Lots of this and some of that in here. And some Sam

STEVE RUSSELL/TORONTO STAR

We got up early for this?

Okay, how about a little poll: How many if you would like ‘em to shut it down for the last 69 games? Just put a lid on this season now, go on home, hope Bryan can fix this mess and get ready for the lottery?

After all, it is 13 games in already and the Raps are, what?, a game under .500? It’s over, right? Done. Kaput. In the toilet.

But if you want to stick it out, we’ll be around.

To wit:

-

Action: A conspicuous absence

Reaction: Where’s BC?

Notably, or maybe not, the general manager wasn’t in his usual post-game spot going over the day’s affair with the coaches following that Boston debacle.

Maybe he had a family gig, maybe he had a Grey Cup party to get to. Maybe he was so ticked at the boos and the performance of his players and coaches that he knew it wouldn’t serve any usual purpose to be around.

Only he knows for sure.

-

Here’s a little aside for all the Fire Sam, Hire This Big Name Unemployed Coach mob:

You can put out of your mind any thoughts of Jeff Van Gundy and Avery Johnson and Flip Saunders and whatever out-of-work familiar name you can pull out of your hat showing up here in mid-season.

First off, two of them are enjoying a year off from the grind spending money owed them by their former employers and one has just signed a long-term TV contract.

Secondly, no ex-coach with a big rep who’s worth his clipboard is going to come here without a lucrative long-term contract and I don’t see Bryan handing one of them out and limiting any options he’d have next summer.

Thirdly, I wonder if the frugality that seems to be sweeping Maple Leaf Sports these days would come into play when the bean counters realize they’ve got to pay Sam something north of $7 million to go away while bestowing a deal worth something like $12 million on one of the big names being bandied about.

So, not only do I not think it’s time to fire a coach (it’s 13 freaking games into the season!), there are other practical reasons to consider.

-

Action: Bosh’s petulance

Reaction: Understandable but not necessary

Yes, Bosh was frustrated and mad and all that other stuff when he slammed the ball and took the timeout off.

But, really, that’s showing up teammates and coaches and does nothing and is entirely out of character.

If he’s pissed, go in the huddle and yell at someone. Yell at Sam. Yell at a teammate. Yell at a trainer. Yell at The Chicken.

Don’t let 19,800 fans, 50 media types, a nation of television viewers (if any of ‘em hadn’t clicked to Grey Cup preview by then) and the Celtics see that.

Being pissed is good. But there’s a right way and wrong way to send that message.

-

Some mail:

Q: As one of our broadcaster friends said to me during halftime: "I got up early for THIS?". Anyway, during this outing I noticed a couple of non-play things: Kevin Garnett's bio lists him as 6'11". Standing next to the true 7-footer Bargnani, he appears taller than him [and Andrea was featuring some gravity-defying hair]. Is he REALLY 6'11"? [Perhaps his championship ring improved his posture?]. And, on the bright side, Andrea's hair looked really nice today.

Katrina W, Toronto

A: Glad to know someone’s got the lowdown on the hirsute needs of the team.

Garnett’s 7-feet tall if he’s an inch, I have no idea why they’d list him at 6-11. Vanity? Tomfoolery? Typos?

Oh, your broadcaster friend spoke for many of us.

-

Oh, what’d they say in Boston? Here’s what they said in Boston.

-

Action: First basket

Reaction: Troubling sign

You knew it was going to be a long, long day when Boston’s first bucket came off a wide-open three-pointer by Ray Allen in the corner. I know for a fact the game plan was, at the start at least, to let Jermaine O’Neal single cover Kendrick Perkins in the post and it was rather, um, disheartening to the coaches and players, to see Anthony Parker race over to double the aforementioned Perkins whilst Allen, who I believe is known as a shooter, settled in his favourite spot on the court.

Went downhill from there, didn’t it?

-

One more from the mail bag:

Q: Doug, at what point do you shut José down a couple of games and give him a solid week off to mend his hammy? Me, I say now. Take your lumps with Roko and Will and let José get back to at least 85 per cent. Right now, you have the worst of all possible worlds: José hobbling, not getting better, and Raps losing. We need a healthy José for the entire season. Short term pain for long term gain. Hell, sign some development league stud to a 10-day to fill out the roster. Might have to do the same with J.O.

