The script was written, sent out to the studio and immediately was put into production, but instead of using their improvisational skills the Raptors stuck to the words on paper and payed for it in the end.
No, this is not a career ending film, like say 'Look who's talking?' by Travolta, it may only end up being a blip in the radar like 'Stuck on you' was for Matt Damon. The Raptors may still have a 'Bourne' franchise or a 'The Departed' in them, but until Triano is more Scorsese than Schumacher and the Raptors are collectively more the ensemble cast of 'Crash' than 'High School Musical' things are not going to turn out well.
Entering into last night's game all the ingredients were their for a bad Raptors performance, and the Nuggets used them. The problem is that the Raptors struggle with athletic, dynamic, physical players. They just do not have the personnel to match any of those attributes.
So while a front court of Nene and Martin do not scare the rest of the league with any large degree, they are precisely the kind of players that kill the Raptors and defend our two best players (Bosh and Bargnani) well. The Raptor bigs had to attack early to get the Nugget big men frustrated and in foul trouble and because of either the officiating or lack of execution that did not happen.
The Raptors had to either try to shut down 2 of the Nuggets best 3 offensive players or more realistically hope they had an off game. Well, Carmelo Anthony looked extremely impressive (thats an understatement) scoring 16 points in the first quarter, seemingly at will, on route to a 32 point performance on 12-15 shooting from the field.
When he took some time off in the 2nd quarter, JR Smith simply outdid him scoring 19 points in the 2nd quarter hitting 4 shots from 3 point range on route to a 29 point performance and even though the score was tied at half, the game was essentially over.
When the eventual 3rd quarter run came by Denver, their players were too hot at that point and the Raptors were too gassed from the physical beating and the mile high city's thin air.
The Good
Marco Belinelli
Even though the record overall is not where the players or Raptors' brass want it do be, and even though they are in the midst of a 2 game skid on a tough road trip, things are starting to slowly fall in place the way Bryan Colangelo envisioned in the offseason.
Marco Belinelli is one of those moving parts. Colangelo saw him as a scorer off the bench that could do multiple things on the offensive end challenge for most improved player.
Well it has started to take shape on this road trip. Belinelli has averaged 14 point per game and has now consistently over 3 games given the Raptors the kind of offensive spark they have needed, at times hitting back breaking 3 point shots and getting to the basket enough to keep his defender honest.
Coming into the season, I had likened him as the anti-Kapono in that he is a streaky shooter that will shoot his way into the game if he needs to, can drive the ball to the basket without turning the ball over and is willing to accept contact. The other less tangible element is that unlike Kapono, it seems when the Raptors are going on a run and need a big 3 point shot,elinelli is there to take it and usually makes it.
DeMar DeRozen
For most of the first half of the season at least, this is what DeMar is going to look like. He is going to have games where he plays just under 20 minutes and for the most part looks invisible. Then there are going to be those good games every 4 or so that give the fans hope.
DeRozen hit a couple early jumpers last night that were in the flow of the game and seemed to get him engaged. He ended the night with 17 points (career high), some of which were on athletic plays at the rim which we expect but he also hit a couple mid range shots and even a corner 3 point shot, which he looks more comfortable taking.
If DeMar can continue to work on his jump shot, and utilize it in the efficient way he has so far, the second half of the season he could play more of a meaningful role.
Sonny Weems
I have always said this about Weems; when Sonny is on the floor things happen. Sometimes they are good things, sometimes they are bad but they happen and overall that's a good thing.
Too often players come in the game and are spectators. There is a fine line between forcing the action and letting the game come to you, but so far in the time that Weems has gotten he has been on the right side of that line.
Coming out of College, the scouting report was that he had a decent jump shot, and it has looked better in the last few games. The two main things that Sonny has done to earn the coach's respect though, is that he has gotten to the rim and has a good nose for the ball that allows him to track down loose balls and long rebounds.
The Bad
Stagnation
There were more then a few times last night when you saw exactly why the Raptors like Turkoglu so much and why they paid him so much money. Last year, the Raptors still had a good enough offense to win games but at certain key times in the game like at the end of quarters/game or during key runs by the opposition the offense would get stagnant.
