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Raptors find cure for sickly Heat

MICHAEL GRANGE

From Tuesday's Globe and Mail

Latest comment posted at 7:01 PM EST 17/04/08

Nesterovic scores 20 as Toronto looks ahead to first-round showdown with Orlando ...Read the full article

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  1. ImTheOne TellingYouHowItIs from Canada writes: Well it looks like we got the match up we wanted, also looks like the Raps will be finishing just about the right time to start up the golf season.

    I am calling it right now its over. The Raps didn't get it right this season, injuries or not. They had some stretches where they were playing as a top caliber team, unfortunately they need to be doing that NOW, heading into the playoffs. They look bloody lifeless out there. No cohesion.

    Rasho is their best player right now??????? Are you kidding me?? This guy is a second string C at best, good for 6 fouls. Bosh is out of sorts, not playing with the Swagger he needs. TJ knows he can break the D down at any point yet never seems to take advantage of it like he should, and when he does he never seems to make the play that needs to be made.

    Jose, he is too nice, too soft. Let's see some heart and grit, lets see some anger in heading back to the bench?? Bargs?? Not even worth mentioning. He is the biggest bust this year. I am not saying he will never amount to anything but as far as 2008 goes he is the biggest disappointment in the NBA.

    Parker has been their best most consistent player this year. He usually seems to keep his intensity up game to game. The rest of the team looks like they are sponsored by Depends. I just don't get anything about this team right now, they have the weapons to be a very dangerous team and yet they are a joke.

    I love these guys and I will be rooting them hard hoping they win the title but lets be honest there needs to be some serious introspection in the off season for all these guys...Coaches and management included. Cheers!
  2. C Ta from Richmond Hill, Canada writes: Saw some good things from our boys in red in the 4th quarter, but the first 2½ was agonizing. It's true, we often play to the level of our opponents, which is not always a bad thing if it means there's a chance to win near the end of the game.

    I guess it's too late to change the rotations, but the way Bargnani's been playing, I'd much rather see Kris Humphries take his spot.

    Looking ahead to the playoffs, we need an ACC chant. The default would be "Let's go, Raptors! Magic suck!" but I'd like to hear something more creative. Ideas?
  3. Chris Yang from Canada writes: Oh my... with the way the Raptors played tonight I would not be surprised if they get swept by Orlando. I have never been angry watching any Raptors game, but seeing Kapono losing his man time and time on defense got me pretty close. I don't see how we can even use him: unable to create his own shots, I could probably defend better than him, and when he does get open he jumps into the paint out of control and turns it over. I think if there's anyone we need to trade, it's Kapono, since HE's a swingman.

    And what happened to Barg's shot? Last year his shot was smooth and was nearly automatic; he was a key reason why we hung around in the playoffs when the others were struggling and a key reason why we did well in the regular season (it wasn't unusual to see 15, 20 points a game from him). And yet here he is, unable to buy a 15 footer, much less a three pointer. At least he's trying to drive in, and his defense is much better. But somebody help him with his shot! I really don't think we can progress to round two of the playoffs without Bargs at his best.

    Our bench (minus Jose Calderon, who played brilliantly), to put it likely, sucks. We need to do something about this because our second unit last year was one of our greatest strengths; now they're a weakness.
  4. Roger S from Canada writes: OMG, Raptors only allowed former NBA Champ, all mighty Miami Heats, hanging on for 3 quarters. Bravo, I can not believe my eyes, go Raptors go! You know, I was not impressed by Raptors' effort anyway. There was no urgency whatsoever. With Philly beat Cleveland by 1 pt, now Raptors have to win in Chicago to secure 6th seed. Nobody wants to play Philly in playoffs now. Toronto is darling. OK, let me repeat how Raptors could beat Orlando or Detroit, somebody need to pass over to Sam to make sure those things should happen: 1. Jose is allowed to finish the game. 2. TJ's Hormone level is low 3. Bash not shy off physical play. 4. Andrea can make shots.
  5. Roger S from Canada writes: OMG, Raptors only allowed former NBA Champ, all mighty Miami Heats, hanging on for 3 quarters. Bravo, I can not believe my eyes, go Raptors go!

    You know, I was not impressed by Raptors' effort anyway. There was no urgency whatsoever. With Philly beat Cleveland by 1 pt, now Raptors have to win in Chicago to secure 6th seed. Nobody wants to play Philly in playoffs now. Toronto is darling.

    OK, let me repeat how Raptors could beat Orlando or Detroit, somebody need to pass over to Sam to make sure those things should happen:

    1. Jose is allowed to finish the game.
    2. TJ's Hormone level is low
    3. Bash not shy off physical play.
    4. Andrea can make shots.
  6. Roger S from Canada writes: Anybody still remember the situation now is very similar to last season: when the season is approaching playoffs, Raptors found themself not ready. Last year Sam blamed Andrea's appendum, I wonder who he can blame this year.

