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High praise for Jay Triano is rolling in from all corners, Steve Nash, Pistons front office, Rob Babcock, Sam Mitchell and even U of T’s head coach chipped in with his two cents. As far as I can tell he’s a workaholic with a high basketball IQ who doesn’t know when to stop taking the game seriously. Sounds to me like we got a Jeff Van Gundy brewing right here. The attributes and adjectives associated with Triano so far have been nothing but great, even the Czar chipped in with a compliment on TNT’s Nuggets/Spurs telecast after attending the Raptors practice session in Denver today. According to him, the Raptors were working on ironing out the kinks in their defensive schemes…..good, good…defense is where it starts.
There are things that I’m going to put in over the course of time that will be different defensively, but right now it’s going to be tweaked here and there until we can get comfortable with our personnel and what we think we can do at the defensive end.
That’s great to hear Jay, can you do something about being last in the league in fastbreak points?
Running becomes a mindset and a habit and if it’s not enforced and pushed all the time, it’s easy to walk the ball up the floor. Conditioning, getting up and down the floor is a mindset we’re going to have to try to get instilled in these players. I don’t think we’re going to see 100 shots go up in the first game with these guys, it’s something that is going to take a bit of time.
Wow, do you believe that? This guy’s actually talking tangible and practical stuff rather than lamenting on shats that were oh so close to going in. Let’s not get carried away though, if Triano is such a great basketball mind, how come his supposed skills and knowledge weren’t reflected in the Raptors play for the last few years. Were his skills being properly utilized by Mitchell or was he relegated to keeping track of deflections and hustle-points on the bench? It’s a natural thought: everybody says he’s great + he’s been with the team for what seems like forever + he’s the #1 assistant coach and yet none of his good stuff was seen in any of our play. Sounds to me like Sam might be as poor as utilizing his coaching resources as he was his players.
Before expectations get out of hand here we should realize that Triano is working with exactly what Mitchell was working with. Although Colangelo thinks that the team is better than 8-9, there are many experts out there who beg to differ and make a strong case. I have no idea what Triano’s impact will be but let’s remember that he’s new to this too and has been shoved into a very big role out of the blue. Being an assistant coach and chipping in with suggestions is entirely different than calling the shots and being responsible for the W and L. As an assistant coach you can always hide after the game and avoid the tough questions but not anymore, he’ll now be doing more than just a lame halftime interview with Leo Rautins.
Here are some issues that need immediate addressing, obviously we’ll need to give him some time to learn the ropes but he’ll have to figure things out by the end of December at the latest. If we’re still struggling after that it might be time to take this season to the back and put a bullet in its head:
- Effort and intensity: Obviously.
- Dribble-penetration: Either Jose Calderon has to buckle-up or we need to provide him systematic help.
- Diversifying the pick ‘n roll: It’s not working close to as efficiently as it was two years ago.
- Transition defense: Decide who hits the offensive boards and who gets back on defense. The ball-watching stops here.
- Fastbreak points: Last in league with 6 per game. This needs to change, our offense isn’t good enough to play strictly half-court basketball.
- Drive ‘n kick: An element that has been entirely missing from our offense and was something that was key to our 05-06 success.
- Fix Jason Kapono: Make him earn at least half his money. Introduce specific plays designed for him and only him. Make dribbling the ball a criminal offense.
- Free Hump while containing him: Let him loose on the boards but at the same time keep him under control. He can be valuable to us if he controls his urge to make a fool of himself.
- Get the bench to step up: I don’t know how you get production out of these folk but there has to be a way.
- Figure out a consistent backup PG rotation. None of this musical chairs BS, pick a guy as your 2nd stringer and a guy as your 3rd stringer, you know, like normal teams.
- Convince Bryan Colangelo that Joey Graham, Jamario Moon, Hassan Adams and Will Solomon are not cutting it and that he needs to get him some help or he’ll have to do another firing come spring. Gerald Wallace is out, according to Hollinger the little biatch doesn’t want to come here..
- Add more in the “Raps”.
Chris Bosh was asked how much responsibility the team should take for Mitchell’s firing and he flat out said: “No responsibility”. Then they asked him if the players underachieving resulted in Mitchell’s firing and he said, “No”. It’s a good scrum, Bosh seems very edgy with the reporters and is dismissing the slow start as being not much of a big deal. He definitely sounds positive for a team leader who’s team just got whooped by 39. I like that he recognizes that that the hard-work element has been missing but I do disagree that that was the only change that needed to be made:
The only change that was needed was that we needed to play harder and execute better….and you can’t coach that.
There’s tons more video on the official dot com.
