Solid game, too many mistakes and some special cartoon fun

Yeah, sorry I’m late; the 5 1-2 hours of straight sleep on a game night is big.

Anyway …

Did you notice that the Raptors gave up 88 points? That’s three straight games where opponents have scored 88 and my math abilities tells me that’s an average of 88 points a game.

Which, as I mentioned yesterday, is the numbers of keys on a piano but it’s also …

And no scrolling but if you don’t get that, I’ll let you know about him later.

On with the show.

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THREE POINTERS

So, what’s up today?

Speaking with a couple of people around the league late, late last night, there was little going trade-wise but, as was pointed out to me, Bryan once got a deal done at 2:55 p.m., beating the deadline by five minutes.

So …

But there has been talk and who knows what happens this morning.

I would say the most realistic guy to be moved would be Alan Anderson; he’s got a cheap contract that’s expiring, he’s shown some ability to hit shots and play defence this year and if he’s the guy that’s got to go out to get a point guard back, well, so be it.

Other than that, I’m hearing there’s precious little interest in Bargnani, the other piece Bryan would probably like to move.

The rest of ‘em?

It’s the core and I cannot see him parting with anyone of them.

But, like we point out every year, things can happen fast which means a lot of sitting around and waiting today.

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Costly mistakes

They call them empty trips or empty possessions and when you hear Dwane talking about “winning basketball plays” this precisely want he doesn’t mean.

The HOTH claw back to tie thanks to other-worldly shooting for about a four minute stretch and you can feel momentum swinging.

But they go through six possessions and get just one free throw out of it, going Gay miss, Gay turnover, Gay miss, Lowry free throw and Lowry turnover, Gray miss and the game’s effectively over.

Now, I didn’t have a problem with a lot of the possessions, you want the ball in Gay’s hands because he’s proven he can make the plays; he just didn’t.

So you move on to the Knicks tomorrow.

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Playing afraid

That’s what I saw in Andrea Bargnani last night after he came in and missed his first three shots.

He looked nervous, tentative, unsure, you name it and it’s the first time I’ve seen that look from him in a very long time.

He passed up shots, drifted even more on offence and it looked like the last thing he wanted was the ball.

As we know, confidence is the one trait every player has to have, especially a shooter -- you’re either hot or you’re due, shoot ‘til you make, shoot ‘til you miss – and he definitely didn’t have any of that last night.

And since it looks right now that he’s going to be around – and he should be, they need to find out if this is permanent and the rest of the season will give them time to see how he fits as a bench player – he needs to find that confidence. And quickly.

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More?

There’s always more!

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Seriously, when someone gets around to writing the book on this Oscar Pistorious case, they’ll have to sell it as fiction, won’t they?

It’s incredible and compelling in a sad, tragic way because a woman lost her life but I can’t stop reading about it.

The detective faces attempted murder charges?

The “witness” who heard the screams was 300 metres – at least – away from the house.

You can’t make this stuff up, can you?

I don’t know how it’s going to turn out but I’m going to read about it every day.

Can’t remember a crime that’s turned into such a weird, sad story in a long, long time.

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Mail. Please.

I have a feeling there’s going to be a lot of time spent loafing around Case Doug before 3 p.m. and I could get a head start on non-trade, non-game specific chatter if you’ll help a fellow out.

Click over there to the right or askdoug@thestar.ca to say hello.

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How about that Steve Nash?

Remember the scrawny kid from the small school who wasn’t all that highly regarded?

Well, he now is fourth on the all-time assists list; he’s got MORE CAREER ASSISTS THAN MAGIC JOHNSON after getting seven last night. He’s got 10,144, behind John Stockton (15,806), Jason Kidd (12,004 right now) and Mark Jackson (10,334 and the guy Nash will end up passing in his career). That’s nuts.

I know it’s got a lot to do with longevity (Nash is at 1,182 games, Magic got his in 906) but isn’t longevity a mark of greatness by itself?

You don’t play 17 seasons without being special and I’m not sure what’s going to happen in the future but when they come to write the history of basketball in Canada, Nash will go down as the country’s greatest player.

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Okay, suspense killing you?

That’s 88 Fingers Louie!

From the Flintstones. You remember him, right?

And it start the debate in this cluttered mind, and need some help.

Was the Flintstones the greatest cartoon of that era?

I’d say yes, barely beating out the Jetsons with Rocky and Bullwinkle a close third and Tom and Jerry chasing the medallists.

Agree?

And how many of you are now singing this

or this?

Tee-hee.

Gotcha

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Stevie Boy was at the game, as the IGBT Irregulars will know.

Here’s some of his always good stuff.

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Comments

[Alex]

Also in weird crime news......see "woman found in water tank on roof of seedy LA hotel"
Now that's one story I'm keeping an eye on.
As for Pistorius I always considered him way overblown since he was cheating using equipment that gives him an advantage, and now he is just garbage

[Matt M]

Alan Anderson would help a lot of contending teams with his toughness and ability to play defense. I am still shocked that Colangelo was able to acquire him on a ten day contract.

