In preparation of tonight's Cavaliers-Raptors game in Toronto, I took a moment to ask the guys over at RaptorsHQ a couple of questions. Here is that exchange....
FTS - Chris Bosh is out tonight? What is his status and how will it change what the Raptors want to do?
RHQ - No CB4 for the fourth game in a row. Without the franchise guy on the floor it totally changes how the Raps play. First off it means Hedo Turkoglu has the ball in his hands a lot more often. Turk has been highly criticized since he showed up in Toronto but since Bosh has been out he has started to round into form. The scoring load is now going to fall on Hedo, Andrea Bargnani and Jarrett Jack. It's not enough firepower to scare the Cavs, that's for sure.
FTS - All the attention is on LeBron this summer - Chris Bosh is a free-agent as well. What is the feeling around Toronto regarding what will happen with Bosh this summer?
RHQ - I think the sentiment changes every week depending on how the team is playing. At the end of the day I think it is going to come down to how the Raps fare in the playoffs. If they get to the second round and make some noise it will be very hard for Bosh to walk away. Right now the Raps are a team with depth, youth and solid pieces for the future, albeit some one could argue are over paid. Now, if Bosh is committed to leaving then there is not much to be done. If that were the case however, I would imagine he would have relayed that message already. Much like I am sure it is in Cleveland with Lebron, the CB4 question is in the back of every Raptors fan's mind. We have seen a glimpse of what this team would be like without him over the course of the past week. It's not pretty.
FTS - Of the Top-4 teams in the Eastern Conference, what team do you feel the Raptors match up the best with in a 7-game series?
RHQ - In all honestly, I don't like any of the match-ups. I am sure to NBA fans in general the answer would appear to be Boston given the are showing their age, but the Raps have a really tough time against the Celtics. For whatever reason the Raps get intimidated by the intensity that the Celtics bring to the floor. The worst case scenario for the Raps is Atlanta. Atlanta has owned the Raps this year. The Cavs are not going to lose in the first round, so that leaves Orlando. The Raps usually can make a game of it with Orlando and match-up well. If the Raps face Orlando in round one I give them a fighting chance...at both winning the series and re-signing Bosh.
My thanks to RaptorsHQ for taking the time. You can check out my replies to their questions by heading on over to RaptorHQ