They keep taking steps in the right direction

You think these guys aren’t aware of what’s going on?

I sidle up to DeMar after the game while someone else is doing a scrum and about the first thing he says is:

“How’s Milwaukee doing?”

And, no, he was not checking up on his buddy Brandon Jennings.

Yeah, they know what’s happening just above them in the Eastern Conference standings and at least a little bit of scoreboard watching is going on.

-

THREE POINTERS

Getting in the way

I lost count sometime in the second half – at one point I was gouging out my eyes for having to watch parts of the game and that could be why – but one of the more impressive things the Raptors did last was take charges.

I believe there were three in the first quarter alone and that’s a small signal that the defence is starting to improve.

At least a couple of them were weak side help defenders sliding over into the paint to take charges, exactly the kind of help they’ve been lacking at times.

Now, the Wizards in no way, shape or form should be considered a good basketball team, especially last night, but the way the Raptors played defence had to please Dwane Casey.

He knows the team will score enough to win most games (I think the way Kyle put it was: “We can score a boatload of points”) but the success or failure of this stretch run will be determined by how they defend.

-

The early closer

Yes, we all know that Rudy Gay is going to have the ball in his hands in the dying seconds of the fourth quarter, of that there can be no doubt.

But there will be nights when he’s got a second defender or something like that and the job’s going back to DeMar DeRozan.

He practiced – kind of, in a non-serious way – last night.

It doesn’t mean anything except it was fun to watch but DeRozan hit mid-from about 15 feet with less than a second left in the first quarter, a 20-foot turnaround with less than two seconds to go in the second quarter and then made one of two free throws with a second left in the third quarter.

Mean anything?

No.

But you have to admit it’s a trend worth mentioning on a night when the game was so crappy.

Or not.

-

How bush league was that?

I understand technical difficulties come up and that there’s nothing you can do about it most of the time. But I also understand that this is the NBA and the Verizon Center is a big-league establishment and the fact they couldn’t get the scoreboard or basket stanchion clocks working all night is shameful.

I don’t have the technical knowledge but they knew at least 90 minutes before the game – and probably three or four hours before the game – that the clocks weren’t working. How could they not fix it? The floor-level shotclocks looked like something out of the ’70s, no clock anywhere for any player or coach to see was troubling, and a bit confusing to DeMar DeRozan at times.

“I felt like I was in high school, it certainly was a challenge. At some point in the game, I think we got a shot clock violation and I couldn’t even find the shot clock.”

-

More? There’s always room for more.

-

So I heard this songster, Wale, a friend of Rudy Gay, was up to some zaniness with the Raptors TV broadcasters during the game, trying to get at them after they made some crack that Wale’s no Drake?

(I cannot believe I just named Wale and Drake in one sentence; am I the coolest guy ever or what? And I bet I could pick Drake out of a lineup and I’ve heard some of his stuff and it’s not bad)

Anyway, while this is going on, all I’m thinking is Matt should have turned the tables on Mr. Wale and sung him a wee ditty.

Given what was going on back in Toronto, I’d have suggested this would have been appropriate.

Anyone go see Bon Jovi? How was it.

Here's one for you:

Remember the night Bon Jovi was sitting next to Larry Tanenbaum at the game in Toronto? Well, the last time we were in Brooklyn and there's Larry and he's sitting with a couple of people I'm not familiar with and when I ask, I'm told one of the guys is a business advisor or something to Bon Jovi and the warbler himself was supposed to be t here but bailed at last minute.

Wonder what they might be cooking up.

-

Yeah, we need to start the mail, please.

And I’m thinking an Andrea-free mailbag would be nice; after all, the kid wasn’t too bad last night.

Oh, and remember that Thursday’s the trade deadline so any roster questions should probably wait.

-

No, there is no trade chatter involving the HOTH going on.

(Just felt compelled to say that to sooth some minds)

-

IGBT tonight?

For sure. See you then, Air Canada willing.

First trip since the long one out west where I had to check a bag; so far, so good.

Yeah, of all the things I’ve learned over the years is that I can get five days and two games into a carry-on, but with three nights of events in Houston, a game here and seven days away, checking became necessary.

And, in the way I can reverse jinx just about anything, I guarantee my flight will be on time and my bag will be the first one up the chute at Pearson.

Guarantee.

-

So, baseball games Saturday?

Can’t wait to at least see one if for no other reason than to see green grass, sun and guys playing.

