Odd substitutions and a visitor from the past

Seven down, one to go.

Yay!

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THREE THINGS I LEARNED

An odd decision

Given that Jay had said before the game that he was planning on going to as close to his regular rotation as he could, I was entirely surprised to see the first sub of the game be Sonny Weems for Hedo Turkoglu and the second be Amir Johnson for Bosh.

The only thing I can think of is that it had more to do with conditioning than strategy because I will be utterly shocked if that’s how it is on Oct. 28.

Then, I expect it to be someone – Antoine Wright, maybe – for DeMar DeRozan.

Checking in, then out

Did you see the moment with about six minutes left when Jose, Bosh and, I believe, Turkoglu got back up off the bench and started to saunter to the scorer’s table to check back in.

The game was effectively over and all I could think of was Jay was thinking about getting them a few more minutes for conditioning purposes alone. He wasn’t ticked at them, there was scant chance of some miracle comeback in a meaningless pre-season game so that’s what it had to be, right?

Yes, it was, but then, in a moment of clarity, he called them back during a timeout.

“I was going to put them in to push their conditioning but when I saw the lineup they had in, I thought why push it against these guys? I don’t know what they were going to get in the last six minutes of the game other than injured.

“We can take care of the minutes and conditioning (today).”

A good call, surprisingly

You may have noticed that I’m not a fan of The Replacements (and yesterday’s fascination with moving screens, along with 54 fouls and 52 free throws, kind of vindicates me, I believe) but hey did get one right.

But it was odd.

It what looked an awful lot like Basketball Dominos, Paul Pierce pushed a teammate into Chris Bosh who tumbled into Sonny Weems, who missed a shot because he was being smacked by his teammate.

(Whether he would have made it had he been left all alone is open for debate, of course).

But The Replacement got Pierce for the foul in the correct call, even if it was a tad confusing.

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And now, for the rest of the story

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M. Grange ™ and I are standing by the bench pre-game when this visitor from the past wanders by, looking a bit worn out, I must admit.

We both do a double take and wonder, ‘hmm, what’s this all about?’

It was Dave Hopla, the shooting guru/consultant who worked here a couple of years ago and is back, he tells me, just for a couple of days to see what’s up and if he can help.

He’d been an assistant in Washington who got whacked when Flip Saunders came in and cleaned house.

Now, Dave’s a good guy but to think he’s going to magically turn Sonny Weems or DeMar DeRozan into Ray Allen is ridiculous.

Those two kids need to work on their shots and the Raptors must think some gentle coaxing from Hopla is in order.

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Here’s what the Boston fellows, or at least one of them, had to say about that affair.

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Wow, a guy agrees with Kobe Bryant on AP and all of a sudden a storm breaks out.

Let me explain my logic, and, as I may have mentioned, call me in May and if I’m wrong I’ll say so.

I believe Shaq will get hurt and miss a bunch of games, I believe he will, at some point, whine about his role in the offence and create a distraction for a game or two, I don’t for a second think he and Ilgauskas will give them more than they got from Ilguaskas alone last year. I believe that Shaq, on a team with a staid, creativity-free offence, will clog up the very area – the paint – that the James fellow likes the best.

AP, on the other hand, provides some things they do not have, and desperately need. Outside shooting, solid if unspectacular defence (and I know this will irk many, but the people connected to the game and far, far, far smarter than you or I think he’s a pretty good defender) and locker room leadership.

And on a legitimate championship contender, I, and many others, don’t have any faith whatsoever in the gaggle or so-so wings on that team. Boobie Gibson? Give me a break. Mo Williams? Tiny shooter who can’t guard you.

Seriously, what was the fatal flaw with the Cavs last year? They couldn’t make an open shot to save their souls (Sasha Pavlovic and Wally Szczerbiak were horrible in the post-season) and they had no old head to get them through tough times.

Around the East? Vince Carter? He’ll have a great year, I bet, he’d be second on the list.

Rasheed Wallace? I’m told he’s semi-retired.

Hedo? Yeah, going from 33 wins to the playoffs – if they get there – is big; AP’s got a chance to help a team get from the conference finals to the finals.

