A so-so Raptor debut and wondering what lies ahead today

Happy Trade Deadline Day!

Everyone all nervous and a’twitter?

TONY BOCK/TORONTO STAR

Strange, new, wonderful things happened at small forward for the Raptors last night.

No idea what’s going to happen, I remember sitting around one day waiting for an expected flurry of activity here and league wide and the whole sum of the day’s action was Anthony Johnson going to Orlando from Atlanta in 2000 for a conditional second round draft pick. Yawn. But I also remember standing in a crowded waiting area outside the Raptors offices and getting a call from a guy inside telling me Toronto had done not one, but two substantial deals involving Jerome Williams, Eric Montross and Chris Childs. That was sort of a busy day.

What do I expect today? Far busier than not. I think economics will drive most deals, I think you’ll see at least one significant move by a team with legitimate playoff hopes (Boston with Tony Allen out eight weeks and Orlando with a question mark over Jameer Nelson might be prodded to do something) and it might be a fun day.

Here? Well, it’s really hard to say. Bryan’s got a few things going (“three or four, but nothing close to getting done,” I was told late last night) but watching the energy-free final three quarters of a game in which his team shot a miserable 37 per cent from the field darkened his mood enough to send him right to the phones, I’d imagine.

So keep checking here for updates and news, we’ve got a team of editors (well, one, actually) ready to post ‘em, I’m ready to dissect ‘em the best I can and we’ll do one of those live chats starting about 2 p.m. so we can all be together for the final countdown. Won’t that be sweet?

On to the fun and frivolity:

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Action: Marion’s debut

Reaction: Not a bad one. Not great, either.

There were flashes, especially in the first seven or eight minutes, when it looked like this deal was going to be a big win.

One play in particular: About three minutes in, Marion grabs a rebound, leads a break and hits Parker with a lob pass for a dunk. Haven’t seen a Raptor small forward do that in years and years.

But another one later underscored the issue on the night: A play across from the Raptor bench, not sure what quarter, and Marion goes across the top to set a screen for Jose, I believe it was. Just before he gets to set it, he slips it, cuts to the basket with pretty much an unimpeded pass but Jose, if it was him, didn’t see the slip coming and didn’t deliver the ball.

Quite understandable since Jamario or Jason or Joey or whoever’s been playing the three slips more on the ice than they ever did on screens but precisely the kind of play teammates with familiarity with each other make.

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We witnessed history and can be thankful for that.

By tipping a miss and keeping the ball alive, Nate Jawai got his first NBA rebound (an offensive one at that) and then a basket. Two points, one board, 5 1-2 minutes and something to write home about. Priceless.

As one of us beat grunts said, it was the world’s most significant double-single.

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That being said, we did witness a game in which Jake Voskuhl and Nate Jawai played in the first half of a relatively close game for a team purporting to make a playoff run.

‘Nuff said.

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Action: Integrating Marion into the flow

Reaction: Another job lies ahead.

Sure, it’s going to take a while for Marion to learn all the intricacies of his new teammates but, conversely, how long is it going to take for Bosh, whenever he comes back, to get used to playing with Marion.

I know Bosh is hurt and I know I’m no doctor and I don’t know his pain threshold but every game that he doesn’t play is one giant step backwards in what has to be a rapid development.

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What’s Ira up to? Was a pretty big night on his beat, too.

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This will get the masses chattering, I bet.

Is there a chance the Raptors could make a pitch for Steve Nash this summer? Oh yeah.

According to a nice little NBA salary thing I found in this computer, there is a chance Nash could become a free agent this July. The final year of his deal is not fully guaranteed – if the Suns waive him before July 1 this year they only owe him $7 million – and if money’s so tight and things continue to deteriorate on the court, maybe that’s a way for zany owner Robert Sarver to save some cash.

Now, I’m not suggesting that is going to happen, nor am I suggesting the Raptors would go out and pursue him vigorously if it did, I’m just saying I’m tired of reading about how bad the Raptors are and how dopey I am and this maybe is an alternative “talking point.”

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Action: Bulls-Kings trade

Reaction: Muted

If you go by the theory the team that "wins" the trade is the one that gets the best player (and I’m not sure you always can), tell me with 100 per cent certainty who is the best player in the trade that sent John Salmons and Brad Miller to Chicago and Drew Gooden, Andres Nocioni and Cedric Simmons to Sacramento (pardon me for leaving out Ike Diogu and Michael Ruffin but they’re Ike Diogu and Michael Ruffin).

Salmons? High volume shooter now has to share shots and minutes with Hinrich, Rose and Gordon

Miller? Aging but okay and doesn't address Chicago's needs for a post scorer

Gooden? What's he done, really?

Nocioni? I wouldn’t ever say he’s a high impact player, a good one in the Garbo kind of way but high impact? Not so much.

I guess you could say Bulls won on talent, Kings won on money.

And in this day and age, money probably counts more.

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Know what I want? A Tyson Chandler replica Oklahoma City Thunder jersey.

