3 In the Key – Toronto Raptors Game-Day Preview vs. Nets

Just wondering is anyone here still thinks that Jose is a guard on the East All-Star team? Harris is killing it, and really should get the nod over Jose. Behind Iverson of course.

some very interesting talks right now about trades that would send Al Harrington to the knicks and a bunch of other guys elsewhere...the main one being jamal crawford getting sent to Golden state...apparently the knicks would also be getting rid of zach randolph and mardy collins as well and it is unclear what else they will get in return right now, if anything.

To me, getting rid of crawford for al harington is a step in the wrong direction for new york. Getting rid of your most prolific scorer for yet another disgruntled player who has had decent years in the past, but will most likely end up like marbury once put into that mess we call the new york knicks. It just makes me laugh sometimes when I think about that team. I guess you cant fault them for trying something different. But I just dont see this trade helping them very much but it also depends on what else they get. The names being thrown around right now in the trade are Tim Thomas and Cuttino Mobley...even if they got all three players I still dont see this trade making the knicks any better..just a different makeup thats all. Thats just my 2 cents on the rumour.

Realistically, Bosh and O'Neal should be getting the ball down low 60-70% of the time. It's time to start rewarding O'Neal for his defensive play.
Barney is the X Factor of every game. I would like to see him get some opportunities down low as well.
Giving Hassan Adams some play against Vince is a good idea. Although, I don't know how you would get that through to Sam.
I would alternate with Roko on Devin because he can match his foot speed. No matter the case, Devin will probably put up 20-25 points.

Ok first off Daniel Craig's Bond is the best since early Connery.

People who whine about how the new Bond is like Bourne forget that the Bourne films were typically freaking awesome. If anything, they should try to be more like Bourne, like by having a realistic plot, hot babes who are nevertheless not named 'Pussy' etc.

As for the Raptors tonight, a steady diet of the bigs inside should do the job. Guys with speed are always going to be an issue for us given our lack of elite wing defenders, but with our advantages we should pound out a victory. Look for whoever is guarded by Yi to go off big time.

Katyusha asked about Calderone as All-Star guard, and while I think the injury has hurt his chances if he is second or third in assists per game, solidly averaging double digit points, and leading the league in assists to turnovers ratio, he'll deserve to get the nod over a shameless ball-hog like Iverson or good PG on a terrible team like Harris.

Hey Katyusha, if Jose can maintain a steady ppg and high assists till the all-star break, he definitely deserves an All-Star nod (reserves).
The teams record does play a major part. If the Raptors can stay a couple games above .500 we might even see 3 all-stars (Bosh, O'Neal, and Calderon).

Franchise, I'm in agreement on both Quantum of Solace and the Raptors tie in. I wasn't a fan of Casino Royale, but Quantum of Solace struck a better balance between Craig's interpretation of Bond and classic Bond elements.

As far as this year's Raptors, they are not without their flaws. The fact that one flaw (swingman talent) has carried over from the previous two versions of the team has us all whipped up in a frenzy.

I want to see them take what they do well, and make it great. Let's see just how many times our interior talent can overcome a lack of the same on the wings. Let's see how much progress Roko and Solo can make using both the quarter and halfway points of the season as benchmarks. This is just looking at things in the short term, performance this season.

Beyond this season, its clear that we have more invested in Ukic then we do in Solomon, who will be a free agent. I think what's holding Ukic back is his shooting. If their trying to re-make his shooting form, I can see how any game time is tied to his ability to knock down shots in practices.
As far as Solomon, I think there is room for him to adapt to the Raptors, in the sense of learning how to setup people better, and learn their tendencies.

While I've only seen Youtube clips of his Euroleague exploits, I get the sense from articles that he was just calling his own number there, due in equal parts to his advantages over his matchup, and a lack of quality team mates. While I'm not a football buff, I'd make the comparison of Will Solomon to a running back. He sees a gap (a play to be made) and he executes it. Jose (and Ukic given time) see the game more like a quarterback, watching plays develop, and seeing the whole field before committing to action.

At this point in time we're not going to get a well-rounded game from either of them. However, can either improve enough to be "good enough to get by" as long as our other players are performing as per usual. That's where my expectations lie, and I hope by the All-star break one of them has taken that step.

