Offensive woes and the list of the favourite Chickens

So Jay terms his team a “fair-weather defensive team” right now – a bang-on assessment of a club that derives a lot of its energy from its offence, as troubling as that may be – and there are a couple of reasons that’s pretty dangerous.

First, it’s the trap they fell into last season and we know how that all worked out, don’t we? Shows a wee lack of mental toughness because the one thing that should be constant is defensive effort and, for most of this season, we’ve seen that this group works hard. But there has been some slippage that needs to be corrected. The other troubling aspect?

This team can’t shoot.

At least not well enough so far this season.

The HOTH are firmly ensconced in the bottom third in field goal percentage, shooting about 44.8 per cent as a group, and, lately, not nearly enough of them can make a shot.

Even before the season began, the world coming out from them that offence wasn’t an issue, that even without the guy who got ‘em 24 points a nights they’d find ways to score.

And seeing how they’ve only shot 50 per cent from the field in one of their first 17 games, it would behoove them to get better at that end of the floor.

Or it would at least be wise for them to get better defensively because on the (increasingly occurring) nights when shots don’t fall, that’s how they stay in games. As the coach knows:

“As good as we were playing in the fourth quarter of our win streak, we haven’t been able to get to the fourth quarter feeling good about where we are. It’s a matter of breakdowns, letdowns and a loss of focus sometimes by some of the players.

“Against some teams, you can get away with it; against good teams, they’re going to make you pay.”

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Ah, this tweeting thing is something, right?

Where else are you going to learn that Reggie Evans is having surgery later this week? Yep, he spilled the beans last night, I’m told. No real details – I’ve got to figure they’re going to go in and put a tiny screw in the little broken bone – but we have to be talking more than a month at the very least.

Which means in about three weeks we’ll have daily “what’s up with Regggie, when’s he coming back?” questions and it’ll be exactly like last year.

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It’s raining out at 6:15 a.m. and it’s already about 5 C and it’s almost December and what do I hear at the Favourite Starbucks (hi, Hurontario and Harbord): Christmas carols.

Way, way, way too early, methinks.

Reminded me of the morning Stumpy and I are standing outside the LAX Marriott about 4 a.m., some November morn waiting for a shuttle to the 6 a.m. flight to go to a game and finish some dopey back-to-back and it’s really warm out and the carols are all over the loudspeaker.

We look at each other with the same thought: Bleep Christmas.

And I have to tell you, if it’s not Bing and Bowie doing Little Drummer Boy, I am so not ready for carols at the moment it’s ridiculous.

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So now, all of a sudden, it’s a coaching issue in Miami? Erik Spoelstra’s getting killed everywhere you look because those three guys can’t figure it out on the court?

I thing Mssrs. James, Wade and Bosh need to man up and play better.

I don’t think Spoelstra got stupid all of a sudden and it just goes to me oft-stated opinion that coaches get too much blame when things go bad and too much credit when they go good.

At some point, don’t the guys on the floor – supremely talented and quite full of themselves – need to play better? Play smarter? Do their jobs?

But the train wreck of a season so far has been fun to watch, no?

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Let’s go get this one out of the file of lists I’m slowly compiling (and if you’ve got one, click here and send it along with any other questions you’ve got and I’ll take a look):

Q: Doug, here's a list for you. The Raptor is by far the best mascot in Toronto pro sports. Not sure if you've done it before, but how about top 5 mascots in the NBA? What about baseball mascots from back in the day when you covered baseball? Just curious about what makes a great mascot and who's got one.

Christa M, Barrie

A: Top five stuffed animals-slash-Chickens?

Sure, I’m all over that.

I am putting The Chicken from here at the top of the list and that’s not homerism, he/she/it is the best in my opinion.

After that?

I’m going with the Gorilla in Phoenix, I kind of like the Bison they have in Oklahoma City, and Rocky out in Denver always seems to put on a good show. Rounding it out? I’ll put Squatch of Seattle, RIP, just because he was excellent before his untimely demise.

Now, what makes a good Chicken? Silly antics, acrobatics and the ability to warm up the crowd without being intrusive. Oh, and they have to look cute, too. Cute’s big.

Now, you have to know that from baseball I’m all over the Original Chicken but I was huge Youppi fan and the Philly Phanatic was/is outstanding.

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Kind of missed the Peja update in the morning missive from the newspaper (which is here for all of you who somehow didn’t click on it).

He didn’t practice yesterday and according to one guy close to him, there’s a chance he misses the next couple of games.

Swelling’s down in the knee and that’s a good sign, just needs a little bit more time for it to calm down.

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Speaking of questions and answers, we’ll be here at noon for an hour if anyone’s in interested.

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The things you see in the practice court every now and then.

As we’re chatting with players and coaches after practice Monday, there are people draping two tables against the wall with paper Thomas The Tank Engine tablecloths.

