Of past drafts and coming playoffs. And Alonzo doesn't say thanks

No practice yesterday so precious little about the local Heroes Of The Hardcourt.

Hope this offering satisfies at least some of the hoops cravings:

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A whole bunch of people are up in arms because the Raptors may slide back from the No. 8 pick in the draft because (egads!) they are winning games at the moment.

Yeah, like that’s going to make a difference. Check out the past five drafts in the second half of the lottery:

2008

8: Joe Alexander, Milwaukee; 9: D.J. Augustin, Charlotte; 10: Brook Lopez, New Jersey; 11, Jerryd Bayless, Indiana; 12: Jason Thompson, Sacramento; 13: Brandon Rush, Portland; 14: Anthony Randolph, Golden State.

Best pick: Jury’s still out but I’d say Lopez, No. 10.

2007

8: Brandan Wright, Golden State; 9: Joakim Noah, Chicago; 10: Spencer Hawes, Sacramento; 11: Acie Law, Atlanta; 12: Thaddeus Young, Philadelphia; 13: Julian Wright, New Orleans; 14: Al Thornton, L.A. Clippers.

Best pick: Right now? Thornton, No. 14, maybe Young, No. 12.

2006

8: Rudy Gay, Memphis; 9: Patrick O’Bryant, Golden State; 10: Sare Sene, Seattle; 11: J.J. Redick, Orlando; 12: Hilton Armstrong, New Orleans; 13: Thabo Sefolosha, Philadelphia; 14: Ronnie Brewer, Utah.

Best pick: I could make the case it’s Brewer, No. 14, for what he does for the Jazz but I’ll give you Gay, No. 8.

2005

8: Channing Frye, New York; 9: Ike Diogu, Golden State; 10: Andrew Bynum, Lakers; 11: Fran Vazquez, Orlando; 12: Igor Korolev, Clippers; 13: Shawn May, Charlotte; 14: Rashard McCants, Minnesota

Best pick: I guess Bynum, No. 10, if he’s ever able to stay healthy.

RICK EGLINTON/TORONTO STAR

One of the more painful slaps in the face for Raptor fans has to be the results from the 2004 draft.

2004

8: Rafael Araujo, Toronto; 9: Andre Iguodala, Philadelphia; 10: Luke Jackson, Cleveland; 11: Andris Biedrins, Golden State; 12: Robert Swift, Seattle; 13: Sebastian Telfair, Portland; 14: Kris Humphries, Utah.

Best pick: Guess it has to be Iguodala, No. 9, but there’s lots of love for Biedrins, No. 11, around the league.

So, what’s this tell us?

There can be good players found at any spot in the second half of the lottery; a lot depends on what teams picking ahead of you do, and how good your scouting department is at unearthing good players with late lottery picks.

But we can all agree that it’s more a crapshoot than anything and just because you have No. 8 doesn’t mean you’re going to get a far better player than if you have No. 11 or 12.

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I didn’t hear the whole speech so maybe I missed it but I don’t think Alonzo Mourning thanked Rob Babcock and the Raptors for repatriating him to Miami, where they retired his number last night.

But how crazy is this?

Normal halftime breaks are 14 minutes; the Heat-Magic game was delayed 43 minutes at halftime for the Mourning ceremony.

Thank goodness we’re at least a decade away from ever having to worry about something like that happening at a Raptor game. Or until they decided to play some Little Urchin Basketball Tournament that includes five or six games.

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List time

Okay, so we’ve got two weeks and a day or so left in the regular season and there’s still lots of jockeying for playoff position – and even one playoff berth, perhaps – in the Eastern Conference.

Here’s a quite subjective list (like everything around here of) – ta-da!:

Three Teams With Something To Prove

Boston (56-19)

The reigning champs are, for them, stumbling along at 7-3 in their last 10 and they’re in third by percentage points. Kevin Garnett’s hurt, Stephon Marbury hasn’t really been the answer (who’d have have seen that coming?) and Doc Rivers has already given up hope of finishing first overall.

But as we saw last year, when they were horrid on the road in the playoffs in the first two rounds – and when they were running far, far more smoothly to end the season than they are now – the Celtics need homecourt more than almost anybody.

If they can’t reel in the Magic, I can see them not even making it to the conference finals this time around.

Detroit (36-37)

A playoff spot isn’t locked up by any means – although it’s a pretty safe assumption – but to think the Pistons are doing anything but stumbling into the post-season is dead wrong. Can they get Allen Iverson to truly buy into a backup role? How will Rodney Stuckey handle the increased pressure of running a team when every possession is like life and death? Which game, or games, will Rasheed Wallace blow with some Rasheed Wallace-esque temper tantrum?

