It’s been incremental, but there has been improvement in this team as the season progresses. We’re not going to morph into some serious playoff team that will be a pest come the post-season, but things are happening. Also, I should have had Evans dressed at PF in my fantasy league instead of Odom, but the truth of the matter is that we learned something last night about Reggie, he’s legit this season. He may not average 13.8 (5.2 offensive) for the season, but he’s giving something in the front court the Raptors have been missing since Davis, Oakley and (Jerome) Williams: a legit forward who gets at it.

Not hating on Bosh, him and Anthony Parker are my favourite Raptors of all time, but he was never an energy guy who went to war every-single-freaking-night. I’m not too proud to admit my mistakes, but I really thought the Raptors were in big trouble with him as the starting PF. However, the way he devouted himself to rebounding and defense like he has (and if you did, you’re the same liar who also claims to have known Bruce Willis was a ghost in 6th Sense), while his offensive production has become an after thought, reminds me of a poor mans Dennis Rodman.

Depending on their energy levels tonight, the same things the Raptors did against the Lakers, will give them a boost against the Blazers, namely rebounding and hustle.

I quickly checked in with Andrew R Tonry of Portland Roundball Society about his team:

I know his contract was structured interestingly, but it definitely raised an eyebrow or two (namely mine). How has he performed since getting here?
Who are we talking about? Wes Matthews? He’s show moments of brilliance, and all kinds of scrap and hustle. The contract people thought was a toxic offer may turn out to be a fine pickup after all. Some in Portland think he’s a Sixth Man of the Year candidate. Matthews is currently in terrific shape–December shape. And while he’s almost single-handedly turned around a game in Milwaukee, he’s had some bumps along the way.

With both Oden and Pryzbilla (and Pendegraph who got injured then released if I remember right) out, the Blazers were still able to start the season 4-1, with 3 of those wins coming on the road; what’s the secret sauce?
Until the Blazers re-stock their inside presence they will, as Charles Barkley always says, “live by the jumper, die by the jumper.” It’s that simple.

How long before Oden gets back, and what are the teams long term plans for him seeing as they, rightfully so, didn’t extend his rookie contract?
No on has any idea. Maybe not even Oden himself. He’s got tendinitous in the knee that’s slowing the recovery from a broken patella. At this point, few are expecting anything–it’s more of a, whatever he ends up bringing is gravy sort of situation.

What can you tell me about what happened with Pritchard?
Let’s instead talk about Rich Cho. People here don’t seem as upset anymore. Cho seems like a smart, uncompromising, ruthless dude–one who’s ruled by rationality number, while unconcerned by glamor and stardom. So far, so good.

Injury Report

Toronto
Ed Davis – Out (can’t remember why, but as someone said yesterday, never forget)

Blazers
Greg Oden – Knee
Joel Pryzbilla – Knee
Rudy Fernandez – Back
Fabricio Oberto – Heart palpitations, retired

Match-ups

PG – Jack vs Miller
Should really be Calderon vs Miller the way Jack has been playing of late, but I digress. When the Blazers settled for signed Andre last summer, I thought it was a pretty decent move to free up Roy to score more. The move seemed to work, and Miller is having a mini-resurgence in his 30s. He’s not a great shooter, but will knock them down if given the space. What he does a great job of is penetrating and getting into the paint. After last nights game, Jack really has nowhere to go but up, but he needs to be focused. Too many times last night, Fisher and Blake had WIDE-OPEN shots, and too many times they knocked them down. It’s really not as simple as it sounds, but all Jack (and Calderon) needs to do is limit Miller’s penetration, and force him to be a jump shooter; if Miller goes for 20 from the perimeter, I can live with it. I can’t live with Miller get into the paint, having the Raptors D collapse on him, then he finds a teammate for a good shot.

Edge: Even

SG – DeRozan vs Roy
The kid had a solid homecoming last night: loved his aggressiveness, took good shots for the most part, and made Kobe work on defense. That was really all we could ask for from DeMar. Tonight, I’m asking for the same thing. Wont be easy chasing Roy around the court a night removed from chasing Kobe, but that’s what is needed. Roy makes big plays from different spots on the floor (much like Kobe but not as devastatingly), and has a nights rest, so it wont be easy for DeMar until he finds his second wind early. Still, it will be nice to see these two chase each other around the court, but DeMar has a size/athleticism advantage he needs to exploit, should be fun.

