Just a bad break at a bad time

Dear Boss: I am too old for this.

Signed: Stressed grunt.

-

THREE POINTERS

A tough, tough break

I don’t know how all of you feel about Andrea Bargnani, either in the past or in the present, but anyone who didn’t feel bad for the kid seeing him hobble off the court and sit on the bench looking dour, sour and dejected doesn’t have an ounce of compassion in them.

He’s been the best thing about the Raptors this season, we’re seeing him blossom into the all-around player some thought he should have been before now and for him to suffer a second calf injury inside a month just sucks.

No idea how long he’ll be out – he’ll have an MRI today, he said was a lot worse than the last one as you can read somewhere in here – but it’s just a shame he had to get hurt again.

Now, muscle pulls and strains and tears happen all the time; they happen in the course of seasons no matter how often the games are coming and I’m not buying this “they rode him too hard” stuff I’m hearing.

The first time? He’d played about 28 minutes the night before.

This time? He’d had a long run in Phoenix and a good run in Salt Lake but it wasn’t an injury entirely attributable to fatigue or wear and tear. It’s a muscle, muscles get hurt all the time; it’s just a bad break at a bad time for a guy who felt terrible about it.

-

Message delivered … quickly

It’s all well and good to prove a point and everyone knows what one of Dwane’s big buzzwords this year is accountability.

Makes entire sense and it’s nice to see him follow through on it.

Like he did – quickly – last night.

With Jose on the bench with a couple of quick fouls, Jerryd was about all he had at point guard for much of the first half against Devin Harris and Earl Watson.

But when Bayless loafed back after a turnover, about a minute after he’d entered the game, Casey got the hook out and went to Gary Forbes. The coach wandered down to the end of the bench where Bayless was sitting, said something like “run back!” and marched back to his spot.

About 90 seconds later, he called for Bayless to go back in the game and gave him a reassuring pat when he was headed to the table.

That’s a message delivered but at no significant cost to the team and, in my book, is outstanding coaching. Some guys would have either let Bayless slide for his transgression and left him in the game; some others might have hooked him and left in him buried on the bench while a game got out of hand just to prove a point.

Casey handled it perfectly.

-

An idea, perhaps?

Okay, it’s been firmly established that the Raptors are having difficulty getting off to good starts of late; they give up too many points and look passive.

Okay, it’s been established that their zone defence seems to be about where coach Dwane Casey wants it; they are talkative, animated and cohesive.

Now, I’m no rocket scientist, or even a good basketball mind, but do you think that maybe they might think about starting a game playing zone and see how that works?

You’re welcome, Dwane.

(I keed, I keed; I bet he’s actually thought of that)

-

And …

-

Oops.

Teams put out printed quote sheets after games and the good folks in Salt Lake did their job quite well after that long game.

Trouble was, the quotes uttered by the Raptors coach were attributed Dwane Johnson, giving whole new meaning to Pound The Rock.

-

Oh, you knew this was coming, right? Given all the travel and where we’re headed and all that stuff …

-

I know not many of you are – and few probably even know – but this was pretty cool.

We’re in the airport about 9 a.m. eastern time and a news release arrives that Jeremaine Copeland had retired from the Argos.

We’re still in the airport about 10 a.m. eastern time and a news release arrives that Jeremaine Copeland had been hired as receivers coach with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats.

That’s either the quickest job interview/hiring process ever or just typical CFL follies.

Kinda cool in a “who cares, it’s only the CFL” kind of way.

-

Okay, when I’m elected Supreme Being Of The World (you’re all voting for me, right?) there will be a few edicts:

All airports shall offer free wireless internet because we’re held there hostage far too often.

Oh, and all airports shall have Starbucks outlets on the other side of security.

More later.

-

One more on the game, if you don’t mind (I couldn’t stay up for Federer-Nadel, there wasn’t any baseball news and I haven’t studied up on my Mock NHL All-Star Draft yet).

Heard something in Salt Lake I hadn’t heard in the 16 or so years I’ve been coming here -- no, it wasn’t: “The bar is always open, sir!

It was boos.

I think I’ve mentioned this before but say what you will about Utah Jazz fans, when things go back in a game, as they often do, they tend to try to cheer the home team back into it rather than boo them out of it.

Not so much last night.

When Devin Harris bricked those last two OT free throws – and they really weren’t close – there was more than a smattering of boos raining down on him.

Guess it’s understandable given the time and score but I’ve seen the Jazz play awfully at times over the years and never once heard a single boo.

Not sure what that means but it’s late and I needed something and I thought you might be interested.

