Raptors 121 – Suns 100 – Boxscore
Sorry to dissapoint, but WordPress crapped out on me while I was in the midst of publishing this article and I lost pretty much everything, so I’ll just make a few points, and post my game notes:

• Weems and DeRozan shoot the ball too much, a combined 12-36. Take them out, and the team shoots 35-64 56.2% from the field
• Bargnani is back offensively; it was just a matter of when, not if. What concerned me with this game was that he started out so hot, but everyone looked away from him in the 1st quarter. Triano/Calderon/Jack need to identify who the hot scorer is, and keep feeding him the ball
• If Reggie Evans is going to be starting at power forward, which I’m against, Barbosa should probably also start since the offense has the potential to get into a one-pass-shoot mode since Evans doesn’t even come close to demanding a double team in the post. I was impressed he didn’t force anything on offense, and just took what was due to him (no need for him to shoot the ball more than a couple times a game). I will be lowering the volume on my negative rhetoric on Evans, he is actually playing well
• Jarrett Jack is clearly the starter on this team. Calderon doesn’t seem to thrive in the type of offense Triano wants to run, which was evident in the 2nd quarter when the Raptors began their run with Calderon sitting on the bench
• The biggest weakness in the Raptors defensive schemes is transition defense. In the 1st quarter, the Suns ran back every chance they got and had something like 12 fast break points in the quarter. The Raptors tightened up a bit through the course of the game, but it was always lingering
• I really have no read on the Raptors. They absolutely own the Suns (who I might be over-valuing based on their reputation), but turn in piss-poor performances against the Celtics and Bulls where they weren’t rebounding or playing the same level of intensity as the Suns games
• Ronald Dupree sucks; the guy has been building a house the last five games
• For those who are counting, that’s 72 points that Raptors have beaten the Suns by over two pre-season games

Game Notes

1st Quarter
- Evans starting again (talk about his impact on the starting unit from the tip – he’s playing pretty good the last two games, might need to start Barbosa if he starts so scoring doesn’t grind to a halt since he doesn’t command much defensive scrutiny? find another word)
- Bargnani hits his first jumper off the dribble
- Kleiza turns it over under the rim, Grant Hill hits a layup on the break back
- Bargnani forces a shot on the baseline, Nash finishes layup on the break back
- Richardson goes coast to coast and lays it up easy, zero defense, sickening
- Raptors stopped looking for Bargnani really quick, Evans getting more touches
- Nash is just picking the Raptors defense apart off the pick-n-roll
- DeRozan curls off the screen nicely, but misses, Suns run it back down thee Raptors throats
- Bargnani didn’t help Nash on the pick-n-roll, leaving Nash wide open to hit a jumper
- The Suns are shooting 7-9 from the field; chalk that up to zero defensive pressure, bad rotations, and a generally crappy Raptors team
- Raptors trying to get into an up and down game with the Suns, not a good decision
- Bargnani playing big in the post
- DeRozan gets into the pain, and draws contact. at least he’s playing aggressive
- Weems take another bad shot, Nash runs it back and finds Childress for an easy layup
- DeRozan grabs his own missed shot.
- Weems forces another bad shot, almost ends up in a layup on the break > finally hits a long jumper on the next possession

2nd Quarter
- Amir puts back a missed Barbosa layup
- Sonny fumbles the ball out of bounds, fml
- Kleiza gets in the post and hit s a turn around hook
- Weems turns the ball over again
- Raptors only scoring off of one on one play, no ball rotation, no sharing, nothing
- Suns run back the made Jack layup for a layup
- Kleiza answers with a three, cust lead to 6
- Dragic runs it back for a layup
- Weems penetrates and kicks to an open jack for three
- Barbosa recovers Jack’s bad pass, and finds Johnson under the rim for a dunk
- Jack gets caught in the pain and turns it over
- Bargnani and Caldeorn return to the game, and the defense falls apart rapidly (4min mark or so)
- Evans strips Clark sending Barbosa on the break who hits the layup
- Weems with another bad shot, but Amir is under the rim to clean up his mess
- Calderon hits a LONG two with his foot on the line in transition
- DeRozan gets the ball to Amir on the break for a ridiculous dunk
- Raptors play aggressively in the 2nd quarter cutting the lead to 2 with some aggressive play from the bench. Jack and Amir need more playing time

