Just like clockwork, the mail gets delivered on time

Wow, we’re pretty full this week, again.

Don’t despair if your query isn’t here, I’ll get some out in the regular blog and in the Three Things part of post-games this weekend.

This week’s themes: Do they need Rasho, a couple of wild and crazy trade ideas and – for something entirely different – an idea about moving Jose.

Q: Is it just I? We miss Garbajosa even though it is hard to put one's finger on WHY we miss him. I am sure the stats would not reveal he is being missed that much. Yet a strong if ineffable feeling remains: boy, was he good when we needed him for a pass, a deflection, a rebound, an important shot.

Doug, what do you think IS a glue guy?

What specific traits do glue guys provide? Why are they so rare and hard to define? Who are the top "glue guys" now playing in the NBA? Are they recognized for what they bring?>

Charles N, Mexico-Toronto

A: No, it is not just you at all. It’s Sam Mitchell and Bryan Colangelo and the other 14 guys on the roster who miss Garbo. A lot.

To me, ‘glue’ guys are the ones who make big plays that don’t really get noticed, they know their roles and perfect them, they are good teammates because they encourage others and set examples of hard work and a willingness to sacrifice for the good of the team.

I’d say the top one in the league right now is Bruce Bowen in San Antonio, I’d put Kurt Thomas in Seattle as another who’s helping a very young team. I’d also suggest Grant Hill’s going to do that in Phoenix despite only being there one season.

Are they recognized? Yeah, at the pay window and by sticking around the league a very long time.

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Q: My question: We keep reading about how impressive is the ratio of assists to turnovers for Jose C. It is, maybe...I just wonder if the few turnovers is very much a reflection of the Raptors being an outside-shooting team. In other words, where some point guards make turnovers trying to hit cutters or others inside, with the exception of Bosh (and sometime Calderon himself), the Raptors lack an inside game. The majority of Calderon's assists seem to be earned on hitting outside shooters. I'd be happy to see a few more turnovers if it means a surge of points in the paint. What do you think?

Richard W, Toronto

A: With all due respect, I think only a Raptor fan would want the NBA leader in assist-to-turnover ratio to commit more turnovers.

I think the few turnovers are a reflection of his intelligence as a basketball player, not his unwillingness to make the flashy play.

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Q: I had to comment on the Rasho-Andrea thing. I seem to recall about 12 or 14 games into last season you wrote "What the Raptors need is more Rasho," that was about 48 hours after I had announced the same around the office. I want to know how many games it will be before you make a similar announcement.

I think Rasho has been the unsung hero on this squad, it never shows up in the box score, but they do play better D when he is on the floor, get more rebounds, he doesn't block a lot of shots but seems to alter quite a few, he sets solid screens and while some match ups don't favour him he does defend the likes of Dwight Howard and Chris Kaman quite well. I know we need Andrea's potential offence, but one has to wonder if he can replace all or any of those intangibles that Rasho brings every night.

Robert K, Shelburne

A: I’m of the opinion that Rasho is an important player on this team, for his leadership on the court defensively. He’s been in the playoffs every year of his career, including in Minnesota and Toronto, and I think that says something about him.

I think, eventually, you’re going to see a three-man frontcourt rotation of Bosh, Bargnani and Rasho, with the Hump being fourth, used on nights when someone (Bargs) gets in foul trouble.

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Q: A few questions:

Do you think that Delfino will command a Kapano-type contract ($ wise) next summer?

Is Grunwald still with the Knicks? I never see him mentioned by the New York press. Would he survive Thomas getting fired?

Who will be the starting/finishing five for the Raptors come play-off time this year?

How much can the Raptors spend on Calderon and Delfino before they get into luxury taxes?

J.L. Toronto

A: Hey, do we have to put a limit on the number of questions per question? Kidding. Okay, here we go

Yes, a full mid-level contract is very much the kind of money Delfino will ommand.

Yes, the lucky fella’s still there in New York and I think he would survive, in the short-term.

Starters: Ford, Parker, Delfino, Bosh, Bargnani. Finishers: Probably the same, maybe a centre not currently with the team finishes for Bargnani.

Spending? That’s too hard to say, really. But I will. If the tax threshold is around $70 million and no roster moves are made, they’ll be about $10 mil below. So they could do Delfino at full mid-level and match a really good offer and stay below it. Of course, that’s all speculation ‘cause the numbers aren’t nearly final.

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Q: Re: the great Bargnani debate, I'm of the opinion that, long-term, there are players who make more sense from a chemistry and "game-fits-the-needs-of-the-team" perspective. The Raptors have a surplus of shooters and an obvious lack of toughness and rebounding down low.

