Maybe it'll be a bumpy ride

Hello from Chicago and halfway home.

Even keel, folks. Even keel.

No, they’re not as good as they were the other night against Cleveland and, no, they’re not as bad as they were In Memphis on Friday night.

At least not at the moment.

And if it was going to take 15 or so games to see how this all shook out before the season began, that remains the truth today, a mere two games Into an 82-game marathon.

But there were some things at the FedEx Forum. Like …

(Oh yeah, sorry I’m late, 3:30 wakeup for a 6 a.m. flight and there was no way I was doing this instead of getting about two hours of shuteye).

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THREE THINGS I LEARNED

It may eventually work

About six and a half minutes to go, game’s still in doubt and they run a play you better get used to because it’s going to be a staple.

Hedo’s handling on the wing, they run a side screen-roll with Bosh as the other three Raptors are on the other side of the court.

They get a switch, Bosh immediately goes in the post with a small guy on his back, Hedo dumps it in and the Grizzlies immediately send the double-team off Turkoglu.

Bosh waits for the double to arrive, kicks it back out to a wide open Turk who misses a three but Bosh, because he’s got a small on him, easily gets the offensive rebound for a putback.

I know no one’s seen that enough in two games, mostly because Turkoglu is very much still finding his way and not nearly as aggressive as a facilitator as they want him to be, but it’s something you’ll see a lot of as the season progresses, I’d bet.

Here’s how Turk put it when it was pointed out that he didn’t get a whole lot of shots:

“We had guys who were feeling it … I just tried to do my job and keep myself ready … I took fewer shots than I normally do but if we are doing a good job of sharing the ball, then I am more than happy.”

Chicken angers Antoine.

Don’t imagine you caught this on the TV.

Forty-seven seconds left, the game’s over, the fans are on their feet and the Memphis Chicken, kind of a scrawny looking bear, is at midcourt waving this huge flag.

Well, he/she/it doesn’t notice the timeout’s over, the Raptors are walking back on the court and the thing almost clocked a couple of players with the flag.

Antoine Wright didn’t take too kindly to it – and I don’t blame him in the least – so he grabs it and gives it a nice tug.

The Chicken scurries away, wisely.

The rook’s up and down

Three DeMar DeRozan moments that perfectly illustrate what he’ll bring most nights.

Great block of, I believe, Mayo in the second quarter but only because he let Mayo blow by him on the way to the basket.

Excellent putback baseline dunk of a miss in the second half, perhaps his most athletic play in two games.

And, most important, a wicked crossover move on, again I think it was Mayo, early in the game that showed he can put it on the floor and if that becomes part of his arsenal, he’s going to make himself far more valuable. He’s been aggressive in straight-line drives; if he gets moves to get to the rim, he’s much more potent.

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And, now, the rest of the story.

I heard there was some contretemps between assistant Micah Nori and Marc Iavaroni on the bench the other night – I didn’t see it but that’s what I’m told and have read about – so I figure I better find out just what’s going on.

Well, according to both principles in separate chats, they weren’t really mad at each other, they were both screaming at referee Greg Willard (and you all know the refs on Wednesday probably needed to be chastised a little bit) and it only appeared like they were at each other’s throats.

And, so I’m told, they cooled it when Willard looked over at them, put

his whistle to his mouth and was about to hit one or both with a technical foul.

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I’m not a big Halloween guy at all so it never really bothered me that it me seems we’ve always been on the road or at a game on the big night.

Sitting at home with Super Dog going berserk with every ring of the doorbell and seeing a gaggle of cute little urchins was never my idea of fun.

“Look, honey, another Harry Potter character! How, um, cute is that?”

This year, I presume, we’ll be inundated with vampires since that’s the flavour of the month; can’t wait.

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I believe they have just halted production of the shrine to Andrea Bargnani in Springfield, Mass.

But if they’re still building it, I’m pretty sure Marc Gasol just pushed it over.

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If you were in Memphis this morning and woke up to see what was in the newspaper about the game, this is what you would have seen.

