A glaring hole and other delightful items

Hmm. Kind of glum out there, isn’t it?

Now 1-7 carrying the baggage of a six-game losing streak and heading into Florida for back-to-backs in Orlando and Miami?

Oh yeah, this has got fun written all over it.

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THREE POINTERS

A major roster deficiency

We’ve alluded to it more than a few times since the season began and last night hammered it home again:

This team just doesn’t have a guy who can break his man down off the dribble when it’s most needed and no one has emerged with that skill.

And if no one does, I don’t see how they can win a close game other than by having the other team mess up.

The play in the final crucial possession was the kind of play they’re going to have to run, set a couple of screens for a point guard, hope he can get to the rim or hope that he can find someone open on the perimeter to knock down a shot.

Didn’t happen last night – Stephen Jackson played excellent defence on Bargnani – and it didn’t happen against the Knicks or the Kings, either.

And you can moan all you want about coaching and play-calling but Red Auerbach himself can magically turn someone into a great one-on-one player who can create havoc off the dribble.

Over to you, Mr. Colangelo.

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A nice little find

Necessity being the mother of invention and all, it’s got to be at least a bit pleasing to some that Julian Wright has responded as well as he has to the chance at some regular minutes.

Jay mentioned after the game that there are still some concerns with how he defends trying to trail guys around screens but I like Wright’s one-on-defence, his hustle, his length and his intensity.

But what’s it all mean for him in the long run?

Probably nothing.

Unless Bryan’s willing to move Sonny Weems in some transaction, I don’t see where Wright fits into the rotation other than as a solid, deep backup who only plays when injuries hit.

Too bad, ‘cause the guy’s growing on me.

And if he rocks the quasi-Slick Watts look with the headband, all the better.

Pretty up-to-date guy, too.

Before the game, he was wandering through the locker room whistling Christmas carols and when it was pointed out that it’s not something we’re used to hearing, he made the point that it’s post-Thanksgiving and therefore all right to be thinking Christmas.

Not bad, most players aren’t quite up to date with the difference in Thanksgiving dates.

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Three’s enough

Without David Andersen, Jay decided to not add a fourth guy to the rotation of bigs and I have no problem with it at all and think it’s something he should stick with more often than not.

Look at the numbers: Bargnani, 23 and 9 in 38 minutes.

Evans, 2 and 10 in 30 minutes.

Johnson, 16 and 9 in 28 minutes.

That’s pretty good production, no one really got stretched out minutes-wise and they all had good games.

There will be nights where foul trouble makes it necessary to go to Andersen but I feel pretty strongly that leaving it as a three-man gang whenever possible is the best thing to do.

Over to you, Mr. Triano.

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And in other items ...

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You know what the HOTH needed last night?

One of their point guards to have an other-worldly kind of night.

You look at that Charlotte team and it’s glaring deficiency is at the point where DJ Augustin’s a kid who may or may not be good and Shaun Livingston is an okay back who is one minor mis-step away from having his career end.

Trouble is, Jarrett had more turnovers than assists and while Jose had nine assists in less than 24 minutes, he did miss eight of nine shots.

And I’m not sure either of them did enough to make Larry Brown go, ‘oh, I’ve got to have that guy.’

The other side of the coin, of course, is what would they ever get from Charlotte in a deal.

No way the Bobcats are giving up Wallace or Jackson, Boris Diaw’s a tubby tweener who’s not appreciably better than anyone Toronto has and Tyrus Thomas shows up one night and not the next and after that, there’s not much.

Maybe Gerald Henderson’s an interesting player player but I’m not sure the Bobcats are interested in giving him up.

Trust me, there were people in the upper echelons of Rpatordom who hoped one of Jack or Calderon were outstanding just to pique the interest of the Bobcats; that didn’t happen and I don’t know if there’s a legit fit there anyway.

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Check out Stevie Boy’s photo bloggy thingy from last night.

Click right here and enjoy.

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Okay, I’m going to be on a plane or just landing on my Toronto-Dulles-Orlando journey about 11 a.m. today. Please be quiet for me for a minute, would you?

Thanks.

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Wild night?

I’d say.

A minor electrical fire on press row kind of jazzed up the first half. Seems a wonky outlet kind of burned and the smell kind of put a damper on the fun of watching the game for almost the entire second quarter.

