Saving money, lessons learned and, no, turkeys cannot fly

Want the good news?

There’s 70 games left.

Want the bad news?

There’s 70 games left.

I know the lads have today off, I think they – and I need it.

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THREE POINTERS

You spend your money

Had a whole lot of suggestions that maybe Dwane or a player or two should have “gone off” on the officials after the game, certainly incurring a fine.

Why?

Don’t for a second think that the league won’t hear from Toronto today (perhaps they already have) and they will be made aware of whatever grievances the Raptors have to make.

And they will listen because it will be done through proper channels and without any public fanfare, as the league wants.

There have been moments already this season, I’ve been told, when tapes and video have been sent and, yes, the league has concurred that mistakes were made.

Of course that’s too after the fact but you’d think an accumulation of them might have some impact.

But ranting and raving and “going off” does nothing; it’s counter-productive, in my opinion. No sense in publicly embarrassing anyone, follow proper channels and see what happens.

I don’t know what, if anything, eventually will but if enough complaints are lodged against enough officials and the league agrees calls are being regularly blown, some official is going to pay some price.

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Learning opportunities

Yes, Terrence Ross looked good and scored some points and didn’t get drilled defensively too many times. Best game of the season for him and if DeMar has another off-night like he did for most of Wednesday, Ross will probably get some more time.

But if anyone thinks he’s earned even 20 minutes a night off one okay game, they need to adjust their meds.

There are subtleties none of us sees – that’s a simple fact – as Dwane pointed out, all while lauding Ross for his effort.

“Terrence Ross had numerous teaching moments in the first half when (Ben) Gordon was hooking him. He’s got to show his hands to the officials and keep them away Gordon in those situations where he can’t hook him … All those situations were teaching moments for him in the first half.”

Those are things none of sees and few of us understand and it speaks to my oft-stated contention that we should leave coaching to the people who know what they’re doing.

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A good looking kid

There was a fair amount of young talent on display in that game, wasn’t there?

Know who I liked best?

That Taylor kid from Charlotte.

He wasn’t at all fancy, nor all that noticeable to many I suspect, but he bottled up DeRozan for most of the night with as good defence from a rookie as I’ve seen this year.

Now, I have no idea if he can sustain it, or if last night was some anomaly, but if he can keep that up, he’s got a chance.

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What else?

Well …

Given the day, you knew this was coming, right?

Best sitcom line ever, and maybe one of the all-time great scenes.

(Although Chuckles the Clown’s funeral is right up there, isn’t it?)

Anyway, if there are American Irregulars who can drag themselves away from family or flag football, Happy Thanksgiving.

And, no, turkeys cannot fly.

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Mail.

Please.

Click. Write. Send.

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Speaking of Thanksgiving, we’ve spent a few of them down here south of the 49th and I don’t know that there’s any comparable Canadian holiday.

Now, I don’t get lineups for sales – I don’t even get lineups for clubs – and I cannot imagine ever taking part in Black Friday because I’m sure it’d end with some homicide charge but the rest of the weekend is unreal.

It’s really kind of cool that it’s such a family event for every family; it kind of reminds me what Christmas was like 40 years ago around our lives, when it was all about time with the family. It’s not that way anymore – I think I’ve probably flown on 10 of the last 12 Christmases – and it’s too bad.

The Yanks don’t do an awful lot of things better than we do – it is a short, short list – but Thanksgiving is something unique and that they excel at.

Of course, if you’re a visitor without family, it can suck.

I can remember landing one year in Indianapolis sometime late on the Thursday. You could have shot a cannon off in the downtown and not hit a soul, saddest sight a travelling guy could ever imagine. It must have been so long ago that neither of the two downtown Marriotts was even built because I can recall wandering the streets in the early evening looking for somewhere to eat and we couldn’t find a single spot open.

And I don’t even think we had a mini-bar in our rooms.

So, on second thought, Thanksgiving sucks.

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So I’m sitting in the lobby bar at my hotel starting on this about 11 last night and who sits at the table behind me but the three officials and a retired ref who is now working a league supervisor.

No, I didn’t go over to say hello, I have a nodding acquaintance with a couple of them and a slightly better one with the boss but it wasn’t the time.

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Okay, here’s the deal on the Grey Cup and I probably need some help.

The Tall Foreheads want me to do some kind of rolling blog/chat/whatever on Friday and Saturday. Do I just start it around noon and see what transpires from wherever I am? Do I settle on some cool stool and chat for a few hours in the afternoon and, if so, where? Or do I become some kind of old, grumpy Where’s Waldo and move from spot to spot? You tell me.

