The winds of change blow hard; and the Best of Oak

Nice day today, no game yesterday, no mass panic in fanworld.

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Here’s the thing about fans that, in pretty much equal parts, irks and entertains a guy.

It’s always black and white.

This guy sucks? Make a change.

Team loses game? Make a change.

They’re pretty much exactly where a lot of people thought they’d be after three games? Make a change anyway dammit.

Trouble is, it’s never black and white, it’s always grey.

Take the whole “Jose can’t defend a lick, why is he playing, how in the world can they ever win a game with him out there?” stuff I’m getting floods of in the mail.

No, he’s not a great defender but the notion than anyone can defend anyone one-on-one is, as perhaps we’ve mentioned before, silly.

Yes, he will give up blow-bys just like every other point guard or wing man in the NBA.

Yes, he has to be better.

And the scheme has to work better.

And his teammates have to be better.

As Bosh said yesterday:

“It’s not one person’s fault, it’s the whole team’s fault. Guys are going to get blown by sometimes but we have to have a solid defence behind them and it just can’t be as easy as a blow-by layup or a blow-by one pass and a shot; we’ve got to make them work for it.”

Or as Jay said yesterday:

“(Perimeter blow-bys) means guys have to help and that’s how they kicked for threes. We worked on our close-outs today and we have to be better as a team. We’re not a super-quick team, so we have to be very good at closing out.”

Or as Jose said yesterday:

“It’s not only the point guard, there is not too many one-on-ones in the NBA, it’s all about pick and roll. That’s why when we talk about defence, it’s not like one guy penetrates because you got a pick. That’s why we always talk about team. Everybody has to help each other … we just have to be better as a team.”

It’s funny how things can change in less than a week, isn’t it?

A day after holding Cleveland to, what, 35 per cent shooting, there were no huge concerns about anything, really. The Cavs got into the paint but there were defenders there to help and they didn’t shoot an unconscious percentage from outside.

Two games later, things are a bit awry, no doubt but – and I say this with all due respect – IT’S THREE FREAKING GAMES!

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The Oak cometh.

Yes, our good friend and the most quotable Raptor ever – Charles Oakley – is back in town, I’m told, to be singled out for his contribution to the team during tomorrow’s game against the Pistons.

There are too many good Oak stories to tell here, we’ll dribble ‘em out over today, tomorrow and Thursday but here are a couple (and forgive me if I’ve told them before, I imagine some here haven’t heard them):

We’re in New Jersey, it’s pre-game and Oak’s holding court as Oak did. But, it’s also a lot of stuff we’ve heard before, about kids not playing the right way, the game’s all about the hype, marketing blows, what about the game, yadda, yadda, yadda.

So, the Toronto scribblers, and Raptors staff, leave him to go off on other pursuits.

Well, we wake up the next morning to blaring headines the Post saying Oak says 65 per cent of NBA players, or some big number like that, smoke dope and some play while high.

From that day on, there always had to be a guy on Oak Watch. Just in case

And, one more.

We’re in Cleveland, Oak’s coming back from a one-game suspension (I think it was for smacking Jeff McInnis in the head before a shootaround) and it’s the first chance we have to ask him about it.

Rob MacLeod of the Globe says:

“Hey, Oak, do you think you let the team down?”

To which Oak says something along the lines of:

“The NBA let the team down by putting it in Canada.”

Well, a couple of us do a spit-take at that one and we’re away to the races. Oak’s on a roll, and we’re prodding the bear with a stick with the Raptors media relations guru is looking on, his face ashen but you know he was smiling, too.

Not sure how the conversation unfolded exactly but it ended when Oak said, pretty much unprompted:

“Pimpin’ ain’t easy, pimpin’ ain’t dead; the ho’s are just scared.”

To this day, I have no idea what that means but it remains one of the greatest quotes I’ve ever heard uttered.

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So, Jay, been thinking about moving DeMar out of the starting lineup (as if the kid’s been killing them or something!)?:

“Not for a second.”

Good answer. DeRozan’s been as everyone expected. Good for stretches, invisible for stretches, just another guy on the court for stretches.

The same, as a matter of fact, as the rest of his teammates.

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Now, this is a bit over the top, don’t you think?

Venture out in the pre-dawn period to The Friendliest Starbucks On Earth (Hwy. 10 and QEW, tell ‘em I said hi) and what greets me?

Christmas decorations.

Lots of them. Too many of them. Even the red Christmas cups for the quad vente non-fat lattes.

Do double-take, check calendar. It says, as I figured, Nov. 3.

Shake head in wonderment.

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Okay, here’s the thing with Quincy’s contract.