As well as BOOing VC - lets get the MVP chants gonig for CB.
Harris has played a good 10 games, on a team that needs him to score. He will finish the year with more points than Jose but that don't mean he is more valuable or better. Unless the Raptors do a strong "get out and vote" campaign it might be difficult. My belief is Iverson will get the fan vote and a toss up between Harris and Jose will be added. Maybe the international vote will help Jose.
I hopw we destroy them and Bosh and Jose sit the whole 4th quarter.

If you read the bond books you'll appreciate craig more. Ian fleming would shit his pants if he had to see brosnan play bond

http://www.ballineurope.com/womens-basketball/crisis-reaches-russia-delfino-refuses-to-play/

Interesting article read to the bottom about Delfino. If Delfino isn't getting paid I think he'd take a minimum contract to be back in the NBA. Wouldn't he look nice in a Raps Jersey. He could start at the 3, play a little point forward. He is inconsistent but an upgrade over Moon, Graham and Adams at the 3. If he isn't getting paid to play in Russia maybe we can get him cheap something like 5 to 6 mil on a 2 year deal expiring in the famous summer of 2010.

I miss Delfino - sign him!

I would take him back as well. We'd be kind of in the same situation as last year though, who gets the minutes?

In other news,

Baby Al for Jamal Crawford:

http://www.rotoworld.com/content/playerpages/player_main.aspx?sport=NBA&hl=103697&id=551

Wishful thinking that we could have gotten him for scraps (i.e. Kapono, Hump, Graham), but now that Bargs is finding a home as a starting 3 I guess it doesn't really matter.

whaaaaaaattt?!?!?

quantum of solace was whack!

if you're going to go serious like bourne, do it right. none of this silly cargo plane vs. a fighter plane hasselholf stuff, or the weak south american bad guys, or the weaker evil genius ploting to take all the...(gonna leave that one for those who haven't see it.) or what about his crazy hot bolivian (russian) side kick!?!?! even bourne got some. (and ms. fields don't count. that was another weak sidenote)

anyway, the russian hit men in the bourne series were legit. so seriously, this film was a bad attempt at a go-between. I say stick to either all out bond cheese with all the gadgets and fun, or go hardcore and do it right.

b-ball?? right. simply put, if bosh, o'neal, and bargs don't come out wearing b-day hats with noise makers in their hands for this one, I'm out. they should be able to camp out down low and have a banging, high five'n party against this so small nets team.

btw, I'm not one to think too much about the still way too early 2010 bonanza that's coming up, but what has peaked my interest as of late is that there are a few teams looking to make room for not just one big lebron-wade-bosh splash, but possibly two.

so even though it's a couple of summers away, the present plans and moves GM's are making out there right now are pretty interesting.

also, seeing as we already have one of the big 3, to me the issue going forward isn't so much whether the raps can keep bosh, but whether or not BC can lockdown another massive signing to put next to him.

and here's the article that started this train of thought. .courtesy of Grange's 'From Deep' blog.

it's a look at the potential freak show that could develop in portland.

http://myespn.go.com/nba/truehoop

Katyusha - Funny you should mention that. As I was writing about Harris I started thinking the same thing; suddenly he's probably the biggest threat to Jose's All-Star candidacy since AI will undoubtedly get voted in.

The Knicks trade is an interesting one and you have to wonder how D'Antoni feels about it. I can't imagine he was a HUGE fan of Crawford, but who plays the 2 now, Richardson? And behind him? The team was one of the big surprises of the season to date but I think they now take a step back unless they make some other moves (as is rumoured.)

Love to have Del the Funkee Homosapien back if it was possible, although I don't think there's much hope. Looking forward to tonight's game, hopefully CDR gets some burn as well.

PS - I own a bunch of the Flemming books but here's a question - does a movie that's closer to its original source make it necessarily better? Hmmm...

