This is what it feels like to beat them. We really need to do it more often.News Flash: We have two games left in the pre-season, one of them is today and the other one is in Minny. Take a guess which one you should be paying closer attention to when evaluating the team. We already tasted defeat at their hands once so we know what they’re about. Well, we kinda knew what they were about before that too but now we really know what they’re about. They’re about Perkins wearing you down inside, Rondo beating you at the point, Pierce slicing you open 1-on-1 and Allen making you pay from outside. The C**tics are what we thought they were. They are exactly what we thought they were so let’s beat their ass! To further quote Dennis Green, Who the hell takes the third game of the pre-season like its bullsh*t?. But that’s the NFL, treating the third game of the pre-season like BS in the NBA is common practice, but what about the second last game?
So far we’ve seen bits and pieces of good and bad from every player. Belinelli started off great but then his shot got cold, Calderon was atrocious to start camp but has picked it up of late, Bargnani’s been alternating good and bad games. Bosh started off well enough for a guy who missed training camp but regressed in the last two games, most recently being served by one Carl Landry. At this point of the pre-season you want to see a more consolidated product rather than just individual players having good sequences or games. It’s time to at least play the main guys 25-30 minutes and give them a real test with a real goal at the end of it so that when October 28th comes, it won’t be the first time these guys are “trying to win”. Winning takes practice, practice makes perfect, therefore practice winning early.
Reggie Evans is out for the game, in fact, he’s out for the pre-season. This means that Amir Johnson is going to get minutes today at a point where he’s likely to see minutes in the regular season, i.e.: when Bosh is subbed out late in the first or so. This is his chance to show Triano what he can do in limited minutes and that he doesn’t need to be playing in garbage-time third quarters where there’s zero defense being played to have an “impact”. People love his energy, I love his energy, but I want to see that energy manifest itself into something in a half-court setting in the first half against a lineup consisting of at least 3 starters. If there’s one thing that scares me about him is that he finishes weak, I’m not talking about finishing in transition which he does fine, I’m talking when he’s going up against another big and needs to go either over them or though them. He tends to avoid contact, just saying, I’m sure it’ll pass.
Reggie Evans. How’s this for a nickname – Energy Evans? Eh? No, you don’t like? Why, is it because it sounds like a drink that might rival Red Bull? OK, fine.
Antoine Wright is still out and Triano doesn’t know anything about the injury or when he’ll be back. He also says that Reggie’s injury is a bit odd because it’s a mid-ankle sprain which is hard to heal and evaluate. I’m not sure I care about Wright too much, sure he’s a good defender at the wing who we could use, but I see him more as a situational or match-up defender than a rotational player you have to have. Dallas had a plethora of offensive options (Nowitzki, Kidd, Howard, Terry) and could afford to have a one-dimensional defender on the floor and he managed to log 24 minutes a game. In Toronto, we require our 2/3s to not only defend but show something on offense as well. Take Sonny Weems for instance, he’s been excellent at pushing it on offense in transition, finding open spaces on the floor to test his jumper, and even driving to the rim when the opportunity is there. Antoine Wright is not that kind of player, he may be pound-for-pound the best defensive player on the Raptors but I would be shocked to see him come close to playing as much as he did with Dallas. Throw in Belinelli’s ball-handling and passing into the mix and you’ll find yourself struggling to make a case for Wright’s minutes.
Touching on the Houston game Triano addressed the offense and defense:
We haven’t even put in a lot of our offense and showed we can score the basketball. Our defense has been fairly solid up until last night where we played a team that shot the ball well, that’s no excuse though…The system we’re teaching will take a little bit of time. We got two weeks of skills and drills, hopefully we get a whole lot better at it…The first two weeks of the season we’ve completely focused on the [defensive] end of the floor and we’re still not there, but fatigue was big in the [Houston] game…that’s no excuse, though.
If there’s one thing I hate coaches say after a loss it’s “the other team shot the ball well” – yeah, you let them shoot well! Other than that, same old quotes, hopefully different results to follow. Our 1-on-1 defense hasn’t even been bad this pre-season, other than some abuse Calderon took in the early games, we’ve been very good. Yes, very. You just haven’t seen our wings get broken down, not even against the C**tics. The defensive issues we’ve had have to do with rebounding, guarding screen ‘n rolls, turnovers leading to points and general confusion about who’s supposed to be where. These aren’t problems that can’t be addressed if the intensity and concentration levels increase to the required levels, and that to me has been the most disappointing thing because even though we start the game active on defense, we lose it in the second half. And that brings us back to fatigue. It’s a viscous circle and I’d put conditioning and intensity as the top two things we have to work on before the regular season starts.
