Preseason Rolls On - The Raps lose another to the 76ers
by RaptorsHQ - Howland on Oct 8, 2009 6:00 AM EDT
23 comments
Although the end result was the same (a loss to the 76ers), the second game in the back-to-back was much more entertaining and left Howland wondering just what the Raptors have in Sonny Weems....
Well the second preseason game was nothing like the first...except in terms of the results.
After a turnover filled game in London which featured some terrible defense and some sloppy play, the Raps tied their laces a little tighter and gave the small crowd at the ACC a pretty good show.
On a whole the second game of the preseason was much more satisfying. The Raptors defense was better, albeit far from where it needs to be come the regular season, and the offense was much better as everyone was looking to attack the rim when the opportunity presented itself.
Now if you were a fairweather fan attending last night's affair I am sure on more than one occasion you had to check the program to see who exactly was getting all the minutes for the Raps. Coach Triano limited the minutes of his regular season starters and really gave the young guys an opportunity to play.
Play they did....in particular Sonny Weems.
Although early in the process and shy two more established small forwards in Turkoglu and Wright, if Weems keeps up this level of play Triano will have to find some opportunities for this guy to see the floor even if those opportunities are limited. As Triano said in the post game, Weems brings a dimension this teams doesn't have...raw athleticism. Weems was all over the court last night. Although he looked a little out of control at times if he continues his relentless attack of the rim and his active defense he could play himself into a limited but important role. His play the last two games reminds me a lot of "Good Joey". Hopefully Weems doesn't have the frustrating alter ego that accompanied that name for some many years.
Weems was only one of the young bucks who brought the energy last night...or what I call Reggie-itis. Marcus Banks, Patrick O'Bryant and Amir Johnson were also impressive. It's hard to believe that Banks and O'Bryant were impressive at all, let alone in the same game. Their energy was never more apparent then it was in the last few minutes of the fourth quarter. Although the line-up on the floor looked like it was better suited for a D-League All-Star Game the Raps young guys really got after it and it was clear they wanted to get a W no matter its worth. O'Bryant and Johnson were doing a great job protecting the basket on the defensive end and Banks and Weems were hustling down the court and creating easy hoops on the offensive end. The competitive spirit each of them displayed was a joy to watch.
As much as Reggie Evans provides the grit and rebounding that this team so desperately missed last year the new bench players also bring an energy and hustle that this team was also missing. I think it is very possible that by the end of the season Bucks fans are wondering just how Colangelo managed to get Johnson and Weems for so little.
On a whole the team played a lot better and showed improvement just 24 hours removed from the game on Tuesday night. There are many positives to take from the game.
What cannot get lost in the shuffle however, is the fact that three guys who are going to play a huge role in how this team fares this season are still MIA and look to be out for the next game in Minnesota. Although dressed last night, CB4 didn't see the floor and all indications are that Wright and Hedo won't be travelling with the team on Friday. As more time passes the significance of their absence grows.
Until we see CB4 and Turkoglu on the floor it is impossible to tell what this team is really all about. The more time that passes without these guys on the floor the harder it is going to be for this team to be successful when the games actually count. It’s key that these guys get some time together against some real competition, yet at the same time it is absolutely imparitive that everyone start the season healthy. It's actually a no-win situation.
What bothers me is that the excuses for Hedo's absence are already starting to surface and they are fairly weak. Everyone knows he played heavy minutes as the Magic went to the Finals but is this really an excuse? Absolutely not. Further, it was his decision to play for the Turkish National team over the summer despite the fact that he had just signed a huge contract. Being worn out is a rather lame excuse and frankly falls on deaf ears. If I were Colangelo I would be a little concerned that the return on my major investment this past summer may not be what I expected. As a fan it is nice to see Sonny Weems excel but it's Turk who bares the weight of my expectations. I am not sure how comfortable I am with that at this point.
Nevertheless with players missing in action, opportunities to shine are available. As Triano tightens minutes it will be interesting to see who takes advantage and who ends up in street clothes come game 1.
