A long Raptors month ends and a team stumbles through a winter

I think maybe we’ve broken the back of this dopey NBA season with the eight road games in a nine-game stretch and a January from hell.

It always was about surviving this month for this team, brutal travel schedule, new coach, no camp, abbreviated pre-season, a few new faces and a brand new system.

How’d they do?

Pretty good, all things considered.

Now, 7-14 isn’t a record to be proud of at all, and there are still many issues to be addressed but as the month comes to an end, I think they’re further along in a lot of key ways than many expected.

They defend better than anyone thought they would – top four in opponent field goal percentage; Bargnani’s better than he’s ever been – coaches vote for all-star reserves in the next couple of weeks, too bad he’s hurt ‘cause that’ll hurt his chances; and they play well on the road – they’ve won five road games already and won six all of last season.

Now, with nine of the next 12 at home, including a seven-game homestand that will try the patience of Super Family because I’ll be under foot for a couple of weeks, it should give Dwane Casey even more time to work with a team that’s very much a work in progress.

There will be more practice time, which he loves, and more days off without flights that should lessen the physical toll on these guys.

No one’s really satisfied with where they are but given all they’ve had to deal with in the first full month of the season, there’s some reason for them to feel kind of good.

Now the question is: Can they keep it up?

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Did you see this?

Pretty impressive, isn’t it?

I still like Vince over Weis and there’ve been lots of other impressive Griffin dunks but, man, that was something.

And don’t think NBA players aren’t paying attention; am told the twitterverse went berserk right after that play.

Impressive, indeed.

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Oh, yeah, we’re back with an IGBT tonight, not to worry.

(Like so many of you were worried, I’m sure)

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So I’m sure you all saw Griff’s report from the State Of The Blue Jays buntoss last night. It’s when Paul and Alex and John sit around and answer questions from often fawning fans.

Doesn’t sound like it was a contentious evening at all, despite what has to be considered a bad off-season to date. Face it, when the season ended last fall, there was all kinds of expectations that the team would do something bold to shore up the three or four areas that needed shoring up.

After all, this is a promising young team with perhaps the best hitter in the entire game playing right field and if this wasn’t the winter to take a giant step, when would be?

Well, some other time I guess.

We sit here about three weeks from the start of spring training (THREE WEEK!! Wow, where’d the winter go?) and the list of additions and changes to the team is, frankly, quite underwhelming.

Seems a wasted winter, doesn’t it?

There are all kinds of explanations for why they didn’t get the front-end starter, experienced closer and second baseman they needed; they missed out on Yu for money, lost Papelbon to a better team with a recent track record and there was no way Prince Fielder was coming here.

What I wonder is if this has turned off some of the new fans the team got last season when it was fun to watch, a group of talented youngsters coming into their own.

Fans are, as we all know, quite fickle but the Blue Jays fans who have remained loyal lo all these years of fourth place finishes have to running out of patience, don’t they?

I guess, as Beeston apparently pointed out last night, the proof of pudding is in the eating and we’ll see how things develop once they start playing for real in April but, right now, I fear a lot of the goodwill the team built last season is vanishing.

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I’m sure you all saw the quote from Dwane at the end of my story today about the starting lineup and whether he can keep both Bayless and Calderon in a smallish backcourt.

“I don’t know if we’ll go with that lineup again, we’ll have to see. A lot of it has to do with matchups and who we play and we’ve got some tough games coming up this week. We’ll have to look and see what the matchups are.”

Not sure what he’s going to be feeling about Jeff Teague and Joe Johnson tonight here or Rondo and Ray Allen tomorrow in Boston but maybe he’ll decide that, yeah, let’s see if we can make teams adjust to us rather than us adjusting to them.

And that’s not a bad thing. I think I’d rather a coach be proactive rather than reactive and under these circumstances – and we don’t know about Barbosa and won’t until tonight, most likely – being proactive is the way to go.

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Speaking fans and their reactions to the teams they follow, how do you think Argos fans are going to react to the new head honcho saying winning might not be the most important thing, as Chris Rudge did in this story with Dan Girard at our place yesterday.

Um, er, ah.

Isn’t winning something the people want more than anything? And aren’t Argo fans kind of deserving of, you know, wins?

