This is better than the alternative, no?

STEVE RUSSELL/TORONTO STAR

Shawn Marion: Potential glue guy.

And now the road beckons, where there’s no snow or cold but plenty of good teams. Guess you do have to take the good with the bad in this gig.

But it is better to be going out having won two in a row instead of losing two in a row. Beating the Knicks, eight under .500 at the time, or the Timberwolves, a mere 20 under .500 is hardly enough to get the playoff tickets printed or the parade route planned. But consider how many mornings you’ve woken up to remember “damn, they lost to Oklahoma City?” or “Hey, did they really shoot 29 per cent in Memphis last night?” these are such horrible times.

Oh, those times are coming again, I’m sure of that, but for now? Why not feel a little bit good?

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Action: What’s glue?

Reaction: A lot of things

Promised a gal, or maybe a guy, in the in-game blog last night I’d try to explain what I think a “glue guy” is since it’s a rather nebulous term that gets tossed around an awful lot.

To me, it’s a veteran who knows how to use his mind as much as his body to get his job done; it’s someone respected in the locker room because he’s had success and seldom, if ever, takes a night off. It’s someone who doesn’t care what other people think of him, he’s going to do his job, do it well and if pisses people off, so be it. Someone who’s been around the franchise a while and knows the people, knows what it takes to be successful in that market, has a connection with the fans.

They don’t have a true one on this team, I don’t think. Parker’s close, Marion might be if he sticks around but that’s about it. I think Bosh is held in too high esteem by management and many fans to be considered that guy, it really has to be someone who makes the most out of relatively limited talent.

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Action: 34 assists

Reaction: That’s the way it works

I don’t think anyone who watched that game last night would consider the way Toronto played “run-and-gun” yet they had a season high in assists, shot almost 54 per cent from the floor and hung a 66-point second half on the Timberwolves.

That’s how it’s supposed to work, not some kind of willy-nilly, hoist-it-soon-as-you-can offence that does nothing more than give the ball back to the other team more quickly. There were more controlled breaks – if an open shot isn’t there, get into a set – than we’ve seen in a long, long time and that’s the kind of intelligent offence that’ll win games.

Of course, they could fall victim to Phoenix’s style and lost 160-130 on Friday but at least that’d be wildly entertaining.

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Shawn Marion, bless his naïve little soul, said this last night in a post-game scrum:

“I’ve been on teams where you get down 15, 17 points and you just kind of hang it up a little bit. We’ve got some fight in this team, we were out there grinding and pulling for each other.”

No one laughed out loud, I know at least one guy who smirked and supressed a giggle.

“Fight in this team?” “Grinding and pulling for each other?” I dunno about that.

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Out in Minnesota, they woke to find this today.

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Action: Joey leaves

Reaction: He better come back

No word last night and with no practice or media availability likely no word today, on how bad Joey’s hamstring issue is but – and I cannot believe I am going to type these words – they need him healthy in a hurry to have any chance at doing anything.

Jay’s only playing eight guys – a wise decision considering what’s been available after them – and to have one of them on the shelf will lead to some serious depth issues, serious over-work for the starters and that last thing Bosh or Calderon needs right now is 44 minutes a night.-

But if Joey can’t go you’d presume Marcus Banks gets some extra playing time as that eighth guy and no one has any idea what he’ll bring. He’s not as big as Joey, not as versatile, cannot play the three. No Graham is a big blow.

And, sure, the possibility exists that Bryan could go out and sign a three-four kind of guy but that guy is going to need time to fit in, that guy is going to be looking out for that guy as he pursues either a second 10-day contract or a job for next year and I don’t think that’s the answer.

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Some mail:

Q: Thanks for all you add to an otherwise mostly unenjoyable Raptors season.

Q1. To my untrained eye, what grabbed my attention foremost about Marion was his offensive rebounding. Given this is partially due to it being so lacking from his teammates, could they somehow learn from him or would they have already learned if they could?

