Well - all in their first game of the regular season I think the Raptors showed what is going to be so friggin fantastic about watching them this year - while at the same time illustrating that some frustrating traits they showed last season - may be repeating this year.

First the good stuff. Depth, speed and the fantastic play of our two headed point guard.
- T.J. - 14 points, 12 assists, just 1 turnover
- Jose - 13 points, 4 assists, just 1 turnover
- 11 different Raptors scored in the first half alone. Garbajosa the only Raptor who did not score, did get on the stat sheet with one assist though and got a nice hand the first time he stepped on the court from the sell-out 19,800 on hand - his first on court appearance in a regular season game since his horrific season ending injury last year
- fantastic play resulting in them coasting with a 22 point lead late in the third quarter
- improved VERY confident looking play of Andrea Bargnani who led the Raps with 20 points in just 22 minutes
- Kapono and Delfino each showed signs of what they are going to add to this team. Kapono's shot release unbelievably quick
- great ball movement all night resulting in a ton of open shots - shooting almost 50% from the field and 9 of 16 (56%) from 3 point land
- and as for depth - look how much Mitchell was able to use the bench, here are the minutes played
Ford - 31 minutes, Parker - 35, Bosh - 25, Kapono - 23, Bargnani - 22, Delfino - 30, Calderon - 18, Dixon - 18, Nesterovic - 12, Graham - 11, Garbajosa and Humphries 6.5 each.

The things to be concerned about.
- the fact that just like many times last year when they had a huge lead, they fell asleep for a stretch allowing the Sixers to pull to within one point after trailing by 22 before Bargnani's 4 point play ended the threat
- Raps have to get better on the boards as they were outrebounded 47-35

Next up a visit to Vince and New Jersey.

And from a very selfish - couch potato point of view - from somebody with a 42" HD TV - hurray that all 82 Raptor games - even all their road games - will be HD this year. What a difference that makes.

Pat, TJ Ford got rave reviews from ESPN NBA analysts Wednesday night. Calderon too.

A few facts about Kobe and why its been so hard to trade him:

1. He has a no-trade clause in his contract so can veto any deal he doesn't like. The deal with Chicago can't get done because Kobe is adamant that such a trade leave Deng, Hinrich and Big Ben in Chicago so that the Bulls have a legitmate chance to win the East.
2. He has a 15% trade kicker in his contract; meaning that he can demand 15% of his contract value at the time of the trade.
3. He gets paid 70% of his salary every July 1st before the season even starts. He is paid the remaining 30% biweekly, like other NBA players.
4. Kobe will probably want a guaranteed extension and a big raise built into the new contract.
5. Finally, he is owed approximately $90M over the next four years.

These are very difficult obstacles to overcome. Kobe is a very expensive player, and, he has a lot of power and control built into his contract.

Man, the Cavs and LeBron look bad. Steven A. Smith said every team in the NBA improved this off-season except the Cavs and Lakers. He's right.

Dirk is a lot more aggressive this season, ay least in the first game. He took his man to the hole a lot against the Cavs.

Nuggets looked very good against he Sonics. Durant looks a lot slower in the NBA than he did in college.

Peja got his mojo back.

With Kobe, it's a game of chicken. Who will get more desperate first -- him or Jerry Buss? At some point, one of them will have to make some big concessions. My biggest hope for the Lakers this point is that they luck out in the 2008 lottery and end up with someone like OJ Mayo. (Yeah, I'm sure they aren't going to make the playoffs with the Kobe anxiety hanging over them all season.)

If Peja is really back, Thomas, you should feel pretty good about the Hornets this season. With an improved Chandler and an ever-improving Paul, they should make the playoffs. In fact, I'll offer you the Laker's (previous) 8th spot right now.

You know I hate Stephen A. Smith, but that's not the only reason I'm going to say he's nuts. Sure, neither the Lakers nor the Cavs improved, but everyone else did? Huh?? The Wolves got about 10 times worse. Miami got worse by aging (and Ricky Davis doesn't make up for all the players they lost). Seattle got worse by getting younger (although at least for them, unlike the Wolves, it will pay off in the future). Philadelphia did nothing to improve. The Clippers got worse by losing Elton Brand for the season -- way worse. And the Kings sure as hell didn't get any better (I have them figured for the second worst record in the league, right after the Wolves). At the other end of the spectrum, San Antonio didn't get better. Maybe they didn't need to, but giving up Scola, and thereby vastly improving one of their rivals, was their one move.

