Tip-In: Toronto Raptors' Post-Game Report - To Be Expected
by RaptorsHQ - Franchise on Mar 20, 2010 9:31 AM EDT
46 comments
Last night's 115 to 89 loss by Toronto marked yet another blowout L, and the HQ team is hardly surprised...
That was some first two days of NCAA Tournament action wasn't it?
Between the OT games, the buzzer beaters, the upsets...
...oh...
...right...
...you came to talk Raptors...
While we PVR'd the match and took it in post-college ball last night, let's just say there weren't a lot of excited Raptors' fans looking forward to watching last night's game. Besides the play on the over, there just wasn't much incentive to watch this one as we all assumed the following would occur in some form:
The Dinos would come out ok, but slowly start losing the hustle situations and the Thunder would take the lead. Once this occured, the starters would fold, OK City would go on a big streak, Toronto would never recover, and it would be a blowout by the half. Yes, Bosh would get his 20 and 10, but would have spotty assistance at best, his club would play zero defence, and regardless of what combinations Triano threw out there, nothing would stop the bleeding.
We were pretty much bang on.
71 points at halftime for OKC?
39 after the first quarter?
Toronto giving up as many offensive rebounds as they could grab themselves on the defense end?
That's more like the Toronto Raptors we know!
Folks this was a crushing, simple and plain. Toronto had no answer for the Zombie Sonics' athleticism or offensive firepower, barely made a dent in OKC's defence, and as mentioned, folded when given the first opportunity.
But again, none of this should really be surprising, which is why I found it quite humerous to read some of the local media's takes this morning.
First from the Toronto Star:
From the opening tip the Raptors looked disjointed and at times disinterested. They were hammered on the boards where effort can be the determining factor between getting a missed shot and giving up a second-chance basket. They were a step slow all over the floor and the Thunder dropped a 39-point first quarter on them that rendered the final 36 minutes practically meaningless.
The unstated thinking was that Turkoglu and Bargnani at least gave the Raptors ground for recovery. But it is now patently clear that Bosh's departure would send this team into a rebuilding mode because he is the only person on the roster currently capable of starting on a good NBA team.
And the best of the bunch, a full length-tirade from the National Post's Bruce Arthur.
While I think that Arthur is bang on here, my question to him and others is why these types of pieces weren't written months ago? I mean is anyone really that shocked by what's going on here? Toronto is a middle of the road team with Bosh, and without him, it's ugly to say the least. A blowout at the hands of the uber-talented Thunder hasn't changed anything in my mind really. This team is as fragile as they come, ill-constructed, and really gets by on some occasionally dominant offensive firepower.
Some nights a hint of defence is enough to propel said offensive execution to a W, some nights, not so much. Toronto's current record is completely reflective of this club's constitution, and really, that's all there is to it. I fully expect the Raps to beat New Jersey tonight, and keep middling along until playoff time, and while indeed it's disconcerting to end the season in this fashion, it's just not really a huge shocker to me. Until Bryan Colangelo rids himself of Hedo, Bargs, and many of the other overpaid players on this team, or at least relegates them to more periferal roles with the club, these are your Toronto Raptors, for better or for worse. The team can talk all it wants about doing this or that but the fact remains that Toronto just doesn't have enough players who can do "this or that."
In many ways the Raptors are the complete opposite of the Sonics...er...Thunder. OKC has been built from the ground up through solid drafting, fiscal restraint, great personnel decisions, and of course in the case of Durant, a little bit of luck. Contrast that to the Raptors, who each season seem to try and hit a home-run via trade or overpayment, just to keep the ship afloat. Colangelo hasn't had a single draft pick under his watch who's lived up to his billing (although it's still very early for DeRozan), and as for fiscal restraint...um...Jason Kapono is still floating around the league right?
Most impressive though for me is how the Thunder really brought in pieces that fit. From Serge Ibaka (whose put-back jam on the Raptors' heads last night told you all you needed to know about the game in about 3 seconds) to Nenad Krstic, OKC has ensured that get players who not only work in their system, but also work together. Various players this season have repeatedly been quoted as saying that playing for the Thunder is the most fun they've had since High School or College. In fact it was hard not to look across the court last night and be envious of what the opponents have going on with their franchise.
What kills me is that at one point not too long ago, this could easily have been Toronto.
But Bryan Colangelo talked himself into reaching on Andrea, over-paying for Jason Kapono, and off we go.
