Blame me. That’s what Bryan Colangelo has said. Okay. Done. Raise your hand if you feel better having someone to blame.

Still feel shitty? Me too.

Here’s my problem. I know crap about NBA basketball. So when Colangelo took the slap chopto his roster I relied on those in the know out there.

I’m not sure anyone predicted this mess. Hell, the experts were singing Colangelo’s praise with each and every move.

How was everyone so wrong?

“Turkoglu in particular is so abject and so low energy and has such awful body language that it is not a stretch to repeat the sneaking suspicion he is this franchise’s Vernon Wells.”

That from Jeff Blair in the Globe and Mail. Now I know the background on jp and Vernon, but who thought when Turkoglu wad brought in we were looking at this scenario? Now we are wondering if we can get him to play for the Marlies.

Are any other Raptors fans feeling rather helpless right now? The guy we were sold as our saviour, the guy who was going to bring sucess and stability to the franchise can only truly be proud of one thing right now, he’s standup. He’s not blaming anyone but himself.

When MLSE was out looking for a Gm for the maple leafs, they were, it was said looking for the hockey version of Bryan Colangelo. Leaf fans, how many of you are hoping that that blueprint wasn’t totally followed with Brian Burke?

So let’s take stock. Assume we don’t make playoffs or do bit get bounced early. What are we left with? Bosh is gone, has to be if either of those 2 scenarios play out. Then we have Hedo wells and Andrea. Uh huh. Oh, and jay triano. You lining up to renew those tickets?

A season that opened with promise is going flush. Someone has accepted blame. Is that enough?

Even here in Milan the NBA All Star Game is big news. No, the talk around the water cooler isn’t whether this is Chris Bosh’s last ASG as a Toronto Raptor. Two really good stories on Bosh today that I thought I would point out:

First from ESPN, an unlikely source given the subject matter. Marc Stein though takes a good approach in his column:

““It’s funny you say that, because I was thinking about it. I was just looking at what people say and it’s like, ‘Chris is going to go here and play with him or this, this and that.’ I’m like, ‘Wait a minute.’ I feel like I should be built around. And maybe that’s just my ego talking, but I feel that I’m a very good player in this league and I’m only going to get better. So … maybe we should be getting somebody [in Toronto].”

Bosh is sure to field more probing questions about his future Friday when he meets the bulk of the media in town to cover All-Star Weekend. But the above comments, at the very least, give more insight into our assertion made back in November that Bosh likes his situation in Toronto more than many of us south of the border want to believe.”

That comment couldn’t be more accurate. Look, I don’t know if he is staying or not. Here is what I believe:

I don’t think Bosh is a liar. I don’t think he knows what he wants to do. If you read more of Stein’s column you will see that he want’s to be the guy and not the 2nd guy. He can be that in Toronto. I think the money is irrelevant as he will get it no matter what, here or there via sign and trade. What is important is winning. IF, and I say IF the Raptors can somehow go a run in the playoffs, I can’t see Bosh leaving. If they pull a Brady, and fizzle out early or not make the playoffs at all, I think all bets are off.

Now, Mike Ganter in today’s Toronto Sun hits a homerun (or a really long three pointer at the buzzer to win the game ):

” Maybe if the members of the American media throwing these blanket statements around so cavalierly had been in the countless pre-game, post-game, pre-shootaround, post-practice scrums that those of us who are actually around Bosh on a near daily basis have been, they wouldn’t be so quick to write off his Raptors future.

Now there’s no doubt that Bosh has confidantes in the media south of the border. He is an American. He grew up in Dallas. He helped his country win a gold medal in Beijing two summers ago. There is no way he hasn’t made those relationships.

He might even be more comfortable expressing future plans with that select few. We get that.

But Bosh has been so steadfastly adamant that he has not made up his mind about next season, let alone next week, that it’s hard to accept that anyone who has spent any time looking into his future could dismiss it. ”

It’s nice to know that the MSMers are getting us fed up with this bs as we fans are. Ganter does a great job running down all the accounts of Bosh’s exit and providing what I believe to be some real analysis on where things sit.

Marc Stein’s ESPN article on Chris Bosh can be found here.
Mike Ganter’s story on Chris Bosh is here.

I am not well enough versed in NBA to tell you the how or the why or to wax eloquently about the nuances of the game. I can tell you this, I sat and watched the entire Toronto Raptors/ LA Lakers tilt and for the first time in a LONG time I can say that those who spent their bucks on tickets at the ACC got every pennies worth. What a game!

