It's all about the new guy and first impressions

So, what’d you think?

Of the new guy, that is.

Seems to have a bit of a “presence” doesn’t he?

Seems to be able to command respect from those around him, can make his points quickly, lucidly and with passion, leaving no doubt that he’s in charge.

I don’t know for sure how that’s going to translate once he gets on the floor as the guy in charge but as first impressions go, I think he made a good one with the people in the room.

The one thing anyone wants in a coach is to be able to capture the attention of his players, get them to buy what he’s selling and a lot of the good ones do it by the force of their personality.

The Xs and Os don’t change all that much from one organization to the next or from one coaching philosophy to another; what the good ones do is get players, fans, bosses and, yes, even the media who distribute the message to listen intently and give respect.

This might have been one of the best lines from Casey:

I don’t need players to like me, I want them to respect me.

-

Haha.

Fooled you on the mock draft, didn’t I?

Sorry about that, got caught up in a whole bunch of Dwane Casey for the web and the paper and it got put back a day.

Tomorrow’s paper and the website later today for sure. I just need to find the precise reasons why Brandon Knight makes more sense that Kemba Walker here. You understand, right?

-

So, another bargaining session comes Friday and that has to be good news.

But when they start talking about billions of dollars and hundreds of millions in give-backs or takeaways or whatever, my eyes kind of go all glassy and my mind wanders.

I don’t think there’s an appetite among fans or readers for the minutia of contract negotiations, I know for a fact that I don’t have the expertise or even the contacts to fully explain it so I don’t know that I’m going to be much help as this story drags on interminably.

My Man Sheridan does a good job explaining things, he’s been far closer than I to these kinds of stories for years so here’s what he wrote about yesterday’s chat.

-

Speaking of the draft, I had a couple of guys in the organization make the same point to me in separate conversations yesterday.

Is there anyone at No. 5 who is better than what they have at the same spot now?

Think about it and we’ll discuss it a bit more in the morning but right now they have a young team with some promise, a new coach who may be able to change things, and there is a feeling of optimism around there. It may be cockeyed optimism but at least it’s not dread and when you look at the possibilities for the pick, is it really a huge upgrade at any spot?

More specifics tomorrow but here’s one: Is Kawhi Leonard really an upgrade over James Johnson? Seriously. Maybe in a few years but that’s a total guess. Is he today? I don’t know. And neither do a couple of Henchmen.

-

Oh, this is going to make the new coach popular in some circles.

A hockey analogy:

“In the playoffs, we spliced in some hockey into our game film because we thought we were playing too soft at the start of the Miami series and it really set the tone. I don’t know a lot about hockey, I’ve heard about it, but we spliced in guys checking players up into the windows and boards, that type of thing. That’s the way we’re going to play.”

-

This is why I like Rick Carlisle.

Sent him a text early yesterday morning wondering if he was around and able to chat for a minute or two about Casey.

Got one back about 30 minutes later saying, yeah, he was around and to call right then.

I did, we talked, got some good quotes and a bit of insight and when we were making small talk about life in general, he told me he was walking the streets of Paris on vacation.

That’s above and beyond the call of duty for anyone, there are players and coaches who don’t have time for you when they’re in the same gym, let alone on a different continent.

-

All kinds of players filtering back into town, I hear.

Saw DeMar and Sonny at the Casey thing yesterday, I understand Jerryd Bayless and Ed Davis are in town and I expect there’ll be some working out and fooling around going on in the gym over the next few days, the same kind of unofficial workouts that happen in September.

That’s not a bad sign, I guess. It’ll give them a chance to at least meet the new coach, hang out a bit and, perhaps, get to know whatever draft pick they end up making on Thursday night.

Oh and because you know me and hairstyles/fashion/stuff I really don’t know a lot about, DeMar shows up with these cornrowy things on his head and all I can think of is that if he lets it grow for a month or two, he’ll look like Oak when he had those twisty things that were, um, unique.

