An In-Depth Q&A With Raptors Blog Cuzoogle

According to BallHype, Cuzoogle is not just the top Toronto Raptors blog, but the number one rated NBA team blog. His season preview has been linked to 46 times in the last four days. Correction: 47 times!

Naturally Kornheiser's Cartel feels honored that its founder, Cuzzy, took time out to answer some questions about the Raptors upcoming season and future.

Check out The Siets's feelings on the Raptors written a few months back, then read the interview. Afterwards, make sure you head over to Cuzoogle.com.

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Kornheiser's Cartel: In a trade that was billed as perhaps having the potential to shift the balance of power in the East, the Toronto Raptors acquired Jermaine O'Neal. The problem with the trade is not so much what they gave up, a back-up point guard (although a really good one in TJ Ford), a back-up center, and a mid-first round pick, but whether O'Neal can still be dominant. I'm skeptical. While attending a handful of games at Conseco Fieldhouse last season, I was stunned by his lack of effort, poor body language, and extra weight around his tum-tum. His statistics were very poor, too. He shot just 44% from the field, grabbed a miserly 6.7 rebounds (which projects to a few less rebounds per than his old average when he played 35 minutes+), and committed a shocking 2.52 turnovers per game. In short, he was as effective as a 33-year old Glenn Robinson. But he's about to turn 30, so he may be able to turn it around. What's your take on the trade three months later? Will the Raptors regret giving up TJ Ford? If O'Neal stays healthy and plays 75 games, will the Raptors advance to the Eastern Conference Finals this season?

Cuzoogle: First off I think I am in the minority when I say I am not sold on getting rid of T.J. Ford. I am a huge fan of his and he seemed to get locked into a very bad situation against a fan-friendly guy in Calderon. He is fast as lightning and was just starting to get his speed under control. He was one of the few Raptors that could create his own offense and he got blamed for being a hog due to it. I wish him well and I know he will light up the Raps when we play the Pacers. As for JON, yes if he stays healthy I think the Raps are a better overall team than the Sixers. But I don't see him staying healthy. Hopefully a new town and new teammates will light a fire under the guy and he will get back to being how he was a few seasons ago. The good news is he does not have to do everything. I will be happy if he just rebounds, blocks shots and acts a paint bully. Whatever he scores is a bonus. I am skeptical and find it hard to see the Raps going to the semis but a second round appearance is a must this year.


KC: Andrea Bargnani is becoming an enigma. Outside of not rebounding well, he showed a lot of promise as a rookie. Yet he took a step back in his second season and is about to turn 23 (which surprised me, I thought he was younger). It's looking sketchy as to whether he'll even receive 25 minutes a game this year since O'Neal entered the frontcourt mix. What does Bargnani need to improve? Will he ever be an NBA All Star? Does it hurt to imagine Brandon Roy, Rudy Gay, or LaMarcus Aldridge in his place?

Cuzoogle: The guy is a true mystery. So few players can make me stare in amazement at both how good he can be and how bad he can be in the same week. The skills are there, it is all about confidence with him. When he is knocking down threes he has a swagger and it snow balls to other great things. When he is clanking shots of the rim he reverts to someone who looks like he has never played the game. He just has to fight harder and the rest will come. I still believe it can happen and to be honest I don't see the Raptors being any better with Roy, Gay or Aldridge. Now if we can go back and take Iggy instead of Hoffa, that I would like to see. I still have faith Bargs but this season is your last shot.


KC: There's a lot of talk around the league about the free agent class of 2010. One of the most coveted members of that class plays for Toronto, stud power forward Chris Bosh. Has he given any indication up to this point that he might not want to play in Canada for the rest of his career? And- I know this won't be popular with Raptors fans- but suppose the Raptors don't reach the Eastern Conference Finals before that offseason... would it really a good idea to give Bosh a six-year maximum dollars contract that will end when he is 32?

Cuzoogle: I have never read anything negative about Bosh not liking Toronto. That being said, he is from Texas so if one of those teams ever came calling, it would be shocking if he did not leave. Playing for the Raps (as VC could not handle) offers up a whole country that backs you. In a city that loves hockey, Toronto is embracing Bosh and loving his hardwork and personality. It would suck if he left and it would set the franchise back years. I say keep the guy as long as you can, he is young, an amazing person and someone you want to build a team around for years to come. Most players don't hit the best they can be until their late 20's.


