A big week when nothing should happen

Okay, after three games in three nights in three cities with about 1,000 more kilometers, it’s going to be nice to have a couple of game-free days here.

And it might give me a chance to get some other stuff in here.

Until then …

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THREE POINTERS

An important man

I say this only partially in jest but the most important man in the Raptors organization this week could very well be Ed Stefanski.

That’s because he’s the guy who’s going to be disconnecting the phone when Bryan tries – and you know he will – to get in on every transaction going leading up to Thursday’s trade deadline.

The jesting part comes because I know Bryan does really believe in his plan, which is to see how this season unfolds without jeopardizing a summer when he’ll have lots of money to spend – depending on whether they use the amnesty clause and which free agents they renounce they could have between $10 million and $20 million go and spend.

But I also know Bryan well enough to realize that the art of the deal is something he’s quite fond of and I know he’ll at least be exploring stuff to get involved with. He can’t help himself, we always joke, and it’s a bit true.

However, even with Jose out and the struggles that will mean and with a team absorbing losses at a rapid rate, Bryan needs to spend this week taking a series of deep breaths and wondering what next season might look like with Valanciunas, a free agent or two, the core guys he’s got now and another high draft pick.

I don’t know precisely where these guys will be spending every waking hour between now and Thursday but wherever Bryan is, Ed needs to be.

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A key bad stretch

It’s just before halftime against the Bucks and the lads are rolling a little bit and then they have one of their patented mental hiccups that kind of changes the momentum of the game.

Bucks, down eight, get the ball back with about 22 seconds to go and are holding for the final shot.

The Raptors have a foul to give and almost the entire bench is up yelling “zebra, zebra, zebra,” which is Raptor code to give the foul, a move they’d like to make with about five seconds, maybe four, to go.

So, of course, they don’t give the foul intentionally when they should – although there was all kind of opportunity – and the Bucks end up with an old-fashioned three-point play (oh, Toronto fouled, but at the wrong time in the wrong manner on the wrong guy) and go into the half feeling pretty good about themselves.

And Dwane’s pulling his hair out.

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A slow return

We’ve seen on the weekend just how much rust can build up on a guy during 20 games off, aren’t we?

While there were glimpses of the Andrea Bargnani we saw early in the season, he’s not nearly himself nor up to game speed. Some good moves, looks okay in short bursts but it’s going to probably take the rest of this week for him to get truly comfortable.

And it looks like it’s going to take as much time for the rest of his teammates to get used to having him back, too, because he was far too uninvolved in the offence for anyone’s liking.

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More?

A bit.

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Look, we know that Michigan has been hard hit by the economic downturn because of its reliance on the auto injury and you can imagine how many businesses are offering all kinds of sales incentives to attract customers.

Well, this one floored me when the Smelly Ford Focus was motoring down the highway sometime Saturday with the radio blaring.

Seems there’s a big two-for-one sale going at – get this! – a cosmetic surgery clinic.

Seriously.

Come for the liposuction and we’ll throw in a nose job.

Rid yourself of the laugh lines and we’ll toss in a tummy tuck.

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Oh yeah, Rick came by to shoot some photos and this is what he came up with.

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Hey, it’s March Break, watch out for the urchins scrambling about the neighbourhood, would you?

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Now, I know there going to be all kinds of compelling stories that come out now that the March Madness field is set. There will be tales of drama and perseverance and fighting through any number of personal tragedies and difficult situations.

None may be as cool as the one about St. Bonaventure, which got into the tournament by winning the Atlantic 10 conference title when Mississauga’s Andrew Nicholson had a game for the ages – 26 points, 14 rebounds, eight blocked shots.

(Check out this little yarn culled from the USA Today).

Anyway, for a guy whose first memory of NCAA basketball might be the old Little Three and Bob Lanier at Bona and Calvin Murphy at Niagara and whoever Canisius had, makes me feel good to see a program that was almost in ruins for using an illegal player almost a decade back return to the tournament for the first time in more than a decade.

And Nicholson? Well, when I did a little tiny Canadians Who Might Get Drafted thing a few weeks ago, scouts had told me he could possibly sneak into the bottom of the first round of the NBA draft; I’m sure those chances have increased exponentially of late.