Wow! That was an unexpected birthday gift. I thought the Raps may win - but with the most lopsided win on the road in the team's history? Now that was not expected. A 106 - 69 drubbing of the Nets in New Jersey.

This game had nothing but good stuff for the Raps as you can probably guess by the score. All 12 Raps dressed scored - 6 of them in double figures. And most surprising - the Raps took over the game in the second quarter with largely a second team lineup of Delfino, Dixon, Nesterovic, Calderon with starter Bosh who hit a 55 footer at the halftime buzzer to up the lead at that time to 16. Our two headed point guards combined for 18 points, 15 assists and only 3 turnovers.

Bargnani the team leader again with 21. And again not only did all 12 players score - they all saw a fair bit of action. In fact Delfino - a non starter led the team with 34 minutes and 10 players had 12 minutes or more on the court. Great ball movement meant great shooting again - almost 51% from the floor and 13 of 22 from 3 point land. And best of all - tonight once they built a 42 point lead - they did not doze off like they did with a 22 point lead agaisnt the Sixers on Wednesday - and played strong defence all night long holding the nets to below 37% shooting.

Next up - The U.S. media Atlantic division favourites Boston visit the ACC on Sunday - the first Raptors game ever on the CBC.

I saw a bit from Bill Walton on ESPN's Sportscenter. He was gushing so pathetically about the Celtics, how it was "a glorious night" and declaring that their championship drought is over, it was sickening.

what a surprise to see this game on the CBC!

Well CBC did a great intro to their first Raptor telecast ever by George Strombolopulos. Canadians will know him and the handful of Americans who watched that awful ABC attempt at an American Idol knock-off a couple of years ago, will recognize as the host of that shortlived program. In about 3 minutes he recapped all of the Raptors relatively short history - talking about all the disappointments of T-Mac wanting to leave instead of staying with Vince here to potentially be a Pippen/Michael-like combo. Then Vince and his missed shot at the buzzer in Game 7 at Philly on the day he went to his graduation that morning. Then the turnaround date in February '06 - the time referred to as AC - after Colangelo - and how everything has been on the right track ever since. All nicely done including the great tagline 'Canada's Team on Canada's Network'.

But then we got 2.5 quarters of some pretty ugly basketball - but boy did both teams make up for it down the stretch. An overtime thriller that saw the Raps best player TJ hit a 3 pointer to tie it again with about 5 seconds left, - he ended up with an AMAZING 32 points, only to have the best Celtic player of the day Ray Allen hit a 3 pointer in the last two seconds to win it for the Celtics - giving him 33 for the day. In the overtime, unfortunately for the Raptors, the Celtics - in particular Kevin Garnett - took advantage of the fact that Bosh had 5 fouls on him and KG kept driving on Bosh to score a few buckets in the OT.

But kudos to the Raps even though they lost. They kept battling. Especially TJ - awwesome effort.

And Eddie CBC is doing 7 or 8 games this year - most on Sunday afternoons - so you will be able to get those over there in Michigan. Next game on CBC is an early Noon start on November 25 against the Bulls on Grey Cup Sunday here in Toronto. The CFL championship game being played later that day a couple of hundreds of yards away from the ACC at the Rogers Centre.

Sad news for the day Doc Rivers - coach of the Celtics was not there as he had to leave the team because his father died this morning. My thoughts go out to him and his family.

Thomas: So what's with your Peja shooting the Lakers into the ground (ten 3's!), and then going 2 for 13 the next night? You'd almost make some of us Laker fans think there's a conspiracy going on.

Forget Colts vs. Pats, tonight it's Yao vs. Yi.

I was very impressed with Yi's performance against the Raptors the other night. Much more polished to start the season than, say, Andrea Bargnani was. Yi's numbers after 4 games: 26 minutes, 9.8 ppg, 4.8 rpg, 44% FG, 2 blocks/game (he also altered a lot of shots with his length and surprising athleticism). His play reminds me of Bargnani without the 3-point range, and he may cost Charlie Villanueva minutes and Andrew Bogut shots.

