Very little bite in this years Raptors

The 2008 - 09 Toronto Raptors’ season can be wrapped up in one word. Pathetic.

How things went from 47 wins three seasons ago, to 33 wins this year with relatively the same core group is puzzling. What happened here?

Didn't Brian Colangelo fill the big physical hole the Raps needed the most when he acquired Jermaine O'Neal?

J.O. was supposed to bring the rebounding presence that, outside of Chris Bosh, was lacking from the rest of the line up. He did a rather lifeless job of it. Took his usual amount of bad shots, plus he did what J.O. is more commonly known for. Getting injured.The fact that they were able to get Shawn Marion and his expiring contract for O'Neal and Jamario Moon was a steal for the Raps. More importantly it may have saved Colangelo's ass.

The Sam Mitchell firing was in my opinion half a season too late.

I love Sam and his tell it like it is attitude. He was a decent "player’s" coach that will make for a better TV analyst. Colangelo and the Raps should have fired him last summer and brought in an experienced coach that could lead this new-look squad. Sam was slipping with the players at the end of last season and lost them this year early. It's not 100% Sam's fault that the Raps had such a lousy season, but it did set the tone early, ultimately being their demise.

All the players are saying the "right" things about interim coach Jay Triano, but he's not the answer. Good ol' Canadian boy, so I don't want to knock him, but I think he should slide back to being an assistant. The Raps don't need another "nice" player’s coach. They need a tough "proven" coach.

The question is who?

The coaching can't shoulder all the blame. The players certainly weren't any better.

The starting unit never was in sync while O'Neal was on the team. His strength in the post isn't nearly what it used to be, which resulted in him taking too many shots that either bricked or got blocked. He had the odd good night, but as a whole was a large bust.

Anthony Parker had his worst season as a Raptor. His points per game, three point and field goal percentage were the worst he's had as a member of the Raps. Not good signs from your "shooting" guard. AP is an unrestricted free agent this summer and my feeling is that this was his final year in Hogtown.

A glance at the bench and its a who's who of who? What I mean by that is, who are half these guys. Marcus Banks. Jake Voskuhl. Nathan Jawai. Come on. Who? Depth is key in the NBA and outside of the Raps starting five, there isn't a whole lot.

When is Joey Graham going to do something?He's been trying out for the team since they drafted him 15th over all in the '05 draft. He's up for a new contract this summer and think he'd be better off elsewhere.

What’s up with the Raps’ coaching and Jason Kapono?

The guy can't seem to get a single set drawn up for him to utilize his three point strength. This drives me nuts.Why do you have a guy averaging 24 minutes a night while not drawing up a single play for him!He doesn't defend well. Can't rebound. Won't drive.... all he can do is shoot.Get the man free so he can unleash.His three point percentage dropped to its lowest since he joined the Raps. Just three seasons ago he was shooting over .500 from three, and now he's barely over .430. Weak.

J Kap will never be considered an all-around player but he is one hell of a deadly shooter, especially when he gets wide open looks.

The loss of Kris Humphries to injury really hurt the Raps’ depth. That may seem laughable to some as he's not the prettiest basketball player, but Hump brings energy and toughness when he's on the floor, and that is contagious. The addition of Pops Mensah-Bonsu late in the season brought back some of that energy. He looks like he just may be a good pro. Don't be surprised if he's back next season. A lone bright spot from a very spotty bench core.

Not all was bad with the Raps line up.

Chris Bosh had his usual 22 & 10, carrying this team as he's been doing for a few years now.Bosh's frustration was shown throughout this season. One can tell he desperately wanted help, especially when Calderon was injured. The big question with Bosh is whether or not they can resign him before he becomes a free agent in 2010, or do they look to trade him this summer. There is a lot of good young talent in this summer’s draft and Bosh is a huge bargaining chip. The problem with trading "CB4" is, it’s not that simple. He would have to get traded to a team that could also sign him. No team is going to take a chance in trading for him and then losing him after one season.

Another factor is that you are trading your best player. The corner stone of your franchise. Is it in the Raps best interest to even consider this? Only Colangelo knows the answer.

The emergence of Andrea Bargnani this year finally silenced some doubters. "Il Mago" had his best year as a pro, setting career highs in points, rebounds, blocks, field goal and three point percentage. Bargs took over the starting five spot when O'Neal went down with a knee injury, and he ran with it. He cleaned up his bad habits. Drove hard without hesitation. Took better shots. His defense needs work, but he did show that he can use his length to get swats. The Dirk Nowitski comparisons are finally starting to show. Not saying he'll be a league MVP anytime soon, but he did prove that he can be a force in the L.

