Of big matchups and busted Chickens

ANDREW WALLACE/TORONTO STAR

Big matchup in Orlando tonight. Literally.

So I wake up this morning, wander to get the daily paper outside the door and notice the frost on the car and the chill in the air and it’s like, ‘hey, this isn’t Orlando!’

No, it’s not. Taking this trip off, too (two more of the 16 or so road games I’ll miss go past the board) which kind of blows because it’s not, you know, warm here.

But the show must go on. And on it shall go. We’ll be in the home watching and blogging the games tonight and tomorrow so do not worry (and I know you all are).

Anywho …

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This should be an interesting one against the Magic.

I still think Orlando’s due to step back from the 50 wins a year ago because that bench is a big concern but as a measuring stick for the new-look locals, the game has some extra juice.

Six bigs, all with diverse skills, clogging the court. If Jose can go (and we won’t know until right before the game, I don’t imagine) an interesting matchup with the guy who killed them last year in the playoffs, Jameer Nelson.

What we should see is how far Bargnani has really progressed defensively. He really didn’t get the job done in the aborted start as a small forward last year but he was just thrown in there back then. He’s a better defender now, I don’t think he’ll as much trouble keeping Turkoglu or Lewis in front of him as he did last spring. The one thing I noticed most of all about Bargnani on Sunday was they he was able to move his feet and cut off the smaller, quicker Daequan Cook in that mismatch.

Sam told us yesterday this Three Bigs (notice it’s not the Big Three) is here for a while so Bargnani better get used to guarding small forwards.

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Here’s one of your more interesting Dwight Howard stats: He’s got a higher field goal percentage (60.3 per cent) than he does free throw percentage (52.1 per cent). That, even to someone who isn’t all the concerned about numbers, is telling. Hope Hump uses his six fouls wisely.

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A visit to the mail:

Q: I was at the game against Miami Sunday which your story describes as a "sellout".  At any given time about a fifth of the seats in the building seemed empty to me.  What qualifies as a sellout and who decides?

Sam S, Toronto

A: It’s all about tickets sold. That’s what determines sellouts, not bums in the seats. Easiest way for us to tell? We look up in the corners of the upper deck, if those seats are filled, the joint’s sold out.

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Can we all, please, throw cold water all over anyone’s idea that the Raptors will have any interest whatsoever ever in renting Stephon Marbury for the rest of this season if he gets a buyout from the Knicks.

The dude is toxic; he’s still got game, but he’s toxic. Can you imagine him playing backup to Jose Calderon in a contract year and liking it? Not a chance. No way.

He would, however, become the first Raptor with a tattoo on the side of his head. Of a shoe company logo. ON HIS HEAD!

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Wonder what they’re saying about this game down in Orlando? Glad you asked.

And I note with great glee that another story in that paper suggests the temperature will dip into the 30s (F) tonight. Tee-hee!

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The Chicken, everyone's favourite stuffed animal, makes it to the big time. Sports Illustrated's Ian Thomsen’s a friend and one of the very best NBA writers out there and now he’s really starting to do some investigative work. Nice yarn here.

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Q: Love the post game dissection, well done. I have a question about scouting reports? Do you ever get to see them? After reading your man Ira's article, I see that the Heat was surprised by our prowess on the boards Sunday. Do you think that the Magic will connect the dots or be caught off guard? Do you think that the "Big 3 Combo" will turn the tide on the rebounding woes?
Tom B, Uxbridge

A: The Heat wasn’t the only group surprised by Toronto’s rebounding prowess on Sunday; you can put the Raptors in that category, too.

We don’t see the actual written scouting reports, although we do normally get a glance on the locker room whiteboard at the plays that day’s opponents run.

But trust me, Orlando has seen everything the Raptors did on Sunday and have dissected it like mad over the last 24 hours.

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The weekly (some say weakly) dancing digression:

Warren Sapp, baby. Warren Sapp. Hope you voted early, and voted often.

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My initial reaction to Mark Cuban being charged with insider trading?

There’s no way in the world he’s that stupid to set himself up like that.

Of course, the only thing I really know about finance is if I put my bank card in the machine and hit some buttons money comes out but it’s inconceivable to me that a guy with so many varied business interests and so much money would make such a stupid, and obvious, mistake.