Edge: Roy

SF – Kleiza vs Batum
Kleiza has to make a big adjustment from Artest’s physical style to Batum’s length and athleticism. He did a good job of attacking Artest off the dribble, something he needs to repeat to put some pressure on Batum’s offense since he’s either shooting threes or getting in the paint (both require legs).

Edge: Even

PF – Evans vs Aldridge
You can’t fault Evans for Gasol dropping 30 points (him being best big in the game and all), but he did a great job of protecting the glass against Odom (9rebs) and Gasol (7rebs); even grabbing 14 for himself. Aldridge is a different beast, he shoots well from the mid-range, and has some decent post moves. Closer to Bosh than Odom, but not as good as either; he is having a career year so far though. Reggie will need to keep Aldridge out of the paint and put a hand in his face when he’s going to shoot since he will own him on the boards. After playing Millsap, Gasol and Odom for the last two nights, this should be a tad easier for our boy.

Edge: Even

C – Bargnani vs Camby
He was bound to have a bad game offensively, but was pretty rough towards the end of the game. Some of that was not getting the ball in the right spot, but some of that was just plain bad. For those of you counting, Camby’s been playing since the second year the Raptors have been in the league; whodathunk he would be so durable? What’s kept him in the league is his defense (rebounding and shot blocking), both of which are a product of his ridiculous length. I can see Bargnani checking Camby on defense, since Marcus doesn’t have much of a post game and can only hit wide open jumpers. Keeping him off the glass will be paramount, and with his Andrea’s size, it shouldn’t be a huge stretch. That being said, he needs to commit to boxing out and hustling for loose balls. He did it against the Jazz, and I don’t see any reason why he can’t tonight against a front court that isn’t in the same league as either Utah’s or LA’s.

Edge: Bargnani

Keys to the Game

Stay Active
After last night’s game, Kobe Bryant had this to say about the Raptors:

They’re a very unorthodox team, you’ve got rebounders coming in from all over the place. You’ve got the floor spread, and very athletic guys that are crashing and jumping, so it’s just their style of play.

Sounds like a bit of a compliment if you ask me. What everyone’s been saying about the Raptors is the hustle and athleticism these guys have, and it seems to be giving teams some issues. Since the Blazers are a jump shooting team, the best way to counter them is to run folks around and make them work hard on both ends of the floor, so that in crunch time, you’re a bit flat. Will be difficult on the second night of a back-to-back, but it needs to be done.

Pound the Ball Into the Paint
The Blazers front court is ravaged by injury, and the Raptors are bigger, stronger and more athletic. They just don’t have the horses and you have to take advantage, simple as that. Against the Lakres, a far better front court, the Raptors scored 58 points in the paint. I don’t think I need to say anything more about this.

Don’t be afraid to play the bench
Both Weems and Barbosa played strong first half’s, but didn’t see the floor at the right times in the second (Weems didn’t see the floor at all). The bench was key in the 2nd quarter resurgence against the Lakers, but wasn’t properly utilized afterwards…do we see a trend developing here? Triano needs to manage substitutions much more efficiently and effectively. It’s not going to happen overnight (literally), but if he just rides the hot hand without concern for who’s feelings he’s going to hurt…it’s a step in the right direction (having a hard time expressing myself here, forgive me).

The Line

Vegas has the Blazers as 12 point favourites with an over/under of 202.5. I must admit, I’m a bit surprised by the big spread since the Raptors do match-up well, maybe I missed something or just not accounting for how tired they might be. Regardless, 12 points is ridiculous, I’d take that bet if I had a bookie.

The Insider

The prime motive of this summer has been to show the team’s commitment to Chris Bosh. Management has spent considerable cash signing free agents to assemble a winning team. The core players, Jose Calderon, Andre Bargnani and Turkoglu have committed to the team for many years to come. However, Chris Bosh has some heavy decisions to make. If he decides to walk away, the franchise will be a setback and rebuilding again will be the only option. The bottom line is this: if they win, he will re-sign. Will the cornerstone of the franchise stay in the T-dot or simply walk away? Only time will tell.

Brothersteve’s Green & Red Raptor Blog

On Sunday September 13, MLSE invited their season ticket holders to an outdoor Block Party and BBQ at Polson’s Pier on the Toronto waterfront. As with all MLSE events, this was not something the season seat holders would want to miss.

The day began at the brand new Gate 5 in front of the ACC where fans were invited to board the luxury chartered buses that would take them to the event.  Once on board, the hosts handed out t-shirts celebrating 15 years of Raptors basketball to lucky riders.