Q2. Bosh seems to have lost his Olympics-inspired intensity. Is he just not the kind of guy that can sustain a high level of mental intensity? Heard Coach K on PTI yesterday talk about how he mentions the work ethic of Dwyane, Kobe and LeBron to his college boys. Didn't exclude Bosh specifically of course but didn't include him either.

John P, London

A: Marion’s a freak, pure and simple. Amazingly quick second jump – check out how many boards he gets at either end on a second leap – but he’s also in his 10th season in the NBA and just has a knack for knowing where the ball is going.

I think it’s hard for anyone but the true greats, and you rattled off three of them on that list, to maintain extraordinary intensity for 82 games or even 75 games. Bosh has lost some of that, but it’s lost in part because of the physical condition his knees are in; I’m sure he wants to be at that level but when he asks his legs for some extra, it’s not there.

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So muchfor my advice to Donny Walsh, eh?

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Action: The coming schedule

Reaction: A seven-pack of toughies

At Phoenix, at Dallas, at Houston, Miami, Utah, at Philly, Detroit.

Is 5-2 necessary? How about 3-4? I think even playing important games in April will depend on them at least coming through this stretch with more wins than losses.

Of course, too much depends on what teams above them do, and there remain an awful lot of them between Toronto and even eighth, but the Raps cannot afford to lose more ground.

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An end-of-the-bench question:

Q: In your opinion what do you think the Raps have planned for Patrick O'Bryant? The reason I am asking is I am looking at this guys body language on the bench and he doesn't look too enthusiastic to be here.

Leroy B, Lethbridge

A: Personally, I think what they have in store for him is to use him only in the case of dire foul trouble- or injury-induced emergency and then either package his salary as cap ballast in a draft-night trade or release him outright before July 1. That will save them $350,000 or so.

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I will say this: Kevin McHale is a much better coach than he was a GM. Not sure what the plans are for him next year – at least one guy with some knowledge of the Timberwolves franchise thinks the Minnesota icon will walk away – but the team plays hard and there some nice pieces.

Of course those nice pieces – I like Randy Foye a lot, and Ryan Gomes – are in the West so they may be years from sniffing the playoffs but McHale’s doing a not-bad job coaching them.

And if he sticks around, it’s one fewer gig out there for Sam to try and get.

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Comments

[Conas Allen]

I know your counterpart Dave Feschuk commented on this, but I was hoping to get your opinion. Do you really think it was the tiff with Cardinal that got Bosh going? I was losing my mind at home over Chris' inability to finish in the first half, only to see him switch "on" in the 2nd half. It was like the lid was taken off the basket.

Blogger's note: Probably got him going a bit, but so did making his first, I think, three shots of the second half

[Matt]

glue guy = Shane Battier. Maybe not the greatest of all time but probably the top one out there right now.

Good job by the Raps to not fold after the first quarter. I had a sense (I think it was after a Cardinal three or long two) that the Wolves would not be able to sustain that first quarter through the game. They just had no answer for Bargnani and Bosh. Like JO said last time, Love will end up being a good player but he is undersized and it shows on the defensive end. Gomes is a better small forward than power forward. A lot of work ahead. The Raps need to build off this game and get a bit of a run going. Go Raps go.

[Kyle]

As far as "Glue guys" go, could we get a possible 5 best Raptors glue guys, or would the list end at 3? I personally think of Garbo as one of the best, he brought a lot of intangibles and experience, and he seemed to bring it every night, while not being exceptionally talented. Would Oak make the list?

Blogger's note: As I mentioned above, Rasho, Mo, Dell, Willis, Garbo probably but he wasn't here all that long; and Oak would probably be on that list

[Jason]

Walsh had his hands tied on the Marbury issue. Sure it would have been great to keep him out of the post season but NY saves about 4 million due to the release (2 million in salary, 2 million in tax) so it makes sense and the Knicks had to do it.
I really liked the idea of waiting a week to make Marbury ineligible, but the bottom line is money talks in the end. I was hoping NY was the team to draw the line; pay the money needed, and let the players know that the team would not be held hostage by a guy like Marbury.
Let’s hope he signs with Boston and causes the team to lose focus and fall apart in the playoffs. We need this to happen just once to stop this side deal/buyout nonsense.