I am pretty sure the Raptors didn’t lead until late in the 4th quarter and then Kobe had the final shot at the buzzer to win it all. What more do you want? Is it a title game? No. Is it a championship? No. It’s not even a playoff round win. What it is, I hope is the start of some mainstream coverage and perhaps, a little more attention.

Let’s allow swallow hard and realize there isn’t anything remotely interesting about the Maple Leafs right now. The game in Florida, like the one in Tampa and Atlanta were painful. Baring a major shift, there will be no intrigue until the deadline. Sure Brian Burke may wish someone would deal with him now or before the Olympics, but let’s get real. Would you pull the trigger to get any of these guys early? I certainly doubt there are too many GM’s out there saying if we only had a Poni on our team…..

The day after the deadline in Toronto will likely be the last time before the end of the season there is much to talk about of any real significance. I mean they may play a good game here or there, maybe there will be a new face from time to time to talk about. Why don’t we all get behind a team that could be on the verge of something. No gurantees, but hell I like their odds better than the Leafs especially when it comes to providing value for the hard earned cash we’ve all been wasting on the buds.

No one game doesn’t mean a whole lot. This team is exciting to watch, and for the most part they are at least in most games they play with a good shot at winning. Something we haven’t been able to say about the other teams in this town for a LONG time. Way to go Raps!

TSM

@yyzsportsmedia

Funny how winning takes the mind off of other issues. The Toronto Raptors who had nearly as brutal a start to their season as their sister franchise, Toronto Maple Leafs, have made a nice recovery. So to those of us who are little “f” fans the talk of Chris Bosh’s future in Toronto seems to have quieted down. Bryan Colangelo’s team has made it back from the near dead to the heat of the playoff race and one would think that given Cloangelo’s mantra of the best way to keep Bosh happy it to get him on a winning franchise, that there would be little chance of dealing Bosh now.

“What we did hear, though, is that the Houston Rockets have made it known that they would be willing to trade for Bosh immediately … even if they don’t get a guarantee they can re-sign him this summer.

That’s the problem with any sort of Bosh deal at midseason. Even if the Raps do decide they want to make Bosh available now and avoid the threat of losing him without compensation in free agency after July 1, there’s an overwhelming majority of teams that wouldn’t dare consider trading for Bosh in February without some sort of assurance they could keep him.

But Houston is different.”

So if the Raptors aren’t sure what to do, could they be convinced to deal him by the offer you can’t refuse? I have no intention of selling my house right now, however if someone rang my bell and made me an offer I couldn’t refuse I would call the good folks at AMJ Cambell to make me the move of the game PDQ.

“Sources say the ever-aggressive Rockets are sure a half-season in Houston could convince the native Texan to pledge his long-term future to a city players love as well as a team that sits four games over .500 without the injured Yao Ming and the exiled Tracy McGrady. The Rockets also have the requisite stash of young assets, as evidenced by their success this season without marquee names, to assemble a legit deal for Toronto to consider … and without insisting that McGrady’s mammoth $22.5 million salary has to be part of it. ”

So NBA Fanatics, what would it take from the rockets to deal Bosh? Shouldn’t Colagnelo be willing to listen to an offer on Bosh even if he hasn’t decided to deal him?

“You figure Chicago, Miami and New York also are on the short list of teams that would be willing to risk trading for Bosh before we get to the summer. Those are the teams thought to have the best shot at signing him in free agency and could inherit Bosh’s Larry Bird rights with a deal before the deadline. None of them, though, can offer a better talent deal than Houston. The Heat and Knicks — with their heavily stripped-down rosters as the countdown continues to July 1 — can’t come close.”

This is not an easy game of chess facing Colangelo. Bosh is his one trump card. Screwing this one up will set the franchise back for years. Being proactive and establishing the market early could be a huge advantage to Colangelo.

“I nonetheless was advised this week to expect Houston to make a hard Bosh push during these next 40 days if the Raptors invite it. Or perhaps even if they don’t invite it.”

I like Marc Stein and I think he is as credible an NBA writer as there is out there. He isn’t saying Bosh is going to be traded rather that Colangelo’s door bell could ring, question is, will he answer the door?

