Q. How did the Knicks do this off-season? Talk about drafts, trades and free agent signings as well as ownership/management changes.

Kevin McElroy: The answer to this question is necessarily relative to expectations. By any normal measure, this was the Knicks best summer since the mid-90’s. Their failed pursuit for LeWyane Bosh aside, the Knicks brought in Amare Stoudemire, a five-time all-star with three top-ten scoring seasons who also happens to be the active career leader in true shooting percentage. While concerns about the riskiness of the acquisition (especially those relating to Stoudemire’s injury history) are understandable, the rarity with which players of Stoudemire’s caliber can be had without forfeiting any tradeable assets makes the signing a worthwhile gamble. The David Lee trade — in which the Knicks gave up a player that they had already made redundant and received two valuable role players and a freakish athlete with world-class upside in return — was the best player for player(s) swap the Knicks have made since they brought in Latrell Sprewell and Marcus Camby; if Anthony Randolph develops, it will go down as even better than those trades.

I worry about Raymond Felton eating up valuable cap space, but I get the feeling that his signing was about keeping Amare happy enough to keep telling his buddies how great things were in New York — Felton’s contract should be moveable if he becomes the final obstacle to bringing in another star. I hated the Knicks’ play-it-safe strategy on draft night, but based upon the summers that Landry Fields and Lance Stephenson have had, my opinion on the matter has softened. Fields will hang around for 10 years and be a useful role player for the Knicks in the near term.

Q. Who came out the bigger winner AND loser in the Atlantic Division?

KM: I’ll exclude the Knicks from the conversation here since I’ve already discussed their offseason. I think the Celtics are the winners by default, mostly because they were the only Atlantic Division team good enough to focus their off-season on filling their remaining needs rather than blindly overhauling the team and hoping it would work out. I’m not crazy about their Shaquisition for the same reason I wasn’t crazy about it when he was Shaquired by Phoenix or Cleveland, but at the veteran minimum it’s a low risk move and they can always tell him to go away if he becomes a problem.

As for the biggest losers, the Nets’ mind-bendingly bizarre assortment of free agent signings gets the nod even in a division where Toronto lost their franchise leader in scoring and rebounding just as he was entering his prime. Better build that arena, Brooklyn, or Johan Petro will be plying his trade elsewhere!

Q. Last season we saw a dog fight from 5-9 in the East for a playoff appearance (the Raptors dropped from 5th to 9th rapidly at the tail-end of the season). What are your predictions for this upcoming season? Who are your dark horses to watch out for?

KM: Obviously the Heat jump out of that dog fight and into the top 3, arguably the top 1. I think this will be another season in which the Eastern Conference can be separated into pretty well-defined tiers. The Tier 1 teams — Miami, Orlando, Boston — seem fairly insurmountable at the top of the pyramid, although if the Celtics all get old at the same time, they could feasibly drop into Tier 2. For now, Tier 2 is Atlanta, Chicago, and probably Milwaukee, all of whom should qualify for the postseason comfortably and will be primarily concerned with finishing 5th or better and thus avoiding the Tier 1 teams in the first round. Tier 3 is where it gets a bit hairy: Charlotte has to be viewed as the 7th best team going into the year, but New York has much greater upside and is the only team outside of Tiers 1 and 2 with a chance to vault into the top 6 if everything goes right.

If things implode for the Knicks — and, let’s face it, why shouldn’t they — The Pacers, Sixers, and Cavs are all in the picture for one of the last two playoff spots. One more quick point that nobody is talking about: I will not be surprised if strength of schedule becomes a decisive factor in the Eastern Conference this year. The Bobcats have to play a whopping 15 games against the Heat, Magic, and Hawks, while the Knicks and Sixers will play each other five times and have 10 games each against the Nets and Raps. Could be enough to bump the Bobcats down to ninth in a tight East.

Q. Is what happened in Miami bad for the league? On the one hand, players are taking control of their own futures (as best as possible); but on the other, the rich just seem to get richer.

KM: I swore a lifelong oath of hatred against the Miami Heat the day that Pat Riley hopped the fence back in 1995, but the answer to this question is still “no.” In the long-term, this has to be viewed as good for the league, and not just because it will allow us to see something we’ve never seen before (which it will) and give other fan bases a unifying enemy (which it also will). The reason I’m glad it happened, and happened when it did, is that it has placed everything from cap rules to player tampering to the merits of “Superteams” at the forefront of the conversation, just before a watershed CBA renegotiation. This is the best way for basketball fans and writers to have any kind of a voice about the future of the league. Maybe I’m dreaming on that but, at a time when the NBA seems desperate to drum up demand for its product, it will have an unprecedented opportunity to gauge public opinion on nearly every issue that is likely to come up this summer. We may all be thanking LeWyane Bosh before this is over.

(Was that convincing? No? Darn it. I really hate the Heat.)

Q. Do you share the view that playing in Toronto is similar to playing in Europe, and not very appealing to American born players? What’s your take on the Raptors and Toronto as a destination for the NBA elite?

KM: I think there are five or six “destination cities” in the League right now — LA, Miami, New York, Chicago, maybe one or two of the Texas cities — and I don’t think Toronto is one of them. But I think it’s still a long way up from playing in Europe and doubt the Canadian border has much of a practical effect on players’ decisions. Most NBA cities become appealing destinations if and only if their resident teams employ players and executives that are appealing to NBA free agents, which the post-Bosh Raptors probably don’t. The problem is that Toronto’s previous attempts at building around a franchise player were based upon guys whose personalities were not conducive to being the first major building block on a team in a non-destination city. It only takes one super-talented, super-loyal star — think Tim Duncan, Kevin Durant, Dwight Howard — to attract top players to a place that once seemed to be on the NBA periphery. The problem, of course, is finding that guy. Clearly, Vince Carter and Chris Bosh didn’t fit the description.

Q. What’s your take on Bryan Colangelo and the job he’s done for the Raptors? Could he have held on to Bosh had he made other choices? Did he make a huge mistake by not trading him earlier? What about the type of team he is trying to build in Toronto?

