3 In the Key: Toronto Raptors Game Day Preview vs. Bucks

My two cents:
I still don't believe in blowing everything up until next year if need be. To me, you only need to change a few pieces to get what you need from the SG/SF positions, and all that comes down to how to jettison Jermaine O'Neal's contract, and possibly guys like Kapono and the scrubs. Once you can do that and sign a couple players of fairly good talent to shore up the gaps at SG/SF, I think you have a team that you can get far with next year.

What I've always liked about Colangelo is that he leaves himself with just enough wiggle room to get out of bad situations (ie this year). We're never completely out of reach of getting back into things, so I think there's a lot to not worry about. The only thing that I worry about, which I share with Franchise and Howland, is how scouting continues to lag behind. It's perhaps time to find some new personnel in that area.

Sounds like Bogut isn't going to play tonight which is big. Congratulaitons to Bosh on another All-Star selection and now let's see him go out tonight and lay down the hammer on an undermanned Milwaukee squad. These are games this team needs to get, especially with the likes of LA, New Orleans and Orlando coming up.

Also, I think there should be a camp C. It's the camp where you want Toronto to make the playoffs regardless of if it's the 8th spot, but still this team needs major work this off-season although not a complete overhaul. And Camp C believes that even with a draft pick in the 14 to 17 range, BC can get a useful piece for the future.

My 4th key to the game: since Bogut is out, abuse the Bucks in the post and get into the bonus as quickly as possible each quarter.

Last game, Francisco Elson was a beast - getting countless rebounds and loose balls. The Raps have to get him and Gadzuric in foul trouble, so that they can get someone like CV trying to play Center and bang inside.

Sounds like Camp C members are just Camp A members who have been mugged by reality.

I agree with Vicious D that we can make the playoffs AND move out JO for necessary parts.

I am firmly opposed to the 'blow it up' philosophy (what is it with Toronto and blowing their teams up?) as the draft doesn't have a player at the top (Durant, Oden) worth tanking for.

Nor am I convinced that a SF/SG is necessarily where BC will go at the draft. I could see him packaging stuff to get a wing and then draft another big should one fall into our lap that he likes.

hello camp C members, my name is papa and I'm raptorholic. I want them to make the playoffs. I don't care if they get whoooped in the first round by boston, the lebrons, or the magic. I believe the playoffs are always a good thing to be a part of. and I also believe this franchise hasn't won enough to consider the first round of the playoffs not worthy. besides, no one can say this team is going to absolutely stink it up over the course of the next few months. (barring major injuries, of course.) so sweet ass draft pick isn't coming their way any time soon, me thinks.

I'm pretty sure if the raps do make the 8th, (maybe even better,) everybody will have fun. even in losing. (hopefully competitive losing, though.)

BC,

LOL, I don’t think the words "Francisco Elson" and "beast" have ever been used in the same sentence! But you are absolutely right, the Raptors front court players really have to start being a little tougher and impose THEIR will on opponents. As Jeff VanGundy used to say, they have to play with more "force". And that goes for CB4 as well. I love me some CB4, but he has to start to be the "Hammer" more often than the "Nail" as Jack Armstrong would say. Specifically, Bosh has to be stronger with the Ball. He gets stripped a little too often, and if he can clean that up it will increase his already amazing effectiveness.

Vicious,

I totally agree with you, no need to blow this thing up. I think when you blow your team up, that means you trade core players (ie. Bosh, Bargs, Calderone) and that is obviously not necessary. What is necessary is more of a surgical repair to certain sections of the roster (ahem, ahem, WINGS!!!). That is why I don’t think we should be looking to the draft as much… I think what we really need is some veteran savvy at the wing spots. Next year Bargs will be in his 4th year, Calderone and Bosh are both in their primes. That means that believe it or not, the window for winning begins now, not in two or three years when a 2009 draft may begin to come around. If the right deal presents itself, and we can turn our pick into an established player somehow, I say the future is now.

amen! mas. The future is now. i like that. let's hope for 4 wins in a row. go raps go.

