RaptorsHQ Rapid Recap: Los Angeles Lakers 94 - Toronto Raptors 92
by Scott Campsall on Feb 12, 2012 6:48 PM EST
in Raptors Rapid Recap
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-This game truly was a heartbreaker for the Dinos. It came down to the final minutes where Kobe Bryant made not one, but two huge plays to put his team up in the dying second. The Raptors, however had two opportunities to tie the game or take the lead; the first came with 4.2 seconds, but Rasual Butler was called for a controversial 5 second violation despite attempting to call a time out. The Raptors again had the opportunity to tie the game on the final possessions but got only an airball from DeMar DeRozan.
-The Raptors first quarter woes continued as they dropped the opening quarter 34-19, a lead which would eventually prove insurmountable despite the Raptors beating the Lakers in each of the subsequent quarters.
-Although this will ultimately go down as a loss for the Raptors, they showed some fight, coming back from 18 down in the first half to eventually lead the game by 4 in the fourth quarter. Following the Raptors lethargic play in the first quarter, Dwayne Caser inserted Jamaal Magloire into the lineup in the second quarter and it completely changed the tone of the game. Magloire's tough play on the interior sparked a Raptors run that saw them close the 18 point gap to just 8 by halftime.
-Jose Calderon had an unbelievable game for the Dinos, scoring a career high 30 points and grabbing 6 assists. Calderon anchored the Raptors' O all night and made some big plays down the stretch including a three-pointer to put his team up 4 with less than two minutes to play, and a jumper that put the Raptors up 1 with 16 seconds remaining.
-The bench performance was crucial for the Raptors again in this one. The Raptors' bench vastly out played the Lakers' for a 43-24 bench scoring advantage. Linas Kleiza led all bench players in scoring with 15, while Barbosa added 12 and Ed Davis finished with 9 points and 8 rebounds. Jamaal Magloire also had 7 rebounds and a block in 15 minutes of work.
-On the Lakers' side of things Kobe Bryant shook off a spotty shooting night to make some big baskets--including the game winner--when it counted for the Lakers. Bryant lead his team in scoring with 27 points. Pau Gasol was also big, grabbing a game high 17 rebounds and dishing out a team high 6 assists to go along with his modest 16 point scoring output. Andrew Bynum also pitched in with 14 points and 9 rebounds.
-As has been the story a number of times this season, the Raptors put out a strong effort for the majority of the game, but still came away with the loss. This wont help the Dinos in the win-loss column, but it was an entertaining game that will not have a negative effect their lottery chances--a minor victory for those rooting for a better pick in the draft come season's end.
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Demar ain’t Kobe. Lakers were one of the teams possible looking for a PG. I wonder if Calderon’s performance convinced them. Final note, they lost and they beat a tired Celtics team. But hopefully the Raptors’ recent games put away the talk about how they couldn’t beat an NCAA team
Well, we didn't need any convincing beforehand to believe that Calderon is an upgrade.
Sure, we’d be more than happy to trade for him, assuming you’re willing to take something like Fisher/McRoberts/Barnes/Morris as the return. Pretty much everyone outside of Kobe/Gasol/Bynum are movable. Aforementioned trade would save you around $6.5 million, giving you about $22.5 million in cap space next offseason, although it would be understandable if you guys were waiting out on a bigger return.
And lol, the lowliest NBA team could beat an NCAA team. People really underrate the difference in talent. You guys easily beat Kentucky or ’Cuse. The difference in polish, talent, and experience is simply too great between the two.
To secure ourselves against defeat lies in our own hands, but the opportunity of defeating the enemy is provided by the enemy himself. -- Sun Tzu
Aren't there two late first rounders available?
Salary ballast plus the two first rounders in exchange for Calderon would be ideal, Maybe Barbosa for the trade exception to balance things out?
Happiness is that which gets lost in the details of its pursuit.
by HQ Interloper on Feb 12, 2012 9:54 PM EST up reply actions
What excites me looking at mock drafts is that there are some decent PGs expected to last until the 10-20 pick range in this strong draft. Getting an elite wing man, JV at center and a PG like Kabongo or Teague all in one year would be great. That’s the backbone of a team down the road
Well, that's the reason the Lakers would be hesitant to trade first rounders in this draft.
