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The Format of The Future

If there's anything that yesterday's practice indicated, it's that the Raptors plan on a culture change. Defence. Defence. Defence. No seriously. For real this time. Yes, we've heard this before over the last few years, but I think this may be the first time I've actually believed it.

Why?

It starts with the departure of Chris Bosh. Don't get it twisted. Bosh wasn't known for his defensive prowess, but that's because we asked him to carry the load on offense. That's not to say he wasn't capable, evident with his time on the American Olympic team. The fact that we paired him up with Bargnani to form our paint presence also magnified our defensive problems.

But now with Bosh gone, the Raptors can finally scrap their experiment and put a defensive minded and rebounding big next to Bargnani. Amir Johnson's extension, the selection of Ed Davis and Solomon Alabi, the pickup of Joey Dorsey, the attempted acquisition of Tyson Chandler, and the now rumoured interest in Eric Dampier also suggest this is in fact the plan.

No matter how the frontcourt ends up looking, I think we can all expect better rebounding and interior defense than last year - though that's not saying much.

Now what about the first line of defense?

On the wings, we have what may be the most athletic group Raptors Nation has seen in awhile. The speed, energy, and youthful enthusiasm that DeMar DeRozan, Sonny Weems, and Julian Wright bring to the table will interesting to watch. Roaming the court also will be who many NBA fans refer to as the Brazilian Blur - Leandro Barbosa. The former Suns combo guard has averaged at least 1 steal per game throughout his career; a team high on the Raps.

Will we able to lock teams down? Probably not. This year's installment of the Raptors will go through its growing pains. But the change in culture is what matters the most here. Gone are the days we place Turkoglu or Kapono out there to defend the perimeter.

Defence will be key this year. As Triano put it: "Our transition buckets will be an indication of our defense this year". Without key stops or rebounding, our biggest strength in running the floor will be negated.

Other than a steady big to further bolster our injured and inexperienced group of big men, what do the Raptors need next moving forward? Assuming the coaching staff continues to teach DeMar Kobe's pet moves and show support for Bargnani, then Colangelo needs to find himself a young and athletic point guard. There's a fad going around in the NBA that revolves around the dynamic and super athletic point guard. Think John Wall, Russell Westbrook, Rajon Rondo, Brandon Jennings, Stephen Curry, Tyreke Evans, and of course Derrick Rose. I was hoping we'd be able to snatch up Avery Bradley, but to no avail. Whether it be through the draft or a trade, the Raps need to match up better at the 1 spot.

Defense wins championships. So if we're really intent on starting over, let's do it the right way.

With A Side of Red - Sept.28/10

One of these things is not like the others...

Goodbye Mr. Bosh (who still owes me a signed jersey). And hello to what Sonny Weems so elegantly describes as the "After-Bosh" Era. But before we put the second foot through the door, let's stop by Ira Winderman's twitter. The man has the exciting job of getting to cover the Miami Heat this year. Here some of his tweets regarding Chris Bosh and their practice today.

"Chris Bosh on getting to work with Wade, LeBron: "Having the opportunity to work with those guys I think is a very special thing."

You think? I still think you're the best PF in the NBA, but you've been regulated to clean up duties.

Chris Bosh on the value of these drills: "Getting back in shape isn't easy."

Especially after an ankle, knee, or face injury. But don't worry, according to The Sun's article on you, just hit up Dr. Anthony Galea on speed dial.

Chris Bosh tries to attack lane off the dribble. Turnover.

Ah. There's the Chris I remember last seeing.

Alright. There. Out of my system. No more Bosh posts for the rest of the season; unless it involves a game against the Heat of course.

In other more relevant news, FAN 590 Raptors play-by-play man Paul Jones had a rather interesting tweet regarding today's practice.

Unfortunately, this is going to happen with a young group, especially during this time of training camp. The eagerness may be there, but the consistent focus understandably won't. However, I do like the fact that Triano is setting the tone early. He told us during the end of season presser that he had learned a lot. So far, he's putting that acquired knowledge to work.

Next up, the big question that comes with every Raptors training camp - at least with BC in charge. "Who will start?"

Well according to this article, it looks like we have two players locked in.

And to top it off, just in case you haven't caught the onslaught of new videos Raptors.com have posted, you can check out some of them below.

