The Morning After The Night Before, LVIX

Sorry to be a bit late, again. Time zones. Ack!

But apparently, lots of you stay up late with the computers on. Re-wrote the game story for the web (one of the benefits of the web, I guess, readers get fresh quotes and a new story that’s more detailed than the one in the paper) in about 45 minutes. Checked e-mail and had about two dozen in that time. That’s dedication, and passion. Or something like that.

And away we go:

Three Things I Learned

Here we go again

Lots of T.J. angst out there, and more than a little hate. Yes, he wasn’t very good dominating the ball in the fourth quarter; yes, he should have got the others involved more often; yes, he took some crazy shots. No, he wasn’t particularly good, as you’ve heard both Sam and AP hint at.

But there can be a balance, and when he finds it, it’ll be like last season when, if you all recall, pretty darn good and so was the team.

Right now, it’s a struggle but the first step in rehab is admitting you’ve got a problem and maybe last night was that step.

And there has to be some change in style; it's not like there are any other options this season. Jose's not playing particularly well and it's not like there's anywhere else to turn. Fans can only hope something clicks, or Sam gets to TJ to change -- just slightly -- his ball dominance at crunch time. -

I (heart) Golden State

That’s a fun team. No conscience at all, they play the same up 20 or down 20. It’d be torture to cover ‘em every game ‘cause you could never safely say a game was won or lost until the final minutes but to watch them: Very cool.

Monta Ellis might be the most under-rated player in the league (although a two-guard going off on the Raptors is hardly something unusual) and I will just say this once: Andris Biedrins was drafted 11^th in 2004; the size-starved Toronto Raptors chose Rafael Araujo eighth.

-

Did you see that?

Bargnani’s in the low post, has the smaller Mickael Pietrus on him, backs him down patiently and then calmly hits a fadeaway jumper. That’s a big man post move and shows that maybe all that work in practice with Alex English is going to pay off.

Quietly, the kid’s been pretty good lately, hasn’t he?

-

Oh, and One Thing You Should Learn

Guess I got this right.

Amid the dozens and dozens of e-mails I awoke to this morning, there was more than a few suggesting I am anti-Ford and more than a few suggesting I’m anti-Jose.

Perfect!

Like a trade where both teams win.

Here's the thing: I'm not 'for one' or 'against another.' If they mess up, you comment on it, or write about it. My definition of 'messing up' is obviously different than yours, and that's cool. I do think both are good, both have things they bring to the team that the other doesn't and if the Raptors are going to do anything in the post-season, like a win a series, both of them have to be playing at high level. Neither are right now. -

Once into the mailbag

Q: Okay Doug, I'm finally doing it, I'm posting a question, hoping you'll show it on your blog and my husband will be oh so impressed that I made it to the Big League (note: I did read that buttering you up helps get noticed, so I'm trying my best here...) 

Been a Raptor fan for a few years and I have my favorites (hello Mr. Jose). But - what's the deal with Darrick Martin?  He's not on the inactive list (at least, last game I was at on Friday), but he's in a suit.

Also, I saw your note on onions, and I thought it was related to seeing such a beautiful play, that it would put tears in your eyes, like, um, onions. I guess I'm still naive about these things...  Salami and cheese? Equals, game over, go make a sandwich?

Gavinder B, Toronto

A: I hope hubby’s duly impressed.

Darrick actually is on the inactive list, along with Garbo and Bosh. The list can change night to night, though, so maybe he gets a chance to put on a uniform sometime soon.

That’s a unique ‘onions’ explanation, wish it were true but, alas, it’s got more to do with the other stuff than tears to your eyes.

You’ve got the salami and cheese thing down, though.

Maybe we should do a Swirsk-to-English dictionary, put it on the shelf next to the Oak-to-English tome.

-

Janny Hu in the San Francisco Chronicle chronicles the game like this.

-

So, I’m travelling from L.A. to S.F. dressed rather casually on Wednesday, wearing a t-shirt my man Jack Armstrong gave me, a shirt wit his visage on the front in that classic “Hello!” pose. In fact, it’s got “Hello” written on.

Standing in line at some Starbucks at LAX chatting with a woman killing time, she looks at the shirt and says, “Is that Bush’s dad?”

Fast forward a few hours, get to San Francisco, standing in line at the car rental place and the lady behind the counter looks up and says, “Hey, is that Bush on your shirt?”

