Points to make, and Bosh's future laid out (and a chat change)

And so another week begins, an entirely quiet one, though.

Game tonight, nothing until Friday, a day off for the lads tomorrow following the back-to-back? Need to search recesses of the mind to fill those middle two days.

But as I do, you read this:

A late change:

We were originally planning a noon chat to set up the game but guess what? That's Damien's time, and I'd forgotten all about that, and since we need moderators and stuff, we'll push the Raptors one back until 1 p.m.

Sorry for the confusion.

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THREE POINTERS

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How about Hedo?

Yes, he was not good, although let’s say he passes up four assists to score on his own. Does 13 and 5 on a day when he missed a handful of shots he normally makes seem more palatable?

But, yes, he was not good and it was interesting to hear him talk after the game about his role and finding it and the desire to have the ball more often rather than run up and down the court as some spot-up wing man.

The thing is: He has done that on a couple of occasions and the simple fact is that every close game the Raps have been in this year, he’s been an integral part of the final possessions.

He missed the shot in Phoenix, a good shot he just didn’t make; he had the ball all the time in a Dec. 1 loss at home to Washington and couldn’t make a shot; he was handling to end the game in Philly the other night and he drilled a big shot in the overtime win in Washington in early December.

So, he’s getting it with the game on the line, they just have to figure out how to get him more involved more often earlier, I guess. Then, everyone’s happy.

The over-riding feeling I got yesterday afternoon was frustration, which isn’t surprising given the way the game – and his game – turned out.

I think maybe one answer is in the rotation. He’s always the first guy out of the game, usually around the five or six minute mark of the first quarter and maybe stretching him out two or three more minutes then will get him in an earlier flow and help ease his mind.

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A bad, bad whistle

I was talking to someone after the game whose opinion on NBA refereeing I respect more than anyone in the city; someone with no bias and a wealth of experience.

The verdict: Not a very good game from the guys with the whistles, for sure.

Yes, you all think – and I concurred on most occasions -- that the refs were too inconsistent, too many calls went Boston’s way and it was kind of interesting to have that point validated by someone who knows.

The may object of ire was Eric Lewis, who made a few odd calls, including a goofy on Chris Bosh for post defence on Kendrick Perkins that I’m still shaking my head about.

It will be of no consolation but the word is that Lewis is generally considered a pretty good ref who, obviously, had a very bad day.

Trouble is, it took away from what was a pretty good game, all in all.

And this will be of no consolation, either, but the NBA “grader” who was in the arena would have filed his report to the league last night and I’m sure Mr. Lewis would have come in for some criticism.

It won’t ease the angst but it’s all that can be done.

Overall, I’ve noticed a lot of slippage by the refs this year, lots of odd calls, wild bouts of inconsistency and they need to get that cleaned up.

I maintain that NBA refs have the hardest officiating job in sports, and I also maintain they are not as bad as you think.

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I’m sure you noticed …

That as the game wound down and it was close, Jay went away from Jarrett Jack and Jose Calderon at the same time, using Marco with Jack in the final five or six minutes.

Why? I will surmise, with some legitimacy having spoken to a few people privately after the game, that they thought Marco was having one of his better nights – he had made a couple of threes, was getting to the rim – and that he might have been better suited to chase Ray Allen around.

It didn’t portend things to come on a regular basis, I’m told.

They still like Jack-Calderon and I suspect we’ll see a bit of it tonight in Indy.

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Let’s get to other stuff:

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In another quirk of scheduling, I’m sitting out tonight in Indy (although I will be in New York on Friday, giving me the win for the week, I guess).

But that doesn’t mean the usual hijinks won’t occur.

We’ll be here to chat at noon 1 p.m. for an hour or so and back at 7 p.m. for the in-game blog.

And, not to worry, I’ll be back out doing a huge chunk of travel in the next little while, which means more access, maybe more nuggets and that Super Family won’t have the Dad Distraction to contend with.

Trust me, after a week or so at home, they’re wondering when the next road trip is, too.

