A series of unfortunate mistakes, and some Minny memories

Well, there’s a little baby Delta plane sitting at the gate waiting to shuttle me off the Twin Cities but first …

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THREE POINTERS

Sign of the times

Sometimes, guys just don’t get it.

Very first possession of the game and Toronto wants to go to Bargnani in the post. Smart move, see if they can get a quick foul, get him started off quickly.

Well, he posts up, takes the entry pass from Jose and when a second defender starts inching over he kicks it back out to Calderon.

Now, the smart play is for Bargnani to then get deeper position, repost himself and Jose knows this. And he waits. And is ready to re-enter the ball.

And what’s Andrea do? Instead of re-establishing himself in the post, he moves further away from the basket and, yes, he made the shot but that’s not the point.

So to all who wonder why they don’t dump the ball into him more often, that’s a pretty good indicator of why. Sometimes, he just doesn’t want it.

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Good game, one blip

Yes, Amir Johnson was outstanding – 24 points and 12 rebounds and no serious foul trouble – but there was the one play that kind of sticks out.

Biting on an Ersan Ilyasova fake 25 feet from the basket and fouling a 29 per cent three-point shooter who happens to be the sixth-best free throw shooter in the entire NBA with a second left in the first half kind of sums up Toronto’s decision-making process for most of the night, doesn’t it?

Bad.

But otherwise, Amir was very, very good.

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Decisions, decisions, decisions

Bad ones, that is.

A Sonny Weems three-point attempt down three with 33.8 seconds left in overtime so unbelievably bad, it should be a “how not to win” lesson for all of basketball.

There were about 10 seconds left on the shotclock, Weems is a 24 per cent three-point shooter who hasn’t even attempted one in a game in, oh, a month or so and there were about two teammates within about 10 feet he could have passed to.

Yes, Jose fouling Delfino on the resulting possession was a big mistake and mental gaffe but if they don’t get a ridiculous shot just before it, well, who knows.

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A bit more? Why, of course.

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Mysteries unraveled because that’s what we do here.

You know how Julian Wright sometimes starts a game with a headband and then shows up later in the game without one?

Want to know why?

Sometimes he just forgets.

Now, Julian might be – how do I put this? – the biggest sweat hog in the history of the team. He’s drenched after the slightest workout like you can’t believe and he told me last night he goes through two uniforms, three undershirts and, yes, a couple of headbands every game.

And sometimes he just forgets to put the second headband on.

There you go.

You’re welcome.

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I swear I was sitting sipping after the game and looked up to see Kevin Garnett smack Phoenix’s Channing Frye right in the testicles when Channing was in the air shooting a jump shot.

No one’s that much of a punk, are they?

No self-professed NBA tough guy/leader would do something that cheap would they?

Nah.

Couldn’t have happened, could it have?

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So, Minnesota, eh?

Raptors do beat the Timberwolves like a rented mule, it’s 12 games and counting back to 2004 but it was no forever thus.

In fact …

It got ugly.

I remember being there late in the 2001-02 season when they got drilled by the Timberwolves. A bunch of guys were hurt, they played like crap and the season was pretty much in the toilet.

They stayed in Minny that night, the team hotel was a short walk from the arena and Dell Curry and Antonio Davis, who were entirely miffed by what was going on, decided to walk back. They resolved to salvage the season and did, going on to win 12 of their last 14 to make the playoffs.

Now, if they’d only taken Chris Childs with them on that walk and given him a math tutorial, who knows what might have happened. That was the year Childs forgot the score in Game 5 of the Pistons playoff series.

It got uglier

It’s early November, 2003 and we’re still trying to get used to Kevin O’Neill and his interesting suck-the-life-and-fun-out-of-basketball style.

Well, they go to Minneapolis for what I seem to recall was their first or second road game of the season and O’Neill’s stifling defence holds the Timberwolves to 73 points.

And that was good enough for a 17-point Minnesota win because KO’s lads only put up 56 points and that remains the fewest ever scored by the Raptors in a game.

