A slow start to the weekend

Dead slow around these parts at the moment so this might not be up to the usual high standards. But what the heck, there might be a nugget in here and we’re still “engaging” the lovely readers.

Back tomorrow with mail since I don’t imagine there’ll be breaking news off this afternoon’s practice.

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Interesting comment from Jay in a conversation the other day about what’s up for him and the lads now.

With the injuries and schedule they’ve had so far, he remarked that it’s really just the start of things now and he’s got about two weeks to really get things together.

Of course, there’s no Reggie Evans, which is a blow, but with Hedo getting up to full speed, and Antoine Wright seemingly close to returning (I hear he’s going to go full contact today and may play tomorrow) everyone they’re counting on is ready to take part in workouts.

The good thing?

With only two games left and 10 or 11 days of practice (depending on whether or not they take another day off) there would seem to be enough time to get everyone on the same page.

If you ask any coach of any team whether they like to get time in the practice gym or see their teams play meaningless exhibition games, I’d venture to guess 30 would pick practice.

It may not give fans – or even us grunts – much chance to see how things are really coming along but coaches want to be able to work their guys rather than watch them play.

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Stan Van Gundy gets whacked for $35,000 for ripping substandard officials.

Larry Brown’s total is $60,000 for his criticism and antics and Lionel Hollins gets hit for a $25,000 fine.

The Orlando, Charlotte and Memphis organizations have to pay a total of $85,000, too.

All because replacement officials – working because the league locked out its regular refs – simply are not good enough.

The fines, to me, seem a bit excessive but a clear signal the league is going to hammer coaches – and players, dare they be critical – quite hard for speaking out.

There is no way in the world that the folks in the ivory tower in New York aren’t aware of the fact these guys, who are simply trying to make a buck and catch a break, aren’t up to snuff.

But stifling legitimate criticism isn’t going to make the games any better. That’s only going to come when the two sides settle this dispute and it better be before the regular season begins.

Why? Because if The Replacements can’t handle the low-intensity pre-season they are going to be even further exposed with the tempo increases starting Oct. 27.

That’s going to be ugly.

I don’t have a dog in this fight, I don’t know for certain whether the league’s being intractable because it wants to send a message to the players about their impending negotiations, or if the refs are simply not willing to take their fair share of the financial hit that everyone’s suffering.

All I know is that this has to get resolved for the good of everybody, mostly fans who shell out huge bucks and deserve to see something other than whistle-filled free-throw shooting contests.

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Sitting in a little Streetsville place I’ve frequented, waiting for the first off-season Mighty Yankees coaches meeting to begin, caught more than a few moments of football glory.

The Black Satellites shocked the world, or at least the part of it paying close attention to the Under-20 World Cup, taking out Brazil on penalties.

Some of you may recall my fondness for the Black Stars (who’ve already qualified for South Africa, I believe) and I’m sure the folks in Ghana, transplanted Canucks among them, were over the moon.

That’s some kind of accomplishment.

Bravo.

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Here’s the thing about the other night and Houston’s other-worldly 13-for-23 night from beyond the arc.

Yes, it was mighty impressive and has caused an in-box flood of concern over the obviously porous Raptors perimeter defence.

Funny, isn’t it, that through the first five games, when teams shot a collecting 29 per cent from long range against Toronto, there wasn’t a single note lauding them for being able to cover the paint and close out to contest shooters.

The defensive system – clog the middle and deny paint penetration -- is not going to change. It will, however, lead to nights where teams get more good looks from long range than they’d like.

And, if teams make 13 of 23 three-pointers, Toronto is going to lose. Pure and simple. Luckily for them, those nights don’t come around too often.

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Friday was the first day off the Raptors have had since the start of training camp up in Ottawa.

A public thank you from a guy who’s been on the same schedule.

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Has anyone noticed that Jose Calderon has yet to miss a free throw this pre-season? Another streak starting?

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Comments

[doug]

with David Stern it's his way or the highway..I for one hope the refs don't give into his demands, let him be embarrassed about the quality of officiating, he's rolling the dice ..one we are still experiencing tough economic times especially in some regions of the States, and two he is putting out a inferior product....the refs need to call his bluff and not give a inch...

plus the 13-23 3 point shooting was really one guys doing..Battier went what 8-9 or something....so it is what it is, certain people, fans just sit back and wait for a "bad" game on defence, or for Bosh to throw up a stinker, or Calderon to get burned...then write in just to push their agenda...it's predictable as the leaves turning colour in the fall, just shows their narrow-mindedness....