We had a trade of PA announcers at halftime when Herbie Kuhn’s voice went and backup Mike Cvitkovic just happened to be in the arena.

And then I walked around the corner to go the media room at halftime and almost ran into The Chicken, who was holding an ice bag to his head. Guess he/she/it got a little cut after whacking the noggin on something sharp after a first half schtick moment.

Odd night indeed.

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Quickly from the mail:

Q: Hi Doug, I was intrigued by a comment in your recap of the Golden State game. You wrote "[i]n a season that has started about as badly as anyone connected with the team could have imagined, the Raptors are finding out all kinds of troubling things about themselves."

When the vast majority of NBA commentators forecast Toronto to be one of the worst teams in league, shouldn't management's expectation of something better raise a question about their objectivity and/or ability. This seems to be only the latest year where gaming, media, spectators suggest Toronto lacks credibility at many positions and is competitively challenged. Management then follows with public comments suggesting surprise/anger/hurt. Year after year though, the team more closely resembles the independent forecast than management's own.

Jeremy T, Toronto

A: Um, no, not at all. Management, players and coaches of every team in the league expect great things before a season begins. I don’t think anyone would, or should, expect someone closely associated to a team to say ‘we’re going to be bad’ before they’ve even played a game. Whether or not that optimism is misguided doesn’t really matter, I’d rather have them confident in their abilities rather than worried about failing.

But of course they’re not objective, they’re not supposed to be.

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I’d love to tell you what they wrote in Charlotte about that one but the Observer took a pass on the trip and relied on the wire services for game coverage.

Oh well.

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Want to get some mail in?

You know the drill.

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All right, long travel day ahead, not sure wireless issues anywhere I’ll be but I’ll get to the inevitable comments whenever I can.

 

 

Comments

[fg]

let me guess its just a game,
tell that to PEddie, tell that to MLSE and the hounds of money they are after, tell that to the people who get laid off,

if someone pays 10 dollars or 10000 do watch at game at the end of it , we are all shareholders of this team. we support our investment for growth and progress.
if you dont give it to us, then we demand change....

just cuase your a homer who works with mlse and the players everyday, buddy buddy and goes to games and travels for free, doesnt mean its just all fun and games.

[Jean-Marie]

I really think a comment mustn’t be just a chronicle. In a sense, it doesn't have only to report on what happened already, but most of all in trying to perceive and foresee what is going to happen. It's in this kind of vision that writers and posters like to enter the reigns of Possible or Probable, when they please to entertain themselves with the famous crystal ball and call, days later: "I said that! I've seen it already!"
That’s how you can feel to be perceived as an expert, not saying the things already visible for everyone. That's the pleasure of playing, we, the people that can't play on the ground and just a have a virtual sporting life as the chair-gm's, the chair-coaches, the chair-players even. That’s what we can do, here and there, in our offices! It’s not a job for us, it’s THE pleasure.
So, in November 2009 I posted: “If I had to make a change for the future, I'd rather have a new, young, strong point guard. THAT could be a difference maker. Excuse me, but I never thought DeMar DeRozan to be the best choice this year. With Tyreke Evans, Johnny Flynn, Ricky Rubio, Stephen Curry, Brandon Jennings, Eric Maynor, Ty Lawson etc etc gone drafted, maybe we should have fixed the PG spot somehow. But, in the end, is Brian Colangelo really aware of this weakness? Does he like what he sees?”
Forget about Ricky Rubio and just tell me: isn’t it a good - and lucky - type of foreseeing?

[Andre]

Sorry Doug,
I have to agree with the "Dave" guys post. What is the magic number? To be honest, if the raptors lose 10 straight, would you keep the coach around? I understand this team isnt talented, and theres not much to these players can do, but to lose so many in a row? there doesnt seem to be anything to look forward to, Ed Davis is still on the IL and Derozen is showing only shades of what he can do.

All you can look on is the Coach. They could have won 3 games, which I believe are more coach problems the exacution (excuse my spelling).

[Cluck Kent]

I didn't see the first half but I watched Bargs closely in the second and sure enough the Bobcats ran most of their offence through his defensive position and his defense was totally offensive. Whatever he did on offense in the first half was negated by his almost complete lack of D in the second.

Stats? Well, someone is going to score and someone is going to get some rebounds, they are NBA players after all. Look at Bosh - Superstar on this team but only average on a good team. I've never been a Barg Basher but seriously, I'm convinced he would get very little if any burn on a quality team.

