Tip-In: Toronto Raptors’ Post-Game - Roughed-Up

I could barely watch this game. I don't know if it is just the defensive strategies of the coaching staff or just jose does not understand how to defend. His inablility as well as others and not keep their man in front of them is getting hard to watch. Our rotations on defense along with getting caught on watching the ball too much instead of there man....ahhhhhhhhhhh!! We can go to a zone sometimes - 1-3-1, matching 2-3...try something dammit!!

Is it our coaching staffs EGO or lack of knowledge on defense and offense..I am leaning towards a bit of both.

NEW COACH!! Van Gundy? Saunders? anyone???

it's funny, but with all the moves that have taken place over the last 2 years (even 3,) this is essentially the same team, with the same faults.

now we see just how huge of an effect the big body help down low has been for Bosh. he's not playing defense by himself anymore. but with JO of the shelf, it's back to CB4 looking the mighty helpless fool out there.

I'd be very, very surprised now if something isn't done by BC. and soon.

on a positive note: bargs did a decent job, again. it wasn't magical, but he hung in there against the toughest defense in the league. (that 3rd foul he picked up was a clown's call)

I've decided to boycott the Raptors until, something happens. This team is unbelievably predictable, its like watching a re run of everybody love raymond (which i hate). I shall return to watching their games, when they are somehow different. But as long as Mitchell is coaching, calderon sucking on defence, and moon/kap/graham/parker/adams at the wings. This team will have the same result as last year. BC has to do something quickly, before we come back from the west coast trip 6-10 or so

I don't get why Bosh keeps playing so many minutes. He averages 42 min, which is 5 min more than his career average. I understand letting him play in a close game, but today? (and against e.g Orlando?) There was no reason not to take him out at least 2 min earlier and to give him more than 2 min rest in the first half. The game was not winnable, so give minutes to the bench. Who cares if the loss is by 12 or 21 points?

That was possibly the worst performance by the Raptors I have seen in a long time, especially considering how epic the previous game was against the Nets.

Yet again I am sicked by Sam Mitchell's decision (and indecisions) regarding what should be done:
- leaves Andrea in the game with 2 fouls, and lets him pick up his 3rd personal in the 1st Q! This was huge, considering how Bargs was our best player before he had to go out, and sit out till the 3rd Q! What was the theory here? He won't pick up another foul because he's guarding Pierce? Who's known to drive and get to the foul line? Piss poor decision by Sam.

Smitch might be a great player coach, but it's pretty obvious he lacks the skills needed to adjust as the game goes on and/or get on his players about what it is they are doing wrong and get it changed.

All Raptors fans will agree with me when I say that TIME AFTER TIME, THE BEST SHOOTER/SG/SF OF THE OPPOSING TEAM IS LEFT OPEN AND THE DEFENDER LEAVES HIM TO HELP DOWN LOW, WHY IS THAT?! I am so damn tired of seeing that from our players, I am starting to think it's all part of Smitch's poor game plan (that's if he has a plan to begin with because it sure didn't look like there were much of a plan to start today's game, or the so called 'contingency plan' if JO would not be able to play tonight, which did end up being the case after 2nd Q)

A proper coach should be able to identify it's team weakness(es) and adjust to its needs, and mind you, run proper plays to better utilize your players that you have. When was the last time Smitch ran a play for Kapono? We are paying the best shooter in the league to sit on his butt in the bench and when he's on the court, we are not using him for what he's known for - knock down some 3s! I may not be as basketball savvy as others but outside of Pick and Pop and Pick n Roll, I've failed to identify a proper play coming from Sam this season.

Through Smitch's 4 seasons here, it's always been the same problems/inefficiency that has plagued our beloved Raptors, and I for one say to hell with Sam Mitchell, Bosh deserves a better coach (40 points nights should not equal to losses!), our whole team deserves a better coach, it's time for BC to deliver!

Honestly, I was impressed with Andrea during the few moments of the game I could bear watching. The saving grace of the season will be seeing him develop. Kris Humphries looked good at times as well.

What concerns me about this team is that it's hard to say that each player has been developed to the point where they individually know how to make a positive contribution to a favourable outcome. Things just have to be going right for EVERYONE (coach included) for this team to win against the upper echelon teams and that is the mark of a mediocre squad at best. No team in the NBA has 5 star players in their starting line up, two maybe three at best and the rest is just your average NBA talent utilizing his skills in a complementary manner that helps the stars in a way that leads to victory. Chris Bosh, Jermaine O'Neal when healthy and Andrea Bargnani (by the end of this season) would be star caliber players. That should be enough because that is what the other teams have to work with. Honestly, Cleveland is not more talented than the Raptors but to a man each player knows what goes into a win.

The thing about Boston is that their three best players are complementary and fit the mold of what you would need to play the game well, traditionally. Ray Allen isn't a great defender and neither is Paul Pierce, but it works. Toronto has a situation where their best players aren't necessarily complementary and their coach is still not experienced enough to devise something that works on a consistent basis for those talents.

