You ever play poker and you’re down like 200 bucks and you’re about to call it a night and suddenly you win a game to be down only down 190. Entering the night the goal would’ve been to win some money but at this point you’d just settle for getting back what you’ve lost, but even that seems like such a difficult task. That’s a lot like how the Raptors feel right now, they’re seven games under .500 and the immediate goal of the club is to reach water level before even thinking about the playoffs. The Houston win was sweet but the Rockets playing worse than a D-League outfit took something away from it, a win against the red hot Magic would be something nice. Real nice.
The Magic have won 9 of 10 games and sit snugly in third place, 4 games ahead of Atlanta and a 1.5 back of Cleveland. Mickael Pietrus is the only notable injury for the Magic as he’s out indefinitely with a broken right wrist. For the Raps, Calderon had a precautionary MRI yesterday on his strained hamstring and is doubtful for the game. Jermaine O’Neal is, by his own admission, still day-to-day with a sore right knee and is also listed as doubtful. I’m not saying he has a low threshold for pain but word on the street is that he sits for an hour after each tackle in Madden ‘09. Seriously though, we needed him today, Bargnani might’ve done an admirable job against Yao but Howard is a different beast who is not going to let Bargnani off the hook in the post. Howard’s one of those players that if you don’t double on his first dribble, you may as well not double at all because if he gets within five feet of the rim, his leaping ability will take care of the rest. The late double-team combined with Bargnani’s strong post-defense bothered Yao quite a bit but it remains to be seen how it works against Howard.
In our last meeting against them (box, recap) Will Solomon got the start in place of the injured Calderon (deja vu?) and created more than a few enemies by committing 7 turnovers, one of them an instant Raptors classic. Chris Bosh was playing like an MVP candidate as he dropped 40 and Jermaine O’Neal had a strong double-double. But that was it, nobody else bothered to do much and the Raptors lost the final 3 quarters.
You might remember Stan Van Gundy complaining about the way the game is officiated in the paint:
It’s different in this league because the real good perimeter players seem to get the benefit of every call with any touch. And the real good big guys, it seems it’s just the opposite. They let people do more in there. It’s the ongoing thing, they won’t say it but the league is doing everything they can to make it a perimeter league and not a post-up league.
He’s basically moaning about Howard not getting to the line enough; reminds me a little of Shaq insisting that there’s not a play where he doesn’t get fouled just because he’s wider and bigger than everybody else on the court. Bargnani’s got a great opportunity to neutralize another All-Star center while making Van Gundy eat his words by having Howard pick up a couple early fouls. Take him to the perimeter, a clever head-fake followed by an aggressive drive where you show the ball should do the trick. Let’s quickly look at a couple keys to the game:
Rokomon: I remember when we all wanted to play the Magic in the playoffs because we felt TJ and Jose would kill Jameer Nelson. Well, well, how times have changed, now its the Magic who will be looking at the PG matchup as being their biggest advantage, yes, even bigger than D12. For starters, Rokomon just need to be aware that Nelson can shoot the three when he’s open. You can’t play him too tight either because he will look to drive, especially when he doesn’t even know the name of the guy who’s guarding him. He had 22 last time, unacceptable.
Hedo: We have no answer for Hedo, most teams don’t. He’s too big for Moon, too quick for Graham and Bargnani and just plain better than Parker and Kapono. Last time he dished out 7 dimes as the Raptors were forced to bring help in the post and on his drives, he saved his scoring for the fourth quarter and exploded with 16 when it counted. I am clueless as to how the Raptors can slow him down if he decides to take the game over. Our best bet is to meet him at the paint on his drives and somehow recover back to Nelson, Bogans, Lewis and Reddick on the perimeter. Tough, tough matchup.
Bosh will need help: Earlier this year he dropped 40 on them and last year he averaged 33 points, 7.5 rebounds on 64.5% shooting against the Magic as we went 2-2 in the regular season. With our second and third best players out, we’ll need him to continue putting up big numbers and hope that someone else steps up. Jason Kapono has been invisible of late and the expectations for Anthony Parker have been reduced so much that a nine point game is considered simply fantastic.