Lee Z, Ottawa

A: It’s as plain as the stain on my shirt that Jose’s not even close to 100 per cent. Yes, he’s got his defensive issues and Rajon Rondo’s quick but there’s no way in the past that he’s blown by Calderon with such ease and I can only chalk that up to the sore hamstring.

But shutting him down? I don’t know about that this week. I think the Charlotte and Atlanta games are virtual must-wins and 85 per cent of Calderon, or even 75 per cent, is going to be needed against Ray Felton and Mike Bibby.

I can’t imagine Calderon, O’Neal or even Bosh will practice much today and tomorrow so maybe that’s enough to have them ready for two pretty big games.

-

A mystery uncovered.

Remember last week when someone asked about the patch that O’Neal’s wearing and we got suggestions that it was everything from a heart monitor to a heat patch to some mystical thing hook up to some weird machine in the back?

Well, the word from the man himself is that it’s an “energy patch” that emits small doses of stuff like amino acids and other things I know nothing about. O’Neal said he’s been wearing one for about three seasons and “some guys think they help, some guys don’t. I do.”

-

Action: Kapono 0-0 FG in 12 minutes.

Reaction: This one’s on the coach

I know there are many, many moments when Jason passes up shots that he should take, or drifts into traffic rather than the corners but I know there are ways to at least get him a touch and a shot because we’ve seen them this time.

Not sure why those plays didn’t get called yesterday but with things going so terribly awry right from the start, Sam should have pulled something out of his hat for Kapono, just like he tried with the Jose-Roko backcourt.

-

And, finally

Q: Teams sometimes have games (like Sunday) where they are being beat so bad they just can't wait for it to be over. Pre-season aside, do you and your fellow reporters likewise have games where you are just waiting for it to end or do you try to find the interesting story within the terrible game?

Hugh M, New York

A: Do we want some of these to end? Oh yeah. There have been games where we’ve hoped they’d forget to play the fourth quarter. Or go with a running clock. Or anything.

But the thing is, because we have bosses and space in the paper and gigabytes or whatever they’re called to file, we still have to find an interesting angle. Thankfully, you get guy having a tantrum or a good quote or a nice anecdote that gets you through the day and that stinging feeling in your eyes from having watched such garbage goes away.

Comments

[Matty-Pix]

Add Eddie Jordan to the list of wanted coaches!

[Tree]

Re: Bosh being mad, I think he has every right to be and I have no problem with the way he showed it. You suggest yelling at Sam, but that would be much worse than how he handled himself. I think if he yells at the coach, there is no choice but to fire him: the public is quickly souring on him and if Bosh backs that up with a public display of anger with him, how could BC possibly keep him? It would lead to people saying (with evidence) that even Bosh wants him gone - whether that's the case or not, perception is everything.

Also, I feel for Bosh; he's playing out of his mind, and the team is mediocre at best. He's watched a steady mix of his teamates being terrible and his coach being soundly out-coached (and face it, losing to the likes of New Jersey was being out-coached, causing a terrible loss to a lesser [we thought ...] team).

Something has to happen, and as you've noted that trades just aren't there or really possible, I think that leaves the team with one other option: dump Sam. Yeah, it's only 13 games into the season, but the more time we give a replacement, the better. It would make no sense to allow the team to sink further before finally pulling the trigger. He's not a bad coach, but he's so predictable on both sides of the floor that he never out-coaches his opponents, and is out-coached leading to multiple losses a year. I also look at the lack of development for Bargnani and Graham (2 players that everyone marvels as being so athletic, yet they never seem to get over the hump to the next level) - that has to be on the coaches as much as it's on them. As for the money owing to him, as you've said before Doug - it's MLSE's money, not ours, so there's no reason for others to worry about that.

[Andrew]

How is anyone upset that a Raptors squad, clearly less than 100% healthy, got beaten by the Boston Cetics? Friday's game hurts a million times more. Celtics win? D'uh.