You have Damian Lillard, Kendall Marshall, Marquis Teague, Myck Kabongo, Tony Wroten, and so forth all available in the mid-to-late first round. Seeing as Laker fans like myself have suffered through years of crap point guard play, you’ll understand why the team would be hesitant at parting with its first rounders in anything more than a Howard deal.
To secure ourselves against defeat lies in our own hands, but the opportunity of defeating the enemy is provided by the enemy himself. -- Sun Tzu
Lakers fans don't get to use the word "suffered" on a Raptors blog.
by RedNose on Feb 13, 2012 7:49 AM EST up reply actions 1 recs
Best case scenario for the Raptors would be Barbosa for a 1st + TPE and keep Jose. Presumably the Lakers wouldn’t go for that, so a more reasonable trade for both sides would be something like Jose for a 1st and filler.
The only player on the Lakers roster that would interest Toronto is Bynum and I assume he is not available.
From the Lakers perspective, do they want to make another title run or do they want to start rebuilding? If they are want to add pieces for a title shot they are going to have to move those picks (for Jose or whoever else) because they don’t have any other assets.
by DW19 on Feb 13, 2012 8:47 AM EST via mobile up reply actions
I realize that the picks need to be moved for any significant trade to go down, but I'm presenting the reality that multiple ones will not be traded in anything other than a Howard deal.
If Toronto wants salary relief and say Dallas’ first rounder, then that’s an acceptable trade for the Lakers.
To secure ourselves against defeat lies in our own hands, but the opportunity of defeating the enemy is provided by the enemy himself. -- Sun Tzu
most people here would take that
which means either your assumption is not true (pick availability) or DW19 on what would Toronto be asking is. Or maybe one of the two parties has no interest in it at all.
Well, we're throwing ideas at the wall, not commenting on rumors of a possible deal.
Either way, it can’t go down until March 1st when free agents (McRoberts in our case) are able to be traded unless you’re willing to take on Luke Walton’s deal or something similar.
To secure ourselves against defeat lies in our own hands, but the opportunity of defeating the enemy is provided by the enemy himself. -- Sun Tzu
Nash
Another interesting short term option for the Lakers would be to use those picks in an attempt to acquire Steve Nash from Phoenix. Life would be a heck of a lot easier for Kobe et al with Nash setting then up for easy scores.
The Lakers would obviously be sacrificing long term for short, but they might get a couple more legitimate shots at the title that way.
by DW19 on Feb 14, 2012 1:52 PM EST via mobile up reply actions
Sure, we'd love Nash, but getting him would be very difficult.
Only asset we have that Phoenix wants is Bynum. Only way we give him up is if Phoenix gives us Nash, Gortat and maybe a wing, which is a tall order, although not totally implausible.
To secure ourselves against defeat lies in our own hands, but the opportunity of defeating the enemy is provided by the enemy himself. -- Sun Tzu
You might be able to wrangle one of those firsts (probably the Dallas pick), but not both.
Might have to send us a future second or something to get one in the first place. I wouldn’t mind taking Barbosa for the TPE though.
To secure ourselves against defeat lies in our own hands, but the opportunity of defeating the enemy is provided by the enemy himself. -- Sun Tzu
I'd also probably prefer Kleiza for the TPE.
Without Barnes, we have a need on the wings and Kleiza is a fairly solid option. Frees up more space for you guys as well, as Barbosa is an expiring.
To secure ourselves against defeat lies in our own hands, but the opportunity of defeating the enemy is provided by the enemy himself. -- Sun Tzu
tough loss
refs screwed us again and they owe us another one. Add it to the list.
but three highlights
1. Jose played great vs. LA so they may show more interest in him
2. we played well enough to win and showed some energy and toughness
3. sadly, we need draft picks more than Ws and we got one
And best of all, Casey is our coach and gives our team a whole new personality. Tough, driven to win and willing to play hard nosed, disciplined Bball to do it. Pound the rock. I hope they all pounded it hard on the way into the locker room after this tough loss. Hopefully the refs will give Casey a little more respect soon too.
That was a great game, good fight by the guys.