It’s the Jazz tonight and unless you’re brand spanking new to basketball, you know that those guys run like a well-oiled machine and are basically the anti-Raptors in terms of ball movement, execution and discipline. We haven’t won in Utah since 2004 and expecting a win tonight once again falls in the unrealistic category even though they are without Carlos Boozer and possibly without Kirilenko and Harpring who are both game-time decisions. But we’re not necessarily looking for a win, we’re looking to compete and find something to build on. A new coach means a new start and this is essentially the first game of the season for us and I’m expecting some very positive things such as ball movement, off-the-ball movement, smart defense and maybe even something more than a pick ‘n roll.
Somebody already pointed this out in the comments but its funny enough to mention again. Hollinger referred to Jamario Moon as a “defensive ace”. I’m starting to wonder if these “experts” actually watch any of our games. On a similar note, it’ll be interesting to find out who Triano’s favorite players are; who he’s willing to give leeway to and who he’ll have a short leash with. Judging by his talk and his purist basketball philosophy my guess is that he won’t be too fond of Jamario Moon’s lackadaisical attitude. The corollary being that Humphries stands to gain some minutes. I thought I’d never say this but this 8-9 team has some exciting times ahead. They might be depressing at the same time but definitely excitingly depressing.
We got a new poll out which means the results of the old one are here. Apparently the majority of us want to run Popovich’s motion offense, my guess is people love the word “motion” because they’re sick of seeing Jamario Moon exchange jokes with the guy in the first row while the play’s going on.
Tonight it’s another Raptor Fan Friday at Philthy’s and if you haven’t made it out yet, you’re either living 500 miles away or you’re really lazy. It’s a 10:30PM start so we’ll see how it goes. I’ll try to find somebody to do a podcast with me for the post-game show. Maybe another post later….Let’s go you Raps!!!
73 Raps
I’m excited about Jay Triano. Hopefully he has a lot to offer.
I’ve been surprised that I haven’t come across any questions about Bargnani in the interviews/reports I’ve seen with/about Triano. Have I just missed them?
Has anyone asked Triano if Bargnani will continue as a starter? As a small forward or a big man? Big issue that could swing either way. I’m surprised he hasn’t been bombarded with Bargnani questions.
Just read this on Scott’s Raptorblog.com Might be news to some of you.
“That’s pretty much how I figured it. Another interesting tidbit in the article: “Charlotte swingman Gerald Wallace let it be known that if Toronto dealt for him, he wasn’t going to come.”
source: http://www.nationalpost.com/sports/story.html?id=1028512
Yeah, so fuck Wallace!
I think its been said (but I’m not sure of the source), but Mitchell was supposedly quite stubborn and I dont think Triano (or any of the coaches) had too much of an input into the game plan.
Jay and the Raps can go 0-65, it won’t matter, this season will be an epic success, simply for getting rid of Sam.
d.. word up on that tidbit. Not news at all, to some.
Just goes to show all the “Toronto is great, why wouldn’t they come, that’s just stupid” people that in fact, players REFUSE to play here.
Flux,
HO came here.
I’m only 60 miles away… so I guess I’m really lazy…
Oh well, not news to me!
Can’t wait for tonight! I wonder what an offensive set looks like?
I just thought of something while reading Steve Nash’s praise of Jay Triano. How many free agents might have suggested to Colangelo, I do not want to come to play for Sam Mitcell? I,m not suggesting Nash is now on his way, but I don’t see Sam as being the type of coach who can coach talented veterans.
This is why 2 years ago I though okay, his playbook is thin and his rotations make no sence, but the Raoptors had no talent anyway, so all he can try is to get players to play harder than other teams, all the time, and we will win 5-10 extra games.
Now that ois not working and we need a coach to take us to the next level. Everyone agrees on that, but I had not thought up til now about what maybe BC was hearing from Free agents, fire Mitchell and we would think about moving north.
Remember that ESPN players poll where mitchell was voted worst coach in the league?
I bet the players do.
Honestly if this team changed nothing except played harder and showed pride on the defensive end, that’d probably translate into a handful of wins. Hopefully J-Bird can get them to do that.
lmfao…all those things you listed arse are all “normal” things all coaches implement and teams do.we have been so deprived of a coach its absurd…hearing triano talk,refreshing.all sam ever did was talk down to the media with his wackass southern drawl.he was defensive of everything,every question,every comment and when someone is always defensive like that,they are hiding something.sam was hiding the fact that he was well over his head.the bitch got exposed……feels good to have a coach with a brain and we havent even played one game yet.
“im sick and tired of hearing what we dont have”,said bc and myself included and those of us with a brain.