And you know what? I want my team to win. It isn't enough that they field a team every game. I understand your need to be dispassionate about the Raptors even though you're a basketball fan. However, most of us aren't just basketball fans, we're Raptor fans and when they win we feel good and when they lose we feel bad. Perhaps if we got paid to watch the games we'd feel the same way you do, but we don't. Sure, some go overboard but most of us don't. We just want to see some wins.

After seeing how they've played the first 8 games, I don't believe now that they will get 20 wins this year. I think the best we can hope for out of this season is a top 3 pick and a little magic with the trade exemption at the end of the season.

[Mark]

Really, you think that's the glaring hole on this team? I thought it was the fact that our starting center doesn't rebound and has been called one of the worst help defenders in NBA history... but that's just me.

[Tree]

Sorry, but Bargnani did not have a good game. Looking purely at the stats, it doesn't look too bad. But, consider:

- Bargs scored 11 in the first quarter; 12 in quarters 2-4
- Bargs went 5-5 in the first quarter; 3-14 the rest of the way
- Bargs ahd 5 turnovers, including on the last play of the game where he wasn't paying attention to Charlotte's D

Given that these numbers came against one of the worst teams in the league, and given that for 75% of the game he was terrible, and given that his hot first quarter was negated by an even better first quarter by Wallace ... I fail to see how this was a 'good' game for him. Good stats on a terrible team are meaningless in the NBA. Would Bargs be the starting C on a contending team? Nope.

This roster is a disaster. I don't expect the playoffs, or even a fight for them, but I do want to see growth from 'key' guys like Bargs and DeRozan. I've been holding out hope for Bargs his entire career and expected good things from him this year, but expecting him to the the 'go-to' guy on a team is sheer folly. He's just Chris Bosh v2 (minus the rebounds). If the plan is to build around him, this franchised is toast for the next few years.

[zow]

I really like the effort of this team,it makes the games that much better to watch.Did we out rebound another team last nite? How many games is that for them? Is it more than all of last year?I am happy as long as they keep working hard !!!!

[Dave in Oakville]

Well, so long as it is only one glaring hole there is at least hope, right. LOL
This team, right now, is playing down to our expectations of them. Upper brass can hope that on any given night one or two players turn in a spectacular performance and pique the interest of the opposing GM/coach, but lets face it, hope is about all they can do. Doug, I understand your mantra " just enjoy the game, your night out and look for those one or two wow moments" but come on, they hardly match up to the ten or twenty moments of "do these guys ever practice, together, with basketballs". I am thankful I did not get to see the game but it sounded just as brutal on the radio. E. Smith was calling for you to take on PA duties last night, would have made the game more interesting.

PS: Am I reading too much into some of your comments or do you have a general dislike/distrust for the writers at the bigger US sports conglomerates?
I love to read Bill Simmons on the weekends, he is hilarious and always offers an alternative view point from a fan's perspective. Whitlock has written some really brilliant pieces, White Vegas excluded.

[Allan Wexler]

I still say the Raps could pry away one of the Washington guards such as Lester Hudson, who would be a huge improvement over the guys they have now.

[Rob.V]

I'm surprised Jack doesnt get killed here for constantly turning over the ball game after game.

Triano needs to pick his top 8 players and stick with them! I somehwat agree with Doug's (the posters) comment however it's also part of the problem that these guys just cannot seem to find a rythm together.. and may be why they turn the ball over so much. Pick your top 8 guys and let them play significant minutes for at least 10 games coach.

The distribution of minutes has been very helter skelter from game 1.

Last time - Gilbert Arenas anyone? lol!

[kelsey]

I was listening to the Rado and tired of hearing players dont want to come to Canada. Yeah maybe its not best thing to cross boarder and live in a foreign country, however the reason players are not fighing to come is THE TEAM HAS NOT BEEN GOOD!!!

Who wants to go to Clippers?,Minnesota, Memphis, , Sacramento and there is others.

I didnt hear this when Toronto was winning with Vince.
Winning cures many things.

For the 100th time Vince and Bosh signed a 2nd contract before moving on. Will Carmelo stay in Denver (no), Did Amare stay in Phoenix, Did Barkley stay in Philly or Phoenix (No)how about Kevin Garnett or Reshard Lewis in Seattle...We could go one for ever...TORONTO STOP BEING SO INSECURE IT STUPID!!!!!!!!!!

