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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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

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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.

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A query

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

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

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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.

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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.

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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

[Phillip]

Hey Darko

I gurantee you the US does not lose one game during this year's olympics.

Another thing, i also agree that TJ is better, he's younger, can create his own shot etc., calderon right now is probably the best he's ever going to be a brevin knight player with a jump shot. And why does every player the raptors seem to want to get sign etc. have to have ties to europe. I was watching the game yesterday and leo rautins said twice "europeans players are not liek north americans they don't care about stats they just want to win". I've noticed alot with Mr. Rautins the hate he has for north american style of play why doesn't he get a announcing gig in the euroleague.

[Alex]

"TJ is the only Rap who can create his own shot" (paraphrased). I wasn't aware dribbling in circles and then hoisting a desperation fade-away as the clock dies down constitutes making your own shot... in that case, let's get Humphries in at point.

Seriously, Jose can create his own shot anytime he wants - he just chooses to wait until it MAKES SENSE to shoot, rather than force it. Whenever he needs to create his own shot, he does easily - stop, pop, drop.

[z]

In response to Naz,

I'm wondering if anyone does know the stats for games won while starting. I'd be interested to know the records of the teams they won against though, and whether Bosh was playing or injured for the games...I have a feeling it might favour Calderon when you factor those in.

And also I imagine Ford was just saving face when he said that Calderon should start, it's easier for him to tell himself he's not starting because he doesn't want to start rather than knowing he got beat out of the starting spot. And we know Ford isn't concerned about team chemistry and balance, I mean we've all seen him play right?

[Luke]

In regards to Jose driving to the hoop, I think it's definitely still in him to do. If you look at last night's game for example he got to the hoop a few times. I think over the course of starting all those games and playing so many minutes it probably wore him down a bit. He plays so well off the bench and brings so much energy that I almost wonder if he can lay that exact way playing starters minutes over a prolonged period of time. If you look at the frenetic pace he came out with last night you could see him battling on defence and attacking with much more aggression you can see why he plays so well off the bench.

What do you think Doug? Is it an issue of his frame of mind trying to play more conservative when he has the responsbility of starting or do you think it's a matter of him having more energy when he comes off the bench?

Also, as so many people have said, I LOVE the way that Jose plays the game and think he's invaluable to the team. Here's to Jose playing his entire career here, starter, bench player or otherwise...

Blogger's note: I think the accumulation of minutes took its toll on Calderon a while ago but I also think he's got a high basketball IQ and takes what available each particular game.

[bballer]

ok, the us has dominated basketball from 1960's until 2000. they had 8 years of a downtown. this is similar to canada dominating hockey for years with a few downtowns. just because europe won 2 out of 3 championships, it means nothing. plus, why is argentina always seen as a european nation. it is in south america. yeah i mentioned nocioni as european but i got too caught up with what you geographically challenged people always quotes. as for calderon, yes he has run a world championship team and gasol is the best player. now how many will say that gasol is a franchise player. people questioned his heart in memphis and in la he is second fiddle to kobe. the nba has the best 27 europeans in this league and the well has dried. that is coming from gheradini and colangelo. read that in the star yesterday. the nba is filled with 300 plus americans. there are 1500 americans playing overseas that are the best in their respective european/asian leagues.

so what will people say when the us wins gold in 2008. that team won't have chris paul, kevin durant, greg oden, roy, al jefferson, alridge, kevin martin, deron williams and josh smith who will represent the next wave of us nba talent poised to win gold again in 2012. i'm not even american and i can respect the skills and talent of us basketball. that is why we watch the nba. if european teams were so good, would you think euroleague teams can compete with nba teams? of course not.

so stop bashing us players and i will stop pointing out the hypocrisy about the superiority of european players. oh yeah, kirilenko demanded to be traded. navarro is demanding a larger contract and a trade to a better team. read that on hoopsype today. nba players, despite where they are from all want to be starters, they all want to earn more money and they all want to win, except larry hughes of course! lol!

[Sammy]

Doug, nice of you to clearly state your opinion on the PG situation (although we could already tell from the undertones in your writing).

But as a TJ fan, I hope you don't let your preference impact your articles - unless what you say is fact-based.

[Naz I.]

Z,

Please stop getting into semantics, but if you need some more clarity I can provide it. TJ led the Raptors to critical wins on the West Coast (2-2) while Bosh was injured last year. Jose went 0 for 5 this year.
As for your comment about his intention, perhaps I can also say that Jose requested this move to save some face, after all, if you look at his numbers over the last few games, they've hardly been overwhelming.

It's amazing how many so-called Raptor fans like yourself allow "beat grunts" and play-by-play guys to tell you how well a player is playing...please consider looking at the win column the next time you comment.

As for the assertion that Calderon and Bosh built "chemistry"...that just makes me laugh out loud. The Raptors are best when Ford and Bosh run the pick and roll, because Ford can cut in (creating options) when he feeds Bosh in the high post, whereas Calderon tends to hang out on the perimeter and only gets the open look when Bosh is double-teamed. It's not a bad strategy, but it failed when Bosh was out because no-one was getting double-teamed.

[GM]

I have no doubts that TJ can go to another team and average 16 and 8. But his new team will probably suffer as a result. It ain't about the stats. Running a team isn't about stats. I always liked Dr. J's comment after the Lakers beat the Sixers in the playoffs. He said, "Magic Johnson is the only player who can score 4 points and totally dominate a game."

