The Morning After The Night Before, XLVI

The 45 extra minutes of sleep this morning were quite welcome; the frozen car locks weren't. I hate winter. Anywho ...

Three Things I Learned

Let’s make a deal

If I’m Bryan Colangelo, I am on phone 29 times today seeing if there’s a small forward who can defend out there to be had. I know Ginobili and Kobe are all-stars (well, Ginobili should be) and Maggette’s pretty good but, really, watching them abuse the Raptors with ease in three consecutive home games has to be, um, disconcerting.

STEVE RUSSELL/TORONTO STAR

Hands up if you think the Raptors need some help on D.

And I like Jamario Moon, good kid, heckuva story, fine athlete but maybe it’s time for the experiment to end? We were trying to recall that last time he had what you might call a good game. Heck, they ended up using Jose Calderon to guard Ginobili on a few possessions last night because no one else stood a chance.

Maybe nothing comes of Colangelo’s calls but he’s got to make them, rather than wait and take them.

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Zany times for Matt

Ran into Matt Bonner in the hall before the game, after he glad-handed about everyone in the joint, and he was a tad frenzied. Seems family in Boston and friends in Toronto on a back-to-back just wore him out.

"(Sunday) I forgot to get my ankles taped I was so busy,” he said. “I’m not forgetting tonight. Now, I came out here to do something, what was it? I don’t remember. This is too much.”

But he did have something to look forward to. Spurs stayed the night after the game and Matt, who throws around nickles like they were manhole covers as they used to say, was off to a downtown eatery because he’d kept a couple of gift certificates he got from the radio dudes.

Great guy, Matt.

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A tough group

M. Grange ™ first brought this up when we were sitting around waiting for Mike Evans after the game and it bears repeating here. How tough do you think Argentina’s national team practices are? Ginobili. Oberto. Delfino. Scola. Nocioni. Those are some tough, good basketball players.

We don’t get to see Ginobili often enough to really appreciate what he does but, man, do I ever like seeing him play. One play in the first half was spectacular in an under-stated sort of way. He drove baseline into traffic and instead of going under the basket and using the rim to help fend off defenders, he got up the air right at the rim, bumped Chris Bosh just enough to move him back a few inches so he could block the shot because the basket was in the way and put a layup up left-handed off the glass. There probably aren’t a dozen players in the league who make that play.

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Quickly to the mailbag for a question that’s on everyone’s mind, it seems.

Q: Hey Doug, how do the games Sam Mitchell misses affect his overall coaching record? It doesn't seem fair for a loss under Mike Evens count against his record. If a win or loss is assigned to the assistant taking head coach duties, then Jay Triano could end up the best or worst (strictly in percentage) NBA coach of all time.

Nick H-C, Vancouver

A: Sam will get credit, or blame, for these two games.

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You’ve got to scroll a ways down but Gilbert Arenas slags Jose Calderon pretty well is his blog.

Of course, Jose takes the high road, telling us after the game:

"Everyone has an opinion. You can write what you want. Whatever he says it's good for him. I have nothing personal.”

Now, I like Gilbert, I think he’s entertaining and in this era of careful athlete offering nothing than clichés and pap he’s a breath of fresh air but he’s way off base here.

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This has been out there a while but every time I watch it, I laugh.

This dude’s headed for a career on the big screen, methinks.

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Mail, again

Q: Two quick questions for you, double dare you to post them!  First, why in the world was Juan "Bad Pass" Dixon playing point in the 4th instead of TJ, is he hurt?  Second, any chance we could land Corey Magette?

Dave W, Toronto

A: A dare? Sure, why not.

Dixon was playing because T.J. banged up his wrist in Minnesota on Sunday and it was acting up Monday night. Maggette? Not sure the Clippers are going to deal him, he’s a favourite of the owner and arguably their best player right now. And what would it cost? He’s got an $8.4 million player option for next year so if they’re thinking of moving him, maybe you offer Dixon’s contract, Martin’s contract and Kapono and see what that gets you. Probably a big laugh from Elgin Baylor but maybe it’s a jumping off point for negotiations.

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Okay, karaoke at the best of times is a game best played under the influence of adult beverages. At the worst of times, it’s played in an NBA arena full of people. And at the absolute worst times, it’s played using a song that’s at least tinged with controversy. Sure, Sweet Home Alabama is a song we all know, and some love. But there is a school of thought – and there are divergent views on this – that says its references to Watergate and former Alabama Governor George Wallace are at least a bit dicey.

So, let’s do everyone a favour and NO MORE KARAOKE.

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Here’s how the San Antonio Express-News summed up last night’s affair.

