Some Joey, some Shawn, some Marcus, and some other stuff

This really getting a bit tedious, isn’t it?

They play, they lose, nothing happens that we haven’t seen too many times before (lack of energy? Check. Lack of rebounding? Check. No third scoring option? Check. Scary ugly defence? Check, check, check) so what’s a guy to do?

Well, plumb the recesses of the brain to come up with marginally interesting topics of discussion. And work on those goofy top five lists to generate some, um, discussion.

And today, this is what those recesses of the brain came up with (and if you think it’s easy, you don’t know my brain):

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DAVID COOPER/TORONTO STAR

Joey Graham has been one of the few positives this year.

I can’t remember who and I can’t remember why (creeping senility, I say) but someone last night during the game asked about Marion and Graham and I suggested you could make the case for Joey over Shawn, so I will.

You can say Graham’s at least Marion’s match in athleticism (he’s a far superior physical specimen, the only thing he doesn’t have is that spectacular second jump of Marion’s) and in quickness and explosiveness, the worst it is is a tie.

Marion’s got a better nose for the basketball and an ability to track down rebounds that Graham only wishes he had.

Both are equally adept finishing on the break and if you really think about it, isn’t Graham a better ball handler? Sure, he handles it too long on too many possessions but he’s got a knack for getting by his man on the baseline and creating space in the mid-range area.

Defensively? You’ve got to give the edge to Marion. I’ve seen Graham beaten back door so many times, it’s not even funny. Fixable? Probably.

Shooting? Well, I don’t think there’s a question of who’s got the better mid-range game.

Now, all that said, I’m still not convinced that Joey’s a starter on a good team in the NBA and Shawn’s been, what, a four-time all-star and been through some huge, huge games in which he’s had a major impact.

The point? Not sure there is one except that those two are much closer together in skill level than many would think at first blush.

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Action: Yeah, like there was any last night.

Reaction: 65 down, 17 to go.

That’s about all I’ve got off that one, folks.

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Maybe there is one:

Action: Bargnani’s big start

Reaction: And a so-so finish

Eleven points in the first quarter, 10 the rest of the way sort of sums it up for the kid too many nights, doesn’t it?

And if you’re trying to ascribe blame, there isn’t one single culprit.

Teams like Utah – you know, good teams – stick to him like glue after he gets off to a hot start; it was more the Jazz than the Raptors on Sunday afternoon who got him stopped.

There are times he stops himself, either by getting in foul trouble and having to sit down because he’s a rhythm guy like few I’ve seen and after going cold, it takes a while for him to heat up.

And, yes, some of it’s on his coaches and teammates. There aren’t a lot of specific plays set up for him, a pick and pop with the point guard is the bread and butter but until someone gets a summer and a training camp to figure out other ways to use his skills, that’s going to be about it. There’s been far too little practice time since December to revamp sets to get him more looks in different places.

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A question off the game, sort of:

Q: Last night towards the end of the blog you responded to a question about BB IQ. I would agree Kapono has a high basketball IQ, but only off the ball. He sets great screens and moves to open space. If you give him the ball he seems to have no idea of what to do. It's the same on defense for him. He helps well but is clueless or athletically overmatched all the time. Your thoughts?

Kevin M, Maple

A: I see your point and it’s obvious that he’s physically over-matched at times but some of what you point out goes to his level of intelligence.

The offence? Well, that’s an issue, I think he sees himself as more of a slasher than he is, maybe because he sees space he thinks he can fill but his release is so quick, he’s got to think “shoot it” as soon as he catches it. I’m sure the coaches have pointed this out but when it’s the rush of the game, he seems to go blank on that point at times.

Defensively, a coach once told me this:

“If you tell Jason not to let his guy go left, he won’t let him go left. He might get beaten right like a rented mule all night, but the guy’s not going left.”

Now, if instances like that, the correct help is on the right, he’s not nearly as bad as many think. Trouble is, here it seldom is.

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Oh yeah, in Philly, they got up this morning to read this.

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The Not So Curious Case Of Marcus Banks

I’ve had a few, um, friends, suggest the Raptors are missing out somehow by not playing Marcus Banks an awful lot to see what they’ve got.

Well, here’s why:

You’re going to have a new starting two-guard next year and it’s not going to be Banks and there’s no way in the world he’s a starting point guard on even an average team.

And, if you caught the few minutes he got last night and the horrific airball he put up at home the other day, playing him to “showcase” him so teams might sniff around a trade this summer is not the wisest of choices.

