Oh boy...

A win is a win. A loss is a loss. A terrible loss ruins my night.

Although I was unable to watch the Raptors-Hornets game last Friday, I did manage to take a look at the box score. The big obvious that stuck out, besides the fact the Raptors won, was the 90 points posted by the Hornets. 90 points? Impressive. Besides the 21 & 18 by Chris Paul, the Hornets were pretty much shut down. Toronto's field goal percentage a shade under 51, while the Hornets shot 48%.

The next night, the Raptors were in Dallas to face the Mavericks. Chris Bosh's homecoming.

Again, I was unable to watch the first half, but thanks to the invention of text messaging I noticed the Raptors were down by 7 at the half way point. Then I got home. Crap.

Right off the bat, the Mavericks started to separate themselves. Chris Bosh couldn't/didn't defend/care Dirk Nowitzki, as he lit it up from downtown. The Mavericks got ridiculously easy penetration points. The Mavericks made the pick and roll look like the most dominant play in basketball. The defense in itself looked like a high school team.

And this doesn't take an expert to figure out--the Raptors lost 129-101, and the Mavericks shot 62% from the field. You read that right. 62%. That's not one quarter. That's an entire game.

Where do you start? The Raptors have played 6 games, and 2 have resulted in the counterpart scoring at least 125 points (no overtime). It appears the pre-season issue is very much a reality. Will this poor defense-good offense scheme work for 76 more games? I know we're only 6 games into the season, but nonetheless--it wouldn't matter if it was game 1, or game 55. The defense is an obvious problem.

And it doesn't get any easier. The Raptors will face the Tony Parker-less Spurs tonight at 8:30. Hopefully some adjustments have been made, but I'm expecting it to be high scoring affair. How will Chris Bosh match up with Tim Duncan? Will CB actually give a rats ass this time?

Be sure to check it out. I know I will. And I'm sure the occasional couch pillow will be thrown at the TV. Oh, the stresses of being a Raptors fan...

Jose Calderon: Cause for Concern?

Largely due to the bench, the Raptors defeated the Pistons at the ACC last night 110-99. Chris Bosh had 25 points, while Andrea Bargnani posted 22 points and 12 rebounds...that's right folks, 12 rebounds for Ill Mago.

But I'm not here to write about the victory. I'm here to write about a more serious concern, and that is the play of PG Jose Calderon. In 31 minutes of action, Calderon put up a measly 9 points and 1 assists, which didn't come until late in the game. Ouch.

Calderon's season has been off to a very slow start, particularly at the defensive end. Play after play, Calderon gets burned by PG's. I can think of a handful of times last night when Rodney Stuckey, an average PG at best, blew by Jose Calderon for an easy lay in. Calderon's defense was a problem last year and the same concern is still prevalent.

On the other hand, Calderon's backup Jarrett Jack, had a terrific game. In 31 minutes (same as Calderon), Jack had 9 points, 6 assists, and actually played defense, which is something the Raptors aren't accustomed too.

But when asked if he was happy with his play, Calderon didn't hesitate.

"No. I could get better in what happens on the floor and (my) offence and defence have got to be much better,”

“It's only four games into the season right now,” he said. “I try to give my best but when we are winning it (his stat totals) doesn't matter. I have to practice to play my best basketball (but) we have guys who are playing really good so it's great.”

“A lot of that has maybe been due to the rust and the fact that this is the first time in his career he had that much time away from professional basketball,” said Raptors coach Jay Triano.

Excuses, excuses, excuses, right coach? I've heard it a million times--battered body, hasn't played in a while, he needs time, yada, yada, yada. I'm sick of it--I want results. And time isn't something the Raptors have on their side right now. Last I checked, Chris Bosh will be a free agent in 7 months, and if the Raptors have any shot of keeping him, they need to win. Now.

Last year, I made a bold prediction, stating I thought Jose Calderon would be a top PG in the East this season. Given the slow start, this may not be possible.

Granted, we are only 4 games into the year, and there's 78 more to go, but it's all about first impressions. And as of right now, I'm not too impressed with Jose Calderon.

Pistons at Raptors

The short handed Pistons will be heading north of the border tonight to face the Raptors at 7:00. With Richard Hamilton and Tayshaun Prince both sidelined, Ben Gordon scored 23 points while Rodney Stuckey and reserve Will Bynum each added 20 as Detroit, now 2-2, avoided a third straight loss with an 85-80 home win over Orlando on Tuesday. The Pistons will be looking for back-to-back wins and 5 straight victories over the Toronto Raptors.

