The “well at least we didn’t sustain any injuries” edition.
Adams – I hope to God they add one of his game-worn jerseys to the Raptors online charity auction this year. At least the winner knows they will be getting something that is like-new.
Bargnani – not often this can be said about Bargs: he made someone his bitch. He sent Beasley to the bench 90sec into the game with 2 quick fouls, he blocked a shot with intensity, and he had his hands up looking for the ball on almost every possession. A very impressive rebound after yesterday’s Il Mago The Disappearo Act. Led the team tonight in points and blocks.
Bosh – he played like he must have had a tough night last night. Oh yeah…he did. While still putting up a double double, you could tell he was a step slower than normal and just didn’t have that Bosh hunger. Had we been playing a tougher team, we may have seen another Boston game from him. As it was, he still played strong enough to guide us.
Calderon – back on the court and certainly providing fodder for being the glue to this team. The drop off from him to Solomon was breathtaking and tonight was a highlight package for Coliarangelo to watch and possibly give reason as to why the PG issue wasn’t addressed more suitably.
Graham – ever go buy something from Ikea or the Brick, say a bookcase, and bring it home to assemble it? You get a bag full of screws and an allen key. Hours later, you have it all assembled, all the screws are in, and you are left holding just the key? Kinda worthless, right? From this day forward, I shall refer to it as the Joey key. Please, feel free to join me.
Humphries – for some reason the refs seemed to think Kris was Michael Jordan tonight. Every time a Heat player so much as looked at him in the first half, they were called for a foul. Hell, he even earned a flagrant from Wade in the second half. Let me repeat: Dwayne Wade committed a flagrant on Kris Humphries. Damn. Next thing you know the US will have a black President.
Jawai – I <3 him. Actually, to be more accurate given his contribution to this team so far: I <3 him.
Kapono – yesterday he was a mouse running around in circles. Today his game reminded me more of this. I really miss him blowing on his fingers. Please, assassin….please come back.
Moon – when Alabama Lightning is in the dunk contest in the NBDL or in Russia next season, I have an idea for a dunk: try it with a can of Pringles on his shoulder…after all, he is already playing with a chip on it now. Not in a good way, either. If he was using it as motivation we would all be so much better for it. Instead he comes off as being cocky and indifferent, but at least proud of himself for leading the association in blown fly-by defensive plays. I bet those guys who built a website about him last year are so proud.
O’Neal – too bad we can’t play Miami every night. HO has a great advantage over Haslem in so many ways. I was actually expecting Anthony to be on his hip all night to try and take away his length, but it didn’t really happen. A big time rebound that sealed the game for us in the fourth was impressive. Kudos on another double double and, more importantly, congrats on being foul-free in the first half. I also appreciate that he was on the court at the end of the game. I also really appreciate the poster he’ll be on courtesy of Wade. Did you see that? He came to HO’s house, had dinner, wiped his mouth, and did the dirty with HO’s wife. Da HO got Bang Bussed.
Parker – that second half was like coming home after watching an R.Kelly concert with a 14 year old that is about to turn 15. You’ve been waiting so long to feel it, see it, love it…..and when it finally came time to unveil it, you could hardly contain yourself. Sweet sweet love. A perfect 5 of 5 from downtown and some moves that made Wade look on in awe. I don’t think this is a sign that he is out of his funk, but it was nice to see that the glimmer is still there somewhere.
Solomon – wow. I swear I could feel Sam say “WTF Bryan……do something with this shit”. I also can’t remember the last time I’ve heard a Raptor broadcaster show so much hate for a home guy. I think Devlin must have had his cab taken by Will or something. I would actually pay good money to see Devlin interview Will. They might actually have to bleep some of it. Anyway, I gave him some leeway yesterday, but I feel tonight was even worse. And this whole Reggie Miller impersonation with the refs must end. Now. The refs are looking at him like that hot chick looks at you at a dance club. You ain’t got no hope in talking to me, so back off junior. This is the first time I felt that Roko would actually be better.
Ukic – and that said, Roko and I share one thing in common……we both didn’t play against the Heat tonight. The similarities end there since I don’t have an aerodynamic face or (usually) look like I am being gang tackled by the defensive line of the Steelers.
Driving The Bus: Jermaine O’Neal
Under The Bus: Will Solomon
Game Theme: Timmy’s
86 Raps
That pretty much sums it up.
Raptors are a strange team … Bosh, JO, Bargs … the Troika Team … add to that Calderon and then try to find somebody who has a hot hand and feet to match.
Putting three 6′10″+ players into your enlarged frontcourt and then trying to make something of it in the NBA is quite the challenge. Bargs is doing his best to be a slashing 3 plus potting 3-pointers … Bargs on one side and Bosh on the other side with JO working the middle.