Now, I’m not a huge Cuban fan as a team owner for a variety of reasons. I think his over-the-top antics helped cause the meltdown in the final against Miami and I think his spoiling of players is more about him showing off than anything since he’s never attracted a high price free agent to Dallas but he’s obviously a brilliant businessman.

Way smarter than to do something that dumb for such a relatively small amount of money.

That worked out pretty well, didn't it?

RICK EGLINTON/TORONTO STAR

27 points from the big guy on this night.

I don’t know what was more exciting, a 13-2 Raptor run to open the fourth quarter and put a pretty entertaining game out of reach or Novak Djokovic’s thrilling 6-1, 7-5 win over Nikolay Davydenko in the Masters Cup final.

Dec. 13 is the next TV flash point, by the way. Better get on the phone and e-mail to Rogers so they don’t keep screwing it up for you unlucky viewers here in Toronto.

But, really, is it the end of the world if fans in the team’s home city miss two games on TV? Seriously. Is it? There are those in the hierarchy of Maple Leaf Sports who wonder.

Of course, Brian Burke’s coming so I figure he’ll get this thing resolved in some lunch break in between building the Leaves into this year’s Stanley Cup champions.

Enough, I know. On to the game.

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Action: Big guys, big game.

Reaction: Of course it’s going to stay.

Have had lots of readers wondering if Bosh, O’Neal, Bargnani was a one-time thing or not. Oh, no. It’s here for the foreseeable future, no question about it. There will be nights when it might be an abysmal failure but they aren’t going to start jerking guys in and out of the starting lineup on a game-to-game basis. And see what they got from those three (50 points, 29 boards) and the way Jamario played off the bench, why change?

And here’s an aside: A few critics wondering why Sam left Bargnani on the bench for the first 8 1-2 minutes of the fourth quarter, including one person who wrote:

"Smitch almost screwed it up when he sat Bargnani when Toronto went on its run.”

To which I can only add.

"Duh!!!!!”

They broke the game open with Kapono getting two big buckets and an assists and Hum making all four free throws he took. Yeah, it was absolutely ridiculous to leave Bargnani on the bench when that was happening.

Yeesh!

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The Chicken is a gamer. No question. Hobbled or not, the little fella was out there yucking it up like he usually does. God bless him. Really.

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Action: Will’s a thrill.

Reaction: One game at a time.

Now, Solomon was good yesterday. Not great. Good. Which is just what they needed. But anyone who thinks he can handle more than backup minutes over a long stretch of games is deluding himself. He’s a 14-15 minute a night guy when Jose comes back which, they hope, is soon.

I have no idea if Calderon plays Tuesday in Orlando (we’ll have a better grasp on it after practice in Toronto on Monday morning) but if he’s ready, he plays. His usual time.

Will’s 11-assist, four-turnover, 15-point outing against Miami was much needed. Now they need their starting point guard back.

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Here’s a mail question that sets up Tuesday:

Q: Would the Raptors benefit from going after a scoring wingman like JJ Reddick who is just not being used by Orlando in any form?  Or is the reason he's not playing THAT evident?  What have you seen from him thus far in his career and would his potential be met in Toronto. Oh, and how "safe" is Smitch's job?

Naoto Y, Calgary

A: He’s not being used in Orlando because he’s no good. At all. Would be the 11^th, 12^th, maybe 13^th man on this roster.

Sam’s job? Safe. Very safe. Safer than many wish. Sorry to disappoint.

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Check out what Ira had to say about Sunday:

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Action: Kapono’s dagger

Reaction: Play of the game.

This is one that sums up the afternoon and how well it went.

About 7 1-2 minutes left, Raps up 10 and looking to close it out. O’Neal, a monster, perfectly times a block of a Daequan Cook layup/dunk, Hump gets the loose ball and doesn’t hold it. A quick outlet to Ukic at about midcourt, three or four dribbles while Kapono catches up and drives to the three-point line on the right side. Ukic subtly dribbles two steps left, passes back to Kapono who makes a silky-smooth three. Toronto’s up 13 and somewhere in Chicago, they were getting out some salami and cheese.