[LeeZ]

Hey, really nice piece on Hedo this morning, Doug. I especially liked this part: "I like to be with people because people get you here," he said. "It doesn't bother me at all to give them, like, high-fives or shake hands or take a picture. I know how happy they're going to be and it won't take a whole lot of time off me for that. They follow you, they support you and in the end they see that you're just normal. "It'll make them feel much better than me not doing it."
Now that, sir, is probably the most level-headed, down-to-earth and mensch-like description of the responsibilities of a professional athlete or entertainer that I've ever seen. Should be required reading for all those in the limelight.

[JamesF]

I heard that the short-fall between what the Refs demanded and what the league was willing to pay was about $500K ... looks like Stern is almost halfway to collecting that amount via the fines! :)

[Quoth The (Rav)en]

Great comment in your answer to my question yesterday Doug - everybody does need to take a pill and just relax, its preseaon for Petes sake!

Quick trades question? With the doom and gloom outlook for the newspaper industry as a whole being reported far and wide recently, have you noticed a decrease in Raptors coverage (ie beat grunts, columnists) from the Canadian print media this year or is it about the same? Also do you sense a shift towards more reporters representing electronic media (ie bloggers, online outlets) getting accreditation since of late? (Feel free to deal with this in the mailbag if you prefer)

Blogger's note: It's down a bit, our paper is the only one in Toronto that will staff all eight pre-season games.

[KX]

An awfully off-topic note, a young star during its formation is called a "protostar", so African Protostars is technically more correct.

[Blake Kennedy]

It's very concerning for the Raptors that they are giving up threes so easily. The very point of this defense is to not allow layups, or uncontested threes. That's part of it, too: there is no reason whatsoever that an NBA athlete (even ones as glacial as Turkoglu) cannot close to a shooter from the shrink positions in time. The only reason that that can't happen is if direct-line blow-by drives are allowed, or dribble drives to the middle from the wing which will destroy any defense. It doesn't matter what kind of defense you play: if you allow a direct-line drive, you're dead. But other than that, the only reason these guys aren't getting out to three point shooters (a major focus of this defense, as Kevin O'Neill pointed out strongly) is because they're not sprinting on the air time of the ball on the pass, but waiting to react on the catch, which is inexcusable. That, and they close out lazily (Turkoglu is perhaps the worst offender for this, even lollygagging on closeouts in the Finals). The only reason why these open threes are allowed is, quite simply, pathetic performance from the talent on the floor. They should not happen at all with proper execution.

And while the defense has been poor at times (but actually in the main improved from last year), the Raptors have been simply demolished on the boards especially in the past two games. Since Turkoglu has played, the Raptors have surrendered 35.1% of the available rebounds as offensive rebounds to the opponents, while gathering a miserable 25.3% of the available offensive rebounds for themselves. No surprise, as no team with Turkoglu and Bargnani playing together at the same time can possibly hope to compete on the glass. But you can't possibly hope to win when you get smacked down that badly on the glass - you simply have no hope.

[FPB]

Hi Doug,

Thank you for touching base on the black satellite's win yesterday. This goes to show how dynamic you are when it comes to sports and the world.This is something for not only Ghanaian's (by the way, Pops original home country) should cherish but the whole continent of Africa. It's been a long time coming. In fact, this win will motivate the Black Stars to go a long way in the 2010 FIFA world cup. Ghana is the first sub Saharan country in Africa to get their independence and it wouldn't be too surprising if they are the first to win the FIFA world cup in Africa. Muntari, Essien and the likes are pumped going in next year. Now, do you think they have a shot at the cup next year or maybe the next two?

Blogger's note: I'm not nearly expert enough to even make a prediction. Sorry. I just hope they do well

[GM]

Are these replacement refs bad because they are inexperienced at reffing at this level, or are they bad because they are inherently incapable of reffing at this level? I think it's the former. No doubt even the established locked-out refs were spotty in their first few months. These guys have reffed at a relatively high level so they technically know how to do it. Now they just have to get used to the new rules, the new expectations, the new players, etc. It'll come.

The league has always fined coaches for criticizing officials, so that's no different. And coaches always gripe about officiating. When the old refs come back, they'll find something else to complain about. It's the nature of the beast. That being said, I agree that I don't think the league should be so anal about criticism of its officials. And if I were Larry Brown, I'd look at hiring a lawyer to fight that outrageous fine amount.

[Tim W.]

The funny thing about the game against the Rockets, if you take away Battier's career night, then the Raptors held the rest of the Rockets to 5-14, which, although not great, is acceptable.