Jose Calerdon's season was one of ups and downs. A nagging hamstring injury held him back and hurt the Raps desperately as their depth at the point guard position is brutal. Roko Ukic just wasn't ready to run an NBA team night in and night out, which resulted in the team using

Anthony Parker at the point when Calderon was down. Outside of the fact that Jose missed 14 games this year he had a brilliant year in terms of numbers, setting career highs in points per game, assists per game, steals per game, rebounds per game and set an NBA record shooting an incredible .981 from the stripe, missing only three free throws all year! Amazing.

When the Raps acquired Shawn Marion at the trade deadline I was just glad they were able to get rid of O'Neal. I was a Marion fan, but was skeptical of his game. His numbers had dropped significantly once he got traded from Phoenix to Miami. His expiring contract was a sigh of relief because if he, like O'Neal, didn't work out the Raps wouldn't be stuck. He started off a little slow but once they got to running and pushing the ball in transition more, that's when Marion started to flourish. The Raps can benefit from playing an up tempo Marion style of ball. When you have an active center and an athletic power forward, you can run. I would love to see Marion return. Problem is he may follow the dollars, something the Raps will be tight on when looking to resign.

This off season will be very interesting for the Raptors. Many scenarios could happen.

Will they pull off a blockbuster trade?

Are they going to look at acquiring a new coach?

Can they go out and sign new faces of all-star caliber?

It will be a new Raps team no matter how Colangelo shakes it. The good thing. The team can only get better, cause they sure as hell can't get much worse.

Before I get to the playoffs, I must give credit....

NHL playoffs start on Wednesday and before I get into my predictions I have to give massive props to a couple of Maple Leafs. Yes I would rather be writing about who the Buds are facing in the playoffs right about now, but this comes as a bit of good news after another shit season.

19 year old stud, Luke Scheen and Ian White have been selected to represent Canada at the World Hockey Championships in Switzerland. Scheen I knew was being considered, White on the other hand came as a surprise. Good on Hockey Canada. White was top notch for a weak Leafs squad and his efforts have obviously not gone unnoticed.

Schenn joins fellow 19 year old rookies Steven Stamkos from the Lightning and Drew Doughty from the Kings who were also selected to the team.

All three of these teenagers have won world junior gold for Canada in the past, so its not as if these guys are new to Hockey Canada. Its good to see the youth getting to represent for Canada at the World Champs, which over the last few years has served as a tryout for those hoping to crack the senior team. Don't be surprised if one of these kids is in the red and white come next years Olympics.

Even though my team isn't in the playoffs again this year, there is a remedy for those like myself, who really don't care who wins the cup. Playoff pool!

I got destroyed in my regular season pool. My strategy was to take my goalies early. A good tender can get you as many points as a top ten scorer. Evgeni Nabokov proved that. He got me a solid 97 points. Carey Price on the other hand got me a whopping 49 points.

With playoff pools this rule works much better. Pick the goalie from the team that your think is going to take the cup. That's a guaranteed 32 points as it takes 16 wins to hoist Stanley. Plus if you give an extra point for a shut outs it can work out to be more like Gretzky's point totals from playoffs in the 80s. Just hope the back up doesn't steal the job from the starter a few games in.

Before you just draft players one must devise who you think is going to do what and who will face off to win the cup.

Breaking down the bracket. Not as simple as you think. Upsets happen. A team you loaded up players off may go down in the first round. That's the beauty of the NHL playoffs.

I have my draft today. No better time to break down the bracket. I will only give my first round predictions, but I will give my prediction for the cup winner after.

Right lets get started.

East

Boston vs Montreal

Bruins will be too much for the Habs too handle. Tougher team with a ton of talent not to mention this years top candidate for the Vezina, Tim Thomas between the pipes.

Bruins in five.

Washington vs New York

Awesome match up. Love to see Ovechkin in the Big Apple. The NHL needs people like Ovie to market the league. Fuck what Don Cherry thinks, all he's doing is giving the game some much needed personality.

As for the series itself, tough to see the Caps losing this though they very well could. I'm not sure what this Rangers team is really all about. I like the offensive fire power of the Caps. Not 100% on their goaltending but think it will be enough to get past the Rangers.