This might be a little off topic but the Raptors need to address the SG situation. Anthony Parker continues to be underrated by the league but has noticeably regressed as a player due to his age. His once above average defense is now average at best. There are a lot of good SGs out there that his simply cannot guard and there is nobody on the bench that can step in. I also think Kapono's defense is underrated as a SF but his lack of quickness is magnified when defending SGs. I know we are within 1mil of the luxury tax but I feel that we have to do something if we are to take ourselves seriously. We desperately need an athletic 2-guard that can play good defense and blend in with this team well. Although he doesn't fit the latter prerequisite, I think the best short-term option short term is Bonzi Wells who is currently a free agent. He can rebound, score, and when he plays hard, can play very good defense. He is out of shape right now but if signed, he could be ready to go in the new year for pretty cheap.

I won't even mention Hassan Adams since he can't even get playing time, when this should be a position he is best suited for.

As for the long term, I don't think we should resign Parker next year unless he's willing to take less and for no more than two years, which he shouldn't take because he's worth more. If we don't want to go over the luxury tax next year we will only have our mid-level exception to spend and correct me if I'm wrong but I don't believe there to be any quality free agebt SGs for that kind of money next year. We could always draft one but looking at mock drafts, only gerald henderson of Duke fits our need of athleticism and defense from the SG position and he may be gone before we select. I love Stephen Curry but he is a career back up guard who would be a luxury (hopefully he slips to the second round).

We will have all sorts of options once JO's contract is up in two years but I can't wait that long!

If anyone could provide any suggestions it would be great because its a problem that has been bugging me.

You KNEW Carter was going to hit that shot...

damn, OT!

wow. the ultimate raptor killer. vc.

you've got to admit though, good game. big shots both ways.

jack keeps mentioning great coaching by frank.

interesting.

Devastated... Raps were up by 16... Enter Will Solomon.

The ghost of Vince Carter still haunts the ACC.

what's the number for MI6?

Maybe Sam will now realize that with a minute left and down seven you can still coach and actually win...the boys left it on the floor though,hope JO is fine.Thank God we were playing basement dwellers.Pissed

Man, the only game Ive seen in 2 years living in China (it was on air in China because of Yi) and the game was like that? Oh man, Dammit Carter! Could that have been a worse way for the raps to get into OT, then the last play to loose the game??

Yes, it's right after the loss but I can't explain how frustrated I am. I'm sorry but this HAS to be a wake-up call for BC. This team just isn't that good, especially without JO. Toronto was up by 18 and while you expect the Nets to make runs, you need some help for Bosh, Jose, and wow, amazingly Bargs. Bosh is playing his ass off for the team and those 3 plus JO and Parker are giving it their all.

But that's about it.

Kapono does what he can but he's not the answer. I have no idea why he was even in the game towards the end as Toronto needed stops.

And tonight was the first time I seriously had to question some of Sam Mitchell's decisions as once again he was out-coached by Lawrence Frank.

What really makes me mad is that no one in the media is going to ask Sam if he thought he got out-coached, or if he should have had different players in at different times. (How many times are you going to watch Jose get burned by Harris?)

End Rant

Man. I knew when Jose gave that "It's over sign" that it was going the other way.

Dunno what to say after getting those kinda performances and losing against the Nets. Just hope O'Neal is ok.

And yes, on the phone with MI-6 right now...

Well there is simply no argument against it. Sam Mitchell is simply, absolutely and definitively unqualified to be an NBA head coach. Four times, a damn in-bounds play, two of which a score was not even requiored, would have prevented this game from going into OT. Not one did he draw up anything remotely as complex and impressive as Lawrence Frank. Doesnt this seem familiar, watching Sam get out-coached by Frank? You know Frank left the ACC tonight thinking, "I am a better coach than that guy". I feel this may be similar to many NBA coaches. In order to continue watching ther Raps I will now have to conclude BC will let him go this season. I must maintain religious-type faith in this happening to remain sane.

The other thing was that once JO got hurt (and we can only hope that he's not badly hurt), the team lost its grit. There were just no more tough plays being made. I think that's something else that bothers me about the way this team was constructed. Bosh has some intensity, and Jose does too, but Moon, Graham, Kapono, right down to Jawai, just not grimey enough late in the game to close the door for good.

Speechless

were they out of timeouts after carter's dunk with 1.5 left?