> terrible transition defense, suns running everything back at the raptors in the 1st quarter to build a large lead
> bargnani got going early, but raptors didn’t look for him enough when he was hot
> calderon just garbage, jack needs more playing time
> end the 3rd quarter on a big run

3rd Quarter
- DeRozan continuing to get into the lane, hits floater after taking the contact
- Evans finds Kleiza in the paint for a jumper
- DeRozan loses J-Rich who sticks a three
- Andrea answers with a three
- Calderon starts the break off of Nash turnover, finds Kleiza who hits a three and gives the Raptors a 1 point lead
- Turk hits a three, smiles, lol
- DeRozan with a long two
- Kleiza misses the layup, grabs the loose ball and dunks it, Raps up 5
- DeRozan forces a travel on Lopez (great defensive rotation)
- Nash with a rainbow jumper
- Calderon answers with a jumper
- Barbosa to the rim, Bargnani with a tip (and miss), Johnson with the tip in
- Jack with a steal on Warrick out of the timeout, draws foul and hits both from line, 8pt raptor game
- Jack steals the ball from Dragic, finds Amir in transition for a layup +1 (3 point play)
- Reggie Evans takes Frye off the dribble, apocalypse now
- Amir plays great defense on Warrick, played with feet and not hands (needs more of that to avoid foul trouble)

> Raptors come out from the half with focus and effort, Reggie Evans leading
> 29-14 run from the end of the 2nd quarter into the 3rd quarter
> good things happen when Barbosa gets to the rim, opens space for Amir/Bargs to get in for offensive rebounding
> Amir a beast on the offensive boards

4th Quarter
- Reggie and Amir are all over the place (offensive boards, loose balls)
- Kleiza gets loose under the rim, Jack finds him for a layup +1 (hits it)
- Jack’s jumper from 15ft looks great
- Kleiza curls beautifully off that the sreen for a sweet J #raptors
- the game played out like the first 3 quarters; bench didn’t let up

> maintaining energy levels from the 3rd quarter, Amir and Evans are huge in leading that charge
> 4th quarter was the same as the 3rd, Raptors maintained their energy, aggressiveness and effort and maintained
> give kudos to the bench for not letting up in the 4th; bang up job

Bulls up on Wednesday.

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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.

The Spurs are 2-3 so far this season, with both wins coming at home to lesser teams: New Orleans and Sacramento. The story tonight is that Tony Parker will be out with a sprained ankle. He is only expected to miss a week, but he is the cog that powers the Spurs engine. We talked about it in the podcast that should be going up at some point today, but looking at the next four games (Spurs, Bulls, Clippers and Suns) we could go 3-1. I realize this is seriously optimistic, but the one thing the Raptors have done very well this season is take advantage when their opponents have shown any weakness.

Match-ups

The Point: With Calderon returning, albeit slowly, to form the last two games, and Jack leading the 2nd unit, we look good in this match-up. The combination of Roger Mason Jr. and George Hill doesn’t really strick fear into my heart. Mason has carved out a nice niche for himself, but he’s a spot up shooter, who doesn’t have the ability to break down defenses off the dribble. Don’t know much about Hill, but I am guessing there isn’t much there, not saying he sucks, but that Jack should be able to handle him.
The Edge: Raptors

The Skill: DeRozan is coming off his worst game as a Raptor, so is Belinelli. Big time gut check for our rook, as he comes face-to-face with one of the best in the game: Ginobili. For the last couple seasons, Manu has come off the bench, but plays starter minutes. Wright should split time at 2 and 3, helping on the defensive end, but since he wont be playing the whole game, Ginobili is primed to go off.
The Edge: Spurs

