Prince killed MoonIt had to happen, it just sucks that it happened at home against a depleted Pistons team. The 3-0 start had given the team a lot of confidence heading into this one and as Jermaine O’Neal pointed out pre-game, it was an early measuring stick of where the Raptors stand relative to the Eastern conference elite. We got our answer and it turns out we got some work to do. We didn’t learn anything that we didn’t already know about the team as the only major difference between this and the first three games was that the fourth-quarter shots that were going in earlier were hitting front-rim, and as expected our offense didn’t have a Plan B. You can only ride Chris Bosh so much and for so long, at some point there needs to be a second and third scoring option. Although Calderon’s spark in the fourth quarter gave some hope, it was too late in the game to start making defensive stands for the first time all night.
I talked to Matt Devlin after and we spoke extensively about the game and what went wrong. I’ve also played the casual talk we had before the interview began just because he came off as just a very disappointed fan. Very friendly man, hopefully we can have him on again so I can grill him a little harder. In this interview he openly talks openly about the need for another wing player that can create his own shot, Jose Calderon’s emergence, O’Neal expectations, key plays tonight including Will Solomon’s mistakes and other things. This audio here is actually of good quality.
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Chris Bosh has an easy time scoring against Aamir Johnson and a difficult time scoring against Rasheed Wallace which makes it imperative for Jermaine O’Neal to stay in the game so he can matchup with Wallace so Johnson can be left at Bosh’s mercy. So when O’Neal was hampered by foul trouble in the second quarter it was only natural that Bosh, and thus the Raptors offense, slowed down. This was also the period where Tayshaun Prince started catching fire against Jamario Moon and Raptor-killer Jason Maxiell wreaked some hustle-havoc. The Raptors offense in this stretch went into a funk by becoming stagnant and resorting to 1-on-1 moves that lacked aggression or a finishing touch. The end result of the quarter was an 8 point deficit which later ballooned to 16 and against a tough Detroit defense, that lead is near insurmountable.
The player of the game was Tayshaun Prince who finished with 27/9/8 on 10-13 shooting and made a mockery of Jamario Moon’s attempt at playing defense. This was an all-night thing and there wasn’t a single Raptor who could slow him down, Prince gave Moon nightmares and even prompted Mitchell to use Bargnani on him in hopes of matching his length but the result was an embarrassing dunk off a simple fake that left Bargnani turned inside-out. We had no answer for him and since he’s good enough to pick out players who are spaced out perfectly on the floor and are always moving without the ball, our defense needed to be alert and intense for us to compete. But Jermaine O’Neal took the wrong night off and failed to ever enforce himself on the defensive end and finished with 3/3/3 – that’s 3 points, 3 turnovers and 3 rebounds. Not a good game for O’Neal who continued to miss his share of layups and mid-range jumpers which I still contend will return to him in December.
With O’Neal having a bad game and glued to the bench, the Raptors interior defense was nowhere as good as it’s been and the aggressive Pistons took full advantage. The game was lost in the paint and on the break, the Pistons had a 46-32 points-in-the-paint advantage and an 11-0 fast break edge. The Raptors dug themselves the 16 point hole by allowing Detroit to run on the break in the second and third quarters while never looking to push when they got the rebound. The rebounding margin was only -5 but more importantly we were -8 in second chance points so although you could point to a variety of things that went wrong, you could also break it down by saying that if we had taken care of our glass and maybe even edged out Detroit, this game could’ve been ours. As I said, O’Neal picked a bad night to be off. Almost every Detroit possession started off with some sort of dribble penetration, whether it be to the heart of the paint or the top of the key, they first looked to attack and incite soft help from the Raptors who were always late in rotating to the man on the weak-side, Jamario Moon being the most guilty party.
Interesting strategy used by Sam Mitchell in leaving Jason Kapono out there in the fourth quarter; Kapono got torched by Walter Hermann who got a couple key rebounds over him and also got scored on by Richard Hamilton. Now you could say that Jamario Moon or Joey Graham should’ve been in there instead and you probably would’ve been right because Kapono was giving us nothing on offense all night and was a liability on defense. Then again, Moon wasn’t any better either and I can see why Mitchell put his faith in Kapono; a couple threes would’ve changed the entire complexion of this game. However, after Kapono showed the inability to defend anyone and was clamped down by Hermann, I think he should’ve been pulled. As mentioned in the Matt Devlin interview, there were a couple key moments in this game, the biggest one being an Anthony Parker missed three (insert reference to how he’s not clutch) which would’ve given the Raptors their first lead since the first quarter. Throw in an ill-advised Will Solomon jumper and a costly carry in a four point game early in the fourth quarter and you’ve got one too many mental mistakes to beat a team like the Pistons.
After the game Sam Mitchell flat out said that we couldn’t guard their wings:
“We just didn’t play well. I don’t think they did anything necessarily, we just couldn’t guard their twos and threes…Rip and Tayshaun, they just kicked our butts,”
Moon and Parker combined for 14 points while Prince and Hamilton went off for 49. You just cannot overcome such domination in the backcourt but let’s not analyze too much. Bottom line is that the opposing team’s small forward burned our small forward to win the game. Is that anything surprising? No, Moon held his own in the first three games and got killed today. Given the lineup we got, 3 out of 4 ain’t bad and we could’ve even overcome that except we never got that third scorer. Bosh and Calderon’s 26 and 24 were vital for us to stay in the game but we needed a third scorer to step up in the fourth quarter and that never happened. Andrea Bargnani’s 12 points on 5-6 shooting started off in the second quarter but got interrupted by foul trouble until the third. He also played some solid defense on Wallace for a couple possessions and was a key figure in our third quarter run. However, in the fourth quarter the last meaningful points scored by anyone other than Bosh or Calderon came at 7:22 via Anthony Parker. After that the Pistons covered Kapono and Parker like white on rice and that forced the Raptors back into the simplistic pick ‘n roll or 1-on-1 moves and eventually this happened:
1:30 92-88 Chris Bosh misses 20-foot jumper
It’s a simple missed jumper but its the same jumper that went in during the last three games. What’s your take? Are you willing to live with this sort of fourth quarter offense? I think in the long run we’ll be losing more than winning if this trend continues. Keep in mind though that this here is Detroit and if you’re part of the almost 50% of people that would be satisfied with a 1st round win and a hard-fought 2nd round, you shouldn’t care because we don’t need to beat teams like Detroit to achieve that. In my personal opinion the offense has a lot of the same issues as last year and needs to be fine-tuned for the fourth quarter but as Matt pointed out, we won’t be able to do that until we have a consistent wing scorer who can create his own shot. Simple as that. For now, take what you get. I know it sucks losing to a “real” team but it’ll be mid-season before this Raptors team reaches its peak. The Detroit team’s been together for years now, give the Raptors till December.
