Paul Jones

Paul Jones is the voice of the Raptors on the FAN 590 and writes regularly for Sportsnet.ca.

It's been a tough season for Chris Douglas-Roberts and the Nets.

You wonder what it would have been like Friday night at the Air Canada Centre if it hadn't been the New Jersey Nets.

Everyone expected the Raptors to come out and give more of an effort following two games in Florida where they laid an egg both times, but did they expect a 118-95 pasting of the Nets where Toronto had a 40-point lead at one juncture? I don't think so.

Hey, a win is a win but you wonder if that effort would have been sustained against an upper-echelon team. Regardless, Toronto had to take a measure of confidence from the win and it was a good start to a stretch where they play four of five at home.

There were a couple of questions being asked on media row last night. Initially, how have the Nets won two games? And secondly, are they really this bad? My own two responses were A) I don't know; and B) I don't think so as they have been at least competitive in losses. Was it me or did Kiki Vandeweghe look totally lost and helpless on the bench? You know that veteran assistant, Del Harris, has huge input in what’s happening but on Friday, the Nets were totally outclassed by the Raptors and it didn't matter who was coaching.

The NBA's worst record over an 82-game season belongs to the 1972-73 Philadelphia 79ers who finished 9-73. During that horrid season the Sixers had a 2-24 mark after 26 games before winning their third contest of the year. With last Friday’s loss, the Nets dropped to 2-25 and return home for a game with none other than the Los Angeles Lakers on Saturday night. Hmmm, can you say 2-26? Hate to say it but 9-73 could fall this season if things don't change. NBA fans could be witnessing history this season.

You know what makes it even tougher for the Nets? Teams see them coming and play hard against them for fear of being "the next team" that New Jersey defeats. In a chat with Jarvis Hayes, the veteran swingman who is recovering from a hamstring injury, during the pre-game in the Jersey locker room he nodded his head when I suggested that point, having seen it close up with the Raptors that started 1-15 losing their first nine games in the 2005-06 season.

"We get everyone's best game, because they just don't want to be the team that lost to the Nets," said the former Georgia Bulldog.

How do the Nets fix this mess? Rod Thorn is a good basketball man and has made some shrewd moves over the course of his front office career but man, does he ever have his work cut out for him trying to turn this franchise around.

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It was throwback night at the Air Canada Centre as the Raptors wore the Huskies uniforms and recognized former guard Tyrone "Muggsy" Bogues. The little man was honoured that the club reached out to him after Toronto was only one stop along the way in his career. Bogues says he wants to end up on the sidelines one day as a coach as he spends plenty of time right now conducting private workouts with players of all ages.

For what its worth, to improve their fortunes this season, Bogues says that the Raptors need to bear down defensively and know their identity on offence making sure the right guys are taking the shots. He feels some guys need to pass up a shot here or there for the good of the offence.

When it comes to defence, Bogues is saying that they are capable when they put their minds to it and he would like to see Andrea Bargnani play on the inside some more. He says the former No. 1 overall pick has good inside skills and needs to take more advantage of that ability down low.

His tip for Jose Calderon, as one point guard to another: Push the ball and look for his own offence early in transition and once he starts to do that, it will pull the other players along and he can look for them and create scoring opportunities for them.

There will be another former Raptor honoured Sunday as Morris Peterson comes to town with the New Orleans Hornets.