-

One more Casey quote on his demeanour, which can be quite animated during games:

As a head coach, I’m not going to be as hard-charging as I was an assistant. With our staff the way it was built in Dallas, that was my job, my role … that’s what I had to bring every day. I may have to do it here, I’m not going to say I’m not going to do it but I may have to temper that and my staff has to do a good job of making sure I temper it with the right disposition.

I don’t want to wear our players out, I want it to be fun to come in and play hard every day … that’s on us to be innovative, be creative as part of our approach to practice.”

-

 

 

Comments

[Mike D.]

I would hazard a guess that DD is at greater risk of people mocking his hair style than Oak was?

[JHK]

Blogger's note: Is there anyone at No. 5 who is better than what they have at the same spot now?

I would think no one in the draft at No. 5 will be better than DD at the 2, Ed/Amir at 4 and Bargs at 5.
But Kemba Walker will certainly be better than Jose or Bayless at 1.
Vesley will be an upgrade over JJ at 3 as well.
If they are not trading up/down, they need to draft Kemba or Vesley.
That's right, I said it.

[Jerry]

Any truth to the Yahoo rumors that they are talking to the Spurs about Tony Parker for the draft pick?

[Jeff H]

"Is there anyone at No. 5 who is better than what they have at the same spot now?"

I smell a trade in the works!!! Please!!!

No one they pick at 5 is going to have an impact for at least a year or 2. So maybe they trade it away, or they take a flyer on Val (which would seem to make sense)?

[Dave]

I really wish the best for Casey. However, I think that there is too much interference by the managment group and the GM for him to truly put his mark on the team. I don't think Toronto can succeed until there is a new owner. Also, how long will it be before Brian tells Dwane who he should play, especially if he benches Andrea for losing his man on help defense.

It must have been very difficult for Jay to stand at the back of the room listening to Brian talking about how Dwane will make all these positive changes to the same team. It was also interesting to hear that Dwane was not given a fair chance in Minny. I think the same could be said for Jay and probably Sam. Jay .did what Brian wanted and played the kids. Now that they are developing somebody else will get the credit if they become somewhat successful.

I really don't like Brian's approach. He would make a better used car salesman.

[Greg]

So Sonny is only under contract for 8 more days. Is this an audition to be the 10th or 11th guy?

[mattmelanson]

Heya Doug,

Long time no comment, still read daily. Let's get to one really important question mark about this coach and his approach:

...are you getting the feeling he may be good for a few golden quotes? I mean it doesn't really matter what he does with the guys on the court, it's all about the fodder he'll provide so you can add some colour to your stories ;)

I counted 3 articles posted from you yesterday, including the blog - do you get these teed up prior and add timely details before deadline or do you have to basically do it all from scratch in a short time? I work in a deadline-driven creative field as well and I'm always interested in hearing what the process is for different media - I'm always surprised at how similar things are across creative disciplines.

Thanks as always for your hard work!
Matt

Blogger's note: Basically from scratch, too often in too much of a hurry

[Greg]

JHK: Based on what evidence? I don’t get all the Kemba love from everyone here. People basing their arguments on the fact he was on a winning team. There was an interview with David Thorpe on one of those raptors fan sites. Go listen to what he says about Kemba. I trust his opinion more than the fans…

[JW]

Agree with the henchman Doug. I don't think there's any way Kawhi is better than James Johnson at this point in time. Johnson has a pretty well rounded game and can do a bunch of things well, Leonard is one dimensional in that he is a good defender and awful offensively.

I think the position that sticks out where we can get an upgrade is at point guard. Either of the top 3 PG's in this draft would be an offensive upgrade over Jose, and although I doubt you would agree, they probably can't be any worse than him defensively. Now if Bayless is our point guard of the future there may be some duplication there since most of the highly rated point guards in this draft are more like combo guards. Yes, there are an awful lot of Kemba Walker fan boys in Toronto these days, but not without reason...these are likely people who have actually seen the guy play, especially when he dominated March Madness. If he's available with the 5th pick I see him as an upgrade over Jose, ready to step in immediately, unlike many of the other projects likely to be taken in the top 10 this draft.

