We always talk about how the Raptors shoot too many jumpers and how it ends up costing games because over the long run they’re a losing proposition. I did some casual research on 82games.com and checked out the percentages of jumpers and “close” shots that every team shoots. It’s no surprise that 72% of our field goal attempts are jumpers (league worst) while the majority of the teams are in the 60-67% range. Only 27% of our shots are classified as being “close” while most teams are over 35%. Now factor in that we shoot 45.7% from the field which is good for a 14th place ranking and you can see why we average 97.56 points per game which ranks 21st in the NBA. In plain English: We take too many jumpers but aren’t good enough shooters to get away with doing so.
Despite our low offensive ranks, scoring doesn’t appear to be a problem until of course we need someone to step up in crunch time. The first Raptor to be found in fourth quarter scoring leaders is Bosh and he’s at #21. It also shouldn’t be surprising that players perceived to be clutch are at the top of this list: Kobe Bryant, Dwayne Wade, Lebron James, Danny Granger, Brandon Roy, Devon Harris and Chris Paul. Notice that all are wing players which furthers the theory that if your team’s going to have a clutch performer it’s almost always going to have to be a wing player. Bosh happens to be the first PF/C to be on that list.
Tallying up fourth quarter scoring numbers can be a bad indicator of measuring clutchness because of the garbage-time factor and that’s why there’s a “clutch” stat which specifically focuses on 4th quarter and overtime situations with less than 5 minutes left and neither team ahead by more than 5 points. Once again Bryant, James and Wade lead this list and the first Raptor to be found on it is Bosh who is 28th and is the second PF/C to be on there (Nowtizki is 7th). Even Orlando who happens to have Dwight Howard doesn’t rely on their star player in those situations, the first Magic player on there is Jameer Neslon.
This begs the question of whether we are expecting too much of Chris Bosh in clutch situations? His nerves do tend to get rattled late on in games but we’re asking him to do something that no other team is asking their big man to do – go one-on-one in crunch time and carry this team on his back. Either our coaching staff has to implement a system which allows for greater wing production in the fourth quarter or we need to replace our wings. Status quo will get us nowhere.
Let’s look at our quarter-by-quarter scoring differential ranks:
| 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Differential | -0.2 | -1.6 | -1.1 | -0.7 |
| Rank | 16th | 27th | 21st | 23rd |
There’s nothing much to be drawn from here except that we’re anemic in basically every quarter except the first where we are passable. As I’ve said countless times in my post-game reports, conditioning is a big factor here. Our best starts are usually high-energy ones where we score quickly in our offense, play hard defense but only for about 7 or so minutes after which we start to relapse. I don’t have the fourth quarter scoring numbers but the differential and league ranks tell you that we’re terrible in 2nd and 4th quarters which is when conditioning is most tested.
Depth is another issue that often comes up when talking Raptors ball. We knew coming into this season that we were about as deep as Jerry Springer’s final thought but only when you look at the sheer numbers does one realize how poor we’ve been. Our bench ranks 27th in overall +/- which is a stat that carries more weight than individual +/- and we happen to be 26th in bench scoring per 100 possessions. The latter stat isn’t as worrying because we have a fairly tight rotation and have the 25th most utilized bench in the league. One can argue that the lack of a deeper rotation which forces our starters to play the 6th most minutes combined with the seeming lack of conditioning is the reason why we struggle late in halves.
Moving along. Let me ask you a question. What position do you think the Raptors have had the most advantage at this season? Take a moment…..If you said Bosh, you’re wrong. 82Games.com ranks the most effective position based on PER and our biggest advantage has been at the center spot. Yes, the O’Neal/Bargnani combo (mostly Bargnani) are ranked the 10th best center tandem. To get a better idea of this stat notice how SF on Cleveland is ranked #1 (Lebron) and C on Orlando is also #1 (Howard). So of all the early criticism Bargnani and O’Neal received, they are statistically our best advantage. I think this is a testament to Bargnani’s transformation from VL to GOAT more than anything else. Update: I hear that Bargnani plays most of his minutes at the PF so there goes that.
