The “what? For $20mil you expect me to jump for a defensive board?” edition.
Adams – he enjoys bowling.
Bargnani – mediocre at best. You barely even noticed he was there, to be honest. Not surprising when you consider he had a tough time learning Sam’s system and it took him a few years to break out of his shell. Lord knows how long it will take as he tries to understand plays called in Canadian. I wonder if Jay has called a play for him as yet, because it sure doesn’t look like it.
Bosh – he appears mentally out of it lately. Some might chalk it up to the Sam situation, but I just wonder if he has hit a mental wall. He’s played a lot of ball for a year and after coming off the emotional high of a Gold medal and listening to the pre-season hype surrounding this team, it must be hard to be faced with the reality that this team is..well…bad. The Unicorn was held to 5 boards and 19 points by a young front line, but that early-season battle seems to have vanished.
Calderon – if ever you saw a statline that proves that stats lie, it could be this one: 15pts, 13 assists. He was up against a point guard that, hurt or not, he should have been able to dominate and I’m not convinced he did. He gave up the game winning 3 and allowed Blake to camp out in the corner so much that Coleman Canada is thinking of hiring Blake to be a spokesman for their camping gear. Why he didn’t go to Moon when Fernandez was limping around is an outrage and needs to be pointed out at tomorrow’s video session. Still, the stats outweigh the bad and Jose kept us in the game, but wasn’t good enough to enable us to win it.
Graham – if I told you last year that he would be on the floor on the defensive end at the end of a one-possession game, you would laugh and laugh and laugh. He was in this game, though, and he earned it. A sweet baseline jam, followed by a collar pop, attacking the rim more often than taking Moon-like jumpers, he needed a little bone as a reward. He didn’t have a stellar defensive game, which makes you question the move, but as it turns out, he was a non-factor in the game-losing possession.
Humphries – he was named Mr. Basketball in 2004 in the state of Minnesota.
Jawai – from nbadraft.net: “Still needs a bit of work on his stamina. He can only play stretches before his great size and lack of experience catch up with him and he needs a breather Working on conditioning will help him to become more consistent from game to game.” See, now that is writing and researching with your eyes and mind, not allowing your heart to stand in the way.
Kapono – like the rest of his team, he started off well on both ends of the ball. Some nice active hands on D, a nice 3 and even a skyhook in the lane. He then went the way of that sushi you left out on the counter overnight: you try and force it down, but you end up choking.
Moon – well, one thing can be culled from today’s game and it’s that he is showing passion again……just too bad it only shows up when he is on the bench. I’m not sure that he understands team concept basketball. Seems bizarre to say, I know, but he consistently seems to just float and looks to get his own as opposed to helping get ours.
O’Neal – excellent game by Reggie Miller II, bringing more credence to something Khandor has been saying and something I completely support, which is bringing him off the bench to start the game and have him go up against the second unit of the opposing squad. He had season highs in points and blocks and it sure isn’t because he went up against their starters. He did hit a couple shots early, but that isn’t uncommon for him, but disappearing toward the end isn’t either. PVR it all you want, but showing no effort to get that ball during the game-losing possession is pathetic. Triano did a nice job at not pointing fingers, but you don’t get boards by nailing your feet to the hardwood. He did try and redeem himself on Bosh’s miss, but failed. Somebody also needs to adjust his knee brace, me thinks.
Parker – think he reads the morning papers? Roy hit 6/16 and probably felt he had been wearing a suit made of lightbulbs in a farmers field in the dead of night, attracting attention to himself and not being able to shake it. AP did a remarkable job on the defensive end and seemed to eschew any worry about getting his own shot. That is when he is most affective and he had a nice all around game.
Solomon – making a surprise appearance, he held back his desire to start jacking up shots and was actually looking for teammates. Who knew? Completely invisible, though.
Ukic – his father played drums for a very famous Croatian rock band. May not be a bad idea to invite him over for some Rock Band.
Driving The Bus: Jermaine O’Neal
Under The Bus: Will Solomon
Game Theme: Daddy Mack will make ya…
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33 Raps
The first two Raptors’ plays of the game were called for Bargnani.
He didn’t score on either possession vs Nicolas Batum.
gotta feed the need, though. He has proven this season that he can actually follow direction. If indeed we are using this season as a learning process, then let’s do it. Use Joey, Roko, Andrea and see if they can cash in any value for our past investment.
Triano said postgame that he needs to get the ball into Andrea’s hands, and I agree. He should not be deemed invisible.
