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

by RaptorsHQ - Archives on Feb 18, 2009 12:00 AM EST in 3 in the Key

Why has everyone forgotten about this version of Marion, from only about a year ago?

Yesterday the Oklahoma City Thunder acquired Tyson Chandler and the rights to Devon Hardin in exchange for Joe Smith and Chris Wilcox.

The move was hailed as a cost-cutting play by New Orleans, and a coup for Oklahoma, who suddenly are a power forward away from a very talented, albeit young, starting five. With Chandler prowling the middle, Russell Westbrook exploding out of the blocks at the 1, and Jeff Green playing the Pippen role to Kevin Durant’s MJ impersonation, suddenly the former beleaguered Seattle Sonics have the most exciting young core in the league next to the Portland Trailblazers.

The moves in fact prompted a friend of mine to scoff:

"I’d trade Colangelo for Presti..." and we both discussed including the contract of Marcus Banks and a conditional first-round pick.

Oh how the mighty have fallen.

It seems like only yesterday that Bryan Colangelo was hailed as the anti-Rob Babcock, and the saviour for a franchise that seemed to be going…well…sort of sideways.

Now however, after a string of questionable moves, Raptors fans find themselves strangely enough with a team on pace to match Babcock’s final season of futility, however with possibly less assets with which to build around.

Watching the introduction of Shawn Marion and Marcus Banks at yesterday afternoon’s press conference made me think about this entire situation, and how things can change so quickly in the NBA.

One minute your franchise is a laughing-stock, one that is uprooted from its deep NBA history and moved to a college sports mecca. The next, you’re the envy of half of the league with a young and talented core, and great fan-base.

One minute you’re the talk of NBA executives and appear to have the Midas touch. The next, you’ve got fans pondering swapping you for the new guy in Oklahoma City.

I think this analogy can be extended beyond Oklahoma City and Bryan Colangelo as well to the two newest Raptors, Shawn Marion and Marcus Banks.

It wasn’t very long ago that Raptors fans, us included here at the HQ, dreamed about having Marion at the 3. "Imagine him beside Bosh?" we’d state? And on more than a few occasions I made arguments in past articles as to how he could be acquired considering he had been rumoured to be on the trade block.

However reality would always kick in and fans would figure that a) there’s no way an All-Star of Marion’s caliber could be obtained for the spare parts Toronto had and b) there’s no way he’d actually want to play here.

So I found it a bit surreal to watch Marion yesterday joking with reporters, and talking about his excitement regarding the latest stop in his NBA career. Fans have short memories but let’s all think back to even a year ago; how excited would you have been to see the Matrix sitting on stage being interviewed by Matt Devlin as the newest member of the Raptors?

My point here is that for all those who have already dismissed Marion as being "over-the-hill" based on his Miami numbers, I’m not so sure we can be so quick to judge. Marion himself yesterday admitted that while his numbers in Phoenix may have been a product of the system he played in, the inverse could be said about his stay in Miami. The former Running Rebel acknowledged that while Dwyane Wade is an amazing player, his dominance of the ball and the Heat’s half-court sets failed to take advantage of the various skills Mr. Matrix has to offer.

Am I saying that this trade now pushes Toronto into one of the final playoff spots?

No, not at all.

Like Howland stated in his piece Saturday regarding the Marion trade, Shawn by himself isn’t the answer. He’s not someone who can create his own shot, and he’s probably past the point where the Sports Guy would describe him as the perfect futbol goalie because of his eight-armed octopus "I’m everywhere at once" athleticism.

But he’s still one of the league’s top defenders and rebounders at his position, and his ability to get out on the break, score in transition, and attack the rim off the bounce are elements that this Toronto team has been lacking since Vince Carter decided he wasn’t going to dunk anymore. Paired with an explosive shooting-guard, and a healthy Jose Calderon, and suddenly Toronto has some pieces to work with, albeit still very little on the bench.

Marion of course gets to chase Lebron James around tonight as the Cleveland Cavaliers come into town to face the Raps. It sounds like Bosh is going to sit this one out so we may see a starting line-up of Bargs at the 5, Marion at the 4, Graham at the 3, Parker at the 2 and Jose at the 1.

Oh…right…if Jose plays.