Hedo Turkoglu keeps the offense fluid. He knows where to pass the ball and if in the event that the pass isn't there, he is offensively talented enough to score at any time and thus end an offensive drought.
There are going to be times this year where the defense is not there, and what keeps the Raptors in games is the fact that they can go shot for shot with anyone in the league. Last night, without Turkoglu, they could not keep pace because their offense went stagnant a few possessions too many.
Antoine Wright
I am no where near ready to give up on Antoine Wright as a good veteran rotation player because of one bad game, but defensive stopper? I am having my doubts.
Wright is a very good team defender in that he rotates well, communicates on defense and takes charges because of his anticipation. I have yet to see him stop or slow anyone down and last night was no exception. As sated above Carmelo scored half of his points (16) in the first quarter where his primary defender was Wright.
Anthony is a great player and no one in the league can really guard him but he missed only two shots in the first quarter. Lets not be so willing to appoint Wright as our defensive saviour.
Andrea Bargnani
For one night at least Andrea reverted to some old bad habits. He picked up some early fouls which took him out of the line up. He was not tough enough inside on Nene and let the Brazilian big man to get position early and often right under the basket and on offense stayed on the perimeter shooting jump shots rather then attacking the paint (with the exception of a massive dunk on Chris Anderson).
If the Raptors had any chance of winning they needed Bargnani to have a big game. He needed to have one of his games where he got the the foul line, used an assortment of post-ups, drives, crafty pump fakes and the long ball to score and right from the opening tip he just did not seem to be engaged.
Coach Jay Triano might be wise to run a couple plays early for Andrea to get him involved and have the ball in his hands early. This may open up all other facets of Bargnani's game.
Referees
For the most part I think that blaming the referees is a cop out and a bad excuse because a few bad calls seldom cost you the whole game but much of the Raptors success last night was predicated on Bosh getting to the line, abusing the Nuggets' big men and getting them in foul trouble so that when Toronto decided to double team Carmelo Anthony, he did not have Kenyon Martin or Nene to dump the ball off too.
Bosh came into the game averaging 12 free throw attempts per game and finished the night 1-2 from the free throw line. This was not a case of Bosh being jump shot happy, there too many times to count where Bosh would take the ball inside on a drive or offensive rebound, get hit and have nothing to show for it.
Conversely Carmelo Anthony got to the line 10 times last night.
The Outlook
Tonight the Raptors are in Utah where the Jazz have been idle for a few days with plenty of time to prepare for the tired Raptors. The Jazz will also have the services of one of the best point guards in the game Deron Williams.
The Raptors do match up well with the Jazz so it will be important to bring the same kind of effort they did against the Suns and bring it early. If Toronto can get off to a good start and get some confidence it will be a winnable game and be a good finish the the road trip.
It will be interesting to see how they respond on a back to back and hopefully Turkoglu will be back in the line-up to give them a jolt. If not, we may see more Sonny Weems and maybe even Pops Mensa-Bonsu in more meaningful minutes because Toronto will be tired.
- J.Moore
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
Posting up the Regular season- Sometimes these things write themselves...
Topical Tuesday
Wow, I am topical today.
It seems just as I was typing about him, the Legend has returned.
Pops Mensah-Bonsu has been successfully claimed off wavers by the Toronto Raptors. His contract is not fully guaranteed, thus posing no serious financial obligations to the Raptors. Mensa-Bonsu will be good will serve as insurance while Reggie Evans is out due to injury and will no doubt increase his legendary status in his second stint with Toronto.
Pops will be in uniform tonight when the Raptors face Denver. We will proclaim him the x-factor for tonight based purely on the emotional lift the team's fan-base will get.
Read below for more insight on the move.
- J.Moore
Touching on this and that
Touch Passes
Turko-Time
How much money is a player really worth and how exactly can you quantify it. This is the question that has plagued sports for as long as sport has been a business. Obviously no player in a business built from a children's game can be worth 32 million dollars a year? Or 20 million? Or 5.9 million (average salary in 2009/20100) or even 1.3 million (veterans minimum salary). What about roughly 10 million dollars a year for the next 5 years?
