These are my links for February 17th through February 23rd:

• FAN590 – My Comments RE: Bosh – In just over 30 minutes, I’ve already had more than 10 emails come in … asking me about my comments on “The Game Plan” with Jack Armstrong and Doug McLean.

  If you missed it, McLean asked me: “One word … Yes or No … Will Chris Bosh be here long-term?”

  Because McLean asked for a “yes” or a “no” … I gave it to him. My answer …

  “No.”

• FAN590 – Can The Raps Maintain Speed? – With Calderon dealing with hamstring issues and more recently Bosh’s return from a knee injury, Head Coach Jay Triano has to factor the juggling act with minutes played as the season winds down.

  “It’s a fine line between managing minutes and pushing the envelope as far as trying to challenge them and trying to get them into better shape and get them used to the style we are playing” says Triano. “I think their have been a couple of game where in the first 10 minutes we look great and then the fatigue factor sets in. I don’t know if we know how to fight through that.”

• My misconceptions on Marion – However, the guy who impressed me the most on Sunday was Shawn Marion. He's only three games into his stint as a Raptor, but he's already shattered some misconceptions I had about him.
• 2009 NBA Free Agents (Depressed Fan) – Now that the dust has settled from the trade deadline, it's time to take a step back and look at this summer's free agent class. After the jump we'll examine each team's financial situation as well as all the players who will, could, should and shouldn't test the free agent market come July.
• Dino Nation Blog: Dino Nation Blog Heads To D-League – Last week the Raptors acquired Patrick O'Bryant as part of a minor move at the Trade Deadline. O'Bryant was a draft choice of Golden State and spent some time with the Bakersfield Jam who are the affiliate of the Warriors as well as the Orlando Magic. Head Coach of the Jam is Scott Roth and I had a chance to talk about O'Bryant and also got into some things about the D-League itself.
• Aaron Brooks, Jermaine O’Neal among those on NBA hot seat – SI.com – Bryan Colangelo, Raptors: While Jermaine O'Neal has joined former coach Sam Mitchell in the discard pile in Toronto's Keep Chris Bosh Happy game, GM Colangelo will have to do much more to persuade his franchise player to stay. Shawn Marion might be a good start, given his desire to play the up-tempo game Colangelo wants, but making a run at the East's eight seed isn't much of a selling point. On the bright side, there are 12 months until next season's trade deadline, at which point Colangelo and the Raptors will have to decide Bosh's fate if they hope to remain a competitive entity in the years to come.
• Dime Magazine » Antoine Walker To The Raptors? – Really?!? You think ‘Toine is the answer to your problems? Don’t get me wrong, I’ve been a huge fan of Walker for years, but at this point in his career he should just hang ‘em up for good.

  If you were the Raptors, would you sign ‘Toine?

• Dino Nation Blog: Dino Blogger Chats With Eric Smith – Eric Smith stops by for a visit here at the Dino Nation Blog. He has been a big help to the Dino Nation Blog in many ways. The one thing that is obvious is when he pops by to visit and talk with us here.
• Listed: My ten favourite Raptors wins « Raptors Report – I was getting some X-rays today (long story, don’t ask) and bumming myself out about the state of the Raptors when I decided to cheer myself up – by counting down my ten favourite Rap wins.

  And before you ask, yes there are ten of them. One is even a playoff win, too.

• Tim Chisholm: The Next Day – That being said, no one ever really questioned the ability of this team to compete when they are on their game. Talent-wise this squad should be able to ascend beyond all of the other clubs vying for the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference playoff race. The fact that they have refused to commit often enough, though, is the reason there is virtually no chance that they will ever reach that coveted spot.

  Still, that doesn't mean that there is nothing to shoot for in these last weeks of the season, or even in the next handful of games. If the Raptors can advertise Sunday's win as one earned in the name of pride for the game previous, then surely the rest of the week can be played as a similar form of redemption for the sorry efforts put forth in the months preceding it.

• BULLS: Sam Smith: Raptors The League’s Biggest Disappointment – Chris Bosh: In and out of the lineup with injuries as his Raptors have been the league's biggest disappointment.
• Raptors 111, Knicks 100 – Game Flow –
• Behind the Box Score, where the Cavs are healthy – Ball Don’t Lie – NBA – Yahoo! Sports – Fine game from the Raptors. Anthony Parker's had a horrible year, but his shot was there (11-16) against the smaller Knicks. And Andrea Bargnani overcame a slow start to really take it to New York down the stretch, finishing with 28 points, 10 rebounds, and three blocks overall. Great to see.

  Not as great to see was Shawn Marion's insistence on pretending that he wasn't Shawn Marion, and trying to shoot off the dribble poorly like his name was Andre Iguodala. You are NOT Andre Iguodala, Shawn Marion. You are Shawn Marion.

  And while the 15 rebounds (five offensive), five assists and a steal were nice, and the 16 points helped, the best way for Shawn Marion to play for a new contract is to play like Shawn Marion. Help on the break, dive to the corner on the weak side of a screen and roll while waiting for the pass, and try to convince those legs to stay active.

• New York Knicks Examiner: Knicks continue their struggles in Toronto, lose to the Raptors in Sunday matinee – You had to expect that Toronto was going to come out swinging after its embarrassing loss in the Garden on Friday night and came out the gates with strong defense and timely shooting. Leading the Raptors was the “magician” Andrea Bargnani with 28 points and 10 rebounds, adding 3 assists and 3 blocks to his stat line.

  Bargnani has been a Knick killer lately, averaging 23 points and 8 rebounds over the course of the home and home.

• Armstrong: What The Raptors Have To Do To Make The Playoffs – With Jose Calderon and Chris Bosh back in the lineup and the additions of Shawn Marion, Marcus Banks and Patrick O'Bryant the Raptors are a bit of a different team than we saw earlier but is it enough to get them over the hump? Here are my 5 keys for the Raptors if they're going to make an improbable playoff run.
• Baby steps for Bosh | Toronto Sun – "I'm just trying to focus on defence right now," Bosh said. "I know the opposition will pay a lot of attention to me when I have the ball so if I have something I will try to make a move and if they collapse on me I'm going to make the first easy pass and try and work my way back into things."
• Fearsome frontcourt | Toronto Sun – It wasn't exactly the most traditional way of dominating a game, but the latest look of Toronto's frontline looked awfully good.

  There was Andrea Bargnani putting the ball on the floor and getting to the foul line with regularity.

  There was the irregularity of Shawn Marion and Chris Bosh combining to make exactly one trip to the charity stripe.

  But Toronto's three-headed monster worked because each piece played to its strength.

• No shame in that! | Toronto Sun – "Watching the film of Friday's game, embarrassing was a word we said a lot," Parker admitted.

  For head coach Jay Triano, the difference was visible from the opening minutes. He sounded like a guy who was looking for a way to bottle the kind of effort he got yesterday and pull it back out the next time his Raptors come out lacking effort.

  "We just played with a lot more intensity and passion," Triano said. "We have to keep doing that. We have one or two or three like that and then we tend to relax a little bit. We have to make sure we drive home the point that this is how we want to play all the time."

• TheStar.com | Raptors’ double-doubles topple Knicks – "I've been trying to get the shackles off me a little bit," said Marion, whose 16-point, 15-rebound gem led the Raptors to a 111-100 win over the New York Knicks at a sold-out Air Canada Centre yesterday afternoon. "I've been kind of kept into a quiet little area and that's kind of hard. I'm used to being out there and trying to create for other people, and just play ball."

  For one day, he certainly did. His statistical contribution was mighty impressive. His impact was far greater.

• Mediocre Forever – Momentum – In spite of the Raptors current plight, I feel fans, teams, hell the entire organization should be reminded of the fact that mediocre teams sometimes achieve greatness. Miami's championship team was viewed as the worst team to ever win a title in the history of the NBA. Is it likely that the Raptors have enough games to get it together?

  Probably not.

• DOUBLE DOUBLE TROUBLE TROUBLE: Four of the Raptors starters finish with double doubles – Toronto built up a ten point lead in the second quarter but the Knicks got back into the game with the three ball. Q-Rich hit one, then Chris Duhon hit another one to get within three and then Al Harrington nailed a three to tie it at 46. Al Harrington was hot hitting one of his four threes later in the quarter to take the lead. Andrea Bargnani and his beard showed up today as he hit the layup to put the Raptors up 4 at the half.
• Bounce back « That’s what I’m saying, guy… – The Raptors finally got their offense running and gunning, with Shawn Marion enjoying his best game yet in Toronto with 16 points and 15 rebounds. Andrea Bargnani, Chris Bosh and Jose Calderon also chipped in with double-doubles.
• Deadline and Oscar’s « NBA Dish ‘N Swish – You got Marion for a half of year, What if you stayed healthy and O’Neal panned out? This franchise is falling fast. Expect the Raptors to trade Bosh in the summer. Bosh is as good as gone. They need to figure out how to keep stars. McGrady, Carter and now Bosh are all going to be gone. Yet they haven’t brought any impact players in.
• The Raptor Apologists Utter | Searching For ‘93 – Professional sports team contracts people to broadcast their games on television and radio. Said people are paid by this professional sports team. That nugget of information influences their content and the manner with which they analyze success and failure.

  Basically, it’s like a government controlling the information their citizens can access.

• Raptors Upend Knicks – ESPN Video – ESPN –
• RAPTORS BEAT KNICKS 111-100 – New York Post – Each of the Toronto starters reached double figures and four of the five had double-doubles. Anthony Parker scored 24 points, Shawn Marion had 16 points and 15 rebounds and Chris Bosh added 11 points and 12 boards. Jose Calderon had 13 points and 11 assists.
• Hughes, Wilcox struggle; Knicks lose to Raptors — Newsday.com – The Raptors (22-36) were without heart when the Knicks blew them out Friday at the Garden, 127-97, but they brought it yesterday in the second game of this home-and-home.

  Anthony Parker hustled for 24 points and Andrea Bargnani was far more effective with 28 points and 10 rebounds. He was one of four Raptors with a double-double in the game, along with Shawn Marion (16 points, 15 rebounds), Chris Bosh (11 points, 12 rebounds) and Jose Calderon (13 points, 11 assists).

• Some thoughts on Marion « Raptors Report – I have to admit, I was a little critical of Shawn Marion. But I’ve seen him play two games now – the home and home against the Knicks – and I gotta admit, he’s growing on me.

  He attacks the basket. He gets right up in there in a way I don’t remember Moon doing, and fights for rebounds. He’s not a monster on the boards or anything, but I like how he’s establishing himself in the low post. In the first half alone against the Knicks on Sunday, he grabbed nine boards.

