Friday October 31 2008 – 10:15pm Eastern

Warriors @ Raptors 

Final Score: 
112-108 (OT), Toronto 

“Smith and Jones” Player of the Game:
- JOSE CALDERON 
16 points
13 assists
1 turnover
5 rebounds
43:00 minutes played (team high)

“Alice Fazoolis” Player of the Game:
- CHRIS BOSH
31 points
9 rebounds
12/24 FG   

Shout-out to the opposition:
- AL HARRINGTON
26 points
11 rebounds 

Stats that stood out:
- 46-36, Golden State out-rebounds Toronto
- Toronto scores 26 points off 19 Golden State turnovers
- Andris Biedrins:  17 points and 13 rebounds (5 on the offensive glass) 
- Anthony Parker:  23 points (7/10 FG (3/5 from 3PT) 6/6 FT)

Thumbs Up:
Defense.  Toronto had 9 steals and 9 blocks; holding Golden State to under 45% from the field. 

Thumbs Down:
Offensive Rebounding (17-6 Golden State) 

Smith says:
“On a night where Jermaine O’Neal didn’t really get it going on offense, Andrea Bargnani picked him up off the bench.  Bargnani’s 19 points helped stretch out Golden State’s D.  Bargs chipped in on the defensive end as well, with 3 blocked shots.  The 3RD year big man sure made up for his sub-par performance on opening night in Philly.” 

Jones Says:
“Terrific defensive effort by the Raptors – particularly late in the 4TH quarter and overtime.  When they couldn’t score, Toronto’s defense kept them in the game.”

“V-Tech” 3-In-To-Win Give-Away:
The Raptors were 6/12 from 3PT range 

Next game:
Saturday November 1 2008 – Toronto @ Milwaukee. 
- Tune in at 8:00pm for the pre game show, and the “Pizza Pizza” starting line ups just after 8:30pm

E. Smith

Friday October 31 2008 – 6:10pm Eastern

I don’t know what went wrong with the blog today, but I couldn’t access the website that I use to write/submit my stuff.  Sorry.  But my hands we’re tied folks.

We’re less than an hour from game-time … I’m sitting courtside at the ACC … and I figured I’d take 5-10 minutes to check-in.  Better late than never. 

I’m looking out Chris Bosh and checking out his new kicks.  If you haven’t heard, Bosh finally has his own shoe.  The “CB4 Nike Hyperdunk”.  It was unveiled this week and hit stores yesterday.

“I’m very honoured and humbled to have a signature apparel line that reflects my easy going and laid back attitude off the court,” said Bosh in a press release sent out by Nike.  “It’s great to see that the Nike Hyperdunk that I’ve been wearing on court will have my CB4 logo on the shoe. The Nike Hyperdunk is extremely lightweight, strong and responsive to give me a real advantage on court.”

The shoes come in black/red and white/red. But it’s not just the shoes that Bosh will be sportin’.  The 3-time All Star now has a Nike apparel line as well, featuring t-shirts, hoodies, and shorts. 

TONIGHT’S GAME

Hassan Adams (shoulder) and Will Solomon (hamstring) will dress for tonight’s game against the Golden State Warriors.  There’s no word if they’ll play or not … but they will dress. 

There’s still no update on Nathan Jawai (heart). 

E. Smith

Thursday October 30 2008 – 1:50pm Eastern

HOOPS

The “Hoops” show will not be airing on the FAN tonight.  Our first episode of the year has been delayed until next week due to conflicts with the Toronto Argos broadcast.

This will be the last Argos game of the season, so there should be no issues with “Hoops” going forward.  We’ll be on every Thursday (me, Jack Armstrong, Paul Jones).

Unfortunately, for next week’s show … Jonesy and I will be n/a.  We’ll be in Atlanta getting set for the Raptors and Hawks on Friday night.  So Paul Johnson and Sherman Hamilton will take over the hosting duties that night (Nov. 6).

THE VLOG

More house-cleaning …

It looks like reaction was pretty positive to the “vlog” that Jonesy and I submitted from Philly yesterday.  So, we’re going to try it again on Saturday in Milwaukee.

I don’t know if we’ll be able to do the video entries for HOME games … and here’s why:

We both arrive at the ACC about 2 hours before tip (5:00pm for 7:00pm games).  IF we can find a quiet corner in the arena; IF we can find a way to prop up the digital camera; and IF we record our segment ASAP … it still wouldn’t get posted on the FAN website until 5:30pm or later.  Probably closer to 6:00pm.  Thus, why bother sending something with just an hour to go until tip off? 

