LOL!It is unjust to consider Chris Bosh one of today’s NBA superstars because he isn’t one. For the record, even though he desires to be an MVP quality player, Chris Bosh clearly is not in the category of present-day ’superstar clutch players’ like Kobe, LBJ, Wade, Duncan, Parker, Nash, Kidd, Paul, Iverson and Pierce. These superstar players have consistently risen to the occasion by dominating 4th quarters and single-handedly winning games. They have all earned their superstar status as much by their statistical accomplishments and playoff achievements, as their clutch performances. It is crucial to understand that there are only a handful of superstar players that exist in every generational era. Superstars are rare breeds. They are considered the all-time greats of the game and are forever recognized as NBA Legends.
For a correct comparison, Bosh is in the category of ‘perennial all-star players’ such as: T-Mac, Boozer, Yao, Carter, Gasol, Dirk, KG, Anthony, and Howard. These players can all dominate and carry their team throughout a game; they just have not shown an ability to raise the level of their games during crunch time. These players have all put up great stats, are all recognized as franchise players and even MVP-caliber players. However, they just aren’t clutch contributors down the stretch when it mattered most.
It is fair to say that all championship caliber teams require a pairing of both superstars and all-stars. The anecdotal evidence of past NBA championship teams clearly proves this.
For all of their crunch time shortcomings, perennial all-stars like Chris Bosh are players every team wants and needs to become a legitimate championship contender to win a title. There should be absolute no doubt that every NBA GM would like to have Chris Bosh on their team. Bosh is a legitimate NBA star. And championship caliber teams all have multiple players like Bosh who may never be able to improve their crunch time performances to elevate their legacies from all-stars to superstars. Yet, what often separate a championship caliber team from championship winning team are the clutch playoff performances of superstar players.
As Raps fan-addicts, our dream is for the Raps to eventually become perennial championship contenders capable of competing for and winning multiple NBA titles. We have the highest of aspirations and the loftiest of expectations for this franchise. In terms of actually realizing our dreams, I have no doubt whatsoever that Bryan Colangelo shares our dream. And I’ll even state that I honestly believe that if the Raps ever actually proved that they had a team that was on the cusp of becoming an a title contending team that the MLSE Board of Directors would in fact agree to increase our salary budget and pay the luxury tax, because much as know that MLSE are more concerned with making money, winning titles would earn the team more money. Unfortunately, because the Raptors have never been close to proving that they are among the top 4-6 teams in the league (let alone top 2-3 in our Conference) there is no way to argue otherwise.
I feel absolutely certain that BC is indeed doing everything he possibly can to correct his failed ‘calculated risk’ having acquired JO to improve our interior defense and rebounding and sacrificing the overall talent depth of this team in the process. Such a correction must involve trading JO for a massive expiring contract. Should BC be successful in doing so (and I expect he will), it will give us some hope. There is every reason to think that this coming off-season will arguably be the most important in team history.
With both our long-term goals and short-term goals in mind, Chris Bosh is at the very centre of our thoughts. it is absolutely critical for us to retain Bosh long-term since he is exactly the type of player we’ll need to achieve our championship dream. Realistically, I do feel our chances of re-signing Bosh (him accepting our more lucrative max offer) will depend on whether BC can trade JO in the next two weeks in order to than acquire a perennial all-star player this summer. However, I think Bosh will make his decision stay or go more so on whether he can play alongside a superstar player like Dwayne Wade.
As much as this season has been a huge disappointment, it’ll be completely tragic if BC doesn’t trade JO for an expiring contract(s) because it will essentially determine the likely outcome of our off-season, as well as our likelihood of re-signing Bosh.
Given the fact that Bosh is a perennial all-star, I do not see him as being the reason why we are having a bad year. Nor I don’t feel it is justified to blame him for our poor record since he is having another prototypical Chris Bosh season, statistically. Chris Bosh has proven that he is indeed a franchise player and a perennial all-star (not a superstar) deserving of a max contract.
For the Raps to have a dramatic improvement next season to carry over into the summer of 2010 to have any hope of re-signing Chris Bosh, we will have to somehow add a player as talented as Chris Bosh to play alongside Chris Bosh.