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I’m going to start this now, get it out of the way before the end of the week arrives: The New York Knicks will want Chris Bosh this summer.

They have money to spend on the free agent, they have “targeted” him (whatever the heck that means) and they are a below average team playing in a large media market.

So when the breathless headlines hit on Thursday or Friday and I yawn you’ll know why. Been there, done that.

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In Boston, once you get past the Patriot obits, here’s what the story said in the Herald.

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Speaking of Bosh and New York and the somewhat, ah, ravenous media in the Gotham, here’s a story you might want to take to heart:

(I may very well have told it here before but I’m sure it’s new to some of you.)

It’s 2004, doing the Pistons-Lakers final, an off-day in Detroit and Mehmet Okur, then with the Pistons, was to be one of the intriguing free agents that summer.

It’s the first of two off-days, a fellow from the New York Post, a Mr. Berman, it was, is chatting up Okur.

The next day, it’s not exactly a back page headline but the story stays Okur wants to be in New York the next year, or something just as strong.

We get our friends in the Pistons PR department – and that’s a fine group of gentleman – to ask Mehmet about the apparent scoop he’s given the Post.

Says Okur:

“He ask me if I like New York. I say yes, he make me Knick.”

I offer that only as a cautionary tale for what you might read this week.

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As Mike Wells points out here (You remember Mike? He’s kind of a regular here) things are not going swimmingly for the Indiana Pacers.

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All right, I see coasting and chilling and a quad vente latte from the Starbucks To The Stars in my immediate future. Best get at it.

See you at noon 1.

Comments

[Penny]

Doug, After the horrendous starts by the Raptors the last 2 or 3 games (when was the last time we were ahead after the first quarter) do you think it's time for Jose to get his starting job back? I was very disappointed that the first offensive set of the game and again in the third quarter was Jack shooting 3's. He seems to make his 3's when it's a pass from Hedo and he's shooting from the corner, not when he simply comes down and shoots. We need to get Bosh involved a lot earlier in the games and Jose is great at doing that.

[JT29]

I'm 100% convinced that Bosh leaves the Raptors after this season. Where he goes, I'm not sure, although there may have been a reason why the Knicks only signed Lee to a 1 year deal (he plays the same position as Bosh so let the rumours begin!).
Doug, you cover the Raps and are with the team basically on a daily basis. I'm sure you can sense the longing that Bosh has to make a huge name for himself and be considered one of the best players in the NBA or at the very least, have his name mentioned more consistently with the draft class of LeBron, Dwayne, and Carmelo. Unfortunately, he won't get that notoriety playing in Toronto.

[GrayZ]

Doug, you got on the fans yesterday in your in game blog about booing the raptors after they gave up the early 10-0 nothing lead. Fast forward to the end of the game, and the raptors were never able to overcome the deficit. I wasn't at the arena, or booing, but it was clear to me and the booing fans that the raptors had given the game away.

If booing isn't the right reaction, what is? Should they chant 'defense' instead?

[George]

I know you don't like talking about rumours but did you ask around about the Bosh for Bynum rumour? I personally don't think that it makes a lot of sense for the Lakers as they would be pretty hard pressed to keep him next year unless they package out some of their existing salary. And also can you envision a Bosh-Gasol frontcourt?

Blogger's note: No, I didn't ask. I don't have time to waste on crap like that

[DougG]

In the past 2 or 3 weeks the so-called "legitimate" press has had Bosh traded to Cleveland, for what I don't know other than the fact that it wasn't James, to Chicago, for Tyrus Thomas, and to LA for Andrew Bynum. We might as well add New York to the mix because as all of these fact checking mavens have argued, there is absolutely no way Bosh would ever sign in Toronto. My guess is the other assumption they are making is that Brian Colangelo has been living on nothing but stupid pills since he came to Canada.

[Williambuck]

Loved your piece on the pick and roll.I think that there is a large group of people that have never watched the game anywhere but on TV. With televisions focus on the action and flow of the game it must be hard to for people to understand how different offence, defence,inbound,presses etc.. are run if you don't already have some knowledge of the game.Thanks for helping to educate and entertain, looking forward to more.