I know this post is getting long and I apologize, but a point has to be made. The actual number of years Sam Mitchell has been coaching is less than the opposing team's coach on most nights (when you consider experience as an assistant and head coach). The coaching experience he gained wasn't on championship level teams. For him to win, given his background, he needs a solid team of veteran players (see Detroit under Michael Curry) who either individually or collectively have winning situations under their belt. That way he can state his expectations send the player out there and they will execute. Under those circumstances, with his reputation of handling the people he coaches with respect, and his appreciation for the effort one puts into playing the game, he would likely accumulate a very good record. So in conclusion, this coach might be better than we are giving him credit for and this team might be better than we are seeing, but the coupling of coach and team is not optimal, so something has to change otherwise both parties will be denied an opportunity to achieve as much as they could if things were different.

lol KG is nibbling on leon powe's ear.

its amazing how sam is still here. boston made it look too easy having rondo and tony allen get to the basket at will.

if BC doesn't do something NOW, i might go mad.

I CANNOT believe O'neal played... just dumb...

I don't why you say sam pulled him. What I saw was him reinjure himself coming down from a jumpshot and then doing a great chris webber impersonation...

Bosh looked gimpy too and I noticed him massaging his groin (no homo) hopefully that's nothing and Calderon, they're blaming his hammy now, but he's seemed a step slow since the start...

Though myself, I can watch - we've seen worse times like franchise says. And if we don't have wins, at least we get some drama. Chris Bosh's sulking being the prime example.

You adapt your defensive strategy to your personnel and not the other way around. Mitchell is not Sloan and he's not getting the players to fit his system, which must be made of the perfect defensive players there are in NBA. Just play zone and let the other team to beat you from 3's - until now the other teams beat us from the paint.
There is no confidence in this team anymore: Jose, CB4, Kapono, AP gave up. We keep exposing our deficiencies in plain view and there is no adjustement made - that's unbelievable to me!
I expect tomorrow morning to hear Mitchell is fired - if not, BC will be responsible for another underperforming year.

The Raptors have enough talent to be very good (at the very least competitive) night in night out, yet they continue to be overwhelmed especially during game situations.. that is the sole responsibility of the coach.

A good coach leverages the strength of the players on the team, an below average coach:

- runs the same two plays over and over again
- cannot devise a team defensive scheme to mask the weakness of weaker defensive players
- cannot/will not/has not run plays to free up and get the best 3 point shooter in the nba shots/open looks!
- has a hard time drawing up plays during timeout situations

the list goes on and on....

do the Raptors need a solid backup PG and a SG/SF that can play defense and create his own shot? sure, but so do 20 other teams in the league. they have a top5 PF in Chris Bosh, a top5 PG in Jose Calderon, a top5 defensive C in Jermain O'Neal, a diamond in the rough in Andrea Bargnani that any competent coach could use to create mismatches. (imagine what Nellie / Phil Jackson could do with Bargnani!) They should be a top 10 team.

Bryan Colangelo needs to hire Ettore Messina from CSKA Moscow asap.

If that's a longshot then I'd settle for Jeff Van Gundy.

Even when O'Neal & Calderon are hobbling, Humphries & Ukic ARE good enough talents IF THE COACH PLAYED THEM OPTIMALLY!!!!!!!! BC, PLEASE, DO THE RIGHT THING!!!!!!!!

By he way, I still think that the players on this team are good enough to battle the Pistons for 2nd place in the East. Sam is what's holding them back, and the sooner we make the chaange, the better THIS YEAR'S playoffs will be!!!!!!!!

This game was never close.

Chris Bosh has been playing more than 40 minutes a night, played all summer and has a history of wear and tear injuries.

If the game was never close why did he still play 40+ minutes tonight?? Anyone?

Bring in Flip Saunders...

Been hearing that Smitch has had some problems with his vision after a semi-botched laser eye surgery. Perhaps we should throw him on the DL.

Hi; First time poster - long time reader. Thought I would throw down some thoughts about the current disharmony within the Raptors to soothe the spirit.

1. Losing Delfino was considered 'economic collateral damage' of trading for J.O.; BC should have obtained agreements with MLSE to enter luxury tax altitudes during the off-season, not this month. He let go a bonafide player to the benefit of the wait and see 'economics before team' approach. Last time I checked the Raps arent governed by the IMF.

2. Losing Garbo will forever be that 'what if Garbo could have gelled the team into the conference finals' kind of enigma wrapped inside of a riddle. Props to BC on aquiring him - its a real shame he's lost to us. Perhaps in a parralel universe we won a championship with him...

3. Roko and Jose have wonderful chemistry, and by seasons end I'm sure a clear 'mentor and student' relationship will be cemented. Roko is a communicator, clear headed and calm - these are essential PG and leadership skills. Solomon's head of steam belongs jockeying with Adams for that final 2guard spot.