This was going to be tough with O’Neal and Calderon healthy but with both of them out it’s a long shot at best. Unless of course the Magic have been partying out all night and all the Raptors went to bed at 8PM. Actually, even then I’d give the edge to the Magic. So far this season we’re 1-3 in these early Sunday starts and have lost to Boston, Portland and New Orleans. The lone win came against Miami.
That’s about that. Go Raps!
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69 Raps
HOOOOWWWWWW-WAAAARRRRDDDDD
(repeat x10)
sometimes when you suck so bad you bottom out and then a zen like feel overcomes you and you reach a moment of clarity.im confident the raps have reached this spot and even if we lose it wont be ugly.if the raps can somehow fight this one out and get a consecutive w,it’ll do wonders for their collective psyche and we may have hope for a run.if we lose tho,back to the self doubt and back to the season from hell….this games massive.
Raps by 8
Damn, can i use your crystal ball Alt ??
I don’t know how you slow Howard down or keep him at least five feet from the basket without JO on the floor … but here’s to hoping Jake (maybe) finds himself out there and gets to dig a sharp elbow or two into a soft spot a few times … oh yeah, no soft spots there. Then again, if it takes that long to get to Howard, it’ll likely be very tough sledding, anyway. Could be a good game for Bargs to show that he did a few set of squats this past summer in the weight room, along with that bit of bench-pressing. He looked happy after the game (RapsTV interview), having held his own against Yao, Friday night. Maybe he enjoys a bit of rough-housing more than I’ve been thinking he does. Hope so. Today would be a nice day for the coming-out party of Bargnani the Bruiser. Ha ha. Wouldn’t that be sweet?
Go Raps!
Alt, I’ll take some of what you’re on ;-)
Positivity, dude..it’s a natural high.
RapsFan….you were saying?
As I’ve said before …
Andrea Bargnani [PF] has the makings of a young Bill Laimbeer [C-PF] … offensively, defensively, in terms of rebounding, and goonery. He SHOULD BE the one taking on Dwight Howard [C], defensively, this afternoon - along with Kris Humphries [PF] & Jake Voskuhl [PF-C] - while Chris Bosh is assigned to check Rashard Lewis with Joey Graham [SF] & Jamario Moon [OG & SF] rotating on Hedo Turkoglu.
Then, if the Raptors had a healthy Jose Calderon, and used a three guard rotation of Calderon [PG] + Parker [OG & back-up PG] + Kapono [OG] … this would give them a solid 9-Man rotation of players who can all carry their own weight, in the specific roles they’d be asked to play … nothing more & nothing less … which is what the NBA game is all about.
That line-up, right there, would be good enough for the Raptors to compete with this season in the EC, on a game-to-game basis … if it’s managed properly from above … plus, give them a swack of Cap Space to go forward with, adding some more YOUNG, ATHLETIC, HARD-WORKING and TEAM ORIENTED players who are capable of growing and maturing beside Bosh & Calderon [and Bargnani & Graham & Moon & Humphries] over the next decade.
This organization has been on the cusp of being very good since the day that Glen Grunwald exchanged Antawn Jamison for Wince Carter.
What’s been truly unfortunate … is the way in which it has failed, repeatedly, to capitalize fully on the many different assets its had over the years, to move permanently into the upper echelon of the NBA.
——————————–
Hopefully they don’t blow it, yet again … by keeping Jermaine O’Neal around too long … after making the mistake of bringing him here, in the first place, in the BAD TRADE which was made this past summer.
Agreed. Great post.
I am going to the game tonight, and ill be screaming some of the stuff from the opening tip.
Go raps!
re: Howard’s one of those players that if you don’t double on his first dribble, you may as well not double at all because if he gets within five feet of the rim, his leaping ability will take care of the rest.
From a technical basketball standpoint, the best way to play D12 is not to double him at all.
