Edmonton fans will get a pre-season peek at the new-look Raptors.
The Raptors will return to the Alberta capital for the first time in nine years this fall when they play the Denver Nuggets on Oct. 21 at Rexall Place.
In other pre-season games, Toronto will host Euroleague champion CSKA Moscow, and play in a tournament in Los Angeles against the Lakers, Clippers and FC Barcelona.
“This year, we decided to partake in a pre-season tournament in Los Angeles and we thought why not visit a city in Western Canada on the way back,” said Raptors director of media relations, Jim LaBumbard.
“Edmonton was the first to contact us about this, so we decided to give them first crack.We are carrying a smaller-than-usual roster because of the salary cap but I think Edmonton will see most of our top players because it will be late in our pre-season schedule.”
But because we like to advance stories here in blogger-land, I’m hearing that the breakdown is about 45 nights of Jack Games and 37 nights of Leo Games.
It’s unofficial, and maybe off a game or two because the schedule’s not cast in stone yet, but those are the ballpark numbers.
So, if you’re looking for a Euroleague team to cheer for, how about Khimki Moscow.
Not only do they have Garbo and Delfino (and I know at least a couple friends who will be closely watching for whatever Garbo does – apparently he has that affect on some of the ladies) a look at the roster today shows one Milton Palacio and the esteemed Jerome Moiso.
(Wonder if Milt’s got the layup problem licked yet?)
Moiso brings back one of the great Sam moments of the last four years. We’re in Orlando, they get killed and in his post-game scrum Sam, totally unprovoked and entirely out of character for a coach who rips players publicly, absolutely kills Moiso – can’t play, empty uniform, won’t work, piece of poop, all very un-Sam-like.
I don’t even think Moiso played in the game so, being the enterprising grunts we are, we immediately head to Moiso’s locker and the kid’s like a deer in the headlights.
“Huh? Said what? Who? Sam? Me? Um, I dunno. Work hard. Try my best. Ah, don’t know. Who? Sam? Said what?”
Classic.
Wonder if Sam’s gonna call Khimki’s coach?
CSKA features former Portland Trail Blazer and Chicago Bull Viktor Khryapa, as well as former Duke standout Trajan Langdon and University of Maryland product Terence Morris. The team is coached by Italian Ettore Messina, who has been frequently linked to NBA jobs.
FC Barcelona will play either the Los Angeles Clippers or Raptors on Oct. 19 at The Staples Center in Los Angeles as part of the league’s Preseason Shootout. Former Memphis Grizzlies guard Juan Carlos Navarro plays for Barcelona.
In seven games, the Raptors have lost twice, including a landmark loss to Maccabi Tel Aviv in 2005. And Moscow, the defending Euroleague champions, should provide Toronto a stiff test. Here is a look at the Raptors’ past matches against European competition.
If I had to ask one question of Bryan Colangelo, it would be this: What win total do you expect next year and what seed are you aiming for? The answer to this question will ultimately decide whether Mitchell will be finishing his contract. After openly questioning the utilization of Jason Kapono and Andrea Bargnani last year Colangelo made it clear that he was not happy with some of the coaching that was going on. One can’t expect him to tolerate the same mistakes from Mitchell who is sure to be on a short leash because after all when a team fails the first thing a GM does is make a scapegoat of the coach.
So while some may argue that the talent, however ‘concentrated’, is there, others may argue that Mitchell is being setup to fail with a team with close to half a dozen new faces with varying levels of talent. He didn’t show enough intelligence or common sense last year when trying to establish a rhythm with Jason Kapono, Andrea Bargnani or Kris Humphries so you would think he’ll be hard-pressed to do the same with the new set of players. We as fans can only hope that Mitchell’s development and ability has improved because his skills will be of high premium next year as he’ll be facing his biggest challenge yet.
Well Matt would get back to me and agreed to talk with me for the Dino Nation Blog. He took time out to reach out to me and Raptor fans by doing this to all of you. That said a lot to me about Matt and makes a good impression on me. In fact some of the readers of this blog sent e-mails to Matt and have got responses. Matt was really shocked I think to a point of how much Raptor fans care and have an interest in the team and him. He thinks it is fantastic and is really thrilled to be in a city that has so much passion for the team he will be covering.
A number of people have emailed me though … wondering what will happen with the games on Raptors TV.
Well, according to the information I have and the folks I’ve talked to … there are currently NO games scheduled to be on Raptors TV this year. Thus, it’s a moot point.
Kudos to MLSE for selling all of their games to other broadcasters/stations. It may be good to have a handful of games on your own network – to highlight Raptors TV a little more – but it’s even better if you can sell the rights and be showcased in a bigger spotlight on TSN, CBC, or the Score.
Paul Jones and I will be back on the FAN 590 … calling all 82 games.
Business to be Done: The Raptors have 13 players on their roster and are done making moves. Now that their offseason business is complete, a few questions remain:
- Neither Jermaine O’Neal nor Chris Bosh are true centers. Can they be a dominating tandem down low? If so, can O’Neal stay healthy long enough to make an impact?
- Jose Calderon has come off the bench for most of his NBA career. How will he handle the pressures of a consistent starting role?
- Nine players have less than five years of NBA experience and few have made deep playoff runs. Can this roster contend for a title?
Total Off Season Grade: A-
The Raptors took care of major concerns by adding a six-time All-Star to help their frontcourt and inking one of the most promising point guards in the league. They may not have the deepest bench but the talent in their starting lineup could end their first round slump.
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