It sounds like he will but if not, I’d say we see AP start in his place with Kapono taking over the 2 spot. Marcus Banks better be ready to play 30 minutes…

Speaking of Banks, I asked the HQ Associate, our resident college-ball sensei, about Banks’ from his time at UNLV. He was defensive player of the year in his conference one season, but I was wondering if there was much else that might give us fans a glimmer of hope. Here was his take:

Banks at UNLV - that's a few years back and I remember not getting much of a chance to see him as they didn't make the dance. Obviously he put up some pretty nice numbers and was pretty solid defensively, but beyond that he’s also a tough guy with a solid frame and I think that's something the Raps could use at the point as all their pgs are frail. I always thought he'd be a better pro - I'm not sure how he managed to squeeze that deal out of the Suns to be honest – but I don't think he's had much of a shot. It would surprise me if he's started more than 100 games total and they were probably all with the horrid Twolves after he went there in the (I think) Prodigy...er...Justin Reed deal. I don’t remember much more about him as a Running Rebel but that’s probably because I pretty much gave up on them after Kaspars Kambala left.

Am I hopeful he can have an impact?

Sure, but I don't think he owns the skills necessary to do so.

Is he better than Omar Cook?

No comment - I still think Omar Cook was sick…

And on that note, we’re on to our 3 Keys…

1) Play Strong -

Let’s get this out of the way first. Without Bosh, and without Jose, it’s going to be extremely tough for Toronto to win tonight. Cleveland hasn’t shown any signs of slowing down since the season tipped off and Lebron James has been absolutely unstoppable. As discussed, Shawn Marion gets his first taste of life as a Raptor having to defend King James and while he’ll need to do a great job, the rest of the team needs to step things up in the absence of Chris and possibly Jose. With Jermaine O’Neal now in South Beach, Toronto is perilously thin up front (how good would Dejuan Blair look in Raptors red after his performance Monday night against the Machine Thabeet and UConn??) and therefore it’s going to have to be all hands on deck on the glass. That means guys like Anthony Parker, Joey Graham and even the point guards are going to need to box out, rebound the ball, and keep the Cavs in front of them as much as possible. Michael Grange reported in his blog early this morning that Bosh has had issues with his knee for over a month now and so it’s quite possible that he’s out for a long period of time if not for good. If that’s the case, this team needs to start going after the ball with a sense of urgency on every possession, and tonight’s as good a time as any to get the ball rolling.

2) Get out and run -

At yesterday’s press conference, Shawn Marion talked about the boredom associated with the Heat’s half-court play-calling and how it rendered him ineffective. He also discussed his excitement about playing in more of an up-tempo style here in Toronto.

Apparently he hasn’t seen the Raptors play much this year then.

The one concern I have with Marion is that even with a healthy Jose Calderon, this team is very much half-court based. They continue to dwell in the league’s basement in terms of fast-break points so unless Jay Triano can completely revamp the offence in 24 hours, it’s probably going to take a while, and maybe a lot more Roko Ukic, for this transformation to start to take place. However it should be a priority and so tonight I’ll be looking to see signs of this change in mantra. As the Raptors very well know, the Cavs can get out on the break with the best of them so beyond stopping run-outs defensively, the Dinos need to press back the other way.

3) Experiment -

Here’s another fact I’d like everyone to face; this team is probably playing for next year. No, that doesn’t mean tank-a-palooza, however it does mean that for the remainder of the season, I’d like to see Jay Triano get a little more creative. Based on Roko Ukic’s last game, he deserves some more minutes, and you might as well give Marcus Banks all the run you can until he proves he’s worthy of sitting next to Will Solomon.

Nathan Jawai? Sure, if the game is out of hand early, why not get the big fella in for some touches? And with Bosh out, why not get Marion and Graham involved more often offensively?

My point is that these last 27 games are going to go a long ways in determining what Bryan Colangelo does this off-season. If Marion plays well and looks to be a good fit, perhaps BC will be able to re-sign him at a reasonable price. And if Nathan Jawai can show some upside, than perhaps TO suddenly doesn’t need to draft another big, and can focus on a slashing wing. And along the same lines of thinking, if Banks proves he can hold things down defensively at the 1 or 2, and Roko continues to show he belongs in the league as at least a back-up, then this is another area Colangelo can focus less attention on.

Yes, I’m thinking about these final 27 games as a try-out session. Bryan Colangelo has collected a myriad of pieces that don’t seem to fit right now and he desperately needs to get some sense of what works and what doesn’t before the season ends.

If this test session results in a playoff appearance so be it, but tonight, I’m just hoping Marion keeps Lebron and the Cavs from blowing out the Raptors before the second quarter even begins.

