Appreciating Lemieux

Among the deluge of reaction to Mario Lemieux's retirement, there are two not uncommon threads being pulled. A couple of examples: "His body betrayed the talent that was given him", says the headline most succintly over Mark Spector's National Post column, and over at the Calgary Sun, Eric Francis notes that the Great One still trumps the Magnificent One.

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And now a new era begins.

The other way of looking at this: yes, he missed 400 games due to injury, but the wonder is that he was able to last this long. The man's 40 years old and has played over a thousand NHL regular season and playoff games, along with Team Canada ('85 world championship, '87 Canada Cup, '02 Olympics, '04 World Cup), despite more tha his share of the usual knocks and pings, including a a couple of back surgeries, a hip ailment and a bout with cancer, which he managed to beat, thus becoming an inspiration to thousands.

As for comparing Gretzky's 1 to Lemieux's 1-A in your NHL superstars programme of the 1980s and '90s, Mario has had the much more uncommon career arc -- how many athletes of this era last as long in one place, much less a fellow who has overcome Hodgkin's lymphoma, kept an ailing franchise from foundering and eventually assuming the player/CEO dual portfolio, shepherding the anointed Sidney Crosby into the next era of a league that, for all its ups and downs, is a far more lucrative place for players than it was upon his arrival? (Lemieux's first NHL contract was $700,000 for two years, after some testy negotiations; More than two decades later, Lemieux's Pens signed Crosby to a rookie-scale deal that begins at $850,000 and rises with incentives to nearly $4 million.)

I remember taking the train to Montreal in 1984 to see Lemieux's Laval team play at the old Forum. He was in the final weeks of his junior career and there were loud whispers that he wasn't quite the force he was cracked up to be. But watching the long strides, the nonchalance and mostly the air of boredom he seemed to be playing with, it was clear that he had outgrown that stage, a man among boys.

That never changed. Lemieux had the rare package of size, grace and skill -- he made it look easy, as the cliche goes, which is perhaps why so much of the comment surrounding his retirement has this tinge of unfulfilled potential about it.  The truth for all athletes is that it's never easy, and for very few -- like Lemieux -- when you get to the end of the road and look back, it has the air of the impossible.

Mario's goodbye

The morning links, aka March of the Penguin:

"This is it. It hurts." Mario Lemieux has retired, again, but this time it's for good, and may well be the the prelude to disengagement: his own, from the Penguins, and the Penguins, from his lengthy shadow. One more link, from George Johnson in Calgary, has this bit from Paul Coffey on Lemieux vs. Gretzky:

"Wayne was, well, in another world altogether. But Mario brought something that no one had seen before. A guy 6-foot-4 or 6-foot-5, smooth skater, with the softest pair of hands maybe in the history of the game. Some of the stuff he pulled when we won the Cup in Pittsburgh, undressing Ray Bourque, slicing open Minnesota in the final time and again, bordered on the ridiculous."

In the NBA, which is trying its best to cash in on Kobe Bryant's 81-point night: Ron Artest turns down a trade to Sacramento at least for now but then again, maybe for good (can't anyone make up their minds and trade this guy already?), and a former Knicks employee is suing Isiah Thomas for sexual harassment (reg. req'd; for the AP version of the story, go here).

 

Kobe vs. the Matadors

ESPN's Marc Stein is calling Kobe Bryant's 81-point performance, the best NBA night outside of Chamberlain's 100-pointer, "the greatest individual performance ever recorded."

I'd put it right up there. But this was Wilt vs. wilt. Those were the Raptors in the opponent shirts who, lacking a big man in the middle, frontcourt depth and a stalwart perimeter defender, have been routinely ripped by swingmen this season.

AP PHOTO

All Kobe needed was the right opponent. Enter the Raptors.

Call the roll: Antawn Jamison on opening night (29) ... Richard Jefferson the next time out (35) ... Rashard Lewis (41) ... Rickey Davis AND Paul Pierce on the same night (28 each). The past couple of weeks have been particularly galling, starting with Vince Carter's 42 (including that dagger, and WWE posing), followed by Kobe and, the following night in Denver, 37 more from Carmelo Anthony.

