Some big day for the Irish?

How come everything looks so green today? Is everyone reacting to the new Raptors jerseys? Did I miss a memo or something? Ah, the world’s great mysteries.

Anyway, another dog of a game and I’m up at like 6 a.m. trying to figure out how to get to 1,000 words or so off that piece of poop and, believe me, it’s not easy.

But somehow, magically (maybe there was a leprechaun involved?) it got done:

Ta-da!

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NELL REDMOND/AP

Raps just don't reach down enough.

I think it was Aristotle, or Kevin O’Neill, who kept harping on the same thing night after night.

It’s hard to win any game in the NBA.

It takes dedication, preparation and hard work. Even routs aren’t easy, the mental and physical demands are significant.

The corollary, of course, is that it’s easy to lose any game.

And standing in the hallway of the arena last night it was never more evident that this team takes the easy way out.

It’s part poor preparation, it’s the mental softness that we’ve been talking about all year, it’s the unwillingness to reach down inside at crucial times in games and pull them out.

If you look at the Raptors roster, specifically the starting five, you could make the case that it’s pretty solid. Point guard, power forward, centre? All very, very good. Solid, offensively challenged small forward, veteran shooting guard who should be the conscience of the team.

But I cannot remember a time when a team was less than the sum of its parts. This team always, always takes the easy way, and the easy way is to lose.

Nothing really new there but still quite amazing to watch unfold.

Is it as easily fixed as getting two or three new guys? I think so; I remember having this same feeling at the end of the 2006-07 season and the arrival of Garbo, AP and Ford seemed to get things turned around.

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Action: There was none

Reaction: I've got none.

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You know what was sort of laughable last night? Anyone trying to pass off that lack of hustle and effort as part of back-to-back fatigue.

Let’s see: They played Sunday at 12:30 p.m. and almost all the regulars got the final quarter of a blowout off. They got to Charlotte about 8 p.m. and were in their hotel by 9 at the very latest. They didn’t have a morning shootaround on Monday (tradition for the morning after a game) and had the entire day to rest and get ready.

Tired?

They wanna know tired? Go out singing with Jack and the boys until 2 a.m. and then try to drag your sorry self through a day. That’s tired.

Getting a full night’s sleep and a day off does not lend itself to “back-to-back” fatigue.

Sorry. That’s just lame.

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Let’s start the process now.

Saw Darrick Martin at the game last night – he spends a good chunk of his time these days over in Winston-Salem – and it struck me that it’s about time he began his coaching career.

And why not with the Raptors, as an assistant.

He knows the landscape, the people, the politics of the organization and he knows the game.

I don’t know who is going to be the head coach of the team next season but if I’m Bryan Colangelo, I’d urge whoever it is to take a good, long look at D Mart as a member of his staff.

I think every staff needs a former player as an assistant – especially one recently removed from the game – because there’s a connection there that I think is necessary.

And having a former player as an assistant who’s familiar with the surroundings is another big plus.

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Speaking of a coaching staff, let’s re-visit this:

Q: Can you clarify your comments about Iavaroni and Carlisemo? Are you suggesting that next year's coaching staff could consist of Triano (Head), Iavaroni (Asst.) and Carlisemo (Asst.)? What would each man bring to the team that may not have been there this year? What would this mean for the existing staff?

Matthew S, Thornhill

A: Thought I made myself clear, but I guess not.

No, if they are going to keep Jay, and that chance does exist no matter how many of you hate it with the white hot intensity of a thousand suns, I can see them adding only Iavaroni to his staff. But, if that’s going to happen, I think they should consider P.J. and take of the two.

The existing staff?

I think it’s been obvious since last December that neither Alex English nor Mike Evans, both of whom were passed over for the interim gig, are going to be back, I can see Gord Herbert sticking around, Erik Hughes could keep his gig as a basketball development consultant and Micah Nori should return as an advance scout at the very least.

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You know what else was sort of laughable last night?

That whoever does the counting somehow came up with an attendance figure 11,349. If there were 7,500 in the joint, I’d be stunned.

Say what you will about fans in Toronto, if the Raptors were half a game out of the playoffs, even with a relatively putrid record of 10 games under .500, the joint would be packed.