4. BC should pick up Desmond Mason as a crap shoot at the trade deadline for spare parts for our playoff run - and trade Kapono in a package if he can pull off some major steal (honestly, do you see JK ever being able to score anything like a poor man's Rip Hamilton? If no, then what's he doing here?) We are going to have to figure how Jose and Roko can make life easier for him and soon....

5. Nice to see we have our 'Bigs' playing top notch ball (strained knees aside); Our PG situation will cement itself sooner than later - But for christs sake we need to either steal Delfino back from Russia to help toughen up the back court or declare this season 'a building season'; He would really help out AP on defense (AP is going to burn out if we keep using him like we are); Further, at least Count Chocula would take a kamikaze run at the hoop now and then. Something which Roko has shown more than glimpses of being able to do from the back court.

6. Collectively, we as Raps fans should radically accept that we do not have all the parts needed to be a legit NBA powerhouse 'team'. Maybe with free agency, a trade and some luck in the draft before Bosh's contract expires we might finaly get there. I think letting go of the dream for now, and realizing that whats under the hood of this team is a bit of a mess - and messes take time to clean up - especially with hurt feelings, broken expectations and all the suffering that goes with that.

Stick with the vision instead of risk blowing the engine... which begs the question: What exactly is the vision?

Actually, if you you at it, the Raps are basically in the same position the Lakers were in a couple years back. However, in this case, the Raps are handcuffed by JO's contract instead of Shaq's -

http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news;_ylt=AiRQuLJh_xMwC7TRccvlt_i8vLYF?slug=jy-lakerssuns112108&prov=yhoo&type=lgns

Fire the coach is right. It's got to a point of just plain frustration. Bosh has improved under Sam's coaching, but why aren't they easy baskets for him. It's always the same play, clear out the side. Bargs is improving too, which is great. But Kapono has 20 3 point attemps in 13 games. They haven't once tried to get him the ball for any easy shot. All of our shots are jump shots, and no one rebounds the shots, Moon doesn't drive, he always shots, no one cuts no one drive, no one moves anywhere, they all just watch. I'm thinking he might be the worst coach in the NBA. His team doesn't play well. Teams get easy shots, always open shots. Get soloman off the court. I just think that a change wouldn't even slow the team down. A new coach would have so much to work with. I can't wait, Maybe Doug Collins - he sounds like just what we need,super smart, situalional coach because cause the team is just sitting there in idle just waiting to take off. Get rid of him. It's the same plays as last years playoffs, there is absolutely nothing added to this offence, nothing. We should be beating teams when all the bigs do really well. Fire the Mitchell. The city and country want something better. I'm still very optomistic for this team, they can be great.

I'm done with Sam. Boston probably would have won that game regardless, without J.O. in the middle we just aren't that good. But to get down 10-0 in the first, and then to come out and be on the wrong side of a 10-1 run coming out of the half. There's just no excuse for that.

So, now that Mitchell has been fired (in my mind!), who's out there. I heard Doug Collins, he'd be alright. If we wanted to get JK to be the poor man's Rip Hamilton, then why not Flip Saunders who actually coached Rip. Who else is out there? Jeff Van Gundy? Reggie Theus? - he WILL be fired soon. Are there any assistant coached out there we'd like to see?

There's a pretty suscinct article on RealGM about how lousy Mitchell is as a coach. But its nothing that hasn't already been said here.

What exactly is the vision?

Great question Jenge and solid break-down. It's something I'll be talking about in tomorrow's post because as Papa said:

it's funny, but with all the moves that have taken place over the last 2 years (even 3,) this is essentially the same team, with the same faults.

Yesterday indeed showed that this team has the exact same issues defensively, in fact even more so minus Rasho/JO and, gulp, Garbo. I'm not sure what it says that we're missing a 30+ unathletic forward except that the current cast is not the answer...

Update: Carlessimo was sacked in Oklahoma. I'm not so interested in him, but in the assistant that was also fired, Paul Westhead. He's apparently an offensive "guru". Hes' referred to as the "guru of go", which could be fun, since we've got a pretty athletic team as it is.

Some strange stats:
Roko Ukic +9
Jason Kapono +11, no points

Sometimes, you need to watch these games. At least this gives us all ammo to try and force change. Yeah, it's a big bad loss, but for me, it answered a few more questions about just where this team is. Right now, we're uncertain to challenge for a top spot in the Eastern Conference, and that also means it'll be tough going trying to beat a top team in a 7 game series.

Like Franchise and I were talking about over the Jersey loss, it's going to be an interesting week.

Bosh can get mad at everyone around him as much as he wants but at the end of the day, he was TOTALLY unable to stop Kevin Garnett. Yes, he's our best player, leader, bla bla bla, but lets face it, if you stop KG, you stop the Celtics.