HAHAHHAHHA Alt… yeah, HO came here to get paid and get out of Indiana. Tell me who else was knocking on the door of a washed up, one legged former 6 time all star, with 44 mil due over the next two years, who’s played 10 games over the last 5 years, who’s former team and himself lied about his injuries to get him traded?
I will be happy tonight if the Raps come out with some intensity and focus. Even if they still make some bone-headed mistakes. Especially since the game is on ESPN so I can finally watch it on real TV.
I think we are expecting WAY too much for the day on the job. I love the idea of Triano comming in and doing his thing. But it would be delusional to think that all the habits instilled by Mitchell will just dissappear. These guys might have one or two more plays that they will execute poorly tonight. Thats about all i expect. You can’t implement a system in one day. It takes time. I give it at least 15-20 games before they actually start “getting it”. For god’s sake. Its like going from binary to decimal systems for these guys. I doubt some of them have the mental capacity to remember more than a couple things in a game without getting it drilled into them for a month.
It’s not just changes to the game plan that Triano makes that are important. It’s how poorly the Raptors have been executing Sam’s offense this season (players going through the motions too often). A coaching change normally gives a big boost in energy and effort, that would help ease (not solve, but improve the situation) a lot of the Raps current problems.
The system Triano decides to implement is a longer term question and a difficult one for a rookie head coach who takes over mid-season. It’ll be interesting to see how he handles that. I love ex-CBA coaches for jobs like this because they’re used to having their whole roster change month in month out and can both (1) adapt quickly (2) keep the game plan simple enough to be learned quickly. It’ll be interesting to see whether Triano shares those qualities or if he’s the type of rookie coach (most are) that needs a training camp to implement the changes he wants. It’s something we should be able to tell inside of 4-6 weeks time.
IMO,
These are ominous words.
Triano draws high praise
————————
All eyes will be on him, as Raptors centre Jermaine O’Neal said after Triano’s first practice yesterday.
“Sometimes change is good, sometimes it isn’t,” O’Neal said in an interview posted on the club’s website. “We’ll see.”
————————
All is far from being Right, here, in the State of Denmark.
… as are these words, right here:
Colangelo fed up
“I’m really, really tired and incensed reading about what we lack,” the general manager [Bryan Colangelo] said yesterday. “We’ve got a lot of things that aren’t talked about. We’ve got a great group of players.”
Incensed?
Hmmm …
More convinced, now, than ever … that something is seriously wrong inside that locker room, not named Sam Mitchell.
Only in trying to understand a player’s mindset in general, would Bosh like to stay out there for 48 if they didn’t sub for him?
I agree Hollinger was an idiot for claiming that Moon was a “defensive ace”, but it’s quite clear that nobody in the States follows the Raptors and all of their expert talk comes straight out of their bumholes. (Don’t remember the last time I’ve used that word.)
But if you think that’s bad. I live in Japan right now, and during the summer, I was watching the U.S. team give China a beating, and Bosh misses a free throw. The Japanese commentator says something along the lines of “Ya, that’s Bosh for ya. Not a great free throw shooter.” The play by play man jumps in and says “But it says here that Chris Bosh is quite a skilled player.” The other dude’s response?
“Nah, not a good free throw shooter. He’s a better three point shooter than he is a free throw shooter. Ha ha.”
Come on man, they’re paying you to act like an expert. The least you could do is look at a stat sheet and see his 84.4% free throw percentage for the season!
i’m confused as to how Colangelo praising the players that he put together is somehow turned into someone is a locker room virus. Please explain.
I understand J.O.’s comment in terms of its so called “ominous” connotation. Frankly, I am not surprised that JO would come out and say something like that. Hes been in the league for something like 13 seasons. Do you really think he thinks that an interim coach will get him through the playoffs? No one does. he is just saying what everyone else is thinking.
JT has no head coaching NBA experience. The only way he is going to get respect is by earning it. Which he hasn’t done yet.
I agree that none of the American media watch Raps games. They say stuff about Moon and Calderon that suggests they read box scores instead of watching the games
Kreza23, that’s pretty funny. I don’t think anybody is that bad here, if anything their problem is that all they look at is the stat sheet. Especially Hollinger.
curious, Bosh is a competitor and if his physical fitness would allow it he would play 48. In yesterday’s thread someone said that he’s going to pull a VC if the Raptors continue to struggle which I disagree with 100%. Bosh is limited by his skill, not his passion or desire to win.
#5 vs #10: I’m with Flux on this one. Nobody was dying to acquire O’Neal, he would’ve gone anywhere.