Jack Armstrong as the elder Bush? Never saw the resemblance.

But if people are thinking I’m wearing a shirt with Dubya’s dad on it, I gotta retire it for every trip to the United States lest people get the wrong impression.

-

Here’s another one from the mail and I have to say, it’s waaaaaaaay more refreshing than a ‘what’s wrong with T.J. or when are they going to fire Sam’ query.

Q: Great game eh? This might be a stupid question but you know how in different sports, players in different positions use slightly different equipment. Example, a defencemen in hockey wears a harder skate to protect against blocked shots or how an outfielder in baseball uses a different size glove than that of an infielder.

Are the shoes that the basketball players wear tailor to various positions? Like does Steve Nash wear a point guard shoe while Tim Duncan wear a shoe for centres? Thanks!

Matthew M, Scarborough

A: Interesting question. Guys wear shoes that are tailored their feet, rather than their position. No difference in, say, weight, just difference in stuff like width and size.

-

Speaking of Jack Armstrong and adult beverages (we were, weren't we?), you realize Monday is St. Patrick’s Day, right?

We’ll be in that bastion of Irish boozing, Salt Lake City, and I bet it’s standing room only in all the beer emporiums that dot the downtown core.

But you’ll also get to see the great green Raptor jerseys (I believe they may even on sale for you to fatten up the coffers of MLSEL because nothing says St. Paddy’s day better than a green dinosaur) and even green shoes.

-

Baron Davis is at the free throw line late in the game and some of the yahoos in the stands starting the old, yet boring, ‘M-V-P, M-V-P’ chant.

Got me thinking there are apparently 31 MVPs this season. One from every team and Toronto gets a bonus one ‘cause of the, um, zanies who chanted when The Gangster was shooting free throws.

-

Let’s finish off by checking in with our folks in Denver to see what’s up with the Noogies before tomorrow’s game.

Comments

[tim]

toronto need a gangster team

[Kevin James]

Leave TJ Alone, Ford is one of my favourite players and I honestly can't wait till he is traded to be finally appreciated. Funny how TJ gets bashed yet bargnani 30 minutes a pathetic eddy curry like game 3 rebounds (parker had 9), 4 turnovers and getting to the line only twice is being heralded.

[Mike K]

Did I miss something? Who is The Gangster? Primoz?

[David Ingram]

Only in Fickle Toronto is 23 points, 8 assists only 4 boards, getting to the line 8 time is considered a erratic game. I'm sure Doug would like TJ to get more of his teammates involved passing the rock overrated delfino and his 39% shooting to jack up more shots, or to Hump to shoot more 18 Foot jump shots. Because we all know how good we are on the boards with rasho and bargs.

[bballer]

i'm just hoping that toronto fans would just relax. talent wise the raps would be only the 11th best team in the west and is the 9th best team in the east. boston, detroit, cleveland, orlando, chitown, nj, atlanta and maybe washinton has more or better talent than toronto. the fact that the team is safely holding onto the 5th team is quite an accomplishment for this squad. yes the front court can rebound more. yes the pg's need to shape up a bit more. the real downfall for the raps are the wing players. we have 4 backups in our rotation.

until we get a talent upgrade at those spots, the raps will always struggle. coaching can cover weaknesses. but good teams will always expose it. tj may have dominated the ball. but how many people thought the raps were going to win b4 the game started anyway. just enjoy the season and don't get too angry game to game.

[Raven]

Jack Armstrong looks more like Dana Carvey impersonating Bush Sr. and I recall frequent use of "hello" as a catch phrase along side "not going to do it".

Poor, poor Jack...

[CARLoS M.]

I was never a TJ Hater before but the last few weeks have me turing against him. TJ is a great player but a horrible (at times) team mate. Even the MVP thinks so!

"You just let him go ahead and get 28," said Bryant. "If that's what the guards want to do, that's fine. You just let him go in. That's fine by us as long as he's not getting the other guys involved."

[Adam C]

It doesn't really need to be said but:

The eight assists from Ford were great; too bad none of them came in the fourth quarter when the game was available. Instead he ran up the floor and took shot after shot - and eight of 18 is not the line you want to see from your PG against a lousy defensive team like Golden State. Don't be fooled by the free throws; most of them came while bringing up the ball with the Warriors in penalty trouble. Take those off his scoring line and it's a crime he couldn't get more looks for Parker and Bargnani.

