Of minutes, Joey and the train wreck in New York

Great. Now there’s a standard to meet. I kid.

Seriously, the thing yesterday was a great honour and totally unexpected and very, very, very much appreciated. So, too are the various kind words and nice notes from so many of you. Very cool. Very nice.

Oh, and Mr. Roofer, to say nothing of Miss Harbour Sports Grille, are quite all right with the financial repercussions.

Okay, enough sappiness; let me type so I can say something odd and generate some of the hate mail some of you are so good at.

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How many minutes are too many minutes? Is Bosh’s 42.1 minutes per game (second heaviest workload in the league behind Stephen Jackson’s 42.9) too many?

Bosh doesn’t think so.

Sam doesn’t think so.

I don’t think so.

Many of you do think so.

This was Sam yesterday:

“We watch his minutes, we try to. We try to make sure we rest him in between games and if you’re in shape, you can play. Obviously we’re not trying to set a record of playing him 48 minutes a game but he’s not tired.”

I don’t believe in the theory that says extended minutes can lead to injury because a guy can get injured just as easily playing six minutes a night as he can playing 40 and there is no doubt that Bosh is getting rest.

Sure, the fear is the cumulative effect of playing so much every night is a concern but they are managing his time away from the court effectively.

He doesn’t take part in full practices usually (yesterday he did about half the stuff, I’m told) and he is becoming much more aware of the need for treatment and recuperation now that he’s growing up

And it’s certainly not like his extended playing time is causing any drop off in his play, that’s for sure.

Now, should 42.l be 38.1? In a perfect world, yeah, it probably should. But this is not a perfect world and if they need him to play that many to win, he’s got to play that many.

Maybe there’s a slight reduction if Hump provides the kind of effort they need from him every night but until that time, the workload will remain heavy.

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A quasi-list thing:

From Tony K. of Halifax:

Top five deadliest 3-point shooters in Raptors history?

Dell Curry, Walt Williams, Mo Pete, Donyell Marshall, Vince Carter. That’s a pretty good group of shooters. And you’ve still got Dee Brown, Anthony Parker, Tracy Murray and Damon Stoudamire to think about.

Oh, I hear this Kapono guy’s a pretty good long-distance shooter but I haven’t seen it first hand. (Seriously, he’d replace Carter on that list with a greater body of work).

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Real quick, let’s see what Cousin Sekou’s up to in Atlanta.

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I’ve got 65-35 Bad Joey at least makes a cameo appearance tonight.

But, regardless, you will see a bit of Graham, at least, a point Sam reiterated yesterday at practice.

Not as a starter (Moon remains if O’Neal can’t go but it looked yesterday like the big centre’s close to being back) but Joey is going to get some burn off the bench. I’d presume it will come at Moon’s expense as Sam once again extends the rotation one more guy.

Toughest thing Sam’s got to do is try to figure out which of those two guys is going to bring it every night. He never knows, you never know, it’s a crapshoot the coach has to make each and every game. That can’t be easy.

Sayeth Sam:

“It’s been up and down for him but if Joey keeps coming with the energy and the things that we’re trying to do and be focused like he was last night, the opportunity is there for Joey.”

Will he seize it? He has, once, in his career, when he played consistently replacing Garbo two years ago. Other than that? Continually confounding with his inconsistency and I have no reason to expect anything otherwise this time around.

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Welcome to a first-timer

Q: Great Blog I read it everyday. This is the first time I have posted a question though. I have been a Raptors fan from day one. But when is someone gonna step in and make some changes before we ARE too late in the season and nothing can be done?

Karen P, Whitby

A: I firmly believe no major changes should be made before at least a quarter of the season unfolds. Oh, and don’t forget that no one who signed anywhere as a free agent last summer can be traded before Dec. 15 so you might hear about more action after that day.

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What a cesspool in New York, eh?

You’ve got to figure that the Stephon Marbury thing is going to come to a head any day now, either with a suspension, a release or some sort of buyout of his contract.

