Jump Ball

by RaptorsHQ - Archives on Aug 13, 2008 12:00 AM EDT in Feature Stories

Jose Calderon and his Spanish mates may have some explaining to do...

Howland: So let’s start things off with a question, what will we be looking for early on when training camp starts and the regular season kicks off? On my part I think the most interesting story line early on will be Andrea Bargnani. There has been a lot of talk about his off-season training and people are going to expect to see a big difference in his game almost immediately. Year three is the make or break one right? Colangelo will have a chance to lock him up long term after the season so it will be interesting to see how Bargnani performs.

The biggest thing I will be watching for is not necessarily a particular skill, but just a better demeanor. I hope to watch him on the court and see a more confident, polished player. If Bargs can come to camp looking sharp it takes a load of pressure off both the other bigs in Bosh and O'Neal. The perfect situation is if Bargs can give a consistent effort from the get-go so Mitchell doesn't need to put too much pressure on a guy who played all summer and a guy who should be eased into things.

My focus is going to shift half-way through the season though when my eyes will be on Jose Calderon. Around game 40 I think we will start to get a sense of whether he is up for leading this team for all 82 games.

Franchise: I agree, those are two big things to watch. We'll be talking about Bargs as a real X factor later this summer but I think the other thing that bears watching is how guys like Jason Kapono and Jamario Moon play. Does Moon take the next step? Does Kapono find himself being used more to his strengths?

Right now though, my focus is on Calderon with the recent Spanish basketball team-photo debacle. There hasn't been a huge media explosion at this point, but you gotta wonder what the Raptors' PR folks are thinking. (Or what the Spanish team themselves were thinking for even taking this photo.) Toronto's demographics and fan base is a lot different than that of say a Charlotte Bobcats or a New Orleans Hornets so the team might have to switch to full damage control mode. It's just yet another black mark on Spanish sport.

Howland: People shouldn't have the right to get upset about that photo if they are not protesting human rights injustices, environmental issues and China's insular approach to global issues. Poor taste? You bet. Worth debating further? No. Sure with Toronto being a multi-cultural city there might be some concern in the MLSE public relations department but this a petty issue. Imagine being in the PR department for the Pistons or Pacers after the malice in the palace. Talk about earning your keep.

Franchise: No, that's true. I guess it's just going to be interesting to see if there's any fall-out from the whole thing in terms of what the Raptors do. What the Spanish team did isn’t much different than a team painting their faces in black paint circa the movies of the 1920’s had the Olympics been someplace in Africa. Just idiotic so let’s move on.

Next topic, free-agent signings. Did Josh Smith get too much? How about Emeka?

Howland: I don't think either got too much as both teams were in similar positions in that they HAD to sign these guys. For Charlotte it was all about showing a commitment to winning while in Atlanta had they let Smith walk for nothing, there may have been a full-scale revolt. Can you imagine Rick Sund's reputation had he not matched?! I like the Josh Smith deal a lot more than the Emeka deal because Smith has a higher ceiling. I will say that if I was any other team but Charlotte I would not have signed Emeka to that deal. He is not a star, but rather a guy who you put next to a star. What will be interesting is to see what happens with Iggy now. Is he worth more than these two guys? We have talked about the fact that he is a perfect second or third option but it looks like he will want "star power" money now.

Franchise: I hope Iggy signs with Memphis...that would be fantastic. (Editor’s note, Iguodala and the 76ers came to terms yesterday evening.) I agree that the Smith deal makes a lot more sense than Okafor, but it just sucks if you're a fan of either team. Now you have limited cap room for limited talent.

The Hawks in fact remind me of the original Superfriends cartoon series. What a useless super-hero team. Superman is the only one who can really do anything. Any time they had to go and fight some dragon or space villain, the rest of the team was screwed. I mean, what the hell is Aquaman going to do in Space; summon some flying dolphins? And Batman? Sure he'll have some sort of Bat shuttle, but once that gets destroyed he's done as well. Wonderwoman was the only other semi legit talent.