However, on the road, we can normally hook up earlier in the day – around Noon or 1:00pm; when we get back from the game-day shoot-around.  So we can post stuff to the FAN web guys by 2:00pm or 3:00pm.  That’s sometimes 4-5 hours before tip.  That makes a lot more sense!

I suppose I could do solo vlogs on days like today – but I’m not sure they’d be as entertaining for you folks … as having Jonesy and I together bouncing around our thoughts and ideas.

THE PHILLY WIN

Reaction today from guys like Chris Bosh, Jermaine O’Neal, and Sam Mitchell was very positive RE: last night’s win.  While they all admitted that the rebounding was terrible, they also noted (and I agree) that the team had a strong defensive showing; holding Philly to about 35% from the field … and under 85 points as well. 

Mitchell even praised Jason Kapono – not known for his D – for a very solid effort against the likes of Willie Green and Lou Williams.  Mitchell said it was Kapono’s D that kept him on the floor … not his offense (Note:  He scored 15 off the bench; 10 of those 15 coming in the 4TH quarter).  Mitchell said he used Kapono as an example to the rest of the team after the game:  (paraphrasing) “Work hard like JK, and you’ll see the floor”

REBOUNDING

There’s no denying that last night’s 56-33 advantage on the glass for Philly was UGLY. 

But Jermaine O’Neal made a great point tonight. 

People can’t just blame Toronto’s “bigs” for the rebounding woes.  O’Neal said the Raptors must get more of a contribution from their guards and wing players. 

Look at last night:

O’Neal and Bosh combined for 19 rebounds … the rest of the TEAM had 14 total.  In fact, Parker and Moon both had only 1 rebound a piece … while Graham and Kapono added 2 each.  That has got to improve.

E. Smith

Wednesday October 29 2008 – 11:55pm Eastern

Raptors @ Sixers 

Final Score: 
95-84, Toronto 

“Smith and Jones” Player of the Game:
- CHRIS BOSH 
27 points
11 rebounds
4 assists
9/16 FG
9/10 FT 

“Alice Fazoolis” Player of the Game:
- JERMAINE O’NEAL
17 points
8 rebounds
4 assists
7/15 FG   

Shout-out to the opposition:
- ELTON BRAND
14 points
13 rebounds 

Stats that stood out:
- 56-33, Philly out-rebounds Toronto
- Toronto scores 26 points off 18 Philly turnovers
- Samuel Dalembert:  17 rebounds (9 on the offensive glass) 

Thumbs Up:
Toronto commits only 10 turnovers 

Thumbs Down:
Rebounding 

Smith says:
“While the rebounding was a major issue in this game, Toronto’s defense was outstanding.  The Raps held Philly to under 35% from the field and after their slow start in the 1^ST they out-scored the Sixers in the 2^ND, 3^RD, and 4^TH quarters.” 

Jones Says:
“Great work by the Raptors bench.  Roko Ukic gave Toronto just what they needed; 15 solid minutes, a couple of buckets, a couple of assists and no turnovers.  Joey Graham brought good energy and Jason Kapono scored 10 of his 15 points in the 4^TH quarter – playing the entire 4^TH quarter as well.” 

“V-Tech” 3-In-To-Win Give-Away:
The Raptors were 10/16 from 3PT range 

Next game:
Friday October 31 2008 – Golden State @ Toronto. 
- Tune in at 7:00pm for the “Pizza Pizza” starting line ups 

E. Smith

Wednesday October 29 2008 – 4:25pm Eastern

Alright, we’re trying something new here folks.  Jonesy and I were bouncing around some ideas earlier today and we thought … “Why not try doing some video blogs / video previews for the FAN website with one of our digitals cameras” …

So, we gave it a shot.  Admittedly, the audio isn’t the greatest.  But we don’t think this is much worse than half the stuff that’s out there on YouTube, etc.

If you like this; if it proves to be of value and interest … we’ll do it again.  If not, we’ll scrap it. 

It’s worth a shot, right?

So check the link in the “Media Gallery” section of this website for our Raptors-Sixers preview. 