  On the other side, I don’t feel any which way about his defence. Moon was always a kind-of underrated defender (when enough people call you underrated, one starts to disbelieve the underrated tag), but I can’t say I notice much of a difference between him and Marion. Marion kind of stands around sometimes, but he sometimes plays down in the post.

• One-On-One With Nathan Jawai | Hoops Addict – Hoops Addict recently sat down with Jawai to chat about his rookie season, how his conditioning is improving, what it feels like to have the Australian media following his career so closely and whether he has any plans to play for the national team this summer.
• Raptors 111, Knicks 100 – Posting and Toasting – It was a disheartening start to the Hughes/Wilcox era in New York. Mike D'Antoni botched his first attempt at the new rotation, and sent out ramshackle, unfamilar lineups that struggled on both ends of the floor. They'll work things out, but today's Knicks disappointed in all regards. Playoff teams beat the Raptors, roster changes or not. Next game's tomorrow against the short-handed Pacers. It must be had.
• Raptors Forum » Game 58: Raptors vs. Knicks – Post-game – Here’s something to think about. After Marion comes in and witnesses a good old-fashioned butt whupping of the Raptors, he calls them out about it. Right away, no hesitation. A day later, a completely different looking team comes out and beats the Knicks, controlling most of the game and playing with what actually looked like some energy and desire, with the Matrix leading by example. Now, when we have seen the Raptors take a few ugly losses on the chin this season and Chris Bosh has spoken up (albeit, sometimes a little late), the Raptors haven’t had the same sort of bounce back.
• Dino Nation Blog: Raptors Rewind- Redemption Song – Bob Marley wrote the reggae classic that titles the rewind today and it talks about much higher level things from basketball. But that being said, the Raptors need to restore some pride and just play with energy and effort. No win will come without those elements being a part of it. Everyone had to feel the sting and pain of Friday's loss to the Knicks. It really requires little set-up from me for this game. If this team can not show up today it really will make a bold statement as to the direction of this team
• Tip-In: Toronto Raptors Post Game – Flipping the Script – RaptorsHQ.com – Additionally, this wasn’t just a matter of Toronto putting more points on the board than the Knicks. The team also held the Knicks to 42.9% shooting and got key stops down the stretch when it mattered most. The Dinos still had troubles with Al Harrington, who finished with 31 points, but Wilson Chandler, whose athleticism killed TO Friday night, was a complete non-factor with only two points.
• FAN590 – Raps Bounce Back Against NY – ”If this was a glimpse of what the Raptors could be or should be in an up-tempo style, then I say … bring it on! But I need to see this kind of effort for a stretch of games before I get too excited.”
• sports.theglobeandmail.com: Raptors bounce back – The Raptors went some way toward reversing Friday's debacle. In Sunday's first half, Toronto scored 57 first-half points, shooting 53.2 per cent, while holding the Knicks to 53 points on 42.6 per cent shooting. That compares with a brutal start Friday, when Toronto let the Knicks run away from them in the first quarter with 73 per cent shooting and 42 points.

  Toronto had lost two in a row and eight of their last 10 going into yesterday's match. The Knicks had lost eight successive road games coming into the Air Canada Centre. The Knicks have struggled against the Raptors in recent years, losing 11 of 14 meetings prior to Friday's triumph.

• Raptors get revenge against Knicks – "We came out here with a lot of energy from the start," Toronto newcomer Shawn Marion told CBC afterwards. "We had a hard practice yesterday, a lot of mental preparation, and we just had fun."

  It was the first win for the Raptors after acquiring Marion in a trade last week.

  "I'm used to going out there and being able to create for other people and just play ball," he said later on. "Right now, basically we opened up. I'm able to create and push the ball."

• Raptors get quick revenge on Knicks – The words "I'm ready" are sewn into the shoes of Toronto Raptors small forward Shawn Marion. After a 30-point NBA drubbing Friday night in New York, there would have been a sarcasm-laced joked to make at the sneakers' expense.

  Sunday afternoon, the Raptors decided to defend the honour of those shoes.

  Playing the Knicks for the second time in three days, Toronto appeared to give a darn this time around. The result was a 111-100 win over New York.

• TheStar.com | Bargnani leads Raptors to beat Knicks 111-100 – There was a challenge in front of the Raptors and they accepted it, putting into action their words, doing what they said they'd do.

  It's not something that's happened regularly with this team, but something they needed desperately at the Air Canada Centre on Sunday afternoon.

• Four Raptors With Double Doubles – "You have to remember that those guys have pride," Harrington said about the Raptors. "They came out and played well from start to finish. They put a complete game together today."
• The Associated Press: Bargnani leads Raptors past Knicks 111-100 – "We wanted to come out and set a different tone from the beginning and just let them know that this isn't going to be that kind of night," said Parker, who finished with 24 points.

  Each of Toronto's starters reached double figures and four of the five had double-doubles. Shawn Marion had 16 points and 15 rebounds, and Chris Bosh added 11 points and 12 boards. Jose Calderon had 13 points and 11 assists.

  "It's good the way this team responded to adversity," Bosh said. "It's all about effort. We played good defense, we rebounded the ball well and, for the first time in a very long time, we ran the fast break well."

• Raptors 111, Knicks 100 – New Players, Same Result for Knicks – NYTimes.com – Andrea Bargnani, the former No. 1 overall pick, pounded the Knicks for 28 points and 10 rebounds as the Raptors, back on their home court, avenged Friday’s 30-point defeat to the Knicks.

  Toronto (22-36) scored a season-high 29 fast-break points and pulled away with a series of transition baskets in the second half. The Raptors converted 51.2 percent of their field goals.

• Raptors vs Knicks: (Ask for password in chat) –
• Raptors vs Knicks Stream –
• Dino Nation Blog: Sunday Afternoon Chance To Restore Some Pride – I think we will see an improved effort from this team. If we do not it is going to be a very month and half for everyone connected to this team. Jose Calderon really can be the person that can help this along the most. He really needs to see how to take advantage of his new team member in Shawn Marion. He has missed taking advantage of the Matrix on several occasions in the first couple games. Marion to his credit has been pretty good in his first two games. He did have a double double in the course of that debacle in NYC.
• Team By Team Trade Deadline Review « nbaroundtable – The Toronto Raptors destroyed their future by accepting that Marcus Banks contract.

  They’re done, until they start dismantling their team.

  The Hornets would have owned the worst trade deadline review had that Chandler trade gone through, but it didn’t, and instead the Raptors are the biggest losers of the deadline. Grade F

• Marion, Bosh challenge Raptors teammates – While the NBA playoffs remain a longshot for the Toronto Raptors, it hasn't stopped top forwards Chris Bosh and Shawn Marion from calling for better play from their teammates.
• Raps not the Marion kind | Toronto Sun – "We have to communicate,'' Marion said. "We have to compete. We allowed them to hit shots and we were like at the bottom of a pit trying to climb out of the hole to see the top of it. We have to be ready."

  Marion is used to Mike D'Antoni's system of spreading the floor, moving the ball and heaving an attempt when looks are presented, from the field or beyond the three-point arc.

  He remembers the first time his former team in South Beach played the new-look Knicks under D'Antoni.

  "We eventually made a game of it, but this one (Friday's folly) was lights out,'' he said.

• Guarded optimism | Toronto Sun – "Obviously I want us to practise well, and I think that's very important, but we have to transfer it into games," Bosh said.

  "I'm not paying any attention in how we're doing in practice anymore. I pay attention to what we do in games.

  "I mean, we've had great practices and gone out and got smashed."

  Bosh has no theories as to why habits that are refined in scrimmages aren't carried over when the ball gets tipped for real.

  "We're capable, but I don't know why we don't do things in games that we do in practice. We just have to stop thinking about it and start doing it."

• Marion expects more intensity from Raptors – He has been here less than a week, played just two games and had just three practices, but as he stood near the exit of the practice gym at the Air Canada Centre yesterday, there was no ambiguity about how he felt.

  "Yeah, I'm pissed off," he said. "Hell, yeah, I want everybody pissed off."

  What had irked the short-timer so much was Toronto's utter capitulation at the hands of the New York Knicks on Friday, a 30-point shellacking from a team with almost as bad a record as the Raptors that was marked by a distinct lack of fight.

• Raptors Forum » Game 58: Raptors vs. Knicks – Pre-game – For the Raptors, redemption starts now. Forget about making the playoffs right now. Just go back to the old cliche about taking one game at a time and then break that cliche down with another cliche, breaking things into smaller pieces. The Raptors can’t even take it one game at a time right now. They have to break each game down into quarters and just focus on one quarter at a time. The Raptors have to go right back to the basics and just work on coming out in the first quarter on a mission: to win the first quarter. Winning that first quarter will determine the angle on their second quarter mission and so on.
• Italian Heritage Night at MSG — Italy didn’t like it – The question is, how can a Raptors team boasting José Calderon, Chris Bosh, Andrea Bargnani and a newly added Shawn Marion lose to a Knicks rotation that only included eight players? With the recent trades made by Mike D'Antoni (another Italian connection) and his team, they had a roster of 11 that included inactives Eddy Curry (injury), Larry Hughes (recently traded) and Chris Wilcox (recently traded).

  The answer came from the uptempo offensive schemes that D'Antoni is so famous for. Wilson Chandler put up a career high 32 points, whilst Nate "Kryptonate" Robinson added 26 off the bench.

• Pistons to be major players in offseason dealing? – If Toronto is convinced that Bosh won't re-sign, it will have no choice but to explore its options. But the Raptors would need to get some decent young players back in order to sell the deal to their fans. The Pistons aren't giving up Rodney Stuckey, so they would have to get a third team involved to make it happen.
• Blowout in the Big Apple – Okay, okay…So it was Marion’s first game alongside Chris Bosh, so the Raps obviously have some chemistry issues to work out. But getting romped by the Knicks? Come on now. Even with a home-heavy schedule, including a stretch where they play the Bobcats, Clippers, Bucks, Thunder and Bulls consecutively in late-March, it’s going to take a miracle for this team to make the playoffs.
• Post [Game] Mortem: Raptors at Knicks –
• RaptorTalk: Top Twelve Reasons the Toronto Raptors Suck This Season – After the ugly blowout loss in New York City, which signalled the beginning of the end of the Raptors' playoff hopes, we got to thinking about the chilly Ed Sullivan Theater north on Broadway where the Late Show is taped.

  So with thanks to David Letterman – RaptorTalk is pleased to present our Top Twelve (not ten) Reasons the Toronto Raptors Suck This Season.

• A look at aftermath of NBA trade deadline – You know you’re desperate when you start swapping past-their-prime All-Stars.