    There are fundamental reasons Sam was trying to cover: this is soft and jump-shooting Ratpros team, even worse this year without good team chemistry (thanks to TJ Ford). When the game's intensity picked up, Raptors can not keep up. Things must be changed, they have to play hard (not there yet), and played good team baskball.
  7. Yertu Damkule from Canada writes: there you go, rog, jumping the gun...should have stayed up for a few minutes longer, you'd have seen the refs decide the cle game. maybe they were subconsciously doing the raps a favour?

    but hey, i fall into the group that thinks the matchup probably doesn't matter in the long run...just a less embarrassing 1st round exit. they do seem to play the magic better, and had one of their best wins of the year against them in feb (both teams were healthy, i believe). in the playoffs, back-court play tends to be more important, and the raps would seem to have a legit advantage in that department. but like most here have stated, if bargs can't be the scoring threat he was in last year's playoffs, they don't have much of a shot.

    i was thinking about the matchups last night...of the 15 other teams in the playoffs, how many, if given the choice of picking who they play, would pick the raptors? i'm guessing all of 'em. philly & atl finished worse than them, but both have played better over the last month or so.

    but the main thing is getting the silly playoffs out of the way so we can concentrate on the really important stuff...like who they'll draft, or trade, or sign.
  8. andy c from Canada writes: lol. i think i turn the philly game off at about the same time as rog. a few mins later i turned it back on and was like WTF???? no conspiracy theories in that game. big sam knew he committed a foul, his reaction afterward said it all.
  9. Joseph Daniel from Canada writes: WTG Rog! posting without double checking. Anyway so it is Orlando that the Raps are facing. I like the fact that Bosh has big games against them usually. Also there should be one game in there that the Raps will shoot the lights out and our pg play should be better than theirs. The problems matching up with Orlando is not so much howard it is Lewis and Turkolu. They will give our wings all kinds of trouble. I would think the series should go 6 or 7. As for people wanting the Raps in the playoffs, I am thinking that is what Detroit was hoping for. The Pistons lose to phily and then dismantle the Raps. The pistons know they can handle the raps inside/outside.
  10. Mary Jane M from Canada writes: I do think Andre Bargnani is having some other sorts of problems- maybe love problems, problems with his teamates.? He looks very unhappy.To make such a drastic cultural change and this year different coaching expectations in his game must be taking its toll. He looks defeated and it is him who we should be cheering on. May be under a different coach and different style of playing he would flourish along with Capono. Very few plays are created to use Capono's talents. It was good to see him score a few last night
  11. Smooth Fan from Canada writes: Roger: Remove foot from mouth now....Philly lost, Raps are locked for 6th.

    As for our Raps, everyone here knows they're playing terribly. The fact that MIAMI without 7 players (I think all 5 starters were out - Wade/Haslem/Marion to name a few) was in the game until the 3rd is the sad state of affairs for our Raps.

    As much as I want them to win, I can't imagine them beating Orlando this year. If we're lucky, it will go to 6 games but the way we've been playing, we just don't have it together. If we couldn't keep control of the game against Miami, what will we do against Orlando????

    Here's hoping for a miracle, and the Raps start playing the way they were BEFORE TJ came back. Otherwise it's going to cheering for your fav West Coast team (there's no point in watching the east coast teams, boring....).
  12. Yertu Damkule from Canada writes: ...biting lip...
  13. Chris Yang from Toronto, Canada writes: You know, if it wasn't for Roger coming in here every late evening/early morning, I would have to look elsewhere for my daily serving of "signs that people are devolving"
  14. Smooth Fan from Canada writes: lol, say what u gotta say Yertu, you're itching to say it.

    I heard we have 24 MILLION in expiring contracts for next year. Let's pull off some good trades (like every other west coast team did this year) and we're in buisness either at the beginning of next season, or at least come playoff time.
  15. Smooth Fan from Canada writes: Chris..LOL.... I haven't been posting much but I still read this blog daily...It's like a record: sam sucks, TJ sucks etc.....At least make an intelligent point and suggestions instead of playin' the same ol' record.
  16. E W from Canada writes: I don't expect them to beat Orlando (will be very happy if they do), but watching a Magic series will be a helleva lot more fun than watching the Pistons take them to the defensive slaughterhouse.

    Mary Jane, agreed on Bargs. Something's rotten in his state of Denmark. Let's hope he figures it out in the off-season. (PS--Kapono spells his name with a K, not a C.)
  17. Smooth Fan from Canada writes: As for Bargs: What has happened to his shot? Heck, even my gf noticed his shot was flat and had no arc (she doesn't even play bball!). How does one's shot go from being quite good, to being completely off? Is it just mental? Or did he change his mechanics for the worse? He just wildly misses now whereas last year, he definately had his hot spots (i.e. at the top of the Arc was probably over 50%!).