That was a helluva sequence.

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A question often posed:

Q: I'm not going to get excited about Bargnani getting called for an offensive foul when he clearly didn't deserve it (replay showed it was a bad call, clearly...whatever). It does bring up something I've been wondering about this season. Everyone wants Bargnani to drive to the net, but he gets a lot of offensive fouls called on him.
Do you feel this has more to do with him being out of control, or do with refs having ideas in their heads about certain players and expecting Bargs to run someone over when he drives (I know I do)?

Paul C, Grassy Narrows, Ont.

A: It’s all on him. He has had the tendency to drive, head down, right into traffic without regard for a big getting settled in the paint. But he’s been better at it this year, he doesn’t drive in a straight line as much as he did in his first two years. It’s all about the evolution of a player.

There was one instance Sunday that illustrates it, as I look at my notes. About four minutes in, Bargnani’s got it going, he drives and instead of plowing into a defender, he kicks the ball to Parker, who makes a wide-open three. Last year – hell, maybe last week – that turns into a charge and a turnover.

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A story, told once so if you’ve read it, scroll down, about Scott Wall, one of yesterday’s officials.

We’re in Chicago to end the regular season last April and the refs are all at our hotel for a meeting the next day to set up the playoffs. We’re hanging with a few that we know well and Scott comes over, proudly showing off a baseball he got at a Cubs game that night.

But he’s got something else, as well. A Flat Stanley that he’d taken to Wrigley to have a picture taken for his kid’s school class back home.

That’s good Dad work.

(If you don’t know Flat Stanley, you’re not a parent, yet. Go look it up).

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And, finally

Q: I was wondering whether the addition of your post-game video wrap-up is, in fact, you auditioning for a part-time in-studio TV gig? It worked for Bosh on the Tonight Show.

Burtley F, Halifax

A: Yes, I believe my agent is handling all kinds of calls because big shot TV shows are falling all over themselves looking for a plump 50-year old with no television experience to turn into a star. Really.

But thanks.