That is what the Turkish delight is making this year and will be for the next 4. Hedo Turkoglu and his off-speed-pitch type style of basketball has quickly made the 'slow is the new fast' style he plays very wealthy because he is seen as a guy (and rightfully so) that makes big plays at the end of games that win his teams basketball games, and as a byproduct make his employers a lot of cake.
So is Turkoglu worth the 10 million dollars he makes after he missed a shot in Phoenix that would have allowed the Raptors to punctuate the best game they have played this year with a win? An all or nothing approach would tell us no, but what about the fact that he shot the Raptors back in the game with a huge momentum changing 3 pointer then a step back jumper over Steve Nash?
This is when it gets murky. Turkoglu went 2-4 (50%) in the last 5 minutes of the game, compare that to LeBron James last year who shot 55% from the field last year in the last 5 minutes and therefore is deemed the 'most clutch' performer in the NBA (at least statistically) and maybe Turk is worth the 10 million.
We will never really know but I guarantee you that the masses will flip with every game winning shot he hits or misses and it says here that as long as Hedo goes 10-20 on game winning shots, the money is good by me.
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Toronto- 100, Phoenix- 101
As stated above, that was without a doubt the best game the Raptors have played this season. Historically the Raptors are awful against the Suns, especially in their valley and the fact that Toronto dictated tempo for close to the whole game, as well as never let the big run that was inevitably coming actually arrive says a lot.
Yes, they allowed Amar'e Stoudemire to eat them up in the most but that was as much by design then it was by fault. Toronto switched every screen with Nash and enticed the commanding point guard to throw the ball into the post to exploit the mismatch Phoenix had with Calderon on Stoudemire.
Any day of the week they will take having the ball out of the hands of Nash, and it seemed as though at the end of the game the bigger defender Toronto had on Nash threw him off enough that he missed a few jump shots.
In the end the Raptors held Phoenix to under 45% shooting, dictated tempo, had their usual 100 point night and were 6 inches from winning a game that would have put the road trip victory total at 2, and thus made the road trip a success with two games to play.
This team is getting better and as long as there is no major regression, December is going to have a lot of people talking about the team North of the border (check the schedule).
- - - -
Open Roster Spots and Legends
As most of us know Bryan Colangelo has decided to release Quincy Douby, the young journeyman combo guard that was relegated to a suit at the end of the bench most nights. This was done for two reasons, and not one many people believe.
The Raptors will save about 600 thousand dollars, which while in the grand scheme of things is nothing when the budget for players is $67 million, every penny saved does address the Teachers Pension Plan's (majority owner of Maple Leafs Sports and Entertainment, the company that owns the Leaves and the Raptors) fiduciary duty to make as much money as possible.
The other reason is simple; it is good for Quincy Douby. There is no doubt that Douby had almost no chance of getting any significant playing time on the Raptors so Colangelo let his agent know that he was going to be released so that Quincy had some time to find a job. It looks like Douby will be headed overseas on a fully guaranteed contract.
This is one of the small things that spreads good will to agents around the NBA and makes Colangelo the most popular guy in any room, which is important for a General Manager.
What it was not to do is sign Pops Mensa-Bonsu specifically. Colangelo acknowledged that it was purely a coincidence and he is not a man who historically takes to misleading.
Colangelo also acknowledged that he would consider adding Mensa-Bonsu or as the Raptors faithful like to call him 'The Legend' if everything added up properly.
While there is no obvious drawback to adding an energetic rebounder (especially in the offensive end) to the end of your bench, there is also no real need. Pops will not beat out Amir Johnson for playing time and would be competing with Rasho Nesterovic for minutes as the 3rd big man off the bench behind Evans (when he is back) and Johnson.
If 'The Legend' is signed it will tell you a lot about the healing process of our coveted bruiser Reggie Evans. Something just hasn't spelled right since he has been injured and the only reason I see in signing Mensa-Bonsu is if you think there is a possibility Evans might be out longer then originally thought.
Either way, we should find out sometime tonight when the waiver claim period ends (teams have 72 hours to claim a player that is released).