Once again, thanks to Matt Devlin for taking out some time to speak with us. Big thanks to all the people that joined us for the Live Blog making it fun and funny. We rolled out a little feature called the Line-O-Meter yesterday, do check it out. There’s also the Roll Call which is becoming very popular and there are pictures and videos somewhere under Multimedia.
59 Raps
When you need all 5 cylinders to run the team, and only 2 cylinders are performing, you ain’t gonna go anywhere. This game revealed how inconsistent the Raptors are at 3 of the 5 positions. They may show well occasionally, but when loaded against a top class Piston team, the inadequacies showed up.
Moon, AP, Bargnani, Graham may have topped out and what you see is all you’re gonna get. JO is still an unknown quantity according to Mitchell who made excuses for him saying that JO has had a long layoff due to his injuries.
At the post-game presser, Mitchell looked strangely chastened .. almost ill over something … and even when coaching the game he no longer gets vocally or physically wound up. It’s almost as if he may not be around much longer. Anybody else notice that Sam seems odd ??
As a Rap fan, I’m enjoying these games — heart attack quality that they may be. And even though it’s obvious we lack quality and depth at certain positions, I still like the passion we have.
As for Detroit, they have a fine PG in Stuckey. In this game they had a number of baskets that were open looks — from great ball movement — but it was the awkward yet smooth shots that impressed me. This team, if it can assimilate AI into the fold, will definitely be there in the end, when the real prize awaits.
After watching tonights’ game, one can identify with what it takes to make a great team. Detroit was simply on their game, and yes we gave a good fight. But until we can count on more from the 2 & 3 positions, we can only dream like Detroit fans.
Hopefully, that time will come soon.
1.youve won 3 games.u stick with staus quo.will solomon hasnt played in the nba,u ease him into the lineup during a blowout or in nothing minutes.u dont dnp roko sam.
2.u dont play joey ever..sam
3.u dont sit jo that long regardless…sam.
4.if u cant draw up a play to get kapono looks FOR 3′S,u dont leave him out there 4TH QTR when we down 2 pts for 3 MASSIVE possesions(DID U SEE HOW DETROIT EXPLOITED THAT WHILE JAMARIO STOOD ON THE SIDELINES WAITING FOR A WHISTLE TO BE SUBBED IN ,SAM USE A TIMEOUT U CUNT FOR A D SUBSTITUTION THAT WAS THE GAME RIGHT THERE)….SAM.
this game was there for the taking but sam got outcoached by MICHAEL CURRY with an undermanned squad….SAMS An IDIOT.and this is why this team will never be a championship contender.
Bargs needs to be traded. I think the Raptors would be a better team with a wing player who showed the occasional flashes (of brilliance?) that Bargs has showed. So I guess that makes him a tradeable asset to a degree. If the team had a wing player who was a constant threat to score in one out of 2 games that player would help the team more than Bargs can. I’d be kind of sad to see him go, frustrating a player as he is but the team can live with Hump as the main back-up big if it had a wing player capable of giving it 20 mins./game with the threat of occasionally going off.
Oh, and for 21 mil. JO should be making those shots or passing it to one of our shooters out of the post. God I hope you’re right about December.
Bit of a disappointment but probably a better game than this team would have played last year in my opinion.
JO “deciding to take the night off” and (still) getting worked by Kwame Brown on two key possessions in the 4th – that’s scary.
The raps clearly aren’t playing at their best right now. It’s one thing to be completely outmatched, that is when you play your best and still lose; which is not what happened last night. The team is playing at only a fraction of their potential, and to be 3-1 against decent competition is actually quite alright.
Arse, I’m glad to see you’re not one of the many crazy raptors fans who have already written off JO as a bust and want his head on a pike. He had a bad game and it just seems amplified when he has it while still trying to get back up to speed. I can picture him bouncing back as soon as the next couple of games.
questions after the loss….
Has anyone been able to pick out those new sets Sam said we were saving for the reg season in the preseason? serious question.
How come our bigs have not had many suck in’s and dump offs to the open man?
Why are we always clearing out and bailing the d out by going one on one in the post with o’neal? It works for Bosh but Oneal is not as quick, and has not found his touch.
If we need that 3rd scorer, why is it always left to chance, and the way the ball bounce, why aren ‘t players other than Bosh and jose, and at times parker, ever given the same looks two games in a row?
Also like him or not, Bargs is being wasted. He’s tried to do his part to improve in the areas he was lacking, so far this season he’s improved. He’s still not a great rebounder, or help defender but he’s better and he’s leading the team in blocks. While you look and say he’s been inconsistent, he’s 13-23 from the field in four games, 56%. you see his two goose eggs and say, he’s having a bad game, but he’s really only missed seven total shots in those two games. Yet he’s still stuck in Charlie V land with no plays ran for him, forced to pick up the scraps. It’s not just Andrea who’s hard done by that, it’s the team. He hasn’t hurt this team at all. Our lack of creativity has, or may prove to. Admittedly, it is hard to be too critical of 3-1, but it’s not as if we’ve looked very good offensively and it’s hard to tell how good we could be.
Even if JO has bad stat lines i can see the difference he’s made defensively and it’s positive so far.
JK, I tend to agree with you about JO but in fairness to posters like AltRaps and Fluxland, he’s only had one good game. I think he has brought more than his stats indicate on the defensive end and in terms of team chemistry. Bosh would not be the monster he is right now without JO and I’m hard-pressed to think of another 5 who was realistically available who has the potential to positively affect this team the way JO could. But potential don’t mean shit when there are actual games to play. If JO can occupy some space on the offensive end, shoot 40% and get some of our shooters involved AND ramp it up even more on the defensive presence he brings then things look better than last year for this Raptors team. That’s quite a list though. Still, I’m a fan and I’m hoping.
Why is O’Neal taking 5ft fadeaways instead of taking it to the rack and potentially getting fouled? This is why we lost that game, that and stupid mistakes like Jamario passing off on that fast break, or Joey losing a wide-open rebound out of bounds. Frustrating game to watch because WE WERE THERE. That close. And, a theme we’ll undoubtedly get used to this season, we have Bosh and Jose to thank for that.