Spewdog, I’ve never read anything which hinted at players being repelled because of coaches, at least not in the context of what you’re referring to. It happens in NCAA, for example a kid coming out of high school might not want to play for Bobby Knight because of his rep. It’s an excellent point though and I’ll be sure to ask this question in the next podcast I do with a writer/reporter etc.
DanH: Take a cab.
giordino: That’s what Tim Chisholm hinted at earlier in the year when I talked to him. Sam definitely had trouble deferring responsibility and wasn’t as open to accepting new ideas…
From Hoopshype Rumours:
Maccabi Tel Aviv officials have already opened talks with Parker over the possibility of his possible return to Tel Aviv. However, sources say the forward is unlikely to make a comeback at the Nokia Stadium because of his commitment to the Toronto Raptors franchise. Haaretz
Pini Gershon has asked Maccabi Tel Aviv’s management to do its utmost to bring back one of its biggest stars, Anthony Parker. The 1.98 meter small forward, who currently plays for the NBA’s Toronto Raptors and averages 10.95 points a game, has said in the past that he is very fond of the team, which he led to repeated success in Europe under the tutelage of Pini Gershon. Haaretz
…………….
Looks like AP might want to bail out from the Raptors asap .. after all this is his last contract season, and he certainly doesn’t have much of a trade value in the NBA.
What giordino said.
I remember reading an interview of Jim Todd and he was asked why he left the Raptors. He said that he and the other assistant coaches were not able to provide any input during games and that Sam did not welcome their game situation advice; Sam wouldn’t listen.
I would… but:
TORONTO 110 $154.00 (Waterloo Taxi)
Taxis are expensive ’bout these parts ;)
Oh, yeah – I’m lazy AND cheap. Forgot to mention that.
DanH, we cover the taxi rides to the event…
I’m hoping to meet more of you regular posters tonight, so be sure to introduce yourselves to us!! :D
The Post-Smitch era begins tonight (!!) and fellow Raps fanaddicts will be at our weekly RAPTOR FAN FRIDAY to rock the hometown house and make some Loud Crowd Noise!!
http://www.lastampa.it/sport/cmsSezioni/basket/200812articoli/17932girata.asp
says here messina is our coach next season.
“he’ll now be doing more than just a lame halftime interview with Leo Rautins.” LOL
I don’t know if you can read Italian or not, it says in that article TWICE that is not official or confirmed.
NO SHIT DOORKNOB….were going interim with jay till seasons done and messina is presently coaching cska moscow.
I believe Triano will be fine. After all this is a guy who works with USA basketball. How many American coaches would die for that job.
I wouldn’t read into Bosh too much right now. I expect more comments later on. He just lost his longest serving coach and probably has mixed feelings.
Jim Todd left a good team and now I know why. Sam’s stubbornness.
Wallace not coming here. How much crap can we believe from these media folk. Sam has a very safe job, J.O’s the leader, etc.. I’m starting to call BS on a lot of these things now.
Back to work.
Flux,
re: ^^^^^
At some point the bully is asking for a punch in the face. Do your best to resist that urge.
1. What if John Hollinger’s observation about Jamario Moon’s defensive ability is considered to be Right by the top coaches in the NBA, and your impression … which is shared by most Raptors fans … is considered to be Wrong by those same coaches?
2. Would that make a difference to you?
No worries, Khandor. I usually ignore and do not replay to his attacks, with are frequent and consistent, this time I just didn’t want him misinforming the public, that’s all.
Sanders,
When an elderly Vito Corleone visits with his youngest son, Michael, prior to his death, he explains to him that … when the time comes that he [Vito] is no longer there, the man who comes to him [Michael] first, with an offer to “make the peace” between the Corleone family and the heads of the other 4 New York families, will not be “the friend” he portrays himself to be but, instead, should be ear-marked immediately as “the traitor” in the midst of the Corleone klan, who has [in fact] already made the “percentage play” and “sold out” to the forces operating on the other side of the equation.
And the question you ask is …
i’m confused as to how Colangelo praising the players that he put together is somehow turned into someone is a locker room virus. Please explain. – by Sanders
Well … that first paragraph [above] is my answer … together with:
Things are not always as they seem to be, at first glance, in this world. – by khnador
jeez, louise … and, the ominous words from within the current Raptors’ camp just keep coming:
“The only change that was needed was that we needed to play harder and execute better … and you can’t coach that.” – by Chris Bosh
Denmark. Yes, indeed, it is sure beginning to look that way.