No, spring training really doesn’t mean anything – it’s about 10 days or two weeks too long, too – but won’t you at least pay a bit of attention to the first highlights?

I know I will.

-

 

 

Comments

[kathyt]

Not the prettiest of games last night, but a win is win; can’t wait to see Ed “Boss” Davis tonight.

BTW, I thought Matt called a Wale of game last night.

[JHK]

In my 15 years of watching this team and broadcasts, I have never seen anything like the 'Wale' confrontation, it was quite frankly hilarious. I don't think I've heard another Wale or Drake being mentioned even once by Matt and Leo after that.
But yes, Matt should have stood up for him and Leo, without violating the broadcasting rules.

[Ken C]

My wife and I attended the Bon Jovi show Monday night. Great show, Bon Jovi's voice was in top form, seems he is one of the few "aging" rockers who still has decent vocal cords.

I have no idea who Wale is, but that whole situation was bizarre.

[Lorie]

That Wale-Devlin Dust-Up was the stuff of Raptor broadcast legend. Or will be. So, having never hear of this Wale dude nor his songs, and always being open to what's new in music, I did the YouTube thing and checked him out. And while Wale and I may share an appreciation of Rudy Gay's basketball ability, our tastes in music are probably far apart. But...and maybe this is where Wale and I would find some common footing...on March 5 2013, an album of previously unreleased Jimi Hendrix material (recorded in 1968-69 during a period when he was experimenting with different musicians, sound textures, etc...) is going to be released. And this one's on the track listing...
http://youtu.be/kwyGDNDx0VY

[Penny]

Hi Doug - We won last night but the games are getting harder and harder to watch. There is just way too much of as Kyle put it - give Rudy or DeMar the ball and get out of the way. Toronto took 78 shots and Rudy had 25 of them - do you think he will ever learn to pass? Terrence only plays 3 minutes and Landry doesn't play at all after having 10 rebounds and doing a good job guarding Carmelo in his last outing while Anderson is going 1-9. How much longer does Casey think Amir will stay engaged when he's not getting the ball at all? At this point the team is just too predictable.

[Moshigh]

Good win for Raptors last night, no need to rush to move Bargnani let him be 6th or 7th man.

With regards to "Wale" to be honest Matt Devlin and Leo Rautins were being pretty silly. If you watched the game you would hear them going on and on about Wale's name etc, making fun of it etc. This is electronic era, Im sure he got a tweet telling him these broadcasters making silly jokes about his name.

Why would they attempt to talk to him and cracking stupid jokes for 5mins?? Im glad Wale approached them. His name is his brand and its not right for these broadcasters make stupid jokes about it. Matt and Leo Grow up!!!

[AT]

@kathyt... ding ding ding....

Doug, how does a USA today piece including an interview with BC a couple days before deadline get published in the Star?

Blogger's note: Easy. They wrote it, we served the readers and, frankly, there was nothing new in it. Different phrasing, same story as the day of the Gay trade

[truth be told]

I'm been reading recently that the Raps might have to wait to trade Andrea in the offseason as they aren't getting good offers now?

Really?

Didn't Colangelo say for years that he gets offers for Bargnani all the time?

Didn't he say after he got hurt thatteams just want to see him healthy as he has offers for him?

Now they might have to wait until the offseason to move him? Something doesn't add up here if we the fans are supposed to listen to everything thats been said by our 1 winning season GM.

BC talks about "stacking principles and asset management" and often says something and reverses within the next sentence without anyone calling him out on it but what a subject he really is not well versed on at all is Wins.

[Johnny]

Hi Doug,

I thought Bargnani actually fits quite well as the 6th man. My question is, how does someone like Alan Anderson continue to play so much being such a mediocre player? Per 48 minutes this guy shoow more than more superstars in the league! Meanwhile we have a talented high draft pick in Ross rotting on the bench?

[sam]

I agree with @Penny. I'm happy the team is on a roll. It's nice to see the Wins add up. The Team concept and moving the Ball seems to be lost on occasion. Some pretty sloppy passing that leads to turnovers.
It will be good to see Ed tonight too...

[Drew]

I love the occasional comments of "drink!" in the IGBT, might I suggest an IGBT drinking game for weekend games? Some things I have come up with that could result in drinks:
-Alan Anderson taking an ill-advised 3
-Amir gets a block or draws a charge
-Demar misses a shot at the rim with no foul called
I would add more but that might be too much drinking alreay

[joeu]

@Lorie ... Using Wale to backdoor a Hendrix track. Smooooooth.