As we know, there was another guarantee that kicked in Nov. 1 – or was supposed to kick in. The numbers are not precise but they’re close so think of it like this:

He made $200,000 for being on the roster at the start of training camp.

He made another $200,000 for being on the roster on Nov. 1 (or so the original contract said).

He’ll get the rest of the deal – about $400,000 – guaranteed if he’s still around Dec. 15.

What they’ve done is write a clause into the original deal pushing back the Nov. 1 date to Nov. 15; the December date stays the same.

Why?

No one’s saying on the record or officially, but I imagine it’s so they can see if they can find a place for him without waiving him, maybe pick up a second-round draft pick. Or maybe they’re giving his agent time to find a team that’ll take him if he’s waived, without the Raptors getting anything in return.

Given the economics of the day, I’d presume that second scenario is more likely.

I will tell you this, the coaches love the kid, good guy to have around, works hard in practice, entirely coachable and the furthest thing from a distraction even though he – and the coaches – know the chance of him ever playing is slim.

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Tell you one thing, Chase Utley is rocketing up my list of favourite ball players.

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Speaking of honours, I’m not sure how many of you realize this but it’s induction day for the Canadian Sports Hall of Fame.

And one of the true basketball giants in our country is being feted.

Ken Shields, whose record at Victoria is unparalleled in CIS history, a former national team coach who’s worked with national teams in Japan, Australia, Georgia and Britain, and one of the great tacticians of the game, goes into the Hall and it’s a honour well due.

Ken and his wife, Kathy, have been integral parts of the growth of the game coast-to-coast for decades and it’s nice to see him recognized.

Would have been even nicer if Kathy went in the Hall at the same time. Missed the boat on that one.

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Comments

[Ryan]

Hey Doug,

The only thing I have learned from the first three games is that Toronto Fans live up to the reputation of being over-bearing and manic. It must be so frustrating as a player to have fans constantly go back and forth between praise and condemnation. We, as Raptor fans, need to relax; give them some time to gel together.

Is there anyway that Feschuck can stop covering the Raptors! I'm really getting tired of his articles. I'm sure if we the season began with Jack starting and Jose coming off the bench, he would be arguing that Jose deserves the starting role.

Keep up the good work, Doug! Level-headed Raptor fans do appreciate it!

[Maritime Fan]

Can Calderon be better? I sure hope so but Jack hasn't been on fire either.

However, defensive leadership is usually not the raison d'etre of Point Guards! Too much emphasis is being placed on the point guard position. Someone needs to put the opposition's point guard on the floor when he turns the corner and heads for the rim!!

Defense comes down to strength and quickness and the strength part refers to strength of mind or "will to win". We do not have enough defensive leadership in the "will to win" category!

Which Raptor player is going to step up and hold his teammates accountable on the defensive side of the ball? Figure this out and we will go a long way to winning more games.

I thought Reggie Evans was acquired for this task. It is a shame we didn't have him at the start of this season, to find out if Evans could take the weight off Bosh and his teammates in regards to defensive leadership. We need a KG in Toronto!
There are reasons why you win and there are reasons why you lose!

[chris]

Why play individual defense at all, if no one can guard anyone one on one?

[Jon]

Love the guy who comes on here and talks garbage about the terrible defense of Bargnani and Turkoglu...just about the only guys who didn't get repeatedly torched against Orlando. Also did you notice Turkoglu guarding some dude named James on the 28th? Do you actually watch Raptor games or just spew back whatever the internet feeds you? Please, PLEASE stop posting here or anywhere else until you gain some fundamental appreciation of how basketball is played.

[Aditya]

Rockets rookie Chase Budinger (17 points) got past Wes Matthews and the Jazz in a 113-96 road win.

who is wes matthews?

[Jordie]

Even more disturbing.... One of my friends works at Hallmark cards and she got a shipment for Christmas cards/decorations in July this year... Yes July. The Raptors will be fine. It is apparent after three games that this team is MUCH more talented than last year's team, both offensively and defensively. One postive thing I noticed about the Orlando game. I don't believe Howard had one dunk in the game. When is the last time that happened? I can only recall one dunk on the Raptors (in the half court anyway) in the first three games. Shaq had one offensive putback but every drive by Lebron was contested well at the rim and he didn't throw one down either. So the Raptors kept two of the games biggest high flyers from rocking the rim in those two games. Pretty impressive, isn't it??

[GM]

This whole Calderon/Jack thing is, I bet, a case of remembering the hits and forgetting the misses. That is, any time Calderon does something bad, his critics remember it. If he does something good, they forget it. And the reverse for Jack.