It's not been all terrible, hell the job Colangelo has done has been miles ahead of his predecessor. However it's hardly been a monumental victory either and one fears that his most recent moves may again push this franchise back into the NBA's wine-cellar. Should Bosh leave and Toronto be left with precious little in return, it's going to be a long few years for fans thanks to the current contractual obligations on this club.
But again, I've been bracing myself for this for quite some time now, and I believe a good chunk of our readership has followed suit.
We're watching a Toronto Raptors' team that has to make some major decisions this offseason, but for now, is a .500ish club, probably good enough to back into the East's final playoff spot.
And tonight, I'm looking forward to seeing the Raps crush the Nets to solidify themselves in that regard.
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The reality is starting to sink in...
Think about this… Read this quote from Bruce Arthur’s article below and really sit and think how depressing this is if Bosh leaves. We might as well not tune in for the next four years…
“Turkoglu’s US$53-million contract continues to look like the league’s worst deal that doesn’t involve a player suspended for bringing guns into the locker room, and Bargnani remains a weightless tease, and Jose Calderon remains a fond memory. And those three are owed about US$124-million through 2015.”
We mentioned all this at the beginning of the year. Everyone was so high on locking up players, that few realized that as this team is constructed, with all the contracts signed, it’s akin to trying to turn an 18 wheeler going at 150km/h…. There’s just no room to maneuver and we all thought that if the Raptors had any issues this year, they would essentially be locked into the same group for years and years to come.
Kinnon "Vicious D" Yee
Author - RaptorsHQ.com Twitter @RapHQVicious
by Raptors HQ - Vicious D on Mar 20, 2010 12:25 PM EDT up reply actions
I almost started the article with that quote MAS, scary stuff.
Adam Francis - Publisher - RaptorsHQ.com
by RaptorsHQ - Franchise on Mar 20, 2010 2:33 PM EDT up reply actions
It has become apparent that the Lego masters name is more accurate then first thought. His whole house is built of Lego and it crumbles to any real force put up against it. I have been hammering him for a few seasons now and I am now at the point where I think letting him go is the only course of action left. You can blame the players, you can blame Triano but at the end of the day BC is the one who hired the coach and brought in these players. It has been mistake after mistake with BC and I just don’t think he has done anything to justify a contract extension. I really have no confidence that he can get the team out of this mess and outside of some smaller moves that have worked out (Garbajosa, Weems/Johnson) he hasn’t shown that he has the ability to make this team competitive over the long haul.
I do think that BC has a hand in dictating which players start. Case in point, Hedo’s bloated contract probably has a stipulation that enables him to start every game. Along with Andrea who was quickily inserted back into the lineup after Jermaine O’Neal’s departure.
I am pointing out these two players because they would not be allowed to start under any circumstances for any team in the league. The Raptors have a mixture of players that can bring different skill sets to the game. I am just perplexed why Jay has not experimented with the lineups to determine what does and doesn’t fit.
That’s another thing – BC keeps saying “I’ll take the blame here,” but how does that work? Didn’t MLSE just re-up the General Manager who quite possibly cost us Chris Bosh? Too early to quite go down that path, but even by making the playoffs this year, the last few years have been a regression under his watch for the most part.
Adam Francis - Publisher - RaptorsHQ.com
by RaptorsHQ - Franchise on Mar 20, 2010 2:35 PM EDT up reply actions
Re Colangelo
MLSE did not re-up BC, they did not give him a contract extension, they had an option to fire him at the end of 2010, which they declined to take, ensuring he would finish his contract next year. Clearly a good decision at this time.
The loss to the Thunder, although disapointing how it happened, was a pretty guaranteed loss given the record of the Thunder @ 41-25 and 6 of 7 and that their athleticism and talent is not a good match up going in, compared to where Rap’s are now in their evolution, eg: Thunder are pretty clearly a much better team now.
.
But it is still only 1 game, with 15 to go and 33 wins, the same as the total last year,
to see what happens. Anyone who forecasted more than 41/43 wins, which is still quite possible was dreaming.
Do you think the record of 24-11 run that they had was representative of where the team is, or the current run of 2-10, or maybe their record of 26-21 since their start of 7-13 in the first 20 games is more representative of where they are. What we do know is that they have begun to struggle after Bosh was injured and Turk hurt his ankle, and have not been able to get back in sync when CB and Turk have been inconsistent, as yet. We will have to wait and see what happens in the next 15 games.