Sam, some rebounding would be nice as well.. since, you know, that’s (apparently) why he was brought in.
All gripes about the game aside, Devlin just sounds like a super cool guy.
That game was tough to watch but needed to show the guys they need to play a full 48 minutes. The second half was beautiful but they’ve been playing half-speed in first halves and then turning it up in the second half. Against teams like Milwaukee, GS and Philly you can do that, but not against big dogs like Detroit. Hopefully they get the message.
One player who is driving me nuts is Kapono. He’s consistently being beat off the dribble, he’s not rotating on defense and he acts like he’s allergic to rebounds. I know his +/- is atrocious and I would rather Moon be getting minutes in crunch time.
Arsenalist , very nice and as usually I agree! Mostly…
Now. If I see Graham on the floor just one more minute I’ll turn my back on Raptors forever!
I’m really tired of watching the same mistakes of my favorite team, over and over again. For how many years now? I did not expect them to win. I do not have a problem with loosing to Pistons. I have problem watching their offensive plays. I just don’t get it.
There is just one reason to have Kapono on floor. Why is he not getting a ball when he is open? Why is Parker not getting a ball when he is in open in the corner where is he comfortable. Why is Bargnani so far from the basket again? Why are Bosh & JO forcing their shots, trying to break down double team instead of passing the ball to the open Parker or Kapono, or Bargnani for that matter, Something is very wrong the way they are playing. “Also like him or not, Bargs is being wasted.” And not just him. “Oh, and for 21 mil. JO should be making those shots or passing it to one of our shooters out of the post. God I hope you’re right about December.” Ever since of JO trade I was questioning all the media and Collangelo’s crap about him working hard, being healthy, etc. It’s been five months of “hard work” and enough games in my opinion to be much better than he is. Maybe Bargnani should get more minutes in the beginning and save JO for later? Why don’t they play Ukic? Making mistakes? So what! Solomon does not mistake? Who the future is supposed to belong to? Solomon? I just do not get it! Delfino come back!
My poor, very poor English. Can’t even express my anger!
SteveB
SteveB,
A lot of the problem last night was that Kapono especially and Parker to a degree weren’t open last night. The Pistons can defend Bosh 1 on 1 successfully with ‘Sheed and acceptably with Maxiell/Johnson. Thus, help doesn’t have to come and guys stay home on shooters. Kapono had two really open looks the entire game (by my count). One, where he was the last man down the court and no one picked him up and the other where he worked a nice little give-and-go with Bosh in the post. Problem was… he missed them both. Everything else he had was on those curl moves into the lane where he’s basically begging to have his shot rejected. This is the sort of game that exposes Kapono’s weaknesses. A good, disciplined team that doesn’t have to double team down low can eliminate him as a threat. Now, maybe there’s room to try to turn him into our own version of Rip Hamilton…and run some set screens and plays for him to get him jumpers, but in the current offense him having open looks is predicated on either Bosh/O’Neal drawing double teams or Calderon beating his man and forcing rotations.
Also, watching O’Neal on offense was frustrating. They need to put him on a “for every dunk you make, you’re allowed to shoot a fadeaway turnaround jumper” type program. Watching him back down slowly, bang a guy a couple of times, then turn, fade and launch a brick is going to get old FAST. I’ll give him more games…but he needs to improve on that end or teams are going to realize that they can just play him straight up…and all of a sudden things get harder for Bosh and the rest.
To end on a positive note, it was great to see Bargnani nail a couple of 3s and get a dunk. His 5 of 6 shooting sure looks a whole lot better than O’Neal’s 3 of 10. I loved the fact that both of his 3s came in rhythm…not after his “jab step jab step, hoist it!” routine that he pulled off too often last year. Might be time to start looking to him more as a primary option when he’s playing with JO. Can’t do us much worse at the moment.
Flux – I agree with what you say about rebounding. That’s part of the “ramp it up on defence even more” vision I have for JO. Guess I’ll give him a call and explain it all to him.
First of all, I want to say that your posts continually impress me. I would rather read your articles than any posted in the major papers because you incorporate the real ’story’ of the game very well.
I completely agree with you on the 20 foot shots by Bosh. He’s a beast when he’s driving, and I know he has to keep the defense honest, but at the end of a close game, he should either drive or drive and kick-out. The 1 on 4 isolation plays do not work, and the 20 footer from either the top or right of the key is a low percentage shot (with less of a likelihood of drawing contact). I just don’t get it. I would blame a good portion of this on Sam, because he just doesn’t seem to select real plays to run at the end of the game.
Sidenote:
This may destroy my credibility, but would you take a flyer on trading for Al Harrington right now? His value is low and we could use an athletic SF who can rebound. The only thing that makes me hesitate (beyond his contract) is his lack of discipline (including poor shot selection). Could Sam whip him into shape?
Are there any defensive, athletic SF’s that seem to be available?
Spudz
http://eclectic-indulgence.blogspot.com
“Why is O’Neal taking 5ft fadeaways instead of taking it to the rack and potentially getting fouled?” – Amen Dinosty. But remember, this has been O’Neal’s game for a while now. He’s more of a jump-shooting big than an aggressive get-to-the-hole type (that’s what she said). There were many instances where he could have forced a defensive foul but several factors prevent him from actually doing this: worry about injury (ala Vince), worry about an offensive foul, etc.
What also gets me is that Jose simply cannot run a fast break. His turnovers are amazingly low because he plays a safe game. Some may say this is advantageous, and I agree to an extent… but when you have a fast break opportunity you HAVE to push the ball to get to the rim, especially when you have the angle on the defender. The 2 points (maybe 3 w/foul) you will probably get are worth even more because that play will likely get butts out of chairs. You gain momentum and deflate the opposition. Bynum had a BEAUTIFUL bounce pass through traffic on a fast brake that led to an easy basket… hope Jose was taking notes.
Sam,
The problem with trading Bargnani is that it will be nearly impossible to get the kind of piece you want for him without making it some kind of blockbuster deal. He’s still on his rookie contract, so he’s not making that much, which means that anybody coming back is likely to be a vet making near the minimum (probably no help) or another player on a rookie contract who has yet to establish himself. I don’t see who is out there that would fill the role we need…and play for a team that would take a flyer on Bargnani. I’d love to know what kind of names you’re thinking about…and whether there’s a feasible trade to get them that works under the salary structure.