Maybe you can get BC to sign Carlisemo as he was fired from the worst team in the league and yall thought he would be a great coach last year. If you can't see the dripping sarcasm then there is no hope for you.
I actually took some positives out of that game.
1. Pierce as invisible. Bargs covered him for a lot of the game (when he was in) and did a decent job. Now granted Pierce normally cranks it up in the 4th quarter and by that time both teams were in garbage time mode but it still looked like a nice line to me.
2. Allen had to have the quietest 21 I can recall. I remember exactly one 3 point shot from him and that is it. Has he turned into a JK?
ok, I am desperate here cause that is all i could find.
Seriously though, I am have come to the conclusion that just like last year we are blaming everyone but the real culprits who are AP and JK. You can talk about Jose not being able to defend the dribble penetration all you want but hasn't it occured to anyone there is a simple solution to that problem? Switch AP to cover the point guard. Yes, I know Calderon would then have to defend the other teams 2 but if AP is the best on the ball defender we have then why isn't he on the ball? The answer of course is because he has slowed down considerablly. I no longer think he can play on the ball d. I have watched him over the season and he always seems a few steps late, and has a tendency to jump at the ball, more then he did when he first came back. His scoring is spotty and although he has hit some huge shots so far this season he has also completely stagnated the offense at times by taking weak jumpers. Kapono is a complete waste of 6 million dollars on this team. I just don't think he is a good fit with the way this team is designed. In order for him to be effective he needs someone who can penetrate and kick and Calderon (maybe because of the injury) just hasn't been able to do that. I have also noticed that Kapono is hesitant when he does get the ball and maybe with Oneal out they should try starting him and see if they can get him involved earlier. If that doesn't work then they need to trade him to a team that can use his skill set. I know a lot of people will blame mitchell but Kapono has to show he can hit the shots before you can start designing plays for him and he hasn't consistently been effective. In fact most times I can barely tell he is on the floor other then when he is bumping someone so they can get a 3 point opportunity at the line (seriously, does the guy not know how to foul hard?).

The next two games will determine the future of Smitch in T.O.

Did Mitchell really have a game plan? Doc Rivers clearly knew that if shut Bosh down, you shut the Raptors down. Smitch didn't adjust... which is unacceptable considering he's had years to figure out plan B.

It took Ray Allen knocking down 20+ points before Parker stopped helping down low leaving him wide open. Where are the timely adjustments to stop the bleeding?

I think a great example of how Smitch doesn't utilize his players properly, is Adams. Going in to the season many writers raved about the signing. Hollinger tought he was very effective for NJ in his rookie year and he should be just as effective here... only he was coach by Laurence Frank in New Jersey and he's coached by Mitchell here. Now I know Adams' minutes are few, but yesterday I couldn't see anything in his game that would have Hollinger so supportive.

Smitch never gives the team the direction it needs to win. A good coach should prepare a team for the game and give them strategic life. We live and die by our ability to hit shots... not our ability to create them, and certainly not our ability to stop them. Creating and stopping shots are what a coach is for. Smitch has shown he can do neither.

Garnett comparing us to his days in Minnesota along with the finger wagging in Calderon’s face (not to mention taking on the red rocket a few years back) has to qualify him for public enemy #1. I propose that all negative attention from now on should be moved from VC to KG.

Also, (conspiracy theory time) does anyone else get the feeling that Sam isn’t too upset if we lose to his best pal KG?

McGateway: "Kapono has to show he can hit the shots before you can start designing plays for him" Seriously dude, did you watch any games this season? JK is lethal! He’s as close to automatic as we’ve seen since Del Curry roamed these bad lands.

Any criticism of JK is rightfully deflected to Mitchell. They could use JK in the pick and pop, but they don’t! They could run a screen for JK, but they don’t! They could just give JK the ball at half court for an easy shot, but they don’t!

There is nothing wrong with JK. There is nothing wrong with BC’s decision to bring him here for (given how good a shooter he is) what turns out to be a good price. The only problem is that Sam has decided not to utilize him. It’s the same thing with JG. JG came into one of the games last week (can’t remember which one), gives some great hustle and does a fairly good job. Picks up a foul and is gone! Moon replaces him. He proceeds to jack up 3s and take fouls yet he stays. Joey may very well be our best perimeter defender, but we’ll never know.

What about Jim Todd?

Definately one of the worst b-ball weekends in recent memory.
Who decided that JO should play? Really don't think we should of risked further injury.

Fire the players!

This team is not a championship level team. Anthony Parker would make an exceptional backup 2-guard on a championship level team, but that's beside the point.

I know some in the media (Smith, Doug) are saying it's only 13 games in, but after those thirteen games it's evident that this team is not going to win the championship, so why not make the drastic changes now.

I get concerned when teams proceed through a season and are dependent on playoff seeding for success. Good teams don't worry about who they are matched up against. Luckily things have started out badly enough to really expose what's missing. As a fan, I would be satisfied with significant progress toward a championship level competitiveness, so what disappoints me most about the situation now is that it is already clear that that progress is not being made.

