3 in the Key - Toronto Raptors Game-Day Preview vs. Indiana

by RaptorsHQ - Archives on Mar 14, 2009 12:00 AM EDT in 3 in the Key

With Tinsley still on the books, the JO trade gave Indiana some much needed cap breathing room...

Is this it?

Will today's match against the Indiana Pacers finally result in a win, thus ending Toronto's seven game losing streak?

It's hard to say.

The team put on its best effort in weeks Friday night against Detroit, one which prompted Jose Calderon post-game to state that the team "was very close to being a very good team."

Hmmm...

Isn't that a bit like saying the Arizona Wildcats came on strong late in the Pac-10 this year? I mean it's probably just too late regardless!

I've had my head in NCAA land obviously the past few days and it will be a challenge for me to even stay in my seat this afternoon with Duke playing for the ACC crown against Florida State.

However I'm also very curious to see how this Raptors team comes out against Indiana after Friday night's excellent display vs Detroit.

In addition, I'm also intrigued by this Pacer club. Howland and I picked this match in preseason to buy tickets to as we guessed that by now Toronto would have solidified a playoff spot and Indiana would be fighting to stay alive.

Well...we were partially correct I suppose.

This was supposed to be another chance to see TJ in Pacer black and yellow, and to reaffirm that the JO deal was definitely one that worked in our favour.

As we all know, that hasn't been the case, so earlier this week I reached out to Tom Lewis from the Pacers' blog, Indy Cornrows, to get his side of the deal in our usual "Blogging with the Enemy" feature.

Here's what he had to say:

1) RaptorsHQ: I guess the most obvious way to start this is by discussing the Jermaine O'Neal trade. What has the impact of the trade been now that we're almost through an entire season, and do you envision the players who were acquired in the trade fitting into Indiana's long-term plans?

Attached to that question, has the impact of the deal been a positive one for Indiana, and in retrospect, would you give the ok to pull the trigger on it again if you were Larry Bird?

IndyCornrows: At the time of the trade, I felt it was a huge success even if the incoming
players were a bust for the Pacers simply because Jermaine O'Neal was eating up a third of the Pacers salary cap without being able to carry a third of the load. By breaking that salary up, the Pacers finally had a littleflexibility to look forward to this summer. So I would definitely tell Larry Bird to pull the trigger again.

Fortunately, all of the players the Pacers brought in have made a positive impact. T.J. Ford starts at point guard and may not be the perfect PG, but his positives have outweighed his negatives this year. Rasho Nesterovic has a savvy veteran game and has played a nice role as a frontcourt utility man depending on the match-ups and health of his teammates. Plus, Rasho's expiring contract offers the front office some additional options this summer.

Roy Hibbert has been a pleasant surprise. He's far less a project than projected when he was drafted. Roy struggles avoiding foul trouble, but he's been able to produce at the offensive end, plus he's a hard worker with a great personality that's already making him a fan favorite.

2) RaptorsHQ: Talk to us a bit about Indiana right now. The team even without Granger and Jr. Dun is hanging on for dear life in terms of the playoffs in the East. Do you think when healthy and with another solid draft this club will be ready for a major jump next season? Can you envision them squeeking into the playoffs this year?

Indycornrows: The way the race for the final playoff spot is shaping up, the Pacers could definitely squeak in, but it won't be pretty. It seems like the best way to move up in the standings is to have a night off while the competition loses.

As for the Pacers going forward, they could use a consistent interior scoring presence. Troy Murphy has been incredible this year at power forward, but he doesn't play inside. The Pacers need to add a more traditional power forward who can defend the paint and provide that interior
scoring. The team remains in transition with a few contracts up this summer and more deals likely. So the roster will be unsettled until the Jamaal Tinsley situation is resolved and the salary cap is set to determine how much money they can spend to re-sign or replace Jarrett Jack, Marquis Daniels and Rasho Nesterovice. Considering the cap situation, if the market is reasonable for Jack, he's probably the only one they will bring back.

3) RaptorsHQ: As usual, keys to today's game; what does Indiana need to do to hand Toronto their eighth straight loss?

Indycornrows: For the Pacers to succeed they need to push the pace and knock down some shots. The team is coming off a horrible shooting night in Atlanta, so hopefully they can bounce back and find their offensive groove.

They also need a solid game from T.J. Ford an Jarrett Jack. Jack has played real well in recent wins, picking up much of the scoring slack with Danny Granger sidelined. Both Ford and Jack can get in trouble with the ball in the lane, so their ability to take care of the ball and not try to force too much of the action is always a key for the Pacers.

