It's been a rough start to the west coast trip for the Raps: A heartbreaker against the Kings at Arco Arena, and a blow out loss to the Jazz last night. The Raptors will have two of their biggest tests so far in this early season with the mighty Los Angeles Lakers tommorow night (Friday), and then the Trailblazers on Saturday. I have a feeling the Raptors will be able to split these two games, most likely with the win coming in a down to the wire victory over the Blazers. It would be great to have the road trip end with a win, to build some momentum coming back to the ACC for two tough home games against the Warriors on Monday Nov. 8th, and then vs. the Bobcats on Wednesday Nov. 10th.

Speaking of returns, Payal Doshi is back at it giving her thoughts after that heartbreak loss to the Sacramento Kings in her latest vlog 'Just Let it Burn':

As always, be sure to follow Payal on Twitter.

We need to see a lot more of what we saw Toronto do against Cleveland, specifically on the defensive end of the floor, in order for the Raptors to give themselves a chance night in and night out. Here's to hoping they can get back to that going forward.

Blogger extraordinaire, Jeff Fox, of Bloguin's Hoops Manifesto & MMA Manifesto, continues his excellent cross-blog collaborations to present the NBA Bloguin community's 2010-2011 season predictions. These predictions range from how many games will the Miami Heat really win this season to which star NBA player will have the worst season.

Jeff held it down all summer and fall, putting together All-Time Top 10 lists for each NBA team/franchise! Work like this has also earned him well deserved Bloguin Awards nominations. Hoop Heads North took part in a few of the team rankings, but ultimately this is another shining example of the quality work Jeff puts out for all of us NBA fans and bloggers alike. With that said, you know the NBA Predictions will be just as good! So without further ado:

NBA 2010-2011 Predictions Part 1 - The Teams

NBA 2010-2011 Predictions Part 2 - Players and Coaches

Hoop Heads North will also be taking part in another cool weekly series called 'NBA Big Questions' where fellow NBA bloggers chime in on big topics and our thoughts on the NBA action of the previous week. Check out the first installment below! 

NBA Big Questions (Week One)

Stay tuned all season long as Hoop Heads North will be bringing you opinions and thoughts on topics from across the NBA, including our beloved Toronto Raptors.

The 2010-2011 season tipped off for the Toronto Raptors on Wednesday, but they fell to the New York Knicks in a hard fought game. They followed that game up with a win against the Cleveland LeBron's Cavaliers to put their early record at 1-1.

While all of you hoops heads in the great white north are crazy for Raptors coverage, it must be acknowledged that this season will be a rocky ride to say the least.

Put it this way, Reggie Evans has started the first two games. While he has been a monster on the glass, he is still Reggie Evans, and has no business starting for an NBA team. Amir Johnson, the guy that got paid this summer, is struggling to stay on the field as he continues to be infatuated with fouling the opposing team. Barbosa is already favouring his wrist, and the odds of him playing 60 games this year look in jeopardy already.

So what is there to look forward to for Raptors fans this year? Well Ed Davis is still on the mend after tearing his meniscus playing PICK UP basketball with the Young Gunz. I can only imagine what was going through Bryan and Maurizhio's head when they heard what happened to their rookie big man this summer. Let's just hope that he gets healthy soon and is able to contribute to the team immediately.

Linas Kleiza has looked impressive on both ends of the floor so far. He can stretch the D with the long ball, provide hustle in the passing lanes and he can also attack the rim with ferocity. He has a chance to be the most consistent player in Raptors silks this season.

Il Mago, former 1st overall pick, Mr. Andrea Bargnani, has produces relatively well in his first two games of the season. As he is fundamentally opposed to playing D and crashing the boards, it makes sense that Jay has been starting Reggie Evans beside him. One of them only plays on the offensive end of the floor, with the other one only playing on the defensive end of the floor. Bargs should be able to go for 20+ consistently this season with the ball in his hand on at least half of the possessions.

So what else is there to hope for this year? Well the team is likely to finish somewhere around 30-52, which should put them comfortably in the lottery. But there is no use getting excited for another hot shot underclassmen this year. With an impending lockout next year, it is unlikely that many college underclassmen will declare for this years draft. So prepare for a bunch of Europeans to declare, as well as the seniors who have no where else to go.

Huh?

It's that time again...we've been anticipating it for a while, and now it's finally here: the NBA season is upon us!

Hoop Heads North's favourite guest video blogger, Payal Doshi, shares her thoughts on the Toronto Raptors pre-season and what she's hoping is in-store for 'Canada's team' this season. I personally feel this Toronto Raptors' squad will be better than people expect. How many wins? I'm hope they can win as many as possible, but I truly believe they can win 30+ games...time will tell.

Be sure to follow Payal on Twitter this NBA season to talk hoops with a passionate & knowledgeable blogger, and of course you'll definitely be able to find her thoughts here at Hoop Heads North throughout the season!

Preseason Bitterness & Anger:

InsidePurple: Raptors season preview:

It is almost time for Toronto Raptors training camp, and after a roller coaster summer, it will be nice to finally be able to focus on the the on-court product. What happened this summer was not a surprise to many, as the franchise player, he who looks like a Raptor himself, Mr. Chris Bosh took his talents to South Beach. Aside from that, Colangelo attempted his token summer roster overhaul, but will less success this year due to one failed signing and one trade that died on the table. But despite all of this, there is still a certain level of excitement going into the 2010-2011 season for Raptors faithful.

It will be interesting to see if Amir Johnson will be able to live up to his new contract and likely starting spot in place of CB4. The acquisition of Leandro Barbosa should bring some much needed excitement to the backcourt. New rookies Ed Davis and Solomon Alabi will likely be given significant playing time with the team so thin up front. Sophomore DeMar DeRozan will likely take a big step forward with increased responsibility this year. There are several reasons to be optimistic this season, despite the fact that the playoffs are likely out of the question.