I'm not taking anything away from Kobe here. He was/is amazing, that string of 45-plus nights no fluke, that 62 points against Dallas in three quarters the indicator that this kind of bomb was ready to drop. All he needed was the right kind of target, and the Raptors obligingly walked out at the Staples Centre with a neon circle on their backs. (POSTSCRIPT: After reviewing the PVR evidence, I've put together my best forensic reconstruction of the scene of the crime. Check out the breakdown below.)

There's a school of thought out there that, with the addition of Gene Keady in December, the Raptors have improved defensively. Alas, it never has seemed that way to my eyes, and the numbers don't bear it out -- during that horrible November, the Raptors allowed their opponents to shoot a generous .492, 29th of 30 teams in the NBA. They've improved that all the way to .490 now -- 29th of 30 in the NBA.

More: Opponents are actually shooting the 3 significantly better (.368) now than they were in November (.328). But the Raptors have improved their rebounding deficit slightly, and opponents' scoring is down slightly (102.73 now, down from 104.3 in Nov.; where the Raptors have improved since that opening month is on offence).

Morris Peterson is the closest thing the Raptors have to a competent perimeter defender. Jalen Rose and Jose Calderon are pylons, and Joey Graham, who came in with a rep for defence, has been just awful and was benched in Denver. Double teams? Sam Mitchell, who's not much for adjustments, doesn't send them too often, and when he does (like on that last Carter play, Rose getting help from Calderon), it is like watching two blades of grass going against a lawn mower. Don't expect anyone to foul a Kobe hard, either, much less put him on his ass.

Everyone talks about the Raptors' lack of a centre. But the problems here go deeper than that. They're soft overall, and they lack perimeter defence. Kobe Bryant exposed that -- he shredded them. Made history, too.

POSTSCRIPT

The breakdown on Kobe Bryant's 81-point night:

24 points vs Morris Peterson (11 points on jump shots including one 3-point, 6 points on drives, 7/7 free throws = 24 points).

16 points vs Jalen Rose (13 points on jumpers including three 3-point, 3/4 FTs).

12 points vs Joey Graham (3 on jumpers including a 3-pt shot, 2 on drives, 7/7 free throws).

10 in transition (6 on drives, one 3-pointer, 1/2 FTs).

8 vs Eric Williams (four on jumpers, four on drives)

4 vs Jose Calderon (two on a dunk, two on a jumper).

7 vs Raptors zone (all on jumpers, including one 3-pointer).

From what I could see, Raptors doubled him once while playing man, forcing a timeout, and once while in a zone, creating a turnover.

Related Raptor bloggin' links:

Raptorblog: "Jalen was one of four Raptors I counted who suffered the indignity of trying to throw a blanket over a nuclear explosion. Mo Pete, Jalen, Joey Graham and Jose Calderon took turns revealing their tragic inferiority to this higher grade of athlete."

J.E. Skeets: "Dear Kobe, you're a dick ... Luke Ridnour."

Raptors HQ: "With each unbelievable shot that he hit Kobe seemed more invincible and you could see an impending sense of doom spread rapidly through the Raptors. In fact, it was akin to a prisoner being led to the guillotine…the team had simply accepted their fate and that they were destined to lose."

MLSE road show: one and 10

A short order of links:

Ottawa beats the Leafs again -- that's six in a row, whether you're talking about the season series or the Toronto losing streak.

The Raptors came out of Kobeshock and were beaten in Denver, which means that the MLSE pucks 'n hoops juggernaut finishes up their combined road trip with one win and 10 losses (I will be back in the blogging fray later today, hopefully, yesterday's entry having been sidelined along with the rest of me due to a shoulder separation, which is so, so not Pape Sow.)

Out of his meeting with his paymasters yesterday, Sven-Goran Eriksson got a golden handshake and the news that he'll be replaced as England manager -- after the World Cup. And you know they're making book on his replacement as we blog.

