A 2-2 week which could’ve been 3-1 or 4-0 if we had played a lick of D in San Antonio and Turkoglu’s effort had rimmed in. The disappointment in San Antonio was followed by two poor first half showings against the Bulls and Clippers, but the team found a defensive gear and pulled out wins in both instances. We’re 3-3 since the first roadtrip started and there can be few complaints, we’ve got two tough games coming up in Denver and Utah before returning home to face Miami and Orlando on the weekend. The character of this team is being tested early and I’d have it no other way.
Let’s check out the positives, negatives and so-so’s.
Positives:
Team Defense: After giving up 131 against San Antonio we’ve allowed only 93ppg in our last three games. Holding the Bulls to 89 might be considered routine and the Clippers are the Clippers, but the energy shown against the Suns in holding them to more than 11 below the season average on their home floor says something. Slowing the pace of the game to match our desired tempo and energy was the key, if you get the other team to play at the pace you prefer, your conditioning is less likely to be tested and the Raptors are doing that. We’re still dead last in defensive rating at 115.1 but there is a silver lining there – our defensive effort is better and we’re more comfortable with Triano’s schemes. The Raptors were also only a combined -8 in rebounding in the last three games, I suppose going -12 against a Duncan-less San Antonio woke the boys up a bit. We’ve also prevented teams from dominating us inside by giving up dribble penetration which has resulted in us allowing only 35 PINP this week. Triano’s strategy of making shooters make contested shots is paying off, opponents shot 14-50 from threes this week, that’s 28%!
Belinelli’s a factor: After a barren pre-season, Marco Belinelli is finally coming around and edging into the top 7. He went 15-28 FG (53%) this week and hit some big threes against the Clippers and Suns. 11ppg for the week is modest enough but with Jack struggling, he’s been the main threat off the bench. He also had a couple 3 assists game showing that when given the chance to facilitate, he can do it. The offensive firepower that was promised after the trade is starting to show, question is can he keep it up?
Turkoglu’s assertiveness: He averaged 10 shots per game in his first four games but has upped it to 13 in his last four. He had two 20 point games and shot 47% for the week; that’s including a miserable 4-12 against Chicago. After hitting some big shots late against Phoenix, he missed a couple he usually drains, but at least we know he’s still looking to be the man. The initiation of Turkoglu is close to complete and the only thing we should worry about is his health, a tweaked hip needs to be sorted out early. We don’t want that hanging around.
Honorable mention: Amir Johnson averaging 6.5pts and 6.75rebs for the week and hustling all the way.
Negatives:
Jarrett Jack in general: Is he a 1, is he a 2 or does he just suck? After being called out by ESPN as one of the most disappointing signings of the summer (5.8 PER), he didn’t do much to alter that opinion. 6 assists and 9 turnovers for the week, including one against Phoenix that literally cost us the momentum and eventually the game. His play can be characterized as lazy which is the last thing I expected of him, his passing has been terrible and he’s shown some signs of playing scared, killing his dribble early being one of them. He shot 36% (8-22 FG) for the week and his defense was porous, it can’t get much worse. Oh wait, his PER just fell to 5.26 which is sixth worst in the league!
Coming along…
Bosh keeps chugging along: For the week he netted 26.5 ppg and 11.25 rpg on 47% shooting. He’s laughing his way to the bank. Third in the league in rebounding, fifth in scoring, second in PER only to the injured Chris Paul. Can we give him a Player of the Week or something.
Bargnani’s still the same: The only center in the league that can average 4 rebounds for the week and still avoid the negatives sections of these posts. Much like one tunes out a nagging wife, I’ve accepted his faults and have become numb to his suspect defensive effort. As long as he keeps shooting high enough percentages people will be willing to look past his rebounding, he was 46% for the week which is acceptable. However, being 6/17 from three is not, that’s 35% shooting and frankly I’d rather have Belinelli or Turkoglu jack those up than Bargnani. He got lit up by Kaman, Frye and Bonner so what he took on offense was given right back.
Nesterovic: I wanted to add him to the negatives considering what a pointless signing he’s turned out to be, but then AltRaps reminded me that he’s nothing but insurance. Still, I’d like better insurance.