[Johnn19]

For interest, Ed Davis last night as Memphis beat Detroit 105-91 his line:

21.26mins, 6/7FG, 2/6FT, 4RBS,
4 Blocks, 14 Points off the bench.

Blogger's note: Not to throw cold water but 10 of those minutes and 10 of those points in fourth quarter garbage time

[Johnn19]

Colangelo has no intention of trading Bargnani, just to trade him nor should he be that stupid, no matter anyone else's opinion.

It is his job to only make moves that will improve the play of the Raptors team.

There current needs are a back-up PG who can run an offense, and a Big who can contribute off the bench on a consistent basis, and Bargnani may just be that player.
The future will provide the answer, and if Andrea can continue to contribute as he has on his return to the rotation off the bench.

[stavros]

Too bad Jack wasn't at the broadcast table when Wale came thuggin'. You know Jack's inner Brooklyn would have come out and pulled out an ice cold bottle of MGD and popped him on the head followed up with a sweet "HELLO!"

[marc in panama]

Hola Doug,

Was the broadcast team at that location because of the clock malfunction, or is that concourse area where media row usually is? If that is the case, where was security through all of this??

I have been following the news of the retirement of Rebecca Marino with absolute disgust. I am reading tweets by Canadian journalists I like, and to hear them attach blame to Rebecca for Googling her self, for not having thick skin, or not shutting off her social media, one week after the LetsTalk campaign made me want to puke. How does one deal with pissed off degenerate gamblers? Maybe Rebecca should have suffered in silence, is that it fellas? I wonder if a lot of these sports journalists aren't a little bit pissed that a NY times reporter got this story.

ciao amigo,

marc in panama

[Rob.V]

Agreed. This team is coming together defensively and that is a good thing.

I disagree with other posters. I'm not interested in who takes the shots, I'm interested in wins... and they are winning.

Rudy and Demar seem to be taking their turns in hurting the opponents during the ebb and flow of the game. Many of us had thought they were the same players prior to the trade, and maybe they are...but it's working. Their games appear to complement each other and that's all you can really ask for. That, and the W's of course.

Look, everyone knows Kobe, Durant and Russell, Carmelo are going to jack shots. Would any of these teams say lets give up some of their shots so that it looks more pretty for the fans.

This is now the Rudy and Demar show and as long as they play defense the way they have been lately I'm fine with it. It's good for teams to know who their top options are. It keeps everyone else in check so that the hero ball games of the past no longer exist with "everyone" thinking they can be the closers.

Shooters shoot. Rebounders rebound! Defined roles are important for winning programs.

It's clear Rudy is the #1 option and it's settled everyone down (including Lowry).

With Calderon no longer in the mix and Rudy in the fold Kyle is no longer looking over his shoulder and pressing to try and do too much. It makes him a more effective PG and he seems to be learning when to pick his spots better... another good thing for this team.

I know the runway is short BC however just get the plane to the tarmac and get it off the ground!!!.

You have our blessings. This team with a healthy Pau Gasol (next season-in a contract year) would compete for the 2nd, or 3rd spots in the East. They are close, and a serious low post player away from being a contender in the East.

And yes...I am 100% serious.

[Phil A]

The Wale-Matt Devlin confrontation was hilarious. It's always nice to have a bit of drama in a game that was quite dull to be honest. For all you old heads who are curious and want a sample of Wale's music, download his album called Ambition. It's a decent album.

John Wall has not impressed me at all ever since entering the league. At one point, he seemed destined to become a Russell Westbrook type of player but unfortunately he's far from it. I still think he's better playing off the ball. He should leave the point guard duties to someone else.

[GM]

I agree with @penny, too. The offence sure is ugly to watch now. But winning makes it watchable. Judging from the official spin of the team (if you go by the ads on NBA TV), this new version of the Raptors is a running and gunning juggernaut, unlike the conservative pre-trade version. How does that jibe with what's happening on the court, when so many of the games lately have been ugly wins? I decided to check. In the seven games since the trade (not including last night), the Raptors are scoring 97.3 ppg. In the games before the trade, they scored 97.8. Both versions shoot 44.4%. The new version takes one more free throw per game. The old version had 3 more assists per game. They both had 13 assists. New version gets one more block, and they both average the same in blocks (if you round up or down). But yes, the new version is winning. I wonder what the splits would look like if I took away the 4-19 start.