————————–
re: But we’re not necessarily looking for a win, we’re looking to compete and find something to build on. A new coach means a new start and this is essentially the first game of the season for us and I’m expecting some very positive things such as ball movement, off-the-ball movement, smart defense and maybe even something more than a pick ‘n roll. – by Arsenalist
————————–
Goal No. 2 accomplished by Bryan Colangelo.
lol….it also says in that article that gherdini was never a fan of sam mitchells technical ability as he was inherited in house when they both arrived and that bc and gherdini simply grew tired of his blunders after giving him every opportunity to succeed….it also states that sam went from worst coach to best garnering coy and has regressed steadily since so a change had to be made……the gist of the article is that publicly it cant be stated yet behind closed doors its all but a done deal.
bosh will say whatever he has to say as to not hurt anyones feelings,by bosh stating its the players,its his way out of saying the truth and giving the best politically correct answer to achieve the least resistance.to not hurt anyones feelings….is bosh going to come out and say,”sam was a fucking goof man,im glad the bitch is gone dude”…thats probably what he wants to say and thanfully he doesnt have tourettes , but as a pro he has to give an answer that wont rock the boat.bosh’s demeanour was curt, this is what im gonna say and thats that, were moving on as sam has…basically saying,fuck sam,lets get to winning some games .
is rafer gonna bad mouth sam?when we know he hated sams guts.
is phil gonna bad mouth sam?when we know phil and every coach laughed at sam.
is anybody going to say anything negative about sam publicly?
NO…but behind closed doors they all laughing and saying about damn time.
only those persons mentally challenged and prone to being brainwashed see otherwise.
Arse, if nobody else wanted him, why did we?? And at such a high cost? Was TJ that much of a problem? Was Jose really ready for prime time? If nobody wants to come here, what is our shot at getting some high level talent in 2010? Or before, via a HO dump?
Maybe the GM should be doing a better job selling the city and the country. Iggy would come here in a heartbeat. He can’t be alone.
An earlier GM got Oakley, Davis, Curry, Hakeem, etc.
:D
Done deal just like Sam’s job was safe.
It also says lots of other things, but you can interpret it any way you want.
—
Huh! Missed that wording by Arse this morning, must have been early.
So, Arse, are we now pushing the assessment stage of the team to first 40 games?
Alt, when did we get those players? In their prime or at the end of the careers when they were headed for the glue factory like JO?
That’s fine for #4, but what about the other guy’s comments, ignore those too? Or is he the leader now, maybe I missed it.
AltRaps, you just changed the point being discussed. You suggested that players don’t have an issue with coming to Toronto and pointed to O’Neal as an example of a high caliber player coming to TO. Flux said that its a bad example because nobody wanted JO and he was desperate to go anywhere and could’ve been traded to Timbuctoo for all he cared.
Sure, I agree that GG did a good job of selling the city and advertising the tax loopholes which could save players money etc. and BC doesn’t seem to be doing that. On the other hand you can argue (I won’t and I know you disagree) that BC being here is in itself a reason to come play in Toronto….yeah..some people do think that.
Or, perhaps, could it be more along these lines, instead:
“Bryan Colangelo did what he thought was best. That what he gets paid for. What he thinks is best … is not necessarily what I, as the Captain of this team, or we, as the players on this team, collectively, think was needed to be done, at this time to address THE problem on this team. Isolated individuals exempted, of course. In fact, my opinion on the matter was NEVER requested, in the first place. I have nothing further to say about this change, since it was/is out of my control. Now let’s play ball, and see what happens from here.” – by Chris Bosh
Hypothetically, speaking, of course.
And Alt you cannot be serious… look at all the players that have come thru here. I may be wrong, can someone point out a sought out FA in his prime that chose to come to Toronto?
Do you think that Chris Bosh, Jose Calderon and Jermaine O’Neal are looking at Roko Ukic and Will Solomon and Hassan Adams, for example, as the type of players who can function as quality back-ups on a team that’s supposed to be a lot better than 8-9, based on NBA-calibre talent, according to the assessment of the Raptors’ basketball brain-trust?
And that Jason Kapono, Andrea Bargnani, et al., have the type of athleticism and defensive ability it takes to succeed in a big way, as top 8 players for an elite level team in the NBA?
WOHA!! That quote is LOADED!! Where is that from Khandor? Thanks.
Flux,
Which quote? [comment #?]
Sorry, 40 please.
Flux,
The quote in comment #40 is a “hypothetical construct” from me … which serves as a counterpoint to the “interpretation” of Bosh’s words offerred up in Comment #35, which was, in turn, a reply to comment #33, and the initial Bosh quote that Arsenalist first supplied in the body of this specific entry.
[hopefully that meandering trail isn't too difficult to follow]
IMO, this should be mandatory viewing for each and every Raptors’ fan.
Chris Bosh’s interview from Thu December 4 2008, posted on NBA.com.
“The answer to the riddle is found in the original source material.”
