An evening of limited choice

Hey, how much does this bite? Three games tonight and all us Rogers hostages can see in the comfort of our homes is Denver-New Orleans? That might be the best one (Miami-Atlanta’s a bit of snorefest and the Lakers should finally end the Jazz season) but this whole TSN2 thing is biting us in the bum in the post-season, as we figured it would.

Of course, The Score, which has done a tremendous job so far in the playoffs, simply won’t pre-empt its wrestling show so that leaves us with Nuggets-Hornets at 8:30 tonight on RaptorsTV.

We’ll be here, a bit grumpy perhaps because of the limited choice, but here nonetheless. See you then.

Now …

About last night

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A classic confrontation

ELISE AMENDOLA/AP FILE PHOTO

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It’s been suggested that we just run the names Derrick Rose and Rajon Rondo in this space followed by a few lines of smiley-faced icons.

Not a bad idea to get across what we’re seeing but it does sort of let me off the hook and I’ve been coasting for a few days and feel a tad guilty.

So, I will say this: I don’t remember a specific series in a while where two guys who play the same position have gone at each other with such fervor, and success.

Yesterday’s 2OT thriller might not have been a true gem (there were a lot of blown plays – did you see the blown defence on the Ray Allen game-tying shot; or wonder why Boston didn’t foul on the catch in the two-point area up three before Gordon hit his game-tying shot?) but it sure was exciting.

And mostly because the two point guards simply went at each other incessantly.

I have no idea how the series is going to turn out – I would venture that whoever wins Game 5 wins it all but there’s no dead-certain lock on that winner – but I do know it’s been fun to watch.

Again, we’ll give youK.C.’s take on things.

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Where’s the big man?

I know Dwight Howard is an exceptional basketball player, big, quick, strong, dominant a times.

But as we’re watching the Orlando Magic play close games down the stretch, isn’t it an indictment of the big guy that his team cannot throw him the ball in clutch situations? His inability to make free throws, and the limits to his offensive game turn one of the best young players in the game into little more than a spectator on every crucial offensive possession his team runs.

Now, I know how many of you think that the Orlando coaching staff has done a tremendous job with Howard but I’m going to suggest that until they find a way to extend his range or get him to make free throws, Howard remains unfulfilled potential.

And it’s almost killed his team in these playoffs. If not for Hedo Turkoglu’s tough three-pointer yesterday, the Magic could have been staring up out of a 1-3 hole and we’d be talking about how they’ve been a disappointment rather than a good young team.

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Bye, bye Pistons

Not only did Detroit go out meekly against Cleveland (and no point in any game did anyone ever seriously think they had a legitimate chance to win, even in that scrub-led comeback in Game 2) they also played their last game as a unit we’ve come so accustomed to seeing.

I don’t know for sure what’s going to happen but I can pretty much guarantee that Allen Iverson is gone; I don’t see a scenario by which Rasheed Wallace returns (his contract, and his time, seem up to me) and I can see them not bringing back Antonio McDyess, either.

And you can think all you want about the trade value of guys like Tayshaun Prince (two years, $23 million left) or Rip Hamilton (four years, a whopping $50 million remaining) but I seriously wonder if cash-starved GMs are even going to be interested in them.

I can see this being the dawn of a dark age in Detroit, where they are sort of stuck with money to spend and no one really good to spend it on and a team stuck between young and kind of old and really going nowhere.

Few NBA franchises have had a run like Detroit did – six consecutive trips to the conference finals is nothing to sneeze at – but when we look back, do we see an NBA version of the Buffalo Bills?

Here’s how my buddy Chris McCoskey so aptly summed it up.

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What’s it all mean for Ben?

Ben Gordon’s having an excellent series for Chicago so far, of that there can be no dispute.

And it’s led a whole lot of people to wonder how the unrestricted free agent will cash in when he’s looking for a new deal this summer.

Well, the story is that Gordon turned down a six-year, $58 million deal from the Bulls last year and signed a one-year qualifying offer of about $6.4 million.

It was a gamble. A bad gamble, I suspect.

In these changing economic times, with the cap figure going down and teams leery of what a new CBA might look like in 2011, I’m not entirely sure there’s going to be a contract that lucrative waiting for him this summer.

That would mean no matter how great he is in however many games the Bulls have left, I don’t think he’s making himself that much money.