KM: I think Bosh was always leaving — he’s a very good second option alongside an elite scoring wing with good court vision; now he gets to play with two of them. It’s interesting to think about how things would have played out for Toronto if Bosh and T-Mac had come along at about the same time — they would have complemented each other brilliantly, maybe well enough that they both would have wanted to stay. As for Colangelo, I think he was probably doomed from the start. His mandate was to focus singularly on the retention of a player who was 1) probably always going to leave and 2) probably not good enough to be the best player on a great team anyway. To the extent that this strategy has failed (in the departure of Bosh) or set the franchise back (due to the shortsightedness of some of Toronto’s acquisitions), that failure is more associated with the flaws of the mandate (which fall at the feet of ownership) than with any flaws in execution (which would fall at the feet of Colangelo). That said, Toronto clearly needs to dive head-first into overhaul mode and that necessarily involves a conversation regarding whether Colangelo remains the right man for what is now a very different job.

I checked in with Surya Fernandez from Hot Hot Hoops to talk about the Heat and the newly formed commission (Bosh, Wade, LeBron and Joe Johnson). We’re still getting weak trade offers for Bosh; I guess a 24pt 11reb a night kind of guy has no value around the league. It’s actually making me question what I think I know about basketball (which granted isn’t very much since I thought the Suns were going to be thumped buy the Spurs in the 2nd round).

Without even making a reach, Riley has a lot of options to pair Wade with an elite level forward this summer (Bosh, Boozer and Stoudemire), so you can expect him to jump at the first option regardless of who he really covets. I’m going out on a limb and predicting Bosh doesn’t end up in Miami this summer, but that the Heat will be a 50 win team next season with the additions Riley makes.

Sam Holako: What do you make of this free agent commission Wade, LeBron, Bosh and Johnson have put together to discuss their fates? Seems sinister, and frankly, I’m a little disappointed about it – whatever happened to being a man?

Surya Fernandez: It’s all a matter of perception. Toronto needs to find another willing team to do a sign and trade should Bosh want to go elsewhere to get something decent in return and start a new era. The Heat have been treading water for the last couple of years and are finally free of that huge chunk of salary cap that dated back from Shaq’s last contract extension. Wade doesn’t sound like he’s leaving so there’s little doubt that he’ll try to do some recruiting at this summit. There’s nothing else for him to talk about. I don’t mind players that are friends getting together and talking about something this important in their lives and careers. Maybe they all go their separate ways and nothing much comes of it. Just imagine what owners and GMs talk about when they all get together. It must be worse than a sewing circle.

SH: With Wade staying, I look at the team, and don’t see much of anything there: Chalmers is a nice player, Beasley has talent, I’m a fan of Joel Anthony, but outside of that, what does Miami do to round out the roster? What does Miami do to become relevant again?

SF: o question it’s a huge question mark with that many contracts clearing the books. But there is a lot of flexibility that comes with that. Udonis Haslem and Dorell Wright are solid players that can be retained or used for sign and trades to secure a point guard, the Heat’s biggest need. Chalmers and Beasley can be traded but if they stay will provide depth.

I’m not a fan of simply giving out max contracts to just anybody and I would pass on Amar’e Stoudemire, Carlos Boozer and Joe Johnson because other teams that may miss out on the bigger names will be offered a max contract by a team like the Knicks, Clippers or Nets. If you can sign James or Bosh then that’s great but the Heat could also use the rest of the $10-12 million to round out a roster with some quality big men and long range shooters. I just wrote (Affordable free agents that the Miami Heat should pursue) about nine free agents that the Heat should go after if they went this path.

Another method that isn’t discussed much is to hold on to some of the cap space to facilitate trades with other teams after the season starts leading up to the trading deadline. Riley said last month that the makeover process could take up to 18 months. Teams will want to shed contracts (like the Marcus Camby or Eric Maynor trades) and the Heat could absorb them easily (and perhaps acquire a few draft picks in the process) to get some more depth leading up to a playoff run.

SH: That’s quite the list, what stands out for me is Oberto and Foye. With the Wizard probably shopping Arenas; what would you think about engineering a trade to land Arenas and Oberto for cap space and Haslem, still having enough cap space to sign a Bosh? That would be a lethal backcourt.

SF: On paper it would be a lethal backcourt. The problem is that the Wizards on paper before the start of this season were thought of as a playoff team. First you have that huge contract that in and of itself would be drawback even if it was the Arenas of a few years ago. Then you have the health issues that he never seemed to have recovered from then the gun incident that derailed the entire franchise. I’d stay away from him.

If Miami wants to try it out with an oft-injured player past his prime I’d rather take on Elton Brand and net the second overall pick too from the Sixers. His contract is just as bad as Arenas but at least then you could rationalize it by having two players who combined make “X” amount of money because of this trade. Both could be useful immediately for the Heat if Brand is at least healthy enough to contribute like Jermaine O’Neal did this past season (putting aside the Celtics playoffs). And the Heat will have an awesome rookie talent at that pick.

SH: Philly was my next option; I really think Brand will surprise folks once he gets out of Philly. Make me an offer for Bosh in a S+T.

SF: You can have your first round pick back from the Marion-O’Neal trade plus another first rounder, Cook and Chalmers (who both need a change of scenery as well). It’s better than losing him for nothing. Offering Beasley as well would be the last resort since Bosh might be persuaded to just simply sign in Miami, not have to pay income tax and the Heat could keep those players and picks I just offered to your Raptors and send them to another team for a solid player who makes less like Rudy Gay. I like Bosh but if the Raptors want to trade him to the Lakers for oft-injured Andrew Bynum then be my guest. The Heat would then go after Stoudemire and maybe Boozer.

SH: I think it’s safe to say he wont leave $30mil guaranteed on the table, so thanks for giving us back our 1st rounder, lol. Can you talk about Riley a bit. Heard he may want to take over as coach again, dropping Erik Spoelstra like he did SVG, if the Heat land another elite player to pair with Wade. Is this just all chatter, or are there some legs to these rumours?

SF: Riley threw that out there as bait for free agents to consider should they want to directly play for him. But even though he only would consider it if he was asked to now it’s hard to not to see Spoelstra as a lame duck after saying that. Quite frankly, I think the Heat has done enough for Erik since hiring him to cut video back in 1995 so I really wouldn’t mind it if the Heat had a veteran seasoned coach going forward. If it has to be Riley so be it. People complain enough that the Heat are somewhat wasting the last couple of years of Wade’s prime and I don’t see Spoelstra as a coach to take your team deep in the playoffs. He might be good at analyzing videos and preparing his players but his in-game decisions, robotic substitution patterns and poor play-calling in late game situations have been the subject of tough criticism from diehard Heat fans.