Last night I had the Raptors channel on in the background. They were replaying the Orlando game. I heard Matt Devlin exclaim that Nelson got to the hoop for another layup, so I looked up and hit rewind (you can do that on live TV with a PVR). I watched it to see who was guarding him. I saw Jose standing in the corner guarding a shooter outside the 3-point line on the baseline. He wasn't even guarding Nelson!

Or maybe his critics just look at the bottom line: they check the boxscore and match up the two starting point guards and assume one always guards the other.

On another play I noticed during the game the first time around, JJ Redick dribble-drove right to the hoop for a lay-up. He was being guarded by Jarrett Jack. I'm not saying Jack is a sieve. But it goes to show that players get beat all the time. And in that case, why wasn't there any help to pick up the relatively slow Reddick, who waltzed all the way in for the score?

Now, these are but two instances. But I doubt they were the only instances. If someone has the game on tape, go back and track all Nelson's baskets and assign blame.

[Nelson]

Unfortunately I am on the starting Jarrett Jack bandwagon. The reason is that our starting line up has enough offensive power with Turk, Bargs, and Bosh. We don't really need Jose up there as well for his offense. What we do need is Defense, and if Jack can anchor better in that regards, JJ should start. Jose's offense can help spark the 2nd unit which is currently much weaker offensively, and it is true that Jose is much better at exposing weaker PGs (aka bench players) more than the PG stars in the NBA. This also takes pressure off Jose so he can gain his confidence back. Is Jose THAT much better than Jack? I don't think so...Just my opinion anyways.

[niagarahoops]

Hi Doug,

What are your thoughts on Raptors playing more Zone Defense? Seems to makes sense for a team that struggles defensively one on one.

Evans is really being missed, eh?

Blogger's note: No, I think they have to work at what they do; maybe on a very, very limited basis

[Jordan]

I was very upset at Feschuk's article this morning. Jose Calderon is one of the best point guards in the league today, and he demonstrates this through his impeccable passing, high-percentage shooting, team leadership, low turnover rates and overall gusto. To say that he should be replaced three games in is an insult to all Jose has accomplished in his years here in Toronto. It is also a direct appeal by Feschuk to the lowest common denominator, reactionary and uneducated fans. This is just one in many examples by this writer. It has no place in the Toronto Star, but rather in an obscure fan blog or message boards.
That's my opinion. What's your take on this?

[Tim W.]

Jon: "ove the guy who comes on here and talks garbage about the terrible defense of Bargnani and Turkoglu...just about the only guys who didn't get repeatedly torched against Orlando."

Uuhh, did you watch the game? Turkoglu didn't do that badly, but Bargnani was one of the worst, if not THE worst offender, but it wasn't as obvious as guys like Calderon. Yes, Ryan Anderson did score the majority of his points on three pointers against Bargnani, but Bargnani also didn't hedge out hard on Orlando's pick and rolls, and on drives to the basket, it was usually Bargnani who should have been responsible for closing the lane. He also couldn't guard Howard (Bosh was the one who did the best work on him during the game), and gave up far too many offensive rebounds. It was the same in the game against Memphis. The thing that frustrated me the most is that he wouldn't even get his hands up when `trying' to close out on the shooters, a big, big no-no on defense and a sign you don't care. I do know the fundamentals of the game, but watching Bargnani, I have to wonder whether he does.

[Yezzir]

I think Oak slapped up Tyrone Hill ... or was that another incident?

Blogger's note: Another incident.

[Craig A]

Hey Doug

Was there word if any bench Raptor players walked onto the court during the Howard/Bosh dust up? It looked like some of them were close to doing so from where I was sitting at the game.

Blogger's note: No, no one did.

[erc]

Honoring Vince at the 50th anniversary would be even better.

[David Taylor]

Another great thing about Oak that is often overlooked - his professionalism and fashion sense off the court. He had a big influence on the way that the younger players on the team represented themselves (in the days before the league dress code).

[Rob.V]

We're 3 games... THREE games into the season and the "Jose is the problem" remarks have got to STOP!!

Everyone is looking for a scapegoat, or someone to point the finger at however the truth is that you win and lose.. AS A TEAM.

I went back on the Orlando tape to see what had transpired this morning and here are some facts:

The Raptors were stuck 8 (26-18) when Jose left the game at the 2:12 mark of the 1st quarter. By 7:03 of the 2nd period the lead had bloated to 22 points( 54-32)...all with Jose on the bench. Did everyone read that... ALL WITH JOSE ON THE BENCH.

Please point out where the other Raptor point guards were more effective?

22 points was the largest lead of the game and on most nights too much for any team to come back from.

Jose was not even on the floor for the majority of damage or "penetration".

All point guards break other points guards down off the dribble. Jose is NOT alone in this.