Woodbine rider Emma-Jayne Wilson has been named North America's top apprentice jockey at the annual Eclipse Awards.

Morning line favours Steelers

Slinging out the morning links:

And now we have two weeks to let the anticipation dissipate: Seattle and Pittsburgh are going to the Super Bowl in Detroit, Jerome Bettis' hometown. Two blowouts provided a  humdrum end to a mostly low-key playoff tournament, and the morning line for XL is in: Steelers by 3 1/2, which sounds like a pretty healthy number to me. Perhaps too healthy.

Historic blowout: Raptors roll into L.A., and Kobe Bryant rolls all over them with 81 points all on his own. Apart from Wilt Chamberlain's fabled 100-pointer, no one has had a more prolific night in the NBA than Bryant's last night.

On the subject of odds, the Leafs have lost five in a row and it sure sounds like changes are coming, with a trade more likely than a coaching change. As for Dick Pound, he's calling the NHL's doping policy "seriously flawed" after Bryan Berard got a two-year ban from international hockey, but not the league.

Olympic countdown: Cindy Klassen sets a world points record, and Pierre Lueders and his new Canadian teammate are second best in the sleighride.

Canada beats Mexico at the CONCACAF women's tournament to motor into the semifinal round, thils the men's side managed a 0-0 draw in a friendly yesterday against the Germany-bound United States and Freddy Adu in his international debut.

Andy Roddick crashes out of the Australian Open, but Martina Hingis can roll on this morning. And oh, it's so hot (how hot is it?) the crowds are getting unruly.

Baseball for life

Time to get out of here. But first, the usual end of week routine:

One last read: Michael McCann at the Sports Law Blog has a good one here: commentary and link recalling the January 1980 return of 52 U.S. hostages from Iran --and how some of them have used the lifetime major league baseball passes they were given.

AP PHOTO

Jake Plummer: I'm betting on him?

One last look: Deadspin has been all over the Antonio Davis into the stands story, including this Chicago news clip that zeroes in on the exchange between Davis's wife Kendra and the fan who said today he would drop a threatened lawsuit if he got an apology.

Breaking news: Cuba will be allowed to play in the World Baseball Classic after all, and Bryan Berard has been given the obligatory two-year ban from international hockey for testing positive for steroids.

Sports around town: Toronto at York, basketball doubleheader, Saturday. Women go at 6 p.m., men at 8. It's Code Red night out at the edge of the world, with the hot Blues coming in.

Watching: Maple Leafs at Senators, 7 p.m., Saturday CBC. I fear to watch, but I cannot look away.

Not watching: Sunderland at WBA, 12:30 Saturday, Sportsnet. Stat of the day: Since Mick McCarthy took over at Sunderland, the Black Cats have managed just nine of a possible 93 Premiership points. That's Matt Millen territory. (Thanks to When Saturday Comes for the numbers.)

NFL picks: I was feeling really good about the Panthers and the Broncos until I read the Linebacker. I hate it when the pundits agree with me. Then I read the Globe's choices -- okay, they're AP's choices -- and I feel a little better. Then I realize I'm actually backing Jake Plummer, and I feel queasier than ever.

Raptors blogger roundtable, Part III

It's time for Part III of the Raptors bloggers roundtable, a quartet of invited guests making like Rick Mike James and Firin' It Up -- Scott Carefoot at Raptorblog, J.E. Skeets, Ryan McNeill at Hoopsaddict and Adam Francis, Jeff Chapman and Dave Randell at RaptorsHQ. You can check out Part I here, while Part II is here. And now a drum roll as we head into the final chapter ...

JABS: What's been the dullest storyline so far? And by that I mean perhaps any of a number of things -- the most overdone, the most inexplicable, the most yawnworthy, the latest Glory Road review? I'm not just talking about the Raptors here -- the whole league, where I'd nominate the Kobe-Phil reunion.