Jdbar – thanks to his #1 overall status Bargs is making $5mil+ so he’s not your usual rookie contract. Trade him and Kapono and you can take back about $11mil in salary if you’re willing to pay tax.
But my point wasn’t that we’ll get a great piece for him. I mean if BC can get us Caron Butler great but name a team willing to trade a player like that who won’t get a better offer from someone else. My point is that an equivalent wing player to Bargnani – i.e. a youngish guy with potential that has yet to be realized and might never be – helps this team more than Bargnani. Is such a player out there? I don’t know, maybe Golden State would trade us Harrington and Azabuike for Bargs and Kapono. Maybe not. I’m just saying that we can’t play Bargs with JO and Bosh except against slow teams and I think the Raptors are a more efficient team if we get spotty wing play rather than Bargs intriguing but still spotty big-man game.
I’m also saying that I think BC has to push most of his chips to the middle of the table. Bosh has hit his prime (even with only 4 games in I feel pretty confident of that) and Calderon probably has too. As a fan of the team I think it would be a shame to waste perhaps the best basketball those guys will play. Bargs is the best asset we have beyond Bosh and Calderon and he does not complement our best player the way a wing like Azabuike (or someone else) might. I’m not busting (pun intended) on Bargs but why waste CB4’s break-out year.
Wow… great comments on here today.
@SteveB/Jdbar – I cannot agree more with the JO “expectation”. Five months, low mileage on the body etc. Why are we waiting until December? (Contrary to what you may think, Arse, I am not picking on you so don’t be offended) Sam’s playbook is not the triangle offense, so it can’t be the “getting used to the offense and gelling with the players” deal. People were crying that this is a 6 time all star, a defensive beast and force to be deal with. I don’t see it. If it were there, it shouldn’t be taking this long to show up. And you know it’s not when he’s looking at the refs for help. Birdman is right, the man is not a dunker or physical banger, he’s a shooter (something that is rubbing off on Bosh and not a good thing). Gotta live and die with that, I guess.
@Birdman – I’ve been saying Jose is “fools gold” for quite some time. His TO to A ratio is simply a result of playing it safe all the time. It’s great and all, but it does hurt the team at times. And I am not even going to mention how he gets abused like a rented mule on the defensive end. I just don’t see what good all that work on O is, when he gets destroyed at the other end. Over and over and over again last night. It also irritates me how he demands of the team to clamp down, as if he’s doing it and they are not. Or how he gets fired up at the wrong moments of the the game (IMO)..you know, down by 14 and he’s celebrating something meaningless. Crowd eats it up, I guess, but good teams and players do that when up by 20, not down by whatever.
I dislike some of the things Rasheed does at times, but you have to love the calmness he plays the game (with). He may bark and yell, but when the ball is in play and the game is rolling, the focus and execution – ice cold.
Doesn’t it just bother you guys every time Devlin or whoever keeps talking about the Raptors big “three”? Why do people keep talking about JOneal as if were in 2004. This guy took at least 5 off-balance fadeaways the were more irritating to watch than a Jamario 3-ball! For a big man this guy NEVER shot 50%+ for a season. Talk about inefficient. The media talks about how the Raptors are having problems losing the ball. Well your “6-time All-Star” had 3 horrible TOs in the first Q alone. And had he not got that stupid technical maybe we would’ve tied the game in the end. Jermaine O’neal single handedly lost us the game! 3-10FG on a bunch of fadeaways instead of dunkin on fools like a big man is supposed to, 3 turnovers and a tech leading to foul trouble! He’s going to wear out his welcome with everyone by the seasons end.Just watch.
And thus Bill Simmons prophecy came to pass
I’m at a course for work all day so can’t follow this thread but let me say that blaming Mitchell for this loss is very unfair. Aside from his questionable handling of the Kapono sub there’s not much he could’ve done. You have to play your bench at some point and when he went with Solomon who played alright for a guy who’s never played this season. I love Roko but he wasn’t performing in his last couple games and Solomon deserved a shot.
We lost the game because we couldn’t defend the perimeter. Blame that on our lack personnel who can do the job.
This talk of JO taking fadeaways in the paint as being the wrong thing to do is also something I have issue with. He can’t take it to the hole every single time because Wallace is a really good defender. I don’t mind O’Neal taking those little fadeaways in the paint as long as they’re in the paint. Before the season began I said give this team 10-20 games and most of you agreed. 4 games in we’re 3-1 which is better than what anybody expected.
IMO we should be talking about our offensive schemes which are too susceptible to being shut down. I’ve always had issues with Mitchell’s 4Q offense and last night or the first three games have been no different.
As Devlin said, we need Bosh and JO but we need a consistent third scorer who can create his own shot and right now we don’t have that. Maybe Bargnani can become that and so far he’s shown some promise but we’re not going to find out whether we need to acquire that player or if we have it in-house until a little later in the season.
I gotta get back to this nonsense now…
Devlin is as irritating as Chuck. Love the part in the game when he said “out-rebounded, yeah sure.. out scored in the paint, ok fine.. but how about this…” Just ignore the important stuff people, we need you to buy some merchandise. This guy is a bigger homer then Chuck, just hides it better. Last night near the end of the game all I could hear was “Break out the whine(ing) and cheese mama, this ballgame is OVAH!”
Jay, but what about the “swagger” he has brought to team? Surely that’s worth the 44 million price tag? F! You want swagger, you should have signed up everyone for confidence camp..it would have cost less. That way I don’t have to watch a 6 time all star get abused by Kwame effin Brown.
That was a fun game last night. Competitive, two good sides going head to head.
I thought it was an encouraging game for the Raps. They almost beat the Pistons with a poor performance from Jermaine offensively and on the backboards, and with limited offensive help from the role players. Still they were right there in the final few minutes of the game with a chance to win.
The Raps also did a better job on the backboards. In the previous three Pistons games, they’ve murdered teams on the offensive glass, in two games they retrieved 40-45% of their misses. Raptors still have a ways to go on the boards, but it’s positive to see them do better and against a team that has been very good on the boards recently. I also thought the big men did a good job against their Pistons counterparts. Bargnani’s defense down in the post against Rasheed was enjoyable, he clearly was bothering the old man.
Tayshaun Prince was excellent last night. He deserves a hand for his efforts. Pistons as a whole did a remarkable job keeping possession and scoring on their trips up the floor.
