Tuesday March 31 2009 – 11:40am Eastern (Toronto, ON)

This decision is still 3+ months away.  But I thought I’d take an early look …

Depending on what Toronto does with Anthony Parker, Joey Graham, Carlos Delfino, and more; and depending on how things play out with the NBA’s B.R.I. (Basketball Related Income) – which helps determine the cap and tax number – Bryan Colangelo and the Raptors should have around $10 million to spend in free agency this summer (give or take). 

The most glaring need for the Raptors would seem to be the 2-3 (SG/SF).  The team needs another legit scorer and they need to address their defence as well (hopefully with the same player) — someone who can guard the likes of Kobe, LeBron, Wade, and more.

Yes, there’s a decision that needs to be made RE: Chris Bosh.  And if he is traded, you may be able to address the 2-3 via that deal. 

Yes, there’s a draft coming up in June that could help with this decision as well. 

And, yes, there’s a CHANCE that any player (Jose Calderon, Andrea Bargnani) could be moved … but I think it’s a safe bet to assume that this team – at the very least – is set at the point (Calderon) and up front (Bargnani) at the very least.  But after that, there are holes at SG (Anthony Parker – free agent) and SF (Shawn Marion – free agent).  And, again, Bosh may be a question mark.

So based on that, let’s take a look at some of the SG’s and/or SF’s that are available on the open market this summer and who may be a fit for the 2009-10 Toronto Raptors:  

Ron Artest – Defence, grit, attitude.  But the right fit in the locker room?  And is he enough of a scorer?

Ben Gordon – Can he defend or is he just a scorer and that’s that?  And is a shot-happy 2-guard a good fit with Andrea Bargnani (whether Chris Bosh is still around or not)?

Wally Szczerbiak – He is a former All Star but at this point of his career he seems like the perfect fit as a second-unit guy, not someone you’d rely on for 35+ minutes per night and 18-20+ points every night.  

Allen Iverson - Depending on the length, this MAY be Iverson’s last contract.  He is one of the greatest scorers in the history of the game but I don’t know that he’ll be making his next destination north of the border.  And at this point, I don’t know if he has the overall package (factoring-in age too) that the Raps would be looking for.  

Marquis Daniels (*team option) - Some of his personality issues that were called into question in Dallas seem to have been cleared up in Indy.  He’s long and he can defend but can he take his offence to that next level if he were more of a focal point?  

Trevor Ariza – Much like Daniels, the biggest question may be if he can raise his offensive game on a consistent basis.  Right now, he seems to be doing so in LA – since moving into the Lakers’ starting line up.  There’s no doubt that he has the athleticism and D.  

Jamario Moon – Personally, selfishly, I’d love to see Jamario back in Toronto one day, but he is not going to be brought back as a marquee signing to start at the 2 or 3.  It’s just not happening – nor should it.

Keith Bogans – A solid veteran that would be a good second-unit guy, but he’s not the answer to your issues if you’re looking at him for the starting 5.

Desmond Mason – Coming off a major injury, I’d be very hesitant.  He’s a GREAT guy and he’s shown the ability to fill it up in the past, but is his game on the decline - especially with the injuries?  That’s a fair question, no doubt.  

Hedo Turkoglu (*player option) – Alright, he’s not a 2-3.  He’s a 3-4.  But he can handle the ball as well – even play a little point-forward.  His overall game is solid but you’ve got to wonder how the offence would work with another big that likes the jumper more than he likes the post.  Whether it’s Bosh-Turkoglu-Bargnani or just Turkoglu-Bargnani … I don’t know if the pieces match.  Plus, I don’t see Orlando letting him walk anyway.

Grant Hill – He’s a future Hall of Famer in my eyes, but at this point in his career, he’s simply not the answer for T.O.

Matt Barnes – He’s a piece to the puzzle … but I don’t see him being the kind of guy that could elevate his game to the level that the Raps would need/want on a nightly basis.  

Shawn Marion – You’re already seeing him get a 30-game tryout with the Raptors.  He seems to have an endless amount of energy and he addresses your need for a quality defender and rebounder.  He’s shown some grit as well and whether it’s been ‘good’ or not, he has shown a willingness to be a voice in the locker room too.  The question is though – can he create his own shot or does he rely on others too much?  But Marion – in my eyes – would have been a guy Toronto looked at in free agency even if they hadn’t already traded for him.

It should be interesting to see how it all plays out in the next few months.  But if the decision were mine, in no particular order, the 5 guys I’d be looking at the most would be:  Artest, Gordon, Marion, Daniels, and Ariza.

And keep in mind, if you have about $10 million … there’s a VERY good chance (especially given today’s economic climate) that you’ll be signing any one of these guys for $5-$7 million … so there should be money left to spend on other complimentary pieces as well.

Off to Orlando shortly.