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Hey, folks, the whole Shutting Down Pops thing yesterday? Facetious. A joke. A snarky remark aimed at those who would take good, healthy players and hold them out of games for no real reason.

I think my thoughts on stuff like that are pretty clear.

So, chill.

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Here’s what was happening in the paper down here today.

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This, among others I’m still goofing around on, was left over from the various “lists” questions I’ve got saved. And seeing how there’s never going to be enough to carry this thing talking solely about the Raptors, get used to stuff like this:

Q: With the season down the shoot, I’ll challenge you to 2 new lists: 5 best and worst sports cities right now. TO has to be close to the worst. The Jays stink, have a GM fans don't trust and are close to having to ship out their best player and rebuild. The Raps stink, appear destined to lose their best player and rebuild again. The Leafs are already in full rebuilding mode. And Toronto's attempt at hosting the NFL was a raging disaster. Are there North American sports fans that have it worse right now?

John U, Toronto

A: You make a pretty good point. But how’d you like to be in Seattle where the Mariners suck, the Seahawks were a disappointment and the NBA team left town? That’d have to be on a list, wouldn’t it?

We’ll do a more complete one during the week when I get a chance to really look at things but I can’t imagine any city beating Boston as the best right now.

Comments

[Doug]

this Nash for Calderon talk is sorta ridiculous if you ask me, Nash is 36 if he was 31 or whatever then fine....but in my books Calderon is going nowhere as his upside is far greater...I am a huge Nash fan and would welcome him in a Raps uniform, but not at the expense of Calderon or even a big hit on our cap space as we need that money for other more urgent needs....and Kapono would not excel with Nash, letting JK go in the off-season is a no-brainer and trying to pick up Korver who is a free-agent would be a much better fit...

[Bball]

Doug, if Iavorroni is hired as an assistant coach to Triano, given his experience wouldn't he likely be a lead assistant coach. And, if so, how would Triano feel about being mandated by the GM to hire Iavorroni as an assistant coach rather than choose his own staff and especially his lead assistant?

[Takashi]

Did you fill out your NCAA Brackets? Who you got in the final four?

Blogger's note: Whatever team Ettore Messina's coaching, of course.

[Confused]

I think the big problem with this team is its physical fitness. They don't seem to be in great shape, or not good enough. How they could be tired is balony. I believe this team should be doing far better than what it is (obviously). However, sometimes things just go that way. Players just don't click for some reason. However, I think they will be better next year. I think this team with all the new players, actually have some decent talent. it is just a matter of putting it together, and getting in to better shape.

[John C]

Nice work putting Doug McLean in his place on the Fan this afternoon Doug! That guy interrupts everyone.

[Takashi]

Ettore dosent coach in the NCAA you silly.

Blogger's note: I give up

[Ryan M.]

Doug, You make a good point in response to my comment on PJ pointing to his time in San Antonio. I would contend though that this cannot be used when evaluating whether or not he would be good for us here in TO. San Antonio was a very strong organization with a clear identity and role definitions for both players and personnel. Popovich ran the ship and there was little room for PJ to screw things up. In a more dynamic situation like the one we have here now, with a new head coach I don't think PJ would be a good fit at all.

[Tim W.]

"Did you fill out your NCAA Brackets? Who you got in the final four?

Blogger's note: Whatever team Ettore Messina's coaching, of course."

I literally laughed out loud at that one.

[bballer]

even though i can't stand bc and think he is overrated, the pick ups of pops and marion has softened my stance on him. if in the offseason he can resign marion or find his equivalence in terms of a rebounding small forward and finding a sg that can create his own shot, the personnel of the team should be fine.

bringing on board a carlesimo as a defensive minded assistant will go really far. pj may be a bit harsh as a nba coach, but is a strong assistant. this will help triano implement bc's offensive phiolosophy, while creating a bit of a defensive mindset. if at least one of those coaches are on board for next year, i'll even be tempted to say re-sign joey and define his role as a bench player. with that said, the team will be fine. all is not lost people.

ps. since the pick up of pops, the raps have been better on the boards. more defensive stops will serve them well. graham, pops, ap and ukic would be a decent enough bench under the right coach and defensive system.