Or simply check this link:  http://www.fan590.com/media/media.jsp?content=20081029_161126_23984

(We wanted to post this around 2:30pm but we ran into some glitches.  IF we do this again, the upload will be quicker and we’ll be prompt and on-time with this stuff)

E. Smith

WEDNESDAY OCTOBER 29 2008 – 1:15PM EASTERN

BANGED UP

WILL SOLOMON AND HASSAN ADAMS DID NOT TRAVEL WITH THE TEAM TO PHILLY … OUT WITH INJURIES. 

SOLOMON IS DEALING WITH A NAGGING HAMSTRING INJURIES, WHILE ADAMS HAS BEEN SIDELINED WITH A SHOULDER INJURY.

BOTH GUYS ARE BACK IN TORONTO … GETTING REHAB AND WORKING WITH THE TRAINERS.

OF COURSE, NATHAN JAWAI IS STILL OUT WITH HIS HEART ISSUE (THOUGH HE IS WITH THE TEAM IN PHILLY).  SO TORONTO HAS 10 HEALTHY BODIES TONIGHT …

STARTING:

JOSE CALDERON
ANTHONY PARKER
JAMARIO MOON
CHRIS BOSH
JERMAINE O’NEAL

AND THE BENCH CONSISTING OF: 

ROKO UKIC
JASON KAPONO
JOEY GRAHAM
ANDREA BARGNANI
KRIS HUMPHRIES

TAXES

DID ANYBODY CATCH CHRIS BOSH ON NBA TV LAST NIGHT?

WELL, TO BE HONEST, YOU DIDN’T MISS MUCH … CONSIDERING GARY PAYTON AND CHRIS WEBBER DIDN’T REALLY ASK BOSH ANY *QUESTIONS* … THEY SIMPLY MADE *STATEMENTS* TO BOSH FOR 85% OF THE INTERVIEW (PAYTON ESPECIALLY … WHO LIKED TO TALK ABOUT … HIMSELF!)

BUT AT THE VERY END OF THE INTERVIEW, WEBBER FLIPPANTLY THREW THIS OUT TO BOSH:

“YOU TWO (BOSH AND O’NEAL) ARE GONNA BE A REAL BAD POWERHOUSE DOWN THERE IN TORONTO.  SORRY THEY’RE TAKING ALL OF YOUR TAXES THOUGH.”

IT WAS AN IGNORANT COMMENT BY WEBBER. 

PLAYERS – OR FORMER PLAYERS IN THIS CASE – *STILL* DON’T UNDERSTAND THE TAX SITUATION IN TORONTO.  THEY DON’T REALIZE THAT IT’S NO WORSE THAN MOST MARKETS IN THE NBA.  ASIDE FROM  SOME PLACES – LIKE FLORIDA, WHERE THE TAXES ARE LIIIIIGHT – THERE’S NOT MUCH OF A DIFFERENCE BEING IN TORONTO vs BOSTON (FOR EXAMPLE). 

PLUS, I HAVE NO DOUBT THAT A TOP-NOTCH ACCOUNTANT — WHICH ANY SMART NBA’er WOULD HAVE — WOULD MANAGE THE MONEY AND THE FINANCES PROPERLY … SO THE PLAYER WASN’T GETTING DINGED FOR MORE IN TORONTO.

AND, ON TOP OF THAT, MAKING AMERICAN DOLLARS AND SPENDING CANADIAN MONEY GIVES YOU A FINANCIAL BUMP ANYWAY – ESPECIALLY NOW THAT THE DOLLAR ISN’T AT PAR ANYMORE, AND IT HAS PLUMMETED TO BELOW .80 CENTS AGAIN!

JONESY CHATTED WITH BOSH AT SHOOT-AROUND THIS MORNING, AND YOU’LL HEAR THEIR CHAT DURING OUR HALFTIME SHOW TONIGHT ON THE FAN.  BUT HERE’S A PORTION OF THAT INTERVIEW, WITH BOSH ADDRESSING WEBBER’S QUESTION FROM LAST NIGHT:
[audio:http://qml.quiettouch.com/files/radio/blog/JonesBoshTaxes.mp3]

THIS IS AN ISSUE THAT THE RAPTORS – AND EVEN THE NBA – HAS TO ADDRESS.  AND THE AGENTS TOO! PLAYERS (OR FORMER PLAYERS) CANNOT CONTINUE TO BELIEVE – AND FEED – THIS MISCONCEPTION ABOUT TORONTO!  IT COULD HAVE AN IMPACT ON ATTRACTING FREE AGENTS, ETC. IF THIS MISINFORMED NOTION IS STILL OUT THERE FOR SOME AROUND THE LEAGUE.

