No Gay now, price too steep; and the road finally beckons

Well, that had to be a thoroughly disappointing day for many of you, didn’t it?

Big lead – and, yes, we did learn that it is truly a game of runs – turns into a tough loss and the homestand is over.

Thankfully, lots of time left for angst and joy, anger and happiness and the trade deadline.

Can’t wait!

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THREE POINTERS

Nothing coming any time soon

Not game specific, that’s for sure, but according to a highly-placed source, any chance of the Raptors picking up Rudy Gay in a trade are diminishing rapidly and it’s less and less likely something will happen.

The reason?

The asking price is far too high.

As I mentioned last week, the players most coveted include the likes of Jose Calderon, Terrence Ross and one of the young bigs – and I know Valanciunas’s name has come up in conversation – and I would suggest Bryan should have no interest in that kind of chatter.

Gay’s a good player – he’s a definite upgrade on what they have now – but if it’s such a steep price that it robs you of your assets, it’s not worth it.

All it does is make you different, and not necessarily better.

So you can put the chatter on hold for now; I’d say it’s 5-95 at best that they even have more serious discussions.

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Gotcha

You knew – and if you didn’t you should have known – that the thin frontcourt situation would eventually jump up and bite the Raptors in the bum.

I don’t care what anyone thinks of Bargnani and Valanciunas but they need more big men; they can’t keep playing Johnson and Davis forever. Eventually they’re going to wear down, eventually they’ll come up against a team that’ll eat undersized small-ball fours and rookie backups.

Johnson and Davis were very good yesterday, no question; they also looked dead tired when the Bucks finished with impunity around the rim in the final minutes.

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Revert to form

I think this team operates far more smoothly with Jose as the starting point guard – and a 34-point first quarter yesterday and a 10-4 record of late proves me correct – but for the 18 or 20 minutes he’s on the court, Kyle Lowry has to be more like himself.

He cannot pound the ball at the top of the circle waiting to make the perfect pass as the shot clock runs down. He has to move the ball more quickly or get into the paint and get the defence moving; if he doesn’t, his effectiveness even as a backup is diminished.

I know the coaches see the same thing, I know his teammates see the same thing. He’s got to see it.

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What else?

This is what else.

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Okay, so it’s not quite the Naismith Cup, which I’m sure is in someone’s house holding potpourri or something, but those zany media relations guys from Toronto and Milwaukee have something on the line when the teams play.

Because J. LaBumbard of the Torontos is from Wisconsin (a Wisconsinite, Winsconinonian, Cheesehead?) and because his Milwaukee counterpart has a sense of humour, there’s a copy of the sheet music to The Wreck Of The Edmund Fitzgerald at stake every time the teams play. The PR director of the winning team gets to keep it and since the Raptors haven’t beaten the Bucks in eons, it’s permanently stored in Milwaukee.

So …

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Glad we finally found a way to run this about The Other Dream Team and since some of you have asked, you can get a DVD through the documentary’s website and I understand you can rent it through iTunes beginning tomorrow.

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Hmm, let’s see.

Flight today, game tomorrow, flight and game Wednesday, flight Thursday, game Friday.

Yeah, all this home time has come to a screeching halt.

A quiet night in Brooklyn sounds like a good idea, no?

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Told you the football winners would be Denver, Green Bay, New England and Seattle, didn’t I?

What? It’s Baltimore, San Francisco, New England and Atlanta?

Never mind.

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The homestand?

Has to be a bit disappointing, which is entirely surprising given how the season began, but when the six games started, they really were thinking at least four, and hopefully, five wins.

They got three, were exposed a couple of times for lack of size without the two injured seven-footers and maybe that does calm down expectations a bit.

There are 45 games to go – that’s an awful lot of games – and they are pretty much where we figured they’d be: Scratching and clawing out of the early-season hole.

They aren’t as good as 10-4, not as bad as 4-19; they are somewhere in that middle and now that things get back to normal schedule-wise, finding where in that middle they fit will be interesting.

