Football has the quarterback; in basketball, the floor general is the point guard. Their involvement and importance in the success of a franchise cannot be overstated. Our hometown heroes  have never been particularly blessed at this position, and no doubt our lack of playoff pedigree can be viewed as a consequence.

Who’s the best Raptors PG ever? Most will look at his ROY trophy and Nike campaign and say Damon Stoudamire. Others will remember the stepback crossover, heart of a warrior, and endearing nickname and say Alvin Williams. But there’s a very convincing argument to be made for the man currently running the show, Senor Jose Calderon.

Ocho’s career with the Raptors started like a car stuck in neutral before he became a fan favourite as one of the NBA’s most stable and productive backup. It was Jose’s 2008-2009 season that took him from “the animated Spaniard with the adorable lisp” to “ a legitimate starter on any NBA team”. With TJ “Takin’ Jumpers” Ford finally out of our hair, Jose was given the reigns – and he didn’t disappoint, opening eyes across the L and giving every YMCA baller in TO a gesture to make after knocking down a three.

• 68 games played (career high)
• 49.7% FG
• 40.6% 3PT
• 98.1% FT (career high, NBA record)
• 12.8 PTS (career high)
• 8.9 AST (career high)
• 2.9 REB (career high)
• 1.1 SPG (career high)
• 2.1 TO (career high)

That’s .3 away from the 50-40-90 club, which is harder to get into than the Stonecutters. But one season doesn’t make you the man.  That’s when we crack open the Toronto Raptor record books. A quick glance only strengthens his case.

#3 Games Played – He’ll be #2 by season’s end, passing Alvin Williams

#8 Points Scored – He’ll be #7 by the end of the month, passing Damon Stoudamire

#1 Assists – Calderon’s notched nearly 1000 more assists than #2, Alvin Williams (and counting)

#1 Most Assists in One Game -  #1 (19,tied w/Stoudamire). He’s also #3 (17) and #4 (16)

#1 Consecutive FT’s Made – 87

#1 AST/TO ratio – 5.38 to 1

Who owns the point-guard categories? Ocho does. Who’s he passing on the games played and points scored lists? Williams and Stoudamire. Even on a bad team with only three true horses in the race, that’s a pretty impressive resume.

Sure, dectractors will say he’s slow, injury prone, and a pig farmer (yup). But in my eyes, he’s also the best point guard in Raptors history.

This time of year, it’s Christmas, Chanukah, Kwanzaa, the last day of school, and New Years Eve that get all the love. But I say screw that. Boxing Day’s my sh*t.

It’s when we abandon the obligatory forced family funbarassment and embrace our true animal instincts… to hunt and gather. Hunt for lowest price on electronic toothbrush. Gather electronic toothbrush, put in basket. Hunt. Gather. Encino Man would fit right in. It’s tradition in my family to head to the big box stores – not to buy anything, but just to watch people behave like all sorts of maniac. It’s like the Running of the Bulls without the bull… the Running of the Fat Housewives. It’s amazing watching people scramble around like the last scene of Unglorious Basterds, because if they don’t save $20 on a new GPS, then they’ll be lost forever. Leaving a Boxing Day sale empty-handed is truly a tragedy of Shakespearian proportion.

My love for Dec. 26th runs deeper than watching people put the “boxing” in Boxing Day on the 6PM News. I enjoy the simple marketing strategy: limited time lower prices aimed to motivate a buyer to pull the trigger on a transaction they’re considering.

I think the Raptors could benefit from this type of flash sale. It’s no secret we have some pieces on the trading block, and a Boxing Day Blowout could really incite other franchises to step forward and make an offer. Peja and Reggie’s expiring contracts will be in high demand come the trade deadline – as will some of our other players that could add depth to a contending team. What if Colangelo put out a press release announcing our Boxing Day Blowout, and let teams that are serious about making a deal do so at a lower price? Maybe cut the cash considerations, that 2^nd round pick in 2015, or something like that? There’s nothing like a countdown to kickstart a negotiation. And who wants to be a part of those sleepless nights and backroom brawls at the trade deadline anyway? Not me. I’d rather be sitting in my glass office, sipping a nice scotch as I watch the other 29 teams fight it out for the bargain of the season. Imagine we did this with Chris Bosh last year. Think we’d still end up with nothing? Not likely. Because a slightly discounted superstar is still a superstar, just like a deal on an expiring contract is a deal worth strongly considering if you’re looking for cap space.