56 Raps
we will have to somehow add a player as talented as Chris Bosh to play alongside Chris Bosh.
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jermaine o’neal!! is he available?!?!
JO circa 203/04 was as talented as Chris Bosh circa 2008/09. However, present-day JO is as talented as ‘Ill-Gaga’ on the Cavs. In BC’s defence, he knew (everyone knew) the above was factual. And everyone knew that JO was acquired to address our what was our biggest, most glaring weakneess at the end of last season: Interior defence and rebouding. When healthy, JO has competently addressed this need.
On the flipside, at the end of last season, nobody knew (except maybe AltRaps) that both our perimiter defence and perimeter scoring were as big a weakness as our interior defence.
Here’s something else to consider: When Jose went down last month, we had to start Solomon with AP and Moon. In doing so, we were fielding THE ABSOLUTE WOSRT 1-2-3 starting back-court in the league. Even when Jose is healthy, we still have the worst defensive back-court in the league.
Big Problems + Few Options = Tough Times
Even if we had JO in his prime, he wouldntve solved any problems on this team.
That “MVP candidate” JO was vastly overrated and the only reason that his name was in discussion 4 mvp was because he had a supremely talented team around him that had a good record
Chris Bosh = Pau Gasol
“On the flipside, at the end of last season, nobody knew (except maybe AltRaps) that both our perimiter defence and perimeter scoring were as big a weakness as our interior defence.”
Are you joking? You’ve never heard people complain about our horrible D against the dribble drive? About how poor we closed out on perimeter shooters? How Kapono was basically a no-show until the playoffs last year?
Wow. Simply wow.
Before the start of the season, was there a consensus in the Raps fan community that expected our perimeter players to be performing this poorly? No.
Everyone knew Calderon, AP, Moon, Kapono, Graham, etc were collectively
decent players. But few expected them to play as poorly as they have.
People with blind optimism, maybe, but as a whole? No way. Go back and look through the comment threads on this site alone.
I’ll give you that they have performed very poorly, but even at their best, nobody would ever say that Jose, Jason, Jamario were good or better than average defenders. Fanboys would, sure, but those with eyes wide open wouldn’t.
AltRaps,
I think Calderon, Parker, Moon, Graham, Humphries and Bosh are adequate defenders, at their proper positions, in their proper roles, for a solid NBA team, using a sound defensive scheme AND without other defensive liabilities on the floor beside them.
Unfortunately, this has not been the situation so far this season.
ZING!
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and by the way KG, Melo and VC should be in the 1st tier superstar group, while Kid, Nash & AI in the 2nd (only because they’re old).
Also take a look at the bottom of this list
http://82games.com/gamewinningshots.htm
Great article REalizer!
Kagjhoa-true about VC. I hate Vince- but he is one of the most clutch 4th quarter guys over the last decade.
I mean think about how many buzzer beaters this guy has hit.
also, you can Kevin Durant to that list:
see http://sports.espn.go.com/espnmag/story?id=3863472
James,
Well done, on your part.
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It is fair to say that all championship caliber teams require a pairing of both superstars and all-stars. The anecdotal evidence of past NBA championship teams clearly proves this. – by Realizar
——————————–
Know however that this perception which many/most have about how the NBA works is not 100% accurate.
When you go back through the history of this league, what you’ll see is any number of terrific championship teams which were in fact devoid of the “clutch time scoring superstar” which fans of the modern NBA associate almost exclusively with the League Champion.
Chris Bosh is plenty good enough to be one of several very good [high end?] players on the roster of a championship NBA team … in a way similar to men like, e.g. The Great Bill Russell, Willis Reed, Dave Cowens, Elvin Hayes, Bill Walton, Jack Sikma, Moses Malone, Bill Laimbeer and Ben Wallace.
If the Raptors can obtain a dynamic multi-purpose G-F, down the road, that would be terrific … but that alone is not absolutely necessary for a player like Chris Bosh to become the Captain of a NBA Championship team for the Raptors.