The Swingman: Turkoglu is also coming off his worst showing of the season, and should be good to make up for it. The pick-n-roll with Bosh will be crucial, as the Spurs always fight through them, and rarely switch, giving Hedo a bit of space to operate. This is where things start to get interesting. The Spurs went out and got Jefferson for close to nothing. Jefferson, as we all know, is a Raptor killer. Every-time he has played us over the last few years, he has come up big when it mattered. He has started the season slow, but dropped 19 in a losing effort to the Blazers on Friday, in fact, he had the most impact during the game (check the player impact chart).
The Edge: Even

The Big: This is where match-ups become interesting. The Spurs are rotating Duncan/Bonner/McDyess/Blair in at the 4/5. For the most part, Bonner is getting the nod at 4, which means Bosh is licking his chops. I like Bonner, always have, but he has a long night in store. Between covering Bosh in the paint, and Bargnani on the perimeter, my guess is that his minutes will be limited. If McDyess isn’t injured, he will be getting the bulk of the minutes at the other forward position. If he is, Bonner and Blair will be splitting time. Regardless, I like Chris in this match-up. Our boy is putting up MVP calibre numbers to start the year, with most of his damage coming in the paint.
The Edge: Raptors

The Strong: Bargnani is the reason that Duncan will not be covering Bosh, IMHO. Bonner/McDyess/Blair can’t be on the perimeter  chasing VL around. I mean, Bonner could, but he wont do a good job; McDyess plays better post defense; and Blair is a rookie who will make rookie mistakes. Bargnani hasn’t really played poorly so far this season. Our boy needs touches, and in an effort to keep Duncan on his heels, will have plenty this game. Duncan needs to be attacked from the opening tip, which is easier said then done.
The Edge: Raptors (sorry, I had put Spurs, but meant to put Raptors here)

Keys to Winning

• Attack Duncan off the dribble. His knee is suspect
• Calderon/Jack need to push the ball at all times, the Spurs point situation is more suspect then Duncan’s knees
• Don’t be afraid to play Wright more at the 2 if DeRozan is getting lit up by Manu
• Rebound the hell out of the ball. Portland grabbed 48 to the Spurs 37 on Friday, they are vulnerable here

Injury Report

Raptors
Reggie Evans
Spurs
Tony Parker
Antonio McDyess (playing hurt)

The Line

The Spurs are -6.5 favourites with an over/under of 202.5

Prediction

The Raptors need to take advantage of Parker’s injury, but it wont be easy. This is a veteran, battle tested team that wont let up. I said in the podcast that this is the type of game the Raptors can win, and they could easily be 3-1 this week, but I don’t think it will happen: Spurs by 8 (I’m 2-2 with predictions so far).

I know it's just preseason but they should have gone out and won this one seeing as it's the last game!!! I'm pretty sure this game mattered to everyone on the team…& Doc might be right maybe there is something just not right about this team…

Timberwolves regroup in the third to beat Toronto 98-90 – NBA – Yahoo! Sports

"We got hesitant and had too many turnovers in the second half," Toronto coach Jay Triano said. "You've got to take care of the ball."

Chris Bosh Ends Preseason Ready To Go – Brothersteve’s Green & Red Raptor Blog

Fortunately these preseason scrimmages have accomplished one thing, Chris Bosh is officially ready to start playing for real. Bosh played over 36 minutes for the first time this preseason and as importantly, Bosh played over 16 minutes in the second half and was on the floor for the final 7:05. And Bosh played big with 27 points, 14 rebounds, and three blocked shots.

Doug Smith’s Toronto Raptors blog

The three-point inefficiency was troubling last night ? one of the two three-pointers was a heave from about 35 feet by Jack to beat the third quarter buzzer so it was a fluke ? and it?s been a bit of a bubbling issue all camp.

Breaking Down a Box Score – Part-II – Raptors HQ

The Raps played their last preseason game in Sioux Falls, SD and by the looks of things it wasn't pretty. The Raps, whose starters (save for Hedo Turkoglu who twisted his right ankle) played heavy minutes, lost to an undermanned and less talented Minnesota Timberwolves squad missing K Love and Al Jeff.

