Can you smell it? I can, it’s training camp and it’s just around the corner. It’s the time when wins and losses are seen as meaningless with much more weight given to team cohesion, practices, conditioning and such. It’s a time when there’s room for mistakes and sub-par performances are brushed off with a broom called “it’s just pre-season”. Last year we had a terrible one. It was an outright disaster because it didn’t accomplish anything for anyone. We went an uninspired 4-4 and looked lethargic and out of sync from the start. The major task was to integrate Jermaine O’Neal and build some sort of continuity heading into the season but there was no change between Day 1 of training camp and Game 1 of the regular season. This year, the player turnover is higher and the task even tougher.
The worst part about last season’s camp was that everybody watching the games, listening to the post-game pressers knew that the team wasn’t gelling. All the signs were there: lazy defense, missed coverages, bad shots, excessive late-clock situations, the whole shebang. Whenever a reporter brought it up he was quickly hushed under the blanket excuse: It’s pre-season, this is what pre-season’s for, to iron these problems out. Those problems never got ironed out. We can’t have that happening this time around, this time we need to build momentum in training camp and take it right through pre-season and straight to opening day. I remember a couple years back we played the C**tics in Italy. Kevin Garnett had them ridiculously pumped for every game and it showed, they started their championship quest early and saw it through. All we did was sell some Italian and Spanish themed alternate jerseys.
Leave the X’s and O’s aside, a team with nine new players needs leadership and somebody to set the tone early. The tone that laziness, indiscipline and lack of seriousness will not be tolerated. It should be made clear in no uncertain terms that the team needs to go about things the right way with the right attitude. No more Jamario Moon BS. It starts with the coaching staff but a big part of forming a serious level of commitment comes from the team leader. I don’t know who that is – is it Bosh? Maybe. Jack? I hope not. Bargnani? No. Hedo? Probably not. Calderon? Ummm…who knows. You ever been part of a team or played pick-up? You know that guy on your team you want to impress and secretly fear? We don’t have that guy and one needs to emerge fast so that a simple glare to an offending player will send the message. Rewind back to the Bad Boy Pistons or the early 80’s Sixers, you didn’t want anything to do with Bill Laimbeer after you missed a defensive rebound. You didn’t want Maurice Cheeks to take you into the corner after you foolishly gambled on a steal and left him out to dry. You just didn’t.
Mistakes need to be recognized early and punished addressed early to avoid them later. Defense is my major concern. We have size and athleticism in Wright, DeRozan, Belinelli, Jack and Turkoglu, but will it be translated into actually good defense? It’ll be tough, last year athletic but undisciplined teams such as Golden State, Washington, New York, Phoenix and OKC were in the bottom third in FG%age allowed. The Raptors have addressed the athleticism to a degree but will they take the next step of playing defense the way Denver, Boston or Cleveland did? Those three teams know how to play defense and it’s driven by the pistons of cohesion and effort. The Raptors need to get themselves a sniff of that. Triano seems to agree:
We have to be better at the defensive end of the floor. We have good players coming in that are good defensive players. We believe that we’re going to upgrade in that but the biggest difference is going to be whether we can learn how to play together and how quickly we do that.
I’d rank defensive continuity and effort as the #1 thing to work on in training camp. The offense will come, unlike last year, we now have enough firepower that we shouldn’t struggle to score. The essence of good offense is simple: make a defender pay attention to a player other than the one he’s guarding and go from there. We have at least two players in Bosh and Turkoglu that can create mismatches and force defensive reactions that the coaching staff can take advantage of. If our offense struggles to score it’ll speak directly of the coaching staff, if our defense is still 21st in the league, it’ll speak to the players first, and then the coaching staff.
So to sum it up: Somebody please set the tone and theme of this team early. Even if we struggle through our tough opening schedule, we can still recover if we’re a mentally strong team that has a leader who can pick the squad up after tough losses, which we’ll have our fair share of. Here are just 10 of the many, many questions I’m hoping training camp will answer. They’re in no particular order.
