Still a little bit to learn as the end draws near

If that was boxing, it hardly would have been a title bout; more like some unproven kids on the undercard, at times unwatchable but at times entertaining and for the 80th game of the season, it wasn’t too horrid.

And provided this kind of fodder …

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THREE POINTERS

Not much to say

Really, it’s kind of hard, and entirely silly, to try to break down too many moments from that game because there is no way we’d ever see some of those combinations in games that matter.

But I do think they might be on to something useful in the future with James Johnson doing some ball-handling.

And not just in the halfcourt, either.

One play early perfectly showed what they’d like to happen more often when Johnson got a rebound of a miss and Jerryd, knowing he could leave the transition ball-handling alone, headed up the court rather than back to the ball.

Bayless filled a lane, floated to the corner and Johnson was able to lead the break, make the right decision and hit him with a pass that led to a three-pointer.

Now, Johnson can, at times, be a bit nonchalant with the ball but that’ll change in time; it does look like they’ve got something to work with, though.

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Tough break

You know Amir’s hurt pretty badly when they’ve already told us he’s done for the year.

This is a kid – as Jay said in today’s story off the game that I’m sure you’ve already read – who wants to play every day and if he’s shut down now, something’s amiss.

But it can’t take away from the pretty good year he’s had, an emerging offensive game, must less foul trouble than a year ago and highly-efficient work at the free throw line.

When it comes time to dissect the season, and that time is coming, he’s going to have to be the most pleasant surprise.

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The learning continues

Jerryd Bayless was good Sunday night, maybe not as dominant as he’s been in this recent stretch – three turnovers were a bit much – but he did play 42 minutes in Philly and 41 against the Nets so I’ll give him a bit of pass.

And Jay said he likes what he sees in the overall growth of his game.

“The times when he jumped up in the air to make a pass are the times he made a turnover. When he’s aggressive going to the basket, that’s when better things happen, for sure.”

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More?

Yes, there’s a bit more, as usual.

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Darn.

Draft time and I forgot to do my mock draft.

Anyway, I’ll quickly give you the top two and you can check out the rest on your own.

I’ve got Maya Moore of Connecticut going No. 1 to Minnesota this afternoon and I like Elizabeth Cambage of Australia No. 2 to Tulsa.

Yes, it’s WNBA Draft Day and aren’t you all a’tizzy with anticipation?

I know I am.

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I guess they do this on TV before every game, show a repeat of a past Raptor game against that night’s opponent to get everyone in the mood.

Well, I’m sitting in the press room yesterday afternoon and between glances at the Masters and Heat-Celtics, they’ve got a New Jersey-Toronto game on.

On the floor? Jose Calderon, Jason Kapono, Carlos Delfino, Andrea Bargnani and Rasho Nesterovic and one thought hits:

How’d these guys ever get the reputation of being Euro-centric?

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The kid shot 80?

What, were there alligators in Rae’s Creek that scared him?

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So, let’s say Julian’s talking to Caitlin and he says, ‘hmm, I’d like to ask your favourite grunt a question. How would I do that?’

Glad you asked.

Yes, you can take one last shot at one of our special noon-hour question and answer hours tomorrow at high noon.

I know, it’s been a long time since we’ve done one, in part because the air went out of the season about seven weeks ago and in part because life kind of got in the way, but we’ll do one tomorrow and then try to do a couple more during the playoffs, as soon as we figure out what we’re going to do to cover them.

So mark it in your book.

See you then.

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Oh yeah, the next time I moan about some aspect of the job, remind me of this story and my friend Bill Schiller, who along with Lilly took great care of us during the Beijing Olympics.

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It’s like the Nets fell off the face of the media map, only a couple of writers instead of the usual five or six accompanied them on the journey.

Here’s what Al said about that one and them.

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Know what I love – in the “I love this like I love a migraine” manner?

People who tell me how horrible and weak this NBA draft is and hold it up as a shining example of how bad things are for the Raptors.

It’s like they’re trying to pull the wool over your eyes, or suggesting they’re smarter than anyone else which, I can pretty much guarantee, they’re not.

Let me put it to you this way:

Not only is the draft always a crapshoot, there is no way there aren’t going to be five or six good to great players in this one and since that’s where the HOTH are going to be drafting, who gives a rat’s bum what the late-lottery, mid-first round picks are like?