TSM

@yyzsportsmedia

Espn’s Marc Stein is here

It started as an innocent call to the Fan 590. A guy called in complaining about the coverage the Toronto Raptors get on the Fan590. The caller alleged that everything the Toronto Maple Leafs do is over-hyped and nothing the Toronto Raptors do is every hyped. His point was that the Leafs play of late has the media in a buzz, while no one talks about the Raptors except in a negative tone.

Taking the call was Eric Smith and Jack Armstrong. Part of Smith’s response was that, on a no name basis, there are those in the Toronto Sports Media who aren’t as big of fans of the Toronto teams as others.

Smith, in case you don’t know, is an active participant on Twitter (you can follow him at @eric_smith). So I, being the curious type, sent him a tweet asking him to, on a no name basis to expand upon his comment. Now, I have said this before but the one area, in my opinion anyway where Twitter is really useful is making guys like Eric Smith, (you can add in many sports media personalities here, especially on the local beat) accessible to us fans. Now I guess, prior to Twitter, I could have emailed Smith if I had his email address and maybe he would get it, and maybe he would have read it. Personal experience has shown that as long as you aren’t a total dink and are the least bit insightful most of the sports personalities in this town will indeed respond to you. In this case, what ensued was pretty cool, all things considering. Smith explained that in his opinion there are members of the local media (not on the Raptors beat) who don’t want other sports (hockey being the exception) like basketball and baseball to succeed here. He and I then went back and forth several times to the point where he invited his Raptors broadcast partner Paul Jones (@paul_jones) to the conversation.

The three of us discussed the issues for several tweets and the take away I got was that there is a genuine belief by those in the media, that other non-Raptors media types don’t respect basketball or the Raptors the same way that they do the Maple Leafs and hockey. Jones said that things are better today as opposed to the past, but still one gets the sense there is some bad blood in the media towards the dinos and those who cover them.

It got me to thinking, and who am I to suggest that these guys are wrong, they are living it, they know who their breathern are and who may have the hate out for what they do better than I. Are those in the media really anti-bball/Raptor or is there more at play? Are the Raptors getting a bad rap from the local media?

So here is what I think, and I am curious to know if I am on or off base.

The Raptors have been around since 1995. They have made the playoffs 5 times over those 15 years. They have advanced past the first round one time.

I would like to think that winning solves all problems. Not to point any fingers, but had this team been more successful then I think more people would be interested in covering them. This has been a team that has been all about the promise. There has been lots of hype, lots of enthusiasm but unfortunately for various reasons little in terms of wins.

Now, the Raptors do have an awesome fan base. The games are well attended and the Raptors blogs are some of the best around. There may not be as many Raptors fans as Maple Leaf fans, but man are the rabid. We have to remember that Jones and Smith were talking media not fans.

The second thing I have said many times about the MSM in this town is that they don’t talk basketball or Raptors because they don’t know it. How hard is it for us canucks to rip on Toskala for letting in a soft goal? Unless your real fan of the game it’s hard to make legitimate comments on what is or isn’t going on. Many who cover sports in this town don’t have that background. For them to start talking x’s and o’s in basketball when they don’t know what they are talking about would be, in a word bad.

Personally, what I think has happened is pretty interesting. When Colangelo arrived it was the first time a real NBA executive joined the team. It was like the Raptors became legitimate. I know Isiah was here early, but he had never done what he was doing in Toronto before. I know we had Lenny Wilkens, but a coach is different than a GM. Colangelo was viewed as the real deal. He has been given every benefit of the doubt since he arrived. Those who may have criticized him publicly or questioned his moves have been very quiet since he arrived.

Colangelo, arrived and was instantly successful. This early success added to the aura of BC. He almost became too successful too early. Expectations were too high. Imagine if after Brian Burke arrived last year the Leafs miraculously made the playoffs and won a round. Colangelo’s challenges since have, for the most part gone unmentioned in this town. The truth is, he has rebuilt this team, hired a coach, with little real result yet. His team this year has yet to find common middle ground. They are either at the top of their game or the absolute bottom. They are just never in the middle . That’s a tough nut to swallow for fans let alone the media. His team also seems to lack an identity. While Chris Bosh is the “the franchise” it isn’t like you see his face all over the city. This isn’t a knock on Bosh, more a reflection of this team… I think if they were in first or second place, going on 5-6 game winning streaks things would be different. If the team had more success, those in the media wouldn’t be able to ignore the success. The same way the Toronto Blue jays were the toast of the town jsut before and during their winning years.

