TSN's Toronto Raptors beat reporter Josh Lewenberg checks in with news and notes from practices and game-day shootarounds.

- This is probably the earliest into a new season that Dwane Casey has ever had to answer questions about statement games or litmus tests, but such is life when the reigning NBA champions come to town. After opening the campaign with a convincing 109-91 win over the Detroit Pistons on Wednesday, the Raptors will host the Cleveland Cavaliers for the first time since LeBron James and company knocked them out of the playoffs in the Eastern Conference Finals. "It’s a good opportunity to go against the best team, in my mind, in the league," Casey said ahead of Friday's rematch. "They have every weapon that you could look for. The best player in the world, one of the best rosters put together in the world, so it’s a good test for us."

- To Casey's point, win or lose, there's no sense in overreacting to anything that comes out of the second game of the year, regardless of opponent. Both teams have a long road ahead of them and Oct. 28 will be a distant memory when and if they face off again in the spring. It's nothing more than a good early-season test for the Raptors and their personnel. "I would rather have it now," said Toronto's head coach. "Early in the season, to let us know where we are."

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- DeMarre Carroll is up for the challenge. One of the premier wing defenders in the league, when healthy, Carroll was signed with match-ups like this in mind. Although he's guarded James in back-to-back Conference Finals - one year with Atlanta, the other as a member of the Raptors - he was limited by knee injuries in each series. Carroll estimates he was playing at roughly 50 per cent during last year's post-season showdown with Cleveland and while he's still working his way back - currently at 80-90 per cent, he says - he's confident he'll be at full health soon. Slowing down The King will be a collaborative effort, assuming it can even be done, but Carroll figures to be the primary defender. "I feel like it’s a great test for me," said Carroll following his team's Thursday afternoon practice. "It’s a great test for me physically to see where we’re at, to see where my body is at, try to guard this guy, to see how much I can sustain with the knee."

- James opened his season with a triple-double (19 points, 11 rebounds and 14 assists) in just 32 minutes against New York on Tuesday. Guarding the four-time MVP and three-time NBA champion is easier said than done... and it's not even easily said. "LeBron has grown," said Casey, who was an assistant with Dallas in 2011 when the Mavericks defeated James' Miami Heat in the Finals. "First he was just playing on athletic instincts. Then you see him going to that coach on the floor, calling out your plays, telling his teammates what to do, quarterbacking. When he is doing that and playing, he’s dangerous and that’s why he’s the best in the league right now. He goes everything. He is a leader, he does it by example. He plays as hard as anyone. From my understanding he practises as hard as anyone. He is serious in practice. Your team is usually going to go the way your star player goes and that’s why he is who he is and why the Cavs are who they are."

- Jared Sullinger is back with the team after undergoing foot surgery earlier this week. Although the forward is limited to watching practice from a chair with his heavily wrapped foot elevated or hobbling around on crutches, he seems to be in good spirits, joking around with his teammates and the media. "We’re undefeated without me," he said with a smile.

- Opting for surgery was mostly his call, according to Sullinger. After weeks of experiencing the same pain he knew something wasn't right and wanted to take care of it early with the hopes of returning around mid-season. He's expected to be sidelined for 2-3 months.  

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- Pascal Siakam started in his place on Wednesday and the rookie did not disappoint, hitting both of his shots and grabbing nine rebounds in his spirited 22-minute NBA debut. He and fellow rookie Jakob Poeltl - who struggled in his first game - were two of the last players hanging around the Raptors' practice facility on Thursday, watching game tape with a couple assistant coaches. The main focus, per Siakam, was spacing - knowing where to be on offence and not getting in the way of primary scorers, DeMar DeRozan and Kyle Lowry.

- Casey's decision to start Siakam had just as much to do with maintaining continuity in the rotation. Mostly, the minute distribution and substitution pattern remained unchanged from last season, with Siakam replacing Luis Scola and Poeltl getting the bulk of Bismack Biyombo's minutes, while Jonas Valanciunas absorbed the rest. With Siakam getting the call, Patrick Patterson reprised his role as the first big off the bench. Although Casey insists that Siakam is not locked in as the starting power forward, it's hard to see him making a change as long as the rookie is playing well and the team is winning.