SCOTT: Personally, I'm sick of reading about how Bosh might not re-sign with the Raptors. As I explained in this Dec. 30th blog post, it simply doesn't make sense that Chris would put his financial future at risk by playing two full seasons without a max-level contract extension.

AP PHOTO

Artest: For cryin' out loud, trade him. Anywhere.

J.E. SKEETS: Anything to do with Ron Artest. Honestly, I can't stand it anymore. The Pacers ought to just hurry up and trade the bum to like the San Miguel Beermen of the Philippines Basketball Association. You know, perhaps score some cheap electronics equipment or something. Bonus: The dullest blade of the season has been the blade that has attempted to control the monster that is Chris Kaman's hair.

RYAN: Something that I’m sick of hearing about is Larry Brown. The guy makes headline news by being a complete jerk and by showing a complete lack of commitment to any organization that he’s worked for. This summer Isiah Thomas made a pact with the devil and brings Brown on board only to see things completely blow up early this season when Brown wanted to play the vets while the Knicks needed to see the rookies and young players play. It looks like Brown’s been able to “right the ship” in Gotham this month but I just think that whole situation has been covered to death.

RAPTORS HQ: Tough call . . . there's been a bunch including the Toronto media's preocupation with Chris Bosh's future and Jalen having to come off the bench, the aforementioned Kobe/Phil drama and the whole Ron Artest situation. But we're gonna have to go with the never-ending Latrell Sprewell discussion. Look . . . obviously his kids aren't THAT hungry or he'd be back playing for the veteran's minimum. I mean, when the media has taken to asking RICK BRUNSON about Sprewell's plans for this season, you know it's been a slow news week.

JABS: Scott, you posted on Raptorblog about possible draft picks that might fit here, and you fellas at HQ have alluded to it. If you could circle one new player who is going to be available next June and might land in the Raptors' sights, who would it be?

SCOTT: It's too early to know for sure who will be the top 10 prospects come draft time (I still remember when Pavel Podkolzine was going to be the Raptors' savior) but I'm increasingly fascinated by Tyrus Thomas from LSU. He's averaging 14 points, 10 rebounds and over 3 blocks per game in his freshman season - including a 7-block performance against second-ranked UConn two Saturdays ago and a 9-block performance against Tennessee last Saturday. I know he's another power forward but when you draft for position instead of talent, you tend to end up with someone like Rafael Araujo. I prefer to take the most talented player available and then trade for positional needs, if necessary.

RAPTORS HQ: We’ve been discussing who the Raptors should select in 2006 ever since Detroit selected Alex Acker out of Doug Christie’s alma mater to conclude the 2005 Draft. What is the team’s biggest need? Without a dominant shot-blocking centre available with the top picks, it's an impact swingman capable of creating his own shot. The two players who best fit that description are UConn’s Rudy Gay and Ronnie Brewer from Arkansas. Gay has more potential and, as such, may not be available when the Raptors pick. Brewer, however, has been much more consistent and is much better on the defensive end. He is a long, lean, athletic swingman with the handle to play the point. His long wingspan leads to many steals, as evidenced by his 3.4 per game this season, which leads the SEC by almost a steal a game. Brewer is a scorer (18.4 PPG this season leads the SEC) who can create his own shot and is a very aggressive player at both ends of the court.

RYAN: It’s hard to tell where the Raps will finish this season so I looked at a couple of picks they could get with their second pick in the first round this summer. That pick looks to be around 14th -- players I’d love to see the Raptors end up with are J.J. Redick from Duke, Daniel Gibson from Texas or Maurice Ager from Michigan State. Redick’s a flat-out winner and would be a welcome addition to the Raptors. Someone who received a lot of talk this past fall but seems to have fallen off the map a bit is Gibson. He doesn’t have flashy stats but he reminds me a lot of ex-Longhorn T.J. Ford. My “sleeper” pick here is Ager. He’s shown the ability to improve each year and has increased his scoring each of his four years at Michigan State (6.7, 8.2, 14.1 and now 20.9 points per game) while turning into one of the top scorers in the college game.

