Of Roko and Bargnani and Kapono, among others

Nothing like a seven-point win over a 4-10 team to ease the cranky old mind, is there?

Okay, okay. Sure, a win’s a win’s a win and it beats the alternative for many but those were the vertically-challenged Charlotte Bobcats the locals beat up on by a whopping seven points.

Maybe reserve judgement on the “dark days are behind us” stuff?

Anyway, there were some actions. And, of course, some reactions.

Like …

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Action: Roko’s getting it.

Reaction: The job has to be his.

The behind-the-back dish and the little floater in the lane were the highlights but it was the pace at which Roko Ukic played that has to keep him as the team’s backup point guard.

He only got seven minutes in the second quarter but they were played at a tempo the Raptors desperately needed at the time. And for a rookie who has been pretty turnover-prone at moments in his development, not giving the ball away while playing quickly was the thing that was most noticeable.

I’m thinking it’s a while before Will Solomon gets another shot

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Yes, there are still some glitches with the big scoreboard. Looked at it last night a couple of times only to see advertising logos where the boxscore should be. No, that’s not good.

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We have to talk about Joey, right?

Q: As I write this the Raps are holding on against the bobcats with a couple minutes left. We have seen Good Joey tonight and it has really been a huge boost! I know we have asked this before but is there a chance that we could have Good Joey for maybe 3 of 5 games for the rest of the season? If he can play this well for 60% of the time he really should play over Moon. Any thoughts? P.S. Thanks for all the hard work you put in each day to keep us crazed raptor fans at bay.

Blake H, Provo, Utah

A: Sam promised last night in his post-game chat session that Joey earned a chance to play on Friday off his performance on Wednesday. We’ll reserve judgment on what that means until we see how he does on Friday but, yes, if they get that kind of effort and production out of him 60 per cent of the time, I think he has to play ahead of Jamario.

After all, the thing that set Jamario apart last year was his defence and rebounding and that’s been lacking too many nights this year.

I’m certainly not about to suggest Good Joey’s going to be a regular around these parts but I can’t see the problem in giving him five or 10 games to see what he can bring.

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Yes, Bryan was back in his usual spot visiting with the coaches after game. You’ll recall he didn’t stop for a visit after Sunday’s loss to Boston.

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Fashion alert

Comical moment of the night.

Joey Graham and Jamario Moon are getting dressed, one locker apart, after the game and they’ve got on exactly the same shirt. I mean exactly. A Sean Jean thing (no, I didn’t know that, someone told me)  in green and blue.   Seems I may have been misinformed.

Much hilarity and it begged one question: How did Jamario get into Stephen’s closet?

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This is why I love Larry Brown.

In a little chat before the game, I mentioned that the first time the team’s met, he was lamenting his small frontcourt (the Bobcats were starting 6-7 Jared Dudley at power forward back then) and while it’s bigger now with 7-0 rook Alexis Ajinca in there, it’s still not an imposing lineup.

Here’s Larry’s verbatim reply:

“It’s a process. The French kid’s not ready yet, even though he’s got great size, he’s just so thin. He’s going to be fine in time, I don’t think it just happens overnight. Other than that, we do have some tall guys but … We have some tall guys.”

How can you not like a coach who offers that kind of honest assessment.

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Action: Bargnani can’t shoot.

Reaction: But he still plays.

Not that it’s a turning point or anything but Bargnani found a way to help his team despite a 4-for-15 night from the field but defending, rebounding and blocking shots.

Now, that’s not something we usually say around here, is it?

Nine boards were impressive and so were the three blocks and his effort allowed Sam to, um, rest Kris Humphries, who was in one of his “I’m Michael Jordan” moods it seems.

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Here’s how the game played in Charlotte.

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Wait! What was that byline on that Charlotte story? Who is this guy? Oh, he’s just an interloper helping out a Carolina beat grunt who wanted to spend Thanksgiving at home. We do favours for each other when we can.

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Action: Jason Kapono, 3 FGA, 15 minutes

Reaction: More time at the whiteboard

Guess it takes longer to practice and implement any new plays for Kapono, it was the same old, same old last night.

He did have a patented pump-fake-and-travel move on what I think was his first touch and then used that hair-trigger release to hit a jumper curling off a screen a minute or so later.

But other than that? The usual decoy rule, which has to be really infuriating for him, not to mention the fans.

