What'd Sam do now?

Hi, it’s your friendly neighbourhood piñata checking in. You know, there are days when I wish Al Gore had never invented this infernal interweb thingy.

Anyway, how’s everyone today? Tired from watching that fourth quarter in Boston again and again and again just to relive the glory? Think of it this way: Nothing extraordinarily bad happened last night, did it?

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Got a wee bit of Cranky Sam yesterday. Not entirely surprising as a matter of fact. But if there was one telling sequence, it was when he detailed just how he likes to present his in-game strategies publicly. Here’s how he answered when pressed on some situations in the Boston game:

"Write what you want to write but I’m not going to get in to why I do what I do all the time. I have my reasons for doing it, I saw what I saw and those are the plays that we ran.

"I don’t have to say what it is that I don’t want to say.”

Interesting.

He’s right, of course, he doesn’t have to give away anything he doesn’t want to. It would obviously be better than leaving us to second-guess without really knowing what was going on in his mind but as long as he’s willing to live with that, what can anyone do.

Trouble is, what if we second-guess and we’re wrong? Believe it or not, he knows far more basketball than any of us – or you – and knows what he’s trying to get his team to do while we can only guess.

And if we guess wrong, what’s that do to the people we’re here to serve, namely you? Makes you misinformed, right? And I presume you don’t want to be misinformed. Of course, after yesterday, I’m pretty sure many of you just want validation for your opinions rather than those of others. But I digress.

So, where do we get the information you so crave if Sam won't divulge it publicly and why should you trust what we say if we can't get everything we need? Assistant coaches, players, other members of the staff and people who'd rather speak privately than publicly are always solid sources of information.

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Here’s a question about an issue the great Jack Armstrong and I were talking about the other day:

Q: Doug, with all this trade talk, can the buyout amount for Garb (4.35 million) that is counted against Toronto's salary cap, be counted in a trade (somehow). As a package with say Kapono or whoever?

Dennis V, North Bay

A: No, Garbo’s money is dead and gone and cannot be used as part of any transaction.

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Action: Oil drops below $60 a barrel.

Reaction: Thanks, Sam!

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So, remember when the Sixers were everybody’s sexy pick to finish as high as fourth in the East? They’re 2-5 coming in here tonight and, as my man Phil Jasner reports, are more confused than anything.

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In a shocking development, Jose took the high road when asked about the KG junk Monday night.

"It happens some time, we talked after the game, it’s okay. It stays on the court. He tried to get his team involved and the fans, and me, too, for my team. It was nothing.”

For the record, I’m told the incident has been pointed out to poobahs at the NBA home office. Not that there’s anything they can, or will do about it.

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An absolute digression: That Warren Sapp can dance, man.

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How busy was yesterday? Somewhere in the neighbourhood of 80 comments in the regular blog and something like 60 e-mails. That’s as big, if not bigger, than The Great Jose-TJ Debate. Can you imagine what it’s going to be like when this team’s in the throes of a four- or five-game losing streak? That’s going to happen and I shudder to think of what your reaction will be.

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A query about Dougville:

Q: Doug. Does your cable bill get covered by the paper? What type of TV did you watch Game 7 on? Note to Doug's boss: It it's an old black and white, it's time he deserves a raise so he can afford a huge plasma.

CJ L, London

A: The TVs just fine as long as you don’t get too distracted by the tin foil on the rabbit ears or get too tired having to get up and walk across the room to change the channel or turn up the volume.

But thanks for asking.

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Speaking of rabbit ears and tin foil, I wonder if that’ll be enough to pull in the Miami TV feed of the Raptors-Heat game in Toronto on Sunday afternoon for all you lucky Rogers subscribers who can’t otherwise see the game.

I don’t know the intricate world of cable as well as many but I cannot see it being at all possible that TSN2 gets on the Rogers system in time. Maybe Raptors TV can pick up the feed but that doesn’t solve the root issue, does it?

Have had a lot of questions about where you can go to watch the game. I’m endeavouring to find out if my local watering hole, the one and only Harbour Sports Grille, has access to the Miami feed, maybe I’ll have to stop by there after the game tonight and let you know in the morning. I’m presuming so but I’m not 100 per cent.

And I don't suppose it would be cool to stage some sort of protest outside, say, the Rogers offices while holding laptops and cell phones and reading a certain website’s in-game blog? No, that wouldn't be a good idea at all. Really.

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Snark in the mail:

Q: Can you please tell me the last time a team, that used the exact same play for every single possession, won the championship?

C P, Toronto

A: Cute. I have a sneaking suspicion you know the answer to this question.

And when you see a team use the exact same play for every possession, let me and the others here know, okay?

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Oh, and I still say leaving Kapono on Pierce was all right.