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There are a couple of creative types lurking in the back rooms, it appears. Not sure it’ll stick, but my boyz Paulie and Travis (you don’t know them but they are among the hardest working guys in showbiz) tell me they’ve come up with a nickname for young Mr. Ross.

Not sure it’ll stick, not sure how to spell it, but given his talents and the franchise, it kind of fits.

Yeah, Terry-dactyl. Or should it be Terrence-dactyl?

And does it work?

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Got to spend some time at Glendon College on Saturday afternoon (I think you’ll see the fruits of my labour in the paper tomorrow, it’s a super secret gig) and, man, did the memories come flooding back.

It’s a tiny gym stuck in a small campus in the middle of the city and, back in the olden days, it’s where the Raptors practiced before the Air Canada Centre was build and when the SkyDome wasn’t available.

And it made for some interesting times because the team was very much an interloper and an inconvenience to the school.

How much of an interloper and inconvenience?

Well, they had the gym from, I believe, 11 a.m. until 1 p.m. and they were sticklers about it.

At about 12:55, the girls volleyball team would show up with the poles for the nets and the balls and everything and at the strike of 1 p.m. the gym was theirs. If the Raptors wanted to go long, tough noogies, it was volleyball time and the NBAers had to vacate the premises.

Ah, the good old days.

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Comments

[sportschic]

It has to be T-Rex.

[Mike D.]

With all due respect to your creative types, I think I still prefer Flight 31 for Ross as he continues to take off with regularity.

Seems like Lowry might be suffering from a crisis of conflicting expectations on offense: when he plays like himself (which means he's not exactly a pass-first PG) he gets heat because he can't make the offense flow like Jose, but now I get the sense he's trying to play more like Jose (looking for the perfect pass rather than penetrating) and taking heat for not playing like himself. Has he stopped gambling so much on the defensive end?

[LeeZ]

@Sportschic: I second that emotion.
@Mike D: Exactly. You know, I really, really HATE it when someone beats me to the punch with their insight, but you nailed it (as did Doug in today's blog). The only thing I'd add is we've seen this motion picture before (see: Bayless, Jerryd). When Bayless embraced his inner shoot-first-pass-later self, he was excellent, providing the team with an infusion of scoring and a different look to José. But then he too got heat and tried to be José Redux. There is only one José, people! As Robin Williams so aptly put it in Aladin, "just bee yourself!" Lowry needs to start penetrating again. He just needs to be a bit smarter about it than he used to be and pick his spots a wee bit more; plus, look to dish a bit more. As it is now, 9 times out of 10 he makes one pass from way up top and then just stands there. And it's not even a particularly good pass, in that it doesn't set up a scoring opportunity. It just puts the ball in someone else's hands. Sorry, but this is on the coaching staff. They need to get in KL's ear and tell him in no uncertain terms what they expect of him. And if he doesn't do it, then sit his ass and put in Lucas.

[Marcus Rush]

I totally agree with your thoughts on Rudy Gay and the asking price. In fact would his addition to this team add more than the loss of Jose to what they are doing right now. (aside from the age factor)

As for Lowry he seems to have trouble getting the team into their sets. He also seems to have trouble with running the pick and roll. With Jose he passes the ball off up high...lopes through the paint..turns it on and comes back to get the ball and from there the play is forming. When Lowry attempts to run the same play he stops once he gets the ball back and the play is busted.

[Colin K]

@Mike D.

You hit the nail of the head there RE: Lowry. I was just going to say that before I read your comment. What is he supposed to do? Everyone on the team had been going well before this game, so he was feeding them. Now that they lose, he gets ripped for not playing more selfishly. Of course its not so black and white, He need to play the game and make judgement calls about when to do what. That requires reading the game and reacting to situations appropriately.

I think its a mistake to simply tell the guy to play more like yourself (which could easily be translated into: "hero ball, now"). He just needs to continue to develop the skills of a pure point guard. Read the game, pick your spots, move the ball or shoot. When done right it looks very easy.

[bkn]

Hey Doug, have a great time in Brooklyn. May the flight gods smile upon thee with swiftness and timeliness.

