“…Scottie Pippen defense my ass” – @RapsGurlIt wasn’t the game that Arsenalist was looking for (Joey vs Moon), in fact, both were small bit players in what was Wade vs Bosh. Not a head-to-head match-up, but we saw potential future teammates battle it out like titans. Normally I am extremely hard on Bosh, I expect a lot out of him, but he played one of his best games of the year in a tight loss to the Heat Wade.
Interesting team these Heat are, remove Wade from the picture, and you have yourself a D-League team. I fully expected this team to be at the bottom of the East of this season. The mistake I made was to discount Wade. I mean obviously he is an elite player in the league, but so is Bosh. If you switch Wade and Bosh right now, Miami is a 20 win team right now (not hating on Bosh, just saying).
Normally there are 5-12 reasons why the Raptors lose any given game, but last night it was Wade, and his ability to do whatever he wanted on the court. Parker actually did a great job on Wade IMHO. I mean, you aren’t going to stop Wade, ever. You hope he settles for the jumper, and only dunks on you a few times, but last night, he dropped bomb after bomb. What was Parker/Triano/BC to do on this specific night?
Wade has made his living off getting to the rack, he is second in the league in points in the paint, but it was his stellar shooting that killed us last night He only got t o the line 7 times, which is about 3 less then then his norm. Bosh on the other hand had a great all around showing. He scored in the lane, from the perimeter, with his back to the basket, from the line and even dropped a trey. In fact, he even had a lot of support on this night:
- Parker 16pts 9ast
- Bargnani 23pts
- POPS 4pts 10rebs a la Rodman
- Kapono 10pts 4rebs
You can see that stupid smile from here.From a defensive perspective, everyone but Wade was kept in check: Beasley was second in points with 12. Like I said, this is a D-League team with Wade, the guy has them a half game out of 4th in the East – he’s that good great, no real analysis or break-down is necessary, my notes all had “Wade bla bla bla” or bla bla bla Wade”.
Of more interest to me was the return of O’Neal and Moon to the ACC since the trade a month ago. A voice in all our heads had us worried they would kill us in a novel irony, but the game started and we remembered Moon sucks and O’Neal is still getting his feel/touch back after a couple years on the shelf. Admit it, how happy were you when Moon faked that three pointer, then shot it and clanked it off the front of the rim, twice?? lol How about when Parker and Marion posterized him (both pictured above)? Made me happy. I am happy the guy is playing ball and has a career in the league, but it was just great to see his lazy play against us for a change.
O’Neal on the other hand is a sadder story for me. I was against the trade from the get go, but when he had his press-conference, he said a lot of things that got me excited, but it was a marriage doomed before it began. Not his fault that our idiot GM doesn’t have daddy holding his hand-encouraging him on any more.
Wouldn’t be right to wrap things up without mentioning Pops. 4pts 10rebs +6 in 15 minutes. He wont be doing that every night, but we might just have ourselves someone who can be useful. Gotta admit, I didn’t think this would amount to anything, but it seems BC has a good pick up this season. All on his own too (or did Embry help with that one????).
One more thing, if anyone has seen Calderon, please let us know. The guy isn’t the best point guard in the world, but 3pts 6ast in 31 minutes, seriously?
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Chris Bosh is a max player – you can’t expect a franchise player to be able to pull out wins with JO and Moon in the starting lineup against teams with more talent…Oh wait…
Did you love the part when Wade thanked Toronto for giving them Moon during the halftime interview? Rod Black was livid.. his thanks for the interview was like : “F off and die, you douche.”
I know, classic. Basically just another knock on our once-heralded GM.
I thought Pops was great, but it says a lot that a guy just up from the D League is already in the rotation without knowing our “plays” or “defence (as oppposed to a well-run team like SA, where he only played garbage minutes and was let go for Drew Gooden – and yes I was using the words plays and defence loosely).