- khandor
Oh, sweet baby J, I thought he really said that. Thanks for the clear up.
—–
Soooo, what can we expect from J.T. tonight defensively? Is he going to enforce more of a zone D or stick to the man to man Sam has been using most of the time? How does this team play better D? Or is D scrapped for a 7 seconds or less strategy?
I didn’t change the point, it was 2 points in one.
- if nobody else wanted the dead horse, why did we?
- if nobody ever ever ever wants to come here, how come some “big names” have?
Flux, I threw Hakeem in there just as a FA example, however those others that I mentioned showed up and took us further into the playoffs than we had been and have ever been.
AD was still solid while here, Oak was Oak, Curry certainly shot like he was still breathing….
And, Arse, to your last point, I agree with Flux: show me someone who has. I still think the majority of the euro talent are here courtesy of the Italian Godfather than Liar.
I’d give this squad 6-7 games under Triano and then assume they have converted from Sam. So, January onward…..BC begins to sweat.
This is the first time the Raptors have really needed a big time FA.
It was easy or looked easy to surround Vince with good role players. Davis was in his prime, he wanted to be a starter and made an all-star game as a Raptor. Oakley wasn’t a chump and Dell was great. They never rotted on the bench.
It’s up to BC to get it done.
Ok, I’ll give you Davis, but that’s it. His best days were in Indiana, IMO, and the only other thing I just remembered really quick is the running into the stands. LOL!
Either way, in my estimation, the rest of these guys were on the downswing of their careers, rather then the upswing or middle of their prime.
I am guessing we took on JO because of the huge contract and because TJ was a locker room cancer by all accounts. That doesn’t change the fact BC got robbed to get him and grossly overestimated his contribution to the team. The only thing he may do is free up Bosh a little bit to do some work at the offensive end.
No question Sam knew basketball, but that did’nt translate into being a good coach. he hasn’t changed anything since he started in Toronto. His offense stinks and is nothing more than a pick’n roll that doesn’t work anymore, and a Jose dribbling for 30 seconds or more trying to dump it in to Bosh who is doubled, and cannot and most times will not pass out of it. The offense is way too slow and does not get anyone else involved regularly besides Calderone and Bosh. The defense sucks and needs plenty of work and will be a more difficult long term fix. That said people including Bosh and O’neal say that defense can be fixed by players changing their attitudes and working way harder and having more pride. I agree so the first thing that will fix some of their defensive problems is getting everyone involved in the offense. Bosh and Calderone have to accept that they will never beat good teams regularly and win playoff games on their own. They need to use the other three guys on the floor. Also this is the NBA where it is hard to show passionate defense when no one lets you touch the ball on offense. Get Bargnani, Parker, O’Neal regular good touches and get them and Kapono open shots and they will feel better about themselves and play harder all around. They need to get into the rythm of the whole game not just play defense or hustle so that Bosh can be MVP.
Jay Triano was signed by the Utah Jazz in 1984-85, John Stockton’s rookie season. As a coincidence, Jay will make his debut tonight against the Utah Jazz.
Hopefully Triano can get something better out of Calderon than an AST:TO ratio.
Unless Jay T. impliments some or all of the player positional re-alignments I’ve suggested previously there is going to be little improvement in the way this team plays the remainder of this season.
The performance of this team, this season, SHOULD ALWAYS have been squarely on the shoulders of Mr. Bryan Colangelo.
When Jack Armstrong spends his time talking about the problems Jay Triano is going to have fixing the Raptors’ defense being related to their “poor habits” garnered to this point in the season, he is simply indicating his lack of actual awareness of what’s involved in the NBA game, first and foremost.
When you look at these two line-ups:
Deron Williams vs Jose Calderon
Ronnie Brewer vs Anthony Parker
Kyle Korver vs Jason Kapono
Mehmet Okur vs Andrea Bargnani
Andrei Kirilenko vs Chris Bosh
[the 10 players on the floor at the end of the 2nd quarter]
and you think the major problems are rooted in the individual players “poor habits” or the group’s collectively “poor habits” … rather than the less-than NBA quality athleticism and skills of the players on the Raptors’ roster vs the Jazz’s … then you don’t know what you’re talking about.
===============================
Likewise, when Leo Rautins says that Sam Mitchell had lost his team’s attention over the last few weeks … it is simply a case of another Raptors’ broadcaster not knowing what he’s talking about, in this specific instance.
Yep, you can sure tell Bosh is a superstar MVP by the way he is dominating the Jazz in this very important game.
It’s a good thing they don’t even have Boozer out there because Bosh would be carving him up too.