And so I turn to the Republic: What would you accept for Peja’s expiring contract today?

Happy Boxing Day! Hope you get away from the madness unscathed… with a PlayStation Move under your arm.

It’s an age-old debate rife with controversy, a taboo topic conversation piece alongside politics, religion, and your wife’s sister. What makes us who we are? To what can we attribute our successes or blame our failures? It’s obvious to most that they aren’t mutually exclusive. In some cases nature takes the lead, while in others nurture is predominant.

Where does the NBA rookie fit into this discussion?* It goes without saying that they’re all immensely talented. But talent alone doesn’t translate into professional success in The L. It’s under this lens that I was thinking about Ed Davis.

* We’ll avoid the racial and environmental considerations that come into play – that’s a whole different article.

I know that just 3 games in to his NBA career, any conclusions are irresponsibly speculative. You wouldn’t predict whether a girl would be a good mother on the third date. I think we can all agree there’s something enticing about his energy and habits, his “nose for the ball” when he steps on the court. But as we know, for every lottery pick that puts it together, there’s five shooting 43% in the D-League. I don’t think Ed will be one of them. In fact, I think he’s in an opportunistic position to become a man with a capital M, a beast, a rebounding vacuum with a touch around the rim. And this success is a result of both his unique “nature” and “nuture” situations.

Nature: Like many rookies, Davis comes into the league classified as “raw*”. While this is true, his learning curve will be quicker than most. After all, he’s been facing NBA-level talent since day 1. You’ve heard of the saying, ‘like father, like son?’ Ed’s father is former NBA bully Terry Davis. A 10 season vet with a reputation for hard-nose defence and rebounding, Terry was a true banger during the ultra-physical early 90’s, when battles for the boards were about as safe as locking a Blood and a Crip inside a phone booth (remember those?). Watching Ed play, you can see that learning from his father has led to some positive tendencies. He’s always in the paint, right in the mix for loose balls. He’s tenacious around the rim. Some must learn to be comfortable with the physical demands of an NBA big man (see Bargnani, Andrea), but this is where Ed likes to be. Rebounding doesn’t require thought – it’s literally bred into him, infused into his human and basketball DNA.

*I’ve got issues with what “raw” has come to represent: a way for front offices to qualify drafting a player who isn’t ready to contribute to an NBA team yet. It allows them to celebrate their genius should said player evolve, yet minimize their exposure in the event the “rawness” never goes away.

Nurture: Ed joins a team as the third PF on the roster. In some situations, there would be concern that the resource surplus could dwarf his progression. Young Ed wasn’t the #1 pick, but he hit the jackpot. It’s the right team at the right time, thanks to Reggie and Amir. First off, there’s the mentorship angle. Amir had the good fortune to learn from Ben Wallace in Detroit during his reign as the NBA’s BMF. Though Reggie was born to grab rebounds, he did have vets Elden Campbell and Calvin Booth in his rookie year and K-Mart and Camby a few years after. They learned how to be the players they needed to be by watching and practicing with those mentors. Reggie and Amir are perfectly suited for this role in Davis’ development. They are what he needs to be. Hustle. Rebounding. Vocal leadership. In-paint presence. This season, it seems every time Reggie and Amir step on the court, they have one thing on their mind: Own The Paint. That’s got to rub off on a guy who’s already wired that way.