  And that’s exactly what Toronto and Miami did last weekend when Jermaine O’Neal went to the Heat for Shawn Marion. The Heat got the low-post presence they needed in O’Neal, and the Raptors got the expiring contract they desired in Marion. But did either team actually take a step forward to solidify its place in the Eastern Conference playoff field? Marion hasn’t been the same since he left Phoenix and won’t be playing with an elite point guard in Toronto either — sorry, Jose Calderon, but you’re no Steve Nash. And O’Neal, while still a factor inside in a league with a dearth of quality big men, won’t have an elite player guarding his back in Miami.

• Knicks’ new guys could face Raptors — Newsday.com – In short, it was a lot like what Hughes has been doing since mid-January, when the Bulls decided to pull him from the rotation to go younger. Hughes last played Jan. 12, but he may get his chance this afternoon in Toronto. "Me saying it right now, yeah," Mike D'Antoni said, referring to whether Hughes and Wilcox will face the Raptors. "Playing at noon , we have to have a little patience."
• Raptors get Knickerbocked the Hell Out – This was by far the ugliest game to date from the Raptors, and the Raptors have had their fair share of ugly games. I gave the Raptors a break in their last game against the Cavs because a) they didn't have Bosh, b) they had new players in their rotation and c) it was Lebron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers, but the Raps had no excuse tonight except that they showed no effort at all against New York.
• Tip-In: Toronto Raptors Post Game – No Identity, No Plan, No Chance – RaptorsHQ.com – The reality is this team knows this year is over and they are playing like it. It’s too late now and the Marion acquisition is going to do nothing to change that.

  Why has this season been a lost cause?

  That’s the ultimate question and one that BC needs to find the answer to in a hurry. With 2010 looming in the distance the longer it takes for the Legomaster to fix this situation the less likely it is we will see CB4 wearing a Raptors uniform after that date.

• T.Jose Caldeford: Bridge to Nowhere – I probably should have let everyone know on the site, but I took a sabbatical from this team about three weeks ago. From this season, this failed roster, this never-ending stream of disappointing performances… I had to take a break.

  But after getting back from Mexico earlier in the week, and anxious to see Shawn Marion in action, I tuned in to watch the Knicks and Raptors do battle at Madison Square Garden.

  Let me tell you, my hiatus is going to continue.

  I won't stop writing, I'll follow the team, I'll read the box scores, but WATCHING this team is just sooooo frustrating.

• Dino Nation Blog: A Low Point In Franchise History – I have watched just about every Raptor game that has ever been played in the NBA. After last night's game and effort, I struggle to think of a worse game. We have seen some bad ones this season. The loss in Denver that cost Sam Mitchell his job. We saw them lose to the Thunder. A brutal lose to Memphis. But this one was the worst of them all. Here is why I say that. This team has said they still consider themselves in the playoff race. I have not agreed with that. However They have said it and they get their star player back. Playing against on of the many teams they must pass to make the playoffs.
• Follow Your Shot – The Toronto Raptors have the worst offensive rebounding record in the league averaging 8.6 a game. 8.6! It's time they take the lead from their opponents who they allow to grab 11 offensive boards against them.

  It is, so often, frustrating to watch the Raptors on the offensive end. Someone puts up the shot and everyone watches it and unless the ball bounces somewhat close to where they happen to be, they start to head back for defense. Do they not hear Coach Triano's pleas to "Finish the play."

• Sports of The Times – For Anthony Parker, Time Spent in Israel Puts World in Perspective – NYTimes.com – At 6 feet 6 inches, Parker, big brother of Candace, is in his third season with the Raptors after playing six years abroad, five with Maccabi Tel Aviv, the Yankees of Israeli professional basketball. He arrived there at the turn of the century and the beginning of the Palestinian intifada, young and scared and loath to leave his apartment. He wound up starring on three Euroleague championship teams, twice being named the league’s most valuable player and receiving the life-altering benefit called worldliness.

  “All the things you can’t put a price tag on,” he said.

• Wounded pride | Toronto Sun – "We have to stop talking about trying to turn this around," a frustrated Jose Calderon said after the game. "I'm getting very tired of hearing that. A game like tonight's we have to go out there and fight, and have some pride and try to go game by game. Don't try and turn it around in a night because it's not working.

  "Right now we're going backwards," Calderon said. "We say we want to turn it around but we don't look like we want it. Sunday is going to be a big game because after the way things went today, we have to show some pride."

• O’Bryant joins Raps | Toronto Sun – "First place in the East, a great chance to have home court throughout the playoffs and a better chance to win, not to mention a great group of guys," O'Bryant said, listing what he's going to miss about Boston. "Three all-stars, three Hall of Famers really that I got to learn from. On the other hand I can come here and I feel I'll have a good chance to play some pretty decent minutes."
• Doug Smith – It’s The Dawn Of A New Day – Friday was, without question, the low point in a season that’s had far too many.

  With so much at stake, on such a stage, rested and well aware of what was on the line, to come out and lose the game in the first seven minutes was shameful.

  And, I fear, speaks to the mental makeup of most of the roster. When things are going good, they’re okay; when they go bad, they go south.

  That’s the most troubling part of the whole thing, to me.

  The playoffs? Pah! The playoffs are so far away they may as well be on Mars; the thing they’ve got to fix is there hearts. And their brains. Can they? Who knows. But they’ve got to try.

• TheStar.com |Raptors blown out on Broadway – The three-point line was an undefended no-man's land from where the Knicks made 17 long bombs, tying the Raptors' franchise record for an opponent.

  "Our goal was to protect the paint and protect the three-point line," said Jay Triano, the Raptors coach. "We did neither."

  With the Knicks in Toronto tomorrow at noon, the Raptors were searching for some remedy to their many deficiencies. At one point, Bosh interrupted Toronto's coaches as they huddled during a timeout to offer his input. At another juncture Calderon, who was resting on the bench, prowled the sideline like a bench boss to offer in-game pointers to his backup, Roko Ukic.

• sports.theglobeandmail.com: Raptors crushed – Joey Graham scored 19 points, Andrea Bargnani had 18 and Shawn Marion had 14 points and 12 rebounds for the Raptors. Chris Bosh shot just 4-of-13 and scored 12 points after missing the previous five games with a sprained right knee.

  "You've got to keep playing, keep chipping away whether it's two points or 20 points," Bosh said. "We showed no confidence, no pride tonight on the court."

• FAN590 – Knicks Hammer Toronto – “There needs to be some soul-searching when a team comes up as flat as the Raptors did in a game that they needed to help keep their playoff hopes alive.”
• Mediocre Forever: Knicker-boxers – The Matrix had a solid game with 14 points and 12 rebounds. His putbacks were impressive and is probably our only guy who's always looking to run and slash. I feel bad for Marion, can you imagine what's going on in his mind? Probably the same thing as Bosh's. "I can't WAIT to get outta here.."
• Raptors Forum » Game 57: Raptors vs. Knicks – Post-game – But there’s plenty of blame to go around. When you give up 42 points in the first quarter, there have to be more than a few mistakes. For instance, with D’Antoni now running things in New York (pun completely intended), you would think that the Raptors would make transition D a high priority, knowing that off any misses, they were going to have to get back quickly as the Knicks would have somebody heading upcourt right away. Well, it certainly looked like the Raptors were just walking down the court, while the Knicks were running. I’m sorry, I love David Lee’s game, but there’s no way he should be outrunning guys down the court. I mean, REALLY?
• Dave Feschuk Fan590 Interview – The Toronto Star's Dave Faschuk joined the Late Night Vampire to talk about the Toronto Raptors at the NBA trade deadline.
• Knicks 127, Raptors 97 – Posting and Toasting – I don't I've ever seen a team as flat as the Raptors were tonight. Nobody talked, nobody closed out, and hardly anyone showed any interest in the game's proceedings. Granted, it's hard to keep your head up when the opposing team shoots 17-39 from downtown, but still.
• Knicks Blog – Knicks Survive minus Jerome – I've seen soft teams, but never as soft as these Toronto Raptors. With Nate Robinson doing his hot-dog act well into the fourth quarter despite a 30-plus point bulge, the Raptors refused to lay a hard foul on the 5-7½ Robinson. Maybe Sunday.

  Chris Bosh, whose hurt, looked like he'd rather be anywhere else but a Raptor uniform. He's a free agent in 2010.

• Chisholm: Raptors insist on finding new depths – A group of Tin-Men looking for their hearts. Or Scarecrows looking for their brains. Or Lions looking for some courage. Whatever Oz denizen best represented the Raptors last night, none found their sought-after quality by the end of the game like in the classic L. Frank Baum tale. In what has become a staple of the Raptors season, the team was presented with a must-win game and they simply refused to show up for it in any way, shape or form. Once again they faced a depleted opponent (due to a trade in various stages of finality) and it was the Raps that looked lacking for options. In what has been an increasingly dismal season, the Toronto Raptors insist on finding new depths to bury themselves under.
• Projecting The Playoffs – EAST – Toronto Raptors (21-36): I was covering the Knicks-Raptors game at Madison Square Garden last night and it was pretty clear to anyone in attendance that the Raps have put a big, wet stamp on this season. Extremely disappointing for a team that most pundits had predicted would finish near the top of the East back in October.
• Knicks 127, Raptors 97 – Knicks Top the Raptors for a Feel-Good Victory – NYTimes.com – The Raptors’ star forward, Chris Bosh, acknowledged being exhausted; he was playing in his first game after missing five with a sprained right knee.

  Bosh, one of the star players who could become a free agent after the 2010 season and therefore a potential target for the Knicks, looked like a shell of his normal self, with 12 points and 9 rebounds in almost 31 minutes.

• Knicks rout Raptors at Garden – It made you wonder why the Raptors even bothered to make the trip. The other pertinent question is, what is all the fuss about with Chris Bosh? The Raptors' All-Star power forward will be a free agent in 2010 and is often linked to the best of that class, LeBron James and Dwayne Wade.

  But Bosh, playing with a sprained right knee, has already shown he is fragile. Plus, it's hard to call him an elite player when the Raptors are 21-36. Bosh finished with 12points (on 4-for-13 shooting) and nine rebounds.

• Dino Nation Blog: Raptors Rewind- The Mecca Massacre – So the Raptors and the Knicks finally get a chance to face off. They had not seen each other since the second game of the pre-season for the Raptors. But both teams look a lot different from the rosters on that night at ACC. Some holding out hope for the Raptors and the playoffs see this as a big home and home series.O'Bryant will be available for the Raptors and Wilcox was dressed for Knicks. Larry Hughes was there, but not available. Knicks were still in the playoff race and technically the Raptors are as well. But technically is the key word there.
• Bosh’s return not enough to lift Raptors to victory – Over the past few seasons, the New York Knicks were the laughingstocks of the National Basketball Association.