Share your thoughts on Emeka Okafor if you would. I see a very good rebounder, shot blocker, banger and help defender who just happens to play for a team that might balk at paying him the kind of money that he'll command as a restricted free agent. Could you see Bryan making a call, perhaps using Rasho's expiring contract as leverage?

David T, Nashua, N.H.

A: Hey, Jed Bartlett territory! Best president in decades.

I like Emeka Okafor, or I should rather say I used to like him a lot more. He is a good shot blocker, fine defender but he really hasn’t developed into the presence I, and many others, thought he would.

But he would be a nice fit, although I think he’d be too expensive as a free agent in the off-season and I don’t think the Raptors have the pieces Charlotte would want in a trade to rent him for the rest of this season. The Bobcats got their centre in Nazr Mohammed so Rasho’s out, and a package of shooters wouldn’t be enough, I don’t think.

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Q: If you could pick any player in the league and put them on the roster who would it be? Rather than a player anyone pick like Nash, Kobe etc? Like a good star player that would help/support Bosh and Bargnani?

Jermaine M, Toronto

A: I can’t pick stars? That’s a toughy. Okay, here’s three: Richard Jefferson, Antawn Jamison and Joe Johnson would be on the list. We’re not talking all-stars, right?

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Q: I'm not sure if you do the hypothetical trade forum stuff however it appears as though the Raps are only (1) impact player away from contending.  Here is my trade, tell me why the Raps wouldn’t make this deal.  TJ, Rasho, Garbo, Graham for Shaq and an unprotected #1. Miami needs to rebuild around Wade with good role players and gets cap relief next season (I think?). We use a few spare parts to get a chance to contend over the next 2 1/2 seasons.  If it doesn’t work, Bosh, Calderon and Bargnani are still young enough to continue to build around when the Diesel comes off the books. Thoughts?

Rob V, Waterloo

A: Why they wouldn’t do it? How about ‘cause Shaq’s done? And that’s way too high a price to pay for a guy who’s done and who is owed about $40 million on his contract. I don’t do a lot of hypotheticals but this one caught my eye.

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Q: I'm thinking now that Christmas has come and gone, it's finally no longer too early to start talking about trades. How about this one: Bargnani for Ben Gordon. Toronto needs a slashing/scoring swingman and Chicago needs shooting and a low-post presence. I can think of a bunch of reasons why this would or would not work, but assuming Bargnani regains his shooting form and continues to develop a low-post game after getting back into the starting line-up, could you see either Toronto or Chicago wanting to go for this coming up to the trade deadline? Not that I'm endorsing it, it's just the least ridiculous trade I could come up with ...

Andre C, Toronto

A: At least it’s not Shaq. But I don't think Bargnani gives Chicago what they want and I'm pretty sure Ben Gordon would be just another player in Toronto.

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Q: I really enjoy your blog, and I hope you had a Merry Christmas. I was wondering if you knew if the Raptor players who aren't from the U.S. were able to get home for Christmas?

Tannis T, Eastend, Sask

A: Thanks, hope you had a great holiday, too.

All of ‘em got back from Phoenix to meet friends and family and even though they weren’t in their own countries, they all seemed to have had a good time.

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Q: How does it feel to be among the list of famous "Doug's" in Toronto? Gilmour, Christie, and now Smith!!!

Okay, so my question, with regards to NBA players playing for their countries. For every Jose Calderon who plays for his country and comes back playing out of his mind for his NBA club team, there are guys like Garbo and Gasol who get injured while playing international ball. When injuries happen while playing for your country, are the teams that pay their salary on the hook for it if the player cannot play during the season?

Marino F, Richmond Hill

A: Oh yeah, the NBA clubs are on the hook for every dime of the salary. It’s two entirely different things, international ball and the NBA.

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Q: I have recently been turned on to basketball (thanks to an elementary coaching assignment) and was wondering what age a typical American player would start playing.  Is there an extensive club system in the States, or is most of the development through elementary and high school?

Steve B, Sudbury

A: Typical? Early grade school, I’d guess. Around Grade 4.

And you’ll find most the development, sadly, comes through AAU and club ball rather than the schools. I say sadly because the clubs are more interested in games, travel and shoe deals than making kids truly learn the fundamentals of the game.

If you’re coaching kids in school, make ‘em learn to dribble, pass and shoot, drill ‘em ‘til you can’t drill ‘em any more. They’ll appreciate it later.