The best way to defend effectively against Dwight Howard is to:
* Meet him early in transition, at the TOTK; bump him hard to let him know that you’re there, and to make him work to get to his post-up spot, in the first place
* DO NOT try to Front or Half-front him in any way, shape or form
* Play Behind Him, exclusively [in all post-up situations]
* Occupy Him Physically, from Behind … at all times … by attempting to push him out/off his spot, in the direction of the post entry passer [on the line of the ball]
* If/when he catches the ball … Gap him immediately, allowing him to face-up if he wishes, and take jumpshots to his heart’s content
* If he tries to back you down with his dribble … Bump him hard on each dribble with your inside forearm in the small of his back [in the kidney area] and then release again until he takes the next dribble, then repeat the process, as many times as necessary
* DO NOT leave your feet, no matter what Dwight does
* Make him shoot the ball OVER YOU … no matter what … whether it’s a J, jumphook, drop-step power layup, or a dunk … You MUST stay down
* When the shot goes up … whether Howard or someone else is the shooter doesn’t really matter … Engage D12 physically by facing him, pushing him, grabbing him, banging him, etc., each and every time, i.e. forgetting about the ball and possibly getting the rebound yourself … YOUR JOB IS TO NOT LET HIM GET IT
Do these things, in this way … putting Howard in the situation of having to make a lot of shots over your primary defender, repeatedly … and, thereby, making the other Magic players into their team’s primary offensive rebounders … and your team has got an excellent chance to beat Orlando.
Hm. Interesting. I wonder if we could get that list to Andrea, before noon? (Good list.)
Just email it to him at ginoballer_7@mlse.com
Really? Not sure I trust that address.
hope somebody laughed at that. I did.
Off topic,
I dont know whats more annoying the new Calderon and Bosh commercials or Galen Westons
12:17 - Jay Triano on tv. Lookin nervous, jazzed. Liked it.
Khandor, easier said(or written) than done. Maybe we should put you out there!
All right! Now THAT was a fucking great win!!
Raptors Win! Raptors Win! Raptors Win!
God I missed that.
Very happy with this one.
khandor ur a waste of typing. Parker on PG, kapono wtf?
Nice call Altraps…missed it by 2
MoneyCarlo,
Do not get the impression that I don’t like Roko Ukic as a PG in the NBA because of what I’ve suggested the Raptors’ best line-up is this season.
I’m already on record as saying that he is going to be a solid PG in this league down-the-road. I might even go so far as to suggest that he is going to be a consistent Starting PG in this league before he reaches his peak years as an athlete, i.e. 27-30ish, by which time he will be a solid physical specimen, at 6-5 and 200+, with first-rate quickness, strength, and agility.
I won’t hold it against you that can’t see how AP could also be able to function as a solid back-up PG for this team this season. As I’ve said before, I like the way you seem to be able to see the game as a former/current player at a very high level yourself.
If Roko can improve his shooting this season … he will speed up the development of this team exponentially … as long as the Raptors continue to reduce the minutes overall for Jason Kapono and eliminate Jermaine O’Neal from their plans completely.
oh.
EXCELLENT WIN
Jose will be fined $37,000 for not wearing a suit on the bench.
ONeal sends his regards from whatever strip joint he’s getting ground against at.
Terrific win! Roko’s sump’n … isn’t he?
Raptors…beat Orlando?
*bricks were shat*
if rokomon keep playing like this…i mean within an acceptable level from this (I don’t expect too much)…then I think we should let Calderon take a few games off. I don’t want this hamstring problem to plague us for the rest of the season. Let’s get him into a nice rehab fitness program.
For me, Bargnani had his best game tonight. He sparked the whole team with his early aggressive play. Howard can take it out of any defender, but Bargnani kept battling. Good job. CAN’T WAIT for the roll call!
Khan I wasn’t talking about roko at all, just checked ur proposition for raps line-up with AP as PG which you’ve been bringing up since i’m on this site. Parker scored 26 today on his natural position (spot-up shooter) …Players have to be bread as PGs and gotta have significant experience as floor leaders. Yes parker can get the ball across the center of the court but can he see the floor, can he create plays and not look for his own score, can he attract defense on his dribble penetration & deliver etc.etc?