Yet another criticism of our star is that he doesn’t tend to show up against the good teams. Luckily for us 82Games.com keeps track of how a player is performing against good, average and poor teams. Here’s how Bosh and ranks: He averages 20.6 points against good teams (14th in the league), 24.3 points against average teams (7th) and 23.5 points against poor teams (11th). Since we don’t want to compare him to guards, let’s compare the league ranks to another big man seen in the top of this table, Nowitzki. Dirk is 7th, 4th and 7th in the three categories, respectively. The fluctuation in scoring is not as dramatic as Bosh’s who clearly excels against lower average to lower quality opponents than the good ones. Dirk on the other hand has the same relative league rank when playing good and poor teams.
It must be pointed out that Bosh remains the only PF/C other than the anomaly that is Dirk to appear in these kinds of statistics.
They also rank the most effective 5-man units based on differential and you have to scroll all the way down to #89 to find the first Raptors unit (Calderon-Parker-Moon-Bosh-O’Neal). On an interesting note, the opening-day starting five of Calderon-Bosh-Bargnani-O’Neal-Parker are 5th worst of all the lineups in the league!
What do you think?
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69 Raps
Nice article.
Great investigative work Arse.
The truth of the matter is it’s difficult for a big man to be your clutch guy late in games, hence we’re expecting far too much from Chris in late game situations.
You’re dead on about needing a wing player, someone who can break down their man and penetrate. They don’t need to score all the time, just get in the lane, draw in the defenders, and drop it off to Chris or AB. This is where a fearless guy like Delfino would’ve fit right in … He’s not an elite player by any means, but just the fact that he never hesitates to drive to the hole would make him a huge asset.
In the immortal words of Smitch: This team may not be athletic, but it’s basketball-wise.
In the immortal words of Smitch: We didn’t make shats, and they made their shats. It happens.
Great stuff Arsenalist
Small mistake though on the Raptors most effective position — Bosh has played over 60% of his minutes at center according to 82games lineups, and Bargnani has played around 80% of his minutes at power forward. When they play alongside one another Bosh is the one being classified as the center by 82games — so the Raptors positive PER difference there is chiefly because of Bosh, and secondly from Jermaine. The positive difference at power forward is also because of Bosh.
Also, Bargnani is being outproduced at all three of the frontcourt positions he’s played this season, and is the reason why the Raptors advantage up front is so small despite the positive play from Bosh — which I think is a fair reflection on the season as a whole.
Good call Dave,
I didn’t think that Bargnani accounted for any advantage, thus it was tough for me to accept what was written.
To me, Bargnani is a major deficiency to this team.
Arse,
I wrote a post a little while back indicating that Jamario Moon, by PER, Adjusted +/-, and a few other stats was the best wing the Raptors had. You fired back by indicating that stats can be wonky and unreliable.
I’m now glad that you are using stats, which are meant to be objective, to illuminate your discussions in this post.
Statement, Don’t you think Moon is one of those players who is only capable of producing in limited situations. His lack of focus, an inability to take any contact and his atrocious handle mean that he’s suited to being a complementary player and never someone who can carry an offence, even for a possession or 2. He can be that complementary player with Wade although I think his inability to focus is going to bite Miami at some point. He was never going to be the primary option wing player the Raptors need to complement Bosh and/or Bargnani.
And (I think) Miami’s close to the tax going into the summer. Will they be able to afford to keep Moon? Whatever his deficiencies, he’s more than a veteran minimum player right now, no? Maybe the Raps can resign him.
I agree that Moon would be better suited as a complementary piece. I never argued that he should be a primary option when clearly he is ill-suited to it. However, his “advanced” stats were the best on the Raptors. Considering how poor the Raptors wings are, that isn’t the hardest thing to accomplish.
I’m really just trying to say that advanced stats are useful only if you exercise a bit of common sense along with them. Moon’s a good role player – that’s what the advanced stats tell you. So he needs to be on a team where he’s a role player. The Raptors need more than a role player at either the 2 or the 3 which means Moon was a poor fit for this team. He’s a better fit in Miami but can they afford to pay him beyond this year? I don’t think he’s a guy you go into the tax for.