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One little thing to all you e-mailers and commentators out there: The name-calling is really immature. Discourse, opinion, even not-so-subtle shots are all right – I put myself out there, I’ve got to be able to take it – but the classless buffoons who make it personal sicken me. And cheapen the whole thing. Which is why some of the comments go right in the garbage.

Comments

[GP]

Hey Doug,

I held off on this question over the last few days because I thought it was just another trade rumour however now I'm starting to wonder if it has a little more substance. Do you see the Raps making a play for Wallace or Harrington if the trade has to involve Bargs? Which do you think the powers that be prefer? I believe Harrington has a contract that expires in 2010 whereas Wallace has something like 5 years left. The hole at the three is huge and seems to be getting larger with each game. I can't imagine Moon will suffice for this season and I really don't see anyone coming up behind him. Thoughts?

Blogger's note: It;s been pretty well established that I can't imagine them trading Bargnani and that, all things considered -- mainly money -- Harrington is probably more the kind of guy they will, and should, pursue. Of those two, that is.

[Jacob L]

Doug, the first 7 paragraphs of this post should pop-up as a disclaimer every time anyone clicks on the link to this blog. Keep up the good work.

[Mark M]

People actually take time out of their day to write rude comments?

[Poppa Vlazo]

"Oh, and I still say leaving Kapono on Pierce was all right."

Why I am I not surprised to read such a statement from you.

[Eddy]

If Bargs is not in the equation for a trade, who can the Raptors give up?

Blogger's note: I presume anybody not named Bosh, Calderon or O'Neal.

[Omar H]

Doug, I appreciate your subtle criticism of Mitchell - it has been a long time in coming and goes part-way in rectifying your odd defense of him in your prior post (and your usual deference even in light of his unnecessarily surly attitude and rudeness to the press and thus the fans...I assume you give him a pass because you have to deal with him everyday?). With all due respect to your analysis, a lot of the blame has to fall on Mitchell for this important loss: yes the refs appeared biased, yes their team is superior on paper, but blowing a 16-pt lead late in the game because you REFUSE to adjust to the obvious is simply stubbornness, idiocy, or something I cannot fathom. Kudos to Feschuk today in being more explicit in putting the onus on Mitchell - as a CoY, we should have higher, or at least SOME, expectation from him. Your logic in saying we should have lost because the Cs are better misses the entire point of sport...why even play the games, then?

PS It's high time Joey G get a start. Mitchell always says players earn their minutes or lose their minutes...and Moon taking all those 3s (of course he's open...no one respects his shot) surely deserves a demotion. At the same time, Joey has done everything we should expect out of either of them.

[petro]

Kapono on Pierce wasn't as bad as it looked on paper. Watched the game over again (sober this time)... Kapono didn't do a bad job keeping Pierce in front of him. Pierce made many of his shots fading... and the few times he blew by him... Kapono channeled him to help BUT the help wasn't there.. or it was too late.

Many analysts have been quite critical of Sam's 4th quarter strategy. Sam 'had his reasons for doing it'... I hope it's not one of those scenario's where Bosh needs to learn to trust the players around him - a la Phil and Kobe???

Anyway, Doug, clearly your role with the star is defined... as is Feschuk's. Think his article today is what fans were hoping for... kudo's to the editor. Your coverage is informative and only getting better and your handling of the comments is very professional and much admired from this corner.

[KJ]

Hey Doug,

Awesome job with the blog. Love it. I'm a daily reader. Just to touch on the TSN2 hunt, Anyone/Anywhere that has Bell ExpressVu will get tsn2.

Not sure if you knew that already.

And hey, sorry to hear you're taking so much heat over your hard work, don't listen to them, you do a great job.

[TMF]

I propose everyone use the comments section to submit names and locations of Toronto bars which subscribe to Bell or StarChoice.

[Paul]

I wish that there was something that the thankful readers could do to support Doug in the face of the immature comment-posters! (other than declare our support and gratitude in this public forum!).

Doug, thanks! For the blog, for the tv blurbs, for the radio time with that tyrant on the Fan, thanks! We're grateful! We really are!

As for basketball, I think we're getting a sense of what to expect this year: inconsistency! I suspect we'll get a steady diet of brilliance and disappointment this year. With luck, more of the former!

[George]

Every year we, Raptor fans, start with so many expectations. How many of us just dreamt of this being Andrea's breakout year? Or Joey putting up 6th man of the year numbers? So as we continue to see this team execute and go up against quality opposition we begin to face reality. We see where the holes are in this Raptor defence, where they crumble in executing on offence. This is a good thing. It is time that Raptors fans admit that this team was never going to win 82 games this season and as long as they find ways to correct their mistakes and remain healthy we can still look forward to a really competitive playoff appearance for the first time since 2001.

[Thay]

Doug...
I know this might sound crazy...but Pierce was held in check until the second half. The first half, it was Moon and Joey who covered him.

