As a one-time event, that one yesterday was a doozy

I know it’s impossible to take one game as a singular event in a sports season that always has to be thought of in the context of 82 games but for sheer entertainment value, that one yesterday was right up there with the best in a long time.

Enough mistakes to make it angst-filled, enough big plays to make jaws slacken. It wasn’t the perfect game but it was a great one and while it means nothing really in the big picture – Chicago’s likely going to the playoffs, the Raptor season was shot behind the ear years ago – don’t tell anyone in the arena that it meant nothing.

And that’s why sports is great.

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CARLOS OSORIO/TORONTO STAR

More rim destroying from Pops yesterday.

So The Legend grows.

That little performance by Pops yesterday – 13 points, four boards in 23 minutes – was vintage. Energy at both ends, a couple of minor blips (dribbling after grabbing an offensive rebound puts the ball in play for all the tiny guys in the paint to peck away at) but the kind of effort that’s become his trademark.

As regulars know, I’m all for keeping him – at a reasonable cost – next season and I found out last night that there’s another twist to his contract that might make that possible.

Among the more arcane parts of the CBA as it relates to the cap and impending free agents is a clause that says guys like Pops, signed until the end of this season, are restricted free agents as long as the Raptors make him a qualifying offer, which I’m sure they will.

So no matter what kind of sniffs he gets out there, and he will get more than a few, Bryan will have the chance to match an offer and keep the fan favourite.

And the more I think about it, a frontcourt rotation of Bosh, Bargnani, Pops and Hump sounds pretty good.

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Action: Ben Gordon shoots

Reaction: An awful lot

There has been, and there will be, much debate over whether the Raptors should try to make a legitimate and serious push for Chicago’s Gordon this summer and after he went off for 37 yesterday, the screams for him are going to be louder.

But, please, consider this:

He’s not really a slasher, he’s certainly not what anyone would consider a lock-down, or even above-average defender.

What he is is a relatively under-sized, volume-shooting combo guard. Make no mistake about it, he’s a good relatively under-sized, volume-shooting combo guard but that’s what he is.

If Bryan’s talking seriously to Chicago, I’m asking about Luol Deng and leaving Gordon right out of the conversation.

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Would have loved to have asked the “Hey, look at me! I’m the cool guy wearing shades in the arena” Terrell Owens what he thought of the game but, of course, he didn’t bother to stick around.

Could have given his ticket stub to someone on the way out to use the seat he occupied for, oh, I dunno, about half the game.

Good luck, Buffalo.

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Still in the digression mode, did anyone anywhere in the world really expect Tiger Woods to miss that putt?

This guy is a killer; no way that one wasn’t going right in the middle.

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So I’m in a place after the game being social and it’s got a lot of TVs playing all kinds of sports and I look over my shoulder and there’s San Antonio-New Orleans.

And I think, of all the old-time Raptors hanging around, especially the ones no one thought would amount to an awful lot, the one I’m most happy for has to be Sean Marks.

I know Matt Bonner and Roger Mason Jr. are good stories and all but I look up there and Marks is blocking a Manu three-pointer and scoring on the baseline and really contributing to a pretty good team.

And I tell ya, he’s one of the really good guys.

We’re in San Antonio at a finals one year, he’s playing for the Spurs. It’s an off-day and the last thing a gaggle of grunts wants to do for dinner is fight the crowds on the Riverwalk so I asked Sean for a recommendation and he tells us to go to the Quarry Market, sit outside at this one place and it’ll be great.

So, Toronto, Philly, Minneapolis and Jersey all head out there, we’re having a lovely dinner and here comes a round of cocktails, courtesy of Mr. Marks, who’s sitting at a table over there.

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Oh, in Chicago, my man K.C., who knows everything Bull, races from a marathon game to barely catch a flight home and he still manages to file this for the Trib readers.