Off topic,but I just watched the highlights from the Lakers and Trailblazers…Rudy gets hammered going to the basket,and the Portland team comes flying onto the floor….what would our group of pussies have done?
Sat on bench while staring into the stands, like they did when TJ got decapitated in Atlanta, while Smitch ran to half court ready to start clowning people. Good times.
Excellent post, well done. Can you find out Bargnani’s shooting percentage when his mouth is closed vs. when he’s mouth breathing?
LMAO
re Bosh clutch : “we’re asking him” ???
I don’t know if you can say, “we” are asking him, (or if the coaching staff is) because he has proven over time that he is not reliable in the clutch. It would be pretty stupid on their part to keep feeding him the ball when he clearly can’t handle the pressure (dribbling ball off foot, missing easy lay ups, etc.)
Something tells me he (the self proclaimed MVP) insists on getting the ball in those situations, and because we are so bent on trying to resign and keep him, we bow to his every demand. (we as in coaching staff and BC)
I think the biggest question for the off-season is how to alter the abysmal chemistry of this team. Someone from the Bosh/Calderon/Bargnani trio has to go. Who should it be? How does the team compensate for the loss of one of its 3 most talented players?
If Bosh is going to walk (the writing is on the wall, basically) we need to get something for him while we can. Man, we painted ourselves into a corner. With hanta-virus paint.
Hm. Maybe that’s why Los-eh refuses to drive.
how is the writing on the wall? Read Sam Smith’s article today. Remember that these guys get paid to do what they do, and Bosh would be an idiot not to take the cash now!!
Yeah and then just asked to get traded with his money in pocket.. so what’s the difference? Just because he signs doesn’t mean he’s stuck here. Writing is still on the wall, for those accepting to see it.
“Oh Boshy, please don’t leave! I’ll have no hero to cheer for” /FAQed and tribal honked
“Oh Boshy, please don’t leave! I’ll have no hero to cheer for”
That’s the summary of the dinonationblogger
Yeah, and then just ask to get traded with his money in pocket.. so what’s the difference? Just because he signs doesn’t mean he’s stuck here. Writing is still on the wall, for those accepting to see it.
“Oh Boshy, please don’t leave! I’ll have no hero to cheer for” /FAQed and tribal honked
you could say the same thing about Pierce, or Kobe, AND those guys actually asked for a trade too. Put a few good players around Bosh and he won’t be going anywhere.
1. Others NEED to read carefully what Dave … i.e. one of many credible voices in the on-line hoops community … just wrote above. As Flux has told some of you, on more than one occasion, there’s a good reason I have no problem, whatsoever with someone like Dave, even though we do NOT happen to see exactly eye-to-eye on all things related to basketball and the Toronto Raptors.
Dave,
Despite the fact that you don’t need me to say anything congratulatory to you, I will say it anyways … fine job, on your part!
2. The reason #8 in this list of Raptors’ line-ups this season isn’t listed on league comparisons is because it has yet to meet the 80 Minutes Played minimum requirement … which SHOUD BE of interest to Raptors fans like yertu, who still might doubt Anthony Parker’s ability to play the Back-up PG role successfully and productively with a NBA team … and/or just HOW MUCH better off the Raptors WOULD have been this season if they would have used this line-up for more of the current season.
Those who could not see clearly, with their own eyes, just:
How Anthony Parker could be effective at the PG spot
or
How Jamario Moon could be effective at the OG spot
or
How Joey Graham could be effective at the SF spot
[or How Kris Humphries could be effective as a starting PF, beside a player like Chris Bosh]
or
How Chris Bosh could be so, so much more effective as a Center for the Raptors than he is at the Power Forward Position
… without first seeing stuff written in black & white amongst the “simplistic” data available at a site like 82games.com … need to fully comprehend what THAT means about the level of their actual Basketball Acumen, without being insulted by those who might question it, and who it is exactly they SHOULD be correcting around the Raptors Republic when it comes to STUFF like this, or not. : )
There’s a good reason you don’t see a line-up that looks like this:
Calderon/PG + Moon/OG + Graham/SF + Humphries/PF + Bosh/C
on the 82games.com site for the Raptors, and it’s NOT because it wouldn’t have been Highly Effective for this team, this season … it’s because the Collective Level of Basketball Acumen which exists within this organization has NOT seen fit to give it a try, yet!
