Raps - Bulls

A big win for the Raptors. Yes, it was a pre-season match, and I am a firm believer that it means little [see 06-07 Raptors pre-season], but during that first quarter, the Raptors showed the kind of team they have the capability of being. Even without Bosh, the Raptors showed a sweet shooting touch, while displaying brilliant ball movement. Just imagine, Ford and Bosh running a picture perfect pick and roll, with Bargnani on a wing, and Kapono and Parker at the corners. Go under the pick and Ford finds the open shooter; go over it and Ford blows by you... and then finds the open shooter when the defense collapses. And what about the bench? While Delfino hasn't shown a consistent shooting touch, his rebounding and ability to get to the basket is something that the Raptors desperately need. Moon showed the athleticism that the Raptors thought they were getting in Joey Graham, and Rasho continued to be one of the Raptors better players, with Hump being one of the better rebounders. Even Juan Dixon, who many thought may be the odd man out, has been giving the Raptors an effective scoring touch off the bench. So, with 16 men playing but only 15 men allowed on the roster for opening day, who WILL be the odd man out? The short list includes Dixon, Moon, Martin, Jackson, Baston, and yes, even Graham. Some say Martin should go, and have Dixon fill in as the 3rd string point guard. The problem, however, is that Martin as a teacher and mentor is invaluable, regardless of his on-court skill. Baston will be needed if a big man goes down, and Dixon, although he may be undersized, has shown that he can score in the Raptors system. The battle, it seems, boils down to Moon and Jackson. Both have a lot of potential, but neither seems to have wooed Mitchell or Colangelo into believing that they are the one to stay. The battle may not be decided until the day that it needs to be, but for all we know, all the winner gets is a ticket on the end of the bench, stuck behind 14 other Raptors.