Since everyone understands that the things that separate an All-Star from a Superstar are that that player can dominate on BOTH ends of the floor, makes his teammates better and rises to the occasion MOST in tough games against good teams when his team desperately needs a leader and a win…
..yep…Bosh sure fits that bill….
Only in a weak-ass mediocrity-submerged hell-hole like Canada could Bosh’s pass for the sort of dominance that can carry a team.
Everyone just keep babbling about the irrelevant fact that Triano is a fucking Canadian…because that will make all the difference in the world as to whether this collection of weaklings, chokers and no-talent non-athletes can compete without embarrassing themselves.
Keep listening to the increasingly sleazy Colangelo persist in calling this team “deep”…and bullshit about interest from other teams about these losers.
You just keep believing because people TELL you.
…anyone who ever said anything positive about the goddamn O’Neal trade…THIS is the scenario YOU asked for.
Get ready for this team to be humiliated by Portland and Cleveland as well….
Get ready for OKC and their chance for a victory when they play the Craptors, “superstar” MVP and all.
And, the truly sad thing is … it simply didn’t HAVE to be like THIS, starting back from when Steve Stavro lost operational control of MLSE [2003] and those who run the parent company subsequently made the decision to relieve Glen Grunwald of HIS duties, as the then GM for the Raptors.
The elements were here back then to build a first rate NBA team, in the Toronto market, which eventually would have been able to put together an extended run at the top end of the Eastern Conference.
Likewise, in Feb/2006, when MLSE made the decision to hire Bryan Colangelo and the team was fortunate enough to move up in the NBA Draft Lottery to the No. 1 [Overall] Selection.
Opportunities Lost … that might not ever come again. : (
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7:00 mark of the 4th quarter … Tor 71, Uta 100
There’s an awful lot of work to do now.
Well, BC surely has some idea what he has here, musings to the press for our consumption aside.
I really enjoyed watching the Utah Jazz playing excellent bball, admittedly against a confused Raptor team. The Jazz team have jelled and are playing wonderful team bball.
The Raptors have not jelled, and they are essentially playing one-man bball … with each player trying to do their thing and badly.
The problem I see with the Raptors is their dependence on Bosh, and when Bosh gets the ball, the rest of the team just stops .. stops running and stops thinking. They just stand there and wait for Bosh to do his thing.
Teams are no longer double teaming Bosh because they know Bosh holds the ball too long and that ices the rest of the team. I played on a team like that and I really didn’t care what our ‘all-star’ was going to do and I just ran around and jumped occasionally. One-man play tore the guts out of the team and the stupid coach didn’t understand what was happening. We lost a lot.
The Raptors are incapable of stringing together three passes because they don’t have an offensive system like the Jazz have, and it was a delight to watch the Jazz moving the ball. Even the Jazz bench played like the starters, because they were trained into a system and are intelligent enough to adjust for results. The Raptors get stuck at Bosh and everything stops and then they scramble.
Sam Mitchell left the Raptors in a pathetic state. I hope they can organize themselves under Triano, but I suspect the lack of athleticism and low bball IQ will hurt the team .. but there is always hope in the feeelings of the tribal honkers who call themselves “fans”.
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re: 1. Sam Mitchell left the Raptors in a pathetic state.
2. I hope they can organize themselves under Triano,
3. but I suspect the lack of athleticism and low bball IQ will hurt the team ..
4. but there is always hope in the feeelings of the tribal honkers who call themselves “fans”. – by FAQ
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1. The State of the Union is the responsibility of the organization’s Leader, in this case, the Raptors’ President/GM.
2. Time will tell.
3. The state of the team’s [i] athleticism and [ii] bball IQ is the responsiblity of the GM.
4. What type of Raptors fan might you happen to call yourself?
lol khandor has a lot to say.
With the whole free agent thing, we haven’t been in existence for very long and have never had a really good team, therefore this team has never been an appealing destination.
This season is looking very bad thus far………….BC may have to suck it up and trade bargs/calderon for a wing player.
Hahaha. Chris Bosh. You stupid fucking Loser. You want to be am MVP? ladies and gentleman this is our leader. A born Loser. Can beat Miami and garbage by 40 points but when faced with adversity he cant will hsi team to a win. Pathetic. What a joke of an All star. This whole team 1-13 needs to be traded. Bosh is not going to attack the rim and fuck over his body he knows his team isn’t going anywhere. Eg Vince Carter.
2006 was our chance to rebuild and we screw that up. Stern giftwraps a #1 Pick, we have 20 mill in capspace, Bosh, Villanova and Calderon.