Timberwolves regroup for pre-season win over Raptors

The Minnesota Timberwolves used a burst of second-half energy to take over a 98-90 pre-season win against the Toronto Raptors on Friday night. Minnesota (3-5) fell behind by 14 points early, only to regroup in its third game in four nights for its second win in as many nights. "I felt like we were a little lackadaisical the first half, but I knew if we run our stuff and brought some energy we could get a win. That's what we have to do," said Corey Brewer, who had 15 points and eight rebounds for the Timberwolves.

T’wolves take down Raps in pre-season finale – sportsnet.ca

An 11-2 run pushed the Timberwolves to an 11-point lead in the third quarter. The surge came with Toronto's leading pre-season scorer, Andrea Bergnani (13.0) on the bench after getting his fourth foul less than 2 minutes into the period and didn't return until the fourth. Bosh took over, scoring nine of Toronto's 16 points in the quarter. Flynn scored on a drive and Brewer had a three-point play on a breakaway with about five minutes to play to put the Timberwolves in control. DeMar DeRozan's drive with 5:47 remaining gave Toronto its largest lead of the first half, 38-30. Flynn scored six of Minnesota's final eight points to pull the Timberwolves within 46-44 at halftime.

Flynn, Brewer lead Timberwolves past Toronto – NBA – Yahoo! Sports

The Minnesota Timberwolves used a burst of second-half energy to take over a 98-90 preseason win against the Toronto Raptors on Friday night. Minnesota (3-5) fell behind by 14 points early, only to regroup in its third game in four nights for its second win in as many nights. I felt like we were a little lackadaisical the first half, but I knew if we run our stuff and brought some energy we could get a win. That?s what we have to do,? said Corey Brewer(notes), who had 15 points and eight rebounds for the Timberwolves.

Playing the numbers game – The Globe and Mail

Having spent most of his working life in the NBA, Toronto Raptors president Bryan Colangelo believes putting a team together is more black art than science. “I always say there?s a gut you have to listen to,? he said. ?It?s your gut instinct on draft picks, on trades, on who might play and give you a chance to win that night.” But hey, there’s nothing wrong with getting a second opinion. Which is why this week the Raptors listened to a presentation by an unidentified consulting firm on everything from what spot on the floor yields the lowest points per shot in coach Jay Triano’s defensive schemes to the NBA player that best blocks shots and gains possession for his team. (It’s the Los Angeles Lakers: Pau Gasol, by the way.)

PREVIEW: Plenty of new star power among top three teams in East

The Toronto Raptors landed Turkoglu, signed combo guard Jarrett Jack and drafted guard DeMar DeRozan, hoping a playoff berth will convince impending free agent Chris Bosh to stick around. The Philadelphia 76ers also have a new coach in Eddie Jordan. They hope Elton Brand can remain healthy and Lou Williams can replace the departed Andre Miller at point guard. The Detroit Pistons and Miami Heat reached the playoffs last season but may have trouble getting back. The Pistons may have done too much, hiring rookie coach John Kuester and signing Gordon and Charlie Villanueva. The Heat may not have done enough, adding little around impending free agent Dwyane Wade. The Charlotte Bobcats need a star who commands a double-team. The Indiana Pacers have an All-Star in Danny Granger but a weak backcourt. And the Milwaukee Bucks need a cleanup crew after an off-season fire sale that saw Villanueva, Richard Jefferson and Ramon Sessions exit.

The Canadian Press: Ten players to keep an eye on during the new NBA season

Andrea Bargnani, Toronto Raptors – The Italian centre's confidence soared under the guidance of coach Jay Triano last season, and he finally showed signs of why the Raptors took him with the No. 1 pick in the 2006 draft. Armed with a lucrative contract extension, the seven-footer appears poised for a strong season.

Raptors 90, Timberwolves 98 – Box Score

Raptors 90, Timberwolves 98 – Box Score

Bill Simmons’ NBA season preview and 33 most intriguing NBA people – ESPN

18. Hedo Turkoglu
New team, different offense, overpaid, can't be hidden as well on defense because he doesn't have a shot-blocker behind him, signs of decline last season, high expectations, bad karma from boning over the Blazers after a verbal agreement, the day-to-day frazzles of living in a Canadian city ? my s— detector is going off. Sorry, Raptor Truthers. I always trust the s— detector. Just last week, it went off even as Balloon Boy's balloon was still floating through Colorado. Never fails me. I predict a surprisingly disappointing first season for him. And maybe even a goofy injury like plantar fasciities or a partially torn hip labrum. Always gotta trust the s— detector.

