The Morning After The Night Before, XXXI

That’s the kind of loss that lingers. Seeing the mood in the Raptor locker room after the game – think dark, very dark – it’s going to take a day or two to get over blowing that lead against Cleveland.

VINCE TALOTTA/TORONTO STAR

The Raptors sure weren't laughing after this one.

Luckily for them, there’s no game until Wednesday. And I hate to put this out there but don’t you think all three that are left this week -- Philly, at New York, Portland on a Sunday afternoon -- are significant games?

Anyway ...

Three Things I Learned

Small lineup, small results

Watching the Raptors putter around on offence with a small roster in the fourth quarter – 20 points isn’t going to get it done – did it strike you that maybe they should have made a change? Maybe gone big? Put Bargnani back on the court and see if he could make some shots?

Asked Sam about it post game and he said: “We had to have guys who can try to help and then close out to their shooters.”
Which makes some sense but since LeBron was playing on one side of the court only, having Bargnani guard someone on the other side, where he wouldn’t have to help and recover, probably wouldn’t have hurt. It wasn’t like Devin Brown was gonna light ‘em up.

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Juan’s troubled times

Juan Dixon’s doing the best he can playing a position he’s not used to but the results of late have been bad. He hasn’t scored in two games and has had two assists total in his last three.

Here’s one for you: Go get Damon Stoudamire. Not sure what Memphis would want, but Stoudamire’s money isn’t too bad and he could be the kind of veteran presence this team could use.

The concern, in some quarters, is that the Raptors may not see T.J. Ford in uniform for another month (think post-all star) and I’m not sure they can go another 15 games or so in the current situation.

Would fans accept Damon back in a city where they boo him just about every time they see him? I’d think so.

One other name floating out there is Portland’s Sergio Rodriguez, who’s buried behind Steve Blake and Jarrett Jack. Even Sam Cassell would work, don't you think?

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Trickle down effect

Seven points in New Orleans. Five points against Detroit. Eleven against Cleveland. Some bench production, eh?

What used to be a strength is now a weakness and the reason, to these eyes, is simple. Force Jose Calderon to run with the first unit and it screws up the second. That may be an over-simplification but you’ve got to admit it makes sense, no?

Of course, some of the responsibility for the bench woes has to go to the guys who occupy it and Carlos Delfino, Jason Kapono and even the Hump simply have to play better.

Or else this is going to turn into a loooooooong few weeks.

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Three Things You Wondered

Q: Are the Raps the softest team in the NBA?

Jordan S, Toronto

A: No. They aren’t the toughest but they’re not the softest, either. I’d take ‘em over the likes of Minnesota, the Clippers, Charlotte and, yes, even Miami right now. I’m talking physical determination (like at the end of the New Orleans game) and mental toughness.

They could be better, sure.

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Q: Just watched LeBron go off on the Raps. We could not stop their "star" player. Varejao and Cleveland other bigs started banging our "star" around and he disappeared.
Franchise, max money players, have ability to shift to a higher gear and carry their team to victory when necessary. Is Bosh there yet and if not can he get there or is he as good as he is going to get.
Your thoughts on this issue please.

Brian A, Toronto

A: Bosh has not played well the last week, not up to the standards they expect at least. And until he brings that consistency every night, he’s not ‘there’ at all. He should get there, he’s got the physical tools and the mental discipline but it’s not been a quick process. It better become quicker because they need him. Every night.

I’m going to dispute the ‘disappeared’ tag. In the fourth quarter, Bosh had eight of Toronto’s 20 points, hit three of five shots, and three of Toronto’s five rebounds. He was a factor.

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Q: Hey Doug. Were you able to catch Boston-Detroit II (Saturday) night? Great game, lots of interesting storylines. I'm watching Glen Davis go off in the fourth quarter and I couldn't help but think of another undersized, second round pick of the Cavaliers a couple years back named Carlos Boozer. Do you think that Davis might have that kind of potential?

David T, Nashua, N.H.

A: Ready for the primary?

