The end is near for Raptors

Those are some offseason tidbits for the 2005-06 Toronto Raptors, who have lost six straight games with seven more on the schedule. Toronto, which is 26-49 this season, also lost the services of forward Chris Bosh.

Bosh has missed the past five games with a strained left thumb and won’t lace up the sneakers any time soon. Bosh, who leads the team in scoring with 22.5 points per game, went down with the injury on March 26 in Milwaukee.

After an evaluation, the All-Star was advised to sit out the remainder of the season to avoid further damage. Bosh played in 70 games this season and pulled down 9.2 rebounds per contest. He also recorded 32 double-doubles in 2005-06.

Stepping up lately for the slumping Raptors is guard Mike James.

James recorded a game-high 34 points on 13-of-26 shooting in a 111-104 loss to the Indiana Pacers on Wednesday night. James also had 11 rebounds and eight assists in the loss and is posting 25.8 points and 9.0 assists over his last five games.

With the emergence of James, the Raptors will have to come up with a better game plan for the rest of the season and, perhaps, next year.

Toronto will visit the Hornets on Friday before hosting Charlotte over the weekend. Miami, Orlando, Detroit, Indiana and Chicago are the remaining teams on the schedule.