  While the Toronto Raptors are not the type of team that could match the off-the-court zaniness of those squads, they are quickly developing a reputation for being just as hapless on the court.

• The Associated Press: Knicks roll past Raptors, match ‘07-’08 win total – Joey Graham scored 19 points, Andrea Bargnani had 18 and Shawn Marion had 14 points and 12 rebounds for the Raptors. Chris Bosh shot just 4-of-13 and scored 12 points after missing the previous five games with a sprained right knee.
• Bosh, Raptors torched by Knicks – Chris Bosh must be thinking, "I came back for this?"

  The Raptors all-star forward returned from a five-game absence due to a knee injury only to see his hapless team get torched 127-97 by the New York Knicks on Friday night at Madison Square Garden.

• Toronto vs New York Stream –
• Once Upon a NOW – Can Bryan Colangelo deliver a real page turner from here on in? I don’t know. So far he seems to be pitching a Charlie Kaufman script that looks forwards, backwards, inward and outward while struggling with the very concept of how it will tie up all the loose ends. Being Roko Ukic? Sure. Good. Just stop trying to sell me on the idea of gunning for the playoffs with a bunch of players with bad legs playing a running game. Sure one set of knee braces have been shipped out, and maybe Mr. Marion can provide enough energy to have me wanting to skip ahead only twenty or so pages. My biggest hope is that the guy in charge fully comprehends the pulpy trashiness of what he has created, and is smart enough to turn all the Kaufman-esque doubts into something that can make a verifiable, soul-defining statement on the essence of basketball. No more talk about 2010, and Carlos Delfino, and the Division title of two seasons past.
• Bryan and me: philosophical differences – Even at the time, I didn't entirely "get" his team-building strategies — but I didn't sweat it because it was pretty difficult to question the results. He had shaped the Phoenix Suns into one of the best teams in the NBA and unquestionably one of the most exciting. Who cares if the Suns were out-rebounded by their opponents in each of his last five seasons and they finished in the bottom half of the NBA in Defensive Rating (points allowed per 100 possessions) in his last three seasons in Phoenix? They won, dammit!
• Bosh back in for Raptors – Speaking of which, it isn't exactly like the time Jerome (Junk Yard Dog) Williams got in his truck and drove all night from Detroit but newest Raptor Patrick O'Bryant did leave Utah at midnight on a commercial flight — where, as he put it, "didn't sleep, because he just couldn't get comfortable" — to be with the team. He arrived at JFK airport in New York at 7 a.m., and probably had a physical of some sort; I'm just connecting the dots here as Dr. Howard Petroff just happened to be with the team on the trip, before taking the floor with the team for practice. The problem for O'Bryant was that he could practice. Triano had to tell him that he couldn't take part in the shoot-around as the Kings have yet to complete the paper work and physical for Will Solomon.
• VLOG 30.0 – New York City – Raptors facing a must-win tonight (and Sunday) against the Knicks.

  The Patrick O’Bryant era begins!

• Raptor Fans Want Their Hope Back – Even the North Americans on this roster are of the warm and fuzzy variety.
  Where have you gone Charles Oakley? Oh I know the answer to that he was on
  Pros vs Joes the popular(???) Spike T.V show. Dennis Rodman was on Hulk
  Hogan’s wrestling reality show. Can’t get him. Is there a guy that offers
  that old Oakley attitude? Ron Artest. He is half crazy and half talented.
  It is no half man and half amazing like Vince Carter. However Oakley was a
  guy that would challenge Carter and not care if he liked it or not. Could
  a Ron Artest do that for this Raptor team and Chris Bosh? It would be the
  ultimate risk. Bryan Colangelo has made them before. The guy in Miami now
  is his latest proof of that. So wait a second I am basing my hope in the
  Raptors on Ron Artest? Maybe I am crazy as well.
• More Raptor roster moves to come? – As mentioned yesterday on Trade Deadline Day, the Raptors went looking for depth at power forward and the bench, and came out with a centre. But Bryan Colangelo may not be done yet, since we now have NBA Boxing Week (a.k.a. signing players waived by March 1, who could then join their new teams in the playoffs).

  Here's a list of players and their statuseseses:

• Raptors at the half – It's the halfway point of the 2008-09 NBA season and in true school-like fashion, CBCSports.ca hands out its report card on the Toronto Raptors so far.
• Winners and losers and must-wins – How’s that post-deadline hangover? All out celebrating the flurry of activity? Dreaming of Patrick O’Bryant triumphantly riding down Bay Street holding aloft not only the Larry O’Brien Trophy but the Bill Russell Trophy as well?

  Well, wake up!

• A Game On T.V That Everyone Can See…What A Concept. – It will be interesting to see how Bosh handles the 2010 question that you know will come from the New York media win or lose. I would be shocked if Bosh did anything but what he has done all along which is take the high road on the issue. I know this Raptors media relations Guy Jim LaBumbard won't have him sitting behind a Knick back drop like Lebron did earlier in the year. Leave that for someone to photo shop it. The reality of an image like that is not a good thing. This will be the first meeting between the Knicks and Raptors as crazy as that seems at this point in the season.
• 3 In the Key – Toronto Raptors Game Day Preview vs. New York – Toronto of course made an addition to their club just before the trade deadline yesterday when they shipped out Will Solomon in a 3-way trade with the Celtics and Kings and acquired former Bradley Brave, Patrick O'Bryant.

  For those not familiar with the 7-footer, I'll let Franchise give his thoughts:

• Raps eyeing broom or bust – But the bulk of the pressure in the final 26 games will be on the shoulders of Chris Bosh, Shawn Marion, Jose Calderon, and a mish-mash of players who have been unable to hold down starting jobs all season in Toronto and elsewhere.

  If the Raps sweep the two games, the public may have to take them seriously about a late charge to jump five teams, including the Knicks, for the eighth and final playoff spot. Drop both and they are down to 24 games and attention will begin turning to the draft lottery.

  "We know the importance of the games, back-to-back against a team ahead of us," coach Jay Triano said yesterday at the ACC. "If we split, we don't gain any ground."

  "We definitely have to go in there and get the win and then come back in here (Sunday afternoon) and protect home court," forward Joey Graham added.

• O’Bryant gives Raptors a little more depth – O'Bryant, who went to college at Bradley and can discuss alumni affairs with former Brave Anthony Parker, has made little impact since being picked ninth in the 2006 draft, eight selections after Toronto took Bargnani.

  He spent two uneventful seasons in Golden State, never averaging more than seven minutes or two points a game. With Boston this year, he has only seen mop-up minutes in 26 games.

  The financial considerations in yesterday's deal won't cost the Raptors any salary cap flexibility in the future. Solomon's deal ends after this season, and while O'Bryant has another year and $855,189 (U.S.) left, only $500,000 of it is guaranteed.

• Must-wins start now for Raptors – One of Toronto's biggest reasons for obtaining Marion for Jermaine O'Neal in a four-player deal was to create a more comfortable front line. Bosh and O'Neal never really meshed and Bargnani bounced between all three positions all season. But with the arrival of Marion to play small forward, that problem seems solved.

  "I like a lot about Shawn," said Bosh. "He's a good defender, he's a good rebounder. I think we can really utilize him on offence through mismatches, just moving him around looking for lobs in transition."

  Those lobs will be much easier to come by now that Bosh is back after missing five games with a sprained right knee. He generates so much of Toronto's offence and commands such respect from defenders when he has the ball that more space has to open up for Marion.

• Harrumph – I'm not even sure people are angry. It's more like they've opened their credit card bill, trashed their bumper in a parking lot and been told their not getting the bonus they were counting on all in the same week. It's just sucks and there's no obvious way to make it not suck. And until you find a guy who will do the body work cheap and sign up that unexpected new client and manage to introduce yourself to the interesting looking girl from the cafeteria, that's the way it's going to feel. Your life isn't ruined, you know that, but it's not even close to as much fun as it could be right now.
• Raptors Game Day – New York (22-31) had been in a slide this month, losing each of their first seven games in February. But perhaps the all-star break was exactly what the Knicks needed. In their first game back, New York beat the Spurs at Madison Square Garden. The run-and-gun Knicks have also scored at least 100 points in 14 straight games. "It's hard to prepare for. Our main thing right now is we just have to get back on defence," Bosh said of New York. "Our transition defence has to be very good. We have to show them bodies. We have to contest their threes."
• Sour economy looms large at NBA trade deadline – That doesn't mean that big financial obligations won't be dealt this summer, though. Just before the deadline, the NBA reportedly sent out a memo warning the 30 clubs that the salary cap and the luxury tax will both drop over the next two seasons, since both numbers are tied to league revenues.

  That means for all the teams clearing space for the free agency of LeBron James, Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade in 2010, the horizon will shift.

  According to ESPN.com, the NBA expects the salary cap to drop to US$57.3-million next season from US$58.86-million this season, but who knows how far it could fall? Not only that, but Sports Business Journal reported that the league secured an additional US$175-million line of credit to supplement the existing US$1.7-billion line of credit.

• Game 57: Raptors vs. Knicks – Pre-game – Hopefully, the Raptors will be able to take care of a Knicks team that is clearly in transition. I don’t know who is going to be in the Knicks lineup on Friday, but whether the new players will be on the court or not, the Raptors should be looking to get a quick upper hand, playing either a short bench or a team with no cohesion. Then again, that description kind of sounds like the Raptors, doesn’t it?
• 4 Q’s of Basketball with PostingAndToasting.com – I got a chance to talk to Seth at PostingAndToasting.com, a blog covering the New York Knicks. I got to ask him about Lebron vs. Kobe and the Knick's nicks.
• Contraction – Seems like a nice enough city, but Canada is just too white for the NBA. Can’t they just play Canadian rules basketball, where the court is 20 feet longer and 10 feet narrower, three-pointers count for 2.5 points, body checking is allowed and Wally Szczerbiak would wind up a five-time MVP?
• Chad Ford: Team-by-team trade evaluation – Positive Spin: The Raptors dumped the final year of Jermaine O'Neal's contract, saving them roughly $23 million next season. Shawn Marion is a better fit on the team anyway, and he fills a pretty big hole at the 3. His defense should help, too. Plus, Toronto has the inside track toward signing Marion (cheaply) this summer.

  Negative Spin: The Raptors still aren't a contender, even with Marion. Chris Bosh looks as if he's already packing his bags for the summer of 2010. Toronto had to take back Marcus Banks' ugly contract. What's the plan for the future? It's pretty cloudy at this point.