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Okay, I need to get to the Tall Foreheads and find out just want they want from a request a week ago asking me if I’d fill out a March Madness bracket to go along with one done by C. Kelly.

No clue if they want mocking or legit or what; I hope they’re okay with total guesswork because I’ve seen about zero college games from start to finish this year.

Stay tuned, this may end up being a hoot.

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To the surprise of no one, Carleton wins the CIS title going away, rolling over Alberta in the gold medal game.

It’s eight wins in 10 years for the Ravens and it’s got to do two things:

It cements them as one of the all-time dominant Canadian university programs – not sure where I’d rank them compared to the old Victoria team, it’s too hard to compare eras – and it’s also got to send the rest of the CIS schools scurrying to improve their programs.

While it’s nice to have one monolith to look at – and coach Dave Smart’s done an outstanding job recruiting and keeping that program moving forward – there needs to be, I think, a bit more competition at the very top of the pole for the game to truly go.

But, for now, hats off entirely to the Ravens, that’s an impressive string of victories.

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Comments

[Mike D.]

You even managed to choose a picture of Stefanski and BC that makes Bryan look distracted, as if he's about to dart out of the frame to make a call. Excellent work.

The biggest sign of Bargnani's rust yesterday seemed to be him losing his handle en route to the hoop 2-3 times. But I liked the way he still made the most of an off night for touches by pulling down eight rebounds.

[ditch]

I saw a review of the 2012 Ford Focus on TV last Saturday. They did not mention "odour" as an available option. Have you checked in the rear compartment? Mr. Hoffa, I presume.

The absence of Jose spoke volumes as to his value to this team. Not easy to replace his skill set and experience with the snap of Bryan's bejeweled pinkies. Trade him? Really? I don't understand those who don't see his great value to the Raptors.

Thanks for yesterday's IGBT.

[Penny]

The one thing that really stood out in yesterday's game was Jerryd's inability to get the ball to Bargnani where AB could make a play. To have Andrea playing and not taking many shots is inexcusable and a sure recipe for another loss. Case in point Andrea had 10 shots and Jerryd 13. Andrea's passing ability could also lead to some easier baskets if he ever had the ball to pass.

[Binder]

Doug,
Why were the Raptors being booed at the end of the game?

Blogger's note: They weren't; 99 points were. Arrrghhh

[Lorie]

Hi Doug!
Isn't that a discouraging refelection on our culture? There's a "surgical centre" in my vicinity that runs an advertisement several times a day that goes like this: "We're all born with a special inner beauty. But the ravages of time take their toll and mask it." Ravages of time? Laugh lines? Pleeeease. I visited this operation's website and they offer procedures for parts I didn't even know I had. Like, now we have anxiety about body parts that are apparently somewhere on us being decimated more and more each day by those ravages. I know there are special circumstances where this type of procedure is required, but to try and recapture some version of our youth? I say, everyone should just smile more, laugh often and accept the years with dignity. And dance. Cheers! Go Raps! Hurry Back, Jose!!!
http://youtu.be/aZbckwYY9r4

[joe]

the thought of Bryan Colangelo making more idiotic moves with this franchise makes me sick. How is this clown still employed? He let Bosh walk for nothing (ok a trade exemption.. but what has that yielded?) His draft record is pathetic and the team has gotten worse and worse since he took over. It is getting hard to support a team that continues to give it's fans the finger by letting a hack like Colangelo run us into the ground

Blogger's note: What do you really mean? Bosh got 'em James Johnson, too. But don't let that fact cloud the rant, okay?

[sam]

Agree with a couple of the previous posts. The HOTH seem a little lost offensively with out Jose available. His impact/importance as a PG has been beaten to death over the last few years. For those who want him moved yesterdays game should illustrate his true value. He simply knows how to involve his team mates and works with in the system he's handed.

[Binder]

Doug,
You mean bad Bucks defense, or a beat the spead, over/under issue.