Caps in six.

New Jersey vs Carolina

Carolina have been on fire since they got ex- Leafs coach Paul Maurice back in Raleigh. The Canes are rolling going into the dance and have been lead by their top notch tender, Cam Ward. If it wasn't for Tim Thomas' stand out year, Ward would probably get the Vezina. Getting Eric Cole back has been huge for the Canes especially while playing alongside Eric Staal.

The Devils can't be looked over. Here is a team that didn't have their best player Martin Brodeur for half the season, and were still able to take the very tough Atlantic. This one is a coin flip for me. I want to say Jersey cause they got the experience, but really so do the Canes.

Hurricanes in seven.

Pittsburg vs Philadelphia

A lot of people are excited about this series and rightfully so. This is going to be physical and down right nasty. The Pens will have to show some restraint and not get sucked into stupid penalties. Basically they can't play the Flyers type of hockey.

Philly's goaltending is shaky. I've never been a Biron nor Niittymaki fan. Briere has to contribute. If they can get Briere moving they could be in good shape, cause you know Carter and Richards will surely be on top of their game. I like the Pens and think Crosby is just now hitting his full stride after a few injuries set him back.

Pens in seven.

West

San Jose vs Anaheim

Everyone here in Vancouver was saying how glad they were that the Canucks didn't have to face the Ducks in the first round. They're a tough bunch with some skill up front and decent (not fantastic) goaltending. They got the experience and some young talent. Just can't imagine these Ducks taking out the juggernaut Sharks.

San Jose has something to prove and they showed it this season. The Presidents trophy winners have one goal in mind and that's winning the cup. Anything less for this team will be a disappointment. After some dismal playoffs in years past, its time now for the Sharks to make a serious run. I can see the Ducks taking a couple of games here but that's all.

Sharks in six.

Detriot vs Columbus

Columbus seems to be the one team people are considering to be the "sleeper" this year. Strong goaltending from rookie of the year candidate Steve Mason has helped bring the CBJ into the playoffs for the first time in franchise history. I knew when Ken Hitchcock took over as head coach of this team that it wouldn't be long before he got them in. He's too good of a coach not too. One of the down falls that I'm seeing in this series may be the fact that Mason is so young. Lots of pressure on a young goalie and drawing the reigning cup champs in your first taste of playoff action won't be an easy task. The season series was a good one with each team taking 3 games of six. The Wings are the Wings and they love the fact that not many people aren't picking them to repeat. I don't see the Jackets doing much in this series and think its the Wings in a walk.

Detriot in five.

Vancouver vs St Louis

I live in Vancouver and its a buzz in this town at the moment. One of the local sports radio shows today had a poll question asking if the Canucks drew the easiest opponent in the first round. Made me scratch my head. What do the Blues need to do for people to take them seriously?

The Blues were the hottest team in the NHL for the second half of season. They wrapped up the season going 8-1-1!

This is an easy opponent?

Its obvious that the Canucks aren't going to take the Blues lightly. The season series was a split with the two teams matching up well. The difference. Goaltending. Luongo is money. The guy has the winning mentality and this is the best team that has ever been in front of him in his short time in Van City. Chris Mason from the Blues has been a good story this year and should be good for the Blues in this series. Just not good enough.

Nucks in six.

Chicago vs Calgary

Heres another series that could end in four or go seven. The Flames are riddled with injuries and will have to re lie on a beat up back end to get them through. Its also a wonder which Mikka Kiprusoff will show up. The lights out Kipper, or the beer league hack Kipper.

The Hawks will have a jacked up house at the United Center for game one. These fans have waited far too long for playoff hockey to return to the Windy City and know that this team is legit. Loaded up front and on the back end. Goaltending is OK, but they got two good ones to choose from. Not great, but good. I like the make up of this Hawks team and with the injury situation being the way it is for the Flames, its got to be the Hawks to take this.

Hawks in six.

There it is. Most of my predictions will probably be wrong but hey that's the best part of speculating. You can always assume you'll be wrong and when your right you can always gloat!

I did say I would pick a cup winner so here goes.

In my eyes the team that will raise lord Stanley's cup in 2009 will be the San Jose Sharks. I'm not going too far out in this prediction but hey this team has it all. Top tier forwards. Strong back end and goaltender. Great coach.

Now take one guess who I will take (if he's available) with my first pick in my playoff pool.....

Good Friday!