I don't follow basketball, but apparently the combo of Garnett, Pierce, and Allen is supposedly pretty strong.

The other night against Denver, the Celtics were up by 41 points and had scored 100 points by the third quarter. Iverson was quoted as saying he had never been beaten like that in his career. It's hard not to be exited for Boston.

Which would be a cost the Bucks should be thrilled to pay, if you ask me. Yi isn't going to help Milwaukee's porous defense, but he can't be any worse than Villaneuva. Still, he's so frail looking, I keep thinking someone like a Carlos Boozer is going to accidentally snap him in two.

In comparing him with Bargnani -- he is several years older (rumored to be about 22 or 23, despite what the Chinese claim for some bizarre reason), so he should be more polished.

First the Rockies then the Nuggets. LOOK OUT BRONOCOS AND AVALANCHE!!!

LOL

Get ready for the Family Feud. NBA stars Grant Hill, Chris Bosh, Dwight Howard, Cuttino Mobley, Richard Jefferson and David Lee compete against their moms on the Feud this week.

Too early to count chickens, but the Blazers, without Greg Oden, are at .500. After being the only team to start with 3 road games, all against tough teams who were 11-2 combined their first week, all having their home opener, they finally arrived home. Oden took over PA duties to introduce the team, after dramatically throwing down his crutches and walking unaided to the microphone (yes, he had cleared this with doc & trainer beforehand). The Blazers went on to beat New Orleans, Memphis and Dallas and they did it with defense and clutch shooting. Chris Paul, Pau Gasol and Dirk Nowitzki were held well below their usual performances. And Brandon Roy hit big shots when needed.

Meanwhile, the much vaunted Warriors are 0-5. Don Nelson's teams have a long established history: overachieve the first year, revert to the mean the second year, underachieve the third year, and he's gone.

It's definitely too early to count chickens, but Portland fans have got to be pretty happy right now with the continually improving play of Aldridge and Roy. They are going to be really good. Chicago should be eating its heart out about taking Tyrus Thomas instead of Aldridge.

If I were one of your Northwest neighbors, I'd be damn unhappy, even if my team stayed in Seattle. Durant is in for a bumpy ride this year, since he's practically the only Sonic the other team has to guard.

Smokey: Yeah, Shane has some apologizing to do. Didn't help that he missed all 4 of his shots.

The Celtics finally lose a game, falling 104-102 to the now 9-2 Orlando Magic.

Watched the Bobcats blow their game with the Celtics last night. They looked truly terrible. Their offense was last second one on one moves much of the time. They should be farther along by now. What are people in Charlotte saying?

Don't know about Charlotians (Charlatans?), but looking at the box score, Gerald Wallace was out and other than Jason Richardson that's most of their offense. They simply aren't that good a team. Plus, their recent draft picks are out for the season and the picks stunk anyway (thanks MJ).

There's no shame in losing to the Celtics, but the Knicks are making a mockery of the game. Who do they think they are, the Washington Generals? It's presently 82-39 late in the 3rd quarter. Yikes!
===========
Final score: 104-59. Yeesh!

A lot of people are giving me grief about how bad the Grizzlies are and how good I thought they would be. I, still, stand behind my statements. I predicted the Grizz would go 6-9 through November. They went 5 and 10 (sounds close to me!). I said they would be learning the new system for the first couple of months and gel in January. I still believe that's true.
I said I thought we would trade Damon Stoudamire mid-season. I still believe that's true. The trade will probably happen later than soon, since Mike Conley is out indefinitely with a posterior labral tear in his right shoulder. He will be out for a minimum of 2 to 3 more weeks.
Around here, I've heard a lot of talk about trading Stoudamire and Swift for Anderson Varejao. I believe that's just wishful thinking. Yes, Varejao wants a sign-and-trade from Cleveland. And yes, Cleveland could really use Damon. Still, I don't see the deal happening. I think Chris Wallace would jump all over that deal, if Ferry offered that (no matter if Conley is healthy or not- Navarro and Miller can both play the point, along with Lowry.) I just don't see it.
The Grizzlies are really short at SF. I look for any trade with Damon, netting us a serviceable small forward. Miami is another team I hear in trade talks for Damon, but I really don't see them giving us anything we would want for him.
Another bright note for the Grizzlies is Darko should be returning to play Saturday, after being sidelined with a sprained left thumb since the middle of November. He played great at the start of the season, and hopefully, he will return with the same intensity.
Pau has been playing with back spasms, a sore ankle, and a microfractured finger. He was been skipping most practices, but playing come gametime. Darko coming back will take some of the pressure off of him, so he can heal.
Like I said, I still stand behind my predictions. Barring injuries, look for the Grizzlies to be Gellin' in January and dangerous by April.