KC: Three players, Hassan Adams, Will Solomon, Jamal Sampson, Nathan Jawai and Roko Ukic, were brought from overseas in the offseason, as per the team's custom as it seems. Bryan Colangelo, or maybe it's been Maurizio Gherardini, has had a lot of success signing unwanted, recycled players over the last few seasons. Still, is there any worry that maybe these players won't pan out and the Raptors will end up ridiculously thin... or do Raptors fans trust Colangelo's judgement completely now (judging by the performance of these players in the first preseason game... I trust Colangelo!)?

Cuzoogle: In Toronto we like to say "In BC we trust". The guy has given us no reason to doubt him and his overseas pickups. If even one pans out it is worth it because you are saving a lot of cash. The Spurs and Raps seem to have this Europe thing down and I have no doubts another surprise will surface this year or next year. Keep an eye on Ukic, he has some serious skills.


KC: Jose Calderon, with his insane percentages and league-leading assist-to-turnover ratio, is the next John Stockton. Agree completely, or just for the most part?

Cuzoogle: I won't call him John Stockton, that is hard to live up to but he can certainly be a Mark Price with better passing.


KC: FYI: This video makes me wanna be a Raptors fan...

KC: More Valuable Former Raptor:
Vince Carter or Tracy McGrady? Pass
Damon Stoudamire or TJ Ford? T.J. Ford
Muggsy Bogues or Oliver Miller? Bogues
Rob Babcock or Rafael Araujo? Babcock did find Calderon, Hoffa found nothing.

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Toronto Raptors: Eastern Contenders or Continued Failures?

Living in Indiana, it hasn’t been a secret that for the last four or more years Jermaine O’Neal has been phoning in his play, and that the All-Star center wanted to relocate to L.A. or New York. Despite his lackluster and injury-shortened 2007-2008 season, Pacers fans do remember that J.O. was the best center in the East for several years. At only 30, it seems that O’Neal could bring that former excellence with him as he travels north of the border.

Jermaine may not have been sent to his ideal city, but the Raptors look to potentially have one of the best frontcourts in the NBA. O’Neal will join All-Star Chris Bosh and former No. 1 overall draft pick Andrea Bargnani to complete a forward/center trio that includes no one shorter than 6′10″. While height isn’t everything (see Carl Landry or Charles Barkley), these players’ collective talents are. Bosh has developed into a near-clone of what O’Neal was in his Pacer prime and is considered by most to be one of the premier big men in the Eastern Conference behind Kevin Garnett and possibly Dwight Howard. His numbers from last year look a little something like this: 22.3 PPG (24.0 in playoffs), 8.7 RPG, and 2.6 APG. He’s been putting up these same numbers for the last 3 years, and he is at the top of his game physically and mentally.

Bargnani is somewhat of the wild-card here, aside from O’Neal’s passion for the game and his new city. He’s put up just 10.8 PPG/3.8 RPG in his two seasons. However, even with Bargnani as the weak spot, this starting trio could be churning out 50+/20+ nightly. This stacks up with league leaders. The Lakers’ frontcourt trio of Gasol, Odom, and Bynum only mustered 46.2/29.0 last season, and they won the stacked Western Conference (even with Bynum out for the playoffs).

These Raptors do have one glaring difference when compared with a team like the Lakers: Kobe Bean Bryant. If the Raptors aren’t going to acquire or develop a high scoring swingman, they are going to meet the same fate as other teams that “look good on paper.” Teams like the Nuggets and Kidd/Carter Nets had several All-Stars on the roster and should have won lots of games. However the balance of attack and deep rosters that contenders like Boston, San Antonio, and Detroit bring to the table were eerily absent for those two squads, just as they are for the Raptors.

Toronto, in an attempt to build this current team, has let go of strong supporting players and potential stars in the likes of T.J. Ford, Charlie Villanueva, and Roy Hibbert. Rather than adding another low post scorer, it seems the more logical approach would have been to seek out a high-scoring shooter (Michael Redd?) or deepen the reserves with role-players and attempt to shore up the Raptor’s abysmal defense. Without a stronger bench and an explosive guard, this squad will continue to make the playoffs (even the Washington Generals could make it in the East). They will also likely be contending for the Atlantic title with Boston, but they’ll continue to get pummeled in the playoffs when they match-up against the deeper teams that dominate that conference.

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