-While it’s true that those points are pretty much moot, it’s still something to discuss. This blog is, after all, a discussion about basketball.

-Bosh is most definitely the best defensive anchor at center than anyone since Antonio Davis, although that says more about how poor that position has been than how good Bosh is.

- O’Neal is definitely past his best, and probably isn’t a starting center anymore, but on defense, I’d rather have him than Bargnani. And the Raptors failed because outside of Bosh and O’Neal, no one else on the team did anything. At times, those were the only Raptors producing. By the time he got injured, the writing was on the wall, and it simply didn’t matter. That doesn’t negate the fact that what the Raptors need right now is a starting center in the mould of Jermaine O’Neal, although obviously not O’Neal himself. Not without access to a time machine.

- A better coach would have won a few more games, but in the end, wouldn’t have made a lick of difference. The team would still be as flawed as it was with Triano.

- I have been a fan of the Spurs for a long, long time. And if they will most likely not get by the Lakers, but it’s certainly not a certainty. When healthy and playing well, their starting five is just as talented as the Lakers.

- Otis Smith grabbing Vince Carter pretty much negates anything good he did in the offseason. Okay, maybe that’s not true. I did forget about Smith, but I’d say the turnaround job Hammonds did in Milwaukee puts him ahead of Otis Smith.

- a tonne of solid material in this entry

- “if Bosh doesn’t get hurt” … is strictly a red-herring
- how many W’s the Raptors w/could have finished with … is strictly a red-herring
- Bosh is a far superior “defensive anchor”, at the Center position, compared to any other player the Raptors have had since the days of Antonio Davis … despite his “smallish” nature
- there’s a good reason why the combo of Bosh/C and Johnson/PF was the Raptors’ best defensive Big Man tandem and it isn’t just because of the talents that Amir brings to the table

- Jermaine O’Neal is no longer a starting quality Big, for a high end team in the NBA … and, in fact, is 1 of the MAIN reasons Miami was as bad as they were for long stretches of this season
- the Heat are infinitely more productive when they use a 4-player rotation of Joel Anthony, Michael Beasley, Udonis Haslem and Jamaal Magloire as their C and PF
- the Raptors failed with O’Neal because O’Neal is a mere “shell” of the player he was physically and skill-wise years ago with the Pacers

- Turkoglu not being Colangelo’s 1st choice is … strictly a red-herring

- a better coach c/would have won more games this season with the Toronto Raptors, despite the many other flaws within the organization

- re: the Spurs … A. you’re invited to check out what I’ve had to say on my blog about the overall quality of their organization for the last few seasons [aka, R.E.S.P.E.C.T.]; and, B. they will NOT get by the Lakers this season

- Otis Smith has been the BEST [i.e. the most effective] GM in the NBA this season

Cheers