-

Okay, one more shot at the mail.

Here. Please. Good stuff wanted. Deepest thoughts. Away-from-the-game stuff welcome.

-

 

 

Comments

[Tim]

Man, that's a rough break for Bargnani and for the whole team. I hate to see him missing so many games when he's playing so well, and the rest of the team is terrible without him.

In other news, it looks like Nicolas Batum will be a restricted free agent this summer. I'd love to see the raps work out something for him. ESPN says Eric Gordon turned down the Hornets offer, too. I don't expect the raps would be able to land him, but the more good, young wing players out there this summer, the better the chances that the raps land somebody.

I'd like to see the raps land a good SF via free agency or a sign-and-trade so they can just go ahead and grab the most talented player available in the draft.

[Matt M]

Can you smell what the coach is cooking?
-
Sucks that Bargnani is down again. Probably means he came back too soon but hindsight and all that.

[sportschick]

Wow - I'm on my mini tour of US airport codes (ORD, AUS, and today on to SFO) and missed Barg's return (although caught a glimpse of Tuesday night's game on a hotel bar tv) and now he's already injured again?!?! :( That's terrible news, especially as his return gave the team such a boost.

Totally agree about the free airport wireless, btw.

[sportschick]

Oh, and now that I've skimmed the IBGT, were you being sarcastic when you noted that it was surprising that the IGBT was larger last night? Couldn't have had anything to do with a win the night before, could it? ;)

[sam]

The 6 games without Andrea in the lineup was tough on the team/moral etc. With him on the floor the team seems to play just a little bit better and with more intensity. (I couldn't have said that last year.) If the new injury means a longer period of time off, someone on the current roster needs to step up. Perhaps Kleiza is the answer.
I have to admit - I fell asleep somewhere in the 3rd quarter, but I liked what I was saw after another slow start.
There's a rather complimentary article on SportsIllustrated.com about Andrea and Casey. Here's the link....
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2012/writers/ian_thomsen/01/25/andrea.bargnani/index.html?sct=nba_wr_a1

[LeeZ]

One of the gutsiest games of the season? Hell, I would have to rank this as one of the team's gutsiest victories EVER. Yes, Utah helped them out a bit with some horrid shooting down the stretch and some horrid free-throw shooting, but every single player on the court gave it their all, especially on defence. O.K., couple of things: haven't watched Fed-Nadal yet (taped it) so pleeeeeeeeeeeze, do an Irregular a favour guys and no one mention ANYTHING about the match till I get a chance to watch this evening (Doug is wrong when he says it's all about him; it's actually all about ME!). Second, I thought this quote from Casey was very illuminating (re: zone defence):
"Our matchup out of it was really good. It’s a glorified man-to-man". I thought I was seeing things out there: they were clearly in a zone, and then it looked like they switched into a man-to-man all in the same play. Now I understand. And I think it's an ingenious approach to a zone. Lastly, a question: with Andrea LITERALLY pulling his hair out on the bench, EVERYONE came over to try and console him. I distinctly got the feeling that the team wanted to win this one for him. Did anyone mention that in the post-game interviews? And even if they didn't, do you get the feeling that thanks to Andrea's newfound dedication, his teammates have bonded more to him than in previous years?

[john]

Hey Doug,
While it’s true that AB's minutes are up quite a bit from his career numbers, it’s also important to take into account the compressed schedule. Small pulls and strains can turn big without proper rest.
He played 42 minutes the night before and he logged 40 minutes in this game after coming back from a leg injury. More minutes and compressed schedule has to be taken into account. Did they "ride him to hard" this year? Of course they did. He is the best player on the team and that is his role. Like every other ‘best player’ on every other team. If they hadn't played him they wouldn't be doing their job.

[SAS]

Man Bargs is out again, that sucks!! Ok so now the question is who replaces him?? Dear Mr. Casey, please do not start Ed Davis with Aaron Gray!! Ok seriously they need to just suck it up and lose some size at the 4 and start Kleiza. He is the ONLY one who can give them a glimpse of offense at the position while Bargs is out. So this is my proposed starting five

Calderon
DD
JJ
Kleiza
Grey

Bench

Bayless
Barbosa
Butler/Forbes
Davis
Amir

[Cristian]