What Mr. Colangelo NEEDS to be able to do however is build successfully AROUND Chris Bosh, via trades, the draft & UFA signings, which unfortunately is something that he has yet to demonstrate clearly he has the ability to do, given acquisitions like, e.g. TJ Ford, Andrea Bargnani, PJ Tucker, Fred Jones, Luke Jackson, Juan Dixon, Carlos Delfino, Jason Kapono, Maceo Baston, Promoz Brezec, Linton Johnson, Jermaine O’Neal, Will Solomon, Hassan Adams and Nathan Jawai.
[which is not to say that the moves which added/retained Anthony Parker, Jorge Garbajosa, Rasho Nesterovic, Kris Humphries, Jamario Moon and Roko Ukic should simply be discounted ... only that their sum total does not out-weigh the prior list]
Let’s sincerely hope that he can succeed in this effort.
Thanks Khan! ;)
Building around Bosh has been BC’s plan since Year-1. But a major part of ‘building around Bosh’ involves pairing him with an equally talented teammate.
I also stand my point you quoted. Looking at the list you linked, you can identify the pairing of at least two ‘perennial all-stars’ (one usually being a ’superstar’) on every team that’s competed in the finals. Not surprisingly, the team with the superstar (or the better one) has most often won.
So what kind of players are you suggesting Colangelo bring in? Your saying that Chris Bosh doesnt need to have a clutch guard on his team to be a champion, what kind of players are you suggesting could compliment Bosh’s skill set?
Hey Justin, I never said we/Bosh don’t need a clutch guard… we do!
A perfect compliment player to pair alongside Bosh would be Dwayne Wade. (If BC could get Wade to sign here, I guarantee you Bosh would stay).
I was replying to Khandor. Nice article by the way.
Cuz, you know, it’s likely a superstar will come to Chris Bosh’s team and to play second fiddle to him. Probably not. Guys like Bosh establish themselves on garbage teams like the Raptors and get shipped out to a contender.
As has been stated. Bosh=Pau.
This team will NEVER be better then the TimberClips, it’s function is to farm players. The sooner people accept that, the less frustrated they will be. Not to mention, with Dwight and LeBron (at the very least) in the East for years to come… the Raps have zero chance of doing anything. THAT’s the LONG TERM reality.
And I would love to see evidence of BC “doing everything he can” to make this a contender. PLEASE.
In BC we trust!!!
Justin,
IMO, players along these lines …
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6LFZbBH5n-8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z5EDdBSwmCE
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m9qqmk7r2Ig
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w77oR2bwMC4
… would fit the bill adequately.
Chris Bosh is the key, as an under-sized Center. He does not NEED to be a goto scorer. What he NEEDS to be is the emotional Center-piece/anchor for the team, with other good players around him, similar to Mr. Russell, Mr. Duncan and the other centers in the videos above.
Calderon is good enough offensively and defensively to get the job done as a solid PG in this league.
Parker is a solid Back-up PG & Back-up OG, in a 3-Guard Rotation.
Moon & Graham are decent Back-up/Quasi-starting Wing players, depending on who the 5th Guard/Forward is and what strengths he brings to the table every game in the NBA.
Humphries is a solid under-sized, physically strong, rebounding/hustle Power Forward, either as a Low Minute Starter [ala Kurt Rambis] or Back-up in a 3-Big Rotation.
That makes 6 Main Rotation players, IMO.
What they NEED to do next is to find … i.e. via the draft, trades, or solid Free Agent signings … 3 more Main Rotation players [including 1 Top Notch OG or SF; who does not necessarily need to be a dynamic scorer but at least should be a solid All-Star type] AND 3 more Bench Players to fill out the principal 12-man roster [based on their unique skill sets], over the next 2-3 seasons.
Bosh’s 27-35 years should be his PRIME, if they continue to build around him.
The 2nd key decision which needs to be made revolves around Bargnani, who is a solid but offense-only Perimeter Big.
If they decide to keep him, he would then become their 7th Main Rotation player. If they decide to trade him … which is what I might prefer to do, depending on what his actual value is on the open market today … then they might be able to fill out Main Rotation spots #7 [Guard-Forward] & #8 [Big], in return for him.