Eric Smith on POB’s Tweet idea

One man (amongst many — including me) that's been swept up by the momentum of Twitter is Raptors center Patrick O’Bryant. But his story just got a little more interesting in the past week…

More questions than answers for Raptors – sportsnet.ca

But the picture could get fuzzy over the coming months as Bosh heads into a season of uncertainty and the Raptors may be seeing the last of their team captain and poster boy. The six-year veteran appears poised to join an illustrious free agent group this coming off-season that could include LeBron James and Dwyane Wade. Questions about the fate of the Raptors' franchise player are sure to swirl around the team as it tries to bounce back from a dismal 2008-09 season — and just how well it can do that will go a long way in determining what jersey Bosh will be wearing come this time next year.

Pardon the lame title, but I couldn’t help myself. Reading through Blake’s latest and greatest, he hit the nail on the head: we don’t need DeRozan to be a superstar this coming season. Don’t get me wrong, that would be nice if he came through like VC did in his rookie year and drop 20 a night, but we have enough scorers on this team that D-Squared doesn’t have to kill it from game 1. Enter Antoine Wright, one of the pieces we got in the Hedo trade.

He instantly steps into the starting shooting guard role for the Raptors. He may not log 30+ minutes a night (never played more then 24 a night), but he is one of two players we have at the shooting guard who will be expected to pick up where Anthony Parker left off (I have zero expectations of Douby…big donut). What do we really know about the kid though? I turned to a couple TrueHoop brothers in hopes of getting a bloggers opinion of Antoine…

Sebastian Pruiti (@NetsRScorching) of Nets are Scorching:

Antoine Wright came into New Jersey with some big expectations. As the #15 pick overall, he was a billed as a “do it all player” but he never really performed up to expectations as a Net. A great swingman over at Texas A&M, Wright had (and still has) the size and the athleticism to play either the two or the three spot. He makes enough threes that it is a threat, but he can put the ball on the floor as well.

In my opinion, Antoine’s biggest problem in New Jersey was the fact that he was playing behind two great players in Richard Jefferson and Vince Carter. The fact that he came in with real high expectations didn’t help the situation. Wright was only on the court 9.5 MPG his rookie season, and when he was out there he didn’t play well at all. Personally, I think this hurt him a lot mentally, and it seemed like he checked out from that season forward. Even as he saw his minutes rise each year as a Net, he never really had a breakout game/season during his time here. With that brought a lot of boos and a lot of animosity. So when the Nets traded him, I wasn’t completely surprised. I didn’t really follow him during his time in Dallas, but looking at his numbers, it seems that his play was similar to how he was playing when he left NJ. Meaning he is improving slightly, but not enough to warrant a significant rise in minutes.

Sorry to paint such a bleak picture, but it would be foolish not to describe his time in NJ as a failure. It isn’t all bad though, he is still very young (turning 25 some time next year), and I think going to a team where he wasn’t the 15th pick or a part of the Devin Harris trade will really help. Plus, the skills are all there, he just has to put it all together, and it isn’t like he is getting worse, he is in fact improving (His FT%, 3PT%, and Scoring has gone up every year in the league except one). It is just not at the rate you would expect a lottery pick to. I thought it would take a year or two for him to develop into a serviceable 6th man, but it just didn’t happen. Realistically that is the best that Raptor fans can hope for out of him next year. Unless he starts the year playing out of his mind, he will be a guy you can put in to create a size mismatch or to hit a three or two. That is about it.

Err…ok, he had high expectations getting drafted by Jersey and didn’t get comfortable playing behind VC and RJ. Maybe his time in Dallas will be more positive….

Rob Mahoney (@RobMahoney) of The Two Man Game:

Mark my words: Antoine Wright will be relatively unloved and under-appreciated. Some will be eager to criticize his merely average shooting stroke, but Wright works hard on both ends and is improving as a scorer. That’s not necessarily ideal for a starting shooting guard (he was the de jure starter for the Mavs last season, although Jason Terry logged a majority of the minutes), but it can make Wright enticing as a rotation player.