It is far to early to start throwing players like Bargnani under the bus because he has a seeminly poor game ( 7/13 15pts 4rbs in 22mins) followed by an excellent game vs Atlanta.
I just can’t believe how many offensive rebounds they give up. They have been consistantly giving up 15+ offensive rebounds. You can’t be competitive when a team can shoot 10% worse than you and be winning by 15 points. So basically they may have to bench the guys not boxing out and playing guys that will or they wont be competitve against any team that is around .500
Absolutely agree.
Which is why it’s absolutely maddening to see Jose and Jack switched. THEY’RE NOT THE MAJOR ISSUE HERE. Let’s see what happens if Rasho or Amir start?
Adam Francis - Publisher - RaptorsHQ.com
by RaptorsHQ - Franchise on Mar 20, 2010 2:36 PM EDT up reply actions
It is okay to lose
I find that the Raptor players are content to lose games. The same old quotes appear after every game: “we’re just getting out-played or out-hustled”. I suggest that the media stop interviewing players and leave them to ponder alone.
The major problem with the team is that they have no expectations put on them. Jay is too relaxed and accepting of bad performances. In all fairness, Andrea did not decide to come the Raptors; however, he has not showed any signs of consistency in his tenure with the Raptors. Under Mitchell’s system, he was scolded often for his lack of consistency. Currently, in Triano system, his disappearing act is rewarded with extra minutes. So, what gives?? There is no sign of tough love in Triano’s world.
If there is a lack of rebounding every game, why are you starting Andrea? Start Amir and you have the possibility of creating second chance opportunities for the team. Ride players that are performing this season: Amir and Weems. Bench players that are not: Andrea and Hedo.
Keep perspective people
OKC has had more than a ‘bit’ of luck drafting, can you think of another team that has drafted their way out of the basement so well? Never happens. I mean Durant alone is heading for the lebron/kobe/MJ level. Plus their gambles have paid off and their fan support is second to none.
But they play a style that never wins in the playoffs. The raptors weaknesses are defending in transition and rebounding, those are the OKC strengths, so a loss here is meh.
It’s no coincidence we take the lakers down to the final shot and get killed by the run and gun teams, the raps are built for the playoffs, period.
Sure we’re having chemistry problems, motor problems and (I say) coaching problems, but if the raps can get to the playoffs on any kind of a roll they’re going to be tough to beat.
Durant fell into their lap for sure, there WAS no other option with Oden off the board. A solid point as BC had to weed amongst 5 top options the year Andrea was drafted.
That being said, Colangelo’s inability to realize that Bargs was never going to be a great fit at the 5 for this team has hurt. Like another poster said, Andrea can’t be faulted for being drafted that high, he didn’t call his own name. And he is as advertised, an occasionally unstoppable offensive player who, while improved defensively, will never be a great stopper, shot-blocker or rebounder.
Adam Francis - Publisher - RaptorsHQ.com
by RaptorsHQ - Franchise on Mar 20, 2010 2:40 PM EDT up reply actions
Never say Never is a long time
Let’s remember Bargnani for his babsketball life in Europe was a 7ft SF as a scorer shooting 3’s a few rbs and guarding somtimes.
BC saw the potential for a player who could grow into a center in the NBA with a unique skillset of which we have seen signs of. Learning to play in the NBA in a position completley foriengn to them as a player is not an easy task.
Colangelo has said that he had projected a 5 year time frame for Andrea to reach his potential. In my view he is well on his way, as he in no way resembles the rookie who stood at the 3pt line and fired away. PATIENCE IS REQUIRED !!!!!
Bargnani
I completely agree that Bargnani is well on his way to being a very useful NBA player. I think he will be worth the money that he gets paid over the next few years. I wish Bosh would not leave, but unless the Raptors are able to win at least a few games in the first round against an elite team, I think he will. When Bosh leaves, I think Bargnani will step up his game considerably. That said, I would rather have Bosh.
by JumpShootersRUS on Mar 20, 2010 3:58 PM EDT up reply actions
So how long are we giving this Andrea project? I’m sorry but Colangelo knew he needed to keep Bosh around, so if he also knew it would take Andrea 5 years to get to the level they expected, why draft him? Why not take Roy, who BC and co. all agreed would have the most immediate impact?