I'll give it to you straight Franchise:

Mitchell is the problem. The game had no reason to go into OT. When your team is up 3 and you're playing again a team with a CLUTCH player FOUL THEM, who cares if it slows down the game. Vince Carter has killed the Raptors everytime he's played us, so why would he not make a clutch three? Mitchell is a bad coach... through and through... I'll give you another scenerio: With the last possession of the Nets. It was a bonus that Parker hit the shot to tie the game, but we all know Parker's defensive capabilities. Sub-in Graham for Parker for the defensive assignment on VC. I don't know if the result would've been any different but, at least a fresh body would've proven effective. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to coach the team, in Smithell's case it is long overdue to get FIRED.

Almost forgot, Solomon can make his way back to Europe. For a point guard to consistantly "jump to pass" is beyond reason... Where did he learn these bad habits?
Calderon needs help and I mean right now!

Another year down the crap-hole.

Even if O'Neal comes back, and he won't I bet, this team has no chance to win more than 30 games. What a bunch of losers.

Vince has more clutch in him than every Raptor combined. Just quit now--trade Parker, Kapono etc. for anything (even 2nd round picks) and pray that you get a top 5 pick.

I'm sick of this city, why are all our teams shit??????

Mitchell has to go. Players do not trust him anymore. I hoped he can grow with the team from a motivational coach to a tactician coach. We definitely have holes in the roster however now we have a lot of talent and the weaknesses are always the same.
CB4, Andrea and Jose have 97 pts combined and we lose to the Nets. The difference in coaching was painfully obvious in the 4th Q and OT.Mitchell gets bailout (darn, I hate this word!) all the time by our high IQ players however when coaching matters we still get exposed.
This loss really stinks and the players must feel horrible tonight. We clearly thought the game would be easy and we coasted. The coaching stuff had the obligation to raise the level of intensity and to prepare the "running game" necessary to keep the lead. All our moves were made as if the game was finished when it wasn't!
We have a bunch of players with high b-ball IQ. I believe we need a coach that can match that and put us in a position to maximize our strengths and minimize our weaknesses. The coach has to understand the roster and use it appropriately and not according to his own pre-determined schemes.
BC has some tough decisions to make. When he said this is the best Raptors team assembled in his tenure was a signal to everyone in and outside of the organization about his (high) expectations. If we fail it is not the roster: it must be the coaching. It looks like Sam needs a perfect roster to succeed and it just doesn't happen in NBA.

unacceptable

seems the most apt description for this game. what transpired tonight should never have happened. the fact that the raptors cannot even execute what seems, in basketball at least, like the most commonsensical and most trivial of things. to be unable to inbound the ball TWICE, unacceptable. to let vince shoot that threeball when there were adequate opportunities to foul them instead, unacceptable. losing track of your own man, unacceptable.
and that speaks volumes to the coaching staff. i have been a smitch apologist for the longest time but tonight was the last straw and i would think bryan colangelo shares these sentiments. smitch has got to go. and he can take jamario with him. such a frustrating game to watch, and one can only imagine, after seeing the raptors wilt when push comes to shove time and time again, what other teams think of the raptors. unacceptable.

The writing is on the wall and on every other post...

"SMITCHELL GOT TO GO!!!"

CB4, Andrea and Jose have 97 pts combined and we lose to the Nets.

That's what really burns me.

So here's my thing.

-I hate the way Mitchell deals withe media.

-And I hate that he never admits to making a mistake in coaching tactics.

However I don't think he's a terrible coach. I actually think he has strengths that few other coaches have. And while he's constantly punked for not being able to develop players, you can't argue with the results on Bosh. No big man coach, and yet CB4 is just unreal at this point, tonight being another example.

HOWEVER

Games like this one tonight are when bad coaching rears its ugly head.

Raptors are up 18, have more talent, and are firing on all cylinders (see quote in bold)...however somehow they end up losing.

So as many readers have already pointed out, it's games like these that come down to execution and tactics.

I think Jack Armstrong summed it up best after the game when he said:

"As great as Vince Carter is, it still comes down to deployment..."

He then went on to praise the way Lawrence Frank put in Carter in a position to succeed on the court, and not only that, but take advantage of his players' best skills. Sam Mitchell didn't do that tonight.