Can such a combination of players be sustainable in the NBA? What do you replace them with when subbing? What happens to the makeup of team play when changes are made? Somehow I can empathize with Mitchell trying to make sense of this disparate bunch of players. No wonder he sits more and yells less ..
My opinion is that Parker is a better player with Calderon on the floor. I’m sure this is part of the reason we don’t have T.J. anymore. If Parker can hit 52% from the field, he is very useful. If he goes 1/5 from three, then we have the worst wing play in the NBA.
I still think Colangelo is a terrific GM, and Sam Mitchell is adequate/ the right coach.
The 86 Celtics would kick our asses badly, but it is still a really nice group of mobile, smart 3,4,5’s when it’s Bargs, Bosh and O’neal
I never thought I’d say it, but I’d rather have Derek Martin backing up Jose than Will Solomon. Listening to Devlin’s reactions when Solomon has the ball is hugely entertaining – especially this gem: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k6kbgAA8uhM&e
There must be some Euro or d-leaguer or random person off the street that would be a better backup than Solomon and Roko? I mean seriously, this guy is turrible. Absolutely turrible.
Jord – You want yet another Euroleague player?
still trying to put into context just how drastic the drop-off from jose to (s)will (can we make that solo’s new name? swill?) is.
swill:
1. liquid or partly liquid food for animals, esp. kitchen refuse given to swine; hogwash.
2. kitchen refuse in general; garbage.
3. any liquid mess, waste, or refuse; slop.
4. a deep draught of liquor.
5. contemptibly worthless utterance or writing; drivel.
–verb (used without object)
6. to drink greedily or excessively.
–verb (used with object)
7. to drink (something) greedily or to excess; guzzle.
8. to feed (animals) with swill: to swill hogs.
9. Chiefly British. to wash by rinsing or flooding with water.
i especially think #’s 2, 3, 5 are aprapos.
part of me wants to feel for the guy…it’s not like he actually belongs in the league. i guess playing in europe until age 30 wasn’t enough of a clue for BC. you can polish a piece of shit all you want, but it’s still a piece of shit.
i would pay $20 to see an unedited, 15 minute 1-on-1 interview b/w devlin & solomon. i have no bones w/ devlin calling him out, and if (s)will had any balls (or brains), he’d be the first to admit he’s playing like, well, swill. i get that he’s frustrated, he’s probably used to being able to get away with a lot of the shit he’s being called for now, but my man, you need to sit the fuck down & shut the fuck up. from what i’ve seen, he does waaay more hand-checking than is usually tolerated.
great bounce-back games for bargs & AP (though for a good chunk of the game, i was convinced AP was done as an effective player). in this league, consistency is a virtue, but with the primary flow of the offence going through bosh/JO & jose, it may be unrealistic to expect that from these two. but tonight, they showed that they can step up & shoulder some of the load on the 2nd of a b-2-b in which bosh was clearly tired.
still…it is the heat. i’m tempted to say that spoelstra’s a decent young coach, but it’s too early to tell. part of me thinks a lineup built around wade/marion/beasley should be better, but lack of experienced PG play & lack of production from the frontcourt is gonna hurt them. they do have wade, which makes up for a lot, but if they need him to exert that much, at home, against the RAPS, well, it doesn’t bode well – we’ve seen his body break down from this kind of exertion, and he doesn’t seem willing to adjust his style of play.
oh yeah, as for beasley…what’s up with him? he just seems content to coast, i don’t see much of any of the kind of energy/hustle/presence that he exhibited last year (yeah yeah, college vs. pros). something’s just not quite right with him, at least not yet.
moon. wow. there really aren’t any words. he just doesn’t understand the situation he’s in, that he’s PLAYING FOR HIS BASKETBALL CAREER. at least his NBA career. how did we miss that he can’t dribble? if he can dunk from beyond the foul line, what’s with these pussy little drives. TAKE IT TO THE HOLE WITH AUTHORITY, SON, AND THROW IT THE FUCK DOWN!
Nice pic, that was a great dunk. The caption should read: Block-FAIL! Also, love the two other Raps backing away as if Wade was on fire. Quick! Get out of the shot!
Jawai – you know how some guys are called the heart of the team? Yeah, not so much.
Wow, would you stop with the JO love? What are you, in love with this guy? ; )
About Solomon: look, the refs are the only people he can probably yell at or take his frustrations out on. What? He’s gonna bark at Sam or his team mates or the opposition? His wife? Let the man vent, I’d rather that, then him putting his head down and pouting like AP does.
flux – all ‘venting’ does is allow the perception that he’s not at fault, when he clearly is. until he admits that, he can’t improve.
hahaha…improve. sure…
yertu – i hear ya…but, we all know, including him, who’s at fault. I’m not ready to throw the guy under the bus(yet), as far as I am concerned he’s a much of a rook as Ukic. I know he’s done nothing to deserve the benefit of doubt, I just refuse to believe he’s that bad. I still appreciate the fire more then the pouting.