GO GRIZZ!!!

Smokey, like you I'm not much of a believer in early season results. For instance, there's no way the Bulls (3 - 10) are going to end up with one of the worst records in the league. Miami's 4 - 10 record is purely a result of Wade being injured to start the season. And Golden State started out 0 - 6 and now they're tearing up the league (next thing you know Baron Davis will be injured and they'll be back in the tank).

But I'm not as high on the Grizzlies as you are. Sure, they're better than 5 - 10, but I'd bet on them missing the playoffs. If you're counting on Darko as your savior, you should just turn out the lights now. Gasol obviously hasn't been himself (and you note some reasons), and he'll get better. But I think your team will be edged out by the Lakers (who I don't think are really that good either), and the Warriors as well barring significant injuries (always a possibility with BD though). And the Hornets are even better than I expected and will finish ahead of all of them. So you have an awful lot of teams to catapult by to even sniff at the post-season.

Gosh, I wish Thomas still participated on this board, so I could rag him about Penny Hardaway's comeback skittering off the cliff. He's probably avoiding us because so many of his predictions are proviing wrong.

The longest winning streak in the Western Conference this year belongs to (drumroll) the Portland Trail Blazers. Now at 6 games, 3 of them without leading scorer LaMarcus Aldridge, who has been out with plantar fasciatis (sp?). 2 of the games were on the road.

Brandon Roy was named Player of the Week last week, the first Blazer to be so recognized since Rasheed Wallace in December 2002.

It is no accident that Portland got hot when James Jones returned to action from the injured list. I confess I did not know a lot about Jones and could not see why the team was so high on him. When rumors swriled about a deal with Phoenix, fans were thinking Shawn Marion. Well, that is why Kevin Pritchard is GM and not us and why he is IMO the best in the business. JJ is a dead-eye shooter. He leads the league in 3-point shooting with a ridiculous 64% mark, and has not missed a free throw all year (20/20). Not only does he put up points, he forces opponent defenses to spread out, leaving the middle open for slashers like Roy and Travis Outlaw.

Outlaw has finally become the player everyone hoped. He had mad athleticism but was inconsistent and lacking in smarts. He still looks like a loose-jointed marionette, but is scoring 20 ppg off the bench. Roy loks like a veteran; Jerry Sloan called him unstoppable. And speaking of clutch, in the last 6 minutes of games, Roy is shooting 71% from the field.

Last night, Utah badly wanted to break their losing streak. Portland had just beaten them on their home court and they were anxious to return the "favor". They actually led by 11 in the 3rd quarter but the Blazers (unlike past years) did not panic, remained confident, and pulled out the win.

Everyone is contributing. They no longer refer to the bench players as the second unit in recognition of their importance and great play; in the wins, the Blazer bench has outscored opponents reserves, sometimes by a 2-1 margin.

Oh yeah, and they add Greg Oden next year.

Watch out for that Atlanta scorers table: The Heat file a protest for a supposed 6th foul that got Shaq ejected from the game. After the game, the box score revealed that he only had 5 fouls--then was changed to 6. The Hawks ended up winning that game. I recall a Raptors game where Atlanta failed to count a T.J. Ford layup... and Atlanta went on to win that game by 2 points. Is there something fishy going on there, or can they not count?

Yeah,what's up with that,Larry?! What did you do?! Well,at least the Pistons are coasting along.

Whoa! The Pistons annihilated the Bucks today 114-69!

I never touched him, I swear!
It is odd -- do you know if he's disappeared from the rest of the boards as well?