    What to do about our team....
  18. Yertu Damkule from Canada writes: hey smooth...i posted that before your post, in reaction to MJ's post. the one where she spelled both players names wrong & posited that bargs was having some sort of personal problems. i think we've run the gamut of excuses for the dude, bottom line is, he's played like complete & utter trash-ola for 90% of the season. if they're expecting anything from him in this series, i think they're expecting too much. i absolutely thought he'd be further along at this point, a legit 2nd offensive option, a guy who wasn't a liability defensively (he's getting better, but i agree, who does he check vs. orlando?). oh well. i think it'd be foolish for BC to not consider moving him if he can be packaged in the right deal, even though i still think he's got some TREMENDOUS UPSIDE POTENTIAL. sorry, just getting into draft mode... i'm not sure what they have as far as expiring contracts, but i don't think it's $24M. they have guys who are going into the final year of their contract, who will be attractive as expiring contracts in deals either this summer or before the deadline...but i don't think they have anything substantial coming off the books. JC is up, but he'll be resigned (or so we've been told); CD is up, and it's probably unlikely he'll be back (unless he resigns for cheap) - neither has what would be considered big contracts presently. gangsta's gone, but that's nothing. i think everyone else has at least another year left....so no big signings this summer, but potentially some room to make a move (or two). as much as most here think i'm an unabashed TJ supporter, i fully concede that he's playing his last games for TO. but hey, let's pretend they have a shot against orlando, make some noise...it'll be over soon enough...then on with speculatin'!! yee - haww!
  19. Yertu Damkule from Canada writes: smooth - sorry dude, just re-read your post re. the expiring contracts...i thought you were referring to this upcoming off-season, my bad.
  20. Yertu Damkule from Canada writes: ah, barg's shot...what has happened? everyone has a theory. mine is that he's thinking too much. doing all the things that a 'normal' NBA centre is required to do, offensively & defensively, is a bit of a change to what he was used to not only in europe, but also last year. they didn't really ask him to do too much outside his (small) comfort zone; they were fine with him being one-dimensional, & he was successful (at that one dimension). but one-dimensional players don't last long, and teams with one-dimensional players don't do well, so the team absolutely had to push him to develop those other aspects that seem so foreign to him, but are second-nature for most bigs. i don't think it's a situation where one is to blame over the other - the raps may have pushed for too much, too soon, and bargs likely wasn't mentally/physically prepared to do those things, which falls on him. it reminds me (somewhat) of what the jays did with olerud back in the 90's - they took a player with a talented, but in their eyes, limited, skill-set, and tried to make him into something he wasn't (a power hitter). goodbye career. now, comparing bball to baseball isn't what i'm trying to do (the jays would have continued to be successful with olerud as a line-drive, 'for avg' hitter, while the raps absolutely cannot succeed with bargs as their centre if he doesn't learn to play like a centre), but the situations seem similar, at least to my eyes. difference is, the jays move was detrimental to both olerud's & the team's success, while the raps had to push for more from bargnani for his own & the team's sake.
  21. D D from Canada writes: TJ won't be gone next season unless there is a team out there willing to take the risk with someone who is one fall away from a career ending injury...Only team stupid enough would have been the Knicks...but Isiah is out of there. He also doesn't have an expiring contract...so that really doesn't help. If he can be packaged like Kwame Brown for a great player a team is willing to unload, pull the trigger...otherwise expect the little engine to cough and sputter for the Raps next season.

    Lol...I love the analysis of Barg's having love problems!!! Haha, if I was earning that dough with the potential to earn a max deal, there would be no "love" issues there...That is a heck of a job to have which attracts all the pu$$y needed. All Barg's needs is to suck it up and be a man...hit the gym and focus on his career. Bosh started out in a similar pattern...avg 10, 11 pts and be passive on the court....then he got the fire lit under him and he smartened up.

