Reggie and missing jumpers and tiny crowds

Sure, two overtimes is really nice, lots of extra basketball but I’m still a proponent of sudden-death or a free throw shooting contest to decide tied pre-season games.

Anyway …

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THREE POINTERS

A Change In Reggie

It was really early in the game, maybe the second or third possession, right in front of the Raptors bench.

Reggie grabs an offensive rebound right under the basket and Jay’s up immediately yelling “get it out, get it out.” Now, last season, Reggie might have been oblivious and could very well have tried to bull his way to the rim for a shot.

This time? He did indeed kick it out, to DeMar DeRozan who drove the baseline, scored and was fouled.

Not a huge thing at all but a slight realization of what Evans is on the floor to do, get the ball and get rid of it.

Now, Reggie as a starter.

It could very well be a case of the lesser of two, or even three, evils but I do think more than a few people with titles and decision-making responsibilities are leaning that way right now.

The thing is, one of the alternatives (Amir Johnson) still has that ugly tendency to foul, which would stress out the bench if he has to come out with two personals after, say, four possessions, and there is a school of thought that the energy he brings off the bench is significant.

And as much as some of you love Joey Dorsey (hi, Mike!) the coaches don’t quite share your, um, enthusiasm. David Andersen? Poor interior defender, a non-starter.

So, it might be as much as a default position as anything, but that’s the way they’re leaning right now and it was good to see Evans might be grasping a little more of what they need him to do.

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See The Play?

For all those “they don’t have any offensive stuff in for Andrea and how are they going to get him going if they don’t run any plays for him” we bring you:

Elbow.

Saw it a couple of times last night, mostly after timeouts and on the scripted first possession, but there is a set being worked out where Bargnani gets the ball at the elbow, they run a few off-the-ball screens and try to create some space for him.

Now, it’d be nice if they had a bit more time to work on it, and if Bargnani could figure out that one-dribble pull-up jumper that’s been so effective that’d be nice but there is stuff afoot.

Oh, and you know me and projecting numbers and how it’s not something I like to do? Well, Jay seems to have no worries, as we found out when someone asked him pre-game if he was worried about the big man.  

“Not at all. It’s not like he lost the jump shot overnight or he lost his ability to score the basketball. He’s proven he can do that. I think it’s just a matter of him acclimatizing himself with new guys, (and) a completely different offence from what we’ve done in the past that’s been put in place for a specific reason. We just want him to keep continually work on rebounding and playing defence.

 

“I have no doubt that he can score between 17 and 25 points a game; but that’s what he did last year and we didn’t make the playoffs.”

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And Then There’s This

This probably isn’t a talented enough team to blow many opponents out and the fact they’re shooting 65.5 per cent as a team from the free throw line and missed 19 foul shots against the Sixers has to be, um, troubling.

And the DeRozan miss with less than two seconds left in the first overtime that would have won the game really put a damper on the night for those of us on deadline.

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And now …

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So, what’s new around the arena?

Not a heckuva lot, actually.

They put new carpeting down at the entrance to the suites and Platinum Club and it looks okay; they’ve also put new carpeting down right outside the swanky Board of Directors Lounge and it’s a mismash of grey and white and black rectangles that’s either going to cause vertigo or remind some of what they might see at a Glo In The Dark miniputt joint. My guess? It’s gone by opening night.

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Let’s get one out of the early mail:  

Q: Speaking of Gilbert and the Wizards... I read on NBA.com that they Washington is considering changing their name back to the bullets. A connection was made in the brief announcement regarding the irony of that. Would that not be an awful PR decision for the team considering Gilbert's antics last year? Gilbert also changed his number to 9... Tell me the gun he was wielding wasn't a 9mm.

 

Chris M, Peterborough

A: That, in my opinion, would be a terrible move and dishonour the memory of Abe Pollin, who made the change from Bullets for good reason. And I would presume – and hope – the league would share my view, regardless of the presence of Arenas on the roster.

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Yes, that was the longest pre-season game ever for this franchise.

Only once before – a 107-105 win over New Jersey here in 2005 – had they even played one extra period.

They’d never gone two.

And, truth be told, if Lou Williams makes that ridiculously wide open three in the corner at the end of the second OT to force a third, there would have been some hugely disgruntled people.

Not the fans, because I think it was probably an entertaining game to watch, but the coaches, who still don’t want to stretch out their players too much.

