Through the 90s, the Knicks were my favourite team, and if you liked a tough, bruising team oozing with heart, then they were the team for you. When the Raptors and Knicks were battling in the playoffs, I was never more torn; ultimately I cheered the Raptors, but had the Knicks got through….

While they don’t have great talent to surround LeBron and Bosh (for sake of argument), the team does provide the lure of being a God in New York if someone can deliver a championship. For the record, regardless of what they offer, I’m against any deal with the Knicks since they are a division rival. The last time we did that, we got BURNED in the playoffs; not looking for a repeat.

I spoke to Dan L. from The Knicks Fan Blog about the state of the Knicks, and got some interesting tidbits from him:

Sam Holako: There isn’t much to talk about the Knicks during the regular season since the last couple years has all been about making a run at two max free-agents this summer. Where do you realistically put the Knicks chances of landing LeBron this summer? A sign and trade with the Cavs will prove difficult (what kind of deal do you put together for the MVP?). Also talk about the LeBrostimistic graph you have on your site, I love that thing.

Dan L.: I think it’s impossible to say what the Knicks’ chances are to get LeBron without being part of the “inner circle”. But I think the Knicks have a couple of things working in their favor. One is obviously that the Cavs got spanked so hard by the Celtics. They clearly aren’t a championship caliber team and they’re also ham-strung by salary commitments with the likes of Jamison, Gibson, Varejao, and Mo Williams. They won’t be signing any meaningful free agents.

It is hard to see the Knicks and Cavs pulling off a sign and trade, but it could happen if LeBron told them he’s going to the Knicks anyway and unless they deal they won’t get anything in return. For example the Knicks can offer the Cavs a massive salary cap exception and future picks for LeBron. With that exception the Cavs could hypothetically trade for Elton Brand and the second pick (Evan Turner). Maybe they could even convince the Knicks to part with Wilson Chandler. Mo Williams, Turner, Chandler, Jamison, Brand. I could think of worse teams.

Ha. The LeBroptimism meter right now is at 0 because honestly, I just don’t have any kind of bearing of what LeBron is going to do. He and his team have done a masterful job of keeping everyone in the dark, and there are a lot of teams that have positioned themselves to get LeBron. I think the only realistic options for LeBron if he leaves are the Knicks and Bulls because I’d be shocked if he went somewhere that didn’t have a major media presence. I’d add the Nets to the mix but I think their young talent is vastly overstated. The Knicks’ young talent was better than 12 wins. Also LeBron won’t want to play in Newark, I don’t think.

If I was being completely honest with my own gut, I’d put that LeBroptimism meter somewhat higher than 0.

SH: That would be Step 1; Step 2 would be find a running mate for him. Chris Bosh recently put the Knicks on his wishlist. Make me an offer for him.

DL: he only offer really is David Lee. Not sure what Raptors fans think about Lee but you could do much worse. He’s a terrific rebounder (though he doesn’t get the tough ones) and due to his terrific work ethic he transformed himself into one of the best shooting bigs in the league. He’s also an elite finisher. He can get his shot off in the paint and make it with such frequency that it never ceases to amaze me. You’ll be losing out by trading Bosh but maybe not by as much as you’d think.

The downside for the Raptors is that their biggest weakness is also Lee’s, in that he couldn’t guard a lamp post. A lot of that has to do with the fact that he’s a PF and the Knicks had him at center all year. Still, I’d think that the Raptors want to address their D this summer, and Lee isn’t going to do that.

Financially, Lee is going to make less than Bosh because under the collective bargaining agreement, his max is about $13.5 million. The Raptors would therefore get a trade exception in the deal of about $4 million.

Another option the Raptors could consider is adding Calderon or Turk to the mix and taking back Eddy Curry. This would get the Raptors out from under the cap predicament they put themselves in by next year.

It’s all dependent on what Lee wants though. If he just wants money and the Raptors offer him his max I think he would agree to go to Toronto because he would get bigger raises in a sign and trade. If other factors are more important to him, like staying in the New York area, and the money is similar, I could see him signing with the Nets.