[JM]

Hi Doug
Regarding Hedo's comments yesterday: How serious is this? One of the other fish wraps has his frustration as a headline while you have it in a blog post. Minor irritation or brewing problem? It's often tough to tell when the comments aren't heard in context. Thanks!

Blogger's note: I heard them and treated them as I thought they should be treated.

[Travis]

Doug - any thoughts on the Raptors sideline yesterday about putting Bosh out on Wallace and Bargnani on Perkins? I was at the game, and seemed like it would have worked out better - Bosh is more mobile than Bargs, and seems to get 'lost' less... which was the main issue Wallace was getting a lot of open looks. Perkins is slower than Howard or Duncan, which Bargs showed he could man up on.

Blogger's note: I don't know, I didn't ask

[fg]

someone please post what Turks comments were,
I have missed thanks raps fans and doug

[Fred]

if Bosh doesn't re-sign, do you think Colangelo's days are numbered?

Blogger's note: No, not necessarily

[SkyJ]

In response to GrayZ's comment: Personally, I think it's a lot more productive to cheer or encourage your team when the going's rough rather than booing, which would only seem to make players press and play tight. To steal Doug's analogy, imagine your own work environment. Would you rather have someone constantly berating you and telling you you suck at your job when you're in a rough patch, or encouraging you to do better? I'll take the latter, thanks.

[Michel G]

The second best basketball player on the Raps is Jose Calderon and he's now a back-up. Hedo's not the only one who's role has changed. You're not in Orlando anymore Hedo, so move on. Thank God it's 2010 and this media-fueled insanity regarding the upcoming free agent class is almost over. I think all the major players will remain with their current teams (including Bosh), so those second tier free agents are really going to cash in.

[Jeff D]

Jim,
We're all still waiting for your Jose analysis from the Celtics game.

[S. Charles]

Enough gnashing of teeth over Hedo, people. The Raptors got him to be a big game, playoff player. His history has been to be that type of player. Spends most of the season mediocre at best, but excels in the spring. For some players, it's not that they're not trying earlier, it's just that they have the ability to focus at a higher level (get in the Zone), when the big pressure is on. Right now, what we want from Hedo is for him to continue getting into game shape without getting hurt.

Looking at the schedule, it seems likely that the Raptor's season will be defined by the first three weeks in March. Starting Feb. 28, the Raps have a really tough 10 game stretch. I expect how this team turns out will be determined in that stretch. 5-5 or less over that set, and we play out the season where most people expected them (42-45 wins), and bow out meekly in the first round. A winning record, and we start shooting for 50 wins, and hope, just hope, for a 2nd round series.

Doug, would you rate the chance's of the Raptors making 50 wins at about 10-90, or are willing to improve those odds yet?

Given Mr. Colangelo's history, you have to expect another move sometime soon, but I would argue that Evan's coming back is that 'key addition' they may need. Mr. Smith, could you envision Reggie taking away Some (and thus most) of Wrights minutes? It would result in a very large (and slow) frontcourt, but in certain matchups it would certainly result in an interesting look. A strong 3pt. shooting team might tear them apart, but four 6'10"er's on the floor would result in a lot of mismatch's offensively. I'd think a rotation of Johnson, Turk and Bosh and Bargnani, would be they only rotation that works, using Evan's more traditionaly. Evans is too weak offensively to capitalize on the mismatch.

Thankyou for your time,

Blogger's note: Quick answers because this really isn't the place:
50 wins means going 31-13. No
Reggie as a 3? No, can't ever imagine it.

[Mike kovacs]

I wasn't at the game nor could I watch it but I'm sure they cheered when they got their pizza.

[Greg]

it is a bit ridiculous to boo the team 93 seconds into the first quarter because they start by giving up ten points. This while the team is on a 3 game winning streak. These same ones will boo a winning team because they do not score 100 points to give a free pizza.