- How will we replace Marion’s rebounding in the starting lineup? Will Turkoglu or Bargnani pick up the slack?
- How will DeRozan be used? Will he be asked to run around off-the-ball with minimum responsibility or will we actually use him as a first-touch weapon.
- Turkoglu and Bosh/Bargnani on the pick ‘n roll. Will the high-screen return to its normal 80% usage rate and become our bread and butter, or will Triano continue going away from it.
- Reggie Evans v Amir Johnson. Rasho’s going to get his share of minutes because he’s a matchup-sub and brings a wide body to the mix – something no other Raptor does. If there’s a position where minutes are up for grabs, its Evans v Johnson.
- Jack/Calderon PG split and Jose’s role. What is the PG split going to be here? Will Calderon get 32 minutes at the point (67%) or will it be lower? Will he be used off-the-ball like some expect? How can Triano utilize his outside stroke while still having him quarterback the offense?
- Calderon’s defense. Last year was tough for him and both Triano and Colangelo admitted it. This year they’re saying that Jose can “play a defensive system” which translates to “Yeah, we know he’s bad but we think we can hide him”.
- The amount of freedom given to Belinelli. Will he come in and try to shoot himself into the game or is he going to follow some sort of plan where he’s the focal offensive player in the second unit?
- Will the real Andrea Bargnani please stand up? I can almost sense the return of VL if he struggles early. Year four is when Nowtizki averaged a double-double of 23/10 on 48% shooting and this time around, expectations will be higher than ever before. Was the second half of last year a fluke? Nobody knows.
- Bosh’s bulk. He’s apparently added 15lbs. What’s he going to do with them? Are we finally going to see an improvement in his paint game or will that muscle be used to launch longer jumpers?
- Iavaroni. I want the media to interview this guy as much as they will Triano. I really want to know what the big deal here is and understand what he brings. I’m desperate to know why we courted him so much.
You got any?
–
So Bosh has a hammy problem and could sit out the first week of training camp. Not good, hopefully its nothing but no point talking about it unless we know more. BTW, what do you think of him saying “That’s not going to be a problem coach” to Triano before the final game of the season when told that he needs 18 rebounds. I know I’m making something out of nothing but if he’s confident enough to get 18 rebounds against Brad Miller, Joakim Noah and Tyrus Thomas, can’t he do it more often? Is it a question of motivation?
I recently wrote a piece about Belinelli and the Raptors looking for him to provide some offense, but Triano seems to be expecting a lot more of him than I thought he would:
He’s going to be a scorer. He’s a scorer. He has a knack of not just being able to score but create for others. He knows how to score, he knows how to find points for his teammates. The guy knows how to score. He’s going to be a guy like Eddie House, he’s going to come in and he’s going to provide points off the bench, if things can’t get flowing offensively, we know we can put this kid in and he’s gong to find a way to score.
One more thing, I always thought Raja Bell could bring us something and now he’s apparently being shopped. The Raptors should make a play, he’d be a solid acquisition, would help with the toughness and has a reasonable 5.25M expiring contract. In other words, he does what Delfino does, only better and cheaper.
That’s it for this morning. Our twitter account is back up but it cost Raps Fan his virginity. Those Twitter folk bargain hard.
65 Raps
Finally someone gets it. I’ve long lamented that the loss of the rebounding edge the Matrix brought to the Dinos was not replaced by this rebuilt roster. I’ve always said that a team can’t score if they don’t have the ball and this is what turned an ordinary Cavalier’s Team into a great one last year, with the exception of LJ. Is DD going to be given a free lunch in the starting lineup or are they going to give him specific instructions to use that athleticism to track down the ball at both ends and make those rebounds pay dividends with second chance points.
The second question is leadership.. I liked your reference to KG and the intensity he brought into the dressing room and throughout their championship year. Who is that man for the Raptors? I don’t know… Is CB4 that man we’ll see?
