Creative opportunities abound; and a look at some odd shots

It strikes me that there’s a great opportunity for the coaching staff to do something unique with this Raptors team.

For the first time maybe ever – and certainly in the most recent past – there is a level of versatility at two key positions that should allow them to be creative and stretch their imaginations.

I’m talking about Leandro Barbosa and Linas Kleiza, two very key components to whatever it is this team does this season.

I know Jay’s never had that kind of player at his disposal; it’ll be interesting to see if he can maximize the talents they have.

Barbosa becomes the quickest player Jay’s ever coached and has the ability to break down his man from the backcourt spot with pure speed, an attribute that neither Jose nor Jarrett possess. Think of Barbosa as a bigger, better T.J. Ford.

Jay’s already been talking about a lot of dribble-handoff stuff with Barbosa, I’m sure there’ll be some drive-and-kick action but there have to be many more ways to utilize his talents.

Kleiza? He’s big, strong, mobile and can play both forward positions, another kind of player Jay’s never had to coach.

Can he play Kleiza with Bargnani? Kleiza with Johnson? Or Johnson, Bargnani and Kleiza and put the Lithuanian on the block?

The possibilities really are endless and that’s got to be kind of exciting.

No idea how creative the staff will be but, who knows, it might be fun to watch.

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Speaking of Barbosa, as we seem to be a lot lately, I’m sure a lot of you noticed him wearing No. 28 at media day.

Well, don’t go rushing out to grab a jersey yet.

He doesn’t want the number, they’re trying to get it changed (I’m not sure to what, just something different) and they’re waiting to hear from the league.

Barbosa wore No. 10 in Phoenix, which is a non-starter here, but I hope they do something because No. 28 is a stupid number.

(Sorry all you No. 28s out there)

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Hmm.

Fooled a few people with the low talker-puffy shirt thing yesterday, I see by the e-mails.

Good for me.

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List time, sort of.

So, a Low Level Poobah and I were standing around watching the end of practice, when the players are doing shooting drills and over on the other side of the court, getting up some shots (regular ones, not like the ones detailed here).

He’s got a somewhat unorthodox shooting stroke, to say the least, and it leads LLB to ask, “Worst shooting form ever?”

Hmm.

Easy  

Shawn Marion

What the hell is that? Seriously.  

 

Marcus Camby

Let’s say “unfurl” rather than shoot.  

 

Acie Earl

Odd gait, odd stroke, odd fellow.  

 

Matt Bonner

Sacrilege, I know. But the over-the-shoulder heave isn’t in any textbooks.  

 

Leandro Barbosa

Why not add him?

I’m sure there are dozens more and that’s an entirely subjective list rattled off the top of the head.

Anyone got anything else?

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And I could use some early-week mail, thank you very much.

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A digression.

Hey, apparently Cito Gaston’s leaving the Jays?

That caught me by surprise.

(I keed, I keed).

Anyway, I have a wee bit of history with Cito, although it was a long time ago.

Way back in the day, I was something of a seamhead at The People’s Wire Service and did a whole lot of baseball in the ’92-’94 era. The first two years were a circus, team was great, media deluge every night, a lot of fun.

Not so much ’94, of course, with the lockout and canceling the World Series and the ridiculous idea to try to start the ’95 season with replacement players.

I did spring training in ’95, at least a little of it, and it was crazy. We’d go over to the local Dunedin High School where regular Jays were working out on their own (I still remember shagging BP fly balls in left field when they needed extra bodies) and we’d have to make obligatory trips to the minor league complex to see Cito, who was trying to manage the replacement team. It was odd, to say the least.

But some nights, a gaggle of grunts (hi, Bear; hi, Larry) would retire to Eddie’s, a Dunedin hot spot and every now and then Cito would walk in.

He was a good man, loved to talk, possessor of strong opinions but willing to engage in conversation.

Those were good nights and I came to quite like him.

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I don’t know if the folks who run Canada Basketball will read this (I certainly hope they will) but I’m going to offer this suggestion right now:

They have to re-up women’s coach Allison McNeill.

At the very, very least they have to give her a contract that covers next summer with an option for 2012 if they make the Olympics.

The over-riding impression I’ve got since the women’s worlds started – confirming what I’d thought through the years of doing stories on the team every now and then – is that she’s a motivator, tactician and entirely dedicated to the program.

And you cannot argue with her success. This is the second straight time Canada’s been to the worlds after a 12-year absence; they have a chance to improve on the 10th place finish of four years ago and the team is young and improving.

Makes no sense, none, to make a change now.

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Who knew Michael Bolton could be so bitter?

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We know there’s some competition for starting spots with this group and it is early days but Jay did give a bit of a hint which way he’s leaning after practice Tuesday morning.  

 

“I would think that Kleiza’s probably not as cemented in as Andrea … (but) we have a pretty good idea of where we want to go.”

That would be as I kind of expected all along, that Kleiza would be one of the starters.

 

 

 

Comments

[tdotkid]

Hi Doug,

Not sure if you were looking for active players or not, but Bill Cartwright had a pretty ugly shot too if I remember correctly. Thoughts?

[VikZ]

"So, a Low Level Poobah and I were standing around watching the end of practice, when the players are doing shooting drills and over on the other side of the court, getting up some shots (regular ones, not like the ones detailed here).

He’s got a somewhat unorthodox shooting stroke, to say the least, and it leads LLB to ask, “Worst shooting form ever?”"

Hey Doug, might want to edit this because you don't have a name for 'he' to refer to. I read that over 5 times and still wasn't sure who you were talking about. It wasn't until I continued reading anyways did I realize you meant Barbosa

[CARLoS M,.]