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Speaking of Minnesota, the Timberwolves lost in Utah on Friday and here are the ugly details.

And while we’re at it, Charles F. reports on the Bucks like this.

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This comes out of the mail, which could use a bit of a jolt so if you’d like to send a wee note click here and do it.

Q: Hello Doug. By merely reading the headline of the OJ Mayo suspension story yesterday my immediate response was to wonder how on earth a player could be so naive as to use a banned substance. However, Mayo stated that he purchased the supplement over the counter and was unaware that it contained the banned substance dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA).

Whether he knew or not, I would suspect that players looking for an "edge" to increase performance or even to combat the effects of chronic pain due to injury - or whatever the reason - it's not difficult to understand why a player might succumb to the allure of these substances. Can you tell me what sort of guidance, information, advice the Raptors organization provides players about the use of these products? Do teams ever conduct their own "in-house" tests? Thanks!

Lorie P, London

A: I guess the easy answer to why he did it, and why he got a 10-game suspension for it comes in one word:

Idiocy.

In this day and age, you’d think any athlete anywhere who was taking supplements would bring the bottle to the arena, give to a member of the team’s staff and let them check its contents for prohibitive substances. It’s lunacy not to. But, guess some of them are loons.

Teams make sure every player knows what’s on the banned list, how dangerous some of the stuff you get over the counter can be and like to approve every dietary supplement a player takes.

But, no, they cannot do their own tests under the collective bargaining agreement.

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I have no idea how Rob Base was, I paid no attention whatsoever.

Just letting you know.

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All right, think it’s around noon Eastern time when I get to Minny, won’t be back before then. Play nicely among yourselves until then, okay?

And, yes, we’ll be here at 8 tonight for anyone who’d like to hang out.

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Comments

[steve]

i'm usually a triano fan, but you can add his timeout call with 30 seconds left to the list of mistakes made last night. raps were 5 on 4 and jay didn't even notice- called a snap timeout and you could see all the players were pissed.

[MJ Walker]

Tough Week! Watched the state of the union address from Washington and hoped the prompter would freeze but it didn't--opened my hydro bill and looked at the rate and read the propaganda on green energy (money grab)--wrote a cheque for the oil company and was astounded by the hst--watched three Raptor games and got tired just hearing them talk about and show a phone. Totally frustrated I called my trusty Akita and we went for our five mile walk, two cars passed, each driver slowed down and waved and I pondered. The Raptors are really not that bad after after all, actually they look like they will be okay in the not too distant future.

[G Beck]

Another hard loss by the Raps. I feel just as frustrated watching them...there were a lot of mistakes, the most egregious of which was the Weem's prayer of a fling, at that point of the game was not the time to claim your due or thinking about shooting out of a slump. And what was with Jay's timeout when the Raps were on a mini-fast break with Delfino still clambering up from the crowd he just drove into? I just see no passion from this group of guys, it is like gloom pervades in everything they undertake. There are injuries, yes, but a certain malaise has seemed to set in, the coach does not trust the players, and that feeling seems to be reciprocated. I really think the Raps should clear the air out with a team only meeting or replace the management short of blowing up the entire team by the trade deadline.

[A.K]

Let be honest. Sonny has been taking ridiculous shots his entire raptors career has he not? it's what he does

[LeeZ]

If you're talking about gaffes and poor judgment, I think you have to include Jay taking that timeout late in regulation when the entire arena (except Jay, perhaps) saw that Delfino was, I dunno, discussing US politics or something with the fans in the courtside baseline seats while the Raps had a resultant 5 on 4 break at the other hand. The look on José's face when the whistle blew was pricesless. Can anyone tell me how to say wtf in Spanish, because that is surely what he was muttering to himself. On an unrelated note, I thought that twisting reverse move by DD under the basket for the score late in the 2nd half was AMAZING. The kind of thing that some guy named Vince used to do.

[John S]

KG on the court is completely classless. Maybe in the past, his dominance and MVP like numbers were enough to cover for his behaviour and make the media/fans overlook his lack of class on the court. Euphemisms like "heart" and "intensity" were thrown around instead of more accurate words like a$$hole.