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And, finally, nothing says St. Patrick’s Day quite like a green Raptor, right? Watch closely March 17 in Salt Lake City because that’s when you’ll see the latest installment of marketing run amok. The Raptors, I’m told, will wear green jerseys in that game and if you’re really got nothing to do with a lot of your money, you can probably buy one soon.

Or you can wait until they come to their senses and do something with a replica Huskies jersey, which makes exponentially more sense than a green uniform.

Comments

[Al]

Hey what happened to Bonner last night? Wow did he get a quick hook. You do NOT want to get on Pop's bad side. Oh well at least he was nice enough to give Matt his homecoming, show off the ring.

Oh and was last night really the first game ever fully coached by someone other than the head coach.

Blogger's note: Bonner lasted 24 seconds because when he got out there, the matchup had him guarding Bosh and that wasn't going to work.
We're almost 100 per cent sure about the coaching thing, but there's still some checking to do.

[Ryan]

You think Gilbert is just worried that Calderon is going to be a threat to make the All-Star team for years to come and he doesn't like the competition?

[Amanda]

A couple of thoughts on Gilbert's comments.. first of all, I wouldn't necessarily call Calderon a back-up, he's started in more games than coming off the bench this year, and playing around 40 minutes while starting. Secondly, if he thinks an all-star constitutes a team "falling down" without that person, then I guess he's not an All-star either. The Wiz are doing better without him, minus their losing streak as of late, but that's more so because they're missing Caron. I like Arenas for the most part, but he's wrong here.

[Steve Hallman]

Doug,

I can't help but thing that maggette would look good here. Do you think a trade for Kapono, dixon's expiring deal and martin's expiring deal along with this years #1 could be a starting point to get things done or do you think maggette would garner more from somewhere else?

Blogger's note: Considering he can become a free agent this summer, any team dealing for him would probably like ot know his intentions before they give up too much. And I think he'd be a good fit here, just at what cost?

[dan p]

Gilbert is so selfish and whiney. He says what we all assume that Vince Carter is thinking. Only someone with some serious insecurity issues would be personally insulted that a player like Jose Calderon was being considered for the all star team in a year he's hurt.

I think that guy is the antithesis of a team player. He can talk about how proud he is of Caron and Antawn stepping up, but i have a feeling it's eating him up inside.

Here's the reason why Calderon should have been/ will be an all star in the future, and Gilbert will always be on the fringe: Jose consistently and unselfishly makes his team better in whatever fashion he can. Gilbert, when not hitting buzzer beaters (i hate to give him SOME credit, he's good) concerns himself with "dropping fifty" on people he feels have snubbed him, and his team is playing better without him.

That underdog complex can only get you so far. After a while you might have to consider your TEAM'S SUCCESS and yours as one and the same.

But maybe I'm wrong. Maybe Gilbert will DROP FIFTY on Jose next time they play and I'll look silly. Then again, if Jose gets the usual 14 points, 11 assists, 1 turnover, and the Raptors still WIN, I'm still smiling.

Rant over, cheers Doug I love the blog. I think I need my own if the world wasn't already so inundated with them.

[Dave]

"And I like Jamario Moon, good kid, heckuva story, fine athlete but maybe it’s time for the experiment to end? We were trying to recall that last time he had what you might call a good game."

Jeez man, since when were you so impatient? He's a rookie who makes pennies (relatively) and you're harping on him for not shutting down three of the best players in the world? How come you're never so harsh on AB, who makes about 8 times what Moon does?

[steve hallman]

That's a fair comment regarding Maggette. Like you said I would be surprised if any team would want to make a move for him without first knowing his intentions...that being said what kind of money do you think he will be looking for and earn on a new contract....he's a 20+ pt a night guy that gets to the line a whole lot...seems to me that he'd likely earn major dollars somewhere no?

[Jim Downey]

Hi Doug

thanks for the link to the Gilbert Arenas comment concerning JC. Lets all hope Gilbert makes a speedy recovery from his head injury...

[Paul M.]

"An All-Star is an All-Star. He's playing at a high level. That means, if you take him off the team, that team should fall down if he's that one guy. An All-Star means that he is dominating the game of basketball. It's not even about numbers necessarily, it's about dominating."

Ummm...by this criteria wouldn't Gilbert NOT be an All-Star calibre player? After all, the Wiz were doing better this year WITHOUT him, and only started falling back once Caron Butler went out. So Butler is the true All-Star, by Gilbie's own criteria.

[Chris Clarke]

-Karaoke? Who comes up with these ideas? I remarked to my friend sitting next to me that people will do anything for free junk. And right on cue, "60 Seconds of Madness" began. I can only imagine what working for the Raps marketing team is like.