Secondly, there’s the good fortune to join a team during a season where there’s a competition at the PF position. Reggie’s out to show what he can do following his injury-shortened first campaign. Amir’s eager to prove he deserved the big payday. Both are capable of starting. And they know it, evidenced by Devlin calling out Amir for screaming “Reggie who?” following a dunk in Sunday’s game. One thing you can count on, Raptors practices are a bloodbath. And Ed Davis is stuck in the middle, having to guard both as they dig into their bag of legal and semi-legal tricks to get that block, board, or bucket. They bring their best, every sequence ending with a “see what I did there?” glance at the coaching staff. While he’s not getting the big “in-game” minutes, he’s getting tons of high-competition reps in during practice against two of the NBA’s most tenacious big men this season. This cannot be undervalued or overstated, in my opinion. Practice will be hell, but it will make him better. Reggie and Amir will both end up with career years come April, but Davis is the true benefactor of their battle.

******************************************************************************

It may take until the end of next season. We may have to move one of the two senior PF’s to open up some minutes. But Ed Davis has everything going in his favour to get there, to become the perfect front court compliment to Andrea Bargnani and surpass the accomplishments of the three men who will groom him to stardom.

I froze.

It happened.

Did I misread the schedule? No. It seems that while my relationship to the NBA has never been stronger, my Raptors Fan Ranking has gone from “sorry-officer-I-was-speeding-because-I-forgot-to-factor-in-potential-overtime-when-I-set-the-PVR” to actually forgetting about a game entirely.

How did it come to this? There are marriage counselors, family counselors, career counselors, but since sports counselors don’t exist, I’ve had to take a cold, hard look at my 15 years of Raptor fandom. In doing so, one thing became clear: the circumstances leading to this crisis (and I use the term loosely) are directly tied to my age (29) and my location (Toronto). In other words, being a Raptors fan born in the early-mid 1980’s is unique, complex, and at times, difficult.

In the process of this analysis, a parallel became evident between my trajectory from pubescent screaming superfan to balding, coughing Raptor skeptic – the framework of a typical NBA game:

First Quarter: Tip off. The game begins.

The Raptors: Pinstripes! Dinosaurs! Mighty Mouse! Isaiah! Professional basketball in Canada is here! The sky’s the limit. No one cares if they lose, we just love that they’re here. Oh, and Zan Tabak!

The Dinosty: Already a huge basketball fan thanks to Jordan, Penny, and Shaq, I couldn’t sleep the night before the first Raptors game. New toys are always so shiny! Their inaugural season coincided with the first year I was allowed to take the subway downtown with a friend. Watching my NBA heroes play in my city, AGAINST my city, took me from the couch to the court and offered entry into the “true fans” club. The team and I shared a tandem evolution.

Second Quarter: Teams are establishing their rhythm and flow. Starting to get a sense of who’s bringing what to the table.

The Raptors: A high-octane, high-flying highlight reel named Vince Carter was quickly becoming the most exciting player in the league. And in Toronto! We’ve never had the most exciting anything in, well, anything. Vince was complemented by an entertaining and talented entourage: T-Mac, AD, MoPete, Boogie, JYD, Onions, Goomba, HotDick… (the last two were to see if you’re still paying attention. Obviously, HotDick played for the Mavs.) Everything was looking up – The city of Toronto was riding the rush of the Raptors.

The Dinosty: Best described as 12 minutes of pot and heavy petting. The Leafs sucked, the Blue Jays played baseball, and no self-respecting teen gave two shits about the Argos. The Raptors had a monopoly on sports buzz, and it was easy to keep track through a haze of smoke and general indifference. Add basketball video games to the mix and I had a bad case of Purple Fever.

Halftime: A break to regroup with a plan for the second half.

The Raptors: Full-on Vinsanity. Sellout crowds experienced three consecutive playoff trips, including a last-second loss in the Eastern Conference Semi’s.

The Dinosty: It was during this time that my family moved to Arizona. In true teen form, I was bitter. I rejected everything American for its familiar (though often inferior) Canadian counterpart. That the Raptors had become one of the darlings of the league – #15 jerseys were EVERYWHERE in the states – helped keep me interested in their progressions, when it would have been easier to adapt the local Suns as my squad of choice.

Third Quarter: Teams implement their new plan. Sometimes it works, and sometimes…you get blown out.