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We shall digress, for a moment, to the local team.

Know what I love about this time of year (or hate, depending on my mood actually)?

Some story yesterday morning quotes Brandon Jennings as saying Toronto’s been in Italy to scout him (among about three teams he mentioned specifically) and I get about five e-mails on a slow day asking what this means and how the Raptors could get him.

What it means is, frankly, nothing. It means the Raptors brass is doing its job and if they hadn’t scouted him, someone should be fired.

When it’s all said and done by late-June, Toronto will have scouted maybe 75-100 players. Some because they might be available when they make their selection, some because they might figure into some kind of draft-and-trade scenario, some because it’s just basic due diligence.

There really is nothing to read into it.

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Yes, Jason Kapono got a second-place vote in balloting among writers and broadcasters for Sixth Man of the Year.

Yes, that makes very little sense to me.

Yes, when I next make snarky comments about such things as fans messing up things like all-star starters, you should bring this up.

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Comments

[Asif]

Will it raise Kapono's trade value?

[Mike]

Why hasn't Kapono lived up to his potential in Toronto? What's holding him back?

Blogger's note: The system he's in, the players he's with, his own reluctance to shoot a lot

[Bob]

LOL KAPONO

[Pharaoh]

Doug, Wow - how did Kapono ever manage to get so many votes? No disrespect to the guy - I actually think he's a fantastic role player and that the Raps haven't taken full advantage of his potential - but there's no way that he's deserving based on the year he had.

Blogger's note: It was ONE vote; not "so many votes."

[Rob]

Hi Doug,

Can you tell me how it is that Rondo has been averaging almost 11 rebounds a game over the course of the past 4 games. Is it just because he's so quick and Chicago has a lot of jump shooters that produce a lot of long loose balls? I realize stats are just stats and the most important thing is the fact that the series is only 2-2 but I find his triple double averages absolutely amazing. I remember at the start of last season after Boston made the big trades for the big 3 that there were still questions about how well they would do because of the uncertainty about how good he was. He has come a long way!

[Jamal]

Brandon Jennings will make Toronto fans forget about HWSNBN, lost seasons, Chris Bosh... just wait and see.

[Nick]

No way I'm gonna forget about HWSNBN. He is the greatest Raptor ever - talent wise.
I like Jennings but... no way.

[KX]

No love for a little recap about Blazers-Rockets?

[dc]

doug,
my jaw just dropped until i realized kapono recieved ONE second-place sixth man of the year award. It's still enough to raise eyebrows, but more sad that his potential was never realized on this team.

What do you think of john salmons so far? IMO, if this was the type of player Colangelo thought he was bringing in, back when he tried to sign him to a multi-year deal, he would have been a huge bonus for the raps wing position.

Blogger's note: I think Salmons is a ball-stopper on offence.

[rob]

I m glad to see the bulls extending the series. but yet i cannot see them winnning it all.. especially when they have a guy like Tyrus Thomas who at the end of regular time had the ball with the bulls up by two and instead of passing it to Rose , a better free throe shooter, he keeps it and sure enough he misses one of two which allowed Ray allen to tie the game.
or when they have ben gordon,,, who gets hot sometimes but most of the time he goes 1 on 5 down the stretch and is allerging to passing the ball, it is soo obvious that he is playing to boost his stats rather than help his team win.

[Simon S-G]

Doug a better analogy for the Pistons would be the Atlanta Braves: these great teams, six straight conference finals (akin to Atlanta's 14 straight division titles), and just like the Braves only one championship to show for it. They should have won more, but they didn't. I think that's better than the Bills, since Buffalo didn't win a title.

[Jordan]

if a Bosh trade were to go down, I like the fact that Detroit got swept.
We could be their O'neal trade; get picks (their pick is 15) plus some decent pieces, maybe unload kapono and/or banks
wouldn't be the end of the world.

[chris]

I wish someone was fired (Jim Kelly?) when the raptors neglected to work out Andre Iguodola for the 05 draft..

[Pharaoh]

On a golf course somewhere in California I bet Kapono is having a good laugh over this one.

[nelson]

Doug personal feelings aside I know you are a huge fan of walter hermann, do you think it would be wise for the raptors to make an effort to try to make him an offer even though he is a restricted free agent,

Blogger's note: It'll depend entirely on what they do with the guys already on the roster

[Werner]

Love the blog - how do you think Walter Hermann would look in a Raptor lineup? Think there's enough interest on both sides to get something done?