So do the Raptors get a bad Rap? I don’t think so. I think that despite their 15 year history they are still a new team in search of their identity in the marketplace. If MSMers are balking at them, it’s because they don’t know the game, or they haven’t been forced to cover them as a result of winning. If the complaint is lack of coverage, isn’t that better than negative coverage? Yes, as Paul Jones said, silence is very telling, however, it is better than constant bashing or negativity. If the MSMers are doing that behind close doors, we wouldn’t know about it. I haven’t seen public evidence of what these guys speak.

To the fan who called in, I couldn’t disagree more. The Leafs, for as long as I can remember have been the whipping boy of the local media. The main reason I started TSM was that I felt and still do feel that man in the media are too negative about our teams all the time. The Leafs have been so bad for so long that any positives are magnified. The fact that they too have hired a proper GM for the first time in years is something to get excited about. When they couldn’t win a game early this year, I wouldn’t say the press was too positive (nor should they have been). The fact that the Leafs have fought back is remarkable. No one publicly predicted it. So is credit deserved for good play? Of course. The same way criticism was due during the first 20 games of the season.

Get the Raptors on a real winning streak, get them deep into the playoffs. Then let’s see what happens. Until then, at least publicly I think the jury is out.

Happy Saturday

TSM

@yyzsportsmedia

So like their hockey brothers, the Toronto Raptors are in a tailspin. The Raps have lost their last 5 in a row, including an absolute spanking in Atlanta last night. So, 20 games in, roughly one quarter of the way, players are pointing fingers at their coach. So Raptors Fans, should the Raps dismiss Jay Triano?

Leafs lost in OT- another decent effort and now we are counting moral victories. Toskaka tomorrow? Can’t be good.

Raptors lost after being up late. Showing signs tonight of last year. Right now we can say it’s early.

Blue jays announced Cito will be managing again, and that can’t be good for recruitment purposes.

The Fan apparently has decided to retain it’s weakest link Goober Mike Toth, the guy who adds no value at all when he is on air.

All in all a bad day

Here’s to tomorrow

I was a Cleveland Cavaliers fan last night, and not just because I hate the Celtics.

It also had a lot to do with tonight’s season opener, when the new-look Raptors will try to knock off LeBron James and the Cavs. The Raps have always been powerless to stop superstars, let alone angry superstars. And you can bet LeBron and Shaq will come out swinging after a tough 95-89 loss at home. I figured we might see a somewhat complacent opponent if Cleveland had won, but it’ll be just the opposite. Now, nothing will surprise me… LeBron scoring 50? Shaq going 30 and 15? Honestly, both could happen and I wouldn’t bat an eye.

Like I said, I really wish the Cavs had won.

They didn’t, though, and the Raptors still have a chance. Maybe opening night provides an extra boost of adrenaline, and perhaps this team gels for the first time. It’s difficult to predict the kind of game we’ll see from Toronto, considering any solid effort would be radically different from the performance we saw in Minnesota last week. If the team plays anything like they did during the preseason, it’ll be a long night. I think we’ll find out very early whether the Raps can compete – Yes, tonight the first quarter will be telling.

Let’s break down the matchup:

Point Guard

If the Raptors hope to make any noise this season, they need Jose Calderon to play well on a nightly basis. He looked terrible early in the preseason, but rounded into form towards the end. Ideally, Calderon will look to turn the corner on the high screen-and-roll, and spot up for 3’s when Hedo runs the point. On the other side, Mo Williams is probably too quick for Jose to contain, but he played 35 minutes against the Celtics. Hopefully, a healthy Calderon can take advantage and make Williams work on the defensive end. Two years ago, it’s advantage Jose. Last year, advantage Mo. Who plays better tonight will go a long way towards determining the outcome.

Shooting Guard

This will be a lot of fun, as we’ll get to see rookie DeMar DeRozan up against former Raptor and fan-favourite Anthony Parker. It’s actually a great first matchup for Toronto’s rookie, sparing him the task of guarding say, Ray Allen. Parker played a surprising 40 minutes last night, meaning the onus is on DeRozan to make him work. We saw plenty of this in the preseason – It’s clear that his strength is running the floor and getting to the line. On the defensive side, DeRozan has to be aware of Parker’s preference to shoot corner 3’s, while staying focused on chasing him around screens. AP wasn’t particularly effective against Boston and DeRozan certainly has the tools to make it tough on him tonight. Once Parker gets in a rhythm, he’s tough, and it wouldn’t surprise me to see that against Toronto’s perimeter D.