SH: Not sure how Raptor fans would feel about paying Lee $13.5; even though double-double machines are hard to come by, I was thinking a 5yr/$50mill deal. A front court of Bargnani and Lee would be the worse defensive unit in the league, potentially, but Lee is one of the better players we could hope for in a sign-and-trade.

Interesting you bring up a Calderon/Turkoglu swap for Curry. What is Curry’s status? Can he be looked too to play 20minutes a night? He’s still pretty young, and has great size/athleticism (well he did). I’m assuming with the financial problems he’s said to be having, that he will at least be motivated to play harder for the next contract.

DL: I’d think that Lee is going to get more than $10 million on the market this summer. But I guess that remains to be seen.

You’re right about the raptors defense. They’d have to slide Bargs over to the 3 and find a way to get a defensive 5.

That’s not Eddy Curry, even if healthy. The potential Curry deal would be solely a salary dump for the Raptors. Knicks fans have been waiting for the old Curry to come back for over 2 years. The fact is that he’s played only a handful of games in each of the last two seasons and just doesn’t seem interested in playing basketball.

You’re right that Curry SHOULD be motivated in a contract year. But I’d be shocked if he had the desire to. And even if he did, I’d be doubly shocked if he stayed healthy.

SH: I want to examine something you said about Calderon or Turkoglu for Curry. Even if the Knicks somehow manage to get LeBron and Bosh, they would still need to have people around them to you know, play basketball at an NBA level. In the worse case scenario that they don’t land anyone in the summer to line up beside those two, what will this team look like?

DL: Honestly I think that’s an issue that the national media has drummed up in their echo chamber because they are biased against New York (true New York perspective here, huh?).

The team WILL have players on it. Obviously Turkoglu or Calderon could be one of those other players. If not, the Knicks should try to move Curry for another team’s expensive mistake, like Ben Gordon, Rip Hamilton or Corey Maggette.

But let’s look at who is on the team right now. Danilo Gallinari played essentially his rookie year last year since he missed most of his first season with a back injury. He only finished second in the NBA in three pointers made. Folks in the national media have called him a “one-trick pony” but those of us who watch the Knicks every game know that he’s much more than that. Even the most negative tabloid beat writers like the New York Post’s Marc Berman jumped on the Gallinari bandwagon by the end of the year. He’s a terrific passer, and has a great basketball IQ, and most surprisingly, was probably the Knicks best defender last year other than Jarred Jeffries, both on the ball and in help.

Wilson Chandler is another player that most people who don’t follow the Knicks tend to ignore. It’s because he’s very quiet and unassuming. My opinion is that he doesn’t have star potential like Gallinari does, but there are observers who disagree. At the very least though he plays D, has a great mid-range game, and is a superb finisher.

Toney Douglas inexplicably failed to get off of Mike D’Antoni’s bench for most of the year but when D’Antoni finally let him play the Knicks what I like to say resembled a young Gary Payton. Douglas is very disruptive on the defensive end, is a very good shooter from distance, and LOVES the ball at the end of games. He’s very clutch.

These were 3 very young and/or inexperienced players but all of them have a world of potential. Importantly, they’re all very good fits with LeBron. Gallinari will can countless open jumpers off LeBron drives, and Wilson will get plenty of open looks slashing off of those same drives. Douglas will also knock down open shots and defend the perimeter, but more importantly, both he and Gallinari will take the pressure off LeBron at the end of games, which seems to be an issue for the King. It’s a good starting 5.

Aside from those 3 the Knicks have Bill Walker, who, after the trade deadline really came into his own for the Knicks. He has great range and shoots a high percentage. He’s also extremely athletic and can jump out of the gym. Finally, where Chandler doesn’t really read the defense, instead focusing on just making one on one moves to get open, Walker knows where to be on the court to space the floor and get open looks for himself both inside and out.

The Knicks also have 2 second round draft picks.