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Action: One small step

Reaction: One big move by Bargnani

This is pretty much rudimentary Basketball 101 but the play Bargnani made with 58.8 seconds left in the fourth quarter last evening is another example of his maturation.

He gets the ball on the wing near the three-point arc, fakes, puts his head down and starts that ramble of his to the basket.

But, instead of going all the way to the rim – where he’d inevitably either run into someone and commit an offensive foul or be forced to put up one of those zany out-of-control, off-balance, underhand-scoop layups that are one of his trademarks, he pulls up quickly, stops entirely and hits a little eight-footer that puts Toronto up by three.

Lots of guys make that play, he seldom does but it was a very nice thing for the coach to see.

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You know I’m not a big stats geek at all, in fact I think the fact most of them can be bent to suit any purpose renders them a very insignificant part of most conversations but, still, 22 points and 19 assists is darn impressive.

I’m searching and searching and searching and over the last eight days, I cannot see a single “trade Jose” e-mail.

People must be having computer problems, right?

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A random question plucked from a near-empty mailbox:

Q: It seems apparent that the number of games played by Bosch and Calderone had some impact on this season. Do you know what the plans are this off-season such as the FIBA events?

Bill C, Oakville

A: When I see Bosch and Calderone, whoever they may be, I’ll ask them.

But Chris Bosh has no commitments whatsoever, it’s an off-year for the Americans, who don’t have to qualify for the worlds because of their Olympic triumph.

The last time I talked to Jose Calderon about it was about three weeks ago and he hadn’t made up his mind but made it sound like his tenure with the Spanish national team – a program he’s been with for about 13 years – is coming to an end. At the very least, nothing for him until August at the earliest, the European championships in Poland aren’t until September.

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Comments

[Pipit]

Doug,

On the Raptors inbound play where they were up by 1 and wherein everybody knows that the Bulls will be fouling, why is it that Parker (whose notorious in missing crucial free throws) receive the ball, got fouled, missed a foul throw resulting to the game going in on overtime. Is is hard to know for Triano and the coaching staff that we had a 98% foul throw shooter in our team or are they that incompetent?

Blogger's note: No, they absolutely forgot about Jose, luckily, the Bulls remembered and, um, guarded him. And when the Raptors saw how the Bulls guarded him, they re-designed the play and the next -- presto!! -- the ball went to a wide open Calderon. Yeah, that's incompetence right there

[Serge P]

I agree with Doug on Ben Gordon, he is NOT what this team needs. Andres Nocioni, recently traded from the Bulls to the Kings, was asked by a reporter in Sacramento why he thought the Bulls had failed to live up to expectations over the last 2 seasons and he commented that some of the players on the Bulls were much more concerned about getting their own stats so that they could sign bigger contracts as opposed to being concerned with playing team basketball and winning games. He didn't mention anyone by name but it was pretty obvious that Gordon was one of the guys (if not the main guy) that he was referring to. The Raptors play best when they move the ball and Gordon is a black hole, as soon as the ball goes in to him you know it's not coming back out, he'll just dribble it around for about 14 seconds and chuck up a shot. I think in the end Gordon will end up being a Correy Magette type of player in the sense that he'll always be one of those guys who puts up good numbers on losing teams and who often actually hurts a team more than he helps it (like Magette has done in GS this season). He has yet to accept that he should be a 3rd or 4th option on a good team as opposed to The Man, and I doubt he will before it's too late.

Also, when people say that the Raptors would have been a better team this season with a healthy Calderon, they are simply stating fact. They are not "making excuses" as many of you seem to think, so there is no need to get all up in arms. No one affiliated with the team has ever said that they would have been a championship contender this season or even that they would have definitely made the playoffs without Jose's injury, only that they would have been better with a starting point guard that was 100% healthy instead of 65% healthy. Duh. Some of you really need to chill.

[Ted S]

Not tanking has some short-term benefits in wins like this one; however, if the goal is to rebuild and win championships one could question the merits of winning down the stretch during a lost season. I'm glad everyone had fun yesterday in the ACC but it is pretty short-lived isn't it?