Even with a game in the balance, Jay admitted after that workload had at least as much to do with who was on the floor as strategy did.  

 

“I didn’t want guys playing 10 straight (overtime) minutes.”

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Oh yeah, in the real estate battle for newcomers, Leandro Barbosa seems to have won. He got Chris Bosh’s old digs just inside the locker room and there’s room to expand to a second stall if the Raptors do the expected and waive Ronald Dupree.

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I think the most outlandish number of the night might have been 12.078.

That was the announced attendance and I’m wondering if they didn’t count legs instead of heads.

Anyway, a couple of us were chatting courtside about bad pre-season crowds and it was brought up that the smallest ever in Toronto was 9,346 for a game against Minnesota in 2001.

Odd, really, given that the team was actually pretty good back then and would usually draw sellout crowds.

Then it hit me. It was a late addition to the pre-season because that year we were supposed to go to Germany but the trip got cancelled after 9/11.

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Mail? Sure. I can handle more.

Thanks, just do the usual here.

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Comments

[Chris]

"...I’m wondering if they didn’t count legs instead of heads."

Well played, sir.

[Mike]

It is better at this point for Evans to start.

Evans is a career 19 mpg guy.

I don't expect him to play much more than that this season.

Johnson will always be a high foul guy,

However at this point 25 mpg is not an unreasonable expectation for him.

[Derek]

Hey Doug,
I was at the game last night and got to witness the action firsthand.

I'm definitely nervous about the free throw shooting last night. That was one of our strengths for the last few years, and even guys who typically do well (or at least "average" were pretty ugly at the line last night). That will definitely cost us alot of games if it doesn't improve.

Also concerned that guys like Weems, DeRozan and Calderone seemed to be missing alot of wide-open jump shots from short range that they were making with frequency last year. Hopefully just an "off night".

With regards to Bargnani - something definitely seems "amiss" to me. I saw him miss alot of shots last night that he usually makes in his sleep (some missed rather badly). He just seemed to look very uncomfortable with the ball in his hands - quite a few times when he tried to penetrate, it was knocked away rather easily by the defenders.

It got me to wondering - for the last couple of years, each off-season (this past one included) Bargnani has bulked up significantly. Generally, you consider that to be a good thing - allowing him to better endure the pounding of a full season, battle down low with the big guys, etc. Except for the fact that Bargnani doesn't "battle down low" - at least, not with any frequency.

Bargs is often compared to Dirk - and Dirk has remained rather "slim" throughout his career, and never bulked up. In their desire to make Bargs a more traditional center, due to his height, is there a risk sometimes that by dramatically altering a players physique, that it can affect their game (specifically their shooting touch)?

We've seen it in sports like golf, where players gaining/losing weight, or bulking up (see David Duval) can affect their swing. I know it didn't seem to affect Bargs last year, but have you ever seen a situation where a guy who's more of a finesse player (and lets face it - that's what Bargnani is) is adversely affected by bulking up too much?

[AT]

Doug,
What is MLSE thinking when they charge so much for pre-season games? Why not charge less and have the money go to charity or even charge less so those that can't afford real game tickets get a chance to see a game? They could have filled the place for the right price.
When do we hear your prediction on the number of wins for this team?

Blogger's note: Don't know if you ever will but it won't be before the final couple of days before the season starts at the earliest. Total guesswork really isn't my bag.

[John]

""...I’m wondering if they didn’t count legs instead of heads."

Well played, sir"

lol yes indeed

[pk]

I think Amir is at best a JYD. I remember back in the days when JYD was like the 7th or 8th guy off the bench when Lenny was around. They were pretty darn good back then. Now we have a guy like JYD being mixed in a starting gig conversation. *sigh*
I also think that Jack definitely is better than Jose after watching last night's performance. Jose's merits over Jack was his passing and shooting - which Jack seems to do a good enough job now. Jose can lead the 2nd tiers with his experience.
Jack, DD, Kleiza, Reggie, Bargs
Jose, Barbo, Weems, Amir, Anderson

[prez]

When is someone going yo give Amir his just do. Once again talk talk talk about Reggie n Amir out playss him back to back n leads the team in offensive boards as well as total boards in less time n yup is scoring in double figures in limited minutes, sure he still is making bad fouls which most of them are him trying to block someones man who has been beaten n is going to hoop untouched except for AMir. Give him the starting position n 26 plus minutes maybe beven 30 n this guy will give u fouble doubles everynight as well as more blocks than snyone on the team he's allowed 6 fouls a game so let him have them all

[Mike D.]