Finally, if the Knicks are able to land the big stars, look for some veteran players to sign on for cheap for a chance at the title. For example, PJ Brown signed with Boston for the minimum to win a ring. Same with Michael Finley.

I expect the Knicks to be able to round out their roster in a similar way.

SH: I’m actually pretty high on Chandler. I’ve seen quite a few Knicks games, and the kid is nice (Gallinari too). If LeBosh doesn’t pan out for the Knicks, would a Joe Johnson/Boozer/Stoudemire combination satisfy Knicks fans? The team obviously wouldn’t be a championship contender (the best they could hope for is the Hawks), but they would be in the high 40s in terms of wins and MAYBE a second round appearance.

DL: hose guys obviously represent the second tier of free agents. They’d improve the Knicks vastly but I wouldn’t be too thrilled about it. That’s particularly true because I assume those guys would be getting the max (or something close) and I don’t think they’re worth it.

It’s not the first choice and there are some fans who go by the mantra “LeBron or bust”. Not me though. I think Donnie Walsh had to take his best shot at building a dynasty. It might not work out that way but the idea was the right idea. Either way the Knicks will be much improved, even if they don’t get LeBron.

Since I have nothing better to do than think up scenarios, I’ve previously written that there are other options available besides just free agents. The Knicks could look at Tony Parker, for example. A trade of Chandler, Curry and Douglas for Parker, RJ and McDyess would make some sense if the Knicks also landed Amare. Parker, RJ (who plays better in an open system), Gallinari, McDyess, Amare, with enough flexibility to sign Melo in ’11.

Another example is a trade of Curry for Biedrins or Maggette and Anthony Randolph, while re-signing Lee and signing Joe Johnson. You’d have Tony Douglas, Johnson, Gallinari, Lee and Randolph/Biedrins. Not too shabby in my opinion, and a team that can grow better over the next few years. Not a title contender though, and you’d lose your ’11 flexibility, which I’d like to see the Knicks keep if they lose out on the big names.

Hang your heads in shame boys, what you guys did (or didn’t do as the case may be) last night was nothing more than going through the motions. Enough of you have checked out, for some reason, and the ones who are still fighting are doing it alone. This team is in worse shape than the one that started the year 7-13; at least that squad was trying to make sense of 9 new players (who still don’t speak the same language) and a new coach who doesn’t appear to have done anything at all except…no, he’s got nothing.

If I were planning for this game, I would have made it a point to address a few key things:

1. Dictate the pace of the game: the Warriors like to get up and down the court and jack up shots. Don Nelson has given them the green-light to take whatever shot they want…and most of these guys can hit them. So yeah, you need to worry about quick transition shots. Also, when you have the ball, there is no need to push the ball and force anything when there is no defense being played against you. Be aggressive, but don’t force the issue. It’s key you play the game you know how to, not the game you want to.
2. Protect the glass: with so many shots going up, you have to get the rebound. You have 4 guys who will get heavy minutes that are 6″9 or taller, and the Warriors have 1. You have to use the weapons you have. Since the Raptors are a bigger/stronger team, boxing out and keeping a body between your check and basket is a key thing. Nothing hurts more than a team taking a wild shot, missing badly, only to grab the offensive board and lay it back in quickly.
3. Perimeter defense: you have a team that is strictly built for run-and-gun without any big bodies who play in the paint. To me, I start thinking about ways to protect the perimeter, not give them anything easy. Zone defense maybe. Not switching on screens. Not doubling anyone who might not warrant a double. All these actions open up space for a shooter to shoot. Maybe you want to get your best perimeter players out there.

The game started with both teams hot from the field. The Raptors would pound the ball into the paint and score; the Warriors would run it back and quickly answer within 16 seconds. Jack and Turkoglu were orchestrating the offense perfectly: feeding the post, finding slashers, penetrating and dishing…ball movement at it’s finest.

DeRozan was attacking off the bounce. Taking his man off the dribble, or slashing through the paint off the ball, giving a target and converting. The fact that the Warriors play no defense helped, but he was committed to driving to the rim. When that commitment is there, good things will happen.

