Practice? Who can practice? And many other items of note

Rather a slow day yesterday, no?

No trades. No big news. No practice for me. No nothing, really. Was sort of nice for a change.

But today’s another day and I’m sure something zany will happen, if nothing more than a game that they might be able to win.

Oh, and a shootaround to see if there’s news on O’Neal and Kapono and to find out if everyone’s still here. That’s one of the best parts of going down to the gym these days, arriving to count Raptors and make sure they’re all still here. And if they’re not, to find out who’s coming.

But before shootaround and Starbucks and the regular start of a regular game-day, we’ve got a few gems (and I use ‘gems’ in the loosest possible terms):

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There’s been a lot of chatter about the Raptors needing practice time to work on the intricacies of their offensive and defensive systems and to get up some volume shooting in the comfort of their own gym.

So what happens? They get home for four or five days, get a chance to put in some work and two of the key players – Jermaine O’Neal and Jason Kapono – can’t practice.

Figures, doesn’t it?

REUTERS

Houston, we have an injury problem.

And since neither of them played Wednesday or worked out Thursday, it’s probably a better than 50-50 proposition that they don’t go tonight against the Rockets.

Which may again leave us watching a group of something like Will Solomon, Joey Graham, Jamario Moon, Jake Voskuhl and either Chris Bosh or Andrea Bargnani.

Lucky, lucky ticket holders.

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I’m not sure how closely any of you have been following the saga of the Rockets but it’s quite interesting, actually.

Old Friend Tracy McGrady (and will you boo him tonight?) is only going to play every other game because his knee’s sore, Shane Battier (who was never going to be traded to Toronto despite the great wishes of so many of you) is back on the shelf and Ron Artest is taking games off.

So does that mean they’re weakened to face Toronto? Probably. Does that mean the Raptors have an edge? Yeah, right.

Anyway, check this out for the latest from Houston.

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Something from the mail:

Q: With the Raps struggling is it time to invest more into the development of the younger players? After all, if Parker and Solomon are likely gone after this season and O'Neal after two then it would be a waste to have Ukic and Bargnani sit then go through the requisite growing pains on the floor all over again next year.

Matt M, Calgary

A: Well, I don’t think you can suggest in all seriousness that Bargnani is sitting so I’ll give you a pass on that one.

Ukic? That’s a strange case to me, indeed.

The kid can’t shoot a lick at the moment, as we all know (and so does he and he’s working diligently on it) but if I were the coach, I’d have him out there for the eight or 10 minutes the backup gets.

The reason they don’t, and I wrote this last week, is that they think Solomon’s threat to make shots makes him more valuable at the moment. I’m not sure it does but, then again, I’m not the coach.

But don’t think Ukic isn’t developing. He’s getting lots of work in on his shot and he’s absorbing all kinds of nuances of the game sitting next to assistant coaches or Jose on the bench. He’s working hard.

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Here’s something to think about.

I’m sure a few of you have been looking at the standings, just to see how far these guys have fallen off the playoff radar, and that’s causing all kinds of angst about the possibility of them climbing into the final spot and getting spanked by Boston in four post-season games.

But while you’re looking, look up. Boston and Cleveland have the same number of losses, Orlando’s two losses behind and that’s going to be a pretty good race.

Wouldn’t it be a hoot if Toronto somehow got to seventh and got Boston there?

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More mail time:

Q: When it comes to the Raptors trying to make trades with other teams, are they are a significant disadvantage because other teams scouts don't know much about the Raptors players? Due to the Raptors lack of national television coverage, being located in Toronto, not having many big names and not being in the playoff chase at the moment, could you say other teams scouts don't concentrate as much on Toronto, or other lesser known teams like Milwaukee, as they do the big name teams like Boston and L.A?

Harry J, Auckland, NZ

A: No, you can’t say that at all. Every team has access to every game on video, there are always between two and four advance scouts from upcoming opponents at every Raptors game – home and away – and just because TNT or ABC or ESPN doesn’t pick up the Raptor games doesn’t mean no one sees them.