If it did … Do you know what you would find?
Just like what happend on Sunday vs Utah, when the following 5-Man Units hit the floor for the first time together this season:
A. Calderon/PG + Parker/OG + Marion/SF + Mensah-Bonsu/PF + Bosh/C
B. Parker/PG + Graham/OG + Marion/SF + Mensah-Bonsu/PF + Bargnani/C
[Dave, these were the actual combinations I tried to reference for you yesterday]
that the Raptors would, at long last, finally be putting legitimate units [plural!] together that have a chance of succeeding as a group in the NBA.
The proof of the pudding is in the eating. – Anonymous : )
So fucking long, boring and wrong.
CB4 does play the majority of his minutes at center and look where that’s gotten him and the team.
http://www.82games.com/0809/08TOR14.HTM#bypos
If AP’s doing a C+ job playing the point it doesn’t mean he should be playing the point.
Moon at the SG? Even Spoelstra plays him at SF but hey, what the fuck does he know, he’s only an NBA coach and you’re khandor.
OG = Original Gangster? I didn’t realize that was a basketball position
Offensive Guard.
You should get your sarcasm detector checked Fluxland. Obviously Jamario Moon is the furthest thing possible from an original gangsta.
Hell, he’s not even an Offensive Guard because that would require him to put up some offense once in a while.
Sorry dude, pretty hard to detect sarcasm from your post.. wouldn’t you say? And I’d also wager JMoon is more gangsta then any of us put together. They don’t play in Alabama.
Play on, playa.
maybe we should hold off on proclaiming any roster/lineup moves a ’success?’ since, y’know, they’re almost 20 games under .500. just like you want to see more of VL until he becomes a better all-around player, i want to see more than just this small sample size of AP at the point before making a judgement. to me, it’s still up in the air. while at times his play has been stellar, he’s also disappeared for games at a time. he plays too critical a position & role on the team for that to happen.
i will hand it to AP, he’s done better than i thought he would. i assumed there would be many more moments like sunday (dribble ball off foot, turnover, weak foul on resulting break). he’s shown the versatility needed to handle minutes at the point. in general, one of the best stretches they played sunday was when he was at the point (i think it was the 3rd Q?), and they really looked to push the ball, assert themselves on O, and the D actually looked pretty solid for an extended stretch. whether that was AP’s presence or a certain somebody’s absence could be a topic for discussion…
Raps Fan,
Hopefully Scott G. was reading too. : )
as for VL – it will never die, he’ll always be Vegetable Lasagna. there will always be just that certain something missing from his game (just like veggie lasagna is missing just that certain something). on any given day, it/he could give you everything you want…but the next day, maybe you feel like something with a bit more substance, some good ‘ol ground beef…but alas, we’ll just have mushrooms, or worse, tofu. i actually threw up a bit in my mouth when i typed that…
when i was a kid, i developed a serious hatred for mushrooms, green peppers & onions. my mom, of course, would try to get me to eat it by using all of them in, i assumed, pretty much every recipe she made. i’d dutifully pick through whatever conconction sat in front of me, making sure i never ate a mushroom, onion or pepper. if one happened to slip in, it would be into a napkin in about the same time it takes VL to pick up an early, cheap foul (under a second, though i may be exagerating slightly…it may only seem that way).
i still don’t eat them. so now, when i’m at a dinner party, and i see that the course is any kind of vegetable-based meal (like, for example, veggie lasagna), i immediately get pissed off, knowing that while everyone else is happily chomping away, i’ll be sitting there picking out the shit i don’t like, trying not to be rude, and playing along with the condascending remarks. or worse, i’ll feel like i have to eat it, will try, and then gag.
lasagna (the good, meat-filled, cheese-stuffed, no crap kind) is probably my favourite food. veggie lasagna is a bastardization, a pain in my ass.
that’s bargnani. i always feel like i’m trying to pick through the shit (in his game) that i don’t like, knowing that at his core, he’s got an incredible skill set…if not for all that shit i don’t like.
so, maybe he’s the greatest veggie lasagna of all time (GVLoAT?), but it’s still veggie fucking lasagna.
get professional help and on a side note..visit a dietitian.