Right now the Hawks are the same. Joe Johnson is solid in a few areas
like Wonderwoman, and Josh Smith still has a ton of upside not to mention multiple skillsets. I guess that makes him Superman in my analogy. The rest of the team? Ugh. One-dimensional players at this point. Maybe there's some hope with Al Horford...but the Hawks even lost their Wonder Twin Josh Childress to the European superhero league.

Howland: So what character would Speedy Claxton be? I actually wouldn't have been surprised if Memphis had tried to sign Iggy to an offer sheet. Look there is no way Josh Smith wanted to play for the Grizz and I can't help but think that Memphis putting forth the offer was a favour to Smith's agent. The Grizz need all the help they can get in luring free agents there, let alone draft picks, so making good with the agents when the time is right is a smart move. Why wouldn't the Grizz have tried to do the same thing with Iggy? Worst-case scenario they have Iggy alongside Gay, Mayo and Conley, which in my books makes them one of the most exciting teams in the league to watch. Sort of like Portland last season…now if Darko could suddenly make like Optimus Prime and transform into Greg Oden...

The Hawks = The Superfriends?

Franchise: Hands down Claxton would be "Gleek," the Wondertwins' Space
Monkey. Both get injured or captured and screw things up for their teammates all the time. Darko right now isn't even in the Transformer league, he's more like a Gobot.

So looking at next year, what team are you most excited to watch outside of our Raptors, Portland? I can't wait to see how bad Minnesota is going to be. That team is one Al Jefferson injury away from being the Dakota Wizards.

Howland: I am pretty sure my NBA fantasy team is one Al Jefferson injury away from being the Dakota Wizards. Portland was my team to watch last season for late games. I can't see that changing this season either although GS is a close second. Who do you think wins more games next year, the Warriors or the Clips? I will tell you the teams I won't be watching and they all reside in Houston. Now with the Artest trade I think Rocket games are going to be painful to watch and I am anticipating NCAA scores when they play. The Mavs I expect will be brutal and will deal Josh Howard or Dirk at the deadline (think Portland for Aldridge and parts), and San Antonio will still bore me. I love fundamental ball but during the regular season I would rather watch fast-paced games, which I guess means I should enjoy Raptors games a little less...but that won't be the case.

Speaking of teams to watch what's your prediction on teams making the playoffs in the East and West?

Franchise: Those are some big trade predictions! As for Warriors or Clips, that's tough. Assuming everyone stays healthy, I'm going to say the Clips. They actually have a fairly solid roster and I expect them to fight for a final playoff spot in the West. So in terms of predictions...hmmm...still a bit early maybe but in the West I have the Hornets, Lakers, Suns, Blazers, Rockets, Jazz, Mavericks and Spurs as of now…but not in that order. In the East? Celtics, Pistons, Magic, Raptors, 76ers, Heat, Cavs and Wizards and once again, not in that set order. Should be a close fight for spots 3 right to 8 as I think the Heat will be a lot better than people expect as long as they stay healthy. What about first coach to be fired, who would you say?

Howland: When it comes to coaches getting fired...it's a tough call. I would probably go with Mike Woodson, Mike Brown or Mark Iavaroni. There is a lot of new coaches this year it seems so unless we have a situation like Rudy T in La La Land I don't expect much on the coaching side of things...of course none of us should be surprised if Larry Brown headlines started popping up. Of course if the Raps start poorly there is always Sam....

Franchise: Yeah, let’s not even get into that yet, it’s still August. However you’re right, should the team falter yet stay healthy…

Ok even discussing this issue is making me queasy.

Back to Olympic trampolining…

THE HQ

Tweet Comment 20 comments | 0 recs |

Do you like this story?