Speaking of physical fitness, pay attention to the Raptors’ physiques compared to their competition and you’ll notice that our home-grown players aren’t nearly as toned or defined and there’s a reason for it. There was an article last year that addressed this and quoted the trainer, Keith D’Amelio, as saying:
“The biceps curl is the most pointless exercise in the world,” D’Amelio was saying a while back, before O’Neal came up lame. “It’s vanity. It’s guys wanting to look tough. I guess that’s what they equate toughness with.”"When J.O. wants to do (curls), and I know he wants to do ‘em, I’m just like, `Okay, but they’re not helping you at all.’ There is no benefit from an athletic standpoint or to keep you healthy.”
It’s one of those things the Raptors do different than other NBA teams.
Tony Allen will once again miss the game for the C**tics who are idle since beating us on Wednesday. Doc Rivers has promised to use a “rare lineup” for this game which will see Marquis Daniels at the point. Eddie House and rookie Lester Hudson also figure to get a long look as Rivers considers back-up options behind Rondo.
The game is on Raptors TV at 3PM EST. Swing by the chat for a stream and such.
25 Raps
Now that we know how the Celtics play, there’s no excuse if we can’t beat them tommorow! I hope we’re not going to get killed again. Let’s prove to that ‘Big Three’ that we can beat them to a point that would shut them up on their way back to Boston.
LET’S GO RAPTORS!
haha I love that clip. It’s not so much a “meltdown” to me, as it is an epic speech about what could have been.
great article as always,
I’m really looking forward to seeing what Amir brings to the table tomorrow. I’m also looking forward to see how triano dishes out the minutes at the 2 and 3 come the start of regular season. Because my boy Weems has been pretty ill. And I say that in the most urban sense possible.
Is there going to be a RR fantasy league a la the NCAA bracket pool?
Yes, give us a couple days.
It doesn’t matter what the Raptors do from today on because their first game of the season is against a vastly superior Cavs team that is going to eat the Raptors for breakfast and expose pretty much every defensive hole that is available. It will be the same story with Bosh being humilated by Shaq by having a bad game and then giving it to his team-mates for not having a good game either. Then the following game against the Memphis Grizzles, Bosh will dominate and give the intense stare at the camera “hey look at me I just dominated a crappy defensive team all is good again”.
I forgot,Moon and Parker make them that much more superior…last year was last year.Have some hope ,or why bother watching the games,of course there are the elite teams ,but are we supposed to roll over and die?
If I remember correctly wasn’t that team supposed to be in the final?
Lighten up its still pre season,do I want them to practice and win? who doesn’t,but at the end of the day,I just want to see us compete and leave it on the floor.
If you are so disgusted dont bother watching.
Am I wearing rose coloured glasses? hell no,but I have seen more life with this group then some past line ups.
I will watch because I am a Raptors’s fan and I like screaming at the tv on Sunday afternoon!
+1 …. me too ….
It’s all about the effort!
Last chance to impress the fans at home.
Last chance to impress the coaches by going hard against a quality opponent.
(Minny without Love isn’t more than a scrimmage at best)
Jobs in the rotation should be at stake on Sunday afternoon. Hopefully the “boys” play like there is something at stake!
(this is slightly off topic)
I have to disagree with Keith D’Amelio about bicep curls being a pointless exercise. I know what he is trying to express, but I worry that not everyone will be able to read between the lines and simply will take his advice at face value.
Muscles have limiting factors, your body is well aware of that and will not develop a huge tricep when the bicep is weak. Muscles are more effective when they are proportional to other muscles. Such an athlete is also less injury prone.
You can think of a bicep and tricep as opposite muscles, the body always wants these in equilibrium. Working out one, will actually make the other stronger due to that relationship. However, this does not mean that exercising one over the other is ideal. You will receive faster results if you fatigue both.
That said, there really is something to be said for the vanity of biceps. Traditionally that is what a kid flexes to show his uncle his new found strength. The actual muscle, is not used that often in basketball or most sports. I could see a running back needing if for clutching the ball or a rower.
I also understand why its such an iconic symbol of strength. In the old days, a hard worker could be judged by his biceps. Pulling was a skill that was essential to someone working on boat, or hoisting materials up stories via a pulley. If you went down to the docs, you would see sailors with massive bisceps due to all the rope work they had to do. Now in a society where everything is mechanized, most trainers no longer see the muscle as the ultimate measure of strength.
However, nothing in the body is useless… and my contention in that quote is the wording.
Bicep curl also recruits muscles in the forearm which are important to hand strength .. because finger and hand tendons attach at the elbow.
Tall, slender men must physically train differently than stocky men … in repetitions, loads and frequency.
HGH and ‘roids help speed the process a lot too … believe it.
HGH and Testosterone are essential hormones your body uses for muscle development. Those blessed with high natural levels of both tend to see results faster than others.
I would not recommend them as supplements though as they can really screw with your natural balances (this of course is debated… but usually by those that suplement). I like to do things naturally and do not want my athletes publicly admiting to using these factors.
Suplementing HGH while not knowing you have a tumours growth can be a death sentence… its not a hormone that should be played with.