Parker – caught fire but he had to fade away on most shots just to get them off, so he’s still not creating allot of space for himself…and he’s a full step behind on D (unfortuatnely it’s his first step so the rest of his steps don’t matter). Let’s hope it’s just another slow start for him and that his game was a sign of a break out coming.
Solomon – still bewilders me that he has so much difficulty going to his left…thats a major, major flaw for a point guard (at any level) that I don’t see a 30 year old being able to correct. No warm and fuzzy’s right now.
Nor am I ready to give up on him, as bad as he has looked. Its a long season.
Hard not to throw JO some love. Have you watched his play off late? Raptors have outrebounded opponents last 3 games. When is last time that happened.
“Coliarangelo” ? That reminds me of me neighbors kid(about 9 years old). Hard to take you seriously when you refer to him as that. Looks like you are trying to join the big leagues in blogging, nonsense like that belongs in the DLeague.
The defensive steal & twisting, driving, wrong-footed left-hand layup, in traffic, that Jose Calderon delivered last, in the final minute of the game is an example of a ‘Clutch’ play by an elite level PG.
Thus far, this season, Jose is 2-3 in ‘Clutch’ situations.
i.e.
1. Big 3-ball vs Milwaukee. [solid]
2. Missed contested J2 vs Boston. [poor]
3. Big Steal & tough Driving Layup vs Miami. [solid]
For those who still doubt El Matador’s ‘mettle’ … Keep an eye out for these types of situations as this season continues to develop.
khandor, i highly doubt many people doubt his mettle. he isn’t elite clutch, but he makes the right play at the right time. can’t expect them all to drop, otherwise he would be making $15mill per.
You know for ever “O’Neal got dunked on” pic, there’s five “O’Neal rejected someone” pic. I’m just glad AltRaps has been managed to put aside his disdain for O’Neal for one night and anointed him the the bus driver.
I suspect this is what you’ll get out of Parker. Four bad/mediocre games followed by one great one where everybody will renew their faith in him only to be disappointed for the next four games. We’re not running that many plays for him anymore either, we used to see that baseline screen which he used and then curled to the 14-18 foot area for that fade, have seen that maybe 6 times all season.
He’s resigned to getting his shots from Sam Mitchell’s “system” which for guards means you’re basically on your own. Now if this were TJ, he’d take full advantage and get his, but Parker’s more disciplined and will not take things that our out of the “offense”, hence his drop in numbers.
#14 – so “clutch” against “crap” teams, but not against the big boys? How much is that worth? Will pass on buying that hype, thanks. Eye is wide open and locked in.
Raps Fan,
There you go … ^^^ … Flux is one of those who still doubts Jose’s Clutch Value vs the High End Teams in the NBA.
I, on the other hand, do not fit into this category.
Yeah, I am not buying Khandor’s Joseisclutch Kool-Aid. : )
Tin – haven’t lost hope in WillSolo just yet. I have to believe that so early in his first (real) NBA season that we have not seen his best by a long shot but I find that his left hand is causing allot of his issues on the court. Until he works that out or finds an effective way to compensate for it, opposing defenders will expose him on every play.
Have to agree with Tinman on the “Coliarangelo” bit…and add the JO bashing (HO?). Can’t understand how either has “earned” their tag.
Altraps,
No mention of the next play where JO emphatically blocked Wade?
I would argue that blocking a player of Wade’s calibre is a lot easier than dunking on anyone.
Spudz
I always ssumed HO was just a typo – enlighten me.
Let’s remember that Calderon is 9 games into his first season as the No 1 starting PG in the NBA for Raptors. Last night playing on 1 good leg he demonstrated the potential he has to lead the team.
Give him some time to get healthy, and play the season, and let’s see what he can do for the Raptors.
As for his clutch against High End teams, does anyone remember his drive in Boston last year in the 114-112 game ???
I have never posted to a blog before but w/ regards to this JO issue it should be mentioned that any big man worth his salt does not worry about rejections or dunks, on himself or on others. It all comes down to disturbing your opponents shot and then boxing out…simple. JO changes the game, and has since he became a Raptor. Sometimes it shows up on the Stat sheet, sometimes not.
At the end of the day, he owns the lane, and people are changing their shots. Watch just him and his help defence. It changes the tone of the game.
Pile on the Jose clutch stats in the regular season all you want. I’ll keep my fond memories of his clutch performances in the playoffs.. you know.. the season that really matters.
It’s easy to nitpick over stats and individual plays … but look at the big picture of how the team operates. That’s what coach Mitchell is continually searching out.