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Hmm, Vince got a bit banged up in Jersey on Friday, mild ankle sprain is how the Orlando Sentinel reports it here, and he “hopes” he can go Sunday afternoon.

Now, I’m going to say this knowing it’ll be reason for all kinds of derision but, please, can you all get over the booing. It’s been almost five years, for goodness sakes.

Let it go. At least on every single occasion he touches the ball. Really.

It’s old.

And silence is golden, right?

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Tomorrow’s mail day, let’s try to not be game-specific, okay. Send ‘em in today and I’ll have something to while dodging ghosts and goblins tonight.

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Speaking of Sunday, there’s some scoreboard tribute planned for Brendan Malone, who soldiered through that first season 15 years ago coaching an undermanned team to a record it probably didn’t deserve.

All Brendan wanted to do in every single game he coached was to win, even knowing he was ticking of Isiah Thomas every now and then by not playing more kids.

Brendan never cheated himself, his players or the paying customers and when they do that video thingy this afternoon, you should stand up and cheer like crazy for him.

He deserves it.

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One last trip down memory lane.

Our western friends probably know this name far better than you do in Southern Ontario or somewhere else but the media room in Memphis is named after the late Don Poier, the Grizzlies broadcaster in Vancouver and Memphis who died suddenly in 2005.

I got to know Don fairly well in our travels over the years, he was a good guy very passionate about his job and a top-notch broadcaster taken from his famiiy and us far, far too soon.

Nice to see him honoured.

Oh, now that I think of it, a few more you would know him without really knowing him. He’s the voice that’s on the EA Sports NBA games that came out between, I think, 2000 and 2003.

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Comments

[LeeZ]

All I could think about every time Andrea was looking at the back of Gasol's (or whomever's) jersey on the Raps' defensive boards last night, and by my unofficial count, I'd put it at about 196, was: if Reggie were healthy, I'd nail Andrea's ass to the bench. I'd go one step further: with a healthy Reggie, there's almost no way the Raps lose that game. I would put that loss squarely on Bargs' shoulders. And I have no problem with his offence last night; there are going to be nights when the shots don't fall. But his defence was as bad and lame as during the first 2 and a half years. Not the Andrea we've seen during the last half of last season. Let's hope it's a one-game aberration. Another observation: all of José's misses have been short so far; tells me he still doesn't have his legs back. And a final thought: for all the bad press Randolph receives (and by and large it's fully justified), he played great last night. Was a frieking bull. Wouldn't be denied. And he did pass it out of the post sometimes, but truth be told, when you have it going the way he did, you demand the ball, and you take it to them. Which he did. And he played pretty well on defence. Just one game, obviously; but if he brings that kind of effort on anything like a consistent basis, he can start rehabilitating his career.

[Aditya]

its funny, on the commentary last night, jack armstrong actually made a comment about Marc Gasol being leaner than last season....and, i believe twice (yesterday in your in game blog) and in today's blog, you are taunting him....i don't understand why (he looked leaner on TV as well, and no, it's not because he got a haircut)

Blogger's note: Taunting? By mentioning that he looked leaner and that he killed them? Yeah, taunting.

[Paul]

stay calm Raps fans... the lifelessness (sp?) of the arena took them out of their rythm last night. What was there, 45 people in that place?

Bosh was unreal last night, what a stud. Andrea will be fine, he needs a flow to his game unlike Bosh who can grind it out... Andrea needs to be up-tempo, so nights like last night don't really play to his strengths.

if ANYone in addition to Bosh showed up last night, they would have won easily. Hedo is still obviously not in mid-season form, nor is Jose (who took the whole summer off lets not forget). Hedo is WAY better than he played last night... The starting five for this team wil be dominant after a good dozen or so games under their belt.

And I'm loving the additions of Wright, Jack, and Reggie when he gets back - some natural defenders to go along with the natural scorers they already have.

And Belinelli... lovin that guy. As Jack says, he's got a little "sumptin' sumptin'" to his game!

Fans, bring the energy tomorrow v. Orlando!

[D.L.Z.]