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Q: For the people who complain about Moon, he is still a steal even if he falls back to the bench. Nothing much expected, not much of a salary (except for dumping Luke, who is just filling up the stat sheet in Miami - that's a joke youngins) but he has given at least as much as most making ten times as much.

As for a question, how is Jose's hand. I would think that injury would bother most players but a PG, has he said anything about it? (and for Jose's defence of four assists against the Suns, if you could add two Hump blew, and a couple on the many fouls on Chris, he be right there at the season average - which is high cause of some hot shooting games by his team. )

Bruce M, Winnipeg

A: Jose’s hand’s okay. Asked him about it yesterday, as a matter of fact. He’s still got the two fingers taped together on his left hand and it’s limiting him a bit (hurts a bit when he catches hard passes) but he’s got to play through it. Doctors tell him it’s going to be a good long while before he’s 100 per cent but that’s something he has to live with.

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Q: Any chance the Raps change their intro music this year? I’d suggest "Sunday morning" by K-OS for Sunday games. Also, here’s a scenario: Assuming TJ is all fine and dandy, in the off-season, would the Raps contemplate dealing Jose Calderon for Josh Smith in a straight up sign and trade? There are some pretty good projected late first round point guards available who could backup TJ (DJ Augustin, Darren Collison and Rodrigue Beaubois).

Josh S, Thornhill

A: I’ll pass on the music suggestion to the powers that be.

Nope, I wouldn’t do that Calderon-Smith deal for two reasons: Even if T.J. looks great for a long time, you never, ever know what his long-term situation is going to be and you need a backup as talented as Calderon, as we’ve seen of late. And I’m not a huge Josh Smith fan. He’s good, but not great in my book. I could be wrong – and I’m sure many people out there will let me know just how wrong – but that’s my opinion.

Comments

[shrugz]

you forgot to mention okafor is injury prone (hasn't played more than 70 games since the first season) and wants Dwight Howard money (or so the rumors say, I tend to believe half of what people say)

Anyways, how good would it be to have a person with delfino's D/Speed and Kapono's shooting?

[Bay Street Lawyer]

"maybe a centre not currently with the team finishes for Bargnani"

Is there any chance the Raptors give Bargnani some time at the SF position? Hear me out... Bargnani was "raised" as a PF who plays outside of the paint. The Raptors have been trying to convert him to a position that better suits his size, but that's going to take time (read: years).

I noticed that Seattle is playing Durant at SG, despite the fact that he's 6'9 and played in the front court through high school and college - reason being is that Durant is just not developed enough (physically) to bang in the paint, but is skilled enough to play the wing and the point. Over the next few years, as Durant fills out, he's going to move down to the SF and maybe even the PF positions.

Why not run Bargnani out at the SF for some stretches? He's got the skills, he's quick for his size and the Raptors would not have to rely on his rebounding and banging skills until he is ready. Bargnani could create mismatches, even with his "limited" post game, with his ability to shoot and feed the post over smaller defenders. The prime concern would be SF beating him off the bounce, but to address that, we could look to acquire a shot-blocking centre.

Any chance Colangelo could pry Dalembert from Philly for Rasho's expiring contract, some younger talent or some draft picks? It's a nice fit. Dalembert rebounds, blocks shots and is more athletic than Rasho. He's not adverse to playing in or for Canada. His contract is a monster, but what shot-blocking, rebounding centre comes cheap?

Thoughts?

Blogger's note: I don't think the Sixers are ready to give up on Dalembert and I wonder if he's worth the big coin he makes.
Bargnani at the three? I think that might be something we see; they played well when they went big last year with Bargnani, Bosh and Garbajosa so I can imagine they might try that again, once they get Bargnani going.

[kmason]

Hi Doug, another female poster and a first timer as well. But i've been reading daily for a couple months now. Glad i found you.
You are a funny man - "With all due respect, I think only a Raptor fan would want the NBA leader in assist-to-turnover ratio to commit more turnovers."
But sadly you will never attain the level of adoration that I have always and will continue to hold for the other famous Toronto cager named Doug. I am one fan who will always mourn the loss of Doug Christie with this ball club.
(Yeah, yeah, his wife is crazier than glue, but he just might have been our 'glue' guy, as you were mentioning).

Blogger's note: Welcome. Hope you're a regular contributor.
If I can be second to Christie, I guess I'll have to be happy with that. He was a helluva player when he was here. A good 'glue' guy.
But you're right about his wife, well put.

[Wyatt S]

WAKE UP DOUG!

You got scooped by another Toronto newspaper breaking the story about Colagelo possibly trading Dixon and Graham!

GET TO WORK!