The Goods On The Game, Vol. 9, The Game

Now, that's a sight gag. The Chicken, injured though it may be, is hanging around spreading its own kind of joy. But its wearing one of those funnel cones around its neck. You know, the kind a dog wears to prevent it from scratching itself or something. Made me chuckle.
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Anway, guess it's time to get on with the, you know, game.
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They just announced Erik Spoelstra as the head coach of the Miami Heat and I swear a guy behind me said, 'who?'
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The Raps have Bargnani on Marion, Bosh on Beasley and O'Neal on Haslem, as we expected.
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Bargnani cuts across the lane off an O'Neal screen, Bosh hits him and he makes a nice little 10-footer. That play's got some potential.
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Two times, Bosh has taken the ball hard to the hole, two times he's been fouled.
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A rather sedate crowd, as you'd expect on an early afternoon, but it looks like a sellout. Wonder how many are here 'cause they couldn't watch it on TV in Toronto thanks to Rogers and TSN?
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Miami coach Spoelstra, the guy not many know, is urging PG Mario Chalmers to pick up Will Solomon hard before halfcourt. Think we'll see lots of that today.
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Toronto 8, Miami 7 after three minutes.
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Someone has to call out screens. Anthony Parker just got drilled by Haslem, I believe it was, and it left Dwyane Wade wide open for a three.
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AP's now hit both three's he's attempted. They were much harder shots than he missed at the start of the Philly game so we'll chalk that one up to being an aberration.
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I'm sitting one guy down from Jack and Matt Devlin and I can tell you, Jack's pumped for this one. I'm not saying he's loud but ...
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Heat's taken Beasley out for Daequan Cook and now the Raps are using Bargnani on Cook and Bosh on Marion.
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Shawn Marion has the oddest looking jump shot of anyone I've seen in a very long time. But he just made a 23-footer so ...
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And here comes Hump as the first big off the bench. He's in for O'Neal.
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Toronto 18, Miami 16 with four minutes left in the first.
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Dwyane Wade is good. Damn good. He's back to his old form, no doubt about it. He just went around Parker and split a double for nice layup.
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You can't keep the sponsors straight. Wasn't it not too long ago that it was the Axe Dance Pak? Now it's Irish Spring. Or maybe the change came a long time ago and I'm just a doddering old fool.
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I'm wondering when Sam's going to get Roko for Will. He used to make the PG substitution right near the end of the first quarter.
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Things you never thought you'd see. Hump makes a nice play on the post for a basket and Sam stands up, walks a couple of steps on the court applauding. Really. For Hump.
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Daequan Cook is 6-5 and guarding the 7-0 Bargnani. If Toronto can't exploit that, something's wrong. And not only by having Bargnani score but by having him make passes out of the post.
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Toronto 29, Miami 27 after one.
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O'Neal's back for Bosh as it looks like they're going to stretch out Bargnani today. Can't remember him having this long a run in any game this season.
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How in the world no one in a Toronto uniform didn't just notice Andrea Bargnani on the block being guarded by Chris Quinn, who's about 6-2 in heels, I'll never know.
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Roko time. Back up PG usually gets about six minutes here, I presume Sam lets him go at least that long.
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JK in for Parker, and no time for Moon yet.
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Ukic looks a bit, um, skittish. Just had a shot blocked rather easily.
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Can't help but notice Toronto has 14 rebounds to seven for Miami. I can't help but notice 'cause it's just so darn strange.
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Here comes Jamario and I presume Bargnani gets a break.
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Miami 34, Toronto 33 with just over nine minutes left.
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Hump's in trouble. Blew a defensive assignment according to Sam, who's yelling at him and Bosh is in a race to the table to get in the game.
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That thunderous dunk by Joel Anthony makes me proud to be a Canadian. Or something like that.
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Hump had eight points and seven rebounds in eight minutes. Not bad.
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Jason Kapono might be the smartest Raptor. Two plays: One, he knows he's got a guy trailing him as he comes off a screen so he curls to the basket and makes about a 15-footer; next play, he flares to the corner to get some space and drills a three. A couple of common basketball plays but I'm not sure how many of his teammates make them.
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Seven Toronto turnovers and we're halfway through the second quarter. Troubling.
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Moon just tried to finish on the break, drew contact from Marion and got fouled. I don't recall Moon being on the deck after trying to finish in a long time. I can't see Sam, but I presume he's smiling.
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Raps 40, Heat 40 with five minutes left.
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Bosh is 1-for-6 from the floor, which many would think isn't good. He's also 7-for-8 from the line. Which is good.
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Jack's yammering on about the pucks. Matt and I are unimpressed.
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Jermaine O'Neal, who now has 10 rebounds, is having a tough offensive night, just 1-for-6 from the floor. And he's got three fouls and the rest of the half off.