[AT]

not only has Andrea lost his confidence, but it looks like the team is looking past him too. He has sunk to the 6th or 7th option. No wonder his confidence is shattered. I like Rudy Gay but he is getting an easy pass.. he goes 5-15, TWO lucky 3 pointers off the glass.. but Andrea is getting beat up here and was getting crushed on Twitter last night...
AA was red hot but no one was getting him the ball in the closing minutes either...
It was a hard fought, tough loss but can't be pinned on Andrea, that's for sure!

[Mike C.]

Thanks for your work Doug - these last three games have been hard on the eyes. I hope the execution gets sharper. Rudy with the unforced turnovers has been a bit of a surprise.

I wanted to remind you of the Benoit Benjamin story - unless it needed a lot more cleaning up than you thought...

Blogger's note: Dang it! Forgot. Tomorrow.

[Jim Rootham]

The only way Rocky and Bulwinkle don't take it is if you ignore all the levels of stuff going on that you missed as a kid. They had way more courage, amongst other things they nailed McCarthy

[Lorie]

Good Morning, Doug!
It's only because one of The Daughters was dating a nice young man who was even more of a basketball fan than she was that I became aware of our amazing Steve Nash when he was about to begin playing for Santa Clara. Even I could see he was something special, but I don't remember thinking he'd ever be a league MVP - twice yet! Do you remember your first impressions of him? Cheers! And Go Bryan Colangelo!!! (Pass-first PG. Pass-first PG. Pass-first PG....working on a mind meld here...) Oh. And you've got your order wrong. Obviously Rocky and Bullwinkle, The Jetsons and then The Flintstones. And not purely from my feminist perspective. :)

Blogger's note: Was 1992-93? World University Games in Buffalo; he was great

[Andrew Gregg]

Hi Doug:

I've always understood that Casey and Anderson have a pretty close coach/player bond, as if Anderson is the personification of Casey on the court. You could see last night as the game was winding down that it was Anderson who Casey was calling over for instruction.

Now, it was also Casey who said he wanted a third PG. I wonder if Coach would be torn in this particular situation, losing one of his favourite bench players for a necessary piece.

I know this is a business, but it's got to be hard to be a coach in such a fluid situation.

AG, Toronto

Blogger's note: It's terribly hard; there are often times when GMs and coaches are at cross purposes. They get over it, but it's hard

[Sharkey]

Doug, I know Haddadi can't get into the country and won't ever play for this team, but was he waived or is he still technically on the roster? Just curious, thanks.

Blogger's note: Still on roster in case they need his salary as cap ballast in a deal

[kathyt]

Flintstones the best! Classic TV with great guest stars -- Stony Curtis, Ann MargRock, Cary Granite, The Great Gazoo (voice by Harvey Korman), The Way-Outs and tons more.

Blogger's note: The Way-Outs!!!! Yes

[Penny]

@AT - agree with you totally. How anybody can pin last night's loss on Andrea is beyond me. He at least was setting picks so that AA who had the hot hand could shoot. Too bad RG, DD or KL wouldn't have done that in the last 4 or 5 minutes instead of trying iso plays and turning the ball over.

[ronmor]

Doug,

How does Demar Derozan escape the inquisition from last night's game? 1 for 9 (7 pts) and some questionable decisions down the stretch as Leo suggested won't cut it from a player averaging over 18ppg especially when Gay was struggling. When your so-called #'s 1& 2 are shooting a combined 25% and are hoisting 24 shots you might beat team c or d but nada a chance against team b+. Certainly, the saviour's (RD) play must have pleased his former team to no end.

If Anderson were traded for a competent back up point guard (but are there any available and for what price?) I think? you would see a resurrgence in AB's game since when he is on the floor with any two combinations of Anderson, Derozan and Gay he is at best the 3rd option. To not be using his offensive skill set and I would argue his improving man-on-man defense is a complete waste of his ability. However, his inability to get to the line anymore is worrisome but it could be primarily because of his misuse on offense.

rsm

[sam]

I agree with your thoughts on Bargnani - Poor guy can't catch a break, and on top of that he regularly roasted for one reason or another. He doesn't seem to be the most the most outgoing guy, which works against him. A comment you made in the IGBT last night really hit the nail on the head. Gay, Lowry, Bargs and DD were all 0 for 3, and Andrea the only one to hear the boo's.....
I'm certain a change of scenery will do wonders for him.

Good to see and hear how Ed is doing.

[JT]

Doug,

Mayve I missed it and while its not earth shattering, any word on Haddaddi?

Blogger's note: Again, not coming, never was, never will, can't play dead

[DaveB]

I guess Gay has regressed to the mean. With the trade I see the Raptors stuck in mediocrity for the foreseeable future. When you put more than half of your salary cap in a mediocre player I don't see where you have room to grow. When your only available asset is Anderson I think you have backed yourself into a corner. They may end up in 9th place this year and maybe 7th or 8th next year but there isn't money, draft picks or assets to move forward. I think last night was more of what we will see from Gay and Lowry than what we saw in the past several games. Gay's shooting percentage is no better than Andrea's but he gets a pass. No wonder Andrea's confidence is waning when the fans keep booing him.