Honourable mention: Jose Calderon for averaging 14.25 points and 8.75 assists with a ridiculous AST/TO of 10.33. Would’ve been in the positives if it weren’t for the stinker in Phoenix.
Looking ahead
Tue @ DEN: The 7-3 Nuggets are beating teams by an average of 15 points at home, this includes a 105-79 shellacking of the Lakers. They finished their longest roadtrip of the season by going 3-3 and have settled in to play 7 of their next 9 at home. You might remember this as the 39 point loss that finally got Mitchell fired last year. Anthony is averaging 30/5 and it would be nice to have Antoine Wright suited for this one, should be fun. No altitude excuses.
Wed @ UTA: The 4-6 Jazz are also coming back from a long trip and will face the Raptors after a three day break. They’ve already lost at home to Sacramento and Houston and are a surprisingly bad defensive team – 26th in the league in defensive rating at 110.6. Injuries to Harpring, Korver and Miles have definitely had an impact and the Raptors could catch a break as Deron Williams is listed as questionable for Wednesday’s game for personal reasons. Bargnani will take on Okur in a battle of perimeter oriented centers as Boozer and Bosh go at it again in what should be a physical affair. We’ve lost 8 straight to the Jazz, the most memorable loss being the TJ Ford implosion in those green jerseys.
Fri v MIA: The 7-2 Heat have played 7 home games, the most in the NBA. They’ve had a relatively easy schedule and have had one impressive win, beating the Nuggets at home. Other than that they’ve been feasting on the Wizards, Nets, Knicks, Pacers and Bulls. They’ve lost to the other two quality opponents they’ve faced, Phoenix and Cleveland in rather unconvincing fashion. Wade’s averaging 30/5 and bailed out the team with a game-winning three against the Nets at home, a loss that would’ve truly burst the bubble. Jermaine O’Neal has only missed one game and is averaging 13.6/7.8 on 57% shooting. This season means nothing to them, they’re lining it up for a big summer signing.
Sun v ORL: The 7-3 Magic have cooled off since we last saw them, they’ve gone 4-3 since losing by 28 in OKC, dropping one at home to Cleveland and losing in Detroit. The most impressive feat since has been a 122-100 demolition of the Suns at home. Rashard Lewis will be available after serving a 10 game suspension and this could be a Vince Carter appreciation night at the ACC. The Raptors had a great second half against the Magic but couldn’t overcome a lazy first half performance, that has to be on their minds and I’m thinking it’ll work out in our favor.
I’m going with a bold 3-1 with the only loss coming against Denver.
53 Raps
These guys are hard to watch sometimes, mostly because they are so close to being a great team. Still; the first time Toronto had an exciting team of any kind in ages.
Because of our bench this year (if you can forget all the bad from J.Jack), things have been fun despite our deficiencies at time.
Nice read…nice prediction. I like the optimism I”m seeing from RR…GO RAPS!
I’m happy to see that I’m not the only one that see this Team being much better than last year. Not a finished product, but interesting to watch.
I have my doubt on the orlando win…2-2 my prediction
Jack has been terrible but I still have faith in him. T.O. has enough depth to hide him while he tries to get his shit together. Triano has to play him less in the meantime though.
Bosh is playing as I predicted … padding his stats in a magnificent manner and sweeping aside any doubts that he is a max money player. What may happen is that Toronto will be the only team that offers him max money plus the home team premium … and other teams will low ball him, thus forcing him to pay dearly if he leaves Toronto. Should be interesting ….!!!!
You’re so right. Bosh doesn’t care about winning or anything else. He is a selfish,egotistical,arrogant prick only interested in making max money and can’t wait to get out of this shithhole we call T.O…so obvious…OR, maybe he is playing the best bball of his life so he can help his team get into the play-offs and make a run…get back on your meds FAQ!
The Raptors have already won 5 games…you predicted 3-30…that shows how much credibilty you have…why are you still here???
thats an insult to mentally challenged individuals in my books, and I dont think they would appreciate being lumped into the same category as FAQ
Agreed.
I thought this entire offseason was a set-up for Bosh to be traded? Colangelo and Bosh had it all planned out. Are you changing your mind?