Personally, I think the Raps seem to be making a few good strides lately, except the injuries to Jose and JO. Limiting Moon seems to have worked wonders. He has almost the same production (and a better FG%) in half the mins. Hump is showing positive signs. Man, he had the rebound of the game yesterday. He can flat out hustle. Bargnani has found something. Bosh is putting up legitimate MVP numbers. Come on, people, simmer down. There's a ton of basketball left to be played. It's not all doom and gloom. Doug, even your post game video blog was full of the stuff you criticize fans for.

Everyone just needs to chill out, in my humble opinion.

[Amr]

This is a great opportunity for the Raps to hire a European coach. It would be a huge move, in terms of publicity and, more importantly, floor strategy. Guys like Messina and Blatt would probably welcome a shot at the NBA and they both have connections with the Raps front office.

They have a great intellectual curiousity in the sense that they are students of the game and are willing to understand the nuances of strategy.

Remember the CKCA Moscow game? Did you see how Messina outcoached Mitchell? The offensive sets had Mitchell flabbergasted in the first half.

Now if they team wanted to go local, Eddie Jordan is a great coach. He's got the same attributes as a Messina/Blatt. His offensive sets (princeton o) are fantastic, and you could always stipulate that he had to hire a defensive specialist as an assistant. Remember, a few years back, he ways the brains behind the New Jersey team that went to the finals a couple of times. (Scott got the credit, but it was him behind the scenes)

[Ryan]

The fire Sam Mitchell crowd has been steadily growing for quite a while now, and just like when we were crowing about TJ-Calderon not being able to be permanent, I think the fans are right on this one too. I've usually been defending Sam but based on some clear blunders recently (think: Parker not fouling Carter), I just think there's got to be better X's and O's coaches out there.

Mitchell seems like a great assistant coach that can help players grow (he must have had a significant impact on Bosh's development), but there's got to be someone better out there that can run the team during the games.

It might only be 13 games in, but the results from all the games seem to be fairly consistent. If Colangelo still believes this is the best Raptor team ever assembled, I don't see how he sticks with a guy who has the team under .500 and last in the Atlantic.

[Andre V.]

When they made that lineup change, it should have been Kapono in for Parker. Moon should remain their for his defence (he is better defender than AP) with a short leash. This Raptors team only plays good defence when their offence is running well. They are not moving well when their shots are not falling in the other end. They seems to be lost when opponent are ahead or starting to make a run....

[Alex]

Action: Not one Raptor moves to the ball on offense, they just stand around watching.

Reaction: Terrible coaching.

***
Action: Bosh is frustrated.
Reaction: Maybe BC wakes up and does something about a total lack of team intensity and the reason for it (COACHING.. or lack thereof).

***
Action: Team is overmatched and completely lacking in intensity.
Reaction: SMitch looks angry, folds his arms and does nothing. Like usual.

[Jason]

Are you not getting enough sleep lately cause you seem to be kinda grouchy lately.

If I could, without you yelling at me, summarize your reasons no coach would be brought in:

1st - none of the big name coaches are available
2nd - no long term contract would be offered at this time so no one would take the deal
3rd - money spent would be too high at 12 million total for Sam's buyout and new guy contract.

All of the above are valid points but all I stated was Jay Triano would be okay as interm therefore making none of the above reasons valid reasons to keep Sam. I'm only throwing this out there for debate. Personally I think your right its only 13 games and Sam should NOT be fired right now. The time to do it was last offseason if BC wanted to. BC choose to keep Sam so he should be given at least a quarter of the season before a change is even considered.
Having said that, would you conceed that with Triano on the bench, the reasons given may not make much of a difference?
Also, what would be your take on Triano running the show for the last 60 or so games? (Yes, you've been clear Sam should stay but humor me here at least)

PS, Get some rest!

Blogger's note: I think it would be a huge gamble, and not necessary at the moment, to give a head coaching job to a guy who's coached one NBA game in his life. I like Jay a lot, I think he has a lot to offer and I think Sam should listen to him more than he does. But as an interim head coach for 50 or 60 games, I don't think he's ready. Not now.

[Kevin]

Let me see if I have this right. A new coach comes in and the following will happen:
Bosh will continue to develop.
Jose's leg will heal and he will play better defense.
Bargnani will consistently play the 3/4/5 and stop taking silly fouls, hit the inside and outside shot and rebound like a stud.
JO will strengthen his knee.
Joey and Jamario will suddenly "get it" and stuff back rebounds while playing defense.
Anthony Parker will revert to an athletic 25 year old who plays more consistently at both ends.
Our missing Aussie will be cured.