I can kind of see what he’s saying, the “total entertainment package” has to be good but at the heart of the matter is wins.

Win and the people will come and forgive a lot of other sins.

I’d rather a new boss come out and say “we’re going to win and get to the Grey Cup in our city and do whatever it takes to accomplish that.”

That, rather than, “We were very proud of a team on the field that had a defence that bent but didn’t break … but I’m not sure people want to see a team at home that has a 9-0 record but the average score is 12-7.

“I think they’d much rather see us .500 at home with an average score of 38-34.”

I wonder if they would.

 

 

 

 

Comments

[Mike D.]

Not to seem petty, but that Blake dunk attempt ended up as more of a Superman layup, a la Dwight Howard....

[Boko]

Whether it's the Raptors or the Argos, the top priority, every game, is what gives us the best chance of winning. Any non-player that spouts otherwise is in the wrong job.

[Michel G]

The Blue Jays have stayed the course this past off-season and have kept to the game plan. Sure, they would have liked to add a top of the rotation pitcher and a bat to backup Bautista, but AA has said all along that he will not overpay. These so-called 'expectations' for the off-season was fueled mainly by the fans and the media. I'm glad Jays management hasn't overreacted to fan pressure. Sometimes making moves just for the sake of making moves is not the best course of action.

[alfie]

Thanks for the Blake dunk video. I think you get a better feel for the dunk in full speed: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_E9UJJ_ap1o&feature=related

[LeeZ]

@Michael G: couldn't disagree more. As Doug correctly pointed out, you have the best hitter in baseball, and he has absolutely no protection behind him in the batting order. He ain't getting any younger, and they've made a big investment in him. By not, say, trading some of their glut of outstanding minor leaguers plus a decent player on the major league roster for a big bat, plus trading for a number 2 or 3 starter, Rogers is basically telling their fans, we're gonna just keep tiding you fans over, giving you JUST enough to look promising but not nearly enough to make us an actual contender. In other words, more of the same. Hell, it's worked for Leaf fans, why not for Jays fans? It would NOT be making moves for the sake of moves. It would me making moves for the sake of CONTENDING.

[JHK]

Impressive dunk indeed.
It's remarkable how that franchised has turned out - all of sudden stacked with stars in Griffin, D.Jordan, CP3, Billups, Butler, Mo Williams... and even Gomes and Foye are very underrated serviceable players.
Hopefully Raps can take similar path.

[doug]

tale of two cities...Leafs fans defend Burke,and his re-signing of Wilson although they haven't been in the playoffs since Million Dollar baby won at the Oscars, Jays fans boo someone that has the audacity to ask a question that puts AA on the spot, haven't in the playoffs since Schindlers List won, and Raps have been best of the bunch, No Country for old Men won, the Argos are well just the Argos where the new team mantra is and I am sure Lombardi never uttered these words, "let's just have fun, winning doesn't matter", are you kidding me?.....then look at Boston... Bruins just won it all, Pats are in Super bowl, Red Sox are perennially in the playoffs as are the Celts and to expect anything less would cause a uproar...tale of two cities here we drink the kool-aid management is serving there they drink champagne it seems once a year during a victory parade......so ESPN's fawning over Lebron's dunk and whether it was the best of all time, lasted what less then 2 days, alley-ooping over a 5'11" Lucas or taking the ball on the wing , and throwing it down over Perkins who is a big man is far more impressive, Griffin must have heard and watched Espn's over the top reaction and decided to quiet them down....impressive kid and talent he is...

[Beans]

That Clippers game was one to remember. They hit four three pointers in a row to end the first half, CP3 put on a PG clinic, and Griffin and Jordan totally outplayed Ibaka and Perkins. OKC seems to have forgotten how to pass - I don't get it.

[David]

MLSE's attitude to injury updates - you know, the dreaded Burkian upper body, lower body injury - bugs the heck out of me. Bargnani has a calf strain. All we know is he's out indefinitely. Andrey Blatche of the Wizards has a calf strain. Washington put a time frame on his return (three to five weeks). Can't MLSE be a little more forthcoming with information to fans. Both the Leafs and Raptors treat the fans like imbeciles when the resort to this kind of cloak and dagger nonsense.

