Raptorblogger Preseason Round Table – Part II

Raptors fans are going to have even more reason to be pumped about this season now...

The great thing about doing round tables like this is it just reinforces what an amazing blogosphere Raptors’ fans have created.

Originally when we began over three years ago, there was only one blog, Scott Carefoot’s boundary breaking site aptly titled Raptorblog. Using a classic jazz analogy, if we were Miles Davis, he was Louis Armstrong.

In the following years the NBA’s online presence exploded with Raptor fans in particular leading the charge.

Now there are at least 15 different blogs covering or discussing Toronto’s NBA franchise and because of that, Raptors’ fans are some of the most passionate and informed in the business.

And to that end, a few of the more prominent blogs in Raptorland have joined forces to create a new site – RaptorsRepublic.com.

It’s incredibly exciting for us to see such a model, as the site offers fans a legit alternative to a Raptors.com site that offers little in terms of unbiased fan discussion or interaction.

This means that once our re-launch occurs later this year, there will be two huge hubs of activity for an already rabid fan-base and as strong an online fan presence as any pro sports’ team out there. Therefore even if the on-court product suffers this year, there’ll be plenty of ON-LINE quality to keep fans going until draft day.

Keping on the fan topic, we’ve received a number of emails asking about the voting for the recent "top NBA blogs" contest and problems with voting. Apparently the final few blog voting options are not viewable via Internet Explorer so to vote here:

http://www.laballtalk.com/2008/10/21/top-team-blog-contest-voting/

Firefox must be your web browser of choice.

Finally, before moving on to the last part of the Round-Table, this video is a must-see for Raptor-fans. It’s via Cuzoogle and is an incredibly hilarious take on an interview with Sam Mitchell.

Favourite part?

Definitely the Kris Humphries album!

On to the round table…

3. Franchise (RaptorsHQ) – So now we've touched on Bargs and O'Neal, and some of the other players this year. What about the coach? If the Raptors stay healthy and don't get out of the first round (or miss the playoffs entirely), does the axe come down on Mitchell? Even if it doesn't, do you think he's the right coach for this team?

James (Dino Nation Blog) - I have always been a Sam Mitchell supporter. Maybe it is just because I would miss the many laughs he gives me through a season if he was gone. However I think this season he has a team that is designed to be more "his" type of team. So if they do not succeed it will not be good for Sam.

But I have faith in him where a lot of folks do not. I hear the X and O skill of Sam is not good enough for some. I don't know if I agree but I am willing to give people that point. But my counter to that has always been that his players play hard for him and always have. Even when they lacked talent the Raptors gave all they had. That is rare in the modern sports world and I think something that does not get enough praise from folks. Sam can be the coach for this team for a long time if he can manage to make it through this season and get out of first round. I won't lie in the fact I am pulling for him to do that. I think you will also get to see just how good or bad he is from an X and O point of view. The new roster will demand some changes in the Raptors approach or it should.

Gagan (HoopsAddict.com) - Unlike James, I've never really been a supporter of his. I wasn't going to mind if he got canned after the 06-07 season so that Colangelo could bring in his own guy and I wouldn't have minded it if he didn't come back this season after their horrible play down the stretch last season and in the playoffs. But, for a reason I am not sure of and thus cannot explain, I'm kind of glad he's back as a Raptors fan; primarily I guess because it gives the organization some stability and it seems like he works really well with this group of players, mainly Chris Bosh and Jose Calderon. Those two players have progressed tenfold under his guidance.

Of course, they can start the season 5-10 and I will probably be in the majority calling for his dismissal. If everyone is healthy and this team still doesn't make it out of the first round, I don't think Bryan has a choice but to fire him because that would mean they underachieved in a season where many were expecting them to get into the second round if not further. He is the right coach for this team right now, but they may need a more proven winner when this team is really ready to take the next step. That being said, Sam has proven that just like his players, he has gotten better at what he does every season he's been the Raptors head coach, so he should get the benefit of the doubt.

The Arsenalist - How do I say this...Mitchell is a dumbass.

Sorry I can't be more eloquent in describing what I think of the guy but that's what he is when it comes to coaching. He's a great motivation-guy that can help be the force behind fixing the effort levels of players like Jamario Moon but asking him to coach an NBA team that aspires beyond making the playoffs in a weak East is asking too much of his talents. I don't think I need to point to his X's and O's knowledge because I'm sure everyone agrees here that his playbook is at the middle-school level. We talked about this all last year, no point in me going at it again.

Ok…if you really want, I can get into it.

Aside from being miserable at drawing up consistent plays that utilize
resources properly, he's even worse at making substitutions. This guy cost us 5-8 games alone last year based on inane and bewildering substitutions: vs. Jazz, vs. Magic and @Portland come to mind immediately. Not to mention the genius pick of starting Andrea Bargnani at a position that he never played before in Game 1 of the playoffs and putting him up against players that are twice as quick as him. Genius move.