That's a lot of sunshine out there folks.

I question Sam's ability to get consistent production out of his people. I question if there is a coach out there who could do that?

By the way, do you think the Wizards or the Thunder got rid of coaches who turned marginal players into stars?

[Tree]

People: there's nothing wrong with having some angst about this team right now. They've essentially thrown up the whote flag in both games against the Celtics (Sam did it the first time), and that loss against NJ was as ugly as it gets (Sam was out-coached). When you lose to a likely bottom-feeder like NJ while you have Bosh and Bargnani having career nights, and with Calderon putting up some of his best numbers ever, how can you stand back and say "it's only 13 games"? We're a few games away from hitting the 20% of the season mark, and this team is currently on a downward trajectory. Sure, injuries hurt, but again, the NJ game was NOT about injuries - it was about poor coaching and a team that was not prepared to close out that game. There were certain expectations for this team from the top, and they are not meeting them and not looking like they will any time soon. If the coach didn't share BC's expectations, as well as the players' expectation, they are not on the same page. You can't get rid of the players, and BC will not fire himself (besides, who is better than him that is available?), so what's left? This team is stagnant and not improving at all. Sam may be a good guy and he may have his moments, but I think his time here is running its course.

[Jason]

My key word with Triano -Interm! Please, lets all keep this n mind

[GM]

People here are seriously suggesting Triano as head coach? That's as ridiculous a notion as I've heard. He's never been that good at any level he's coached. Even internationally, don't forget, he had Nash and even then they got blown out -- blown out! -- by some teams. And if he were that good now, he'd have his hand in drawing up plays or defensive schemes. Maybe the problem on this coaching staff is there's no veteran coach who's been around the block. I do like the suggestion, though, of hiring a top notch assistant coach who's an expert in one area.

As for 7-footers, I think Bill Walton also was one guy who wanted to be listed at 6-11 even though everyone thought he was at least 7 feet. My rule of thumb for NBA players is that anyone under 7 feet exaggerates their height by an inch or two, and everyone at or over 7 feet drops an inch or two. I've stood next to NBA players listed at 6-2 and I swear they're barely pushing 6 feet.

[Jordan Moffatt]

hey doug. I too must say i would be in favour of replacing sam, as i have been for years, but would replacing him mid season with one of his assistance do anything different? Does Jay have a different basketball mindset than Sam, or did Smitch just keep him around and hire a bunch of new guys cause they all think the same?

[Camilo Pascual]

What's the big deal for being blown up by the Celtics ????

Even they'd beaten the Nets by 25 on Friday and have JO fully healthy It could have happened anyways!!
Now ...given the devastating loss they had
on friday, it was expected that they lost this way.
I expected it!

Please Doug, tell me Why isn't everybody commenting on the decision to let O'neal play??
was it not stupid to let the guy re-injure himself??
What was the big urgency ???

The Raptors have big holes at SG, SF and at the COACH positions.
but so what?...nothing will radically change. So just RE-GROUP
and do the best you can to win at least 2 of the next 5.
Less than that, I say pack it up!Kaput! in the toilet!
See you next season!

Blogger's note: O'Neal, the doctors and trainers all said he could go, so he went. No damage done, worth the try

[UK]

It's funny talking about overreactions and whether or not we should be beating the Celtics as posted above. I was at the game yesterday and while a win certainly would have been an upset, its the way in which they were beaten down that was embarrassing. The same mistakes, the same lapses, the strange rotations, lack of X's and O's.

I posted about Van Gundy for coach the other day and in my eyes its not desperation firing a coach 13 games into the season. I just want to see something being done. It i much easier to fire a coach than overhaul a roster. Worst case we continue on course as a .500 team with a new coach. Best case there is a significant impact and we fight for a higher playoff seed. I think it is worth the risk. As an entire body of work I believe Sam Mitchell has served this franchise well and deserves to be recognized for the impact on Bosh, Jose, etc.

