One return and one all too familiar ending

Well, that was some game, no?

They get done, they get up, they lose in the end.

Never saw that coming, did you?

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THREE POINTERS

Giving him a chance

Yes, I thought Andrea Bargnani was far better coming back after missing 26 games than I had anticipated; sure he was winded quickly and a bit slow but he was engaged, didn’t stop the ball, didn’t take quick, bad shots and was communicative on defence.

Kind of just what they needed and, no, I have no idea if he can keep it up or if that was all adrenaline.

But I will give Dwane credit for getting desireable matchups for him; he kept Bargnani away from an aggressive defender like Kevin Garnett and let the young fell ease his way back into action.

I probably would have given Bargnani even more time in the fourth quarter but you could see up close that he was dead worn out and I don’t know how effective he would have been.

But I don’t think anyone who watched him or the game closely could have any serious complaints on how he played.

I’d keep him coming off the bench for a bit but he plays like that, he’s going to help. And he’s going to stick around for the rest of the season to open up more trade possibilities and discussions in the summer.

(And, no, Bargnani should not have heard a single boo. It was despicable, uncalled for, unfair and those who did it should be ashamed of themselves. And don’t tell me those clowns were booing for past indiscretions because if they had been, they should have been voicing displeasure in November or last year or the year before that).

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Free the kids

Yes, I think Dwane needs to loosen the reins a little bit on Terrence Ross and Jonas Valanciunas but I don’t know that it should have been in the fourth quarter of one possession game like last night.

Look, regardless of what you or I think, Dwane and the players went into that game, like they’ll go into Friday’s game, convinced they are still in the playoff race and the coach is going to do what he thinks gives his team the best chance to win; he owes that to himself and the players.

That said, at 17-32, it’s time to give the kids a bit of an extended run; I know Dwane really dislikes a defensive combination of Valanciunas and Bargnani and wants to stay away from that but if they’re going to laud Amir Johnson as the rock and anchor of the defence, wouldn’t be it just as easy to start Valanciunas next to him now and figure out a rotation that keeps the rookie and Bargnani apart?

Ross?

Well, Ross needs to play a bit more and, yes, he will cost them a handful of possessions every game with defensive lapses but he can give them far more on some nights than Alan Anderson ever will.

Anderson is a useful piece on a 17-32 team but let’s not get ahead of ourselves, Ross is the future.

-

Same old, same old

Let’s see:

They get the one stop they need in a close game and commit a turnover trying to outlet the ball.

They get it to a two possession game in the dying seconds and need a basket, a stop and a timeout and can’t get the ball inbounds and are forced to call their last timeout to save a five-second violation.

They blow a fourth-quarter lead for the 12th time this season.

If that’s not the season in a nutshell, I don’t know what is.

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More? Quickly because it’s late (sleep needed) and it’s snowy and there’s stuff to do.

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So, she’s been in ER (good show), a lot Homicide Life On The Street (great, great show), some Law and Order SVU (weakest of the three franchises) and was born in Toronto.

She can warble with the best of ‘em and, yeah, I’m quite okay with Gloria Reuben singing O Canada at the all-star game next week.

And while I usually venture somewhere at halftime to schmooze and grab some fresh air, no way I’m missing the part of the show where Alicia Keys performs.

The rest of ‘em? Barely heard of them so there’ll be time to loaf.

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Mail?

Seems to be working; it’s askdoug@thestar.ca if you don’t want to click the link over there.

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So a guy wakes up (late) to see a headline that says: “It might be the biggest storm since 2011” and it gets one wondering:

How is Air Canada going to screw me up with the flight this afternoon?

And since I have a sitdown interview schedule for right after the HOTH land and a plan for St. Elmo’s for a bit and then his cousin Harry and Izzy right after, that’s a question I don’t want to hear the answer to.

But if I can get to the airport by noon is the plan, we’ll be here at noon for an hour to answer some questions. Come on by, we’ll whine about the airline together.

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This might be enough to make even the nicest people on Prince Edward Island – as good and easy going a group of Canadians as I’ve ever met – rise up in protest.

Anne of Green Gables a blond?

Yikes.

Seriously, of all things Canadian, where would you rank Anne? She’d have to be near the top of many lists, right; something distinctly ours that is loved and appreciated all over the world.

This story about them changing her hair colour is a tough one, no?

What’s next?