RICHARD LAUTENS/TORONTO STAR

James: "Super Freak, Super Freak, yow..."

J.E. SKEETS: It's a toss-up between Gyno Pomare from San Diego, and Pee-Wee Gash from Tennessee.

JABS: Hmm. Well, moving right along, it's the all-star break upcoming, and I'm hoping for the first J.E. Skeets NBA prom night. Over in the Raptors' corner of the room, who's dancing with whom? What are they requesting at the DJ's booth? What is Matt Bonner's “oh-i-love-this-song-soooo-much” song?

J.E. SKEETS: Surprisingly, none of the Raptors are really up dancing -- well, except Loren Woods. Yeah, that guy will do just about anything to get some blood circulation going in the ol' legs.
Meanwhile, over at the "4 Corners" DJ booth, Chris is requesting Nelly's #1, Mike wants to hear some Super Freak (he's Mike James, bitch!), and Jalen is busy behind the tables spinnin' his personal anthem, Cry Me A River. And oh, I'm not too sure if Matt Bonner even knows what this whole “music fad” is all about.

RAPTORS HQ: We're trying to picture this scenario and all we can think about is the Raptors intro. From the sound of it, Chris Bosh and Loren Woods would be dancing together, probably to the soundtrack of Woods’ favourite movie: Breakin’ 2: Electric Boogaloo. We see the requests coming from Darrick Martin, who wants American Pie played in honour of his former UCLA teammate Don MacLean, who was a Raptor in name only back in 2001. As for Bonner, the easy choice would be Crazy in Love. However, we're hearing that the Red Rocket wants to improve his street cred. So, he’ll try and be down with Texan Bosh and he’ll beg the DJ, Jalen Rose, to throw on They Don’t Know by Paul Wall and featuring Mike James. I mean, Mike Jones.

HANS DERYK/TORONTO STAR

Bonner: Afraid of driving?

SCOTT: I'm not sure how to answer most of this question, but I bet Matt Bonner likes Aerosmith. Speaking of which, can we talk about Matt's refusal to buy a car? The guy's making roughly $3 million per season. I think he could bankroll a Dodge truck or something. Surely he doesn't like the TTC that much. Does he even have a driver's licence? Is he afraid of driving? Is he a closeted environmentalist hippy? I think there's a story here and Chris needs to use his contacts to get to the bottom of it.

JABS: Hey, you guys are my contacts. I like the closeted environmentalist hippy angle -- sort of like the old-school Bill Walton model. Last one, guys. Is it really a good idea for this team to make a concerted push for the playoffs (and by that I mean, act as short-term buyers rather than long-term sellers at the trade deadline). They're so young already -- do they really need another draft pick, from a weak draft at that?

SCOTT: Making the playoffs is never a bad thing, even if the Raptors get swept by the Pistons in the first round. I don't actually expect this team to play in the post-season, but I'll be ecstatic if they get there. People tend to forget that the draft is a crapshoot. Sure things come around once every 5 to 10 years, and this draft clearly isn't one of those years.

RYAN: I say bring on the playoffs! How could it hurt the young guys to experience what it’s like to make a run for the playoffs? With the way that we’re playing right now we probably won’t have a top five pick in the draft anyway. Don’t forget that with the draft lottery we aren’t guaranteed the top pick even if we have the worse record in the league. I think a big thing for Raps fans to remember is that you can’t tell professional athletes to play at half speed and not try to win. The Raptors have fierce competitors like Morris Peterson, Mike James and Chris Bosh who get fired up over a game in January against the Nets – how are they not going to fight for a playoff spot? Throw in the fact that Bosh started talking about his desire to make a playoff run back in December and it’s clear that this team’s focused on sneaking into the playoffs.

RAPTORS HQ: Do we want the Raptors to make the playoffs? Absolutely. Should they sacrifice any of the future to become a lamb to Detroit or Miami’s slaughter? Absolutely not. This team still needs more talent and you’re not going to get that as a short-term buyer at the trading deadline.