• NBA deals about bottom line, not winning – In Toronto, the Raptors traded for Jermaine O'Neal last summer to demonstrate to All-Star forward Chris Bosh that they had a commitment to winning. Last week, the Raptors shipped O'Neal to Miami for Shawn Marion and his expiring contract.

  I don't think Bosh, who can be an unrestricted free agent after next season, is convinced the Raptors are all in it for a ring.

• O’Bryant shipped out – O'Bryant participated in a shootaround yesterday, then met with coach Doc Rivers and president Danny Ainge. Practice concluded 45 minutes before the deadline.

  "We're just creating a roster spot," Ainge said. "Free agents will come into play now and over the next couple of weeks."

• Tanenbaum should win MLSE … but it’s no longer much of a game – Mr. Tanenbaum is the prototypical pro-sports owner, in the game for passion, not profit. He now holds 20.5 per cent of the company, and is MLSE's chairman.

  MLSE's controlling shareholder is the Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan, a mature fund that must eventually harvest its private equity investments. MLSE has been part of its portfolio since 1991 and, while it kicks off a healthy cash return, the fund will eventually want to lock in its capital gains on its 58.4-per-cent stake by selling.

  Working through the rest of the MLSE team, Toronto-Dominion Bank owns a 14-per-cent stake and, as a purely financial player, would likely opt to exit on Teachers' coattails if the pension fund attracts a premium bid for its position. And CTVglobe has clearly shown that it's a seller.

• Solomon Traded – Solomon was brought to Toronto to be Jose Calderon’s primary back up but that plan simply didn’t pan out. Solomon struggled at the point and never really established himself as a reliable combo guard either. He was passed on the depth chart by up-and-coming rookie Roko Ukic and was barely seeing any floor time at all.

  To be honest, the fact that Colangelo was able to get anything at all for Solomon is … well … surprising … and … impressive.

• Raptors get a centre before trade deadline – This season he has already played in a career high 26 games for the defending NBA champion Celtics, averaging 1.5 points, 1.3 rebounds and 4.2 minutes.
• Bosh to return against Knicks – "I just think, not only is he 20 (points) and 10 (rebounds) as far as his stats, but the big thing is teams have to focus their defence around him still," Toronto coach Jay Triano said. "That just leaves things open for other guys."

  Although the Raptors managed two wins in the five games Bosh missed, they looked hopelessly lost without him Wednesday against Cleveland. Without Bosh to create space for his teammates, Toronto scored just 76 points on 37 per cent shooting from the field.

• Raptors, Celtics, Kings trade Will Solomon, Patrick O’Bryant; Kings waive Mikki Moore – “Considering the recent roster moves made over the last 24 hours, this trade allows us to bring in an experienced guard in Will, when you consider his time in the NBA, coupled with his extensive experience playing professionally overseas,” said Petrie. “We also want to thank Mikki for his contribution and wish him the best.”
• NBA Trade Deadline Passes: Alston, Hughes, Thomas Among Biggest Names – The Kings also were part of a three-way with Boston and Toronto, where they will receive Will Solomon from the Raps, and send a conditional (aren't they all?) second round pick to the Celtics. The Raptors get Patrick O'Bryant from the Celtics. The biggest part of this deal though would seem to be that the Kings are expected to release Mikki Moore, who's one of those inexpensive big dudes that contending teams look for right around this time to strengthen themselves for a run into the playoffs.
• Another Fun, if Useless, Trade for the Raps – A quick run to the ESPN trade machine – I love that thing, even if they took out the non-player parts of it – shows that it doesn’t matter a difference by John Hollinger’s numbers for any of the parties.

  I’m in the same party; this is just a depth move for Toronto. They moved a guard (one who I’m not really big on) to add somebody to stick behind Bargnani and in front of Jawai, who Colangelo obviously doesn’t feel big on. They must have been stuck for finding somebody though: the guy they got was behind Kendrick Perkins and Brian Scalabrine in Boston. Since he’s played less the five minutes this season, one suspects that it must have been hard for Colangelo to have seen something he liked in the guy.

• Will Solomon sent to Kings? O’Bryant to Toronto – Both have contracts that expire this summer, unless PO'B starts playing well for Toronto. If that's the case, then the Raptors have an option to guarantee his 2009-10 deal for less than a million bucks. I still think the guy can play, so here's hoping he gets a chance.
• Raps Lose The Thrill and Add Size. – He has played little for the Celtics averaging just 4.2 minutes in just 26 games.He is another 7 foot guy and has something in common with a Raptor on the roster. What is that? He is a Bradley Braves Alumni just like Anthony Parker. This deal was reported on Raptors T.V so it is highly likely it will be confirmed and it is being reported by all the media outlets you would expect.
• Raptors ship out Will Solomon and add big man – As part of a late-breaking three-way transaction, the Raptors have acquired 7-foot Patrick O'Bryant from the Boston Celtics while sending point guard Will Solomon to the Sacramento Kings. The Kings will send a future second-round draft pick and cash to Boston to complete the transaction, according to various league and team sources.
• Celtics trade O’Bryant to Raptors – The Boston Celtics have traded backup center Patrick O'Bryant to Toronto for point guard Will Solomon — and then will ship Solomon to Sacramento for a second-round pick.
• Raptors acquire Boston centre Patrick O’Bryant on deadline day – The Raptors acquired little-used centre Patrick O'Bryant from Boston in exchange for their little-used point guard Will Solomon. Boston will then send Solomon to Sacramento for a conditional second-round draft pick, according to SI.com.

  O'Bryant is in the first year of a two-year deal that will pays him just more than US$1.6-million. However, only US$500,000 of O'Bryant's contract is guaranteed for next season. With the move, the Raptors will remain below this season's luxury tax.

• Celtics Get Rid Of O’Bryant – Perhaps, the C’s are planning on waiving Will Solomon?I think Solomon’s contract is guaranteed though, and I think the numbers are fairly comparable to O’Bryant. Was their a pick involved?
• The Return of Bosh, and it’s affect on the Raptors – As can be expected, Coach Jay Triano is excited about seeing Bosh and Shawn Marion in the line-up for the first time, and suggested that the two might have already developed some chemistry, making a “couple nice plays, working together” in practice. He says if they’re both active with their length (and we saw Marion being so last night), they can be “pretty good.”
• Celtics Acquire Solomon From Raptors – According to a report in the Boston Globe, the Celtics have dealt little-used center Patrick O'Bryant to the Toronto Raptors for point guard Will Solomon.
• Raptors make minor deal as deadline passes – The exception was a move moments before the 3 p.m. deadline that saw backup point guard Will Solomon traded to the Boston Celtics for Patrick O'Bryant, according to team sources.

  The seven-footer from Idaho was the No. 9 pick by Golden State in the 2006 draft, played sparingly for two seasons there before signing a free-agent contract this past summer with Boston.

  The move gives the Raptors some added front-court depth, though the 22-year-old O'Bryant has failed to make an impact in two other NBA stops. Solomon was out of the Raptors point guard rotation after the team acquired Marcus Banks along with Shawn Marion for Jermaine O'Neal and Jamario Moon on Friday.

• Celtics acquire Will Solomon – The 7-foot O'Bryant played sparingly in his first season with Boston and third in the NBA overall. The 22-year-old averaged 1.5 points in 26 games for the Celtics after arriving as a free agent from Golden State in the offseason.

  Said O'Bryant's agent, Andy Miller, "We appreciate the opportunity that Danny has given Patrick. This will be a good situation for him and provide him with a chance to play."

• Learning curve – There were times in the game when Shawn Marion was looking for lob passes and didn't get them. The look on his face said "Hey man, we are trying to run and play up tempo aren't we? That's what I'm here for so throw it up there and I will go get it". In particular there were a couple of instances with Jose Calderon where he was totally caught off guard when Marion was open and did not deliver the ball. It will take a bit of time for them to get their signals straight.
• Jawai makes his point – New Raptors recruit Shawn Marion, who Toronto picked up last week when Jermaine O’Neal was traded to Miami, found Jawai on the front of the rim and the former Taipan was able to lay-up for his first NBA points.

  Jawai also registered a rebound – another career first – in yesterday’s clash.

• Bosh back on the court, ready to play – "I'm back," Bosh said. "Did you miss me?"

  With that, Bosh said he intends to play on Friday night in New York after missing the last five games because of a sprained right knee and bone bruise. In those five games, the Raptors went 2-3.

  "I feel real good right now," Bosh said. "I'm going to give it a go. I'm feeling as close to 100% as I have in a long time. I'm pain-free right now."

• ESPN Trade Chatter – Knicks getting Wilcox? –
• Tip-In: Toronto Raptors Post Game – All-Star Hangover – Bottom line here is that until Chris Bosh returns to the Toronto Raptors, there are going to be many more games like this. Minus Bosh and now Jermaine O’Neal due to the trade, and with Jose Calderon still looking less than 100 per cent, this team is going to struggle to score, as they are that much more reliant on hitting jumpers.

  And last night those jumpers simply missed, and missed, and missed and on the evening the Dinos shot a woeful 36.5 per cent.

• Solomon’s T.O. days numbered – I didn't get back in time to cover the game last night and I don't have TSN2, so I have nothing to offer about last night's game. Probably for the best. Apparently all the Raptors are in practice as we speak. If I had to bet I would say that Will Solomon's Raptors career may come to an end today, either by trade or other means. Otherwise I'm thinking a quiet day here. I will try and update later.
• Maple Leaf Sports chairman boosts stake to 20.5 pct – Lawrence Tanenbaum, the chairman of privately held Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment Ltd, has completed his purchase of an additional 7.7 percent stake in the company, making him its second-biggest shareholder.

  Tanenbaum said on Thursday he bought the stake from media company CTVglobemedia, which will continue to hold another 7.7 percent of MLSE.

• Scariolo says TO is ideal spot for foreign coaches like Messina – “Messina would be the perfect coach for the Raptors. And Toronto would be the ideal city for a non-American coach to make his entry into the NBA. I’m hoping for this although it’s not likely to happen.” This is what Sergio Scariolo, coach of Khimki Moscow and of the Spanish national team, mentioned in a recent interview with Corriere Canadese/Tandem.
  The basketball man formerly with Benetton Treviso and now at the helm of Spartak Moscow, thinks it would be an ideal choice for the Canadian franchise, assuming that the team would provide him the proper environment in which to acclimatize himself and work.
• POST [Game] MORTEM: Raptors vs Cavs –
• O’Neal gets start — and hurt — in Heat debut – O’Neal was struck by the Minnesota Timberwolves’ Mike Miller, who was called for a charging foul. O’Neal stayed down for a moment, then was helped into the Heat locker room, dabbing a towel at some blood coming out of his nose.