There is nothing wrong with Chris Bosh, regarding his attitude, demeanor or anything else. Once again, he is simply being used incorrectly by the Toronto Raptors. [Where to for art thou yertu?] Chris Bosh’s most effective position in the NBA is the #5/C spot. With Jermaine O’Neal on the floor, however, CB4 doesn’t get to play this spot. When Chris does not play this spot, he is a good but not dominant basketball player, when matched-up against other high calibre players and/or teams.
Do not confuse the baby with the bath-water. : )
The Ratpors … a team “Under Destruction” … watch out for falling objects ..!!!
While many laughed earlier this season [as well as during the summer], it is nice to see Joey Graham playing well enough to validate the observations made about him as the best fit for this team at the #3 spot this year.
Those people who thought that he cannot play successfully at this level were, in fact, wrong. : )
Joey G. is not a star; but, he is a highly serviceable NBA player, when he gets a chance to play the #3-spot.
Kapono was bad signing. Moon is not being used correctly … given the other players on the roster this season. Until this changes, he is not going to play substantially better.
O’Neal was a bad acquisition. As I’ve said, since the trade was first announced … this team’s ability to rebound the basketball this season against high calibre outfits was NOT going to be improved by the addition of Jermaine O’Neal.
Understanding how basketball actually works in the NBA is not as simple as … 1+1=2. : )
Anthony Parker is one of the three very solid acquisitions Bryan Colangelo has made since becoming the GM of the Raptors. That’s right, three in three years.
AP is a terrific back-up player in the NBA. Unfortunately … for this team he is a starter
Solomon is a very good guard … in the Euroleague
Ukic is a solid 3rd-string PG … who should be sitting and learning this season behind Jose Calderon and a veteran back-up PG.
The major problem with THIS specific Raptors team was not Sam Mitchell.
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Hopefully Jay Triano will be treated better than the powers that be, in the Raptors’ ivory tower.
bosh cant really guard the 5’s well
Bosh’s ability to guard the Center position in the NBA is not a major problem for the Raptors.
There are different ways for Chris and the team to accomplish this task without hurting the Raptors significantly … while still allowing him to take advantage of his strengths as an elite level basketball in the NBA.
To play him at another position is to misuse Chris Bosh.
It’s baaaaack! Sweet. Believe it or not Alt, I got a text at one point that said: “Bosh looks like an unicorn” to which I replied “One that got his horn poached?” Unreal you had that on there.
Jose – the definition of clutch is: UNO, DOS, BRICK at the 2:15 mark, a missed jump shot, a TO, getting worked on the game winning basket by a PG that he makes look like Donovan Bailey, supposedly, and finally letting Bosh play PG for the win. MUY BIEN! MJ would be proud.
O’Neal: brought in for rebounding purposes. Offensive rebounds TOR: 4 PORT: 18. JO: 1. Dividends, people, dividends!
You know how you can tell we will lose games? When Jose is repeatedly doing the 3 finger dance after a made bucket while still losing, and JO is punching the air and screaming into the crowd “I shook up the world” somewhere in the the middle of the 1st or 3rd q. I hope BC hands out bonuses for these antics, he should.
Bosh isn’t good at any position lately. I don’t know what is wrong with the guy. He generally still gets his stats, but man, he is shooting jump shots either more or at bad times. His defense has always been bad, simply because his reaction time is very slow (although that goes for most of the Raps). I wouldn’t want Bosh playing at the 5 unless the Raps decided to run or at least play at a faster pace. Then Bosh would make tons of sense at the 5 cause he would be faster than many of the centres in the league. But in this half court situation, I’m not sure I like him at the 5.
I’ve actually grown weary of this Rap team, which surprised me. I want to give Triano some time to implement whatever he might. But frankly I wouldn’t mind trading Bosh and Kapono for picks and potential, and not resigning Parker or O’Neal. But I had a headache today that just got worse when I watched the Raps, so yeah, I might be overreacting.
Bosh has been turned into a “jumpshooter” … primarily because the Raptors are trying to post-up Jermaine O’Neal … their big-time, new addition … and Andrea Bargnani, their 2006 No. 1 [overall] Draft Pick, who was selected as a Perimeter Big who could shoot the ball “From Deep” [shoutout to M. Grange, one of the solid hoops' reporters in the GTA] but who they are trying work more closer to the basket [in the mold of a classic 7-footer].
You want to get rid of the “jumpshots” from him? Then he NEEDS to play as the 5/C for this team, working primarily on the Right Block.
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The fact is, however, the best three post-up players on this team are Chris Bosh/5, Joey Graham/3 and Kris Humphries/4. JO should be the 4th post-up option on this team … at least, from a team efficiency standpoint.