Hell no…
I always said that raptors problem is not at back up PG position..as even solomon and roko (after their first stage fright) have been doing pretty much whats been asked from them… but both coaches still played calderon 40 mins (problem rite there).
well, after two games, i’m ready to admit that the raps are better with JO out of the lineup. and jose.
I think it’s going too far to say the Raptors are better with Jose out of the line-up. With JO out, I can definitely agree with that BUT now we have an issue.
I want to get Arse’s, khandor’s, AltRaps’s and/or phdsteve’s opinion on this one:
So it appears Bargnani is playing out of his mind and with confidence to spare when he starts in a role along side Bosh, which happens to occur when JO is out. Bargnani and Bosh compliment each other much better then JO and Bosh do as there seems to be redundancy on the floor when JO and Bosh are on together. Bargnani stretches out defenses while still having the talent and desire to play like a 7 footer while Bosh does his usual thing inside and on the boards. Imagine if Bargnani and Bosh could consistently show that chemistry that was displayed in this classic Raptors play:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s7dey9BTPOA
So now, it seems you have two tradeable assets in JO and Kapono but should we really be looking to trade JO so early? My worry is the lack of scoring punch in the 4 and 5 position of the bench. If JO is traded, and one of Bosh or Bargnani get injured we can’t expect Humphries or Voshkul to be potent offensive weapons…playing devil’s advocate, that is why JO should still stick around and possibly come off the bench.
What do you guys think?
As I said, not in spite of, because of. There can be no doubt now. And many of you here still seem to miss it, this is 3 in a row. You have to recognize what you see, at least if you be on here.
hell no.this team will be better with a healthy jo and caldy.yesterday was supposed to be a day off but triano insisted on practice.BACK DOOR CUTS BABY!did we even see one when sam was our coach?.also,jay made an in game adjustments!when hedgehog put howard on moon,the magic went on a run and our o went stagnant due to matchups,jay subbed out moon with kapono forcing the magic to revert to what was working for us and we got back the lead….the coaching was stellar today.jay rode a hot roko whereas a dumb motherfuckin sam wudda yanked roko with 3 minutes left thus inserting a cold player and negating a winning roko runner….great win.thank god for a coach with brains.
Terrific game, even more terrific win. Roko was a killer tonight, loved seeing Jameer Nelson’s “aw are you kidding me!!?” look after Ukic dropped that floater on him.
Btw, OntarioTeachersFundPredident, “ONeal sends his regards from whatever strip joint he’s getting ground against at.” LOL!!!
I was at the game and did not know which Raptor team to expect but there is no question this team plays better with Bargnani and Bosh instead of O’neal and Bosh. Bargnani played great and didn’t let Howard push im around although Howard pushes everyone around and gets the call instead of getting called which still amazes me. Bargnani was big on offence as well and no question him being on the floor opens the floor for Bosh and today for Parker. No question O’neal should come off bench now, but I do not believe Triano has the balls to do so to Jermaine.
It would be a big mistake to mess with what’s been working now for three great games in a row, versus the sorry games they were playing with Jermain starting. Even though Jermain was coming around on offence and defence he basically takes the kind of points Bosh would have. Bargs allows Bosh to play his usual game while bargnani gets his points in different ways complimenting each other. Some of you guys should go to the blogs on The Toronto Star because it’s full of saps calling for exactly the opposite of guys here. Also need to mention how BIG a game Parker had today…his best yet.
Great to beat Houston and Orlando without our starting? lineup!
I love Rocko man and he was huge. When they help this kid shoot a little better his game will be amazing..he’s already a better passer than Jose or Will, and a better defender than both, and quicker than both! Great game today and glad he’s getting a chance to play.
I was also at the game and it was a great win. Roko showed unbelievable vision for those cuts to parker and bargs played passable defense today. Howard was getting a ridiculous number of call and parker was insane.
Great game overall, is this the makings of a potential 5 game win streak?
Might be the most satisfying game of the year. We beat a good team who didn’t play all that bad.