Van Gundy was squeezed out because Shaq did not want to be coached by him anymore after the Pistons series in ’05. That’s what can happen when teams employ superstars and GMs and owners have to choose whether to listen to them or not. I’m not defending Riley (and I’m positive he smelled a golden opportunity to collect another coaching ring) but sometimes it’s not as simple an issue as it may seem from outsiders looking in. The end result back then was a ring, let’s see what happens this time around.

SH: From the outside looking in, it seemed as though Riley created the atmosphere for SVG to ultimately get canned. Regardless, he was the right man for the job. Could we interest you in Turkoglu?

SF: Agreed but SVG really did muck things up a bit at the end of the Pistons series though. It sure looked like a slimy move on Riley’s part but it sure worked out. Not surprising Riley might consider jumping back in if the roster starts looking like championship material this year.

The Heat only should take Hedo if they can get Marcus Banks back!

SH: So the Heat tried to trade Beasley for Dooling, and were denied (they say he plays a very similar game to Yi); why is Beasley’s value so low?

SF: There is no accuracy to that report. It came out of a podcast with nobody to corroborate it. Ira Winderman of the Sun-Sentinel has already confirmed that the Heat never made such an offer.

There’s no comparison between Beasley and Yi. It’s almost laughable. If you’re referring to Sebastian Pruiti’s comparison to them on Nets Are Scorching all I can tell you is that stats don’t tell the whole story. Stats don’t speak about how his unexperienced coach has never put Beasley in a situation to succeed on the court, how Beasley has never had a consistent role in this team or how he’s never had a chance to play with a decent playmaking point guard since he arrived in the NBA only two years ago.

Quite frankly I’m glad his value is perceived to be low so maybe he’ll stick around. Maybe it’s his personality or maybe it’s the off-court issues. I don’t know how many players in the 4-5 million dollar range could put up 15 points and 6 and a half rebounds in less than 30 minutes while playing in an offense that is solely geared towards Dwyane Wade. Power forward should not be a position of concern for the Heat with so many holes to plug so I can’t really justify carving out such a huge slice of the cap space for Bosh or Boozer.

Yes, of course he needs to work on his game and his defense (as should all young NBA players strive to do this summer). But give him a better coach, more minutes without fear of immediately being pulled off the court because of an error, and a true point guard who can run plays for him that can give him some easier looks closer to the basket. Then we can talk about whether he’s a bust or not. I don’t know how much more value the Heat could get out of that position.

Utah was a disaster, a big fat one. It was one of the most disappointing games I have ever seen. The effort was so bad that they could have easily lost by 45 points, and no one would have been surprised.

At this point of the year, and I’m sounding like a broken-record here, these sorts of performances shouldn’t be the norm for a team trying to build some momentum heading into the playoffs. Colangelo talked about the difference in the players since the All-Star break. He used the word “agenda” very deliberately, and deflected any blame from Triano, saying that it was up to the players to do what they are told to. This means that Triano has the bosses full support and will be back next season; which makes me sad.

The Nuggets have absolutely owned the Raptors the last three seasons, having, quite easily, won the last five meetings:

Nov. 17/09 – L 112-130
Dec. 2/08 – L 93-132
Dec. 31/08 – L 107-114
Mar. 14/08 – L 105-137
Mar. 23/08 – L 100-109

Brutal…

I checked in with Jeremy from the Roundball Mining Company, to get some insight into the Nuggets:

What’s going on with the Nuggets? Is what we’re seeing just a blip, or is there something bigger at play?
Right now there is no team dealing with a bigger distraction than Denver. As everyone knows their head coach is battling cancer and has reached a point physically where he cannot be with the team. Adrian Dantley has struggled at times and is probably hamstrung a little by the situation he is in. Plus Denver’s best interior defender and rebounder, Kenyon Martin, is out for an unknown period of time as he deals with patella tendonitis.

It is completely understandable why Denver is not playing their best. However, the level to which they have fallen goes beyond simply dealing with the stress and worry about Coach Karl and the absence of Martin. The effort they put forth defensively on Wednesday in Boston was completely unacceptable and they had similar lapses in New York. Offensively their perimeter shooters have been firing blanks from behind the arc, especially Chauncey and J.R. Smith, yet, when they are not shooting well, they seem to actually attempt more long jumpers which is a thought process that is foreign to me.

Denver is clearly capable of playing better, and they will, the question is when? Considering the way they have played their previous two games and the fact the game in Toronto is their only remaining game on this current five game trip against a non contending squad, I fully expect Denver to put forth a very strong and focused effort. If they do not, I fear their season could be irreparably damaged.

How bad a decision was it to give Camby away when you could have used his size against the likes of the Lakers in the playoffs?
I was fully in favor of the decision to trade Marcus Camby. He was an overrated defender in Denver as all he did was sit back and play for the blocked shot. He played horrible pick and roll defense, is too sparsely proportioned to defend in the post against other centers and is so limited offensively that on one occasion the Warriors decided to have Mickael Pietrus cover him and Marcus never even thought of trying to post him up. Camby was actually not a good matchup against the Lakers as he is too light in the keister to cover Andrew Bynum. He also struggled against the multi-talented Pau Gasol.

Of course, Camby is a gifted rebounder and it is obvious Denver could use another big to help in that department. Chris “Birdman” Andersen has filled Camby’s role relatively well and for much less cash, although he apparently thinks a box out is something you have to do when you are moving. Denver was hoping that a big like Drew Gooden was going to be available after the trade deadline, but that market never developed this season. They made a play for Zydrunas Ilgauskas, but clearly he was never going anywhere but Cleveland.

What a lot of people do not realize is it was the Camby trade that created the financial wiggle room to make the trade for Chauncey Billups. Chauncey’s annual salary was nearly equal to what Camby was making and without dumping Camby’s contract they could not have taken on Chauncey’s. Plus it opened up more minutes for Nene who has responded with two very good, and healthy seasons.

