Paul Jones

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

Chris Bosh might sit out Wednesday in the hopes of him being ready for Friday's game against the Cavaliers.

The Raptors welcome the Trail Blazers Wednesday night, but will either Chris Bosh or Marcus Camby be in the lineup?

Back to action Wednesday night for the Raptors as the Portland Trail Blazers come to town for the second game of their five-game East Coast trip. It was a win to get things started on the right foot as the Blazers downed the New Jersey Nets Tuesday night.

But the newest acquisition, Marcus Camby, went down with a sprained right ankle early in the game and his status for the game against Toronto is still undetermined. It’s been that kind of season for any man that seems to play in the middle for the Trail Blazers this season. Greg Oden and Joel Pryzbilla are already out thanks to injuries.

Toronto has its own injury issues with Chris Bosh's status for the game also up in the air after suffering what was termed a mild sprain of his left ankle in last Wednesday’s loss to the Memphis Grizzlies. Generally players like to get a full practice in and see how they feel after they recover the next day before deeming themselves ready for action.

Bosh did not practice yesterday and in head coach Jay Triano's weekly radio spot on the FAN 590 in Toronto, it sure sounded like the Raptors’ five-time all-star would not play, with the hope that he would recover to be in the lineup against the Cavaliers on Friday night.

In spite of Bosh’s absence, Toronto has won both games without him, boosting its record to 19-33 (.365) all-time without him. But the Blazers are not the Wizards or the Nets. In fact Portland’s 33 wins is more than Washington and New Jersey combined. The Blazers have also held their opponents under 100 points more times than any other team in the NBA with 41.

Many are wondering when the NBA will close the loophole in the Collective Bargaining Agreement where a player is traded to one team, bought out by said team and then returns to the squad that initially traded them away. It’s happened before and it may happen again with Zydrunas Ilgauskas once the buyout happens with the Washington Wizards.

“Big Z” and his representatives have to get something done quickly so he can be free by the March 1 deadline. If he is bought out after March 1, and is still technically on Washington’s roster, he will be ineligible to be on another team’s playoff roster if the buyout happens after the deadline.

Yes there are supposedly other teams interested but truth be told, with Ilgauskas family situation, I have been told that it is unlikely that he would pick up and go somewhere else to play after the buyout. That being said, money always talks.

But back to the rule and I agree it’s one that should be changed but as long as it still sits in its current state, then why shouldn’t Ilgauskas be able to go back to Cleveland? He has been there through the lean times and as the team gets better with visions of a title dancing in their heads, why wouldn’t he want to be there. If the Cavs are working within the scope of the rule, and its accompanying loopholes, then “Z” has every right to want to go back if he can work something out with the Cavaliers.

I just wanted to say that Kobe Bryant never ceases to amaze me again and again. In his first game back in the lineup after missing five games he has a 32-point performance, including the game winner. Since the 2002-03 season, Bryant has hit more game-winning shots, 15, than any other player in the NBA. He’s a baaaad man!