A lost chance and a new look

Was it one that got away?

Or an okay game against a good opponent and a performance they can feel good about? Well, you don’t get a lot of chances to beat the Cavs in Cleveland if you drop one after missing eight free throws and a couple of open looks late, you can’t feel particularly good.

Anyway, we’re getting back to something close to normalcy here; thanks for bearing with us over the past few days.

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THREE POINTERS

Another end-of-game look

So, for all those anxious about the use of Jose Calderon and Jarrett Jack at the same time, there must be some solace taken in the last couple of games.

Sure hasn’t been used much, has it? I think there were a couple of minutes at the end of the first half against the Mavs but that’s it; and then just a couple of minutes before halftime last night in Cleveland.

Why?

Well, I think Jay liked the way Belinelli was going last night, he was hitting shots and getting in the paint and he’s a longer, more active defender than Jarrett.

And, as I’ve mentioned a few times before, I think Jose’s a better option at running the offence and, with the Cavs collapsing on Bosh every time he touched the ball when he was posted up, having Calderon on the perimeter to take an open three is much more desirable than having Jack.

On one key possession, Calderon did in fact get an open three that he didn’t knock down and I, and I’m sure the coaching staff, would rather he get it than Jack.

That’s not a knock against Jarrett, who does a lot of things well, but Jose’s shooting something like 50 per cent from the field since he’s been back; that’s the shooter I want on the court.

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Setting it in motion

We all remember Horns Up, right?

Well …

Not sure if anyone caught it but in the first half, while he was taking an inbounds pass right by the Cavs bench, there was a shot of Jarrett.

He’s standing there, waiting for the ball, banging his forearms together and shouting:

“Boom, boom.”

Yes, a play.

It’s one of the better ones the Raptors have, it’s a read-and-react kind of thing that starts with a pass to a big at the side and goes on with some continuous off-the-ball motion.

It’s not exactly the Princeton offence or a three-man weave outside the three point line but it’s designed to get the ball moving, get defenders going side-to-side and, if the screens are set well, create driving lanes for wings.

And it just sounds better than ‘Horns Up’ doesn’t it?

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How’s Marco help?

Quite effectively at times.

I know the coaching staff likes a lot of what he brings, the ability to shoot and to slash and his defence is pretty good because he’s got active hands that create deflections and disrupt sets.

We saw him out there at the end of a close game against the Cavs and I’m sure it’s a sign of things to come on a more regular basis.

Still …

There was a play late where he had the ball on the right side, right in front of the Cavalier bench.

He did a very good job splitting a screen (he might be the best on the team at doing that) but the possession ended with some kind of wild attempt at a bank shot. Maybe a drive-and-kick works a bit better, I don’t know.

But I do know that if he gives them a spark of energy at both ends, you’re going to see a lot more of him in fourth quarters.

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And now, the rest of the story (Except there isn’t an awful lot of the rest of the story, given my inactivity of the last couple of days)

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What’d they write about that game in Cleveland? Glad you asked.

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Let’s see.

We’re going to have a little pre-game chat today, starting at 1 p.m. East.

That’s noon in Milwaukee and that means I’ll probably have the machine turned on at about 11:55 a.m. there.

Okay, judging by my knowledge of All Things Raptors Fans, I’m going with 11:57:25 as the first time I get a question about whether Bryan blew it by taking DeMar DeRozan and not Brandon Jennings.

So, heading everyone off at the pass (yeah, right. Like I still won’t get asked), I’ll say this: No, he didn’t.

Not only didn’t Jennings work out for the Raptors here in Toronto, there wasn’t a lot of buzz about him anywhere in the weeks leading up to the draft. He was thought to be an okay prospect, not a project but closer to that than to a sure-fire star.

And, frankly, that’s kind of what he’s become, right?

Yes, he had a 55 point game earlier in the season and the Bucks got off to a torrid start.

Now?