Does this make us better next year??:
http://games.espn.go.com/nba/tradeMachine?tradeId=6ouaqry
Draft B Beal assuming we draft 6th & below and you have a line up of:
C – JonasV / A.Gray / Magloire / Alabi
PF – Bargnani / AJohnson
SF – Granger / J Johnson/ Kleiza-(PF or SF)
SG – Beal / Bayless/ D Jones
PG – Collison / 2nd round draft pick – (Dee boost, Damian Lillard, Tayshaun Taylor)
A bit of an undersized back court tho but a playoff calibre team possibly.
Granger is not really that good
Think of Lamond Murray before he got to the Raptors but carrying a 12,5 mill contract?
Happiness is that which gets lost in the details of its pursuit.
by HQ Interloper on Feb 12, 2012 9:51 PM EST up reply actions
ur sorta right but u gotta keep in mind
Calderon and DeRozan won’t land us Chris Paul or anything u know what I mean. Granger is a huge upgrade over what we have on the wing and unless we get a top 3 draft pick, probably the best this team can acquire.
He’s actually not that bad, if he’s as bad as Murray then what is Demar and James Johnson? I’ll take Granger over anyone wing on our roster. He averages 18+ points and is absolutely clutch. Pair him with Bargnani for scoring whie having a shooter like Beal roaming the 3pt line we might be on to something. Keep in mind that deal also land sus Collison as our new PG of the future.
DeRozan is too young to give up on and Granger kills future flexibility
His injury history coupled with the bad contract is what concerns me. If the goal is a championship caliber roster, the team would have to avoid the Granger type acquisitions. He is not an efficient scorer. I honestly think without the proper training camp a lot of young players are not performing as they would under normal circumstances. It would be premature to write off any of the likes of DeRozan and Davis.
Happiness is that which gets lost in the details of its pursuit.
by HQ Interloper on Feb 13, 2012 12:08 AM EST up reply actions
I'm a Knicks fan, and I posted this elsewhere...
…but I was watching on League Pass and had to come over here and comment about how unbelievably disgusting these NBA officials are. When is the last time you saw a 5 second count called, in a crucial spot, when it wasn’t at least 7 or 8 seconds. That ref—who I then expected to exacerbate his craven ineptitude with a T—is a disgrace. And so is the NBA. The team with the most stars gets all the calls (especially on drives to the basket in the fourth) and it ruins my love for an otherwise fun league. Sorry guys.
And see you with Mr. Lin (and Mr. Stoudemire) Tuesday night.
thanks
We have had a long history of difficult decisions both late in games and throughout the game.
We pay our dues. We are one of the franchises that gives into the pot, we don’t get a subsidy. We pay our way and more. Why do we get treated so poorly? Although no one team should be treated differently than any other.
It is a disgrace in the NBA that calls are made for ’Teams" and “Players” depending on their reputation. And it would not be so bad if it was aways the home team who got the benefit of the doubt, but as we witnessed tonight that is not the case. If Kobe had that call go against him…..it would never happen. It feels like they want us to lose. All we ask for is fairness and hopefully this new replay system will help a bit.
Can’t wait to see Lin play. What a feel good story. An Ivy league boy. Wow. I went to school with Jerome Allen and Matt Mahoney at UPenn. Those are the last two guys to make the NBA from the Ivies. I got to watch them a lot and they were awesome. And before that it was Bill Bradley form Princeton. It is very rare indeed and a feel good story for sure.
I think it will be interesting to see how you keep a guy like Melo happy. He seems like a pill to me and a ball hog. Yes he scores, but his affect on the chemistry is not positive. Chandler, Fields, Lin, Melo and Amare sounds like a solid lineup on paper if you believe Lin can continue to play at a high level, but Melo and Amare will have trouble coexisting. I see lots of games where they combine for 50 pts. and yet still lose because they take 42 shots. It will be interesting to watch. You have the talent to win it all on paper in your starting five but chemistry is an issue. And Dantoni’s coaching style is not conducive to his roster, nor has it ever proven to win a ring.