I think the key with Wright is understanding his limits. Don’t expect a high-volume scorer, don’t expect an impressive arsenal, and don’t expect Bruce Bowen. Wright will be an interesting contrast with an athletic, instinctive scorer like DeMar DeRozan, but it’s important that Wright be viewed with that lens; Wright’s not a replacement or substitute for DeRozan, but a different look with less of an innate feel for the game. Antoine’s athleticism is decidedly average by NBA standards, but rather than fall by the wayside as so many similar players have, Wright may have carved out a niche for himself with his work on the defensive end. He is by no means an elite NBA defender (try above average), but I find Antoine’s high-energy approach endearing. He stays with his man, contests shots, and generally works in the “doing the little things” mold to contribute in the most subtle of ways. Admittedly, Wright’s not always super-effective in that regard, but his defensive efforts and expanding offensive game do give him some value on the floor.

Wright is a markedly better spot-up shooter than he was when he first came to Dallas, and he’s also shown to be a decent slasher. But Wright’s still shaping his own offensive abilities, and for better or worse he is both evolving and malleable. Or offensively raw and currently unspectacular. Y’know, depending on which side of the bed you woke up on this morning.

Sound like anyone we know? Cough…Joey Graham…Cough… Actually, Wright was drafted one spot ahead of Joey in 2005.  Fortunately for us, this is where comparisons with Graham end. Where Joey was a physically gifted player with all the tools (except a brain/motivation) to excel at the NBA level, Wright is an energy guy who has created a niche for himself with his defensive ability and spot up shooting.

I would venture that expectations are much lower for Wright then in years past for a couple reasons:

• He was a throw in on the Turkoglu trade
• We drafted a promising young’n at the shooting guard position who we all know will be the starting SG by mid-year and the SG of the future
• He is not expected to put up copious amounts of points on the board (we have enough scoring)
• Toronto fans appreciate energy players who play tough defense, and since Humphries and Pops are gone…

What does concern me is productivity:

PER:
Parker – 12.16
Wright – 8.63

Production per 36min:

It’s not necessarily the points that concerns me, he is improving in that department, but the kid is 6″7 and grabs 2.4 rebounds per 36minutes. Considering he wont be playing more then 24mins, he will be contributing about 1.6rebs/game. For a team that struggles to rebound, this is not good news. Considering Calderon only grabs about 3 per 36mins, we can expect our starting backcourt to grab just 4.6rebs/game. What compounds that is that Bargnani wont be grabbing much more (6.1), so we have 3 positions on the floor that contribute about 10.5rebs/game. Add in Bosh and Turkoglu (5.2) and Bosh (9.5), and our starters grab 25.2rebs/game. Looks like we will be struggling to grab boards again…that’s another article.

Back to Antoine; he is 9 years younger and 1-inch taller then Parker. If he can play lock-downish defense on the perimeter, grab some boards, knock down the occasional three/jumper and take it to the rack whenever a lane opens up … that is all we can hope for. If he can avoid the mistakes Moon made, and swing the ball on the perimeter and not grin idiotically and incessantly, he will be fine. Not asking for great, just don’t want to see bad.

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With the next four games (after tonight’s) against the elite of the league, the time is now for the Raptors to win their 4th game in a row for the first time this season. The Bucks are clinging onto the 8th spot for dear life now that Redd is lost for the season with a torn ACL. A big game with playoff implications as the Raptors can come with a game of the 8th spot with a win tonight.

The Bucks are 4-6 in their last 10, and currently on a two game losing streak dropping Wednesdays game against the pacers 107-99 off the heels of a monstrous game by TJ Ford (34 points). Unfortunately for the Bucks, again, both Luke Ridnour and Andrew Bogut are expected to miss tonight’s game with injuries. Tough to lose three starters, be on the road and facing a team that is starting to feel good about themselves after stringing together three wins in a row.

