For Raptors fans, the second pre-season game was undoubtedly better than the first. That’s not saying much, based on Toronto’s pathetic performance on Tuesday, but there were certainly encouraging signs. One night after giving up 65 first-half points, the Raps played impressive defense and held Philly to 35% shooting in the rematch. The energy level was higher, despite using a depleted roster on the second night of a back-to-back.

Some specific thoughts on the game:

While he showed flashes of potential, DeMar DeRozan has a long way to go. Expectations for this kid had gone way up since the draft, but fans should remember that he was never supposed to make a huge impact in year-one. It’s pretty obvious why, after seeing the rookie in person. He needs to develop his left-handed dribble if he wants to be an effective slasher, and it’s something Jay Triano is trying to enforce. DeRozan was yanked for the second straight game after settling for jumpers, and had some trouble getting involved in the flow of the offense. Still, there were positives – He filled the lane and finished with a power dunk off a pass from Quincy Douby, and he scored on a finger-roll after stealing the ball. DeRozan also knocked down a three-pointer for the second straight game, but I wouldn’t expect that to be a trend just yet. Defensively, he struggled against Andre Igoudala and is still adjusting to the speed and athleticism of the NBA. On one play, Igoudala grabbed an offensive rebound right over DeRozan – How often do you think that happened at USC?

Jose Calderon rebounded (somewhat) from a brutal first game, finishing with six assists and zero turnovers. That was the good news, but Calderon still looked passive on the offensive end. Remember when Jose would turn the corner on the pick-and-roll, going all the way to the basket for lay-ups? We need that guy back. There’s no doubt that Calderon is more effective when he’s surrounded by talent, and I expect improvement once Chris Bosh and Hedo Turkoglu are in the lineup.

I really like Marco Belinelli. He was out of control at times, but the kid is skilled. Belinelli scored 12 points, while struggling from the three-point line. I’m not worried about his shooting – Instead, I was impressed with his ballhandling and passing ability. With more playing time and an elevated comfort level, Belinelli should be a valuable part of Triano’s ball-movement offense. I also think his shot selection improves when Bosh and Hedo are on the court.

Andrea Bargnani was quiet, but continues to prove he’s the guy we saw in the final third of last season. He still can’t rebound, but has developed into a very good offensive player. Bargnani’s baseline drive for a dunk was beautiful, but it hardly seemed like he was trying for most of the night. Again, I’m excited to see what he can do with Bosh and Hedo attracting attention from opposing defenses.

The real bright spots for Toronto were Sonny Weems and Amir Johnson. Acquired together in the Carlos Delfino trade, both players brought a ton of athleticism and hustle to the building on Wednesday night. Both were all over the court, forcing Philly into tough shots, while running the floor and showing a nose for the rim. Johnson might have the agility to play a little bit of small forward, while Weems treated the crowd to three huge dunks. After leading the team in minutes (and deservedly so), he’s making a case for playing time when the real games begin.

I really can’t talk about the defensive end without mentioning Reggie Evans. Like JYD, the fans have fallen in love fast. Evans was a beast, grabbing nine rebounds to go along with four steals. On the other hand, he forced tough shots in traffic and TWICE dribbled up the court. While his work ethic and determination are much appreciated, this needs to stop. There is no way Reggie Evans should be leading the break, and grabbing an offensive rebound shouldn’t entitle him to shoot immediately after. If he can control his game, Evans will be a fan-favourite all year long.

Jarrett Jack was fine. He made a few nice plays in the second half, including a sweet behind-the-back pass to Weems on a fast break. Jack didn’t really stand out, but he was solid. He stole the ball twice and played good defense.

Once again, Marcus Banks played better than expected. It’s hard to imagine him seeing much of the court this season, but I expected absolutely NOTHING from him. I guess it’s a case of lowered expectations, but I was impressed with his overall game on Wednesday. Put it this way – Calderon and Jack were no better, while Quincy Douby was worse. I still think Douby can be an effective scorer in limited minutes, but he didn’t show it last night. Meanwhile, maybe (it’s a long shot) Colangelo can find a way to trade Banks if he plays decent for any extended stretch. Don’t count on it.

Up front, Patrick O’Bryant and Rasho Nesterovic both played like…well, themselves. O’Bryant still hasn’t figured out how to use his 7-foot frame, but did block three shots. Still, he has a long, long way to go. Rasho was solid in very limited minutes, reminding us that yes, he only shoots from the baseline.