As for your Pistons, hey, it's just like the late 80's all over again. The Pistons and the Celtics battling for supremacy of the East.

Well - I'll have a busy live sports 20 hour periodthat tips-off at the ACC this Friday night to see Eddie's Pistons against the Raptors - a rare ESPN appearance for the Raps. Not the greatest seats - but at just $25.00 for this kind of view, I'm not going to complain. Great value considering for the same seats you would pay about $70.00 at a Leafs game.
http://www.seats3d.com/nba/toronto_raptors..._selected=&

Then about 13 hours after that game ends - I'll be about 500 yards to the west of that, at the Rogers Centre for pre-game festivities at the International Bowl between Rutgers and Ball State which kicks off at Noon on ESPN2. (Sportsnet in Canada).

For the Raps it will be their first home game after a tough 7 game road trip that ended on an upbeat note with wins in two of the last three, including an impressive win at San Antonio and a 4th quarter come from behind win at New Orleans. Friday's game is one of just two Raptor games scheduled for ESPN this year. And Eddie - FYI - the Raps game on Sunday against Lebron and the Cavs is on CBC - so you can catch that one too!

And even though Jose Calderon has been great at full time point guard, the Raps still miss T.J. Ford whose speed moving the ball usually creates a lot of scoring opportunities - that I'm sure would come in handy against the Pistons.

For the next two months the Raptors never play more than one game in a row on the road with 16 of their next 25 in the friendly confines of the ACC. Time for them to start stringing some wins together.

10 wins in a row for the Pistons.They are looking a lot more disciplined this season!

Those darn young whipper-snappers on the Celtics ended our winning streak,last night!

So Portland still owns the longest win streak of the year.

And my Raptors are off to a struggling start to January. They clearly are not as good as the Pistons and that showed in Friday's game. Everytime the Raptors would narrow the gap from 10 points to 3-4 points and we - the sell-out crowd of 19,800 roared to life - the Pistons would almost immediately score 6-8 quick points to up the lead back into a comfortable 10-12 point range and shut us up. That trend repeated itself throughout most of the third quarter and early in the 4th - until the Pistons pulled away for good in the last 3-4 minutes of the game. It definitely was a game where you could see how much we missed TJ Ford - because when they took Calderon off the court to give him a rest - and put the struggling Juan Dixon in as point guard - almost immediately the Pistons would score 2-3 quick buckets and force Raptor turnovers. And for some reason Kapono and Delfino disappeared that night.

Then on Sunday somebody on the Raptor bench made the mistake of chirping at Lebron - after he missed a dunk late in the third quarter with the Raps coasting with a lead that was at one point as high as 20 points and still was at 17 with a minute left in the 3rd quarter. Well then a clearly angry looking and very much energized Lebron simply took over the game - there is no other way to describe it. 24 fourth quarter points and a few brilliant assists helped the Cavs completely takeover the game in the 4th and in the end they actually coasted to a 5 point victory. It was probably the best performance by one player in one quarter that most of us who watched the game had ever seen. Lebron was simply brilliant.

The Raptors now are sinking in the conference at just 500 - and what is even worse - they are only 500 at home this year. That is just not nearly good enough.

The Pistons sure stunk it up,last night!

Well - as I posted over in the hockey thread my Leafs are toast and now are embarrassing but at least the Raptors - the basketball side of the operation has qualified people like Colangelo running the show. The Raps visit the Leafs of the NBA - the Knicks tonight.

One of the commentators on Raptor telecasts put forth an interesting theory on why Isiah is not gone already. The execs at MSG are going to make him suffer through this until he finally gives up and out of embarrassment he walks in to arrange a buy out at a reduced rate of his contract extension that the STUPID MSG execs gave him late last season. I guess the suits somehow rationalize that may make them look better than firing him and having to pay him the entire amount.

I actually like the idea of making Isiah stew in his own toxic juices. This season, once again, is a disaster for the Knicks anyway, and when a new coach finally arrives, the players will probably feel like they were born again. But there are now rumors that Clown Prince Dolan has finally acknowledged a coaching change is necessary.

So, Pat, what's wrong with Bargnani this year? Bet you wish Colangelo had taken Aldridge wth that first pick (and Bulls fans should have comparable regrets). I wonder how he and Bosh would have worked together.