Totally agree that Bosh is being asked to play outside of his role in the 4th. He strikes me as the kind of player you can rely on to get you to crunch time and then can be an extremely effective weapon only if someone else is making defenses collapse and providing him with mismatches / open shots. Reminds me of Karl Malone in that sense. Malone was often labeled anti-clutch because he’d often get the ball at the end of the game in a situation where his best option was to put up that fallaway.
What I think this team needs more than anything else is the ability to shuffle lineups that provide an advantage in 3 of the 5 spots at any given time on the floor and more importantly, a coach that can create and manage these lineups on the fly during the game. Too often we’ve just got Bosh out there with a bunch of players barely holding their own or flat out losing the battle at their respective positions. To top it off, we rarely exploit the advantages we do have (how many times have we seen Bosh or Bargs disappear in the 4th because other players take the first available shot?). This is as much a coaching issue as anything else, but it also speaks to the lack of depth on the bench. During the 47-win season we were almost always able to play 3-4 guys per night who were hitting shots because we simply had a lot of guys to choose from – Smitch would just play who was hot or who matched up well with the opposition. This year if the bench isn’t performing then it’s either back to the exhausted starters or stick with a lackluster lineup. Not a good choice either way.
All this to say, I don’t think the raps are THAT far from being competitive. The problem is that they don’t have much wiggle room to bring in the players they’re lacking and that they don’t have an intriguing enough team to lure a top coach.
Raps Fan,
Just to clarify …
Perhaps the “open vs closed” mouth effeciency of Bargnani’s unique shooting stroke[s] should be referred to, henceforth, as the “BreatheRight Effect”, in a similar vein as to what we’ve referred elsewhere as the Kapono Effect. : )
I think when he shoots with his mouth open he ruin the aerodynamics and allows airflow that doesn’t let him get up as high to release his shot. I would wager he shoots 10% worse with his mouth open.
One would have to account for the space created with the mouth open, as defenders would be kept back by the garlic breath, presumably. So… I dunno. An advantage perhaps?
————————————–
as for VL – it will never die, he’ll always be Vegetable Lasagna. there will always be just that certain something missing from his game (just like veggie lasagna is missing just that certain something). on any given day, it/he could give you everything you want…but the next day, maybe you feel like something with a bit more substance, some good ‘ol ground beef…but alas, we’ll just have mushrooms, or worse, tofu. i actually threw up a bit in my mouth when i typed that…
when i was a kid, i developed a serious hatred for mushrooms, green peppers & onions. my mom, of course, would try to get me to eat it by using all of them in, i assumed, pretty much every recipe she made. i’d dutifully pick through whatever conconction sat in front of me, making sure i never ate a mushroom, onion or pepper. if one happened to slip in, it would be into a napkin in about the same time it takes VL to pick up an early, cheap foul (under a second, though i may be exagerating slightly…it may only seem that way).
i still don’t eat them. so now, when i’m at a dinner party, and i see that the course is any kind of vegetable-based meal (like, for example, veggie lasagna), i immediately get pissed off, knowing that while everyone else is happily chomping away, i’ll be sitting there picking out the shit i don’t like, trying not to be rude, and playing along with the condascending remarks. or worse, i’ll feel like i have to eat it, will try, and then gag.
lasagna (the good, meat-filled, cheese-stuffed, no crap kind) is probably my favourite food. veggie lasagna is a bastardization, a pain in my ass.
that’s bargnani. i always feel like i’m trying to pick through the shit (in his game) that i don’t like, knowing that at his core, he’s got an incredible skill set…if not for all that shit i don’t like.
so, maybe he’s the greatest veggie lasagna of all time (GVLoAT?), but it’s still veggie fucking lasagna. – by yertu
——————————————-
That tale, right there, is just a perfect example of what can separate an elite level performer from a very good but, unfortunately, not yet great one … i.e. an inability to adapt to the dictates of a specific situation, depending on whether something works best that way, or not, instead of if it’s something which you happen to like.