- - - -
Tonight's Game
Tonight the Raptors are in Denver for a game that has the word 'letdown' written all over it. Coming off 3 very good efforts (Chicago, LA, Phoenix) that resulted in 2 wins the Hogtown hoopsters arrive in a perfect storm. Take the emotional letdown of a tough loss, combined with a team that matches up very well with them, add a dash of mile high air and a pinch of history and you have a sh@t storm brewing.
Toronto will have to do many of the same things (dictate tempo, play with high intensity for a full 48 minutes, add in some defense) they did against Phoenix and hope that at least 2 of Carmelo Anthony, Chauncy Billups or JR Smith have bad games.
The problem is that the tempo they want to play is one of running and about halfway through the third quarter Toronto is going to find itself gassed because of the thin Denver air. If they can keep it close, and limit the run Denver will go on during that time of the game, the boys have a chance.
Prediction- Jose flaps his arms, Bosh has a good game and Belinelli's mouth guard never ends up making it in his mouth...
What? You were expecting a score or something?
-J.Moore
Sunday, November 15, 2009
Posting up the Regular season- Trends are a funny thing
Did anyone really think they were going to loose?
A funny thing basketball is at times, there are days when a team can do nothing wrong but you just have this feeling they are still going to loose (see games versus San Antonio and Dallas).
Then there are games where to locals can do nothing right and the prevailing instinct is one of optimism. So when I looked up at the television in the local watering hole and saw that the Raptors were down by 20 to the Clippers, one of the leagues worst offensive teams, without 2 of their best players (Blake Griffin and Eric Gordon), I immediately looked over at my partner in crime and debauchery for the night and said 'the Raps are going to win, and Belinelli is going to score 20.'
One for two isn't bad, and I was close on the 2nd.
Trends
1st Quarter Ineptitude
It's getting to the point where the more surprising thing would be if the Raptors had a good defensive quarter and the combined point total is under 60. Toronto might as well spot the opposition 10 points and just start the tilt in the 2nd quarter. It would save everyone a little time, keep the players a little more fresh and presumably not impact the game in any significant way.
Something has to be done to buck this trend. Triano has to look into his bag of tricks and use anything he can as a motivational tool. Against bad teams, these 1st quarters may not be the devil that takes them down but over the course of the season more times then not, bad 1st quarter performances are going to cost Toronto wins. Those wins may end up being the difference between being in the valuable 4 or 5 spot (not having to play Orlando, Boston or Cleveland), or could even cost us a playoff spot.
Some would suggest a change to the starting line up. This has to be a last resort for Toronto. The biggest flaw in our first quarter performances is our defense and in particular our lack of lateral quickness. Those who lack lateral quickness in the starting line up? Bargnani, Calderon and Turkoglu and none of those men are going to the bench anytime soon so the logical choice would have to be DeMar.
Bringing Antoine Wright into the starting line up would be the only move that makes sense and restore some balance to the starting line up. Those who read here often know that I have been a proponent of Wright starting over DeRozen since the offseason but at this point it has to be handled very carefully.
Coming off a tough game, maybe his worst of his young career DeRozen's confidence might be shaky and I think Triano has to let the rest of the month play out and see where the 1st quarter defense is come December 1.
The 4th quarter defensive juggernaut that is the Toronto Raptors
As someone far smarter and experienced then I put it, if your going to be really bad for a quarter it might as well be the 1st, and if your going to be really good for a quarter, it might as well be the 4th.
Now two games may be to soon to call it a trend because the 1st quarter woes have been around since the second game of the season but if this mini aberration continues into a trend this will be a fun team to watch, especially if they can manage to just play even in the 1st quarter.
The intensity levels are a mystery. I have no idea, and I don't think anyone connected with the team has any idea, why the Raptors come out so flat to start the game and continually raise their intensity level by quarter but it is pleasantly frustrating.
The one piece of tangible evidence that I can point out that allows this team to win is the coaching. Jay Triano seems to be a step ahead of opposing coaches on most nights and it is becoming more and more impressive. Against the bulls he made the decision to switch on the pick and roll to prevent the point guards getting into the paint. Against the Clippers he made the decision to double team Chris Kaman to throw off his rhythm.