Been awhile since I last wrote a blog and as you can see by posts in the past my final four predictions were way off! My gut told me that UNC couldn't do it without Ty Lawson being 100% but his health and play proved me wrong. I'm not sure if he was 100% but he sure as hell didn't show it. NBA mock drafts have him out of the top 10 in this summers draft, but after watching him in this years tourney, it wouldn't surprise me if his stock rises.

If you had Michigan State or Villanova in your final four you either had a crystal ball or a hand in on fixing games. Those upsets busted my bracket after the Elite 8 (which BTW I had all right) sending me out of contention in my pool. The final four games sucked and the final game was a snooze. Still though... I can't wait till next years tourney!

NHL is winding down to the final games of the season and the races are heating up. Playoff fever is beginning to rise here in Vancouver as the Canucks are jockeying for position in the West. I like this team. I'm never one to jump on bandwagons nor will I ever, but this team is legit. They got a top line that produces, complete with secondary scoring. Goaltending is on lock down, with Luongo looking the best he has all season. Their defense is suspect. They're a good bunch but have shown weakness this season. Not saying this team will win the cup as that would take some magic. Wouldn't be out of the question to see them make it to the Western Conference finals.

Out in the East well its another playoff without my Leafs. Fourth straight year not in the dance. Not gonna dwell on it as I do see a light at the end of the tunnel. Burkey and Wilson are a bit of circus but I got faith that their doing the right things to get better. We won't be in the hunt for John Tavares or Victor Hedman as we just weren't bad enough, but Luke Scheen's brother Brayden is in the draft and so is Evander Kane from the Vancouver Giants who both would be fantastic in the T dot. I've watched Kane since he was 15 and love his game. He'll surely go in the top 5 and will be tough for the Leafs to nab.

I could care less who comes out of the east but if I had to say who had the momentum its got to be the Bruins. I know Montreal has had their number in playoffs past but its the Bruins to lose. I like Ovie and the Caps. Can see the Pens making a run. Think the Devils will turn it around once the dance starts and could see Carolina being the upset team of the east.

That being said its the playoffs and the NHL is one of the best leagues for parody so its any ones to win. Just not my Leafs!

One thing that I can't wait to see end in the NHL once the playoffs start are the fights after clean hits. Its such a bitch move to grab a guy after he's leveled someone and draw them into a fight. Shane O'Brien from the Canucks did this last night after an LA King leveled one of his Canuck teammates. How its not an instigator penalty is beyond me. O'Brien who is already on the bubble of the Canucks back end will have an exclusive seat in the press box if he pulls that shit in the playoffs where power plays will kill ya. NHL refs need to step up and call the extra penalty when this sort of bullshit happens. Its just flat out stupid. You get hit clean you take it and look for a chance to get them back.

NBA playoffs are inching closer. Like my Leafs, my Raptors aren't in. This one is tougher to swallow as the Leafs had zero expectations this season, where as the Raps were supposed to be a playoff given in the weak eastern conference. I've touched on this in the past and to tell you the truth I'm done with it. They just aren't a good team. All we got to look forward to now is the draft lottery. Fingers crossed for a top 5 pick.

I'm sure anyone can predict that the Lakers will win the west. That's money in the bank. Are they the favorite to win it all? Sadly yes. Kobe has proved that he is a complete player who makes his teammates better just as Jordan did. Nobody in the west in a seven game series can take them. Last nights Lakers/ Nuggets game proved that. The Nuggets are the second best team in the west and were at pace with the Lakers at halftime. The lake show proved that they're just too much to handle and easily took the Nuggets out. I don't see the Lakers cake walking through the playoffs but don't be surprised if they only lose two maybe three games on their route to the finals.

The only other contenders in my eyes are the Celtics and the Cavaliers. The Celts are beat up bunch and are not nearly as deep as they were last year. The Cavs are a one man show. Lebron is one hell of a one man show, but just not deep nor balanced enough to take down the Lakers.

I've never been a Laker or Kobe fan. Not sure why the Lakers? The Kobe hatred is from a few years ago when he was a selfish score first player who was more of an cancer then a leader. Kudos to Kobe for maturing and realizing that its just not about him. He'll never be Jordan but who cares. He can be Kobe. Like Magic before Jordan the NBA has its best players in each era. Kobe is the best player since Jordan. He will solidify this by winning a championship without Shaq and as the true leader of the Lakers. Lebron's time is next.