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I find it interesting that Raptors could have won this game even though they got dominated on the boards, had 2 or 3 players foul out of the game and didnt have 2 starters, and a player expected to get serious minutes, not even play. It is still too early but I like what I see in the box scores anyway.
Weems and Johnson
After the game Weems commented how when he played in college he was the team’s defensive stopper and would always get assigned to defending the opponent’s best scorer. He also reflected on his playground days growing up and said that he made defense his trademark.
Seems like there is a good upside with him.
By the way I just read that Skiles in considering starting Delfino.
Personally I don’t think Johnson and Weems are Skiles type players. I know Johnson isn’t for sure. Skiles as Johnson commented on during the LVSL is a coach that insists on dotting every I and crossing ever T. Johnson couldn’t be further from that type of player. That is the type of player that both Saunders and Curry tried to turn him into.
He is best when given a lot of lattitude and allowed to play through mistakes rather than being yanked and chastised for them. Some players respond well to that type of coaching and some don’t. He doesn’t.
If Triano gives Johnson room on the court to make mistakes, like it appears he has so far, it will go along way to bringing Johnson out of the shell that the Pistons forced him into.
I had to actually sign up just to reply to this...
axl t – Have you actually watched either of the games – I was there last night and to think that Banks is anywhere near Bellinelli, let’s just say we’re lucky you don’t make playing time decisions. Banks got all of his points in pure garbage time with the only guy on the court with a chance for minutes being Thaddeus Young (when you opposition is Royal Ievy its not hard to not look bad). He was constantly a step behind his man on D, and when the other options to score on the floor are O’Bryant and Douby and Evans you’ll get some looks.
Bellinelli may have missed a few shots but he looked quick, and played smart – some of the plays between him Jose and Bargs were the kind of chemistry that they were obviously looking for – and he was playing on the floor against the 76-ers real starting five not the scrub line.
Let Banks collect his $500,000 per point scored during the pre-season and then hope that you don’t need him for anything else.
One last note: Man did Jack look bad last night… I’m hoping that just the guys he was playing with and not what we should expect from him in the season, but he look incapable of running an offense and coughed up the ball at the first sign of pressure
T-Baum...
you make it sound like signing up is a bad thing!
Dave "Howland" Randell
Co-Creator of RaptorsHQ.com
by RaptorsHQ - Howland on Oct 8, 2009 10:59 AM EDT up reply actions
Well no
But I’m notoriously lazy at doing that… mostly because once I do it takes up more time than I have ;)
T-Baum
While I agree that Banks didn’t outplay Belinelli, you can’t suggest that Banks was getting killed on D. He was applying some pretty good pressure on the perimeter trying to create turnovers. Belinelli looked much better…he was kind of just sitting around in London not moving with the ball and taking ill-advised jumpers!
by Assistant GM on Oct 8, 2009 11:29 AM EDT up reply actions
Fair enough
I wouldn’t say killed, and he did seem to be trying (most of the time) but he once the ball went on the floor he just seemed to have some problems staying in front of his man… and anytime Phili ran screens or picks everything went bad (poor rotation and switches were evident, Phili had some inexcusably open looks – but that’s a combination of the guys on the floor I guess and the lack of comfort of the unit as a whole – and why most of them are fighting for spots 10-12 on the bench)
Yeah, Jack’s been a bit concerning. He’s going to have the most adjustment as a point guard, due to his play style. However, he also had a kind of high turnover rate in Indiana so don’t be surprised if he struggles with that during the year.
Kinnon "Vicious D" Yee
Author - RaptorsHQ.com Twitter @RapHQVicious
by Raptors HQ - Vicious D on Oct 8, 2009 11:14 AM EDT up reply actions
He played way harder on defense and more aggressive going to the basket, plus passing on par with bellinelli’s. Not that I really expect him to keep it up.
Bellinelli is soft going to the hoop (badly missed a gimmee layup), taking bad jumpers with no rebounders in position, lax defense, I’m not impressed.
re:Hedo and Preseason
In the guise of “The Answer” re: practice.