I can see the Pistons finishing eighth, going out in four and making radical change.

Miami (39-35)

Yeah, I know. Every time you look at a boxscore, Dwyane Wade’s got 30 or 40 or 50 or something stupid like that and he’s increasing his odds of finishing a strong third in MVP balloting. And then you wonder? Surely to goodness someone else on that team is going to do something, right? Maybe not. And in the playoffs, when teams can lock down on one guy because they have days and days to prepare, someone else has to do something good for anyone to have any chance of winning. The Heat’s only got eight games to find out if that guy exists.

Tomorrow: The West.

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Oh yeah, the much anticipated e-mail from the league office arrived yesterday, carrying with it the ballots for the post-season awards.

And like a kid a Christmas, I opened it eagerly to see what I got.

A tough job is what I got.

How about MVP, Coach of the Year and Rookie of the Year.

Three difficult, difficult choices. Luckily, there’s a couple of weeks left before they have to be returned. It’ll give me some thinking to do.

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Seriously, the scoreboard when I shut the machine down last night said Milwaukee 79, New Jersey 48 in the third quarter. Now, that’s the way to tank. Go big or go home, I say.

Now, would you rather have players and coaches talking about how good they feel, or saying how sorry they are, as my man Dave reports here.

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Seriously, if the world doesn’t bounce Steve Wozniak this week, the world needs to re-examine itself. (It’s sort of code, regulars will get it).

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This wraps it all up and is gleaned from a very good e-mail basket I’m going to have to get to quickly this week. Lots of interesting questions that’ll get me through Wednesday-Thursday-Friday when I’m not in Florida (I’m picking ‘em up in New York):

Q: Doug, one thing that annoys me, is that when I tune in to watch the post game show of a Raps game, I have a hard time hearing the reporters questions. Is it too difficult or time consuming to have someone handle a microphone? I'm sure other viewers must feel the same way. Keep up the good work, and keep us entertained during the offseason!

Ken B, Matheson

A: Well, frankly, I’m not sure we want to be part of a studio audience. They could get boom mics, I suppose but I’m there to get my questions asked and answered and, honestly, sometimes I save my good stuff for private conversations because I’d rather not have the dozens of people watching on TV get my best stuff before the readers do.

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Comments

[Mike D]

Doug, the Clips drafted Yaroslav Korolev, not ex-Leaf Igor Korolev. Not like it really matters either way, of course.

Blogger's note: Six of one, half a dozen of the other

[Mike]

Hey Doug,

A friend of mine was at the Chicago game on Sunday and said that when Jay Triano was introduced he was booed. Is that true or were they booing something else? It sounds surprising b/c I thought in general the fan base really likes Triano as the coach.

Blogger's note; Your friend's hearing things. Didn't happen

[mary]

hey doug,
i know you joke all the time about messina being god's gift to the raptors. but in all seriousness have you ever heard anything about him coming to be an assistant for triano?
thanks!

Blogger's note: I have never, ever heard his mentioned as a serious candidate by anyone in power in the organization. And I've read in the past that he has no interest in being an assistant.

[Anthony]

Old question, but I have found little to get excited about outside Andrea Bargnani's growth this year. I have convinced myself that Calderone will be healthy next year, we will figure out a wing player, get a better two, and whatever will be, will be with Bosh (though I doubt he will leave $30,000,000 on the table if we are competitive).

So I continue to see improvement in Andrea and look forward to him really putting it all together. The continual grousing of him being the #1 pick is such revisionist history. Roy was never going to be #1 and the only other #1 may have been Aldridge. Add to that if Noah came out, consider what a disaster it would have been if he went #1 (what the experts said).

So back to the question.... Has Andrea done enough to be comeback player of the year?

Thanks,

Blogger's note: There is no such a thing; only Most Improved and I don't see him winning that.

[aditya]

you seem to have left out my comment.....

Blogger's note: You the mean the one sent 75 minutes ago? Jeez. Believe it or not, I don't sit at this computer 24-7 waiting for your pearls, or anyone else's. Keep your hat on.

[Mike]

Who votes for most improved player? media?

Blogger's note: Yes. Writers and broadcasters.

[aditya]

so ask your nba friends (pals), people you know inside the raptors organization and ask them who's better: thornton or young..
or just ask the orlando sentinel people covering the magic whos better: thornton or young....
its a clean sweep doug, young wins hands down....

Blogger's note: Dude, let it go. If you want to be right, you're right. Big whoop. Seriously, let it go. And I'm not entirely sure why you'd (a) care or (b) want me to ask people in Orlando about guys who play in Philadelphia and L.A.
But I will bow to your obviously superior knowledge of Al Thornton and Thaddeus Young if it means end to this nonsense

[Jack]

Triano impresses Colangelo, huh.
"Jay's done a solid job; he was given a bad set of circumstances," the GM said.