Small Foward

LeBron is a beast who can’t be stopped, just contained – force him to take outside jumpers and hope for the best. Hedo Turkoglu can’t be expected to defend James by himself, and it’s a situation that needs to be a total team effort. Expect a few blown assignments leading to huge dunks, but hopefully they’ll make James work hard. It’s the only way to guard him, and it’s never pretty. On the offensive end, look for Turkoglu to drive the lane and get teammates involved, allowing Calderon to spot up and shoot more often. If the atrocious preseason shooting numbers improve, so will Hedo’s effectiveness.

Power Forward

Alright, Chris Bosh, show us what you got. Against Anderson Varejao, Bosh is clearly the superior player, but probably can’t match the hustle. We’ve seen this too many times – Bosh struggles against energy players and eventually settles for too many jumpers. Will that change tonight? Let’s hope so. Numbers-wise, this matchup won’t be close, but their play will dictate how the Raptors run the offense. It’s also Game 1 of Bosh’s contract year, so let’s hope that translates to even better play. He’s the leader of this team and it’s time to show it.

Center

Andrea Bargnani vs Shaq is a battle of complete opposites. Neither can guard the other, as Bargnani likes to go outside, while Shaq clogs the lane. There will be pressure on Andrea to box out and grab rebounds, while there’s no question that Shaq will find it difficult to guard Bargnani away from the basket. O’Neal looked gassed in the second half last night and Bargs should have the advantage, but it’s easier said than done. Expect open 3’s for our big man, that he absolutely has to knock down.

Bench

I have to admit, I giggled watching Jamario Moon launch a three-pointer in transition last night. Get used to that, Cleveland. Overall, I was shocked by the lack of talent on the Cavs bench, but I suppose much of that is due to Delonte West’s issues. Still, Boobie Gibson, Big Z and Jamario don’t scare me, and I certainly prefer Jarrett Jack, Amir Johnson, Rasho Nesterovic and Antoine Wright. If Toronto’s starters get the job done, the bench won’t let them down.

Final Thoughts

The Cavs will be pissed, and THAT scares me. Really, though, LeBron is the story. The Raps need to somehow contain him and play better team defense than we’ve seen in the preseason. On offense, Toronto needs to shoot much better and spread the floor. Finally, rebounding is key, and they need everyone active against a powerful Cleveland frontcourt. I’m more confident than I was last night, but I also never count out an angry LeBron. It’s great to have basketball back, and this should be fun.

-DL

There’s a lot going on right now – Hockey season’s in full swing, with basketball just around the corner. Meanwhile, we’re starting to get a clearer look at the NFL picture, while just two teams remain in Major League Baseball. Locally, things aren’t pretty, but there’s plenty to talk about.