Also, on a bit of a sidenote, I've seen quite a few comments in the past couple of days hammering people with opinions and asking whether they know better then you or any of the GM's. Calm down people. Anyone who watches alot of college games is obviously going to have an opinion on which players are better than others and who might be a good fit with Toronto. That doesn't make any of these opinions right, it's only an OPINION. I would suspect that fans who don't have an opinion on who we should take are simply people who don't watch any college basketball.

[David in Oakville]

Hmmm, reading Sheridan's article makes me think we are in for a long summer and a shorter season of basketball. The players know they have it good and have no place to go but down. Until the players start losing hard money and encounter cash flow problems based on their lifestyles.. they are not likely to move. That would seem to suggest that a lock out is inevitable.

@Dave... what you described is the life of most NBA coaches. No matter how you analyze it.. these players got too complacent on defense under Jay. New coach, new rules. Listening to Casey and Colangelo I do not believe there will be interference and I also don't think Bargs gets benched for losing his man on help defense.. but he certainly will be benched (and lose valuable offensive minutes) if he fails to provide help defense or make an effort on a double team when asked.

Also interesting piece on Bismack Biyombo at Grantland today
http://www.grantland.com/story/_/id/6679686/your-deal

[Kelsey]

I think Kemba falling is going to motivate him more, I think the team that gets him will be happy..

Colangelo will not gamble and take 7ft Euro unless Kanter but he wont be there. I agree wih another person above, Kemba Walker im sure would be better than bayless and calderon with some time.

Casey im sure will be able to bring this team back to earth Triano with his over complicated schemes wasnt working at all. Lets go Raptors!!!

[Jacques]

Doug, any word on PJ yet? wouldn't he work well with Casey? or is there some history between?

Blogger's note: No official word but I think the fact he hasn't been around at all for any of the workouts or the new hiring and was told he wasn't a candidate for the No. 1 job is probably enough for me to safely say he's gone

[Gerrit]

Doug, I'd be willing to bet just about everything I own that more than 4 players in this draft will have better careers than Jerryd Bayless, Jose Calderon, James Johnson, and Linas Kleiza. Hearing that the #5 pick may not be an upgrade over those guys is a cop-out - an excuse for bad scouting.

The raps were the 3rd worst team in the league last year and the worst defensive team - they need an upgrade at every position.

[Tiger]

I suppose it comes with the cyncism of living too long in espn's lowest-ranked sports town, so yesterday felt like deja vu all over again: a new guy pronouncing a new era of change.
Wasn't it just over 6 months ago that some new guy announced that baseball was going to be played differently in these parts? And I suppose it has turned out to be true: fewer runs for and more runs against.
So the newest new guy promises tough defense... reminds me of some pepsi-chugging lout who gave us the most boring years in raptors history.

[Johnn19]

Doug:
In answer to your question, is Kawhi Leonard any better than James Johnson?
I have a question for you.
Can Demar and JJ play 48 minutes of aggresive defense per game?
If as I suspect not, Kawhi is then a better defensive player now than any other wing Rap's have, and has a very transferable skill as a rebounder with 10.6per as a second year player. If you are worried about his offence that is only practice as Demar has demonstrated.
Colangelo needs to back up his defense first comments by drafting for defense and Kawhi is the best talent for that skill, and can contribute now.

[Wallace]

Doug, good point about drafting anyone better at a particular position than the player they currently have.
The only one that comes to mind is Kanter. If he slides to #5, he can be the center they don't have now and as a franchise have never had. Bargs, Davis, Johnson and Evans all want to be the Raptors starting power forward....none of them want to be, nor can be, the center on this team. And I don't think they want to wait a year or two for Valanciunas to come to the NBA. So do they trade out of the fifth pick?

Blogger's note: It's an option, sure.