Hey Doug,
I'm going to take exception with the CFL follies comment. If you read about Copeland's decision and his hire you would have learned that Copeland was weighing both options (returning as a receiver and coaching). He's thirty-four, his wife Talia is expecting a son next week and he's always wanted to coach. His old offensive coordinator, George Cortez, offers him a job as Receiver's Coach (about the lowest coaching rung possible) and he decides to move on with his career. So he "retires" and gets "hired" in the same morning, nothing like that has ever happened in the NBA, right? Or the NFL, right? Oh those wacky CFL kids and their follies.
You do great work day in, day out but, really? You had to resort to picking on the timing of the hiring of a CFL Receiver's Coach? Let's see more photos of Grace Kelly.
Cheers,
C

[Dave]

Andre may be out until the 28 of February. There is only one game between February 17 and the 28th. Assuming he will be out a couple of weeks, I think they should give him the rest he needs to get him back strong for March and April. Playoffs may be out of reach by then, but they can concentrate on the other players to really see who is worth keeping. Since they have Forbes for two years, I would really like to see him get some time to see if he develops. I assume Solo will be gone next year since he is getting zero time.

Can the teams still dress 13 players? Was it until the end of January?

And yes you get a break in February. After all it is all about you. (Ikeed, I keed).

[JT]

With Bargs out, looks like the Raps are in for a long long stretch of losing...

[Mike kovacs]

I want to cry - seriouasly with AB playing so well there would be a chance for playoffs. I really do get the feeling that this compressed season is leading to more missed games and could lead to shortened careers. Doug did AB really take 26 shots last night?

Blogger's note: He did indeed

[Rob.V]

Great game!
-
We are definitely starting to learn more about this team aren't we.
-
Bargnani: the debate is over. He's been down the yellow brick road and realizes that there is no wizard. He has a heart!...and he's a legitimate star in the league!
-
Dwayne Casey: This guy can flat out coach and knows how to relate with the players. He's going to help shape this franchise for the next 5-7 years.
-
James Johnson is a keeper! This guy has to do only one of 2 things: A) develop a mid range game or B) hit .333 percent of his three's and he will be in this league a long, long time.
-
Oh, and John Denver sucks!!! (IMO) lol!

[Dave]

@ Sam - you may want to read this also. http://www.theglobeandmail.com/sports/basketball/raptors-bargnani-on-the-rebound/article2315217/

[doug]

too bad about Barg's, I did feel bad seeing him sitting on the bench, him knowing he will not playing for a bit, especially for him now, he has met his critics head on, accepted the challenge and his game has blossomed ......he just needs to keep his head up, and get thru it ....I had a conversation with a buddy a week or so about Kleiza and my thoughts then as they are now which he disagreed with adamantly are I think Kleiza is the 2nd best player on this team when healthy, as he can do a little of everything and is a solid player.....Jose has this annoying habit to me and if I were a teammate I would have to talk about him about it, he leaves teammates "out to dry" on occasion to bail himself out....meaning this, he will dribble the ball until shot clock has 10-12 seconds left on it then pass ball to a teammate who is in a non-scoring position, meaning he is on the wing with nowhere to go, he did this to JJ once, gave him the ball with 7 seconds on the shot clock, JJ had no option but to hoist up a ill-advised shot which wasn't JJ's fault it was Jose's....then next time down the floor, he did the exact same thing but this time JJ quickly passed it back to Jose who had 2 seconds to shoot so he had to shoot up the ill-advised shot...Jose does it a lot, he's no different then a QB that constantly sets his receivers up in the middle of the field on short routes....their sucker passes and teammates let the QB's know it, Jose does far to many "sucker passes".....good game though and we had our full roster for 2 games this season the last 2 and we won them both, at least we can hang our hats and hopes on that as it won't happen again for a awhile (meaning full roster,or maybe winning 2 in a row as well I guess without Barg's be tough)

[Binder]

Love the way the Raps are removing all of these "haven't won here since" cities.off the list. Get back soon Andrea, different team without you.

[james]

Does anybody have any more questions about whether Bargnani's heart is in his work? "Mental toughness" is not a characteristic I have normally associated with our multicultural team but that's what they've had the last two nights. I loved the "happy warrior" mentality that Kleiza and James J. demonstrated. And it helps when shots go in. The coach said he wanted to change the culture; I'm almost ready to tick that one off the list.

[Lorie]

Hello Doug!
That image of Andrea last night, sitting on the sidelines, distraught over his re-injured leg, head in his hands, literally pulling at his hair in frustration and despair, should forever put to rest comments that as a player he is soft, aloof and disengaged. I hope his recovery this time is complete and sure and swift. What a marvelous performance by the team last night. They played the game as though they believed they should win; they fought for it and thoroughly deserved the victory. Cheers. And Continue To Go Raps!