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That's too easy. Wade goes right past Kapono and the help is non-existent.
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Will Solomon has just committed two turnovers in four possessions and had one bad pass batted out of bounds, luckily, by a Miami defender. They gotta get better PG play than that.
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The Raptor offence has been horrible all quarter. No ball movement, no player movement, no decisive leadership. I'm not saying the game is getting away. But it might be.
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Miami 54, Toronto 50 at the half.
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Whilst grabbing the traditional halftime fresh air, had about three people stop to wonder about Sam wearing his glasses. He's had some problems adapting to the results of the lasik surgery he had, I know that, and maybe it's got something to with that.
The things you learn here, eh?
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Raps 28 rebounds, Heat 16 rebounds. Strange times, indeed.
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Jose might be active, but he just got to the bench with a nifty suit on. Too bad it's not uniform.
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Wade's got 15 points but it's taken him 16 shots to get them. I honestly think the Raptors can live with that.
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Bargnani has been impresses. Really.
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Toronto 60, Heat 58 with nine minutes to go in the third.
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Hey, who's winning the big tennis match on TSN? Anyone care?
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Ah, the benefits of replay. Andrea just got called for a very cheap offensive foul and the first reaction here was, what a bad call. Saw the little picture-in-picture thing on our screen and, yes, it was a blown call. Badly.
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Chris Bosh so over-matches Shawn Marion when he drives him it's not even funny.
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Will Solomon has nine assists already, which is a career high. Since his career spanned 62 games with Memphis in 2001-02 and eight with Toronto this year, that's not much of a surprise.
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Toronto has more points in the paint, more second chance points, more rebounds and more fast-break points. Not bad.
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Bosh has now shot 12 free throws in exactly the kind of game they needed against the under-sized Heat.
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Toronto 69, Miami 68 with four minutes left.
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Hump's back for JO and Bargnani has to sit down with four fouls so Moon gets some time. There's been no Joey sighting all day, by the way.
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Moon, in the paint, scores off a Humphries pass. Talk about sentences we never thought would be typed.
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Moon, at the top, dishes to Hump, who takes a baseline jumper. Talk about sentences we could type every game.
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The odd man out in this new look offence seems to be Parker, who's only had three field goal attempts so far. But he just made a good runner for his third bucket and, really, he hasn't done a bad job on Wade, whose got 21 points on 22 shots.
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Toronto 80, Miami 78 after three.
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Hardly a lot of famous faces in the crowd but that is J. Bitove over there in the front row right at centre court. Just like the olden days when he was the grand poobah around here.
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Hump's got 12 and 8 in 12 minutes. Impressive numbers. And much needed.
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You know when a lot of us first met Erik Spoelstra, who is the Miami coach, in case you didn't know? Way back in the day, he was an advance scout for the Heat and you'd run into him at games or in Marriott concierge lounges. Now he's a big shot NBA coach.
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Twice now, Moon has driven and initiated contact. You don't think the message is getting through, do you? He's also shot five free throws, which is a single-game season high.
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Toronto 88, Miami 80 with 8 1-2 left.
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The Raptors are extending this lead with Bosh and Bargnani both on the bench which is not what any of us expected. Won't be for long, though, Bosh is at the scorer's table for Hump right now.
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This is as good as they can do it. O'Neal has an emphatic block of a dunk attempt, quick outlet to Ukic, couple dribbles, Kapono open for a transition three. Makes it, it's 93-80 with 7;15 left and this one is close to being over.
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Wonder if he'll bring Bargnani back or let Jamario finish the game?
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Here come Parker and Solomon for Ukic and Moon. Guess Moon won't finish.
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Raps 93, Heat 81 with 5:50 to go.
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O'Neal keeps getting great looks inside but has a tendency to shoot line drives. Once he makes nice soft bank shots, he's gonna be really impressive. His 15 rebounds are a pretty big thing, though.
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Will Solomon just made a nice three-pointer in transition. Big shot. Remember when he had a career-high 9 assists about two quarters ago? He's still got a career high 9 assists.
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Bargnani's back to finish the game as Kapono, with a tidy10 points, takes a seat. So, the starters finish for the Raptors.
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Bargnani's doing a good job keeping Daequan Cook in front of him, which I didn't expect.
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Heat are making a run, Raps have blown one timeout but they might need to take another.
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Wade's 13-for-30 from the floor right now. That's okay with the Raps, I'm sure.
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I get the sense the Raptors are just hanging on, playing as much not to lose as they are to win. They need this one.
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The dagger? A Bosh dunk off a good Solomon feed with a minute left.
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Toronto 107, Miami 96