Wasn’t that an odd one. We got a news release from the Hornets about 11 last night saying they were welcoming him back “with open arms.”

Yeah, right.

Imagine how that little dynamic’s gonna play out. Team makes obvious salary dump, gets rid of the one player with the best on-court relationship with the superstar point guard and now has to “welcome him back with open arms” because he was deemed unfit to play for the Thunder?

Glad I’m not Byron Scott having to deal with that mess.

And it’s different from the one time it happened here, too. That was back in February, 2000, when the Celtics said Alvin Williams flunked a physical after they tried to make a deal for Gary Trent. Danny Fortson (how could I have been that stupid).

Of course, that rang a wee bit hollow when Williams went on to play 82 games a year for the next two seasons and 78 the year after that. The thought then, and the thought now, is that Rick Pitino was getting hammered so badly in the media for what everyone thought was a horrible deal for the Celts that they made the physical virtually unpassable.

Now, my bias towards Alvin is very well known but you ask me, who had a better career: Alvin Williams or Gary Trent. Danny Fortson?

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You’ve got to take the good with the bad, I guess.

The (not so for a day) Mighty Hawthorn Hawks went down to ignominious defeat, I’d sad to report. Whacked 38-15 by the Queenstons yesterday in a game I’m sure was much, much, much than the score would indicate. Or maybe not, I was in the bowels of the Air Canada Centre when it began and no enterprising seventh grader was live-blogging it.

Super Son missed his only field goal attempt with I chalk up to the fact the rims in the road gym were too tight.

But, in the wacky world of elementary school sports, not only do the Hawks make the post-season with a 2-2 record, they host a game against the fourth-place team in a battle for third.

Oh, and then there’s the junior team’s day-long tourney the next day. Guess I do have some good hoops to watch coming up.

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Comments

[Neil]

Doug,

What are your impressions of Jawai? I was kind of impressed with his foot speed. Pretty quick for a large man...

Cheers!

Blogger's note: The word always was good feet, not bad hands, no experience, game may be too fast for him at the moment. All seemed to be bang on last night

[Rahil]

Can other teams (New Orleans included) ask Oklahoma for the results of their physical on Chandler? Or is that unavailable to be viewed?

Blogger's note: No, they'd conduct their own

[Chris]

This season, eighty Raptors games will be available on TSN, TSN2, The Score and the CBC all broadly distributed channels with greater coverage than Raptors NBA TV. Regarding your concerns with TSN2 and Rogers - TSN acquired the rights to broadcast 48 Raptors games this season. As part of the agreement, TSN has the right to air 25 of those games on TSN2. Raptor fans are the best in the NBA and they deserve to be able to see every game on TV. We understand you frustrations regarding this situation and are disappointed that Rogers is one of the only cable and satellite providers to not sign up for the service yet. Rogers and TSN are both important partners of Maple Leafs Sports & Entertainment and we remain hopeful that an agreement between Rogers Cable and TSN2 will be reached in a timely manner.

As far as simulcasting the TSN2 games on Raptors NBA TV, unfortunately due to the nature of the broadcast rights, this is not a possibility. I think you will be pleased to hear that beginning after the All-Star break Raptors NBA TV will be scheduling in a full game repeat for the games exclusive to TSN2 (when our schedule of live games allows). This way our fans will have access to the full game as soon as we are able to provide it. Keep an eye on the Raptors NBA TV broadcast schedule at www.nba.com/raptors/news/Raptors_NBA_TV_Schedulenew.html for exact dates and times.

Please note that your concerns have been documented and sent to the appropriate personnel here at Raptors NBA TV. Thanks for being a fan!

[Allen]

What kind of reception did Marion receive when he was announced as a starter yesterday?

[nigel]

ok i love bosh but this trade is too much to say no to

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/columns/story?columnist=ford_chad&page=TradeOptions-090217

please doug, forward this to BC!!

[Jack]

When can we see a running game instead of a post-up game?
Forget about defense. Phoenix went back to the running game when Porter was dismissed and in two games, they scored 140 and 142 points respectively. It doesn't matter if their opponents scored more than 100 points. They still won.
So forget about "a good defense is a good offense" thing. Score 140 and make sure your opponent only score 139.
And Jose, if you read this, look for the open man. Marion will try to be open all the time. Look for the cutters. Take off your blinders and stop looking for Bosh only.

[JB]

Quote: "That being said, we did witness a game in which Jake Voskuhl and Nate Jawai played in the first half of a relatively close game for a team purporting to make a playoff run.

‘Nuff said."

Hey, does anyone know the first six words of 'Jump Around' by the House of Pain?