Well, my Grizzlies have had terrible luck again this year. Conley, Darko, and Pau have all been hurt. All 3 are now healthy, but the season is over for us. I look for Damon Stoudamire to be bought out in the next couple of days. Looks like noone will even trade a bologna sandwich for him. But I met someone will pick him up for the league minimum, after he's released.
The Grizzlies can't made up their mind, if they want to trade Pau or not. They want to see the guys play together a few games, before deciding if they want to blow up the team. If the Grizzlies don't play well in the next couple of weeks, look for Pau to be traded to Chicago. Yes, I know this was a rumor last year, but I hear both sides are truly considering it this year. Coach Iavaroni's love for Andres Nocioni may be what gets this trade done.

Now I have a question for you guys, I am not sure how many of you attend games, but what do you think the odds of getting your picture taken with 100 NBA players and coaches is? How many games do you think it would take to accomplish such a goal? Is it possible at all or even practical? I look forward to your input.

Smokey, I hate to hurt your feelings, but your Grizzlies simply aren't very good. Darko is a stiff, and they should have traded Gasol when his stock was higher. They should still trade him now, assuming they can get half-decent value. Conley has a bright future, but he's a few years off. I did expect more out of Navarro though.

As for attending games...I can't afford seats anywhere near the court, not at Staples Center at least. So I've never been photographed with anyone!

No, Larry, you didn't hurt my feelings. We are stinkin' it up right now. I know you are going to say I'm a homer, but the Grizzlies are better than their record. Darko is crazy as all get out, but he is better than you give him credit for. Pau has just now gotten healthy. He should not have played in 1/3 of the games this season. I don't think his stock is low around the NBA. His stock is probably at it's lowest point among Memphians, who have never really appreciated him. Poor attendance and negative talk radio will probably get him moved, but I think it's a BAD mistake. Keep watching Conley, his bright future won't take years but months! Navarro is tied to Pau. His ups and down in games tend to follow Pau's mood.

I'm glad you didn't tell me my quest was in vain. Didn't know if it was just some wishful thinking on my part or could be accomplished easily. I figured some of you guys that attend games could give me some tips or talk me down, which ever the case need me!

Well, it's my turn to join all of you homers and brag about my team now. The Lakers are officially tied for first in the West (and have the best point differential of any team in the West)! Who'd ever have imagined it at the beginning of the season, when the Lakers looked ready to implode in a Kobe Supernova.

It won't last, unfortunately, not with Bynum out for 8+ weeks, but it sure has been fun up to now.

Bynum's play this year has been very good, giving the Lakers a better inside/outside game. It's a shame he will be out 8 weeks. Lord knows Brown can't pick up his slack. It's all on Kobe, now! At least Andrew should be back and in game shape by playoff time. So be a homer, Larry, nothing wrong with that. In my home, there isn't much happiness right now, and we're looking at the lottery not the playoffs. I'm soooooooo depressed!

Hey Larry. I think Bargnani is in that dreaded sophomore jinx that so many players in various sports seem to experience. See the story posted below from today's Toronto Sun about how Sam Mitchell is trying to deal with it. We'll see if Mitchell's approach pays any immediate dividends with a very busy week for the Raptors who are on a 3 game roll including that wild and thrilling double OT win against Portland on Sunday. Tonight in tough at Detroit, home tomorrow against Sacramento, Friday against Atlanta and Saturday at Philly.
http://www.torontosun.com/Sports/Basketbal...773487-sun.html

And will Bosh stay on his hot streak with awesome games the last two with a 40 point effort versus the Knicks followed up by 38 in that thriller against Portland which resulted in him being named the Eastern Conference player of the week? and it was much more than just all the points he scored. He is the leader of this team and he plays like it is the team sport basketball should be. This from the Star earlier this week is indicative of the repect he is earning here in Toronto.
http://www.thestar.com/Sports/NBA/article/293654

Travelpat, I like your team a lot, but I hate your coach. Not talking to a player- what a genius. I wonder who taught him his problem solving techniques!