[Dave]

Question for the forum. I'm heading to Toronto on Friday 30 and catching the game on Sunday Nov 1 against the Magic. Going to make a bit of a weekend out of it, so wondering what a good hotel downtown is. I've stayed at the Cambridge Suites before and it was great, but probably not worth $200/nt. Any suggestions?

[zow]

I wish people would give Andrea a break.It must be hard to grab offensive rebounds when you play so far from the hoop. The improvement is there,dont expect players to be what there not,let them play to there strenghts,why are people not consirned about Rggie E 3 point shooting?Watch Andrea play off the ball D,and tell me that has not improved!Ithink the lack of O boards has more to do with the offence and spaceing issues than a players heart or effort.C.B. seems to be our inside guy so they must space acordingly or you get what happened with J.O. last year.

[bfesti]

I've been around hoops as a player, coach and administrator for 35 years, and I don't think the fillin refs are likely all that bad.
Given the recent reffing scandal, I don't know that the NBA refs should be given high performance appraisals.
I can remember when women refs started doing high school and senior games - there were a whole lot of mistakes blamed on them and an outcry. But the guys got over it and the women put up with it and now they're as good as any.
I suspect that any three refs coming from a highly competitive level (say D1) can do a great job as an NBA ref.
(I also think that fillin sportswriters might be given a chance sometime too).

[Nick]

I was just wondering how you thought antoine wright was going to fit into the rotation you posted yesterday.
Thanks

Blogger's note: Until he takes part in even a practice, I'm not even thinking about where he might fit. Left Evans off for the same reason.

[LeeZ]

This is for Dave. There's a half-off deal at the InterContinental Centre (walking distance from ACC): $99 a night. According ot TripAdvisor, it's a good hotel (ranked 23rd out of 120 hotels in Toronto), but I've never stayed there. You can access the deal here: http://ca.deals.travelzoo.com/canada-hotels/664352

[Striker77]

Great Blog again today, Doug. I also really enjoyed your feature on Hedo this morning... I was one that had commented on the three point situation from the game against Houston, and you are absolutely right, I did not think about the other games where the Raps were holding teams to a low percentage from three point land...

I do like, however, how they are protecting that paint. Its good that they are making all runs through the lanes tough ones, so that there are no easy baskets.. It seems like they are playing a more tough defense than last year (minus Jermaine when he was healthy).

Jose has such perfect looking mechanics on his shot, especially from the line.. I hope he beats his own record this year.

[Peter]

Hi Doug,

I really enjoyed your article on Hedo Turkoglu today. Just thought I'd share that, and encourage your readers to check out the story, while hopefully encouraging you and your editors to consider more stories like that throughout the year.

Thanks for all your work!

[chris]

Bet on Wright starting for Derozan by 1/3 in, or at least playing more minutes overall. At least one of our starting smalls has to defend.

The officiating isn't spectacular, but i kind of like that the fill-ins call all players the same.....there don't appear to be as many "superstar" calls, or preferences for veterans etc.

[Rahul]

All the talk about the raptors defense since the Houston game has been interesting. I appreciate that a system has been set up to keep the opposition out of the paint getting easy baskets. So why is it that the raptors are forced to choose between guarding the inside or focusing more on the perimeter? With this team, we do not have great individual defenders down low (in the starting lineup). A team like Boston or Detroit 5 years ago can have its perimeter guys stay out more because they have men inside that have the skills and physicality to stop people.
The Raptors made some good pickups in Evans, Johnson, and Wright. However, having none of them on the first line does not send any defensive statement to other team at the start of the game. If Bargnani came of the bench early and still played alot of minutes, he may see some better matchups and the team would benefit. People have to stop expecting Bargs, Bosh, and Turk to be able to bang with Perkins, Garnett, and Wallace. It has been said that the raptors have no problem scoring. I think they can survive the scoring hit from having Bargnani on the bench at the start. The Raptors need a defensive identity. Only defending the paint and running out to the three point line is not a long term solution. The Raps can do it.

Go Raptors!

[Don]

Agree with Rahul post. In hockey they put a good defensive line against the other teams best offensive line. By starting Wright, Evans , Jack, Johnson, and Rasho you put defensive pressure on the best players who start for the opposition, thereby limiting their ability to score.
The second line of Bosh, Calde, Turk, DeMar, and Bargs can score more easily against the other teams substitutes.
This would work well for the start of the 1st quarter and 3rd quarter. The rest of the game would have a different mix of players based on matchups.