Overall, the Raps were much, much better on Wednesday, but it’s tough to say much without Bosh and Hedo in the lineup. Without say, Igoudala and Elton Brand, the 76ers would have plenty of problems. Defensively, though, Toronto challenged Philly to make difficult shots, improving drastically from Tuesday’s weak effort. At the shooting guard spot, both DeRozan and Belinelli have room to improve, while Antoine Wright has yet to play. Hopefully, the Raps are healthy in the near future, so we can see what this team will really look like on the court.

-DL

Things had gotten pretty stale around the Raptors lately. Once Bryan Colangelo finished with his offseason makeover, all we could do was speculate and look forward to the start of training camp. Well, it’s here, and two days in there are plenty of fresh stories in each local paper. At this point, nobody really knows what the team will look like on the floor, or how the new group of players will perform. Still, the local media has given the team plenty of love this week, and that’s an understatement.

Put it this way – After reading the stories from the start of training camp, I can’t find anything negative about anyone. From what I’ve read, every single guy is ready for a huge year, while Bosh and Turkoglu’s injuries are being glossed over. And now before anyone accuses me of being a “hater,” (a term I can’t stand), I should add that I expect good things from the Raps. This is more of a commentary on the media than on the players themselves – Again, nobody really knows how this team will play.

But check out the coverage:

From Doug Smith, this piece is yet another article raving about Marco Belinelli’s upside, while ignoring any and every fault in his game…. “General manager Bryan Colangelo raves about the kid, coach Jay Triano thinks he might be one of the big surprises of training camp, executive vice-president and Italian compatriot Maurizio Gherardini said “there’s something about him that’s different.”

Or this article from Frank Zicarelli on Antoine Wright. In case nobody realized, Wright was brought in for his defense. And he hopes to do a good job…mind blowing stuff.

Or this, from the National Post’s Eric Koreen, on Andrea Bargnani… “All signs point to continued maturation for the Italian seven-footer, whom the Raptors selected first overall in the 2006 NBA draft. In the off-season, Bargnani signed a five-year, $50-million US contract, so his mind should be at ease.” Well, I’m sure Bargnani’s mind will be at ease, but he sure as hell better perform. In case nobody realizes, the rest of the league has questioned Bargnani’s extension to no end, considering very good restricted free agents like David Lee have found the market pretty tough this year. In Toronto, though, everything is gravy.

And you don’t have to look far to find glowing first impressions of Reggie Evans and Jarrett Jack, along with pretty much everyone else.

Again, I’m not trying to say any of this is untrue. My point is that whatever you read during training camp needs to be taken with a grain of salt. This is the time when anything seems possible, when every team has playoff aspirations, and when new players are seemingly filled with unlimited potential – Remember the Jermaine O’Neal lovefest from last season?

With an entirely new roster, this was predictable, and a little enthusiasm never hurt anyone. Just remember to stay realistic – Until the team loses, nobody ever gets ripped.

-DL

With so many new faces in town (and a few of the same), here is one wish for each Toronto Raptors’ player:

For Jose Calderon to turn the corner on the high screen. Instead of pulling up for the jumper, I’d like to see Jose go all the way to the basket, like he did consistently two years ago. The hamstring excuse was only good for one season.

For Andrea Bargnani to play hard, all the time. I could have said anything to do with rebounding, but that’s too easy. Yes, I want the Italian to crash the boards, but more importantly, he needs to stay focused, even after starting slow on any given night. Too many times, Bargnani seemed to shrink away after bad starts, and the Raps need him to continue progressing.

For Hedo Turkoglu to make big shots. So often, NBA games come down to the last second, and too often, Toronto had nobody to take the final shot. Yes, Chris Bosh was forced into that role, but how many power forwards (with the exception of Dirk Nowitzki) have the ball in their hands with the game on the line? Now, the Raps have somebody with playoff experience, who has made his share of game-winning buckets. Let’s hope it continues.

For Demar DeRozan to play within his game. The best part about the rookie’s summer league performance was his patience and recognition of each situation. The highlight reel dunks will be great, but DeRozan will need to remember what he does well during his early days as a Raptor. That means no forcing 3’s, Jamario-style.

For Antoine Wright to be Toronto’s Dahntay Jones. Sub in any defensive-oriented player here. In any case, the Raps have more than enough scoring and will desperately need ANYBODY to lock down opposing stars. One day, DeRozan might be the guy, but Wright will need to handle the task early on. And while DeRozan appears to have a great opportunity at the starting job, Wright will get his chance to play the part if the rookie struggles against elite talent.