Against Boston we didn't see bad Joey, or good Joey, we saw great Joey. I think he might have done a better job than Kapono.

Yes Pierce took a bunch of 17-18 footers, but that's after he broke Kapono down and got him self relatively open, Joey could have probably done a better job of closing out and making Pierce's life a little bit more difficult.

When you have the lead, protect the lead by playing defense, instead of worrying about your offense. Good defense leads to easy baskets, see first half.

[JC]

Doug, the way you defend every mistake Sam makes is getting embarrassing. It's understandable that you want to neutralize the Sam haters, but come on, keeping Kapono on Pierce? Really? Even after he had dropped 10-15 in the 4th quarter(rather easily might I add)? Repeatedly defending blatant brain cramps like this really jeopardizes your credibility as a reporter.

[Kelsie]

Hey Doug. 4-3 doesn't look so bad when you consider some of the teams we've played. What I've seen the past 7 games: I am impressed with the committment Parker has made to defence. I knocked him often last year for his perimeter defence but he has been a pleasant surprise this year and I hope it continues. Barg's developemnt is coming along nicely as well. Some guys take longer in this league to figure it out and he is one of them. I have never been concenred with his scoring ability. It's his rotations, defending his man and rebounding that have been my main concerns and I have seen a dramatic improvement in those areas. I would love to have Harrington or Wallace on our squad but not at the expense of trading Bargniani....it wouldn't be worth it long-term.

J.O has finally provided us with some nastiness. It has been sorely missed since good ol' Oak roamed the paint and it rubs off on his teammates. While our wings haven't been spectacular, they have been better thanI expected. I would like Moon to be able to establish himself because he has the skill-set to be a lockdown defender but loves pump-fakes and is not always mentally into the game.

My question to you Doug, is do you see progression continuing with this team and if so what do you think is the area of immediate focus to take this team from a 40-45 win team to a 47-51 win team. I'm saying it's continued attention to defence (kudos to Sam for getting them to move those feet) and once we have that established it's the precise execution of the offence, especially in crunch time.

I haven't always agreed with your assesments and I know that I will probably feel that way again in the future, but those fans that email nasty things and try to incite you to repsond, print their emails and let us repsond to them. You don't have to defend all of the "nasties" by yourself, we'll employ some team defence and maybe throw in a zone to keep them on the perimeter, lol.

Blogger's note: I stick with my pre-season assertion that if Bosh, O'Neal and Calderon play at least 70 games each, the franchise record for wins in a season is in jeopardy.

[Calixto]

Well...it's pretty clear that strategy is not one of Sam's strenghts as a coach, ...that is if he has any anyways.
At the end of the game it looks like Bosh is telling Calderon that next time around .... he should forget about Sam and his little strategy, forget JO too....and just pass him the ball!
And that 's how it should be. Jose should be more loyal to Chris Bosh than to Sam Mitchell. Jose and Bosh should remain as Raptors players a lot longer than Sam will remain as the Raptors coach.

[Robert Yip]

Hey Doug, can you give us an update on Jawai? Did his medical results come back yet. When he will be back on the court?

Blogger's note: More tests are being done, he won't be on the court for a while

[Andrew R.]

Doug, hopefully your soothing words will be heard throughout Raptor-land and people will stop wanting to burn down the ACC over a single loss. It's a looooong season and people need to recognize that Sam is not going to show all his cards to the opposition right away. I've noticed this from Mitchell in the past; he likes to hold back offensive and defensive schemes earlier in the year and before the playoffs so as not to show his opponents too much. That's my theory anyway.

[Jason]

Doug,
I agree with the Kapono on Pierce as well. Sam can't burn timeouts making switches with Moon at that point of the game and AP gaurding just would not have worked.
Shocking as it is to some Kapono is a very good position defender and someone like AP is a good reaction defender. Pierce is to quick and too agressive for AP to react on so the best move was Kapono using position defense to send Pierce towards the big guys Bosh and O'Neal. Problem was Pierce never missed an 18 footer.
If you did a coaches poll, every one would prefer Pierce from 18 as apposed to a drive and foul for 3 point play. It was the best move the Raps had and I'd guess it would work most times but in this case, Pierce just made every tough shot.

[tino]

Doug, now that thing have quieted a bit,maybe you can share your opinion with us:i am sure that Sam could not ask Kobe or Lebron and few others superstar to be "decoys" for more than a play per game,but what about Garnett?Would Sam be able to impose such a tactic on KG?

Blogger's note: Probably not but I don't know.

[Jojo]

The other thing about putting Kapono on Pierce in the 4th is the psychological issue. Pierce was more or less neutralized until the last quarter, and with his team down, he knows he is going to have to step it up. He looks out and sees Kapono guarding him. What does that do to his confidence? What goes through your mind if you're Paul Pierce and the opposing team insists on keeping a guy famous for his horrible defence on you, even as you drop bucket after bucket?