Double teaming an opposing big man is not hard to come up with, and not necessarily the impressive part. Just when Kaman is getting comfortable with the double team, and starting to see where the double team is coming from Triano pulls the rug out from under him by not sending an extra defender.
That game of cat and mouse wins the Raptors only a few defensive possessions, but those few are enough to change the momentum.
Rebounding
It was pointed out in one of the local media hubs lately that the Raptors are one of the worst rebounding teams in the league at an average of only 40 rebounds per game. This of course is why they are loosing games.
The rebounding is actually very misleading. While they are near the bottom with only 40 rebounds per game there are two very good reasons for that; their great offense and bad defense. The bottom line is that when the Raptors play neither team misses often and as a product of that, there are not many boards to get.
The real statistic to look at is rebound differential. Take away the one game against San Antonio which is an outlier on the scatter plot graph and the Raptors are about even in rebound differential. The return of Reggie Evans should actually make us a pretty decent rebounding team.
The Bench
From the 'not entirely surprising' variety of statements, our bench has been one of our strengths. The crew has burst into the games with energy and defense and have usually been the cue for the turn-arounds in the 2nd and 3/4th quarters. They average close to 30 point per game and that is a huge lift.
The catalyst for that attack Friday night was Marco Belinelli. Scoring 15 points and playing 30 minutes, he was the key to the victory and without his energy, defense (ya, you saw it right) and efficient scoring the Raptors would not have been able to cut the deficit to under 10 in the second quarter and give Toronto a chance to win.
Amir Johnson for the second consecutive game came up big (7 points and 7 rebounds) off the bench and to steal a puck-head phrase, was the 2nd star of the night. His rebounding and tenacity under the basket was paramount to our finish.
If these two guys could develop these performances into trends it would go along way to getting us into a high seed in the playoffs.
- - - -
Tonight the Toronto plays the Raptors South in the Phoenix Suns at 8:00pm eastern time and this one should be a lot of fun to watch. These are arguably the two best offenses in the league and hopefully the two teams show up with their A-game's and we can all see a defensive classic.
The one thing that separates Phoenix from Toronto though? Steve Nash, plain and simple.
My prediction- Toronto-173, Phoenix 199
- J.Moore
Thursday, November 12, 2009
Posting up the Regular season- Taking on a bigger sample size
It has been a while since this space has produced anything new, or anything of value.
I thought the opinions cast in url code were starting to get stale, combine that with the fact that life had begun to get a little busy and the results are clear, not a heck of a lot.
The hiatus is over now, and it's time to get into everything Raptors.
So, here we go...
- - - -
The Raptors are what they are, and realize it may not be good...
One thing that has become abundantly clear over the past 5 games. Over 3 wins (Detroit, New Orleans, Chicago) and 2 losses (Dallas, San Antonio) the Raptors do not seem to have any influence on the outcome of the game. I know your probably thinking, Moore, that may be the boldest and dumbest thing you have said in a while.
Maybe your right, but here me out.
The Raptors have shown that they can score, that is well documented and obvious. The boys have only once managed to not score 100 points in a game and that was last night to Chicago. What else is well documented and obvious is that the Raptors cannot play any semblance of defense. In the two losses to San Antonio and Dallas the Raptors gave up a combined 265 points, which by the way is mind-blowing.
The silver lining coming into the game against Chicago last night was that, when the effort was there, the Raptors could play defense, but for the most part, they just didn't feel like it most nights. Against Cleveland, Detroit, and New Orleans the Raptors held their opponent to under 100 points which seems to be the magical Mendoza line.
The problem is, that through 7 games I was convinced that the Raptors had no influence on the opponents bad shooting percentage and thus 'holding' their opponents to under that magical line. There was no defense being played, it just turned out that the opposition had bad shooting nights.
Look at the Cavaliers last night against the Magic who were one of the best defensive teams in the league last season, and arguably have even more defensive talent this year. Cleveland put up 102 points, and probably could have put up more but the game was over after 3 quarters.
Do you really think that the mighty defensive juggernaut that is the Raptors shut down the Cavs? No, the answer is they had a bad night. The same case can be made about the other wins they have attained.