You knew that Jose couldn't keep up with the speed of Harris, so why the hell were they still going big forcing Hump or Bargs to sometimes be switched off on smaller guys who were going right to the rim? And why was Kapono in the game at all in the fourth when Toronto needed stops?

As Vicious D and I discussed after the loss, it wouldn't be surprising to see a shake-up of some sort from BC in the next few days...

Jack Armstrong has said on at least 2 occasions this week "dare We dream but would VC look great in a Raptor uniform?" I believe Raptors are a VC away from a championship. But not with Mitchell He probably bench Him

It has gotten to the point where it's just easier to handle games like this when you anticipate losses and are surprised by wins. This was an unacceptable outcome. Lawrence Frank simply gets the most out of his teams and it has been that way for years. He is an exceptional coach. How many times do the Raptors fail to execute plays coming out of timeouts? And yet with this game we saw a team execute almost flawlessly. My question to the rest of you is this: is it time for the coaching staff to contemplate a mutiny or do they simply allow themselves to go down with the Sam Mitchell ship? I can't imagine that experienced minds like Jay Triano, Alex English, Mike Evans and Gord Herbert are collectively bad coaches. Any one of them elevated to the position of head coach should get better results from this team, shouldn't they? Sam Mitchell's game management is at times a microcosm of Sam Mitchell's roster management. He doesn't use all of the tools available to him at the most appropriate times (timeouts to stem an opponent's momentum is the most glaring of these misused options). Maybe we should extend this view and suggest that Sam Mitchell doesn't even get the most out of the coaching resources available to him.

Sam Mitchell will not be able to take this particular team to a championship level competitiveness. He has helped them get as far as he can take them. It's time for someone else. Is that coach already on the staff or is that coach outside the organization? If BC decides to make that change, these are the questions he has to ask himself. In terms of cost, familiarity, and availability I wasn't joking when I proposed Butch Carter as a reasonable mid-season replacement--if the choice is made to go outside the organization with the hopes of getting the most out of this current roster. We alway talk about trading for this guy or that, but if the coach we have can't get anything out of a new acquisition, what's the point? The time for change is now, not ten games from now, just now, otherwise the season will be wasted.

"If we fail it is not the roster: it must be the coaching. It looks like Sam needs a perfect roster to succeed and it just doesn't happen in NBA."

This quote sums it all up for me. For the last couple of years, people have been pointing to the roster and how it is not catered to Smitch's coaching philosophy (I'm not quite sure what his philosophy). This year, BC constructs a roster to cater to HIS strengths and yet it's the same result. He is being put in a position to succeed, but is incapable. In turn, Smitch doesn't utilize his roster to maximize its strengths. It really is all lose-lose with Smitch. He cannot micromanage his players or the game. His style is improvisational because it requires no effort. As an aside, I coach Football at my school. This year, I decided to put together a girl's team as well. Now these girls had never played football before, but with A LOT of teaching and practice, they began to understand the game more and more. They played well in their first two games (they were both very close games) and then in our third game we got absolutely pummeled by one of the best teams in the city. I could’ve sat there and made excuses about it being their first season and all, but instead I started going over all of the plays that worked against us and tried to come up with a strategy to counter these deficiencies. I studied and studied the game and created a pretty decent game plan that catered to our strengths. We didn't lose another game and even proceeded to pummel that team that beat us up a couple of months earlier. We ended up losing the city final on the last play, which sucked, but you know what, my f**ken team competed right until the end.

Now why am I posting this useless information you ask? To show that coaching at any level requires study, a strategy, a backup strategy, the ability to make adjustments during games, and the ability to create a gameplan that caters to your team's strengths. This is coaching 101 at every single level. If Sam truly wants to be a head coach in this league, he better learn to study the flippin’ game and become a better strategist. If not, take your millions, your ego and attitude and take a hike! And please take your pick and roll and 100 shats with you.

Interloper - To be honest, I was the one that suggested to Doug Smith a couple years ago that Butch Carter needs a second chance since he managed to do so much, so well... Even though it blew up in his face in the end and how the players resented him afterwards. He's still around Toronto and runs several businesses here, but I don't think he'll get a second chance cause of his history. And that's even though I believe in his fundamental approach to coaching (rack up fouls on the other players, and play aggressively throughout the game)