Defensively the Pacers need to account for the Raptors perimeter shooters. Seems like over the past couple of seasons, one or two Raps will torch the Pacers from behind the arc.

Danny Granger may be available to return which will be interesting since the team adjusted to his absence pretty well. The latest reports indicate he may not be able to go after feeling too much pain prior to the game in Atlanta.

A big thanks to Tom for the answers and now I have a question for our readers; does anyone find it disturbing that the exact "benefits" of the trade for Indiana, (expiring contracts, saavy veteran leadership, young prospect,) are the exact things Toronto is looking for now?

Of course that doesn't mean Toronto lost in this trade, it's just interesting to see the other side of the coin. In my opinion TJ had to go so Colangelo took the best deal that he thought was out there.

Really, this trade may have been a good thing for Raptors' fans. Howland in the pre-season argued that the O'Neal trade was either going to be really good (as in he and Bosh would mesh and the team would rise to another level) or things would fail miserably. Indeed the latter was true so perhaps not making the trade would have simply hid some of the gaping holes on this team for yet another season as the Raps toiled in mediocrity.

So that takes us to this afternoon's match pitting a very bad team currently (Toronto) against one that isn't as bad (Indiana.) I'm not going to get into any three keys here as I simply want to see this team go out and compete.

Yes keeping Troy Murphy from dialing it up from long-range all afternoon is key.

Yes keeping TJ's penetration to a mimimum and the Pacers off the glass is important.

Hell, hoping that Danny Granger decides to sit out another match would be nice!

But really all the keys in the world don't really matter if this team doesn't give 100 per cent effort and fights through 48 minutes of game-time.

They did that Friday night, but unfortunately couldn't keep it up in OT.

This afternoon, I'm hoping that changes, even if it means seeing Pops and Roko for 40 of those 48...

FRANCHISE

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Comments

Dough Smith published an article about Jose real health status and as it seems Calderon, for about 6 weeks has not been able to train at all with the rest of the team and he was getting treatment just for being able to play. Possibly this may have affected also the (playing) chemistry between JO and Bosh as I am convinced that a healthy calderon gives this team a different offensive and defensive (in terms of being a lot less of a liability) dimension. Being a winning team rather than a loosing one, brings out the best out of people and we might be looking to a different record and a totally different team had not Jose gone down so early and for so long.

by renato on Mar 15, 2009 12:00 AM EDT reply actions

renato,I would love someone from the media with a set,to come right out and ask Jose if he plans on playing for Spain this summer.
Franchise,thanks again for your insight,it looks like Granger might play,and if he does ,I hope he brings his 30 shots per game with him,that in itself should throw TJ over the edge !!

by d279 on Mar 15, 2009 12:00 AM EDT reply actions

I don't know how anyone can conclude that the JO deal was the most disastrous NBA trade since, well, the VC trade (which actually might have ended up OK if Babcock had selected Granger over Graham, but whatever). It turned an also-ran team into a playoff contender set up for a great future, and a solid playoff team into a high lottery status.

I don't call it bad luck, because JO's transition and injury problems this year were hardly a matter of luck. "Luck" isn't the same as calculated risk. And Jose's injury was magnified because BC failed to have an NBA-ready back-up point to replace him in the line-up, having traded TJ to Indiana.

Speaking of injuries, just imagine if the Raptors had wingers as good as Granger and Dunleavy. Would we have as good a record as Indiana if they both went down. Answer: clearly not. That's a pretty devastating indictment of this team.

Only the lottery balls can save us now.

by tecumseh18 on Mar 15, 2009 12:00 AM EDT reply actions

d279,

Jose got injured during a season game, not during the summer and it is debatable whether having kept in shape during the summer rather than spending some time in the sunny Spanish beaches eating tapas and drinking beer is better or worse (as health is concerned) . As far as I am aware Spain does not have any tournament to play this summer. Italy does and last year I remember Bargnani telling to the Italian media that he could not play for them last year but he would this one. In relation to players spending some time in the summer with their national team, would you think the same about the Canadian hockey team and their players?

by renato on Mar 15, 2009 12:00 AM EDT reply actions

If it is true that jose is 100%, today could be the start of an epic run of unprecedented porportions... 16 straight baby!