[Chris C]

Kevin,

There is no doubt that Andreas rebounding numbers are hard to believe but if you watched the game last night and saw TJ go 1 on 5 for almost the entire 4th quarter, it would suprise me if you still kept him on your favoite player list. Yes he is quick, yes he can take guys to the basket and has great 1 on 1 moves but he is a point guard and its his job is to run the offence. It shouldnt be a surprise to him that there are FOUR other guys on the court. It is just getting to the point where the others look disinterested because they know its the TJ show. Maybe TJ should watch the game tape of Chris Paul last night against the Spurs to realize that a real point guard can score, play under control and keep his teammates involved. Maybe we should just print a FORD on the front of his jersey because it seems like that is the most important thing to him.

[CARLoS M.]

Doug, didn't you write an article at the beginning of the season explaining how TJ was maturing, slowinging things down, learning to play under control, etc, etc? What happened?!?

Why does Sam allow this to continue? Why doesn't he yank him when he starts the TJ streetball show?

[Chi of Steel]

It's the same old story with Ford. Only difference is that when the Raptors win, we don't pay attention to it as much and instead harp on Bargnani's play or something. I can envision Sam Mitchell returning Ford to his starter role before season's end, and Jose Calderon would accept his demotion with class. Heck, the play of our second unit would probably improve, and as a whole the Raptors may even play better in that arrangement. But it also wouldn't surprise me if Jose will eventually tire of all the fuss, and seek another team to play on. I read that the Lakers is a team he would gladly join.. but then again, who wouldn't?

[Saad]

Doug, never, NEVER drop the Jack shirt. He's probably my favorite presenter, with his self-deprecating humor, his insights which are ACTUALLY insightful, and his glorious voice which just needs an excuse to emerge. I also had the priveledge of meeting the man at a McDonalds abd went on a bit of a rant about Mike James, hoping he'd join in. Being the classy man he is, he never took the bait and was kind, courteous, and even gave me a 'hello!" Proud day.

[Remy]

tim, Kevin James, David Ingram - I'm pretty sure Doug doesn't mind TJ shooting the ball or the numbers he put up. It's the fact that he doesn't pass it first and get teammates involved. Get some ball movement and get an open/better shot, instead of taking some of the silly shots he often puts up.

David - you mention passing th ball to Delfino or Hump? How about AP, who's red hot, or Bargnani, who was warming up in the second half.

C'mon people. His stat line was really great eh? Well they lost the game, how great is that?

[sara]

TJ is TJ but this team has a coach , too.
I suppose he noted Rambo-TJ was spending the fourth quarter totally out of control , going one-on-five, with his teammates standing around and watching his one-man show . He didn't make any move . Maybe he liked the performance
In any case , welcome back TJ ! This team need your energy.

[Naz I.]

For all the TJ haters, I have a question - What exactly did Jose Calderon do in his 25-plus minutes of PT? Further to that, and since Jose has been underpar for the last little while (especially when Bosh isn't there to command the double team, leaving open looks for him), who would Sam have gone to if he yanked TJ? Darrick Martin? Delfino? Give me a break.

As an earlier poster said, I can't wait for TJ to be traded and Jose to be handed a monster 10 million/year contract, just so I see the depths this team will sink to. Face it, TJ is our second best playmaker, and if his teammates (other than Parker, who does blow hot and cold) aren't playing very well, it's his job to spark them.

If they are so angry with him, let them go out on the court and make all those open looks he creates for them - it's no use mentioning it in veiled comments post-game.
Before the 4th quarter, he should have had a double-double, what with the open passes that were clanged off iron by the likes of Kapono, Bargnani and Delfino. After that, it was well within his rights to take off...because the rest of the team sure wasn't going to.