The 3rd key decision involves the NBA Draft and the poor job the team has done adding Top Notch players in 2006, 2007 & 2008. This department in the organization needs to be changed/improved.
The 4th key decision involves the coaching staff. IMO, there are numerous solid choices available today. Personally, I would look most seriously at someone like Paul Silas [who you can see in those video clips!] or Jeff Van Gundy.
Why do we have to trade JO for an expiring contract now? Is there anyone you think in the FA class of 2009 who be so beneficial that Bosh would want to stay here? Wouldn’t JO’s 23 million dollar expiring contract be just as valuable to trade for a legitimate superstar this offseason? Where’s the rush? You should deal from a position of strength. The closer we get to OFFSEASON 2010, the higher the premium on cap room then. Jermaine O’Neal is arguably the most valuable expiring contract next year (or T-Mac). Why trade it now for lesser, 2009 cap space?
Also, your distinction between superstars/all-stars players, I take issue: Of the guys you listed, only half have won titles. You completely overrate guards (duncan being the only superstar big man you listed). Kobe’s clutch, but how many rings has he won without Shaq? It is very difficult for big men to be ‘clutch’ (especially on the offensive end) because they are limited offensively compared to guards. I find your distinction to be entirely arbitrary and ill-founded.
Trading JO for expiring contracts before the deadline will give us have added flexibility of making an uneven salary trade this summer with a team wanting to dump the salary of a top-tier player. (ex. Nuggets trading Camby and his $10M contract to the Clips for nothing in return).
We won’t have this added option if we still have JO in July.
What separates ‘Superstars’ and ‘All-Stars’ is the combination of stats, titles/finals appearences (playoff achievements) and clutch performances.
Superstars have all three. (I incluced Chris Paul because I expect him to someday get to the finals. And I also included Steve Nash because even though he’s never made it to the finals, he has made it to the conference finals 3-4 times).
You’re correct in your observation that there are few active superstar big men. (I perhaps should have added Dwight Howard in that category since I do believe that we will become more clutch in the coming years).
I also think there are more superstar smalls than superstar bigs in NBA history. The reason being is because bigs need to be fed the ball, whereas smalls always control the ball.
Re: Uneven Salary trade – Can’t we just make an even salary trade with JO’s contract? How often do we see deals like the Camby one (the J-Rich deal to Charlotte is the only other one that comes to mind) versus how often do we see expiring contracts traded for actual players (ie Pau for Kwame, KG for Theo Ratliff’s contract plus pieces, etc). I just think that the closer we get to 2010, the more valuable JO gets and the greater our leverage.
Also, you emphasize offence way too much in determining what makes a superstar. Defence wins championships. There are plenty of guys who can make game winning shots (T-Mac, Vince) but never get a chance to because their teams are not in a good enough position. Even the Jordan Bulls played fantastic D. Jordan doesn’t make ‘the shot’ if he doesn’t steal the ball from Karl Malone on the play before. There are plenty of Bigs who win titles without the accolades you suggest are necessary to be a superstar. I don’t even know if Kobe qualifies since he has not won a ring as the team’s alpha dog.
Well put.
Dear Realizar,
Hopefully by the time I turn 21 you could perhaps consider me in your ’superstar clutch players’ list. Obviously you put an age restriction on this list of yours.
Thank you,
-Kevin Durant
PS. Here are my statistical numbers since Coach Scott Brooks moved me into the Small Forward position:
29.8 ppg
8.8 rpg
3.7 apg
.508 fg%
.448 3pct%
.875 ft%
1.4 spg
0.9 bpg
Key Kevin, you’re missing playoff achievements and all-star game appearances. (Say hi to Russell for me!)
Dwayne Wade!?!?!
Well, I, um…well…..errr….so, you re-sign Bosh, you sign Wade, you already have Calderon. Who else you got after that, since you probably have, what, 40-50% of your cap tied up in 3 players?
Sounds eeeeeerily similar to, say, this year.
I bet if we sign Joel Bosh, Chris will stay.