One more thing, we should avoid "choir think" and overvalue the players on the team. I would be ok with trading ANYONE if what was coming back would eventually translate into a championship or chance at a championship over several years. Think the Blue Jays circa 1991 trading Tony Fernandez and Fred McGriff.

BC should target the coach he has always wanted for the team whomever that might be, bring him in, open the lines of communication to make anyone on the roster available for the right pieces and just make that real progress that has been lacking for so long. I wouldn't fault him for that, even if the short term consequences were not pretty.

Can't fire the players so let's give Smitch a few more games to show he can at least get consistent effort from this team and if they continue in their current malaise, set him free. But please don't hire Saunders or Johnson or even Van Gundy (unless it's SVG). I don't think any of them are a great fit for this team and committing to a long-term contract at this time is dumb. Firing Sam may mean giving up on the season but if the team has given up on him . . .

I was at the game yesterday and our out of bounds plays and offence in general look pathetic. There's so little movement away from the ball and if a team shuts down the first or second option it becomes a free-for-all and seldom ends well. Maybe it's the players' fault, but the only way for BC to find that out is to see what happens with a better coach.

I'd be delighted to be wrong about this but it's looking like the lottery might be the best result we can get from this team this year.

And Anthony Parker is done as a starter. And our wing problems are probably as much BC's fault as Smitch's. It's just that BC has a few mistakes left before people should start thinking about letting him go.

Could Jack Armstrong coach this team, at least on an interim basis? Familiarity with the franchise and its players, coaching experience, and I think he could maintain some assistants without much of a transition. If the thing preventing a coaching change is cost and the time it would take for a new coach to acclimate himself to the inner workings of the organization, why not utilize someone who is already part of the organization (even if it is as a broadcaster currently) for the short term at least. I guess it might anger Leo.

If they fire Sam, and I think they should even though he's a decent guy, they should appoint English or one of the other assistants interim coach. Things are looking f'ed up this year, sure, but I don't think this team needs to be blown up. Significant changes in personnel may be in order but panic ain't going to help things.

Interloper, I like the idea. Maybe he could coach and keep his colour commentator gig (don’t want Leo gaining any more ground). In fact, maybe he could also insert himself into the game on occasion when the team gets into one of those ruts when we can’t seem to score.

Speaking of those ruts, I’d like to see the team try something new, maybe something like this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=glbCpgSRebw

Move to the 1:33 mark

Marcus Williams? What do ya say? He wants out of G-State. He would shore up our backup PG deficiency quite nicely. I know this limits the Roko's grooming strategy, but hey, figure it out. I'm not saying William's is the answer to our problems, but every little piece helps along the way. Obviously, there's a glaring need at the 3 spot. Someone address this finally, we're simply getting destroyed by our oppenents in this position. Ok, so cap space is a problem and we might not be able to rectify this just yet. Maybe a trade? I dunno...so many questions, not enough answers just yet.

N

Wizards fire Eddie Jordan...

Sam, you're next!

With Jordan gone that's two teams looking for coaches... there is a small list of good coaches out there... if BC has his eye on any of them... I'm sure the Thunder and Wizards do too...

Competition for coaching talent is growing...

Too soon maybe. But I'm really worried that if we do axe Smitch we won't have the best pool of coaches to choose from.

But maybe BC is eyeing the end of the year. You have to believe that if the raps miss the playoffs, or are ousted in the first round again that Smitch is gone.

It's interesting that the Wizards fired Jordan and admittedly doesn't bode well for Mitchell. Jordan got a banged up team to play as a unit last year and surprise many. He then got a big vote of confidence from management and other coaches admired the work he did. However this year has been the complete opposite and obviously management's patience wore thin VERY quickly.

BC wasn't at the game yesterday, strangely, so you have to wonder just what he's up to.

Post-game yesterday before I started in on the recap, I actually pondered the idea of Jack coaching. I'd love it, but I'm not sure he's suited to manage NBA egos. It might be a case of Buck Martinez all over again and I'd hate to see Jack not be around the team in some capacity if the club stumbled.

As much as I think Mitchell needs to go, I still think the bigger problem is the tools he's got to work with.

Ok, a question to any reader who has actually coached basketball at some level. How do you use the Raptors pieces to be competitive on a night in and night out basis? If we assume that the Raptors roster remains as is for the balance of the season, what kind of plays would put them in a position to succeed. I have never coached so take my two cents for what it's worth but I am thinking if defense is our weakness and our roster is such that we present mismatches on the offensive end that is where we should be placing our emphasis. Imagine if someone would take the risk of implementing an all zone defense all the time approach to mask our one on one deficiencies and focus their attention on simply devising an exceptional offense.