[Andrew Gregg]

Hi Doug:

I would think the nixed Chandler trade could seriously shake the team culture in New Orleans. Management stung the Hornets faithful by shipping their best big man out for a salary dump. Now they get a double whammy--their cards are on the table and they have to take Chandler back. So doesn't it follow that:

a/ The players won't have confidence in management anymore to build a winner?
b/ The fans won't have confidence that their team is going to get better?
c/ The other GMs in the league now know that they can get Chandler for less than OKLA was going to hand over, because they know that NO is in an austerity mode?
d/ Tyson Chandler will not be happy?
e/ Chris Paul will not be happy?

Sometimes we can read too much into a situation like this--and we certainly would, if Coangelo had the same thing happen to him right now. But the ripple effect of one bad transaction might ruin the Hornets--one of the better NBA stories of the past few seasons--don't you think?

AG, Toronto

[Jim Rootham]

Doug I can't believe there is no comedy to be had in your presence. Don't sell your foolishness short.

[AA]

Doug,

Aren't you concerned with Bargs' regression this month? He's shooting 36% from the field and has a PER of less than 9. He got only 4 rebounds last night which is inexcusable from your starting center. Did he just have a lucky month?

Blogger's note: Concerned? Nah, not in the least. I presume Jay and Bryan might be but I'm certainly not

[Takashi]

What are the chances AP gets traded?

Blogger's note: Dare I say 10-90?

[Dallas]

Hey Doug,

A while back you had said you had spoken to "someone who'd know" about next season's cap figures. Now I hear a bout a memo that went out to teams warning them of large drops in the next few years. Do you know if maybe your source had the proper info, or is the number going to be lower that you were led to believe?

thanks

Blogger's note: At the start of the season, and even into December, no one saw the economic downturn being so serious so it's simply a matter of revenues falling unexpectedly. Every GM was operating under an assumption of X being that cap; now it's X minus Y

[Craig A]

Re: Chandler trade being rescinded...

Not always a bad thing for a guy to return to a team that attempted to trade him. Aside from the Alvin Williams thing, ask Robert Horry.

[Spider-Man]

Will Soloman for Solomon Jones.

My spidey-sense is tingling Doug.

[Rahil]

Shaq to Cleveland. That's the latest from espn.

Wouldn't Wilcox look good for the Raps?

[Jack]

Spider-man, what about Will Solomon for Solomon Gundy?

[Michel G]

Are we adults here, or just punks on the playground? Why participate in the blog when you (i.e., Rob) have no respect for its moderator or the people reading it. By the way, proper use of language is almost a prerequisite if one wants to be taken seriously. So, if you're going to be insulting and rude, at least put some thought into it.

[Alan C]

Unfortunately, I get TSN2 and was able to watch the last three quarters. Forget about talent, or meshing, where was the effort? On almost every offensive rebound, there weren't any Raps even in the picture, let alone close to the ball. If we had done that in high school, our butts would have been stapled to the bench. Oh, wait. The Raps bench doesn't rebound either. What's a coach to do?

[Rob]

How about a Rasheed Wallace Atlanta Hawks jersey as well?

[Spider-Man]

Sorry Jack, but Gundy isn't a viable option at this point in time. He'd only be on a seven-day contract.

[Dallas]

Hey Doug,

A while back you had said you had spoken to "someone who'd know" about next season's cap figures. Now I hear a bout a memo that went out to teams warning them of large drops in the next few years. Do you know if maybe your source had the proper info, or is the number going to be lower that you were led to believe?

thanks

Blogger's note: At the start of the season, and even into December, no one saw the economic downturn being so serious so it's simply a matter of revenues falling unexpectedly. Every GM was operating under an assumption of X being that cap; now it's X minus Y

That's what I thought, well you can't say you were weren't warned by at least a few skeptics in the comments section. A few of us called it a while ago. And to be honest, it wasn't exactly a hard thing to predict once the economy went to crap. Maybe people always are slow to accept bad news, and even slower to share it, GM's and the League office, included. Thanks Doug

[Tim W.]

Rob said: "You know what Doug? Your an idiot. Don't know if your really smart for basketball. Stick to what you know. Nuf said.

Blogger's note: Another satisfied customer! And it's "you're" an idiot and if "you're" really smart for basketball and 'nuff said (an abbreviation of 'enough')
But I'm quite proud that you've taken the time to (a) read and (b) write in to comment."

I just thought that deserved another go around.

[WA]

@ HC,

If that is the case (I wasn't sure about Marion and bird rights since he just got traded, and I had a brain fart on Joey), then if we are willing to spend up to the tax, I say DO IT!

[neil no more last name]

Hawthorne Hawks???

Holy local writer Batman - you live in my backyard!!!!

[Tim W.]

Nigel, you're about a little late on that proposal. It's been discussed. And no one in their right mind would like that for the Raptors. Unless it's a lock that Bosh is leaving, trading Bosh for a bunch of mediocre players isn't exactly going to improve the team. It's a heck of a lot easier to get players like any of those Golden State players than it is to get a 23-10 perennial All-Star. It's kind of like trading Scarlett Johansson for Emily Blunt and Anne Hathaway. Blunt and Hathaway are nice, but they're no Scarlett Johansson.