As the summer drags on, the next NBA season slowly approaches, bringing with it optimism and excitement for 30 North American cities and their basketball fans.

That excitement and optimism is clearly alive and well here in Toronto and all of Canada for that matter, for OUR team, the Toronto Raptors. Although the season is still more than two months away and three of our boys (Chris Bosh, Jose Calderon and Roko Ukic) are currently representing other countries in Beijing, it doesn’t mean we can’t start looking forward to another year of Raptors basketball.

With that, here are 14 games to watch in the Toronto Raptors 14th season…and why to watch them of course.

October 29- @ Philadelphia – Not only is this the season opener for both teams, but both the Raptors and the Sixers will be sending out new-look teams. Elton Brand and Jermaine O’Neal will square off for the first time as Atlantic division foes. Both teams will look to build confidence early by coming out and making statement. Assuming the Celtics repeat as Atlantic division champions, this game will be the official start of the Raptors and Sixers race for second place.

October 31- vs. Golden State – Ok, so the Warriors won’t be the same team without Baron, but forget the Warriors. This is the home opener for the Raps. Aside from the fact that Raptors fans will get their first official look at Jermaine O’Neal in red and white, the atmosphere inside the ACC will be electric, as always on opening night. I can’t guarantee a result, but I do guarantee this will be sell-out no.1 of many this season.

November 18- @ Orlando – The first rematch of last year’s playoff match-up should mean more to the Raptors. It will also be nice to see how Dwight Howard’s bid to post another 20-20 game goes with O’Neal manning the middle this time around.

November 21- vs. New Jersey – No surprise here. For as long as he is still playing, any game involving Vince Carter at the Air Canada Centre will be a must-see. Contrary to the last couple of years, the Nets are now Carter’s team. The Nets will look very different this season with the trade for Yi Jian Lian that involved losing Richard Jefferson. Gone are the days of the Nets and Raptors playoff-like match-ups, for the Nets are in rebuilding mode 101. The terms may be different, the intensity may be drastically different BUT the emotion and ambiance inside the ACC on this night will be the same.

December 5- @ Utah – One of two nationally televised games in the U.S. for Toronto this season. This late night clash on ESPN versus a Western power in the Jazz should catch the attention of some viewers and media south of the border. A win for the Raptors would go a long way in establishing themselves as a legit presence this season and could finally bring some respect to this team, which their fans are so desperate for. Hopefully they fare better than they did in their two nationally televised games last season.

December 7- vs. Portland – Raptors fans will finally get to see Greg Oden as a rookie. But what makes this game so intriguing is the match-up of two young, up and coming teams. With Oden healthy, the Blazers are looking to build on their surprise season of a year ago and make the post season for the first time in six seasons. If this game ends up being even remotely similar to last year’s double over-time thriller, the fans in the ACC will be in for a treat.

December 10- vs. Indiana – Ladies and gentlemen, start your engines! Use any cliché you want here folks, it’s going to be a barn-burner. On paper, the Raps should coast to a big victory, but something tells me there is no way this game will be a blow out. There are too many emotions, too many storylines. O’Neal faces his old team for the first time, Nesterovic and Maceo Baston come back to T.O., even Nathan Jawai and Roy Hibbert will have something to prove against each other. But, here in Toronto, we know where the story will be. TJ vs. JOSE! You could make this a pay-per-view event here. The two will try to play it down all week, but when the ball gets thrown up, it’s on! You know Ford is licking his lips, just waiting to get his hands on the rock for this game. Will T.J. have the last laugh? Will Jose prove once and for all that he is the superior point guard? Will the ungrateful Raptors fans boo Ford? I can’t wait. In my opinion, this is the game of the year.

December 19- @ Oklahoma City – The Raptors will make their first trip to OKC since the Hornets played some games their after Hurricane Katrina. More importantly, this game marks the first of a six-game Western road trip for Toronto, where so many seasons have been lost for the Raps. If they could just find a way to finally survive this road trip, the Raptors should be alright.

January 4- vs. Orlando – It’s not the first meeting between these two playoff combatants, but it will be the first trip back to the ACC for “Superman” and the Magic since the playoffs. Expect noise… a lot of noise. “HOWWWARRRDD!”