Hmmm.....first Hoffa bombs and now the coaches don't share my enthusiasm for The Man Who Rhymes With Horsey......I'm starting to question my biceps-focused approach to evaluating basketball talent.

[Travis]

Hi Doug - watched the game last night, much more interesting than the usual pre-season activity. Funny you mention the wide open 3 at the end of regulation - Elton Brand set one of the dirtiest screens I have ever seen in the NBA on Barbosa on that play; a full 2 step lunge into him on an awkward angle. I'm surprised an NBA vet would do that to another NBA vet in the pre-season... any words exchanged or comments made courtside? Barbosa looked to give him a 'come on man' sort of look, but then the cameras cut away. See you Friday!

Blogger's note: No comments that I heard but I do know for a fact a few people connected with the team noticed and will remember

[Johnn19]

Reggie Evans as a starter:
His most effective game a a Raptor, with 3/3FG, 7pts, 1/2FT's, 5rbs, 3stls, and 2 blks, in 26:39 mins. If he can be that effective I can see him starting until Ed Davis is ready to play minutes. The only drawback is he does not cause enough of a scoring threat, and allows Bargnani to be doubled more.

[doug]

I remember last year in the playoffs and you did your in-game thingie during a couple Suns games..I remember you commenting and me agreeing 100% that Barbosa was just a shell of a player he once was, as he was then....either that wrist injury must have been worse then he was letting on or he was a extremely unhappy camper as so far this pre-season he's been something else, slashing, shooting, leading the attack...could be a heckuva pick-up by BC,,,imagine this roster with Chandler in there, kicks Bargs back to his natural position, Kleiza and the other pieces...we need a center, as it would make the dominoes fall as they should....Calderon is expendable now, Banks contract is a bargaining chip here's hoping BC finds a serviceable big man somewhere, somehow....

[James]

Arrrrggg. That was tough to watch. It was reminscent of last season in terms of defensive rebounding: the raps give up way too many ssecond chance opportunities. Especially on those long rebounds that clang off the back iron. Yes, they are playing notably better defense, the switches look good, but what good is it when you just give them the ball back off a hard clanker.

Arggggg. Triano: do something about this epidemic.

[kelsey]

Win is always good even if in pre season,

Reggie must be the starter. As long as he doesnt think he needs to be a scorer. Guys got to make there free throws as this team can not afford to slip in any area.

I will not beat Bargnani to the ground as I dont expect anything from him, so any little bit he gives is good. I must say he doesnt look like he has any "mojo". Forget trying to make him a centre it will never happen. leave him on the 3pt line and let other 4 players look to rebound.

Barbosa is explosive and he seems to be getting at least 5rbs a game which is good. This team will have to rebound by commitee...Raptors lucky 76ers cant hit the 3pt shot, Im glad Toronto got ride of Kapono, he has faded!!

[pain777pas]

Game could have went either way last night. Iggy didn't play much as well. As usual Barbosa is showing that he is worth the money. I don't know what to say about this team yet. I really need a larger sample. Rebounding was good. Everybody chipped in. If Jack helps out on the boards as he did tonight with Andrea, Johnson and Evans being able to be COUNTED ON to grab boards, they should be respectible. Who is a starter on this team though? The coaching will have to be exceptional to win games. Larry Brown type coaching is going to be the only way they win. What I mean is he can litteraly affect games by his knowledge of the game. Controlling the flow. Driving star players insane at the triple and double teams ala Riley vs. Jordan. Jay really has a great player in Barbosa who can get quick buckets out of a time out or buy just going hard to the rim. He will save the Raptors on some nights from getting killed. Doug, what's the word on Ed Davis and when will he be ready to play? He might be the missing link.

Blogger's note: Davis is weeks away

[capt kirk]

Eh Doug, now that half the preseason is gone will we be seeing a definitive back court rotation? Who will be the first wing and point off the bench?

Blogger's note: My educated guess right now is Barbosa/Weems and Jack

[Van Nostren]

Aftering watching the game last every minute of it - Doug forgot to mention this....Jarrett Jack left the game in the 3rd quarter with leading (as the PG) his team to a ten point lead. Enetr Calderon exit Jack (never to return in regulation) - Calderon leads the team to deflating that ten point lead. Last play of the game, Calderon runs out of control in the corner and throws the ball away for a turn over, sending the game to OT. Enter Jack back in the game for OT - Raps gain the lead and eventually win.! Calderon sucks! How's the 9 million you fraud!