@truth be told, you're not a Colangelo fan. We get that. Just wondering, though -- honest question -- do you like Gay trade? Do you like the young players?

[marc in panama]

Hola Doug

Re The drinking game

I posted a tweet about a drinking game based on every time Matt says "Rudy Gay". Has anyone else noticed that Matt is incapable of calling the player that wears 22, "Rudy" or "Gay" when he makes a reference to him, but instead says "Rudy Gay". If you had to "celebrate" every time Matt said "Rudy Gay" there are some nights you wouldn't last through the pre-game chat before tip off. Let's turn it around. How about a $1 donation to the charity of your choice, when he calls #22 j"Rudy" or "Gay"...I'm telling you I don't think it'd cost you a couple of twoonies most nights....

ciao again amigo,

marc in panama

[DC]

matt devlin and leo or jack routinely spend extended periods of game time talking about anything and everything except the game they are supposed to be calling and analyzing. They spend time talking about their favourite college basketball team, football games, their plans for vacations, what they're getting their family for birthdays and christmas, their favourite songs to sing together, how to pronounce an artist's name. It's horrible (enough to make one long for the days of 'onions' and 'salami and cheese, momma') and a joke compared with other teams where the play-by-play is actually about the game and statistics. I watch raptors games on mute or at a bar with no sound and it's much easier to follow the game and enjoyable to watch (relatively speaking). It was a joy to to see Wale get up in Matt Devlin's face and shut him up about things totally unrelated to the basketball game for the rest of the night. Kudos Wale.

Decent win but a couple things i'm noticing: raps consistently give up about 10 points in the first half as soon as john lucas steps on the court. not sure if it's him or the second unit in general. Lucas has helped them out in the fourth with his jumpshot, but it seems like they sit Lowry much too long in the fourth (as Lucas jacks up shot after shot while the rest of the team starts standing around and watching) and as the saying goes, 'you live by the jumpshot, you die by the jumpshot'. Watching the raptors turn the ball over again and again when the wizards put on a full court press and double teamed the ball was maddening. On the bright side, Gay and DeRozan play well with one another and it's clearly elevated both their games and made the raptors a better team. The difference a real small forward can make. Can they amnesty Fields and Kleiza?

[DaveB]

If Lil Wayne (or whatever his name is) was kicked out of the Heat why wasn't this guy (Wale) kicked out of the game last night. I think harassing broadcasters should warrant a removal from the premises. Where was security? The broadcasters are entertainers and should not be taken seriously during a broadcast. If people took the Boston Broadcasters seriously, the opposing teams would accost them.

[john]

@GM. I think the Raps commercials I have scene are ones about Ross dunking and he did just win the Dunk Contest so we have to keep that in mind.
-Interesting offensive stats comparing pre vs post trade Raps. Is it the defence that is making the difference? Maybe its (like I hear all the time) only about the last 3 minutes and now Gay is hitting those shots? As much as fans loved their pass first offence before RG, everyone forgets the last five minutes of games when they couldn't clsoe out games. Haven't they lost something like 14 games after having the lead at the beginning of the fourth quarter?
-The more I watch AB play, the more I wonder if he is disinterested or is just slow. He can barely bend down to pick up the ball when its at his feet. He can guard 1 on 1 but only cause of experience and good positioning. He is horrible helping cause he is ... slow.
-I have said for a few weeks that the Raps are a rebounding, low post big from being a very, very good team. In two years from now when JV and Ross are seasoned this team is going to be very deep.

[Mike D.]

My favourite comment (from another blog) on the whole Wale/Devlin thing: "For what it’s worth, if anything had actually gone down between Wale and the broadcast team, my money would have been on Leo."

Just in case that didn't work out as expected, my Plan B would have involved Jamaal Magloire dropping by the booth to dispense some "community relations."

[Moshigh]

It would be nice if Raps get another win tonight. This team is hands down better with Calderon gone, I like Calderon, but the team D and rotations are better. It would be nice if the Raptors could at least fight for the last playoff spot, this fan base would get charged...Looks like Colangelo will survive!!!!

@ Dave B I bet you didnt listen to the game broadcast. As I dont think anyone would appreciate how Leo and Matt were making all those silly remarks about "Wale" name. Dont compare Wale to Lil Wayne thats just ignorant.

@ Stavros..Wale came thuggin? stop the non sense just a man with pride who doesnt like his name been treated like a clown. If it was Beckham or tom Brady would you said the word "thuggin"