[anthony.mackay@gmail.com]

Raps have a quicker front line now that the Matrix has replaced JO... but who will they use to guard the BIG centers in the league now... the big cactus is just around the corner!? You think Andrea's strong/skilled enough to bang with him.. or even with JO when they play the heat

Blogger's note: It'll be Bargnani, and you may recall he didn't do a bad job on Yao when they played here. O'Neal? Go at him, see if you can get him in foul trouble like he was when they played here.

[Claudio DiG.]

2) Doug’s BC worst failures: “Not finding or buying an extra first round pick last June”. That’s very true! Really not understandable by him. Look at Courtney Lee in Orlando or George Hill in S.A.: it’s always valuable to get a pick – even not high – if you are able to chose. In a couple of years it can develop in a useful (and chip) player. For a team like ours, it could be decisive to overcome the shortage of good players and/or the cap issues.
Cheers

Blogger's note: Dude, this is about the fourth time I've deleted racist crap from your comments, pretty soon I'm deleting everything. One warning, that's it.

[Dave Mosley]

Hi Doug...given your description of 'Glue guy', would Rasho have qualified when he was with the Raptors? Any other ex-Raptors come to mind? Thanks, I do enjoy your blog.

Blogger's note: Yeah, Rasho, Mo, maybe Dell Curry or Kevin Willis back in the day

[Alias]

Is it just me or is there a lack of Bargnani haters writing in. Can all the Bargnani haters come out and write that you were totally wrong! Where in the world did you all go? One year from now if he goes into a slump I don't want to see any comments saying "I told you we should trade him" or "Trade the lazy bum".

[Pharaoh]

Doug, just wondering why O'Bryant isn't being given a chance to prove himself? Why not give the guy 5-7 minutes a game to see what he's got? After all he was drafted 9th wasn't he? The guy must have some game(?) How does he look in practice

Blogger's note: They're trying to win games, not trying to find out if some kid who washed out with two other teams has a chance to maybe develop into a backup. He's where he should be right now. In practice? What we see, he looks like a younger, heathlier Loren Woods, long, raw, can make a shot to save his soul

[Eric]

"A seven-pack of toughies

At Phoenix, at Dallas, at Houston, Miami, Utah, at Philly, Detroit.

Is 5-2 necessary? How about 3-4?"

This is what we've grown accustomed to and I feel it's an effect of the problem. My opinion? You go one of two ways: Either take it one game at a time (and believe it) or run the table (7-0).

I know what you'll say, this is just talk between fans for fun, but I don't feel this team can distingush between how fans talk about them and how they talk about themselves. If they see the fans (or the RapsTV guys) say "3-4 will be good enough" it's happened too often that they just finish 3-4....... or worse. I don't attribute that to coincidence anymore. The culture has to change! 7-0! Believe it and do it! What's the point of expecting to lose 3,4,5 games? Why bother looking at the scehdule if that's what you'll do? Losing is not acceptable.

In a perfect world, don't talk about it. But if you have to, 7-0 it is!!!

[Matt]

Bargnani can't defend Shaq (of course no one really can) but then Shaq can't defend either Bosh or Bargnani. And good luck to Shaq getting defensive rebounds when trying to contain Bargs on the three point line. If I remember correctly, Howard had similar problems during the last game against the Magic, making Howard the most ineffective 39-point scorer in the history of the game (he says with some sarcasm). The nice thing about having Marion (as opposed to Moon) is that Marion can't really be left alone and Bargs needs to be defended by a good perimeter player to be rendered ineffective. The Raps have their work cut out for them if they want to beat the Suns but Bargs won't hurt them as much as some people seem to think he will.