    Raps done in 4 in the playoffs

    Bosh needs to lose the dreads

    Kapono...done in TO...good trade bait...
  22. emoncada Toronto from Canada writes: my fellow basketball affectionados... to Yertu's point, let's enjoy the playoff time! do what we have to do as Raptors fan... make noise! it makes a lot of difference. this is a game of basketball and the ball is round which means you can expect the unexpected. not very long ago when the Warriors made an astonishing upset when they beaten the seeded Mavs. the Raps vs. Magic is not even comparable to Warriors vs. Mavs in terms of playoff seed. let us foster a positive attitude and cheer for our team! i honestly believe they have a fair chance if they put their heads together and work a unit... starting from Sam and TJ! enough of the ME mindset and we as a fan let's stop the TJ, Sam and Jose topic. It is true it sounds like a broken record. Roger pls pay attention to this post!
  23. emoncada Toronto from Canada writes: if TJ is a real problem on this team... if i were the coach i wont avoid the problem but deal with it by utilizing and maximizing TJ strength. i will use TJ as a SG during the playoff and i will rotate Delfino and Jose as my point. as for Bargs i will use him as SF playing the #3 spot while Kapono is ratating that position w/ him and play along w/ Bosh as 4 with Humpry as a sub and Nestrovic as 5 with the other European 7' newly aquired guy. i think this combination will work
  24. Chris Yang from Toronto, Canada writes: Smooth Fan, I'm not sure if you've read the TOP of the comments page but I already made comments last night regarding the game, and Barg's shot (of which you repeated my sentiments). The shot at Roger was too hard to pass up.

    I don't think it's just mental, Bargnani's shot mechanics are wrong too. Last year he used his knees to hoist the ball into the air and he puts a massive amount of spin on it (sweet stroke that was, last year). This year, not enough rotation, not enough lift... he seems to be jumping with stiff knees. Maybe he needs to go back to Italy and work on that shot. Or maybe we should rehire the dude who was our shooting coach last year (forgot his name at the moment). In terms of comfort... when he's playing against smaller opponents you can see that he is more confident, and overall he was much more comfortable than midway through this season (look at his body language and the way he attacks; he doesn't look as awkward as he used to). Now it's a matter of low-post IQ, and more importantly, getting his shot back. Both easier said than done.
  25. emoncada Toronto from Canada writes: or better yet i will rotate the #2 spot between TJ and Parker while 3 spot is between Bargs and Kapono while Moon and Graham will get some minutes by infusing energy into the team and will be used for banging body esp. Graham... any takers?
  26. D D from Canada writes: ...and that is why emoncada is not a coach in the NBA...Yay!!! Let's just give minutes in the playoffs to the 11th and 12th man!!! A sure fire winning strategy....
  27. Smooth Fan from Canada writes: Yertu: No worries, I was talking about end of next year (Leo (or Jack, one of them) announced 24 Mill in expiring contracts during yesterday's game). Ha, I remember Olerud, talk about an under rated player. He was hitting 400 most of the season (prior to everyone using Roids) and was playing very well. I know Bargs is being asked to play / do other things, but isn't that independent of how he mechanically shoots the ball? Maybe one of the trainers were tweaking his shots and it's messed up now...I dunno! Chris: I did read your comment and am echoing your sentiment. Heck, anyone can see his shot is just *OFF*, there's no other way to describe it. The shooting coach last year was Dave Hoopla, and unfortunately we lost him. It could be one of the trainer's changing his shot, I have no idea how someone goes from having an excellent shot to what he has this year. I'm not worried bout this post game, Dirk wasn't Dirk until MANY years in the league, euro bball is quite diff. His shot is what worries me, its always flat, not enough spin, not enough arc. Maybe it is just mental, he doesn't believe he will get it in and therefore lets up on the shot at the wrong time....who knows. Emon: TJ is not a shooting guard, do you know why? HE CAN'T SHOOT! If anything, Jose can play SG in tight situations where we are protecting the lead. In those sit's you'll see TJ at the point and Jose as the SG since he can drain those 3's (45% if I do recall). Regardless people, this time will be shaken up next year. TJ is going to be hard to trade, his attitude didn't exactly increase his stock value. Let's see what BC does.
  28. emoncada Toronto from Canada writes: smooth... good point however in my baskeball dictionary playing #2 position not necessarily require you to take your shot from the perimeter, you can either create your own situation to shoot the ball or pass the ball (in TJ case he will do the former). TJ CANNOT play the 1 position becasue he hogs the ball and choose to pass rather than pass, that's why i suggest to play him the 2 spot.
  29. emoncada Toronto from Canada writes: i meant...choose to shoot the ball rather than pass - i apologize for the typo
  30. Yertu Damkule from Canada writes: smooth - point i was making (or trying to make) was that he's thinking too much, instead of just playing, which often translates to mechanics. he knows he's struggling so upon catching the ball, maybe he's thinking about his mechanics - getting alligned, in rhythm, etc. - instead of just reacting & going on instinct. who the F$%^K knows?

    emon - trouble is, and this has been well-documented, TJ/jose on the floor together can work, in spurts, and in certain situations. but neither is overly effective guarding anyone, so there's a defensive liability issue there. if you're expecting/hoping to see joeyG/brezec...well, hopefully, it means a blow-out in our favour.
  31. Smooth Fan from Canada writes: Emon: Put it this way, can TJ guard VC or Dwane Wade or any other elite SG's? Doubtful, Yertu is bang on.