-I felt for Bonner. Talk about a quick hook. But he did get into the game and heard some cheers. Stoudamire heard a nice mix of boos and cheers of his own.

-Even though he shot around 50%, it felt like Ginobli wasn't missing last night.

[Ryan]

"Jeez man, since when were you so impatient? He's a rookie who makes pennies (relatively) and you're harping on him for not shutting down three of the best players in the world? How come you're never so harsh on AB, who makes about 8 times what Moon does?"

My guess is because AB is a 22 year old rookie with tons to prove, whereas Moon is a 27 year old rookie that is beginning to show why he's a 27 year old rookie. There's a strong chance Moon becomes another one of those Raptor players that makes some impact for half a season, and becomes a fan favourite in the process (think JYD), but then is gone a year later.

[jim downey - alliston]

Three things I learned from game XLVI:
1) The Raptors are dear to my heart but I have to say they are a mentally soft team. How else to explain that they got absolutely whooped in the first quarter and so the game was out of reach before they woke up. Similar patterns have happened far too often in the past. Doug is this a coaching problem or a player problem?

2) From down low behind the basket, it became clear that Greg Popovich made a 7-10 point difference in the outcome of last night's game. Early on, he didn't like the way the refs were calling things, put on a big show and got an early technical foul. After that he continued to storm up and down the sideline working the refs and what happened? Simply that the San Antonio defense became able to play the rough, physically aggressive style they like to play with little referee interference. Calls were not made last night that are usually made. It was truly a war zone in under the San Antonio basket. Doug, is this called respect for a coach with a successful record or intimidation?

3) It looks to me like CB4 left early for the All-Star game. I listened to a radio show on my way home and others made the same point and also that CB rolls up the stats vs the dregs of the league but rarely dominates against the elite teams. In my opinion there does seem to be some truth to this. Doug, what do you think?

Blogger's note: This is far better suited for the mailbag, but what the heck, a one-time deal
1. I think they could be mentally tougher, sure; but every team in the league could be at times.
2. It's a veteran team knowing what it could get away with and when the Raptors become more veteran, they'll learn what they can get away with, too. I'll dispute 7-10 points for Pop, too.
3. He didn't play well last night, simply put. But I'd chalk a lot of it up to his opposition, too; not many bigs have great games against the Spurs. Left early? Nah.

[Troy Phan]

Somebody need to let Gilbert know that the All-Star is based on the players current season performance and not on their performances from previous years. Oh, and DEFINITELY not on the ability to make people laugh. Sorry Gilbert, you and Shaq can be at some comedy club making people laugh during the All-Star weekend.

[gabriel a]

Hey Doug,

can you tell your friend CB4 to concentrate on his jump shot in the clutch rather than trying to create a unfunny british borat?

Also, when i saw Mike Evans i figured Mitchell got fired and was excited there for a second...
Man...what exactly does he bring as coach? no player has elevated his game ( besides JC -which he would have done with or without smitch) and the team is not greater than the sum of its parts by any means....
pshhhh....

Blogger's note: Yeah, next time I break bread with Bosh I'll bring that up.
I take it you're not a Sam fan, or, might I add, very astute. Is Hump better? Was Mo Pete better? Is the rookie small forward okay? Is Parker better? Did they win 47 games last year? On they exactly the same pace to win 47 more this year?
But thanks for the input.

[Andy Wu]

Hey Doug, this may sound wild. I am not sure how much each player is making, but any chance BC could trade Rasho (plus others, like Joey, Juan, etc to make up for the salary) for Ben Wallace? Ben probably doesn't have much game left in him, but don't you think he will bring some toughness inside? It is not like he is enjoying his time in Chicago. Most likely he will welcome a change of scenary, as well as giving Noah more playing time in Chicago. I don't like Ben's contract though.

Blogger's note: Contract? Yeah, that's a pretty scary thing. So are his diminishing skills.

[Dan R.]

I couldn’t agree more with your comments today about not being able to guard small forwards and the need for the Jamario experiment to end.

Can you explain to me how the answer to these problems and a few more is not Ron Artest?

Sure he might be nuttier than a Snickers, but any team can handle and even benefit from one crazy guy (look at Stephen Jackson in Golden State).

Artest could guard the 3 and the 4, rebound, is a substantial upgrade over Moon and would give them a sadly needed edge.

Flawless reasoning, yes?

Blogger's note: Yeah, Artest has all the skills you'd want. He's also been a disruption every single place he's ever played. Maybe for two months he's on his best behavior; more likely he'll be fine for six weeks and do something stupid at precisely the wrong time.