Hey, Maurizio, make the call!
Great article! Raps fans hate on Bosh a lot, and somehow see him as the cause of our problems, when in fact he’s more like the solution. Just not him alone, as you deftly note.
I actually don’t think we’re all that far from being a really good team. If BC can somehow turn JO and JK into a solid starting 2 and a starting/backup big who can defend, this squad would be in pretty good shape:
1 – Jose Backup – AP
2 – XXXX Backup – AP/Moon
3 – Robo-Joe Backup – Moon
4 – Bargs/XXXX Backup – XXXX/Bargs/Hump
5 – Bosh Backup – XXXX/Hump
Oh, and one other thing: Nash and Ivo do NOT belong on the first list; they belong on the second, IMO.
Khandor has been harping this for ages now, but it does seem ironic that the needs of the team now are what we had in the past (or the assets to get)
Wouldn’t Rasho be that solid defensive backup for the Raps? I would say yes. If we kept him, drafted an athletic two/three and traded ford/calderon for another wingmen, we would be in a very favourable position this year.
Hopefully BC can turn this baby around as, regardless that it is the most visible position, sg/sf are arguably the easiest position to fill due to the overflowing amount of talent. I see GS with about 13 wingmen, maybe we can swing a trade?
Dinno Gunner,
One of the problems I see going forward for the Raptors is that Bryan Colangelo has already had the opportunity to go THIS route and rejected it for whatever reason … i.e. last summer he did not have to trade Ford for a player like Jermaine O’Neal, and as I’ve suggested before could/should have gone for a player[s] perceived to have “less” of an immediate impact but with more “upside” down-the-road [like you-know-who, for example : ) ].
Unlike Realizar, I DO NOT agree that Jermaine O’Neal, when healthy, has solved the Raptors’ Rebounding & Defensive problems.
Basketball is not an individual sport and the fact that JO puts up solid numbers on an individual basis in these 2 areas in no way means that he has or is capable of solving the team’s current problems in these areas of the game. How the team Rebounds & defends, as a whole, it what matters the most.
In general, if JO, as a Big, is not the type of player/person who Larry Bird would choose to build around then he is not someone who I would choose to have on my squad. Period.
If MLSE was paying me to be the Pres/GM of their team, or to be a Consultant for their Basketball Operations Department … given where the franchise is right now, I would recommend that they:
1. Move Kapono [now], O’Neal [now or this summer] and, possibly, Bargnani [whenever a solid trade presents itself].
2. Bring in an entirely new coaching staff and scouting department headed up by an individual like Paul Silas or Jeff Van Gundy.
3. Then, continue to build through the NBA Draft, adding just 1 or 2 players per season [not a whole boatload like Colangelo did in the summer of 2006].
Khan: Why the love for Larry Legend? Aside from his first season in charge where they won 61 games, the Pacers haven’t won more than 44 games in the past 4 seasons. For the past 2 years, they haven’t even made the playoffs. Doesn’t look much better for them this year either.
Khandor, I’d like to correctly point out that I stated that JO, when healthy, has IMPROVED/ADEQUATELY SOLVED what was our biggest, most glaring weakness “at the end of last season”, which was: Interior defence and front-court rebounding.
Furthermore, our rebouding and defensive ineficiencies are now a direct result of our biggest, most glaring weakness “at the present time”, which is: Perimeter defence and back-court rebounding.
By acquiring JO, BC did adquately solve what was our biggest, most glaring problem last year. Unfortunately, perimeter defence and back-court rebouding (which were by every account our second biggest, most glaring problems last season) are now clearly our #1 problem.
This is why I refer to the acquision of JO as a ‘calculated risk’: By acquiring JO, BC forced himself to add mediocre talent to replace Delfino and Ford in shoring up our bench. The expectation was that both Moon and Kapono would both show some improvement this season, and that the veteran euro experience of both Solomon and Adams would provide some positive contribution. Unfortunately, Moon and Kapono have not shown any improvement, and both Solomon and Adams have greatly underperformed.
As the President/GM of this team, BC must (and does) accept some of the blame for this dissapointing season.
