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They made the calls, but nothing is happening yet.

That was the message out of the Raptors camp in the wee hours of the morning as the free agency season officially got under way.

This has to be killing Bryan Colangelo, who -- to his credit -- likes to force the action. The results are often mixed - see Kapono, Jason - but better an error of commission than omission, I say

First things first: Any fantasies fans might have about Hedo Turkoglu making it to Toronto are just that. As has been well-chronicled the Raptors would have to renounce the rights to about half their roster to get the salary cap space to do it and they're right in thinking that adding Turkoglo at the expense of Marion and Delfino and Anthony Parker doesn't make the Raptors better, and has them paying Hedo about $12-million when he's 35. Besides, it looks like Turkoglu is going to Portland.

My understanding is the Raptors first thrust in the early hours of the free agency was directed at reaching out to Marion, as you would expect. They were in touch with the Turkoglu camp if only because if they do bail on Marion he is their preferred alternative. I also got word that the Raptors have "put a line in the water" for Linas Klieza and my only regret is that I didn't write in recent weeks something like: "The Raptors should put a feeler out to Linas Klieza." From half a continent away I've always been impressed with this guy. Great size, goes hard to the rim and can shoot it too. This would cost the Raptors a good chunk of their mid-level, but would be well worth it. Another name the Raptors have approached? Charlie Villaneuva, who didn't get a qualifying offer from Milwaukee. I think Kleiza's the better fit and the betting is Charlie V and Ben Gordon end up in Detroit where it looks like the Pistons are goinng to try and win games 200-199.

To me there are only two options for Toronto. One is to blow it up hard -- and that means trading Bosh, which they don't want to do -- and the other is to take the steps necessary to at least be competitive. Does re-signing Marion, adding Delfino and then some additional depth make the Raptors a top-four team in the East? Let me think: Cleveland, Boston, Orlando ....and after that who? Atlanta I guess. Chicago maybe? Philly I suppose. Washington maybe. Not exactly murder's row.

The point being that Bargnani, Bosh, Marion, Delfino, a healthy Calderon, Evans with additional proven depth by way of the mid-level exception and biannual exception at least gives the Raptors a chance to be in that conversation, and who knows what kind of bonus DeRozan might bring? I think Kleiza would be good add and the Raptors should find some money to spend on the best 15-20 minute point guard they can find, no offense to Roko, because having 48 minutes of consistent point guard play is the best way to get value out of the roster you do have.

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I'm just going to put this out there, completely out of my own dreamscape. Insiders never like it when guys like me just lob trade ideas. "What is this, fantasy league?" is the typical response.

But what the hell: If I'm the Raptors I'm calling Jeanie Buss and asking if they'd be interested in parting with Andrew Bynum for Chris Bosh, along with the requisite salary filler. Lakers get a star that would likely mesh well with Gasol and would almost certainly be willing to resign in LA. Raptors get the next best thing to Dwight Howard who would fit in great next to Bargnani, I think. Am I crazy?

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If I could cover one thing this summer it would be the U19 world championships in New Zealand which starts tomorrow.

Here's Canada's details from Canada Basketball:

INTRODUCING CANADA BASKETBALL’S 2009 JUNIOR MEN’S WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP TEAM

(Toronto, Ontario) Canada Basketball unveiled the official roster for the 2009 edition of the Junior Men’s National Team (JMNT) that will compete in the FIBA U19 World Championship July 2-12 in Auckland, New Zealand. The talented line-up includes elite players Mangisto Arop (Edmonton, AB) and Kelly Olynyk (Kamloops, BC) from the National Elite Development Academy (NEDA) as well as North American top 10 prospects, Corey Joseph (Pickering, ON) and Tristan Thompson (Brampton, ON).

"We have tremendous motivation this year with the upcoming FIBA U19 World Championship in July,” said Greg Francis, Head Coach of the NEDA Boy’s Team and the Junior National Men’s Team. “We have a number of extremely talented athletes from across the nation and we will be able to go to worlds with a very strong team.”

Touted as the biggest basketball event in the world this year, the FIBA U19 World Championship showcases the best players aged 19 years and younger from 16 countries and five continents. Canada, assigned to Pool A, along with Australia, Syria and Spain, will open the tournament on July 2 (5:00 p.m. local time) against the Australian Team. Canada’s opening game and the match against Spain (July 4 at 5:00 p.m. local time) will both be televised on www.fibatv.com.

The JMNT is riding high after winning the 23rd Annual Mondial Juniors de Basket earlier this month. One of Europe's premier basketball tournaments, this event is recognized as the prequel to the FIBA U19 World Championship. The Canadians had big wins over France, Puerto Rico and Lithuania to win the title, and Olynyk’s dominant performance earned him tournament MVP honours.

"Our guys really played hard throughout the [Mondial Juniors de Basket] tournament," said Francis. "It was such a great win for our team and the experience of playing tough countries outside our zone will go a long way in helping our guys prepare for the Worlds."

The 2009 JMNT has a core group of nine players returning from the 2008 team that placed third at 2008 FIBA Americas U18 Championships. It was the strong performance last summer that earned the JMNT a berth in the 2009 U19 FIBA World Championships, marking the second consecutive time that Canada has competed at this event.

Francis is excited about his team’s chances. “I think we have a lot more upside for the Worlds because we brought a young team [last summer] and we have had a year to train and gain experience.”

Olynyk is just as excited as his coach. "“Being able to represent Canada on a world class level and international stage is a great honor. It’s an exciting thing to be a part of and I can’t wait to let the world know what Canada can do when it comes to the game of basketball."

New to the 2009 squad are guards Jordan Baker (Edmonton, AB), Laurent Rivard (Montreal, QC) and Joseph. Like his talented brother Devoe (who played for Francis on the 2007 JMNT), Corey gives Team Canada a strong leader at the point position. He currently ranks sixth on the North American top prospects list for 2010. Baker and Rivard give the team an added boost on both ends of the court.

As the world looks on to see the next generation of basketball stars, so will the international basketball scouts, who are travelling to New Zealand in droves. According to sources, more than 20 NBA scouts have so far been confirmed to attend the tournament.

The format for the FIBA U19 World Championship is as follows: four pools of four teams will participate in the preliminary round. The top three countries in each pool will advance to the second round-robin. The top eight teams after the second round will advance to the quarter finals (sudden-death format).

Canada has qualified for the FIBA U19 World Championships on five previous occasions, the most recent being a tenth place finish in the 2007 event. Canada also qualified in 1979 (finished 7th), 1983 (14th), 1987 (6th), and 1991 (8th). Canada finished third at the 2008 FIBA Americas U18 Championships and fourth at the 2006 event.