    It must be mental Yertu, like u said, he's got a complex in his head, hopefully next year he will get over it. Italy's playing in the Olympics aren't they? That's too bad, Bargs could have used this summer to practice/polish his skills....oh well.

    I actually wouldn't have minded seeing Brezec play more to get a feel for him, he might be that energetic rebounder (in spurts) that we could use ..it's not gonna happen now that it's playoff time, that's for sure.
  32. CLEMENT CHAN from Mississauga, Canada writes: Yertu, I have a question for you.

    I understand you have high basketball acumen and you also have a high regard of Mitchell (Me too regarding admiring Mitchell lately). I agree with you that bargs plays terribly through 90% of the season.

    When you say Bargs play like trash, can you explain why Bargnani still log in a significant amount of time, especially comparing to Hump and Graham. What is in Sam’s mind? Would Barge somehow contribute somewhat to the team in an intangible way that most of the fans overlook?

    Yertu, when you criticize typos from the others, you should pay more attention to your gramma and spelling of your post too. But in that case,you may say "hey this forum is not that formal."
  33. j s from rapland, Canada writes: Actually, I think the playoffs depend most on Smitch. This is where a coach has to make a difference. Can he develop and impose a successful game plan? Adjust it on the fly, limit our vulnerabilities and maximize theirs over the course of a long series? Design smart plays for crucial possessions? It didn't happen last year. I hope it happens now...

    Hmmm, despite that alarming series of rhetorical questions, I still think we can and will win this series. Orlando and Toronto are both 5-5 in their last 10. Bosh kills this team every time. I agree Turkoglu is the biggest danger to us, but there's a reason the Raps were cheering when Philly lost last night. They actually believe they can win against Orlando, which is a big advantage compared to any other matchup. So, despite misgivings, I predict a raps win in 6.