Every win lessens our chances of receiving a top draft pick (given the crop is fairly weak). I look at the resurgence of the Miami Heat this year as an example the Raptors might follow. They were miserable down the stretch last year. Based on this year's direction (good picks, solid signings, healthy stars), Pat Riley didn't damage his reputation sandbagging with a handful of 10 day contract guys.

Blogger's note: Wrong. The Raptors, after four straight wins, are EXACTLY where they were a week ago in the overall standings. So nothing, not a damn thing, has been changed right now because of the four wins.

[James C.]

Doug, I've enjoyed reading your blog for some weeks. But after reading your "lets get-on-the-bandwagon" Calderon comments, I'm beginning to seriously doubt your basketball knowledge. No more lets trade Calderon emails??!! - well this is simply that some of us are too exhausted by his sub-par play for some 70 games and who really cares what happens in the past 4 games against sub-par competition when the team is some 20 games below .500. Thankfully, reading comments from Eric, Kelsie and Michael provide a better incite on the state of the PG play and the lack of it during the season. Doug I realize its tough to keep interests up on the blog for a 82-game season (especially one no more disappointing than this season), therefore, I can only believe you're writing your Calderon comments with your tongue firmly placed in your cheek. Keep up the good work !! Oops, this may be too quick a compliment considering the lack of timely reporting on Pop's contract situation and your incomplete understanding of the JO trade when $3.5MM of cap space was also conveyed to Miami.

[Uncle Freak]

Yo Uncle Zeke,

So many people go full steam at Doug with "You said ... blah blah blah" ... could we please bring up actual quotes instead of just saying what you kinda sorta remember fuzzily ...

Go back and bring up the actual words!

[Pharaoh]

Doug, sorry but I couldn't agree more with Eric on your assessment of Calderon. As you have said on more than one occasion, you can't judge a guy by one game. Looking at the entire season, Jose's play has been disappointing. Even yesterday, while he did have an outstanding offensive game, he was atrocious defensively (why else would you have Marion guarding Rose?). If I were Jay, I would have left Roko in the game down the stretch. At least he can keep his man in front of him.

Blogger's note: Ask why it was disappointing, which is was, no doubt. Was it because he missed 14 games and six weeks of practice because of injury? Or was it because he lost all his skills? Think what you want but I contend, and will forever, that he is more like the relatively healthy player we've seen in the last two weeks and all of last season than the shell of a guy we saw in the middle of this year.
I know that won't sit well with many but, frankly, I don't really care.

[Eric]

Nothing's changed, Doug? I'd say the Raptors have won 4 games and separated themselves from the teams below them by a little bit. Yes, the 'standings' are the same, but the separation between teams is not. Are you honestly saying that 4 wins versus 4 losses makes no difference in the calculation of wins and losses? Amazing. :)

By that logic, why bother winning the Chicago game if you want to make the playoffs? One win is not going to make up 8 games, right? You're going to wake up tomorrow and not be in the playoffs whether you win or lose, so why bother winning at all? Thankfully some of us have perspective. :)

[montreal raptors fan]

Doug ,

Bargnani stated to an Italian journalist before the season

started that he will be helping out the national team in trying

to grab the last open spot for the European championships.

They will be missing Gallinari but with Belli they still have a

chance to beat France that has Parker , Diaw plus other Nba

players.

[Paul]

Re: Tanking - I think that's a horrible idea. It's great for Triano to be able to prove that he can get this team, when healthy, to win. It looks quite good on him to be able to motivate this team to win games, when they are really incredibly meaningless games to bother trying for. It also tends to show that these guys are pros, and this year has been just a weird year (which kinda adds up given how excited we all were preseason).