Flux,
It wasn’t Jose’s on-the-ball defense that let the Raptors down on that final dagger by Steve Blake [of all people, ala MJ fouling Byron Russell] … it sounds weird just writing that! It was their collective inability to corral the Defensive Board, on the preceding possession, that led to the subsequent shot attempt by the Blazers PG; you know that already.
When he was in the game, Calderon played plenty well enough for his team to win the game … and was not the main reason they lost today, while giving up 14 offensive rebounds to the likes of Aldridge/6, Oden/5 and Fernandez/3.
khandor …. why don’t you, with your considerable bball acumen, tell us who the Raptors should try to get by trading: Bosh, Kapono, Bargnani … oh hell the entire team.
Also which high draft picks would be ideal for rebuilding the Raptors.
Of those three players, the only one who needs to be traded is Kapono.
Coincidently … he is also the one who would be the MOST difficult to trade right now.
As I’ve said before, his is a bad contract on this team, given the other assets which they have and the fact that they are over significantly over the Salary Cap [i.e. because of the arrival of J-O'Neal].
One of the things that’s really hurting them right now is the fact that they only have 12 healthy players on the roster … which includes a gimped up JO, a PG with a tender hamstring, and a PF out with tendonitis … but are still over the Cap.
Throw-in Jawai’s heart condition, and they simply cannot swing a reasonable 2-for-1 deal right now that will upgrade their team in a meangingful way.
The fact is … they don’t have enough players, as is, to practice effectively.
[and, FWIW ... IMO, it's only a matter of time until CB4 gets hurt, as well]
Even if the vilified former GM, Rob Babcock, would have tried his darndest … he’d be hard-pressed to have created a worse situation for this team to be in, at this point in time, 3 full years after his dismissal.
What’s certainly interesting is just how long it’s taken “the media” that covers this team to begin to look past the Golden Boy imagery at work here, propogandized to the hilt by MLSE … and, only recently begin to focus on the whole “.200 hitter” aspect of the current regime’s work over the past 15 years.
You know what I can’t wait for? When bosh and bargnani discover the wonder of a quick move followed by a decisive pass to a moving teammate who is expecting the pass. You know, the kind of thing that’s in every other team’s repetoire.
As for Bosh, it’s simple: he’s cold. When he’s cold, defenses sag and he can’t drive. He isn’t hitting his jumper, so his offense is neutralized. Not like we haven’t seen this the last couple of years – only difference is that we for some reason think the Olympics turned him into MJ. He’s new to the superstar thing, give it time. His game isn’t crafty or reliable enough yet to be a true franchise superstar, but he’s only 24 and really just a post game based on some solid footwork away from being unstoppable. That’s really all that’s missing: the ability to punish a team for putting another skinny long guy on him to take away the drive. If he could take Rashard Lewis into the post, you’d have to double and voila another huge aspect of being a big man just opened up. The good news is, it’s rarer to see a good jumper and the ability to drive – post moves can be taught.
Khandor, sure, let’s take away the defense. I’m still counting 2 missed shots, a TO and one time he should have taken a shot and passed.
Jose may not be THE reason.. but the reigns were handed to him and IMO, he is not the leader he’s been made out to be. I really think Arse nailed it, he is not handling the pressure well.An excellent ball distributor with a conservative game style – that’s it. And I am not getting into the ridiculous in game celebrations. Tony Parker, John Stockton, Steve Nash even, CP3, the great PG of this world don’t act that way. Heck, not even “lesser” guards then those guys act that way.
No matter how many times you claim JO is driving the bus he always somehow simultaneously seems to be under it (special car where steering wheel is located at bottom of the bus maybe?)
It’s like every compliment you’re forced to give JO must be countered with something negative as to not distort the whole balance of your basketball world.
I’m not arguing whether JO is a good/bad player or if he is worth his salary, I simply think you need to give him his due credit without having to undermine it.