Could it have been handled better? Sure. And, like with anything, there’s more than enough blame to go around.

The Knicks had to know it would become a circus, and a distraction, sooner rather than later and if they weren’t going to play the guy, they should have pulled a Tinsley and just told him to stay home.

And Marbury, who is operating with only guidance from a players’ association lawyer, should have hired an agent to find him a place to land and taken that proposal to Donnie Walsh long before now.

I will say this: If the Knicks did ask Marbury to play and he refused, that’s about as serious a breach of professionalism – and contract – I can imagine.

So where’s he land?

Not here.

Marbury may still have talent – he’s looked good when I’ve seen him play over the last two years – but he’s a five-month rental and all the extracurricular crap that comes with him isn’t worth it. Not for a team that’s looking to the future rather than one searching for an immediate fix to get them to the NBA final.

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And a question about you. And you. And you, too.

Q: I have just been reading some of the comments on your blog and some of the articles, wow what a bunch of downers. I'm not saying I've got rose coloured glasses and all is right in Rapsland, but are other fans in other cities this "unbalanced" (up and down)?

Mich G, North Bay

A: Let’s just say that it’s my experience talking to writers around the league that Raptors fans are, um, unique in their passion, and disgust, with the team.

Comments

[Eric Hustvedt]

Hi, Doug,

Congratulations on your award. Well deserved.

As a testament to your standing, I want to report that I always go to your blog BEFORE the Star's main basketball page. I bet a lot basketball fans do.) Which is why I didn't understand your award references until I researched the front page. This of course interrupted my usual routine since I usually read the whole blog before I do anything else. Which in turn ruined my whole day. I kid!

Before I come across as turning a compliment into a complaint: the complaint IS the compliment!

Eric, Broad Cove, Nova Scotia

[Stingr]

Congratulations and more power to you Doug! And thanks for keeping up with us b-ball fans.

[John C]

A well-deserved award. Congrats.

[Ellie]

Nice job on the award. Hope you enjoyed a few adult beverages in celebration.

[Alex]

Quote from Sam in your article today (paraphrased): "It's all about adjustments. If they do the same thing today that they did last time, we'll be ready."

That EPITOMIZES Sam's limits as a coach. He can adjust on a game to game basis only - "if you do the exact same thing to us that you did last time, after we've all watched tape for hours and hours, well THEN we'll be ready!"

Of course, any changes from the last game will, as usual, kill the Raps, because Sam just doesn't have the capacity to make significant in-game adjustments. He mixes up the players on the floor and switches between (1) the high pick and roll and (2) the low-post isolation. That's it. Raps playbook - 1/2 a page.

He gets outcoached almost every night. It's why the Raps can beat up (usually) on the weaker teams that don't have a lot of options, but look out of place against good teams.

Sam's a D-league coach. He's good with the players, but he's not a good game manager, he's not elite. We need an elite coach up here in the big leagues, making the big league bucks.

[James, Kenora, Ontario]

What most non-Raptors fans have to remember is that they play in the same city as the Leafs. That alone seems to give the fans some unwritten right to surrender after every loss!

Well done on the award Doug. I love the blog and find it amusing and very informative.

[Steve]

Hey Doug, maybe Sam could get Jamario and Joey to play a quick one on one game prior to any raps game. Whoever wins gets the first nod off the bench. Maybe the play would improve too since they'll be all juiced up from their own private competition and desire for minutes! I keed surely, but it would be cool if it happened.

[Pete]

It's about time they recognize your work... congrats Doug.

[saurab]

if i put kapono on that list im replacing someone other than carter. the dude can shoot can shoot the three as we found out friday. i remember when he hit 3 after 3 to set an nba record in the playoffs - against philly?.. not sure

never knew about the dec. 15th free agent trade thing.. why is this rule in place?

Blogger's note: Has been around for years, presume it's so teams don't sign a guy with a wink and a nod agreement with some other team to deal him right away. And it helps avoid buyer, or seller, remorse.