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Just in case you were wondering, I was looking through the Blue Book (the NBA’s media directory) yesterday for something and came across this little tidbit under Key Dates:

“May 19: NBA Draft Lottery.”

Making plans?

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From the department of utterly ridiculous, there was a headline on NBA.com sometime yesterday about the all-star balloting that said something like: ‘Yi closing in on Garnett in fan voting.’

I don’t generally have a problem with fan voting for the simple reason that I think the all-star game is dreadful and a relative bore. It is an event for the fans far more than it is for the players, the coaches, the GMs and the media so if they want Yi, let ‘em have Yi. Maybe more people in China will watch on TV and buy t-shirts and that’s pretty much what it’s all about.

And while I don’t want to hammer Yi ‘cause I have no idea if he’s good guy or not, the thought of him being an all-star is absolutely laughable.

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And, to wrap things up before the day gets started:

Q: If you had to call it today, do you think the Raptors make the playoffs? If not, what do you do to prepare for the coming years?

Doug H, Toronto

A: I think even with this roster they can sneak into seventh or eighth place. For what that’s worth.

How would I prepare? I’d try to make a trade to make this year’s team better (just like the GM is doing) and I’d be out scouting the colleges, pros and Europe (just like the entire scouting staff has been doing since November). It’s not rocket science.

Comments

[James]

Good morning Doug. In Dave Feschuk's article he mentioned BC and Co. spent a good spot of time meeting with Bosh. What do you think they talked about?

Blogger's note: State of the team, Bryan probably told him he was working on some stuf. Maybe a bit of Bosh's health and how he was feeling. What they each got for Christmas. Usual chatter.

[Jeremy]

Hi Doug, Thank you for keeping the flame. May 2009 afford you short airline queues and original quotes. If you don't mind, I've compiled ten pieces of Raptors advice I'd like to share with the media monitors at MLSE.

1. Metro-sexual is pre-bust. Less fluff more stuff.
2. Bargnani is your Araujo, an albatross. You like him, we don’t.
3. “White men can’t jump”.
4. Don’t blame Rogers. Don’t blame TSN.
5. Everybody hates Leo.
6. 2008/09 is probably over.
7. It might be better to miss the playoffs than lose in the first round again.
8. Chris Bosh’s Toronto career is probably over too. Your leverage declines with time.
9. The best basketball players are American.
10. We are losing interest.

Best regards.

[Ryan]

I always thought they weren't allowed to vote in China...

[Josh F]

Hey Doug, draft picks aside, what one thing would you change if you could go back 2 or 3 years ago considering the raptors roster?
I, myself have been thinking that I would shoot the tires of Jorge Garbajosa's car so that he was unable to arrive at that NBA ending game for him.
I really think his IQ and mental toughness is missing and this team would be a 4th seed team if his leg (and my dreams) were never shattered.

Happy New Year

Blogger's note: I'd probably have kept Delfino and maybe not as been as hasty to write Garbo off.

[James]

Do you think they consult Bosh on trades (as in consider who he would like here) or do they simply let him know whats been discussed?

Blgoger's note: Consult as in give a veto to? No. Keep informed? Only when talks get very serious, I'd imagine.

[Matt M]

Thanks for answering my question Doug. For Bargnani I was more curious as to whether he should get even more time on the floor if the Raps continue to struggle (ie maybe 30-35 minutes a game whether O'Neal is healthy or not). I assume that, like Ukic, Bargnani's development depends less on playing time and more on getting used to the game during practice and the time he does get on the floor

Blogger's note: He's averaging about 26, I could see maybe 33 as a top level. But if O'Neal and Bosh are both healthy, I think 26-28 is probably about right.