RCW, you have a very valid point. I do miss matrix’s rebounding as well and I think he might be the best rebounder in NBA in small forward position. I would have loved to keep him but I think he was asking for too much !!! He ended up signing a shorter contract and I think les money than what raptors were offering him.
The contract he signed was much more than the Raps were willing to offer. You think he actually left money on the table to leave Toronto?
I don’t know. I know BC was very high on him and when I was shocked when Isaw the figures that he offered to Marion. I thought he was pretty generous.
Both sides knew he wasn’t going to sign that contract. BC was helping him out with a S+T by setting his market value with that offer.
Arse , please stop using the VL designation for AB until a few season games have gone by . If he improve his defense and keep the scoring he had in the second half of last season , he is reserve All Star material.
Participating in good team defense and slightly more rebounding (let us not hope the moon) will be the key to that goal.
I think Jose is the most natural leader on the team but because of the location of Toronto (not Europe) it is very difficult for him. Because of the flak that European often receive I believe it is often difficult for Jose to take the reins and guide the horses, besides I think Bosh would not support it. I believe Bosh feels entitled to this position, even if he is not naturally suited for it. Bosh does have a very competitive spirit and hates to lose. I love this part of him. What I don’t like is how he can get very negative at times and kind of shake his head at his teammates play. I hate when guys get down on their own teammates. I believe in the positive “come on boys, we can do this” attitude. If Bosh could accept challenges instead of blaming results on others, we would have our leader.
Jose, Bosh and Hedo need to stop talking and to start doing. Their job should be to set an example for everyone else. Set the tone and the others will follow.
Bryan, it would be nice if Andrea had some of that responsibility as well.
It took a lot of hard work by Hedo to get the contract that he has now. He almost made the allstar team, was the NBA’s most improved player and has been a key contributor for the Magic in their PO success. Yet, he will never have a contract that pays him 12 million a year.
Andrea on the other has his financial future set, yet has acomplished almost nothing in comparison to Hedo.
Andrea is a 24 year-old, quiet, non-native English speaker who has yet to reach his peak on-court contribution. He’s one of the younger guys on the team too. He should only have to focus on playing the game and getting better at this stage, not leading the team. Frankly, until he becomes a smarter team defender and a better rebounder for his position his leadership chops will be questionable. Guys who can’t do the basic things well usually can’t get enough respect to be leaders.
Rasho could be considered a leader too.
Bryan my birthday is comming up, and I have been a season ticket holder since 95. How about some free season tickets this year? I promise to keep working on being a good fan.
Magic 8 ball says “Don’t Count on It”
…but I am Italian!
It seems to me how all the Gino’s that support the Dino’s handle Andrea with kid gloves like he’s given a free pass. Andrea needs to step up BIG TIME. AB’s 4th year in the league and we are wondering if last half of the season’s performance was a fluke. He’s a 7 footer that need someone to lite a fire under his feet. Seldom plays the low post, settles for 3 Point chances, rebounding not his forte. You remember it was Bosh that let him have it his first season for not following his role on the court. AB overall First Pick still has not put himself in the category of top players in the league. You wanna tell me AB is worth that contract he was given…on what premise, his performance? Let’s start believing that the honeymoon is over for AB and its time to step up his game. Since coming into the league he has been compared to Mav’s Dirk. This season we call out Andrea time to BREAK OUT and take charge. Gino’s need to emphasize AB’s role on this team and his equal importance to the success or failure of the Dinos
Laiddragon
BC, how about waiting until they have a chance to start “doing” before telling them to stop talking. Better them talking it, than not talking it anyways. We can judge the doing part in November… Until then, talking is all they can give us
Wrong. Doing starts in training camp. They need to set the tone now. Esp. Hedo. He’s the oldest guy and has the most experience. He could be the guy. I question that somewhat given how he was kicked aside by the Magic, a team that seems somewhat bereft of leadership at the player level.