Speaking of Brooklyn, there are a couple must-hits if you decide on an evening in the neighbourhood of the arena.

4th Ave Pub - has one of the best beer selections I've ever encountered. Plus all the free popcorn you can eat. It's on 4th Avenue (duh), just down the street from Barclay's Center.

Sky Ice - not sure if Thai food is your thing, but this little place feels like a grandmother's kitchen and the Thai food is super fresh, authentic, and just a little different than the usual fare. Plus some pretty out-of-this-world ice cream made on site. It's on 5th Avenue, also just down the street from Barclay's.

Because, y'know, you have nothing but spare time.

Blogger's note: Thanks; was in 4th Ave place last trip, it's cool

[Rob.V]

What a game for Ross, Anderson, Lowry, and Fields to lay eggs!
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I wasn't a fan of having Fields back in the starting lineup for the simple fact that he doesn't appear to have confidence with his jumper. Pietrus may be up and down however the threat of the 3 ball keeps the other teams defenses honest. He seemed to be working well defensively with the starting unit so so why change it?. They won a few games with that lineup and Fields was doing just fine off the bench.
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I know it's second guessing at this point however 3-13 from down town with no one else making a 3 other than Jose and it couldn't have hurt to give Pietrus a few minutes to see what he had. The DNP-CD's are puzzling to me.
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"aren’t as good as 10-4, not as bad as 4-19".
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Absolutely agree. The problem of course is that they are going to have to be as good as 10-4 again at some point (twice!) if they want a shot at the playoffs.
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So regardless of playoffs the question now becomes how do you make this somewhat .500 team better. Do we hope for internal development to become a 45-48 win team next season? Are they even .500 next year without Jose?
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Look, none of us want it however you HAVE to look to move Jose. Someone is going to pay him $7-$9 million dollars next season and it's not going to be the Toronto Raptors. I'd love for him to be Raptor lifer as well however it's just not in the cards. We're not going to give up on the playoffs however I need to cash that chip.
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If you can deal Jose and Andrea with a pick for Gay (or other borderline All Star) you MUST consider this because we need to upgrade for future seasons. Letting Jose (given the way he is playing) walk for "nothing" is like VC and Bosh (lite).
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Jose will be gone (unfortunately), Andrea I suppose could be a $10 million dollar "bench" player here for a couple of more seasons however this to is unlikely. He'll need to start to increase his value (at $10 million a season) so some tough decisions are going to have to be made over the next month. Dealing another pick, no biggie considering we don't need to get any younger.
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Regardless if it's Gay, we'll need to look at these as our chips for some other move.
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One rookie, possibly - both? - nah!, not unless it's a perennial All Star with some left in the tank. It sounds like the Grizzlies are simply gauging the market with the intention of making a trade only if it's a steal for them.
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Anyone else ever notice that the Edmund Fitz song is comprised of 7 minutes of (about 6854) versus - no bridge - no chorus! Still interesting, just an observation.
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And quickly dude: Was sitting behind you for the Bobcats game, was either Paulie or Travis the guy with the curly hair to the left of you? Not sure why I care, just curios. Also, during one time outs J. Labumbard handed Lowry a small bottle with green stuff in it for his hands. Was Lowry pureling for fear of catching a cold or would you know if this is a sticky like composite for the hands?

Blogger's note: Was not Paul or Travis and I don't know what was in the bottle, sorry

[DaveB]

Yesterday's game was the most devastating of the season for me. I think the in game coaching was terrible. The second unit should have been pulled much earlier in the second quarter when they were giving up the lead in record fashion. If the Raptors could have maintained the momentum, maybe they could have played the second unit in the fourth quarter. After the momentum changed it was impossible to get it make - something about confidence for the other team while all the Raptors started questioning themselves. Why did he leave Ed on the bench for the last few minutes of the game. If he fouled out, so be it because the game was lost while he was on the bench. Why not play Lucas when Lowry had nothing. It couldn't be worst and what about the whole accountable stuff?