Well, now he’s a rookie shooting less than 40 per cent from the field and three-point range and while he still averages 18 points per game, he’s had as many games of fewer than 10 points than he’s had of over 20 in his last 10 outings.

Oh, and the Bucks are seven games below .500 and 10th in the East.

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Speaking of the Bucks, here’s what Tom had to report today.

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Sonny Weems hurts a rib muscle in the pre-game warmup somehow?

Yeah, that’s a tough break for sure; probably could have used some of his athleticism at times last night.

No work from cohorts in Cleveland on how long he might be on the shelf he’s the dreaded “day-to-day” which could me he goes against the Bucks or sits it out of for a week.

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Okay, got an early flight, and I presume a long lineup at Pearson so …

Remember, game-day question-answer session at 1 p.m. Eastern time and then the game at 8 p.m.

Wish me luck at the airport.

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Comments

[Blake Kennedy]

Agreed 100% on Brandon Jennings. He's made as many appearances on milk cartons as he has highlight reels this year. He has been excellent defensively, though - but I'm still happier with our young man who is improving steadily.
I understand why Triano went with Calderon, but he needs to rethink that. Jose struggles mightily against athletic teams who defend well: he suddenly starts throwing 30' diagonal passes with defenders back. Remember last year when he threw three of them in a row in Cleveland on the first three possessions, all of them getting intercepted and resulting in LeBron James breakaway dunks? Jack keeps his composure better against those kind of teams because he can compete physically, whereas Jose is completely overmatched and flips out. He didn't play well last night, he was pressured by their defense and wilted under it - and not just from a shooting perspective, he made basic high school mistakes like picking up his dribble without anything to do with it, he couldn't get into ball screen action because he was too slow, etc.
DeRozan played well on both ends of the floor last night. He did the best of all our wing defenders, yet Antoine Wright got big minutes and was getting abused yet again. It's time to let this young man play the minutes he's earning: he's not being force-fed minutes any more, he's out there playing well.

[Peter]

GREAT NEWS!!!!
http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/article/753111--carry-on-bag-allowed-again-on-u-s-flights?bn=1

Blogger's note: As I found out minutes after having to check what would have normally been a carry-on.

[Lawrs]

People are still debating that we should have selected Jennings?

[Andrew R]

I'm glad that Jose and Jarrett weren't on the floor together last night at the end of the game, but here's the thing: Jack was playing great when Jay took him out for a breather. Jack was making his shots, playing great defence, making good decisions with the ball. Jose comes in and he plays well too, but gives up a key basket by over-playing West on the baseline (I admit, a mistake Jack could've easily made) and his shooting was cold. From what I saw, Jack was just playing better than Jose and by that standard alone, Jay should decide who's in at the end of games.

[SS]

Wow Doug, I'm surprised you made no mention of Turk and his dud of a performance. I really don't know what's going on with this guy. If he had scored 10 points just 10, we would have one the game. Man I'm sure hoping we didn't make a mistake and Turk comes around cause honestly if he can, we would be a very good team.

[John MacDonald]

Hey Doug,

Do you think if the GM had his time back he would have used his cap space a bit better than spending big money on Turk? Hedo just seems to be a complete bust and I was actually glad when he got two quick fouls because his defense sucks when his offense isn't working, which means 80% of the time his defense sucks. Something else I don't think I have seen mentioned is the drop in free throw % from Jose. What's up with that?

[Manny]

Hey Doug,

No doubt a loss is a loss but i can live with last night because i felt they fought and stayed with the Cavaliers and were only down 4 with less than 2 minutes left. Certainly it was disappointing they didn't capitalize on their free throws and the tons of open looks they got.. If they make even half of those missed free throws and open looks, they win. Another opportunity lost was they stopped going to the basket as they were getting calls most of the night every time they drove.. to the point that both Shaq and Verajao were in foul trouble.

Do you think DeRozan's recent improved play and willingness to drive to the basket is warrant enough for him to get more playing time? Specifically last night's game in the 4th quarter when the Raps relied heavily on their jump shot rather than drive to the basket.