Hey Arse I found this article by the Toronto Sun on Calderon admitting that he was a defensive liability and that he needs to be a better defender at the point of attack. http://www.torontosun.com/sports/basketball/2009/09/26/11128351-sun.html
What the hell does VL stands for anyway? Could someone tell me?
I believe Veggie Lazagna
I thought it meant Voshkul Lite
Way harsh!
I would love to acquire Bell, but who the hell could we (or would you) offer for him??
The Bobcats need a power forward … The Raptors have a small surplus there and could afford to give up one of their power forwards, a Reggie Evans or an Amir Johnson.
The Bobcats seem to be getting more sensible about their payroll so maybe the two year’s left on Reggie’s deal would kill Evans as trade bait, but with Charlotte (Radmanovic, Nazr, Diop) it’s hard to tell for sure. Amir Johnson can be a salary neutral deal, plus possibly even give Charlotte some slight savings.
I’m quite surprised that the Bobcats are trying to trade Bell. I don’t think he has much trade value, and he’s an expiring contract so that isn’t an issue either. He’s a solid one-year piece who helps make them a better team. It’s odd to me that they’re shopping him … not sure how much I believe those rumours either.
Also, as I said, I don’t think Bell has much in the way of trade value … and, hence, believe that the Bobcats will regularly get low-balled in trade negotiations. So even if they’re not that interested in Evans or Amir, it could still be a good offer … personally, I think Amir Johnson would be a brilliant offer and one that the Bobcats should jump at.
Arsenalist,
I don’t think Carlos Delfino is a good comparison for Raja Bell but I think Anthony Parker is an excellent one.
I think Delfino scores the ball in different way and is a vastly superior rebounder + ball handler + a superior passer/playmaker … with Bell holding a solid edge defensively … so I think they’re two different sorts of players.
A. Parker on the other hand scores at a similar clip (12ppg), and gets those points in similar ways — mostly spot shooting, they take a third of their attempts coming from downtown, running off the odd screen with moderate success, rarely attacking the rim and rarely getting to the FT line, weak finishers in the paint and below average in the open floor — while also rebounding a comparable clip and have similar value as ball handlers and passers. Bell holds an advantage defensively but it’s not a large one … Raja’s defense has declined harshly over the last two years, almost as badly as Parker’s has over the same period. Overall, Raja Bell is still a solid defender while Parker is a mediocre one.
I think Bell and Parker are very similar to one another.
The moment one of Amir or Reggie get shipped out, I promise you that “small surplus” you refer to will turn into “OMG, there’s not enough depth at PF — what will we do if Bosh goes down???” and maybe even “let’s package Banks, Belinelli, Wright and O’Bryant for AK47″
I do like Raja Bell… quality player, good defender and can put point son the board when he is on… but another SG is not what we need.
Larry Brown would never trade for Amir Johnson.
Brown is fanatical about doing things by the book.
Johnson can’t play that way and be totally effective.
Brown knows that so you will never see Johnson playing for Larry Brown.
Amir Johnson has alot of upside. I am really curious to see what Rap’s coaching staff can tinker with his game.
Guy’s like Amir can be late bloomers who come into their own with a new environment and structure. Amir has a defensive prowess you probably have not seen and has penchant for blocking shots.
If Amir can learn to play without committing quick fouls so he can stay on the floor longer, this power forward will be a Fan Fav in a hurry!!!
So many questions and so few answers … but time will tell if the Ratpors are a bust or a balloon. Gonna be interesting to see what magical spell Triano will cast over this bunch of ballers to tranform them from pumpkins to playahs.
OT .. New Nets owner, Russian oligarch Prokhorov, is reputed to be worth $9.5 billion or more, and he’s an ex-baller himself. Wonder if he worries about ‘luxury’ tax or will by just buy up Lebron and Bosh to prove that Russia is supreme. Start worrying you tribal honkers … because when money talks bullshit walks … believe it.