AP PHOTO

Childs: Skeets' playoff inspiration.

J.E. SKEETS: Playoffs? Sure, go nuts. Do it for Chris Childs.

JABS: No speeches here, just a number, a yes-no and we're out. How many wins? Playoffs? (I'm going to stick with my preseason 28, and say no. Hardly out on a limb there).

RYAN: Do I vote with my head or my heart here? It’s tough because I can see Toronto going on a run during the next month and picking up a ton of wins to inflate their record and confidence, but I don’t see them being a team that can win more than 25-30 games this season. I’d love to see Toronto make the playoffs but I don’t think we’re there yet.

SCOTT: I'm not a revisionist historian, so I will stick with my original prediction of 30 wins for the Raptors. Unless the Eastern Conference is weaker than my stomach after an ACC pulled pork sandwich, that's not going to put this team in the post-season.

J.E. SKEETS: 33 wins; which is just good enough for like 3rd in the East, right?

RAPTORS HQ: We think the Raps will win more then the 28 laid out by many but not by much . . . in fact, it might come down to the season finale in Chicago. 30 tops. Playoffs? We still say no.

Davis out, Theo in

The morning links, all around the world:

Antonio Davis received a five-game suspension -- pretty harsh, given his role in the whole thing. This was no Ron Artest situation; then again, short of returning to the days of cages around the court, what's the NBA to do? -- and the fellow in the stands fingered for "assaulting" Davis's wife Kendra in Chicago says he'll sue. Quite a story, this one, and Mike Ulmer in the Sun has a reminisce on the Davis's days in Raptorland.

Remember Theo Epstein? He's coming back to the Red Sox.

The Penguins are up for sale, the latest crazy twist in Sid Crosby's NHL baptism.

The African Cup of Nations begins today, and it'll bring Cairo to a standstill.

Got an email yesterday with this link to Dave Zirin's latest Edge of Sports offering, following on yesterday's link on the subject of the lack of NFL minority coaching hires this off-season:

The fact is that we need someone to pick up the torch from the late Mr. Cochran and shine light on the fact that NFL's owners have a historic choice in front of them: They can rehire the Mike merry-go-round, or give people like Ted Cottrell, Norm Chow, and Jimmy Raye a shot. This decision is about justice, fairness, and basic hiring morality.

Today's best bet: Crystal Palace v Reading. Aki is back and my Eagles are playing pretty well but this is a big test facing the fizzy-pop league's leader and runaway promotion favourites. I'm calling 2-1 in the prediction league (disclaimer: I always call 2-1 in my prediction league. Makes it easier that way).

Yesterday's best bet: Buffalo at Vancouver. The Sabres give up three goals in the third period, and lose 4-1. Two stars.

Note: Starting today and Monday and on and on, e-mail me with your best bet for the  day in sports, and a witty line or two on why it's so important, even if only to you. Basketball, cricket, kabbadi -- it's all fair game. I can't give you a prize, but you will earn my undying gratitude and your name up in bright pixels.

Raptors blogger roundtable, Part II

So here we are, Part II of the Raptors bloggers roundtable, with our quartet of experts weighing in on a few midseason topics of interest -- Scott Carefoot at Raptorblog, J.E. Skeets, Ryan McNeill at Hoopsaddict and Adam Francis, Jeff Chapman and Dave Randell at RaptorsHQ. You can check out Part I here. On we roll ...

JABS: Scott, you mentioned Sam Mitchell. J.E., I don’t remember you blogging on Sam. What do you think of him?

J.E. SKEETS: Regardless of whether you love or hate Sam's coaching ability – and it's definitely closer to “hate” from this camp – one thing I can't deny the guy is his insane passion and love for the game of basketball. I mean, maybe it's just me, but there's something instantly likable about a coach who you know is only seven or eight injured players away from suiting up and subbing himself in. That, and I've always dug those coaches who pace up and down the sidelines so much that they look like they're waiting to hear news from Dr. Huxtable about their first-born child.

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Mitchell: Maturing as a coach.

