The Morning After Some Night Before (I'm giving up on the Roman numerals)

Sorry I’m a wee bit late. Unavoidable technical difficulties (the pillow wouldn’t let my head get up). A bit drained today, are we? That was some day. But, you know what? It was the kind of day that makes this little thing pretty cool. Not sure about the productivity at your job and a bunch of my stuff got sorta lost in the crush but between the time the story about the lineup changes got up yesterday morning until now, there’ve been 90 comments submitted. That’s an awful lot.

Good on ya, you’ve done well.
Now, to the stuff:

Three Things I Learned

Jose-T.J.

Promised yesterday to expand on the ‘who starts, who doesn’t’ discussion because I have wavered.

Back in the day, I really thought T.J. was special and this team could only maximize its potential with him as the starter and Jose coming off the bench. But as their personalities evolve and their games develop, it’s clear to me that the long-term point guard job should be Calderon’s. He’s more steady, gets more people involved more often and, quite frankly, shoots better than I, or a lot of people, ever imagined. And the respect his teammates have for him is immense.

Ford’s probably better as a backup to change tempo but only – ONLY – if he gets his head on right and as we’ve seen these past few weeks, that’s not something he can do right now.

I still say having the two of them would continue to give Toronto depth at a key position but the way things are right now, I think BC has to explore trade possibilities for Ford this summer. What he can get, I have no idea. But asking around would be a good idea.

Not sure when I had the change of heart, just that I did; Calderon’s better for this team as a starter.

-

An unusual And-1

An odd one unfolded with about three minutes left last night when Bosh made a layup, a foul was called and Rasho took the free throw.

It was the right call, but not one you see very often. If a player is fouled while a teammate is in the process of making a shot, he shoots the free throw, not the guy who made the basket.

You usually see it on jumpers, actually. If the defender is fighting through a screen to get to the guy making a shot and fouls the guy setting the screen, that’s who shoots the free throw.

I’ve seen a couple of four-point plays that way. I believe Mo once hit a three while Garbo was setting the screen and when the defender barreled over Garbo, he went to the line.

-

Welcome back

One of the thoughts about the Ford-Calderon move was that it would help get the bench going again, because it’d be bad for a couple of weeks.

How bad?
Well, when Carlos Delfino made that three-pointer three minutes into the second quarter, it was the first time in five games he’d made a shot.

-

You can imagine how big the mail bag is. Full of rants and questions and comments on the changes. Not sure I’m going to be able to use ‘em all tomorrow but I’ll try. For now, here’s one:

Q: Great blog! I read it everyday and even though you haven't posted my questions yet I appreciate your dedication. Here's my question; WHEN Boston and Detroit face each other at the Eastern Conference final (as if there was any doubt) and it came down to the final shot in Game 7--who would you like better Mr. Big Shot or Ray Ray?

Jason R, Toronto

A: Oh, I’m taking Chauncey in that one.

-

I’m just going to say this once:

You know what would really help the arguments you make about such things as plays and players and coaches? Spelling names right. It’s Calderon (no E), Nesterovic (no H) and if you want to be taken seriously, get the names of the people you’re praising or killing correct.

That is all

-

You’ve never heard of the Albert Schweitzer Tournament, have you?

It’s probably the best junior tournament in the world and it’s going on right now in Mannheim, Germany. Why should you care, you wonder?
Well, Canada’s there, represented by the NEDA boys team (that’s the high school basketball-education program that’s probably the best thing Canada Basketball’s done in a decade) and they’re a win – and some help – away from making the semifinals. Trust me, that’s a big deal and will help the development of the youngsters along nicely. The more big games they play as kids, the better they’ll be when they get to the senior national team level.

Canada needs to knock off Sweden today and Turkey has to beat Australia. The games go this afternoon and you can check out how they did by clicking here.

The NEDA women’s program has been a spectacular success in developing young talent, (check out the women’s NCAA tournament for the number of Canadians doing big things) and this is a big first step for the boys.

-

A query

How can a guy who stretches as much as Primoz Brezec suffer a strained groin muscle?

-

Check out how Detroit looked at last night’s game.

-

Alex over in the comment section wondered this yesterday:

Hey Doug, with so much talk about international ball, it got me wondering does each region in the world have its own style and strengths (for example, does Argentina play a fast guard-oriented game while in the Balkans its more big men and inside play)? Seems to me there must be some variation in coaching and player stock

It’s hard, and probably unfair, to categorize the style of play in different regions definitively so I will.

The tendency is for the South Americans to play basketball like I’m told they play football, with creativity and at a frenetic pace; you generally see the Eastern European teams full of multi-skilled bigs who can dribble, pass and shoot. Other European teams play a game of drive-and-kick as a rule, just as the African nations do.