Teams that play in front of fans that break easily tend to not be their best at home, because when they are losing the team thats beating them plus the fans are on them. What more motivation does a road team need. This is the case with New York teams especially (except the yankees where if they suck the fans just don't show).

Sometimes boos are warranted but very rarely and not yesterday.

[Mike kovacs]

I just read from NBA.com that Tony Parker is tired and may not play for France this summer. I forget, is France in Canada's group?

Blogger's note: They are, yes

[Fritz]

Hi Doug,
Turk is going through a bad patch at the moment just like most of the team, with the possible exception of Bosh, has done at some point this season. It happens.
The trade deadline is Feb. 18th? and if you look at the schedule until then the Raps play only 3 teams with winning records over 15 games they play. Therefore they should be at least six games over 500 and solidly in 5th place in the standings.
As well Reggie Evans will be back and the teams future will look a lot better than it does now. That's one of the main considerations we should think about what when the trading Bosh rumors come along.
I loved your weekend piece on the pick & roll and think it might be an excellent feature for your blog to do more explanations (with charts & video if possible) of other plays and tactics the Raptors use in their games. For example contrasting man to man vs zone defense or pick & roll vs a screen as related to some play in a game just played. I know many basketball "experts" on the blog will find this unnecessary but basketball is a very nuanced game to watch and understand properly. Just a thought.

[Greg]

I believe this raptors team with their current squad, can be a very strong team in the coming years. It reminds me of the Magic when they were up and coming 3/4 years ago. It seems very hard to keep a lot of upcoming individual talent on one team hence the problem the Magic appear to have now.

Doug, my question is, do you see problems in the future keeping this squad together and happy, particularly the backups, Jack, Belinelli,Wright,Amir,Reggie (assuming the raptors manage to keep their 5 current starters , 3 of who are in long term contracts)

Blogger's note: Can't even guess

[Peter]

Damien's time? The Pucks win again? How many visitor's do you need to your blog to ensure we get prime time? Is that how it works, or is it just that the pucks are still the main focus of the sports department?

Blogger's note: Nah, we've switched between noon and 1 often; it's the traditional pucks time, no biggie here.

[TMF]

Doug,

Would you say that Hedo's comically terrible pizza commercial is actually an accurate portrayal of his intensity level at all times?

[Aditya]

Doug - any thoughts on the Raptors sideline yesterday about putting Bosh out on Wallace and Bargnani on Perkins? I was at the game, and seemed like it would have worked out better - Bosh is more mobile than Bargs, and seems to get 'lost' less... which was the main issue Wallace was getting a lot of open looks. Perkins is slower than Howard or Duncan, which Bargs showed he could man up on.
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+1
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I must say some of Jay's decisions are not irking me, but bothering me nonetheless...How do you not use Bosh on Wallace....Did you see how many offensive boards Perkins had,....With all the talk about Bosh's "new body", he doesn't seem to use it too well on defence

[Johnn19]

Boston 114 Toronto 107

Rajon Rondo, 13 ast, 22 pts, 10 rbs, 4 stls game is the reason the Celtics won, not Wallace.

Questions :
Where was our great defensive starting point guard in this game ???
Why is he not being killed the way Calderon would be if he was starting against Rondo's game ???

[Paul]

Time to put Jose back in as a starter, if for no other reason than to give Jack a much-needed boot in the arse. Moreover, though, Jose is a far superior ball-handler and the offense is better with him in with the starters.

Bargs looks pretty good when Bosh is on the bench and he's the go-to guy... put a pure rebounder in the other big spot (Reggie, Amir), and it's a pretty effective frontcourt.

Doug - how are the coaches viewing Weems these days? As an observer from the stands (tv), it seems his impact on the court is pretty minimal lately.

[Vincent Lam]

Public Enemy made me aware of this back in 1991, but why does anyone take the New York Post seriously? I don't think their track record is very good. Whenever I hear of trade rumours or news from them I consider the source and dismiss it. I have to give it to them though. They're very good at getting their name out there.