Alan didn't have a very good game yesterday. Do you think Alan is starting to play too much hero ball? It seems every time he get the ball he shoots or drives and shoots. He has become a ball stopper. He has scored a lot of points lately but it is more from volume shooting than from a good percentage. The spacing also seems to be an issue with this second unit.

I wonder if Lowry is pouting a little from losing his starting job or is he trying to emulate Jose?

As for Terrence, I like Flight31 as it relates to his Twitter name.

I think with this home performance the Raptors will be lucky to get over 30 games this season. This week will be tough and I don't think they will win either game. Let's hope I am wrong.

[Steve]

Think we'll have to add that one to the list of games that they may end up looking back on as coulda/shoulda/woulda if they just miss out at the end of the season unfortunately. Was very disappointing to watch that unfold, you could tell mentally they lost the game in the second quarter even though it took a lot longer to play out.

That said I think they have an opportunity this week to eek out one or even two wins that most casual punters wouldn't expect on face value if they play to their abilities (particularly defensively). I'm being a tad optimistic, but hey someone has to balance out the suggestion that they wont even find 16 wins somewhere in the next 45 games. ;)

[AT]

@Rob V. If the grizzlies would accept AB and Jose and a pick for Gay, the deal would have been done a long time ago... Asking price is sure to include Ross or JV and it is way too early to deal either of them away. I just hope that Colangelo is working on an extension for Jose, one of the most bashed Raptors of all time but still continues to consistently contribute every night....

[Geoff Read]

Glendon College has a beautiful campus. It's a hidden gem in the city. The only time I was there I kept thinking, "This is part of York University???"

I agree with your comment that KL can't be Jose. He needs to use his speed and skill to penetrate more frequently, which gives us a different look and can be very effective. However, like one or two other posters I'm not sure I'd give him the green light to "be himself". The hero-ball comment was bang on. I'd say he needs to use his skills to drive to the basket and create opportunities for others while at the same time realizing he shouldn't be trying to do everything himself. He needs to use his teammates effectively - that's what he can and should learn from Calderon.

[Wilber]

Doug,
Nice to say hello to you on our way out of the ACC yesterday as you finished your "fresh air".
Yesterday seemed to be another one of those games that the Raptors just figure out how to lose. A thin front line, a couple people having off days and before you know it, the game gets away down the stretch. On a day like that, I was looking for coach to go deeper and juggle the lineups a little more and look for some spark. Maybe T-Ross or even Pietrus can give you a little something.

Am curious if Ed Davis' dad is ever around the team? I think that might be an interesting story, getting the dad's take on how his son is developing. Never took notice of his dad, but seems from stats and the longevity of a 10+ year NBA career that he figured out how to be a pro. That seems to be part of what Ed is figuring out this season, as he rounds into a consistent pro. Also, loving the big to big passing that's happening between Amir & Ed lately.
As I said on the sidewalk, always enjoy your work Doug. Keep it up.

Blogger's note: Believe his dad's still coaching; don't see him around

[john]

What kills me is that the halftime announcers kept drilling the Raps for the second unit production and how bad it was, here is a news flash for Leo and Black and all those who listened to their analysis,
HALF THE SECOND UNIT IS STARTING NOW!!!!
Do they even watch the games or do they just stare at stat sheets? A test pattern would be more informative than those two. How about the lady who spins plates? Send Black back to figure skating and Leo back to his tanning bed. Thank god Jack is on the TV crew and mentioned more than once that it was tough getting scoring with the 2 rookies on the floor.
EOR
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Until AB and JV get back I think Gray has to be the starting Center to give them some minutes and set some tone or they are going to have a very hard time with BKN and the Bulls.

[Allan]

If Toronto is not willing to give up youth for a star player, why did they give up youth for a backup point guard?

