Bad game bad weather, bad times all over the place

How’s the weather there?

That storm hit yet?

Trade you for the icy sleet that’s falling here.

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THREE POINTERS

A true cheap shot

Pacers get the ball with 25.4 seconds left, the game’s over and what they need to do is dribble out the clock, roll the ball along the floor, let the Raptors inbound it to end the game and walk off the court, right?

Wrong.

Dopey Darren Collison, a kid who should know better, ends up putting up a three-pointer – bush league move, without a doubt – and it riles up Jay no end.

And, with 5-10ths of a second left in the game after the basket, he’s ticked off enough to want a timeout just to make a point; refs won’t give it to him for some reason and that’s what he was doing on the court after the game talking to ref Danny Crawford.

“(It had) nothing to do with the game. They wanted to extend the game by shooting a three with the clock running down so I was going to call a timeout. I don’t think you do that stuff.”

No, you don’t.

It’s not like there was pizza on the line or something.

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A learning experience

Pretty good media seats in Indy, right on the baseline about 10 feet from the Raptors bench and it provided a wee bit of insight (when I wasn’t chattering away with the In-Game Bloggy Thingy Irregulars, that is).

Third quarter, Raptors on defence, Julian Wright’s guarding Danny Granger on the weak side and cheating a bit as a help defender into the middle.

He gets about three steps too many away from Granger at one point and can’t get back to him to contest an open look that Granger ultimately misses.

Soon as it happens, Jay turns, walks down the bench and says to all his guys:

“That’s too far. Right move but you can’t go that far away.”

No idea if anyone got it, but it’s a good in-game teaching moment to a team that needs a lot of them.

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Can’t make a play

If I can read my chicken scratch handwriting well enough – and penmanship seems right up there with arithmetic on Things Doug Doesn’t Do Well – there were six times in the second half of the game when the Raps had numbers on the break and came away with nothing but six turnovers.

Sonny Weems, who really needs to work on his ball-handling skills every single day, had about three of them and the normally sure-handed Jose Calderon had a couple.

Those are the kind of plays that suck the life out of a team trying to claw back into a game and they happened far, far too often with this group.

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More?

Okay.

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Yes, I agree that the only time you should like ice is when it’s in a glass chilling some liquid.

Especially now.

A bit of an ice-storm – and it doesn’t seem to be overly horrible – kept the Raptors in Indy overnight and will keep the Beat Grunt in Indy until Wednesday morning and it’s just an overall pain in the bum.

For the Raptors, it meant the Man Who Is Truly In Charge, travel/equipment guru K. DiPietro had to scurry around during the second half of the game to secure hotel rooms (luckily, the city’s pretty dead and it wasn’t that hard).

Pour moi? I’m at the mercy of Delta, which tells me there’s a 7 a.m. flight Wednesday that’ll get me to Atlanta early enough.

We were trying to figure out if the Raptors had ever been in such a situation, where they’ve had to check back into a hotel and couldn’t fly out after a game and the only time I can remember was in the first, or maybe second, year when they had some plane issues (the pilot steered it into a ditch taxiing to the runway, as I recall) and had to stay in Cleveland an extra night.

Me? Delays all the time but this is only the second time I’ve had to stay an extra night somewhere in the middle of a road trip. Delays caused me to miss a connection in Denver on the way to Phoenix one night and I believe it was M. Grange ™ and I who got to hang out there.

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What’d Mr. Wells say about that one?

This is what he said.

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A scout and a writer I know were sitting behind me at the game Monday chatting before it started and got me into the conversation:

Writer: Doctor, what do you think of Durant calling Your Boy Bosh a fake tough guy?

Me: I believe Kevin Durant is an astute young man.

 

 

Writer and scout: Hahahahahahahaha.

Look, Chris Bosh is a lot of things and at some levels I still quite like him; a tough guy is not one of them and trash-talker is certainly another.

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Man, there is near-universal loathing for Andrea Bargnani out there these days. I don’t recall it ever being this bad.

Yes, he’s been quite bad of late; no, I don’t imagine he’ll end up being a 30 per cent shooter for much longer; yes, he needs to defend better; no, he’s a tough physical presence and never will be.

And here’s one from the mail on it:

Q: Hey Doug, I've learned to appreciate your blog now that I can't catch as many games. Anyway, you were mentioning that Andrea gets a pass in the post, sees the double, kick out to Jose, and then moves away from the basket. Is that Andrea not willing to fight for post position or does he not know that he's suppose to go there or did he just want to play the D differently?

Thanks and keep up the good work!

 

 

Felix F, Edmonton

A: For the most part, it’s an unwillingness and the coaches are on him all the time about it.