Comments

I don't see brown on the immediate chopping block because that would leave Ferry exposed (for not getting him a quality PG to play along Lebron). Iavaroni should be safe because Memphis is a rebuilding team and you don't fire your coach on a rebuilding team until the players revolt or your ready to compete (why pay 2 salaries for a coach when you are a lottery team?). Woodson on the other hand is probably toast. If Atlanta doesn't get off to a respectable start (somewhere in the .500 area) then he will probably get axed, that is, of course, if the owners can settle their differences long enough to do it. In fact, I think the most likely candidates to get fired are Lawrence Franks, Eddie Jordan, and Smitch, all for the same reason. All three are coaches of teams that were recently contenders or in the playoffs and all three could (emphasis on could) take a step back this year (especially NJ). Franks is shaky not because he sucks as a coach but their team is going to be brutal this year and how long do you think Mrs Carter will stand for it before requesting some sort of action? Franks may get a bye this season because they are rebuilding but I just don't see him there in the long term as Jay-z will want a sexy name to coach them when they move to the Brook. If a good name becomes available then he may pull the trigger. The other two have good teams which are expected to contend but could falter for a number of reasons. If either team struggles out of the gate they could get axed.

by McGateway on Aug 13, 2008 12:00 AM EDT reply actions

Great article one again:

Don't sleep on the Hawks they played the championship Celtics much better than Detroit or the Lakers did.

Mike Bibby is an allstar caliber PG and Joe Johnson has already made an allstar team. How many teams in the league start a backcourt of that caliber?

Marvin Williams has improved his scoring and rebounding every season he has been in the league....plus the guy is still only 22 years old.

Same thing goes with Josh Smith although he will likely be competing for an allstar spot next year.

Al Horford was runner up for the rookie of the year and given the style of game he plays I don't think he will pull an Andrea next year.

Basically this team is lacking depth at the powerforward and center spot however now that they will ahve all season with the same group they should be much bettter.

However if they struggle Woodson will get booted out....Josh Smith and him already don't get along...and they won't get rid of Smith.

The mavs really shot themselves in the foot with the J Kidd trade. Didn't deliver a championship and now he will be tire himself out before the season starts...he already looks two steps slower. Even as Dirk ages having two young guys in Devin Harris and Josh Howard gave them something to build around.

Looks like the Cavs are trying to land Mo Williams.....that won't workout....never really liked his game.

by wtf on Aug 13, 2008 12:00 AM EDT reply actions

unrelated to basketball, I find it funny that people are upset about that photo that the spanish team took. It seems just a little bit touchy to actually get upset about that. Granted I'm not chinese, but I didn't find the picture offensive or racist at all, I thought it was funny in a stupid/silly sense.

REAL prejudice can actually stop going away once people aren't getting upset over clearly innocent things.

by dp on Aug 13, 2008 12:00 AM EDT reply actions

*...real prejudice can START going away...

lol

by dp on Aug 13, 2008 12:00 AM EDT reply actions

Aquaman ruled !

Spanish team should feel embarrassed for their immaturity but story should go no farther than an apology.

People need to lighten up. Remember when Shaq was meeting Yao for the first time and Shaq was asked if he had anything to say to Yao, his response was " Ching chang chong" or something similar. Yao's response - "hey Chinese is a tough language".

by Tinman on Aug 13, 2008 12:00 AM EDT reply actions

Wow, i'm pretty surprised about the photo controversy. Here we didn't read that gesture as derogatory not even in the slightest, it seemed more like a funny (even empathetic ) gesture.

Still, given the reaction, it must have been wrong. It's the same as when you're driving the wrong way in the road: if you see lots of cars coming opposite you, it's a lot more reasonable to admit that you are driving the wrong way rather than think that you are correct and the other 99% of cars are wrong. So, the spanish team should take note about not joking with this and offer our full apologies to anyone offended.

by Sergi P on Aug 13, 2008 12:00 AM EDT reply actions

It's all about context. In Spain, it might not be seen as derogatory. If you're not East Asian, then you've never been taunted or insulted because of your physical features. But if, say, you are someone of E. Asian descent who was born and/or grew up in N. America on schoolyards in which you were the minority, then it's something different.

It's not as easy to "lighten up" about it if you've had this sort of crap leveled at you. That being said, the Spanish team did not intend to make fun of the Chinese or anything with that photo, but you really have to wonder what was going on inside the heads of those who thought that a picture like this would be "fun." More sensitivity on their part would have been appreciated, that's for sure.