The Raptors flip from a big frontcourt team to a disorganized subbed team, and that’s what creates the big swings in scoring. That’s almost equivalent to last season when the team had to switch from TJ to JC and their different PG influence. Most observers and also the Raptor teammates concluded that JCs PG play was more consistent and more effective on a team play basis. TJ was too erratic which confused his teammates.
Now the Raptors seem to have a schizoid team .. split personalities .. from starters to subs. It’s disconcerting, particularly for Mitchell who doesn’t know what to expect when he subs out the starters. Not good ….
Portland is the prime target to throw one of our many expiring contracts at because they have 5 wingmen that would fit the bill. Travis Outlaw, Martell Webster, Brandon Roy, Nicolas Batum, Rudy Fernandez as well as a pair of comboguards mean they are in the position to sell. So for example throw an expiring contract and a package of picks (portland are whores for picks) for whichever they dont want…. preferably Webster or Outlaw.
I read that trade breakdown, and well humor me for a second…
Trade Bosh for Wade straight up.
Think about it. Wade solves most of the raptors largest problems. He can create his own shot, he’s a slasher who gets to the line, an above average rebounder for a gaurd, a good perimeter defender, he can run offense to ease burden on Calderon and is a great playmaker/passer, and as he has demonstrated he can will his team to victory.
Yes we would be giving up Bosh, the heart of soul of the team and the front line. But our problem is that JO, Bargnani and Bosh all kind of do the same things at different levels. technically we only need two of them. No one will touch JOs contract until next year, and bargnani is too much of an unknown quantity to garner anything of serious value back.
A lineup of Calderon, Wade, Kapono/Moon/Parker, Bargnani and JO looks pretty good on paper. Does that team contend for a title? Wade did more with less in Miami…
The main issue, other than this being purely fictional, is will Wade stick around in TO? That is a question. And since this is for fun let’s go all teh way with it. Once JOs contract is up, Bosh’s will be up too. And we’ll have a max contract to throw at him. Plus he got two years paid vacation in south beach.
Maybe you can even throw in graham/moon/roko, WS or some other guys for chalmers/quinn (backup pg) and joel anthony (just for the leo commentary).
Just a thought…
Bosh’s trade value will always exceed wade’s because
- he’s a big
- he’s less prone to short term injury
- he’s several years younger (wade is already in prime)
- he’s going to have a much longer career due to style of play etc
Every GM in the league would take Bosh over Wade and Carmelo if put in any of those teams situations again.
Now that TJ Ford is gone …
KEY PLAYERS GOING FORWARD
Category One
1. Calderon, at 30+ MPG is a solid building block.
2. Bosh has always been a solid building block.
3. Bargnani, as a Perimeter 3PT-Shooter, is a solid building block.
Category Two
4. O’Neal, as a Rebounder/Defensive Anchor, is an adequate building block, if he stays healthy.
5. Humphries is an adequate building block.
6. Graham is an adequate building block.
7. Moon is an adequate building block.
8. Parker is an adequate building block.
9. Kapono, as a situational specialist, is an adequate building block.
Category Three
10. Ukic, as a 3rd-string PG, is an acceptable building block.
Category Four
11. Solomon, as a 2nd-string PG, is a question mark.
12. Adams, as a reserve Wing, is a question mark.
13. Jawai, as a Reserve Big, is a question mark.
——————————–
71 games to go.
It’s going to be a most interesting season, in Raptorville … especially, in that 3rd week of December.
Opinionative
Khandor,
Wrong about O’Neal – whats the major difference between this year and last. An inside defensive presence(ok and backup PG). Surely someone of your obvious superior intellect has noticed that only 3 times have opponents scored over 100 points(not counting OT vs GS). The main reason/difference has been O’Neal(perhaps Bargnani progress on D as well). With all our turnovers, only 3 times. O’Neal is entering his prime years, I think we are very fortunate to of gotten him. I like that chip on his shoulder. He looks healthy.
Would probably bump Humphries up to “solid” – all he does is produces whenever he is on the floor. Just a youngster, as well. Upside. To think we traded Arrujo(?) to get him.
Probably wrong about Joey as well. But I do hope you are right.
Ukic is a gamble, similar to Jose – lets discuss in 3 years. There is something about him that I like a lot.
LA’s Only – silly, silly, silly.
Remember that west coast trip last year. we went 0-6. That time is coming up again boys. Tough Schedule and we have our players healthy.
We loose all of them again and Sam is Gone
I would classify Hump as in the range of Ronny Turiaf and Paul Milsap. All energy/hustler guys that can bring it off the bench but start losing their whallup when they hit the 20 mpg mark. Their the perfect 1st big off the bench for virtually any team. Percieved potential is dangerous for these types unfortunately as they are fully utilized as is. That can be said of the Jamario moon type stat stuffing hustler as well…
Who coaches those players? Jerry Sloan and Don Nelson. Jerry is great at developing players. Milsap is starting now and AK is coming off the bench. Makes you wonder what kind of player Joey graham would have been under that system
Keep in mind Sloan failed to utilize Hump at all over several years..