And, I know no one really wants to hear it, but sometimes he gets it and that’s often forgotten in a rush to rip. He went hard to the basket a couple of times last night and, truth be told, his on-the-ball-defence on Carlos Delfino down the stretch of the Bucks game was very good.

Look, Andrea is what Andrea is. He’s a scorer in a bad slump who has some defensive deficiencies. Anyone surprised by that over the last three weeks hasn’t been watching the last three years.

He’s still a good NBA player and I’m a coach, I get infuriated by I want him on my team.

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A bit of perspective.

As we were leaving Conseco on Monday night, moaning a bit about the weather and the inconvenience, workers were draping the sections of the seats in black and preparing the venue to be the site of the funeral today for an Indianapolis police officer who was shot and killed in the line of duty.

Yeah, a bit of perspective, indeed.

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So, I really have nothing on today – I’m seeing stool, TV, and spending some of Mother Star’s vast riches on a piece of well-marbled red meat – so if you’ve got something on your mind, may as well get the mail started.

Write here, say hi, keep me in touch.

Thanks.

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Comments

[Thane]

Doug, how could Bosh possibly be a fake tough-guy? Don't you need to actually pretend to be a tough-guy for that?

Bosh is, and makes himself out to be, a finesse player. There's nothing tough about him, and he doesn't pretend. Nothing fake about that.

[Wallace]

Charles Barkley has said that the biggest misconception in sports is that all teams want to win. The Toronto Raptors make tons of money while losing three out of every four games they play. Would they like to win? Sure. But is it a really big deal if they don't? No. Bryan Colangelo and Richard Peddie have served the shareholders well, if not the fans who love the team. Will BC therefore get an extension? Absolutely.

[Lorie]

Hi Doug:
Hope you're enjoying this opportunity to just sit back and ride out this latest episode of nastiness from Mother Nature. But in the event you're bored and don't know what to do when you're not working, here are some ideas. You could spend the time creating a "bad weather" playlist...Stormy Weather, Riders on the Storm, Coldest Night of the Year, Hazy Shade of Winter, etc etc. Or braid your hair (ahh, maybe not). How about beginning your memoirs...you know, before you get REALLY old and forget everything. Or why not try a food or a better still - a liqueur (or two or three) you've never wanted to try before (relax, you're not driving anywhere!) Or solve the mystery of Bargnani's and DeRozan's recent shooting woes. (Scratch that last one: this is supposed to be an enjoyable experience!) And do you find it weird in any way the timing of this bit of "frozen time" extends to Groundhog Day??? Cue the erie music. If not Andie MacDowell.

[Lazaros O.]

Oh please, with the Collison shot. Triano overreacted. As if his players don't do the same when the pizza promotion is on. How do you think the Raps opponents feel about that? And I guess it's OK for D. Martin to take a three with 0.5 sec on the clock in a lost game to preserve the silly streak, isn't it?

[Ryan]

Hi Doug, this isn't really a basketball related question.. but due to the weather situation, are you "allowed" to fly with the team if you knew your flight was cancelled? Let's say they knew you were stranded/delayed and offered to take you because their flight got clearance? Thanks!

Blogger's note: In the most dire of circumstances, sure; but a day delay's just a pain

[Nick M]

Maybe its just me, but I would rather have a pilot that would taxi themselves into a ditch, taxi themselves into a ditch then launch me into the air and have to land the SOB!

[JHK]

Surely kelsie deserves a Ding. Ding. Ding.
No Doug?

[Rob.V]

It's easy to point the finger at Bargnani however the truth is even if he puts up 40... they still lose. DeRozan would not be starter on a solid team at this point in his career. Neither would Sonny or Kleiza. I love Amir, however he's too lean to be a starting center in the league... the bench is decamated!!...anything else??

.
The ENTIRE team sucks. It's a cumulative effort. I said a month ago that GOD couldn't coach this team to 30 wins however Triano is not absolved of this either. I think he would make a fine coach of a veteran team however these kids need someone to kick their ass (as Mitchell would say - boy could we use all the ranting and eye rolling from Sam this season... at least some form of entertainment).

When Bargnani moves on to another team some coach is going to tell him to get his ass down on the block and don't move from there unless I tell you to... unfortunately we've placated him for too many years and the teams have not been good here so I dont think that will happen in Toronto unless there is a coaching change or Colangelo's remake (version 3.0) pays big dividends this summer. Triano has been with Andrea the entire ride of his career and sometimes marriages just don't work. I think it's time for these two to separate.

I will also say this though: I always thought Pau Gasol was talented (but somewhat lazy) in Memphis however boy has it been a different story in L.A. It's funny how playing with other great players changes or has an effect on performance. Andrea could be very valuable to a team who can show him the way... which would be a shame for us.