In fact, isn’t in some way better for the Raptors if there is some perceived drop off after, say, the sixth pick? Wouldn’t that make their top four or five pick relatively better?

And I will also say this with quite a bit of confidence: If there is a 2011-12 season, we will be sitting here a year from now talking about a guy taken 10th or 13th or 18th and saying what a surprise he was.

So, spare me the “this is a weak draft” stuff when it comes time to talk about Toronto.

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I’m not a guy who believes too much in the old “misery loves company” school of thought but I did smirk just a wee bit when I heard the Air Canada charter ferrying the lads to Milwaukee late Sunday night had some issues and there was a bit a delay.

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What’s up in Milwaukee, where the Bucks are almost as banged up as Toronto?

This is.

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So what’s up this week?

No clue, really.

Can’t do an IGBT tonight, I’m afraid, but there’s the chat tomorrow at noon, we’ll finish the season off Wednesday and then figure out where we go from there.

As I recall, we picked and chose different games in the first round last spring, didn’t we? Maybe that’s the way to go?

We should think about it.

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Comments

[AT]

Good Morning Doug,
I am still surprised at your views towards the draft. Aside from trades (and we know there have been no blockbusters here lately) and free agency (and the Raptors have not been so lucky there as well), the draft is the only other place to acquire players. And because it is such a crapshoot, the more importance on focusing on it as a team. And hopefully will be picking in the top 3 and not mid to late lottery.
And because we know you love hypothetical here is one, if a Kobe/Lebro/Wade caliber player was available in the draft and the rest if all not better than say Hoff, would you not rest one or two of your starters that has been dealing with a nagging injuries when playing an insignificant game at the end of the season?
And isn't that was the Raptors are precisely doing right now???

[Matt M]

It's a weak draft. There doesn't seem to be James, Griffin, etc. at the top. Of course, the last time it was like this there were still two franchise changing players that emerged, including Aldridge and Roy (until his knees retired).
Hopefully Bargnani is watching these games and thinking something along the lines of 'if I don't improve my rebounding and defensive game then this team will stop playing me'. Sure looks like Bargnani doesn't contribute to whether the Raps win or lose after this stretch of games. The world hasn't ended on the offensive side of the ball anyways.

[Kerry O]

Would love to do the same format for playoffs as last year. It's nice to follow games like that when the team's have, you know, hope.

[Peter]

"Mark it in your book" What's this book that you speak of? You're saying that people use books to tell them when they have meetings or appointments? Interesting! :)

[Simon]

I'm a journalism student. I love travel. That story about your colleague is why I'm following your footsteps into sports journalism! (Don't worry Doug I'm going for baseball and Griff's job :))

[Dennis]

Doug, love your stuff and read you everyday. I do have a small bone to pick though. The last couple comments you made during the IGBT last night where you called the fans (a lot of whom are also your fans) idiotic and disgusting was really uncalled for. It was just plain unprofessional. Your better than that!

All the irregulars know exactly how you feel about the pizza give away. I hope you would realize that resorting to name calling and somewhat objectionable language is beneath you.

I'm no huge fan of the pizza thing either, but for G-d's sakes man, just ignore and learn let it go already!

[Vincent]

Like AT, your views on the draft just don't make sense. Nobody's pulling any wool over anyone's eyes. It's simply a comment on the relative likelihood that you're going to get a good player out of the draft. Like you say, the draft CAN be a bit of a crapshoot unless there are players like Griffin/Wall/Rose/LeBron/Howard/Yao available and you happen to be picking number one. However, there are definitely years where there are just more guys that are likely to be good/great.

Looking at some extreme examples, take Bosh's draft year (2003) and Bargnani's year (2006). Can you honestly say that the caliber of players 1-30 in those respective drafts are in any way comparable? No, they are not. 2003 was one of the greatest draft years of all time (arguably second to Jordan's year) - 2006? Not so much - probably one of the worst drafts of all time.

The difference is: Am I likely going to get a star out of this draft or am I more likely to get a role-player out of this draft?

Obviously, there is a whole spectrum of strength/weakness in drafts. There's also the issue of whether a draft is "top-heavy" vs. a draft with "depth" which also plays into that. But by the accounts that are trickling through from the reporters who claim they are talking to scouts, this draft is a 1-2 all-star draft (and nobody seems to know for sure who they might be) with a few role-players sprinkled in for good measure.