What is funny about this years version of hardwood heroes is that they may be the barometer for every team in the league. The Raptors are going to beat the bad team because they put up a lot of points, but if they play a good team they are going to loose because good teams will take advantage of their defensive ineptitude, plain and simple.
That is one scary conclusion if you are a Raptors fan. Realizing that your team had no influence on the outcome of the game. If the opponent hits open shots, they loose, if they don't hit open shots, they win.
That was until last night.
Find Hope in- The win against Chicago
Heading into last nights game the keys to winning were all too familiar and repetitive. Give effort and intensity on the defensive end, limit the point total to under 100 by your opponent, and you will win. The way to do that as I have said before is to come out strong and step on the other teams throat.
Like clock work, the Raptors came out flat defensively, allowed the Bulls open shots and offensive rebounds and the general thought must have been, here we go again, this is going to be a long frustrating season.
Then something happened. Something unfamiliar yet surprisingly pleasant. Intensity showed it's face... And it was the Raptors that showed it.
Chicago did miss some shots in the second half that maybe good teams make but that being said, the Raptors did a lot more good then they or the Bulls did bad. The bottom line is when a team only scores 29 points in a half after scoring 60 points in the previous half, you have to give credit where it is due.
The Raptors came out and in the 3rd and 4th quarter played with a play-off like intensity that if persists, will make them one of the tougher team to beat in the league. On a night where their collective offense wasn't clicking on all cylinders (40.9 FG%, 25 3FG%) the Raptors influenced and won the game with defense and rebounding.
Note: Previous statement may never be written here again, so take it in
Find Hope in- DeMar DeRozen
The young rookie, who is usually green with inexperience and awe put those attributes aside for a night and played basketball. Much has been made about how the rookie will be brought along slowly and how the expectations are low on the young high flyer. The conventional wisdom is that whatever he gives is gravy.
Well at least for one night it looked like the young man decided that green wasn't his color and was a spark plug on the floor, especially in the second half. DeRozen was aggressive early and often but what was most impressive was that when Chicago came out and scored a few early baskets and pushed the lead to double digits in the third quarter, it was not Bosh that cued the comeback, or Hedo, it was DeMar DeRozen that spawned the 'TSN turning point'.
He did it not by scoring, but with great weak side defense blocking Lual Deng and pulling down 7 rebounds in the 3 quarter alone on route to an early career high 9 rebounds, taking the Raptors from -10 rebounds in the first half to +1 rebound to end the game.
This is the kind of energy, intensity and hustle you would expect from a veteran not from a player in his second month of professional basketball and it had a contagious effect on his team. If young DeMar has more nights where he can utilize and harness his athleticism to produce these kind of results, the byproduct might be a decent Raptors defense.
Find Hope in- The Coaching
Two things that concerned me about Jay Triano coming into the season, and early on this season.
His ability to motivate, and his ability or more appropriately willingness to change what doesn't work.
Coming into the season I thought that the one thing former coach Sam Mitchell had over Triano was his innate ability to motivate his players. Sam had a way of getting maximum effort and output out of his players but lacked the 'x's and o's' of the game. Triano, many thought may have been the opposite.
The other concern after 7 games was that the defensive system that he had implemented had not seemed to compliment the skill set or to be frank lateral quickness, of his team. The results, poor rotations and losses.
Well after the first half Wednesday night both of those questions were answered.
Whatever he said at halftime produced intensity, a tactical change produced a win. One critical change he made at halftime confused the Bulls just enough to prevent them from gaining any offensive continuity or rhythm. Triano decided to switch on the pick and roll instead of having the screened player (usually Jose Calderon) go over the screen. In the first half the decision to go over the screens resulted in blow bye's and opposition points. The switch (particularly with Amir Johnson) threw the bulls off.
That subtle change, and others like putting Antoine Wright (a bigger stronger defender) on Rose are the details that can win teams ball games.
- - - -
So for at least one night the collective panic button has been depressed.
Onto a western road trip, get your hands on the button and ready...
- J.Moore
Monday, November 2, 2009
Posting up the Regular season- Sticking to the game plan.
Orlando Magic- 125