Talk to ya tomorrow – when the VLOG finally returns!

E. Smith

Monday March 30 2009 – 6:35pm Eastern (Toronto, ON)

Why didn’t I check in before now?

There is/was nothing to say.

The Raptors did not practice today — a rare day off.  With a couple of days until their next game (Wednesday @ Orlando), head coach Jay Triano decided to give the guys a day away from the gym.  Toronto will be back on the floor tomorrow before flying to Florida mid-afternoon.

So, in place of any Raptor news, I give you this …

In a word …

Funny?
Disturbing?
Inspiring?
Disgusting?

Either way, it may be the definition of “March MADNESS” at its best.

E. Smith

Sunday March 29 2009 – 7:11pm Eastern (Toronto, ON)

Bulls @ Raptors

Final Score:
134-129 (OT), Raptors

“Alice Fazoolis” Player of the Game:
JOSE CALDERON
22 points
19 assists
3 steals
8/11 FG

“Smith and Jones” Player of the Game:
- CHRIS BOSH
31 points
15 rebounds
2 assists
10/21 FG
11/11 FT

Shout-out to the Bulls:
- BEN GORDON
37 points
9 assists
3 rebounds
15/26 FG

Stats that stood out:
- Raptors out-rebound the Bulls 42-32
- Balanced attack for T.O. … 5 players in double figures:
Bosh - 31
Shawn Marion - 16
Pops Mensah-Bonsu - 13
Andrea Bargnani - 28
Calderon – 22
- Toronto led by a game-high 18 points with 10:07 to go in the 4TH but they coughed-up the lead and saw Gordon tie the game at the buzzer and send it to overtime
- The Raps were out-scored in the 4TH quarter 42-29
- Calderon sets a new career high with those 19 assists
- Calderon ties a franchise high with those 19 assists (*tied with Damon Stoudamire)
- The Raptors set a new franchise high for points in a game with 134

Thumbs Up:
- After falling down 4-0 in overtime — and seeing the Bulls carry momentum into OT — Toronto stormed back to take the lead and ice the game, 134-129 (out-scoring Chicago 15-10 in overtime)

Thumbs Down:
- Coughing up the 18-point lead with 10:07 to go in the 4TH.  That was brutal.  On top of that, Chicago didn’t take its first lead of the ball game until overtime.

Smith says:
- “As Gorilla Monsoon might have said:  ‘What intestinal fortitude by the Raps in the OT comeback.”

Jones says:
- “

“V-Tech” 3-In-To-Win Give-Away:
The Raptors were 6 of 13 from 3PT range

Next game:
- Raptors @ Magic
– Wednesday April 1 2009
- Tune in at just after 7:00pm Eastern for the “Pizza Pizza” starting line ups

E. Smith

Missed the post-game show? You can listen to it here:

[audio:http://qml.quiettouch.com/files/radio/fan590/hotaudio/rapspostgame-fan-20090329.mp3]

Sunday March 29 2009 – 2:30pm Eastern (Toronto, ON)

Lindsey Hunter will miss today’s ball game for the Bulls — out with flu-like symptoms.

Hunter will officially be listed as “active” but he will not play.

That’s another body on the scrap heap for Chicago … a team that is already down to about 7 healthy bodies.  Other than Kirk Hinrich and Brad Miller, there’s really not much coming off the bench for Chicago.  Vinny Del Negro has pretty much been rolling with a 7-man rotation these days.

“Inactive” for Chicago today:
- Luol Deng (right shin contusion)
- Jerome James (ruptured right achilles)

“Inactive” for Toronto today:
- Kris Humphries (fractured right fibula)
- Marcus Banks (toe)
- Nathan Jawai

Jonesy and I are on the air with the pre game show in about 35 minutes … and we’ll have interviews with:
     – Chuck Swirsky
     – Andy Rautins (back in T.O. following Syracuse’s Sweet 16 loss to Oklahoma)
     – Jack Armstrong

Enjoy the game this after and don’t forget to tune in to “The Rap” following today’s broadcast.

E. Smith

Friday March 27 2009 – 10:35pm Eastern (Toronto, ON)

Thunder @ Raptors

Final Score:
112-96, Raptors

“Alice Fazoolis” Player of the Game:
CHRIS BOSH
21 points
13 rebounds
6 assists
3 blocks
10/18 FG

“Smith and Jones” Player of the Game:
- SHAWN MARION
20 points
11 rebounds
2 assists
2 blocks
10/14 FG