-

 

 

Comments

[GK]

Doug,

In all seriousness, is there any real explanation for the minutes that Anderson is receiving? I can only assume he's be rewarded for something but I can't tell what it is. Defense? Something off the ball? He's been playing 3-4 different positions and he's a lock to close out most games. Most of the fan base seems frustrated with this and in reading the in game blogs you seem somewhat perplexed as well.

Has any of the media asked about these questionable rotations and what is Casey's answer? He has to be more qualified to coach than people like me (otherwise he'd be writing you and I'd be coaching a team!). So what am I missing? Why does he continue to do this?

Some people think he's being "showcased". I've never really subscribed to this thinking for any player but is it a remote possibility here?

And if Ross is deemed to be "untouchable"....and I'll qualify that as being reasonably untouchable, shouldn't he actually be playing? Something is not adding up.

This reeks of Michael Curry / Kevin O'Neill and I find it frustrating to watch. I don't expect them to win 50 games but I do believe they've lost some close ones due in large part to these odd rotations. How does Casey not see this?? Surely I haven't uncovered something that now qualifies me to coach an NBA team?

[sam]

Andrea didn't look out of place and all things considered played quite nicely. The Raps need to look after the ball better...too many turnovers does not make for winning basketball.

[Mr. Cook]

Anne is public domain so quite literally anyone can publish those books. It's only as a result of the internet that this is a story at all--who cares if some two-bit US publisher that's never read Anne got the image wrong? It's still the same text inside and if anything will be ironic and amusing for young people reading the book when they first come across the description of Anne.

[Allan]

I don't know about anyone else but I am having a hard time squaring Casey's intentions with his results. I think winning is an admirable objective. However, he is not winning and the team keeps repeating the same mistakes over and over. It is like ground hog day in sneakers. If coaching is not the cause of the same mistakes being made, over and over, then what is? Is it the player's fault because they don't pay attention when lessons are being taught to them and if so, why are they not paying attention?

I think fans are getting tired of the future, or good intentions, always being used to paper over how bad the present is.

[Peter]

So, let me get this straight. You're going to live blog from an airport, and we all get to participate as they delay and cancel your flight?!? Now THAT is a can't miss live chat!!

[SAS]

I agree with these questionable rotations especially in the fourth quarter. Yes Andrea was gassed but man Alan Anderson is beginning to irk me. And truth be told Andrea played the best defense on Garnett than anyone else. Amir doesn't have the length to guard him that's why he was just shooting over him. Look I hate to say it but this team needs to look to next year. We have a good new core with Gay, Lowry and Derozen and now let's see what JV and Ross can do. Please cut Anderson's minutes now!

[Lorie]

And not just a blonde. A pouty-faced, sexed-up prepubescent. It's so wrong. There oughta be a law. Or common sense. After all, Anne's nickname in the book's "Carrots". Looking at the image on the cover, young readers will be supposing it's because of her fondness for the vegetable. And the colour of her hair prompts this key moment in the book that the film makers knew to be true to:
http://youtu.be/tM7H6kUzqH4
What's next, you ask? How about a re-releasing of Lightfoot's classic, but to make it more 'accessible' it'll be renamed: 'American Airline Tribulations'. Speaking of which, safe travels, and if you had to pick a city in which to be snowbound, Indianapolis isn't the worst one, is it? Hey - weren't you stuck there by a big snowfall last season?

[doug]

BC's patience must be wearing mighty thin with Casey,..he just doesn't seem to get it...extended run for Lucas 1st half, all momentum lost...4th quarter rotations last night atrocious...and I concur with many on here Anderson is getting far,far too much playing time...the Anne of Green Gables thing is just ridiculous, its like the Green lantern being red, or Ozzie Osborne getting a makeover and turning blonde....ok cheers...

[Lorie]

One more thing. Since the arrival of The New And Improved Online Star, whenever a story is linked to either via Twitter or say, from your blog, when I click on it to read the entire piece from my BlackBerry (I know, I know) I end up at the main Star mobile page where the story I was linking to may or may not even appear. It's just an offering of many stories. Sort of a Star Mobile Homepage. Is this a temporary thing, a permanent thing, or (Egads!) a BlackBerry thing? Thanks.

[AT]

I don't think anyone can question Anderson's work ethic and he does deserve to keep some significant minutes but just probably not at the end of games these days.

And I couldn't agree more about the booing of Andrea. Those fans should be ashamed of themselves. And I hope for his sake he gets traded, not the raptors. He is a talented player and can be a solid contributors even though he may not be "someone they can build around"... but how many of those players truly exist in the NBA?? It is not something that you get by default or by your draft position. The Bargnani haters are the same ones who hated Calderon and loved the Lowry trade. All things considered, who would be a better fit with DeRozan and Gay, Jose or Lowry??