Like I said, I could be wrong, but I doubt it. Talk to me in May.

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Ledes I wish I had written, courtesy of today’s New York Times on one of the oddest happenstances I can think of.

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Having watched DeMar DeRozan for five games now, I firmly believe the Raptor record for assists by a rookie will not be challenged.

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You don’t think coaches like to play possum in the pre-season.

Check out this post-game Doc Rivers quote:

“I actually did like the lineup up Marquis, Ray and Paul with Rasheed and Kevin. It was a very difficult matchup … We didn’t stay with it long because I liked it, so I got out of it.

“What we felt would happen, happened. They had to try to figure out who they were going to put on Marquis and who they were going to play on Ray. We got a couple of baskets before they could do that, so that was good for us.”

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Having seen three of four home pre-season games live, I can only say this:

I hope the game ops people have some new hijinks to show off once things start for real in 10 days.

So far, very boring, very old school, very non-innovative.

Surely to goodness they’ve got something extra to show on Oct. 28.

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Let’s see, off-days to cover today, tomorrow, Wednesday and Thursday along with next Sunday, Monday and Tuesday.

Hmm, this is a taxing time for a beat grunt, too, trying to come up with stories that are even marginally informative and entertaining.

Wish me luck.

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Comments

[zow]

Doug, do you think a teams depth will be tested even more at the start of the season or will the replacement guys calm down on marginal fouls?I know this is pre season but a little flow to a game would be great!

Blogger's note: I think The Replacements are learning on the job, I have no idea how long it'll take them to figure it out

[Juan]

jm
I wasn't actually taking a shot at you and it's nothing personal, however since you brought it up, you seem to be confusing what someone has accomplished over a lengthy career vs what they might contribute here. The Raptors once had a Hall of Fame center arrive to much fanfare and anticipation, but it turned out that Hakeem didn't really end up having a whole lot left in the tank. The truth is that the league awards are given out at the end of the season, not before it starts.
I'm very proud to be a "Kobe-Hater", but I'm also willing to admit that he might know just a little bit more than I do about the NBA.

[Peter S]

Couldn't agree with you more about Shaq. He is isn't likely to be much help in Cleveland. That was a pretty weird, knee-jerk move by the Cavs.

[Andre]

Hmmm, I think Jay should be play his starters some more mins. I believe the first 15 games are critical, not only to make the playoffs, but for positioning. I am hoping they will be 8 - 7 at the end of 15.

Also, I worried about their defense, i know Jay is trying to do the Box 1, but when the time comes, Derozen, Weems and Wright cannot defend the best player on the court. It will difficult to beat teams if they cant stop the scoring... Defence needs to be tighter, i guess that will take some time.

[chris]

Don't be surprised by Amir, Doug. I bet he IS the first big off the bench.

Reggie's great as a hustle guy, but that's not what you need in your first big off the bench. That's more situational.

[Adam]

Hey Doug,
You mentioned that you hoped that the game ops people had something up their sleeve for Oct 28th. What exactly are you referring to? What are these guys in charge of?

Blogger's note: Intros, halftime entertainment, timeout schtick; all the extraneous stuff that distracts fans from, you know, the game.

[Lavi]

Pini Gershon, Maccabi's aforementioned coach who put up a scene by not leaving the court, is known in Israel to be a loud mouthed, stuck up, full of himself, abrasive man.

Last year, when Gershon was re-hired by Maccabi mid-season, he bad-mouthed the outgoing coach, while promising that Maccabi will make the Final Four that year, which didn't happen.

While he does have some notches on his belt (no pun intended), he is the type of Israeli that gives us Israelis a bad name. I'm glad he was humbled by NBA refs. The scene that he put up is not out of the norm for him.

[david]

I agree AP will be a great addition for the Cavs. He will be a great shooter and he doesn't have to drive to the basketball. He will be consistent and a good locker room presence. James biggest problem is not having shooters that knock down jump shots. Shaq was traded by the Heat and Suns because he is not a great teammate. He will have some issues in Cleveland because of injuries or his role in the offense.