Adam Francis - Publisher - RaptorsHQ.com
by RaptorsHQ - Franchise on Mar 20, 2010 5:45 PM EDT up reply actions
This is what is so maddening about BC’s tenure. At the time of the draft, it made no sense to draft another PF/C when the team already had 2 (Bosh/Villanueva). True Charlie V has never matured into a solid NBA starter but I am not seeing Bargnani moving in that direction either. I was really hoping BC would draft a 2 guard which is something this team has lacked since Mrs. Carter left town. The NBA is geared toward swing position players dominating and our team has not had a solid swing player in over 5 years. When Bosh leaves, this team will have no dominate player left on the roster and very little prospect of getting one. Short of this team turning into the Pistons from the early 2000’s (HA HA HA HA HA HA) the future is very bleak. In fact, I am not one to say this but at this stage they should just tank and fall out of the playoffs completely. This isn’t an ordinary year as the draft is deep and if Toronto does win the right to get trounced by Cleveland in the first round of the playoffs, they lose their pick. The team needs to get lucky and draft an actual franchise player to replace Bosh as Bargnani will never be that player.
quite true
but given e is better shot blocker, defender and stopper of CB4, it should give you some perspective…
Overpaid
Bargnani is not overpaid. On many teams, he would have a unique skill set, and his perimeter oriented game could probably fit very nicely. Being partnered with a bunch of offensive minded perimiter types does not help him. Even if Bosh were to stay, I think Bargnani will average 18 and 7 next year. That would be worth the money. If Bosh leaves, Bargnani will average 20 pts.
Calderon is highly overpaid right now since he can not guard opposing point guards and the Raps have other guys that can initiate offense. In order for him to come close to earning his money, he needs to be paired with a shooting guard and small forward that can guard the two best perimeter players on the other team and the offense needs to run through him the whole time he plays.
Turkoglu as pointed out by so many posters and by HQ since he was first rumoured to be joining the Raptors, is a horrendous fit. As long as he is playing significant minutes along side Calderon, Jack, Bargnani and Bosh who all need the ball in their hands a lot outside of the low blocks, he will never be anything close to useful. Especially, since the D of all those guys is average to poor.
If Bosh does want to leave, I hope that the Raptors somehow can handcuff Hedo to him in a sign and trade. Maybe to the Knicks for Eddy Curry’s expiring deal, David Lee, and a couple of cheap young guys???
by JumpShootersRUS on Mar 20, 2010 12:18 PM EDT reply actions
Disagree...
Bargani is definately overpaid. The market determines a player’s value. If Colangelo had not locked up Bargani to the multi-year deal last summer, Bargani would have had to negotiate a deal this summer. Then he would be competing with one of the largest and most exciting free agent pools in NBA history. Couple this with most NBA teams being deathly affraid of a sinking salary cap and revenue, plus the impending CBA negotiations. If anyone thinks Bargani would get a $50 mil plus deal this summer they are absolutely wrong. Think about this, David Lee (a better player than Bagani in my estimation) couldn’t get a deal last summer with little competition.
If Colangelo was not such a Bargani fan boy, he could have waited until this summer and signed Bargani to a much more reasonable deal (or better still, not at all). The problem was/is BC is incapable of being objective when it comes to Bargani, either because he has simply overvalued him, or because he has to MAKE it work to save his reputation.
Totally Agree
Signing Bargs last year made no sense. He could have waited and done it this year to get a more reasonable offer for someone who produces for one or two quarters a game…
PS – I’ll throw a party at Harbour Sports Grille here in Toronto if they can somehow move Hedo’s deal.
Adam Francis - Publisher - RaptorsHQ.com
by RaptorsHQ - Franchise on Mar 20, 2010 2:42 PM EDT up reply actions
lol. Let’s put a caveat on that, because any move on that contract is going to have the Raptors take a pretty bad one in return
Kinnon "Vicious D" Yee
Author - RaptorsHQ.com Twitter @RapHQVicious
by Raptors HQ - Vicious D on Mar 20, 2010 4:55 PM EDT up reply actions
Why does it surprise you that BC signed a player to an extension when he didn’t have to and a player who still hadn’t proved anything yet? Remember how he reupped Joey Graham then brought in multiple players who played the same position and took away Joeys playing time. If you know you are going to give away all his playing time why resign him? He could have walked a couple of years before he did and we could have had an additional roster spot.
Much like my NCAA tournament bracket....
this team is a mess. Their starters just have no spine to speak of. I’ve said it before, but this team is fatally flawed and is in dire need of a culture change. Trading for a guys who will give you 5 minutes a game isn’t gonna cut it.