Good Mornin' Doug:

I'm one of your big-time boosters, the fellow who once corrected your Ancient Greek grammar error (something to do with "hoi poloi") and who urges you to keep building that video portfolio so that you can get some of those TV ducats and enliven Canuck broadcasts with your no-B.S. old-school-journalist deadpan.

I just watched your 'Grunt TV' - a step in the right direction! - and have a simple constructive suggestion:

You need to get your glasses straightened. They sit at an odd angle on your face. I would not have them replaced - they're fine and most new sets sold in T.O. are lamely 'metrosexual.' I suggest going to Josephson's on Bay just south of Bloor and asking the fine technicians there if you can have your glasses adjusted. Explain the situation (you're on TV, etc.). They're the best in town, and will have your old pair of glasses fitting better than a new one.

Keep up the great work, DZ

[Tony]

Doug - how can we not boo Vince? I know its been 5 years, but its hard for us Torontonians to forget a player who didn't put in effort during his last games with us.

Plus, it makes the game a lot more interesting, almost creating a playoff atmosphere everytime he is here!

[Dan]

Everyone is gushing over Cb4's 35 points performance and blasting Bargnani.

Well guess what is Bargnani went 10-24 and allowed his man to go off for 30 in a loss they would be calling for Bargnani to be traded today.

Bargnani didnt play well but guess what neither did MeBosh with his selfish offensive play and his nonexistant defense. Watching him and Zach go at it last night reminded me of TJ Ford getting caught up in one on one battles.

If this team wants to be successful Bosh and Jose need to start trusting their teammates like they did against the Cavs. Lasts night game was a return of bad habits by Bosh and Jose and reminded me of Sam Mitchell basketball.

[kj]

With all due respect Doug, I think you're way off base with the stop booing Vince suggestion. I know with the 15 year celebration thing they'd like to tip the hat to old Vince without hearing a showering of boos. But lets put this in perspective. Yes it's been 5 years, but what Vince did hurt this franchise and set them back more than 5 years. As a season ticket holder, I reserve the right to boo the guy who stole winning games from my entertainment experience. And it's fun to boo. It adds to the electricity of the game and ensures that both sides bring their best game on that night. If it adds excitement and shows our passion for the game... I say it's all good. He's a big boy, he can handle it, I think.

[doug]

no one has ever denied Randolph's offensive skills....but you go on and on about Barg's defense or lack therof last night....were you looking at randolph on the defensive end??/...and I am glad your not my teammate you never,ever pin the loss on one guy, its a team thing, so does that mean we pin the win on barg's for the first game??? as he was phenomenal...so Barg's according to your theory is 1-1.....

it's a road game, after a big win, a classic trap game, before the season after 2 games people probably would have said the raps would be 1-1 just not in the order it worked out....my problem or concern going forward is that whenever Bosh gets his points, and is the main focus in a game its not what the raps want or need....I think it's incumbent on Bosh to look to get Hedo involved, and his other mates.....his 37 points is impressive in the small picture but is it what we want in the big picture???

[Scott]

"Oh yeah, we're committed to defense this year."

And then the Raptors give up 115 points to the Memphis Grizzlies. Looks like they have a lot to learn about what defense means again this year...

[Matt M]

I agree that if Bargs was more focused the Raps could have won this game. The way he played tonight and the season opener was day and night, especially on the defensive end of the floor. The Raps need him to become a reliable big man or else this season is going nowhere.
It wasn't only on Bargs though as Calderon has some trouble throughout the game, both with his shot and defensively. It is becoming apparent that the team is better at getting stops with Jack at PG right now than Calderon. I expect as Calderon finds his rhythm and understands his new teammates better this will change. Hell, maybe he'll even find his shot. If not, I fully expect Jack to take over the starting PG role to help set the tone early in the game. Probably wouldn't be a bad thing either, as Calderon has shown he is at his best when coming off the bench.
Nice to see Bosh raise his game early in the face of adversity, but late in game he was having trouble with the double team when driving and reverted to being a jump shooter. Still needs someone to ride shotgun. He needs Turk and Calderon to find their games.
Hopefully the Raps learn from this game and we can spend the rest of the season watching a team closer to the one we saw in the season opener.