Blogger's note: Not all strains are created equally

[doug]

like I said yesterday things in Orlando are a mess because of Howard and he has zero credibility to be calling out his teammates...this a tweet from a teammate

"As long as he’s here, it will be a distraction because it’s all anybody talks about when they talk about our team." -- JJ Redick Twitter

and how Otis Smith is the one to be allowed to make this decision is beyond me, look at the trades he has made, and the team he has assembled, he should be shipped out along with Howard....and SVG on Hedo after the game , he is “tired” and “struggling” , we've heard that song and dance before....

[Moshigh]

Blakes Dunk was outstanding, perkins walking away was priceless...The next Dunk Griffin did, Durant seen it coming and just got out the way...Wow

The Argo's I used to care, but they have been so horrible, dont have a clue who the players are, as guys shuffled around at least once a year.

The Jays better just roll the dice, this is the way you get fans excited. This 7 year vision will not put people in the seats. By July each year, Jays are all but out of the race. I have watched more Jays games then leafs games in the last couple of years. Dont WASTE BAUTISTA Spend the $$$$$$$...

Looking forward to see what the Raptors bring tonight, can DeRozan keep it going. Hawks are a good team, but Raptors just need to show some effort.. Casey has been doing a great job. " Its not a democracy" like Casey says!! Love it

[Thane]

What got me from the State of the Franchise speak was all of the double-talk.

Beeston and AA kept saying both that we are a team with a chance for the playoffs (Beeston : 2 or 3 playoff appearances in the next five years) but that at the same time, we couldn't sign a big-name FA because 'we weren't at that stage yet (where one more piece would push us over the edge).

Either we're a playoff capable team, or we're not. And if we are, then of course one extra FA will help us get to the big show. And if we're not, then stop getting our hopes up.

[Dave]

We are all aware of the brutal schedule the HOTH had to start the season (21 games), but Chicago has already played 23 games. Their schedule must have been really brutal. Some teams have only played 18 games. Boston and Indiana have played 19 games. It will be interesting how these teams will do when the schedule balances out. Will these slower starts (with practice time) benefit these teams throughout the season? Just wondering....

[Tim H.]

"Wow, where’d the winter go?"
I don't know what it's been like in Hazelville, but down here in the sunny south, there was no winter! Supposed t top 10 degrees today!

[Cluck Kent]

The new Argoman is wrong, fans would rather see their team win, low scoring or not. Unless, of course, they are trying to lose...

I think Beeston shouldn't have said 2-3 playoff trips in the next five years. Bad form. Nonetheless, as dull a winter as it was for the Jays, maybe the right guys just weren't available. I like what I've been seeing from AA and hopefully this winter is simply an example of 'just because you want to make your team better doesn't mean it can be done when you want'.

In terms of how the Raps have been playing this year, well, given that the team was built to be well positioned for the draft, they've been achieving beyond expectations at this point. You know, I like Dwayne Casey more with every question he answers.

Hey, and I finally have a question that seems worthy of asking and no linky for it. Sigh. I hope at my advanced age I can still remember it tomorrow.

As always, thanks for your tireless efforts.

Blogger's note: Here you go: http://www.thestar.com/staticcontent/751262

[Rob.V]

What I find really great about the Blake Griffen dunk is:

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30

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Great win by the HOTH the other night, hopefully they can follow it up with another one tonight.
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I'd personally like to see the Jose/Bayless back court for another couple of games (maybe until the weekend) to see if lightening can indeed strike two or three times.
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If so, I'm going to call my good buddy Mitch in LA and offer Barbosa for Odom's TPE and and a pick... (if there isn't anything else on the table for the blur).