But had Moon, Kapono, Solomon and Adams all lived-up to BC’s (and the fans) expecations, this team would arguably be a playoff seed.
FUCK ROGERS! FUCK PHIL LIND!!! He is the reason for no TSN2. Cocksucking motherfucker makes this season even worse.
Yes! I also hate this complete stranger!
haha me too! Thanks for not letting us see the raps lose to the crappy team!
Is this all a semantic debate?
We all have lists of players we call ’superstars.’ And we try to come up with criteria as to what a superstar needs to be. But, if we were perfectly consistent in the application of this title, then there would be a lot of absurd results.
Is Pierce a superstar? Until he was paired up with KG (all-star), Ray Allen (all-star), Rondo (almost all-star), his team was as hopelessly mediocre as the Raps. He is a playoff performer, yes. But he did not show himself until a squad that could divert attention away from him was put into place. We say that Pierce is a superstar because of how he can ‘take over games,’ but really, this was a non-factor until he was paired up with his current team. I have seen Bosh drop 40 points, and ‘take over games.’ But, none of it really matters because the team is still mediocre. And if Pierce were left without his stellar cast, he would be simply an ‘all-star’.
But, let us assume that Pierce can be called a superstar, what does this mean for CB4?
It may mean that Bosh isn’t a superstar, but that it is too early to rule it out.
He might be, just as Pierce has shown himself to be. I hate to get into a semantic argument, but this is what all of this has become. What are we going to reserve the title, ’superstar’ for? I would argue that if Pierce, in virtue of the fact that he could not run a team on his own (and same with KG), is not a superstar, no matter how clutch he is.
Superstars need to be clutch:
You want Bosh to be our clutch player??? Well, how about we try to run some plays for him to get open??? How is running an ISO for your big man considered a clutch play. And it isn’t like the Raps feed it to him in prime position in the paint like might be done for other bigs. No, we expect our PF to play like a SG, and tell him to run around players on his own. I believe that Bosh can take the last shot in games, but when was the last time we gave him a good shot to take?
We are always down on CB4. I have watched the Raps for many years, and certainly I remember how Bosh handled the responsibilities thrust unto him after by the leaving of Vince Carter. All this superstar vs. all-star nomenclature is BS. Fill the team with enough quality players and you will win championships.
Only when someone is truly lucky do they get to see true greatness in players (Jordan, Kobe, LeBron (if he can get a midrange game going)). If this is the standard of excellence required to be called a superstar, then keep that title to yourself. On the other hand, if you surround talented players with other talented players so that everyone can use their skills effectively, then you have the reigning Champions.
One last note: do you know why Phil Jackson used the triangle offence? It was to prevent defences from zoning in on Jordan. This required that other players step up. Jordan was as good as they come, and even he had Scottie and Kukoc and Rodman. He made other players better, but he still needed them.
Just wait until CB4 leaves and gets paired up with Wade or LeBron, or someone else. Then, we’ll all cry Vince, when all along, CB4 has given everything to this team for years.
excellent, excellent post. Much needed perspective.
very true zoboomafoo! but i think paul pierce is lucky to be with the celtics, a team with a great nba history. if he was part of a new, expansion, mediocre team like the raps, memphis, minnesota, etc… he would be on another team years ago, or may even be a journeyman playing for many teams. and the coming of ray allen and kg is arranged by former celtics. (then twolves GM kevin mchale, and celts GM danny ainge). the ray allen deal was made to convince kg to go to boston.
it’s just bad for us that the raptors are always in the shadow of the maple leafs. and with the MLSE being the owner, it’s most if not all eyes on the leafs and not the raps. we cannot blame BC for having this roster bec. he is not given enough budget and resources. that’s why he signed a bunch of Euro players because they are cheap and mostly short termed.
That’s true about Phil’s triangle offense. It took the jordan’s bulls 8 years before they won the championship. they couldn’t get past the Bad Boys of Detroit in the late 80s because detroit’s defense shut down jordan which shuts down the team because his teammates suck.