[Chops]

This is how Sonny hurt his ribs last night

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xEtoGNvZwt4

[Anthony]

Tough loss but yes another consistent effort at least, if a couple of those shots dropped or a couple turnovers didn't happen we could have been on the winning side of that one.
Pumped for Fridays game and I expect us to throttle the bucks at home, I'll be sitting in row 3!!!

[J.R.]

Doug - Any opinion on the officiating last night?

I normally do not bring this up, but I found the officiating to be horrible last night. I could understand how the Raps - particularly Wright - were getting frustrated. I'm all for an aggressive ball game but you can't penalize one team for it and not the other.

Blogger's note: No, not really.

[bri]

Line ups in the airport?

With all the flying you do, I'm surprised your travel situations arn't akin to George Clooney's in Up In Air!

[Pipit]

I'm just wondering Doug that there is no "significant" mention from you on how Hedo is extremely struggling since the start of the season. We're already past halfway and we're still waiting for him to give out a consistent effort every game. This is not a trend anymore and now is a norm. I know how huge his contract is but I guess its time for the coaching staff to limit his minutes because he's more on hurting the team that helping it. We already know that we can't rely on him on defense but we are expecting that he will compensate that with offense and playmaking abilities. It has a been a no show every game. He's even criticizing the coaching staff about his role. Are there any major buzz about on how management will handle this Hedo situation?

Blogger's note: He hasn't been good, a fact oft-noted; but a "no show every game?" A stretch. I was standing there the day you suggest he was "criticizing the coaching staff" and you're over-stating it. A lot. It was more self-critical than anything.
No buzz, much to your chagrin I'm sure

[kelsey]

Good day Doug,

I have to say enjoying play of the starting line up minus Hedo. I was very critical of Bargnani at begining of year on defensive side. He has been much improved. DeRozan playing nice, like Jarret attack mode Bosh solid. Hedo, just not a good fit so far all year. We cant sugar coat this. His defense and offense are of sub par bench player. Realistically we know Colangelo cant move him, unless some complete sucker GM (like a Babcock) offers to pick him up. Honestly Im sure how many games he has really helped Toronto win. Very disapointing. They should take that pizza commerical off air, I think it bothers many fans (yes coach, ya ya ya)

[Tiger]

Very strange game, at least as seen from this couch.
Both teams seemed to play hard, but both lacked that extra something, Cavs couldn't quite put the Raps away, Raps couldn't quite catch up.
Neither offense looked to be working smoothly, yet both reached triple-digits.
LBJ dominated the ball and always looked dangerous, yet missed more than he hit.
One stat that isn't kept (at NBA.com) and didn't get any mention was the "made-and-ones" the Raps gave the Cavs but didn't earn for themselves. Granted, tying up a stampeding LBJ or Shaq is a daunting task, but a silly slap after the fact is, well, silly. Toss in their own missed free throws and two dumb techs, right there you have enough of those little things that might have made the game much different going into the last 5 minutes.
(As if the game were that simple.)
And so it's onward to a place where 6 weeks ago they got slaughtered by a less than mediocre team, also a second game of a back-to-back. "Measuring-stick game", "should-win game", "must-win game" and "trap game" all come to my alleged mind.
At least we won't see Roko run wild all over them again, ain't that a good start? :)

[Lawgman]

On the radio this morning Jay indicated that both Jose and Bargs suffered some injuries last night. Any word on what happend and if they will be playing tonight?

Blogger's note: Little bumps, getting treatment right now, we'll see tonight

[Pete]

Hope you have a Nexus pass for all the cross border travelling. That would at least cut down a few lines.

BTW - I think "Horn's Up" sounds a lot better than shouting out "Boom Boom". I'd feel like I was Fred Flinstone shouting that.