E. SMITH

Wednesday October 29 2008 – 12:10pm Eastern

I just got back from shoot-around and I’m busy cutting up some clips for the FAN sportscasts, etc.  So I’ll check-in with a little bit more on the blog in about 30-60 minutes. 

But for now … I can tell you … Jamario Moon will start at the 3 tonight for the Raptors.

There’s been a lot of talk about whether Moon would keep that role or if he’d be replaced by Joey Graham.  But Sam Mitchell confirmed this morning that Moon will be the man … alongside Chris Bosh, Jose Calderon, Anthony Parker, and Jermaine O’Neal.

E. Smith

Tuesday October 28 2008 – 12:25pm Eastern

I’m heading to the airport in about an hour; ready to fly to Philly for game 1 of the 2008-09 tomorrow night.

But before I leave, I wanted to check in with the latest blog.  And this one offers up a bit of a blast from the past.

Did you know that in the history of the Raptors franchise, the team has begun the season with a different starting line EVERY single year?

Check it out:

Oct. 29, 2008 – Jose Calderon, Anthony Parker, __________?, Chris Bosh, Jermaine O’Neal
Oct. 31, 2007 - T.J. Ford, Anthony Parker, Jason Kapono, Chris Bosh, Andrea Bargnani
Nov. 1, 2006 – T.J. Ford, Anthony Parker, Morris Peterson, Chris Bosh, Rasho Nesterovic
Nov. 2, 2005 – Mike James, Jalen Rose, Joey Graham, Chris Bosh, Loren Woods
Nov. 3, 2004 – Rafer Alston, Jalen Rose, Vince Carter, Chris Bosh, Loren Woods
Oct. 29, 2003 – Alvin Williams, Vince Carter, Michael Curry, Jerome Williams, Antonio Davis
Oct. 30, 2002 – Alvin Williams, Vince Carter, Morris Peterson, Jelani McCoy, Antonio Davis
Oct. 30, 2001 – Alvin Williams, Vince Carter, Morris Peterson, Antonio Davis, Hakeem Olajuwon
Oct. 31, 2000 – Mark Jackson Vince Carter, Charles Oakley, Corliss Williamson, Antonio Davis
Nov. 2, 1999 – Alvin Williams, Doug Christie, Vince Carter, Charles Oakley, Antonio Davis
Feb. 5, 1999 – Alvin Williams, Doug Christie, Vince Carter, Charles Oakley, Kevin Willis
Oct. 31, 1997 – Damon Stoudamire Doug Christie, Walt Williams, Marcus Camby, Zan Tabak
Nov. 1, 1996 – Damon Stoudamire, Doug Christie, Walt Williams, Popeye Jones, Zan Tabak
Nov. 3, 1995 – Damon Stoudamire, Alvin Robertson, Carlos Rogers, Ed Pinckney, Zan Tabak

MORE FROM THE PAST

Vince Carter, Antonio Davis, and Chris Bosh have become All Stars while wearing the Raptors uniform.  But Jermaine O’Neal isn’t the only former All Star to join this team. 

Monday October 27 2008 – 4:25pm Eastern

This shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone out there … but as you heard first on the FAN earlier today, the Raptors have exercised their 4TH-year option on forward Andrea Bargnani.

Check out the press release sent out by the Raps Media Relations Department:

“The Toronto Raptors announced Monday they have exercised the fourth year team option on the Rookie Scale Contract of forward Andrea Bargnani. Bargnani is now guaranteed through the 2009-10 season. In accordance with the league’s collective bargaining agreement, the Raptors had until October 31to exercise their option on Bargnani. Per team policy, financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Bargnani was selected by Toronto with the first overall pick in the 2006 NBA Draft.  He has averaged 10.8 points and 3.8 rebounds in 143 regular season games. He’s shot .832 (259-311) from the charity stripe in his two seasons with the club. He scored a career-high 28 points versus the Los Angeles Lakers on February 1, 2008 and grabbed a personal-best 11 rebounds on two occasions (November 11, 2007 versus Memphis and February 24, 2007 at Charlotte ). 

The 7-foot, 260 pounder was named to the 2007 NBA All-Rookie First Team, and participated in the T-Mobile Rookie-Sophomore Challenge during the 2007 and 2008 All-Star Weekend.”

DOUBLE DRIBBLE

It’s back.  Yeah, this is another shameless plug … but … hey … this is MY blog!