Who do you guys want to see in the 1st round? Can the Nuggets get to the conference finals or beyond?
An ideal first round opponent would be the Oklahoma City Thunder. Denver matches up very well with them and I suspect it would be a very short series. Apart from the Thunder there are few teams I would dismiss. I have said since last season that I am not afraid of San Antonio until I see all three of their stars are healthy at the start of the postseason. It does appear the Spurs will be at full strength with Tony Parker slated to return soon and while I do not think they can make a deep run, they certainly would be a handful in the first round. If I had to pick a second team for the Nuggets to face it would be the Mavericks, although they are better than the team Denver routed last season. Next on the list would be Portland. Denver matches up pretty well with them and while I think the series would be a long hard fought one, I believe the Nuggets would prevail. The one team I am really afraid of is Phoenix, especially if the Suns have home court advantage. They are the one team who can outgun Denver game after game and it is entirely possible the Nuggets fall to fifth and have to play the Suns in the first round.

I have maintained all season that Denver is the second best team in the west, but have always added the caveat if healthy. As long as Kenyon Martin can return and be effective, and I must say I am dubious of speculation he will be ready to go for the playoffs, Denver can beat any team in the league. Along with adding Kenyon in order to reach their potential the Nuggets probably also need Karl to be back on the bench, but that too would seem to be a long shot.

What’s next for this team if this group can’t put it together and make a serious run?
I really do not want to entertain that notion, but their chances of repeating last season’s run are decreasing with every loss. Ideally Denver can rebound next season with Karl back to full health and each of their young players, Carmelo, Nene, J.R. Smith, Arron Afflao and Ty Lawson, a year closer to their prime. Denver could have some spots to fill with hangers on like Malik Allen, Anthony Carter, Joey Graham and Johan Petro in the last year of their contracts. Plus next season is finally the last year of Kenyon’s monster contract and in a tough economic climate a contract of that size could be very valuable. Then hopefully Denver is the team who can trade an important piece of their team to add a major piece of the puzzle, have him bought out, wait 30 days and bring him back for the playoffs.

All of that sounds nice, but it might not be reality. The really, really bad news for Nuggets fans is with owner Stan Kroenke proving to be exceedingly disinterested in paying the luxury tax they could see wholesale changes this summer. Depending on where the tax level falls for 2010-11 Denver’s top five players alone could make them a tax paying team. There has been no real discussion about it in the media, but I would not be surprised if the Nuggets are forced to dump another player in the next few months. That would be a blow that I doubt they could overcome.

If we really want to look long term, you may have heard the recent scuttlebutt about Carmelo having an early termination clause after next season. Picture him as a free agent at the same time the Nuggets are tightening the purse strings and dropping down the standings. I find the chances he will leave minute, but they are real enough I had to write a post about it earlier this week.

What are George Karl’s strength’s and weaknesses? How is he doing with the cancer battle, how is the team responding?
I would say that George Karl’s greatest strength with this team is the fact he has gone toe to toe with some of the most important players on the roster, but unlike in the past it seems to have made them closer. At times he seemed like Karl was the last remaining guard during a prison riot. He has battled with Carmelo, Kenyon and J.R. Smith and all of them seem to have come out of the other side better for it although he and J.R. do not seem to be on great terms. At least Smith realizes even though he may not like what Karl says or does, it is all designed to make him a better player.

As far as weaknesses there are a number of little things that get on the fans’ nerves. He tends to be too passive on the bench from time to time and his intensity seems to ebb and flow from game to game. If I had to criticize him about something, it would have to be that he has not done a very good job of maintaining the defensive emphasis that served Denver so well last season. Heading into training camp in 2008 it was made clear that the happy go lucky ways were gone and that he was going to get the team back under control. He pulled it off and Denver was a vastly improved defensive team in 2008-09 even without Camby. This season they have become a more offensive oriented team again and the attention to detail defensively is not there.

As far as his health the treatment Karl is enduring has been very painful. If you have not seen it I encourage everyone to read this article by Rick Riley documenting what Karl is going through. Over the weekend he had a problem with blood clots in his legs. That issue is reportedly resolved, but he is certainly in a great deal of pain every minute of every day. We can only pray that the treatment is successful.

As far as the impact on the team at first they seemed to rally around it, but recently Chauncey spoke about how they miss having their leader around and from the perspective of an outsider I would say the spirit of the team is low. Karl has told them the best medicine for him right now is wins and I am a little surprised that the biggest problem with the team recently has been effort.

If the Raptors want to do a good deed I suggest letting the Nuggets win tonight. It really is the humane thing to do.

Interesting that Karl chooses to go toe-to-toe with his players as opposed to Triano, who seemingly indulges the players after terrible performances saying that the effort was there but they just fell short a couple times blah blah blah.

I expect to see a few things this game:

• Chauncey to have 20pts 11ast 5rebs 2st – it’s time for him to come out of this little funk of his
• JR Smith to go 4-8 from behind the arc, all open shots, and all of them daggers
• Nene to have 20 points in the paint, 6 offensive rebounds, and be the best front line player on the floor (of either team)
• Bosh to have 24pts 11rebs
• Raptors to lose by 21
• For all the gamblers to take Denver at -5.5; that’s about as close to a sure thing as you can get

Join us tonight at the Sports Centre Cafe for Raptor Fans Friday. For the rest of you, we will be on Twitter, and in the RR live chat.

]]> http://www.raptorsrepublic.com/2010/03/26/gameday-raptors-vs-nuggest-mar-2610/feed/ 15 http://www.raptorsrepublic.com/2010/03/15/raptors-lose-to-blazers-109-98/ http://www.raptorsrepublic.com/2010/03/15/raptors-lose-to-blazers-109-98/#comments Mon, 15 Mar 2010 13:18:45 +0000 Sam Holako http://raptorsrepublic.com/?p=16102
Raptors 98, Blazers 109 – Box

I want to start things off by extending my condolences to Scott and his family for their loss. I actually met Scott via blogging, and over the last few years, he has become one of my closest friends and confidants.  I speak on behalf of everyone at RR, the writers and the community at large, in sending our love and support during this difficult time. God bless brother.

…so the Raptors, different game, different night, different team, same problems. These guys are going through the motions, and are playing the least inspired brand of basketball I have seen in a very long time. I’m actually forced to stop and take stock of my own life, and really question the level of commitment I am giving in covering a team that is seemingly better than the performances they are giving. You know how hard it is to say the exact same things over and over about why the Raptors loss, changing the team name and switching out which Raptor player stepped up to be the #2 after Bosh?

I don’t have the stomach to cover this quarter by quarter and really break it down because frankly I don’t care. The formula for this team used to be that if they shot the ball well, they won more games then they lost. Now, it seems that in-spite of shooting well, they lose them. The problem lies in stopping the ball, we can’t do it to save our life. This team has kept their opponent under 100 points – 14 times all year. In contrast, they gave up more than a 110 points – 23 times, and more than 120 points – five times.