I wonder how LLP feels about being called a "Low Level Poobah"?

[Tom]

I don't know if this is a typo or not, maybe I don't know the lingo but did you mean "snagging BP fly balls" for the team not "Shagging BP fly balls"? I have to admit it did make me giggle.

Cheers

Blogger's note: You "shag" fly balls, an old baseball saying.

[Trev]

Sorry, why is jersey #10 off limits? (I apologise if a stupid question)

Blogger's note: The DeRozan fellow wears it

[dave]

Weird shooting techniques:

Jamario Moon, Shaquille O'Neal

[sportsbabel]

I remember Acie Earl's jumpshot once referred to as looking like "a man falling out of a tree."

[Jon K.]

How about the big signing for Los Suns...Josh Childress for worst shot? I know he was never a Rap, but he's got to be mentioned.

[Shane]

Doug,

Speaking of jersey numbers, which one would be safe this year to buy a shirt for a child? I feel for all the parents who went out and wasted their money last year on a Turk shirt. BC seemed to mention that a trade will happen at some point this year and besides his #1 pick I do not think any other player is 'safe'.

[Edward Jones]

You could probably put Bill Cartwright in the conversation for strangest looking shot. But he was very effective with it (Career 77% FT and 52.5% FG)

[Anthony R]

Most unorthodox shot ever.....Bill Cartwright. Brought it up from his knees?!?!?! I won't even mention his free throws.

[Nick M]

Unorthodox shooting?

Bill Cartwright, Anthony Mason(one-handed free throw) and Clyde Drexler come to mind.

And of course Reggie Miller...

Not that there's anything wrong with it, though(in keeping with your puffy shirt theme)!!!

[Aneela]

I watched the Greece game yesterday, and the offense didn't help. If Team Canada had just ONE all star type player, they've would've won that game and the Belarus one as well in prelims. I was impressed with their defence. They shut down Greece and Greece only won because they had more points at the end of the game. It wasn't that they were superior or anything. Just points. Truly frustrating to see missed free throws, missed layups, etc. But I am still SO proud of the Canadian women. They definitely are improving every single day and I am thrilled for what Natalie Anchowa brings to the Canadian team from her college experiences at Notre Dame. Trust me, the women are getting better, and who knows in four years, the women could be competing for medals. As well, Allison McNeill is fantastic. I follow her on Twitter and I agree with all the points that you stated Doug. Let's hope Canada Basketball understands that. WE need dedicated staff in order to make our basketball program better.

[Nick M]

Blogger's note: You "shag" fly balls, an old baseball saying.

That may be so, but I think it's time to put that saying to bed?

Austin Powers will forever give that saying another meaning!

[Shawn]

Joakim Noah's shot is pretty hideous... but oh how i'd love to have him on the raps

[James]

Shaq freethrows are an adventure in themselves. Definitely superb-ish form. I like 28, what's wrong with 28. Tie Domi wore it?! Come on!

[pain777pas]

Reggie miller had a unique release and Rod Strickland aswell.

[Ryan]

Anthony Mason's shot was pretty funky, behind the head and all

[Lorie]

Hi Doug,
A question about Barbosa's number situation: does the league office approve the assignment of player numbers? And if so, why is that? (And would you describe your shooting form as "odd" or "even"?)

Blogger's note: They do approve but it's basically a rubber stamp and a way to exert a wee bit more control.
My shot: I'd describe it as "inaccurate."

[Matty-Pix]

Jermaine O'Neal has quite a strange release on his shot.

[Derek S]

Hi Doug,
Just wanted to give you a compliment. I was watching some stuff on the Raps channel last night, and caught a few of the players being interviewed during/after practice. Most of the media people were asking the same "fluff" questions: "Are you happy to be a Raptor", "Who will be a leader on this team", "How many wins will this team get", etc.

You were the one reporter who I heard that was actually asking intelligent, "basketball" questions (ie: asking Barbosa about Jay's comment regarding dribble hand-offs). Not only did I appreciate that as a fan, but it sure looked to me like the players were noticeably more comfortable answering those type of questions, as opposed to the "fluff" ones.

I'm a big fan of your blog, but just wanted to give you some kudos on your face-to-face reporting as well. Job well done.

[doug]

I always can remember George McGinnis's shot...a one handed type shot...he could score in his hey day but he really had no traditional jumper just the one handed jump shot...

[ChrisD1]

Doug - a bit off topic, but what do you expect out of VC this year. I have a feeling he's going for 24-5-4 and ends up signing a 3 year 35 million extension, then going back to his lethargic ways. Thoughts?

[Peter]

I've always felt that Derek Fisher's shot was a bit strange. Starts way behind his head. But no denying it goes in when it counts!

Thanks for the great blog doug!

[botaz]

i definitely remember Acie Earls' shooting form (if we want to call it form). He was a guest speaker at a basketball camp I went to and we were astonished to see how proficient he was in making near half court bank shots. It was something he practiced and apparently was the team champion based off the after practice informal shooting contests most teams engage in (usually some sort of wagers are involved).

At the time as a high school player I found it comical that he put so much time in to near half court bank shots when there were so many other areas of his game to work on.

On a side note that camp also had BJ Tyler as a guest speaker/instructor another year I was there and he discussed how everything went down with his leg injury. Basically he fell asleep while icing right after a pick up game at his old high school.

It does sound like Motley Crew of players at the camp but it was the early days of the Raptors and that's the talent they had to draw from.

Half court bank shots for a big man, still funny after all these years...