The other aspect that is ignored in the above quote, is Physics. For the most part teams want their players to gain weight. This makes them difficult to deal with in physical situations. Biceps, may not weigh much, but you have to add the weight efficently somwhere. It all eventually adds up. Ignoring muscles is done on ones peril.
Psychological factors are also important in sports. If a player feels good, or intimidates another… that may might cause a split second hesitation in his opponent. Obviously this factor is small, but you have to us everything at your disposal.
I think this quote from our trainer points out the deficiencies in out team compared to successful teams….Tell David robinson that biceps do nothing for basketball.
Just goes to show you have too much information in the wrong hands can be a dangerous thing. Sometimes the obvious is neglected for a small morsel of fact.
I had a classmate that learned that colds were the results of viruses. So he scoffed at the cold weather outside having any bearing on people getting sick. What he failed to realize is that cold weather forces your body to work harder and expend more energy taking resources away from less immediate dangers, making you more susceptible to a virus attack.
(that should read “how” not have)
That’s a myth. Being exposed to cold weather makes virtually no difference to the immune system. There’s more viral infections in the winter because cold and flu viruses survive better in the outdoors when it’s cold than when it’s warm, so it’s easier to get infected.
Yet another completely useless comment by FAQ. Could you possibly be more annoying? Stupid ass fool
I don’t even bother reading FAQ’s posts.
it would be kind of awesome if we had a team with ripped bodies but skinny arms
Raptors will not be ready for the regular season …!!!!
http://www.realgm.com/boards/viewtopic.php?f=32&t=950615&sid=b28e0656bdf2deaaf9aff246585db0fd
Interesting discussion .. and I thought those dudes were dumbells … hey, sometimes I can be wrong, but I doubt it ….
Guys, bicep curls are useless. I am a personal trainer and I never recommend curls. Isolation excersises are an issue of vanity. For clients serious about strength I advise the following: bènch press, dips, shoulder press, squats, deadlifts, pull ups and chin ups. True strength comes from compound exercises. Deadlifts, chin ups and pull ups will hit the biceps hard enough to grow them if you do care about vanity. Strength comes from the core. It is pretty funny to see guys in the gym hitting their biceps all the god damn time. You can also tell who ignores compounds. 155 pound guys who can bench 220 and do do 20 chin ups with a 35 pound attached weight, demonstrate real strength. You think bruce lee did bicep curls?
We are talking about tall bball players, not 155 lb. wimps (typically tribal honking fans) !!!!
Tall men with even longer arms are not going to do compromising pull ups and chin ups, dragging their long bodies up and stressing their joints from their fingers to their shoulders … they must carefully stress their joints with cautious isolation exercises on their long muscle bellies whether it’s the arms or legs.
It’s obvious you never helped train a taller athlete ..
I hate to tell you this, but these days every 2nd person in the gym is a personal trainer. You have personal trainers promoting scams and techniques that make a joke of the profession. I ignore it all unless it comes with university degree in kinesiology.
What do you tell a client that can’t do a single chin up? Or a dip? Do you really just send them to the squat rack if they tell you they need to get stronger?
Working out is not just about strength. Rookies in the NBA also want to gain size. Isolation exercises are a good way for focusing on what is weak and gaining size in that area.
dikweed, you sound very judgmental and inexperienced.
You will make a better trainer if you do not use absolutes. To say something is useless is totally irresponsible. Everything has an application. As a trainer you should tailor your workout to the person you are dealing with.
Giving advice generally, like the Raptor trainer did is unprofessional. There are times that supporting muscles are weak, and individual groups must be isolated. The trainer may be right in JO’s case, but the way he expressed it will make others think that what applies to JO will apply to them and that is untrue.
Also when you work out, stop looking at others and pay attention to what you are doing. Even strength training can be a highly vein pursuit, does a bus driver need explosiveness? Does dropping numbers about what a 155 guy can bench really tell me about his overall strength? People have different proportions, and the same exercise can have various degrees of difficulty depending on the body type.
Fitness, is highly tailored and personal. I generally think that even an inefficient exercise is positive if it makes you like your routine and come back to the gym. Leave the judgments at home, people are allowed to have unique goals.
If there’s one thing that scares me about him is that he finishes weak, I’m not talking about finishing in transition which he does fine, I’m talking when he’s going up against another big and needs to go either over them or though them. He tends to avoid contact, just saying, I’m sure it’ll pass.>>
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The real question is. Will Johnson shoot more often per minute on the court?
I have watched Johnson play going on 5 years and Johnson is not a Reggies Evans type player. Never has been and never will be. The Pistons made that mistake of trying to make him into one. It was a disaster and took away his offense entirely.
Johnson is more of a Bosh type player on offense.
Comparing one stat, fouls shots taken vs FG taken
Johnson this preseason is at 50%
Last season
————-
Bosh 49%
Bargnani 28%
Nesterovic 7%
Evans 98%
The Pistons make a major mistake trying to make Johnson into a low post banger like Evans is. Hopefully Triano and the Raptors know better.