The Warriors had no idea what to do with Amir. The guy was furious in his 4minutes of play. Rolling to the rim, hitting everything, grabbing every rebound he could. He even had the block of the year on Maggette who was trying to dunk the ball in the open court. Vicious.

It was so frantic though. They bait you into playing that up and down game that every NBA player wants to, but that only a few can do effectively, and in the first quarter, it was working in the Raptors favour because they were being aggressive, but they moved the ball around until they got the shot that they wanted (and was appropriate). The Raptors assisted on 10 of their 15 1st quarter baskets, and all those baskets (except for Calderon’s three at the end of the quarter) were within 15 feet. Great, clean looks that allowed them to close out the 1st quarter on a 15-2 run.

The second quarter saw the Raps move away from the things they were doing well, and all-together stop doing everything else. They started the 2nd with Bosh and Johnson pounding the paint; then Weems gave them a 12 point lead with a layup in the paint when the Raptor off-switch was flipped, and they went scoreless for 5 minutes. It wasn’t even a matter of them being defended, they just stopped doing the things that constitutes team basketball. They weren’t sharing the ball, took shots early in the clock, and most of those shots were deep jumpers. Yes they hit a few, but it all came at the expense of the interior game which was what got them the 10 point lead.

In that 5 minutes, the Raptors only mustered 5 shots. Five bloody shots in a frantically paced game. Pathetic. Three of them were outside of 23 feet, and two were missed layups by Turkoglu (who somehow got past his check at walking speed). In that 5 minutes, the Raptors did commit 3 fouls and 3 turnovers though, so the stat sheet got filled up. What happened in that 5 minutes? The Warriors showed a really weak zone defense that totally blind sided the Raptors. They weren’t even pressing that hard, just were in a zone formation, running around and such.

The Warriors did crash the hell out of the boards. They missed 17 shots, but grabbed 9 offensive rebounds. The Raptors were absolutely invisible on the glass: Amir and Bargnani only mustered 1 rebound between the two of them in 20 minutes of play. Pathetic. The Warriors weren’t quite ready to take the game over, but it seemed as though the Raptors were willing to give it up.

…and boy did they do just that in the 3rd quarter. The Raptors came out absolutely flat. They did nothing. Had 2 points (a DeRozan layup) in the first three and a half minutes. Committed a few fouls, turned the ball over gladly. Scored a couple buckets, then went cold for another two and a half minutes. Then with about 4:30 left, they gave it a bit of a go, but couldn’t sustain any real momentum. The Warriors had their feet on their necks, and applied just enough pressure at the right times to stop any semblance of anything. To cap it off, some guy named Hunter had a put-back dunk with four-tenths of a second left in the quarter. The game was done at that point. The 4th quarter was a 12-minute death rattle.

So back to the game plan I outlined earlier:

Dictate the pace of the game

The Warriors took 95 shots, 27 of which were three-pointers. They had 25 fast break points. They grabbed 36% of all offensive rebounds. 55.7% eFG. Sure the Raptors had an eFG of 61.8%, but they turned the ball over 17 times, allowed 18 offensive rebounds. The Warriors ran, shot, missed, grabbed the rebound, and put it back before the Raptors knew what hit them.

Protect the glass
The Warriors had a 36% offensive rebounding rate. That means that they grabbed 36% of all available offensive rebounds. Given that they missed 50 shots during the game, that’s a lot. Guys called Chris Hunter and Anthony Tolliver had 6 and 5 offensive rebounds respectively.  I mean seriously? Both these guys were cold-calling people at night trying to sell Foreman grills while playing in the D-League two months ago. Tolliver is a 6″9 center for crying out loud. Blame Bargnani and Johnson for grabbing less rebounds combined than Tolliver did.