First things first, Bargnani can’t cover power forwards who have size and range. He does a good job on the Dwights and Shaqs, because those guys are not threats outside of 7 feet, and he can thump with them on the block; but a guy like LaMarcus Aldridge, who can post-up and shoot from the perimeter will abuse him, and he did.

I need to know what the hell happened to Bargnani. Where the hell did your rebounding go? Two bloody rebounds in 32 minutes, seriously? At least grab a few defensive ones since you were covering Aldridge for most of the night in the block…oh yea, Aldridge grabbed 8 offensive boards, there was nothing for you to do. Might have helped if you boxed out, jumped, put your hands up, broke a sweat…but at least you can shoot the ball very well for a center. Too bad you were 5-11 from the field (0-3 from behind the arc) and only had 11 points. At least if you were scoring…jesus…

Hedo sucks. I said I wouldn’t talk about him anymore, but he does. Sure he put up 14 points, but they were inconsequential. Yea he shot the ball well, and grabbed a few boards, but 2 assists? It’s not like he was making good passes and the Raptors were missing shots, they shot 54.9% from the field, he just wasn’t making plays. No ball son, you suck.

You know who else sucks? Triano sucks. He is the worst coach in the entire NBA. I don’t give a rats ass what anyone says, the guy has no business being a head coach in this league. Early in the second quarter, with the Blazers starting to gain some momentum and on a mini 5pt run, he should have called a timeout to stem the tide, but no, he didn’t. In the subsequent plays, Rudy Fernandez threw two ridiculous alley-oops to Aldridge, and the Raptors answer by taking and missing two shots that were so bad…they were horrible shots ok? Horrible. I threw up in my mouth a bit.

So he finally calls the timeout after the second ridiculous alley-oop and the entire crowd is out of their seats going nuts. What happens on the play-out of the timeout? Raptors hold the ball till there was 1 second left on the clock, and miss a deep three. Brilliant. That was the point the Raptors lost this game. Early in the 2nd quarter, sure they came back and gave it a go, but it was written.

On the other hand, in the 3rd quarter with the Blazers up 10, DeRozan gets out in the open court and puts down a ridiculous dunk, cutting the lead to 10. McMillan QUICKLY calls a timeout to kill momentum, Andre Miller hits a jumper out of the timeout, and any threat of a run was thwarted. That my friend is bloody coaching. Next time I see you at the Starbucks at Brookfield place, I’m cursing your ass out. I might even throw a lemon poppy seed loaf at you. God I hate you.



The Blazers grabbed 43.1% of available offensive rebounds (almost every other rebound) that led to 20 second chance points. Factor in that they got to the line 27.7% of the time and hit 21 of 23, that’s 41 points from sheer effort and determination. They shot a great percentage from the field from all those open looks, it’s no wonder they won. The game wasn’t handed to them, but they won easily.

The only people who have been playing well over the last few games are Bosh, Calderon and Johnson. These were the only three people who seem to be constantly fighting without letting up. Short comings aside, when only three folks are giving it their all, good things can’t happen.

Say what you will about Bosh, but he is not to blame for our perimeter woes. He isn’t the guy who gave Batum and Roy and Fernandez open/uncontested/easy looks from beyond the arc. He isn’t the guy not scoring efficiently, not getting to the line, not grabbing rebounds, not assisting. Yea, he is turnover prone, but he does everything else. The guy has zero support. I wouldn’t blame him for up and leaving; I’m seriously considering doing the same thing myself.

These are my game notes if you are interested, I’m done with this post. Hate this team…

1st quarter
- Hedo nails a 3 off the tip
- Bosh rotates to help bargnani on aldridge on a dunk attempt, no dunk
- Bargnani leaves aldridge wide open from 17
- Bargnani aggressive in the paint early
- Bargnani steps in and hits a hit jumper
- Aldridge giving bargnani big time problems
- Bargnani with the dunk in transition
- Bargnani literally lost track of aldridge and didn’t even attempt to box him out
- Bosh with the great find, drops a dime to DeRozan in the paint
- Bargnani threads the needle to Bosh for a dunk, beautiful play
- Amir with a jumper at the top of the key
- Camby penetrates, draws a double, then dishes to Aldridge for a dunk, terrible
- Calderon looking for his shot when he got into the game, 1-2 quickly
- Calderon ball fakes on the run, creates some space, and hits the reverse layup

2nd quarter
- start the quarter on a 9-0 run (2 big alleyoops to get the crowd into it fernandez to aldridge)
- triano calls a timeout two possessions too late (should have been called after 5 straight points, he lets it go for 4 more – 2 alleyoop dunks)
- out of the timeout, the raptors ran a terrible play and jacked a deep 3 with 1 second on the shot clock
- Jack hits a three from the corner, nice
- Batum left open for some reason, obviously he hits a three
- Amir with a put back layup off of caldrons missed shot
- roy with a three, 8-11 from behind the arc
- Batum with another three, he was open again
- Calderon to the rack off the dribble and in traffic
- Caldron still competing, gotta appreciate it

3rd quarter
- DeRozan turnover leads to a Miller layup on the break
- Calderon throws the ball away, on a bad alley-oop attempt to Bosh
- MIller feeling it
- DeRozan finishes on the break
- Bargnani didn’t box Camby out, result: put back off the missed jumper
- how many open threes can a team give up?
- DeRozan puts it down on a break, cuts the deficit to 10, and the Blazers call a quick timeout. Take note Triano, that’s coaching
- Miller hits a layup out of the timeout
- Calderon throws the ball away
- Hedo with a dagger from behind the err, 7 point deficit
- Amir with a putback layup

4th quarter
- Bargnani gets open, and cuts the deficit to 5, sticking the jumper
- Jack should be on the bench.
- Batum with another open 3…I feel like it’s groundhogs day
- DeRozan with a terrible shot out of a timeout
- DeRozan goes baseline and finds Andrea in the corner for a jumper; Raptors down 7 with 9min to go
- Batum with a tough/contested jumper, that one hurt
- Jack splits the defense and feeds a cutting DeRozan for a layup; Raptors are 5 points back now
- Millers layup contested by Bosh, missed it
- Bargnani with a big rebound off the Aldridge miss
- Weems with a mid-range jumper cuts lead to 2
- Camby strips Bosh again
- Roy gets in the paint, and hits a layup in traffic
- Jack forces a three, obviously misses, where’s Calderon?
- Bosh with a jumper from the elbow, Raptors down 4
- Roy lucks out as the ball falls in his hand in the paint for an easy putback
- Camby blocks Calderon under the rim, and Batum draws a foul on the break, hits both from the line
- Bosh gets in the paint and draws a foul, hits both from the line
- Miller draws the triple team in the paint, and finds Camby for a dunk; nail meet coffin
- Bosh misses a three, and i turn off the tv