    As for Bargs, I also agree that he is thinking too much. And it makes sense that he would be. His whole life all he ever had to do was catch and shoot. And we all saw him do that pretty impressively last year. This year he's been taught to drive, and so every time he gets the ball part of him is wondering, shoot or drive? It happens to all of us when we try and add a new skill to an old one, that it can damage the old one. But then (at least ideally), when the new skill starts to feel natural and familiar the two can blend and we have a net improvement. Will that happen with Bargs? I think so, but I can also understand the skeptics. The proof is in the pudding. Maybe we'll get some in the next couple weeks...
  34. j s from rapland, Canada writes: Also, one question: does anyone know when playoff tickets are going on sale?
  35. Yertu Damkule from Canada writes: smooth - italy didn't make the olympics; in fact, i don't think they're even in the qualifying tourney, but i may be mistaken. he should have lots of time to get his head straight, among (many) other things. clement - i try to avoid pointing out typos, and i try to catch my own typos...but when it's the player's names...oy vey. i may have a 'high regard' for smitch...but don't get too carried away, i was openly lobbying for iavoroni last year, who i still think will be a good coach (insert mockery here)....i don't think anyone could have done much with that group. as for bargs & his minutes - i've said numerous times that he needs to be out on the floor, getting minutes, getting experience...it's not always pleasant learning on the fly, and watching a guy struggle, but in the end, it's probably the best thing for him. he can still be a valuable part of the rotation, but is so unpredictible now, it makes the coaches' jobs so much more difficult - they never know what they'll get out of him (and i'm sure he's never quite sure what he'll deliver). he's not going to get better sitting on the bench, but he should be way (waaaay) better, and more consistent, than he is now. as for hump/joey - well, what you see is what you get. they don't have much (if any) upside over what they're showing, and both have been known to take extended mental hollidays on the court. when they play to the best of their abilities, they bring athleticism & physicality, but not an over-abundance of actual skill unfortunately, they're even more inconsistent than bargs (which is saying something). overall, what i miss the most is the energy...they used to play with enthusiasm & confidence, and that's been lacking for some time. as a group, they seem to be waiting/hoping for the other team to make mistakes, and believe that they need the opposition to lose, rather than believing that they can win.
  36. emoncada Toronto from Canada writes: i agreee with js... playoff games can be won by smart plays on both ends of the court and this will depend heavily on the coaching staff - take note not only smitch but of course he is the accountable person! playoff is often won by smarter unit... not the talented unit. i hope raps gained some maturity from last year playoff and seize the opportunity of playing w/ young and less experience squad on their 1st round. i also predict raps will advance into the 2nd round!
  37. Smooth Fan from Canada writes: Yertu: I have to disagree with u on two points. 1) SMitch is not a great coach, he's average (at best). A lot of the TJ issues have come from SMitch not diong his job and quelling that fire. Putting him as a starter was to detriment to the TEAM and letting TJ single handedly lose games for us due to non-substitution has cost us too many games. SMitch needs to learn to a) make important substitutions, esp at key junctures of the game (esp in the 4th quarter), not leaving bench players to close out the 4th for example b) learn to the draw better plays, i.e. BE A COACH. I know he's a young coach, but seriously, he has good assistant coaches, so use them or find ones that can help you out. 2) Humphries - here's a classic issue of Sam playing the wrong players. If you take a look, there was a stretch (in Jan) where Hump was playing very well. I'm talking like 8 points 5 boards in 5-10 minutes. He was VERY energetic, caused trouble in the paint for defense, has a field goal % in the .500's and is a pretty good finisher with this dunks and post game. Yes, he's not the brightest bulb and blows assignments etc, however, he is not that bad (like Joey) that he should not be playing at all! He is a good bench player that gives a good spark to this team, especially given that we're firing on empty here. Its just like Rasho, it's like SMitch JUST realized that hey, i have this great player sitting around on my bench, why not use him? No Hump is not as good as Rasho, but he is definately capable of bringing 10 points and 5-8 boards if he gets some decent PT. Can you say the same about Moon (who should NOT be a starter at all). It all comes down to Mitchell playing the wrong players at the wrong time and I HOPE he doesn't do this during playoff time. You'll hear my screams all the way to the ACC!
  38. Smooth Fan from Canada writes: P.S. I'm glad Italy isn't in the Olympic's we need Bargs to practice all summer to get ni game shape and hopefully over his hump (no pun intended) come Oct!
  39. andy c from Canada writes: garbo would have been handy guarding lewis or hedu eh? the roster and coach are not going anywhere so this is what we'll have to work with. i think the raps should send bosh and rasho right after howard on offence. if we can get howard in foul trouble in the first half of games that lands him on the bench. Smooth: i think hump will be the xfactor in this series. if he can provided effective mins against howard while rasho is on the bench that means bosh and bargs wont have to cover him.
  40. Yertu Damkule from Canada writes: look, i'm not going to argue that player x or player y has had good games here & there (i mean, bargs put 26 up against detroit a while back - whoop-de-friqn-doo). if hump's brain ever caught up to his body, he'd be a legit force in the blocks, a milsap-type who can get you some tough rebounds & hustle plays. i just simply don't see him ever getting it. as for smitch - well, i've softened my opinion of him, i guess. i'll never argue that he's a great x's/o's kind of guy (though that gets overblown - consider the difficulty of his job. he doesn't have ONE guy who he can turn to and say, 'here, we're going to give you the ball at midcourt for an iso, make something happen.' people get frustrated with the playset...but what else is he going to do? the high screen works for this group, at least better than most things, and i've seen some really nicely drawn up out-of-bounds plays. must be the assistants). the whole TJ thing has been disasterous, but, that's on TJ. he put smitch in a no-win situation by his poor play & worse attitude. if smitch benches him, his play deteriorates further, as does Jose's (forced into playing too many minutes, fatigue sets in, which lead to inefficient play and/or injuries), and the $8M salary becomes just a slight albatross when trying to deal a malcontent benchwarmer. they weren't having any success with him coming off the bench - again, that's on TJ. only option for the team to have success was to put him back as starter & better manage his minutes, which has been a work in progress, but may be coming around. we hope. i love how in one breath we complain about how many complimentary players are on the roster (i.e. 6th men - at best - on most playoff-calibre teams), yet in the next breath, we complain about how poor a job smitch has done with this wealth of talent. does anyone really think that smitch is so poor a coach that anyone else would have done more, given the circumstances this year?
  41. E W from Canada writes: j s, Raptor tickets are already on sale for games 3/4. Based on what people were saying on the facebook group, I think they're already gone.
  42. j s from rapland, Canada writes: sorry hit the post button by accident there...

    I was meaning to say that a smart coach doesn't run iso's all the time. And I know it's the players not the coaches, in the end, that have to execute, but you'll never convince me that a better coach couldn't come up with a way for the best 3 point shooter in the league to get a few 3pt looks a game.

    Also, I hate sounding like a hater. I mean I totally respect Smitch as a person, and I love how he talks to reporters, but I for one do feel a more strategic coach (as opposed to Smitch who I see as more about effort and inspiration) could have done more with this collection of skilled role players.
  43. Uncle Elmer from Canada writes: This underachieving Raptors team has a better shot at beating Orlando than last year's overachieving Raptors team had at beating NJ. Bball can be funny.
  44. One For All All For One from Canada writes: I wouldn't blame Smitch for the lack of three's from Kapono. If Parker, Delfino, Bargs, Calderon, Moon, and Bosh can all get open from 3, Kapono ought to be able to as well.