Polson’s Pier is only a short drive from the ACC and once there, MLSE handed out coupons for free food and beverages and wrist bands for free access to all of the Pier’s numerous activities.

RaptorsHQ

Jerome Williams has been a Raptor fan-favorite for quite some time.  From his tireless work as a key member of the 2001 playoff team that took an Allen Iverson-led 76ers to seven games in the Eastern Conference Semi-Final, to his equally tireless work off the court for children, Williams has been a class act in his adopted home.  After his retirement from the NBA in 2005, the Junk Yard Dog has begun a new life centered on charity work and a love of helping others.   Raptors HQ’s Ray Bala recently caught up with JYD to find out exactly what he has been up to since he retired and what he thought about his time in Toronto.

The first of a mini-series examining the Raptor players, and how they stack up in regards to a particular facet of the game. In this case: Defense.

The Starters

Calderon
You do a lot of running around, your arms are active, you’re always yelling, but not a whole lot of defense is going on. Amazing really. Yes you were injured for most of the year, but what about the last two years??
Verdict: 2 Thumbs Down
You are destined to defend your pig farm from the swine flu. Fortunately, there is medicine you can give them once you fail at that too.

DeRozan
You have the tools grasshopper, you will have the freedom to put things together and find your groove.
Verdict: 2 Thumbs Up
Expectations aren’t outrageous, and you have a year grace period. I imagine you will block a couple ridiculous shots in the mold of Tayshaun Prince that will make AltRaps clap, hop and giggle like a little girl.

Turkoglu
For now, all folks can think about is that block you had on Kobe in the finals. BryCo got you for your offense, we aren’t fooling anyone here.
Verdict: 2 Thumb Up
You’re tall, coordinated and know how to ball. You can disrupt passing lanes, and make that entry that much harder to toss. As long as you don’t take plays/games off, and grab some boards, you won’t hear a peep from me.

Bosh
While you’re no Duncan or KG, you are a solid team defender who does everything good, but nothing great. Too bad that a team defender needs a team to be effective.
Verdict: 2 Thumbs Up
This years crop is the best lot you’ve had to play with in years. So when you help on defense, someone will actually rotate over to cover your check, and not hang you out to dry.

Bargnani
LOL…VL plays defense like he rebounds – dude is 7ft, so just standing there, something is bound to happen. Yes you get a block or two a game, but when you put your hands up, you approaching 9ft. It’s not like a 6ft9 Ben Wallace who goes after it.
Verdict: 1 Thumb Up
By virtue of your size, you’re going to block some shots. You are getting stronger and tougher to push in the low blocks, but your defensive acumen is very low. I can’t recall a time when you rotated on a defensive play, or played that roll well. You’re a scorer, so put the ball through the hoop. I imagine you will have to put up 27/game to even the rest out. Jam on it son.

The Bench

Jack
Lil-big person, Jose is going to looking over his shoulder, which is a good thing. You are quick and physical and will give the backcourt a different look in more ways then one.
Verdict: 2 Thumbs Up
I don’t have much to add here, just make your presence felt, pick a couple pockets, and get up in peoples grill.

Wright
We were told that we will love your blue collar hustle. I’m not super familiar with your game, but you come with good reviews with your “get-at-it-ness”.
Verdict: 2 Thumbs Up
Long, athletic and willing to grind. That’s all I need to hear.

Evans
If only you would play defense like you molested Kaman. You are tough and intimidating, which is something the Raptors have been missing since Oakley/Davis/JYD left.
Verdict: 1 Thumb Up
The new Humphries, that’s what pops in my head when I think of Reggie. He plays like Calderon, seems like he’s a good defender, but really isn’t. Fortunately we don’t have a defensive game plan for Reggie to eff-up.

Belinelli
Apparently his defense is much more solid then people think, which is great because I think he is just an offensive player. I’ll give him the benefit of the doubt since I don’t know too much about him.
Verdict: 1 Thumb Up
I hope he’s up to task since he will be getting some burn.

Ukic
His defense is far more consistent then his offense, sadly. He’s quick, long, and can disrupt passing lanes.
Verdict: 1 Thumb Up
He has the tools to defend the point well, tall and quick, just has to be consistent and build on the uggg….mole hill he built last year.