Preseason? Preseason! You kidding me? It’s only Preason man. Preason.
Disagree....
and I think I have some support from Grange.
Something smells fishy here…..
Dave "Howland" Randell
Co-Creator of RaptorsHQ.com
by RaptorsHQ - Howland on Oct 8, 2009 11:06 AM EDT up reply actions
Sorry for the long post but....
IMO – I don’t think it’s strange about what’s going on with Hedo, like maybe there’s an underlying issue that no one was made aware of? Yes all your points about him signing a huge contract and he should be prepared etc etc, are valid.
Honestly though, BC is a smart Exec, Jay is a smart coach. Both are great basketball minds and think beyond getting Hedo in and getting acclimated right away. Don’t get me wrong this is important and will be important in the coming 2-3 weeks. With pretty much a brand new roster, I think BC and Jay know Hedo is more adaptable than the other pieces that were brought in. The way Jay has dished out the minutes in the first couple of games I think he’s trying to build confidence with his bench and 2nd-3rd stringers – right away.
When the season starts their contribution is going to be huge. They need that confidence boost from the get-go in camp. Hedo doesn’t need a confidence boost. He knows how big this signing was, he knows what he was brought in to do. I know there’s a lot of haters about the Raps signing him, but I think BC and Jay believe he’ll get ramped up and ready to go a lot faster than the other new parts. The bench guys need the minutes in practice, they need the minutes in the game to build that confidence. Guys like Hedo and CB4 they already have that confidence. They know on opening night that they’ll be ready to go and be the major contributors on this team.
When the bench is called upon, because they had that flow in camp/pre season they won’t be worrying as much about whether making mistakes is going to cost them minutes and being a valuable contributor. They know they can do it because they did it in camp already. Getting your secondary guys into this type of mindset is critical for a teams success – I’m pretty sure we can all agree on that.
Just like someone comapared this situation to Favre: Favre is 40 years old this Saturday – missed all of Training Camp in probably the hardest of the Major Sports, had to learn a brand new offense that he’s in charge of running and has the Vikes 4-0, two wins of which without him the Vikes lose. I’m not saying Hedo is the Brett Favre of the NBA but if it can be done in Football, I’m pretty sure it can be done in the NBA.
re Hedo
Reg NBA, 77gms @ 36.6min pg
Playoffs 24 gms @ 38.9 min pg
Eurobasket 9 gms @ 28 minpg in 11 days, ending Sept 20th.
Add on training camps, exhibition games, practices on top of 110 games,
the last 33 at the highest level of intensity
And you are surprised he needs a break ????
All of which Colangelo was aware of when he made the $50 mil offer, being
aware he would have to compensate, now or later. Better now than during the season.
I don’t buy Grange’s arguement as he hasn’t said anything other than, he should be there because he makes lots of money. Players get stashed all the time early. No one’s questioning Bosh.
Look, there are two rosters. (Star)ters and Journeymen. They get treated differently whether anyone wants to admit it. In football, look at all the players that “hold out” or are “injured” for all of the preaseason. As a fan of the Giants, Strahan and Burress never went to training camp, and barely practiced, yet were impact players.
FT FT FT!!!
it doesn’t matter how bad defense or offense was last night.
this team has to learn how to shoot free throws to win close games.
60.9% (TOR) vs 92.9% (PHI)
Banks is built like a truck and he ain’t a bball player, especially not point guard.
Belinelli is. man he got high basketball IQ- passes well, reads the flow of the game.
but couldn’t buy a basketball yesterday.
I was impressed with how Sonny W. played.
guy’s what Joey.Grahamcracker ought to be when we drafted him.
Yeah, somehow I suspect that the Raptors will not be nearly as highly ranked as a free-throw percentage as they were last year.
On the other hand, I think this year’s team will get to the line more often. I’ll take that and just live with the horror show that is Evans, Johnson, and DD at the line. I was going to say charity stripe, but there’s no charity when those guys are shooting. I’m kind of surprised at how many misses DD has when taking foul shots because it should be within his range. He should be able to shoot 70%+ and perhaps he’ll get there over the course of the season but the others have no real hope of improving dramatically.