It is absolutely mandatory that BC (assuming he isn’t canned for this debacle) move one of the Turkoglu/Bargnani/Calderon triumverate from defensive hell and replace him with someone who can defend or rebound (ideally both). In a perfect world, you move all 3, but miracles like that don’t happen.
By the way, what we’re looking at now is pretty much the worse-case scenario that everyone worried about in the offseason after the Turk signing. We’re bad enough that Bosh is gonna walk, but not bad enough to keep our pick that we dealt to Miami. So we’re gonna have no superstar, no draft pick, and no cap flexability.
I really have nothing to say here...bang on.
Adam Francis - Publisher - RaptorsHQ.com
by RaptorsHQ - Franchise on Mar 20, 2010 2:42 PM EDT up reply actions
Big mouths let loose
Hedo was a starter for a finalist last year…..
Is there a winning team built around a PF?
Is this the same team that beted almost in a row all the NBA echelon?… yet it is
Franchise, where are all your reservation about Bosh? Vanished after one day?
Bottom line this team has shown they can beat anyone, isn’t it worth it find out why they have all of a sudden stop? The constant “rebuild” urgency tells more about you guys and your loosing tradition than about the current team. Do not get me wrong they stunk yestarday evening and they are not championship material, and nobody thought they were but they have shown they are better than they were yestarday.
Keep cool. Cooler heads are always the one that prevail….
Re: Big Mouths
I think this team is actually pretty good. Signing Turk was definitely a mistake though. Depsite his poor play this year, and the fact that he is on the downside of his career, he has some skils. However, he just does not fit.
Calderon and Turkoglu on the floor with Bargs is horrendous. That said, I do not think that the Raptors should look to move Bargnani. Eventhough he can not play any D, I like Calderon, but I seriously doubt that anyone would trade anything good for Turk. So maybe they should look to move Calderon.
If Bosh is willing to rejoin the team, would something like Calderon plus Derozan for a resigned Rudy Gay seem reasonable?
If Bosh wants to leave, what do people think of trying to attach Hedo along to him in a sign-and-trade, ie the Curry + David Lee I mentioned in an earlier post.
by JumpShootersRUS on Mar 20, 2010 1:10 PM EDT up reply actions
you beat me to it...
It’s not that I hate Turk, Calderon or Bargnani individually; it’s that they’re a nightmare together.
To Renato’s point: Turk was on a championship finals team last year. He also had an elite defensive Center behind him to clean up his blow-bys. Hedo is a very good offensive player that struggles to keep his man in front of him on the defensive end. Pairing him with Howard was a match made in heaven. Unfortunatly, Andrea Bargnani or Chris Bosh (to be fair…Bosh isn’t much better) are no Dwight Howard on the defensive end. So Turk is exposed. This problem isn’t going to go away, so the solution is to replace one of the pieces of the equation. Calderon presents the same problem….very good offensive player that struggles to keep his man in front of him.
This team certainly has the talent to compete with any team in the league, but to do that, they have to focus on the defensive end for 48 minutes – 82 games a year. My fear is that they will never do that consistently, as it’s not in this collection of players’ DNA. Games like last night and the games against Sacramento and Golden State drive that point home.
i agree we need to get rid of calderon or turk
by raptors_run_the_show on Mar 20, 2010 1:44 PM EDT up reply actions
Yep, Bosh isn’t Lebron here. His numbers last night were pretty hollow Renato so in no way am I saying he’s the league MVP. But at least Bosh for the most part this season produced consistently. How can you explain Andrea’s amazing first quarter, and then vanishing act? It happens essentially EVERY game too if you go back and look at the stats. Your second banana, or first as some have argued he should be, has to be a lot better than that.
And for the millionth time, I like Andrea. I just think he’s a 6th man on a good team and therefore right now, overpaid and not being used correctly. The sooner Raptors’ management realizes this (and they’ve had almost four years!!), the better.
Adam Francis - Publisher - RaptorsHQ.com
by RaptorsHQ - Franchise on Mar 20, 2010 2:45 PM EDT up reply actions
you are chasing ghosts here
I did notmention Andrea at all in my post. I mentionned Turk as it was stated he (and Andrea) would never start in any good team.
Anyway, since you asked, I do prefer Andrea at 10 than Chris at 20. Moreover, the first can improve and he loves being in Toronto, are you sure you can say the same about Chris
Nets Need Only Three Wins To Keep From Tying Worst NBA Record
The Nets have 7 wins and need 10 to avoid infamy.