Jay, I would say the same thing, but then Arse would say I just have a hate-on for HO. Let me be clear: I don’t hate HO. I think he is a good player. Do I think he has opened it up for Bosh? Yes. Does he have potential to start hitting those fadeaways? Yes. Do I think the trade was a good move for the franchise? No. In my opinion, you don’t rent players that eat up your cap and that have been consistently hurt. The AI move was fine to me since, even though he is rented, he plays nearly every game in every season. HO was just too much of a risk for my taste.
Also, as mentioned in the chat, I’m a fan of Devlin’s, but he is a bit too heavy on the HO appreciation. If HO is even near the ball, it immediately dictates an inflection in Devlin’s call of the play. In my opinion you can’t use past history for that type of respect and regard. Bosh and Calderon earned that by how they played last year, and I am in support of that. But to give somebody who has basically been a cripple for 2 years that same respect? I disagree.
Dave: “They almost beat the Pistons with a poor performance from Jermaine offensively and on the backboards, and with limited offensive help from the role players. Still they were right there in the final few minutes of the game with a chance to win.”
I would agree if the Pistons were at full strength. They weren’t. Sure, Billups and McDyess aren’t allstars, but they were important parts of their squad. We, on the other hand, were at “full strength”. If we are the team that some of us here on this site think we are, we should have been in control at best and, at least, never be trailing by 16 points.
Not surprisingly, co-sign AltRaps #27 and *shaking head*
flux – why torture yourself by watching, then? seems to me, each & every player would have to have a perfect game, smitch would have to significantly out-coach john wooden, with the raps winning by 30, against a top-tier team, on the road, the 2nd of a home/away back2back, for you to be ’satisfied.’ there are always going to be poor games, poor effort, poor results, either for individuals or the team in general. players will play below our expectations, and coaches will coach below our expectations…announcers will be homers, taxes will be paid, death will come…all are inevitible. why get so hung up on a bad game (which, all things considered, wasn’t overly bad…if there’s such a thing as a ‘good’ loss, was this an example?), or a few poor performances? i guess when you’re perpetually negative, it’s always easy to point out those things in each & every game, win or lose, that go wrong or are done poorly.
jo didnt cost us this game…wow, people are dumb.this is ball,players are gonna get burnt.its the end result….we lost the game on coaching.
I ask myself the same thing, Yankee Doodle. It’s like an abusive relationship really, I just keep coming back for more. Exaggerate, much tho?
Partially BC and company fed the expectation level. I want/expect them to deliver, now. A good loss? I have no concept of the term. Whom ever came up with that was just looking for a way to justify a loss. As I have mentioned before, I am done with babying this team, looking/reaching for the positives, taking console in player X having a good game or making strides, I am done with making excuses like “Oh, well they are just a better team” “Oh, he just had an off night” etc etc etc. Been doing it for years, done with it. It’s like your sister going out with some a-hole and she keeps saying “Yeah I know, but…” F THAT! Dunzo. Acting like that only encourages the front office (boyfriend) to keep doing what they have been doing.
Great teams don’t make excuses, they don’t take consolation in making the playoffs, they don’t work on hope and praying. Did you hear Devlin talk about the Pistons last night? EC chips? F THAT! We want rings. People not performing? Dumars says “Everyone is up for trade, I don’t give a F who you are” RAISE THE F BAR!! You may like living in that low expectation world.. but don’t expect me to. And if you don’t like my comments.. see my name? Scroll right by, buddy!
Andiamo, please feel free to back up your claim.
I’ll wait.
I didnt like the end result but one thing that made me cream my pants on occation was the repeatedly stolen rebounds that JO, Bosh tore out of the hands of agressive rebounders like Maxiell and Johnson either cleanly or kept it alive until a guard like Jose or AP could come in to help take it. Seriously something they obviously were focused on considering Detroit was averaging something like +10 or +12 vs opponants prior to us. One part of the equation that seems to be figured out anyway…
right now, wouldn’t trading bargs & JK for al harrington make sense?
AltRaps,
I both agree and disagree with that point of view.
In one game anything can happen. If Billups is there does Prince still have the remarkable game? How many times did Prince score 27 points and have 9 rebounds last season? How many games did he shoot 9-13? Does Rasheed grab 13 rebounds? Wallace averaged half that last season.
The Pistons weren’t a full strength but they performed very well regardless of that. Now if they were short bodies and played poorly that’s a different story, but that did not happen. Guys stepped up and played at a high level, and at a level that was comparative to a usual Pistons performance.
The Pistons are also the least reliant team in the league for contributions from their best players. Their supporting cast gives them a phenomenal contribution. The loss of a top player is less important to Detroit than any other contender in the league, heck any other playoff team in the league. If this was Cleveland and they were missing LeBron, that’s different, but that isn’t the situation either.
Billups missed the game, but he was replaced by Rodney Stuckey. Stuckey is an All-Star in the making and would be a high level starter on at least 20 other teams in the league right now (at either guard spot). McDyess didn’t play, but Detroit has 5 high level big men who are all rotation players, his minutes were taken by Maxiell and Kwame Brown. Billups and McDyess were replaced by quality guys.
Last night was a very good measuring stick for Detroit.
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Mixing off topic and on topic – mini-Iverson rant
- When Iverson comes what odds do you give for Detroit to finish with as few as 7 turnovers?
- He’s their least efficient scorer on the perimeter, how will that hurt their FG%? How many shots will take away from more efficient scorers?
- What about when he over-dribbles the ball leaving their offense stagnant, hurting the ball/player movement making both Rip/Tayshaun easier to defend?
- What contribution do you get from him defensively?
Iverson is the single most difficult player in this league to play with. Never underestimate how important that is.
Sure Iverson will bring a lot of good things to the table too … but for my money he is not an elite player (his negatives take away so many of his positives) in this league and the difference he makes to Detroit isn’t substantial enough for me to degrade their performance last night without him.
Sam,
Thanks for the response. I see where you’re coming from much better now.
Flux – OK. But what you say only makes sense if the front office is reading this thread along with the players. So unless yertu is the 4th-string PG for the Raptors, it’s kind of hard to say the team is making excuses for its loss. And, to be perfectly honest, they don’t care whether you, me or anyone else of the regular contributors to this site are babying them or not. If they did they be a shit team. No one should let the fan base dictate their play or their roster moves. It just does not work.
As mediocre as JO has played for 3 out of 4 games he has taken responsibility for that fact when he talks with the press. I believe he knows he needs to play better but, to give you, AltRaps and others their due, its a legitimate question whether he actually can. He ain’t going nowhere so we’ll see what happens. Try to have fun in the meantime.