I don’t, actually. I like what Davis did in that game against Detroit but most of his shots were layups after others broke down the Piston defence. It’s not like he was making plays.

I do think Davis, despite being invisible in the three games against Toronto, will be a solid rotation player but never an all-star. Good, but not great.

He’d sure look good on this team, though, wouldn’t he?

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What they wrote

Check out today’s game story from my man Branson Wright in Cleveland.

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Mea culpa time

In Sunday’s paper, as a few of you pointed out, I wrote: "Toronto has had fewer than 10 turnovers in 12 games this season, they had fewer than 10 in the entire 2006-07 season."

Of course, what I meant was: "Toronto has had fewer than 10 turnovers in 12 games this season, they had fewer than 10 in 12 games in the entire 2006-07 season.

Oops.

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Comments

[TMF]

I'm surprised more has not been made of the phantom goaltending call against Moon in the third quarter. That had to be one of the worst calls I've ever seen. I can't believe the refs didn't confer -- somebody had to have a better angle at it. I would imagine the other two refs certainly didn't think it was goaltending, given that they did not blow their whistles within the first few seconds after it happened.

Sure, the Raptors blew a huge lead, couldn't make any free throws, were soft on the glass and Lebron just took over, but in a game that ended up being very close, those extra two points go a long way towards a victory.

Blogger's note: For you and all the others who wrote on this one: If you watch the replay closely, and we did, there was a chance the ball would have hit the rim; it was a very close call but I think they got it right. And so did m any others connected with the team after seeing the replay.

[Andrew R]

Doug, IMO you are bang on with your 4th quarter assesment. I was with my family so in muted frustration I wondered 3 things: 1)Why isn't Bargnani on the floor? Dixon, on the floor. Delfino was there and even Kapono for a spell. How is the big fella supposed to regain confidence and develop into our next franchise guy if he's not on the floor in close 4th quarters?
2)Why wasn't Moon put on Lebron? I can't believe how many times we watched Parker get toasted by Mr. James. I think throwing Apollo 33 at him would have at least been a different look. He's quick enough and has the height to at least be as good as Parker against Lebron.
3)Is LeBron gonna be as good as MJ? I'm scared.

Blogger's note: I think Bargnani probably should have played a few minutes as least; Parker is a better defender on James than Moon, at least in the opinion of the people who count; James will be as good as Jordan as soon as he wins a championship, or has a legitimate shot at one 'cause he and the Cavs had no chance against the Spurs last year.

[Dinosty]

Still wiping up the puke from my living room rug.

Those concerned that TJ won't come back for some time have good reason - he is extremely vague regarding timeline (I understand he has to be, but that doesn't instill confidence in the fans...which I doubt is his priority). I worry that he'll continue to be a liability for this team, for this franchise that is full of GOOD people who will stick with him through the good and bad (a la Alvin), not willing to trade him while we can.

The thing is: Toronto wouldn't be able to live with the stigma of being the team that traded a hurt TJ Ford. And having that emotion cloud business judgement is the reason some teams(and businesses) just can't seem to 'make it', despite their pieces and products.

[shrugz]

bosh only took 5 shots in the fourth? he should be taking more than that IMO.

anyways is it true that one of the players on the bench was talking trash to lebron james?

Blogger's note: Did you notice how aggressively they were double-teaming Bosh? He couldn't get more shots off, I don't think.
I talked to two players and two coaches today who said there was no trash-talking from the bench, only the stands.
And I talk to people I trust and who have never misled me before so I believe them.

[Debbie]

I know one way Chris Bosh could get to the all-star game, he could quit making videos and getting new hair styles and work on gaining the consistency and performance for the Raptors that all stars exhibit. I wish he took this game a little more seriously than he appears to.

Blogger's note: You don't think he takes the game seriously? Are you serious. You're wrong, I'm afraid.

[Eric]

"I’m going to dispute the ‘disappeared’ tag. In the fourth quarter, Bosh had eight of Toronto’s 20 points, hit three of five shots, and three of Toronto’s five rebounds. He was a factor."