Well, at least you've done well in recent lotteries -- both Gay and Conley look like the real thing. Although not a lottery pick (I think), Kyle Lowry gets good buzz too, but he doesn't seem to play much. San Antonio and Phoenix are going to fade in the next few years, so maybe Memphis can be part of the next wave.

As for Sam Mitchell and Bargnani -- I agree, I don't like Mitchell's approach at all. It seems he's frustrated by Colangelo's emphasis on European finesse players. Sam is an old school "tough guy." But I don't think that's Bargnani's strength and Mitchell should cater to what he has (which is pretty good).

Went to the Cavs-Grizz game last night, Lebron was simply amazing. He hit shots I still don't know how he hit. He single-handedly won that game for the Cavs. Juan Carlos and Mike Conley both had their game faces on for the Grizzlies, but they could not outdo Lebron.

As for Sam Mitchell, I don't think he's that tough....just an ASS! After the Raptors-Grizz game in Memphis, he showed out. "Oh, there seems to be more reporters, now. I guess you guys didn't think we could win!" - a real JERK! So it doesn't surprise me- him not speaking to Bargs for 3 weeks. He is stupid enough to think that might work. Sure Bargnani needs a strong hand. He's a young kid with more fame and money than he knows what to do with. I'm sure he does probably think he knows it all- most kids at his age do. Still, Sam's approach is flawed. Plus I just don't like Sam. Like the team, don't like him!

The NBA season has brought many surprises and disappointments. The team that are surprising me most are:

1. Portland Trailblazers: Who would have thought that a young team without #1 pick Greg Oden would be this good? I think the team coming together and playing with each other a month before the season started has paid off. The young guys have developed a good chemistry, and a confidence that they can win. After Travis Outlaw dropped the winning shot on my Memphis Grizzlies in December, the Trailblazers have never looked back.

2. LA Lakers: I know any team with Kobe Bryant is going to be good, but even Kobe didn't think they would be this good. Andrew Bynum has stepped up his game, and gives the Lakers an inside game. To bad Bynum will be out 8 weeks. Brown is just no long term replacement for him.

3. New Orleans Hornets: I predicted the Hornets would be riddled with injuries and have a dismal season. Boy was I wrong. Chris Paul, Tyson Chandler, and David West have turned the Hornets into real winners. Too bad, the fans of New Orleans are not coming out and supporting this team. Perhaps, they have other things on their minds, and the Hornets should have keep themselves in Okla. City for 1 more year.

The teams that have disappointment me most are:

1. Memphis Grizzlies: Why the Memphis Grizzlies? They are my team, and I want more and expect more from them. I, truly, thought they were better than they are. I thought Coach Iavaroni would come in and it would be like Hubie Brown all over. The Grizzlies would believe in themselves and learn to win. It just hasn't happen.

2. Chicago Bulls: What a difference a year makes! I had these guys winning the eastern conference. Internal strife has killed the Bulls.. It looks like Ben Wallace's best days are behind him, Ben Gordon is playing for himself and a new fat contract, and Captain Kirk is trying to hold it all together(Trying to do more than he's capable of). The coach is gone, and the inmates are running the asylum.

3. Miami Heat: Who would have thought a team with Shaq and DWade could be this bad? Yes, the Heat have had injuries, and Shaq is no longer in his glory years, but still you would have "thunk" it. The Heat are in need of Luxury-Tax relief and are looking to trim the payroll, instead of preparing for a playoff run. An interesting rumor I hear being bounced around is the Heat trading Jason Williams, Dorell Wright, and Ricky Davis to the Seattle Supersonics for Wally Szczbeziak and Earl Watson. If this happens, would somebody please tape JWill's reaction to the news? It will be priceless!! Williams hated the fact Earl Watson got playing time in the 4th quarter, when they were in Memphis. It was one of the things that caused a rift between him and Hubie Brown. If the Heat trade Williams for Watson, look for JWill to go OFF!!!!!!!!

Smokey, I tend to agree with your picks.

Winners

Portland has got to be the single biggest surprise (positive or negative) -- they're coming along WAY faster than anyone thought possible. LaMarcus Aldridge is probably the biggest revelation of the season. A lot of "experts" claimed he didn't much upside during the draft. Tyrus Thomas is the one who had upside. Turns out the only thing he has is attitude.