I think NJ is the best fit if these guys want to be contender. Lets assume they get LJ, CB4, with Harris at the point and Lopez at the center and Lee as a backup shooting guard or even a shooting gaurd if Lebron moves to SF !!!! they have a young team which can rule NBA for many many many years to come. They will have new place and a rich owner and …. I do belive the NJ is the most logical place for LJ and CB4 to go next year.
That macho Russian oligarch billionaire did not buy 80% of the Nets without the objective of getting Lebron, Bosh, Wade, others to make a super team that will destroy the rest of the NBA.
It’s shitty when a team like the C**tics are able to buy a championship, whereas the Lakers built their team around Kobe and added pieces that became available.
If the Nets become a super team with money being of no concern, I think the NBA will become a laughing stock of professional athletics … and only the tribal honkers who cling to heroes with be happy.
Isn’t Lebron already a SF?
FAQ: “… and only the tribal honkers who cling to heroes with be happy.” What kind of English is that?
The difficulty is… how will they sign multiple stars? They don’t have the cap room for more than one, which means S+T, which means losing those attractive assets.
Whether or not the Russian guy buys the Nets is irrelevant. Unless one of the big free agents gives an absolutely huge discount, there’s no possible way for the Nets to sign two of these free agents. If they sign one, they won’t have the cap room to sign the other. The only way it could happen is through a sign and trade.
I guess getting burned tends to make one lose faith. Sounds like someone is starting to panic before the first practice?
Almost a whole new coaching staff.
Almost a whole new team.
It should obvious by now that Colangelo, a very good GM vs anyone the Raptors has ever had before, thinks the world of Belinelli, Calderon, Bargnani, Bosh, Turkoglu, Jack.
Since we don’t have any real information to base an opinion on as to how this new totally revamped team will play, we could wait until after we’ve at least seen a few preseason games? (Head down to the ACC Oct 7th – there is usually lots of tickets for the preseason)
Leadership doesn’t always come from where its expected, last year will not define this team. (We can hope still – before the first ball is hoisted)
I agree Steve. The hopes or criticisms at this point in the season says more about us than it does the Raps. They’re the unwritten book and we’re the people trying to imagine what the story is going to be.
I agree.
That is deep. I now understand my purpose in life. This is unbelivable, all this time… and I didn’t know, I had no clue… it was ME! I am you and you are me!! I am the Raptors! I am the ACC, I am the knicks, I am the sound of the tree falling that the man with one hand claping does not hear.
It was never the Raptors, it was me! I get it now.
I’m sorry to hear you are the knicks. You must have done something horrible in a previous life.
LOL,
Sorry about the overreaction, just found the comment extremely funny. Leave it to rap fans to overanalyze even this blog.
:) I was just playing with you
:P
When Johnson is on the court the Raptors as a team will play their best team defense especially in the paint.
If Amir can learn to play without committing quick fouls so he can stay on the floor longer, this power forward will be a Fan Fav in a hurry!!!
“In the weight loss department, not only is Jose Calderon slimmed down a bit – although you can hardly tell he’s 10 pounds lighter like he says because he looks the same – but Rasho’s been avoiding the all-you-can-eat buffets, too.
I’m not saying that if he turns sideways you won’t be able to see him but he’s shaved more than 15 pounds or so off his frame and looks a lot lighter.
He’s still big enough, don’t get me wrong, but he’s definitely lighter and, I suppose, in better shape.”
http://thestar.blogs.com/raptors/2009/09/of-bosh-and-that-v-carter-fellow-1.html
And apparently Bargs has added another 5-7 pounds in muscle, and Derozan has bulked up so noticebly in the last 2 months that the league will likely be on him for a piss test. Seriously, dude appears to be in the Lebron range for bulk…
Grainy Derozan Picks:
http://www.realgm.com/boards/viewtopic.php?f=32&t=944520&start=75
BAD LINK here’s the right one:
http://www.realgm.com/boards/viewtopic.php?f=32&t=944520
I hear this every year, this player has added muscle, that player has added muscle… just from my experience, its nothing to get excited about. You would hope that a player like Bosh adds muscle every year, if he was shrinking, I would be worried.