Blogger's note: Pizza

[D-Mac Ottawa]

Call me wacky, but I've liked what I've seen when Forbes is handling the ball; he stays in control – picks his dribble up a bit too quickly, but plays at a manageable speed and rhythm – and seems to facilitate better than JB.
Apparently it doesn't matter how healthy or prepared the Raps are when it comes to playing Milwaukee. For whatever reason, the Raps are now 22-41 all-time versus the Bucks. The only team they've fared worse against in the East is Detroit (19-44). But Detroit has had some great teams since '95; the Bucks have been way meh – just two winning seasons since '95. Some odd mojo at work there, but the Bucks just always seem to have their number.
Last night, it was Ilyasova being unconscious. That was an awesome performance.
Okay, cheers. Go Raps! Go bracket busters!

[D-Mac Ottawa]

Oops, that should have read: the Bucks have had just *four* winning seasons since '95, not two. My bad. Go Raps!

[Mr. Cook]

Q: Do the Raptors get tape of every game Valanciunas is playing (for his team, nationally etc) to review it? I don't mean to send secret pigeons with stuff for him to work on over the Atlantic, just to keep up.
Comment Re Ravens: The recruiting is one of the key things--for example they had Kevin McLeary identified in grade 10 and followed him intently. It also helps that the Ottawa/Gatineau region is a hot-bed of highschool basketball. Next, Carleton specializes in only a couple sports--they do not run a full pallet of varsity teams or anything close to it. The Men's basketball team receives a silly, disproportionate funding amount in relation to other programs. Finally, this is by no means a generic knock against Carleton as one would expect it to be (I've been stacking up degrees from too many different Ontario schools to believe that nonsense) but some of their admission processes certainly help. Osvaldo (CIS Player of the Year and multi-year All-Canadian) was accepted for special accommodation (good at basketball) with a dead on 60% average coming out of high-school. And while I make that comment to simply say other universities would disregard some players due to academic performance I don't mean it as a value judgment on that decision. If the basketball program helps to get kids of diverse backgrounds and opportunities excellent education then I'm all for it.

Blogger's note: Not sure if it's every game but it's the vast majority

[Steve]

@D-Mac I think Bayless is still overplaying it a little bit and trying to hard to be a shooting/scoring point guard. I still think he's the better option of him and Forbes, but it's night and day between either of them and Jose.

Bargs was up and down, he hit a great long-2 at one point to bail them out late on the shot clock but he also had a huge amount of turnovers (who does he think he is, Jeremy Lin!) and was slow on the defensive end. Hopefully he gets his groove back over the next week or so.

On the booing I would like to see them to revise the Pizza thing so it is only given when they win by +10, or score 100 *and* win or something like that (or you know, just scrap it, but I assume like turning off the music in clutch suggesting that is sacrilege).

[Eric-in-NS]

Thanks for keeping an eye on the CIS championships.
Has Carleton ever played an NCAA Div 1 team? How do you think the current team would do?

Blogger's note: Early-season exhibitions; not sure of all results but have more than held their own generally

[Peter]

Just for the sake of argument. If Ed, can pull off a HWSNBN for the guys we got, type of trade, maybe he should go ahead and do that, seeing as Ed is on our team now. I hope Bryan doesn't hold Ed back from something like that. :)

[Ted S.]

Hearing some bad news about TJ Ford. Any details Doug? I wish this guy the best and hope he leaves the League with some sense of health.

Blogger's note: Am gathering stuff to write here later on as we speak; so much for a slow day

[Rob.V]

Well, I cant speak for everyone else however it's not that Jose is a not a quality PG, team player, or person for that matter... it's about the cash, dough, $$$.
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As mentioned, it would be a sad day if (and when) Jose is not a Toronto Raptor. I'm a fan. Really!
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Having said this, when you look at this team with an eye towards the future when they are competing for the Eastern Conference do we see Jose as part of this squad? Sure, however at say $5-$7 million per season (not close to $11 as with next season). Sadly, it's Jose's very rich contract that will most likely prevent him from be a Raptor for life. His contract is going to be too valuable of an asset next season.
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Now, I know you don't want to hear this, but you didn't want to hear that CB4 or HWSNBN were going to leave the team either. Sorry, we're just going to have to come to grips with it. lol!
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Look, it's entirely possible that Jose fullfills his contract with the Raptors (or until next years trade deadline) however these are the hard "business" decisions Colangelo and Stefanski get paid to make.
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Bryan has talked about cap space, and possibly creating "more" space. If he's true to his word (and he always seems to be), this would mean that Jose, Amir, and Kleiza are in play over the next couple of days. I'd say Bayless as well however with Jose out it might be difficult to move him now.
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And on this note, it will be interesting to see Bayless again as a starter over say the next 10 games or so. We've all busted on Jerryd for not being an "accomplished" PG at this point in his career (I'm sure I've done it as well).
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We should all give the kid a break. He's had what, 30-35 starts as a PG in the NBA over 4 seasons? (3 different teams, multiple systems). If you recall Jose's first couple of years he wasn't really the player he is today either. The next stretch of games is a big (BIG!) opportunity for Jerryd... I personally hope the kid does great.
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What's the saying... 10,000 hours!.
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Thank you Lorie, I had never seen that video before. That Mr. Walken is one funny dude!!!