The Raptors: Vince leaves, forcing management to Frankenstein a marketing plan and usher in “The Bosh Era”. Plus, a season of Kevin O’Neill, who later went on to a sterling career as the Travelocity Gnome.

The Dinosty: University years. Occasionally, drinking and sports got in the way of attempted intercourse and drug experimentation. The Raptors and the Dinosty both slip into a dark period. Luckily, we both graduated and moved on to bigger and better.

Fourth Quarter: Time is running out. You pull out all the stops in hopes of a win.

The Raptors: Chris Bosh’s emergence as a premiere big-man (deleted, “Franchise Player”) helped right the ship and led an entertaining run, including a return to the playoffs. A volley of missteps and tangential strategies (EuroRaptors, JO, Kapono) aimed at keeping CB4 happy led to some serious PR tightrope walking from our head office, and some serious vitriol from fans.

The Dinosty: Got a job, got a house, got married, got bills. Went from being a fan to being a consumer. The longest 3pt. streak in NBA history stopped being enough. I became disappointed as they continued to offer up a declining product year in and year out, wrapping their efforts in transparent spin – all while increasing ticket prices significantly and cramping two new seats into many ACC rows. Increased price + decreased product = re-evaluation.

At the buzzer: Ice your knees, lick your wounds, and review your performance.

The Raptors: Bosh leaves, yielding nothing in return. The team searches for answers, essentially back to square 1. Could the current team beat the expansion-season roster? Who cares, as they become a non-factor in the NBA, especially within the context of a pivotal season in the league’s history.

The Dinosty: Disenfranchised with the team, the front office, and the lack of relatable personalities, I stop defending them in conversation with casual, uninformed fans. I didn’t care enough. It’s easy to develop a man-crush watching guys your age do things you could never dream of. On this Raptors team, who can I rally behind? I must admit, I do like Reggie. It’s something, but it’s not enough. And what is “sport” if not a fantastical outlet? The youth movement is considerably less appealing when you’re not caught up in the hype. My buddy Jon made a great point about Kobe. We used to hate him, but these days we like him a lot more, having the frame of reference and maturity to respect what he’s done in the past and what he’s able to do at this point in his career. Younger me would murder current me if he read those words…but they’re true. There’s no one on this team that I can hang my allegiant purple flag on. They may be headed in the right direction, but that direction isn’t clear yet. And for the first time in my life, I’d rather watch a Spurs game than a Raptors game. It’s a sad day, and it’s no one’s fault.

(wipes tear, makes unnecessarily dramatic Facebook update)

The most important part of being a fan is loyalty. I get that. That’s how rivalries, dynasties, and reputations are built, cultivated by a caring fan base over multi-decades worth of 4-quarter intervals. But loyalty has its limits. The unspoken requirement for a sports fan to pledge blind allegiance to the cartoon logo of a multi-million dollar corporation is an anomaly in the Relationships of Life.™ If your spouse treats you poorly for long enough, you’re going to reconsider your relationship, at the very least. Same goes for parents, business partners, etc. Why do sports teams get an infinite leash? After a while, are you loyal for sticking around, or a sucker for staying put?

I expect the comments section will have its share of “fair-weather fan” slinging, drawing first-blush ire that deviates into a stream of acronymic insults. But make no mistake, this is an important conversation to have. You can only be drunk on passion for so long. One day you too may wake up with an emptiness you can’t quite rationalize. You may find yourself cringing every time you read “Young Onez”. The Raptors aren’t fully to blame, and neither am I. Call it a third-life crisis. Call it a re-prioritizing of emotion. But be careful before you apply a negative label my way. As The Dude put it, “there are a lot of ins, a lot of outs, a lot of what-have-yous, man”. Life is complicated. Sports are complicated. Sometimes, the two get tangled.