So you can hate it all you want, and pull the wool over your own eyes all you want, but a lot of things have to fall into place for the Raptors to get a star-caliber player out of this draft. And that's exactly what the Raptors need. The Raptors don't need a 4th option on offense. They need someone who can lead this team either offensively or defensively (preferably both, but at this point I'd take a guy that can do one or the other). And if you say that we already have those types of guys on the roster, then there's not a whole lot more to say as we're obviously following completely different teams.

[John S]

Hi Doug,

Two things:

1) Amir was paid a mid level contract and this season he put up average numbers so to me, I would say that he did what he was supposed to do. I wouldn't say that he's a pleasant suprise because with a big contract come big expectations.

2) Since the Raptors don't have their 2nd round pick, I absolutely agree that I could not care less about the depth of the draft. Every draft will produce a few all-stars and assuming that the Raptors have a top 5 pick I hope that we can get one of the them.

[Lorie]

Morning Doug,
First off, thanks for the WNBA news. (And are there Canadians we might watch for?) Second, if you're looking for input from us on how to do the playoffs around these parts (were you???), I enjoyed last year's First Round Smorgasbord: a bit of this one, a little of that one, then a taste of something else, before we started zeroing in on the series we wanted to follow in the later rounds. It was as though we were scouting for the most competitive and intriguing teams to follow. And I think it made for a few evenings of fine entertainment. And I think the basketball was okay, too. Third, thanks for the link to Mr. Schiller's important story. Cheers!

Blogger's note: There might be one in the WNBA draft but it's a longshot

[sam]

The thing about Amir - is he always seems to be giving his all. He's been a joy to watch this year, has cut down on silly fouls with still some work to do. He seems to be good on both sides of the ball and plays like he truly loves the game. It's too bad he's missed the last few games and will be out the remaining 2......
Bayless is learning on the job - good for him!

[joe]

Hi Doug,

What is the status of the other injured players for tonight's game: Jose, Andrea, Leandro, Sonny. Is Reggie good to go as he looked like he hurt his wrist toward the end of yesterday's game.

[Lorie]

@Dennis:
And if these are indeed fans of, and familiar with, Doug's writing it should cause them no surprise at his response to their actions. Heck, if I was sitting behind Doug at a game and booed loudly at being deprived of a free piece of something generously described as food, I would certainly expect him to turn around, call me an idiot and chastise me for behaving in a disgusting manner. I may not like it, but I know his position. And, as is said, if a person doesn't stand for something, they'll fall for anything. And I like that Doug stands firmly against this corporate "giveaway", that to my mind, diminishes the integrity of the game, sportsmanship and pizza generally.

[Mike kovacs]

I was there last night as you know Doug. I was disgusted by the booing at the end too over a $2.50 slice of pizza. I was exhorting those around me to stop. We should have been giving these bench players a standing ovation for a good effort! If anyone from MLSE is reading ( and pardon me while I shout ) PLEASE STOP THE PIZZA PROMOTION IN IT'S CURRENT FORM! In the future I suggest that the pizza be simply awarded if the raps win!

[Kent]

some people go to the game just for fun and entertainment. They don't care about basketball, the integrity of the game, or whatever. If they think that getting a slice of pizza makes it more fun, they should be able to do it without being judged.

[DMcCalgary]

@Lorie:
You're unending defense of Doug is admirable, but from all I've seen on here, I would never have imagined you'd condone calling someone you don't even know an idiot for having different priorities than you. There's been much written here, and rightfully so, including from Doug that flippant name calling gets one nowhere but diminishing themselves. Picture some guy sitting with his kid for his first game. The game has been boring and there's been little to cheer about from the home team. Some fools start cheering for the pizza, the kid asks what it's about and joins in, with his dad happy that the kid found something to be happy about his experience at the arena. Would it be right for Doug, or anybody to turn around and call the kid and his dad idiots? Hey, I think the cheering for free "pizza" is silly too, but I don't see that @Dennis was off base in asking to let it go already. Just as the consistent harping, from some posters, on the same issue is tiring, Dennis was just saying the same about the pizza thing. We know the stance, let's move on. As I've said, I think it's silly too, but how does it diminish the integrity of the game and sportsmanship? I don't know if it has ever actually effected the game, but very rarely if so. There are much bigger fish to fry regarding the integrity of the game than fans cheering for a free slice of pizza.