I’m figuring it might be The Young Onez having some sort of clinic or bash, but no …

It’s a birthday party for Usher’s offspring, we’re told, and we high-tailed it out of there before they brought in the jumping castle.

Or the kids.

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Comments

[Scott]

Doug,
I totally agree with you about Spoelstra. Although I am taking some pleasure in seeing the Heat struggle, Spoelstra is a good coach and does not deserve the blame. Although, didn't we all see this "Bring back Riley" sentiment coming from the get go?

[Allan Wexler]

I heard Smitty on the radio address the greatest need for the Raptors and was shocked that he omitted the fact that the #1 priority should be a point guard. They have several guys who might pan out at the 2 or even the 3, but they lack a real point guard (Sorry Jose, a very good backup) Jose is generally late on the pick and roll, still dribbles too much and while his defense has improved he is neither physical enough or quick enough to handle most guards in the league. Hello Kyrie Irving - he would be the best addition to the several pieces the Raps currently have.

[Raptoronto]

The Heat 3 do need to man up but is it in their character? Hmmm.

Funny spoof...Here is LeBron as a baby http://bit.ly/hw0HT1

BabyBron dealing with the "quitness" gene http://bit.ly/cIr7U1

[sam]

I imagine the Super Friends in Miami figure thier mere pressense together on the court would equal guarenteed wins every night. For LeBron, Bosh and Wade to suggest coaching is a bit of an issue and they aren't allowed to be themselves on the court is somewhat laughable. The impression I get is that LBJ, CB and Wade think they are bigger than the game and the coaches and that's wehere the finger pointing starts. It's more style over substance. Is Spoelstra a bad coach? He wasn't last year, and he's in the unfortunate position of being given a treasure of talent that want to control rather than be controlled.

[SS]

I said it once and I'll say it again. Until DD finds a midrange game and some handles he is going to have plenty of nights where he struggles. DD is not good enough defensively and with his offensive limitations he is making the starting unit weak. As for Weems, atleast he can put the ball on the floor and has a somewhat decent midrange game and does play a bit of defence. Yes he is struggling, but I would honestly prefer him starting at the 2 over DD. I think they may need to consider starting Peja or Kleiza (even though he is a little to inconsistant and TO prone) at the 3 along with Amir and Andrea to boost there scoring. DD and Weems cannot be on the floor at the same time. I would say start Barbosa at 2 but he is a much better asset coming off the bench. Jay needs to scrap trying to stick to rotations and put the best players playing a la Popovitch.

Starting 5
Calderon
Weems
Peja
Bargs
Johnson

Bench
Bayliss
Barbosa
DD
Kleiza
Davis

[Chris]

Whoa...i think we just stumbled on the new acronym for Bosh. I've seen here before that he's been referred to as "HWSNBN 2.0" etc...but should we really put him in that elite group with the original? HWSNBN at least put Toronto on the NBA map...winning ROY, a playoff series, slam dunk contest etc...

What did ex-employee #4 do that should put him in that class???

I suggest his new moniker be "The Guy Who Scored 24"...or "TGWS-24" because really, he didn't do that much more in my opinion (and i liked the kid)...the number can potentially be changed to his career Toronto average which is about 20 ppg)...TGWS20!!!

thoughts???

[Shaun]

Hey Doug,

Pretty interesting article by Woj on Yahoo.....not sure if you've seen it, but it sounds like it is going to get worse in Miami before it get's better: http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news;_ylt=Ao0bFYT5b879Ci11229pdUM5nYcB?slug=aw-lebronspoelstra112910

Is it more common than we realize to have players "planting" stories in the media about a coach that they dislike?

Blogger's note: When things are going bad, absolutely

[SEC]

Since the topic of Chicken's came up....Do you have any inside info on whatever happene to the Celts Leaporchaun? Wasnt he let go for some reason?

Blogger's note: The original was let go more than a year ago; maybe two

[The J]

"Which means in about three weeks we’ll have daily “what’s up with Regggie, when’s he coming back?” questions and it’ll be exactly like last year."
-But with the "what's up with Evans, when's he coming back?" ready to stop, wont you need the substitute?
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As far as chickens, how about old BJ Birdy? He's got to atleast be better than Ace and Diamond (or whatever their names are). I never knew why they got rid of BJ Birdy, I have a strong guess, but I never knew.
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Spoelestra: I find it very interesting that Pat Riley has not come out once over the last couple of weeks to say "we are confident in Spoelestra", or "I'm not going to take over his job". It's very curious, and perhaps very telling.

[Tyler]

Doug, in your article you say that it's on Derozan because he has only been taking four shots a game, but when watching the games since barbosa has been back he almost seems like the lost teammate out there, they don't run nearly enough stuff for him and he is hardly given the ball period so the blame has to go on more then just him.