Douby
Quick and aggressive on the perimeter. He has long arms, and can surprise if people get sloppy with the ball.
Verdict: 1 Thumb Up
Our boy is known more for his offense then defense, which is quite telling. Ultimately, no matter how good he played during summer league, he is sitting at 4th on the depth chart at the PG, so as long as he doesn’t play bad, he doesn’t have to play good; if that made any sense.

Nesterovic
He never makes the spectacular plays, but he’s consistent, and there is something to say about that on a team full of guys who aren’t.
Verdict: 2 Thumbs Up
Solid, dude is solid. He isn’t the greatest defender, but he brings that veteran presence on defense which means we wont get nervous when he subs into the game in any situation….segue…

O’Bryant
You would think he would be a poor man’s Bargnani on defense (lol first time that has been said); he’s 7″ with a 15″ wing span, a little defense should fall into his lap (blocks, tips, steals…). Sadly it doesn’t
Verdict: Zero
Zero

Banks
Zero
Verdict: Zero
Zero

So, we have 17 of a possible 28 thumbs up. Not great, but better then average.

Hoopsworld

With the arrival of free agent Hedo Turkoglu and first round draft pick DeMar DeRozan, Bargnani will have to be more than just a perimeter floater. While his strength is catching and shooting and quick attacks set up by his jump shot, his struggles have been in the post area. He’s been unable to hold inside position, getting bumped off his moves, and hasn’t had a good counter move when he gets jammed inside. And the longer he has held the ball, the more trouble he’s gotten into.

All this means that with better perimeter scorers around him and a weak post game, Bargnani has to become better in the mid-range. This will start with his pick-and-pop game, and his primary focus should be on becoming a much better screener. His screens have been soft and he hasn’t held them long enough, which means the ball handler isn’t as free and Bargnani hasn’t had as much open space when he catches the return pass.

Court Surfing

Whenever I see guys in the locker room pregame or postgame while we wait for them to address the media my mind generally drifts back to my first specific memory of each player, or what sticks out in my mind about the guy, be it a particular performance, shot, random fact, interview etc.
I’ve been doing the same thing as it comes to these Raptors and I thought I’d share with you the most vivid memory or impression of each of the new guys who will be taking over lockers in the Raptors locker room.

Zan Tabak Herald

One player that has stayed in the hearts of Raptor fans since he was acquired in 2001 for Corliss Williamson is Jerome “JYD” Williams.  Jerome began his tenure with the Raptors by famously driving from Detroit to Toronto after hearing of the trade.  It was this initial gesture that immediately identified Williams as a “working class” basketball player and thrust him into the hearts of raptor fans.  You could immediately tell that he was a little different from your average NBA player.  This was not a guy worried about shoe contracts and making excuses about being late for “practice”.  He was a player who was happy to be in the league and have a job and worked as hard as he could to keep the job he loved so much.

Hoopsworld

But one has to believe that with the cap space Miami will have next summer, and with the promising young guys the HEAT have assembled, and with the desirable location of the team, Wade understands that there probably will not be a better situation for him next summer. If the team can sign Bosh or Carlos Boozer and extend Wade, anybody else you put around those two guys will be serviceable and the HEAT will be a perennial playoff team.

Besides, does anyone believe that Bosh, Wade, or James won’t get the absolute top dollar they can? Their current teams can even offer them an extra year. It comes down to where these guys think they can win. A betting man still should lay money down that all three guys stay put, but who knows what can happen. Every year free agency proves to us how crazy things can get when big money gets thrown around. Don’t think for a minute that free agency 2010 won’t be exciting. With a class like the one we’re going to see, there’s no way it couldn’t be.

AltRaps

So who should we chose? I haven’t been the biggest fan of Pops Mensah Bonsu as I think his game is limited. However, given our new offensive firepower, he may just be another great role player. Running the screen with a lower minimum minutes played (since Pops just scraped by 250 minutes), shows him as ranked 26^th out of 370 players. No doubt the low number of minutes can skew these stats. Who ranks #1 out of 370 in offensive rebound rating? You got it, Pops. Okay, that’s a fluke. How about defensive rebound rate then? Ah… Pops is #1 AGAIN. For a minimum pay guy, this is a no-brainer.

Remember that Udoka and Mensah-Bonsu will not likely be core rotation players. And you’re paying them (likely) the league minimum. Note that when we are talking about veterans minimum contracts, our sample size of players will no doubt have some major flaws – so you’re looking for solid role players. Given the data, it’s hard to see the downside. The price is right.