]]> http://www.raptorsrepublic.com/2010/03/15/raptors-lose-to-blazers-109-98/feed/ 55 http://www.raptorsrepublic.com/2010/02/24/gameday-raptors-vs-blazers-feb-2410/ http://www.raptorsrepublic.com/2010/02/24/gameday-raptors-vs-blazers-feb-2410/#comments Wed, 24 Feb 2010 15:44:27 +0000 Sam Holako http://raptorsrepublic.com/?p=15427

How bad is this ankle injury Bosh suffered last week against the Grizzlies? Frankly, I thought he was good to play, but the powers-that-be took advantage of a light schedule (although the Wizards ended up being anything but light) to rest the franchise before a stretch that sees us play 4 very good teams in a row.

Heading into tonights game, I’ve realized that I have slept on some of the Raptors recent achievements:

• 8-2 in their last 10 games; hottest team in the East.
• They have reduced their point differential to 0, mostly by improving their offense (109.3 over the stretch), but over their last 10, they have have actually tightened their defense up a bit surrendering 103.7 a game (a full point less than their current season average).
• 4 games out of 4th, and 5 games out of 3rd place in the East.
• On pace for 46 wins.
• 24-11 since December when everything turned around on a dime somehow.

Looking back now, the 7-13 start wasn’t horrible, but was the difference between a team fighting for 3rd or 4th in the East and a team that is barely holding on to 5th place in the standings. It is also the difference between beating the Lakers and Cavs on some nights, then dropping 2 games to the Pacers on others.

Tonight they host the Blazers at the ACC at 7pm, so I checked in with Ezra from The Portland Roundball Society, and asked the newest member of the TrueHoop Network a couple questions about this team:

Q. Talk about the Camby trade; will he be around next year when Oden/Pryzbilla return from injury?
A. It was a bit of a coup for Portland to pick up Marcus Camby for the expiring contracts of two players who had little (Steve Blake) to no (Travis Outlaw) role in the team’s future. The basketball culture is strong for the Blazers, and Camby seems stunned by the attention he received from the fans here—few defensive-minded centers who score less than eight points a night get standing ovations before even stepping onto the floor (like Camby did his first night in town). But, of course, that doesn’t mean he re-signs with the team either.

This team is hellbent on having two quality centers after it was exposed that Greg Oden’s knees are made of paper mache and Chinese drywall, and I think Camby’s future will be determined by Joel Przybilla’s comeback (which will take more time than Oden’s) and how the free-agent market shapes the Western Conference. Portland will want him back, but they don’t need him back.

Q. Does Bayless have what it takes to replace Blake?
A. Blake, yes. Miller, no. The problem with Bayless is that his potential is sky high, but he is not a “traditional” point guard and doesn’t mesh well with Brandon Roy’s style of play. But the franchise absolutely adores him, and he won’t be going anywhere anytime soon.

Q. Couldn’t you guys have gotten more for Outlaw?
A. Had he not been injured, absolutely. But once Outlaw went down with that foot injury, his trade value went with him. Plus the only team that really wanted him (Memphis) has a poor relationship with Portland that stretches back to last year’s Darius Miles incident (where Portland was fined by the league for sending a letter that more or less threatened any team that signed him with the intention of hurting Portland’s books). I think Outlaw is going to win a Sixth Man of the Year award sometime soon, and is a fantastic personality as well. Portland might try to re-sign him during the offseason, since I doubt he stays a Clipper once the season ends.

Q. New Orleans/Memphis/Houston are hot on your heals, are the Blazers a playoff team?
A. Thanks for reminding me. The problem—and I use that term loosely—is that the Blazers really overachieved this year. The fact that they are still in the playoff hunt after losing Oden, Przybilla, Outlaw, Nicolas Batum, Rudy Fernandez, and Brandon Roy for extended stretches of the year is shocking. After losing four of their last five (tonight’s Nets game not included in that equation), it seems like this team is running on fumes. Roy’s hamstring is clearly not healthy and he even briefly considered sitting out for the remainder of the season following last week’s game against the Clippers.

Thankfully the schedule is a bit more favorable for the Blazers in the second half, and most people think this team can limp into the playoffs as the eight seed. There, they will play the Lakers, who if I am not mistaken, are a team with limited talent, zero playoff experience, and no history of defeating Portland in the postseason whatsoever. That should work out just fine.

Q. Still wish you had Hedo Turkoglu over Andre Milelr? What would Portland fans think if the Blazers took Turkoglu back in a trade?
A. God no. I’ll always remember the day that deal fell through because it happened minutes after Sarah Palin resigned from the governor’s seat of Alaska. Without a doubt the news of Turkoglu rejecting Portland overshadowed the Palin story, which means a lot when you consider in how shamelessly liberal and progressive this city is (Google: “Little Beirut”). In a matter of a few short days Hedo was more hated in Portland than Palin. That’s saying a lot.

Hedo was just a poor fit for this team and fans were baffled that this franchise—which at that time had yet to renew the deals of Roy and LaMarcus Aldridge—would spend around $60 million on a player whose best days are most likely behind him. Hedo isn’t the devil, but he just wasn’t the right fit for what the Blazers are trying to build. Andre Miller, on the other hand, hasn’t been a perfect fit either, but after a few tough months he has eased himself into the roll the team requires of him.

I should have asked him how he feels about Oden being taken advantage of by some girl, and sending her some revealing pics of himself (NOT SAFE FOR WORK), but I gave him a pass. I mean, I would be proud too, but really?

If Bosh is a no go tonight, I have a few very serious concerns, and they revolve around the things Bosh does very well: scoring and rebounding. Sure Rasho had that breakthrough game, but you can’t look past the fact that they came against the Nets (16pts 7rebs 4ast), especially since against a young/mobile Wizards front court, he didn’t bring as much (10pts 1 reb).

