Tonight the Toronto Raptors try to get back in the win column by taking on the dreaded Washington Wizards.
Dreaded...as in the Raps lost to them, last time they met.
To get a better idea of the club the Dinos are set to face off with tonight, we asked Mike Prada of "Bullets Forever," SB Nation's Washington Wizards' blog, three quick questions before the game this evening:
1) Raptors HQ: The Wizards currently have four wins and 18 losses. I'm not sure anyone expected them to be world-beaters, but what about your own expectations of the club coming into the season? Have they been met?
Bullets Forever: They haven't been met, though things have been a bit better as of late. Most Wizards fans figured the team would be bad, but few could have expected them to be as inept as they were in the early part of the season, when they were being blown out in seven of their first 19 games (including preseason) while not even looking like they belonged on the same court as their opponent. Recent weeks have been more in line with most fan's expectations given where they are in the rebuilding process.
2) RHQ: What about individually? It seems that players anointed as the club's key building blocks haven't made much developmental progress, players such as John Wall and Andray Blatche. Can you give us your take on this?Bullets Forever: They both have been bad, though I think you'd be hard-pressed to find any fan who really believes Blatche, despite his salary, is a cornerstone of the rebuilding process. As for Wall, I wrote extensively about him today, so that about covers my feelings on his season.
3) RHQ: And finally, while the Wizards have but one lone road win, it did come at the expense of the Toronto Raptors. What would you say the keys are tonight in terms of Washington getting a second road W?Bullets Forever: Andrea Bargnani not playing helps but they need to crowd Jose Calderon on pick and rolls and feel free to give DeMar DeRozan space on open jumpers. They also need to rebound well, which they didn't do even in the win. On the other end, the Raptors' bigs can be tough in their pick and roll coverages, so Wall needs to be making good decisions and the Wizards need to be ready to make quick decisions on the weak side.