No, what you do is try to include him in a summer transaction as cap ballast (“You want Bosh, you take Banks and Kapono”) or you hope that by the time you need him for a few minutes in a couple of games next year, he can get the job done.

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Here’s a question.

Next time these guys win – and it has to be someday soon, doesn’t it? – when I run the story for the paper in the other city, it’s going to be something like:

‘OHMYGAWD, They Lost To The Raptors!!!!’

Yes, folks, it’s come to that.

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A quickie

Q: What's the difference between an unrestricted and a restricted free agent? Thanks.

Chili S, Toronto

A: Teams have the right to match any offer a restricted free agent gets on the market.

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Just read that Galen Weston’s worth has dropped from $7 billion to $5 billion.

That tells me either (a) those omnipresent television commercials really do blow, or (b) a whole lot TSN2 viewers who can’t see them are Loblaw’s shoppers missing out.

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Comments

[Dave Johnson]

Teams have the right to match any offer an unrestricted free agent gets on the market.

Hi Doug I think you meant teams have the right to match any offer a restricted free agent gets on the market.

Blogger's note: Being fixed now

[Randy G]

Another game, another disappointment. At least being a Raptor's fan prepares a person for the disappointments of todays harsh economic realities.

[Simon S-G]

It's important to note that basketball is the only sport where you can really turn a team around within one year.
Look at Miami right now, sure they have that Wade fellow running the show but they also got the number 2 pick in Beasley and made some shrewed moves. JO and Moon have been good additions for them.
How about Denver? The number 8 seed in the West last year, swept out by the Lakers, then they swap AI for Billups and they are now an elite team in the West.
Utah made the quick turnaround from the Stockton-Malone teams to the new Deron Williams-Boozer clubs pretty quickly, and New Orleans could even be going the other way just as fast.
And need I mention Boston? Yes they got Garnett gift-wrapped, but if Ainge hadn't made that schrewed Ray Allen trade first, not to mention signing role players like Posey and House, they wouldn't have won last year. Ainge made some great moves and got them from worst to first very quickly.
Point is, teams in this league can turn their franchise around very fast, almost before you realize. It seems like ten years ago that Phoenix was a laughingstock with a vagabond Stephon Marbury running the show, when Bryan Colangelo managed to turn Starbury into Steve Nash and the franchise went up from there.

[Brad]

"A: Teams have the right to match any offer an unrestricted free agent gets on the market."

Dont you mean teams get to match any offers a restricted free agent gets on the market??

Blogger's note: Fixed. Thanks

[Jeff D]

Interesting perspecitve on Marion and Graham. After some thought its not too surprising though. At the NBA level, I believe there is probably very little tangible difference between a lot of the athletes.

[Joe T.]

Doug, you forgot: Opposing player gets career high? Check. Seriously, the Raptors must lead the league in that category. And thanks again, Rogers and TSN2 for not tempting me to watch another travesty of a basketball game. Remember when the Raptors were hopeful about getting a playoff spot as they entered the "easy" part of their schedule? At this point, I would be surprised if they won another 5 games before they get to enjoy the post-season from their couches...

[Peter]

Wow Doug,

While I wanted to agree with you about the Joey and Shawn comparison last night, I have to disagree with you this morning. You talk about them being similar athletically, and on that point I agree. Joey does seem to get to the basket better then Marion, so if the case ends there, you're right. But when you mention that Joey gets blown by defensively and Marion does not, and you mention that this is probably "fixable". that's where I think you're entering dream land, just a little bit. There is a reason that Shawn has been a 4 time all-star and Joey has been a 4 year bench player. Marion has the mental capacity to know how to use his physical gifts to the maximum. Joey has not shown that. Could Joey learn this? Maybe, but if I'm a GM, I'm not going to be as willing to gamble on that as you seem to be.

I'm not convinced that Marion is the answer, or Joey is the answer, but Raptor fans have been waiting a long time for Joey to catch up mentally, and I'm not sure that we're going to see that in Joey, if we do, it's a slow learning curve for sure! If we re-sign Joey, it should be with the expectation that he continues to develop into a solid bench player that can step into starter's minutes on occasion. If we re-sign Marion, I think it's safe to say that our expectations of him would be, and should be, higher then our expectations of Joey. If we think that Joey can replace a guy like Marion, we're going down the wrong path.