The greatest thing about the NBA is that there’s always a chance for redemption. Another 48 minutes around the corner. I don’t know if I’ll ever get back to my former level of involvement with the team. I hope I do. Thanks to PVR, the internet, the blogosphere, and countless other tools in the new Sports Swiss Army Knife, there’s never been more ways to find a reason to care. And I crave the connection. There’s no greater testament to sport than feeling in sync with thousands of people cheering, jeering, holding their breath for a glorious outcome. But I will tell you it has nothing to do with wins or Nike-sponsored smiles, and everything to do with one franchise and one fan – born at the same time, in the same place, recently disconnected but searching for a chance to be fused together again.

It’s no new insight that in professional sports, winning attracts attention. Cereal boxes, tickertape parades, bedroom posters, playground impersonators, hours of televised fawning – all in honour of the big W. Losers can be relevant, but they’re relevant for losing. You may get noticed for setting futility records, but being a spectacular failure won’t make you matter… or make you money.

The Toronto Raptors are in an unenviable situation. Our geographical disadvantage starts us behind the 8-ball. Add to that our uninspiring play and lack of marketable assets, it should be no surprise that even Torontonians are having a hard time backing the team this season. As for our place in the league… well, suffice to say Minnesota’s the hotter topic. On Planet NBA the Raptors are a tiny, uninhabited island far off the coast of Who Gives a F**k.

This shitty article asked a bunch of supposed ad men, “How do you make people care about [the Raptors]?” First off, the article is asking the wrong question. The challenge shouldn’t be “how to make the Raptors matter in Toronto”. The challenge should be “how to make the Raptors matter in the NBA”. Their micro approach won’t yield the macro results they’re hoping for. But if there’s a buzz around the league, our homegrown pride-o-meter will detect our improved status and you’ll see more jerseys, more vanity license plates – and more ticket sales.

Anyway, back to the panel of “respected” “marketing” “geniuses”. They pooled their thoughts and came up with bobbleheads, free ticket giveaways, and painting more community centres. I’m pretty sure you can’t call them your new ideas if they’re already in practice. Talk about inspired thinking. Well listen here, MLSE. I’m an ad man too. Except I actually have a plan. It’s bold, a little crazy, guaranteed to be contoversial…but it will work.

Question: How do we make the Raptors relevant in the greater picture of the NBA?

Answer: Take the power back.

All we need is one fan and a small business loan (or a rich fan, that would work too). The first step is to take $100,000 and put it an account. That’s our Technical Freedom Fund. In the face of the new rules, we’ll turn to the Raptors roster and say, “react away”. They get fined, the fund pays it (with the money going to charity, like it currently does) – and the players are no longer forced to act like emotionless revenue robots.

On the surface, I’m aware this sounds ridiculous. But hear me out:

1) What I’m proposing is not to give players free reign to abuse officials. In fact, it’s the opposite. There would be no compensation for needless whining, nor would their be financial backing for any player that breaks one of three simple rules: nothing vulgar, nothing intimidating, nothing racial. Instead, the rules would encourage flair and creativity in their reactions. We could have fans tweet suggestions to their favourite players before tipoff (“Shine Crawford’s head!”, “Blow kisses to Beyonce!”). The Raptors could even hire a “consultant” to teach the players the finer points of flair (this guy has my vote). Hockey has fights, football has touchdown dances, soccer has goal celebrations. Doesn’t basketball deserve creative expression too?

2) Yes, they can afford to pay their own fines. But no matter how many millions they have, this isn’t the way they want to spend it. New money isn’t wired to be taxed – it’s wired to blow wads on steaks, speedsters, and strip clubs. If there were 1.74 technicals/game in the pre-season – when games don’t matter and emotions are still dormant – then the regular season is going to have renegade refs blowing loosely, slinging T’s for yawning, mismatched shoes, and elaborate high-fives. This fund liberates the player from this unjust oppression, leaving them free to release their emotion and passion. It’s the ultimate “we got your back”.

3) Tell me we couldn’t find a sponsor for this. The Claritin “Reaction of the Week”? HP’s “Express Yourself Moment of the Game”? The MGD “Genuine Reaction”? There would be a lineup of companies looking to match the initial $100K just for the earned media alone, making them the Raptors’ most exposed sponsor at a bargain basement price. Talk about ROI! Further, it would endear them to the fan base as the brand that understands what they really want. It’s the marketing equivalent of actually finding the needle deep in the haystack.