Great Post as usual..I always support Sam but I have to agree with everyone about getting a new coach and its not because of the game on Sunday but against the Nets on Friday...Sam was no match for LFrank he was out class and out coach. Frank was deadly coming out of timeouts against the Raps and in that game we did not score once..(I think) coming out of a timeout. Sam did an admirable job with his 5 years here but its time for the team to go in another direction with its coaching position...my choice would be Flip Saunders he has a very good play book. The coach should take the blame but the Players have to take some of the blame too. Not too many people has mentioned Jose Calderone's defence, Jose has got to be the worst defending point guard in the league, everybody blows by him with ease, Martin has a field day with him on Friday and Rondau made him look pathetic yesterday, hence Parker has to leave his man...(Ray Allen) to help. If JC could play a little defence there would not be so many wide open 3's and dump off in the paint for dunks against Boston. So lets not just hang Smitch give the players some of the blame and what do you do when your point guard can't defend, you have to perfect your zone defence, which is something Sam is still learning...I will just leave it up to BC to rectify this situation because right now it does not look good for the Raps and you can see it in Bosh's body language...For starters I say we upgrade our coach..Sorry Sam......Raps4Life

Franchise, the Armstrong, Buck Martinez comparison crossed my mind but I think the difference there would be Martinez never actually coached before getting the opportunity. Armstrong also strikes me as having a humility that Martinez was lacking. The suggestion was for an interim assignment, something to maybe get the most out of this group until Colangelo could arrange for a long term solution in the off-season. I wonder how well Armstrong has related to the players over the years in his media capacity, if at all. I'm not sure what kind of insight being exposed to the NBA player on that level offers a person to prepare them for handling egos, but I figure he would be in a better position to handle these egos than someone coming straight out of college. I guess another question is, would he want the job if offered and would he get the participation of the assistants if they were passed over for him? I guess that could apply to anyone coming in as a potential replacement. I would figure a complete overhaul of the coaching staff would take longer to bear fruit than a change at the top, but maybe that is necessary.

OK to play Devil’s advocate:

Grange has some interesting counterpoints to the cries for Mitchell’s head… I think we need to all back up a bit and think through this rationally. Ask yourself the question, do you really think with Jerry Sloan coaching the players on the roster now that this team would be that much better? No coach in the world is going to manufacture another playmaker on this team or enable Jose to guard his man one on one. Anyway, just some food for thought… Take a read of his post and maybe some of you put down the pitchforks and torches…. http://www.theglobeandmail.com/blogs/wbbasketball

Look, I’m not saying Smitch is the best coach walking the face of the earth. But what is gained by firing him 13 games into the season?

Another point as Chris Bosh alluded to after the game. This team’s core problem is perimeter defence, and as Chris says here, its not about coaching, its not about X’s and O’s and strategy, its about ability and effort. And that’s on the players:

(CB4 in post-game scrum)
"It's just effort. Most of the times, guys are breaking us down one-on-one.
"You can only motivate a guy, there are no Xs and Os to one-on-one defence. You just have to square your guy up and just make an effort. Just tell him, `You're not going to score on me.' That's what it's about."

MAC..I always like reading your comments, and I totally agree with you, these players are just not doing their job and thats why Bosh was so pissed. The problem is plain to see..JC is a great offensive point guard allstar caliber but he will never make the allstar team with his defensive abilities which right now is being exposed by opposing guards. Rondau just take it to Jose and I know he is a little hobbled but even when he is health teams go after him, he has to learn how to keep his guy in front of him or how to steer his man into traffic. Kapono runs around like Rip but he does not get open because he is too slow and his defender alway catch up with him and contest his shots, he needs to learn how to position himself and work off screens so he can free up himself, not just run around the court. We have a good team but these are just not bringing it on a nightly basis except for Bosh, Bargs and JO and we already see that those guys can have a great game and the Raps still looses....

BC was at the game yesterday Franchise...at least for awhile anyways..i was there and got to go back to the locker room through the VIP suites and he was in his usual spot with Wayne Embry...this was right after an embarassing first quarter...and he did not look happy at all.

wow, the whole of the internet peoples are really holding hands on the 'fire Mitchell' situation today. more so than I've ever seen, I think. it's everywhere.

kind of feel bad for the guy.

for me it's a hard one. I'm pretty sure Sam is a decent enough guy and he tries real hard, and I like him. but I've also thrown food at the TV hoping to hit him and cursed him in languages I don't even speak.

does he have the players to succeed? maybe. maybe not.

what I do know is that people keep talking about the players and how they need to step up and give 'the' effort, as if it were a magical hat they could just throw on in between time outs. but to me - I think they are trying. and that maybe they're just not fast enough, or talented enough. so why keep putting them in the same situations that aren't working? play after play, game after game.

it's more than just effort out there not being displayed. it's more - there's confusion. now maybe that's because the players are just stupid. not enough bball IQ amongst the rotation players to warrant even talking in sign language.

but then isn't it on the coach to say hey, what we're trying to do here just isn't working. let's figure something else out. how can we get the players we have right now into a system that works?

and by the way, we're talking about people who make millions of dollars a year. interesting.