Regardless, I still hope the Spanish beat the USA in the gold medal match.

by Ted C on Aug 13, 2008 12:00 AM EDT reply actions

http://www.josemanuelcalderon.com/indexEN.html

"I would like to share a story with you about something that happened with the Spanish National Team that someone interpreted incorrectly. It happened in the photo session where the Spanish National Team was introduced; one of our sponsors asked us to pose with a "wink" to our participation in Beijing, we made an oriental expression with our eyes. We thought it was something appropriate and that it would always be interpreted as somewhat loving. Never the less some of the European media did not see it this way.

From here I would like to declare that we have a huge respect for the East and their people, some of my best friends in Toronto are from China and one of our Spanish National Team sponsors is the Chinese brand Li Ning. Anyone who would like to interpret this differently is absolutely confused.
"

by axl on Aug 13, 2008 12:00 AM EDT reply actions

Looks like it was the sponsor who pushed the whole "slant eyes" photo on the team and not actually the team's idea. Also, Calderon makes a good point, though, I think an apology for offending anyone would also be nice. Here's the article I'm referring to: http://nba.fanhouse.com/2008/08/13/spaniards-meant-the-slant-eyed-photo-to-be-loving-blame-you-f/

Again, I don't find the photo terribly offensive, but then again, I don't find Robert Downey Jr. playing a black man in a funny movie offensive either, but some people do...and its for reasons that laregly have nothing to do with not having a sense of humour.

by Casey on Aug 13, 2008 12:00 AM EDT reply actions

Racism is about hate. What was displayed in that photo is just ignorance. So I agree it is not something to go to war over. What is most disappointing though is some of the reaction to this photo. "People shouldn't have the right to get upset about that photo if they are not protesting human rights injustices, environmental issues and China's insular approach to global issues." So if the Spanish team dresses up in monkey suits for the 2020 Olympics in Congo, a black man does not "have the right" to be upset unless he spends his Saturdays protesting genocide and conscription of children at Mel Lastman Square? If you've ever been called slanty eyes in elementary school, you got the RIGHT to be upset. If you've ever had kids in your daycamp bark "Ching chang chong" at you for kicks, you got the RIGHT to be upset.

This photo though can still end up yielding a lot of good, if it sparks some healthy discussion, and if it means that people will take an extra moment to appreciate the perspective of other races before tossing an issue under a warm and familiar blanket.

by Rico S on Aug 13, 2008 12:00 AM EDT reply actions

I think its clear from Jose's comments (and Sergi P's explanation) that the gestures weren't meant disrespectfully, but it still shows a shockingly low level of common sense.

I felt the same way about Shaq's mocking of Yao's language - it's not a serious offense, but it would be wrong to think it isn't offensive.

I think the Hawks are a very interesting team to watch, and I think Horford will grow into a beast, but I also think they will miss Childress more than they think.

You can put me in the 'Aquman Sucks' camp, and for the record Black Vulcan was the third most powerful Superfriend after Superman and Wonder Woman.

On a side note Black Vulcan was actually an uncredited rip off of DC Comics Black Lightning - but Hannah Barbera didn't want to pay the BL creator for the rights.

Lastly, I'm not convinced the Raps will rise or fall on Bargnani. He could be awful and the Raps could still win a round or two. Likewise, he could be awesome and the Raps could miss the playoffs.

by bedhead on Aug 13, 2008 12:00 AM EDT reply actions

Excellent point-counterpoint discussion.

I agree that Okafor isn't worth big money. I'd look for someone that's proficient in more areas of the game before spending that kind of money.

As far as teams I'm looking forward to seeing:

Miami:
I see this team playing wide open basketball out of necessity. Reasons include Haslem playing centre, and attempt to maximize Marion's contributions. The fact they don't have a steady point guard means that efficiency could be a weak point. Beasley and Wade are blue chip scoring machines...how crazy will this team's matchups with the Wizards be?

Pacers: Ex-Raptors and an up tempo no D game plan.