[Richard]

@Vincent,

Nicely articulated points and well stated opinion. Hopefully you have better luck than I have at veering from the conventional wisdom here that the draft is the only way to go for the Raptors. Apparently it's a notion to be dismissed and the sign of some one trying to fool unsuspecting Raptor fans. Don't know who called the draft "horrible" but I'm glad I'm not the only one reading the reports by presumably reputable writers (I believe either Marc Spears or Adrian Wojnarowski at Yahoo! was one place I read it) that have reported people they talk to (scouts and GMs) have called it a weak draft.

I agree completely with the point you make about leadership - defensively more than offensively in my opinion - being one of the most critical elements that a young and improving Raptor team could use. The core of the team is young and has shown flashes of emerging talent that needs a chance to grow and bond. But a strong defensive minded talent (preferably a Big) should be a top priority. If they can see that in a 19 or 20 year old potential draft pick, then jump all over it.

Really Doug, if you want to rant and rail against people pulling the wool over anybody's eyes, or thinking that they are smarter than anyone else, then it would be your colleagues you should be taking issue with, and the NBA execs they cite in their blog posts. Or maybe you don't consider those guys as colleagues or credible.
If an NBA source of yours told you they weren't all that impressed with the draft, would you suggest they don't know what they're talking about and negatively characterize them for their assessment?

[The J]

Mike Kovacs - I kinda like your suggestion. And it wouldn't be too bad for MLSE or Pizza Pizza. If I had to take a guess, I would think the Raps scored more than 100 points more times than they won games (anyone want to check that stat for me?). So it would be far fewer pizza to give away, and direct fans to cheering for the only thing that matters: Wins.

That being said, while I would never boo for not getting pizza (especially mediocre Pizza Pizza), I do enjoy when I'm at a game and we get a free slice. It's not what matters but a free lunch the next day never hurts. I sometimes find my self cheering for them to hit 100 points even when I'm at home watching on TV. It's been a rough season for everyone, including (or especially) the fans. If a pepperoni and cheese covered piece of cardboard makes people happy, I say more power to them. I'm just thankful every day that I never have to see another Hedo pizza commercial.

[D-Mac Ottawa]

I'll weigh in on the side of the scribe, Lorie and Mike Kovacs above: The booing is entirely absurd, entirely ridiculous, entirely brainless, entirely embarrassing, and more than entirely inappropriate to the sport, the venue, and the reason the games even exist.
That said, it's MLSE and the promoters who are entirely responsible for setting up, and continuing to stand behind, the entire absurd, ridiculous, brainless, embarrassing, and inappropriate promotion! Surely, they're smart enough to know that, people being people, they're going to boo under the circumstances. Surely, they're smart enough to know that some very minor tweaking could both fix that problem and still keep pretty much EVERYone happy, not just the yokels who put that kind of stock in that kind of handout, no matter what the hell might be transpiring on the court...
Surely, they're smart enough, no? Cheers. Go figure.

[Lorie]

@DMcCalgary:
As you say, there are indeed bigger fish to fry. My issue is not the sole one, but from my perch here, it's worth de-bait-ing. Cheers.

[MJ Walk]

Interesting comments with regards to the draft--although there really is not a number 1 type player in the draft there are several who will be very good. A lot of people are toting Irving out of Duke but his body of work is quite sparse and at this point we are not sure if he is even a star in college. On top of this he chooses to go to a so called "brain school" and opts out after playing about 15 games at the most. My alarm bells are going off with this guy. The Raps still need a quality three and should Harrison Barnes opt out at Carolina he certainly would be tempting. They also need a monster, with a man's body, in the middle and that won't be found in this draft.
Perhaps a deal with the Kings could solve that problem if we could get Cousins. It may cost us our first pick but is there anyone in this years draft that is better.
We seem to be well set at the point--Calderon is far, far above average as quoted by one of the opposing coaches quite recently. Bayless with a couple of more years in the back-up role could be a starter down the road. If Bayless is not the answer perhaps a trade with the T Wolves for the rights to Ricky Rubio. I don't really care about his numbers this year but I do know his potential and he is far beyond anything in this years draft. Again a couple of years backing up Calderon and we have a star in the making.
This team is not as far away as most people think and with the right combination of trades, drafting and tweaks the future could be quite bright. What is also missing is a couple more veteran players who know their role. It is important that they don't make the same mistake that they made when they traded for Jack a couple of years ago. If it had been explained that he was the back-up to Calderon that deal would have been a winner all the way around. Instead he was running around making quotes and thinking he was a team leader when all he had to do was be quiet, learn the system and develop into a quality back-up.