A friend of mine made an interesting point to me about ownership of a team and the whole luxury tax, we don't want to go over it thought process. Doug, do you believe if the right piece(s) were out there that would make the Raps a championship contender that MLSE would pull the trigger, or are they more in the business of lets do as best as we can while staying below the tax level? I am curious as a fan because one of the things I love about individual owners is that it is their money and the can decide to go crazy and spend, spend, spend or nickel and dime. With a corporation you just never know. Hope you have some insight.

Blogger's note: The only insight I have is that it would be a case-by-case basis but it would have to be very compelling for the board to give approval to exceed the tax level. And there is really compelling reason at the moment. There may be in January or February but there isn't today.

[Brendon C]

RE: Andrew

Did you watch both Friday and Sunday's games? It was very clear on Sunday the Raps mailed it in by the middle the 3rd quarter regardless of the final boxscore (Garnett and Allen were both out by that point). It could easily have been 30 pt differential if Boston had maintained their defensive intensity.

Doug:

Someone alluded to this point earlier in the comments, but I think the short-term answer to the Raps woes are to give Calderon and O'Neal a week off. Sure, they are struggling now but watching Harris and Rondo dissect the defence tells me Calderon is being exploited as a strategic weak point by opposing teams. If there was a bright spot over the weekend is that Roko, given the opportunity, experience and (a lot) of improvement with his jumper may be a serviceable pg. Why not build some of that experience now while Calderon gets healthy? I believe this team would win more games with and 100% Calderon given a week's rest than Calderon continuing to play at 80%.

Last comment; "it's early in season" and "they are 6-7" are not good arguments to support Mitchell or against the onset of serious concern. The best predictors of future performance are past trends. As another poster said; look at the cumulative progress this team has made since last year's playoffs. Add to this a weak pre-season and at least 3 of the Rap's wins this season were less than dominant. I'm certainly interested to see how Coangelo, Mitchell and the team respond to this challenge.

Brendon

P.s. Can we agree Kapono does not appear to be a fit for this team.

[Derek h]

I have mentioned this in a couple of other blogs/places.

You just have to look at the reaction or lack of reaction to the dunk Kendrick Perkins brought from the Raptors especially Bosh.

Okay, so Perkins got a technical; he deserved it. Up by over 20 and you are celebrating like an idiot like it was the first time you ever dunked a ball. Maybe if it was a close game I could see it a bit more. He is only a somebody because a guy by the name of Garnett came to Boston. Another than that he is a nobody.

Having said this what did the Raptors do; nothing. They have no toughness other than O'Neal. Perkins flails his arms into Bosh and what does Bosh do; nothing. If it was O'Neal he would have gotten into the face of Perkins and probably been 'T'ed up himself. The Raptors need more fight and just do not seem to care enough.

Sure Bosh showed some frustration but even after the New Jersey game his quote was 'It's not a tough loss because we made so many mistakes.' Really. So it was an easy loss?

As much as Bosh has great stats the one thing he is missing is some fire and inner toughness that a guy like Garnett has. If some guy disrespects you, your team or knocks down a teammate hard you go after him. Bosh respects opponents too much or is scared. Maybe he does not want to rue his 'reputation' or image. Who knows?!! Unfortunately, the lack of toughness has been the story since Oakley last played for the team.

[Derek H]

In addition to my previous comment the Raptors lack a killer instinct. How do you explain 3 lost leads of 16+ points in the quarter in 3 games in this young season.

And toughness I don't know if it can be teached. Parker, Hump, Bargnani, Graham, Moon, etc. don't get in the faces of any players ever even if they are knocked down hard. Teams know the Raptors are pushovers especially when O'Neal is not on the court.

As for Sam I have supported him the past couple of seasons and have preached to give him some time. I won't go as far to say it is all his fault. The players includign BC have to take a lot of responsibility. But if by the end of December they continue to play the way have played they may have to fire him just to do something and let the players know they could be next.

As for Bosh instead of being frustrated and giving up like he seemed to do yesterday against Boston perhaps he should take matters into his own hands and really be a leader. Demand the ball, fight off players like Garnett who are clutching and grabbing and get into some opponents faces and stand up for your teammates. Foul someone hard driving to the basket. How you can let Perkins in your own house do what he did is unacceptable! I like Bosh. He works hard but yesterday I think he needed to somehow be more of a leader. I keep hearing he needs help. Well who cares. He gets paid $15mil+ per year. Play tough.