[Tim W.]

I actually agree with LeeZ. Bargnani deserves the brunt of the blame for last night's loss. His inability to score on the offensive end kept Gasol on the floor longer than he should have been, because if he had been shooting well, Gasol would've sat, as Shaq did on Wednesday night. Of course, even worse was Bargnani allowing slashers to get to the hoop and rebounders to grab offensive rebound after offensive rebound on his watch. He played horribly.

And yes, Randolph scored well, but he always does that. His man also scored 37 on him, though, which is pretty much par for the course, with him.

Being in Vancouver, I knew of Don Poier well. He was the voice of the Grizzlies for many of their games. I also worked on a couple of those NBA Live games while I worked for EA Sports.

[GM]

I am in no way suggesting Bargnani should be excused for his effort. But I think you feel more free to take pot shots at him than you ever would at Bosh. Fair enough, Bosh had a good offensive game. But I bet if Bargnani had scored his 28 points against Cleveland, but the guy he was mostly guarding scored 30, and the Raptors lost, you'd chide him. So why does Bosh get a free pass when Randolph scores 30, many off easy putbacks, and the Raptors lose? And I'm not trying to badmouth Bosh, either. I just think he shouldn't be immune from cheapshots if you're going to throw them out elsewhere. If it can be said that it's a team defensive system and Bosh wasn't always on Randolph, the same could be said of Bargnani, I'm guessing. No?

Bargnani had all 12 of his points in the 3rd quarter. In the 4th, I was surprised how seldom he even got to touch the ball on the offensive end.

Still no excuses for his lack of effort on the defensive end. Hopefully he'll do a better job against Howard... Oh geez, Howard?! Yikes.

As for the booing, why not let the fans have their fun? It brings life into the game. It's not as if it hurts anyone. It's good to have a villain.

[Ian]

Totally agree about the Vince booing. It makes us look really childish. For those who are booing every time he touches the ball, look up Vince's stats for games against Toronto in Toronto. Ever thought the constant booing fuels him??

I remember in the playoff series against New Jersey a few years ago there were a few camera shots of Jason Kidd laughing a little when the booing was happening.

Although maybe more time is needed. The McGrady booing is almost completely gone now and it's been only 8 years!!!

[Andrew]

We gotta boo Vince, it's all part of the fan experience. I'm gonna watch on CBC and I wanna hear lots of booing. I'm going to Vince's 2nd appearance in town as part of the Magic on the 22nd of Nov and I can't wait to boo. The best player in history doesn't let things go as was evident in his H of F speech so why should we.

[doug]

i just read quite a few exerpts from that Tim Donaghy book...and although they have to be taken with a grain of salt considering his present circumstances i also feel to dismiss them in whole is foolhardy...there is some interesting stuff there, and i wouldn't be at all surprised to know a lot of it is based on fact....I've always had my concerns,doubts about Crawford, Bavetta etc....plus how the refs change the flow of the game at will....in tandem....as a unit....it's to coincidental there are directives, and unspoken tendencies any long term fan knows what they are...as Tim D just points out what we suspected all along...I saw some quotes from some league executives who commented on it on the S.I. site that lead me to seek out the exerpts and read them..as the executives all said no surprise, its been happening for years...

[Alex]

Hi Doug,

I love the blog, but I have to disagree about the booing. This is a city used to Tie Domis and Doug Fluties; tough players who give their all on the field/ice/court. For a player to actually QUIT is quite insulting, and I think it speaks to the (strong) character of the city that fans aren't willing to let him off for it.

[GM]

Also, let's not forget that Marc Gasol is no slouch. He had 19 points (on 6-8 shooting), 7 rebounds, 2 assists, 5 turnovers, 3 steals, 1 blocked shot, and 5 fouls against the Raptors.

In the Grizz loss to Detroit, he had 21 points (on 6-9 shooting), 15 rebounds, 0 assists, 3 turnovers, 0 steals, 3 blocked shots, and 3 fouls.

So the guy can play.