Redd dropped 34 on the Raptors last time out, and those shots/points need to go somewhere. Look for Jefferson, Villanueva and Sessions/Bell to be leading the charge. Frankly, Jefferson scares me. The guy has been a Raptor killer for years now, and will be  looking for redemption from the last time they played the Raptors. Even though the Bucks took the game, RJ contributed 6 points; we can expect Raptor killa RJ tonight, the one who dropped 19 on Indiana, so Moon beware, no falling asleep or going for the pump fakes, otherwise you will be sharing vegemite/grits recipes with Jawai while Graham takes your place.

It just dawned on me, we essentially traded Villanueva for O’Neal (no need to get too technical, they were the principals of all the deals). It hurt me then, and it hurts me now. Although Villanueva plays defense like the girls at rail when AltRaps walks in (when they find out he has no money in his pocket), the kid can score and he hits the glass. He is a career 15pt 7reb player against the Raptors, so I know I’m not alone sighing when he nails a three, or glides through the paint with relative ease.

Hola!

An important game for Barney, as we get to see what VL is made off coming off that abysmal game against the Nets; 8pts 1reb 1ast. I normally would be very skeptical, but I truly believe he has turned the corner and will respond in kind. That, and the Bucks really have no nobody that can pose VL any sort of problem. With Bogut expected to miss tonight’s game, VL wont be matched up with anyone who can hurt him on the defensive end. Sure Gadzuric, Allen and Elson are big dudes, but come on, even by committee they don’t add up to a single serving of VL.

Unsurprisingly, Bosh was named to the All-Star game as a reserve. Toss up on whether he should be a starter with how well KG and the Celtics are doing, but will have his time shortly. This will mark the fourth time he will be representing the Raps at the mid-season yawn-athon. Not to be a buzz kill, being an All-Star in this league is tainted when you put the decision of who should be starting in the fans hands. Don’t get me wrong, I’d rather see Iverson playing then say…Jameer Nelson, but is Iverson still an All-Star?

Something that has been concerning me of late is his rebounding. In the last three games, he has grabbed only 19 boards for a 6.3 clip per game. That’s about 3.4 less then his season average (almost a third). He really needs to make a commitment to rebounding tonight, the points will come, but rebounding has to improve.

Err, to the right is Kayla. You don’t know how hard it was to the pic the Bucks best cheerleader (they are known as the Energee dance pak), bunch of butter-faces (everything but her face). What do you expect from a team that is owned by a US Senator, and is in the mid-west? Kayla is the best of the lot.

The Injury Report

Toronto
Kris Humphries

Milwaukee
Michael Redd
Andrew Bogut – questionable
Luke Ridnour – questionable

The Match-Ups

Calderon vs Sessions
The Edge: Calderon - This is contingent on whether Ridnour plays, but even then, JC gets the nod. Sessions is a pretty good defender, so JC wont be getting many cheap baskets. Look for the high pick n roll, if you don’t know what that is, just watch, every time the Raptors will be offense, they will go to the pick n roll tonight…

Parker vs Bell
The Edge: Parker – Bell was a thorn in our side the last two times out, but he is far more effective coming off the bench as a spark then as a starter, IMHO. He can hit open jumpers, unfortunately for him, there isn’t anyone Parker needs to double, so he will be all up in Bell’s grill. I think this will be a match-up to keep your eye on.

Moon vs Jefferson (Updated, thanks yertu)
The Edge: Jefferson - Pump fake city! If Moon can minimize his going after a pump-fake to about once a quarter, and keep RJ out of the paint, and stay at home regardless of what happens (no need to double anyone since Redd, Ridnour and Bogut are out), then RJ will have to fight for every point he scores. On the offensive end, Moon needs to make RJ work by cutting through the paint and running around the perimeter, no plays off.

Bosh vs Villanueva
The Edge: Bosh - CV is gonna have a huge game, I can feel it, but Bosh will prevail. He just got the All-Star nod, so adrenaline is pumping, andwill pace Charlie’s offense, and out-pace his rebounding and defense.

Bargnani vs Gadzuric
The Edge: VL - Statement game for VL. I get the sense that this will be a committee job for the Bucks defending VL. Fortunately, they don’t have anyone to throw at Barney that will bother him too much. 21/8 tonight, book it.