[bballer]

ok, chris paul avgs 17 shots per game, while tj avg 11 spg. bdiddy avg 18 spg, tj avg 11 spg. nash avg 12 spg, tj avg 11 spg. billups avg 12 spg, tj avg 11spg. tony parker avg 15 spg, tj avg 11 spg. andre miller avg 14 spg, tj avg 11spg. deron williams avg 14 spg and tj avg 11spg. rafer alston avg 12 spg and tj avg 11spg. jason kidd takes 9 spg and tj takes 11spg.

so those are the shots per game average of some of the top point guards in the league vs tj fords. yes tj may go one on 5 a bit too much. yet all all star pg's except for jason kidd takes more shots per game than tj ford. so basically if any all star point guard comes to toronto and maintains the amount of shots they take, i'm assuming that you toronto fans will complain that they all take way too many shots. bargnani and delfino has a 39% shooting avg. tj has a 45% shooting average. maybe those guys should learn how to create off the dribble and finish off plays b4 you guys continue to lionize them. the raps need more guys who can create off the dribble or draw a double team in order to create open looks.

this team is still learning how to win. they are not that talented and are overachieving. with better players the team will perform better. relax people and enjoy the team's development. tj, sam and bosh's injuries are not the problem. the talent makeup of the team is the real problem.

Blogger's note: Be prepared, someone's going to bring up the fact TJ doesn't play as many minutes as some of those point guards you brought up.

[Felix]

I think TJ and Jose on the same team does not work as it did in the past, when Jose was the backup. Both players know they are natural starters, so none of them is feeling easy in this new situation. I think logic works when things are done the easy way, so basketball logic tells it rather yields having one starter and one good backup. I imagine BC can see this as clear as I do. One of the point guards has to be traded. Experiments hardly work in basketball. The game is dominated from the inside (see the Mavs experience in the last couple of years, if not) and you have to have one floor general, not two.

[jus]

very exciting game...up until 6:10 in the fourth where TJ went one on five and missed 4 shots in a row...Sam gotta bench him instead of feeding off his inflated ego.

[rozen]

Doug,

What did you mean when you said "Jose's not playing particularly well" One turnover, a few assists and a few points with a high percentage. That sounds okay to me, and I think unhappy TJ is getting to him, you can't tell me there is no link between TJ's funk and jose's play of late.

Blogger's note: Okay, I won't tell you.

[GM]

With the play of Jose and TJ lately, I think it's safe to retire that notion that Toronto has the best PG combo in the league. Ouch!

TJ was horrendous in the 4th quarter. I have no problem with a PG taking lots of shots -- if that's what the defence is giving. But lordy... I remember one point in the 4th quarter, about five minutes to go, Toronto trailing 96-93 with the ball. TJ brings the ball up the court, waits, waits, waits, waits, clock ticks down, waits some more, then puts up an errant 3-pointer. Not one other Raptor touched the ball. I have no problem with him taking that shot if the ball is worked around and it finds its way back to him. But to just hog the ball like that is inexcusable. And he did it practically every time down the court in the fourth. Doug, to say he needs to change his ball dominance "just slightly" is really puzzling. Yes, he can score, but that's not the point. A bad shot is still a bad shot even if it goes in on occassion. Sometimes it's worse than a bad shot because it encourages him to try even more bad shots. Even though Jose has been a non-factor, I'd still have preferred him running the show in the 4th.

I love Golden State, too. And I'd really love to see them beat Phonix in the playoffs just to show that you don't have to go big and slow to win.

[greg d]

I was never a TJ hater either, but recently I can't stand his selfish play. But heck we arn't going to go far this year anyway, let TJ rack up selfish points, increase his value and ship him out at the end of the year.

[Dan]

TJ seems to be trying to play back into the starting spot. The irony is, he's likely playing himself off the team.

If he keeps this up, don't be surprised to see BC try to move him for a good SF in the offseason.

Nothing against TJ, but if he can't buy into the team concept of passing first... well, at least his 20+ point games have market value....

[Philippe A]

I don't understand why people bash TJ Ford. I'm pretty sure him and Parker are the reason they came back in the game last night. I think the biggest difference between TJ Ford and Calderon is that Ford can actually break down defenders which he showed a lot of last night..maybe a bit too much. My point is I think Ford should start simply because he sets the tone of the game with his quickness. Don't get me wrong, I love Jose but the first quarter of a couple of games have been overly dissapointing.

[Ryan]

"C'mon people. His stat line was really great eh? Well they lost the game, how great is that?"

Exactly. This situation will not work and in the offseason one of these PGs will have to be moved. They are both simply too good for either of them to accept a backup role. Personally, I think if Ford is traded though that whichever team gets him is going to get a PG with a chip on his shoulder and go off. That being said... Ford has much more potential than Calderon and being 3 years younger.. if Toronto shows faith in Ford, imagine what he could do when his head's in the right place.

[Ellie]

Good lord we sure need Bosh back.