Raps Fan, you missed the start. Moon strips Bosh, Bosh recovers, JO stuffs him. You knew the game was over right there. And you conveniently fail to mention the 3 pointer he did make, the drives and the few key rebounds. You biased MF. LOL..:P
About Jose: Is it time to start saying he was playing for a contract and now has nothing to play for? We would accuse 9/10 dudes of that. And did we overpay him?
you’re right, i did fail to mention it because the guy is still a baller and was going to contribute. i’m biased, what can i say. lol
as far as jose goes, i think it’s a combination of him being injured and us over-valueing him, 30/70 split.
In terms of money for production, hell yes we overpaid him.
With the fifth pick in the 2009 NBA Draft, the Toronto Raptors select….Brandon Jennings!
YES WE CAN!
i want a 6’6 wing who can shoot, drive and play defense. can we please get one?
I have dreams of us getting that low in the draft.
With the 9th pick in the NBA draft the Raptors proudly select Stephen Curry. Jose meet bench!!!!
I love that picture of Moon getting dunked on by Marion. It is sweet indeed. My hopes lie with Pops outplaying Bosh in his limited minutes.
Give POPS max money!!!!
Sign him long term….
All kidding a side if he brings that every night sign him up…
Anyone else notice how much Marion got looked off in this game? It seemed like there were times where he went unnoticed on the floor for 5-6 minutes at a time. I know he’s not a player you run plays for but it seemed almost deliberate at times. I think Jose is scared of him because he insists on running the floor at all times, so he won’t pass to him in hopes that he’ll slow down, post-up, then proceed to hold the ball until the shot clock runs out.
I was impressed with Banks’ on the ball D. There were a few cases where he didn’t get broken down and forced the guards back up top to reset. Guaranteed bucket if Jose was there. Any way we can do offense/defense substitutions every possession? Oh wait, Jose has no offense either…
********************PAPER BAG OVER HEAD************************
Top 10 Reasons I Hate Being A Raptors Fan:
10. We STILL don’t have a play book.
9. Another loosing year could DROP us below Leaf Fans
8. I try Harder having a Bowel Movement then some Raptors.
7. Raptors got more EXCUSES than a pregnant nun!
6. Our Media sells MEANINGLESS Stories instead of RaptorRepublic.
5. Nobody takes your Basketball Knowledge serious. (Stupid Raptor Fan)
4. A Broadway show is a cheaper Date. (PLUS you’ll get some!)
3. We Develop AWESOME talant & Trade it!
2. MLSE doesn’t even know what a Basketball looks like.
1. Does this RollerCoaster ride to a Championship have a end?
I like the list…and i agree.
MLSE doesn’t even know what a Basketball looks like.
I got an honest question:
Is Jose Calderon this bad or is he hampered by injury?
He’s struggled as a starter and he’s a shadow of his former self. Can’t figure out if he can’t handle primetime or is injured. If he’s both, what percentage is injury.
This is what I want to know as well.
I don’t think Jose is the greatest, but what has transpired this year makes no sense. So, if he is injured and is the ultimate teammate, why didn’t he just sit the year out? This record would make much more sense if he did.
Maybe BC has already told him that he can’t play with Spain in the off-season and this is a combination of him pouting, losing confidence after struggling through his injury and a fear of pushing too hard and re-injurying himself. Let’s hope (pray) an off-season is a cure all.
couple thoughts:
bosh brought it, realized that w/o JO on the floor, the heat really don’t have much presence inside, & took it to the paint like he meant it. something that should happen every game.
jose – ick. i just dunno anymore. it’s almost to the point that his ‘injury’ is psycho-somatic. i’d love to hear a rational argument for WHY he’s playing this way…like i’ve said for a few weeks, if he’s not physically capable of playing at 100%, then he shouldn’t be playing, since it’s fairly obvious that jose at 70, or 80, or 95% isn’t up to snuff. outplayed in every respect by both chalmers & quinn, that should say it all. don’t get me wrong, both are decent enough, but isn’t jose supposed to be on a different level? i’m sure i’ve been led to believe that…
marion – quiet game, but as has been mentioned, he leads the league in ‘look-offs by teammates too chicken-shit to make a quasi-risky pass.’ in arse’s pre-game, i wondered why marion wouldn’t be on wade…and now i’m just flabergasted that he wasted much of his night checking guys like moon while AP, who despite his best efforts, just can’t handle a guy like wade. what is the point of having a guy with marion’s defensive versatility if you aren’t gonna take advantage of it? he may not have been able to stop wade, but you can be guaranteed, wade would’ve had to work a helluva lot harder to get it.