[The Poor Soul]

I hope Bryan will continue to support his new coach by getting him a sufficient number of healthy bodies to run a practice. That's more than he did for Jay. M A year from now, here in Mudville, will we be quoting Thayer: Mighty Casey has struck out?

(Ouch! This soapbox gave me a splinter.)

[Angelo]

I noticed that yesterday at the press conference Demar asked to participate in a photo with the new coach, does that speak to the level of respect he has for Casey based on familiarity (I heard he worked out with Demar in summers after he was drafted) you think?

Blogger's note: They know each other from around and summers but I wouldn't read too much into it

[Stephen]

This Draft is going to be interesting from 1-20. There could be some major names traded, in fact, I could care less about who is drafted, and more about who is actually traded tomorrow.

I will wait for the REAL draft of 2012 to get excited if the Raps have a top 5 pick, as one of those players will definately be an impact player.

Lets hope this CBA junk does not lessen the amount of trades done tomorrow. Watching Presti and Kahn make half a dozen trades in one day is fun.

[Mike D.]

@JW, I agree with your assessment of James Johnson. I hope he is working on his jumper so he can become more effective on offense, but in the games I watched last year I was particularly impressed with his tenacity as a wing defender. The issue, though, is that when he comes off the floor he is currently replaced by Sonny or (if he recovers) Kleiza, both of whom have significant defensive issues. So assuming that the Raps agree Kawhi Leonard is a good defender, and given that Dwane Casey wants to improve our defensive focus, I could see the team drafting Leonard just so they have a relentless wing defender on the floor at all times.

@JHK, there is probably some case to be made that Kanter might be better as a traditional 5 than Bargs, although he might not be as effective an all-around scorer.

[Jack]

@Dave.. maybe it's gonna be different this time, because both of them are hoping for contract extensions. Both of them are under contract for 2 years, so their fate will be measured by the success of the team. So if benching Bargnani for lack of defense will translate to the success of the team, I don't think Colangelo will interfere.
I hope that happens. Then, we can just speculate the date when Bargnani demands a trade.

[J]

@Gerrit:

"Doug, I'd be willing to bet just about everything I own that more than 4 players in this draft will have better careers than Jerryd Bayless, Jose Calderon, James Johnson, and Linas Kleiza."

Reading comprehension much? Have fun betting on careers on your own though when the question was about prospects who are definite upgrades now.

As high as I am on Kanter and hope he falls a bit to the Raptors, I can't say he is definitely better right now than any of the bigs we have. Yes, I hope he's the perfect complement to Ed Davis down the road, but can I guarantee it? No. Good on you for sneaking Kleiza in there though and lowering the standard; I don't think anyone was thinking about him at all, but guys like Calderon/Bayless, DeRozan, Johnson, Davis and Bargnani.

I do agree there's a huge cop-out here, but it's by you. More than four guys will have better careers than Calderon, Bayless, Johnson, and Kleiza? Sure, I'd make that bet too. Especially when better career is purely subjective. It's good to know, though,that you aren't able to bet money on exactly who will be better. Which is exactly the point.

[J]

Edit: "especially when better career is subjective, and there's absolutely no way to hold you or me accountable 10 years down the line if we're wrong."

[joe]

Doug,

Any news on who Casey may hire for his staff? Do you think Jay Triano might be invited to be on his staff?

Blogger's note: No news but no Jay

[Lorie]

Hi Doug,
To add a bit to your fashion coverage from yesterday's news conference, DeMar was the clear winner on the Raptor Red Carpet. And I would like to suggest that his new hairstyle is more than just a different look. As any woman will tell you, a new coif is usually a statement - a step in the process of establishing a new image - and I think DeMar's choice of an "Oak-like" look is no coincidence. He is telling us that he's ready to channel his inner "Oakley" on the court. And his suit? Classic, conservative and well-cut. Quality, but not screaming it. The boy is learning. And, Doug, did you see how you've influenced him, sartorially speaking? That shirt? It looked decidedly pink on my screen! Cheers! Big Drafty Draughty Ones!