    For some unknown reason, he seems to be avoiding the 3 point line. It boggles the mind why this is happening - I've seen him actually get the ball, dribble inside it, and then shoot - rather than putting up the 3.

    Maybe ever since he became the NBA all time best 3 point shooter he doesn't want to lose it?
  45. Toby Maloney from Canada writes: Okay, while I'm not saying Raptors will win, they have a chance against the Magic.

    Need to run the ball into the post most of the time so they can play inside-outside, make Howard work, and hopefully get some fouls, THEN kick out to the three point line, which Orlando defends poorly. No dribble, dribble shoot TJ!

    Everyone is going to have to pick it up on D to contain Hedo Turkuglo and Rashard Lewis and to keep Howard at bay inside. No room for soft centres; find Bargnani a nice easy chair and get him a glass of decent Primitivo so he can watch the series in comfort. If Kapono comes off the bench and earns his pay by scoring then give him some minutes, otherwise he can keep Bargnani company. (He plays D like he doesn't even know what "close out" means.)

    Tag team on point guard. Who cares about the TJ vs. Calderon debate, we have them both for now, let's use them and go with whatever is working.

    Go Raptors!
  46. M Spiker from Ottawa, Canada writes: Doug Smith made an excellent point in his blog today...because BC released DM (to bring in nothing) they have no 3rd string PG to play tomorrow and give TJ and JC the night off. CD will probably play a good bit at 1 but it still means the 2 guys they need (and their one clear advantage over ORL) are playing unnecessary minutes.

    Given my previous rants on Barney deadwood, this really bugs me because here was a chance to get some mileage out of DM's $1M salary...a BC brain cramp.

    P.S., the money they save next year sans DM will just about pay for the raises Hump, Joey, and Baston are getting.
  47. Mary Jane M from Canada writes: EW from Canada
    Thank you for politely showing me how to spell Kapono

    Yertu
    Before you correct my spelling of Andrea and Jason Kapono's names please look at your own lack of punctuation (leaving out capital letters on cities-like Orlando- and at the beginning of sentences. Also to re-sign a player it is re-sign not resign as you mispelled the word.
  48. Yertu Damkule from Canada writes: thanks, teach.
  49. Big Cayman from South Toronto, Canada writes: Smooooth! Where have you been. I am watching the Orlando at Atlanta game, interesting. I think the Raps have a chance. Howard is incredible but he can't shoot free throws, the Raps need to make him work hard for all his baskets, maybe bring it in a little, and deny the pass to Turkoglu, . I think Orlando might have the worst ball movement in the NBA. Outside of Howard the Raps matchup quite well. I would seriously consider a triangle and two on D. Give Rasho some good burn, and share the ball through Bosh. Ohh just saw Tobey M's comments, I'll just echo those. But I'll add that Hump could be part of a 3 headed dinasaur (get it?) in this series.
  50. Roger S from Canada writes: So, Yertu got hammered for grammar errors? How sarcastic for a guy who thought his last name was English.

    OK, last night Philly's game showed how dirty NBA referees could be. They will show up in playoffs as well. Raptors, a small market NBA team, should be aware. Orlando is OK, but Cleveland and Boston are difficult story.
  51. andy c from Canada writes: Rog. i've been to cleveland and trust me, it's no big market team without lebron and it's nothing to write home about.
  52. Roger S from Canada writes: what the heck are you talking about, LeBron James himself is a market bigger than Detroit. If you don't believe, go ask Pistons fans.
  53. Yertu Damkule from Canada writes: yeah, i've truly been humbled. pot, meet kettle.
  54. D D from Canada writes: Any 1 of 3 of these guys need to be sought after should they opt for free agency (or a sign and trade)

    Baron Davis
    Josh Smith
    Corey Maggette

    3 athletic players in different positions who aren't afraid to rebound. Fat chance given it is TO and none will want to come, but any one of them would vastly improve the image of the team.
  55. Smooth Fan from Canada writes: BigC : Sup dude? I actually read this blog daily (even skip over the article usually) but I just don't have the time to post. I agree that the raps have a chance against Orlando, I was literally praying for this matchup lol... However, they have to play like they did in Dec/Jan for this to be a close series, i.e. play like they were when TJ was injured, and yes we have a chance for sure. Rasho will definately bother Howard, and I definately want to see Hump getting some PT against Howard, I remember he gave him quite a hard time last go around as well!

    Yertu: I did NOT say Smitch was a bad coach, I said he was an average one. Personality/motivation wise he's great, but the technical/academic part of his job is weak. It's like a pitcher with a good fastball, can get the job done, but if he has a slider/breakingball/knuckleball he'll be that much better. I recognize the limitations of this team, however I do feel they were exasperated by Mitchell's substitutions/designed plays on many occasions.