Exhibit B
What the fuck !!!
One of the few guys that has shown any sign of progress this year (Bargs)is getting dumped on,come on ,give me a break….without fault ,hell no,but to shit all over him,give me a break.
I have thrown Bargs under the bus on a few occasions,but Khandor your boy Bosh has also been under the bus.Also I must add,I dont give a sweet fuck what kind of food you liked as a kid.
Bargnani has been the lone bright spot this season. You could put Joey there, but hasn’t been consistent enough in my opinion to be spoken of in the same breath. So people can shit on him all they want, but he’s been the only positive to take out of the most demoralizing NBA season I’ve ever been a passionate observer of.
d279,
FACT IS … Chris Bosh ain’t my boy. : )
d279,
re: my boys from the NBA’s 2003 Draft Class
In case you’re interested … about what I thought on the day prior to that specific draft:
1. Lebron James … was destined to become a Great Cav [no hope for TO]
2. Darko Milicic … was a reach by Joe D. [not a good option for TO]
3. Carmelo Anthony … a Prime-time Player [move up to GET]
4. Chris Bosh … a solid, multi-purpose player [not my pick]
5. Dwyane Wade … will be the 2nd best player from this draft [the player targeted by Pat Riley; move down to GET]
6. Chris Kaman … nothing but a role player [avoid]
7. Kirk Hinrich … nothing but a role player [avoid]
8. TJ Ford … too small, too fragile, too mercurial [avoid]
Khandor ,I’m not talking your guy ten years ago !!!
I’ll tell you what I’d do to fix it. Blow it up, and start over with the draft.
Keep Bargnani. Bring in Ettore Messina. Get some draft picks for the future, and start teaching players we draft how to play the game.
—————————————
why do you think I am so fucking angry? – by nunya
—————————————
Personally, I thought it might be a “PMS thing” … but I didn’t want to be rude. : )
you fail at humour
—————————————
You don’t sign shit/semi shit like Parker, Graham, Kapono, Moon, Delfino and Solomon (or Voskuhl) if you don’t think that Bosh is a fucking superstar MVP GO-TO guy – by nunya
—————————————
Or, it well could be the case that this organization’s Priority Commitment is NOT, in fact, to Winning a championship at any time in the not too distant future … but “to making a tidy profit while it tries its best to put a competitive NBA team on the floor every year”. : (
————————————–
I disagree that Bosh believes he’s a go to guy. I think he plays it like he is, says all the right things and doesn’t rock the boat because it’s what’s expected of him. This team lacks veteran leadership and Mitchell has been drilling it into Bosh since Vince left that he’s the leader, so he’s trying to step into that role. It doesn’t suit him and you see that in his game, which is all the more reason I’m not convinced that he thinks he’s an alpha dog. He doesn’t attack with confidence in the 4th, he knows what will happen and he takes the shot because other than arguably Bargs nobody else on the team wants it enough. I think he’d gladly step aside for a real scorer – the problem is finding one. – by Quek
————————————–
Agreed.
go full import. coaching staff and every position
beidrins/bargnani/delfino/ginobli/calderon
ukic/casspri/belinelli/rasho/nocioni/barbosa
no choice
put the Pig Farmer on the bench, Nash as your starting 1.
Bargnani on the bench and Dirk as your starting 4.