They really ought to make him more of a focal point when he’s on the floor, no?

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Speaking of:

Q: A few years ago, one of my favourite Raptors was Dell Curry, the dude could shoot. If I recall correctly, there were quite a few similarities between he and Jason Kapono, deadly shooters with quick releases who don't do much else. It seems though that Dell Curry would always get his shots when he came into the game but Kapono seems to have a ton of difficulty doing so. In your opinion, what are the differences between these two players and their respective situations that made it (seemingly?) easy for one to get his shots whereas the other struggles so mightily?

Serge P, Ottawa

A: Dell Curry is the single greatest shooter I ever saw in purpose. His stroke was like a “How To” video on quick release and deadly accuracy.

The differences? Dell was almost a decade older when he got here than Kapono was when he arrived and there was a craftiness about Dell, an ability to get open on his own, that Jason hasn’t yet mastered.

And, yes, the coaching was better in regards to getting clean looks for Curry than it is for Kapono.

Comments

[Dan]

Hey Doug,
A few things that I have to say about this game is about time they tried Joey out the obvious and I am sure everyone is saying this. In saying that I also feel that Joey should get a chance now for a few games which means there maybe should be a few games where Moon sits for a complete game. To me by doing this Moon might feel a little more pressure and hopefully go back to last years performance. I do believe Joey has the makeup to be a dominant player but I don't feel the Raps will ever give him a fair enough chance, and his confidence may be to far gone by now for that to happen. How do you feel on that, and do you truly believe Sam will now give him a stretch of 5 to 10 games even if we do see bad Joey for a game or two stretch, as we have seen for most of this early season from Moon?

Blogger's note: He'll get more minutes off Wednesday's play; what he does with them is the million-dollar question

[Dan]

1 other comment that no other raps fan will agree with but I say Bosh and Moon for Aldridge and Roy. The scoring would be there the big man is there and it would help with the depth. Just a thought but I feel BC would be booed out of Toronto if Bosh was ever talked about being traded.

[Pete]

Dougy Dougy Dougy... did this 'someone' tell you that it is Sean Jean they are wearing?????? It's SEAN JOHN!

Blogger's note: Dang! Now I'm confused. As usual

[Alex]

Promising night from Joey and the Boys but lets remember....this was the Bobcats. Good test coming on Friday against the Hawks.

[Denny]

Hey Doug,

So do you get extra pay for the Charlotte article or is it more of a favor thing?

Blogger's note: Not enough :); but it's more a favour than anything else.

[Dave]

Kapono defends way better than Ell Curry ever did. He was a great shooter, but everytime he was on the floor even the hockey crowd would recognize the 5-on-4 situation.

[ET]

Hi Doug,
Although Raptors earned a tough win over the road weary Bobcats, I am still puzzled by the team’s struggles. Comparing this year’s team to the last year’s one, I can certainly see that the team this year has totally looked out of place. I know it is early in the season, but can you compare last year’s .500 team’s performance with the current team this year?

Blogger's note: No, I cant, it's too early. Road-weary? They played at home on Monday and had Tuesday off

[Brian]

Doug,

Watching last night I came to one big conclusion.

Good Joey is better than Good Jamario, and Bad Joey is better than Bad Jamario.

I know it was one game, and Joey's bad moments can be obvious (airballs), but Jamario's bad moments are far too prevalent.

Agree?

Blogger's note: Not a large enough sample size to agree or disagree.

[Rob S]

Just saw on Realgm a RUMOR that the Grizzlies are looking to deal Crittenton or Warrick... for shooting (see Kapono). It would be better to get back a 2 or 3 in exchange for JK, but a backup point gaurd AND powerforward might not hurt either. What is your take on these players Doug? Am I crazy to think that we are going to be trading SOMEONE this year?

Blogger's note: Crittenton's buried and may develop into a player but they have other needs here. Warrick? I'm not a big fan.
A Bryan Colangelo year hasn't gone by without a trade, can't imagine this season would be any different

[derek]

I am worried.
Bargnani, Bosh, Calderon all playing 40 + minutes on a consistent basis, and only beating the Slobcats by 7?
Bosh will be burnt out by Christmas, Jose is going to injure himself again. It is the benches responsibility to hold onto leads to give these guys a rest.
Do we know of anyother team that has three of its starters playing this much, if there is do they ever have to play as "hard" as these three?