Shout-out to the Thunder:
- NICK COLLISON
21 points
7 rebounds
2 assists
9/12 FG

Stats that stood out:
- Raptors out-rebound the Thunder 54-37 … and that is a HUGE stat considering OKC came into the game as the 4TH best rebounding club in the NBA (3RD best offensive rebounding team)
- Balanced attack for T.O. … 5 players in double figures:
     Bosh - 21
     Marion - 20
     Jason Kapono – 15
     Andrea Bargnani – 14
     Anthony Parker – 12
- The Raptors fall down 5-0 to start the game then go on a 17-2 run to rip open a 10-point lead and they never looked back.  The closest the Thunder would get after that was 9 points, thus, Toronto pretty-much dominated all night.
- Toronto takes FULL advantage of OKC’s blunders … scoring 20 points off 11 Thunder turnovers
- The Raps had 36 assists on 48 field goals
- Marion with 14 of his 20 points in the 3RD quarter

Thumbs Up:
- Roko Ukic with a career-high 10 assists … coming 2 points shy of his first career double-double (8 points, 10 assists, 1 turnover in 21:43 minutes)

Thumbs Down:
- Well, to be honest, a 3-game winning streak at this point of the season is bittersweet.  That’s about the only low point I can find after this game.

Smith says:
- “Bosh was a beast tonight and he carried this team through the first half – and then Marion carried the torch in the 3RD.  A nice all-around effort and win for the Raps.”

Jones says:
- “Defence and rebounding were keys for Toronto.  They’ll get a chance to show if they’ve truly improved them in the games ahead.”

“V-Tech” 3-In-To-Win Give-Away:
The Raptors were 8 of 18 from 3PT range

Next game:
- Bulls @ Raptors
– Sunday March 29 2009
- Tune in at 3:05pm for the pre-game show and just after 3:30pm Eastern for the “Pizza Pizza” starting line ups

E. Smith

Missed the post-game show? You can listen to it here:

[audio:http://qml.quiettouch.com/files/radio/fan590/hotaudio/rapspostgame-fan-20090327.mp3]

Friday March 27 2009 – 6:20pm Eastern (Toronto, ON)

Pops Mensah-Bonsu (knee) is good to go tonight and he will suit up for the Toronto Raptors.

However, to accommodate The British Bulldog on the active roster, the Raps have placed centre Nathan Jawai on the Inactive List.

E. Smith

Friday March 27 2009 – 11:40am Eastern (Toronto, ON)

THE BULLDOG IS BACK?

Pops Mensah-Bonsu (aka – The British Bulldog) took part in this morning’s shoot-around and should be good to go for tonight’s tilt against Oklahoma City.

Head Coach Jay Triano said Pops will be re-evaluated before the game to see if the knee has flared up again at all.  If not, he’ll be in the line up -VS- the Thunder.

FINGER WOES?

Jose Calderon should be fine for tonight as well.  Despite dislocating one of his fingers on Wednesday night (the team was calling it a “jam”) he was able to finish the tilt against the Bucks and the injury won’t set him back tonight.

Calderon admitted that it’s sore – but that he’s fine.  And Triano mentioned the fact that once the adrenalin kicks in for these guys (on the floor – during the game) things tend to not hurt as much.

SPEAKING OF JOSE

In addition to a noticeable difference in his defence over the past week or two, take a look at some of the offensive numbers Calderon has been posting as well:

* 5 GAMES *
Points 13.2
Assists 9.6
Turnovers 2.6
FG%     51.0
Minutes 34.4

He had 19 points and 11 assists against Milwaukee on Wednesday – doing a solid job against Ramon Sessions.  But the Spanish guard will have his hands full tonight against a very quick (and big) guard in Russell Westbrook.

THUNDERSTRUCK?

After beating the Raptors on December to improve to 3-24, the Thunder then lost 5 more in a row to fall to a woeful 3-29 overall.

However, while a 20-51 record is brutal, do the math and look at what they’ve done since starting 3-29.

Okay, I’ll do it for ya:  Oklahoma City is 17-22 since that point.  Not bad for a young team … in the Western Conference too.

E. Smith

Thursday March 26 2009 – 1:10am Eastern (Toronto, ON) 

Unrelated to last night’s game (a 115-106 win for the Raptors) …

Remember when I told you a couple of days ago to not pass judgement on Chris Bosh (in his off-the-court “issues” with former girlfriend, Allison Mathis) until BOTH sides of the story had been heard?

Well, we still don’t have ALL of the details, but check out this excellent article that Michael Grange wrote on Wednesday night – with some new and very interesting details from Bosh’s perspective:

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20090325.wsptbosh25/BNStory/GlobeSportsBasketball

Again, we still don’t know the whole story – and maybe we never will.  But the truth is in there somewhere and I’ll let you come to your own conclusions as to why a man may be in a 3-year relationship with a woman … living with her … having a child with her … and then break-up with her while she’s 7-months pregnant AND later ask for a paternity test too.   

Anyway, after reading this story in the Globe, has anybody’s opinion or mind changed about Bosh already?  Has “reasonable doubt” (about Bosh being unfairly labeled as a “deadbeat Dad”) not been raised at the very least?