[Pharaoh]

Tim W,

Thanks for dumbing it down for us dummies. By the way, there are three grammatical errors in the sentence, "I can understand if there are some foreign readers where english is there second language..."

[Len]

Hey Doug,

you were mentioning that having a retired player as an assistant coach would be beneficial. Besides Darrick Martin,do you think the Raptors can possibly get guys like Damon Stoudamire, Shareef Abdur-Rahim or Alvin Williams? Or how about some players with toughness like Oakley?

Blogger's note: Have no idea, haven't spoken to any of them; Shareef and Damon already have jobs, Alvin never expressed any interest in coaching

[Kevin]

"Did you fill out your NCAA Brackets? Who you got in the final four?

Blogger's note: Whatever team Ettore Messina's coaching, of course."

Ding! Ding! Ding!

Well played sir.

[anonymoose]

@Tim W.:

Sarcasm and other nuance often doesn't translate well into online text communication. Supposedly, most of the meaning in face-to-face communication is transmitted through tone of voice, body language, facial expression, etc., as opposed to the actual words being used. I would guess this is one of the main reasons that emoticons and "internet slang" such as "lol" evolved as online communication became prevalent in the 90s.

Yes, I know authors and journalists have been using sarcasm and other nuance in the print media for centuries, but obviously not everyone is equally able to either communicate or interpret sarcasm effectively in text. I've seen the following pattern quite often in online discussions:

Poster #1: Sarcastic comment
Poster #2: Deadpan sarcastic reply
Poster #3: #1 was being sarcastic
Poster #2: So was I
Poster #3: So was I

etc., etc., etc.

[Takashi]

Takashi and Messina dont understand sarcasm dougy and i will LMAO at you when Messina becomes the coach.I want a shout out from you when that day comes.

This shoud be the name of your blog that historic day .

"Messina becomes Raptors coach just as Takashi predicted"

[pva]

"Action: There was none. Reaction: I've got none."

Classic.

[Tim W.]

Pharaoh,

I am guessing by your response that you were one of the people I was referring to, who sometimes has difficulty remembering how to get home from work. And at least I can spot the typos without being told what they are.

anonymoose,

Having sarcasm come through writing requires two things. The first is a writer adept enough to be able to craft a sarcastic sentence that others will perceive as such. This is often a problem online, especially on message boards. People with either little writing skill or the time to craft well, type something that is easily misinterpreted.

The second is a reader who is able to read objectively. Thinking and reading objectively is a learned skill that people generally acquire as they get older. The younger a person is, the less likely they will be able to think objectively, and the less likely they will understand sarcasm. Unfortunately, not everyone is able to think objectively, and thus, not everyone is able to understand sarcasm, especially when it is on paper (or a computer screen), where it is a lot more subtle.

Now Doug writes for a living, so I'd say he's pretty adept at writing, and I was able to surmize his intent immediately, so I think it's safe to say that the first requirement was met. That just leaves the second.

[Adam]

Hey Doug,

What players should we be watching for during March Madness as potential Raptors for next year?

Thanks, Eddy.

Blogger's note: All of 'em because no one has any idea where these guys will draft.

Come on Doug, can't you give us a more definitive answer than that?? Can't you give us players that would suit the Raptors' needs and would be around when the Raptors draft in the first round (roughly around the 9th or 10th pick for example)

Adam

Blogger's note: No. I can't. There is no way to know where the Raptors will pick, there's no way to know who is going to stay in college or come out and it's futile, in many ways.,
The Raptor needs? Well, if they aren't as plain as the nose on my face, I don't know what else to say. But since you can't draft a hard-nosed, leadership-savvy, veteran swingman who can break his man down off the dribble while inspiring his teammates to play with more mental and physical toughness, you're not going to fill the needs from a college tournament.

[D. Walker]

Those great ensightful comments by James c has once again left me shaking my head in disbelief. Did Jose cut you off in traffic, steal from you or not buy coffee when it was his turn? If Jose can not defend why do the numbers for Ford, Harris, Rondo or Miller all go down vs their seasonal average when they play against him? In addition this was done in most cases playing on only one leg. If you want to cut people up about not defending why not comment on Bosh or yes even Steve Nash or even Paul when he has to guard Jose.