For Reggie Evans to knock somebody down, early. The Raptors have long been called soft, and Evans can go a long way towards erasing that label. How many times have fans in Toronto watched an opposing player embarrass the Raps (see Bryant, Kobe), with absolutely no resistance. You can bet that Evans won’t hesitate to make a statement.

That Jarrett Jack will run the team efficiently when Calderon leaves the game. No more of Roko’s over-dribbling please. Instead, with Ukic out of town and Jack backing up the point, the Raptors should remind fans of the Forderon days. The former Pacer will be one of the league’s top backup point guards, and should provide toughness, defence and scoring when he enters the game. Most of all, he needs to involve the entire second unit, unlike anything Raps fans saw last season.

That Marco Belinelli will be instant offence off the bench. Jack is the team’s best backup, but Belinelli can flat out score. Let’s hope to see him shoot without hesitation (making him the anti-Jason Kapono) and give the Raps a boost when the stars are out of the game. Nobody really knows what the Raptors have with Belinelli, but he’ll earn his paycheck by scoring in bunches when he gets his chance. The same goes for Quincy Douby, to a lesser extent.

That Rasho Nesterovic will continue to be awesome. Sorry, but I have nothing bad to say about this guy. Let’s hope the big man resigns at the same dollar value next season.

That Amir Johnson improves as the season goes on. At only 22, Johnson should give the frontcourt a boost of energy off the bench, and has a chance to move up in the rotation. He needs to stay with his man on defence and maintain his focus throughout each game, something that has been a problem in the past. This guy has potential, but he needs to harness it.

For Sonny Weems, Marcus Banks and Patrick O’Bryant to play hard in practice. Fans are already sick of “money in the Banks” and POB, but hopefully they will keep a positive attitude and play hard against the starters in the practice gym. As for Weems, who knows. My wish is that he plays like “Good Joey” if he ever gets into a game.

For Chris Bosh to be a leader. As the so-called “franchise player,” it’s time for Bosh to prove his worth. Heading into a contract year, CB4 has every reason to be motivated, and he will have the chance to show that he belongs in the discussion with other elite players. If this team can’t succeed, a lot of critics will look at Bosh. If the Raps win, he’ll get tons of the credit.

And finally, for Jay Triano to put the pieces together. Triano has a tough job. Even with all of the great acquisitions, it’s never easy for a coach to work with this many new players. Triano will have to allocate minutes properly and find the right on-court combinations. There are a lot of guys who could deserve minutes with strong play, and the coach will have plenty of options throughout the season. Like Bosh, much of the praise or blame will fall on Triano.

Thoughts?

-DL

When Bryan Colangelo signed Jarrett Jack to a 4-year deal in July, it was assumed the former Indiana Pacer would split his minutes between point guard and shooting guard. Now, two months later, it’s still a little unclear.

Back in July, the Raptors had Roko Ukic backing up Jose Calderon, with the recently acquired Antoine Wright and rookie Demar DeRozan at the 2-guard spot. Since then, things have changed. Colangelo shipped out Roko for frontcourt help in the form of Amir Johnson, while acquiring Marco Belinelli from Golden State.

Those moves added depth to Toronto’s 2-guard spot, while opening up more minutes behind Calderon.

As it stands now, the 2-guard spot will be filled by DeRozan, Wright and Belinelli.

At point guard, the Raptors have Calderon and a small dose of Qunicy Douby.

So where does that leave Jack? In my opinion, he’s the best backup on the team, and needs to play significant minutes. He’ll probably play 15-18 minutes behind Calderon at the point guard spot, and even more if Jose deals with injuries throughout the season.

But even if Jose stays healthy, Jay Triano needs to find a way to play Jack more. Clearly, this means putting him at shooting guard, where he is somewhat undersized, and will steal minutes from others. Plus, at only 6′3″, even average-sized wings will be able to shoot over him. So what gives? And who loses minutes?

I can envision one scenario in which DeRozan plays fewer minutes than many expect, as he develops slowly while adjusting to the NBA game. As for Wright and Belinelli, they will need to produce, or their minutes will suffer at the hands of Jack.

Really, though, Jack is most valuable at the point guard spot, where he will be one of the best backups in the league. The question is, how much will he play at shooting guard, and at who’s expense?

-DL

There is no doubt that Toronto Raptors fans are passionate about their team. Even in bad years (most years), attendance is high at the ACC, while their online presence rivals and surpasses almost every other NBA community.

These fans are also quick to defend the Raps against criticism, usually from American news outlets (ESPN picking a 9th place finish, for example). The talk all summer has been mostly optimistic, with great expectations for the coming season.