With that said, some of Sam's “coaching decisions” have left a lot to be desired. I still haven't figure out his often cryptic substitution patterns (“Matthew, CV or Mo Pete? My heart says Joey, but thy Rose smells sweet”); it took way too long for him to give the youth movement their much needed minutes; and I absolutely can't stand it when he forgets we have some really good tall black guy named Craig Bosh or something or other on our team.

RYAN: The maturation of the Raps rookies had received a lot of ink in the press but it seems like fans aren’t noticing the maturation of Sam Mitchell. Last season was his first time as a head coach at any level and the season had ups and downs because of his inexperience. This season we're seeing a more mellow Sam that’s moved into his role as a teacher rather than a strict disciplinarian. Also, it sounds like Sam and Bosh have formed a strong relationship that could pay huge dividends when Bosh is a free agent a couple years from now.

RAPTORS HQ: Early in the season, there were few things more maddening than watching Mitchell coach a ball game. Calling for Bonner to post up on back-to-back possessions. Leaving Jalen Rose in to see how many offensive “push-off” fouls he could collect. Substitution patterns that evoked memories of Red Green, rather than Red Auerbach. Despite this, we can’t help but notice that the Raptors’ steady improvement has coincided with better coaching from Sam. Witness the zone defences, something rarely seen in recent Raptors history (you’d think a defensive “genius” like O’Neill would have figured out how to use the zone), befuddling Indiana and Atlanta. Check out the defensive strategies employed to shut down Houston. Peep the personnel decisions (Darrick Martin vs. Atlanta, starting Bonner vs. Houston). And without his halftime wakeup call against Primoz and the NBDLers, the Raps would have lost their third in a row. (Although I'm sure Mitchell's halftime speech was very polite and eloquent.) Let’s not forget that Mitchell is an extremely intense and passionate individual who isn’t afraid to light into his players. While that didn’t work for some players (see Alston, Rafer), it seems to fit with this younger group.

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Keady: Brought in  because Sam's over his head?

SCOTT: I like Sam Mitchell “the person” but I doubt I'll ever be sold on Sam Mitchell “the coach”. I think the players like playing for him and he's probably a decent motivator, but I don't think he's an NBA-level coach in terms of his play-calling abilities. However the Raptors organization wants to spin it, I think they brought in Gene Keady because Sam is in over his head when it comes to coaching defence.
Although this team has improved on that side of the ball since Keady joined his staff, it seems like Sam doesn't adjust strategies based on the team he's facing - which is why the Bulls were able to rain treys on the Raps with the greatest of ease. It should have been clear that the Raptors couldn't lay back in a zone against a team with so many deadly outside shooters, and yet that's exactly what they did. It's never a good feeling when something like that seems obvious to you as a fan but the coach apparently can't see it.

JABS: The defence has been better, at least some nights, but you know, for a while there it couldn’t get any worse, which perhaps could have been expected given the number of youngsters on the roster. What about some of these younger players that are supposedly the building blocks? What of the three rookies – Villanueva, Graham and especially Calderon, who represents a long overdue nod to Europe by this organization? Briefly, how do you rate each of these players, and with regards especially to you guys at Raptors HQ, whose Euro reports I really like, how and when does Roko Ukic become part of the rebuilding?

STEVE RUSSELL/TORONTO STAR

Villanueva: Knocks on him same as ever.