Blogger's note: Far, far too simplistic

[Kazbid]

Any rumours about ilyasova being available? I could see him being a fair trade for Bargs; I think they both make the same $ and both are not playing well on their respective teams. also MIL is kinda terrible on offense and ilyasova would fit the raps defensive mindset

it always hurts to trade a guy when his value is low (bargnani) but it helps if you move him for someone else whose value is low right now

[jc]

Thanks for the updates on The Other Dream Team. You probably remember me wondering about it from the beginning. It's a shame we can't go to a theatre to see it but I know what I'll be doing Tuesday. As for T Ross, I've been trying to come up with a name too and the pterodactyl jumps to mind as a flying dinosaur but Terry-dactyl doesn't roll off the tongue. Keep at it creative guys.

[jc]

btw...seems like an old Raptor will be looking for a job again

http://espn.go.com/los-angeles/mens-college-basketball/story/_/id/8843050/kevin-oneill-usc-trojans-coach

[Mike kovacs]

Not a trade question but would Wilson Chandler be a good fit or does he not score enough?

Blogger's note: Not worth cutting someone for, I would say

[jc]

Not to deal in rumors but I think the terry-dactyl might be taking flight

https://twitter.com/ESPNChrisPalmer

(not sure if it's a report or an opnion....ahhhh twitter)

Blogger's note: Has to be an opinion; the Saturday night stuff this year is broken into conferences and that list is east-loaded

[Topper]

Terry-dactyl!
a good nick name makes you smile the first time you see it.
And I can't stop grinning.

[Penny]

Hi Doug - I agree with an earlier poster that Alan Anderson shoots too much and there have been quite a few games lately where most of these shots are not falling. The announcers are always saying that T Ross has a reputation of shooting a lot so that when both he and Alan are on the floor, that doesn't leave much chance for any of the other 3. Alan also seems to be like a lot of the others as well, if his shot is not falling, then his defense also tails off.

[SR]

Love the nickname Terry-dactyl for Ross... It fits a lot better than T-Rex as they were believed to be strong/powerfull creatures at the top of the food chain. T-Rex were someone like Lebron James.

[DC]

Another Ugly loss for the raptors. they got good production from Amir and Davis, Demar and Jose did their thing, but they got absolutely nothing from SF or the remaining bench. losing 2 seven footers (even if they are a rookie and a poor rebounder) is catching up with the raptors and if they can't get some big bodies (raps fans just need to accept they have no starting SF) and find a way to win and shake off giving away a game like that, this next stretch will put the nails in the coffin. It's possible they go 2-7 to finish january leaving them at 16-30 with 36 games left. Maybe they steal a game against philly and the lakers decide to take a day off and they go 4-5 over the next 9. The point being, their record rebounded during the most favourable part of their schedule and they needed every winnable game to have an outside chance at the playoffs. A mediocre record going forward just makes it more and more likely the raptors will be a lottery team without a lottery pick which is actually a worse outcome than finishing at the bottom of the league. pound the rock

[Michel G]

I'm glad the easy part of the schedule is over. I want to see how the current rotations fare against good quality opponents. Thirteen of the eighteen games leading to the trade deadline are against winning teams. It will give Colangelo a better idea of what he's working with.

And yes, I also want Lowry to stop doing his best Jose-impersonation. Just be himself. He's the only guard that can get into the paint with any regularity and we need his skill-set on full display if we stand a chance of beating the better teams we're about to play soon. For that matter, and I know it won't be a popular thing for me to say, but we sure could have used Bargnani yesterday.

[D-Mac Ottawa]

Tough day at the office. Learning to play with a lead seems to be a stumbling block. When a team's up big, then the opponent gets it back to 13 or so, that's a typical swing spot, and it's those next few possessions where the team with the lead has to retake its momentum or... well, we've seen the results a lot.
So, yeah, there were points in the game where I too was wondering, why not get Pietrus or Lucas in for a look, when it was obvious Landry was well off his game, and Lowry didn't have much going. An odd game to suddenly go to a tight 7-man rotation (T Ross's 3 minutes hardly count... and why just 3 minutes, not sure).
I think I'd buy into Terrence-a-saurus Ross before I'd bite on Terry-dactyl.
Doug, are Kleiza's knees in bad enough shape that he might be on the shelf long-term, or is he simply another designated guy on the bench in a suit these days?
Cheers. Go Raps!