[Manale]

I try and try and try and try not to be down on this franchise, but once again I don't see this season going particularly well for the Raps.
Aside from Jose, I don't think any of our shooters are reliable, our defense is suspect, and aside from Bosh and Evans, I don't see much intensity.

I know-- Bosh and Turkoglu are out of shape, but that's not even my issue.

Just once I wish our GM would draft a player who, after a particularly lousy day, can work out his aggressions by looking at whoever's guarding him on the other team and say to him "I'm going to destroy you tonight. I'm gonna drop 40 on you."

I'm so tired of nice guys who remain nice guys on the court.

But, as I say to myself at the beginning of every year– Hopefully I'll be surprised and have to take back everything I said.

[Domnick]

They will have new intros, as the current ones say preseason 2009. I have attended a few Euro League matches and I really wish North American fans were like that. Not being told when to cheer, or having to watch hot dog races. Oh well, it is what it is. Closes thing we have is Toronto FC really.

[Jordon]

Chris,
I respect your opinion, and I too really like Amir, as he does provide impressive athleticism for a big man. However, I can't see how you can suggest he be the first big off the bench once Reggie gets back. Although Reggie is obviously not as gifted athletically as Amir, he provides something that no one else on this team can, and something they have lacked for what seems like eons. Namely, extreme grit and toughness, someone who knows and is comfortable in his role and who will come in and battle, and is afraid of no one. He invokes a certain level of fear in other teams and he will soften up the other teams bigs while providing confidence to the rest of his Raptor teammates to also exhibit a toughness that they sorely lack. I think they miss him dearly, and his return will be a big boost. Anyway, that's my 2 cents.

[GM]

In that call against Pierce for shoving Bosh into DeRozan, did DeRozan get to shoot free throws? Or was the foul committed against Bosh?

Blogger's note: It was actually Weems (I mis-read by play-by-play, scribbled that it is) and Weems shot the free throws

[kevin]

Hey Doug,

I think so far in pre season Marco Belinelli has been a huge disappointment, he’s not shot the ball very well and his matador defense might show that he’s a lot slower than advertised and I cant see him having an on/off button that will magically propel him to greater success come Oct.28th….Do you agree that AP would have been a much better option than Marco? The Raps need a shooter off the bench.

Blogger's note: It never having been an either-or situation, it's not worth even thinking about.

[jim]

Doug (and Juan),

Thanks for backing up your remarks. I'm still not convinced AP will be a better addition to the Cav's than Shaq. They are both older players. Injuries shouldn't really influence ones analysis and I'll concede that Shaq is more likely to miss time. I even agree that AP is a good fit. I'll simply state that if the money was equal I'm sure 27 teams would take a chance on the big guy over the nice guy. Also, if Cleveland does fall far short of their goal, who do you think will take more blame? Neither of you touched upon my suggestion that Koe's comments were a bit of a shot, which I think is probably the case whether he believes his point or not. Lastly, I don't feel I'm the one going out on a limb in this case, and for this reason I feel Juan's early comments were ad hominem. I may be wrong, but I do know that today I'd rather be on my side than yours. Guess we'll have to wait till the season ends to know who's right.

[James D]

Speaking of very boring, old school and non-innovative...has it ever been discussed how out of tune with the ACTUAL basketball game, our 'ops' are?

Scenario: Mid to late fourth quarter the Raps have mounted an 8-0 run with tenacious defense which finishes off with an emphatic, momentum shifting breakaway dunk. Timeout: Other team.

Cut to a three legged race with 7 year olds dressed up like Spongebob and Dora with an annoying high pitched host and Herbie trying their level best to deflate our team's edge for the sake of cheap laughs from the 0-3 demographic.

I've lived in Florida and watched Magic and Heat games quite regularly and have been to a handful of other arenas (including LA and Boston) where there seems to be WAY more dynamic and situational programming - both music and activity wise. At some point, our value proposition to appeal the family has to be shelved towards you know, winning games. Energy matters.

[oliveira]

Doug,

I know these games are meaningless, 2 key players are getting back into shape, and we have 9 new guys, etc...
However, I wanted to see this team do well to keep up the optimism going into season. Is there reason for optimism?