The worst part? He doesn't even admit that it was a mistake. According to Mitchell the guy's never made a mistake. Ever. Ever. His rotations are completely shot and unlike any other NBA coach. His sub-patterns don't make sense and are far from consistent; he's terrible at defining player roles, responsibilities, and managing player expectations. I still remember how he didn't play Rasho or Hump in a game against Detroit last year when Detroit had 19 PFs in the
Line-up. They must have been scratching their heads watching the team go -20 on the glass, is it really a shock we lost?

I also hate when he says something really simple and stupid but pretends that he's dropping deep knowledge on the reporters. It's like he needs to get over himself and come to terms with the fact that his COY award means dick all.

BC's partly to blame here too, he should realize that Mitchell needs help with his basketball academics and get a senior assistant coach in here.

Hell, I'll even settle for Kevin O'Neill coming back as an assistant coach and teaching these wimps some defensive techniques. I also don't think JO's going to stand for Sam's bullshit and will see right through Sam's coaching.

I can go on forever but what's the point...we're stuck with this guy for the next two seasons. That COY was the worst thing that could've happened to the franchise and really forced BC's hand when it came to re-signing him. He's obviously the wrong coach for the personnel we have on this team; maybe he should go to Minnesota or Memphis and motivate those young 'uns.

4. Franchise (RaptorsHQ) – RaptorsHQ: I too worry about Mitchell's substitutions and so far this preseason it's looked like SF by committee again this year. Who knows which of the three J's (Joey, Jamario and Jason) will be the starting 3 when the year ends and if it takes a while for Mitchell to settle on things, it could be detrimental to team chemistry and therefore to the team's overall success. So with that in mind, what's everyone's call on number of wins? Throw out a number and a quick blurb as to why and as a bonus, if you think the team gets out of the first round this year...

Gagan (HoopsAddict.com) - This team will no doubt go on a long winning streak at some point this season, however they may also face some injury problems with their three big men. If Bosh and O'Neal don't get hurt at the same time this team should have its best season ever. They'll finish 48-34 and if they can avoid Boston, which they should with 48 wins, they will advance to the second round of the playoffs for the first time in many seasons, bringing much excitement to the fanatics on Bay St.

James (Dino Nation Blog) - I have been waiting for some sign to help me make a prediction on these Raptors. I think I got it from the L.A. Clippers match. The way Bosh and O'Neal played vs the Clips is an example of what could be and it was enough to convince me. I will go one better than Jack Armstrong that called for 48 wins, I will say 49. I think the Raptors will be fine as long as Jose Calderon remains healthy. The O'Neal health issue and Bosh to me are not death blows. But Calderon being hurt WOULD be a death blow to this team. Roko Ukic and Will Solomon are not ready to be starters in this league even if they only play for a short time. Some will question if they are even good enough to be back-ups. The Raptors will be walking a fine line all year long but I think that they can do it even if they may not reach the huge over the top goals that have been laid out by some fans. But they will be good enough to finish second in the Atlantic and that should be good enough to host a playoff series and advance. After that is anyone's guess.

Ryan (HoopsAddict.com) - While JO's stats haven't looked great in the preseason, to me it's clear it's a timing issue. I've watched him closely while he's been on the court during home games and his lack of scoring is due to him not commanding the ball in the post. From hearing him talk and asking him questions, it's clear he's just trying to grasp the new offensive sets he's learning while trying not to take shots from his new teammates. I think it will take 10-12 games for him to find his groove, much like it did last season for Chris Bosh when he returned from an injury. I think fans have to remember he's been away from the court for nearly a year and he's learning new offensive and defensive sets. Both things will slow down any player, regardless of their age or previous injury history.

I'm also encouraged by what I'm seeing out of Andrea Bargnani this month. With him being a viable option off the bench I think it will allow Sam Mitchell to limit the minutes of O'Neal and Bosh to 30-35 per night. This would then open up 25-30 minutes for Bargnani in which he will provde 12-15 points and 5-7 rebounds per night. Both impressive gains over last season.

As long as the team stays healthy, I don't see any reason why they don't set a franchise record for wins and advance to at least the second round of the playoffs.

The Arsenalist - Here's my prediction: If all goes well, we win a first round series this year.

There's nothing I've seen in preseason that says we can come close to 50 wins (18 games over .500) and I suspect Jack was paid to make that prediction just to rev up some enthusiasm. Probably not but its a good conspiracy theory.

Our lack of depth will come back to haunt us. Will Solomon is too much like Mike James and Hassan Adams simply sucks. That leaves Roko Ukic who has shown some upside but I'm going to guess he's going to get some very inconsistent playing time and having come from a systematic European background, will get lost under Mitchell's coaching. Our success also depends on whether we are able to acquire a real SF at the trade deadline.

I'll predict a conservative 45 wins and hope that I'm totally off for the better.

A big thanks to all who participated and I’m sure we’ll be touching base again during the season.

The HQ