The raptors are 0-4. LOL. Apparently, Mike James great defense has disappeared. Crazy Sam is going to be playing with the lineup. http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/Layout/Article_Type1&c=Article&cid=1131413095666&call_pageid=968867503640&col=970081593064&t=TS_Home They shot the ball better than they have all season, defended reasonably well at times, their best player had his best game and they held a burgeoning most valuable player in check for most of the night. The scary thing? Despite doing all that, and seemingly playing with determination, the Raptors still managed to get blown out by a dozen last night and are off to the worst start in franchise history. And they weren't even capable of staying with a flawed team playing its third road game in four nights. If that doesn't shake the foundation of whatever hope the organization is trying to build on, who knows what will. Despite shooting a season-high 49 per cent from the floor and getting a season-high 26 points and 12 rebounds from Chris Bosh, the Raptors were hammered 105-93 by the Cleveland Cavaliers in a game they never threatened to win, a loss that puts them at 0-4 for the first time in the franchise's 11 seasons of play. And the loss came for simple reasons: When they could least afford to, the Raptors made the kind of back-breaking mental gaffes that kill momentum, change games, cost victories. "We're just making mental mistakes and we're not good enough to recover from those," said coach Sam Mitchell, who's left to consider some drastic changes before Friday's home game against Utah. "I'm going to think about changing the lineup a little bit. I have to do something to get some communication on defence, we have to get somebody who knows how to execute a game plan," he said "We're coming out of timeouts and we're telling guys to stand (in one spot) and they go stand (in an other)." Mitchell wouldn't name names, but could not have been pleased with the defensive efforts of rookies Charlie Villanueva and Joey Graham. Centres Loren Woods and Rafael Araujo looked lost on defence. Jalen Rose is a no-stopper, Matt Bonner can't get his game going at either end of the court (he was scoreless in six minutes) and Mike James and Jose Calderon let too many point guards get past them too easily. Other than that, they're fine. "If I go that route — and I haven't decided — it won't be because I'm angry, it'll be because we have to grab some peoples' attention. The only way you can get people's attention is with playing time," said Mitchell. With three days off before the Jazz game, the coach said it will be back to basics at practice. "We spent the whole summer thinking about simplifying things ... if it was ABC, we simplify it to A and see if that works," he said. Bosh, who made 11 of 17 shots, said he continues to be "frustrated" by his team's effort and Rose lauded Mitchell's threat to alter the lineup. "He's the coach, I second what he said," said Rose, who finished with 14 points. "I'm not going to make any excuses for it, we're just not getting it done." Donyell Marshall, who left the Raptors as a free agent last summer, finished with what's a typical game for him — 12 points and 11 rebounds in 24 minutes — while LeBron James had a quiet 27-point game. To illustrate even further the lessons Toronto rookies have to make, Villanueva inexplicably left Marshall wide open on the three-point line at one point in the second quarter and the veteran power forward calmly made the shot, undoubtedly shocked at being left unguarded. The indiscretion earned Villanueva a little chat with Mitchell, who pointed out that Marshall should not be left alone under any circumstances. The centre dilemma, as it will every game this season likely, popped up again when neither Woods, last night's starter, nor Araujo able to do anything. Aaron Williams was Toronto's best centre. Woods and Araujo combined for two points, five rebounds and three fouls in 22 minutes; Williams had five points in seven rebound-free minutes. The Raptors did keep their