  X-rays were negative, but O’Neal had some blurred vision the rest of the night. He returned with 4:22 left in the fourth quarter, but Minnesota went on to win 111-104.

  “Just trying to take a charge and help my team,” O’Neal said after the game. “I’ll be fine.”

• Roll Call – Feb 18 vs Cavaliers – The “miracles don’t happen” edition
• Names Change Results The Same – Toronto Raptors have shuffled the deck, but let's face it the first test was a tough one. When you add the fact no Chris Bosh in the line-up and it was an expected result last night. Big Z was a big factor with no Bosh and Cavs successfully attacked Andrea Bargnani early and getting him into foul trouble. Jay Triano showed his frustration and got ejected from this basketball game. But this had nothing to do with not getting calls and everything to do with the Cavs are just miles ahead of the Toronto Raptors even with Chris Bosh that can be said. No Chris and it is no contest and it wasn't. That is the Coles notes version. I will make some actual game notes below.
• Don’t expect too much today – There’s been more fun talk that hasn’t panned out. Stuff involving Bosh, Kapono, O’Neal, etc, etc. None of it mattered.

  Which is why nothing much is going to happen today, okay? No big deadline deal, no little deal. The Raptors are about as set as they’re going to be, which isn’t really right but is about all they can do. With their big three all but untouchable, there aren’t any assets that other teams will want; ergo, there isn’t anything that the Raptors will get.

• A so-so Raptor Debut and Wondering What Lies Ahead Today – Here? Well, it’s really hard to say. Bryan’s got a few things going (“three or four, but nothing close to getting done,” I was told late last night) but watching the energy-free final three quarters of a game in which his team shot a miserable 37 per cent from the field darkened his mood enough to send him right to the phones, I’d imagine.
• Rumors: Trade Deadline Last Call – That should be it for the Raptors. They just need a healthy Chris Bosh to see if the Andrea Bargnani, Shawn Marion and Bosh front court works together.

  Before Bosh becomes a free agent, the Raptors have to find a way to add a high scoring guard to the mix.

• The Post Up – The Raptors were without Chris Bosh and with their two newest players, Shawn Marion and Marcus Banks. Unfortunately, those two didn’t replace the one who was out and while the Raptors were able to hang with the Cavs in the first half and trailed by only six at the half, they lost control of things again in the third quarter when they were outscored 24-15, and fell behind by as many as 21 in the fourth quarter. The Cavs handled this one easily, cruising to a 93-76 victory. While LeBron started out distributing the ball to his teammates, he started scoring in the third and finished with 20 points, 9 rebounds and 9 assists. Shawn Marion finished with 10 points, 6 rebounds and a team-high 6 assists as Joey Graham scored 15 and Jose Calderon had 13 but only 3 assists to go with 3 turnovers. Zydrunas Ilgauskas scored 22 for the Cavs and Mo Williams added 17.
• In The Scrum With Shawn Marion –
• More trades today? – Club president Bryan Colangelo doubts he'll have another major deal to announce before today's 3 p.m. trade deadline, but don't rule out something developing late in the afternoon.

  "There are some smaller things being talked about," Colangelo said. "We do lack a little bit of depth at the power forward position, especially with Kris Humprhies' current leg injury.

  "And we'll be looking at the free agent wire. Soon there will be some players waived and we'll be constantly monitoring that. I wouldn't say we're done, but this (Shawn Marion and Marcus Banks for Jermaine O'Neal and Jamario Moon) was probably the most significant transaction you'll see."

• Marion good fit, but no saviour – In the euphoria that greeted last Friday's trade with the Miami Heat that brought Marion and Marcus Banks to Hogtown, too many people held on to this belief that Marion would somehow change the fortunes of the foundering hoopsters.

  He won't and last night's debut reinforced it.

  Marion is a good player and a nice piece to have in moving forward, at least for the balance of the season before he enters the uncertain world of free agency.

  In the history of the Raptors, the team hasn't exactly featured the game's most accomplished small forwards.

• Getting to know ya – "You don't want to make excuses, but that's the reality of our situation," guard Anthony Parker said. "Guys are in different positions and different situations."

  In several instances Marion was waiting for a pass that never came or when it did, it was in the wrong place.

  "Basically, the principles are the same as we had in Miami," said Marion, who was nonetheless enthused about playing more wide-open basketball here.

• Marion Era starts ugly – "We have to learn each other on the floor and get comfortable with each other and keep this thing going energy-wise, I think our energy level was great at times," said Marion. "At times we kind of got discombobulated out there, everybody wasn't talking."

  Perhaps because they still aren't sure what everyone's name is. And absolutely because they weren't sure where everyone would be on the court.

• Bosh casts long shadow in absentia – Forget Bosh's destination as a free agent in 2010. Honestly, this whole knee thing might be the bigger issue, no? Or at the least, maybe the Raptors are doing high-stakes risk management. Why risk injury in a game that is a long shot, anyhow? Better to wait until a matchup with another patsy. Better to try to squeeze out a win with 26 games left against the New York Knicks than against the Cavaliers.

  Okay, so that would be being too cute by half. Still, Bosh's absence with what was originally called a sprained knee, but what the all-star forward helpfully expanded upon last Tuesday by adding there was a deep bone bruise, too, certainly raised questions. It would have been a good night for all hands to be on deck.

• Marion makes losing start – The Raptors kept pace with the Eastern Conference-leading Cavs (41-11) for much of the first half, before Cleveland broke the game open in the third quarter. James, relatively quiet to that point, poured in 10 points in the quarter and put the Cavs ahead by 17 points on two free throws near the end of the frame. Cleveland led 71-56 with a quarter left to play.
• 2010 And The Great Free Agent Myth  – It is in keeping with this fairy tale simile that one can view the free agent Class of 2010 as the NBA’s version of Avalon: it is a lost land of promise and eternal hope that remains situated somewhere just beyond the shore’s horizon.
• Cavs Spoil Marion’s Debut – “Chaulk this one up to an elite team coming to town and over-powering a team without its best player (Bosh) that was also trying to integrate a major new piece in Marion. The great test(s) will come in the coming games against New York and Minnesota — must wins.”
• Game 56: Raptors vs. Cavaliers – Post-game – Well, let’s be honest, it was really too much to expect the Raptors to beat the Spurs, go into the break, have a big trade and then come out and beat the Cavs without Bosh in the lineup. There’s pulling off miracles and then there’s pulling off miracles. Although even though the Raptors lost tonight, there were some positive signs from tonight’s game…and one negative thing that has become a constant for the Raptors.
• Time To Study Jose. – If you get a chance, watch that game and you'll see lots of Marion moves to shake his defender and hang around the rim. A classic alley oop set up from his phoenix days. What was obvious however was that Jose wasn't looking or couldn't see him and instead almost always swung the ball the other way.
• Cavs/Raptors: The Good, The Bad, & The Summary – The Cavs shot an amazing 58% (40 of 69) from the field themselves. Why? Because they moved the ball around. (There's that All-Star Break for you.) There was very little of LeBron And Four Guys Waiting For A Bus – no, this Cavs team cut to the hoop, worked the ball into the interior, and set themselves up for about as many easy shots as we could expect. Speaking of which …
• Marion, Raptors no match for James, Cavaliers – Marion and Banks were acquired last Friday, along with cash considerations, from the Miami Heat in return for Jermaine O'Neal, Jamario Moon and a first-round draft pick.

  Banks finished with four points and two assists in less than 12 minutes off the bench.

  "Collectively, we were a little tired by the end," Marion said.

• James, Cavaliers ruin Marion’s debut with Raptors – “We counted on the sideline three or four different plays where we missed him,” Raptors coach Jay Triano said, the “him” being Marion.

  “He made nice plays and we missed him. That’s just our guys not being familiar enough with what he’s going to do when he makes a sharp move to the basket or comes to set a screen and maybe slips it and gets to the (basket).”

• New NBA Model: Trade Your Assets for Cap Space, Then Waste Cap Space – When the Minnesota Timberwolves traded away Kevin Garnett, at least they got Al Jefferson, cap space and other parts. The Grizzlies, Raptors, and Kings all traded superstar-caliber players and ended up with nothing.
• Cavs Dismantle Raptors, 93-76 – he good news for Cavaliers fans is that Toronto didn’t shoot that poorly by accident. The Cavs played the kind of stifling, active defense that we grew accustomed to seeing from them through December. January marked a period in the season where defense suffered because of all the injuries incurred by the Cavs. Now Z is back and healthy and Wednesday saw the return of Tarence Kinsey.
• The break that refreshes: Cavaliers rediscover defense in shutting down undermanned Raptors – They knocked the Raptors (21-35) off their routes, forced jumpers by shoving players out of position inside and swarmed on their rotations to make sure most shots were contested. Toronto ended up shooting just 37 percent, the Cavs' best defensive effort in 19 games. The highest-scoring Raptor was Joey Graham with 15 points.

  The Raptors, who were playing their first game with a smaller lineup with newly acquired Shawn Marion (10 points) and were without Chris Bosh (knee), didn't take too well to it. Interim head coach Jay Triano was ejected in the fourth quarter arguing a non-call.

• Flurry of trades all for naught – The Raptors have completely demolished their team in the past year, and now they are considering trading their franchise player, Chris Bosh. What is Shawn Marion, who was recently traded to the Raptors by the Miami Heat, going to do in Toronto by himself? Absolutely nothing. Marion is a second-tier performer in general, maybe even a third-tier player. Sure, his numbers are consistently good, but he isn’t the kind of guy you want to have the ball in his hands with only five seconds left in a game. Also, why are the Raptors trying to cut their payroll? It’s not like players in the NBA want to play in Canada, no matter how much money they get (well, maybe Nash — a Canadian himself — but no one else). I say the Raptors should just move to Las Vegas and let the NBA move the Minnesota Timberwolves to the Eastern Conference, but that’s for a different column.
• Cavs come out of break hot – The dominance started on the boards where the Cavs spanked the Chris Bosh-less Raptors, 48-32, including a season-high 44 defensive rebounds.

  Power forward Anderson Varejao, starting in place of the injured Ben Wallace, pulled down a season-high 14 rebounds and blocked three shots. Twelve of his rebounds came off the defensive glass.

• Raptors’ cohesion found wanting – Marion helped limit James to four points in the first half, but last night's 93-76 final resulted from a home team that lacked cohesion and might do so for days to come.

  "You don't want to make excuses, but that's the reality of our situation," said guard Anthony Parker. "Guys are in different positions and different situations."

  In several instances, Marion was waiting for a pass that never came or when it did, it was in the wrong place.