Your numbers will enter the record books as accurate, but remember that one of those rebounds and two of those points came at the final buzzer when the Cavs had pretty much already left the court. So in reality, Bosh's only numbers that carried any meaning were his six points (of the team's 18), two made baskets (of four attempts) and two rebounds (of the team's 4). So... he was a 'factor'? Is that the right word for it? But that last basket sure does look nice on the boxscore, I agree. Makes it seem like he actually did more than he did. The Raptors are becoming notorious for that.

[Alan]

So what's up with T.J.? I was gone over the holidays, and now he's gone from an "imminent" return to maybe a month or more. I realize he has to come to gips with the risks involved in playing again, but at this point are there any physical problems delaying his return?

Blogger's note: It was never imminent. It was always going to be on his timeline and it still is. No one except him knows what that timeline is. Frustrating? Sure. Understandable? Absolutely.

[yertu damkule]

Re. the Cleveland debacle, I didn't notice any defensive adjustments made once the lead started to whittle away & LBJ got hot - why not? Not that it would have made much of a difference, but I felt as though they (the coaches) were resigned to the fact that he (LBJ) was going to take over...their strategy seemed to be, 'Let's hope he misses some of those wide open jumpers.' Can anyone explain why the Raps rarely, if ever, trap (either full- or half-court), or double immediately (especially when LBJ started playing the point - why not double/trap him before he gets in shooting range, forcing him to give it up)? And how can a defender be playing off him so much that his jumper is practically uncontested, yet that same defender still cannot impede his drive (AT ALL)? I know, I know, he's a great player...but that's just it...he's ONE player. It's been the same crappola with this team the past two seasons.

[Dan]

Sam Cassel would be a great pick up. He is always good when he first get's to a team. Plus his swagger and ability to hit clutch shots would help the team. Damon back in Toronoo would be neat to see too. I like Juan Dixon, but pg is not his strength. Sergio would be good too he is very fast. Plus if TJ's health is going to be a recuring problem, it might be better to develop a young back up. Jose has been awsome as a starter, in the east I think only Jason Kidd averages more assists. If he was able to get into the lane a bit more and develop a drive and kick game he would be an all-star for sure.

[Zack]

I liked 2 out of the three suggestions you made regarding the Raptors PG woes as of late (not a big fan of Cassell). Is there anyway the Raps could make a trade work, salary wise with Memphis or would they need Damon to become a free agent?

Blogger's note: No, they could make the money match no problem. His salary's just over $4 million a year, easily reached by the Raptors.

[GM]

So now Juan's not good enough? I don't get it. You can't just say he is when he has a few good games and then he isn't when he has a few bad games. Either he is or he isn't. (I believe he isn't, but I thought so even after the few good games.)

This game reminded me of the Portland game. They froze down the stretch; over-thought things. You could see their offence standing around, not getting the same movement, afraid to make a mistake. I thought the turning point was that bogus goaltending call on the weak finger roll put up by Brown. The Raps might have lost even if it wasn't called, but from that point on is when Cleveland (i.e. LeBron) really took over.

Blogger's note: Short-term, 10, 12 games, he's good enough. Long-term, I have my doubts.

[Carlos]

Hey Doug, nobody has mentioned the blown goaltending call on Moon in the fourth. That was the turning point of the game in my opinion. Was it goaltending or not?

Blogger's note: Mentioned to somone else that it was a close call, maybe a bad one but entirely explainable. The refs said the ball was going to, or did, hit the rim, which would have made it goaltending.
And I think any of the LeBron James threes, or the ones hit by Damon Jones and Daniel Gibson were by far more signficant turning points.

[patrick r]

Hi Doug,

Charlotte, the Clippers, Minnesota and Miami shouldn't count on the All Dairy Queen Division for the simple reason they are not playoff contenders/pretenders. The Raptors are supposed to be a playoff team, but they are way too DQ, especially with the two grittiest players (Garbo and TJ) on IR. Time and again the teams that they are supposed to be measured with come into the T dot and push them around. This is actually somewhat perplexing because their coach would never have been accused of being soft, yet the team isn't adopting the Coach's personality which you would expect. This team has some people who can play with grit, but with TJ out they lack that floor leader who is willing to take charge. Unless a deal is made for an interior presence (I know this is my dead horse) or some grit is found inside that locker room, the preseason prognosticators may have been right about this team.