Tinman,
IMO …
The MAJOR differences between this year’s team and last season’s, thus far, are:
1. Jose Calderon, at the PG-spot, for 30+ MPG, instead of TJ Ford.
2. Andrea Bargnani, as a Perimeter 3PT-Shooter [when he plays well, like he did 2 seasons ago].
3. Using a ‘bigger’ [rather than a 'smaller'] line-up to address the team’s consistently deficient Rebounding Differential, in conjunction with #1 & #2.
Whether it’s Jermaine O’Neal, Kris Humphries or Rasho Nesterovic, as the 3rd ‘bigger’ player in the Raptors front line, playing beside (i) Jose Calderon [PG] for 30-35+ MPG, (ii) CB4 & (iii) Il Mago, is irrelevant to me.
What’s highly relevant, though, is the use of those 4 players in conjunction with one another, with Bargnani, specifically, a Designated Perimeter Shooter.
Khandor do you think O’neal is an upgrade to Nesterovic at the Center position?
Also who of the Portland guards would you prefer BC to pickup? (excluding Roy)
———————-
re: Remember that west coast trip last year. we went 0-6. That time is coming up again boys. Tough Schedule and we have our players healthy.
We loose all of them again and Sam is Gone – Joey
———————-
IMO … you could well be right in that specific assessment of the Raptors’ situation this year, as I’ve speculated since the final months of the 2007-2008 season.
For Sam Mitchell’s sake, however … hopefully, THE Difference this season will be the FACT that Jose Calderon is now THE main-frame PG of this team.
Jose is a steadying influence on the other players around him … and this team, this season, should be able to weather THAT specific storm, as long as Chris Bosh remains healthy AND the team employs some sort of ‘bigger’ line-up to address its historic Rebounding Deficiencies.
[i.e. there are several different solutions to this problem, one of which involves using Bargnani, 3rd Big & Bosh together, alongside of Calderon]
Get it done BC
Calderon/Paul
bryant/wade
Lebron/Granger
Bosh/Duncan
Howard/Bynum
Khandor,
Dread getting in a discussion but
“1. Jose Calderon, at the PG-spot, for 30+ MPG, instead of TJ Ford.”
Do you see this as good or bad? You don’t specify.
2)”2. Andrea Bargnani, as a Perimeter 3PT-Shooter [when he plays well, like he did 2 seasons ago].”
Difference in Bargnani’s game this year is
a) attacking the basket more
b) noticable improvement in both perimeter and inside defence
3)3. Using a ‘bigger’ [rather than a 'smaller'] line-up to address the team’s consistently deficient Rebounding Differential, in conjunction with #1 & #2.
We’ve only gone big the last two games – your point makes no sense.
Edgar,
IMO, JO is a marginal upgrade over Rasho, when you consider all aspects of the game, at this stage of both players’ careers.
At one time, JO was a far superior player to Rasho.
————————–
At the moment, this team plays better basketball when
Bosh & Bargnani
Bosh & Humphries
Bargnani & Humphries
Bosh, Bargnani & Humphries
are on the floor together than when JO is factored into the mix.
————————–
On Portland’s team …
1. Roy [by a gigantic margin]
2. Outlaw
3. Webster
4. Fernadez and Batum [although both have major upside, at this point].
After the Lakers’ run is over, the Trail Blazers are going to be the REAL DEAL, IMO, when you put that list of Guards/Forwards together with their Bigs.
Also
To omit O’Neal is a huge ommission.
I think at some point the Blazers are going to have problems 1)Paying everyone and 2)keeping someone from pulling a T-Mac or Joe Johnson and taking the money and running…
Tinman,
Calderon for 30-35+ MPG is a GINORMOUS improvement over ‘Forderon’.
If Ford would have been willing to play for the Raptors as the 2nd bill in, ‘CaldeFord’, that would have been the ideal scenario for this team moving up the ladder gradually in the EC … but, alas, that’s not who Mr. Ford is, as a player and a person.
As I’ve said before, there are several ways the Raptors can choose to go to solve the current back-up PG situation … DEPENDING UPON WHAT THE ACTUAL GOAL IS AT MLSE.
————————–
Basketball is a game of Quickness, relative to an opponent, at a specific position played … and THE SIMPLE FACT is that I arrive at my conclusions ‘quicker’ than most others do, with a fairly high degree of accuracy … as the Pudding eventually proves out, when it’s time for eating.
For THIS, I make no apologies.
The year is 2008 … and the internet is a wonderful thing.
Those who don’t like what I have to say about the game, or how I say it, are free not to read it … either here or elsewhere.
Skim, scroll down, mute, ignore … if you’re so inclined, it matters not to me.