That’s why I talk about trying to remain objective and not rush to judgement on things — especially on things like this.

Alright, I’m starting to feel TMZ’ish again.  I’d much, MUCH rather be talking about freakin’ basketball! 

Nice work ‘Granger’

E. Smith

Wednesday March 25 2009 - 10:25pm Eastern (Toronto, ON)

Bucks @ Raptors

Final Score:
115-106, Raptors

“Alice Fazoolis” Player of the Game:
JOSE CALDERON
19 points
11 assists
7/12 FG

“Smith and Jones” Player of the Game:
- CHRIS BOSH
18 points
14 rebounds
5 assists
2 steals
2 blocks
5/8 FG
8/10 FT

Shout-out to the Bucks:
- CHARLIE BELL
20 points
6 rebounds
7 assists
2 steals
8/16 FG

Stats that stood out:
- Milwaukee came into this game in the top 10 in FT makes and FT attempts and they were just 7 of 9 from the line tonight.  Conversely, the Raptors were 35 of 40 at the line — more than FOUR TIMES as many attempts as the Bucks!
- Balanced attack for T.O. … 6 players in double figures:
     Bosh – 18
     Calderon – 19
     Shawn Marion – 17
     Andrea Bargnani – 23 (*game high)
     Anthony Parker – 18
     Jason Kapono – 14
- Toronto put up 40 points in the 2ND QRT to pretty-much ice this game (though Milwaukee did fight back to pull within 7 (after trailing by as many as 24 points) late in the 4TH
- Toronto out-rebounds Milwaukee, 39-34

Thumbs Up:
- Though Toronto coughed it up a bit in the 4TH, they controlled this game for about 85% of the night and - for argument’s sake – have now posted back-to-back ‘blowout’ victories (tonight’s final score was closer than the game truly was).  But “blowout” or not, this is the first time in a month that the Raps have won back to back games.

Thumbs Down:
- It’s always great to see former Raptor, Charlie Villanueva.  He has lit-up the Raps a ton of times in the past, but he was off his game tonight … tallying only 8 points, 4 rebounds, and 3 turnovers in 26:30 minutes of action.

Smith says:
- “Calderon with a solid overall game – aggressive on offence and defence – and he looks to be finally developing a nice chemistry with Marion.”

Jones says:
- “A good win for Toronto against a Milwaukee team that looks like its running out of gas.  Better defence from the Raptors tonight and nice aggressiveness getting to the line.”

“V-Tech” 3-In-To-Win Give-Away:
The Raptors were 12 of 24 from 3PT range

Next game:
- Thunder @ Raptors
– Wednesday March 27 2009
- Tune in just after 7:00pm Eastern for the “Pizza Pizza” starting line ups

E. Smith

Missed the post-game show? You can listen to it here:

[audio:http://qml.quiettouch.com/files/radio/fan590/hotaudio/rapspostgame-fan-20090325.mp3]

Wednesday March 25 2009 – 11:42am Eastern (Toronto, ON)

Andrea Bargnani (heel) will suit up for the Raptors tonight when they face the Bucks.

The Italian iron-horse had not missed a game since December 2007 before he sat out of Sunday’s win over the LA Clippers.

THE “D”

Chris Bosh will draw the assignment on former teammate Charlie Villanueva, and Shawn Marion will check Richard Jefferson.

The Bucks enter this contest 2.5 games behind Chicago for 8TH place in the East.

TWITTER-GATE

Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the last week or two, you’ve probably heard all about the great Twitter debate that’s been going on around the NBA (it was started after Charlie V posted a message on Twitter during the halftime of a Bucks-Celtics game).

Well, the media chatted with Villanueva today about how Twitter has impacted athletes and everyday folks in general.  Have a listen:

[audio:http://qml.quiettouch.com/files/radio/fan590/hotaudio/charlievillanueva-es-20090325.mp3]

For what it’s worth, you can follow me on Twitter as well at:  www.twitter.com/Eric__Smith

CANADIAN CONTENT?

One final quick note …

Just keep this in mind as you look down the road about 17-18 years …

Villanueva has a son that was born in Toronto.

Rasho Nesterovic has a son that was born in Toronto.

Not only does Matt Bonner want to play for Canada this summer and in future seasons, but he may be having more children down the road as well (word is he and his Canadian wife are pregnant now – but having a daughter (not that she couldn’t play for the WOMEN’S team)) – that could ultimately suit up for our National Team.

Perhaps the National program will see improvements that much more over the years with the potential for more “NBA blood” (literally and figuratively) joining the ranks.  Heck, Grant Hill is married to a Canadian as well … and the longer the Raptors are in town, the more likely it is that another player or two will have a son born in this city in future years.

Just food for thought.

E. Smith