Raptors vs Suns Game in 6 Mins

YouTube - Raptors vs Suns Game in 6 Mins

Let's do a quick re-cap of what I was thinking about during yesterdays game. Raptors started F- Linas Kleiza F- Reggie Evans (lets pray to god he doesn't do this) "C"-Andrea Bargnani G- Jose Calderon G- DeMar DeRozan. Suns went with G- Nash G- Jason Richardson F Grant Hill F Turkoglu C Robin Lopez.

I'm glad to see Kleiza on another team where he can think he is better than he is.

The Raptors have a very athletic young team. They really dont have a lot of size though.

I hope Dudley can really come around even more than he did last year.

DeRozen was drafted early and he has ability, if he can develop a shot...he should be a solid slashing G in this league.

I think Turkoglu's finess game will fit in great for the Suns, but I don't think it will blend well with their new found defense from last year.

Barbosa AND Marcus Banks are on Toronto, THANKS Colangelo! Barbosa scores on his patented baseline backdoor cut.

Janning is under control and has a nice little shot.

Lopez looks garbage out there right now. He just gave the old school below the hip hook shot and barely hit the glass. Lopez had 2-2-0, no steals/blocks, 5 to's 5 pf's in 16 mins. Ouch!

Uh Oh...who predicted Reggie Evans getting T'd up!?! Hill got T'd up too! Hill and Reggie Evans just got thrown out of a preseason game and they are walking off together joking about it. That's one of the funniest things I've ever seen in a preseason game.

Thoughts on the teams during preseason-

The Raptors played 17 guys yesterday. All but 2 played 15 minutes or more. They have a wealth of guys who have been in the league a few years and haven't proved much (Julian Wright, Joey Dorsey, Amir Johnson, Marcus Banks). It looks like they are just doing what most teams would be at this point which is eliminating the weak. It may be more difficult in Toronto because they only have a few guys that are actually part of their future; and the rest are on the verge of being washed up by a new wave of talent.

The Suns are basically in the exact opposite position when it comes to their roster. The Suns can have up to 15 players on the team where 12 can dress for games. Those 12 are pretty much guaranteed unless there is injury. With the contract we gave to Warrick I can't see him being one of the three that doesn't dress, especially since PF is our weakest position. Other guys that might not make that 12 person roster...maybe Lawal or Clark? If it's Clark he is done with this team which would be sad. Other than that they aren't going to put Childress, Frye, or Dudley down there...NOR SHOULD THEY! I'm just making the point that the guys on the Suns deep roster are fighting for basically three spots at the end of the bench. I think Dwayne Jones PF/C has pretty much locked up one of them from rumors and roster logistics. PG Matt Janning is becoming a coaches favorite. He's a 22yr. old 6-4 175lb kid from Northeastern who can shoot. Zabian Dowdell is another G whos 26yr. old 6-3 200lb. from Va Tech, he probably has no chance with all of our players at his position already and Janning outplaying him so far. Then Garret Siler and Chucky Atkins are the last two playing for a spot on the team. I like Atkins to get it, Siler is a C that reminds me of Oliver Miller, is that enough said? Good. Atkins on the other hand is a veteran who has played in a lot of different systems and if we do suffer an injury at PG he could fill in decently as a back-up PG. So that would be Dwayne Jones PF/C, Chucky Atkins PG, and Matt Janning SG to round out our 15 man roster. I'd say it's a lock that this is our team going into the 2010-2011 season.