[not you necessarily, Tinman, unless of course 'the glove' fits securely]
Time will tell if my observations & opinions are right or wrong.
Justify points 2 and 3 – there is no pudding.
Tinman,
What’s to dread?
We can always just agree to disagree with one another … as long as both of us are civil to each other.
No one has a monopoly on truth in this world and we can all learn new things from one another, as long as we are willing to keep an open mind and are not concerned with proving ‘the other’ wrong.
Wow Khandor. Amen.
Tinman,
In what way would like me to justify points #2 and #3?
———————–
IMO …
When Bargnani attacks the basket he is still a mediocre player, i.e. some work & some don’t.
When Bargnani is making long distance 3’s however … and, adding in occasional ‘Catch & Shoot 2’s’ … he is a very serviceable player.
When the Raptors use 3 bigger players together, they are not very good at preventing dribble penetration … but what they are good at is ’switching’ checks amongst their front-court players, ‘gapping’ vs drivers, and using their height & size to challenge shots, defend in the Lane and REBOUND the basketball with a Positive Differential.
Those are highly productive things, IMO.
Khandor, stop destroying the Raps section with your long ass posts full of line breaks and banal observations. They break the rhythm of the page. And JO is a marginal upgrade over Rasho? How many double-doubles did Rasho have last year? Huh? Let me know. You also make no sense when you say its better for Bargnani to shoot threes than drive to the rim. And what pudding are you talking about? Actually, please don’t respond to my post.
I’m loving JO and the frontline. He’s the reason Bargnani at the 3 hasn’t been a disaster. He’s so quick to help out the guard who got beat that he’s making our D look kinda acceptable. What that dunk pic doesn’t show is how Parker got his ankles broken on that play so fast that JO didn’t have time to fully challenge Wade.
I don’t know what to do about Bargnani’s rebounding. Nobody seems to be making a big deal that he’s averaging only 4 so I’m not gonna bug about it. The Raptors can survive that production if JO and Bosh get double-doubles every night but they’ll have bad rebounding games too and thats when ppl will start throwing stones at Bargs.
————————-
re: And JO is a marginal upgrade over Rasho? – Raptors2009
————————-
O’Neal’s base stats, so far.
Nesterovic’s base stats, so far.
Others are free to draw their own conclusions for themselves.
Khandor,
Watch the games – don’t read the stat sheet.
As big a fan as I am/was of Rasho, we have definately upgraded. Saying anything else destroys your cred.
Tinman,
Watch the game … several times, with the sound off … keep your own stats, including a ‘Possessions Outcome Chart’, like real NBA teams do … and, then, formulate your own opinions, based on what you c for yourself, when all the little details are factored into the equation.
As always … you and others are free to draw your own conclusions … just don’t expect me to routinely agree with them, without doing what’s suggested in the first sentence.
Bargs is never going to average normal big man rebound averages – He’s going to be more like Mehmet Okur/Raef LaFrentz numbers (6-7 rpg). Hell even Dirk with the huge minutes he plays per game only averages 8.6. Traditional post defenders and post scorers will always have way more rebounds based on their positioning on both offense and defense when those misses (sometimes their own) occur.
khandor,
Do you really sit there, watch a game multiple times, and chart what you see? Must be nice to have nothing but time on your hands… I should have figured as much, with your long ass comments.
If you’ve watched the games multiple times and you don’t believe JO has totally changed the dynamic of our team, then I have no respect for your analysis. No amount of numbers or examples you could give me would make me agree with you. I have watched every game this season (some i’ve watched twice on GIH), and I watched 80 of 82 games last year. I cannot remember the last Raptor player who changed as many shots as JO does in the paint. Players are missing easy lay ups because they are afraid of getting their shot blocked, but that does not show up in the stat sheet, so I guess it didn’t happen. Keon Clark and AD were the last 2 Raps who even had a presence down low… now we have JO and Bargs blocking shots left and right. I am a big Rasho fan, and was very skeptical about the JO deal, but his outstanding play early on has made me a believer…
To say that JO is a marginal upgrade to Rasho is absurd…
I think Mitchell tucks in and kisses Solomon good nite in the hotel on each away game.
I mean, I dont get this, why did you bring the starting young PG from Roma whos suppose to be the future of the franchise if you won’t play him and give his time to this solomon guy whos 34 years old, clearly not a PG and basically cant do shit??? remember Calderon when he came? ..but he had time to develop.
I would understand playing the 34 year old if Solomon can bring imediate contribution this year and is really good but he sux…man… I dont get it.
I think BC/Mitchell were going for a homerun in the Soloman signing instead of a steady efficient PG that could be relied on to be reliable, unfortunately.