[SR]

Morning Doug,

There must be some back up (pass first) point guard sitting at home, or in the D league that we can sign for the minimum. Everytime I see John Lucas play point guard and hog the ball I want to stick the proverbial needle in my eye! I know he is only playing roughly 15 mins a night, but there is no flow to the offense when he comes in, and he refuses to acknowledge he isn't the first option on the floor. The start of the 4th quarter was just a disaster.

[MC_Brad]

You going to be in NYC for the game next week? Where might an irregular find you if they wanted to buy you a post game Stella?

Blogger's note: Sorry, I'm not. Have week-long trip to all-star and Washington after; need to take a bit better care of myself. The Irish place across the street (Tir 'a Nogh?) is really good. PJ Clark's the night before at 3rd and 51st?

[Fredho]

I had the same impression yesterday, even with my limited basketball IQ, that Bargnani looked like the best defender on Garnet, was closing out on 3-pt shooters, and going for rebounds (much to the delight of the Boston tv reporters - "it took him a while to realize not all shots go in and you can actually rebound a ball"). Was good to see him look to pass when he didn't have a clear shot right upon receiving, though there were more then a couple he could've taken but you could clearly see him hesitate and then pass, and good passes at that. All to bad we now have Chuck Anderson who keeps on chucking shots when the game is on the line. Granted, he has made big shots in 4th quarters in some games, and he's probably in there for his defense on P Pierce, but would be so nice if he could stick to just that, be a good defender, good distributor, and only take the occasional wide-open 3 - he'd be our Bruce Bowen. We have plenty of legitimate scorers in there, someone should give Anderson the scouting reports for his team mates.

[Matt M]

It is pretty clear to me that Casey is an exceptional coach who could lead a veteran team to a championship. It is clear to me that Colangelo is a good evaluator of talent. But it is also clear that Colangelo drafted a kid fourth overall that Casey trusts less than Aaron Gray, who in my opinion is a good fourth big in a three big rotation for a playoff caliber team. He also drafted a kid who Casey trusts less than Alan Anderson, who in my opinion could be a good fourth wing in a four wing rotation. Something is not jiving here.
San Antonio regularly drafts kids at the bottom of the draft that Popovich trusts to play minutes in regular season games. Is it because Popovich has a vested interest in his team succeeding? Is it because San Antonio does a better job evaluating players than the Raptors? Is it because Popovich and his GM are on the same page? It's ok if Colangelo hasn't drafted or traded for players that would significantly impact the Raptors ability to consistently win. But if that is the case then the Raptors need to move on in hopes of finding someone who will. It's also ok if Casey wants a team of veterans that he can trust to make the right plays in big situations. That is not where the Raptors are right now. Unfortunately the Raptors talent level is the same it has been since before Bosh left. Good enough to miss out on Antonio Davis. Bad enough to miss the playoffs. Something has to give this year because this isn't good enough.

[RC]

I strongly disagree with this booing of Bargnani too. However, I take exception with Cathal Kelly and his articles about Bargnani the past 2 days. On Tuesday, he writes an article criticizing Bragnani's entire history with the Raptors, ending it with the thought that if he would only try, he would be successful. If there's one thing that Toronto sports fans love, its hustle, desire, giving 100% all-the-time. Writing an article like Mr. Kelly's is almost like dousing Bargnani with gasoline before he even stepped on the court. Now today, he writes that Raptor fans should be ashamed of booing Bargnani. In my opinion, Mr. Kelly helped start that process the day before the game.

[gavin]

I was at the game last night and did hear a few boos for Andrea but I heard alot of cheers for him too (myself included) He is a far superior player to Grey, who has regressed back what he is, which is not all that impressive. My real problem is being so far out of the playoffs and still giving guys like Anderson and Grey run over Ross and Big V. I dont want tanking but I certainly want development if the playoffs are a distant memory. Maybe we need a coach who understands this and not one out to prove his worth via wins.

[LakeSimcoe]

I would also put the blame on DC (I never count last season). He put all outside shooters to start 4Q, they settled on throwing bricks and nobody were bored to get into the paint. DC should have called time out earlier to fix this instead of allowing the opponent to restore momentum...
Also (one of) the Rap killer is Blur, who was available before we signed JL3....I am not a pro scout, but it is quite likely that Raps should have won game 1 (not just yesterday's) if ....