bargs – decent D, hit/miss offensive night, but 2 boards? i don’t care how much boxing out you’re doing, 2 boards is just pathetic. kapono doubled that (by accident), and pops had 5 times as many in a third of the time. someone needs to pound into his head the mentality to GO GET THE FUCKING BALL!
as was mentioned, wade is gonna get his, but the idea is he has to be made to WORK for those points. what did wade shoot, 80% on the night? wide-open 3s? free passes to the lane (with little/weak/non-existent help-side D)? i only saw him fouled somewhat hard once…a guy like wade, you have to remind him every once in a while that there’s a price to pay for coming into the key.
at least now the retarded TO media can stop blathering about the playoffs (even this week, doughy was comparing where the raps are currently with where the hawks were last year. right.). never too early to start the draft prognosticating. or offseason moves. finally, something to look forward to.
I’ve said this last year, the only reason Jose made it to the NBA is because someone pounded it into his head that if he is not TO prone, he has a shot. After years of not taking risks, he’s hasn’t developed the ability to make anything but sure thing passes.
As far as Bargs, I know everyone wants him to be more of US big who bangs and scraps for boards but I have no idea why people have this expectation, Euro bigs are not bred that way. C’mon, every big from there has been known to be a shooter in the NBA. It’s the same thing as Jose above, scrappy bigs that can rebound (and can’t shoot FTs) are a dime a dozen in the US, so for Bargs to make it he had to know how to shoot. I’d hate to see what people would say if he missed FTs.
JC playing is directly link to how Sam Mitchell developed him. He was trained to be an NBA back-up (control, no-risk, hold down the fort). I’d give him one off-season without Sam in his ear to see if he can reconstruct his game.
OK, Raptoronto, let’s assume for a second that next year Jose plays the same way. To what would you then attribute his performance?
Then we know his limitations – a very good back-up point guard.
“Euro bigs are not bred that way. C’mon, every big from there has been known to be a shooter in the NBA.”
Vlade Divac would like a word with you.
First of all, I agree with that top 10 list above.
Secondly, I think Jose is mainly a jump shooter. When he’s not making that jump shot, which was so reliable early in the season, he looks so much worse on the offensive end.
Thirdly, how is the draft class this season? I heard it’s weak.
People seem to want Stephan Curry. I don’t know as much about him, but does he have enough size? And do we really need another guy that can light it up from downtown?
Love the site guys! SOme honest opinions here, instead of superficial stories from the media.
I really think the “Curry is a saviour” talk needs to stop. Will he be effective on NBA team? Maybe. Should he be drafted somewhere where he will be pressured to save a franchise? Probably not.
How many times do I have to give you tribal honkers the Ratpor facts:
1. The season is over
2. The team is incompetent
3. Ratpors are not a team
4. Playing offense is fun
5. Playing defense is work
6. Ratpors don’t play defense
7. Bosh is gone this summer
8. Marion is gone this summer
9. AP is gone this summer
10. I’m gone …..
excellent! best news this hour.
Re: 10. – Where you going?
TRADE BOSH/CALDERON TO PACERS FOR TJ FORD/JARED JACK T MURPHY…
RESIGN MARION, GRAHAM AND DELFINO DRAFT CURRY SIGN DECENT BACK UP PG
YOU HAVE
TJ Curry
Jack Delfino
Marion Graham
POPS Hump
Andrea Murphy
Then sign Pops to a 6 yrs 15 million dollar deal.
I am crazy????
Yes
20+ comments thus far and not a single mention of the reason why Shawn Marion was acquired by the Raptors in the first place.
When some Raptors fans watch a game it is difficult to understand what exactly they are looking at, given some of the comments they then make on-line.
Why was The Matrix considered a player this team NEEDED to acquire at the trade deadline this season?