Conspiracy
Wild Guess on Hedo, but I think its a wink wink nudge nudge agreement he probably made right at the time of the signing.
You know like Favre “changing his mind” and being signed by the Vikings, coincedently, the morning after training camp ends.
by WinnipegRaptorFan on Oct 8, 2009 12:22 PM EDT reply actions
Weems
The way Weems has been playing I like the idea of starting Derozan more. Then bringing Weems and Wright in for Turk and Derozan, and letting the two of them play with some combination of Bosh, Bargs, Calderon, Jack, Evans.
by WinnipegRaptorFan on Oct 8, 2009 12:25 PM EDT reply actions
Hedo, Banks & Weems
It would be nice to get Hedo into practices a little more than he already is, but as far as the games are concerned at this point it’s the young guys that are getting the run for the most part right now so I’m not too worried. He’s be in the gym and around the team, was on the bench last night, it’s a little weird but let’s not let it bother us too much.
I have to say that Banks has really impressed me in both games. I was at the game last night (up close and personal thanks to some unwanted corporate seats) and I thought he looked great. In command on the floor, talking and guiding his teammates.
Oh yeah and Weems of course … love his running game.
Late start for Hedo
Howland , you can’t find fault with Hedo for playing for his country. He is their star. Compare it to Crosby or Ovechkin not playing for there country..
Thats not to think I’m not concerned about what appears to be a slow recovery. Make no mistake, I’d rather he miss the first 10 games than to come back too soon from his injury. He has played a lot of basketball(as have a lot of Euro’s) the last twelve months. I just hope it’s not too serious.
Through Wright in the discussion as well. Sure we’ve shown some flash, but I think he’s gonna help this team as much in the long run. Hoping he’s back soon, gets some scrimmage i before opening night.
Bosh seems to be all-rite. Want him to get some practice time with Jose and Bargnani.
As per early pre-season, the scores really don’t matter, lets be honest. Yeah a V is always nice for confidence, but except for one quarter, as sloppy as it got , they held their own against a Philly team that played their starters bigger minutes. No way is Philly a top 4 team.
Encouraging performances from Weems. What more can you say. He keeps playing like that and he’s earned himself some minutes during the season. Heard the same post game interview, sounds like he prides himself on his D. Let’s keep an eye on him.
Gotta like the energy Johnson brings. Would like to see some more discipline from him. He’ll get the opportunity this season.
Reggie Evans seems to be as advertised. He’s a machine. Scary on some put back attempts. Triano will stress to pick his moments. He’ll get his minutes as well.
Marcus Banks might be the early MVP of this team. Credit him some. I read an interview few ago with him and he was saying he wasn’t 100 last season. Raptor fans have been incredibly rough on him and his contract. Looks like he’s trying to earn that salary. Lets encourage the guy. Gonna be tough for him to get minutes when everyone is healthy, he’s gonna have to earn his minutes.
Offensively, Bargnani looked great. Confidence is there. I’ve seen some nice drives. Made Dalembert look bad several times. I felt his D was too harshly criticized last season. Mark my words, he will become an above average defender.
Jack is definately an upgrade, haven’t seen enough to get an early read.
DeRozan looks like a rookie, a 19 year old at that. Like how Triano pulled him after two quick shots. Don’t think he should have any guarenteed time just yet. Make him earn his time.
Not too worried about Rasho and Jose. Come opening night we know what they will give.I ’ll give Jose the benefit of the doubt, injuries seriously affected his D last season..
Refs have been horrible. Although its understandable early preseason might be sloppy, these guys are ruining the flow.
Matt and Leo? Think I’ll listen on the FAN.
.
ovechkin and crosby...
… or maybe steve nash? who, understandably, called it quits with the national team as he entered his thirties and needed to start taking better care of his body in order to earn that hefty paycheck he collects. just seems like a more plausible comparison to me
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