Bosh needs help. He is not a first option of the team. He is like a pau gasol, who plays the second fiddle to Kobe. Too bad VC gave up on us in the early years of bosh in the league. I also thought JO was the guy, because they really need toughness after being demolished by dwight in the first round last season, with bosh being bulldozed by superman. but unfortunately his injury is really bad. so far their best game together was the latest game against the Cavs. I hope we don’t trade him. If he goes to a good team and paired with a superstar, we would then just strain our voices chanting Let’s Go Raptors, CB Sucks! and lose.
We need a new owner! I hope the sheikhs in the UAE attempt to buy our team and then lure lebron in 2010 for a world record contract, making lebron the world’s richest athlete, not counting all his endorsements.
How about we see bosh actually pin his guy on his back instead of calling it 15 feet way while being neutralized be SF. Don’t get me wrong I like CB4 but he is no way in hell a first option player. Most raptor fans are stupid to ask bosh to take over the game in the 4the by himself, but it would help for him to maybe work hard and the some points in the paint instead of pump fakes and stupid jump shots. We need a slasher 2/3 who can create there own shot, play D, and have good athleticism. IMO the raps biggest flaw as organization is that they have inferiority complex to other nba teams and try to keep their best players happy and give them the ball every trip down the court (e.g Bosh and Carter). This led to the departures of billups, T-mac, camby, and etc. In till we fix that problem we will just go into the exact same cycle over and over again.
um………..did you see paul pierce a few years back with walker in the playoffs. PP has always been clutch.
And when it comes to clutch big men in our era, There’s Duncan, and nobody else.
I think Bosh needs someone as talented as Him to even begin discussing a deep run in the playoffs.
One player I see that may come through Free Agency is Joe Johnson. Atlanta has bad ownership, that if they mess up Marvin Williams’/Josh Childress’/Mike Bibby’s contracts this off season, I could see JJ wanting to leave in ‘10. I know JJ and BC have a history, which may not be the greatest with JJ leaving PHX a couple of seasons ago, but I think that had more to do with Sarver, than BC.
Great Entry though, Realizar.
I don’t think JJ will want to come to TO. And I agree with the Paul Pierce argument. Paul led his team to the east finals with is 2nd player being Antoine Walker.
I hardly think Bosh is an all-star. His defense and rebounding are terrible, he employs the ol’ black hole offense (does Bosh ever make a nice pass), and he lacks anything even close to clutchness (turning the ball over or taking stupid lazy shots). He puts up big numbers on a team that features backups and d-leaguers.
Bosh isn’t even as good as Gasol. Gasol can rebound and score just as well as Bosh, but also has the ability to pass the ball. Don’t insult the Spanish Fly. Plus, Bosh was stupid enough at the beginning of the year to suggest that he could be in the running for the MVP, which was very foolish. Nothing endangers the wrath of sports gods like saying shit like that.
Jord,
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re: I hardly think Bosh is an all-star. His defense and rebounding are terrible,
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IMO, your perception of Chris Bosh is incorrect, in this regard.
e.g. despite being played out of position for much of the season to-date, CB4 is still 12th in Rebounds per game and 62nd in Blocks per game, both of which would go up significantly if he was made/allowed to play Center, exclusively, for this team.
helluva good first post my man!
nice work
Anyone see Brandon Roy last night against the Knicks? What a special player. Last possession with 3 seconds left and he creates a shot from the 3 point line and just drives to the basket barely breaking a sweat. The Rose Garden came unglued. He gets the 2 points when it COUNTS. The guy was born for 4th quarter action. I would say he is a better player then Bosh by a landslide.
BOSH – 6 years and still has yet to dominate a game in the 4th quarter – forget about a road game . I’ll repeat, 6 years.
Granger
Devin harris
Vince Carter
Joe Johnson
Josh Smith
Paul Millsap
Pau Gasol
Andrew Bynum
Brook Lopez ( 2 years)
David West
Duncan
Garnette
Stephen Jackson
Derrick Rose
Al Jefferson
Tony Parker
Ginobli
Lebron
Dwight H
Dwayne W.
Kobe
Deron
Paul
Chauncey B.