Blogger's note: I don't have my league stats handy, let me check and do something in the blog in the morning.

[Dennis T]

"Nine boards were impressive and so were the three blocks and his effort allowed Sam to, um, rest Kris Humphries, who was in one of his “I’m Michael Jordan” moods it seems."

Thanks Doug, I almost spat out my morning coffee after reading that gem.

[Jason]

I ran this trade on the ESPN trade machine.
Doug Smith for Rick Bonnell does not seem to work. We would need to send another guy to balance the huge salary difference. You need a raise.

[Jason]

Hey Doug,
When Bonnell does the Raps game in Charlotte to complete the trade, tell him we spell shots with an A in Canada. "More Shats!"

[WSG]

Good to see your name over a nice little article in a U.S. paper. I gave the 'Recommend' button a click ... and it went to '1'.

[Paul]

Doug, thanks for the sharing the Charlotte article - yet another bit of insight for us on the inner workings! Nice of you to help that Charlotte grunt out!
In other news, please tell McCowan and Brunt to defer to you on all things Raptors - they don't know what they're talking about! :)

[leigh]

Oh Douglas..."Nine boards were impressive and so were the three blocks and his effort allowed Sam to, um, rest Kris Humphries, who was in one of his “I’m Michael Jordan” moods it seems"...that might just be your best line ever !

[Tree]

I agree with Brian on the Good Joey/Bad Joey vs Good Jamario/Bad Jamario. They got something from him last year, and that's great, but now it's time he's used in a proper role: bench player.

As for Kapono, I just do not understand how they can't figure out how to get him shots. I don't want to harp on the coaching, but come on - this is Sam's famous lack of offensive schemes shining through.

They won, great, but there were moments late when it looked like they'd blow it again. This team is wasting monster efforts from Bosh (not last night, mind you), and I have revised my outlook for the team downward to the 42 win mark.

[Stan]

Roko should have always had the job.

If you are going to go with 30year old back up make sure he's a proven league veteran first who won't make rookie mistakes. Otherwise it just makes more sense to let the kid play and make the same mistakes because that's how you develop young talent.

Good to see the switch was finally made, Roko looked great last night.

Oh and people need to stop complaining about the high minutes for the starters. Boston was fine last season with Doc riding the big 3 for 40 a game.

[ET]

I meant to say Bobcats are horrible on the road. They are 0-4. Used the wrong word to describe them. Sorry.

Blogger's note: Yeah, road kill might have been more appropriate.

[Eric]

A couple signs of the problem:

Matt Devlin after the win, "The Raptors are back." One 7-pt home win vs the lowly, shorthanded Bobcats? Eeeeeggh. The number of PR doses Raptor fans are forced to ingest is unfair. And the complacency that surrounds this team is clinical.

Andrea Bargnani 11/9, Jose Calderon 10/9- "Near double doubles!" Enough! Please! Any time stats take on such a significance is a symptom of a team and its media staff looking for any reason to justify excitement. Let's be honest, if things were really that good, we wouldn't be badgered by such nonsense.

Now, I am little bit encouraged by Bargnani because of just one moment: Bosh was fouled hard in the lane and Andrea ran over urgently to help him up- he didn't do it because he thought he 'should' do it, he did it because it came naturally to him, he wanted to HELP his teammate. This is progress, I'm sad to say.

But Bargnani was stuck on the same stats throughout the 4th quarter, to be honest. This is more of the same. He didn't have a point, nor a block, nor a rebound. He did take a charge. But he still suffers through extended lapses of bringing no value to the floor. But at least these now come fewer and far between. They used to last for entire games.

One suggestion for the coaching staff and Bargnani- why are you leaking out on so many rebounds, especially when you're one of only two bigs on the floor?!?! This team is outnumbered on the glass at both ends all the time! Chris Bosh is on an island!

This has been a bad habit for him for too long- is the coaching staff ASKING him to leak out to get on the break? If so, I got news for you- 1) The Raps don't know how to run a fast break with or without Bargnani; 2) The fast break doesn't exist when you allow an offensive rebound. I'm embarrassed that it's lasted for so long!! Sort of microcosmic of the team in general- spend more time denying the problem than accepting it and exploring solutions. The next time I see Andrea leak out of the screen on a jump shot, I will set up an appointment for the coaching staff to see some clinicians at the asylum.