-

You know a coach can’t win when AP dribbles himself into a corner and almost a shot-clock violation before he throws up a prayer that has no chance to go in and, I swear, a guy sitting behind us yelled at Sam.

-

Last mail thing before I go start on tomorrow’s mailbag:

Q: Chris Bosh, just missed a triple double the other day. Have any Raptors other than "Crybaby" Vince Carter recorded a triple double?  Also, has anyone in league history ever recorded a quadruple double?

Brent F, North Bay.

A: There have been nine Raptor triple-doubles: Three by Damon Stoudamire, two by Marcus Camby (points, rebounds and blocks in his case) and one each by Carter, Charles Oakley, Mark Jackson and Alvin Williams.

And since they started keeping extensive stats, there’ve been five quadruple-doubles. Two by Hakeem Olajuwon and one each by Nate Thurmond, Alvin Robertson and David Robinson. All except Robertson’s were points, rebounds, assists and blocks; Robertson’s had steals instead of blocks.

Comments

[GP]

Doug,

Do you feel T.J. has much trade value given his injury problems in the past? I seem to recall a lot of "experts" trashing the CV trade based on T.J.'s injuries at the time (and that was almost two years ago).

Also, I believe I read somewhere that T.J.'s salary is end-loaded and the money he makes this year is not all that much (in relation to his total contract). If this is the case, would they need to match salaries (up to 25%) based on what T.J. is paid now??

Blogger's note: The salary list I have, which came from a league exec, has TJ at $8.275 million next year and $8.775 million each of the following two years.

[jk]

The day Chris Bosh looks like a franchise All Star against Boston or Detroit is the day I think this team has a shot at being a contender...didn't see him do that ridiculous "4" sign after a nasty dunk against Detroit (oh, that's right, Amir Johnson shut him down) but I'm sure he'll pull it out when we play Miami...and why does no one mention Bosh's weaker rebounding?
How many times do we see the ball stop when it gets to Bosh as he hesitates and hesitates only to have it knocked out of his hands in the end...when you're the only Max contract ALL STAR you'd better damn well be leading by example not by mewling after games about your team mates' lack of aggression and passivity.
TJ Ford is still and will always be unable to defend bigger, stronger guards and it's not like he hasn't had great games occasionally, his selfishness is not going to disappear overnight...I still think he has to go because we need a STRONG SG/SF more than we need him...bring Roko over to back up Calderon. If we had the right kind of wing player, we wouldn't need Ford's ability to penetrate as much.

[Alex]

Welcome to the right side, Doug! Ford was ok last night (against a Detroit team that really wasn't into the game), but Calderon is definitely the guy you want to build around. Jose and Bosh would make an incredible, high-character nucleus for this team.

And you seem in great humour today! I guess that extra snooze time did the trick ;)

[Chi of Steel]

Thanks, Doug, for clearing up that Rasho free throw. I knew something was unusual about it.

[Tree]

Bosh called them out, Calderon gave up his starting spot voluntarily, and the team responded. Last night's game was only one game in the grand scheme of things, but I think it showed everyone just how much respect that dressing room has for Bosh and Calderon by responding with a big win over a very good team. With a few good additions (and addition by subtraction) this summer, I think next year's team will find itself among the top teams in the conference. Of course, I'm still not sold on Mitchell being the coach to carry them to greatness ... he's not a bad coach, but I can't help but think he's cost this team some wins this year with his downright terrible substitution patterns (if he has any pattern). Shifting the starters was good, but he still left Moon in there! How this keeps happening is beyond, well ... seems like all Raps fans.

[Henry]

About time that you clued in on the Jose/TJ debate.

Thanks for not mentioning all the snark you used to dole out to the Jose lovers. Big of you.

[Darko Dubajic]

And why exactly is Primoz stretching at all. It's not like he will play or something.
That aside I wouldn't mind him play up to 10 min /game. Rasho
will expire before our eyes if he plays like last night 46 min.
I mean, between Hump and Primoz I would rather see Primoz.

Blogger's note: I have no idea why he's stretching on the scorer's table just about every single timeout. Maybe he wants some TV time? Maybe it's the gangster thing to do?
Maybe the "hey, look at me" sign won't stick to his jersey?

[Louis]

It's OK Doug, You deserved the rest. I mean, yesterday you were working for how many hours!? Thanks Doug, we appreciate it.

[Alex H]

Charles Oakley had a triple double?! Points, rebounds and what? Flops? 20-foot jumpers with no arc? Vince criticisms? Unintelligible rants? Slaps to debtors?

Blogger's note: Ding! Ding! Ding! We have a winner.
Nov. 11, 2000 vs. Chicago: 10 points, 11 rebounds, 12 assists. That was a Remembrance Day to remember.