Blogger's note: Will depend entirely on what they do with the other threes on the roster

[Thane]

Possibly a silly question, but is Jennings considered (for basketball purposes) a North American, or a European?

He was born in the US, but he's being drafted out of Europe. Does the NBA have any hard and fast rules about this? Place of birth, place of drafting, or seomthing else entirely (high school, citizenship, etc...)?

Blogger's note: Don't think it matters at all since he's draft-eligible but I presume they'd consider him North American

[Will]

one second place vote, huh? must've been a writer/broadcaster from Indiana

[Alan C]

Doug, I just read Saturday's question about home court advantage and it stirred a memory. Growing up in Pittsburgh in the early 60's, one of the local high school teams played its 'home' games in one of the more disreputable local arenas. There were identical beer signs at both ends behind the baskets. Each could flash on and off, but the only one that did was behind whatever basket the home team happened to be defending!

[jim t]

Wow its nice to see the Swirsk still have love for Kapono,or is Devlin the culprit...lol

[Rory Gold]

NBA.com allows you to watch every game online, its about 80 bucks but so worth it for those of us stuck in Central America OR Rogers subscribers.

[Tim W.]

Last night's game was a perfect example of Ben Gordon's play. Yes, he made some incredible shots and the 3 pointer was HUGE, but there were more than a few times when he should have passed the ball and didn't. A couple of times he ended up making the shot (the drive off the glass when he was defended by two people was only a good shot because he made it), but it's either feast or famine with him. He either hit or it was a turnover or badly missed shot. Had he passed a few times when he was defended well, instead of forcing a shot, I don't think Chicago needs 2 overtimes to beat Boston.

With Gordon, his biggest downfall and biggest asset is his confidence. It's why he stupidly turned down $10 million a year, despite being a 6'2 SG who does nothing other than shoot. I'd be shocked if he gets more than the MLE this summer because he's a third guard who thinks he's a starter. If he accepted a Microwave-type role off the bench, he'd be a perfect guy for a contender to have. This confidence is what makes him take so many shots at the end of a game. It's also why he simply doesn't pass when there's less than 5 minutes left in a close game (although its not like he does it much the rest of the game). He thinks that a contested shot from him is better than an open shot from a teammate.

Anyone who thinks that a chucker who does nothing else but shoot and grinds the offense to a halt would be actually good for the Raptors, needs to have a reality check. Speaking of free agents and a reality check, can we please have no more questions about Iverson being signed? He's 36, in a statistical nosedive, is breaking down, doesn't play defense anymore, had his last two teams actually IMPROVE after he left, and quit on the Pistons when he was asked to come off the bench. And that doesn't even touch on the turmoil he causes off the court. Yet some moronic fans insist that he would actually help the Raptors??????

Although his name hasn't been mentioned in a while, anyone thinking about Rasheed Wallace should take a look at his stats for probably his last game as a Piston. With his team teetering on the edge of elimination, instead of digging down and showing some pride, he clocks out and turns in one of the worst playoff games of his career. 0 pts, 0 fta and 5 rbs in 30 minutes capping off his worst playoffs in his entire career- career lows in ppg, fg%, bpg fta and apg. In 4 games and 122 of play, Wallace failed to get to the line once. Not once. Kwame Brown got to the line more. In 76 fewer minutes. No thank you.

[Tim W.]

Jamal,

Why would the Raptors need, or want to, forget about Bosh? And while I think Jennings looks like he might eventually become a good pro, I don't see how he fits on the Raptors, who already have a very good PG. Unless the teams drafting ahead of the Raptors take all the other players they want, there's no reason for the Raptors to draft Jennings. He's not a can't-miss prospect, and from what I gather, has major shooting, decision making and defensive problems that will cause him big problems in the NBA. I'd say there are at least ten players the Raptors would draft ahead of him (most of whom play positions the Raptors desperately need an upgrade at), and since they are most likely drafting 9th, I don't see the Raptors taking him.

[Dave]

I'm pretty sure the Kapono vote was actually a mistaken vote for Brook Lopez.

[TL]

How about the Raptors work a deal with the Magic to have Jose coach Dwight on making free throws? Maybe they could, you know, send Turkgolu up here, in lieu of $$$.