January 11&12- vs./@ Boston – The Raptors and Celtics will have already played twice before they start this home and home set, but these two games could be critical. If the Raptors have any serious intentions on taking back their Atlantic division crown, these two games have to be in the back of their minds. The Raps will look to make a bold statement against the defending champs…twice.

January 14- vs. Chicago – The Raptors will welcome first overall pick, Derrick Rose to “the big smoke” for the first time in his career. In addition, beloved former Raptors play-by-play man, Chuck Swirsky, makes his much anticipated return to Toronto as part of the Bulls radio team.

January 16- @ Indiana – T.J. and Jose will have to take a back seat in this one, as the big story will be Jermaine O’Neal returning to Indiana to face his former team. You know J.O. will want this one bad, real bad.

February 20&22- @/vs. New York – Mike D’Antoni’s Kicks and the Raptors will play a home and home over three days. Expect a ton of Italian media at both games, as Andrea Bargnani and his fellow countrymen, Danilo Gallinari, go toe-to-toe for the first time in the NBA. Go figure, the two will face off in two of the most Italian-populated cities anywhere outside of Italy.

April 10- vs. Washington – About a week before the post-season commences, the Raptors will welcome another Eastern conference contender, the Washington Wizards to the friendly ACC confines. “Agent Zero” and the rest of the Wizards will tango with the Raptors on ESPN 2. If you are looking for a story-line here, consider this: Jose Calderon can show Gilbert Arenas that he is an all star candidate on national television. Hopefully Jose can make Arenas eat his words.

Did I miss any game(s) that you are eagerly anticipating? Which game are you most excited to see this upcoming season?

An NBA championship, two blockbuster transactions, and two teams gunning for Lebron James have brought respect to a division considered among the worst in pro sports.

Two years ago, the off-season outlook for 2006-2007 was grim in the Atlantic division, a division that houses five passionate basketball fan-bases from the North East. The season (2005-2006) that preceded it featured basketball that would have made James Naismith himself, cringe and question the game he had created. What a difference a couple of years make.

The Boston Celtics, fresh off of finishing dead last in the NBA in 2006-2007, did their best 50 Cent impersonation in his video for “P.I.M.P” “Whoever said progress was a slow process wasn’t talking about me.” They weren’t talking about the Celtics either fifty, who progressed from worst to first in one season while racking up 66 wins and the franchise’s 17th title.

But, if the Celtics resurrected the division, then it could be said that the Raptors gave it cardio-pulmonary resuscitation (CPR). As the calendar year began in 2007, it looked as though there was a legitimate possibility for the Atlantic division champion to finish below .500. The punch-lines and jabs would have been multiplied and the Atlantic would have sunken to new lows, even for the Atlantic.

But then, out of the shadows, emerged a young Toronto Raptors squad. The Raptors finished the 2006-2007 season with one of the hottest second halfs in recent memory in the assosciation, capturing their first division title. Sam Mitchell won coach of the year. Bryan Colangelo won executive of the year. Chris Bosh was considered an outside shot to garner MVP votes, and Andrea Bargnani was in the rookie of the year debate.

The Raps brought the first ounce of credibility to the division since its inception in 2004 after the NBA’s division re-alignment. Furthermore, the Raptors and New Jersey Nets met in a competitive, six-game playoff series that brought Vince Carter back to Toronto, thus shining the spotlight on this once dormant division.

With the addition of Jermaine O’Neal, the Raptors have high hopes in the East and will be gunning for the Celtics to get their division crown back in 2009.

Philadelphia is another team hoping to reap the benefits of an off-season addition in Elton Brand. The 76ers, coming off their first playoff berth in three years and a second half surge similar to the Raptors from the previous year, believe they can be a legit contender in an improved Eastern Conference.

While I don’t believe the hype that the Sixers can win the East, I do agree that they will be improved. Philly should round out the three playoff teams in the Atlantic.

Ok, so maybe you are thinking, “that’s only three of five teams. Nothing special.” But the two teams predicted to be bottom feeders this season both have a purpose. Both the New Jersey Nets and New York Knicks are expected to be the front-runners for “King” James’ services in 2010, when he becomes a free agent.

From being spotted in a Yankees cap during the playoffs last year, to calling New York his favourite city this year, Lebron has done nothing to shoot down the rumours. And of course, there is the great friendship with that legendary rapper who is a part-owner of the Nets.