[lukasz]

Pat riley has said that shawn marrion is the second best player on the miani heat. Does the same go for toronto?

[Mike M.]

I agree that Bosh not being healthy and able to do the things he wants to do may take away a bit of intensity but it seems to have completely disappeared in the last month. I didn't get to see the game last night so I can't comment on if he had any or not.

I did see the Knicks game however and one play stuck in my mind. It was a nice fast break bucket, off a pass from Marion, that Bosh had where he was fouled by Nate Robinson. No fist pumping, no clapping, no sticking his chin out, no trying to get the crowd louder - all of those things he was doing earlier this season. Nothing but a blank stare and token high fives on his way to the free throw line.

Now maybe he thinks those are silly things for anyone on a team with such a terrible record to do; or maybe he is beyond frustrated during a season where he had Will Solomon running the point, Jamario playing the mad bomber and home fans are booing (rightfully so in some cases however); or maybe he is simply in pain - but somewhere along the way he lost his passion and intensity and it's disappointing to me and to everyone else who, rightly or wrongly, was expecting more of him and his team.

He still seems to do the best he can do on the court and I give him credit for that but I don't see a way to defend the way his on-court leadership went AWOL as the season turned sour. Good times or bad times, you still have to lead.

[Kelsie]

Hey Doug,

Took a break from posting because the daily venom was just too much and mama told me if you don't have anything good to say....you know the rest.

It's good to see them win a few games but I think we all have our concerns about the remainder of the season and the cloudy future ahead.

Sometimes to me it seems like they're a solid 2 guard and a few defensive minded veterans away from being a consistent team again but we'll have to wait until the off-season to see what develops in terms of roster movement.

Can Jose be traded in the off-season? I know he just re-upped in the previous offseason so sometimes there are trade restrictions due to how contracts are set-up no? I'm not saying they should do it but they should consider it if there are serious offers for other good players. He's very heady but I am deeply concerned with his defensive play (felt this way last year as well) and we are still a long way from being a contender. He looked better last night getting them easier transition opportunities, but over the long haul I think he'll prove to be a good starting point guard but an excellent back-up pg.

The next question I have is if you were the GM would you give Triano a fair shot at the head coaching job next year? I really like Jay and I believe he's been thrust into a difficult situation but I think to myself they're 15-27 since Jay took over. If English, or Evans were given the job after Mitchell was fired and sported that kind of record would we be talking about giving them a shot at the job next year? I don't think so.

Blogger's note: Yes, there are no cap restrictions on a trade; I think Jay's still got time to earn the job for next year

[James]

Doug,

Further to your comments on what the Raps plans are for O'Bryant, I was wondering what you thought they should be doing with Jake Voskuhl for next year? I know you can only have one 13th man on the bench, and that spot will be taken up by big Nate. But I like the energy and chearleading Jake brings to the team, and always seems to be happy just to be on the bench. He makes little contribution on the court, but I think his willingness to play the 13th man role with enthusiasm is something that should bring him back again next year. Your thoughts?

Blogger's note: You have about as much chance of being a Raptor next year as Jake Voskuhl

[Pharaoh]

"Blogger's note: They're trying to win games, not trying to find out if some kid who washed out with two other teams has a chance to maybe develop into a backup."

Doug - that's exactly my point - they haven't won games this year! The current line-up has failed, miserably. What's the point in bringing in a new guy if you don't even give him a chance? Who knows, maybe he'll shake things up a bit and create some incentive for some of the other players to play harder. After all, nothing brings out the effort in a player like riding the pine for a while.

[DinoFever86]

Jason I must agree on Marbury going to Boston. I hate this buy out go to a team that is almost there then pull it out. Boston did not have it before but with Mikki and Marbury coming in it really helps there game.

Does anyone know any vet post players that will be free agents next year. The impact JO has had on Barg's seems big and I would love to see someone else come in and help him out with a couple more moves. Doug?

[Tim W.]

It's funny, I was thinking the exact same thing as Leroy B lady night. O'Bryant has awful body language for a guy who doesn't play much. He's definately gone at the end of the season.