The defence Bargnani has shown last two games against two of the best shows great promise. It would be nice if he would make more of them open looks that he can make for himself nightly. Although 18 points is OK tonite he could of had 6 or 7 more.
MoneyCarlo,
There’s a history of solid starting OG’s in this league gradually being converted to become a solid back-up PG for their team … while still putting good minutes at their regualr position, as well … after the initial stages of their career, despite the fact that they were then playing out of their natural position.
Playing back-up PG successfully in the NBA, given the unique rules of play at this level, does not necessarily require that a player be gifted with a full slate of natural instincts for the position or an abundance of experience.
Now that was an entertaining game and the Raptors did themselves proud by playing like a team, instead of lost individual performers. I doubt they can sustain this level of play but I could be wrong.
What is emerging is the BC-Triano strategy to play most of the bench in almost a platoon-like manner. This allows the bench players to develop and highlight their bball skills and show their best to the league.
My suspicion in this turnaround strategy (versus Mitchell with a short rotation) is intended to build up some players so they can be used for trade bait or fillers. The players must also be aware of this ‘business’ decision by BC, so they are working hard to maintain their NBA careers.
Who knows … maybe BC and Gherardini will be pleasantly surprised and keep some of the current roster for the next season and the rebuild. Gotta start somewhere … even though it’s several years too late for some of the Raptor players.
X-temp,
I’ve said for a long time now that what this team needs to do with Jermaine O’Neal is slot him into the back-up Center role, coming off the bench for Chris Bosh [C], exclusively.
Regardless of his salary … that’s the role which fits his skill set best, at this stage of his career, and given where this team is at right now.
If he accepts THIS … that’s fine. the Raptors then become a dangerous team, moving forward.
If he does not … then, unfortunately, he SHOULD BE shipped out asap because … similar to TJ Ford … he is simply NOT a winner, at this level of compeition. Whether a player is happy or not, a Winner accepts the role he’s been given with a team, until his contract expires. Then, at that point, if he don’t like the way things are with his role on that team, his is free to go elsewhere.
Andrea Bargnani needs to be left alone to develop as a Perimeter Big … who can bang defensively, in the Low Post, and with a very nice mean/remorseless streak in him, ala Bill Laimbeer [not Dirk Nowitzki!!] except with a better skill set overall than the former Piston.
It’s really irrelavent whether or not Bargnani starts … as long as his complimentary teammate is only going to be a role player, who will get role player minutes, as the ying to his yang, at the Power Forward position for this team, which is where Kris Humphries [or perhaps Jake Voskuhl] comes into play.
———————–
IMO … the very best possible roles for O’Neal and Jason Kapono are as tradable assets.
khandor:
i have a couple of questions about your thoughts regarding O’Neal:
1) Why (if he would be willing, which he probably isn’t) would O’Neal not be a perfect substitute for CB4 in games? He would be a good fill in to help Bosh limit his minutes and still get solid play down low. Or do you think Bosh needs to play such high minutes to be productive?
2) If we go with the lineup that we played earlier today, is this not essentially the same lineup that dismantled the Magic last year in the regular season, but couldn’t muster it in the playoffs? Is Bargnani’s (hopefully more than temporarily) improved play enough for success along with Triano instead of Smitch? I am skeptical.
3) Do you believe that the Raptor’s defensive boarding woes are the result of a lack of team effort, and as such, O’Neal’s presence should only improve this? I mean, if the team is hungry for boards like tonight, AND we have O’Neal battling the other team’s big men, shouldn’t we be a better rebounding team because of it? Furthermore, if he subs in for Bosh, then you have a constant aggressive player on the floor that could produce offensive boards too.
I am curious to hear your thoughts, as you have been a consistent voice against O’Neal playing, and are starting to win some people over. I agree that the experiment did not work, but I did think that it could have worked if O’Neal were a better passer in the paint. I still see upside to his game though, and maybe his role as sub for Bosh could be the next move for Triano?