Personally I do not share the opinion of resting my hopes on a high draft pick this summer. But I suppose for those who do this season is quite enjoyable to watch?

Me?, if I'm the GM, I'm making everyone on this team (not named DeMar and Ed) available in an attempt to bring in a star type player over the next 3 weeks. Monta Ellis is a jacker however if he's truly available I'm telling GS they can pick anyone else on this team going back the other way.

Here's one for fun: http://games.espn.go.com/nba/tradeMachine?tradeId=5v3udrr Maybe theres a pick involved as well

[Rob.V]

I...I...I have become... comfortably numb!

[Kent]

@uncalum. There are real 20+ guys and there are fake ones. You see guys put up big numbers on bad teams all the time. Bargnani would average about 10 or 11 points if he was playing for Miami. He is a fake 20+ guy.

[J]

@Kelsie:

I think we should drop the "50 wins" harp by now. Maybe you've read too many people taking it out of proportion, but surely you can understand the difference between setting a goal of 50 wins and, as you state, "a team that was supposed to win '50 games.'" One is an aspiration, and had BC replaced the 50 number with 40, I'm sure all the pundits out there would be trashing him for such low standards (see Babcock).

Don't get me wrong, I'm not defending Triano (or BC) here; I simply think you can make a better argument without stooping to taking things out of context (especially when it was taken out of context to bash BC -- you can't have it both ways). You make it sound like Triano took a 50-win team to ruin, when the truth is he took a team that needed everything to go right for it to win 50, and didn't do anything special with it when key players went down to injury. He's no Adelman or Popovich.

Perhaps Triano should have been canned last season -- I'm not arguing either way on that point -- but this season? Why bother canning yet another coach on a team that isn't exactly "disappointing". I did think the team would win 30-32 games at the beginning of the season, but if you asked me how many wins without 2 of 5 "starters", and without Barbosa, this losing streak would pretty much be my answer. Unless the players have completely given up on the coach (perhaps we differ in opinion here?), what is another new rookie coach (or *cough* PJC) going to do better with this depleted lineup? BC is better off letting Triano keep the reins until the team actually has the players to do something, then replacing him when we can actually hire a good coach.

Same thing with BC. Unless BC is managing the books poorly, MLSE should hold onto him until someone of note is interested in the position.

[drew]

I`m quite sure that Jay is on his way out, and that was why Colangelo brought in P.J.Carlisimo who is a total opposite of a canadian coach. Things are going to change

[Anthony]

"Sorry for the rant, but I don't understand why the media is not asking these questions readily. There is a major disconnect between management and the fan base right now and you guys are or could be instrumental in communicating how we feel and asking the questions we want answered as a loyal but frustrated and angry fanbase."
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I would guess it is because they don't have to pay for the tickets the way we do or they actually work for MLSE. It isn't quite as painful when that is the case. Of course, we don't have to pay for the tickets either and unless something is done about the constant losing the Bluejays probably are the future for the Raptors. After a few years of Bluejay like attendance they may see the connection between winning and making money. Right now they really don't have to put a good product on the court.

[g.t.]

I think after 5 years of Bargnani, and also Calderon, I think it's probably safe to say we have seen the best of both these two players. If Colangelo intends to re-build this team he should have no reservations at trading both these players.
Bargnani for all his talents, is a Center who cannot rebound consistently and who's aggression is just not enough to compete against other NBA centers.He is a hot and cold streaky type with his offence as well. He would be better suited coming off the bench of a good team. Maybe he would be good playing the triangle offence.

Jose is a true point guard, but not one who is going to be dominant and he is getting up there in age. Fitness is an issue too, its predictable that he misses a few games injured mid season.

The best hope the Raptors have now is building through the draft. They have a young Bayliss on a rookie contract as well, and two decent young players , Derozan and Davis who will get better. They can hope for a few good draft picks in this upcoming draft.

You just can't teach hustle, and our Center has none.

[Alias]

Hi Doug,
I remember you had mentioned that some of the potential college draft picks would rather stay in their colleges another year to gain more experience while there was a lockout in the NBA but I wonder if it makes more sense to get drafted now and not risk injury. Also, wouldn't they be collecting an NBA salary?