But I promise you this: I’ve been to a bunch of Grey Cups over the years and it’s always fun. I know there’s talk of it being lost in a big city but, trust me, if you find Grey Cup revelers, it won’t matter where you actually are, you will have fun.

And it’s a darn sight better than Raptors-Pistons in Auburn Hills. Sorry, Cathal.

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And, finally, of course there'd be one of these in the hotel lobby; it's Nov. 22

 

Isn't it a bit early for this?

 

 

 

Comments

[John Millett]

Grey Cup coverage... Moving around to various locations would be fun for us the readers. Visit a Grey Cup tail gate party (I'm not sure if they do that in Toronto), take in some of the festivities, and the game itself would be great as most of us will never have the chance attend a Grey Cup game.

Blogger's note: Sadly, have some basketball duties Sunday afternoon so it's a Friday-Saturday gig only

[jon]

Man-handled by the Bobcats? What will it take for Colangelo to get fired? Or will he simply fire the coach and claim its a rebuilding process?

Blogger's note: "Man-handled?" Um, okay. Disputed one point loss at the buzzer in their fourth game in five nights? Yeah. If that isn't "man-handled" I don't know what is.

[sb]

Doug...

I had the pleasure ("Right?") of listening Butch Carter ("Right?") with Bob on PTS last night ("Right?") (okay, I'll stop...).

What fantastic acumen he possesses with respect to our beloved game. \I'm amazed that he isn't back on the bench somewhere or at least set up in a front office.

I know you've mentioned a few times that you have a fairly good relationship with him. Do you know if he is actively seeking a gig somewhere? I mean, I'm sure all former coaches are "looking" all of the time, but is there a team on his radar? Have you heard of any teams that have expressed interest in having him? Does his personality exclude him from any serious consideration? Last night was really the first time I heard him speak at length (I became a serious fan just at the end of his tenure with our club) and I got the sense that he might be a bit terse at times. Did the players like him?

I'm not saying that Coach Casey should be removed to set the table for a Gibbons-esque return of Coach Carter, but he certainly seemed like a knowledgeable individual.

Your thoughts?

Thanks for everything...I hope your Day Not Celebrating Thanksgiving is tolerable. Football perhaps?

Blogger's note: Butch was a finalist for the job Jacque Vaughn got in Orlando and was interviewed for the gig Lawrence Frank got in Detroit. Some GM is going to do the right thing and hire him, I'd hope

[DannyFromFreddy]

A little song. A liitle dance.
A little seltzer down your pants.
RIP Chuckles.

[Jeff]

Hi Doug,

Even though Bargnani scored 25 pts, but can you say that he really played his heart out or goes after it fully? He only had two rebounds. I would be up for trading him, as he can probably fetch a good package back. I think its time to move forward with this, we have seen enough in the 7 seasons of what he will be.

[Boko]

Doug, the two concerns that I had after the Bobcats game were covered by you in your first two pointers. Well done. However, I disagree with you about Coach Casey's use of Terrance Ross. Is he a rookie? Yes. So is Jonas Valanciunas! Are Alan Anderson, Landry Fields, Dominic Maguire & Linus Kleiza earning the minutes more than TR? No! I.M.H.O. we might as well play TR at swing at least as much as we are playing Jonas. He's more a key to our future success than any of the other swings (except DeMar). We won't win a playoff series until he's in the rotation at swing, AND we trade Andrea for a swing to go with the two of them ...

[Sharkey]

Doug, where exactly will you be for the Grey Cup? I work for the festival and the Argos, I'd love to stop by and say hello.

Blogger's note: TBD; am trying to figure out that now; may just float around convention centre and various parties and Front Street a bit both days. Filing locations and how much blog "interaction" there is will determine that. But follow the huge crowds, they'll either be following me or a horse

[john]

Hey Doug, have you heard anything about when Anderson or Fields are due to return? ZERO points last night from the SF spot isn't going to win a lot of games.

Blogger's note: Mentioned this last night: Since Fields still has stitches in his arm that was surgically repaired a week ago, I'm not going to embarrass myself and ask; and, as I would have hoped you'd read, we wrote the day of Anderson's injury announcement that it will be 3-6 weeks, I'll check back then. And that's it on that subject for at least two weeks

[Ken]

Any chance those officials at the table next to you were getting a "talking to" about their end of game performance by their supervisor? Getting beaten by superior defence I can take. Seeing your team play its heart out and not get rewarded for it because of at least 3 missed fouls at the end of the game is something that is going to drive fans away because (rightly or wrongly) the perception is going to be that the NBA doesn't want the Raps to succeed. Yeah it's a conspiracy theory, but perception becomes reality and the NBA better take notice.