Perimeter Defense
Monta Ellis: 45min 31pts 4rebs 2ast 2st
Stephen Curry: 42min 35pts 6rebs 10ast 4stl 1blk

These were the only two guys we had to plan for, and they did what they wanted. Marcus Banks, our best defender at the point, and possibly the best defender on the team got exactly zero minutes. Ellis/Curry did what they wanted, when they wanted and as much as they wanted. Not sure what Triano planned to do this game, but clearly these two weren’t being accounted, and if they were, the plan had to have been to let them do what they wanted, because they did.

The highlight of the night for me was Jack Armstrong who had a few gems:

Tonight the Raptors get the Blazers on the second night of the back-to-back. The pace will be slower, but the result will be the same. Arsenalist will check in with the pre-game in the afternoon.

Arse made a good point tonight, that the Raptors are too concerned about protecting the paint, and their perimeter rotation is late weak sucks. Triano needs to think about this, since it is great to protect your paint, but until the ball is back in your hands, you need to keep rotating and defending. That means switching, closing out, and generally communicating with the rest of the team. Things the Raptors are weak suck at.

The Raptors were gunning offensively, but playing the Warriors means you have to make defensive stops, and the Raptors didn’t. The Raptors got good looks down the stretch to tie the score or take the lead, they got really good looks, but both Calderon, Kapono and Parker missed their opportunities. Dribble penetration reared its ugly head again with the Warriors hitting their key shots. Golden State

Sadly, defense wasn’t the reason the Raptors lost…it was offense. The Raptors  out-rebounded the Warriors 49 (20 offensive boards) to 37, got 27 assists, and protected the ball reasonably well(13 turnovers), which led to 17 more possessions, but they couldn’t knock down a shot to save their life. Down the stretch, and down 2, the Raptors had 5 possessions to tie or take the lead; they got good looks (Calderon, Kapono and Parker) but just couldn’t hit THAT shot. Again, not because of anything the Warriors did, the Raptors just chocked, game over…

Calderon came out very aggressive offensively, hitting 3s, jumpers off the screen, driving, and finding open shooters. Logging 44mins, he put up 21pts 16asts 6rebs, but his poor defense on Watson late in the game really put a damper on a fine performance. Bosh had another monster game, doing whatever he wanted (30pts 14rebs), not much else to say about him…

Triano employed some very questionable lineups, and substitutions that left me scratching my head:

1. To start the 2nd, both Bosh and Calderon were sitting, which really killed the rhythm and momentum the Raptors were building in the first quarter.
2. Still in the 2nd, Voshkul got the call, and in a span of 4 minutes, he amassed 4 fouls that put the Warriors in the bonus with 9.5 minutes left in the quarter. With a lineup of Solomon, Voshkul, Bargnani, Moon and Graham, the Warriors go on an 8-2 run. No energy…why Humphries wasn’t in is beyond me. Just a thought, how did Hump fall to 4th/5th in the depth chart at forward? I’m not his biggest fan, but the guy is athletic, gets out there, makes things happen, is aggressive on offense and grabs boards…Voshkul isn’t.
3. In the dyeing moments of the game, the Raptors employed a lineup of Calderon/Bosh/Parker/Kapono/Graham…didn’t work out as we know. Parker/Kapono couldn’t hit a shot for their life, Graham penetrates the lane and throws it away, while the Warriors stayed at home with Bosh and Calderon. never thought I would say this, but Moon should have been in for Parker s he is playing better defense, and was shooting reasonably well from the perimeter (3-4 form beyond the arc).

I appreciated O’Neal giving it a go with the flu, and had he not banged his knee when getting all tangled up, he would have finished the game. But I thought it a blessing in disguise that he couldn’t go tonight. To start the game, he really forced things in the paint, going 1-4 in the paint. I thought it a blessing because Nellie plays small-ball, and O’Neal would have slowed things down for the Raptors, and taken shots at the expense of the perimeter players. Triano couldn’t take this blessing in disguise and turn it into an advantage by giving Hump more burn. 10 minutes in a game like this? I just can’t get over it. Kris didn’t see the floor till the 3rd, and what did he do? Get 10pts and grab 4rebs…again, I’m at a loss here.