The Line

No line was posted at the time of publishing, but I’ll give a spread of -5.5, Raptors

The Prediction

Raptors by 5, could get ugly for the Bucks if Bargnani gets off early.

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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.

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Let’s look at his stats for a second. He’s a career 17 PPG scorer (24.5 this year) and has always shot the ball well at 47.6% for his career and is also a good FT shooter (77.8%). He’s rebounding at a 5.5 clip and although he’s not a exactly a distributor at 3 APG he’s got the vision to find the open man when need be. In NJ Jason Kidd exclusive handles the ball and doesn’t leave many assists for his brethren. Finally, the man has an average salary of 13.5M with the contract expiring in 2010/11. As a bonus the man gets to the FT line better than most at his position. Not an unreasonable one by any standard. He’s currently in the prime of his NBA career and will be there for the next few years. New Jersey’s shown some signs that they’re willing to blow it all up and if the Raptors have the ability they should at least offer an ear or even insist upon it.

RJ would play an effective small forward in Sam Mitchell’s system of not having a system. He would thrive in an environment where he can go one-on-one to the rim anytime he wants and can feed off the inside presence of Chris Bosh. If you look at the Raptors right now, off a drive ‘n kick we almost exclusive shoot the jumper. Just ask AP, Kapono, Delfino and Moon who opt for the springer about 80% of the time. Once the PG has created a shot opportunity for us on the perimeter, we generally simply take it instead of searching for a better one. A player like Jefferson who can attack the rim at will and finish with confidence and accuracy is someone that can open up our offense to the point where we don’t go through long droughts as has become our nature. Plus, he’s the kind of player that can truly create his own own shot and can move well without the ball. His slashing and finishing ability is something Bosh will appreciate. A cutter to the rim is usually missing on Bosh doubles with Humphries being the only guy who’s willing to consistently come across and accept the pass in the paint.

It’s become crystal clear that Bargnani will need at least a couple more years to realize about 70% of his potential and that has left the team in a bit of limbo. Not knowing whether to wait on him or get a real second scorer right now is a catch-22 situation, you don’t want to be a mediocre team for too long but at the same time you don’t want to tie up your cap. Jefferson’s a player who will always have good trade value barring injury because of the type of player he is and what he brings to each offensive possession, so we don’t need to worry about wasting cap space with him. Let’s face it, Jamario Moon is at best a band-aid for the starting three spot and if we have any hopes of contending (second round win), we’ll need to upgrade that spot. He’s playing way too many minutes for his talent level and we need to at least give 40% of his minutes to someone who can be an offensive threat.

Now I know what you’re thinking, why Jefferson? No particular reason, I just think that he’s a pretty damn good player who has always been under the radar (insert joke here) because of who he plays with and his personality. Players like Mickael Pietrus and Andris Biedrins might also be great fits but I chose to focus this post on a player who’s always been hated on for various reasons not even counting last year’s playoff series.

Tonight’s Game

I’m going to the game tonight against the Pistons, should be a great one and a win tonight would speak volumes. During the season you don’t get many chances to make statements but tonight is different. See, we got our ass handed to us by Boston and Detroit beat Boston in Boston so if we beat Detroit, by some weird mathematical transitivity we might be better than both Boston and Detroit, huh?

The Wallace vs. Bosh matchup should be fun to watch, ‘Sheed likes to keep it outside and when he does come inside he’s got that unblockable fade which Bosh will have trouble with. I’d say the strategy here is to keep him on the outside and live with his shooting. I get a feeling unless Sam draws up some help schemes for Calderon, Chauncey Billups might just go off. Richard Hamilton’s always played so-so against us so I’m not too worried there. The other matchup that I’m anticipating is Tayshaun Prince on Andrea Bargnani, I know they play different positions but the size and strength here are probably even and worth a look if I’m the Pistons. Oh yeah and rebounding, everybody’s got to hit the glass. Everybody. Including me.

Game recap later. If you’re in the mood to buy some nice Raptors shit, check it. Easy.