[D-Mac Ottawa]

I'm far more empathetic to what this injury now does to sidetrack Bargs personally (he's been playing at All Star level) than what it does to sidetrack the team. They'll deal. Bargs has a tough and lonely road ahead of him now.
I tend to agree with @doug about Kleiza's slot in the pecking order. Last night is probably the first time Raptor fans have seen him playing 100% healthy as a Rap. I was always hugely impressed with Kleiza's efficiency, attitude and results off the bench in Denver – last night, we're finally getting a chance to see some of that ourselves. The guy is both a starter and a finisher.
It's also great to see JJ finding his ninja mojo and putting it to work, big time.
Finally, Amir will regain his starting spot at some point – and I'll bet he rolls like a man possessed from that point forward.
Gritty, fabulous couple of games. Go Raps!

[Mr. Cook]

For the confluence of NBA and non-NBA related items for the irregulars: In which the owner of the New York Knicks fronts a blues band called JD & the Straight Shots. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jioa-89VwSY&list=FLpDX1b5XiWjoTkn_aWNWUog&index=1&feature=plpp_video

[SheikYurbouti]

I'm not articulate enough to describe all that I feel about Andreas injury without writing thousands of words, but if I could talk to Andrea, I'd simply thank him for what he has delivered us fans this year, encourage him to keep his head up, and wish him as speedy a recovery as possible.
-
I don't buy that riding him hard should be brushed off so easily. Yes, injuries can happen at any time, but we're not talking about some freak fall or collision or ankle twisting landing kind of thing. I'm no doctor, but aren't fatigued muscles more susceptible to injury to begin with? Doesn't fatigue lead to improper motion and muscle strain from even the smallest of movements in an NBA game?
-
We're talking about a 7 ft 270 lb guy who is asked to do more than anybody else on the court, including driving past perimeter defenders (must be incredible pressure on the calf muscles) very often for this team to have success, which he obviously is working his tail off for. He's working harder than ever before for every minute he's on the court and for more minutes than ever before.
-
It's been thoroughly discussed that back to backs in a normal season are fatiguing. That first injury did come after only 28 minutes the night before, but also after 45 the night before that on a b2b2b after 1 day rest following a b2b.
-
So, he had a calf strain, that depending on severity, can take 2 weeks to 3 months to recover from. He comes back from his 2 weeks, and plays 42 minutes in his first game! What ever happened to easing back in from an injury that could have been much more severe than it was this time? He played fantastic and what a great lift for the team, but considering all, do we give him a bit of a break the very next day on a b2b when fatigue affects all players and he's coming back from a muscle strain injury? No, ride him hard for 40 minutes again!
-
I know he's young and a pro athlete, but that's a recipe for inviting a recurrence of an already clearly identified problem. You see no lack of wisdom in doing this with your best player to push for a W in a season where "it's not about this season"?
-
I'm loving what Dwane Casey is doing with this team too, but in my opinion, he's very open to criticism of riding Andrea too hard under the circumstances.

[Nick M]

Ah yes, Dwane Casey/Johnson, the 'peoples' coach!
-
Lots of emotion/effort shown by the entire team last night both on and off the court. Good to see everyone involved.
-
Feel really bad for Bargs, of all things durability was never a question with him and then when he starts to play the best basketball of his career... Perhaps Alanis Morisette's 'Ironic' would have been more apropos then Mr. Denver. Although, I'm not sure that is the definition of irony... more tragic then anything.
-
Two great wins on the road to get the team morale up. Maybe one more win Friday to exercise the Denver demons would be good, but then its time to get this season back on-course, or should I say off-course, I'm confused?

[Angelo]

Shame about Andrea, to see his reaction to leaving the game speaks to a level of ownership and passion that can only bring a smile to a fan's face. The raps are playing inspired ball on the road and Linas has started to take over.

[Raptorman]

Great win...sad about Dre...has he done enough to be named an all-star this year?

Blogger's note: At least enough to warrant serious consideration

[GM]

The only positive about Bargnani's injury is that at least this time Bayless and Kleiza are healthy. Last time, all three were down, and then Kleiza was just coming back off a year away. So surely the team will be a bit better than godawful, as they were the first time he was out. Seeing the team at full strength, even though it was a small sample size, confirms my belief that they are an okay team. No, not great, not contenders, but a decent team with a chance to win most games.

@doug, Jose is quick to pass the ball up court and get it out of his hands most of the time. When it comes back to him, that's when you'll see him looking to run plays and holding onto the ball while things develop (or they don't). I agree, though, that he shouldn't pass to players like James Johnson with 7 seconds on the clock, but I doubt he would have predicted that Johnson would have dribbled farther away from the hoop then attempted a step back.