What’s he done? Credit for what?
a whole turnover! wow! two whole missed shots! unbelievable!
look, i know Jose has not been living up to the hype. i hope his hammy has something to do with that. but, honestly, these point guards mentioned had the benefit of set plays where they knew exactly where players were going to be before they get there. i can’t count how many times i see Jose telling his players where he wants them to be – some of this needs to be the coach’s job in the practices (are you listening Jay?)
i see a timid team, here, and i blame Jose for that. he needs to set the tone as he did in the first quarter when he actually drove to the net – still a little hesitant though, expecting a block. but, hey, he’s faster than those guys. add a tear drop shot, and he IS an elite point. i can’t just blame Jose for not passing to some players, because we still don’t, as a team, know how to clear the passing lanes. Last I checked, the Raps have an allergy to off-the-ball screens (are you listening Jay?).
and, i don’t know how we can blame the guy for trying to get the crowd in the game. i could have heard a pin drop sometimes during that game. fans are a little wary of getting disappointed, and he was just trying to get them a little less shy. what will really bring the cheers though, is more driving.
oh, and CB4 is too small to be a #5. Not height, but weight. Take Amare for instance – he actually benefitted from Shaq’s appearance. this was not because it pushed Amare out to the 3-point line, but because it took an extra defender to keep Shaq in check because of his size he can box in very easily on the offensive glass.
i want O’Neal at the 5. But I also want Bosh hovering around the paint. he is deadly from the elbows and hust inside the paint. This also means a commitment from O’Neal to be a physical brute-like force on the offensive glass, pushing people around down there. This, I have not seen.
as for boards? I blame our three bigs. O’Neal and Bosh are getting boxed in – unacceptable. Push back – you guys are strong. as for long boards, Bargnani needs to be hungry for those when he is at the #3. Then, a quick pass to the #1 or 2 to kickstart the offence.
i like the idea of running up the floor when the offence doesn’t get back on D. But i never liked this as an offensive strategy unless you have the right group of players on the floor. the Suns of old were a ridiculously talented team, and the Raps just can’t emulate that. Look at middle of the road, but still exceptional teams – Magic for instance, or Portland. Push the ball up when it is time to push it up. Pressure the D to get back, but if they get back, then know that you can still punish them with solid plays and active movement off the ball in the half court.
Flux,
Without going back to double-check right now, according to my memory, I had Jose ranked in the Top 10 Point Guards in the League, when I last did an assessment of this position [I think, he might have been #8 on my list, give or take a position either way] during the 2007-2008 season.
IMO, those who think he deserves a rank above this number would be just as incorrect as those who believe he warrants a place further down the list than that, amongst the 30 starting PG’s in the NBA today.
The question isn’t whether Jose Calderon is one of the great PG’s of all-time but rather …
Q1. Is he good enough at what he does effectively [in terms of offense, defense & rebounding] to lead his team to a championship in this League [down-the-road]?
A1. Yes, he is.
i.e. Plenty of teams in the history of the NBA have been good enough to win it all with a high calibre PG comparable [no better and no worse] to El Matador.
Verbatim,
Yeah, a whole turnover, two whole shots. Unacceptable! BECAUSE IT HAPPENED WHEN IT MATTERED THE MOST!!!! YOU KNOW.. .IN CRUNCH TIME!!! You see the difference?
Point was, about those PG, they don’t act like cheerleaders. But hey, you like that… that’s cool. Maybe you should get him some pomp pomps and a skirt for Christmas. The crowd doesn’t play the game, who cares what the crowd is doing. I could care less. What? Now we’re blaming the crowd?
Khandor, I know where you are at with him. No worries ; ) It is one game, but it’s still a performance to not be dismissed.
verbatim,
IMO … those who think that Chris Bosh is too small to play the 5/C spot effectively, in the NBA, for a high calibre team … need to familiarize themselves more with the history of this League.
Amare Stoudemire’s best position in the NBA is also Center. When he plays this position, he is a match-up nightmare … in a similar but different way to Chris Bosh.
lol this comment section became ask khandor…………btw khandor, graham was playing the 4 most of the game. He’s a undersized 4 not a 3.
I really want Bargs to be the first big off the bench, but nobody could take his place right now because they’re all playing poorly/inconsistent.
sho,
Graham is at best a mediocre 4/PF. That’s been part of his problem since coming into the League, i.e. being played out of his position by the Raptors’ organization.
His best position in the NBA is the 3/SF spot, where he is a very good rebounder, a capable defender, a solid post-up player and a decent spot-up shooter.
Point guards I would take instead of Calderon. IMO there all better or have more potential going forward:
Rondo
Devin Harris
Mo Williams
TJ Ford
Derrick Rose
Mario Chalmers( in 2 years or so)
Mike Bibby
Andre Miller
Rodney Stuckey ( 2 years or so)
West:
Derek Fisher
Chauncey Billups
Chris Paul
Deron Williams
Tony Parker
Steve Nash
Monta Ellis
Baron Davis
Calderon is around 17 IMO.
joey…if you pick TJ ford & Andre Miller & Derek Fisher above Calderone, then sorry you don’t know much about basketball….cmon??? Andre Miller??! WTF
I agree with Bosh Roll Call
Bosh is changing there is no doubt. He will continue his progression as a great and rare pro basketballer. But right now he is getting worse. He is coming of the olympics and a great first ten NBA games and his body and mind are exausted.