It's the kiss of death.
What was his record? 20-32? And he has no "coach of the year" award to support him? Hmmm.... Yup. Kiss of death.
It was a good PR move for Colangelo to name Jay as the interim head coach, being a Canadian team. But I think it stops there; being the interim coach. I don't see him getting the job next year. Hey, Jay is a good guy. No doubt about it. But Colangelo has to produce a winner or his time here will be up.
Now I say this with the assumption that MLSE is willing to shoulder the expense attached to Sam Mitchell. If the Raptors hire a "name brand" coach, he will have to be paid handsomely but on top of that, they are still in the hook for Mitchell's contract. If MLSE is willing to shell out more dollars to produce a winning team, I think Jay will be gone. If not, he's got another year. In any case, good luck to him.

[Matt from Oakville]

Hey Doug,

Do you think Bargniani should at least be in consideration for MIP? Not saying he should win (not at all), but his improvement over the 2nd half of the season is worthy of some praise.

Blogger's note: Sure, he'd be worthy of consideration; I think his team's record is going to hurt him

[Adam C]

A higher pick in the draft is definitely worth the risk of creating a culture of losing. Drafting high is the road to success that has made the Clippers into such a dominant team.

[aditya]

lets get this clear now:

1) i CARE only because i am a fan. you have awesome first-hand knowledge of the NBA since you cover the Raptors and cover their games with the other 29 NBA teams. thus, we (readers) read your blog.

2) I told you to ask your writer peers in Orlando because the Raptors PLAY THEIR NEXT game against the Magic. now i think you mentioned you are not going to Orlando (i believe in a prior blog). but my point is made

have a great day!!

[Doug]

"aditya" you need to relax, Doug was just stating his opinion and if you read what he said "Thornton, No. 14, maybe Young, No. 12", so he never just said Thornton and discounted Young. Plus since you mention it maybe you need to look at not only the stats (Thornton PPG 17, Rebounds 5.2, Young PPG 15.3, Rebounds 5.1) but the fact that Thornton plays on a far worse team then Young, Young gets more easy open looks...so it's totally subjective...as my dad always said, "before you go shooting your mouth off make sure it's loaded"....plus your confusing something, as what is the relevance about Orlando??...are you even thinking of the right player, players???

[eni]

Hi Doug,

For the first time last night I saw the entire episode of DWTS. Wozniak seems like the crowd favorite. He's the underdog, I can't see how anybody would not like him (his dancing stinks) but how can one be mad at the guy. He's a nice, funny old geek. I think Steve-O is leaving tonight and the barbie girl with the broken ribs. Two quick questions relating to dancing competition and one Raptor related:
1) Who's your pick to win it all this season (don't tell me the football dude)
2) In a Smith vs. Wozniak face-off who'd come out on top (duh!, no seriously be honest)

Now I know how much you hate fantasy scenarios, and I'll try to stay away from it, how do you see this:
3) Next season, Bosh+Calderon+Bargnani (say Bosh decides to stay) will be there, and say BC works out a good deal (money wise) with Marion (wait), all we need is that 2 guy we've been talking about all season (who can create his own shot, yada yada...) we've got ourselves a team, don't you think (we're suddenly PRETENDERS). And with Delfino hopefully coming back, we keep Parker, Hump, Roko, Pops, sign "the veteran" guy to mentor these guys in the locker room, sign some 300k guys to fill in the 13 man roster and we're CONTENDERS, AGAIN!
I know it's easier said than done, but if we can find that 2-guy in the draft, or get rid of all of the Kaponos and Banks and Grahms for that guy I'll be the first in line to buy season tickets.
Now what such guys are out there that are "potential signes", I'd appreciate it if you'd throw in a few names (please no Ben Gordon), the only one I can think of is Jamal Crawford. What do you think of him, what's his situation like with GSW and would he be a good fit in T. all things said above. Thanks Doug.

Blogger's note: Lots of dancin' left but L'il Kim's the leader in the clubhouse; Woz would pay someone to take me out, lest he lose to a old beat grunt.
Crawford's very intriguing, I just don't know his price.

[David]

Doug,

Shawn Marion becomes a keeper at $______________?

Blogger's note: Without having a clue what other teams may think, renderingf this guess absolutely meaningless, I'd say $5 million

[Mike P.]

Doug? whats your take on douby? doesn't marion got that little post up on the baseline finishing with a jump hook. its either all net or all backboard or all air. there is no in between.

[Mr. Cook]

I understand why it makes sense to have the media vote for these awards, but I have a question that your ummm...lengthy years? of basketball watching might help with.