Dino Gunner,
IMO, the game against Milwaukee is going to be a tough one to get. The Bucks are an improved team since early in the season.
wow. you answered a lot of what i said before i even asked it. i was asking as you were answering!
i was under the impression you thought O’Neal was a situational sub, and that Humph/Voskuhl should see more minutes.
verbatim,
As a back-up to Bosh … i.e. the Raptors most important player who NEEDS to be on the court a lot in order to set the proper tone for HIS team … in effect, O’Neal would indeed become a Situational Sub of sorts.
IMO, Humphries is a much more important player to the success of this team than Mr. O’Neal.
[which is NOT say that I think Hump is a better basketball player ... cause, in fact, he is NOT]
———————-
re: wow. you answered a lot of what i said before i even asked it. i was asking as you were answering!
In general, reading a situation properly, in advance, is something which I’m pretty good at. : )
your also a loser who thinks too highly of himself.
This team is still a treadmill team that is gong to nowhere. We win today but lost 13 of our last 15? Whatever
Also word that delfino might come back next season reinforces my stance that we will just make minor tweaks. Delfino and Messina will be our holy grail and we will go to the Champonship.
MLSE - remember those 4 letters
man stfu bitch with your wack ass mlse slander…u negative stank twat.
Its true. We beat Orlando all the time. You think this team will win a playoff round? Will you be willing to put down $2000 of your money on a bet with me? If not, shut the fuck up and don’t act brave unless you can back it up.
i can back it up faggot.anytime bitch.
Alright.
So you think we’ll make it to the playoffs and win a round? If That happens I give you 2 grand cash at a meet up at Filthy McNasty’s in Downtown, then proceed to sit down and eat and drink. All you have to do is email your cell and were good to go.
You loose, you pay up 2 G’s.
khan: and what about the rebounding woes and the playoff problems (#2 and 3)?
furthermore, if Bosh comes out and O’Neal comes in on a regular basis, then Bargnani will likely always be coming in with one of them already on the floor. Now, I don’t have a problem with this, but you wanted him around when Hump of Voskhul is around. This means O’Neal is not ever really a sub for Bosh, but might be for Bargnani (but then you have Bosh with O’Neal = problems)
Yep
The best players on the team: Jose, Bosh and Ukic were not Bryan picks. lol. That’s pathetic considering Bryan has been with he club for 3 years and still can’t add talent to surround those guys. And no one in the media calls him out on it.
Why not a simple, Bryan this team is the same as it was prior to your arrival. What are you and Maurizio trying to accomplish? But, the media is soft and makes me wish we had a Charles Barkley or Steven A Smith type working for TSN or the Score
Knicks are going to beat the C’s !!!!!
…almost all the bad teams beat the better teams today…the Wiz beat the Cavs, NY beat Boston and Memphis beat Dallas and Toronto beat Orlando.
Wish it really meant something for the Raptors, but we’ve been down this road before.
Hoopshype Rumours:
One rival Eastern Conference GM said that Andrea Bargnani, the No. 1 overall pick in 2006, and Anthony Parker are prime candidates to be moved, as they look to add athleticism on the wings. In the meantime, Jermaine O’Neal has been sidelined with yet another knee injury. The Raptors are second in the NBA in losing games in which they’ve held double-digit leads (seven), with only Indiana (nine) doing it more times. New York Daily News
The rumor mill has Sacramento shopping center Brad Miller and Charlotte looking to deal Gerald Wallace, and Toronto boss Bryan Colangelo is making it known he’s ready to move anybody except Chris Bosh and Jose Calderon. Memphis Commercial Appeal
Toronto is a team that fired Mitchell, keeps shuffling rotations failingly and probably would trade just about anyone beside Bosh or Jose Calderon. After a Friday win, the Raptors are 13-20 with five wins in the past 18 games. Bosh talks like he thinks his team is so soft than it has goose-down jerseys. “Sometimes we’re kind of passive and we kind of hold back,” Bosh told reporters in Toronto, where fans have been booing. “We have to be mean and nasty and get out there. People enjoy it, you’ll win more games and you demand respect that way.” Arizona Republic
…………………………
Bosh and Calderon - Untouchables ???!!!!