Not to mention, the Nets have a completely new-look team that will be led by Vince Carter, which will always be a cause for focus in a Nets-Raptors match-up. The Knicks have also made some roster changes but most notably will be led by offensive-minded coach, Mike D’Antoni now. It will also be intriguing to see how Italian, Danilo Gallinarri develops; both in terms of his ability on the court and his relationship with the city of New York and its basketball fans off of it.

All the talk this summer has been about the steadily improving Eastern Conference, which will be highly competitive for the first time in years when the season tips off this fall. What will likely be lost among the great play is the role that the Atlantic division played in the revitalization of the conference as a whole.

Yes, gone are the days of the “Titanic” division or the “Crap-lantic” division. For that era began to close with the ending of the “loveable losers” era in Toronto. And now, a group of teams that were among the most ridiculed in pro sports just two years ago while embedded in a laughable division and a lackluster conference are the same teams that two years later, are leading that very conference’s resurgence.

The Atlantic is now the best division in the East, and is comparable and possibly competitive with a division or two in the ridiculously talented Western Conference.

Do you believe the teams in the Atlantic were the spark that ignited the re-birth of the East? Will the Sixers or Raptors be able to de-throne the Celtics as division champions? Will the NBA champions come from the East once again?

Those are just some of the questions that will be answered as the NBA season approaches and eventually begins.

I never imagined for one second that my summer would end so early. All year I had visions of the announcer introducing our country and our team walking across a big field with all the other athletes. I pictured myself waving back home to family and friends while walking behind our flag bearer…but, that isn't the case. I never once thought about us failing and what that would feel like, maybe that is why it’s hurting so bad.

For a week after the tournament I screened calls from family and friends and I was deeply saddened that we did not accomplish our goal of qualifying for the Olympics. If I could have crawled into a hole and hid…I would have….and would probably still be there today. But as the days went on things happened that helped change how I was feeling.

First, I was sitting in my room in Greece and saw an interview with Dirk Nowitzki. In it, he basically said that he has been trying for 10 years to get to the Olympics and that he had failed twice before in the 2000 and 2004 Olympic qualifiers. Another thing that helped me was Rowan Barrett telling me that his 2000 Olympic team had to grow into better players individually and then come together as a unit before they finally qualified. He told me that they used to get spanked before they tasted any success on the floor. Now, I do not feel that Rowan’s and Dirk’s experiences are consolation for us not qualifying…but it definitely helped open my eyes to the commitment that is needed from an entire team for an Olympic dream to become a reality.

As I sit on the plane from Vegas back to Toronto, I can honestly say that I am proud of my teammates and the coaching staff for sticking together both on and off the court. Even though we lost last night to Team USA by 50 points, we blocked out all the off-court troubles dealing with Sam and tried to perform at the best of our ability. Many of our players did not have to come on this trip because the game did not mean anything and there is a short turn around before our European and NBA seasons start. Dave Thomas was the only one who did not make it to Las Vegas and it was because he had to be back in Australia early. At the end of the day, I hope our team learned valuable lessons that will help us grow as individuals.

As coach Leo always said "our margin of error is zero" and it is so true at the FIBA level. We all have to commit ourselves mentally, physically, and socially if we want to have any success in the future. God willing, we will have another opportunity. It was an honor for me to play with my teammates especially Rowan who taught me so much in such a short period of time. Even though he ended up beating me 6-5 in our daily pre-practice shooting games, it was all love. To my teammates, coaching staff, and personnel I thank you and wish you all good luck throughout the year. To The Score and Jay-T, thank you for supporting us through thick and thin we all appreciate the love and support. To those who thought we would not qualify I appreciate you as well because in my opinion, negativity is always a good way to fuel competitive fire. To our supporters I thank you and hopefully we can make Canada proud in the years to come.

…God bless Canada, one love!!!

Jay-T Writes:
Just because the National Team is going their seperate ways for the upcoming season doesn't mean I'm going to let them disappear from thescore.com. Keep checking in for updates, interviews and player blogs. I will be back in a few weeks with an update on Juan Mendez who always has a lot of interesting things to say!

Even though I now have a better idea of what happened with Samuel Dalembert on Tuesday...I am still just as confused. In a situation like this, there are no "sides" to be taken...I am just going to do everything I can to get every angle on the story.