• Are the Toronto Maple Leafs awful, unlucky, or both? It’s a little confusing when you watch them play, but that third period on Saturday night summed up their season nicely. Even when the effort is there, and it was, there simply aren’t enough finishers up front. Sure, Ron Wilson, blame Luongo’s stellar play… Have you noticed that most goalies seem to be on their “A” game against Toronto? Reminds me of Raptors fans justifying the outside shooting of an opponent – “Come on, Shane Battier will never go 7/8 from three-point land again”… If something happens enough, it’s time to look in the mirror.
• That being said, Phil Kessel will help. The cynic will say there’s nobody to get him the puck, but the guy can score. Toronto had plenty of chances to even the score on Saturday, but lack a sniper to get the job done. Speaking of Kessel, let’s talk about the No. 1 pick fiasco. The trade looks horrible right now, but is it? Yes, the Leafs may end up with the first pick in next year’s draft, but it’s still quite possible to move up. In any case, there’s absolutely no guarantee Burke lands a young player with as much potential as Kessel. And really, that’s all the draft is. That first round pick is an imaginary player – If Burke still had the pick and used it on this year’s Phil Kessel, what’s the difference? He’s young, great, and locked up. The GM was certainly banking on a better season from his team, but it’s still possible to view the trade with the glass half full.
• Who wins first – The Leafs or the Raptors? I’ll say the Raps win on Friday in Memphis, so it’ll be tight.
• Speaking of the Toronto Raptors, their first month could be pretty miserable. Games against Cleveland, Orlando, Detroit, New Orleans, San Antonio, Chicago, Dallas, Phoenix, Denver and Utah would be tough for anybody, and especially a team that still hasn’t gelled whatsoever. I’m not saying it’s time to panic – Quite the contrary, actually… But reasonable fans should expect to get killed in at least a few of the early contests. Toronto showed very few signs of improvement throughout the preseason, and going 5-10 out of the gate shouldn’t surprise anyone. The playoffs are still attainable, but the start will be rough. If the team improves, there will be plenty of time to right the ship.
• Despite Frank Zicarelli’s objection, it’s the right call to start DeMar DeRozan. I really think Frank has it completely wrong on this one – He talks about hiding rookies, but the second unit is no place for this. The Raptors backups are having enough trouble scoring and it makes no sense to give DeRozan that responsibility. Instead, let the kid do what he’s been doing – filling the lane, cutting to the hoop, and getting to the line. The starting unit is filled with scoring, meaning DeRozan will get his without having plays run for him. It’s the perfect spot to get him minutes, and it’s not like anybody else has earned them. Antoine Wright? Please, you don’t earn minutes by sitting on the bench, especially when you’ve accomplished next to nothing in this league.
• More important than the starting lineup is the finishing lineup. Right now, I’d say the Raps end games with a lineup of Jose Calderon, Jarrett Jack, Hedo Turkoglu, Chris Bosh and Andrea Bargnani. Obviously, it’s somewhat dependant on the situation.
• Vince Carter is going to have a huge year for the Orlando Magic. Huge.
• What happened to the Miami Dolphins yesterday? As well as New Orleans played in the second half, it was perplexing to watch Miami abandon their game plan. This team is built on running, but insisted on throwing with a huge lead. It made absolutely no sense, and ended in disaster. On the other side of the ball, the Saints continued to prove they are among football’s elite.
• On the other hand, the New York Giants had every opportunity to beat Arizona, but insisted on handing the game to the Cardinals. Last week, it was the defense. This week, it was the offense. Tom Coughlin has to get them ready for a tough Eagles squad before the wheels completely fall off.
• I hate the Dallas Cowboys, but Tony Romo is a very good quarterback. It’s ridiculous what people say about him, despite the way he carries that offense. Nobody is a “winner” until they win. Peyton couldn’t win in the playoffs, until he did. Same goes for Eli. One of these years, a whole lot of people will be eating crow with regards to Romo.
• Troy Polamalu completely changes the Steelers defense. They were average in his absence, and beastly in his return.
• How depressing is this world series matchup for Cleveland Indians fans? The starting pitchers for Game 1 – CC Sabathia and Cliff Lee – both played for the Indians last season. At least they still have LeBron James… for now.
• As for Philadelphia vs New York, it’s too close to call. Two powerful lineups, two good pitching staffs. The series goes six or seven.
• My “wows” for the week go to Anze Kopitar, Vernon Davis, Alex Rodriguez and Ryan Howard.

-DL

The Toronto Raptors announced today that Reggie Evans will miss the rest of the preseason with a left foot sprain. There is no specific target for his return – Hopefully he’s back for opening night.

In the meantime, the already soft Raps get a little softer. As outlined today by Scott Carefoot of RaptorBlog, teams rarely succeed when outrebounded on a nightly basis. Evans was one of the guys brought in by Bryan Colangelo to remedy that problem, but he’s headed to the sideline for a while. It’s bad news, but it also opens the door for another newcomer in Amir Johnson to step up.

Yes, technically Rasho Nesterovic and Johnson could both gain playing time, but in an ideal world, most of the minutes would go to Amir.

I say this because while Rasho will play a ton of minutes against big, lumbering centres, Johnson plays a more similar game to Evans. He makes hustle plays, he rebounds, and he even blocks shots (something Evans doesn’t do). Nesterovic will continue to play his expected role, but Johnson will have an opportunity to grab some of Reggie’s. As it stood before, I wondered how Evans and Johnson could possibly play enough – there just didn’t seem to be enough minutes to go around…But now, Amir will have his chance.

So far, Johnson has played better in extended minutes. He often takes some time to get going – a luxury I assumed he wouldn’t have during the season. Johnson still won’t play a ton of minutes, but he should have plenty more with Evans out. At the very least, he’ll have more than enough chances to prove himself throughout the rest of the preseason.

-DL