The Raptors will be looking to end their 2 game losing streak, as they fell to Orlando on Sunday 125-116. Despite a monster game from Chris Bosh, the Raptors let the Magic score 51 points from 3 point land and allowed JJ Reddick to drop 27 points.

What To Watch For:

Although it's only 3 games, the Raptors defense looks to be a major concern. Luckily, the offensive game (led by Chris Bosh who is averaging 31 PPG) is allowing the team to stay in contention. But at the end of the day, it's all about defense.

Containing the "no names": Anyone else noticed that "not so good" players always have big games against the Raptors? JJ Reddick dropped 27 points on the Raptors' defense the other day, and Will Bynum will be coming off a big game. How will he perform tonight?

Stuckey vs. Calderon: Rodney Stuckey has always been looked at as an average PG. Given Calderon's poor ability to defend, will he get exposed yet again tonight? Which PG will have the better night?

Be sure to watch the Raptors at 7:00 on TSN2. Hopefully, the Raptors can get back to .500 tonight.

Week 1 Thoughts

NBA basketball is in full swing, as the Raptors have now played 3 games in the 2009-2010 season.

Let's start with Wednesday's game against Cleveland. The home opener. A new start. Everyone's excited about the season starting. Anthony Parker and Jamario Moon make their return to the ACC (which by the way, both got a huge applause). The Raptors played exceptional defense, en route to a 10 point victory. Chris Bosh and Andrea Bargnani had monsterous games, as CB posts 21 points and 16 boards, and Ill Mago put up 28 points. While LeBron had a triple double, the Raptors defended him well, as he was only able to score 23 points. Great start. Everything and everyone looked great. Raptors 1-0.

The Raptors then went on the road to face Memphis. Supposed to be an easy win, right? Think again. Raptor lose 115-107. Chris Bosh had another great game, posting 35 points and 12 boards. However, the Raptors couldn't contain Zach Randolph, has he scored 30 points.

Back to the ACC on Sunday, the Raptors faced the Orlando Magic. Vince Carter made his return to the Air Canada Centre with another team, but didn't play because of injury (ring a bell, Raptor fans?). Despite being without Vince Carter, Rashard Lewis, and Mickael Pietrus, the Magic won 125-116. Raptors close the week 1-2, losing 2 straight. Yikes.

Now, it may just be week 1, but the pro's and con's of the Raptors have definitely been exposed. To be positive, the offense seems unstoppable. The Raptors have posted over 100 points in all three of their contests thus far. Chris Bosh is putting up superstar numbers, as he's averaging 31 PPG and a shy under 15 RPG. Rookie DeMar DeRozan seems to finding his way. He's not playing the minutes I'd hope, but I like what I've seen so far. The bench is dramatically improved from last year--Jay Triano is rotating the bench guy's in nicely.

The obvious problem is the defense, in a major way. While the defense impressed me in game #1, these past 2 games have shown me the defense needs a ton of work. Jose Calderon's poor defense was exposed big time yesterday afternoon--Jameer Nelson dropped 30 points on the Spanish point gaurd, and made him look silly with some of the moves he was making. As a team, the Raptors let the Magic score 51 points from downtown yesterday, and let JJ Reddick drop 27 points. That's gotta be close to his career high. All in all, the perimeter defense looked awful, and was the big reason why the Raptors came out on the short end of the stick in yesterday's affair. Of course, the big issue coming into the season unlimited offense and a limited defense. That issue is definitely prevalent thus far.

In fact, the PG duo of Calderon and Jarrett Jack hasn't met my expectations. Jack's numbers are very low, and for a guy who was supposed to bring immediate defense, hasn't blown me away. While I'm happy with Calderon's assist numbers, he seems to be forgetting to shoot the ball. I'll be looking at the box score and see him with 5 points and 12 assists. He needs to remember he's got a good jump shot, and actually get involved in the offense.

Calderon missed 3 free throws in the 2008-2009 season--he's missed 4 so far.

Now, I realize we're 3 games into an 82 game season, and maybe I should calm down. But at the end of the day, the defense will determine the Raptors fate.

October 28, 2009: The Long Await Is Finally Here

Finally, the 6 month, 13 day wait is over. Finally, October 28th, 2009 has arrived. Finally, we get to see the rebuilt Toronto Raptors tip their 2009-2010 season off against the Cleveland Cavaliers. Finally, we get to see Hedo Turkoglu, Jarrett Jack, Marco Belinelli, and Antoine Wright make their Toronto Raptor debuts. Finally, Toronto Raptor basketball is back.

Finally.

I can't begin to describe how excited I am for tonight's game. I woke up this morning thinking to myself Toronto Raptor basketball will be here for the next 6+ months. Amazing.