I want to make it clear that while I have been in contact with people over in Greece, Sammy-D himself has yet to get back to me. From what I can piece together, there was a conversation right before the team bus left to the arena for the game against Korea. The result was Sam staying at the hotel while the rest of the team had to play undermanned in a do-or-die situation. So when Team Canada arrived at the arena minus their man in the middle...you could just imagine the rumours flying around and Korea's confidence going through the roof!

Knowing that these players had 2 hours of preperation to play this type of game down a man from their starting-5, makes their 4th quarter comeback that much more impressive.

Leo Rautins said in his post game conference call that this had been brewing for awhile now, which would lead me to believe that from the start, Sam's time with the national team hasn't been as rosey at it seemed. On the surface, it looked like a player that called Canada home wanted to bring nothing but respect back to the program. I saw Sammy walking around Toronto with a bright red Canada Basketball shirt taking pictures with fans and playing through injury last year to do whatever he could for his country. He is one of the nicest guys I have ever met but I also understand that a lot can go on behind closed doors.

When you have one player, who makes millions in the NBA, brought onto a team of guys that have never tasted that success...it can create issues off the court. Rowan Barrett had mentioned in Tuesday's conference call that some guys don't know what it takes to play international ball...now, I think that was a metaphor. Sammy could have found a way to help this team on the floor, but maybe Rowan was talking about the differences between the NBA and FIBA off the floor.

For example...say the 'best' player on your team misses a couple of team dinners during training camp. Fine. Then that same player misses another group outing overseas. Well, now that can start affecting other players on the team...but, they don't want to say anything about it because of what that player can bring on the court! That, is a tough situation for everyone involved.

The other thing that I could see simply watching the Slovenia game, was plays starting and ending with Sam on the offensive end. Now you can say 1-8 FG performance was just a bad day...but when you look back and remember how many of those shots were pull up jumpers from well out, over Rasho Nesterovic (a guy Sam should be able to blow past) I could imagine what that said to everyone else on the team.

I want my shots and I am going to take them whenever I want from anywhere I want on the floor.

Onto the coaching staff...is it up to them to keep their star player happy no matter the costs? Maybe. If it were Steve Nash in this situation, would the result have been the same? Probably not. Once again, I am not taking sides, I am just trying to clarify something that just seems downright strange.

Will Sam ever be back with Canada Basketball? It looks like that is not up to the coaching staff...only the players can decide who is accepted in that locker room.

In the end, it is just another roadblock against a young team that had the odds against it before the tournament even started.

With the underdog label now firmly stamped across the Canada emblem these guys need our support more than ever. Forget who isn't there, or if you think the coaching staff screwed up, just know that the boys that take the court on Friday will be playing for one reason...

Canada Basketball.

Canada vs Croatia
Friday, July 18th
Live@6am Replay @10pm
on The Score

God is good, God is good...that is the first thing I have to say about our victory today to advance into the quarterfinals. Without our starting center, we played poorly on both ends of the floor and by halftime, we were already down by 16. With under 3-minutes to go in the game, we were back down 10 but this time, our team showed a lot of character and heart. For the first time this summer every single member of our team fought all the way through a game. From the players, coaches, trainers to the few fans we had in attendance, everyone poured their hearts out to get this win.

I know everybody is asking what happened with Sam and why he wasn’t there. I wish I could give you all a definite answer to why but the truth is I don’t know all of the events that took place behind the scenes. Either way, I am as confident now as I was the day we left Toronto that we can accomplish our goal of making the Olympics. I still think we have yet to play our best ball and thank God we have been able to get new life.

There will be no games tomorrow so we will have a day to rest our bodies and come up with a game plan for Croatia in another "Do or Die" situation for every team in the tournament. Up to this point we are still where we imagined our team would be in this tournament, contending for an Olympic berth.

Thanks again to everybody for their continued support up to this point in our journey and I hope it continues even with Sammy’s absence.

…One Love Canada!!!

Previous Posts

• Samuel Dalembert No Longer With Team Canada
• Canada-Slovenia Recap...
• Jermaine Anderson...ready for Slovenia...
• Jermaine Anderson's Germany Recap...
• Why do we ignore Canada basketball?