Jonesy and I are back for our 6TH season on ”Double Dribble” on Raptors TV. 

Unfortunately, due to travel conflicts, we are going to miss a number of episodes / tapings this year … but … we’re excited for another run on the show nonetheless.

“Double Dribble” airs Mondays on Raptors TV at 5:00pm Eastern and then again on Tuesdays at 2:00pm Eastern. 

TICKETS FOR FRIDAY NIGHT?

I mentioned this in my blog on Raptors.com, but I wanted to throw it in here as well.

If you’re still searching for tickets for Friday’s home opener against the Warriors, you may be in luck.

You’ll want to check out this link:

http://auctions.nba.com/cgi-bin/ncommerce3/ProductDisplay?prrfnbr=99155631&prmenbr=51136034&aunbr=99502341

Season seat holders Jawad and Sharon Rathore have GENEROUSLY donated this package, which includes:

- Limo service to and from Air Canada Centre – pick up and drop off location must be less than 50km from Air Canada Centre – value $200
- Dinner at Jacobs & Co. Steakhouse (12 Brant St., Toronto – King and Brant) – value $200 (gift certificate)
- Two (2) tickets to the Raptors home opener on October 31, 2008 – section 110, row 19, seats 17 & 18 – value $408
- Two (2) Raptors prize packs including an autographed item in each – value $150

The total value of the package is just shy of $1000!

This auction is unique because it’s a draw-type auction.  For every $25 donation to the Raptors Foundation for Kids that you make, you’ll receive one entry for a chance to win the package.  All donations are tax receiptable.  i.e. if you donation 3 x $25 then you get 3 entries into the draw. 

Again, check out that link … and good luck!  Remember, all of the proceeds are going to the Raptors Foundation, it’s for a great cause!

E. Smith

And as I told you last night, the folks at RaptorsRepublic.com are giving away two tickets to the home opener as well.  Check out this link for all of the details:

http://raptorsrepublic.com/blog/2008/10/24/win-tickets-to-the-home-opener-in-a-random-contest/

Monday October 27 2008 – 1:20pm Eastern 

There has been a lot of talk about the depth – or lack there of – of the Toronto Raptors.  While I’ll be the first to admit that the roster is a little thinner than it was last season, I’m not convinced that there’s much of an issue here.

Who left town (via free agency or trade) during the off-season? 

TJ Ford, Rasho Nesterovic, Maceo Baston, Carlos Delfino, Darrick Martin, Primoz Brezec, and Jorge Garbajosa.

That’s nearly half of the roster from 2007-2008 season.  But let’s break it down a little further …

With all due respect to these players, the impact of the loss of Garbajosa, Brezec, Martin, and Baston will be minimal. 

Brezec didn’t add a ton to the Raps after coming over from Detroit in the Juan Dixon deal.  He couldn’t stay out of foul trouble and didn’t really pan out in his brief stint in Toronto. 

Martin was used sparingly.  Beyond sparingly.  He was more of a coach than anything else – especially late in the season when he wasn’t actually on the roster.  He’s a great guy – and, I believe, a future head coach in the league.  But his actual on-court play won’t be missed.

Ditto for Baston.  Despite signing as a free agent — with high hopes coming from Bryan Colangelo and the coaching staff — Baston simply couldn’t find the floor on a regular basis.  Whether it was his performance in practice or during his few appearances in games … Baston couldn’t crack the rotation ahead of Chris Bosh, Nesterovic, Andrea Bargnani, or Kris Humphries.

Garbajosa is the tough one.  Two years ago, he was the starting small forward for this team.  He was – on many nights – the heart and soul for the Raps.  And he is/was EXACTLY what the Raptors needed in that playoff series against the New Jersey Nets.  I think he could have made a huge difference.  However, after the gruesome injury in Boston, Garbo was never the same player.  Despite his hard work and his progress in his battle, he still battled that injury, other surgeries, and a number of issues last season.  That forced him to appear in only 7 games last season.  Thus, the Raptors got used to playing without Garbo.  For argument sake, it’s like he wasn’t really on the team last year;  most knew he wasn’t going to see the floor at any point.

So that leaves us with Ford, Nesterovic, and Delfino.

Delfino’s loss could be big.  He played some solid minutes for the Raptors last season, and he was – at times - Toronto’s best defender.  But his presence and play … along with a log-jam at SG / SF (Jamario Moon, Jason Kapono, Anthony Parker) forced a guy like Joey Graham into the shadows.  Injuries didn’t help Graham either. 