[Archie gillespie]

Hey Doug, happy new year. I must commend you as each time I checked comments through the holidays there seemed to be new ones posted. I know it's probably just a few clicks but as you stated you read each one, cull, then post, which when added up takes a lot of time, so thank you for great job. This leads to my question. Journalism I'm guessing ain't what it used to be. Before Internet, you would write your article, we would read it the next day in the papers and in most cases that was that. Today, with the access you have so kindly provided to your readers in your BLOGs, etc. are you working harder than ever trying to keep us informed (happy)? Is the publication compensating you accordingly...we hope so. Last quick question. Is the ESPN Trade Machine the bane of your existence?

Blogger's note: The trade machine and the fertile imagination of readers

[graham]

so let me get this right, people who have supported a hockey team for decades without even a sniff of a title, want to bail on a team, an expansion team, just because success is not instantaneous? And for all those saying you can't be successful without a dominant 2/3 player -- what was Vince? What is McGrady? Their teams have never made the finals. Its a team game. Remember, the Pistons won even when the Lakers had both Shaq and Kobi. The present Raptors are far from perfect, but they are also not as bad as their record. Nothing hitting a few open "shats" won't fix!

[sean]

Hi Doug, the reason I asked you about Gino and Dirk's contract status earlier is the fact that I believe Colangelo might be prepare to retool this Raptor team comes 2010 (It might be too far to think 2010, but hey, it's 363 days away).

I wouldn't say Raptors are 12-20 because they lost Delfinos and Garbo on their roster, but they were a great part of the team for the single season they were here (they never played together per se).

Lets take a good look at some of the more successful young teams. I would separate them in phase. Phase 1: Thunders - Lots of young talent, athletism, but lack experience. Phase 2: Portland - emerging young team with a bit of success in pass year and looking to build onward going forward. Phase 3: Orlando - Got the talent and playoff experiences, actually won playoff series, looking to advance in post seasons. But where did all 3 of these teams begin their journey? Through drafts.
Looking back, Raptors haven't been productive in their pass couple of draft. I couldn't remember anyone that they drafted since Bargnani in 2006. It doesn't matter if you have the 20th pick or the 3rd overall, a pick is a chance to grow your roster organically. The inability for Raptors to grow players out of draft picks is haunting them now.

It's tough to build a dynasty team without young talents. Boston stacked their boat with Jefferson, Telfair, DWest, etc to land Allen and KG. Plus, because they did not have bloated contract, they have the flexibility to land some free agents (Posey, House) and make big trades. Also, Boston still developing young talents (Rondo, Powe, Big Baby) as they are on the cusp to another championship season. It's impressive indeed. But to state again, winning comes from owning talented players, they are valuable asset, how to land them? Throw drafts, years in, years out. Boston was ahead of the game, and teams like Toronto failed to do so, as we see with the lack of depth of this team.

Portland is really a very talented team. Don't forget Webster is out right now, and at least 5 of their bench players could start on any other NBA team (Pryz, Outlaw, Fernandez, Rod., Webster).

[Tim W.]

I'm amazed that people seem to be able to look almost two years ahead into the future and see that Bosh is leaving. Of course everyone was right about Kobe jumping ship from the Lakers. Too bad about that. Same with Paul Pierce. If only the Raptors had some ability to improve their roster through some sort of draft or through trades. That would be something, wouldn't it? Then there might be a possibility of getting a player or two that might help the team turn things around before it's time for Bosh to decide. Oh well.

[Lance Uppercut]

Doug,

I assume that the Raptors and Rogers are still under tense negotiations? (If they ever even met. What a joke!)

This quiet-exclusivity deal to Bell has to be the most ridiculous move MLSE has made since drafting Hoffa. 6 games we can't watch this month and 5 more next month?? I'm not only losing my patience with the team, I'm losing interest.

2008 should be considered the year of FAILURE by MLSE execs. They failed their teams, their fans and their city.

Lance

[mary]

Hey doug,
any news from shootaround? did you do your headcount?

maybe it's just in our heads but it really feels like something is imminent...

Blogger's note: No, no real news at all; everyone presented and accounted for. JO and JK likely don't go tonight. I'm just about to update the blog, had some running around to do post-shootaround so I'm a tad tardy