I am not Jose's friend or relative however Feschuck and others should get their facts straight before commenting.

Could Jose play better, of course, however so could the rest of the team. Bargnani did nothing of substance against Orlando in the first half and other than Bosh... everyone else appears to be on auto pilot.

To single out Calderon is simply not fair!!!

[D-Mac Ottawa]

Hi Doug, My little preseason-calculation tote board has the Raps at 1-2 right now (got the order wrong, of course, with the Cavs and Griz outcomes), and 2-2 after a win over Detroit tomorrow. Here's where it gets interesting: The tote says they go 2-8 after that. Hope I'm wrong, but sure think they go a lot closer to 2-8 than they do to 8-2... Cannot imagine the outcry, how about you? But here's where it gets even more interesting: At 7-11 the end of November, tote says 49 wins come season's end on April 13. Just wondering: 1) Would you be leary about this team's chances to turn the ship around after an early-season stinker of double Western Conference road trips? and 2) Might there be a poll or two in there to consider? Personally, I just think it's way too early for anything resembling a panic, and that this team's got the goods to make serious noise in the East (discuss who starts/finishes to your hearts' content). Cheers!

Blogger's note: Leary? More interested than leary because whether they win or lose,I still have to write.

[Wade T.]

Excuse me resident Raptors apologist, but did the Toronto Raptors not just give up 125 points to a team that was missing three key players? It's not like Orlando fielded a complete team Sunday so to write such a condescending piece to fans of a club who were told 50-wins is the goal is ludicrous.

You see in the real world Doug people pay real money to go to games, or have your 15-years covering the team blinded you to a cut-and-dry situation. A team that just spent the entire training camp focused on defense just gave up 250-points to a two teams that were without key offensive players (Iverson sat in the Memphis game, Carter, Lewis and Pietrus sat out of the Orlando game). Sorry Doug but fans should be panicking and questioning a lot when a team that comes from the MLSE family puts up the duds they did in the last two games.

Simply put this team, and the company that owns them has no credibility, therefore I hope Raptor followers stay away from the ACC until this team shows its worthy of support. Ticket prices in the NBA are pretty silly even if the team is playing well. The Raptors shouldn’t get the mindless support that has turned the Leafs into a laughing-stock, the Leafs shouldn’t even get that.

Blogger's note: So we'll next hear from you after a winning streak, right? Just checking.

[Keith Wagar]

So, Jack's defense is better --- isn't he generally coming off the bench and therefore guarding the back up point guard of the opposition??? Isn't this what people are saying Jose is good at? Execution by all is what is needed. Help needs to come hard. Be ready to retreat to your own check as the pass is being made - not after he catches the ball and sets up his shot! React faster!

[JM]

Be fair now Doug. If you are going to call out fans for their reactionary nature then call out your learned colleagues when they behave the same way. There is a column in your paper today discussing Jose's defense and when the time will come for him to sit. Please include media when writing these posts as they can be as reactionary as fan.

[Pipit]

Doug, your post is becoming more boring and boring each day. Your trying to be witty and funny but its not working. Just stick to the facts and post serious sports. Just sports! No more funny lines as if your trying hard to make us laugh.

Blogger's note: But if I do that, it'll rob me of the joy of getting to read such insight as this. And then how boring would my life be?

[Matt]

Why has Belonelli's minutes decreased? He was supposed to be 6th man adding scoring punch?

Blogger's note: It's three games into the season, let's see how things shake out with a larger sample size, okay?

[Mando]

Whatever the faults of your blog or whatever this is, at least you are far superior in the use of the English language. Most of your critics cannot even spell let alone put together a coherent post. For the record, I read and enjoy the blog every day and appreciate your perspective on the game.

[erc]

Orlando is one of the NBA finalists from last season. They appear to have an improved roster. Even given the fact that they were missing three key players, is it the end of the world to lose a game that Toronto was in up until the end, to a team of this caliber?
We are three games into the schedule with only three holdovers from this time last year. Let's give it time. If it's February and they're playing as badly as they were last year and if you're yawning and saying 'quit over-reacting' like you did last year -- THEN we have something to squawk about.
If this team can compete MOST nights, make the play-offs and win a round, they've had a very good season. You are absolutely right. Cut em some slack.

[Sal]

Hi Doug,
I can't help but laugh at the comments here today. I saw the Orlando game and thought it was very entertaining, even though the Rapors lost. Was this a case of the Raptors' defensive scheme of "protecting the house" not being compatible with Orlando's ability to shoot threes?
Keep up the good work.
PS - Re: Grunt TV... don't quit your day job. (I keed, I keed... but seriously, it's not that great).