[Carl J]

"I don’t believe in the theory that says extended minutes can lead to injury because a guy can get injured just as easily playing six minutes a night as he can playing 40"

I'm sorry, but I have to somewhat disagree. Yes, a player who plays six minutes a minute a game can get as seriously injured as someone who plays 40. Freak accidents do happen (e.g. Garbajosa, Tony Allen ...). However, more minutes leads to more wear and tear, which increase the chances of the player getting injured and/or having to have off season surgery.

Maybe this is a bad example, but take your vehicle for example. Yes, something serious could happen to it if you drive it only to the closest watering hole and back (of course you'd be DD), and something serious could happen to it if you drive it to every road game and back. But the wear and tear of driving to and from every road game is far greater than visiting your local watering hole.

However, Bosh is the franchise player, getting paid the big bucks, and should be on the court as much as needed to get the win. If it's a blowout either way, then they should rest him as much as possible.

While writing this, I thought I would do a bit of research, and looked up MJ's minutes.

In 2002/03, when he was 40 years old, he played an average of 37 minutes per game for 82 games. Other than his 2nd season 85/86) when he broke his foot, and when he came out of retirement both times (94/95 when he averaged 39.3 mpg, and 01/02 to play for the Wiz), he has only missed 7 games in total in the regular season and averaged nearly 40mpg.

But take Allen "I don't need to go to practice" Iverson. Over the last 13 seasons he's averaged over 40mpg (only in 97/98 did he average less than 40, and this season too) and has missed 237 games, for an average of 18 games per season.

Heck, look at Bosh. Didn't he miss games because of his heel? The more he played the worse it got. But when he sat out for a bit, it was better.

So whats my point after all of this? Not sure I really have one, other than keep playing him as much as needed. You can't worry about something happening later on down the road, they have to worry about right now (just like the whole "2010").

On a side note, you didn't sound as grump on radio/tv last night, as you do on here (I keed). Keep up the good work.

[Jason]

Interesting but slightly off topic.
The Raps have only one guy (Jose) on the roster for 2010. All the talk about NY, NJ and Detriot gearing up, how could the Raps not be included? To me, it looks like the raps will have 50 million, give or take, in cap space potentially available. That would mean 62ish before the tax.
This number is almost the same as NY and much better than Det and NJ
Why are the masses not mentioning this?

[Andre]

Hey Doug, congrats on the award!

With that being said, you've got to let the other reporters and beat grunts out there know who the man is when it comes to the raptors. I was watching a Smitch interview at practice yesterday on rapstv and there you were in the backround. You were pushed of the side trying to get your mike/recorder in there while sam had his back to you. You couldn't even get a question in, or at least they didn't show it. They did show you trying though. Common Doug, I know your kinda old but get in there and show em who's boss haha. How are those press things? Is there any pushing or shoving between reporters? Over the years how hard have you found it to get a question in?

Blogger's note: Oh, they can get rough :) And if you've got a question, you can always get it in.

[Tree]

Congrats Doug!

As for the situation in New York, while I certainly don't support Marbury, both sides are to blame. D'Antoni told a willing Marbury at the start of the season that he was not going to play, was not going to be waived, bought-out or traded. Then, he expects him to suit up when they're forced to activate him? Marbury has no right to deny playing (esp. for that paycheque!), but Walsh and D'Antoni created this mess - they could of avoided it all and traded the guy when there was interest (Marbury's expiring contract could be a huge boon to a team near the deadline).

[Paul M]

Congrats Doug! Your blog is a bright spot in my otherwise dismal work day!

[Ben]

im looking forward to december. a lot of tough games, and theyre on the road to boot. your gonna be swamped doug. This place is going to be overflowing with angst. or will it? can't wait to see. these are the games that will provide good tests for the raptors. i really have no interest in seeing them beat teams like charlotte.. boy was that game brutal. we're definitely playing down to our competition like we have in the past. only thing is, we're not really playing up to it either. i have no problem with the raps dropping a game once in a while to teams they should beat like new jersey and philly. its the nba, its going to happen. however if theyre gonna drop those games, then now and then you have to beat teams that are better than you. i'm hoping they can do that this coming month.