[Hao Qian]

Let's see how they respond on Wednesday versus the Bobcats. When you're facing the champs, it's hard to win the game. Especially, we don't have Jermaine O'neal in the post and Jose Calderon isn't 100%. Also, Boston played one of their best game. Remember when they were against Detroit, Detroit got hammered as well and they were down 20 points. On Friday's game against the nets, the nets came back in the 4th quarter when O'neal left. If only the starters are healthy, I think this is a great team and will win lots of games.

[Derek H]

There have always been a bunch of Mitchell bashers. You can't put it all on Mitchell.

The Raptors did not lose to New Jersey because they were outcoached. After all did they not run a good play to get Parker open and he hit a 3 point shot to tie it in overtime? (Of course many would not give him credit for that and if Parker missed Mitchell would be criticized.) Did Mitchell allow his man to easily drive and score layups in the last couple of minutes of regulation? Is it his fault Parker missed one of his two free throws at the end of regulation. Instead of up 4 they were up by 3 to set up Carter's fade away heave from 30 feet. I suppose that was Mitchell's fault that Carter hit a heaving shot? And before someone states they should have fouled him on the floor before he had a chance to shoot it he got the ball facing the basket so he was already in shooting position to draw a shooting foul. Was it Mitchell's fault Parker bit on the fake and Carter spun around for a reverse alley oop dunk?

Everybody needs to look at themselves in the mirror in that loss (and the Boston loss) and to put it all the blame on Mitchell is bull!

As for this european coach some are talking about. Some of you sound like you know he will be a success and his system will be a success in the NBA. How the fricken do you really know? Afterall it was a pre-season game and ya against the Raptors who you seemingly think suck. Let's see how they would have done against Boston or the Lakers.

[Dan]

Regardless of Sam Mitchell's (questionable) merits as a coach, isn't there a case to be made that, with a few exceptions, NBA coaches simply need to change scenery once in a while? Eddie Jordan and Avery Johnson are good examples. Sometimes things just don't fit anymore between a coach and a team. And those two are both superior coaches (though less interesting personalities) to Sam.

[Roll With Tha Clan]

i might be delusional right now, but i believe in our team, however the concentration and effort is not there.

the three big lineup will change how teams structure their lineups, if they can just play without getting hurt and playing their different roles effectively for a stretch of 15 games straight. last night sacramento started, miller, hawes, thompson up front for the first time.

hump, roko, kapono off the bench and hopefully productive spot minutes for moon, while the starters all play over 35 minutes to win. no other choice with what we have.

the nba has gotten better collectively, and because of that, the raps look worse. this roster is still better than last year in my mind even with that coach.

[firesammitchell.com]

Just to qualify my earlier comment slightly. Hiring Jay Triano, BECAUSE he was Canadian, was a tongue in cheek suggestion...(I held back on touting his impressive unbeaten streak as an NBA head coach, out of respect for the sampling error.)

What CAN be looked at as substantive is that a change can be invigorating.

Jay's had quite a few years as an assistant coach. (Sam's tenure, prior to being named head coach of the then-expansion Bobcats).

He also has had varied international/olympic experience. Being a mere blogger, I haven't the access to speculate on his rapport with players or to predict his specific coaching style in the NBA...other candidates might be more viable, for this needed shot in the arm.

[Interim Coach X] would not be a messianic turnaround by any stretch (definitely not long term satiety to the fickle raptor fans), BUT could at least symbolize intolerance for this unsettling underachievement...weaving itself into the mindset of our mercurial players.

[Gil Lanuza]

great blog doug....but i really hate it when you say its only 13 games into the season, if you played any sport and wanted to be a winner, you have to go out and play every game like its your last....all the greats do it and they are the ones winning games as well (K.G, Jordan, Duncan, etc)

[Al]

Garnett said in his post game comments "Chris needs to decide whether he wants to stay here or not", being a torotonian and a passionate raptors fan I took that persoanlly a 12 years veteran should know better, he has no right to bad mouth a team like that and make a young and upcoming star like Chris Bosh think that this is not worth staying. Your thought on that

Blogger's note: People are entitled to their opinions and it was a quote we all used in our stories. I thank him.