FRANCHISE

PS - On a completely unrelated note, funny to see T Star resident pessimist Dave Feschuk discussing Twitter in an article yesterday. The HQ was one of the first basketball sites on the Twitter-wagon in fact and if you've been sleeping, check us out at twitter.com/raptorshq

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Comments

Great article. Looks like the Thunder are using the time tested formula for winning as you pointed out.
You noted: "The former Running Rebel(Marion) acknowledged that while Dwyane Wade is an amazing player, his dominance of the ball and the Heat’s half-court sets failed to take advantage of the various skills Mr. Matrix has to offer". We have a player who dominates the ball on our side when he's in the line up. So if Marion found it difficult to score because Wade had the ball most of the time then how does he plan to get it away from Bosh?

by Rt on Feb 18, 2009 12:00 AM EST reply actions

At yesterday's conference, I heard the words "combo guard" to describe Marcus Banks, which made me go "URG". But I'm really reserving judgment for the next week, because neither player has had any real practice time, and the Cavs are not a good team to be testing things against.

But here's hoping. Ball movement is going to be paramount in getting Marion his touches in the right places, so I hope that's going to be a #1 priority.

by Vicious D on Feb 18, 2009 12:00 AM EST reply actions

Oh, and one more thing after reading today's paper... I dunno if it's the Raptor's luck or whatever, but I was thinking back to Eric Montross thanks to Doug Smith this morning, and the Raptors have had a lot of players retire due to injury.
Off the top of my head:
Alvin Williams, Eric Montross, and Jorge Garbajosa.

All three weren't superstars, but they were pretty important cogs in the Raptors' system that couldn't be replaced for several years. It's pretty amazing actually and I think a key reason why the Raptors have had to make lateral-to-bad decisions after producing in the playoffs.

by Vicious D on Feb 18, 2009 12:00 AM EST reply actions

Isn't the issue with Banks that he turns the ball over too much at the point? If that is the case, couldn't they slide him over to the 2 and have him guard everyone else's 2s while someone else plays the point (Ukic)?
I am not sure what to make of Triano. His most important assests have been injured (Oneal and Calderon) while he has has a short bench (BC strikes again). I am not convinced that he can coach in the NBA but I am also not convinced that he can't coach. I felt that having 3 PFs in your lineup hurt this team a lot so moving Oneal was the right move to make as now we should be able to see whether this team can move up and down the floor productively or not. Even if we end up losing most of the rest of our games, I don't think that means we can't resign Triano to an extension as coach. I just want to see better offensive flow from this team. If he can achieve that, I am all for resigning him as I doubt you can find an "uptempo" coach in the offseason(assuming that is what BC is aiming for).

by McGateway on Feb 18, 2009 12:00 AM EST reply actions

Here is my problem with the current roster: What do you do when Bargnani picks up two quick fouls in the first quarter?

by Rubik on Feb 18, 2009 12:00 AM EST reply actions

Hey Vicious D, wasn't Sharone Wright lost to injury as well. He has a lot of promise.

by sonnyb on Feb 18, 2009 12:00 AM EST reply actions

For those who didn’t see Marion talking to the press yesterday, you knew this was coming.

http://slamonline.com/online/nba/2009/02/shawn-marion-doesnt-miss-miami-and-its-crushing-boredom/

However for the Slam writers who are so big on Miami, what does that say about your fans when you have Dwayne Wade, Marion, one of last year’s top 2 picks in the draft, and reborn team sitting fifth in the conference and yet you are having major attendance issue...

PS - I'd rather not think about Bargs getting 2 quick fouls tonight...yikes.

by Franchise on Feb 18, 2009 12:00 AM EST reply actions

So great to see TSN2 managed to get tonights game too... one of the games that is bound to recieve the largest interest from Raptors fans...such a damn shame... hopefully atdhe.net still works tonight.

by Blanco on Feb 18, 2009 12:00 AM EST reply actions

Great read.

Id love to see the matrix get back to the way he used to play too - saw him standing around a lot in miami so i think hell be an improvement.

The trick really like franchise says is to see how he fits, and i worry that without bosh in the lineup, thats going to be very tough.