[Steven]

I think one thing to note is the guys sitting behind Doug just paid $500.00 for a pair of tickets to watch that game and probably paid the same for many other games this year with little to cheer about. In a season like the one that has just about passed, if paying fans want to cheer for pizza then who are we to criticize as they are just having some fun at the game. I think by now the players know the boos are not directed at their play and I have yet to see an angry mob in the corridor after a game due to lack of pizza. I could fully understand the criticism if the Raptors just won a game in a playoff race but in a 22 win season, as long as nothing is being thrown and foul language is not being used then let's lighten up a bit. The solution as stated before here is to give pizza for games in which the Raptors hold a team to under 100. With this defence, Pizza Pizza would like that one too.

[de]

The best PR move the Raptors can make this offseason is to remove the Pizza Pizza 100 contest.

It belittles the game, it makes a crowd surly in a loss, hyper in a victory, and it just is embarrasing to watch at times how crazy fans who paid over 100.00 per seat, will go bananas for a slice of cardboard.

I smell a Facebook revolution...........

[Dennis]

@ Lorie
The merits of the pizza promotion can be debated till no end. After all it is a matter of opinion. The name calling however is completely unnecessary. It's unbecoming of such a fine professional scribe as Doug and just plain childish.

[Derek S]

I'm amazed at those of you writing to defend the moron's who "boo" because they don't get free pizza at Raps games? Are you kidding me? Some of you defend this because the Raps have been horrible this year (in regards to winning games), but this promotion has been around for years, and even when the games "meant something" I've been at plenty of games where fans booed when the Raps won a great game, but only scored 98 points. Its pathetic.
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If you want to cheer when you get free pizza - great. Its your right as a fan to look like a moron (in my humble opinion) and get louder and more excited over a $1.50 slice than by anything that happens during the game. But to boo the players when you don't get pizza? Should I boo the Raps when they're throwing free t-shirts into the crowd and I don't get one?
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We criticize players for showing a "lack of respect" if they run up the score on a beaten opponent (and get ticked when other teams do it to us), but the fans act like players are "letting us down" if they don't win us a slice.
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We talk in this forum about "why players would want to come (or not come) to play in Toronto". I've seen players leave it all on the floor, play a great game, get a great win, and then get booed by the home crowd because they only scored 98 points in beating a superior opponent. That alone would make me not want to play in this city.
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For those of you who only watch the games on TV, it may not be apparent how "bad" this looks and sounds in person, as the camera microphones don't always adequately represent the crowd noise. I'm a season ticket holder and attend about 50% of the home games, and I've seen it more times than I can count over the past few years. Quite literally - the cheering for free pizza (or for free t-shirts) is deafening compared to the cheering when the Raps hit a big-three, or get a defensive stop.
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I couldn't agree more that MLSE is a big culprit in this. Not only do they have/support the promotion in this format (rewarding points rather than wins), but they have the announcer scream out "free pizza" anytime they get to 100 points. While I recognize that MLSE takes a big "slice" of the blame, that doesn't mean I can't hold the rest of the fans accountable for their part as well.
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If you were sitting beside a fan wearing a Raptors hat and jersey at a game, who obviously was a fan of the team, but they cheered wildly everytime the Raptors missed a shot (rather than made one) - wouldn't you think they were a moron, who was totally missing the point?

[Wallace]

I really can't remember the last time the experts predicted a "strong" draft. In 2003, Vince Carter tried to convince the Raptor franchise to trade the fourth pick because everybody knew that it would be a three man draft. As we now know, the fourth pick was Chris Bosh and the fifth pick Dwayne Wade. Sprinkled throughout the rest of that first round were Kaman, Hinrich, Pietrus, Collison, West, Diaw, Delfino, K. Perkins, Barbosa, and Josh Howard. Very weak indeed.