[yertu damkule]

ryan - been saying the same thing for weeks, i put the over/under on his career at 3 seasons (under). he's a great story, like doug mentions, but after this many games, it's kinda/sorta clear he doesn't get 'it.' hey, maybe he will, maybe he won't.

dave - all doug's pointing out is the truth. and barg's has been blasted plenty of times, but has shown some nice improvement over the past month, while moon seems to be regressing. i'm hoping the dunk contest will inspire him to bigger & better things, but i have a sneaking suspicion that it'll be the highlight of his career.

[Mat]

Hey Doug,

Was at the game last night and I was a little surprised to hear Lynyrd Skynyrd during the karaoke too (I was also surprised to see the place empty with 7.5 seconds left, but I sent that rant to the Swirsk). I actually almost made this same mistake when raptors.com was asking for Moon nicknames. First thing I thought of was Sweet ... as in Sweet Home Alabama ... but then I thought I recalled something a little controversial about the tune and turned to my trusty friend wikipedia and found that my recollection was right (the song was well before my time so yes i had to look it up) and that the reference would not be a suitable one for a Jamario Moon nickname.

So if the average fan is doing background checks on his nickname submissions, then someone in the Raps office must not be doing their home work... FYI can you let them know I'm open to a trade!

[DougG]

Doug couldn't agree more with you about the need for a starting 3. It seems the deals made recently are about dumping salary and clearing cap space. That is why LA could get Gasol for next to noting I imagine. Is there a deal like that out there for Toronto possibly? I know we don't have much in expiring contracts but are there other ways Toronto could get a legit 3 by say taking on a longer contract, without having the matching talent to trade. Is that a bad idea?

Blogger's note: I'm not sure if it's a bad idea. If you're building for a long-term future and you get the piece you want for a few years, why not make the bold move now?

[Jay Hu]

I can't believe how much Calderon got ripped. I think Calderon is worthy of all-star consideration, but is he the biggest snub for not making it, I would say not. But for Arenas to go public to disrespect Jose, that's just uncalled for. If all-star game is all about a popularity contest, I agree Jose doesn't stand a chance, thus why starter are voted in and even D-wade who is playing on the worst team gets a spot. But given the resereved are name by professionals around the league, I would argue the players importance to the team should have some bearing as for who to pick. I would argue that Joe Johnson is less deserving to made it to the east squad cause I truly believe his absence wouldn't make the Hawks any worst than they are. If Jose wasn't available during TJ Absence, Toronto Raptors would be where the NJN are, fighting for the 7th,8th playoff spot. In the absence of TJ, Jose is putting up number as good as Chauncey (less scoring but more assist) yet Chauncey is a no brainer yet Jose is not deserving, I think this is quite unfair. Also, reading the article, Arenas doesn't even keep track of the statistic players are putting up, given team only meet about 3 to 4 contest a year, it is very hard to know how a player plays especially particular when he played the Rapts once this season where Jose exposed him several time off the bounce. I think Jose being ripped like this is a tough pill to swallow for Rapts fans including myself

[gabriel a]

parker is not necessarily better than last year...the hump is better in stretches but thats just because he gets more time now that garbs is gone...moon is ok...but on pace to win 47 is only a possibility and frankly should not be viewed as an accomplishment. One could make the argument that bosh, bargnani and kapono...big pieces are not as good as last year...so i do think i am astute

[charade]

I was at the game and thought is was very strange too. If I recall it was a two-posession with seven seconds left and any NBA fan should know that stranger things have happened with that much time left. People were STREAMING out.

To be fair I guess the monday night crowd is thinking of a long week at the job. Still...

[Dan]

If you read further down on Gilbert's blog he says he's just being bitter about the year he didn't make the all star team when his stats were 26 6 and 5 or somthing like that and admitted he could be worng. I'm sure though if he saw Jose's stats as a starter and his shooting percentage maybe he would change his mind. The only thing Kidd has done better then Calderon this year is rebound yet nobody has a problem with him being on the team. Only difference is Kidd has more star status.

[sean]

I just had an epiphany...
we need to trade tj ford, kapono , rasho and a pick and go for jason kidd, he'll solve our rebounding and slashing problem

Blogger's note: You might want to run that "epiphany" past Rod Thorn.

[RC]

This is what Arenas says in his blog about who should be an All-Star:

An All-Star is an All-Star! He’s playing at a high level. That means, if you take him off the team, that team should fall down if he’s that one guy. An All-Star means that he is dominating the game of basketball. It’s not even about numbers necessarily, it’s about dominating.

So he's taken off the Wizards team and they still play great. What does that say about his credentials as an All-Star?