Blogger's note: He did that ALL BY HIMSELF????? My goodness gracious, how could we all have missed that. Unreal, isn't it? Such a one-man wrecking crew that an entire 10-point lead was blown ALL BY HIMSELF. Thank you, Dr. Auerbach, for pointing that out. I cannot believe EVERYONE MISSED IT.
Yeesh.

[The J]

Washington Bullets would be a particularly bad name in a City that was once the murder capital. Of course the player formerly known as Agent 0 sure doesn't make that name go over any better. That being said the Wizards was never the best name either. But I'm not one to talk, I cheer for a team called the Raptors. Did anyone ever stop to think of how easily that name becomes the Craptors? I've spent my life hearing "you don't listen to rap music, you listen to crap music". Now I get "oh, so you're a Craptor fan". Unfortunately, this team does not defy that nickname very oftern.

[Boko]

Hi, Doug.

I'm guessing that you'd be a fan of my idea to go to what football does with tied games ... next point scored wins the game!

When Ed Davis comes back & is ready to play in the rotation, who's minutes ghet reeduced: Bargnani's, Johnson's or Evans' ?

Blogger's note: Not sure where the five or six minutes a rookie big might play will come from.

[Nilay]

Hey Doug how bout you give some props to Jarret Jack for playing the way he is and carrying this team on his back when he has to. We all know you have been on the Calderon band wagon.

[Van Nostren]

"Holly McKenzie: Leandro said he likes playing with Jack because "he's the point guard that really has a lot of patience...he reads the game really well." via Twitter.

Doug, I understand your man-love for Calderon but the proof is there for everyone (who wants to see it, they can). When you constantly remind us of how important the PG position is at running the team (Like a QB in football) then yes he is responsable for the deflating lead. It happens more then just last night. Do you wanna get technical and say other's contributed to the 10 point loss - then of coarse they did, that is obvisous. But, isn't it just funny how these same players who helped Calderon lose the lead (in your opinion)are the same players the helped Jack get the lead. So why do these players last year and so far this year play better with Jack??? That was the point! Jack makes his team better - Jose makes his team worse. It's a fact it happens every game, it show's on the floor and in the stats. You would see it if you would drop you altimate love for Jose and see him for what he is " an over paid low productive negative" to the Raps. It's not 2007/08 anymore Doug, Calderon is on the decline, that's why no other team wants him unless they have to take him to get something else.

Blogger's note: Yes, we get it. Jose sucks. Please move on to another hobby horse.

[Van Nostren]

"Hey Doug how bout you give some props to Jarret Jack for playing the way he is and carrying this team on his back when he has to. We all know you have been on the Calderon band wagon".....Thank you!!!!

Also - Wasn't the other players fault when Calderon threw away the ball on the last play last night?

Was it the other players fault that J Meeks - yeah you heard me J Meeks who played up against Jose on Philly's second unit out play Calderon? Was it the fault of the other players?? By Meeks, out scoring Jose and out rebounding him, stole more balls and being a +4. Meeks ZERO turn overs - Jose THREE turn overs. Was it the (Raps) players fault the J Meeks is better and outplayed Jose! Come on Doug, really!...

Blogger's note: Yeah, we get it. Jose sucks. Move on to another hobby horse, please

[Pipit]

Watching the game last night, its pretty evident that there's not a lot of people in attendance. Doug, is that a sign that the fans finally woke up and won't support any inferior product anymore. By the way Doug, do you know whose that obnoxious guy in the baseline every game whose wearing a turban?

Blogger's note: No, I think it's the first pre-season game on a midweek night against a dull opponent.

[Steph]

Funny stuff Mike D, funny stuff.

[Mark]

Thank you for mentioning the small preseason crowds. Toronto fans and media were quick to point out that Vancouver had a tough time getting people to come out to their preseason matchup with the Suns, and it's good to see them eat crow a bit. The Raptors are going to be a touch sell this year, especially if the Leafs have a return to relevance this year.

[Andrew Gregg]

Hi Doug:

I found myself glued to the screen last night during the OTs, then realized that I would've watched five donkeys run around the ACC as long as they were wearing Raps uniforms. I have officially swallowed the Kool-Aid...

AG, Toronto