On the Bargnani front, this was exactly the type of game where he could have exerted himself, and really made an impact with the lack of defense and up-tempo style of play. He showed a couple flashes; grabbing an offensive board and aggressively putting back a dunk; stepping inside the arc and hitting jumpers; grabbing some boards; some decent defense on Jackson…but just couldn’t put it together. With all of Italy watching, Belinelli came out the prodigal son.

Irregardless of all that, the Warriors won this game in the second quarter during two key stretches:

1. Start of the 2nd Quarter – Voshkul’s meltdown and weak perimeter defense that allowed a three by Jackson, 4 free throws by CJ Watson, Azabuike dunk on the break off of Bosh’s turnover, and a Jackson jumper created by bad perimeter defense by Moon.
2. 3:15 left in the 2nd Quarter – Turiaf blocks Bosh in the paint, which leads to a Watson trey in transition; next possession-Turiaf blocks Calderon which leads to an Azabuike trey in transition; Turiaf gets the ball at the top of the key, swings it to an open Belinelli who sticks an open trey; Jackson nails an open jumper inside the arc.

It all comes down to a personnel issue, the Raptors don’t have the players to really make a stand on the perimeter. Man defense…nothing. Zone defense…zilch. Divine intervention….zero. This team, as currently constructed, and contrary to any suggested lineups, can’t win big games against talented teams. A shake-up is needed and the clock is ticking.

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Free Ukic!

“If he were in high school in the U.S., he’d be the No. 1 prospect in the country.”

Chew on that McDonalds All-Americans.

Let’s turn our attention back to fantasy trades because lets face it, they are what keep the summer chugging along and without them we’re struggling like fish out of water. Here’s the proposition: trade #17 + TJ Ford + expiring for Dwayne Wade. Let that thought sink in. Sinking…sinking….sunk. His stock isn’t high right now and we’d be taking a gamble because of his injuries but what do we have to lose? TJ Ford and a pick? We’ll get a legitimate scorer (possible #1 on the team) and become the second best backcourt in the East behind Boston. It sends Chris Bosh a clear message that the franchise is doing what it can to win now and pumps the team up for next season.

Assuming we get some rebounding help through the draft and Bargnani returns to his rookie form, we’ll be alright. Am I losing my mind? I don’t think so. Wade can deny all the trade rumours he wants but he needs a change of scenery more than anyone in the league and I don’t care what Miami does this summer, they’re too tied down to Shawn Marion’s salary and a plethora of crappy players to be competitive next year. I’m looking at this through Danny Ainge glasses here so forgive me for being too bold. Once we have him in the bag, let’s try to land Richard Jefferson by dangling some expiring contracts and maybe a future first rounder. Kiki’s team is moving to Brooklyn and you know they’ll be wanting to make a run at Deron Williams or Chris Paul to lead them there – he’ll gladly tank a year as long as it means saving some dough. Now, we have RJ, Wade and Bosh – our own “Big 3″! So there! I’m not saying Miami would bite on this but its a path worth exploring.

Hoopsworld which is making a real habit of pulling stuff out of their arses is saying TJ Ford for Corey Maggette is one of the most likely trades this summer. You know its slow when blogs are reporting trade rumours started by other blogs. Jamal Crawford would be a nice addition but something tells me his 40% FG isn’t going to sit right with Colangelo, at least not right enough to give up TJ Ford for him. On the flip side, the Knicks have little motivation to trade one of the few players who produces well and plays hard for them.

The folks at Raptor Talk (not to be confused with Raptors Talk) inform us that raptors.com has completely deleted the Chuck Checks In archives from their website. They’ve also got a nice picture of Hazel Mae who always struck me as being in the GFFFFG category. Swirsky has resumed his blogging on the Bulls site.

CDR impressed the Nets in his workout but they’re not ballsy enough to take him at #10 and he’s not going to be there at #21. Its a dilemma. If Rush isn’t there, we should pounce on him.