Oh, and the abusive girlfriend metaphor breaks down quickly because for most of us there’s only a few possibilities out there on the girlfriend front. You keep coming back because that’s all you’ve got. But if you had 30 girls you could choose from as your mood suited you, ain’t no abuse possible. If I keep going down this metaphorical road it gets pornographic . . .
So I’m keeping the faith with yertu. I’ve tried liberated fandom and it just doesn’t feel right. All you negative-ass b*tches will see soon enough :)
dave – re. AI, i can’t really disagree, though i think his reputation as a ball-hog, shoot first/second/third player are a bit overplayed. no, he’s not the most efficient shooter, but he’s no worse than chauncey (he’s always just taken many more shats). i think he understands that the window of opportunity is closing, and that he’ll have to adapt his style of play to mesh with what the pistons already have. as we all witnessed last night, they’re incredibly balanced…AI should, at least theoretically, give them that go-to scorer if/when it’s needed, drawing more defensive attention & opening things up for their shooters. we also saw that stuckey’s really fucking good (and that adnan virk’s really fucking dumb), so losing billups won’t be as big a blow to the grand scheme of things.
flux – dude, i get the frustration, but after a while, it’s simply not worth getting worked up over things you can’t control. whether you/we/all the fans accept the status quo really doesn’t have much to do with the decisions made either in the front office or on the court. like i said, there are always going to be positives & negatives in every game, win or loss, blowout (either way) or squeaker. i guess you figure everyone else will focus on the positive, so you feel it’s necessary to point out the negatives, which is cool, i get it. but it’s 4 games in, with lot’s of things to work out over the next 6 months (& longer, we hope…); if you keep this up, you’ll be exhausted by january.
The mistakes in basketball judgment of some Raptors fans, who are very active on-line, here and elsewhere, never cease to amzae.
Indeed … there are so many contained in this one thread that it would take way more time than it’s worth to even try to effectively address them all …
e.g. Graham was a bum last night; Moon has no value to the team if he doesn’t shoot the ball better and get more rebounds per game; Bargnani had a solid game last night & is making good progress; JO is still rounding into form, and is responsible for the “swagger” this team has at the moment; the game was lost by Sam’s poor coaching; Sam doesn’t have a solid grasp of NBA plays to use with this team; Kapono isn’t be used properly, once again; Solomon shouldn’t have played ahead of Ukic; Bargnani + Kapono might be dealable for Harrington; no one from the Raptors organization is responsible for reading what’s written on this blog; the expectations of Raptors fans should all be the exact same; etc., etc., etc.
The Raptors are 3-1, right now.
There are 68 regular season games remaining … plus, a probable 1st Round Playoff exit.
Jose Calderon and Chris Bosh are both terrific NBA players.
There are plenty of other highly serviceable NBA players on this roster, right now … despite the fact that Bryan Colangelo has not done the best of job’s assembling a roster which has a Legit Chance of winning an NBA Championship anytime soon.
There are going to be plenty of great games played at the ACC this season, as well as when the Raptors go out on the road, principally, because of Jose & CB4, which should provide a lot of entertainment to Raptors fans everywhere.
The sun is out … fall is here … Change Has Come To America, after 232 years … and Black is still the new Green for MLSE. C’est la vie.
Carpe Diem! … one and all, it’s just great to be alive.
PS. FWIW … GAME REVIEW: Raptors vs Pistons [Nov 5] … cause I don’t like to waste everybody else’s time. : )
Matt is a great guy. I have talked with him as well for several interviews. He gives honest answers and is a very real human being. Glad to see he is willing to talk with other folks as well.
Hey Yertu,
I agree that Iverson does a lot of good things and in several ways will help the Pistons. But he also does a lot of negative things and that hurts his overall impact. I would disagree that his negatives are overplayed though, I think they’re understated.
I made a post on my website comparing the scoring/efficiency numbers of Chauncey and Iverson. I’ll run down a few of them here:
Shots per game – Billups 12.5 – Iverson 19
FG% – Billups 44.8% – Iverson 45.8%
eFG% – Billups 52.6% – Iverson 48.8%
TS% – Billups 61.9% – Iverson 56.7%
Points per shot (including FTs) – Billups 1.51 – Iverson 1.39
Points per shot (excluding FTs) – Billups 1.05 – Iverson 0.98
Iverson’s last season was unusual for his career, easily the most efficient of his career. Whether it’s a one-time thing or if he’s actually improved we won’t know for a while. But here’s another stat
TS% over previous three seasons (05-07)
Billups – 59.1% to 60.9%
Iverson – 53.2% to 54
If we go back further to Iverson’s days as the MVP of this league his TS% drops to 51.8%. Chauncey has been up around 60% consistently since establishing himself as one of the best point guards in the league.
There was a large difference last season in efficiency and a massive difference in years past. Worth stating this is Iverson’s best talent as an NBA player, and Chauncey contributes far more in other areas (like defense).
Sam, if they do or don’t read, we don’t know for sure. There have been many examples (at least in the US) where GMs have reached out to frustrated bloggers/fans, whom people think no-one is paying attention to. I have a hard time believing fans do not play a large part in how a franchise operates. For example, I don’t think it’s a coincidence the Raptors rosters has been filled with the players it has, and no fans=no profits, right?
Also, part of being in a fanbase, is the discussion of different points of view, seeing thing others don’t, etc. If we all saw things/players the same way and agreed, I think things would get pretty boring, fast.
Re: JO – I can talk up a good game too, I can say everything that needs to be said at the right times. Guess what? It means nothing. All players are great at the PR game. I simply care about the on court results. Knowing you need to play better and talking about it, then NOT doing it while looking for the refs as if its their fault, blaming the guards etc, wins no points with me. STFU and DELIVER – that’s my motto with this team. I have seen enough player/coach interviews in my lifetime to pretty much know what they are going to say.
And don’t forget the “love” factor in the bf/gf relationship or any other. Big factor, there. That may be the reason for coming back, not low self confidence or availability to others. There are plenty of other teams in the NBA, no?
y.d. – i know it sounds negative and yes, I am being cynical about this years version of the Raps. As hard as I try, perhaps due to my change in attitude/expectations with this team, all I see when they play is the thing that are not going well. Again, I take no console in the small victories and battles.. I am more concerned about the whole war. I am not intentionally pointing out the negative, it’s just what jumps out at me more, because of fore mentioned. Trust me, if anything, I am holding back.