One of the big reasons for the Raptors improved rebounding since the lineup change is Bargnani playing far less minutes at power forward or center. This has stopped him from hurting the team on the backboards. Many of those minutes have been replaced by Kris Humphries who is a quality rebounder. So the squad has gone from having an awful rebounder (net negative rebounding wise), Bargnani, to having a good rebounder (net positive) in Humphries.
Humphries grabs a rebound every 3.6 minutes, in comparison Bargnani grabs a rebound once every 6 minutes. It’s a massive difference.
There’s also a secondary boost with Bargnani at small forward, although that boost should not exist. The only reason it does exist is Jamario Moon’s poor performances on the backboards this season. Last season, Moon was well above average on the backboards for a small forward (one rebound every 4.67 minutes), while Bargnani is only average (one board every six minutes) rebounding wise for a small forward – if Moon kept up his rebounding he’d be out-rebounding Bargnani by 25%.
Like I said this secondary boost shouldn’t exist, but unfortunately Jamario hasn’t performed well enough this season.
Bargnani’s awful rebounding has been a large problem for the Raptors this season …. but this new lineup helps stop that.
Khandor, good comments on Calderon. I totally agree, I loved him last year and I think he’s a good steady guard that is perfect for the raps. He hits his shats, passes well, and doesn’t turn over the ball. Point is, he isn’t going to lose the game. His defense could be better, but hey, if he was perfect than he would be boring (like Chris Paul, yawn).
Yeah, I agree with you too MoneyCarlo. What’s up with having Solomon play? He isn’t good and won’t develop. At least the raps could pick up some young guy with some skill (I guess Roko fits this item) and try and get the kid to improve. Solomon is just a waste of everybody’s time and patience.
And Hump sucks. I don’t know why people talk about him like he’s decent. Same with Graham. These guys wouldn’t play for any other team in the NBA. They just are not very good. They make stupid decisions and that’s about it. I mean, even their hustle plays sometimes turn into disasters. I guess Hump sometimes comes in and plays well, but that’s rare. We couldn’t trade either Hump or Graham for garbage.
Dave, great post and very insightful. Thanks.
And I saw the words “Keon” and “Clark” together as I scrolled down. Threw up in my mouth a little.
why do you guys feed him?
You should talk.
No harm in showing him the error of his ways.
Speaking of errors – remember this
@ Phi [L]
vs GS [W-?]
@ Mil [L-?]
vs Det [L]
@ Atl [L-?]
@ Cha [L-?]
@ Bos [L]
vs Phi [W]
vs Mia [W]
@ Orl [L]
@ Mia [L-?]
Khandor – you had them at 3-8.
i know, i know. i’m gonna stay strong though, and resist the temptation…
‘error?’ hahahahahahahaha. you must know by know, that ‘error’ is not part of a certain someone’s vernacular…
AltRaps – What’s wrong with Keon? He was one of my favorites, always produced when he got the chance. Blocked shots, finished well, played hard and high. A bit on the thin side but a great role player to have on your team.
New subject
To quote the great Doug Smith
“he who shall not be named” will be paying us a visit soon.
A good friend of mine is going and she’s bringing her sister! I’m pissed.
10 players on this team are not NBA players which is Sad
Joey
Did BC and Sam steal your tailor or something?
71 games to go.
Yertu, you and Khandor are one of the reasons I enjoy reading this blog, along with Arsenalist’s analysis of the Rap’s games. Some, but not all of his, and your opinions and comments, make a lot of sense, and some are very humourous, whether intentional or not.
Tinman, what are you talking about in #68. I’m not visiting Smith’s blog and will wait for your response.
mark, I dug Keon too. So much potential, never figured out why we just let him walk instead of sending him to a rehab facility. Man never got a right coach to guide him through the life.
Jord, Calderon is good, he’s not CP3 and will never be the star of a team. That’s something we knew before giving him the contract and I’m fine with it. We do however need a “change of pace” backup PG that can throw the defense a twist, you know, kinda like TJ Ford, only not TJ Ford. khandor is correct in his assessment of Caldeorn, he won’t lose you the game but can’t be relied to carry your team through. Then again, nobody though Steve Nash could do that until not too long ago…so yaaa…
BTW, LOL at khandor watching the games on mute with a notepad, only a die-hard Raptors fan would do this. I love it.
Mark, in my eyes he had the mental make up of a Jamario Moon on weed. Some games he would come out and hustle, block shots, and be right into the game. Others he would be a combo of Moon/Bargnani/Solomon….frustrating beyond belief.
This forum has degenerated into something between one-liner blurts/shitchatting a la RealGM … and accountants doing statistical surgery aka forensic basketball. Between strange and queer …..
Khan, based on your analysis, of your own tracked stats, you obviously only track what YOU feel will back theories/opinions that you have already established and ignore the staggering amount of info that states otherwise to protect your self-proclaimed credibility. You’ve essentially made yourself irrelevant in these discussions by taking that approach.