Colangelo is a born salesman and does not know what he is doing. How the hell do you miss Brandon Roy? Can you not fucking see he was going to be a star? How do you sign Kapono who cant do anything? How do you draft a player with a heart condition? Why would you waste money on no talent bums in the Euroleague when you could have aquire athletic talent through the draft? Stick to your Job as GQ Editor.
Fucking Dummy.
#61 reflects exactly my feeling and observation about the game tonight. Sloan’s system kills and don’t give me any Jazz’s superior talent crap – its in the execution.
Can’t believe I just agreed with anything FAQ has to say.
FAQ says:
“The problem I see with the Raptors is their dependence on Bosh, and when Bosh gets the ball, the rest of the team just stops .. stops running and stops thinking. They just stand there and wait for Bosh to do his thing.”
Well, at least we got rid of TJ Ford, ha?
Tau,
IMO, #61 lacks insight into the mechanics of the NBA game.
As does this statement you just made:
Sloan’s system kills and don’t give me any Jazz’s superior talent crap – its in the execution.
It’s not one or the other, at this level of competition.
It’s BOTH … and, then, so MUCH MORE on top of THAT.
Flux,
Keeping TJ Ford would not have fixed the problem[s].
Keeping Mr. Ford would have only exacerbated the problem[s].
Joey,
Chris Bosh is not the problem with the Raptors.
Chris Bosh has always been, is now, and will continue to be for a long period of time into the future, a first-rate NBA player.
Do not confuse the baby with the bath water.
sho,
When the Raptors are perceived to be on the upswing and to be conducting their affairs in a first-class manner, in the Toronto market, they become a preferred destination for a HIGH END player in the NBA; any High End player, regardless where he’s from and/or what his individual background might be.
The Highest End players, at this level of competition, care most about “Winning Championships” and “Playing the Game” the “Right Way” [not necessarily in that order either.
The Great Bill Russell showed us this several generations ago, as did Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen, and most importantly Paul Pierce last season.
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Some individuals have a lot to say … because they have a lot to say. Not everybody fits into the same category. Based on my experience, this is how the world works. Whether I prefer it this way, or not, is quite immaterial. : )
khandor – Dec 6, 2008 9:25 am
IMO, #61 lacks insight into the mechanics of the NBA game.
I take umbrage at your snotty, uppity comment about my understanding of the game of basketball. I played bball at a higher level, and I have a ‘feel’ for the game … as opposed to your assletic analysis sitting on your fat butt and masterbating over past statistics … you puffed up putz.
Your analysis of the NBA game is meaningless ‘outsight’, and not worth spit. Take your pusillanimous, pedantic comments and jerk off elsewhere.
FLUXLAND – Dec 6, 2008 8:29 am
FAQ says:
“The problem I see with the Raptors is their dependence on Bosh, and when Bosh gets the ball, the rest of the team just stops .. stops running and stops thinking. They just stand there and wait for Bosh to do his thing.”
Well, at least we got rid of TJ Ford, ha?
…………….
Flux … have you never played on a bball team where the hotshot player didn’t know what to do once the ball was out of his hands? These types of players can only think bball when they are holding the ball, and without the ball they vanish.
I focused on TJ, and he just stood there without the ball and was preparing himself to get the ball back into his hands. No cutting, no setting picks, nothing, just thinking “me me me”. He was flashy when the play broke down and he tried to do his thing, but overall he sucked. His upper body was weak and it showed in his laborious attempts to pass the ball.
Bosh is a different case, and I empathize with him because I was in his same situation when I played. All he can do is wait for the PG to bring up the ball and deliver it to him as he fights to post up. He’s helpless and hopeless without the ball on offense, and it shows. Once he gets the ball, the offense goes terminal. Players don’t even bother to fight for offensive rebounds when Bosh lofts his 20-foot jump shots. Why bother?!
Utah Jazz showed us how the game of bball should be played, and they shredded the hapless Raptors on offense and defense. The Raptors have no offensive system worthy of the NBA, and their defense is incompetent as essentially stated by Jack Armstrong.
Good things take care of themselves .. it’s the bad things we must confront.
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re: khandor – Dec 6, 2008 9:25 am
IMO, #61 lacks insight into the mechanics of the NBA game.
I take umbrage at your snotty, uppity comment about my understanding of the game of basketball. I played bball at a higher level, and I have a ‘feel’ for the game … as opposed to your assletic analysis sitting on your fat butt and masterbating over past statistics … you puffed up putz.
Your analysis of the NBA game is meaningless ‘outsight’, and not worth spit. Take your pusillanimous, pedantic comments and jerk off elsewhere. – by FAQ
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The umbrage is yours to take. Do with it what you will.
Vitriol and Accuracy are rarely compatible.
My preference is for the latter.