his credit, he has a plan as to what to do about the recent funk:

Sadly, none of the  things he lists that need to be done are things he does, or shows a willingness to do. Hopefully he walks the walk now…

Moon on the other hand isn’t playing badly, just not like someone who is in a contract year. Normally the way he’s been cruising comes AFTER getting paid. Dude has cost himself a couple mill over the life of the contract. There is time for redemption, but I wont hold my breath. I just hope he doesn’t go for many of Wallace’s pump fakes in the block. Note to Moon: Wallace has hops too, you wont be able to swat every time, just stay in front of the dude and good things will happen.

Prediction

The Raptors. For all it’s worth, the Bobcats are a team managed by someone far more inept then the Raptors are, and don’t have any sort of semblage of a team that has any designs on post-season success. That being said, they have a bunch of players who can light it up, and win games against good teams (did you catch them grind out a win against the Sixers?). This is nothing more then a gut feeling, and my gut feelings have my Raptor predictions at 10-3 this season, but Raptors by 9 after leading by as many as 17.

Grab the Opening-Tip here.