I like there chances tonight against a shell shocked Raptors team playing the second of a back to back and this one in NJ.
Ibaka's Put Back
Overrated highlight film crap.
He did nothing the rest of the game.
He can run and jump and happened to be in the right place at the right time for one uncontested dunk.
Johnson should have been about a foot farther away from the rim but having said that I think K. Weaver’s 4 threes tell us all we need to know about last night.
One lucky dunk vs 4 open made three’s by a scrub.
his club would play zero defence,
Wrong
In 9 minutes over the 1st and 2nd quarter when the game was still in doubt and Johnson was on the floor first guarding Ibaka in Q1 and then Collison in Q2 they scored exactly 2 points and had one offensive rebound.
Johnson again was the only Raptor who played any defense when the game was still in doubt.
Vegas should favour the Nets
Raptors are -3.5 to -4 points… I’d take the Nets.
Over/Under is 200, I’d pick over, since the Nets will score 120+.
Nets: 122-108.
Apparently I shouldn't gamble
Or, when I do, never bet against a sure thing (a loss by the Nets).
I should have learned from the Dallas Mavericks / Ottawa Senators seasons of the early 90’s,
woah the andrea critisim isnt needed i think hedo and jose need to go because they are the worst defensive players on the team andrea isnt amazingly bad on d hes ok a wht ever defender we need some guy like aaron aflalo of denver who plays solid perimter defence
by raptors_run_the_show on Mar 20, 2010 1:42 PM EDT reply actions
Hedo, Bargnani and Raptors in General
Hedo was a good signing but we paid him 2 much. Consider the other options that were available, or right, there were no other options willing to come to Toronto.
Bargnani isn’t overpaid. He’s a solid player with clear weaknesses but he’s also very young. For a center his age he’s doing well (overall)
Raptors are right where everyone thought they’d be, 6,7 or 8th in the East. What’s wrong with that? isn’t that an imporvement from last year? Why can’t we simply build on what we have this off season and aim for 4,5,or 6th next year and keep building?
If Bosh leaves we’re in a mess.buttt, if we got back one solid piece and that team’s first round pick we may not be as bad as everyone thinks.
ya for example lets say we trade bosh to nets in turn got back courtney lee and a first round draft pick and we drafted john wall are team wouldne be bad at all
by raptors_run_the_show on Mar 20, 2010 2:25 PM EDT reply actions
On a positive note...
…if I’m Triano, I get this team together pre-game tonight and lay it out. There’s almost no way Toronto doesn’t get the last playoff spot, and yes, that means the Cavs, but there’s a chance here still to get some swagger back. Nets, T-Wolves, Heat, Bobcats and Clippers are five of the team’s next seven. These are winnable games and now’s the time to maybe put together a little run.
The issues we’ve been talking about all year won’t be fixed until personnel changes are made, but if Toronto can get a few wins in a row, then maybe they can at least put this last wretched stretch behind them.
Adam Francis - Publisher - RaptorsHQ.com
by RaptorsHQ - Franchise on Mar 20, 2010 2:53 PM EDT reply actions
On a positive note
Raptors are 26-21 since their 7-13 get to know it 20 game start.
Raptors are 5-2 in games decided by 3 pts or less.
Raptors are 22-6 vs under .500 teams, of which they have 8 games remaining.
Brack Busted!
Thanks for coming out Villanova.
Big East
Can you say overrated?
Marquette, Nova, Georgetown…weak.
Adam Francis - Publisher - RaptorsHQ.com
by RaptorsHQ - Franchise on Mar 20, 2010 3:26 PM EDT up reply actions
The Raptors needs an image of some sort
Right now, their mentality seems to be: “We’re down by 2? Meh, who cares?” I want that mentality changed to: “Down by 20? Screw that! We’re going to win by 20, no matter what!” The Raps just seem so… lazy. Unbelievably lazy. I have found this team unwatchable the last few games. So unwatchable that I’ve actually been more interested in watching – GOLF!
They have lazy players, that’s why they’ve been playing lazy. They can change for short periods of time, but ultimately, they are what they are.
To change the mentality, you have to change the core of the team. Now Bosh will probably walk to get that started, but I’d argue he’s the least of the problem. As long as Hedo, Bargs and Jose (bad defensively, but he does try) are a part of your core, you’ll have this problem.
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