Hey, now the team isn’t looking too bad lol
Biedrins/Rasho
Nowitzki/Bargnani
Nocioni/Delfino/
Ginobli/Barbosa/Belineli
Nash/Calderon/Ukic
One of these players are unlike the others :D
d279,
From the subsequent years, you would not be considered wrong by me if you identified the players highlighted here in bold, from the 1st Round, as ones who I liked the day before their Draft Class was announced and, therefore, might properly be termed “my boys”:
2004 NBA Draft
1 Dwight Howard
2 Emeka Okafor
3 Ben Gordon
4 Shaun Livingston
5 Devin Harris
6 Josh Childress
7 Luol Deng
8 Rafael Araujo
9 Andre Iguodala
10 Luke Jackson
2005 NBA Draft
1 Andrew Bogut
2 Marvin Williams
3 Deron Williams
4 Chris Paul
5 Raymond Felton
6 Martell Webster
7 Charlie Villanueva
8 Channing Frye
9 Ike Diogu
10 Andrew Bynum
2006 NBA Draft
1 Andrea Bargnani
2 LaMarcus Aldridge
3 Adam Morrison
4 Tyrus Thomas
5 Shelden Williams
6 Brandon Roy
7 Randy Foye
8 Rudy Gay
9 Patrick O’Bryant
10 Saer Sene
11 J.J. Redick
12 Hilton Armstrong
13 Thabo Sefolosha
2007 NBA Draft
1 Greg Oden
2 Kevin Durant
3 Al Horford
4 Mike Conley
5 Jeff Green
6 Yi Jianlian
7 Corey Brewer
8 Brandan Wright
9 Joakim Noah
10 Spencer Hawes
11 Acie Law
12 Thaddeus Young
13 Julian Wright
14 Al Thornton
15 Rodney Stuckey
16 Nick Young
17 Sean Williams
18 Marco Belinelli
19 Javaris Crittenton
20 Jason Smith
21 Daequan Cook
22 Jared Dudley
23 Wilson Chandler
24 Rudy Fernandez
25 Morris Almond
26 Aaron Brooks
27 Arron Afflalo
2008 NBA Draft
1 Derrick Rose
2 Michael Beasley
3 O.J. Mayo, Guard
4 Russell Westbrook
5 Kevin Love
6 Danilo Gallinari
7 Eric Gordon
8 Joe Alexander
9 D.J. Augustin
10 Brook Lopez
11 Jerryd Bayless
12 Jason Thompson
13 Brandon Rush
14 Anthony Randolph
15 Robin Lopez
16 Marreese Speights
17 Roy Hibbert
18 JaVale McGee
19 J.J. Hickson
20 Alexis Ajinca
21 Ryan Anderson
22 Courtney Lee
23 Kosta Koufos
24 Serge Ibaka
25 Nicolas Batum
26 George Hill
If you examine them closely you should then be able to form a picture of the different types of NBA players that I value the most.
Nice article. Makes me consider Bosh a little differently. We definitely need to hit big in this draft with a 2/3 guy. I like DeRozan a lot.
WOW in 5 drafts you were bang on with every good player and only missed out on Chris Paul. You are definitely in the wrong line of work. Colangelo should step aside, hell, they should give you executive of the decade right now!. I think I’ll call BULLSHIT on this one…
ChrisR,
FACT IS … I did not miss out on Chris Paul. CP3 just happens not to be the sort of Point Guard I particularly value; hence, he should not be properly termed, “one of my boys”. : )
oh, I’m sorry, didn’t realize that…what ever happened to your Ed O’Bannon jersey anyway?
i.e. In the NBA, I would sooner play with Brandon Roy as my PG, in comparison with Chris Paul. : )
Yes yes, in the NBA of course. Who would you rather play on the street with?
Arsenalist,
At the NCAA level my preference would actually be for Chris Paul. Same with FIBA competitions. The advantage gained by going with a bigger, competent PG like a Chauncey Billups, a Brandon Roy [even playing out of position], a Deron Williams or a [young buck like] Russell Westbrook at the NBA level, minimizes the importance of selecting a PG like CP3 in the Draft Lottery. : )
ChrisR,
Neither Ed O’Bannon nor his brother [Charles] would qualify as “one of my boys. : )
Arsenalist,
Sorry, I forgot …
On the street, defintely CP3. : )
Congratulations, whoever is censoring and deleting posts…typical of the insipid, boring, ball-less, drippy Raptor team you oddly represent….