Again, maybe nothing could be done to stop Pierce from going off. But I just can't see how someone can be ok with the Raps making zero adjustments, and just trying the same thing over and over again, expecting a different result. Some people call that insanity.

I don't normally like Feschuk, but he's right to call Sam out on his unwillingness to admit any mistakes, ever. He's defensive about his coaching, and for reason.

[Calvin]

I think the whole KG and Jose thing is blow out of proportion. Did KG's actions deserve a "T" with the finger waging, absolutely! But there are things that go on in a game that gets missed all the time. Namely the grabbing and holding of our star player Bosh. I would have liked to see a few more calls on those plays before the tech. KG was just trying to fire up the crowd and get his team going because they were pretty sluggish before the middle of the 3rd quarter. KG will do whatever it takes to win, maybe even giving up is first born. :)

[Matty-Pix]

It is amazing how reactions are totally based upon the win or the loss ... all sins are forgiven if we win, and the sky is falling if we lose.
In my humble opinion we were 3 Jermaine turnovers away from having a shot at the win in the 4th ... just seeing our team capable of competing in the home court of the champs, in a playoff environment was amazing ... being a passionate Raptors fan, I then drowned my sorrows on the town, and ended up in the drunk tank ... thanks a lot Mr.Pierce ... see you again soon

[Serge Papineau]

Of Wallace and Harrington I think Wallace is the better player and the better fit in Toronto but I doubt Charlotte would just give him away. Also, Wallace's contract is scary especially when you factor in his history of injuries, namely concussions. Harrington, while not nearly as effective a defender as Wallace (and also somewhat injury prone) is probably much more gettable and less of a risk since his contract is up in 2010. Players like Hump, Moon, Kapono also all seem like they'd be great fits in Golden State's run-and-gun system. I can't see Charlotte trading for Moon (a lesser version of Wallace) and Kapono (they've already got Matt Caroll) though.

In addition, I really don't think the Raptors should give up on Bargnani at this point, especially not for guys like Wallace and Harrington. Bargnani still has a lot of upside and, to be honest, Wallace and Harrington are good players but they've bot peaked. Plus you have to consider that Wallace and Harrington have spent most of their careers on bad teams, especially Wallace, so their stats are probably a little inflated. I think that by the end of this season Bargs will be putting up better numbers than either of the guys mentioned above on a consistent basis (key word: consistent) so, as much as I'd love to see an athletic swingman in a Raptors' uniform, I wouldn't trade Bargs to get it done just yet.

[SJ]

"Oh, and I still say leaving Kapono on Pierce was all right."

Well, that says a lot of your basketball knowledge and willingness to defend Sam "at any price"...Sorry to say that.
If you can put an "=" sign between AP and Kapono's defense - then I start putting a "?" mark on anything you're writing on the blog. (most of the comments were not about putting Moon instead of JK...but moving JK over Ray - which had an "awesome" 1-7 shooting from 3 - and bring your BEST perimeter defender AVAILABLE on the roster - AP - to the hottest player in crunch time. Trust me - it's not NASA science)
The idea of the blog was fantastic, giving the fans some insight or "behind the scene" info and I still appreciate THAT part. But w.r.t. the actual basketball comments - yesterday's comments and mostly, today's "confirmation" about JK on Pierce - just makes you lose a lot of credibility in a lot of fan's eyes. I know you don't care...just thought to let you know.

[Darko Dubajic]

Hi Doug,
It is disappointing to see how you absolutely refuse to critizice Sam, even after that sorry performance of coaching on Monday. Even Chris found it appropriate to do so.
JK on Pierce? how many points does one have to give up for Sam to change something, anything. Jk, god bless him tried, but he had (what we all around Raptors should remember all too well) typical Jalen Rose game, for every 2 pts that he scored he would give up 3, to quote one NBA scout back then.This is not the first time and unfortunately the last that Sam gets into these stubborn modes, see Kobe 82, or more important see game 6, 4th qtr. in New Jersey playoffs 2 years ago just to name couple. Whole state of New Jersey was sitting on that pass from Jose to Chris, we all new it was coming and Sam still called for it. Oscar Robertson could have not squezed it in there. To answer somebodys question about running same play and winning title, Detroit. They even held clinic here few days ago, where according to Sam they ran the same play 18 times and scored 15 times. End of rant.
Question for you, how does Joey build his confidence when after not good Joey, but fantastic Joey in the first half he gets what 1-2 minutes in the second. With a lack of cap flexibility and assets to trade we need good Joey more often than bad one. How do we get it.

Blogger's note: If I had the answer to that, I wouldn't be working here, that's for sure.