Grange has a bit of point but I think a lot of the disappointing start can be put on Smitch, even though I would have liked to see him succeed. Smitch is a motivational coach more than an x's and o's guy but this team is clearly unmotivated. The offensive stagnation and inability to inbound the ball are partly the coach's fault. Sure, players may seize up in the moment but the lack of off-the-ball movement in the Raptors offense is astounding. If it were the Pistons with their group of vets/guys who've been together forever, I'd put more blame on the players but players like Bargs and Kapono and Parker need to have an offence that gets them looks. Mitchell's schemes look easy to defend and that's on him. So a few players might need to be moved, maybe even some significant players, but the only way you know that is if a coach with strengths Smitch never had or no longer has with this team, gets a year with these players.

Give Smitch 10-15 more games. If the team does not look dramatically different from the one we've seen for the past 10, hire/appoint an interim coach and start looking to next year. We still have Bosh, JO, Bargs and Jose next year. They might be able to pull it out.

Franchise, I can't agree with your assertion that Parker is an "above average" wing defender. I'll give you average...at best. It's not like his cover ever usually has a horrible night...they usually still manage to "get theirs."

The other issue is if Sam gets fired, who comes in? As much as we like Jack as a commentator, has he ever coached an NBA game? When was he last coaching, anyway? Van Gundy just signed a 5 year tv deal, so I would guess that he's unlikely to renege on that. Who else is out there that would come for cheap since MLSE isn't gonna want to pay a lot on top of what's already guaranteed to Sam? Triano, who has also never coached an NBA game?

BC was at the game bro. He left looking frustrated sometime. I think some trades are gonna come. Mitchell wont get fired, cuz our assistants seems to be yesmen to me with no coaching experience (I know Alex English wants to coach). Anyway The only trading pieces we have are

O'neal, Calderon, Bargs, Kapono. Who will we trade?

I say Calderon, he would have the highest trade value, his contract is reasonable and I think Smitch's P n R systems allows an Average PG. (lol I know I will get blasted for this. But I think with calderon's defence, we will always have trouble defending/rotating, and it was nice to hear jack finally discuss that topic).

Calderon and Parker to Dallas for Howard and Jason Terry?

Calderon probably has higher trade value, but i think Howard needs a new team

If Jose is getting beat constantly by rajon rondo, why is anyone from the wing coming to help? Isn't that why we have three bigs in the game? Let Rondo take it to the rim and run into our bigs. That's what we have them for. Keep our wings on the wing to prevent the drive and kick out which has been killing us! If Rondo wants to drive and pop to avoid the bigs, lets let him beat us with mid range shots. There are many ways to cover Jose's deficiencies on D. Why have we barely given zone d schemes a chance? Why are we not trapping good point guards high to get the ball out of their hands? Why are guys like Jamario Moon and Bosh not getting 1 or 2 weak side blocks per game? These are coaching problems, not personnel problems.

With the number of quality bigs that we have, we should never be getting beat in the paint in terms of scoring. If a team gets hot and shoots the lights out, so be it, but there's no excuse to be getting beat on the inside and the outside, night in and night out.

And on offense, the only person who comes off screens looking to gun is Anthony Parker. I know Kapono isn't fast, but surely he could get open for some looks. I mean, guys like Korver and Szezerbiak made a career getting off screens for shots.

And in terms of getting movement, I haven't seen Jose get to the rack (or even attempt to get there) since last season, save for a few times thus far. Penetration creates movement. Every team in the league is able to guard the Raps straight up, while we end up having to switch on D every possesion.

Last year there were a handful of coaches that put together teams whose records were better than the sum of their parts. The Wizards, the 76ers, the Kings, all played far better than the talent they had on the floor night in and night out. Sam Mitchell is an average coach. Not a terrible coach, not a good coach. Supreme talent can hide poor coaching (look at Doc Rivers who was widely panned as being a terrible coach prior to the arrival of the three amigos). But only great coaching can make a mediocre roster into a contender. And that's what we're missing.

As always, I've come up with some trades that could work under the CBA, just for schnitz and giggles:

Kapono + Parker + Hump for Kyrilenko

Kapono + Parker + Soloman + Adams for Lamar Odom

Hump + Jawai + 2nd rounder to NJ for Najara and CDR

Moon + Graham to GS for Belinelli + Marcus Williams and 2nd rounder.

Humphries to GS for Azibuike.

Anyway, that's my last rant on Mitchell until the next game.

Weird thought of the day.

Would Jorge Garbajosa be a better coach than Smitch?

I think so.

-good rapport with most of the current Raps.
-teach them to play D with their feet and their smarts rather than jumping into the stands trying to block a 3 pointer 'a la Jamario'
-knows how to help our international players (Roko, Bargs)
-actually call plays other than the pick and pop
-plus i think somewhere in his mind he must feel that he owes BC due to the ugly circumstances that he left.
-re-unites family with Jose's
-should work well with Gherardini

Just thinking outside the box.