Whether it's allegedly calling Charlie V a "cancer patient" (I tend to believe Charlie V), bullying Calderon (a PF pushing around a PG.... really brave) or hitting Frye where it hurts, KG is a punk. I'm sure that he does wonderful things off the court for charity and his community but he is a terrible excuse for a role model on the court.

Sorry about the rant Doug.

[Tom]

I didn't see the post-up, it would have been to difficult to stomache but did anyone ask Jay T. about that timeout? Doug? It really looked liked it pissed off everyone on the team, as someone mentioned above the looks on their faces said it all. The first things that crossed my mind was,"Now they're finding creative ways to lose, nice!"

[jhp]

Hope your travels went well. Tonight will be a tough one and may set the tone for the rest of the season. I know the losing has to stop but not sure what really can be done. All concerned only need to look at the Cavaliers to see where this could be headed. Not sure if a coaching change would help. But as they say you can not fire the whole team (maybe).

[G Beck]

I concur with John S on KG, wasn't he the guy who used pick on PGs to intimidate them, and validate his sorry excuse of a tough guy image on the court? Of course he deservedly got what he's asking for and got splayed when Anthony Peeler of all people socked him in mouth, crumpled when Matt Bonner gave him so much as a slight shove. Now he apparently got the idea of coming right up against jumpers Bowen style and place his foot below them; I believe it was the second time in the same game that KG had a chance of seriously injuring a player. KG is a bully and punk, plain and simple.

[Mini RapTOR]

ARE YOU SERIOUS? Doug, you mention the various mistake the team made (ie-weems' three, amir's foul, jose's foul) and you don't mention the biggest brain-fart of the game. Jay calling a timeout when his team had a 5-on-4 fastbreak with the game tied and less than 30 seconds left. Yes, they ended up with two free throws out of that timeout, but you mentioned a Bargnani mistake that still amounted to two points, so why not call out Jay's mistake?

This just proves what we already knew, the mass media in Toronto/Canada is too soft, as you usually call the team, on Jay Triano. He's incompetent, and so are you as a sports reporter if you fail to recognize it.

Blogger's note: Mistake? Maybe, sure. But what was the end result? Please. What was the end result? Just what they wanted. Two points. So, yeah, you can debate it but your point would be far more valid had they not done what they wanted, which was score.
And you're quite welcome to stay away if the incompetence bothers you, I certainly don't need this crap

[Rob.V]

KG? He's an NBA champion and a Hall Of Famer!

Wasn't that big of a deal really. He actually turned his back to look at the shot so I'm not sure he even knew what area he was going to hit Frye in. He probably meant to give him a little tummy jab... no big deal.

Oddly enough, Bruce Bowen was a multiple NBA champion as well. Funny how that works eh??... yet we have our Raptors, that roll out the red carpet (and stop to take pictures) as the other team is on their way to the rim!!

[Eddy]

My guess is Beasley will have a turn destroying the pathetic Raptors tonight, a player who didn't have the "character" to play for them. To be a Raptor you have to be out of shape, injury prone, opposed to putting in any effort on defense and slow learning what the plays are.

Blogger's note: Oh, off the money kick and on to character issues, are we? Guess it's not just a one-trick pony

[doug]