I just want to make a comment here. For the first time in years, I turned on a game between the Toronto Raptors and the Detroit Pistons and expected a win.
And for the record, I felt the same way before I knew they would be without AI, and even before the trade went down.
^That, there, is awesome. And I fully expect the Raps to win the next two games as well.
Look around guys! The Raptors are 3-1 and you are complaining! This is a GOOD SIGN! This is what fans of GREAT teams do! Right now, at this moment, a .750 winning percentage is UNDERACHIEVING in your eyes!
Face it people, every one of you, at some level, thinks this is a very good team.
Stuckey: “Pregame, he was interviewed by the Raptors TV station and they asked him what they were thinking about the Raptors and his response was that they weren’t at all worried about the Raptors.”
I wonder how many other teams feel this way. I love how we still get no respect around the L. Sure, teams/players say nice things about Bosh and Jose, to be polite. But, let’s face it.. this team scares no one, in any way, for any reason. If teams lose against us, it’s not because they played their best and we crushed them. We win because the other team is not firing at all cylinders. Take em (or steal), we do, them wins but this team has all the make up of a 60 win Dallas team that gets bounced in the 1st round. So forgive me, DanH, for not taking pleasure in the regular season race, as the playoffs is what this is all about. And the way things are looking right now (and I doubt they will change) a 1st round exit is what it will be.
Fluxland, look deep into your heart and ask yourself “do I still love the Raptors”. I don’t want to be presumptuous but it seems to me the answer is obvious – no, and it’s best for the kids if we make the split as quick and as painless as possible. Look, it’s not all your fault. She started having that Colangelo guy by. And while there’s nothing untoward going on, it’s obvious, he and the other new friends he brings with him just bug you. And with that tan, those high-collared shirts, and the way he talks like some lifeless marketer, who can blame you. And then of course, there are the Europeans. I know, I know you’ve got nothing against them and they are good people but again, it’s obvious, you don’t like their clothes, they talk funny and, try as you might, they don’t make a lot of sense. It’s okay, you’re allowed to feel that way. It’s not prejudiced. So why don’t we go down to a lawyer’s office, say sometime early next week. He’ll draw up some papers, you guys can talk it over and then, I think we can all agree, you can hand in your thunderstix, wash the claw off your cheek and just get on with your life. We want this for you. You deserve it.
And then maybe, who knows, I know this other team, from Indiana. She’s had a rough time herself. But she’s good now. Seems to have a bit of spring in her step. She’s bought some new clothes. Really, she’s looking good and, hell, she’s available and not likely to turn anyone down. So why not give her a call. And if that doesn’t work out I’m sure there’s some team out their for you. You just need to keep you head up and keep looking.
Tres funny, Sam. See my avtar? That’s the mistress. ; ) Yes, I still love the Raptors, I just don’t like the phase she’s going thru. The hardest part of any relationship, as those experienced may tell you, is staying together while individually growing/changing/going thru phases.
JO bugs me, yes. Everyone else, I can pretty much deal with. I am European myself, no issues there. Point was, there is a reason why those players are on the team, meaning the Raps organization does care to make their customers happy or at the very least appeal to them.
Give up my thunderstix?? NEVER!!! What kind of “true” fan would I be? : ) Just because I am not happy with the current state of affairs, it would take a lot more for me to hand in my Raps fancard in. I won’t lie, I’ve been on the brink, but cooler heads have prevailed.
Love, it’s a funny thing.
That was great, btw. Very well done.. made me laugh. If I ever attend a RaptorsFan Friday, I’ll be the one buying your drinks, Sir. (Assuming I don’t get assaulted by others, upon reveling I am the one from the land of flux.)
Dan H,
As you know already … actually, I thought there was a good chance the Raptors would be sitting at 1-3 right now.
@ Phi – L
v GS – W
@ Mil – L
v Det – L
Based on what I’ve seen, thus far, the Raptors are fortunate to have beaten
Phi … who looked just as out of sync as Toronto, fitting in a new guy
GS … as Maggette was fouled on his final drive into the lane [by Moon]
Mil … as the Bucks mangled their last few post-comeback possessions
and unfortunate to have not beaten
Det … who were forced to play with their Starting PG.
=========================================
Looking ahead, right now … it would not surprise in the least to see the Raptors:
* play well but Lose @ Atl
* play well and Win @ Cha, or play poorly and Lose @ Cha
* play poorly and Lose @ Bos
which would then bring them back home with either a 4-3 or 3-4 W-L record after their first seven games … is pretty much where I saw them being heading into this season and where I see them finishing in the spring, given the players on their current roster.
Unless one [or more] of Jose, CB4 or JO go down with a major injury … this team is going to be in playoff contention for the entire season, play a bunch of exciting games, lose a lot to the High End teams and win its fair share against the Middle-of-the-Pack and the Low End ones.
—————————————–
Which is pretty much where they would have been today if they would have chosen to go in any number of other directions with the organization’s leadership back in Feb/2006.
That’s the main thing which is disappointing to me, as a Raptors fan … just how good this team could have been … and, quite possibly, still be today, or in the not-too-distant future … if they would only have taken the ‘Road Less Travelled By’ back then, knowing what they had in the cupboard.
——————————————
Where they go from here … is the responsibility of MLSE and Mr. Bryan Colangelo.
That’s where the buck stops, IMO.
If AI were in the Piston’s lineup, I wonder how badly the Raptors would have lost this game. The Raptors are a second level team at this point, and to propel it upwards, they need some critical trades. Let’s see what happens over this on-the-road series of games. Reality may then strike home.
Here’s an interesting stat from last nights game:
Raps – Points in Transition = 0
No fast break points = half-court offence
An important factor to keep in perspective is that we were down by 1 point with 4 min left and only down by 3 points in the final minute, with a bagel for Kaponomatic and a poor offensive game from JO. (And if you argue that AI could have started, than I say that JO could have had a great game – it’s redundant). Also, the final score was inflated because we were fouling at the end to lengthen the game.
IMO, we’re not yet a top-echelon team. But we are definitely close.
Dave,
And therein lies the rub in my eyes. Their payroll is $4mil higher than ours if memory serves and they are, in most eyes, deeper and better. I would agree with a theory of “luck”, but I think the Pistons were built with shrewd moves.
Dave, stats aside – I think what AI bring to the table more then anything, to the Pistons, is hunger. Rip and Sheed will be energized by this, since they already have theirs and feel they have nothing to prove. That team has had nothing to play for in a while. (Dice, as bad as he wants one, I’m afraid is cursed and never will.) In Denver, it was clear Melo had issues with playing alongside AI, while the alpha male pecking order was never established.