I am very disappointed in where this team is and where it is going. I hope I am wrong, but I don't see a bright future for the next couple of years.

I do agree that they need a starting point guard in the worst way. I guess that has been the case for a couple of years. I liked Jose and he was the best they had, but they did need an upgrade for awhile now.

Blogger's note: Your cap knowledge is sadly lacking

[doug]

it wasn't so much we lost it was Memphis that won, they contest every shot and pass their as tough a defensive team as there is...wouldn't want to face them come playoff time...Jackie Gleason was going to sue Hanna/Barbera as he felt Flintstones was based on the Honeymooners which he may be right, but was talked out of it as it would have been terrible P.R. for him due to its popularity..ok cheers

[DC]

Andrea should fit perfectly on this team as a productive bench player, coming in against second unit front court players should give him every opportunity to put up big numbers (not rebounds) and show those flashes of skill we know he has. If he gets hot, he can provide plenty of 4th quarter daggers.The enigma remains as he seemed totally out of sorts last night. Actually, raptors had a lot of problems on offense last night, too often players just didn't look ready to take a shot once they got the ball and struggled to make an extra extra pass in the face of a smothering girzzlies defense.

I don't think rudy had a terrible game, it's to be expected that memphis would zero in on him and do everything to make his night an inefficient one. a few more passes in the 4th would have been nice. Demar Derozan really was the difference maker. If he could have gotten the better of tony allen, scored a few more buckets, it would have been a real squeaker at the buzzer. I did notice, once again, about 10 point run from the opposition as soon as john lucas stepped on the court, made that 2nd half comeback all the more difficult. It was nice seeing lowry check back in earlier in the 4th. Overall, much better basketball compared with previous encounters with the grizzlies. pound the rock

[Marc]

Doug, there seems to be some chatter about Sebastian Telfair.... I think Beaubois is on the block as well, which one do you prefer and why?

Blogger's note: Six of one, half a dozen of the other.

[Andy]

At least we have Landry Fields... Great contract, right Doug?

Blogger's note: Nothing wrong with the contract all; and why do you care, it's not your money

[Sjors]

I must be utterly clueless but why is Haddadi not allowed into the country? Isn't this some form of discrimination? I would think a Persian could fill the ACC by himself on a "Persian night"!

[Nater G]

Different kind of cartoon, but I'll always be a Spider-Man guy. Flintstones was on when I came home at lunch as a kid, it was a fight between that and the Price is Right

[Eric]

Alan Anderson must stay a Raptor. He is a floor general for the 2nd unit, and frankly, the ball has to go through him more. I've seen Lowry and Gay give up WAY too many unforced turnovers the last 4 games. Those two need to practice dribbling with footwork, as frankly it's quite obvious they need help there. And between Lowry and Lucas, we constantly get our PG pushed to half court, which forces them to make bad overhead passes. Anderson possesses superb offensive and defensive qualities, and I am a big fan. Seeing as our 1st round pick is gone anyway, I say keep Lucas as backup and play out the season, and hopefully we end up 11th or 12th, so our pic goes to OKC and we don't lose a potential top 5 pick in the future. And lastly, Bargnani has many tools that we can use, but the fans booing him is absurd. He is not to blame for anything. It's a team game, and we never paid him to rebound anyway. If he were pulling in 8 rebounds a game, that contract would have been 15M per season instead of 10M. I like Bargs in his role, but the main problem has been the isolation plays at the end of the game. Essentially, we dribble penetrate, then pass out, and the next person dribble penetrates, then passes out. Someone has to take the damn ball to the rack for a big foul. I will be eternally asking myself why Gay, Derozan, and Lowry, did not recognize the hot hand of Anderson last night. It was a miracle that we were even in the game, but finding the hot-hand is a no brainer in basketball, especially considering the last 2 shots Anderson made (hand in the face). Gay isn't going to win every single game for us, and he better start seeing his teammates at the end of games.

[TLI]

Flintstones over R&B... nnn..mmm-maybe. Jetsons? NEVER!

[Sjors]

I am confused about why a player cannot be given a work visa? Jose got his clearance worked out into the USA so I am just wondering why we'll never see Haddadi suit up.

So can someone please clarify Haddadi's situation? (a poster or you, Doug)

Blogger's note: A work visa for an Iranian may be tough but, listen, for the last time: HE IS NO GOOD AND WAS NEVER COMING IF HE WAS BORN IN OHIO. WAS CAP BALLAST AND CANNOT PLAY IN THE NBA

[james]

A few observations:
"Playoff basketball" as defined by Casey and performed by Memphis is gawdawful to watch, reminiscent of hockey's trap.
Anderson displays a talent unique to this roster: the tougher the game, the better he plays. Sending him off makes no sense to me; worry about a point guard in the summer.
The Grizzlies would rather have lost that game than let Rudy be the one to beat them.
In the late game last night, an engaged Howard and Nash finally appeared to be on the same team. The assist to tie Magic was a thing of beauty.

[D-Mac Ottawa]

What @Jim Rootham said. What @Lorie said. Moose and Squirrel were to cartoons what MJ and Scottie were to hoopdom: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ieOGZtGUjRQ
Cheers. Go BCo!