Paul Jones

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

The solution to the Raptors woes likely just comes down to working harder.

There are questions, questions and more questions surrounding the Raptors and their current slide as Toronto has lost nine of its last 10 including five in a row. So how exactly do they turn it around? Well, everyone has a theory and mine starts with putting forth more effort on the defensive end.

Currently, this Raptor squad looks exactly like the one that started the season with a 7-13 record. The offence is good and has been consistent all season as they sit 4th in the NBA in scoring, 5th in field goal percentage, and 3rd in three-point field-goal percentage. No, offense is not the issue at question, it's the other end where Toronto is running into problems, again, and since defence is based in effort and togetherness anchored by communication, simply put, the Raptors have to "pick it up."

But can it be done at this late stage of the season when other teams in the playoff race, save for the Chicago Bulls, are going in the other direction? The answer is yes. They've done it before so it's time to get in a stance, sit in that chair, starting talking to one another, play defence, and rebound. Consider that in the last two losses, Toronto shot better than 50 per cent from the floor but suffered double-digit defeats in both contests. Why? A combined 37 offensive rebounds allowed opponents to have more field-goal attempts and subsequently points.

It sounds like head coach Jay Triano is considering changes to the line-up, which is fine since whatever they've been doing lately isn't working. But there is lots of blame to go around and it should not be construed as one player's fault. It might be Jose Calderon back into the starting line-up for Jarrett Jack.

"Possibly," said Triano when asked about that particular move. "I don't know for sure. Jose has been playing well. We might take advantage of that."

How bad is the defence right now? When asked about tweaking the system and making changes to defensive schemes the way he did back in December, Triano replied in Oakland after the loss to Golden State, "those were changes to coverages, tonight, there were no coverages."

The bottom line is, regardless of who happens to be on the floor, if they are not willing to play all-out, all the time, the bad news is losses are going to continue to pile up. Is there good news? Yep, the solution is not complicated; they just have to work harder.

------------

As a fan of the game, it was nice to be able to call a couple of games in two of the best arenas, when it comes to fan support for the home squad. The Rose Garden in Portland has a terrific atmosphere where the game is the focus and the fans are knowledgeable and supportive of its team. Now, it wasn't always the case, the franchise went through the "Jail-blazer" years but it's come full circle and back to the days of "Rip City." Even though our broadcast location is half way up the arena, it's still a great place to see and work a game.

The other spot is Oakland's Oracle arena. The fans are rabid, and for a 17-win team to have close to 18,000 people in the house on a Saturday night with San Francisco right across the bay, it's a testament to the word "support."

It used to be that way in Sacramento but not so much recently. Arco Arena used to be one of the loudest joints in the NBA but hard times and an antiquated building have knocked the Kings off my top-5 list of best places to do a game on the road. The top five with respect to fans and atmosphere, and not necessarily broadcast location, are now filled out by Utah, Boston and Cleveland. Again, that's on the road folks because like Dorothy said in the Wizard of Oz, there's no place like home.

------------

Seen in Portland:

-- Former Raptor bench boss Lenny Wilkens and family as well as former vice president at Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment John Lashway. Lenny wanted to see Alvin Williams and if you have ever talked to Williams about Wilkens, Alvin has lots to say about the man who handed him the reins and gave him a chance.

-- A two-bedroom apartment nestled high atop the Rose Garden with windows overlooking the basket at the visitors' end of the floor. Who does it belong to? Owner Paul Allen of course.

-- A sign by a fan that said "Mrs Turkoglu thanks for Andre" in reference to the report that Turkoglu signed with Toronto over Portland after consultation with his wife. Turkoglu claims that the report was erroneous.

Yes Turkoglu received boos from the Blazer faithful but, on a scale of 1-10, in comparison to the serenade of catcalls Vince Carter gets upon his return to Toronto, bah nothing, maybe a 3.