Back in the day the players voted for the MVP (I'm not sure about other awards). I don't know exactly when they took that out, but presumably it was because it became too complex because of the number of teams and players. But surely in this day of modern technology you could have the players vote for an mvp? Put some kind of rule on it saying that only players who played in 25+ games can vote.

I mention this only because it makes sense to me that nobody would understand who a more valuable asset is to a team than a pro player. I guess to put it in perspective if there was a grunt award, you'd want other grunts voting, not the readers of this blog.

[Paul]

I've got three words for those of you who think the draft is the answer: Darko Milicic.

[Dave]

@ SY--

What the hell are you smoking? Do you REALLY, ACTUALLY think Chicago would trade Deng in a billion years for Kapono, Banks, and a 2nd? I mean, Really? A one dimensional shooter, a guy who's synonymous for having one of the worst contracts in the league (based on value) and a 2nd round player (the majority of which get cut before training camp opens)? Sure the salaries match, but come on. Not to use you as an example, but the problem with so many Raptor fans and these crazy, half-baked trade scenarios is that they (surprise!)GREATLY benefit the team you root for. Deng would be amazing on the Raptors but Chicago isn't giving him away for nothing. You've got to give something to get something. Trades are about "you scratch my back, I'll scratch yours". This deal seems like a whole lotta one sided scratching. Rant over.

[Rob.V]

Doug I realize we are never going to change your mind on this (I have a hard time with this myself) however some of the other bloggers make valid points.

It's a long term approach really. If we want to call it “tanking” then yes that sounds horrible. It’s really all in how you “spin” it I suppose.

If Colangelo were to publicly announce that he wanted to see more of Roko & Pops etc… to see what we've got for next season (which is exactly what he should be doing in my opinion) we are merely trying to develop our roster for next season… and in the process possibly securing a higher pick.

I don’t see this logic as “tanking”, I see it as keeping an eye towards the future. If we do somehow manage a higher pick in the draft due to losses then it provides us with more options. Realistically, the Raps may very well look to move this pick and you cannot argue with the fact that someone trading "up" would find 4 or 5 certainly more attractive than 8,9,10… simply more leverage to improve the roster in the off season.

Bosh and Calderon don’t need the minutes, we know what we’re going to get from them every night so if it means more development time for others as well… we’ll that sounds like a plan to me, not “tanking”.

Here’s something to consider though (and I haven’t decided if this is a good or bad problem to have). If the Raps do something ridiculous like win out, or only lose 1 of their remaining games how can Colangleo logically sit back and say he shouldn’t give the “majority” of this squad and coaching staff another crack at things next season?... just makes it tougher to evaluate (I would think).

More questions as to whether or not certain players stay or go.

More questions as to whether or not the coaching staffs message is finally being heard… and finally being executed.

More questions as to whether this current squad should be completely dismantled vs. a tweak here or there.

Maybe another reason why a couple of starters should sit(?)

[peter]

Coach of the Year: Spoelstra from Miami.
look at that team and where they are in the standings... at the very least, he deserves a mention!!!

[James C.]

Doug,

There's an expression to be recited here about your logic that its ok to draft lower .... bs can baffle brains!!!

[Michael]

I don't agree to Doug and those ones said we should go for Luol Deng. He is like a smaller and less talented version of CB4. Deng can't do much dribble penetration to create his own shot or others.

We need someone who can and we have none. Did you watch the game they played the bulls? Jose had the ball but he can't dribble passed his players to create his own shot. Any bigs can only do 2-3 dribble and they have to shoot. It's clear we need someone who can dribble to create his own shot all by himsself in crunch time.

[Brad]

Some people eh Doug!! I agree I'd take Thornton first if I was building a team no doubter. Sorry to add to this mess but Young is okay and sure Raps could use him on the wing but Thornton will keep getting better.
Hey Aditya, if you wanna talk stats, have you noticed that Thornton is leading in Points, Assists, Blocks and Rebounds. Get your head out of the sand.

[dallas]

hey aditya

Thorton may be overrated in Toronto because absolutely owned bosh one game last year. I mean he went at him like they were playing for rent money and Bosh had no answer. It was just one game, but it sure impressed me. And I bet Doug remembers and I bet it impressed him too.

Cheers

[Tim H.]

Hi Doug:

Don't know if this goes here, or the mailbag - do what you will.

I know it's still too early for you to vote, but I'd be interested in what your 'criteria' in each category - specifically COY - would be. For example, why did Smitch get COY? Getting more out of players than the talent would suggest? Get what talent was there to play in a system/style that best suited them? Getiing multi-million dollar players to play for the team rather than themselves? What makes a great coach?

Thanks, and keep up the great work!