Any update HQers on this tsn 2 situation? I remember you guys had some insight into things a while back, any updates?

by fromlongrange on Feb 18, 2009 12:00 AM EST reply actions

Bosh is out again for 2nights game???? I'm so tired of hearing about Bosh and Calderon not suiting up to play. I mean the reason is obvious being that they competed in the olympics... At what cost? Bryan C did a good job at putting a clamp on Garbajosa olympic dreams, but I'm thinking he should've extended it to both Bosh and Calderon. Recruiting O'Neal strategic move by BC, but what would've happened if we had an injury free lineup? The onus should be placed squarely on Calderon and Bosh for the dire situation the Raptors are in this year. Bryan C and Raptors Mgmt should've protected their investments.

by SlickRick on Feb 18, 2009 12:00 AM EST reply actions

That's exactly why the Olympics are so crappy. You always know that the US are going to win and the race is for 2nd place. The US just wanted to re-establish their world-dominance (as in everything else). The only players that should be competing are players that can withstand the fatigue and rigores of playing ball throughout the season and summer: Kobe, LeBron, and Dwight.

by SlickRick on Feb 18, 2009 12:00 AM EST reply actions

Hypothetically, if Bosh's knee is a chronic thing that will cause him to miss games every year, is he not worth trading for promising talent on rookie scale contracts and added depth so that the roster can withstand injuries. Every year he misses about 12 games, and takes another 5 games to get back into top form, adding up to almost a quarter of the season where the team is not getting its money's worth. I've been thinking about how there might be many ways to field a competitive team in tough economic times, and I'm wondering if given the economic constraints Bosh is worth keeping at a max level number if it doesn't translate to multi-round playoff runs/revenues. It will be interesting to see how this plays out on that front

by Interloper on Feb 18, 2009 12:00 AM EST reply actions

slickrick...did you watch the final against Spain....thats right a 17 year old guard starting for Spain...wow the dream team sure kicked their ass !!!

by d279 on Feb 18, 2009 12:00 AM EST reply actions

Interloper, you make an excellent point. I mean, if Bosh turns into the next T-Mac (all star player, frequently injured knees, never been out of the first round) then keeping him at max money is just not a viable option in this economic climate. And there are many options available to this team to make it better over the long term. I won't get into possible trade scenarios, but we need to appreciate that Bosh may end up being the franchise saviour, but only by his leaving.

by Casey on Feb 18, 2009 12:00 AM EST reply actions

Some solid points on Bosh, and something BC is going to have to take into consideration, especially if the knees become a chronic thing.

That being said, I'd almost prefer they sit him for a long time as I think the Raps need a top 7 pick in order to really grab an impact player via the draft.

by Franchise on Feb 18, 2009 12:00 AM EST reply actions

Franchise,

You are way to obsessed with the draft... its not going to make any difference to our team.... this draft is horrible....

by Blanco on Feb 18, 2009 12:00 AM EST reply actions

Franchise: I would prefer we traded the pick away as i can just see BC using it to draft a Euro or a project instead of drafting the best player available. My confidence in BC is at an all time low.

by McGateway on Feb 18, 2009 12:00 AM EST reply actions

Just because it’s fun, the ESPN trade machine says that a trade of Kapono for Frye & Webster would work!

For all you "what’s the point" guys, you’ll enjoy this:

http://www.theonion.com/content/video/pre_game_coin_toss_makes

And completely unrelated but very funny:

http://www.theonion.com/content/video/tom_coughlin_retires_from_family

by Zona on Feb 18, 2009 12:00 AM EST reply actions

Here's the thing Blanco, with the salary restrictions currently surround the Dinos, how else is this team going to address their deficiencies, especially if they re-sign Graham, Parker and Marion and bring back Delfino? That still leaves huge holes in the front-court and no slashing wing to speak of.

Therefore while this draft is no 1996 class, and I'm not saying the franchise saviour is there for the taking, there are some players who would be HUGE upgrades over what Toronto currently has on the bench, and for a fraction of the cost. There's not a GM in the league right now for instance who'd take Kris Humphries over DeJuan Blair...and Blair projects to go in the middle to late first round.

Maybe that's an indictment of the lack of talent TO has on the bench right now and that's fine, but my point here is why not address it by the cheapest means possible, the draft.

Besides, no one REALLY knows how "bad" this class is. It drives me nuts when people say that because really, no one figured last year's class would be as good as it has been or that the 2006 class would be as mediocre as it has been.

by Franchise on Feb 18, 2009 12:00 AM EST reply actions

Is it just me or is everyone else having problems watching at atdhe.net ??

it wont show the game =(

I tried clicking on the badminton game and it shows.

by Aaron on Feb 18, 2009 12:00 AM EST reply actions

someone..HELP! quick! it might be a good game to watch!

by Aaron on Feb 18, 2009 12:00 AM EST reply actions

justin tv doesnt work either!