• Cavs Ruin Marion’s Debut With Raptors – ESPN Video – ESPN –
• Cavaliers vs. Raptors – NBA Videos and Highlights –
• Shawn Marion PG Interview –
• In The Scrum With Shawn Marion –
• In The Scrum With Lebron James –
• Cavaliers 92, Raptors 76 – Box Score –
• Cavaliers 92, Raptors 76 – Game Flow –
• Triano ejected for arguing with officials – Triano picked up two technicals for arguing that Anthony Parker had been fouled by LeBron James on a missed jump shot with 5 minutes left in the game.

  Assistant coach Mike Evans tried to restrain Triano as he yelled at referee Kevin Fehr, but was unable to prevent the ejection. Evans directed the team after Triano's ejection.

• Cavaliers start slow, then dominate Raptors, 93-76 – The All-Star break lasted an extra 24 minutes for the Cleveland Cavaliers on Wednesday night.

  But LeBron James, Zydrunas Ilgauskas and Anderson Varejao made sure any malaise was limited to the first half of Wednesday's game, as the Cavaliers pulled away in the second half to top the weakened Toronto Raptors, 93-76, at the Air Canada Centre.

• Ilgauskas scores 22 points to lead Cavs to 93-76 win over Raptors – A three-pointer by Anthony Parker early in the fourth pulled Toronto within 11, but that was as close as the Raptors would come much to the dismay of the capacity crowd of 19,800 at the Air Canada Centre.

  The game got heated in the final few minutes as Raptors head coach Jay Triano was ejected with five minutes left. Triano was arguing that Parker was fouled by James while shooting a jump shot. Triano, who had to be restrained by assistant coach Mike Evans, received a pair of technicals leading to an automatic ejection.

• LeBron’s Cavaliers spoil welcoming party for Marion – The Raptors shot just 37% from the floor on the evening, with nobody aside from Jose Calderon looking to kickstart the offence in a positive manner. With Calderon obviously hampered by his sore right hamstring, the creativity often amounted to Joey Graham taking ill-advised trips to the basket. Usually, those attempts were more wild than productive.
• Free Agents: 2009 and 2010 – Who's on track to become a free agent in the summers of 2009 and 2010. We've got the lists.
• The Q, with Toronto Raptors forward Chris Bosh – Q: How will Shawn Marion fit into your team?

  A: He's one of those guys who is athletic. He can finish at the rim. He can shoot the ball from outside and he can rebound. So he can help us out.

• So You’re Telling Me There’s A Chance! – I am channelling my inner optimist, hoping that this season can still be saved, if only so Torontonians can experience some sort of playoff excitement from one of their major teams.

  So it begins tonight. Maybe these Raptors can recreate the same magic that led the 2002-2003 squad to an incredible turnaround. Maybe this team can go on a miraculous run to make it into the playoffs in the final stretch of the season. Maybe TSN2 and Rogers Communications can kiss and make up and basketball fans across the province can actually watch their team play.

• Raptors all-star Bosh misses fifth game in a row with knee injury – "We haven't had a lot of time, we've had two practices – shootaround and one practice – to try to get stuff in, so we basically said 'rebound, get down the floor, run . . . just keep moving.' and that's what (Marion) does best anyways," Raptors coach Jay Triano said. "We tried to teach him a small number of plays so when we do have to run a play, he's in the right place and doesn't get in anybody's way."
• Raptors vs Cavs – Stream 4 –
• Raptors vs Cavs – Stream 3 –
• Raptors vs Cavs – Stream 2 –
• Raptors vs Cavs – Stream 1 –
• Jay Triano Interview – The Raptors head coach joins The Big Early this morning to talk about the newest additions to the Toronto Raptors, Shawn Marion and Marcus Banks, and tonight's game against the Cavaliers at the ACC.
• Bryan Colangelo Interview – The general manager of the Toronto Raptors speaks to the Game Plan about the deal which sent Jermaine O'Neal and Jamario Moon to the Miami Heat in exchange for Shawn Marion and Marcus Banks. Colangelo also reflects upon what has been a season full of struggle for his club.
• Roko hype machine – Yes, the Roko Ukic hype machine is kicking into gear. Check out the following links and video:
• Bosh out… Joey starts at the 4… Marion makes his debut – Moving on from trying to stop an unstoppable force… Marion said he’s looking forward to making his debut in front of the home fans… saying “y’all have one of the best fan-bases in the league, and y’all have been like that since I’ve been in the league… so I think it’s just a matter of us going out there and competing, playing hard and having fun.”

  The longer you listen to Marion, the more you’ll hear “have fun.”

• Marion-for-O’Neal trade could work out great for Miami – Even me – a Heat fan out of the womb – will tell you that, despite this move, the Heat are still not legitimate championship contenders because I don’t think you can win it all anymore with Jermaine as your second-best player.

  The biggest perk this deal had was it gave the Heat a low-post threat who could serve as a stopgap until his deal expires and some of the best players in the NBA are available in the 2010 offseason.

• Raptors notebook: Raptors’ nicknames throwing Marion for a loop – "It's going to take a little bit because their play calling is a little different than what I'm used to hearing," Marion said. "I've got to make an adjustment. Some of it is similar to what I've been running, but the names are throwing me off a little bit, making me laugh. ‘Boom-boom.' I was like, ‘Boom-boom?'"
• If Marion doesn’t stick, deal is a bust – Whether Marion will remain a Raptor is a question that seems to be sitting in the background for now, which is fair enough since Marion was only acquired by the Raptors on Friday from Miami, and introduced to the local media Tuesday. It was not the most illuminating session; Marion is a doer, not a talker.

  The key to this deal, however – which looks like a step forward, if perhaps only an incremental one – is whether Marion feels valued enough to re-sign here. Because if he vanishes, this trade could lose any magic it does have, and fast.

  "This deal does create flexibility on both sides – flexibility for the Raptors, and also flexibility for Shawn," said Colangelo, who drafted Marion with the ninth overall pick when he was running the Phoenix Suns. "It may be Shawn's decision to go somewhere else. At that point, we could talk about sign-and-trade scenarios, we could talk about situations where he could just walk.

• The Dawn Of Shawn – It would be a bad thing if this team made the playoffs as well based on that conditional first round pick. Basically to take a step backwards does anyone think this Raptor team was one player away from being a contender? I sure did not. If that is the case losing a first round pick sure is not the answer.
• Turning things around in Toronto? – Bryan Colangelo shook things up in a big way last week when he moved Jermaine O’Neal (and his 22 million dollar ball and chain contract) and Jamario Moon to the Miami Heat.

  O’Neal’s play had been improving of late, but Colangelo added a player in Shawn Marion who is used to playing an up-tempo style of basketball.

  Marion was part of last season’s blockbuster trade that sent Shaquille O’Neal to the Pheonix Suns, while Marion and others ended up in Miami.

• Marion, Raptors ready for audition – Whether he will remain a Raptor is a question that seems to be sitting in the background for now, which is fair enough since Marion was only acquired by the Raptors on Friday from Miami, and introduced to the local media yesterday. It was not the most illuminating session, all told; Marion is a doer, not a talker. His jump shot may be unique, but his basketball instincts are pretty singular, too. That'll do.
• 5 Deals That Would Change the NBA – Chicago Bulls trade Tyrus Thomas, Drew Gooden, Larry Hughes, Thabo Sefelosha, and aa future 1st to the Raptors for Chris Bosh, Jason Kapono, and Nathan Jawai.

  This trade should only happen if the Bulls can strike a long-term deal for Bosh. Imagine a core of Rose, Deng, Bosh for the future. This makes sense for Toronto for cap relief, as well as bringing in draft assets and a young player in Tyrus Thomas.

• RAPTORS’ SHAWN MARION MAKES TORONTO DEBUT ON TSN2 – Welcome home! New Raptors forward Shawn Marion makes his highly-anticipated debut in Toronto when the new-look Raps take on LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers in an all-Eastern Conference match-up live tomorrow (Wednesday, Feb 18) at 7 p.m. ET on TSN2.
• No Bull, Bosh to stay – "If I can be very clear here, there is no truth to that," Colangelo said after raising the issue of a reported three-way trade that had Bosh going to Chicago, a package of young players and expiring contracts headed to Phoenix from Chicago and Amare Stoudemire coming to Toronto.

  "We have not had any discussions with regard to trading Chris Bosh," Colangelo stressed.

  Bosh, who laughed off the latest rumour, went through a contact-free practice yesterday and is listed as questionable for tonight's game against the Cleveland Cavaliers.

  He said he will see how his sprained right knee feels after shootaround today before making a decision. However, the fact that he has yet to go through a full practice and has not played in two weeks suggests Marion's Raptors debut will go off without Bosh in the lineup.

• Raps’ Marion rarin’ to run – "Too often I think we were caught standing around watching either Chris or Jermaine operate in the post and it created stagnation. You don't get the rebounding because you don't have the movement. Chris would make his play and Jermaine would watch the play or Chris would do the same thing.

  "This (Marion's arrival) kind of eliminates that and it gives us a player that doesn't require a play to be run for him. He can get his scoring and rebounding opportunities in other ways."

• Is It Deadline Day Yet? – Wasn’t it a nice day in Toronto yesterday? Temperature above zero for most of the afternoon. No raging blizzard. No whistling wind?

  No matter, the obligatory “how can you stand the city in this brutal time of year questions went to both Marion and Banks.

• O’Neal’s confident he can take the Heat – "I know these next 30 games are going to come, a lot of games in a short period of days," O'Neal told reporters yesterday at an introductory news conference in Miami. "But I believe I can do it, and I wouldn't have told my agent, if I felt like I couldn't make this transition

  "I would have told my agent just to let me stay, tell Mr. (Pat) Riley and Mr. (Micky) Arison (Miami's president and owner, respectively) that I can't do it, that I'm not mentally or physically capable of doing it because I don't want to put these guys in a bad position. So I'm looking forward to it."

• Marion, Banks bring fresh hope to Raptors – The arrival of Shawn Marion, and to a lesser extent Marcus Banks, has created a buzz around a team that's been listless too often this season.

  "Now that we have new teammates, it's kind of a better chance to start fresh," Chris Bosh said yesterday. "There's a little bit of excitement now. … It helps the team out and we have a chance to redeem the first half because if we make the playoffs, everybody forgets about it."

• New faces, same old uncertain future – "I'm in the same position as Shawn. … Look, I just need to win games," Triano said. "If he can help us win games, I'm going to play him as much as I can and put him in the position that I feel is best suited for the team.

  "And I think he's going to help us," Triano continued, "because he plays a natural three [position] and he's one of our best players right now. We have to find a way to keep our best players on the floor in their natural position and that was, frankly, one of the issues we had with Jermaine [O'Neal] here."

