Barring any unexpected last-minute snags, the Raptors are poised to announce today it has signed point guard T.J. Ford to a contract extension that guarantees the 23-year-old will be able to join 22-year-old Chris Bosh and 21-year-old Andrea Bargnani as the cornerstones of the franchise for at least the next four years.

According to league and team sources, Ford will get a deal similar to the extension Bosh signed this summer: three years with an option on a fourth that kicks in starting with the 2007-08 season. Ford will earn between $8 million and $9 million (all figures U.S.) annually, putting him among the top third of NBA point guards in salary.

"We've got a lot of young, good players and you want to have those guys together so they can grow together and get better," Toronto coach Sam Mitchell said yesterday.

"I think it's important for (Ford) and the organization. It shows him the organization is committed to him. He said all along once we made the trade for him that he wanted to be here.

"That's the thing Bryan (Colangelo) and I talked about ... everybody on the roster wants to be here. It's just another sign that we don't get other people's castaways now, we aren't other people's last choices."

T.J. Ford reportedly is poised to sign a lengthy contract extension with the Toronto Raptors.

"They are very, very close to working out a deal," a source told Canadian Press on Monday. "They are just working on a couple of legal issues."

T.J. Ford and the Raptors are on the verge of reaching an agreement on a contract extension, according to league sources that spoke with Globesports.com.

"[They're] working on getting something done, I'm optimistic," said one source close to the negotiations who did not want to be identified.

"It just always seems to be the case in negotiations," the source said. "There have been no particular sticking points, it's just a matter of the process working itself out."

Chris Bosh has missed four out of the seven preseason games that the Raptors have played, but he will play on Friday against the Bulls.

"I'm going to work like hell the next four days," Bosh said. "Next week, I've got to work really, really hard so I can hit the ground running. I'm not going to be in shape like my teammates, but I will be close."

"Instead of him going eight or nine minutes straight, we can cut it to like six, bring him out, give him a two or three-minute blow and bring him back," Sam Mitchell said. "We can work around that."

Fred Jones didn't have a legitimate opportunity this preseason to become a starter with the Raptors, but he has been impressive and his role off the bench is fine with him.

"I'm here to win -- win games," said Jones, who left the Indiana Pacers to sign with the Raptors this summer.

"That's the only thing that matters. However they're going to best use me is fine. I have no complaints. I'm happy to be in a situation where I can play and contribute. I haven't been in that situation lately (in his four years in Indiana)."

The MLB and NFL have both suffered steroid scandals, but the NBA has yet to experience a similar scenario.  This doesn't mean that it isn't going on or because steroids wouldn't help NBA players

"Of course it would help a guy in the NBA," Chris Bosh replied.

"I want to play for a long time," Bosh said. "You can't play for a long time, getting big that fast."

While the NBA undertakes random testing of its players for a long list of drugs the NBA, like the NFL, doesn't test for HGH.

Chris Bosh will miss Wednesday's game against Boston, but plans on playing in the Friday contest against Chicago.

"I plan on playing," said Bosh, who has been suffering from plantar fasciitis, an inflammation of the tendon that connects the heel to the base of the toes along the bottom of the foot. "I'm planning on practicing Thursday and playing Friday. It's time to get ready for the season."

The Cavaliers have been extremely fortunate in the preseason with regard to injuries.

All of that almost ended with 11 minutes, 42 seconds left in the second quarter when Cavaliers center Zydrunas Ilgauskas banged knees with Raptors guard Fred Jones.

Ilgauskas immediately called time out and limped off the court, sending shock waves through the Air Canada Centre.

He sat out the second half for what the Cavaliers termed precautionary reasons, as they stumbled for the third consecutive game, 91-90, to unbeaten Toronto on Sunday.

The Raptors remained unbeated in preseason play by defeating the Cavaliers on Sunday by a final score of 91-90.

In the absence of T.J. Ford and Chris Bosh, Fred Jones scores 22 points.

''Whenever somebody is out, it's going to happen throughout the season, it's a long season, 82 games and injuries happen,'' said Jones. ''Then it's time for other people to step up and we had a lot of good guys step up tonight.''

Chris Bosh and Fred Jones each scored 16 points and six other Toronto Raptors reached double figures in Toronto's 118-84 preseason victory over Maccabi Tel-Aviv on Thursday night.

T.J. Ford added 13 points for the Raptors, who lost to Maccabi at the Air Canada Centre one year ago almost to the day. In that game, just the second loss for an NBA team to an international club since the league sanctioned such competition in 1987, Anthony Parker made a winning jumper at the buzzer to win 105-103.

Toronto (4-0) signed Parker in the offseason. He had 11 points against his former team.

Bosh, who missed the previous two exhibition games with a sore left heel, had to plead with coach Sam Mitchell to play Thursday.

Noel Felix had 19 points for Maccabi, who have also lost to Phoenix, Cleveland and San Antonio this preseason.

Toronto trailed by as many as 13 points in the first half but finished the second quarter on a 12-2 run. Bosh's fadeaway jumper at the buzzer made it 55-53.