But, this is nothing new.

Last year, Jermaine O’Neal was supposed to turn the Raptors into a legitimate contender, until the project blew up during another disappointing season. There have been plenty of other reasons for optimism in the past, most ending in failure.

In no way, shape or form and I saying this team will end up like last year’s edition. What I am saying, is that fans have their breaking point. And at that point, enough becomes enough.

That brings us to the 2009-2010 Toronto Raptors.

Outside of the Bosh-Andrea Bargnani-Jose Calderon core, it’s an entirely new team. And with the squad welcoming Hedo Turkoglu, Jarrett Jack, Demar DeRozan, Rasho Nesterovic, Marco Belinelli, Antoine Wright, Reggie Evans and Amir Johnson, the renewed enthusiasm is certainly justified.

My question to fans of the Toronto Raptors is this: How patient will you be with this team?

With so many new bodies, Jay Triano has the tough task of making it all work. How patient will you be with him?

Demar DeRozan is skilled but raw – Will you be frustrated if he struggles for 50 games?

Hedo Turkoglu will face the pressure of his high-profile signing – Will you worry if he struggles out of the gate?

Jose Calderon has yet to prove he can shoulder the starting point guard duties for an entire season – Will you (especially the old T.J. supporters) pine for Jack to start if Jose doesn’t cut it for the first 20 games?

What if Bargnani regresses in the early going? Will fans give up on him, again?

—————————————————————————————————-

I’m not saying fans should or should not do these things. Personally, I’m fairly patient with these things.

All I’m saying is that the Raptors open up with a very difficult stretch of games, with what is basically an entirely new roster.

So will you be patient? And for how long?

-DL

It’s another day with no important Raptors news, so it’s time for another round of questions about the upcoming season.

Q: Who will have the first in-game confrontation with another player?

A: Reggie Evans. It just has to be Reggie Evans. And it’s what they need…badly.

Q: Who hits the most 3-pointers per game?

A: Marco Belinelli. I know, it’s an odd selection considering we said yesterday that Antoine Wright and Demar DeRozan would likely play ahead of the Italian. While Belinelli might not necessarily play as many minutes, he seems like a great candidate to fill the Eddie House-type role and put up 3’s in bunches. And I’ll concede he might be a surprise and move up the depth chart with solid performances.

Q: What song will they use for the intro music?

A: I Got A Feeling – Black Eyed Peas is the cheesy option. And we all know the ACC guys are prone to cheesiness.

Maybe Chris Bosh can hook something up – He wants into the music industry, the Raptors want him to stay…hmmmm, let’s just say they should work out a deal.

I don’t really care for most of the arena entertainment during the game, but I think the intro video is an underrated factor in pumping up the crowd.

Q: Which teams will give the Raptors the most trouble in 2008-09?

A: Boston – Garnett is a beast, they’re too quick and deep. Perkins and Rasheed Wallace can cover Bargnani, and the Raps will still struggle to guard Ray Allen and Pierce. Calderon has the potential to be great, but Rondo will give him fits.

Really, any team with a huge frontcourt will be trouble, along with teams that have great scorers… Toronto has yet to prove they can stop those guys.

Q: Will Jarrett Jack play more minutes at point guard or shooting guard in 2009-2010?

A: Point guard – He’ll probably get 16 minutes at point guard each night, with less than 5 minutes behind the deep 2-guard rotation.

Q: What would make this coming season a failure?

A: With a pretty solid roster, anything under .500 seems like a pretty huge failure. Considering the widespread rage directed towards ESPN’s preseason rankings (Raptors 9th), it would suggest the fans also expect nothing less than a playoff appearance.

Bargnani regressing would also make the 2009-2010 season a disappointment. For the Raps to truly become contenders, their former No. 1 pick has to eventually become a star. If Bargnani plays the way he did in the second half last season, that’s huge for Toronto in the long run. His $10-million deal could potentially end up as a nice bargain, despite what many of the critics seem to think.

- DL

When I think about my feelings towards Toronto Raptors’ head coach Jay Triano, it’s a little strange to think my opinions have changed without actually seeing his team on the court.

The man went 25-40 as “interim” head coach last season, with little evidence to suggest improvement was on the way. I, and many others, thought he was toast. It was a little surprising when Bryan Colangelo seemingly took the easy way out and hired Triano, especially because Toronto’s GM has never had much patience for failure.