by defensive rap on Feb 13, 2012 1:32 AM EST up reply actions
If it gets too bad Stern will equalize via draft order
I’ve always viewed this as Stern’s method of righting wrongs. Cleveland got theirs with two top five picks lat year and perhaps in some backroom dealings were convinced not to draft JV with the number 4 pick so the Raps could get something they wanted. So to complete the franchise damaging Miami free agency situation, the Raps will get their top 5 pick. The league works by reputation, those teams who lack it get hope by way of good draft picks. When someone starts to stir the pot, Stern, via the Refs and the Draft will manipulate outcomes as necessary. Because it’s sports, he can’t necessarily impose an outcome from a get go but when things fall into place, he can nudge things the last few inches to get what he needs. Cuban gets his title so he shuts up about the refs, Cleveland gets the top pick to appease them about the still suspect LeBron exit to Miami. There is an underlying frustration felt by Toronto fans. If the poor performances continue into next year with nothing to look forward to dangerous apathy will entrench itself and in the internet age, the Canadian market remains important.
Happiness is that which gets lost in the details of its pursuit.
by HQ Interloper on Feb 13, 2012 7:20 AM EST up reply actions
Granger is not the answer
He’s a guy that could win you some games but he’s never going to lead a team to a championship and he doesn’t make his team better. He is like a higher volume shooting Caron Butler, and Butler shoots plenty for his percentage.
We need potential and Davis and Demar are solid prospects. I still think Ed looks like an NBA player when he’s focused and he could be a solid power forward going forward. Demar needs to have something click, but I still believe it can happen.
The key for both those players is coaching. The coaching staff has had almost no real time to work with these players on individual development and Ed and Demar have looked lost at times in the season. The question is whether they can absorb the information and apply it on the court. Because the players are so young and the time has been so short, we won’t really know for a year or two if either one of them will be good to great players.
We know Granger is good and expensive. We also know he is streaky and a high volume shooter who falls in love with his jump shot. He would be in his mid thirties when we make our title run and Demar and Ed will be 25 approx. I’d rather gamble on keeping Jose, Demar and Ed.
Jose may have to go if we can get draft picks in return but if he stays I still see him having 4-6 more years and a solid backup for our title run. He’s clutch and he has great decision making abilities. The Lakers or Heat would be unstoppable with him because their D can back him up defensively and he can set up his teammates on O.
I still prefer a deal with Atlanta that involves Marvin Williams and Jose.
No to Granger
He is in his prime now and will start declining soon. His game doesn’t match up that well with the Raptors needs. His 3-point shooting is a good asset, but he is not a particularly good defender and has had plenty of injury trouble.
by DW19 on Feb 13, 2012 8:57 AM EST via mobile up reply actions
Jose rocks
Gotta love the effort. MVP this season so far.
Loved to see Ed play with some authority. Big men need to play with authority, it makes them much more effective.
Can’t wait for JV and ? + 1 to join us.
Kobe vs Gasol
Gasol said it was a tough call at the end of the game. Basically admitting it was a bad call.
Kobe said that his team played great D, he can count to 5 and it was a good call.
If it had gone the other way Kobe would have had a different opinion.
There’s always the silver lining of ping pong balls…
the silver lining
That is why I do not like watching Raps games this year, I am ill equipped in rooting for losses but I have an overwhelming feeling we need a top SF from the draft and a few losses could be all that would be separating us from that goal. In 2008 (if I am not mistaken) we went on an useless run when we got Marion, that made the difference between DD and Curry (who by the way would have loved being in TO) and as much as I like JC (and I do like him a lot) having him at 10 mill is not like having Curry at 3.
In games like yesterday I should have been devastated at the end and the rational part of me wasn’t that is why I want to get a rid of tanking this year. The time for half measures has come and gone. Let’s tank properly now not to have to do it again for a long time.
I agree with Renato. Better to tank once and do it right, than to be continually not that bad, but not that good either.
by DW19 on Feb 13, 2012 8:35 AM EST via mobile up reply actions
Well, if you need a three, this is the year.
Although I’m much more of a Michael Kidd-Gilchrist fan than a Harrison Barnes one.
To secure ourselves against defeat lies in our own hands, but the opportunity of defeating the enemy is provided by the enemy himself. -- Sun Tzu
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