He got Sam fired and he didn’t win today because his body and mind were not at the absolute elite level of few weeks ago and the level they will be at often in the future.
Only Jermaine and Parker (and maybe Kapono?) are mature players on this team. Everyone else is still growing, and Bosh’s rising tide will lift all boats.
He should blame himself for todays loss, if only for missing the last shot, and then he should get back to being the focused and interested basketball talent that we all know him to be.
Mark:
Now that Bryan wants an uptempo team I don’t think Calderon is the man for the job. He’s just lousy at finding his teammates and is now being reduced to a perimeter jumpshooter who’s only strength is dumping the ball to Bosh in the paint. His also couldn’t defend his shadow.
Yes, Ford is on Ritalin when he’s on the court but atleast he can create shots for teammates. For, Kapono/Bargnani/Graham? you bet. If he’s properly utilized then he’s a huge positive for our team
As for Bosh in the Olympics, overrated.
#1. He was not the primary scorer on that team. It was Dwayne and Lebron and Tayshaun Prince. Bosh had alot of energy to expand on the defensive end playing only 20 minutes a game. Any other power forward in the L could have done what he did. Aldridge, Millsap, Garnette, Josh Smith etc
#2. The teams he dominated were European. All European players were they had no answer for any player on the US team they didn’t get killed because Bosh was a nightmare opponent. lmao
Until I see him dominate NBA elite opponents like he dominated Liuthuania, Spain..(Who cares) I stand by what I say. So far, he’s chocked against all the teams in the West.
Joey,
As long as Ford suffers from the Marbury Syndrome – i.e. I’m a Starter in the League and not a back-up – the team he plays for [whether Milwaukee, Toronto and Indiana] is going to be erratic and have a lot of difficulty winning a 7-game playoff series.
He is a solid, solid, back-up PG in the League … but he is not the type of player who is built to lead his team to the NBA championship, as a Main-frame PG, over the long haul. Jose Calderon is.
While Calderon is not better than:
[in no particular order]
* Deron Williams
* Chauncey Billups
* Chris Paul
* Steve Nash
* Devin Harris
* Derrick Rose [new player in the League this season]
* Rodney Stuckey [2nd yr player in the League]
* Derek Fisher
* Tony Parker
* Baron Davis
* Brandon Roy [Portland's closer when Martell Webster is healthy]
* J-Kidd
———-
so, too, is he not worse than:
[in no particular order]
Rajon Rondo
Mo Williams
TJ Ford
Mario Chalmers [new player in the League]
Mike Bibby
Andre Miller
Monta Ellis
Steve Blake
Jameer Nelson
DJ Augustin [new player in the League]
Chris Duhon
Kirk Hinrich
Ben Gordon
Beno Udrih
Jamal Crawford
Jason Terry
Michael Westbrook [new player in the League]
Sessions [2nd yr in the League]
Alston
Conley [2nd yr in the League]
Foye [2nd yr in the League]
Arenas
plus a whole lot more …
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What he is … is plenty good enough to win with in the NBA, and in NEED of a Quality Depth back-up behind him.
“Facilitation” of his teammates on Offense is his strength, at which he is simply one of the very best in the League; “Individual Defense on the ball” is his weakness, at which he is only average in the League [but with tactical help from his teammates & coach, far from being a sieve].
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re: Chris Bosh
Chris Bosh’s strenght … as a player and a person
Be sure to click on the links provided.
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It’s important to understand properly … what a player is in this League and what he is not. To fail to do this is to do both the player and his team a disservice.
Disagree re: Joey’s best position. He’s not a great shooter and can’t handle the ball effectively enough to be an NBA small forward from what I have seen.
On D I think he has the ability and unique combo of quickness/strength to effectively guard 3-4 positions, but on O he has some legit post game and is a “F”, maybe not tall enough to be a true “PF” (as he was in college).
I was at the game on Sunday and counted him guarding at least 3 diff. players, including Roy and Aldridge. With Hump out it appears that Triano is using him as first ‘big’ off the bench. His versatility on D makes this a very interesting and possibly crafty move, if Joey can find a way to succeed.
In a similar way I disagree that Bosh is best at C, until I see him develop a more gritty post game on both sides of the ball I will see him as a 3/4 hybrid-type F, esp. since his shot has improved so much. Bosh has better wing skills (dribbling, driving, shooting, creating jump shots) than Joey does.