Look at this roster why would any player really want to come hear. Why!!!

[Michel G]

I agree with Sean that the last person they should trade is Weems. He's their best shooter after Bargs and he's hitting his free throws. He only attempted 12 shots in 37 minutes last night, so I think he heard Triano's message about him taking too many shots. He has to start making threes to make his game complete. One last comment. Bargnani played a decent game last night but people are killing him in the phone-in shows, etc. The Big Italian should be thankfull were not in ancient Rome or he'd be fed to the lions. I know he's got deficiencies, but give the guy a break. He's trying his best.

[pain777pas]

Guys 8-19 shooting against one of the worse teams in the league is not a good game. I know these are NBA players Andrea is playing against but SERIOUSLY I never laughed so hard listening to Doug, Eric and Jonesy on the Fan 590 last night. Doug, can you take a leaf out of Bobcat's book please? He asked you point blank about the Craptors stinking and you continued to play dodgeball. Finally, Eric got you to admit that the wheels have fell off the kart and change now rather than later would be better for the young guys. I never laughed so hard when Andrea was stripped on the last play. Complete incompitence. He looks goofy and lost Doug. I don't like his moves. They look forced and awkward. He can shoot. No doubt about it the young man can shoot. But, the one winnable game botched by more brain cramping and Triano's words of they played the way that he wanted them to with Andrea getting 19 shots and Demar gets 3. What the hell? Triano stick to one PG aswell and we know now Doug admit it Jose is not OK he is a liability to this team. He should sit and give Banks a shot. What do you think of the debacle Doug? Be the truth teller like you were last night with Eric and declare it. 2 more guaranteed loses this weekend against teams that I like to watch so I'll watch them. And how about this Utah Jazz team starting to click. Got to love it Doug!!!!!!!

[AT]

... definitely the problem lies with BC... aside from Bargnani, this team as a lot of really good role players... but at the same time, too many role players, with limited minutes it is tough for these guys to produce...Colgangelo needs to parlay some of our good role players, perhaps with the TPE into a #1 or #2 guy....
easier said than done...

[dav1 998]

It's no mystery.
There isn't a whole lot of talent here and no coach is going to win many games.
All we fans can do is hope that we get good draft picks for a couple of years ,and stay patient.

[shane]

As a season ticket holder and devoted fan, I expected a bit of a rough ride this year. But I was hoping for a team that overexceeded expetations. It is only 8 games in, with a whole lot of tough ones ahead. If it is not ugly now, it could get really bad soon. I hate to see the season over by early to mid December.
Is it possible that Evans is being showcased as he has an expiring contract and has shown his health is back to 100%. Although his effort has been spectacular thus far, it sure is difficult playing short handed on the offensive end when everyone in the building knows that Reggie is not an offensive option.

[Freddybaby]

If the Raptors have any hope of a one-on-one type guy on this team, wouldn't that be DeRozan? He's a half decent finisher and a good ball handler. Maybe this is some of what he should be focusing on in practice (assuming he isn't already).

[Bill V]

"A: Um, no, not at all. Management, players and coaches of every team in the league expect great things before a season begins. I don’t think anyone would, or should, expect someone closely associated to a team to say ‘we’re going to be bad’ before they’ve even played a game. Whether or not that optimism is misguided doesn’t really matter, I’d rather have them confident in their abilities rather than worried about failing.

But of course they’re not objective, they’re not supposed to be."

I sent a related mail but I suspect it may not make it through so I'll comment for the first time. As I said in my mail message, you don't have to look far for an example of an honest opinion on his own team, Blue Jays GM Alex Anthopoulos said they'd be cellar dwellers this year and people were pleasantly surprised. If B. Colangelo had said earlier in the year that the team would likely struggle and have a worse record without Bosh would anyone be surprised? People appreciate honesty and forthrightness (both of which if we examine Colangelo's previous comments on the team lead us to believe he lacks or believes the basketball knowledge in this city is lower then it actually is) I appreciate Colangelo's abilities as a GM and believe he can turn things around but he'll quickly lose the fans if he keeps OVER promising and UNDER delivering.

