Some good signs

[rocknrollforyoursoul]

I realize that it's only the preseason, and only the Raptors, and the Cs have plenty to work on, but a few positives stand out from tonight's game: 1) JO's 4 blocks in only 12 minutes -- great to see that he's still got that defensive touch; 2) Stiemsma's 7 points, 5 rebounds and 2 blocks in only 18 minutes -- I don't think a true stiff could do that well, even against the preseason Raptors; 3) Quis getting 5 rebounds, Ray 6 and E'Twaun 4 -- it'd be nice if some of the team's "smaller guys" could regularly chip in on the boards like this; 4) Bass shooting an efficient 4 for 5 from the field and 4 for 4 from the line -- he also took it to the hoop once off the dribble from the top of the key, blowing by his man and finishing with a powerful two-handed dunk -- something Baby never did.

[YouGotRondo d]

I'm a huge fan of Brandon Bass. Doesn't this guy look like he's been here for years. He is a huge upgrade from Baby.

Rondo has definitely refined his game a bit. I hope he continues to be aggressive. He is smart enough that I know he will never shoot us out of a game. He should continue to pick his spots.

Jermaine really makes up for his diminished hops with great shot blocking instincts and reach. If he can stay healthy, he should still make a big impact this year.

Dare I say Greg Stietsma might make the roster? Or as Tommy would say, "Steamsa". The kid knows his role and his limitations and doesn't try to do too much.

Concerns:

Dooling needs to be more aggressive. He pulled up the break at the 3 point line a few times, and generally seemed to shy away from getting the ball into the lane.

Avery Bradley just missed another shot as I was typing this.

I pray KG will play on the block this year. We always do well when we can play off of his presence down low.I don't recall a single paint touch. Just kick out jumpers. Granted, its preseason.


Can't wait for Sunday!

[rocknrollforyoursoul]

I pray KG will play on the block this year. We always do well when we can play off of his presence down low.I don't recall a single paint touch. Just kick out jumpers. Granted, its preseason.

I think it was Doc who said the other day that he's basically given up on trying to get KG to go into the post more, but I too would love to see him down on the post regularly. He has that great fadeaway and some other nice post moves, and I get tired of seeing Boston fall in love with outside shots as often as it does.

[bfrombleacher]

Rondo's jumper and free throw looked really good and I'm confident that he will continue improving that jumper, which will prolong his career by a significant amount for sure.

Steam Engine was beastly. The Raptors have an okay frontcourt if nothing and Steams was looking real good. There are virtually no centers in the league. In the East Dwight Howard and in the West Bynum might be the only problems for Steams but even then our team defense will be good enough.

I might be one of the few who is really happy about Bradley. Him and Moore on the court together are indeed formidable as one of the threads on here says. Bradley was a completely different player in the second half and was far, far more confident.

JO was pretty good. Hopefully he will stay healthy.

It was just not the night for the bench offensively but even then they beat the Raptors (not just their bench but their entire roster). The starters will be mixed in in the regular season so I'm not worried at all.

The only concern? Doc is still slightly reluctant in playing rooks even when this game doesn't matter and giving the bench trust is very important in this compressed season. But Moore seemed to have earned his trust and so has Bass which is better than last year when Doc put all his faith in the then-struggling Big Baby.

[YouGotRondo d]

I pray KG will play on the block this year. We always do well when we can play off of his presence down low.I don't recall a single paint touch. Just kick out jumpers. Granted, its preseason.

I think it was Doc who said the other day that he's basically given up on trying to get KG to go into the post more, but I too would love to see him down on the post regularly. He has that great fadeaway and some other nice post moves, and I get tired of seeing Boston fall in love with outside shots as often as it does.

The problem is that as a game goes on, good defensive teams begin to close out better on shots and really lock down the outside shot. There has to be an inside presence to keep them honest.