Because of his ability to score the ball?
Because of his ability to run the floor consistently on offense?
Because of his his ability to play the #4/PF position on this team?
Last night was a WINNABLE game for the Raptors.
Chris Bosh played well.
Andrea Bargnani scored … like he needs to in order to help this team.
Jose Calderon was NOT lit up by Chris Quinn or Mario Chalmers.
On the other hand, IYO … How did Joey Graham play? How about Anthony Parker? How about Jason Kapono?
And, most of all … HOW ABOUT THE DEFENSE WHICH WAS PLAYED BY SHAWN MARION vs THE BEST WING SCORER ON THE HEAT [Dwyane Wade]?
[Btw ... How many possessions in that 4th quarter did you see Mr. Marion check Mr. Wade, 1-v-1?]
Was not Shawn Marion brought in to address the alleged Lack Of First Class Defense Being Played On The Wing By The Raptors?
Yes or No?
D-Wade went for 42 points last night, with a 74.0 FG%, 3 Made Treys and only 7 FT’s.
The reason the Raptors lost last night had nothing to do with the overall poor play of Jose Calderon [or the contribution of Chris Bosh].
How can the reason a team loses have nothing to do with the overall poor play of its starting point guard?
Derek Fisher [50-12] is a controlled, no-risk PG, as well. At his best D-Fish was/is plenty good enough to man-the-helm for a high end team in the NBA.
Andre Miller was/is not an uncontrolled, high risk PG.
Avery Johnson was not an uncontrolled, high risk PG.
Kenny Smith was not an uncontrolled, high risk PG.
John Paxson was not an uncontrolled, high risk PG.
John Stockton was not an uncontrolled, high risk PG.
Mark Price was not an uncontrolled, high risk PG.
BJ Armstrong was not an uncontrolled, high risk PG.
Dennis JOhnson was not an uncontrolled, high risk PG.
Mo Cheeks was not an uncontrolled, high risk PG.
Gerald Henderson was not an uncontrolled, high risk PG.
Gus Johnson was not an uncontrolled, high risk PG.
Walt Frazier was not an uncontrolled, high risk PG.
The list is extensive and includes many more than just these few.
With all due respect … those who seek to criticize Jose Calderon’s individual game, in this way, simply do NOT know what they are talking about.
Khandor,
so is the “problem” Jose’s teammates? Because all the guys that are on that list have had pretty good players on their teams, no?
Jason Kidd, Steve Nash, CBills, Devin Harris have played with different teammates and have had relative success.
And I know you hold Jose’s teammates in a high regard. So what I don’t understand is what gives? And I also know you believe Jose is a Steve Nash type quality PG.. so again, I don’t understand what you attribute Jose’s “failure” to. I’m pretty sure you believed Jose would flourish as the starting PG for the Raps and would bring them to “glorious heights”.
khandor-
im gonna need some credentials so that it at least makes it a little more believable/passable that YOU know what youre talking about while the rest of us nobodys dont.
not accusing…just curious…because i have no bball background other than being a fan who plays rec occasionally…and if i did completely know what i was talking about (because im a professional or whatever) even then i couldnt imagine telling people something so matter of factly.
even if you are/were a professional in the matter…it just doesnt come off as very classy.
and ive even grown to really RESPECT your OPINION.
there just seems to me (and most readers judging by the comments that transpire) that there is a better way to go about getting your points across.
i mean…am i wrong here?
I can’t watch this team for a whole game, but I saw some parts
- Pops/Bargs are fun to watch but I just want this season to end already.
I love Khandor and his Kelly Dwyer “I know more basketball than you” shtick. It’s funny but less appealing for some reason.
jose has been absolutely brutal finding the open man on the break.the new team philosophy has been to run hard and get into passing lanes.our players do that, have their hands up in the paint or on the wing,they pump their hands and arms in desperation,and the pass never comes.they end up deflated and it shows its wearing on them…..also,what do you think happens as a result of the pass not coming?they stop running hard and getting into the lanes and the offense becomes stagnant and shit and then jose gets his overinflated assist totals off pick n rolls.then the opposition adjusts and were fucked …..jose’s play has been fucking frustrating and its not just him.our entire pg/sg is d league.