by axl on Mar 15, 2009 12:00 AM EDT reply actions

Renato,this is not a Spanish Italian or Canadian discussion and it shouldn't become one.I am an Italian Canadian.
I can't believe I'm saying this,but I agree with Marc Cuban on this one.
The hockey analogy,doesn't work for me because I dont believe pros should be playing in amature sporting events.
I understand how important these tourneys are to the European communities,however I also ,understand how important Jose is to our team...and to answer your question regarding Bargs,I would prefer to see him spend time working with a big man coach this summer...

by d279 on Mar 15, 2009 12:00 AM EDT reply actions

renato - Jose did get hurt playing for Spain in the summer (sat out the last 2 games) although I THINK it was his ankle and not his hammy. This biggest concern regards to playing this summer though is not just re-aggrevating his injury (or a new injury), but the need for some rest. He's been going 3 years (maybe more) straight now.

Franchise - it is a bit disturbing that we are looking for what we traded away and its too bad (looking back now) that we had to get rid of the peices we did. I never liked that Rasho and a 1st round pick had to go. But, imagine what BC could have gotten in return if TJ had not acted like he did. (much like VC - had he not quit and demanded a trade we likely could have gotten alot more for him). It concerns me with Bosh as well. He doesn't seem to be that type of player, but what if he hints that he won't resign or wants to test the markets in 2010. What happens to Bosh (and any potential trade value) then?

by SwirskysSoldier on Mar 15, 2009 12:00 AM EDT reply actions

Yeah, that Indy trade looks worse and worse. I fully agreed that TJ had to go, and the day the deal was revealed I was as excited as anyone. Losing Rasho and that #17 pick really does hurt. Throw in the fact that another pick was lost in the O'Neal swap to Miami, as well as a servicable Jamario Moon and you see where we have gone from a deep team to what we now have. Rasho, Ford, #17 pick, O'Neal, Moon and coditional pick to Miami all for Marion(who will not be here next year) and an albatross in Marcus Banks.

I have not lost faith in BC, although his moves the past 12 months have set us years behind, still think he can turn this thing around but it will take several years to do so.
I am a patient fan, as long as I can see a direction for this team, I am for the most part satisfied. This season has been the most frustrating of all.

There were two big factors which have contributed to the decline of our Raptors since our 47 win season.
1) losing Garbarosa. I truly believe he was one of the most under-rated players on the planet. He was a calming, steady influence. Tru Warrior! Believe Bargnani's regression in year 2 was in part the absence of Garbo.

2)Forderon. We were the envy at the PG position for two season's and then it all blew up. Believe BC got rid of the right PG, but liquidated the team in doing so, as stated above.

by Tinman on Mar 15, 2009 12:00 AM EDT reply actions

Tinman - I couldn't agree more with your two factors. I've always wondered where this team would be if it wasn't for the Garbo and TJ injuries. Unfortuanately both those situations ended up being out of BC's control. What sucks even more is that they were both accidents.... atleast if Jefferson or Horford had done it on purpose we'd have someone easy to blame.

by SwirskysSoldier on Mar 15, 2009 12:00 AM EDT reply actions

If BC has a pair, he says to Jose: "You're not playing any international ball this year whatsoever. Period"

Hamstrings injuries are dealt with best through rest, which allows the tendon/muscle to rebuild and re-strengthen. While the treatment Jose recieves in-season allows him to play (even if ineffective) but to truely heal the injury he needs to shut it down. He pulled a groin last summer playing for Spain and has been limited all year by the Hamstring. These are signs of wear and tear that require a period of inactivity.

If I'm BC, I say sorry Jose, but you just signed a $40 mil contract so you're not playing this year... unless you want your contract voided (I wonder if he could do that...).

by MAS on Mar 15, 2009 12:00 AM EDT reply actions

im sorry but chris bosh needs to go...theres a few minutes left in the half, hes 2 of 10...and its not just hte fact that hes 2 of 10...its hte shot selection..its like hes forgotten how to drive and and just loves that pathetic fade away over guys with half the speed...the guy just doesnt want to do it anymore for this team and needs to be shipped out this summer. Takes no accountability for his play...makes me sick sometimes.

by big d on Mar 15, 2009 12:00 AM EDT reply actions

I'm watchin the GSW as I usually do, and I'm convinced that if Bosh doesn't sign an extension this summer we've gotta trade with them. Bosh for Azubuike, Ellis and Turiaf would be great.

by Member29 on Mar 15, 2009 12:00 AM EDT reply actions