These players are all talentd and mentally tougher then Chris Bosh and I would easily take any of the above over our mentally weak franchise player
I think Bargnani is a better option in the 4th quarter than Bosh. Bargs can go 3 for 11 in the whole game, but he makes shots when it’s needed the most. Remember the Boston game, it was Bargs who nailed the Raps last 5 points that sent the game into OT, while Bosh was there so afraid of KG. And in fact, it KG was the one guarding Bargnani in OT.
Playing Minny,without Jefferson,guaranteed loss…we cant beat any team without their star players, not on the floor.Redd,Paul,Rudy…why break the cycle….funny reading Jay with J Killa…..ya I have to shoot more….no you dumb fuck you were brought in for your defensive prowness !!!
my new all-time favourite question to doughy smith’s mailbag:
‘Q: Hey Doug, I’ve got a mathematical kinda question. When we’re shown the stats that a player averages, particularly points, do they take into account particular games where players have a huge game (Ex. Kobe with 61 the other night) and work that into the average as well? Or do they just discard that stat and keep calculating consistent numbers that a player puts up? Thanks again!’
now, if that wasn’t bad enough, apparently doughy’s initial answer wasn’t exactly correct, as this comment (& doughy’s reply) indicates:
‘umm… Hey Doug… You’ve got the average calculation formula the wrong way around. It’s the total points, rebounds, steals.. etc. etc. divided by the number of games played.’
‘Blogger’s note: All fixed up, thanks’
i know i can be prickish, and pointing something like this out probably qualifies as such. but smith is such a condascending douchebag, i somehow don’t feel overly guilty about it.
as for the question…i now understand why the perception persists of the, er, ‘inexperienced’ raptor fan.
Here is the unintentional comedy article of the year.
In tomorrow’s paper headlines will include:
“Jose Calderon given the green light to play defense”
“Triano gives Moon the go ahead to drive the lane”
“Raptor brass decides to let Joey Graham use his brain”
Whoops – still trying to figure out the hyperlink function.
like headlines from thebrushback.com…only real.
Baadassssss,
IMO, the instructions outlined in that article today, given to Kapono, are symptomatic of what’s wrong with this organization.
Those with a good eye for the NBA game would be able to tell the Raptors’ management/coaching staff that this is NOT going to solve Jason Kapono’s problem, as a non legit shooter/scorer in this league.
Despite his top notch bball IQ Jason Kapono does not have the ability to create the separation needed from his defender … while running around screens, using picks, or playing off the bounce … in order to get his shot off efficiently & effectively, as a major minute player in the NBA. At least, not unless he is also playing beside a dynamic scorer like D-Wade.
Baadassssss,
re: LL
IMO, he understands what is needed from a core Big Man in the NBA.
What’s hurting the Pacers this season is a combination of other factors/problems, e.g. involving Jamaal Tinsley, Marquis Daniels, TJ Ford and Jim O’Brien.
They are still trying to recover from the mess involved with The Brawl at the Palace/Ron Artest [see what's happening now in Houston], and are finally on the road back to respectability.
James,
1. I do not agree with the perception that “Interior Defense” and “Front-court Rebounding” were the bigget problems with last year’s team.
2. Nor do I agree that, when healthy, JO’s performance to-date has solved these 2 problems this season.
—————————
These two problems still exist this season, with O’Neal in the line-up.
The biggest problem with last year’s team was TJ Ford.
[Nesterovic, Delfino, Garbajosa and the 2008 No. 17 Draft Pick were NOT major problems last season. What exactly was the reason each of those pieces were removed from this year's team, in addition to Mr. Ford.]
The JO mistake is done. I figure nobody in the organization really gets why, but all need to lern from it. If Bosh was happy at the acquisition (I asked why people say this?) he lerns something too. And stays. Good, sober thought here on this page. It ain’t easy. They just need to time it right. JO is gone at some point isn’t he? Also remember too, the Kapono signing is in many ways more aggravating to many people. Not sure what they were thinking with that one.
nadir,
The problem with that is …
Unless you [not you but others] can acknowledge that it was a big mistake to begin with there is very little real chance you are going to learn from it at all.