As for the Lakers, with Bynum out, the brilliant start is going to crater completely. Odom hasn't been doing anything offensively -- that's been overlooked with Bynum's amazing efficiency, but now they're going to need Lamar and he's not going to come through. I think he's on the weed again.

I figured the Hornets were a shoo-in for the playoffs, but they've been really really good. Chris Paul is amazing.

I would add the Wizards to the winners column. Who'd have imagined that they'd be better off without Arenas?

Losers
Maybe Chicago overachieved last year. Ben Wallace is completely over the hill. I thought he was a terrible signing 2 years ago, but he's fallen off even faster than I'd expected. Gordon seems like he'll be interminably inconsistent. Noah has energy but no offense, which is what they need. And Tyrus Thomas is a jerk.

Shaq's decline doesn't surprise me at all, but I can't say I predicted the Heat would be this bad. Letting Posey and Kapono walk was a big mistake, and then bringing in Ricky Davis and Mark Blount (stiff) was sheer desperation. And then there's the failed attempt at bringing Penny Hardaway back. Not that I have any sympathy -- Riley sold his soul (and the team's future) to the devil, and did (luckily) get his championship out of it.

I'd also put Utah under the disappointing category, although they've shown signs of turning things around.

Actually Larry - I disagree. I think even Raptor fans expected Colangelo to dump Mitchell - especially after the brutal start the Raps got off to last year - but Sam has been true to himself and true to his players. And clearly his players believe in what he is doing and for the most part continue to improve under his stewardship. Sure he is not going to win any popularity contests - but as he has told many reporters over the last few months - after winning Coach of the Year - might I add - that all he asks for from his players is that they do what they have been asked to do - and work hard doing it. If they do - they get rewarded with playing time. If they don't - well they know what they have got to do if they want playing time. And he admits maybe is a bit of a hard ass - but as he was told by one of his coaching gurus - start tough - because you are much more likely to be successful as a coach by being tough at first and then lightening up a bit - because it almost never works to be too light at first and then try to assert your authority by getting tougher. That usually doesn't wash with players.

Sam knows Bargnani's got great talent - but he also knows the big guy was slacking it, and after a couple of weeks of being on him non stop - on him from the bench - asking him to hustle etc. apparently to no avail, the cold shoulder treatment at least seems to have caught Brgnani's attention - if nothing else. His coaching of Jose Calderon - one of the Europeans you refer to - has been nothing short of brilliant. Under Sam's constant coaching over the last three years - Jose's play in the last month with TJ Ford sidelined has been remarkable. Again last night he was brilliant. Many are saying he is worthy of an all star birth and some 'experts' - such as Hollinger of ESPN - figure he is now the thrid best point guard in the East.

Other players - who came over from playing in Europe (even though some are American - like Anthony Parker) continue to improve. Bosh has been unreal the last two weeks and has to be considered for Conference playerr of the week yet again. Last night against Atlanta another 35 points I think, but also great assists, blocks. As I believe it was Anthony Parker was quoted as saying. 'He's our guy!' meaning he's the leader of the team. And remember - he is only 23 years old! So he should continue to improve.

And finally even Colangelo when interviewed has said that Sam Mitchell is responsible for the remarkable play of 27 year old rookie - Jamario Moon. He had the ACC roaring last night with blocks, hustling defensive plays, thunderous dunks, great passes. He showed it all last night. And in an interview at halftime on one of the games on CBC a couple of weeks ago, Colangelo said the way Sam has connected with this guy was something special.

And by all reports the players respect the coach, it is a fairly harmonious team and I think Mitchell deserves a lot of the credit for that. So even though it looks like his team is mailing it in tonight - losing by 14 in Philly late in the third quarter as I write this - I like the job Sam is doing - it seems to be working.

And now I'll get off of my sam Mitchell fan club soap box. ;-)

And just one quick observation based on one of the comments made on last nights Raptors-Hawks telecast. After watching some of the young talent on dispay on Atlanta's team last night - as someone who has grown to appreciate just how important a good point guard can be, having witnessed how much that has meant to the Raptors meteoric rise the last 13 months - the Hawks are one good point guard away from potentially becoming a very good team.