In any case, Colangelo saw something – Triano’s relationship with the players, a late-season improvement…something – That led to Jay’s rehiring, and not everyone liked it. Again, it seemed like the safe move, that would keep the Raps mired in mediocrity for the next few years and beyond. After Sam Mitchell led the team to an 8-9 start, why hire back the guy who went 25-40?

But somewhere along the way, my feelings changed. At least until I see evidence to the contrary, I’m more confident in Triano’s ability to coach, and his basketball IQ, than I was before. I don’t think I’m alone (though maybe I am), and I think the change in attitude is largely based on the excellent two-part interview with TSN’s Tim Chisolm.

The interview, given in two parts (part 1 here, part 2 here), touched on everything from Chris Bosh, Jermaine O’Neal, Jose Calderon, Andrea Bargnani’s development, last year’s struggles, offensive strategies, using Hedo Turkoglu, and Triano’s feelings heading into the current offseason. It’s surprisingly candid, and well worth the read.

More importantly, it showed, at least for now, that Triano really gets it. Implementing his ideas with a completely new team is an entirely different task, but I really liked what I read.

For example, on using Turk:

“If he rebounds the basketball then he brings it up like he did in Orlando, and Jose is excellent off of the ball so he’ll know where to space. The other thing that they did is they would run what they called ‘thumb-down, five-special’, which is just a zipper to bring him up to the top and then it’s a high screen-roll for him. Well, now we’ve got Jose on the side, they zipper him up and get him [Turkoglu] at the top, spread the floor, and he goes. The day that we made the deal I said to Micah [Nori, assistant coach, NBA scout] and our coaches “thumb-down, five special”, we’re adding that one, put that one in our playbook! And I like the way that we run it equally as well as the way Orlando did it. They’d just zipper him up, it’s a high screen with Dwight [Howard] and then Dwight rolls. Well, we’re gonna put CB in that and they lifted Rashard Lewis, so we’re gonna lift Andrea, we’ll put Jose in one corner and Belinelli in the other corner – who are they gonna help off of on the screen-roll? That’s why we’re just gonna roll CB down, with shooters all around him, and he’s going to have a chance to go right to the basket. It plays to his strength, it plays to Hedo’s strength as a playmaker, to Jose’s by catching the ball and making a play.

Jose’s probably going to have to get used to not having the ball in his hands as much, but I don’t think that that’s a problem.”

On paper, it sounds good, and it gives me confidence. What about you?

If you haven’t read the interview, I suggest checking it out.

And I’ll ask it again – Where do you stand on Jay Triano?

-DL

From Doug Smith’s blog:

“The deal is done, Belinelli for George

For almost a year, Raptors GM Bryan Colangelo has been chasing guard Marco Belinelli of the Golden State Warriors.

He got him.

A conference call to confirm the deal is scheduled for late Thursday morning as the Raptors have traded Devean George and “a little bit of cash” to Golden State for the 6-5 guard from Italy.

We’ll have more on this in the morning, and its implications on the possible signing of free agent Carlos Delfino but the deal provides the kind of shooting off the bench and depth the Raptors covet.

Belinelli averaged 8.9 points and 2.1 assists per game with the Warriors last season. The 23-year-old is comfortable playing both guard position spots and has been a target of Colangelo’s for a year.”

My reaction to this is “awesome,” at least until we know more. Even then, I’m pretty sure it’ll be something between that and “good.”

Basically, the Raps trade a guy who was hardly going to play, on the downside of his career, for a 23-year-old who’s shown plenty of promise in the past.

Take a look at that picture above – That’s what Raps fans should (hopefully) get used to seeing. This guy can flat out shoot, and all indications are that he actually wants to use that skill in games (as opposed to Mr. Kapono). He’s also pretty cheap and should be a solid scoring option off the bench. Golden State simply had too many wing players and ball handlers, whereas Toronto certainly has a spot for someone like this.

Hopefully he brings his best to the Raps and earns a rotation spot. I think he has a great chance to see minutes, but he’ll have competition, and that’s also a great thing. He, Demar DeRozan, Quincy Douby, Jarrett Jack and maybe Carlos Delfino will all by vying for minutes at the 2-spot…compared to last year’s team, that’s incredible.

Well done, Mr. Colangelo. He could have stopped trying to deal, but is once again trying to improve the team. Awesome.

Here’s some video of Belinelli tearing up summer league last year – Yes, he sure can shoot…

-DL

Smith is here.

The Toronto Raptors traded Devean George to Golden State for guard Marco Belinelli.

Belinelli averaged just under 10 points a game for Golden State last season.

George, was part of the sign and trade deal the Raptors made a couple of weeks ago involving Shawn Marion

DL will have more later