[Tim Sonoma]

So Doug Smith - are you still Sam Mitchell's cheerleader???

Blogger's note: Insightful query. Thanks for writing.

[Shrugz]

I'm watching the suns game right now and just saw nash dribble the ball putting himself between his teammate and teammate's defender while his teammates gets the ball from nash and he shoots the 3

why don't we do that with bargnani? it should get him going from 3 especially if he doesn't have to worry about someone chasing him down cuz his teammates' between him and the defender

Blogger's note: Because it's an impromptu play and there are no two-time MVPs running the Raptor offence.

[ghostface]

So I guess the Vegas bookies and all the analysts south of the border were right (so far) about the Raptors being middle-of-the-road this season. They may sneak into the playoffs but will ultimately make no noise.
It shows objectivity can be difficult to grasp when you're excited about a team and have expectations.
At what point should Mitchell be held accountable for the winnable losses that keep this team in constant mediocrity? Why was James played straight up when he was so hot in the fourth? Why wasn't he double/triple teamed? How do you toughen up this team when softness breeds teams like Minnesota, the Clippers, Charlotte and Miami? Is the coach not responsible?!
Maybe the NBA players were being objective in assessing Mitchell when they cast their votes a couple years back.

[charade]

I'd like to think that if I was playing in the NBA my girlfriend and cousin would not start trash-talking opponents.

I dunno, that's just me!

[GM]

You say there was a chance the ball would hit the rim. On the replay, it looked like it did hit the rim. But isn't the rule that the ball has to have a chance to go in? The ball hit the outside of the rim; it wasn't in the cylinder. It had no chance. Here's what the NBA rulebook:

"A player shall not touch the ball when it is above the basket ring and within the imaginary cylinder." (It wasn't within the cylinder.)
"For goaltending to occur, the ball, in the judgment of the official, must have a chance to score." (This is what the earlier poster was saying, and I agree with. Since obviously one official's judgment was that it had a chance to score, and there was a big stink about it, the least they should have done is confer with one another. From the replays, it looked like it had no chance.)

Blogger's note: Maybe it was a blown call, maybe it wasn't. But, and I failed the requisite math course but if part of the ball is on the rim, wouldn't that mean at least a tiny part of it would have to be in that cylinder, which extends up from the rim?
A question for mathematicians, for sure.

[TMF]

"But, and I failed the requisite math course but if part of the ball is on the rim, wouldn't that mean at least a tiny part of it would have to be in that cylinder, which extends up from the rim?"

Actually, it's quite simple. If the ball hits the side or bottom of the rim, there is definitely no part of the ball in the cylinder. And I believe this was the case on Sunday.

[Paul Heakes]

Regarding the Moon goaltend. I looked up the official rule for NBA goaltending. There are two relevant sections pertaining to this incident.

1) If the ball has a chance to hit the rim, in the opinion of the official, the player cannot touch the ball on its downward motion.

Comment: Fair enough. From the replay it seemed as though the ball was going to hit the rim. From that standpoint they got the call right.

2) There is no goaltending if the ball has no chance of going in, in the opinion of the official.

Comment: Clearly there was no chance of the ball going in. It may have barely caught front iron on the way down. With this interpretation, it is not a goaltend.

The problem lies in the grey area of the goaltending rule. These two events are not mutually exclusive and therefore, according to NBA rules, this play was both not goaltending as well as goaltending.

[GM]

"... if part of the ball is on the rim, wouldn't that mean at least a tiny part of it would have to be in that cylinder, which extends up from the rim?"

Yes, if that's the case, although it would fail the second part which says it must have a chance of going in. I thought I just saw the ball hit just the outside (or side) of the rim, if you know what I mean.

Not that it matters. It's amazing how a day or two between blown calls makes them all seem irrelevant.