Blogger's note: No, they wouldn't get paid

[Penguin]

I have defended Bargnani for a long time against lots of critics, including my wife (of Italian background). I've used the arguments that it takes longer for bigs to develop and that he has generally shown continuing progress. However, my frustration with him is at the boiling point, as it seems is true for almost everyone else (but you?) commenting on here. Are his knees the issue (and I'm not talking about his current shooting slump)? When you're off offensively, at least you can still contribute by bringing it on defence. Good heavens, with only a few months of experience, David is showing far more skills as a shot blocker and rebounder, and is developing offensively. Now, in a few years, with some more muscle on him, he should be a serious inside defender. It's looking like Bargnani will never develop the attitude or skills to play interior defence (not so great outside either).
Last point is concerning Jay's comments to Wright and to the bench about playing too far off Granger. The guys are in the NBA. By this point, shouldn't they have already been trained in such fundamentals?

[kelsie]

"when an owner starts thinking like a fan, he will soon find himself sitting with the fans" . Its a business folks!

True indeed Binder but Colaneglo is not an owner, he is a GM and borrowing from all of my knowledge (or lack thereof) he is supposed to win games and hopefully try and build a contender. While this is not easy we are no closer (farther in fact) than the day he took over. There is no stability in Raptor land and I don't think retaining men who haven't shown the ability to achieve these things is wise.

As fans we hold a different perspective than mangement but we all want the same thing don't we? It is indeed a business but there are other franchises that go about running their business in an apporpriate manner and don't reward failure. If revenue dropping is the standard Colaneglo is being judged upon then we have already lost the battle and the higher ups need to rethink their strategies going forward.

[D-Mac Ottawa]

Hi Doug,
Um, well, hey, Happy Tuesday and everything!
As a commenter, I feel I might be pressing a bit lately. Any suggestions would be welcome.
Cheers. Go Cheeseheads!

[jc]

By all accounts both the Raptor and real worlds need a little sunshine so may this be a glimpse? At first, I was thinking that this years draft would be a continuation of the raptor draft curse (no, not Yogi and Hoffa but the times when they should or did pick first overall only to have new rules instated to put them at a disadvantage). But even if the best guys don't declare, we get who we get and then if there is a lockout/shortened season, wouldn't we be near the top of the draft list again next year? Not to mix metaphors but isn't that how the Pens got Malkin and Crosby? Maybe some light ahead

[kelsie]

BC is better off letting Triano keep the reins until the team actually has the players to do something, then replacing him when we can actually hire a good coach.

Same thing with BC. Unless BC is managing the books poorly, MLSE should hold onto him until someone of note is interested in the position.

Maybe, but don't you think there is an inherent risk to the developing players? Are the young guys learning the right lessons to ensure they are better players in the future? I'd be reluctant to keep a coach and GM whose teams have shown the inability or unwillingness to defend for years now. The soft label is all over this franchise and there doesn't seem to be an emphasis on accountability. I think the time is right to see what can be done to change this mentality from the top down.

[Mike kovacs]

Rather than ding! ding! ding! how about yawn! yawn! yawn!

[uncalum]

@ kelsie

you make a good point on developing players. An even bigger issue, however, is in signing free agents. With a young team you don't want to sign someone who just wants alot of money, you want a veteran with leadership skills, one of those guys who is in it to win it. They're not going to a place where there are alot of question marks surrounding the GM and coach.

[Mike]

The raptors are going through exactly what this market wanted the Leafs to go through. A bottom-out rebuild. Suck it up people, this is how we need to do it. Let them lose every game for the rest of the year, as long as the younguns get playing time and learn something.

[Matt M]

Put me in the trade Bargnani camp. I would love to see the guy play with players that it is necessary to defend or double team. His defensive issues were covered pretty nicely playing with Reggie Evans. He would be considered a near all-star playing with Dwight Howard. Heck, because Bargnani's and Howard's games complement each other's seamlessly (on paper anyways), I imagine the Magic would be the best team in the league. By far.
So trade Bargnani to the Orlando Magic. Or maybe wait until Ed Davis learns the game (as his strengths should cover Bargnani's more glaring weaknesses) and the Raptors acquire/develop a player that can make teams pay when Bargnani is double teamed.

[raptorman]

All anyone has to do is go to NBA.com and check Barg's stats vs ALL the other Centres. At first glimpse is looks pretty good; 3rd highest scoring Centre, right? However, check his FG% vs the rest of the field; almost the very worst in the league!!! And this is the 1 thing most people say he can do.

Its getting real embarressing when wives and girlfriends figure this stuff out quicker than those of us that watch this crap for years. I've been hearing it at home for 2+ years...thinking he will figure it out; NOPE ain't ever gonna happen. Bryan you might be able to swindle another GM, but PLEASE, you gotta move him.

And Doug, really i like your blog, but you need to be a bit more judgemental, read: HOMER! Love ya

Blogger's note: And by "judgemental" you mean "think more like you" right? You don't want my judgement because you don't agree with it, which is fine. But if you think I'm going to validate your opinions, you're dead wrong