[Jamie Myers]

TJ Ford is better than Jose and will have a better nba career than Jose. I'd love to see Ford gets traded just because he deserves more than being booed by hometown fans of the team he plays for. When Ford is putting up 16 and 8 on a different team next year, and calderon is struggling he will have the last laugh.

[Joe T.]

Hey Doug, thanks for clarifying your position on the whole TJ-Jose situation. Although there always were and always will be people who will be "pro-TJ" or "anti-Jose" or vice versa, I suspect the majority of Raptors fans have followed the same trajectory as you on the issue. My question is this: even if T.J. can make a miraculous adjustment to coming off the bench next season, is he not paid too much to be a backup point guard? Wouldn't that money still be better spent on a skilled wing player in a package deal that maybe also secured a capable backup PG?...

And props to Sam (who never seems to get enough in the "Comments" section) for all his pre- and post-game quotes about the lineup changes. He found a way to put a positive spin on it for all involved but kept the focus where it belongs: what's best for the Toronto Raptors in terms of finishing the season strongly and heading into the playoffs. OK, another question: are you aware of another coach whose Coach Of The Year award was greeted with as much, um, derision or scepticism from his team's fanbase as Sam Mitchell? It just seems like a lot of people think he got that award because of his players or his GM rather than his own abilities, which is ridculous and a shame...

Finally, that Primoz bit made me chuckle. Nice one!...

Blogger's note: I'll be quick because there's minor news breaking.
I think there's financial room for both and to still fill their needs but it will be a consideration.
And, no, I can't recall similiar treatment of a coach.

[J.O.]

Doug,
Two teams that may be willing to make a trade to A.) Shed salary because they are bottom dwellers and B.) Have the need to bring in a good, young point guard (a la TJ Ford) could be Miami and Sacramento and players that come to mind that could help the Raptors out are Udonis Haslem (a near double-double man and solid big) and Brad Miller (a double-double big with great passing skills). I think Miller would be the better fit, but do either of these formerly undrafted players have the possibility of being trade for TJ and players/picks to fit Toronto's big man needs? I know you've mentioned in the past that Toronto will most likely draft a big and FA/trade for a wing, but I like these two bigs and I think they are both underrated and fly under the radar. Toronto could possibly get a player like Dorrell Wright as part of a Haslem deal. What do you think, ridiculous?

Blogger's note: MIller's skills have diminished substantially, scouts tell me; but Haslem's interesting and those are indeed two teams that will be looking for point guard help.

[rosco]

Calderon - Class,Leader,Team Player,Heart, what Calderon did is bigger than people think. Players just dont do that kind of stuff in a league Full of Ego's.Would Ford do it for Jose, we all know that answer. Calderon in that 4th Q, was out there playing Tenacious D, taking charges all up on Billups. I respect Calderon to the fullest, im Proud to watch him RUN this TEAM. Calderon stepped down the chemistry was suffering on this team,he knew it and so did everyone else in that locker room. He sacrificed himself, for the Team to Win, he checked his Ego at the Door. In the end a quote from Jose, yes i have an Ego, but i dont play for Jose Calderon, i play for a Team the Toronto Raptors. Colangelo you know what you got to do now..

[cuzzy]

Great win last night although I did get the impression that detroit really did not care. They showed some effort but it was like the expected the Raps to fold (as did I)

[Joseph]

Honestly, I think TJ is world's better and more talented that JC. I think Jose is basically playing at the peak of his abilities now, a decent player who can't penetrate, but involves his team mates. TJ can create his own shot, penetrate and score/dish and put a lot of pressure on the entire defense.

There's no way we can be a playoff contender with JC running the show, but with a healthy effective TJ we can be.

[bballer]

now i know why darcy tucker has played for the leafs for so long. not to deride the skills of calderon, but he can only start on a team that has wing men that can attack the basket which the raps don't have. on a jump shooting team, his offense can be neutralized like it has for the previous 5 games b4 the switch. calderon is steve blake with a better jump shot. it is not a slight, it is the truth. if it makes toronto fans feel better about the raps, then tj must go.

what is the big deal about ukic? he has never played in the nba. nobody has seen him. even gharadini has stated that he is playing ok, not great in the euroleague. he is 24 years old and it will take him 2 years to acclimate himself to the nba. how can he be the guy that takes this team to the promise land?

i guess toronto would rather have a mediocre team that they like than a team with potential to win but is not as likeable. by people's comments, it seems the next people they want out of toronto is smitch for who knows which coach and then bosh in favour of bargnani.

finally, if euro players are so unselfish, how do you account for the whining of nocioni, the actions of gasol this year in memphis and garbajosa not getting surgery when the team that pays him told him he should have, costing the raptors an entire year. that is very selfish in deed.