[TMF]

Though I agree that the coaching staff could run more plays for him, shouldn't the fact that Bosh and O'Neal frequently get double-teamed down low be enough to open up shots for Kapono?

[Tim]

LOL 'I'm Michael Jordan'... priceless

[Kelsie]

Hey Doug,

A few tense moments last night but a win is a win. Just a few observations:

Bosh is Bosh and he scares me as to how good he is now. I think Sam summed it up properly saying that the great ones get out there, look around and think they're the best player on the court, and Bosh is clearly feeling that. I am concerned about his minutes which are very high for a big, but if he continues at this pace he's a first team NBA selection.

Bargnani played great. You'll miss shots some nights but he played good defence and found ways to contest shots without picking up bad fouls. Initially, I had my concerns with him playing the three and having to chase players off screens, and thought it might affect his development in transitioning back to the centre position but he's shown so far he can guard the 3 and on switches, body up if he has to guard the 4 or opposing 5. His litmus test will start Friday and when they head out to the west coast, but right now I'm happy with his development.

Joey, Joey, Joey. I don't think there is one raptor fan out there who doesn't want to see him play like that more consistently but consistent is a word Joey has yet to master. I think right now however he has earned more playing time than Moon (where did his defensive intensity go?) and I liked the press conference question when you "casually" asked Sam about Joey getting some more playing time in the near future.lol You could see that Sam had to smile a little at that one, but it's time Joey had an opportunity to play a little more and I think he knows that.

I was most impressed with the perimeter defence. This is the first time in a little while that I saw the guard jump out before the pick got there, the man who is guarding the "pick man" is trapping the guard and the closest defender was rotating quickly to the open man. We got a few turnovers off that last night, but this is what most fans want to see on a nightly basis. The effort to defend and not reacting everytime to what the opposing team is running against us but trying to anticipate how they are attacking us and beating them to the punch.

We're still a work in progress but do you think it makes more sense for BC to explore trade possibilities this year to improve the roster marginally or perhaps wait until next year when JO's number is off the books and he can sit down and decide on who he will try and throw some money at to come and play here. We need more talent and I know we've never signed a significant free agent outside of re-upping our own players at any time in our history but I think this is where BC intends to earn his money and show why he was bought in here to run this team.

Blogger's note: I think Bryan should try to do something, not necessarily major, to improve the wings. But not if it's going to mean taking back a long-term contract. That's a tall order but maybe he can get it done.

[supermilenko]

JK is not playing any diferent than he did in Miami; the difference is that his coach in Miami was much better. Not being able to utilize your resources and players is entirely the fault of coaching staff.

And I have to agree with Derek - our starters will be burnt out before Christmas. Jose is already limping and his first step is not as quick as it used to be. You can see that Bosh is fatigued (despite the monster game last night, he missed last 4 out of 5 shoots he took).

Raptors roster might not be complete, but it is up to the coach to use his players properly. How many teams in the East have dominant PF, outstanding PG and 2 solid 7-footers? Bench might be thin, but this one lies on BC's shoulders; it's impossible to have solid bench when nearly 40% of your salary cap is being eaten by the big question mark. Add CB, JC, and JK to the mix and there's not much wealth to be spread around.

Doug, I love the blog and been reading it for the long time; just follow Fetschuk's lead and don't be so PC when it comes to Sam Mitchell.

[Anthony]

Was there last night and must comment on that scoreboard.... Split season tickets so been there 4 games already and it has broken down everytime.... How mickey mouse is that?

Was very impressed with Bargnani's defense, but you could see how gassed they were the 4th with Charlotte getting a # of Offensive boards. Was disappointed with his shooting and stagnant play of offense (maybe 3 shots in the paint), his turnovers, but his D is much improved.

What is this Toronto love affair in all sports with muckers like Domi in Hockey & Humprhies in Basketball.... Humphries was horrendous yesterday, put up 5 bad shots, and missed his assignment vs. Carter last Friday (open 3 with about 20 seconds to go). He is an end of the bench player.

Agreed too with the comments on JK. How can they not get him a shot?

Also, while Joey played well, he did put up a patented airball and got his nightly offensive foul on a push off. Will he ever learn.

Just random thoughts. Thanks for the work.