The Chicago and Phoenix job openings have made us recall names that were seemingly gone from memory: Jeff Hornacek, Chuck “The Rifleman” Person, Vinny del Negro, Tyrone Corbin…I almost expected Joe Wolf’s name to pop up. Jerry Reinsdorf’s taking a lot of heat for not grabbing Doug Collins but I’m with him on that. Collins is a great analyst but not a good coach – at least not for this era. His demeanor is too hard-nosed and he doesn’t relate to NBA players as he should, his dismissals from Detroit and Washington were because of the same reason: a little too intense for the modern NBA player.

And that’s your Raptors blog for this morning. I leave you with the Steven Seagal emotion chart.

Bryan Colangelo feels picking 17th still isn’t too bad and feels he can get a player who can contribute at that stage (ahem CDR). Good to also see the boss acknowledge that the East got better last night:

“A couple of teams in the East will end up with some pretty good players and Chicago made a big jump and will be able to add a player to a roster that is already pretty deep, which will give them a chance to get back on track faster than expected. And Miami didn’t fall back too far and will get a good player, too…..The draft is pretty deep, picking 17th is not like picking No.1, obviously, but it is a draft that we believe will have some very good players available later in the first round.”

There’s only one mock draft you need to look at and it’s NBADraft.net, they have us selecting Nicolas Batum and I have no reason to believe otherwise. Here are his strengths:

Agile forward with size, an incredible wingspan, and great all around skills … Has a natural feel for the game, and great physical attributes … Competitive … Team player, but also knows when to take over … Clutch player. Shows the ability to raise his level of play in big games … Makes his teammates better with his vision and ability to create … Has a diverse offensive game with the ability to pull up off the dribble, hit from outside, and penetrate to the rim … Shows a good stroke from outside, and excellent confidence to shoot through cold spells … Has 3 point range … Quick hands and feet, plus athleticism make him a potential lock down defender … His foot speed and first step is very quick … He has huge upside but needs to gain more experience …

I like what I read, here are the obligatory YouTube clips.

Anthony Parker had some surgery on his middle finger which he damaged when giving Sam Mitchell a finger after his Game 2 last-second play call. Andrea Bargnani went through surgery too and had his “adenoids removed and his deviated septum repaired”. Whatever, let’s just hope he starts breathing through his nose again because its damn aggravating to watch him clank three after three and then pose for Blowhole Weekly.

Parker’s contract, well-defined skill-set, and veteran leadership is the stuff made for a championship team looking to add a key role player. It makes no sense for him to be our starting shooting guard next season because of the Raptors youth movement and his value as trade-bait. He should be added to the list of Raptors headed for a probable exit.

The Magic want to resign Keyoon Dooling, the Raptors series proved that their point guard situation isn’t that bad after all. With Jameer Nelson already locked up long term it doesn’t look like the Magic will be biting on the TJ Ford bait. Good for them. When I think back to how our point guards were supposed to dominate that series I realize how foolish we all were and how we overrated our PGs. Blast!

You can add Shaun Livingston to the Clipper-to-be-had list. With Miami looking for a power forward, Elton Brand’s name pops up which would make the East even scarier. Corey Maggette’s going to demand a high salary and has too much trade value to remain in LA and he along with Artest is another player that brings something the Raptors are desperate for: toughness. With Livingston on the outs, here is a team that actually needs a point guard and has assets that interest us. Logical trade partner indeed.

You know who would make a good coach? Jeff Hornacek would. He always struck me as a high basketball IQ guy that played the game the right way and never feared anyone, not even Michael Jordan. Of course any long-serving player with above average intelligence coming out of the Utah system is naturally a good candidate for a head coach in the NBA. He’s on his way to becoming an assistant soon and it’s not going to be long before he’ll take over a head coaching role somewhere. If Sam Mitchell could make it, there’s no reason Jeff Hornacek can’t.

Kobe took it to Bowen last night which was great, next he should carve open a wound on Bowen’s knee cap and step on it with cleats. It’s those cunty Celtics again tonight, here’s hoping for some Deeeetroit Basketball.

Till tomorrow. Also, tell your friends about this blog. Feed.