[james]

A fascinating post by Mr. Cook. I had wondered what Coach Smart (what a wonderful name for a most successful coach) would do when he ran out of nephews, but his program hasn't missed a beat. How would Andrew Nicholson (What a game he had!) have developed playing at Carleton? Would he be the same player, 75% as good, 50%? Would scholarships in Canada make a difference? There are many Canadians to follow in the big dance/hype machine this year, at least in the early rounds. How many would fare better playing at home?

[Keith]

Funny, not one comment about the atrocious refereeing --- or are we getting used to being done in by bad calls. Agreed not all were bad, but there is too much discrepincy about what is called on opposite ends of the floor. The same ref I have complained about before again made some absolutely one sided calls.

[doug]

I don't get this "either or' mentality that surrounds Bayless and Jose, their both 2 different players, both bring different things to the table and when asked both acquit themselves well...Bayless had a fine game yesterday, and he is a different PG then Jose is, which is fine, it doesn't make it wrong....just as it is alright to have a PG look to score, in fact your PG needs to score or attack to keep defenses honest, so to me it's not a contest to whom is the better PG, pointless argument discussion....and of course BC should be open to making a trade and every scenario should be on the table, as he wouldn't be doing his job if it wasn't, if a deal presents itself now instead of the summer you go for it, as nothing has changed, cap space means little if you can't utilize it....will he make a trade who knows but of course he is looking, as the plan going forward is to upgrade the talent, when and how is not set to a timetable....as far as the NCAA goes will be a good tourney, last years was abysmal this year lot of quality teams, players, watch out for the Big 12....ok cheers...oh plus I agree wholeheartedly with Rob V's points re:Jose, plus to me to hear Casey say we have to get tougher in the off-season, more grittiness to me the writing is on the wall for Jose....

[avinash]

Sad news about TJ Ford, but glad to see that he is able to walk away from his playing career vs being stretchered off.

[Ted S.]

@ Keith: I'm in 100% agreement. It is getting ridiculous.

[snyper]

Eric-in-NS

Carleton went 5-4 against NCAA Div. 1 teams this pre-season. Really 4-1 with their entire roster (Hinz was playing for Team Canada for the first 4). They included two wins against Saint Louis, who received an at large invitation to the NCAA tournament, as well as wins over Akron and UCSB who both lost in the finals of their conference tourneys.

[m]

To me, Bayless did not have a fine game last night at all. He plays pickup ball, one on-one all night long. His job was to organize an offence, not to take more shots than the best player on the team. I don't think he'll be here next year.

[Steve]

I don't have a problem with the PG looking to score, but the feel I get watching games is that Jerryd is forcing it a little bit and it's resulting in some lower percentage options. You won't get that from the box score though.

As far as Jose's contract, yes it's expensive but I don't believe they will be able to 'upgrade the talent' at this position for much less any time soon. If they do shop him don't be surprised if a year or so down the track they are bringing in a new PG on just as big a contract.

The either/or mentality exists because there is only one starting PG on a basketball court and Jerryd has stated he doesn't particularly enjoy playing the SG role.

[sportschick]

Sorry to hear about TJ, but I think he's doing the right thing.

Some people mentioned your gamers last week, and the fact that there is an article by someone else appearing first. Today, I never found your gamer from last night. All I've seen is the CP story. Where have they hidden it?

Blogger's note: Grrr. Wish I knew. But here it is: http://www.thestar.com/sports/basketball/nba/raptors/article/1144581--toronto-raptors-fall-to-milwaukee-bucks-105-99