    Just watch the playoffs guys, and pay CLOSE attention to the 3rd/4th quarter and see who's on the floor and who's not from both teams. This is what usually decides who wins in a close game. Here's hoping there are no brain farts in coaching this time around and we win this series!

    Anyone want to have some sort of playoffs pub night? I'd be game.
  56. Jackie Moon from Toronto, Canada writes: Yertu, how come you don't become the spelling police on the posters who still write "Calderone" after three years?
  57. Yertu Damkule from Canada writes: smooth - i know you didn't say he was a *bad* coach, i just think, and remember, it's just my opinion, that his reputation as not a good x's / o's coach is somewhat overblown. but yeah, his strengths are motivation & the fact that the team relates well to him (or seems to), offset somewhat by the technical aspects, so i agree, average. of course, it always comes down to wins/losses. are byron scott or doc rivers all of sudden drastically different coaches than a year ago, or do they just have the pieces now? has riley forgotten how to coach, or does miami stink because it's difficult to win with no bona fide NBA players on the active roster (and because they went into tank mode in january)? a poster over on DSmith's blog made a good point - even if the raps had exceeded expectations this year & gotten to last years 47 wins (or even slightly better). where would that have put them as far as playoff matchups go? more than likely a 4th place finish, facing the lebrons in the 1st round, albeit w/ home court. is that more favourable than finishing 6th & facing orlando (oops, sorry MJ - Orlando)? DD - interesting names...can't see them being able to afford davis, and if they're intent on re-signing (thanks, MJ) jose, then where would he play? i guess if they worked a sign-&-trade w/ jose, and did a 3-team deal, sending both TJ & jose away & getting davis in return, it would be possible, but i can't see them wanting to go in that direction. i'm guessing he'll be looking for ~$15M per (on a long-term deal), so tying up ~$30M in two players is dicey. smith & maggette make more sense, just given their positions & the raptors needs...but both the hawks & clips may be set at PG (depending on how the clips feel about livingston), so swinging a deal involving TJ may be tough. *DAMNIT* - here i am, talking about off-season moves, and the last game of the regular season hasn't been played yet, let alone any playoff games.
  58. Yertu Damkule from Canada writes: JMoon - yeah, that'd go over well. i hate being one of those irritating a-holes who correct other people's grammar/spelling, but you see soooo much badness out there, i can't help but think that we're seing the general decline of society's ability to coherently interact with one another. i see so much poor grammar & spelling in my work, by supposed professionals, it makes me want to pull my hair out. i work for a fairly large corporation, and i get emails sent by head office company-wide that contain obvious & immediately noticeable spelling/grammatical mistakes, it's actually embarrassing. i think we've become overly reliant on spell-check or something. put it this way: when you read a post that's littered w/ spelling/grammatical errors, what's the first judgement you make about the poster?

    as for the orl...Orlando series, they should just send gangsta out there to irritate howard into punching him in the face. voila - no howard, no gangsta, two birds, one stone.
  59. Mary Jane M from Canada writes: Yertu
    You express yourself really really well, albeit a little long in length. You did however spell "seeing' as seing in your last post and you must watch your capitals as in Miami not miami.
  60. MJ M from Canada writes: I made a terrible spelling error myself. I spelled misspell as mispell. Sorry
  61. Yertu Damkule from Canada writes: 'And I hope it feels good.'

    'You hope what feels good?'

    'I hope it feels so good to be right. There's nothing more exhilerating than pointing out the shortcomings of others, is there?'

    'Well, this is the last time I rent here!'

    'You'll be missed.'

    'Screw you!'

    'Hey! You're not allowed to rent here anymore!'

    'YEEAAHH'

    favourite scene from 'Clerks.' 4-minute mark of this clip:

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7un1rQP2O64
  62. Smooth Fan from Canada writes: Ok let's stay focued on BBall here people, not English. Let's drop that enough is enough.
  63. Craig Draper from Canada writes: For the Raps to win this series I think we all must agree that there has to be a drastic change in their play. Good playoff teams peak at the right time (last 10-15 games before playoffs) which the Raptors have not done. I think what may benefit the team is to have Calderon as the indefinite starter at the PG. Prior to ford returning the Raptors seemed to be heading toward a potential home court advantage situation. In my opinion Ford is more of a liability than he is anything else, and watching him shoot the Raps out of games is becoming an old story that personally, I'm tired of witnessing. Agree or not, the Raptors (this year) are a better team with Calderon running the offense, and I would go as far as saying that in order for the Raptors to win this series with Orlando he has to step up and take charge, and be a leader.

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