[Brad B]

Hi Doug,

I agree with you that it's too early to get the knives out, but at what point should serious questions about this team's potential and if it's going in the right direction? At the quarter season mark? Halfway point? End of Season?

My gut tells me it should take about 5 years to rebuilt a team to playoff contention and the Raptors are approaching that benchmark. If it takes longer than that, does the onus fall on BC for a failure to advance? Or is this all just the normal run of bad luck/mojo/karma attributable to MLSE teams?

Blogger's note: WIth the way the schedule is, check back at 30 games

[Ryan]

Doug, it's hard to agree with your justification of Ross' playing time based on "teaching" moments when most of his teammates make fundamental mistakes as consistently as they do. One could easily point out the countless rotations/box outs that Bargnani misses, or the number of times DeRozan loses his man off-the-ball, or how often Calderon gets caught up in a screen. These types of mistakes, made by the team's veterans no less, are far more simple than "showing your hands" to the refs. Why not hold other players accountable as well? I thought accountability was one of the key factors that Coach Casey was supposed to bring.

[LakeSimcoe]

"No sense in publicly embarrassing anyone"

I didn't watch the whole game, just the end of 2 and 4Q. I welcomed them checked Lowry's buzzer beater at the half, but felt that somebody was looking for every clue to give a fragrant foul rather than to avoid to making wrong call on Kyle's foul in 4Q. Did Kyle get fouled on his last shot, I don't know, but otherwise the block is perfect. AB's? You don't need any replay...

"Embarrassing"? Or are you just avoid being fined???

Now I know why the Cats can win close games....

If you die hard for something, but things (the ping pong balls) did not go in your way, don't worry, you will get it back as someone will punish the idiots (that didn't tank)....too much conspiracy....better shopping instead....

[Rob.V]

Here's what's annoying to me. The league fining Reggie Evans $5000 for flopping.
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Isn't this essentially saying, we're going to fine "YOU" $5000, well, because "WE" (and our officials) couldn't do our jobs properly and make the correct call initially??
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The officiating is terrible in this league. TERRIBLE!
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It's all been said before. A call, is a call, is a call... whether you're Kobe (or other).
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Non calls
Make up calls
Respect calls
No respect calls for rookies
Moving a foul off a star player to another role player
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WWE?
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You cheat the game and the fans... and unfortunately that's exactly what happened last night.
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I'm typically on the owners side when it comes time to the CBA however you must, MUST get your head out of your own ass before you go out and try to fine a player $5000 for the way he's played the game (and how you've allowed him to play) for 13 years. Ridiculous!
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I have never once whined about officiating for a Raptors loss however it is clear that the NBA officiating is one of the worst in all of pro Sports.
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No Stars = No Calls. And that's a shame.
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You would think that on the heels of the Dougnahy scandal a couple of years back the league would do something (anything) to try to improve officiating.
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Here, let me help you with all of 3 seconds of work: Adopt a simple "challenge" like the NFL. This alone could propel the NBA officiating to a higher standard.
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Offer each team (1) challenge per half. Even if it's only one challenge per game (future) disasters like last nights might be averted.
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Having said this, until the NBA gets their own house in order they should be refunding Reggie his $5000 large back.
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TERRIBLE!

[Penny]

Hi Doug

Somehow Dwane has to convince Kyle to play more of a team game in the 4th Q. AB was the hot shooter last night and except for the last second shot on which he was fouled, he stopped getting touches but Kyle jacked up a 3 from 5 feet behind the 3 point line. Also how many times do the Raptors have to play defense with only 4 people because either DeMar or Kyle are up under our basket crying for a foul that is not going to be called and not getting back on defense.

[Rob]

Ive been a season ticket holder since day one, and have the utmost respect for Brian Colangelo and supported him up to now. But i am starting to lose patience. We got the 7th pick in what was considered a deep draft, due to the many holdouts from the year prior. I hope Ross turns out, but for a 7th pick i would expect something way more than a player who cant even get more then 7-8 minutes a game on a 3-9 team. yeah, i know we need to give him time, he's raw etc etc......but for us tanking the previous year we should get someone who can play a bigger role on this very marginal team, even at this stage.