This Portland team was very good defensively before Camby got there, and are even better now. Rasho needs to find the touch he displayed against the Nets, but more importantly, Amir and Reggie need to step up and score some points. During the last two games, the two have only contributed 19pts and 18rebs, not bad, but not quite enough. Rasho has done an admirable job the last two games, but realistically, he can’t be expected to carry the load in the middle. If Bosh plays, than all this moot.

Roy is on his 4th game back, and it only took two games for him to work the cobwebs and kinks out. Last night against the Nets he dropped 28pts 4rebs 4ast; we’re no Nets, but you have to think he can do the same. Since the all-star break, I have really appreciated DeRozan’s commitment to attacking the rim. Roy is definitely not 100% yet, and if DeRozan can run him around early, with Weems (Belinelli shouldn’t be taking any of Weems’ minutes away at this point) picking up where Kid Compton leaves off, we should see some favourable results.

What concerns me the most is what Ezra said about the Blazers over achieving – the sum of the whole being greater than the parts. That speaks to solid coaching, and players knowing their role. The Raptors best bet is to speed up the tempo and make the Blazers run; the Blazers are last in the league in pace averaging 89.9 possessions per game. They do have athletes, and get good shots (offensive efficiency of 107.3 is 6th best in the league), but if we make them run, and get them out of their comfort zone, good things will happen.

]]> http://www.raptorsrepublic.com/2010/02/24/gameday-raptors-vs-blazers-feb-2410/feed/ 49 http://www.raptorsrepublic.com/2009/11/14/raptors-go-hard-beat-the-clippers-104-89/ http://www.raptorsrepublic.com/2009/11/14/raptors-go-hard-beat-the-clippers-104-89/#comments Sat, 14 Nov 2009 16:41:34 +0000 Sam Holako http://raptorsrepublic.com/?p=12354 ...Continue Reading]]> That’s what it takes to win games.
Raptors 104, Clippers 89 – Box

That’s how you start a Western road swing, with a come-from-behind win over a team who let up just enough for the us to pull the rug out from under their feet. The Raptors got down 22 points early in the 2nd quarter but spent the rest of the game attacking the Clippers, finally taking the lead with a big 23-2 run to close out the game. This is the second game in a row the Raptors got themselves into a big mess, but unlike the Bulls-game, the Raptors made key defensive stops late in the 4th that broke the Clippers’ back.

This was a game of runs and an entertaining one at that. It started with the both teams matching each other basket for basket. Bargnani was attacking Kaman off the dribble early, blowing by him from the perimeter and finishing at the rim. Kaman returned the favour in kind with some big play in the post, scoring 9pts and grabbing 2rebs (1 offensive), even dropping a ridiculous duck-under move that got me out of my seat (I love watching fancy post-play). A couple fadeaways to boot and Kaman was looking as refined as ever, despite having a “virus”.

That’s when it happened; the Clippers turned it on; with the game 15-13 Clips, Baron Davis stepped up, and started to attack. He hit Rasual Butler, who was curling off a screen, with a pass for an open J. Davis slashed to the rim and Camby hit him with a pass for the layup. He drew the double on a penetration and kicked out to DeAndre Jordan and boom, 8-0 Clippers run pushes their lead to 23-13. Raptor timeout.

The timeout didn’t help as the Clippers went on another run with Davis and Camby playing off of each other, pacing an 11-2 run to end the first quarter leading the Raps 34-17. Hedo was obviously hurting, wincing every time he took a breath, Bosh was attacking, but couldn’t hit any of his shots as the lengthier Camby was obviously bothering him. Calderon was doing okay, but Davis was playing like a Top-5 point guard (7pts 5ast). DeRozan was feeling the pressure to preform in front of his family/friends and it showed with a turnover and a horrible looking airball.

The quarter started like the first one ended, with Antoine Wright taking a stupid shot. For some reason, I still like the dude a lot, just wish he would never shoot another jumper again, ever. Kaman and a guy named Craig Smith and Steve Novak pushed the lead to 22 by attacking the paint and hitting wide open 3s, but things were a bit different this time. Our bench was really giving the Clippers some problems. Amir Johnson was more then a handful for Kaman in the paint; Belinelli was running around like a vulture looking for the right time to strike, and he struck with timely jumpers that kept this game from getting out of hand. All his shots felt like daggers and he’s got the facial expression which lets you know it.

Bosh entered the game 4 minutes in and went to work. With Camby on the bench, he hit a beauty of a half-hook over Smith, grabbed rebounds, and went to the line. He teamed up with Amir Johnson to literally take control of the paint on both ends. The two were boxing out and pulling down rebounds, attacking the offensive glass, drawing doubles that opened up some space for Belinelli who hit his dagger jumpers.

Belinelli and Johnson’s energy off the bench was the game changer. With Hedo hurt and Bargnani absolutely invisible, these too provided the inside/outside punch to disrupt the sweet spot the Clippers got into. Kaman had no answer for Johnson’s tenacity on the boards. He may have blocked him once or twice but Johnson didn’t care. The Raptors were +12 in the paint in the 2nd, and cut the lead to 54-45 at the half. Getting back to Amir for a second; our boy is fierce, and having him line up along side Bosh is a combination I want to see Triano play more often (as opposed to say Calderon and Jack teamed up in the backcourt which gets more burn for some reason).

The 3rd quarter started the like the 2nd ended, with the Raptors attacking. Bosh and Bargnani got the ball rolling, but it was spearheaded by Calderon who had 9pts and 3ast. Baron Davis had no answers as JC drove, dished and dissected the Clippers. The earlier abuse Calderon took was now being reversed towards the Baron. The Raptors started the quarter on a 6-1 run; then a 9-2 run to take their first lead at 65-64. In fact, it was bucket for bucket until the 4:26 mark of the 4th, with the Clippers up 89-88, and the Raptors fielding the lineup of Calderon/Belinelli/Wright/Bosh/Bargnani:

• Bargnani trails the play and hits a DEEP three point; 91-89 Raptors
• Calderon blocks Telfair on the 3pt (greatest defensive play of his career) after a great 24 seconds of team defense
• Wright draws a foul on the drive and hits both from the line, 93-89 Raps
• Bosh/Bargnani force Kaman to take a bad shot
• Calderon hands off the ball to Belinelli for an acrobatic 3, 96-89 Raps
• Bosh/Bargnani collapse on Kaman in the paint, forcing him to airball from 3ft
• Bargnani trails the play, and Calderon finds him for another deep three, 99-89 Raps
• Davis is pressure on the drive by a rotating Bargnani, misses the layup
• Calderon quickly pushes the ball and hits a layup, 101-89 Raps
• Davis misses from 28ft
• Bosh draws the double and kicks out to an open Jose for a trey, 104-89

Unlike the Bulls game, where the Raptors capitalized on poor Bulls shooting from the perimeter to win the game; the Raptors played great team defense, communicating and rotating like they’ve been here before. Then pushing back after the defensive stand to capitalize on a Clippers team that was playing on their heels.