It's a nice change to read so much optimism in the comments section. It's far from over, go Raps...

YOU GUYS ARE GETTIN ME JACKED LOL!!!! I'm getting back to the optimistic person, I was at the beggining of the season...go raps go let's see a W tonight boys, and a split in the 4 monster games coming up and the raps are not that far out of the playoffs....as they say the night is always darkest before dawn, I just think things are finally starting to go our way, the "basketball gods" won't stop with the NJ win I promise u....

MAS, I don't think we can get an established wing without trading one of our core players. I guess it depends on how u define "established" but a very good wing play wont be had for a 16th pick + Kapono. Having said that, anything is possible but u usually have to give up a good player to get a good player and we only have 3 "good" players. The rest are average to below average in my opinion.

On a more positive note, looking forward to another good win tonight. GO RAPS.

Go team.
I want the playoffs too; But don't let this little charade of a week fool us, guys.

That should have been a loss with a capital L last game, in basically a must win.

I like what I see a bit I guess; but mostly I still don't like what I see: A boring bunch of whimps with no scorers.(Sorry if you're reading this Raps players.)

If you've been a fan of the team through basically 13 years of "wait til next year" you start getting tired of this garbage. And it becomes a wee bit harder to be optimistic, whatever camp that is.

I will say this; forget the record, .500 ain't happenin'. It's all about the GB (baseball term). Yep, we're in a f**king pennant race for 8th spot and sacrificial 1st round lamb.

I'm in the WTF camp.

Member,

I hear you. Maybe I'll start by saying that when I classified what the Raps needed as an "established" wing, I didn't necessarily mean All-Star. I guess my overall point is that I don't know if we can (or should) wait for the development of an unknown quantity such as a mid-round draft pic to materialize.
My overall point is, the core of Bargs, Bosh and Jose looks to be promissing (now that Bargs has awoken from his slumber) and what we need is a vet slasher type wing that adds a little "moxy" and toughness and if there is a way to package something with our pick to get that I say go for it. Hey, wheather or not its possible, I don't know... But one can dream... Dayoner, absolutely right! The Raps did everything within their power to give that game away in New Jersey and were fortunate to escape with a win they probably didn't deserve!

You forgot Camp D - people are similar in thought to Camp A but don't trust BC to make a good draft pick and would rather he made a move now for next year rather than risk having this team as is being YOUR TORONTO RAPTORS next season. Maybe I am in this camp alone but I am really scared that we don't trade Oneal for something, and end up losing Parker, Moon et al and signing another Fred Jones to fill the gaps. We need to clear cap space, plain and simple otherwise you will have to blow it up as you will have no franchise player in 2 years.

time to trade jermaine... we are out of it. so lets get jermaine outta here and get some money this summer to ensure bosh stays by signing some people

time to trade jermaine... we are out of it. so lets get jermaine outta here and get some money this summer to ensure bosh stays by signing some people

Bad game. We thought we won it after the 1st Q, we started to coast and then we got out of rythm completely. This is the second game in which Triano made big mistakes: Andrea not playing Q2, Jose not subbed in at the end of the game.
This is not our season, for whatever reason. BC has to re-tool this team because we are not going anywhere.

Really disappointed in this one. I just don't understand the motivation for sitting Bargnani in the second quarter, totally cooled him and the team just couldn't get a flow after that. The quicker O'Neal is traded, the less reason for the coach to sub for Bargs. Sometimes coaches get into a habit of just following their routines instead of reading the game and letting the dynamics dictate whether those routines are warranted.
This is one they needed to give them a fighting chance against any of the next four. They are just not good enough. Nothing else to say

Disappointing isn't even the word...what the hell happened? Where was that end of fourth quarter effort throughout the rest of the game???

Unreal.

And you have to question Triano in this one. Besides the blown play of not getting Jose in for offense and therefore having Parker get called for an offensive foul, he also made some curious substitutions. Anyone else feel that there was a maximum one Raptor per quarter quota last night? Andrea in the first, Chris in the second...ok, no one in the third, but then O'Neal in the fourth?

And CV ate us up...