First off, what a great win. The crowd was great, the energy was there for 95% of the game and we played good perimeter defense. Other than Moon biting on a couple pump-fakes really hard and AP leaving Reddick for a couple threes, I thought the D was great.
I’m not doing the post-game report (Raps Fan is) but if I were I’d praise Roko and Will for a fantastic job done. One thing I noticed was that Roko can make passes Calderon can’t, he’s got some pretty good vision and plays good eye-contact-ball with everyone on the floor. I like how he recognized that he sucks at shooting right now and didn’t take jumpers, instead he opted for the runner which is a higher percentage shot for him.
What made today’s win meaningful was that we came through in a tight and tense fourth quarter. We haven’t had one of those wins since GSW. Is this win a fluke? No, we played well, it’s not like the Magic played like Houston and shot 30%. This was an earned victory against a very good team.
That lineup to start the fourth made me very nervous - Will, Graham, Voskuhl, Kapono and Bargnani. They weren’t getting anything done and if Triano would’ve stuck with them longer we would’ve lost the game. The Parker for Kapono and Moon for Voskhul sub helped and switched Graham on Howard allowing Bosh to get a couple more minutes of rest before coming in and getting some crucial rebounds.
I also thought we blew a chance to extend the lead when Howard picked up his two early fouls, good thing it didn’t come back to haunt us….I could write for hours about this game but its Raps Fan tonight.
@ X-Temp #24: Let’s keep in mind that Bosh and Bargnani played together last year too and the results were far from spectacular. He’s played well the last three games and today’s win was nothing short of awesome but I still wouldn’t start making trades based on this. We have a little while till the trading deadline and if this pattern holds true, trade JO. Kapono is pointless and just isn’t fitting into the system, I honestly think his best position is PG because he runs very good two-man games with JO and Bosh and would be matched up with shorter players whom he can shoot over. Obviously, his defense isn’t good enough and this is NOT a practical solution.
Remember also that Parker contributed heavily in this great win and there’s a good chance he can’t sustain these kind of performances which points to wing scoring as a need yet to be addressed.
If you care to, look at it this way. The last three games improved Bagnani’s trade value considerably. Just a thought given the Hoopshype rumours.
i really want Bargnani around too…but hey, if VL comes back and Il Mago pulls a disappearing act, i might just hate myself for saying so.
joe is an internet wanksta
i dont get you wack fucks.hoopshype?…a 7 footer drove the lane,stopped on a dime,turned and sunk a sweet lil j….a 7 footer with mad untapped skills.we havent even seen him scratch the surface on his full potential….man,mass lunacy has overwhelmed sane thought and the infectious disease of the moronic minority is infecting the majority of feeble idiots….i wouldnt trade bargs, but in bc i trust and they all trade bait as far as im concerned if the right package presents itself….our entire team hasnt appeared this season yet all the talk is on bargs dissapearing act?its retarded.where was bosh,for that disastrous stretch?where the fuck has ap been since the first 3 games?what happened to good joey?wheres moon been?motherfucking our big 3 ace krapono?jo the perpetual pain?the list goes on and on.yet bargs and the elclusive microscope….weve yet to see this team run on full cylinders or even be near it….instead of harpin on bargs bad stretch in which every player on our team has suffered lets look at the big picture and the positives and realize that he has more blocks this season than kg,ak47,noah,aldrige,stoudamire,josh,smith,gasol and his d has been ill and his overall stats have him well ahead of many notable players.and you idiots wanna run this kid out of town on some bullshit…..pathetic.pls stfu and give the kid some good vibes instead of wanting him to fail so you could say i told u so.
I said a lot of times in the past and i’ll say again. After watching toronto play last adn this season i realised (like everyone else) that what the team lacks is an inteligent, defesive minded and experience small foward in order to have a complete starting line up. What this team needs is Andres Nocioni, the guy from Chicago who has a lot of experience internationally and in the NBA, is a proven winner and a team frist player. Adding him by a trade will not be very difficult because chicago is already shopping him and he makes 7 or 8 millions this year (Kapono and Grahams’s expiring contract toghether). Moon is not the solution a the three, and kapono is not what we need.
