The Raptors’ rebounding and playoff performance will be determined by:

i. The individual players who they choose to use in their different 5-Man units;
ii. How they decide to match-up these individual players against their specific opponents; and,
iii. The specific strategies & tactics they decide to use in those games/series.

IMO, there has always been enough rebounding, defense and offense on this team, this season, to become a “competitive” squad in the EC, even without any contribution from Jermaine O’Neal, as long as the other players are managed in a sound way.

If you check out the archives on my blog you should be able to find different entries from the summer which outline this perspective and what the Raptors would need to do in order to accomplish this goal, and more than that. They’re all there still in black & white for anyone to read.

Being “competitive”, however, is a long way off from contending for a spot in the EC Finals, being “the most talented team, on paper, put together yet by the Raptors’ current basketball brain-trust”, and a far cry from the High End Team this organization could well have fielded this season, if it would have played it cards Right, this off season and, in general, since Feb/2006 [not to mention going back to the days of Glen Grunwald].

re: who O’Neal should play beside as a back-up Center for this team

IMO … O’Neal can be used effectively in this role with a range of different teammates in the PF spot. What is most important is that he should only be getting back-up minutes, in relief of Chris Bosh.

fast forward to the bottom of that article and you will see some interesting news about cap space in 2010. It seems increasingly unlikely that the Raps will make a move for a player like Gerald Wallace as his contract doesn’t expire any time soon. At this point, I think Colangelo is looking to spend as little long term money as possible, hoping he can ride it out with what he has…

On the other hand, how long can the franchise continue to produce mediocrity before it loses fans? Is Toronto A b-ball city like it is a hockey city (i.e. no matter how shitty the team is, they will sell out)?

We still need a top flight 3, and more bench strength, but to trade AB for that — while JO dogs the injury issues — sounds more like a desperation move. And as BC said, we need to be cognizant of next year and beyond. JO is a great veteran, and he knows how to bang with the best. But right now, he`s what he is — temporary. With potential to get that 3 we need, and maybe more.

On that note, it was interesting to hear B.C.’s comments during his CBC interview on trades game,he mentioned Bargs natural postion is the 4, not 5 or 3. Does that mean as long as Bosh is in town he admits they are both 4’s and what, that there is only room in town for one of them? I think there is no way after these 3 games Bargs gets traded. I think Brian is looking like a proud(too proud) papa whenver Barney plays like a top tier draft pick.

In closing Brian, I know you are reading this, trade J.O. and his fake injury, extra long holiday vacation, ass.

Another interesting move could be bringin delfino back next season (or this one if it’s posible). He’s a young complete player who could be an excelent back up for AP at the 2.

I like the Calderon-Ukic poit guard rotation simply because european PG are much better than amercian.Guys like Derrick Rose or russel westbrook are great players but they think in score more than in runing the team and that’s not the role of a PG. I think Roko could learn a lot from Jose while playin toghether, he could be a very nice back up PG in the future.

Keep Bargniani, just have patience

I’m not doing the post-game report (Raps Fan is) but if I were I’d praise Roko and Will for a fantastic job done. One thing I noticed was that Roko can make passes Calderon can’t, he’s got some pretty good vision and plays good eye-contact-ball with everyone on the floor. I like how he recognized that he sucks at shooting right now and didn’t take jumpers, instead he opted for the runner which is a higher percentage shot for him.

What made today’s win meaningful was that we came through in a tight and tense fourth quarter. We haven’t had one of those wins since GSW. Is this win a fluke? No, we played well, it’s not like the Magic played like Houston and shot 30%. This was an earned victory against a very good team.

That lineup to start the fourth made me very nervous – Will, Graham, Voskuhl, Kapono and Bargnani. They weren’t getting anything done and if Triano would’ve stuck with them longer we would’ve lost the game. The Parker for Kapono and Moon for Voskhul sub helped and switched Graham on Howard allowing Bosh to get a couple more minutes of rest before coming in and getting some crucial rebounds.

I also thought we blew a chance to extend the lead when Howard picked up his two early fouls, good thing it didn’t come back to haunt us….I could write for hours about this game but its Raps Fan tonight.

@ X-Temp #24: Let’s keep in mind that Bosh and Bargnani played together last year too and the results were far from spectacular. He’s played well the last three games and today’s win was nothing short of awesome but I still wouldn’t start making trades based on this. We have a little while till the trading deadline and if this pattern holds true, trade JO. Kapono is pointless and just isn’t fitting into the system, I honestly think his best position is PG because he runs very good two-man games with JO and Bosh and would be matched up with shorter players whom he can shoot over. Obviously, his defense isn’t good enough and this is NOT a practical solution.

Remember also that Parker contributed heavily in this great win and there’s a good chance he can’t sustain these kind of performances which points to wing scoring as a need yet to be addressed.

If you care to, look at it this way. The last three games improved Bagnani’s trade value considerably. Just a thought given the Hoopshype rumours.

One rival Eastern Conference GM said that Andrea Bargnani, the No. 1 overall pick in 2006, and Anthony Parker are prime candidates to be moved, as they look to add athleticism on the wings. In the meantime, Jermaine O’Neal has been sidelined with yet another knee injury. The Raptors are second in the NBA in losing games in which they’ve held double-digit leads (seven), with only Indiana (nine) doing it more times. New York Daily News

Toronto is a team that fired Mitchell, keeps shuffling rotations failingly and probably would trade just about anyone beside Bosh or Jose Calderon. After a Friday win, the Raptors are 13-20 with five wins in the past 18 games. Bosh talks like he thinks his team is so soft than it has goose-down jerseys. “Sometimes we’re kind of passive and we kind of hold back,” Bosh told reporters in Toronto, where fans have been booing. “We have to be mean and nasty and get out there. People enjoy it, you’ll win more games and you demand respect that way.” Arizona Republic
…………………………

Bosh and Calderon – Untouchables ???!!!!

Wish it really meant something for the Raptors, but we’ve been down this road before.

The best players on the team: Jose, Bosh and Ukic were not Bryan picks. lol. That’s pathetic considering Bryan has been with he club for 3 years and still can’t add talent to surround those guys. And no one in the media calls him out on it.

Why not a simple, Bryan this team is the same as it was prior to your arrival. What are you and Maurizio trying to accomplish? But, the media is soft and makes me wish we had a Charles Barkley or Steven A Smith type working for TSN or the Score

So you think we’ll make it to the playoffs and win a round? If That happens I give you 2 grand cash at a meet up at Filthy McNasty’s in Downtown, then proceed to sit down and eat and drink. All you have to do is email your cell and were good to go.