4) A fan and a sponsor creating a $200,000 slush fund for players to celebrate dunks, protect teammates, and dispute calls? Forget the NBA, it would be the biggest story in pro sports: fans taking the muzzles off their sporting heroes, in the face of Stern and his yes-men cronies. All this hoopla and the Raptors would be at the center of it, openly shunning the league’s rules without doing anything wrong/illegal*. Mark Cuban would be so jealous. Why? Because it’s the type of action that sells tickets. Raptors games would be fun again. It would be the featured topic of every sports talk show. Clips would be on every highlight reel. It would put the entertainment back into “sports entertainment”. It would be only a matter of time before other teams followed suit. Hell, I’d bet there’s a category at the 2012 ESPY’s.

* I realize this is a matter of opinion…this is mine.

If you’re not nodding your head by now, I ask: why wouldn’t this work? Because it’s unsportsmanlike? Was it unsportsmanlike last season before the rule? It beating a team by 40 unsportsmanlike? How about allowing these Lilliputian linesmen to run around with their dress pants stacked full of David Stern’s get-out-of-jail-free cards? Especially considering their track record?

You can argue the method, but you can’t argue the result: the Raptors would become an important player on the NBA stage. Revolutionary ideas have challenged the league-mandated status quo before. And while I’m aware of my hyperbolic comparison, a world without consequence is a dangerous place. If we can use our Raptor claws to poke holes in these prohibitive new rules, maybe we can make it a beneficial one.

Ed’s Note: RR welcomes back original founding member, Dinosty, for the 2010-11 season. Some of you may remember him from the early days of RR.

It’s season preview time, and you know what that means: we’re doing a season preview. The Raptors Republic braintrust got together in Dinosty’s Mom’s basement to decide on some categories, but came across this instead and sorta got sidetracked…so now we’re turning to you.

In the comments section, suggest the topics or categories relating to the 2010-2011 Raptors season that you want us to discuss, and we’ll choose the best for our panel of pseudo-experts/weekend alcoholics to weigh in on, maybe even sing out a rapcast. Because while we may not make the playoffs (though one of us still believes), together we CAN make fun of David Andersen.

Here’s a couple to get the old mind thinking:

- Who’s going to be a pain to watch and who will bring warmth to our hearts?
- The first player fans will want to be traded.
- Our defense: Epic Win, Epic Improvement or Epic Fail.
- The best (and worst) values on the team.

Raptors Republic readers unite!

1) Of the final 20 games on the schedule, which one (if any) are you most looking forward to watching?

2) Which former Raptor currently on a playoff team do you think will make the most impact come the postseason?

3) What are your thoughts on the Ettore Messina rumors? Too much Eurofication, or a way to tie up the loose ends and achieve cohesion?

Anyone play this game? Thoughts?

Unfortunately, you won’t be able to see it (unless you have Bell, but c’mon, who has Bell?) Yep, us basketball-starved fans will have to sidle up to our computers and radios (Eric and Paul the horror) thanks to yet another important game on TSN2. It’s starting to get old, for serious. This is horrendous customer service on every level, and even our affiliation with the WorldWide Leader (and TSN’s owners) won’t stop the continual (yet ultimately futile) abuse until either this thing gets straightened out, or there’s a blood revolt on the streets of Toronto. (and yes, I’m parentheses happy today. It’s my of celebrating “hump day”. Deal.)

The Cavs are without Delonte West, Sasha Pavlovic, and potentially Ben Wallace for tonight’s game, but a rested James, Williams, and Big Z should be more than enough to give us fits on the defensive end. I’d be remiss not to mention our two game winning streak prior to the break (which I didn’t get to see thanks to TSN2), but we’ll be hard pressed to continue that tonight against a Cavaliers team that’s no doubt starting to lock down for their post season run.

On paper, Marion definitely brings improvement on D, but I can’t see him seamlessly fitting into whatever scheme we have going in his first game. Still, Colangelo is optimistic, though that’s no surprise.