Uncle Zeke, shut up. You don't know what you're talking about and you are making a food of yourself. Extra, Extra, read all about it. Best to keep your mouth shut and have people think you're a fool, than open your mouth and prove it. I'm with Uncle Freak - if you want to put points to Doug - do your homework and reference the time / date of the article that he took the revisionist position you're putting to him. Otherwise, please stop wasting our time.

[Jim]

I don't think you have your facts straight with your Owens jab! CBC showed him sitting and clapping in his seat during OT...some member of the broadcast team even said, "He's not one to leave a party early" or something of the sort.

So I believe you that he was in and out, or something of the sort, but he certainly didn't leave in the third quarter or something.

[SY]

I like Deng but his contract is too long (quite large too) and he hasn't been exactly healthy for the past 2 seasons. Personal opinion - it is worth it if Kapono & Banks for Deng - Salary matches.

-SY

[SMD]

I think we all agree this has been a lost season. . .but with a healthy Jose and CB4 - the continued growth of Andrea into a solid scorer and defender, Some decent off the bench minutes from Anthony Parker, Roko and Pops. . . etc - there is reason for optimism. The puzzle needs a few pieces and I have the confidence BC can put it together. For Now, the Raps are what they are - and as Mr Smith has pointed out many times - the team has it's flaws. Most teams do.

Yesterdays Game was fun to watch and I trust the remaining games this season hold the same intensity and energy. It's entertainment.

[Eden]

@ Eric

You seemingly have a comprehension problem. In no way did Doug state that "4 wins versus 4 losses makes no difference in the calculation of wins and losses? Amazing. :)"

Sorry bud. Usually you're insightful, but it just looks bad when you are reaching.

[tony]

Hey Doug, keep hearing the term "cap hold" in regards to the amount of money we can offer a free agent if and when Marion's $17 mill comes off the books. Apparently we will not have the whole amount to spend due to the cap hold. Can you please explain what the term means, please. Thanks

Blogger's note: A "cap hold" is the figure applied to the cap figures of teams for their restricted or unrestricted free agents until the future of those players is determined. It's a percentage of their salaries (always more than 100 per cent) and varies depending on the length and value of the expiring contract. It's a bookkeeping issue and "cap holds" are replaced by actual figures when the players sign somewhere

[GM]

You can't say you didn't ask for all the anti-Calderon messages, Doug! I'm a big Calderon fan, and I'm the first to admit his play has been disappointing this season. I have no idea how much his injuries have played into it, but I'm glad to see the old Calderon playing again. So I'm not off the bandwagon just yet because he played so well the past two seasons. If he struggles next season, then I'll jump off the bandwagon.

[Chris Jones]

Talk about lowered expectations. We go from supposed Eastern Conference contenders to just happy with a few empty wins. Winning in December, January and February when it actually counted, would have meant more to me than winning 4 games against 4 of the lesser NBA teams in late-March. Are wins against the Clippers, Bucks, Thunder, and Bulls that impressive? Should this be sparking talk about what could have been? I guess we need to start planning the parade route for next season. Maybe if we win against the Wizards we should retire all the current players’ jersey numbers. This run right now might be the difference in drafting 9th or 4th. And that might be the difference between getting a potential star or ending up with a role player. Yes, Calderon is playing better and was hurt for much of the season. But I guess everybody else on the team was playing hurt too. What’s the reason why we lost so much easy games and didn’t even compete in many of them? Not competing is worst for a franchise than losing a few meaningless games in a long, long, long ago lost season. No fan of any professional sports team should be happy with anything less than a Championship. Satisfied, yes happy hell no. Drafting a potential future star gets you there quicker than a brand new shiny future Joey Graham or Anthony Parker.

[Chu]

I can't remember seeing Tiger on the 18th hole disappointed after missing a putt to lose a tournament.....That guy is impossible to beat when pressure is high.

[Pharaoh]

Doug, healthy or not, Jose is a defensive liability, that much you have to admit. The game is played on both ends of the court.