Problem is, at the start of the season, Jose was running a team that basically fed the post and played really slow. Trying to learn a new brand of basketball half-way through the season is difficult, especially if you are not suited for it. Since he is the point guard, his role is the hardest, it is much easier fo Bargs of Bosh to adjust, since they don’t have to learn new thing. Just watch, next season will be good for Jose
Anyone seen the Big Baby Davis flagrant on Varejao and how LeBoom just went crazy and just rushed at the Celtic players.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zSh0wZYjbR8
Why couldn’t Bosh ever do that?!
In one of his recent posts, Stephen Amell (who writes a Toronto sports blog) said about Bosh that “the personna in his videos gave him a bit of a window into why the Raptors underperform” and you gotta admit he has a point.
Bosh just doesn’t seem like an Alpha Dog on his team. A guy who players take seriously and look up to as their leader. When JO came here it was obvious in his relationship with Bosh that he respected him but didn’t take him seriously enough to look up to him. Yet when he came to Miami you can just TELL from his quotes that he knows his place in the pecking order and looks up to D-Wade as The Guy. Bosh is not that guy and because of that it’s very hard to believe that he would lead the Raptors anywhere deep into the playoffs.
It’s pretty obvious, ain’t it? Last year, TJ would try to take over in the fourth quarter by himself. Why? Because he doesn’t feel like Bosh is a franchise player.
Bosh would be very good if there is a superstar wing player on the team. That’s the only way for him to “carry” the team to championship. Although I still wouldn’t be too sure, given his bad defence.
how about because BOSH knows his limited abilities, that he is just a fragile “big” man and that he simply CAN NOT carry this team.
When the common soldiers are too strong and their officers too weak, the result is INSUBORDINATION. When the officers are too strong and the common soldiers too weak, the result is COLLAPSE. When the higher officers are angry and insubordinate, and on meeting the enemy give battle on their own account from a feeling of resentment, before the commander-in-chief can tell whether or not he is in a position to fight, the result is RUIN.
Sun Tzu, The Art of War.
…stupid. What an assinine misuse of a great book. Completely different context.
Khandor,
A little while ago, somebody made a remark about the Heat cheerleaders and whether or not it would be worth an STD to score with one of them. I’m wondering if you could share any charts or graphs that you have made up in your spare time to address this little known side of NBA life
The reason I ask this question is because of your high BASKETBALL ACUMEN. Just like the great Bill Russell…
Flux,
IMO, the major problems are not rooted in the play of either Jose Calderon or Chris Bosh.
Example #1. Because certain members of the Raptors’ media crew or on-line hoops community might observe that “Jose looks like he just doesn’t have it today” or that “this team has major issues as far as its perimeter defense is concerned”, etc., does NOT mean that these observations are automatically accurate and/or the correct identification of what the Raptors’ actual problems are.
Example #2. Because certain members of the Raptors’s media crew or on-line hoops community might observe that “Chris looks like he’s really frustrated with his teammates right now” or “like he is mailing it in”, etc., does NOT mean that these observations are automatically accurate and/or the correct identification of what the Raptors’ actual problems are.
Example #3. Because certain members of the Raptors’s media crew or on-line hoops community might observe that “the Wings are not providing the type of production … i.e. Defensively, Rebounding and Offensively … which the team needs” or that “more of a Low Post Presence is what this team needs moving forward”, etc., does NOT mean that these observations are automatically accurate and/or the correct identification of what the Raptors’ actual problems are.
Please recall the way that Jose Calderon played in this game vs Chicago and this game vs New York, before attributing the Raptors’ problems this season to his Style of Play as their Starting PG.
There is nothing involved with the Style of Play of Jose Calderon which is inconsistent with being a High Calibre PG on a High End Team in the NBA.
Likewise with the Production and the Style of Play associated with Chris Bosh.
Unlike what others might think, understanding How the NBA Game Actually Works is much more complicated than just being able to point to ONE THING and say that, “If Team A fixes THAT, its MAJOR problems [plural] will be solved.”