The Four Factors to Winning



Shooting the Ball
The Raptors took and hit good shots. They attacked the paint, found the open shooter when bigs got doubled, but stuck shot after shot.
Raptors – 56.8%
Clippers – 50%

Taking Care of the Ball
86 possessions, 28 assists and only 9 turnovers. ‘Nuf said.
Raptors – 10.4%
Clippers -17.4%

Offensive Rebounding
The Clippers front court are big boys. Between the Raptors good shooting, and the length and size of Camby/Kaman, there wasn’t much for Bosh/Johnson to grab. Kaman was an animal on the offensive glass, and really had his way with Bargnani.
Raptors – 25%
Clippers – 31.5%

Getting to the Free Throw Line
No surprise that with the attacking nature of the Clippers, and the jump shooting nature of the Raptors, the Clippers had double the FT rate. It should be noted that Bosh went to the line more then the rest of the Raptors combined (8-7).
Raptors – 18.7%
Clippers - 38.5%

Player Impact



Belinelli was driving the bus, but it was the MVP calibre play of Bosh that made the difference. After a slow start, Bosh dropped 21pts 14rebs 6ast, that’s ridiculous. Check the live blog to get the feel for the game.

]]> http://www.raptorsrepublic.com/2009/11/14/raptors-go-hard-beat-the-clippers-104-89/feed/ 45 http://www.raptorsrepublic.com/2008/07/16/roko-ukic-sale-and-some-potpourri/ http://www.raptorsrepublic.com/2008/07/16/roko-ukic-sale-and-some-potpourri/#comments Wed, 16 Jul 2008 04:17:07 +0000 Arsenalist http://arsenalist.wordpress.com/?p=961 ...Continue Reading]]> Danilo Gallinari’s play in the second half against the Cavs’ summer league team was very impressive. He played aggressively and with confidence, he mixed it up by shooting the three, going inside and displayed a tight mid-range game. Along with that he showed he had the handles to actually take slower defenders off the dribble by going either way. In short, it was a performance that might make skeptical Knick fans believers. He looked far more fluid than Andrea Bargnani and was a threat to do multiple things, not settle on one. Then again it was only one game. This kid might be a player.

During the broadcast of the Knicks/Sixers game Quentin Richardson was asked what he thought of the moves around the league including Elton Brand’s, he generally gave praise until they brought up the Jermaine O’Neal trade. Awkward silence ensued. That trade was “weird to me” said Quentin because it entirely changes the Raptors’ makeup and style of play. He’s got a point, we’ve gone from being a somewhat quick breaking team to an entirely half-court one with the addition of the big-man O’Neal and the loss of speed-merchant TJ Ford. The Raptors used to win games by having 5 guys in double digits and racking up the assist totals but next year the formula for success will be different – vastly different. You’d expect the points to be less spread out across the box score, a shorter rotation and more emphasis on post-ups and interior ball movement than ever before. The way Colangelo envisions the Raptors next year might be a complete 180 from his first two years! Call it a change of philosophy or a return to common sense but I like the direction. The execution is an altogether entirely different matter.

Barcelona have sold Roko Ukic to the Raptors for $650,000. This figure does not count against the salary cap, it’s just the transfer fee.

A bit surprised to see Marcus Camby traded to the Clippers for just a second round pick. Obviously the primary reason to make the deal for Denver is to shed nearly 16 million dollars in salary over two years. From the Raptors perspective you have to step back and say, hmmm..we could’ve gotten him here to solve the rebounding and defense issues and traded TJ Ford to satisfy the SF need. Hmmm…wouldn’t that have been something, eh? Either way, it looks more and more like Josh Smith isn’t going anywhere.

Nathan Jawai’s reminds us that he’s only been playing basketball for five years and still getting adjusted to the NBA style of play. He’s realizing the difference in talent and athleticisim between the leagues which is obvious but he also points out a key difference between the Australian league and NBA – no defensive three-in-the-key. Combine this defensive issue with the fact that he can’t simply tower over smaller players and get his on offense and it speaks of an uphill struggle to get in the NBA. He does have the right attitude so he might have a chance. A chance. If you didn’t catch the Denver game, there are highlights.

There’s no indication that the Raptors are remotely interested in Carlos Delfino unless he signs an offersheet for a ridiculously low amount which the Raptors could match because of them extending a qualifying offer to Delfino. It’s likely that Delfino’s next destination is somewhere in Europe, probably Russia. You have to think that Hassan Adams is essentially the replacement for Delfino which means that one of our most glaring weaknesses coming into the offseason remains unaddressed. The sad part about this situation is that aside from swings like Josh Childress and Ron Artest who aren’t coming here, there’s not much Colangelo can do. Realistically and salary-cap wise speaking, we can’t acquire someone like Gerald Wallace or Josh Howard or anyone who’s in the upper-echelon of NBA swings so we have to look at tier-two options like Andres Nocioni or Gordon Giricek. But hearing Colangelo speak, his main target for the rest of the summer is a combo-guard on the cheap and a player that I’ve always liked is Quentin Ross of the Clippers.

Some absolutely shocking news – Canada released Samuel Dalembert after their stunning victory over Korea, Leo says:

“Without going into too much detail, it’s a situation that we decided to move forward with the players who have the passion and desire to play for Canada. It’s disappointing for sure, but I think you have to have players who are a 100% committed to it. If not, it’s not going to happen for us.”

Leo Rautins showing some big time balls by kicking out a legit NBAer out of a roster that’s lacking any.

Michael Grange had some brief but key points about Canada’s loss to Slovenia. NBA Live ’09 is around the corner, check out the screen caps – very sweet.

Next Raptors summer league action is against the Sixers on Thursday. Approximately 110 days till the season starts. Later.

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