[George]

Booing Andrea was completely uncalled for; glad that there were some sensible cheers and applause when he entered the game. The Celtics ball movement was pretty impressive and quite a contrast some of the sticky situations the Raps offensive sets faced.

[George]

And could not believe that the Raptors couldn't exploit the situation of having KG with 4 fouls in the game.

[Drew]

I thought Andrea played well considering it was his first game back, he was a little gassed but that's to be expected. One thing I noticed is he looks significantly thinner, has he lost weight? Have they given up on him trying to bulk up to play the 5(and rightfully so)?

[DaveB]

I did go to the Memphis/Phoenix game Tuesday night. It was not a great game. Ed did get a few minutes and scored a basket. He looked better than Arthur who seemed to get more minutes and couldn't hit the basket with a bazooka. All I could think it that these guys get millions of dollars a year for this and LeBron thinks he is underpaid. In the world of real jobs, their salary is obnoxious. BTW, Phoenix had to burn a timeout late in the game because they couldn't inbound the ball. Ever hear of that happening to a team?

I am in Huston now and about to visit the Space center. I read your IGBT last night. You mentioned their need for a backup point guard. I think they already have one - they just need a starting point guard. As you said, this team is different since the trade, not necessarily better. They still can't control the ball late in games. I think they will be hard pressed to win more than 30 games this year.

Wishing you a safe and timely flight.

[Sharkey]

Yeah I don't get the booing of Bargnani. I'm not a fan, but you don't boo him. Then again, this is Toronto sports fans we're talking about, so I can't say I'm surprised.

I really want to see Jonas and Ross get some more minutes. I like Alan Anderson but he's struggling, TR needs some more floor time. How else will these young kids grow as players?

[Geoff Read]

Anne of Green Gables is a redhead. Period. It's an integral part of her character. Messing with her hair is like someone printing a cover of Lord of the Rings with the Hobbits built like Jonas Valanciunas. Or some publisher making the Tom Robinson character in To Kill a Mockingbird white. It totally undermines the book. Having said that I don't see it as an affront to my Canadian national identity or anything - I just think it shows how incompetent some people are.

I watched most of the game last night - there were some downright weird moments. Lowry's bizarre decision with about five minutes left to take a three while moving to his left when he threw up an absolute brick was one. The Celtics were on a bit of a run and what the Raps needed was for their floor general to settle things down and protect the ball at that moment, not to compound their troubles. (and so people don't think I'm picking on him, I'll also say that one or two possessions later he made a great play driving to the basket and dishing to Amir for a dunk) Amir attempting a ham-fisted shovel pass to ... was it Derozan? .. under the basket which essentially ended the game in the Celtics' favour was another weird moment. What on earth was he thinking?

In short, this team still finds ways to lose, which is what makes them so frustrating as a fan.

That said: booing Bargnagni was bush league. I was embarrassed for Toronto. The guy's an enigma and he's frustrating, but booing him as he comes back from injury and tries to contribute? It shows a total lack of class.

And Anderson... yeah, I'm a defender of Casey for the most part, but his devotion to #6 is starting to get a little bizarre as well. He brings some tenacity and hustle - I'll give him that - but it's time to play Ross. Unfortunately, once again, this season is over. Let the kids play.

[ronmor]

Doug,

Couldn't agree more with the previous comments regarding AA and DC. The ball usually seems to stop in Anderson's hands and he has certainly cost the Raptors a few games with some ill-advised shots which could be the difference between missing and making the playoffs. I have also wondered about Dwayne's end of game lineups as well. What about a fresh Gray for an obviously gassed AB and an athletic Ross for a ball-hogging Anderson? Still not thrilled to have a foul- prone rookie as one of the big men to close a tight game, however.

Still, the Raps might have gotten the W last night if Gay hadn't decided to hone his
three point shot twice in a row down the court with the game still very much in doubt in the fourth. I am sure that you and most readers saw that Derozan and Gay shot a combined less than 1 for 3 from the field on 40 shots.
One more made field goal from each of them would have been game winners.

Besides, it is most apparent as you have noted on a number of occasions that JL leaves a great deal to be desired as a true point guard and on the defensive end as the Brazilian blur showed repeatedly in the fourth quarter last night. But are there any better point guards available before the trade deadline, and if there are, at what cost?

[JC]

"And he’s going to stick around for the rest of the season to open up more trade possibilities and discussions in the summer."

Opinion? Insight? Both?

Blogger's note: Bit of both; but things, as you know, can change quickly