Another interesting move could be bringin delfino back next season (or this one if it’s posible). He’s a young complete player who could be an excelent back up for AP at the 2.
I like the Calderon-Ukic poit guard rotation simply because european PG are much better than amercian.Guys like Derrick Rose or russel westbrook are great players but they think in score more than in runing the team and that’s not the role of a PG. I think Roko could learn a lot from Jose while playin toghether, he could be a very nice back up PG in the future.
Keep Bargniani, just have patience
Arse is right, the best starter to trade is JO.
And yes Kapono is a waste, so him too. For whatever reason, Bargs has played great lately, which makes J.O. totally expendable. The key is if Bargs can bang with, and defend the other teams centers. This is what Bosh needs(demands).Remeber before Rasho, when Bosh had to play center for the season and everyone, including him, commented on how it wore on him? This is why we need a center, not to play the low post(a la J.O.), Bosh does that, its to defend the other teams bigs, and draw them away from the low post on the other end of the floor. One thing Andrea can do.
On that note, it was interesting to hear B.C.’s comments during his CBC interview on trades game,he mentioned Bargs natural postion is the 4, not 5 or 3. Does that mean as long as Bosh is in town he admits they are both 4’s and what, that there is only room in town for one of them? I think there is no way after these 3 games Bargs gets traded. I think Brian is looking like a proud(too proud) papa whenver Barney plays like a top tier draft pick.
In closing Brian, I know you are reading this, trade J.O. and his fake injury, extra long holiday vacation, ass.
Spewdog,
As you & Andiamo put it, why are we discussing how AB`s value in the trade market has improved? He brings an intangible to our style — opening up the post for Bosh, and drawing out his match-up C, like he did with Howard today. And BC did say Bargs was a natural 4, but he also described how he thought AB was blending into the 5 spot.
We still need a top flight 3, and more bench strength, but to trade AB for that — while JO dogs the injury issues — sounds more like a desperation move. And as BC said, we need to be cognizant of next year and beyond. JO is a great veteran, and he knows how to bang with the best. But right now, he`s what he is — temporary. With potential to get that 3 we need, and maybe more.
http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?page=predictions09/nba
fast forward to the bottom of that article and you will see some interesting news about cap space in 2010. It seems increasingly unlikely that the Raps will make a move for a player like Gerald Wallace as his contract doesn’t expire any time soon. At this point, I think Colangelo is looking to spend as little long term money as possible, hoping he can ride it out with what he has…
On the other hand, how long can the franchise continue to produce mediocrity before it loses fans? Is Toronto A b-ball city like it is a hockey city (i.e. no matter how shitty the team is, they will sell out)?
verbatim,
The Raptors’ rebounding and playoff performance will be determined by:
i. The individual players who they choose to use in their different 5-Man units;
ii. How they decide to match-up these individual players against their specific opponents; and,
iii. The specific strategies & tactics they decide to use in those games/series.
IMO, there has always been enough rebounding, defense and offense on this team, this season, to become a “competitive” squad in the EC, even without any contribution from Jermaine O’Neal, as long as the other players are managed in a sound way.
If you check out the archives on my blog you should be able to find different entries from the summer which outline this perspective and what the Raptors would need to do in order to accomplish this goal, and more than that. They’re all there still in black & white for anyone to read.
Being “competitive”, however, is a long way off from contending for a spot in the EC Finals, being “the most talented team, on paper, put together yet by the Raptors’ current basketball brain-trust”, and a far cry from the High End Team this organization could well have fielded this season, if it would have played it cards Right, this off season and, in general, since Feb/2006 [not to mention going back to the days of Glen Grunwald].
re: who O’Neal should play beside as a back-up Center for this team
IMO … O’Neal can be used effectively in this role with a range of different teammates in the PF spot. What is most important is that he should only be getting back-up minutes, in relief of Chris Bosh.
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