Jason, I'm confused how the Knicks are saving so much money. I have heard what the buyout numbers are, but you know his salary still counts against the luxury tax. I had heard he'd only take $1 million of his salary.

Alias, I've been called a Bargnani hater, although I don't consider myself one. I just didn't like the pick and felt he'd do better elsewhere. I still think that, in the long term. I think the Raptors are always going to be lacking toughness and good inside play if he's teamed up with Bosh. God forbid the Raptors meet a team like Orlando in the pkayoffs, again, everyone will be talking about the same things as last summer. And while he's playing better than he was the first couple of months, his weaknesses remain. His shitting percentage for February isn't great, and before he started playing well, I predicted he could average 18 & 6, which is just about what he's doing.

[SY]

JO and Moon are doing quite well in Miami, they combined 26 pts and 11 rebound against the Pistons yesterday. Too bad JO is too injury prone and his contract is too expensive, otherwise, I think he's a great player. Still, the trade had to be made to give us more financial flexibility this summer and I just hope B.C. can make a run at Millsap w/ the CAP space we have.
I love the guy - a hustle player, a potential double-double guy - Imagine our frontcourt and the different combinations we can have -

Millsap @ PF and Bargnani @ C
Millsap @ PF and Bosh @ C
Bosh @ PF and Bargnani @ C

Wow....I am sure lots of team will try to go after him this summer.

-SY

[Pharaoh]

Tim, I think you meant his 'shooting' percentage(?) LOL....

[Ryan]

One thing about this Raptor team right now, is this team could be considerably different than the one we saw for the 60% of the games this year.

I don't think the Raptors have ever had a player like Marion, he looks to bring more to the team than just on-court talent, he brings the composure that was sorely lacking.

Marion seems to be the perfect veteran leadership that Bosh needs to become a true leader himself.

[Mike P (R.W.T.C)]

we play phoenix on friday, after they fly back from L.A. the previous night. we need that L.A. game to be close and exhausting for the suns. raps have to get that one. however, the only way i see us winning, is if andrea is hitting his outside shot and the suns being old.

we have to get houston as well. they are playing us on a second game of a back-to-back and the 4th game in five nights. we have a day off to practice and prepare for it.

the dallas game in between is a little scary. dallas is such a different home team. no jet, and now we have someone that can guard howard. this game intrigues me the most.

miami at home is a weird one, 12:30pm game vs. jazz, philly can be a steal game, and detroit is playing like they hate eachother.

chicago, milwaukee, new york, detroit, toronto, are the five teams hunting down the 7th and 8th seed IMO. lets see what happens....all else fails....earl clark.

[Jason]

Tim W:
This is right from the Knick article Doug postedf the link to:

"The hearing was brief, and when it ended, attorneys from both sides began buyout negotiations that led to Marbury dropping his grievance against the club. Although neither side would comment on the terms, it is believed that Marbury, who was scheduled to earn $20.9 million in the final year of his contract, agreed to forfeit approximately $2 million in order to gain his freedom. The deal could save the Knicks as much as $4 million with the luxury tax factored in."

Just for reference, I do not believe fines paid count for the tax therefore the $400 G's for the one game suspension also saves the Knicks more when he dropped his grieveance. Not sure if the article factored that in though.
Perhaps the 400 G's was part of how they agreed to make the buyout 2 million?

[Paulino Nunes]

Posted by : DinoFever86 : "His shitting percentage for February isn't great..."

Maybe the team should include more high-fibre products in the post-game meal...?

[Pete]

Only reason Bosh got it going in the 2nd half; He settled for jumpers, and he got lucky. He was getting killed by Cardinal and Love whenever he took it inside. Man, something is seriously wrong with him.

Blogger's note: Guy gets 26 and 6, is 10-for-19 from the field, six-for-six from the line and something is "seriously wrong with him" and got "lucky?" Man, this one tough crowd around these parts.