Worried fan

Blogger's note: I can't say, that's entirely personal.

[Phil A]

If you're open to suggestions for something to fill the blogs for the upcoming days, I have one for you. Maybe you can list your top 5 favorite players at every position for the upcoming 09-10 season. So for each day you would cover one position and also have a reason why they're your favorite players...just an idea.

[Jeff]

Since everyone here falls in love with role players so quickly, i felt i should mention that Sonny Weems made tons of mistakes in the game vs. the Celtics. He is a project, that appears to have some upside. Nothing more.

[GM]

So Pearce shoves Bosh who bumps Weems while shooting, and Weems shoots the free throws? Is that the right call? I have no idea, but it would seem to me that Bosh is the one who was shoved, so either he shoots free throws (if they're in the bonus) or it's Raptors' ball on the side. No?

Or did you mean Pearce shoved Weems who then bumped DeRozan while shooting? That would make more sense.

Blogger's note: I don't have the video handy, my notes say Bosh got pushed.

[doug]

i am sure every GM would love to draft a guy that gets ticked and goes and pours in 40 points, but the reality is those guys are few and far between...DeRozan is young, he is raw, will he be a solid ball player yes, will it be as soon as we wish no....what every GM knows is you have to take the good with the bad and just be patient, enjoy the highs and endure the lows....as for Bellnelli people have to remember he spent 2 years lanquishing on the bench, so he is also a rookie in a sense, he needs to get use to the speed of play, new teammates, his role, as well at the same time he is pressing to show he belongs and can contribute...so he needs patience as well....no one can judge this team until end of Nov, December....then if Barg's,Bosh,Hedo,Jose etc...are under-performing then there needs to be adjustments made...but this team needs patience, and to compare it to last years team is unfair to the guys here this year, ....give them time...

[Ralph]

Hi Doug, have any idea why bosh isn't using twitter anymore? I

Blogger's note: No idea. Maybe he realizes that the mundane goings-on of one's life are of very little interest to people with lives?

[paddy]

best moves in the east:

brandon bass to orlando. totally huge. and completely under the radar like richard jefferson to the san antonio spurs in the west.

hedo to the raps. we all know why.

ben gordon and charlie villaneuva to detroit. this is huge. i could see these guys using a real young talls with like sixteen point guards who are all amazing.

rasheed to boston is huge. we can't forget that this team is a monster and built on veteranship.

shaq to cleveland could get them the championship quite easily. but i don't think it will happen. they'll be in each other's way all the time. they'll figure this out and be amazing but it just won't work on the "perfection" timetable that lebron is all about.

and miami did nothing??

vince carter the only guy in the nba who wears a fullbody protective sock to orlando is also a fifty/fifty for me. they're built on a team first three point system. with howard down low. and also bass now down low. van gundy's coaching is very college-minded in the great defense/three point. can carter fit this??

that is all...

[Aditya]

hate mo williams, but mo williams is not a tiny shooter...he can create and can score (not just a shooter)

and rasheed wallace is not semi-retired....lets get the regular season rolling and let's see who's right, i bet i am right come May

[Rob.V]

Btw - 2 of the BEST responses I've read in months.

The first one was very poignant...and the second made me laugh my ass off!!!

Is there reason for optimism? Worried fan.
Blogger's note: I can't say, that's entirely personal.

Hi Doug, have any idea why bosh isn't using twitter anymore?
Blogger's note: No idea. Maybe he realizes that the mundane goings-on of one's life are of very little interest to people with lives?

This question and answer almost had me spit out my drink!!!. What was this kids follow up question... what time does Chris Bosh take his DAILY DUMP??? Hilarious!!!! I will NEVER question your patience.

Funny stuff!!!! What a great way to end my day.

Thank you.

[Dave]

Just wanted to say thanks to LeeZ for the suggestion on the hotel. I ended up going with it. I was looking between the Intercontinental, the Fairmont Royal York and the Metropolitan and stayed with the Intercontinental. Will let you know how it goes.

Cheers!!