I can't wait to see the player introductions. I can't wait to hear the excitement of the crowd just prior to tip off. I can't wait to see DeMar DeRozan dunk for the first time. I can't wait to see how many pounds Chris Bosh actually gained this off-season. Hell, I can't wait to see LeBron James do his pre-game ritual when he throws the rosin in the air.

And to be perfectly honest, I like the fact that we (yes, we) open the season against the Cavs. Yes, it's a long 82 game season, but it's all about first impressions--will the Raptors be able to contend with the elite teams in the East? Well, tonight we'll get our first glimpse.

A few thoughts:

How will Toronto be able to contend with The King? He dropped 38 on the well defensive Boston Celtics team. How many will he drop on the Raptors tonight? Whose going to step up?

Anthony Parker & Jamario Moon return to the ACC tonight. What's the crowd's reception going to be like? Boos? Cheers? I predict cheers for both players, but it will definitely be interesting to see what happens.

Remember when Shaquille O'Neal called Chris Bosh the "RuPaul of big men" last year? Although Chris says it's water under the bridge, we all know it's not. Bosh wants revenge. He'll get a chance at it tonight.

I'm assuming newcomer DeMar DeRozan will be guarding LeBron James tonight. In other words, a rookie will be defending last year's MVP. How's this going to work? Antoine Wright is finally healthy, and has proven to be a good defender in the NBA. Don't be surprised if Antoine, although coming off the bench, sees the floor more tonight than DeMar.

When it's all said and done, I believe the Cavs will come out victorious. But I also predicted that the Cavs would win last night against Boston, so who am I to predict?

But frankly, it's not a big deal if we lose tonight--there's 82 game in a season! I'm just glad the NBA season is now in full swing, and Raptor basketball has returned.

Get ready, folks. Let the games begin.

Top 5 Things To Watch For In 2009-2010: #1

#1: Defense

I could write about the Raptors' defensive disasters for days. What adjectives can be used to sum up the defense in 2008-2009? Jose Calderon's poor defensive was exposed big-time last year, and didn't help that a bum hamstring limited his quickness.

The Raptors averaged giving up 101.9 PPG, and the defensive efficiency was at a ridiculously high 110. Terrible numbers. Just terrible. Defense alone caused the Raptors go to 33-49 last year.

Yes, Bryan Colangelo brought in some help this off-season, but mostly offensive orientated players. It sounds like a lot of offense, but no defense whatsoever. It's hard to win in the NBA when you're giving up the same amount of points you just scored on offense. So all in all, I'm just as concerned this year. And it doesn't help I had a rude awakening when I watched the "olé defense" in the pre-season.

And this is the big reason why many ESPN panelists don't have the Raptors making the playoffs this year. While I disagree, I see the point they're making. I wouldn't be surprised to see a few final scores be 140-138.

If anyone watched the Finals last year, it was obvious how bad Hedo Turkoglu's defense was. Yes, he's clutch, and yes he can score at will--but he can't play a lick of defense. You know why Marco Belinelli rode the pine last year in Golden State? He can't play defense.

To be positive, Jose Calderon is 100% healthy, so expect to his quickness return. Chris Bosh has gained weight, so he'll be finally be able to contend with the Dwight Howard's in the NBA.

But when it's all said and done, defense is what it comes down to. Whoever said "defense wins championships" was 100% on the money. If the Raptors can't play defense in 2009-2010, us fans can kiss the playoffs goodbye once again.

Keep your fingers crossed.

Top 5 Things To Watch For In 2009-2010: #2

#2: The Bench

The 6th man. The under-appreciated guys. The guys who may not be as good as the starters, but can still fill a roll nicely. The bench.

One of the big reasons why the Raptors underachieved in 2008-2009 was largely due to a thin bench. Jason Kapono and Joey Graham couldn't do it all.

Bryan Colangelo realized this; so what'd he do? He signed Jarrett Jack and Rasho Nesterovic, and traded for guys like Marco Belinelli, Antoine Wright and Amir Johnson. Talk about a revolution.

Although I'm happy with the new and improved bench, I have my doubts. It sounds like a ton of offense but not a lick of defense. Rasho, while he brings athleticism to the backup big man position, has a limited defensive game. It's overrated. Marco Belinelli didn't play much in Golden State, something that was thought to be a questionable decesion by head coach Don Nelson. Will Belinelli prove him wrong?

But at the end of the day, the bench will arguably shape the success of the Raptors this upcoming year. A solid starting rotation, coupled with a good bench, and the Raptors off-season moves could actually be a success.

Kudos, Bryan Colangelo.