[eric lee]

Hey doug,
watching yesterdays game (especially the first half)
i felt that memphis just took advantage of the jose conley matchup.
i remember seeing this last year many times and once jose was beat it was either a lay up for the opposing team's PG or a wide open shot.
Other than jose improving his defense (which i dont know how we could do because i think its jsut a matter of athleticism) how do you think the raps can over come this? (aka our "weakest link" so to speak)

Blogger's note: I don't believe it's the weakest link, I don't believe in your assessment of the first half, so I don't have answer for you

[doug]

booing is just childish and accomplishes nothing..do people not think Vince expects it and as any elite athlete does he feeds off of it....would not indifference have a larger impact??

[John Bastedo]

Doug,

I know this is a job for you, but really "don't boo"? I don't even dislike Vince that much, but I love going to those games and having the fans be dialed in for 48 solid. I don't care if it makes him play better. It's about 19,000 plus having fun.

And it's great that we're not those "boo for one year because it's trendy" types. We care enough to bear a long-term grudge.

And hasn't it made for great game stories over the years?

Sorry, but if that annoys you while you do your job (which you're great at) - wear ear plugs.

J.

p.s. BOOOOOOOOOO!!!

[T i]

Couple of thoughts:
1) On nights when Hedo, Jose and Andrea all have bad nights simultaneously, the Raps will have practically no chance to win. I thought Hedo looked either tired or uninterested on the defensive end. Looking at the box score, seeing Hedo leading the team with a -20 points while on the floor (with Andrea at -14, and Jose -15) confirming my thoughts. Hopefully he's still just getting into game shape rather than being close to getting legs on the wrong side of 30 years old.
2) At the beginning of the season I remember telling my dad, don't worry about Vince, he'll get hurt or be fouled hard in playoffs and be reluctant to drive. Sure enough, Wince Carter got hurt and winced on the ground for a few min before leaving with a hobble. I don't care how good of a team this guy plays on, he will NEVER win a championship, I will bet anyone of this fact. You can't change a loser, he surely isn't a winner.
3) We will NEVER EVER stop booing Vince, nor should we. Toronto has a fantastic fan base, and our passion is the reason why. Boo Wince Carter to your hearts content. Never lose that passion - it's what makes us one of the best fan bases in the league (regardless of the franchise's success).

[Chris]

I can't believe that people think that Vince should be boo'd still. Give me a break. Who cares! Let's cheer the Raptors and leave it at that. It's embarrassing watching or listening to a home game when Vince is in town. Oh well Toronto is not what it used to be anyway. Sucky town. That's why I don't live there anymore...Somewhat kidding you sensitive Torontonians. There are a few things that are ok about Toronto.

[Raj]

Hello Doug,
How impressed are with the play of Dejuan Blair with the Spurs? Was he ever considered by the Raptors realizing their need for rebounding?

Blogger's note: Haven't seen enough of him to have an opinion and, no, at no time was he even remotely in consideration for the ninth pick and having already added Reggie Evans, I don't know that he was ever in the front of their minds for any other choice.

[Shawn]

Hello Doug,
Hedo is not playing the way he used to play in Orlando. Do you think it is because the way Jay defined his role for the raptors? He can create and make his own shot, can go to the basket but instead he is passing it up!

Blogger's note: I think it's because he's played all of two games with a brand new team.

[doug]

I wish people would not give any credence as to the +/- in basketball....its contingent on so many factors....it can't be a stand-alone stat and shouldn't be used as one....and don't discount the Magic winning a championship THIS year as they are a stacked and loaded team...and to the "fan" that says you don't care if it makes him play better then you are not a "fan" at all....Vince has been maligned far to long in this town he was and is one of the finest atrhletes that has ever played in this town...and to the person that used the Tie Domi reference earlier, he took one of the stupidest penalities in Maple Leaf history, with just over a minute left against the Devils (Niedemayer)...cost us the game and the series....but yet these are the same deadheads that boo Carter......differences occur, athletes leave for wahtever reasons....so if Bosh elects to leave which is his perogative at years end we have to endure 5 more years of booing for him?.....asinine.and boorish...