It’s a chance for Shawn to be a little bit more useful to his team,” said Raptors general manager Bryan Colangelo, who drafted Marion in 1999 as Phoenix GM. “I don’t think they were fully maximizing his potential down in Miami. That was maybe a system thing more than anything else. I think the system here will work in his favor.”

What that “system” we’re running here is, I’m not entirely sure.

Quick tangent – Part of me can’t help but worry Marion’s going to come out and play the last 27 games with his shoes untied. He knows he might be here for only a couple months, he wildly underachieved in Miami, he’s prone to taking plays off, he’s not the most motivated dude, and it’s clear that it was the Nash-D’Antoni combo that made him a fantasy juggernaut for a few seasons. And I’m pretty sure consistent exposure to  that jump shot will blind a brother.

Tangent over.

Bosh is listed as doubtful and Jose as probable, but frankly I’d like to see Offense-Only Ocho sit out so we can see Banks play some minutes. He’s one of those guys that looks like they have all the tools, but something in their wiring is off. I remember watching him play in Phoenix and he’d have flashes of physical, heady defense but couldn’t create a bucket off a 4-on-1. If he ends up being the Anti-Calderon, I’m fine with that, but if he ends up being Mini-Joey (circa 2006), he’s going to have RapsFan and AltRaps working overtime to coin a condescending nickname.

I’ve got to run to a meeting so I only have time for one of the Starting Matchups or the Opposing Cheerleader…and I don’t need a poll to tell me which you’d prefer.

Meet Kelly. When she’s not busy building awkwardly freakish neck muscles and looking like someone’s Mom, she enjoys ice cream, Christian Rock, and Chapstick. But really, who doesn’t?

STREAK: 2-8 in our last 10 matchups.

Gotta run. Any anger for this lame post, please direct it here.

I’d wager there are a few more mayo haters after that last one. We have every right to be angry after we let a rookie torch us for 14 points in the 4th quarter, ESPECIALLY after scoring only two the whole game. If you’re keeping track, that’s TWO rookies we’ve been destroyed by (Rose did a number on us back in January) late in the game. 

I think Andrea, broken English and all, captured the state of the team the best.

“We have to start winning because we are playing very bad.”

A bit of perspective: we lost to a team that played Greg Buckner 31 minutes. In a game where a chubby rookie from Spain outscored and matched the rebounding output of our big, $20+mil off season acquisition. Against a perennial bottom feeder not yet acclimated to it’s brand new coaching staff (Henry Bibby and Damon Stoudamire became offiicial assistant coaches under interim head coach Lionel Hollins). This is worse than bad. Can Colangelo fire himself? 

One look a the numbers and it’s clear our offensive flow has hit menopause. 29.5% from the field. 21% from downtown. Bargnani was 1-11. Parker was 2-10. The only player to shoot over 50% was Joey Graham, going 6-10 for 14pts.  If we can’t score against a defensive juggernaut like the Memphis Grizzlies, then we’re screwed because we couldn’t properly defend my Thursday night co-ed TCSSC team. 

The media will of course make it first mention that we were without Bosh for this game. Like that’s some sort of excuse. The Grizzlies were without THREE starters, Gay, Lowry, Darrell Arthur. For all intents and purposes Gay is their franchise player, and a young squad like Memphis should have been derailed without their cornerstone. Of course, the Raptors pose about as much threat as a wheel-chaired carjacker, and it’s clear there’s no team in the league that’s the least bit concerned about playing us. In battle, mental weakness is far more dangerous than physical deficiencies, and we’ve shown over and over that we just don’t have the headspace (and maybe the capacity) for focused, disciplined production.

I think it’s time we turned on the houselights. At least for 2008-2009, the show is over.  There’s plenty of reason to be disappointed and plenty of people to point fingers at. But the most productive use of our time between now and the off-season is to set ourselves up for one of those overnight rebuildings that have become NBA vogue. A couple of key arrivals paired with the right departures, and we’re a playoff team again. 

But until then, I’ll repeat the question: Can Colangelo fire himself?