Did you make a deal if the Raps didn’t go 3-30 to start the season?
Were you completely and utterly wrong?…. so obvious!
He’s got a future to secure, with our team or another team…plus he’s got to pay off the bills for his baby and Mrs. Forehead.
Why would Bosh be padding his stats? Real basketball analysts (TNT, ESPN, etc.) have all stated that Bosh is pretty much guaranteed max money next year. Glad to see FAQ hasn’t lost his/her ability to make people laugh.
Other teams will not low ball him, nor will the Raptors go 5-78 (sic). Already proven that they won’t go 3-30. So obvious.
if he keeps this up, i don’t think any team would be lowballing him…
I still expect Johnson to go the bench once, fan favorite Reggie Evans returns.
Reggie is going to have to earn those minutes from Johnson. Amir has played like a champ.
He has played pretty well. I believe he can do better.
In any case there are two more road games so we shall see if he can continue at his current level.
If he can continue to play at least as well as he has then hopefully the Raptos fans will give him some love when he gets the call on Friday.
I agree… Amir is looking better and better each game, and Triano seems to be showing more trust in him along with it.
I’m starting to think Detroit really got drunk and placed his ceiling too high on him. Did they think Amir was going to be a Bosh? Him being a BirdMan in the paint is fine with me.
Reggie should be used against another team’s bruiser or as a very short backup center, Amir Johnson should be used against the quicker team’s frontcourt player like PHX and Golden State.
That was the same thinking that they used in Detroit.
I don’t agree with it all.
You put your best players on the court and let the other team match up if they choose. Not the other way around.
Not if those players are defensively oriented.
Offensively, you are totally right, but if you are putting in your defensive stoppers, they better match up well with who they are guarding, or its a waste of your effort.
If we didn’t get the win last night, I could hope that we can maybe get a win in either Denver or Utah. One of those wins on the road would be blowing away my expectations and breaking a few Raptor curses.
Not a great week, but acceptable, given how everyone was ready to bail on this team after the loss to San Antonio.
Anyone who thinks we’re better off without Bosh needs their head examined. This league is dominated by superstars, and he’s one of the top bigmen in the game. You can’t replace Bosh with a Biedrens and Randolph, or a Noah and Deng, and expect that our team will be better off.
That being said, he can still improve, and has shown a willingness to do so. An area where he does hurt us is in the turnovers he causes due to his terrible hands. I’ve noticed this (dropped entry passes, fumbled rebounds) more over the past couple of seasons , but we usually see one or two balls per game that he just can’t hold onto. Not saying this is why we lose games, but every possession counts.
I realize we do hold Bosh to a higher standard than anyone else on the team, but that’s what you get if you want to be the man.
I love Bosh and thinks he playing great ball right now, but trading for Biedrins AND Randoplh would be pretty interesting.
Warriors would never trade for Bosh. Doesn’t zach randolph also get 20 points and 10 rebounds without any defense
Considering that’d be one weird three-team trade, dsr meant Anthony Randolph.
I know he meant anthony randolph. I was just comparing him to another “Great” (cough…cough) player in the NBA who gets 20 and 10 on a regular basis……..Does anyone know another player that gets the same stats…..
…and plays for Toronto
Oh yes… great joke… not.
+1
Do you think Memphis would trade Randolph for Bosh…in a effing heartbeat plus they would throw in one of their young studs as well.
memphis only took Randolph because they are getting his previous team to subsidize his salary. Why would a stingy owner want to pay a max contract for a player that well is good but not great. Bosh would ideally fit on a team that has a superstar that does not implode or panic during crunch times in games. Bosh has already choked in two playoff series and becomes a non-factor in the fourth. Why does he becomes a non-factor. Simple. Stronger players out muscle him in the post and refs don’t call fouls late in 4th. He will have excellent stats for the first three quarters during the season and be a non-factor in the fourth and during the playoffs when the physical play goes up a notch.
The realist in me would put money on going 2-2 or even 1-3 on this stretch – although getting one of the Heat or Utah added to the expected hangover of the Sunday morning game could get us to 3-1 but thats only if everything goes right for us…
Anyone here think Colangelo is just crazy enough to sign Iverson off waivers? I mean, he would be a starter for this team.