Sixers, Orlando, Washington (our peers)

NJ Nets: If only to see Frank run through the turnstile of PF/Centres that can't guard Bosh. Williams, Boone, Yi, Lopez, Najera, Ryan Anderson...

by yardly on Aug 13, 2008 12:00 AM EDT reply actions

so ive just been watching the spain vs germany game...and its really upsetting and disappointing to watch garbajosa play so well. Im gonna miss all the small things he does, like the extra pass, the deflections, taking charges and the solid defense. He is doing a fantastic job on dirk right now and that is something we could use. damn im going to miss him...its so unfortunate that things couldnt be worked out between him and the raps, cause he looks pretty healthy now

by big d on Aug 13, 2008 12:00 AM EDT reply actions

Lovin the tele-toon retro talk. GOBOTS??? You should have put a pic in like this:

http://ficklinm.com/challengeofgobots11.jpg

Not even gonna get into the Spanish stuff, im sure itll be overdone for the next few weeks.

Im looking forward to a number of things this season but mostly, just having the NBA back. Im all for internationl comp. but getting an itch for some nba action!!!

by fromlongrange on Aug 13, 2008 12:00 AM EDT reply actions

big d - I don't even have to see the game to know your pain, we really missed garbo this year. wish he was still a rap

by axl on Aug 14, 2008 12:00 AM EDT reply actions

The question should not be "Who’ll make the playoffs?" but rather "Who’ll win the NBA championship?" There are 11 teams that could, if everything went right for them:

Hornets (Paul, West & Chandler)
Lakers (Bryant, Odom & Gasol)
Suns (Stoudamire, O’Neal, Nash & Bell)
Rockets (McGrady, Ming, Battier & Artest)
Jazz (Boozer, Williams & Millsap)
Mavericks (Nowitski, Howard & Kidd)
Spurs (Duncan, Bowen, Ginobili & Parker)

Celtics (Garnett, Pierce & Allen)
Pistons (Wallace, Prince, Hamilton & Billups)
Wizards (Jamison, Butler & Arenas)
Raptors (O’Neal, Bosh & Calderon)

by Boko on Aug 14, 2008 12:00 AM EDT reply actions

Boko, I would include the Blazers in the picture because the league has not seen the likes of "rookie" Greg Oden as yet. The got off to a pretty good start last season but fizzled at the end. I'm not saying that they will win it all, but they will probably make it to the finals. In all likelihood Boston will probably go back-to-back.

by ToughDee on Aug 14, 2008 12:00 AM EDT reply actions

I'm sick of this story all ready but interesting to note that BC has commented on the issue, but won't be taking further action:

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/LAC.20080814.OLYPHOTO14/TPStory/TPInternational/Europe/

by Franchise on Aug 14, 2008 12:00 AM EDT reply actions

Wow - thats almost half the league!
Much too soon to call the championship I'll stick to the East.

Don't expect Boston to win as many games as last year but they still gotta be the favourites. Last few season's have been waiting for the Piston's to drop in standings - still waiting. Orlando, I believe, will not take a backwards step. Wizards are a proven team to be respected. As Lebron goes so do the Cavs. Will also include the Raptors with this list. 76ers as well. With all their talent do you think Miami will miss the playoffs again? The Bulls must be itching to play as well.
Thats nine teams that can rightfully have goals of making the playoffs. Raptors, my guess can finish anywhere from 1rst to 9th. Its a long season and key injuries can cripple some teams. Celtics would have to be the favourites.
Then you gotta think what team out of the Bobcats, Hawks, Pacers, Knicks, Bucks, and even the Nets can pull a surprise and make the playoffs. What teams from my original nine gets eliminated? A pretty decent one on paper.
The East will be very interesting this year - several teams have improved, calling the Raptors a Championship contender is premature. A playoff spot is not locked.

by Tinman on Aug 14, 2008 12:00 AM EDT reply actions

I love how CB4 and Jose Calderon are playing in the olympics. I also love how the USA is using CB4's strength of speed to win over its opponents. I'm looking for a big season from both of these players. Go Raps Go

by BargsBust on Aug 14, 2008 12:00 AM EDT reply actions