• Raptors GM banking on Matrix sequel – But the biggest difference Marion figures to make for

  Toronto will be on the defensive end. In the past, the Raptors have had no player to guard opposing teams' prolific small forwards and shooting guards. Now, Marion will get those assignments, starting tonight against LeBron James and Cleveland at the Air Canada Centre.

  "We talk about the problems that we've had defending perimeter players, perimeter wings. Shawn can pretty much guard anybody in the league, and has always been, I thought, a really solid defender," Raptors president and general manager Bryan Colangelo said.

• Sun in – The most important development out of the all-star weekend was the news (to me anyway) that Bosh's knee woes have been lingering since mid-January. This obviously bears watching. If he can't play or can't play well any playoff dreams will have to get shelved and shelved fast. And if the Raptors drop back instead of making up ground in the next week or so, they should shelve Bosh. Of course, I've been against the race for the ninth place for a while now.
• 3 In the Key – Toronto Raptors Game-Day Preview vs. Cavs – Oh how the mighty have fallen.

  It seems like only yesterday that Bryan Colangelo was hailed as the anti-Rob Babcock, and the saviour for a franchise that seemed to be going…well…sort of sideways.

  Now however, after a string of questionable moves, Raptors fans find themselves strangely enough with a team on pace to match Babcock’s final season of futility, however with possibly less assets with which to build around.

  Watching the introduction of Shawn Marion and Marcus Banks at yesterday afternoon’s press conference made me think about this entire situation, and how things can change so quickly in the NBA.

• Game 56: Raptors vs. Cavaliers – Pre-game – While the Raptors may want to push the ball, they will need to be careful not to force things as Varejao and Williams are in the top rankings for taking charges, with Varejao first. How many of the ones Varejao takes that are actually fouls has yet to be determined (FLOP). Get ready Mop Girl, you’re going to be busy. Varejao is in town!
• Raptors to run more with Marion, Banks – They won their last two games before the NBA all-star break to improve to 21-34, but time is running out.

  "Twenty-seven games to go, you let it all out there," Raptors president and general manager Bryan Colangelo said. "We've got to do everything we can to make this thing come together as quickly as possible.

  "It's got to come together fast. We'll do what we can to make it work."

• Rumors swirling around Bulls – Rumors also swirled Tuesday about the Bulls possibly trading for Toronto Raptors forward Chris Bosh in a three-team deal with Phoenix.

  "I would love to play with him," rookie point guard Derrick Rose said of the 6-foot-10 Bosh, an Olympian and All-Star who averages 22.7 points and 9.5 rebounds per game.

  "He's that low-post presence that we need," said Ben Gordon. "He can score, rebound and defense. He'd be a huge help."

• Points in the Paint 02.18.09: All Star Edition (Part I) – This could work out well for both teams, but we'll see. The Heat must feel that rookie Michael Beasley is ready to be a full time starting small forward, and clearly had no intent of giving Marion the extension he was hoping to land. They also needed someone to put at center so Udonis Haslem could go back to power forward where he belongs. O'Neal isn't much of a low post banger but he can hold his own against the other centers in the league, assuming he remains healthy. Moon can back up Beasley and Haslem, so there's no loss of depth. GM pat Riley must smell some blood in the water, and there is some now that Orlando is reeling; the third best record in the East is within reach if all works out well. The Raptors, on the other hand, needed somebody who could back up point guard Jose Calderon; Banks is OK at best but he's better than nothing. Marion will slide in at small forward; with Chris Bosh and a suddenly improved Andrea Bargnani, the Raptors have their four/five combo now
• Raptors Game Day – Welcome to the Raptors, Shawn Marion. Your first defensive assignment: LeBron James. In two games against Marion and his old team, the Miami Heat this season, James averaged 35.5 points, four rebounds and eight assists on 24-for-43 (56%) shooting from the floor. The big talk around the Cavaliers now, however, is the trade deadline. They have the sizable chip of Wally Szczerbiak's expiring contract, something that has become more valuable in the recession. If they want to add some pieces, they should be able to.
• 24 Seconds With Jose Calderon – HOOP: What was the most confusing part of the English language for you?
  Calderon:I think the most difficult thing is the use of the verb the correct way. Sometimes I use the present for everything, or I don't use the past or the future the right way.
• Raptors Media Conference – The Toronto Raptors unveil the newest members of the franchise to the media. Marion and Banks were acquired from the Miami Heat on February 13th in exchange for Jermaine O'Neal and Jamario Moon.
• Marcus Banks Interview – The new Raptor guard joins Eric Smith following his introductory news conference at Air Canada Centre. Banks discusses his new start in Toronto and what he will bring to the table for his new team.
• Shawn Marion Interview – The 4-time NBA All-Star joins Eric Smith after his introductory news conference to talk about his arrival in Toronto, how his style of play lends itself to a fast paced offence and his future with the team beyond this season.
• Top Ten Roko Ukic Nicknames: Vote for your favourite! – Now that Roko Ukic had his one big game, he needs – yes, needs – a nickname. Below are ten suggestions for our Raptor rookie (Rokie?):
• …With the greetings out of the way… – Jose Calderon and Joey Graham will both be good to go against Cleveland tomorrow… while there’s “an outside chance” that Chris Bosh will be ready. Despite the break, Bosh is still feeling the affects of what he called a “mild sprain and a bone bruise.” A lot will depend on how he feels in the morning. As for Jose, you may remember that he sat out the last game (win) against the Spurs, after aggravating his strained hammy… while Joey left late in the 1st quarter with a calf contusion.
• Amare trade redux is a bunch of Bull – I think it’d be fun to have him on the Raptors in a complementary role, but trading him for Bosh just doesn’t sit right. You’re taking on salary, you’re committing longer and I’m not really sure how much you’re gaining; Bosh’s PER is 22.4, Amare’s is 20.1.

  Just look at the predictions down there by that trade. By giving up solely Bosh for Amare, the Raps are projected to lose seven more games. That’s a pretty big hit for a team already near the bottom. If Amare’s deal expired sooner, maybe I wouldn’t mind; they could take that hit and use the pick to start to rebuild faster. But it doesn’t. It’s out in 2011, the year after all the big free agents are out there.

• Marion ready to be a Raptor – Know this: it's early in the relationship. Marion hasn't had his first four or five-game losing streak with the Raptors or faced the first coaching decision he doesn't like. And while general manager Bryan Colangelo has said that re-signing Marion is an option, he was equally candid in affirming that Marion's expiring contract and the resulting salary cap relief it would bring ensures what he called “flexibility” for both sides.
• Newest Raptor Shawn Marion ready to be unleashed – "For the most part, we're just going to go out and play ball and everything will take care of itself," Marion said today, a couple of hours before he took the court for the first time with his new team. "Whenever a trade happens, there's a little momentum drive and hopefully it can drive us in the right direction and get us going.

  "It's just basketball; we just have to go out and play basketball and have fun doing it."

• Shawn Marion: I never fit in with Miami Heat – Last year, Marion was dealt from the middle of the playoff race in Phoenix to last place with the Heat. He said he does not view this shift as being as stark.

  "We're only five games out of the playoffs," he said of the Raptors. "It's not unreachable for us. We've got 27 games to go. I think it's very obtainable."

  Marion also said he took pride in elevating the Heat in the standings.

  "When I left Miami, we were in fifth place," he said, "so to fifth place from having the worst record in the league last year? I'd say that's a tremendous jump."

• Come To Think of It: Chris Bosh to the Bulls Is a Risky Proposition – First, for such a big man, he doesn't mix it up under the basket much. Despite standing 6'10", he is not a true post-up player. He prefers to stay out on the side, where he uses an outside shot and his dominant left hand to do a lot of his scoring.

  Second, his increasing frailty concerns me. Bosh hasn't played more than 70 games in any of the past three seasons. One of the things that was supposed to help him avoid injury was the addition of big man Jermaine O'Neal in Toronto.

• Marion eager to run again with Toronto – Colangelo called Marion "a better fit" than O'Neal was because of his ability to rebound and defend wing players, two of Toronto's biggest shortcomings.

  "Shawn can pretty much guard anybody in the league and has always been, I thought, a very solid defender," Colangelo said. "He's always been underrated as far as the perception of him. He's a very solid defender, solid rebounder and he finds ways to score. I can't think of a better complement to our team."

  Marion and Banks will make their Toronto debut Wednesday when the Raptors host Cleveland. The matchup with LeBron James, the league's leading scorer, will be an immediate test of Marion's defensive skills.

  "He (James) is definitely a handful for anybody, regardless of what position you play," Marion said.

• New acquisition Marion excited about getting out and running with Raptors – "Twenty-seven games to go, you let it all out there," said Raptors president and GM Bryan Colangelo. "We've got to do everything we can to make this thing come together as quickly as possible. It's got to come together fast, and we'll do what we can to make it work."

  Marion was a four-time all-star as part of the run-and-gun Phoenix Suns, and has averaged 17.9 points and 10.0 rebounds over 10 seasons with Phoenix and Miami.

  He and Banks were traded to the Heat last February, but Marion's role diminished in the shadow of Dwyane Wade in Miami, where he averaged just 12.0 points and 8.7 rebounds this season.

• Raptors notebook: Bosh unlikely to play in Marion’s Toronto debut – When Shawn Marion makes his debut for the Toronto Raptors on Wednesday night, it is unlikely that Chris Bosh will be on the floor with him.

  A sprained right knee, along with a bone bruise, kept him out of the last four games before the all-star break. Despite the rest, he is still day-to-day, and unlikely to play against Cleveland on Wednesday.

  "It's an outside chance," Bosh said on Tuesday of his chances on playing Wednesday. "It all depends on how I feel in the morning. If not tomorrow then I'm definitely going to try for Friday [in New York.]"

• Why Chris Bosh Going to Golden State Would Be Just Crazy Enough to Work – The fantasy trade, as proposed by Ford, has the Warriors sending 22-year old center Andris Biedrins, rookie forward Anthony Randolph, energy man Ronny Turiaf, sharpshooter Marco Belinelli, and a future first-round pick to Toronto in exchange for All-Star and Olympic Gold Medalist Chris Bosh.

  When I first saw the idea, I thought it would be crazy for the Warriors to be giving up so much young talent for just one player.

  When I started to think about it in more depth, though, it started to seem like a great idea for both sides.

Related posts:

1. Toronto Raptors Linkage for February 23rd through February 24th
2. Toronto Raptors Linkage for February 16th through February 17th
3. Toronto Raptors Linkage for February 17th from 09:11 to 10:47
4. Toronto Raptors Linkage for February 17th from 11:29 to 20:58
5. Toronto Raptors Linkage for January 23rd from 21:18 to 23:45