17 games in dec (i threw in the 1 with the lakers this sunday)
i say(desperately hope) we go 10-7. whats your prediction doug?

Blogger's note: I haven't looked that closely, will do it on the plane to LA on Saturday, give me something to write about Sunday morning

[UK]

Hey Doug,

Do you get the stats for hits on your blog? Your page has to be at or near the top of star.com. Mure curious than anything else.

Blogger's note: I'm sure they're out there somewhere but I just keep plugging along regardless of how many hits we get. But the regulars have got us near the top of the site, I presume.

[Mike]

Doug,
I disagree with your assessment of Marbury not playing. He started the season ready and willing to play and do what they asked of him. They, the Knicks decided not to play him (or even dress him). Dantoni said that he had no part in the future plans of the team and was annoyed when the fans chanted for him to play. Now, because of them clearing the deck for 2010 and some injuries they say alright Marbury we need you to play. He is a human being after all so he says take a hike. You or I would probably do the same if treated that way by our employer. Then you have Richardson come out and blast Marbury for not being there for his teammates. Where were they when the Knicks refused to play or release him.
I am sure that Marbury is not totally innocent in this situation but I can understand why he wouldn't want to play now.

[Randy]

Doug,

Well done from the Raptors fan in Poland. Haven't written in for awhile, but my continued reading of your articles and blog from this side of the planet is yet another small reason why you deserved to win the award - you attract readers from all over the planet.

Start working on the suits that run the Star to get you over here to Poland to cover the 2009 Europe Basketball Championships in September.

Blogger's note: That's a dream trip. I'll be asking, don't you worry.

[dallas]

Congrats Doug, proof that good work does not go unnoticed. Well deserved.

[AA]

Doug,

Congrats on the award. Your articles are the first thing I read while I'm on the can in the morning (too much detail?) and your blog is the first thing I read at work lol.

Anyways, how did JO look at practice? Did you notice him grimacing in pain at all? Was he running the court with ease?

Thanks

Blogger's note: When we saw him yesterday he was just doing some light shooting so we couldn't tell very much.

[Greg]

When some of us are calling for Sam's job, we're not basing this on 14 games (hence give Sam more time): we're evaluating him based on 4+ seasons of work. Very few if any coaching flaws has Sam corrected over his tenure, which is why this team has little hope to go far in the playoffs with Sam as the coach.

[Andre]

Hey Doug,

Congrats on the award
"he Raps have only one guy (Jose) on the roster for 2010. All the talk about NY, NJ and Detriot gearing up, how could the Raps not be included? ....Why are the masses not mentioning this?" - Jason

From what i believe, American Players dont really want to play in Canada. You can't bring players in that don't want to be part of the city. Do you honestly believe Dwade or James would come to toronto? Don't think so.. Maybe joe johnson, but it will be difficult. Lets hope they sign some really good roll players around bosh and cauldron that year, and all will be good. This will be the last time i talk about 2010.

[Mary - Anne]

Congrats, Doug!

Your quote of "it’s my experience talking to writers around the league that Raptors fans are, um, unique in their passion, and disgust, with the team" surprised me.

I thought that basketball fans in Philly, New York, & Detroit were supposed to be really tough. Can anyone who's attended games in these arenas comment?

Blogger's note: Oh, in the arena, they're far tougher in those cities; on the internet and in the mailbag, the folks here are exponentially more, er, excitable

[petro]

Doug,

Felicitations on your expertise and dedication. Absolutely warranted!

petro, Split Croatia (originally)

[GM]

Yes, Joey is inconsistent. But is he any more inconsistent than Moon? The difference is that Moon doesn't get benched after a mistake or two or three. Hopefully Joey won't have such a short leash tonight.