[Doug]

it's amazing the ignorance people show in this blog, and there lack of basketball knowledge.. in regards to Calderon and the PG position all I really see is them whining and complaining without offering solutions, if there unhappy with the PG position then who do they suggest we get???...oh wait I know stephon marbury as these are the same people that wanted him before he signed with the Celts and has been a complete bust or the same ones that wanted us to pick-up Bonzi Wells, or Walker..or the one dude that keeps going on and on about the o'Neal trade, wow do you guys actually watch a game???..or just intent on showing how little you really know about the game...

in regards to stats here's a excerpt article in the Miami Herald

"Miami could have had John Salmons, Brad Miller and Shelden Williams for Shawn Marion and Marcus Banks. Sacramento offered that, but Miami took Toronto's offer ( Jermaine O'Neal, Jamario Moon, No. 1 pick). Salmons (averaging 20.2 points and 4.9 rebounds since the trade) and Miller (11.8, 7.7) have outplayed O'Neal (14.1, 5.1) and Moon (7.9, 5.0) since all were traded.".....what a crock the Heat needed defense for one, got it with those two, and two Miller is a pylon and Salmons would be a terrible fit there, as why would you take the ball out of Wade's hands as Salmons needs an gets 15 touches a game at least....so again PPG being misconstrued to show positive production, o'Neal and Moon were the right fit for them...

[Rob.V]

Doug,

I find it strange that a few months ago the Toronto media close to the team was positioning Toronto as a great place to be, a place where Bosh has his own team, and a place where he can make an extra 30 mil (which are all facts)... basically, painting a picture of “why wouldn’t he want to be here”… i.e. Jack Armstrong..

Over the last couple of weeks however, the opinion has been much different with virtually EVERYONE (radio, TV, print) close to the team being somewhat on the fence or "50 - 50" in their assessment as to whether he will stay or go.

Is it a matter of people now back peddling so that they don’t look silly with earlier comments?, coincidence everyone’s perspective has changed?, a little bit of monkey see, monkey do with the media?,…or in your estimation has the conversation with Bosh and Colangelo already taken place?

Clearly, quite a few people heard rumblings of the “deadbeat father” document that was released long before it went public. I know you can’t speak for EVERYONE however have you also "sensed" a change in sentiment lately from either the poohbas or the team regarding this situation?

Blogger's note: If that conversation has taken place -- and it hasn't -- and we had heard about, we'd have written it. Toronto is a great place, it is Bosh's team, he could be paid more here and it's always been up to him to decide if he wants to stay or go.

[James]

Lindsay Hunter or Anthony Johnson? You've got to be kidding me...they're over the hill and wouldn't have made a lick of difference to the Raptors this year.

If that's what you're complaining about, maybe you should follow another sport.

[Nick M]

I noticed the sub-announcer on the radio yesterday doing the starting line-ups. Did he say 'from SPAIN a 7 foot centre Andrea Bargnani'?

Blogger's note: I beleive he did mis-speak

[Mark L]

Interesting quote by the Bulls' Sam Smith
"So there were the Bulls Sunday, effectively done, trailing 98-80 with 10 minutes left. Second of a back to back, though, more importantly, in Toronto. It’s regarded by NBA players as perhaps the best nightlife city in the NBA, and it’s no coincidence the Raptors request so many early Sunday games since teams get to make various requests for the schedule makeup before the season. It helped the Raptors immeasurably when they were a better team."

I thought it was all about TV schedules? True about the Toronto nightlife?

Blogger's note: Bit of an urban myth

[Robert Carl Parisien Natick MA]

they sqweeked out a close one. could have went either way at one point. I also agree with one of the posters above. Ben Gordon is not a good fit.

[ade]

doug should the raps go after jamaal crawford if he opt out of his contract? i dont know what nellie is smoking but he seems to be the perfect fit in terms of skill for the raps. i dont know about the locker room stuff i just know when he plays against the raps he kills them