Any thoughts? And no I'm not joking.
-

Coaching is a profession just like anything else bro, So Jorge would need to be coaching now to be considered. Even Mitchell is lacking with the x's and o's and he was an assistant for a few years in addition to playing in the NBA for 10+ years.

I think Eddie Jordan would be a good fit here. Many people have a problem with his rotation and not trusting the young guys. >But his offence allows everyone to have chances and with Bargs/Bosh I think this offence would work well.

How about this guy coming in?

Michael William Krzyzewski.

The Lakers couldn't pry him away but maybe the Olympic experience got his juices flowing to finally enter the big dance. Does Bosh have him in his "fave 5"?

My point about Kapono wasn't to say he doesn't have ability it was to say that he is a poor fit for this team. When teams forget about him he can kill them but he is slow and as others have pointed out he has a hard time shaking his defender off screens. I don't think it is a suprise that his best years were when he was playing with Shaq and Wade. He is a perfect complimentary player to guys who demand double teams and currently on Bosh demands the double on the Raps and the way the offense is constructed he is basically doing nothing (maybe he needs to be the one to get the ball to Bosh so when his man cheats to help out he will be open but his passing is suspect I have seen him make so many weak passes this year I am starting to think he needs to hit the gym).

I agree with the statement completely:

t's funny, but with all the moves that have taken place over the last 2 years (even 3,) this is essentially the same team, with the same faults.

But the one variable that has been constant is? Not the players, but Sam Mitchell teaching the same philosophy and running the same plays with different players. It's time for a change for everyone!

Triano has coached an NBA game. I mentioned this in a previous post. Last year when Smitch was out with the flu, The Raps played the Pacers and looked very fluid. Posters on this board and even members in the media commented on what good a job Jay did in running the team.

Colour me a big fan of giving the reigns to Jay Triano. He would be off the hook. He's respected by everybody who has ever worked or played with him.

I guarantee you that the Raps would have improved game calling.

While I`m definitely not a Smitch fan and his time definitely seems to be up, does nobody think the JO team is hurting the Raps more than it`s helping? While he`s a good player, he`s definitely not worth approx, $2o mill of cap space. BC has decimated the great bench he built from scratch. We still don`t have a starting level SG nor SF as playing Bargs out of position is not a long term answer.

This is just a pipe dream, but the Wizards just fired their coach, they are 1 and 10 with not much hope to get better this year with Haywood out all season and Arenas doubtful until the new year... Plus they just resigned Jamison and Arenas. I wonder if they wouldn't be willing to blow it up. Which leads me to Caron Butler. Caron would quite possibly be the perfect fit with Bosh and Calderone long term. With these three players I think you have a championship quality nucleous with the right pieces around them... We probably don't have the pieces to do it but maybe if other teams got involved... Just dreaming out loud.

I'm down with Triano. 100%. I have been thinking more and more recently that he is the logical guy to step in. Hand him the reins after the west coast trip. Though perhaps the sooner we get Smitch out of town the better.

Triano would be pretty sick though. Hopefully he has some idea of how to get Kapono open (10 3pta a game!). He did coach him on the select team pre-olympics.

I respect Triano. He has a familiarity with the players. It would be great experience for him. I doubt he would be a solution past this year, but I wouldn't dismiss it out of hand.

If we are going to throw out ridiculous trade scenarios then why don't we try some that make some sense but come with some risk.
1. JG to Houston for Stevie Francise. On the surface the raptors would be taking on a huge headache but doesn't he fill a lot of our needs? He can back up Calderon and play some 2 if we got desperate.
2.The Parker & moon for Mason makes sense for both teams. Not sure how willing OKC would be to move Mason but you have to think Mason would like to get a chance to play serious minutes on a semi contender rather than play out the sting on a loser.
3. Slightly longer shot but Travis Outlaw for Parker also works. Not sure that Portland would be intersted but if they were competing at the wire its a no lose trade for them as Parker is gone after this year anyway.
4. Felton for Parker also works though again not sure whether Bobcats would want to ditch Felton but as he is a free agent (restricted) and he just lost his starting job to a rook it might work. It doesn't address their need at the wing but it could make for a useful trade in Feb.

The only way I see Portland trading Outlaw for Parker is if we blackmail them with a threat of signing Darius Miles (which would screw up the Blazers cap-room for the next couple of years).

Hi. Some people make headlines while others make history.
I am from Croatia and also now am reading in English, tell me right I wrote the following sentence: "Benefit silky powder eye shadow in guess again value."

Best regards :), Leta.

Nice original site.
I am from Croatia and also now am reading in English, give true I wrote the following sentence: "The cut of own materials and officers in other revenues is newly running the soft amount industry in the united states."

Thanks for the help :(, Giacinta.