I'm looking to get big things done with the GamePointBlog this year. More posts, new staff, more podcasts, more interviews, and a video section. Thank you to the readers for giving this blog a chance, this is only the beginning. Whatever it is you're doing, I hope you enjoyed it "With A Side of Red".

Raptors Media Day and Day 1 of Camp

Day 2 of Camp

Ellen DeGeneres - Actress

Ellen DeGeneres is a American standup comedian, television host and actress. She hosts the association talk show The Ellen DeGeneres Show, and was also a judge on American Idol for one year, having attached the show in its ninth season. DeGeneres has hosted together the Academy Awards and the Primetime Emmys. As a film actress, she starred in Mr. Wrong, appears in EDtv and The Love Letter, and provided the voice of Dory in the Disney-Pixar animated film Finding Nemo, for which she was reward a Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actress, the first and only time a voice performance won a Saturn Award.

She was starred in two television sitcoms, Ellen from 1994 to 1998 and The Ellen Show from 2001 to 2002. During the fourth season of Ellenin 1997, Degeneres came out openly as a lesbian in an appearance on The Oprah Winfrey Show. Shortly afterwards, her character Ellen Morgan also came out to a psychoanalyst played by Winfrey, and the series went on to explore various LGBT issues including the coming out process. Television and film work in the late 1980s and early on 1990s included role on television in Open House and in the film Coneheads. In 2007, Forbes predictable DeGeneres' net worth at US$65 million. She has won twelve Emmys and numerous other awards for her job and charitable efforts.

Birth Date	January 26, 1958
Birth Place	Metairie, Louisiana, U.S.
Birth Name	Ellen DeGeneres
Medium	Stand-up comedy, television, film
Nationality	American
Spouse	Portia DeGeneres

Reese Witherspoon - Actress

Laura Jeanne Reese Witherspoon, better recognized as Reese Witherspoon, is an American actress and film producer. Witherspoon lands her first feature role as the female lead in the movie The Man in the Moon in 1991; later that year she made her television acting entrance, in the cable movie Wildflower. In 1996, Witherspoon appears in Freeway and followed that appearance with roles in three major 1998 movies: Overnight Delivery, Pleasantville, and Twilight. The following year, Witherspoon appeared in the seriously acclaimed Election, which earned her a Golden Globe nomination.

In 2005, Witherspoon got worldwide attention and praise for her portrayal of June Carter Cash in Walk the Line, which earns her an Academy Award, Golden Globe, BAFTA, and Screen Actors Guild Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role. Witherspoon owns a production company, Type A Films, and she is actively concerned in children's and women's advocacy organizations. She serves on the board of the Children's Defense Fund (CDF), and was name Global Ambassador of Avon Products in 2007, helping as honorary chair of the charitable Avon Foundation.

Date Of Birth	March 22, 1976
Birth Place	New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S.
Birth Name	Born Laura Jeanne Reese Witherspoon
Occupation	Actress, Film producer
Spouse	Ryan Phillippe

Sandra Bullock - Actress

Sandra Annette Bullock is an American actress who rose to celebrity in the 1990s, after roles in successful films such as Speed and While You Were Sleeping. She has since established her occupation with films such as Miss Congeniality and Crash, which received critical acclaim. In 2007, she was ranked as the 14th richest female personality with an expected fortune of $85 million. In 2009, Bullock starred in the mainly financially successful films of her career, The Proposal and The Blind Side. Bullock was awarded a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress, a Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding presentation by a Female Actor in a Leading Role, and the Academy Award for Best Actress, for her role as Leigh Anne Tuohy in The Blind Side.

On April 22, 2007, Marcia Diana Valentine was establishing lying outside James's and Bullock's Southern California home in Orange County. When James confronted the woman, she ran to her 2004 silver Mercedes, got after the wheel, and tried to run over James. The woman is said to be a fanatical fan of Sandra Bullock. Bullock has been a public follower of the American Red Cross, twice donating $1 million, first to its Liberty Disaster Relief Fund and four years later in reply to the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunamis. In 2010, she donated $1 million to relief hard work in Haiti following the Haiti earthquake. Along with other stars, Bullock did a PSA influence people to sign an appeal for clean-up efforts of the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.

Date Of Birth	July 26, 1964
Place Of Birth	Arlington, Virginia, U.S.
Born Name	Sandra Annette Bullock
Occupation	Actress, producer
Spouse	Jesse G. James