Blogger's note: Did you really have to send this three times? But thanks for thinking of me
When did that trade happen?
Oh, and it's Colangelo.
Have a nice day

[Mark]

Speaking of Glue men, Nocioni must be up there. He's always setting picks, scrapping for loose balls and doing the dirty work. I would love to see him in Toronto - yourself Douglas ?

Blogger's reply: I'm a big Nocioni fan, sorta Garbo with a more quickness. He's a bit inconsistent as a shooter but he'd be the starting small forward on this team in a second.
Can't see how it happens, though.

[patrick r]

Hey Doug,

re: Turnover to assists, I think there may been something else on that letter writer's mind. I have felt the Jose vs TJ debate was off the mark because, there seemed little mention of the D grit and athleticism that TJ brings. TJ may be prone to more t/o's than Jose, however he does put far more pressure on the D than Jose does, is better at creating his openings and his "athleticism and risk taking" makes the perimeter game more accessible. Also TJ is the better defender, doesn't need anywhere near the help D that Jose needs. The longer Jose starts and plays the greater these weakneses become. The writer was also correct in his assessment that the team is soft has no interior game to speak of. No question Jose protects the ball better than most in the game, but on a soft team with no interior presence for the other team to fear and a pg who is not going to break you down, save for the curl off a high pick and roll, that stat is particularly meaningless. The other team won't need turnovers to exploit Toronto when Toronto can shoot no better than 40% from the floor and has no answers when the perimeter game is off. I think these next couple of games will prove my point. That is not to say that Jose's style cannot work, but on the Celtics, Cavs or Lakers it would be a better fit than with this current Toronto Team.

By the way say Hi to Gumby for me.

Patrick

[Shrugz]

watching the game right now like what I see from bargnani minus the TOs of course, could use a few more Rebounds hahahahha

anyone you think Toronto could sign a 10 day contract to help out at the PG position?

Blogger's notes: Jan. 5 is the first day for 10-days and I might have said yes but the emergence of Juan Dixon as a viable 14-minute a game backup for Calderon may lessen that need now.

[GM]

TJ a good defender? Well, that's certainly an interesting take! How many times does the opposing big point guard (and they're almost all bigger than Ford) take the little man down low and abuse him? Too often. Not that I make much of Jose's assist/turnover stat, either, although I think he's a superior passer. I think his biggest asset is his team leadership. I'd still like to see won-loss records of both TJ and Jose when they're each starting over the past two seasons. Any way to look that up?

[FireLord]

Do the Raptors take the bus or plane when traveling from San Antonio to Houston? I hear it's only 3 hours up some highway.

Blogger's note: They flew, mostly because they need the plane here to get to New Orleans tomorrow. It is an easy drive, we just did it. And that's why I'm just about to do The Morning After.

[patrick r]

GM,

There are two sources you might find that info, one is raptors.com and the other is the nba.com.

I agree TJ can be posted up, however it is not done as often as you think as PG's don't do it and coaches don't set plays for it. Case in point, Utah and Golden State, surely both Baron Davis and Deron Williams could have had their way in the post agst TJ, but when you look at the numbers in the two games they don't bear it out. Davis had only 14 pts and 1 FTA, Williams scored 22 but only went to the line 7 times. Besides TJ's quickness can negate the advantage in the post. Also there are nuances in the game that make that play risky, help defense from the weak side means a bigger stronger defender will be waiting for the usually smaller PG. Secondly, in the NBA with a few exceptions the PG is not your go to guy for points. Third, a few exhibits for you to mull over when you research the game stats. The best examples I can give on the defense of TJ's defence vs Jose's would be the matchups with Boston and Rondo, first two times they met this year Rondo was a complete non factor and TJ went off on him big time. Yes I know the Celtics still won, but it wasn't due to TJ's lack of D or Leadership. The last time the Celtics came into TO, Rondo abused Jose and Jose didn't make Rondo work that hard. I sure bet the last time Boston came into town he would not have liked seeing them swagger onto the ACC court and abuse his team they way they did, and he would have had something to say about it. A couple of other examples; Brandon Roy at Portland and last night Tony Parker each used Jose as a pylon. Besides Jose can be posted up as well. Yes Jose makes better passes, but what do you base that conclusion on? He is the better passer (for now) because he is not the risk taker that TJ is nor does he penetrate as well as TJ and on this team because the wings tend to be more DQ (Dairy Queen) then Chunky Charles (Oakley) TJ's penetration is the only time that the other teams D is really challenged. As for leadership it is ironic that the one quality that sets TJ Ford apart from most others may well be the quality that costs him his career, his fearlessness which by any standard is one of the top leadership qualities you measure one by.