The NBA Game is about:
Creating and Minimizing both Individual and Team-oriented Match-up Advantages … i.e. Offensively, Defensively and in terms of Rebounding … with a series of Complementary 5-Man Units amongst a Roster of 12-15 players … i.e. incorporating Marquee Players, High End Players, Role Players & Specialists … led by a Top Notch Head Coach, a solid Coaching Staff, Scouting Staff, Management Team and Ownership Group.
Within these parameters, the Raptors’ MAIN problems are NOT Jose Calderon and Chris Bosh.
i.e. Please close attention to the line-up the Raptors have on the floor RIGHT NOW vs the Utah Jazz: Calderon/PG, Parker/OG, Marion/SF, Mensah-Bonsu, and Bosh/C. THIS is an example of a SOLID 5-MAN UNIT WHICH CAN SUCCEED IN THE NBA.
The Raptors’ MAIN Problems have been rooted in their Highly Questionable PERSONNEL-BASED re: players, coaches, executives, etc., since the tenure of Glen Grunwald, AND Their Overall Commitment to WINNING.
Now …
compare the 5-Man Unit which the Raptors then went to in order to close-out the 1st Quarter:
Ukic/PG [not solid]
Kapono/OG [not solid]
Graham/SF [solid]
Marion/PF [solid]
Bosh/C [solid]
Now …
compare the next 5-Man Unit which the Raptors are using to open up the 2nd quarter:
Parker/PG [solid]
Kapono [not solid]
Graham [solid]
Mensah-Bonsu [solid]
Bargnani [getting better]
i.e. Rotating Bosh and Bargnani at the #5/Center position … IS PART OF THE ANSWER TO WHAT AILS THIS TEAM, not the nonsense that Leo Rautins is saying right now, about neither Calderon or Bosh being on the floor.
Kapono is the only dead weight right now … but vs a player like Korver [i.e. with his strengths & weaknesses], it’s a match-up which isn’t killing the Raptors, at least, just yet!
ha ha I am righting this a couple days later but haven’t anyone saw the Uta Game. HaaaHaaaa
If Bargnani picks up his 3rd foul in this 2nd quarter then the flow of the game will change for the worse from the Raptors perspective. He NEEDS to NOT foul right now!
The Raptors’ current 5-Man Unit:
Calderon
Graham
Marion
Bosh
Bargnani
is a solid Group right now [Uta 38, TOR 37, 4:38, 2 ndQ]
As long as the Raptors stick with some combination of …
PG – Calderon or Parker
OG – Parker or Graham
SF – Graham or Marion
PF – Marion or Mensah-Bonsu
————-
5/C – Bosh or Bargnani
there is no reason this game should not go down to the final minute … especially if the Jazz don’t have access to Carlos Boozer.
instead of using
Calderon + Parker + Marion + Bosh + Bargnani
the Raptors should be using
Calderon + Parker + Marion + Mensah-Bonsu + Bosh
right now.
Using Bosh & Bargnani together is a mistake.
Bargnani just twisted his ankle.
… and nothing was said about this by the Raptors announcers as they head to half-time.
bearvon,
Sorry, but … not willing to provide any credentials at this time.
If my observations, in and of themselves, make sense to you [and certain others] … that’s terrific.
If not, you’re entitled to hold that perspective.
What I write isn’t intended for “most” readers or Raptors fans.
What I write is what I write.
That’s the way I CHOOSE to write it, and it’s not about to change anytime soon.
——————————–
Sho,
Perhaps that’s because KD is a fan of the game who happens to also write well.
I neither write particularly well nor am just a fan. : )
——————————–
Mike D,
No … I have have no specific charts or graphs which pertain to that aspect of NBA life.
LOL, LOL, LOL : )
Based on his half-time interview … Joey Graham looks like a first-class person.
Those who thought that Joey G. would NOT get a next contract in the NBA or was only as good as he was showing under Sam Mitchell … WERE WRONG.
Enjoy the rest of the 2nd half.
Over and out! : )