RAPTORS HQ: Before 2 of the 3 of us here at RaptorsHQ were die-hard Raptors fans we were huge NCAA fans. I think that's therefore always been reflected in our site and the NBA Draft (which we plan on attending this summer) is our favourite time of the year. I'd say by the time draft time rolls around we've seen 75-80 per cent of the prospects play a good deal and we make it a point to give potential draftees as good an evaluation as you can without working them out in your own apartments!
That being said, none of us were thrilled originally with the Villanueva selection. We remembered his lack of defence (Calhoun used to pull him for defensive purposes near the end of close games) and had our hearts set on Danny Granger. However after the draft was over we could understand Babcock's thought process and were generally quite happy with the picks he made.
Roko's had a rough go so far this season with injury concerns but I think he'll be a good NBA player. I watched him a lot in the summer's Euro tourney and in the final games he really stood out. He's got NBA offensive skills but needs to bulk up and improve his defence. Our other overseas project Uros Slokar still just doesn't get the playing time he needs. At some point Babcock may have to at least get him to the D-League a la Pape Sow. The encouraging thing about this situation as a whole, however, is that as you pointed out, the Raptors finally appear to be doing their Euro homework. (Makes you wonder if the current scouting staff would have ever allowed the drafting of Radojevic!)
And as for our three current rookies, all three have done a nice job, Calderon in particular. It's not easy to run an NBA offence that features so much one-on-one after running a Euro one so built on team play. Villanueva's offence is light years ahead of most rookies and he’s a good offensive rebounder but he needs a few years of defensive seasoning and must work on finishing strong around the rim.

STEVE RUSSELL/TORONTO STAR

Graham: Adjusting to new role, says Raptors HQ.

Of the three, Joey Graham's been the most disappointing, I think. After watching him so much in college I really envisioned a more rugged and athletic player who would need to work on his jump shot. So far it's been the reverse as his jump shot has actually been quite good and he hasn't shown that athletic and rugged playing style. Our theory is that he's learning to play more of a 2-3 role in the league whereas he was much more of a 3-4 in college.

RYAN: This summer I received an email from a reader in Spain who raved about how Jose Calderon would be the team's starting point guard by the All-Star break. At the time I chuckled over the idea of an undrafted rookie starting but watching Calderon play this year I believe the kid has the potential to have a long and successful future in the League. If Mike James had played at the same level as he did last season I think Calderon would be starting right now. Plus, the chemistry between Bosh and Calderon has been simply amazing. I don’t want go to and stick my foot in my mouth like when Charlie Villanueva compared himself and Bosh to Tim Duncan and David Robinson, but, I can’t help but think that Calderon and Bosh have a Stockton-Malone vibe going on.

(Tomorrow: Part III, wrapping it up with the dull and the danceable.)

Road trip woes

Here's your morning links, double-double:

MLSE's road trip from hell continued, the hockey side brain-cramping in Minnesota and the hoops hands sleepwalking in Portland.

Former Raptor turned Knick Antonio Davis went into the stands in Chicago last night during overtime against the Bulls. He was ejected, later explaining in a statement that his wife was being bothered by a drunken fan.

More on the flag flap: Catriona LeMay Doan tells The Don to shaddup, while curler Russ Howard is ready to hurry hard for the honour.

The Bills are closing in on Dick Jauron, Saints hire Payton, Lions hire -- Marinelli? And whatever happened to the NFL's push for hiring minority coaches, anyway?

CNNSI's John Donovan releases his Hot Stove League marks -- J.P. Ricciardi and the Jays get an A: "These moves could -- no, they should -- put the Jays into wild-card territory, at least." Yes, that could -- no, it would -- be the intent, I'm guessing.

Regular visitors know we're quite high on the U of T Blues' chances to do something big this year. In this week's national men's hoops rankings, they've cracked the top 10 for the first time since 1997.

Not sure why a 20th anniversary retrospective on Cal's run through the Stanford marching band is all that relevant with the 25th anniversary next year, but if Kottke links to it that's good enough for me. Besides, it's a pretty cool read, and it gives me a chance to link to Stanford's mascot, the Dancing Tree, who is probably the only Cardinal figure who didn't figure in the play.

Today's best bet: Buffalo at Vancouver. Sabres play the second of a six-game road trip and they are on the warpath, ooh-ahh, while Canucks have won five of last six.

Yesterday's best bet: A damp squib, as they say across the pond, as Manchester United hammers Burton Albion 5-0. Oh well, it was fun while it lasted. 1 1/2 stars -- one for showing up, the half for the 10,500 Brewers fans at Old Trafford. But no more. They didn't even manage a shot on goal, for pete's sake.