Once again I will reiterate that Jose has game and he certainly can start in the NBA, but his game is more suited to a team that has more chunky Charles and less DQ.

I guess the debate continues.

[lennox]

don't look at the win loss stats for the two pgs, just keep this in mind. every year tj ford has played he has made the playoffs. in his rookie year he took the bucks to the playoffs. the year he was out, they missed the playoffs. his third year guess what happened. the same for his first year with the raps as he helped to carry this team to the playoffs for the first time in years. the thing is, tj is a winner. he is still learning how to be a better facilitator. but he forces the defense to pay attention to him and he creates space for his fellow players. it is not surprising that parker and moon's offense has diminished since he is out.

calderon needs to attack the rim more to create more spacing for this jump shooting team. that is why a penetrating 2 is vital for this team to take the next step. watching brandon roy still makes me shake my head and wonder. what if, what if. that man, with bosh and ford would have carried this team into elite status.

[GM]

I agree with the basic sentiment. This isn't a zero-sum game and I'm glad you realize that. Too often in the great TJ-Jose debate, it seems the detractors of one or the other believe the other player simply can't play. It's obvious they both belong in the league and both can be starters. So it's a simple preference.

I think there's any number of reasons for low stats by Barron Davis, Derron Williams or whoever. I don't think, though, in the ever-changing defence of the Raptors (and most NBA teams) you can attribute it to one defender most of the time. And besides, you'd have to actually see the game. I base my opinion on observation. I didn't, for example, see Tony Parker use Calderon like a pylon -- any more than he does with anyone else, including players like Jason Kidd. All the guy does is shoot layups. But if you do want to play the stat game, Tony Parker shot 4 of 12 last night, scored 15 points and committed 7 turnovers. So if you're going to praise a TJ for the stats of a Davis or Williams, you're going to have to praise Calderon for the stats of Parker. Know what I'm saying?

As for Rondo, there are any number of reasons a player goes off in one game (if you consider 14 points "going off"). It could be the opponent's defensive philosophy has changed (they may have left him more open figuring he wasn't a threat), or he could just be more comfortable in his role alongside three superstars than he was earlier in the season. Then you have to look at if he scored all 14 of his points against Calderon, or was somebody else checking him at the time. (And for the record, TJ only went off in the first Boston game. In the second game, the worst Raptor performance of the year, he had 12 points, 3 assists and 4 turnovers.)

I don't base my conclusion that Jose is a better passer on the fact his passes are "safer". I base it on observation. I don't think they are safer at all. I think they just look safer because he's a much better passer. He consistently throws alley-oop passes in traffic and leading lobs down low that TJ is simply incapable of. When he tries, the bounce around or sail out of bounds so some people think it was a tough pass. I really don't think they are; I just think they're difficult *for him*.

As for leadership, I think two of the greatest ever were Magic and Michael. I never saw them throwing their bodies around, so I'm not convinced that's a decent guage of what makes a leader. Rodman played that way, and while he was valuable, I'd hardly call him a leader. But what Jose does that Magic and Jordan did is constantly talk to his teammates, explain to them what they need to do or what he's going to do, and encourage. One thing a coach always tries to get his players to do is talk, communicate. Plus, he's a team-first guy. He takes what the defence gives him rather than trying to impose his will on the game at the expense of the team.

Fiinally (whew!), I don't know about Calderon's supposed lack of penetration. He probably gets more layups than anyone, and they're not all from pick-and-rolls. He uses change of speed superbly.

[patrick r]

Ole' GM.

It is all good man.

Hey Doug this TJ/Jose stuff is kind of like blonde, brunette and redhead isn't it? Me I love em all. Thanks for the blog I gotta go and observe the rest of my holiday.

Peace

Blogger's note: This Jose-TJ thing is over the top. Always has been.
But it's all good
Enjoy your holiday.

[Cold-Fx]

The Raptors are playing beneath their potential. Here is what Bryan Colangelo needs to do to improve the team:

1) Fire Sam Mitchell - he looks confused and cannot run a set play to save his life.

2) Trade Bosh.... yes, trade Chris Bosh - he settles for jump shots too often at crucial moments and is not a terrific leader. It seems that he currently is as good as he can get so why not pick up some solid pieces for him now and trade for or acquire (free agency) a true franchise player later on.

3) Cut down the rotation to 8-9 guys max.

4) Continue to allow Bargnani to play minutes and develop his game and confidence.

5) TJ Ford? Hard decision - not worth as much in the trading waters now after his injuries.

Blogger's note: A tad drastic, don't you think?