[painsev]

Morning Doug,

The Raps are the Raps. Up one day, down the next. Oh well! Miami, they are truly a wonder. Lebron has not played well to say the least. I don't like his decision making. He also doesn't think that CB plays hard enough and you can see it on the court. Truth is CB is a better shooter in the mid-range and out of screen and rolls with CB he pitches cross court to Wade rather than go for easy buckets. I was disgusted. He has to use the players that he has and stop the BS. Lebron to me is the problem. Lebron Jamie the crybaby still wants to be a child. Wade's got the stones on this team out of the big 3. Let Wade be the facilitator. He is more of a leader than the other 2 of the 3 egos. I have soured on this debacle of a team. Even though in time I think that they will click but that is ONLY when Lebron buys in to become a "we guy" in terms of the organisation rather than who is now.

[jim]

How many teams have a starting two guard who is not a threat from three? Defences play well off DD and dare him to shoot deep mid range twos and thus we have spacing issues.

[Rob.V]

Scrooge!!!

lol!

[alan]

i gotta say - i'd much rather be a fan of a 30-52 raps team this year than a fan of a 45-37 miami team...

[Rob.V]

Hey Chris I think you missed an even better one - ex-employee #4... far more original.

Listen, I'll be the first to admit I am really enjoying watching Miami struggle. Not because I dislike any of the big 2 (and ex-employee #4), but rather because if they were 17-0 that would be boring.

But the fact is that they are simply 3 sellfish players (with the ball in their hands)... have been for 7 years so it's going to take more time.

In my opinion it all starts with Lebron. If he's not willing to give up his points for assists, its not going to work.

He should be leading the league in assists each night. I mean, by deciding to be 2nd fiddle in Miami wasnt LBJ essentially saying - I'm not MJ... but maybe a little more like Magic, MAYBE! So start freakin acting like it will you!!

LBJ has to get them 10-12 assists a night and D.Wade should be slashing. I'm not sure any other combination will help that team.

If I'm Spo I bring either one of LBJ or Wade off the bench. I mean, they're maxed out on $$$, and if they're really "all about winning" it shouldn't matter to them right???...

Dampier is going to helpwith D however we should all be hoping they stay around .500 this season... helps us next summer!!!

[Walla with the Raps]

"When Spoelstra needed Wade to stand up for him, Wade never shrunk so small. Spoelstra was Wade’s guy, but Wade’s finding it much easier to align himself with James’ coward act than do the right thing. This was something that you’d expect out of Chris Bosh(notes), who’s never been a leader, never a winner, but Wade?" Great quote

http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news;_ylt=Ao0bFYT5b879Ci11229pdUM5nYcB?slug=aw-lebronspoelstra112910
from the yahoo article already posted

[Robert Bertuzzi]

Kyrie Irving, don't mention no NCAA players round these parts. Better to scrape and bow and defer to the authority that is Bryan Colangelo rather than assess talent on one's own, let alone identify what this team's needs might be.
And in the end, what does it matter, it's only a game. Who cares if fans have had to endure more than a decade-and-a-half of absolute mediocrity, at best?
Yet interestingly, Mother Star continues to incorporate new platforms hoping to engage fans further in order to monetize their passion. And their loyal employee seems to go along with each new 'innovation' from Twitter, to video, etc while continually acting as an apologist for this team.
I wonder, Doug, how you would feel if one day Mother Star honchos came to you and said, 'it's only a game, we're not going to cover it any more, see ya'?

Blogger's note: And give up things like this? I'd be crushed. Absolutely crushed if I didn't get to read things like this anymore. I wouldn't be able to handle it.

[Zombywoof]

Spoelstra was a video assistant, no? He's the Roger Neilson of the NBA. Maybe Riley will ask him to come out with a paper bag over his head.

[Yama F]

Remember the Portland Trailblazers of a decade ago? Bunch of big egos getting together. We all know how that worked out....

[The J]

Hey Doug,
In the Q&A you listed the players you would build around/not trade away. I noticed Amir was not on this list. Was this an oversight, or do you not see Amir as not necessarily being part of the teams future?

Blogger's note: Oversight, I knew there was one guy I was leaving out

[A]

Good Riddence @ the Celtics chicken getting fired...I was at a Celtics/Raps game in 2009 and that Leprochaun completely attacked me with that silly puddy streamer in a can stuff so I threw my beer at him.

[A]

hey doug, why was there a pre-game blog thingy today when theres no game tonight? is there a game tonight? whats wrong with me?

Blogger's note: No game, just changed up the schedule a bit to make my game-day life a wee bit easier this week

[JHK]

Speaking of Chickens, is the Mini Raptor a kid inside?
Or is it a ... you know, a small person inside?

Blogger's note: A secret I can't reveal

[Tim W.]

No mention of Ed Davis being called up? He certainly did well in limited minuted in the NDBL. Any idea what kind of minutes to expect of him on Wednesday? I assume they're going to start him out with pretty limited minutes at first.

Blogger's note: I've been writing Ed Davis recalled since before he was sent down. No clue on minutes, but it won't be many

[The J]

A - maybe he was just frustrated after those kids kept stealing his lucky charms.