The Goods On The Game, Vol. 9, Getting Ready for No Jose

And a find good afternoon to you all.

This just in:

Jose Calderon will be active but will not play. A cheerleading role, it seems. Will Solomon starts at point guard and this should be a something. Just what, I'm not sure. But something.
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I'm sure you're all nestled in with a computer fired up, a nice lunch spread ready to be nibbled on and thoughts of the cold outside (at least here in Toronto) far out of your mind.

As expected, Sam just confirmed that Andrea starts as the small forward but an hour to game time and we didn't know about Jose. When we spoke to Sam, Calderon was upstairs working out and seeing how he felt. Guess it didn't work out.

On Bargnani, here's Sam's thinking:

"The rational is he's playing better than the other two guys (Moon and Graham). We have to get more out of that postion."

Defensive concerns?

"We haven't guarded that position as well as we'd like, anyway."

So, that's all I've got now. Be back right after things get going.

Oh, wait! One other update: I saw The Chicken in the hallway an hour or so ago. It's got a decided limp so there'll be no dunking and probably fewer shenanigans than usual, but It's going to give it a go.

As they say, only the greats play hurt.

A little bit to get the day started

Not all that slow a weekend now that I think about it.

We’ve got the on-going Jose Calderon thingy, and the suggestion that once again Andrea Bargnani will start at small forward.

For a day when it’s usually sleepy around the Air Canada Centre, there was some news. Luckily we’ll get an early look at all this what with the afternoon game and all. It’ll be nice to sit on the couch and watch, won’t it?

Or maybe not, depending on where you live.

Short and sweet this morning, gotta get all gussied up for the big game and there’ll be lots here later to digest. And don’t forget to tune back in at 1 p.m. to follow the game.

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A gamble? Of course it’s a gamble. Moving Bargnani back to the starting lineup – if in fact that’s what Sam does and I got an overwhelming sense from a few people I talked to yesterday that it’s a done deal for now – toys with him, the rotation, the other bigs and puts an awful lot more pressure on the coach.

I personally don’t think Bargnani is a small forward. Being defended by threes takes away most of the advantage he had going against fours, which is quickness and the ability to beat them off the dribble. Defending threes may lead him to the early foul trouble that takes him out of games. I’m not sure there’s enough space on the floor with Bosh and O’Neal to let Bargnani attack the basket, something he’s been doing more of this season. I think the kid was finally getting comfortable in a defined role and now it’s changed, at least for the start of the game.

The plus side? Well, the case was made by one guy I talked to yesterday that it does put Toronto’s five best players on the court to start the game. And just because they start big doesn’t mean they have to finish big. And, of course, I’ve said for days something had to be changed at the three.

Sam? Well, now Sam has to massage minutes more carefully, I think. Does he go with Hump a lot? Use Joey at the four? Can he move his bigs (Bosh, O’Neal and Bargnani) in and out effectively enough so that there are long stretches where two of them are on the floor playing centre and power forward?

And what about Jamario? Is he out of the rotation entirely? I don’t imagine so but now you’re looking at a deeper rotation, using 10 or 11 guys for sure (five starters, Moon, Kapono, Hump, maybe Joey and whichever point guard is the backup of the day) and that’s too many.

Yes, a gamble.

And at 4-4, I’m not sure this isn’t too big a gamble to take.

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Here’s how my friend Ira sets up this afternoon’s tilt in the pages of his paper.

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Hey, when you Rogers subscribers are not watching the game this afternoon, remember this statement from Raptor poobah Tom Anselmi, borrowed from Zelk’s story in Friday’s paper:

"If we missed one game I suppose that wouldn't be the end of the world but for a long period of time it's not the place where any of us want to be, TSN, Rogers or us.”

Well, trust me, I know there are people out there for whom missing one game might be the end of the world, don’t imagine they’re too impressed with that quote.

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Quick stop for a question:

Q: Just wondering, if I recall correctly, the Raptors still have the rights to Carlos Delfino (restricted agent no?).  If they do, do those rights have any meaningful value in a trade?  I mean, he's getting paid zero by the Raps so I guess there is no monetary value in this cap system, but do they hold any other potential value in a trade?

Sohail G, Collingwood

A: Nope, no value whatsoever. Delfino remains a restricted free agent, meaning Toronto can match any offer he gets from an NBA team next year or they may be able to get involved in a sign-and-trade transaction but nothing until Delfino’s out from under his contract in Russia.

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So what about Jose? No one knows for sure. I do know he looked way better Saturday than he did on Friday and if he’s that much better Sunday, I’m sure he’ll go. But if he’s got a slight chance at making the injury worse by playing, he should shut it down.

I’m finishing this up about 8:15 a.m. and I presume he’s already at the arena getting treatment and seeing how it goes.

But just think:

If he can’t play, it’s Will Solomon and Roko Ukic against Mario Chalmers and Chris Quinn in the point guard matchup! Springfield, take note.

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And, finally:

Q: Doug, when the Raptors beat Miami and Calderon only plays 20 minutes, can we return to the 78-4 talk?

Ted S, Waterloo

A: I would suggest that for as many people who are on the 78-4 bandwagon, there will be some who are all about 5-77. It’s the nature of the zany Raptor fan base.