[Rick T]

I agree with Doug's opinion that Calderon is the better long-term starter except that I don't think Ford can be considered expendable unless the Raptors acquire wing player who can consistently create his own shot and get to the foul line. Outside of Bosh, Ford is the only player on the roster who can do this.

[bballer]

sactown will make signing beno udrih to a long term deal over the summer a priority, so a point guard is not as necessary. if miami does not draft rose, ford can go there. the most likely destination will be the clippers if they are not able to sign arenas. the knicks, dallas, portland and oklahoma will likely take a look at ford. if they have anything for the raps may be a different story. ford is and will be a 14ppg and 8apg point guard.

dorrell wright will get resigned by miami to keep wade happy. they are good friends from back in their chitown days.

doug, what do you think of the raps drafting robin lopez from stanford in the second round. he is a mix b/w noah and varajao. he tries to play with a similar intensity and understands his role as a rebounder/defender. he doesn't have a euro style so i don't know if bc will bite.

Blogger's note: I like that Lopez kid, like his brother more, but as a second-rounder, they could sure do worse

[CB]

Gotta love Raptor fans. Close to 100 negative posts in the last blog column in regards to the player moves. Barely a dozen so far, most still negative, after a big win against a contending team.

For the person who said "Sam has cost us a few wins", well guess what, most coaches who have been in this league more than a year, eventually cost their teams a few wins. They aren't mind readers or physics, and can't predict how things will play out. What people fail to mention is how many wins has Sam brought us? Look at how many teams just stop trying as they don't like their coach? Memphis, Charlotte, Milwaukee, Chicago, Knicks. Ironically, how many people were dying for Ivaroni to replace Sam as headcoach and it doesn't look like he'll even be back for a 2nd year with one of the more pathetic franchise.

[jasong]

Doug,
Now that you've admitted it, I wonder if people will finally get off your back about TJ vs. Jose, they'll probably just find something else. For TJ's sake, they should move him, once Toronto fans turn on you .... I'm sure you know that story well

[LL]

i think TJ was as close to "normal" as he has been since Dec. 11th, 2007. i'm highly impressed that Calderon gave up his role just to 'right the ship'...or at least try to.

and i also think that it's great that Ford didn't let him down.

now i've personally (privately, of course) ragged on TJ since his return post-All Star weekend....but i'm gonna give him credit for playing up to par last night.

and congrats to Sam for finally learning to go with who's hot. AP was having an uncharacteristically sloppy/poor performance, and Smitch pulled him for a few. playing Jose and TJ at the same time last night worked out well.

kudos guys. this was a good win. let's build on it.

[Darko Dubajic]

I have to mention something to this "bballer" character.
Jose Calderon(e) is reigning WORLD Champion, title won against
among others US team loaded with NBA superstars (Bron,Melo,Wade...). OOps, one Gilbert Arenas did not make that
team, yet he found it appropriate to diss Jose.
As for your dissing Euro ball, let me recap last three world competitions for you: 2002 Worlds - winner Serbia; 2004 Olympics - winner Argentina; 2006 Worlds - winner Spain.
US with their selfish style of play did NOT make it to the finals in any of these events. TJ and the like would be better off learning from these people, than behaving like my
4 yr old son when his older brother takes his favorite toy.

[Naz I.]

Raptor fans are an amazing bunch, fickle as anything and Doug seems to be joining them. I guess it takes a losing streak to turn the journalist from one end of the spectrum to the other. As I've pointed out before, the Raptors record with TJ as the starter is better than their record with Jose as the starter. Anyone who doubts this should check the stats.

Furthermore, to the writer who said that Ford wouldn't give up his spot to Jose...YOU ARE WRONG. In 2006-07, when coming off an injury, Ford told Smitch to leave Calderon as the starter because he didn't want to upset the team balance. I'm sure Mr. Doug Smith can provide us with the exact scenario/date, if his new-found bias towards Jose will allow him to.

[Huseyin N]

Doug, i think a healthy TJ that passes the ball(two big question marks) is better than a Jose. TJ has that slashing ability that Jose doesn't seem to use anymore this year. No more of his layups falling to the ground. Anyways i wanted to ask you a question after watching last nights game, not sure if you already answered this but here it goes. Which raptor do you think improved the most since departing Toronto? My pick is Chauncey first then T-Mac second.

Blogger's note: Yeah, those would be two good choices.

[Jason Ohashi]

Physics? Why do they need to know physics? I guess you need an understanding of it to predict things...haha, just kidding. Yes, coaches aren't psychics and i agree with your point CB. Just frustrating to see when a coach's decision costs the win.