[LeeZ]

Let me add my voice to those who have called for José and Amir to replace Jack and Reggie in the starting lineup. José demonstrated yet again last night a really deft touch in setting up players in exactly the right spot to flourish. While I'd love to see him turn the corner hard and drive and/or dish like he used to, hopefully that'll come, along with the rest of his offence. And where José goes, Amir needs to follow; can't break that duo up. Watching Jack screw up fast break after fast break (that bullet pass to Amir, who was only a few feet away, was horrible. After it bounced off Amir and out of bounds, Jack had this whiny expression on his face like, "Man, why didn't you catch that?) was particularly painful. Jack is a horrible passer. This team's braintrust needs to accept this fact and stop trying to pretend he can be a starting pg. He can't. But what he CAN do is break down defences off the dribble time and again. He needs to do what he's best at: a look-for-his-shot-first combo guard. If anything, he needs to be MORE selfish out there (I say this with a straight face). Defensively, he and José are a wash, so no concern about having José start over Jack from that perspective. I would argue that Jack is the guy who should have the ball in his hands with the game on the line. He will definitely take it to the hole, or pull up for a short jumper. Doug, what's the over/under on these two changes being implemented for the road trip?

[GDS]

The season is answering some questions, in particular, who can play and who can't. They are all giving their best, they fight, they just don't have what it takes to win often. Next year will be much better, beacause the management will know better. How many (and who) will still be on the team in your opinion?

[Peter]

Have you got a side job as a hurricane researcher or something???
“This is the first time this has been achieved,” lead researcher Doug Smith told the Star on Thursday. “And, yes, it is controversial. There is a lot of debate over external factors.”
http://thestar.blogs.com/weather360/2010/11/predicting-hurricanes-under-goes-a-sea-change.html

[Allen Ford]

Boy oh boy, Doug! Management isn't supposed to be objective?

Surely, you don't truly think this.

Perhaps you meant they aren't obligated to communicate their objective thoughts and analysis to the players, media, and fans.

[Joshua P]

Your kidding about our weakness being the point guard right? DJ had 16 points, a couple of rebounds, 7 assists, and 1 turnover sounds alot better then weak to me on top of that his numbers are looking better then Feltons when he was in Charlotte when it comes to offense. DJ could work on his defense alittle but I wouldn't trade him for a Felton he's only 22 with the skill set to be a beast at point in a year or 2 as starter. So, if it isn't the point I guess I'd have to say I'm 100 percent sure my Bobcats need a Center because Nazr and Diop look like bums out there on a court Nazr is a ok back up at best and Diop is a contract 100 percent of us are waiting to vanish. Toronto is garbage and was still below average with Bosh they have no real break down the defense type guys and Charlotte has plenty so does the rest of the NBA. Please when you meantion my team atleast know what you are talking about. Thank You

[Jack]

@Allan Wexler
Steve Nash would be effective with someone who plays in the middle, inside the paint. Amar'e Stoudemire was effective playing with Nash because he cuts to the basket. Bargnani is not that type of player. He stays outside the 3-point line on the offense. Very very seldom do you see him inside the paint.
So Nash would not be effective with him. It's been more than 4 years and his style of play has not changed. He shoots from the outside. When he tries to do a post up move, he looks like a high school basketball player out there. And his defense is atrocious.
I wonder if Triano will let him guard Dwight Howard in Orlando. Most likely not. Howard will have a feast inside if Bargnani is guarding him.

[joe]

Doug,
You made an excellent point when you stated that the Raptors lack a go to guy in the clutch. That's a big problem with this team. Lots of depth and 2nd unit players but no real studs. The question is how to acquire them? Trades and free agency might allow them to do so but it's a long shot. Really, this team is going to have to acquire that stud player via the draft. The best thing that needs to happen with this team is to get a top 3-5 pick in the 2011 draft. There are several very good players coming out. Three of top ones include Harrison Barnes of North Carolina, Kyrie Irving of Duke, and Perry Jones of Baylor. Barnes is being compared to Grant Hill, Jones is being compared to Tracy McGrady, and Irving is drawing comparisons to Chris Paul. If you can get one of these kids, use the trade exemption from the Bosh deal to get another good player, and perhaps dip into free agency, now you've got something to look forward to for next year. To me this year is about 3 things. Changing the culture of the dressing room, giving youngsters playing time to develop, and setting yourself up to acquire future assets next year. That doesn't mean they need to go and tank the season. You always play to win but you also have to be realistic in that the team, as constructed, doesn't have the studs to win in crunch time. That's what needs to be addressed.