I have no reason to believe Calderon is the best right now he's ever going to be. What's that based on? Because he's not a lightning bolt? Was Mark Jackson? Is Jamaal Tinsley (not that he's all that but he's been a starter his whole career)? The league has seen their fair share of lightning quick point guards who had tons of raw talent who just never learned to play the game effectively and didn't last long. When your forte is quickness, your other areas have to improve over time because you don't get quicker the older you get.

[C-Mac]

OK, I think something very important needs to be said here, to you especially Doug. Raps fans, I ask you, what's more important, KEEPING JOSE OR WINNING? Because the two, I assure you, do not go hand-in-hand. Look, Jose is a splendid guy. A peach. But lets be honest with ourselves, there's a reason why TJ was inserted back into the starting line-up. TJ is, always has been, and always will be, the superior point guard. He's a better defender, better at breaking down defenders, and better in crunch time. Jose gave up his spot because he realizes the Raps have a better chance at winning if TJ starts. That should tell you all something. So please guys, I know the Raps fan base all have a massive crush on Jose, (heck, I do too), but lets not lose sight of what is truly important - WINNING. TJ is a winner, he proved it last season when he guided the Raptors toa 47-win season, and had he continued to start all this season, the Raptors would have been on pace to top that win total.

[Reality]

First, I like Jose and I think he should be signed and stay here. BUT to suggest that TJ should be traded is beyond me. I can't believe how short the memory of raps fans is, but you Doug has joined the group!! He averaged 14/7 last year in 30min. Jose averaged 14/10 in almost 40min. I can't believe that people forgot what TJ did for us last year and this year before the injury.. It is absolutely amazing! If you want to change the team to the Toronto Raptor-Euros, then that's fine, but don’t underestimate TJ. You can call TJ a selfish guy, but he is a competitor, tough little dude. He is a winner. That's in his character. The one guy who has the ego and mental toughness on the team, the fans want him traded because of 10 bad games after he came back from a life-threatening injury. This is absurd. If people think that this team will make the finals one day with this jump-shhoting-calderon-type-assists team, then the NBA is going down-hill. The only guy who has the ability to attack the basket other than Bosh has no place on this team. I can understand that. The last 6 games, other than Bosh, the other players have gone to the line 5 times. That tells the story of this team. If TJ gets traded, I hope Bosh doesn’t sign here after his contract expires!
I really wish that you put this in the comments and tell me why you changed your mind!

Blogger's note: I explained it this morning. And you know, this is really getting out of control and quite tiring. Can't wait for them to play and maybe lose and we can move on to other angst-causing issues. Like Sam. Or Jamario. Or whether or not Bargnani can play. Variety, that's what we need.

[Bruno]

Hello,
responding to the post made by Naz...(or Darko....I can`t tell which was made by who) It is true that the Raps have a better record with TJ as starter, but you have to look deeper than that. When TJ was starting, he always had Jose as a starter. Since Jose`s been starting, he`s had Martin, Dixon and Ford as backup (who plays like crap as a backup) It does not take a genius to figure out why there is a discrepancy. Lets face it, they are both good starting point guards. The difference is that one will play any role well while the other is a bit of a pouter. In the end , who would you rather have on this team come off season. (Lets face it....one of them will be going)

As for the Fans, I understand why a lot of them they don`t like TJ. They want a team player who will accept his role. Just look at Rasho....some days he wasn`t even playing but suddenly his minutes went up and is playing like a Man on fire....thats what a team player is like...plays hard whenever he gets the chance. I`m saying that Jose made the right move for his team. And as for the comment about TJ telling Sam to leave Calderon as starter, this is surely because he was under the impression that he`d be back in his starting role soon...as soon as this was not apparent, his play went downhill fast. I think the the choice is pretty clear.

[Peter Lee]

I'd like to make a brief comment in regards to a comment made by a fan on this blog.

"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.

Posted by: Jamie Myers | March 27, 2008 at 10:45 AM"

This sums up exactly the reason why Jose Calderon should be the leader of the Raps and why European basketball has dominated international play in recent years. The end goal is about winning and Calderon understands that subtlety. It's not about 16 points and 8 assists, it's about doing whatever is necessary for the team to achieve success. Ford will get his 16 and 8 with another team, heck maybe even 19 and 8, but he will do so at the expense of his team. He clearly values his importance within the team greater than the importance of the team. I once that that TJ FORD had more upside and hence needed to be the starter. It is crystal clear now that Jose Calderon is the leader this team has been waiting for.

[bballer]

peter lee, you know don't know anything about tj's career. first, he has his number retired with the university of texas for leading his team to the school's first ever final 4. plus he has lead the bucks to 2 playoff series in the 2 years he played for the team. the year he was out and the years since he has been gone the bucks failed to make the playoffs. he was the catalyst for that. finally, tj ford led the raps to the playoffs for the first time in years or do we as fans conveniently forget that? grow up people. a guy almost had a career ending injury and now all the hate? i admit the guy faltered and sulked upon his return. but the revisionist view of his past is ridiculous and idiotic.

[Naz I.]

BBaller,
Don't waste your time with this 'motley crew'. Until the Raptors become the Euraptors, some of these folks won't be satisfied. You'll find it's the same group of people that are critical of CB4, J-Kap and Joey G (not entirely undeserved), while preaching patience with respect to Bargnani (only a year younger than Bosh), and clamoring for Ukic (who we hear is not all that) to replace TJ.
Another example of the overly annoying anti-American bias that continually undermines Canadian sports and will continue to prevent us from having any success in professional sports.