[Phil A]

Am I the only one that gets overly excited everytime DeRozan touches the ball? The guy has so much potential and he's really starting to make all the right decisions and even his defence is solid. Another very efficient game last night.

[Steve]

"I was afraid to walk by (the Cavaliers) – they might call a foul," said Turkoglu. "So I tried to sit next to the coaches, so I wouldn't get too many fouls."

Tells me all I need to know about Hedo. Yes his third foul was a cheap one but that's life, does he complain when he benefits from a cheap call?

I try not to get caught up in the antics of "trade ____, ____ is a bum" but that was a game they had a real chance of winning and while he wasn't the only one responsible for the loss, his attitude doesn't sit too well with me.

[O.J.]

Hedo is a vet. He's had half the year to get acclimated to the team and it hasn't happened. I don't like talking trade this early but why not consider trading Turk & a pick to one of those teams with no chance of making the playoffs (i.e. a Washington or a Detroit) for a Caron Butler or Tayshawn Prince? Both those teams need better play makers & they have to be in rebuild mode. If we were to acquire one of those two, consistent defenders and scorers at the 3, that would help us substantially. Also, although losing a pick hurts, it would show Bosh that we are serious about contending.

[Rob.V]

Duuude! My apologies for the late response - Condolences to you and the family!!

Re: The Hedo signing.

What goes missed is that Hedo, Howard, R.Lewis, and Jameer Nelson all played 3 + seasons together. They weren't always the juggernaut of last seasons Magic's team and Orlando (albeit with a pretty good record) is not a cohesive unit right now either with Vince replacing Hedo.

Point being - it's to early to tell if Hedo is (or not) a good fit for this club... it takes time!

As I see it, bringing Calderon off the bench has more to do with getting Hedo going (which has only been a handful of games now) than any Calderon/Jack controversy.

Let's give it until closer to the deadline before all the trade Hedo for VC rumours start to swirl.

[coachd]

I think that Jay needs to go of on the refs soon and probably pay a fine to the league. He needs to let them know that he's paying attention. It's time that the raps start getting those "benefit of the doubt" calls other teams seem to enjoy at their expense. The officiating the last couple of games has been brutal. You don't win or lose games because of officiating, but it sure does help.

[Sean]

Hahaha, I love the trade Turk ideas. Yeah, a team with no hope is going to add 40+ million in salary to get the Raptors non-lottery pick in 2011 (we already traded the 2010 pick). Oh, and they will do this for Caron Butler.

Hilarious.

I say give LA a call...Maybe we can move Turk for that Bryant prospect I hear so much about.

[Kol Nika]

Hey Doug,
Read Daves piece, and there is something in it about Wright saying something like "we took too many jump shots, and the coaches need to run more plays to the basket" (paraphrasing ofcourse). That sounds like Wright is blaming the coaches for them taking jump shots, which seems a bit ridiculous to me. Especially since I'm sure no one is happy when Wright takes a shot. Whats your take on his attitude?

Thanks,

[elwyn jennings]

since we've [almost] finished whipping jose, it's now hedo's turn. trade the bum. for gilbert arenas

trade bosh, too. he can't play d and he's not a go-to guy who will win us a championship. maybe we can get allen iverson??

triano didn't call a timeout before the opening tip, clearly that decision lost last night's game. trade triano for gilbert arenas! oops, sorry, he's already here. um...trade . ah, forget about trading triano, just fire his sorry ---.

colangelo didn't draft lebron so fire him, too.... unless you can trade him for stephon marbury. yes, that's it!

you see, now we got arenas [for smarts], iverson [for firepowered game-closer] and marbury [for all-around team player and current cosmopolitan polyglot]

pretty soon, nba championsip: how could our glorious and wondrous fans NOT deserve such fine players?!?!?!

now, if only we hadn't let joey graham slip out of our grasp...

[saatuk]

Today, again, there was no link from your blog to the chat. Could you perhaps speak to your tech people about that? Many of us have your blog bookmarked and go directly to it, expecting to find everything there.