One final thing, Thanks for raising the controversial issue, at least we have something to talk about other then the losses!

[NameD. Walker]

Did I miss something with this game? Jose was 5 0f 6 from the floor, including two 3's, held Miller to only 5 shots and 7 assists and yet only played 27 minutes. In addition early in the 4th quarter when the Raps got it to 9 he still was glued to the bench and Roko was left in. Was he injured, sick or did Triano forget about him? Immediatly after this point the sixers went on another mini run and the game was over. I also can not figure out why this staff does not insist that Jose shoot the ball 15-20 tines per game. He is a far more lethal shooter than Kapono and would far sooner see Jose shoot than Parker taking a fade away jumper. Does Parker ever not shoot a fade away jumper?

[brennan]

TSN2 SUCKS.
the end.

[yertu damkule]

something non-raptors:

video review can be used to determine if a shooter was behind the 3-pt line, right? what if, during the course of a review (after say, a foul on a 3-pt attempt, and they're trying to determine if it's 2 FTs or 3), it's blatantly obvious that a) the shooter's feet were behind the line, but that b) in order to get his feet behind the line, the shooter travelled (not just a slight shuffle, which we know wouldn't get called, but a major 4-stepper)? i doubt it, but can the refs can waive off the call on the floor (foul), and instead call a travel (since it happened before the foul)? or would they have to ignore the fact the shooter travelled, and solely use video to determine where the shooter's feet were when the foul was called?

my new goal in life is to see bavetta or crawford stroll over to the replay monitor to make such a ruling, then have a close-up on his face as he realizes that the travel call was missed, and that he has to award FTs. does that make me a bad person?

[Matt]

If bargnani shows as much improvement next year as he did from last year (or even the beginning of the season)he'll make Nowitzki look like a chump next year. I'm not holding my breath, but I'm confident he will be a more effective player over the next couple of years. A couple of players to surround he and Bosh with, maybe Rip Hamilton and Tayshaun Prince replicas, and this team contends next year. Of course, I'm not holding my breath on that one either. Wait and see how the summer unfolds I guess.

[Carl J]

Hi Doug,

A few days ago you listed your top 5 coaches. Some polite visitor blasted you for your picks, and mentioned that Sloan should be listed as a top 5 coach. Personally, I think that Sloan doesn't make this list because he's never won a championship, yet.

Red has won 9, Phil has won 9, Riley has 5, Kundla has 5 (5 in 6 years) and Pops has 4. Here's a link to NBA's Top 10 coaches,
http://www.nba.com/history/top_10_coaches.html, and here's a link to a list of coaches with at least 1 title, http://www.nbauniverse.com/championships/coches_with_titles.htm.

Anyways, this is something that I've been thinking about for quite some time. For years now, you keep hearing that it's a crime that Sloan has never received the Coach of the Year award, and that he should get it "this year".

I agree that Sloan has been one of the most consistent coaches in the league over the past 25+ years, however, on most years, there has been some other coach (team) that's been better than him. For example, last year, 1st in the Northwest with 54 wins, but the Celtics had 66 wins. The year before, again 1st in the Northwest with 51 wins, but the Raptors had 47 (+20 win improvement), and Dallas had 67 and the Suns had 61.

One of his best chances would of been in 97/98, where the Jazz won 62 games, along with the Bulls (the Lakers and SUperSonics won 61), but Bird won it with the Pacers (58 wins, +14). Actually, 99/00 should of been his year. The Jazz had an 18 game improvement over the previous year, but Doc won it with Orlando (+8 game improvement).

Anyways, enough with the stats. I agree that there have been years that Sloan should of received the award (88/89, first year with Jazz, won 40 games after being fired the year before, or what about the next year when the Jazz won 55 games?), however, I don't think that he should get the award just because he's never won the award.

What I think the NBA should do, is one of two things.

1) Do what they did with Russell, and name the Coach of the Year award after Sloan. Russell never won the Finals MVP award, yet they named it after him.

2) Make a "Lifetime Coaching Achievement" award, or something like that. Although I haven't came up with any criteria for it, it shouldn't be given to just anyone, and shouldn't be handed out every year either. Sloan should be awarded this the first year it is given out, and the NBA should also name it after him.

Your thoughts?