Take Jose for instance, he lost weight, and it is being spun as a positive thing, you know that if he came in bigger, fans would be just as eager to pump the fact he is stronger and will be able to fight through screens better.
Jose had a major intestinal.
A fair point – I think the biggest reason that players weight change is embraced is that its generally a fair measure of personal and/or situational motivation. Say CB4 had to lift weights hard for 5 days a week for an hour during the offseason. Thats his vacation. It’s not fun for him. Most anyone in that situation would struggle mightily in motivating themselves to accomplish such a feat. 15 LBS isnt that much but given Bosh’s history, it seems that he has to work much harder than most to gain muscle mass. Anyway… the point is that we are generally more excited from the effort than the results.
What are everyone’s thoughts on the Bosh hammy strain. Serious or no?
Hamstring injury can recur and become a chronic problem throughout the season. Bosh may need an extended layoff if it is aggravated again.
That would force Bargs and Hedo to step up to fill the hole ….
Or give more minutes to the combos of Bargs and Amir or Rasho that many so-calleds have been promoting. Bosh will be fine.
Scrambled thoughts …
(1) Rebounding in the starting lineup — I think DeRozan will replace a portion of that rebounding difference. I’m expecting/hoping? he’ll get a rebound every seven minutes or so as a rookie, while Parker only grabbed a board every eight and a half minutes. So I think the Raps get a small boost at the two guard spot. Outside of that, a nominal increase for a few others (likely Bargnani + Hedo) … but mostly losing those boards to the other team.
(2) DeRozan — I’m very interested to see how often the Raptors run him off screens off the ball, and with which lineups do the Raptors do do it with … some Raps are fairly bad in that type of an offense (Hedo, Bargs, Bosh), some are very good (Jose, Rasho, Reggie, Amir).
(3) Bosh’s bulk — I doubt we see any return from that. I think it’s possible but also highly unlikely.
(4) I’m not worried about Bargnani repeating his performances from 2009. I think he can easily do that if given the minutes + shooting opportunities that he got last year, which is a lock.
(5) The more pick and rolls the better … it’s the Raptors best weapon.
My main questions are:
(1) The element I’m most interested in seeing is the team defense — specifically how well the Raptors are defending the pick and roll (both on + off the ball, both were problems last year), and secondly how well they’re rotating off the ball defensively — I thought the coaching staff did a bad job in this area last season so it’ll be interesting to see how well they do this year. I think this is one of the areas (the area?) where a coach can have his biggest impact … after last year, I’m doubtful we’ll see that from Triano.
I think we already know what most of the players will bring. The only ones I’m really wondering about are:
(2) Will Antoine Wright rebound the ball like he did in NJ or Dallas? In other words, is he a useful minor role player or an outright liability?
(3) How much progress has Amir Johnson made over the summer? Any at all?
I already think he’s a good player and very useful … but he could be a special player with some good development defensively … In all likelihood we’ll see more of the same. At least that’s what I think after seeing him take a stagnate last season, and repeating his mistakes throughout in summer league.
(4) And of course, Bargnani, will he play better defense next year? Any rebounding improvement? Unfortunately, I’m not seeing much reason for optimism on those counts.
I think I’d be more optimistic, defensively at least, if the Raptors had a more proven coaching staff on that end of the floor.
“(4) I’m not worried about Bargnani repeating his performances from 2009. I think he can easily do that if given the minutes + shooting opportunities that he got last year, which is a lock.”
I agree, I don’t think it will be a stretch to repeat what he did last year. Getting 18-20 points in this league is easy as long as you get the ball in you hands and have the green light to shoot.
Even Joey could put up 20+ a night when given the touches.