Some may say that Graham’s play in practice could have / should have earned him a shot … and the fact that he WASN’T playing, may have been an indication that he wasn’t doing enough to earn that shot.  And that’s a fair comment.  Sam Mitchell often says that players dictate their minutes, not the coach.  But sometimes that is easier said than done.  Kapono was going to play;  he was the big free agent signing last summer.  Parker and Moon were your starters; they’re not going to suddenly see a drastic cut in their minutes.  Delfino saw the opening … and ran with it.  And he obviously earned the trust of the coaches, etc.

But if you break down his numbers, I think there’s a strong case to be made for Graham being able to match was Delfino did.  There’s no denying how good the Argentinian was at times but here are his 2007-08 stats:

9.0 PPG
4.4 REB
1.8 ASST
0.8 STL
39.7 FG%
74.4 FT%
23.5 MIN

Delfino was also very durable.  He played in all 82 – which is outstanding. 

But while we’d ALL agree – probably Joey himself as well – that Graham hasn’t lived up to his potential yet, I think Graham has a chance to match those numbers that Delfino put up.

Graham battled injuries and DNP’s last year … resulting in him appearing in only 38 games.  However, in his first two season, Joey-G played in 80 and 79 games respectively.  And through those two seasons he averaged about 6.5 PPG and 3.1 REB in less than 20 minutes of action.  He shot around 49% from the field … and about 82.5% from the FT line as well.

Given that Graham may actually START – and not come off the bench (like Delfino did) – am I crazy to think that Graham can match Delfino’s 2007-08 totals?  At the very least … if Graham is given 20-22 minutes … could he not … at the very least … give the Raps 8 points, 4 boards, and shoot 42-45%? 

I think he can.  He’ll just have to bring the D as well.

Nesterovic was a solid vet for this team.  He wasn’t flashy, but he was steady.  You always knew what you were going to get from Rasho.  And he was a stable, experienced presence on the defensive end.  Off the floor, he was one of the great guys as well. 

But the big Slovenian is being replaced by a 6-time All Star.  Even if O’Neal sees a dip in his numbers, he should still bring more to this team – by his presence and his past if nothing else – than Rasho did.  I think it would be foolish for anyone to think that this team isn’t better with O’Neal as opposed to Nesterovic.

Plus, Bargnani will now be asked to do more.  And if the pre-season is any indication, he’s ready to step up.  Hump will see more time too.

The only gap on this roster – and it’s a big one – comes at the point guard position.  This is the only area where I believe people have a right to be concerned about the “depth”.  As I’ve pointed out already, I don’t think the depth is an issue for 99% of this team.  People are freaking out too much about this stuff.  But when it comes to the point, skeptics are justified.

The Raptors went from having – arguably – the best 1-2 punch in the NBA at the point … with Jose Calderon and TJ Ford.  But when Ford was dealt to Indiana, the reigns of this team were handed over to Jose.

Calderon is more than capable of handling the load; he’ll be a solid starter for years to come for T.O.  But that move (TJ to Indy) forced Colangelo to address the back-up situation — so Roko Ukic was finally brought over to North America.  And Will Solomon was signed as well.

Solomon is currently dealing with a hamstring injury and there’s a good shot that he won’t be ready by the time Wednesday night rolls around.  But even if he was in top shape, there’d still be some questions about how effective he can be as the primary back-up … at least in the short term.  It’s probably going to take Solomon a while to get used to that position.  He was a scorer in Turkey; he hasn’t played that role of that pass-first guy in quite some time.  There will be a growth period for him — maybe ’til Christmas?? — before he’s totally comfortable with that role.

Ukic is like any young guard;  he’ll have his ups and downs during his rookie season.  And he’s a young guard coming over from Europe.  That may make the transition even tougher.  Just think about Calderon’s rookie season and how he struggled.  It’s not a stretch to expect a similar path for Ukic.  It’s only natural. 

Keeping Ford and Calderon probably wasn’t an option — and many of the fans were sure calling for it!  But the “1A and 1B” strength that Toronto had last season is gone.  And if Calderon goes down for any extended period of time – like TJ did last year – the Raps could struggle. 

That’s why the point is the one spot where the depth COULD take some bite out of the Raptors.  Time will tell.

But, overall, I still think there are too many Chicken Littles out there.

E. Smith