[The J]

Hey Doug, Nice top 5 list of dunks on the main page. Here are couple more that I always liked:
*Jordan juking the Knicks along the baseline and going in for the dunk (as an old Jordan fan I always think of this when I see that John Starks one)
*Vince over Alonzo (forever linked by the Toronto trade as two guys who shafted us, the only moment I have liked Vince since he left)
*Chris Webber over Barkley (mainly just funny)
*Baron Davis over AK47 in the playoffs

[Michel G]

@LeeZ: I couldn't disagree with you more also. They tried to make deals. Actually, they did make deals. The Santos deal was an infinitely better acquisition than Papelbon would have been. They did a great job in addressing their greatest weakness from last year with all the bullben signings they did. The asking price for front-line starting pitching was prohibitive according to management. What choice do I have but to believe them? We also had the sixth best offense in Major League Baseball last year. That's the least of their worries. People think that because the Tigers signed Fielder that the World Series is theirs for the taking. People who have followed baseball for a long time know that that's a fallacy. Even their GM didn't really want to do that deal. Ownership provided the impetus for the Fielder signing. For a couple of years now, the Jays management has stated that there is no specific timetable for when they will go all in and be more aggressive in the free agent market, etc. They never stated that 2012 was the year. All the angst this off season has been generated by the fans and media. I for one am glad that Jays management are staying the course.

[sam]

The Raptors are pretty much where I thought they would be. Play hard and some good things will happen. Losing Andrea doesn't help in the win column, but if the HOTH can maintain the energy and tough defense they had against the Nets they can be in some games. The homestand should help them learn a few things in practice and recharge the batteries.

Being a GM for a Toronto Team has to be the toughest gig in all sports. It seems the great unwashed are split between supporting or calling for thier heads.
What has AA done for the Jays in his 3 years? Reloaded the farm system, unloaded some big contracts and locked up some quality young players. What he hasn't done is mortgage the future to gratify the casual fan.

[The J]

Just read this. As far as the Lebron dunk and the Griffin Dunk are concerned there isn't much of a debate:

@KingJames (LeBron James): “Dunk of the Year!! @blakegriffin just dunked on Kendrick Perkins so hard!! Wow!! I guess I’m #2 now. Move over #6“

[m]

With all due respect to Griffin's dunk, I'd rather watch Ray Allen shoot 3's, far more elegant to my mind.

[LeeZ]

@Michael G: your point about the bullpen is well taken. I don't subscribe to the theory whereby you pay through the nose for the PREVIOUS accomplishments of an elite closer. I like that AA has gone after someone who could very well turn into an elite closer at a fraction of the price, plus he went out and got a proven "closer-lite" in the person of Cordero as an insurance policy. Plus he brought back Frasor. All of those moves are worth five, maybe seven more wins than last year. Kudos. But we still have a mediocre second baseman (both offensively and defensively), a huge question mark in left field, another question mark in centre field, and a mediocre DH in the person of Encarnacion. Oh and don't know if you're old enough to remember: Span and Sain and pray for rain and maybe a hurricane? (Doug is my age; bet ya HE remembers!), but on this team, it's Romero and...and...um...pray for rain, a hurricane and a plague of locusts. The rest of the starters are either maddeningly inconsistent (Morrow, i.e. A.J.Burnett redux), lost their mojo (Cecil), subject to a sophmore jinx (Alvarez), etc. These are all things AA insisted he needed to get done before the off-season started, and he did NOT. I tend to think it's mainly due to Rogers, but you could argue that the terrain has shifted from underneath his feet and he hasn't evolved along with it (a case that Griffin makes compellingly)

[Alex L]

Favorite dunk ever is still Tom Chambers when he climbed over Mark Jackson and 2 handed dunked with his head above the rim. Now that was SICK!!! 10/10

Griffin over Mozgof was way more impressive. He went up off the dribble-spin move rather than taking a CP3 pass in stride. And on Perkins he appeared, to me, to push off of his shoulders which might have been a foul had Perk not fouled him first. 7/10

Lebron dunk: Guy took 6 running strides and alley-ooped over a guy 5'9. Yawn 6/10

Vince over Weiss is the greatest dunk of all time. Guy who is 6'5 jumping clean over a guy 7'1 off of the dribble. 10/10

[doug]

people can talk dunks all, they want...Jordan, LeBron, Griffin the man that made the dunk what it is and brought it to be a art form is the Doc, no one comes close as he played in a time when it wasn't expected from wing players as it was a center dominated league back then...here are Top 10 dunks of his of all-time, this is dun king, and not once did he pop his shirt or pose....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rpTfb9SkKaQ

[m]

@doug, You are right, esp. the last line in your post. the dunks say it all, he didn't need the post dunk egotripping.