Blogger's note: In many ways, I think the last thing the world needs is another subjective award

[Dan W]

I would agree that skill wise Marion and Graham are not much different. I think where the difference is, is that Marion figured out how to use all his skills and Joey is still figuring it out. PLus I would give Marion the edge on overall feel for the game. He is able to create plays a little better for other people. YOu have to give Marion some credit though to average the amount of points he has in the past based on his offensive skills. You watch him and he really doesn't have a shot at all, he can dribble a bit but not enough to the basket on his own. He's pure hustle. Pops should be studying him in practice.

[Nick]

I guess there really isn't much left to talk about this team since you are doing a comparison between Joey and Marion... Like someone care... it's been that kind of season...

[Bill Wong]

What determines whether a free agent is restricted or unrestricted?

Blogger's note: The simplest explanation, I think, is that unrestricted free agents have either been released or had their contracts expire. Restricted free agents are playersm, generally in their rookie scale contracts, who have been made "qualifying offers" by their teams.

[Peter]

Regarding the restricted and unrestricted free agent. Is it true that if the team matches the offer that the player is obligated to stay with the team that matches it? Or does the player then have the right to choose either of the two teams?

Blogger's note: If a player signs an offer sheet from a new team and his old team matches, he has to stay with his old team

[Pharaoh]

Doug, yesterday you argued that Roko should be getting more minutes and, lo and behold, last night he gets more minutes! Which leads me to my question - do you think anyone within the Raps organization reads your blog regularly?

[Paul]

Hey Pharaoh, I think they should! But I doubt they would ever admit it - they presumably presume that they know what they are doing (much evidence to the contrary...)

Here's an idea for a list "All Obscure Raptor Team" - list the Raptors that have spent a decent amount of time with the club that most of us would say 'Oh yeah...that guy'. EG. Menke Bateer, anyone?

[sara]

It should be difficult to make a strong finish when your PG blatantly ignore you during the last 4.th quarter . Always.
I wonder what Andrea should do to be considered a "possible" offensive option during the last quarter : may be a triple acrobatic jump ? And please someone would remind Bosh that he will be a FA in 2010 and not tomorrow ?

[Steve Gosse]

I was actually thinking that at the gym this morning.. the fact that.. the raps have become the other side of.."they lost to who?"

The new Oklahoma City Thunder even..

with regards to the sign-and-trade you expect for Marion.. is there anything the Raps can do to get him to agree to that?
(I'm guessing they'd have to have a tentative deal in place with another team first?)

[Diablo]

Ugh...This season has become oh so dreary...my expectations for this team are for them to be spectacularly apathetic for the home stretch...much as they have been all season.

Wake me when it is over

[WA]

In the wierd structure of the NBA, could a restricted FA purposely sign an offer-sheet (i.e. 3-year, $7 million) in a structure like 5-1-1 to purposely make sure his old team doesn't match it???

This is all pending the new team has the cap space the first season but I want to see if a rookie finishing off his first contract and pissed at a lack of playing time, proper upper management or whatever other reason can squirm his way out of making sure his team doesn't match an offer without making a big scene in the media. If this is possible, the FA can avoid signing an offer-sheet for a more evenly distributed deal which the original team might match if they deem the player to be a bargain for them.

Blogger's note: They can front load it to a degree

[Kelsie]

Hey Doug.

Bosh and Bargniani = Carter and McGrady? I don't know why but this feels to me like we're at a crossroads and I can't help but think back to that year Tracy left, expect we were good then and we're not so good now.

However, if we follow that "business model" of two young stars and a slew of grizzled veterans playing the other positions, we might have some wins to talk about in the future instead of trying to find topics to avoid our collective dissapointment.

[dc]

wow. what an ugly game. i kept myself away from scores and highlights until ten, when it aired on raps tv. I was delighted to see the exciting finish to the knicks and pistons in overtime. (that nate robinson is loving life with d'antoni). even though rogers and mlse had benevolently rebroadcast it for lowly cable subscribers like me, i turned the game off early into the second half.

the first quarter was competitive and then something happened. the raptors woke up and realized that they have no ability to guard anyone in the league. not at one single position can (or will) a toronto player routinely contest or compete on defense. as a unit and one on one, toronto is without question the worst defensive team in the league this year. they can't even win regularly at home, and they are the most predictable. what's more fun to guess at now? which opposing player(s) will have a career night against the raptors.

[Ryan]

What would you put the over/under at for next season's amount of games on TSN2?

I'm going for a wishful 0. I hope MLSE recognizes that games on TSN2 should go the way of the rapto... errr, dinosaur.