What I want from Andrea has nothing to do with ppg (we know he can score), I want a 7 foot presence. I want him dominating players that he outsizes. I want him exploiting mismatches and making himself a nuisance to the opposition. I want to see him take things personally, I want to see one of the raptors separate him from another big man. I would like to see a bit of trash talk, only because I think it will help him find the aggression that he lacks. A center needs to be aggressive.
Correction: Good Joey could put up 20+ a night. The problem was that Bad Joey showed up far too frequently, which is why he is no longer on the team.
I agree with your questions about this team for the most part. However, in regards to Wright, I don’t think he was ever a liability on the boards. Last year in Dallas he averaged approx 3 rbs over 36 minutes (4.5 the year before) which is not great but, but not horrid for a SG. Plus he was out with a very good rebounding team at every position (Dirk 8 rbs, Kidd 6 rbs, Dampier 7 rbs… over 23 minutes, and Howard 5 rbs) Theres only so many rebounds to go around…. if he was playing with the 2nd unit and only average 2 rbs I would be alot more concerned.
I would also take the AB question a bit further. To me he is the difference between this team being 4-6 in the east or 7-12. IF we see AB of year 2 and the first half of last year (and he still gets minutes) he will be a detriment to the team. If we see the AB of the 2nd half of last year (and to some degree his rookie year) we are in very good shape.
Totally agree with you that Andrea CAN be the biggest difference maker on the roster.
If he just shoots, like he has in the past… I don’t expect this team to make much noise. Yes he will get his 18-20 points, but those shots could be easily taken by a smaller player who the team will not miss when he is out of rebounding position. Having our 7 footer taking perimeter jumpers, is going to really hurt us down low.
If OTOH, Andrea plays more like a big man, drives to the net on mismatches, consistently blocks out his man and rebounds (this is especially important on 2nd+ attempts – where Andrea frequently is caught starring and confused – his defensive awareness seems to break down on 2nd and 3rd shot attempts by opponents.)
Agree. Bargs is the key.
nuggets sign joey g. well, i think he would be a decent backup to superstar melo. he should fill in the hole that kleiza left. good luck to him, i wish him well! he may not have a good career here, with of course the expectations that we had since he was a high draft pick.
i have nothing against him, and i think with his play, he could help the nuggets.
how the hell did bosh get injured???
“How will we replace Marion’s rebounding in the starting lineup? Will Turkoglu or Bargnani pick up the slack?”
Forget Turkoglu and Bargnani; what I want to know is can Bosh pick up the slack? Last season, Bosh rebounded 6 or fewer in 12 too many games. He needs to make that ball his b*tch. He scored 29 in a game against Cleveland, making them at a very good rate, but only collected 3 balls off the boards. He should have that many just from offensive rebounds. Instead of asking the two people who have never been mistaken for good rebounders, how about the guy who could easily turn in 3 offensive and 8 defensive boards a game if he really tried.
Jay shared a story about telling Bosh that he needed 18 boards in order to reach a milestone in one particular game. Bosh responded, “Don’t worry coach I have it under control”, and went out and got 10 rebounds in the 1st quarter, he comes back to the bench and says to Jay, “half way there coach”.
…this story disturbed me a bit. I felt that the last couple of years, Bosh’s rebounding has not been as consistent as it was in the past. I never could put my finger on it, but it felt more like he was throttling that aspect of his game.
This is the year where the whole league is looking to Bosh to see if he has what it takes to be a max player. This excites me, because I too am curious to see what Bosh can bring to the table at such a pivotal time for the organization and for his own career. This is a great litmus test to see if he can step up and get his club back in the playoffs.
That is the exact though that I had.
I mentioned this in this post.
“He’s going to be a scorer. He’s a scorer. He has a knack of not just being able to score but create for others. He knows how to score, he knows how to find points for his teammates. The guy knows how to score”
Wow. Hopefully Jay is some sort of idiot savant..