Ya, I’m just stirring the pot.
How would Iverson start for this team? I could only ever see him contributing positively off the bench and its pretty obvious he will never ever do that no matter how decrepit he becomes.
I’d prefer to see them pull Pops off waivers. But then again, would he get any minutes? Weems has barely played, either.
Iverson would be disastrous. You’re right he would only play if he can start, and we don’t need another undersized two guard. Plus more scoring is the last thing we need, we already can’t get Bargnani, Bosh, and Turk enough touches as it is. And AI wouldn’t help much on the defensive end either.
If Paul wants out, trade Bargs and J. Jack for Chris Paul…. Imagine the combo of Paul and Bosh…..
Jizz-in-pants-tastic! But c’mon, how is Steve Fruitman gonna figure this one out? He’s gotta trade 2 or 3 first round picks at the least.
Trade Bosh now. As FA, he will run to Miami with Wade, or New York with LeBron.Why bother? Take the best from back and say “See you later”. It s a business Bosh is not Toronto and never will
Most Raptor fans have no idea what is happening here. Bosh is a special player. Enjoy. And while there is something happening here, some of it seems to be intangible. Or, JJ is a PG, and if used correctly we be 7-3. And then there is Bargs.
Very special. Choked in two playoff series, not clutch player in fourth where he constantly holds the ball too long, turnover prone and inflates his stats during the first three quarters, fourth well….
Nobody knows what Bosh will do next year. If the Raptors continue to improve as much as they already have they should have no problem making it out of the first round if they make it to any of the first 5 or 6 spots in the Playoffs. Even if they don’t, the way Bosh has been playing he will most likely get the home-max contract which another team would be more than willing to pay as he is the second highest PER rated player so far and has increased his dominance in the paint.
If Bosh happens to leave I think a trade with the Hawks could be the best bet for both teams. A Bargs-Horford combo with Turk and José could be deadly. The Hawks could also compete for the championship if they had Bosh starting.
He is dominant because barg is shooting a very high percentage and Hedo is always defended by the opposition. Bosh will not put up these numbers with a physical team or during the playoffs when it becomes very physical. Bosh at that point will become a trigger happy jump shooter.
The team +/- #s bear that out. Bosh is best this year when the floor is spaced out well and he has more room to operate in the post. He’s become more powerful but he’s not a traditional, low post big – he need’s the threat of his jumper and shooters on the floor in order to get to the rim at this year’s rate.
It’s been a very nice combo so far this year.
S.A. has done quite well without a traditional “low post big” with Tim Duncan. It’s all about using the tools you have correctly and I feel confident that at the way Bosh is playing at least one team would be willing to put up the big bucks for him.
More than one team will be willing.
Sure there are many teams and GMs who will. Remember Zach Randolph and many others got sweet deals too. Tells you of the competence of many of the GMs in the NBA.
The problem with Chris Bosh is that he’s never won anything. Oh, wait, there was that Olympic thing when he was acknowledged by Kobe and LeBron as one of the team leaders and their glue guy.
But he’s never won anything with the Raptors and until he does he’s (insert appropriate expletive here). Sadly, that’s just the way it is for a lot of people.
Wow. Is that the best thing he has won to date. His contribution was minimal. I am sure they would have won it without his services. Kobe and Lebron were exactly correct in their statements, he is not a superstar (inferred) but a glue guy on a team that will score a lot in the first three quarters and well the fourth is a different story.
I think Chris Bosh is a good player but not great player. He reminds me of a Elton Brand or Zach Randolph, individuals who put up great numbers on terrible teams. They never led their teams to anything worthwhile.
“memphis only took Randolph because they are getting his previous team to subsidize his salary.”
I have never read anything mentioning the Clips subsiding randolph’s salary. In fact you can’t subside a salary in the NBA, with the most money that can be included in a transaction being $3 million. I think most observers were shocked that the Clips were even able to unload that horrible salary and Memphis was crazy to make that trade.
But come on man, we won the 2007 Atlantic Division Championship with “CB4″. We even hung up a banner for it in the ACC rafters. Man, I’m just so proud of that accomplishement. That counts for something, right?