Is perhaps the fact that we are in almost every game working against him, ie. not many garbage minutes to distribute?

[Mike Z]

Hi Doug, I agree ranting and raving for no reason is not the right thing to do and I even agree that once the final whistle is blown no one is going to turn the clock back and replay the last shot. However, I think coach Casey missed his chance to make a point when DD was getting clobbered every time he drove to the basket. The more he drove the more he got no calls and on the Raps end fouls were called at ease. That was the time when Casey should have made his point and if it cost him a T so be it. Refs are human and most of them will take the easy road out. No call, no one is complaining, carry on... I can name the coaches who do get respect from the refs but you know who they are. If the coach is not going to stand up and protect his star player the refs will not either.

[Dave B]

"That Taylor kid from Charlotte. " He sure did play tough and was all over Derozen. I think that he might run into foul trouble on a lot of nights when they have better refs doing the game.

That call on Andrea's last shot wouldn't have been missed by High School Refs. The only thing I could figure out was that they had an early flight home for Thanksgiving. But with you saying they were at the hotel nullifies that excuse. They must have been influenced by all the USA-USA chants. It is getting frustrating watching a struggling team getting beat by the referees. I realize if the Raptors had hit their free throws it wouldn't have been so close. If DeRozen has hit both near the end, Session's shot would have only tied the game. however, that last non call on Andrea was bogus. The problem with the League review is that it doesn't change the outcome of the game. A proper call may have changed it.

The Pistons are now looking at Friday as a winnable game.

Safe Travels Doug.

[Ollie H.]

The officiating yesterday was tough, not just the last call, but all game. Taylor is a smart kid who knew what Derozen wanted to do (which is go right - EVERY TIME...) and got into him - but to give Derozen credit he stayed aggressive while Taylor basically mugged him for 36 minutes. I think the problem is that the Raps need to figure out how to win; they are in games and their record is not indicative of how they have played, but winning in the NBA is hard - this team is going to be kicking itself in April when it looks back at the games it should have won (Ind, Utah, & Charlotte - should have beat Philly the other night too ).

[sam]

Another tough loss last night - I thought for the most part the HOTH played a pretty good game, but there always seems to be lapses in the game where the ball doesn't bounce the right way.
I enjoyed watching JV play around the basket - Look forward to his continued growth - Ross has a sweet shot and doesn't look out of place offensively.

[jc]

Hey Doug,
Is this "USA, USA" stuff new at Raptors road games? I don't remember it happening much before. I guess no one will say it throws them off their game but if they answered honestly, how much do you think it bugs the players (specifically the American ones)? Tiny bit? Little bit? Not at all?

Blogger's note: Haven't asked

[Bill]

"I don’t know what, if anything, eventually will but if enough complaints are lodged against enough officials and the league agrees calls are being regularly blown, some official is going to pay some price."

Will that better our chance for the illusive 8th playoff spot?

[Peter]

Hi Doug, thanks for the blog.

It's pretty clear that the refs blew the call at the end of the game, but that's not why the Raptors lost. They lost because they let Charlotte strom back in the 4th quarter with something like a 15-4 run.

Anyway, the issue I have isn't with this game in particular, but with the general reluctance of officials to call fouls at the end of games. It bascially lets the defense know they can foul and get away with it (as long as it isn't a flagrant or something).

It's unfortunate, but again, that's not why the Raptors lost last night.

[dc]

Just another heartbreaking loss for raptors fans. Tough to figure this team out. They have all the talent needed to be much better than to end up a 20 win team but they could just as easily go 3-9 over their next 12 games. Even if they play .500 ball the rest of the season, they won't be a 40 win team at this point (which was the goal). Just pray to the sports gods for a miracle, raps fans.

[james]

"And, finally, of course there'd be one of these in the hotel lobby; it's Nov. 22"

Calgary in the Cup? I was sure a horse was coming next!

[LeeZ]

I've only seen Lowry play for a handful of games and already I'm tiring of his commando-style, one-on-three raids to the hoop. I mean, sure, take it to the hoop and try and finish when the help doesn't come, or perhaps when they only send one help defender. But one against three and sometimes four? The ref simply isn't going to reward you when you go all kamakazie on their ass. What he did do, SOMETIMES, that was incredibly effective was kick it back to Bargs when the help came. But that's what he should do EVERY time he gets double and tripled. And not insignificantly, that will increase Drea's effectiveness quite a bit.