Fluxland,
I never thought the Pistons lacked hunger. Media and fans alike keep saying this …. I see a team that got beat four straight times by an opposing team that was better than they were.
Talent is the issue, they didn’t have enough. Still don’t. Cap space gives them the opportunity to fix that though.
When you’re a great NBA ‘talent’, like A.I. is, and a man like Joe Dumars [i.e. one of the Top 50 NBA Players of All-Time, and a first-class, no-nonsense GM, who knows the game inside and out] is the person running your new team, in a culture of success, like the Pistons have now built in Detroit … you will fit in seamlessly with outstanding veteran players like Rip, Sheed & Prince, under the direction of a head coach like Michael Curry.
IMO … anyone who thinks that A.I. is going to play for the Pistons like he played in Philadelphia, and then in Denver, at a differnt stage in his life and his hoops career, is making a mistake in judgment.
One of the things which separates ‘Great Players’ from everyone else is their ability to adapt to the ‘imposed discipline’ of their new surroundings … which is imposed by ‘The Group’ … when they are now amongst ‘a group’ of other talented elite level players, who they happen to perceive as being ‘just as tough’ as they are themselves.
When you put this list of names together:
Bill Davidson
—————-
Joe Dumars
—————-
Michael Curry
Dave Cowens
Darrell Walker
Pat Sullivan
Harold Ellis
—————-
Allen Iverson
Rip Hamilton
Tay Prince
Amir Johnson
Rasheed Wallace
—————-
Rodney Stuckey
Arron Afflalo
Walter Herrmann
Jason Maxiell
Kwame Brown
—————-
Will Bynum
Alex Acker
Walter Sharpe
what you have is the type of organization that can get the Pistons past the Celtics, and the Cavs, and the Hawks, and the Magic, etc., this season and back to the NBA Finals.
Dave, I spend little to no time reading “media”. But i do agree with the notion that AI still has the desire, unlike some of the key players for the Pistons to win it all. I am sure they have the desire as well, just not on the same level. I watched that Pistons during the chip year and after. IMO, after they won, they never played with the same discipline and focus in subsequent years. You can attribute that to what you will, but I would be fair to say, for some cats, once a goal is achieved they don’t see the value of conquering the same mountain again. IMO, they only showed up and played at that level when they were doubted or had their backs against the wall (a different/new challenge). It’s as if they needed a reason to play.
I really believe trading Billups shook up that group and woke them up. That may be why they have been playing they way they have. (new challenge/success without CBills being doubted) AI, IMO, is only going to contribute to this in a very positive way. The Pistons have been very accepting and welcoming to any player to their locker room and stay supportive of them when they leave. I don’t think AI was afforded the same luxury, by Melo and the other (selfish) cats, in Denver. Those guys have never played as a team, IMO, it’s always been a “hey, let’s make sure everyone gets theirs” type playing. Hardly a formula for success – as their playoff record has shown. How many 1st round exits does Melo have, regardless of successful regular season campaigns?
Ugh. I thought I read something about trading for Harrington. Please no. Has anyone actually watched that guy play? He loves to launch threes and not play defense or really rebound at all. Man, if the Raps want that, I say we just let Bargs shoot threes. In fact, that’s what I propose: sam should have a strict “bargani can only shoot threes and he must take a minimum of 10 a game”. I’d watch…
I love the AI trade for one simple reason – I get to watch AI several times a year now! I don’t even care if he destroys the Raps every time (and we know he will). It’s fun and AI is great.
jord – have you actually watched bargnani play? think to yourself…what constitutes a ‘good’ game for him now? do you see him becoming a legit threat, at either end, as an NBA 5? where are the raps weakest? not nec. saying that harrington is the answer, but if anyone thinks they’re going to be able to compete with the 2/3 situation as it currently exists, well, that’s a little nutso. 99% sure they aren’t going to do anything, & certainly not with the pet project, but after watching him over the last couple years, i realized how low our expectations have becomes, to the point where we don’t really have much in the way of expectations at all…if he doesn’t kill the team w/ poor D, poor rebounding & shoots half-decently, that’s considered a good showing, a considerable improvement? he’s shooting better, no doubt, but he’s not improved in the post, and still gets lost on far too many possessions (at both ends), that i’m beginning to wonder if he’s ever going to get it. he’s showing signs, which is why he might be enticing in a trade.
like i said before, i’m a fan, i really thought he’d be something special (and i guess there’s a chance that he could)…just not in TO. as dubya said, ‘fool me once…shame on…shame on you. fool me – ya can’t get fooled again.’
i assume the plan is to continue to let him develop, and then when JO leaves in ‘10, he’ll supposedly be ready to step into the starting 5 role (or maybe that’ll happen next year – or even this year – if JO is as done as he’s appearing now). still, i simply don’t get the impression he’ll ever develop the level of consistency that’s required out of a purported go-to guy (let alone a lottery pick).
IMO, those who do not think that this team, as is, is capable of winning 50+ games this season in the Eastern Conference … do not have a thorough understanding yet of ‘How the NBA game actually works’.
Now, before you get all bent out of shape, if you so happen to fit into this category, which at first-glance might seem to you as being one of derision … stop, look, listen; then, think, again … cause there is nothing which I’ve written there that puts you down at all, as it is by no means a crime, or a sin, or a deficiency of some sort, to fit into this specific category of NBA fan, at all, i.e. since the vast, majority of NBA fans everywhere actually do, you are far from being alone, and should be able to take some comfort in that, not feel insulted. : )
————————————-
Going forward with this Raptors team, as is …
Here’s the specific line-up which is needed to realize this goal this season:
STARTERS
1 Calderon
2 Moon
3 Graham
4 Humphries
5 Bosh
——————
BENCH
1/2 Parker
3/2 Kapono
4 Bargnani
5/4 O’Neal
——————
RESERVES
1 Ukic
1/2 Solomon
5/4 Jawai [or Austin Croshere, if Nathan is not cleared to play]
——————
EXTRAS
2/3 Adams
If the Raptors use THAT rotation, right there … and can remain injury-free … and are coached properly … and are GM’d properly … this team, this season, is capable of winning 50+ games this season and winning a 1st Round Playoff Series, depending on what specific opponent it draws in the post-season tournament.
QUESTION: Now … Is it likely to happen this year?
ANSWER: Not a snowballs chance in h*ll. : (