the NBA is to soft nowadays and that Garnett example is part of the reason why...is the problem Garnett's, ??..no I don't think so, I think it is opponents for letting him get away with this kind of crap....they don't foul him hard or retaliate as there intimidated so he keeps going...I tell you if he did that to me, the next time down the floor or soon after when the opportunity presented itself he would find his ass on the floor or feel a well aimed elbow not so subtly placed into his ribs...guys let it go, so more power to him...to me Jay micro-managed that last minute of the game last night so much, it was exasperating, whether the raptors got 2 points out of it or not isn't the point, Jay blew that timeout call , as who knows maybe we could have got 3..and also in your article after the game you quoted Jay as saying to paraphrase" 2.8 seconds wasn't enough time to drive to the hoop"...yes Bargs can shoot over mostly everyone but he was fading away from the basket it was a tough shot....and where we had the ball almost 3 seconds is plenty of time to drive to the hoop, as when it is tied, just drive, your at home and the officials more times then not will blow their whistle,1 foul shot wins it...plus after 2 timeouts that was the best play they could come up with? and it was designed it wasn't a second or third option...also really the biggest turning point in the game was that shot Magette made it wasn't even close it was miserably short and how it got the kick and then the subsequent bounces to go in defied the law of physics...Weems had a fine game, one ill-advised shot shouldn't negate that...and to pinpoint a first quarter sequence by Barg's isn't that big a deal, as I could mention a few times in the game where Jose was dribble happy, and also times where he just needs to shoot....he has to look to shoot more when the opportunity arises, last night he was a times caught up in just pounding the ball....and also now that I am at it, I recall BC saying he let Peja go as he didn't want to take away minutes from the young guys, which makes total sense...then we sign Ajinca and what happens??...Ed Davis's minutes are being cut, non-sensical as really who figures more predominantly in our future??...Ajinca or Davis?...oh well onward we go.....

Blogger's note: Actually, Davis played exactly the same number of minutes last night as he's averaged this season

[doug]

that's his seasons average...the last little while he has been getting close to 30 a game..last night he was at 22, your right...but the last few weeks it's been increasing...last night he had 9 boards,3 offensive, he was our second leading rebounder in just 22 minutes...you know something else I was just thinking of, we are actually lucky, as it really took to overtime for it to click into the Bucks, to say hey let's go to Bogut and he scored 3 straight,...he was 12-14, why they weren't just pounding it into him all night was perplexing, yes I understand lyasova was unconscious 9/10 but still...maybe it wasn't to our benefit that he fouled out because it was then that the Bucks went to Bogut when they should have been all along....it's just one of those years from negated trades, players we think have signed as free-agents only to find out they haven't, to injuries and then unfathomable bounces...they say every thing evens out sooner or later (who "they" are i have no clue) if that's the case were in for a hell of a payback, sometime, somewhere..our karma has to change...

[J]

@Mini RapTOR:

"Yes, they ended up with two free throws out of that timeout, but you mentioned a Bargnani mistake that still amounted to two points, so why not call out Jay's mistake?"

Two different animals. The comment on Bargnani was a criticism of a style of play that persists beyond those two points. It's irrelevant that he still got the two points -- he needs to be a bigger diva, if you will, and desire to show up the opposing players in every single game.

Triano calling the timeout -- yes, he didn't need to call one to arrange a play; he could have simply taken advantage of the 4.5 on 4. 4.5 because Wright is an offensive liability and who knows what would have happened had the timeout not been called. Woulda coulda shoulda.

[MC]

Doug any hurt Raps returning for tonight?

Blogger's note: Nope

[Johnny B]

Oh Triano. I understand your point Doug. They still got the 2 points. However, it was a questionable call that could have gone either way. Doesn't it say something though when all the players were in utter shock and disbelief when Jay called that time out?
By the way, how cool would it be if DD ever developed a consistent jump shot and runs a killer kick and pop with Barney? The next Dallas combo? I'm dreaming I know but it's the only way to keep watching! Keep up the blogging.

[Grits]

I think Triano made a mistake calling the time out, that was my immediate thought sitting at the game. But in retrospect, the raptors have NOT been great executing on fast breaks this year, their spacing is horrible and they tend to throw away the ball. I know they are doing well in fast break stats in easy man advantage situations, but their execution isn't always the best. Jones and Smith talk about it all the time on the radio broadcasts, so maybe it worked out for the best.

Man was that foul by Amir a bone head play. Hand them 3 pts with 0.8 seconds left in the half, unbelievable.

[Binder]

Is it not difficut enough to watch the raps every night. I not have to listen to Jack and matt talk about some rediculous phone. Come on guys keep your mind on the game. Believe me no one cares about your personal life.