One thing I’ve wanted to mention, because I see it not just on these comments but comments on other Raptors websites as well,
….It’s “lose” not “loose”
Man, I thought me and Joey were going to get into a good screaming match about European players until the comments were closed…
But just to make one thing clear, I meant Parker as in Tony Parker, not Anthony Parker. Yeah, AP is probably one of the worst starting SG in the league. Although he does hit open shats which, according to Smitch, is all it takes to win games.
What’s the general level of hate on a scale of one to ten for VC15 out there?
1 – being I’m completely over it. He’s a gentleman and a scholar.
10 – being he’s only one career ending injury away from satisfaction/redemption.
I think I’m a 2 or 3 on that scale. I don’t hate him but I really don’t want to see him have much success either and certainly not against the Raps (obviously).
I have a theory about Bargs’ rebounding numbers. Jermaine and Bosh do eat up a lot of boards, but when I see them get some of them, Bargs is right there with open hands. The important number is bargs’ O-boards. Last game he had 2/ Chris had 3/ JO had 4. If JO pulls down 30 defensive boards on the night, that doesn’t mean the other guys weren’t working hard to get them or would have let them go to the other team if JO wasn’t there. The fact that bargs is not getting d-boards but IS getting O-boards is what I feel truly indicates his effort level on the glass.
I’d say its a 4 for me. I don’t want him to have any success. To quote Mo from the Simpsons:
I can never cheer for VC again. If he plays the raps, I don’t boo him, but I’m thinking “Miss. Miss you dirty bastard. Miss. Miss.”
So maybe that’s a 6.
i hate vc with a passion but the chants of “lets go raptors vc sucks” reeks right up there with weak stalkerish jilted lover crap.i’ll call him bitch before i call his name during a game.i’ll laugh every miss and chant d-fence…..but encorporating the lets go raptors chant to include him is weak…the fruitcakes been gone how many years now?his wifes left him and hes gone bald…let it go…it makes him think we still want him and we dont.we’d be better off ignoring him like the nobody he is.vc is a hype players and thats all he’ll ever be.so why give him hype?
* yertu … because not everyone agrees with your interpretation of the situation.
* tinman … if you’re going to make reference to what I said then the onus shifts to you to get ’straight’ what I said, in the first place, which you have consistently failed to do, re: that list of games and the ‘possible’ outcomes you keep referring to. Do you think those are the actual ‘outcomes’ I predicted for those match-ups? If you do, then try thinking again. I do not ‘predict’ the outcome of individual games weeks/months in advance. That’s not what I do. Seems to me as though, you don’t have the first clue about what it is that I do. An individual game prediction, per se, looks like this: “The Raptors will win tonight’s match-up vs New Jersey.” Get it?
Now … try looking a second time at what I actual wrote before; not what you said I wrote but what I actually wrote.
Key early season games for the Raptors
Hopefully, you should be able to c the difference for yourself … if not, then, unfortunately, I can’t seem to help you understand it any further.
C’est la vie.
* Johnn19 … thanks.
* Raptoronto …
——————————–
re: Khan, based on your analysis, of your own tracked stats, you obviously only track what YOU feel will back theories/opinions that you have already established and ignore the staggering amount of info that states otherwise to protect your self-proclaimed credibility. You’ve essentially made yourself irrelevant in these discussions by taking that approach. by Raptoronto
——————————–
Do not make the mistake of thinking that I care what you might think of my credibility. : )
Think instead that what you think of my irrelevance in these discussions is of little consequence and, indeed, relevance to me.
If you’d like to know what it is that I track when I watch a basketball game then you’ll need to ask that question for yourself … rather than simply trying to discard that which you might know little-to-nothing about. The choice is yours. Know, however, that it matters not to me which way you decide to go.
Ask and you shall receive. Don’t ask … then, don’t ask.
To this point … what ‘analyses’ or ‘tracked stats’ or ’staggering amount of info that states otherwise’ have YOU [or anyone else] presented to oppose the ‘theories/opinions’ which I’ve stated here?
When you present those here [or someplace else], please do let me know. I will be most interested in seeing what those look like.
What you think is obvious might not be the case, at all. : )
Sorry pakmacman, I forgot you. Not intentional, I assure you.
When you watch a scary movie … with the sound off … what happens?
I suggest you try it sometime for yourself, then you’ll have a better understanding of what you should really be afraid of in Life … and the many details you might otherwise miss [outside of the soundtrack] along the way.
What you think is ‘absurd’ [or not] about something in Life [or in hoops] is directly correlated to the extent of your knowledge about that very thing/subject.
Nuff said.
Arsenalist,
————————————–
re: BTW, LOL at khandor watching the games on mute with a notepad, only a die-hard Raptors fan would do this. I love it.
————————————–
And, that’s a Rap [of the Day], my friend! : )
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