I AM IN PANICK MODE!

by Aaron on Feb 18, 2009 12:00 AM EST reply actions

OK never mind it's on now =)
*sigh of relief*

by Aaron on Feb 18, 2009 12:00 AM EST reply actions

wow. Joey G is getting the most touches and most shots right now.....and voshkul.

by Aaron on Feb 18, 2009 12:00 AM EST reply actions

Raptors are definitely running a lot more and playing at a much quicker pace.

by Aaron on Feb 18, 2009 12:00 AM EST reply actions

They are also definitely not collapsing in the middle guarding the paint as much as they have been this season.

by Aaron on Feb 18, 2009 12:00 AM EST reply actions

Nathan Jawaii is in the game hustling! Boxing out, taping balls, and forcing turnovers!

by Aaron on Feb 18, 2009 12:00 AM EST reply actions

Calderon gets a no call with his shot right before the clock expires.

47 41 Cavs at the half.

Raptors hanging tight.

by Aaron on Feb 18, 2009 12:00 AM EST reply actions

Marcus Banks in the game shooting a freethrow after breaking some guy's ankle.

End of 3rd.

by Aaron on Feb 18, 2009 12:00 AM EST reply actions

Triano gets thrown out of the Game for arguing with the ref.

Crowd applauds him.

Raps down by 21. 5 mins left.

Raps are hopeless.....lol

by Aaron on Feb 18, 2009 12:00 AM EST reply actions

Draft talk is for spring time and early summer. The prospects show their stuff in the conference tournaments and March Madness. Just look at Steph Curry for example, you'd never know who he was until the bright lights. Don't get me wrong Franchise, I love Mock football & BBall drafts more then anyone, I love college ball more then the pros. But it's best just to wait a little, when the times right.

by Doug on Feb 18, 2009 12:00 AM EST reply actions

Bargnani = 3rd/4th offensive option on team.

No way should a guy who’s supposed "plus" is offense be getting that many touches if he is so bloody inefficient. His primary value should be to open the floor for Bosh to operate offensively. But he should do that from a back-up position. If he cannot then you must trade him (won’t happen but he is hurting the team).

Question: If Marion puts up all-star like numbers as a power-forward and Bosh is injured, why does he start at small forward?

I couldn’t watch/listen to the game but was Marion matched up against Wallace/Varajeo or Lebron on offense?

Do you guys think that Bargnani has "turned a corner"? Maybe it's just me but I don't think so. He needs to work on his shot. There is time to improve of course, but in the interim, he will continue to damage the team.

by Statement on Feb 18, 2009 12:00 AM EST reply actions

If BC has all his stars allign for him this offseason I could be very excited when I think about it. I mean, if he resigns Marion to a cheaper contract, then we have a lottery pick or something in the top 7 or 8 at least (granted we don't make the playoffs and the raptors keep on sucking but hopefully Marion would fit in well). So that, combined with Bosh and Calderon healthy + delfino for some depth I think would be pretty nice. I'd let AP walk and keep Joey G and since AP's and Garbo's contracts are comin off the books there's some money to strengthen up our frontcourt where we seem to be a little weak. A cheap centre would be nice...then we'd be a scoring wing away from a really good team....

by syMMetry on Feb 18, 2009 12:00 AM EST reply actions

Symmetry, no offense, but if BC lets AP go and signs Delfino in his stead, he should be dismissed for incompetence.

Also, I think Franchise makes a great point about the draft: Itès a great way for the Raptors to gain depth (not necessarily a star) for a relatively low cap hit.

If healthy, this team (with Marion) has a VERY talented starting 5: Calderon, AP, Marion, Bosh, Bargnani. The problem is with 6-10; we need depth, and we need it on the cheap. Hence we need to collect some talent in the draft. Keyword: TALENT.

Rob

by 2nd Raps fan in LA on Feb 18, 2009 12:00 AM EST reply actions

Bosh's annual trip to the DL is getting lame. Was at about the same time last year too. He just does not keep himself in shape enough. KG does not go on the DL; he wants to play too bad. Bosh - no fire in his belly; maybe too much playing around with his money, girlfriend, and website crap.

Focus on making your body fit to last the season, Chris. Sh*t, for 15 million a year, do you think that is asking too much?

by gerry on Feb 19, 2009 12:00 AM EST reply actions

LOL kk scratch that I've had a night to think about that Rob...but I'd like AP to go still man if he could be packaged with kapono for a wing that can create off the dribble that would be cash money....then all we'd really need is a decent big for some frontcourt depth...mixed in with our draft pick....man wouldn't that be sweeeeet...

by syMMetry on Feb 19, 2009 12:00 AM EST reply actions