@ Quek…Bosh IS a veteran…. and it doesn’t matter what he believes or doesn’t believe..the team has been assembled and plays drawn up with him as the go-to guy…and if he was very unhappy with that, he could have made it known very easily….
He is what he is…what I don’t get is how the concerned parties who see him come up short time after time after time in clutch situations continue to ride that pony….I understand those in the States who don’t really watch Raptor games and only see highlights and stats..but what exactly is Raptor management seeing? (and don’t get me started on the yentas that pass for colour commentary analysts and their insipid drivel during the broadcasts).
Just bringing one player that could pass for a go-to guy into this culture of passivity and complacency isn’t going to turn anything around unless it’s a D Wade or a LeBron and that ain’t gonna happen…Triano isn’t going to coach Bosh to anything other than more of the same…Triano has been a cog in the culture of mediocrity for far too long… anyone who has to resort to temper tantrums to get the dunderheads on his bench to do something they discussed in a huddle seconds before is doomed…
You need a Popovich (what Popovich assistant might be due for a crack at head coach?)…no excuses, total accountability, replete with plays and strategies and a SYSTEM.
But I personally don’t think it’s worth keeping Bosh.. because of what he’s going to cost….Marion neither…Parker is a 6th man kind of player…if you can’t re-sign him for very little I’d say adios….if Delfino doesn’t cost too much, fine, bring him back.
Paul Millsap is terrific, there are a shitload of players in Golden State that I would love to get who may be available, Scola, Landry, Varejao, Turkoglu…the Hawks may be due for a shake up…
I’d move heaven and earth to get something for Kapono (if I can’t get rid of him I get a coach who uses him in the way he needs to be used and forbid any golf playing unless his 3 pointers go up and his fouls go down )…I shitcan Voskuhl, O’Bryant, Jawai and Banks (trade him for basketballs)…
I think Calderon will be better with a good coach but I entertain any offers for him…I still love Bargnani’s potential..he’s the one I would be most reluctant to let go…it would have to be for something earth shattering…someone who would play beside Bosh but make the crowd chant MVP when HE shoots free throws.
It may surprise most here, but I don’t want to be angry anymore..it’s exhausting….I just want what Portland and even the Thunder have right now…a team worth rooting for….
Nunya,
What Popovich assistant might be due for a crack at head coach?
That would be Mike Budenholzer. He is in his 15th season with the team, 13th as a coach, and second year as Pop’s top assistant (replacing Carlesimo). He got a lot of interest last summer during the interviews stage, and is expected to get a Head Coaching job in the next few years possibly as early as this offseason. He’s considered the Spurs best coaching prospect. As you can probably guess since it’s the Spurs, his rep is for being a defensive minded coach. Budenholzer has also gotten a lot of credit for predicting what plays the opposition will run in the final minutes of games (’99 Finals Game 5 vs NY) — dedicated and does a lot of work in the film room.
nunya,
Congrats! THAT, right there … ??? … IMO, is the best [i.e. most productive] comment you’ve ever written on either Arsenalist’s old blog or RR. : )
Hey Arse,
I love your work…keep it up!
Question: you said that this year “72% of our field goal attempts are jumpers (league worst)”…what about last season? Weren’t we still taking an overwhelming amount of our FGA’s via jumpers? I tried going to 82games.com myself but couldn’t find where you dug the stat up this season. Thanks in advance for your help.
what would you do to fix it if you were given the job tomorrow?
I disagree that Bosh believes he’s a go to guy. I think he plays it like he is, says all the right things and doesn’t rock the boat because it’s what’s expected of him. This team lacks veteran leadership and Mitchell has been drilling it into Bosh since Vince left that he’s the leader, so he’s trying to step into that role. It doesn’t suit him and you see that in his game, which is all the more reason I’m not convinced that he thinks he’s an alpha dog. He doesn’t attack with confidence in the 4th, he knows what will happen and he takes the shot because other than arguably Bargs nobody else on the team wants it enough. I think he’d gladly step aside for a real scorer – the problem is finding one.