--F Chris Bosh, who can become a free agent next summer, said earlier this summer he wouldn't consider a contract extension. Now, at least Bosh is willing to listen after seeing the many moves Toronto made during the summer. "When (Raptors general manager Bryan Colangelo is) ready, I'll gladly sit down and talk about it, discuss pros and cons, and come to a decision," Bosh said. "But I like that we're not sitting around, waiting around, putting all our eggs in the basket and saying we're going to wait for 2010 because we want to have (salary) cap space to get players you might not be able to sign. The do-it-now approach is very motivating, for everyone. We're a lot deeper and I think we have a fantastic team. If we work on the small things, we can make some noise." Bosh lauded the moves the Raptors made this summer. They included getting forward Hedo Turkoglu in a sign-and-trade from Orlando and signing his former Georgia Tech teammate, guard Jarrett Jack, as a free agent.
"I think we're looking like a good team, and the part I like is I'm not getting too far ahead of myself," Bosh said. "I learned that last year. I was like, 'Yeah, we're good and we're going to be good' and we weren't. I'm taking a more humble approach this year, and it's making me work harder."
The Raptors have until June 30, 2010 to sign Bosh to a contract extension. Another option Bosh has to not opt out of his contract next summer and put off his free agency until the summer of 2011.
--For a while, Sonny Weems might have wished he had stuck with football.
Weems played little as a rookie last season with the Denver Nuggets. And he constantly was blasted by George Karl for not being a fundamentally sound basketball player.
It's no wonder. Growing up, football was Weems' top sport.
"I was rated the No. 2 quarterback in Arkansas as a junior," Weems said of his time at West Memphis High School.
So why did he keep opt to not play football as a senior even though he said Arkansas, Florida, Oklahoma and Texas were among the football programs courting him?
"I couldn't take (those) hits," Weems said.
Weems now hopes he can be a basketball hit with the Raptors. He was acquired recently from Milwaukee. He spent only two weeks with the Bucks, after the Nuggets had sent him there in a late July deal.
Weems played in just 12 games last season for the Nuggets, averaging 1.6 points. But the Raptors believe he has a shot to blossom.
QUOTE TO NOTE: "Playing alongside 'Sheed, that makes you a lot more vocal. He was on me like every day. 'You've got to talk. That's the key to the defense.' That's one of the main things I do on the court, is talk on defense. I should be fine bringing that along to Toronto." -- F Amir Johnson, on what he learned from teammate Rasheed Wallace in Detroit the past four seasons.
